Writers: Marketing your book-traditional or newer methods? (+BQ)?

[RedStar]

1. If you mean how will I market my book after I have a publishing deal, then I will talk to the publisher, which will have a PR plan for the book, and discuss what they intend to do to market and promote the book and what I can do as an author that will complement that. I'd certainly have a website and a blog, and I'd certainly make myself available to speak or do readings at suitable events, among other things.

I actually work in media relations, so I draw up PR plans for things and secure media coverage for them every day. But there is absolutely no point in me just randomly going off and promoting my book if that clashes with the PR plan that the publisher already has for it. For example, the suggestion you gave for doing soft features with the media could actually wreck your chances of getting a much better, more in-depth interview in a newspaper or magazine that the publisher's PR officer could have arranged for you. So, if you were going to deal with the media yourself in that way, you would certainly need to talk in some detail with your publisher and their PR officer / marketing exec to be sure that what you were planning would fit around their PR ideas, rather than inadvertently sabotaging them.

If you've self-published, of course, your publisher couldn't give a flying f*** if your book sells or not, because they already have your money, and you won't get the necessary PR/marketing support you'd need to promote your book. Frankly, very few media outlets will even review a self-published book, let alone carry interviews with the author, and very few events or bookshops would ever allow a self-published author to do readings/signings/speaking engagement there, because a self-published author is without credentials. If someone pays to publish their book, all that proves is that they had money in their pocket: that doesn't make them a credible prospect as a guest speaker at an event.

2. Despite being shy, I actually am adept at speaking engagements because it doesn't actually involve having to make conversation one-to-one, so I'd be happy to do them. I would also have a website and so on, though.

3. I have ideas in mind - how could I not, I work in PR! - but see question 1. I'd discuss it with my publisher's PR officer first.

4. Again, I'd discuss this with the publisher's PR officer and agree a strategy with them.

BQ: Yes.
BQ2: Probably not; I'm phobic about them. Maybe if I was allowed to put in a blender with the ingredients for a smoothie I would. There's no way I could just eat it whole.
BQ3: Er... no.
BQ4: I wouldn't react at all. If someone wants to pick their nose in their own car, it's really not affecting me. They can do what they like.