Some of you may not know but I’m a romance and erotica author living in Canada . You are probably wondering why does that matter? Well it does matter a huge amount when it comes to promoting yourself and your work. When I first started to write I had no idea all the stuff that goes into promotion. All the different things that authors do to get out there, from magazines, to promotional items, and conferences. None of that stuff was something I had heard about. I figured that there were companies that did that for authors. Boy was I wrong.
Unless you pay someone to promote you and your books you’re the one that does the bulk of things. I learned all about promoting and all the hard work that has to be put into it. I started to discover all the different ways authors go about to get their work noticed. The big thing was magazine ads and promotional items. Those can range from pens, key chains, postcards, bookmarks, stickers, shirts, and the list goes on and on an on.
So how does that affect me since I live in Canada? Well let me tell you. One company that I have been using from the start is Vista Print. They have locations all over the world and even though I live in Canada I order my items from the U.S since I can get free stuff and it comes out cheaper. The bad side to that is I have to pay a VAT fee. What’s a VAT fee? Well it is basically a border fee. So whatever I pay for my order I have to pay that again as a border fee. You are probably thinking, wouldn’t it be cheaper then to order from the Canadian site? For me it wouldn’t be. I still end up saving money. I always take the longest shipping which is cheaper so that saves me even more. It’s a great deal that will get me the bang for their buck.
When it comes to promotion in magazines those can run a hefty price from $200 to over $1300 dollars. Yes I know that is a lot, and when you’re starting out that’s the kind of money most authors don’t have. Authors have to budget so that they can use their money wisely without losing out. Another way authors promote themselves is by attending conferences. Those are primarily held in the United States. When you live outside the U.S it costs a lot to fly to the location of the event, and when the Canadian dollar is low it ends up costing and arm and a leg. Yes I know if it is driving distance authors will make the effort to drive, but for some that is not an option. As a Canadian author I have tried to utilize the different available methods of promotion here in Canada. But what about the rest of the world? You have to get your name and your books out there and this means promoting in any way, shape, and form.
So you see each author is affected differently when it comes to promotion. An author is not just a writer, they have many jobs to do that most people don’t think about. But when you love what you do you work hard and go the extra mile to bring something special into the lives of your readers.
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BOOK INFO
Bid For Love available at Lyrical Press
8 responses so far ↓
Savannah Chase » Global Challenges For Authors // November 16, 2008 at 5:00 pm
[...] and Cassie have to say….Tell us what are the challenges you face as an author….. http://globalwrite.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/from-canadian-author-savannah-chase-on-the-challenges-of... [...]
Hollie // November 16, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I’m not an author but I am a British reviewer. I don’t have the promotion problems and stuff but I still have a massive time difference and a huge language difference. But it makes life interesting and it’s never boring
Crystal-Rain Love // November 16, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I’m a newly published author in the US and I find it hard enough promoting here while living here, so I feel for you. Best of luck to you!
Rachel // November 17, 2008 at 3:36 am
Yes, my brief foray into publishing I found out about promotion the hard way. The easiest part is writing the book…
Cassie // November 17, 2008 at 3:55 am
Promotion was something that never entered my mind when I submitted and my first story was accepted. Who knew! Talk about a learning experience and we’re still learning. Great pointers, Savannah.
Sean Cummings // November 17, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Aside from the marketing challenges, there is one HUGE challenge Canadian authors of particularly genre fiction face: we have MAYBE twenty agents in the country (of 30 million people) and Canadian publishing houses are heavily subsidized so they can compete with much larger American publishing houses.
Let’s face it: can you name one NYT Bestseller about supernatural horror that takes place in Halifax? I can’t. There is one agency (the Cooke Agency in Toronto) that has sff authors on its roster and I’ve had to order books from the local Chapters/Indigo that dealt with Canadian SFF. Ironically, I’ve had to got to an American publishing house for my book “Unseen World” and my new book “Shade Fright” which takes place in Calgary and where one of the main characters is the ghost of a long dead Canadian PM is being flogged with American publishers and agents.
Alas, perhaps Canadian publishers don’t understand Canadian readers. Sure, I get that genre fiction carries a stigma of being “junk fiction” in the Canadian publishing industry – but there is a huge swath of Canadian readers who LOVE books by Jim Butcher, Laurell K. Hamilton and others who “ain’t” Canadian.
Anyway, I am done venting now.
Savannah Chase // November 18, 2008 at 3:26 pm
it is not something easy to do..you really have to be creative…..
Kissa Starling // November 19, 2008 at 2:17 am
You are such an awesome promoter of your work, Savannah. Stinks that things have to be that much harder for you in Canada.
Kissa