Now that business matters are out of the way, I can continue work on Sunnyville #12 and on the third volume of Sunnyville. The work on the book itself is just half the battle. There’s the matter of selling it too. I don’t have the resources to run full page ads in magazines or trade publications so I have to rely on other methods.
To be honest, the marketing for Sunnyville Stories Volume 3 has started long before this blog post went live. I’ve been using Facebook and Twitter to no end in announcing the third volume. In addition, I have a running countdown of the days until the third volume hits the streets and I have a teaser trailer up too.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLEWnshiImo[/youtube]
So far, this trailer has pulled in close to 500 views. While that’s not bad, I plan to have an official trailer up by June that should be bigger and better. There’ll be actual panels and promotional artwork in that trailer.
In addition to the official trailer, I have more tools to promote the third volume. First, press releases will start going out in July to the mailing list I’ve been putting together. My vendors will be among those contacted such as Brodart Company, Carmine Street Comics, BCH Distribution, Forbidden Planet, Rabbit Valley and so on. Press releases will also be sent out to the libraries already carrying my work and to various media outlets (more on this in a moment).
Besides being a considerable market, one of the reasons I’m marketing to said libraries is that those already carrying my work are more likely to get the next ones! I’ve got quite a list of them in various states and even abroad so that list will have to be compiled later on.
Second, press kits are going to be assembled and then sent out to the various selections on the mailing list. These press kits will contain a press release, information about Sunnyville Stories and its third volume, promotional artwork and some of the rave reviews my work has already gotten. The press kits will start going out in September.
Third, advance review copies will be sent out around September and October. These will mainly go out to the trade publications as well as news media. I plan to send copies out to the Comics Journal, the Midwest Book Review, Library Journal and ALA Booklist. While I’ll definitely get coverage from the Midwest Book Review (they are friendly to the small press), the others are more hit-or-miss. The Library Journal only reviewed my work once (the first volume) and they didn’t review either the second volume or Von Herling. Both the Comics Journal and Booklist didn’t review my work; that doesn’t surprise me. They probably get thousands of submissions which they don’t have the time to review.
I also submitted the first volume to the New York Times Book Review. Not surprisingly, the first volume was ignored. I didn’t bother with them the second time around so it may be better to stick to regional publications. Besides the local newspaper here in Fargo, I plan to send press releases, press kits and advance copies to the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The final step will continue all through the planned release date of January 15, 2016. I will work like a dog to promote that third volume!
That’s all for today as I have to get back to work. Sunnyville Stories Vol. 1 (ISBN 9780615653921) is still for sale on Amazon. Copies of Sunnyville Stories Volume 2 and Von Herling, Vampire Hunter are for sale right now at Great Stories. Check out Direct Textbook too for more details on my books! And if you have an Amazon Kindle, get Sunnyville Stories Volume 1, Sunnyville Stories Volume 2 and Von Herling, Vampire Hunter for it today!
