How-to make your name well known as an author
59How-to make your name well known as an author
How-to make your name well known as an author
One of the most difficult tasks for new and struggling authors is getting your name into the public eye. I, for one, have been struggling with this monumental task. I have no publishing company who markets my name and novels. Therefore, the burden falls squarely on my shoulders to do the endless legwork.
Open Markets
One of the most effective ways to increase name recognition in a variety of markets is to sell short stories, flash fiction or other writings such as articles or interviews to websites in your genre. There are many types of sites that can potentially publish your work. Webzines, E-zines, genre specific sites, flash fiction sites are just a few. If you do a web search for fiction of your genre, many sites will come up and most will take submissions at one time or another throughout the year.
Each site has its own requirements for submission. Some will accepts mail in submissions only while most accept them in electronic format such as in the body of an email or an attached word document. Read the submission requirements carefully. If your submission does not meet the requirements it may be deleted without ever being read.
There are many sites devoted to tracking and listing open markets for authors. The better ones list which sites are currently open, the type of submissions they accept as well as the submission period. They also list which are paying markets as well as exposure only sites. You can find these by doing a web search for open markets or submission guidelines. Many sites should populate the search results.
The turn-around time to let you know if your submission has been rejected or accepted can vary greatly. Some will reply within a couple weeks while others take months. Some won’t reply at all if your work hasn’t made the cut. Your best weapons in these endeavors are attention to detail when submitting and patience.
Reviews
Many sites will review your novel or book for free. All it costs is the cost of your book plus shipping. In many cases, they will not post the review if there are no positive remarks, which is good for you. Other sites charge for reviews. Choose carefully and at your own risk. Another web search of book review websites should give you many options.
Book Signings
Locally, an author can get his name out by doing book signings at local book stores. Many locally owned book stores love to have local authors do signings as it increases traffic to their store. You may not sell many books but for name recognition, it can be a nice boost.
Social Websites
Many sites such as Face Book and MySpace will give you exposure to a more widespread audience. Fan pages and personal pages can be utilized to let people know who you are and what you do. Twitter is another site that can garner attention as well as followers. Friend and follow as many people as you can. The more places your name shows up the better.
JJ Ritonya
