Spread the word about your publication!
How do I find an audience for my genealogy publication?
Now that you've published your book, you need to find ways to reach the people who want to read it. Try these marketing ideas:
- Let your relatives know about your book or article and where they can get a copy. Mention it in your letters, holiday cards, and family newsletter.
- Include book details in your email signature line.
- Send review copies to genealogical magazines and journals; local and state genealogical and historical societies (in areas where your subjects lived); and other societies where you are a member. You may get free publicity, plus a critique that will improve your second edition.
- Send your book to local libraries and societies; the National Genealogical Society, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the Library of Congress; and membership societies. Researchers may find your book on the shelf and want to order their own copies.
- If you have a personal or genealogy-based web site, announce your achievement and tell people how they can order copies.
- If you belong to appropriate surname and location email list groups, check with the list owner about mentioning your publication to the group. Or, you could post a general note asking members if they're interested in your line to contact you.
- Post your book title and ordering information on surname and location genealogy boards.
- If you've written a how-to-research, a local history, or a record transcriptions book, see if bookstores would be interested in holding a book signing event.
- Advertise your book for sale in appropriate genealogical and historical magazines and journals.
- Rent booth space at local, regional, and/or national genealogy conferences and sell your books there.
Check out the rest of this series of articles:
- Genealogy 101: top 10 reasons to publish your research
- Genealogy 101: top 10 reasons to publish on paper
- Genealogy 101: top 10 projects to publish
- Genealogy 101: top 10 writing tips
- Genealogy 101: publishing terms for the genealogist
If you want to receive alerts when a new article is posted, click on the “Subscribe to Email” button above this article. If you have comments, story ideas, or questions, please leave send me an email.
Comments