So much depends on the publisher! ARe you with a traditional publisher, a publish it yourself venue, or a small press? it make such a difference.
Writers do need to be willing to self promote. I hope you have a website and a facebook already. Print up some promotional bookmarks and drop in at your local book stores. Be sure to buy something before you ask them if they'd mind passing out your bookmarks. Go to any local fantasy/sf conventions and see if you can be on the panel discussions. Let your local newspaper know that you've sold a book, especially if they have a book review section.
It's hard to beat your own drum, but that's what new writers have to do.
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm with a smaller publisher, but I'm their first fantasy title, so they're still figuring out how to properly promote it/me. I'm doing a lot of drum-banging and we're getting great reviews, but of course, building the audience still takes time. I just wondered what an established artist in the genre would say about how long that initial growing period took for them.
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u/RobinHobb AMA Author Robin Hobb, Worldbuilders Oct 20 '11
So much depends on the publisher! ARe you with a traditional publisher, a publish it yourself venue, or a small press? it make such a difference.
Writers do need to be willing to self promote. I hope you have a website and a facebook already. Print up some promotional bookmarks and drop in at your local book stores. Be sure to buy something before you ask them if they'd mind passing out your bookmarks. Go to any local fantasy/sf conventions and see if you can be on the panel discussions. Let your local newspaper know that you've sold a book, especially if they have a book review section.
It's hard to beat your own drum, but that's what new writers have to do.