How to Fail At (and Master) Book Promotion
Working with Dark Horse Part II: From solicitations to release day
Welcome back to the deep dive into my experience publishing House of Fear with Dark Horse Comics.
Part I looks at the process from the pitch through contract signing.
Part II examines the solicitation, the book's release, and marketing.
Part III covers the end of the Dark Horse deal and the final sales data, plus general thoughts on what went right and what went wrong.
Today, I want to share some insight into what I did between signing the contract and the book's release.
The Timeline
At the same time I received the contract, Dark Horse sent me a schedule for the book’s production and release.
When I received the schedule, some of the items were already overdue, including the cover mock-up and solicitation copy. It wasn’t an accelerated schedule, but instead, most likely due to putting House of Fear on the schedule three or more weeks before getting me the contract.
For solicitations, we used the already-existing Attack of the Killer Snowmen cover art and Dark Horse designers handled the layout.
Although the official solicitation wouldn’t be seen online until August, I wrote the copy in April. Dark Horse supplied guidance to help me write it (read the final solicitation copy).
If I were to grade my solicitation copy, I’d give it a C. It gets the job done but not much more. I used several “generic praise” words. I’d tone down the “empowering themes” too and instead focus on the action, adventure, and monsters!
Side note: If you’re looking for help with your solicitations, I wrote a few guidelines for writing the ad copy. It’s brief, but the information combines lessons I’ve learned over the years as a writer and editor, including information from Dark Horse and other sources.
At this point, it’s mid-April (about a month after signing the contract). To give you a rough idea of the schedule, here are a few key items and their deadlines:
February 5: Cover art due.
March 5: Solicitation copy due.
August 29: Solicitation spread due.
September 18: Final cover due.
October 17: All pages due.
November 14: Book design proofs due.
December 26: Everything finalized and ready to send to printer.
April 17, 2019: On-sale date for comic shops.
April 30, 2019: On-sale date for bookstores.
Two months after providing the schedule, Dark Horse decided the on-sale dates were a little too ambitious, so they moved them back two weeks.
(During this whole process, I had final approval of everything. So, for example, when they completed the solicitation spread, I approved it before it went live.)
Lesson:
There are many steps involved in publishing a book (the above list is a quarter of what was on the schedule). None of the dates looked unreasonable, in large part because we already had most of the stories completed (I started sending TIF files within a few days of signing the contract).
It’s important to closely inspect the schedule and ask questions if you have any concerns. The earlier you point out potential problems, the less likely any changes will negatively impact the process. And if you have any questions about what an item is or why it’s necessary, ask.
So far in this process, I seem to have done all the right things. Now it's time to examine some of my mistakes.
Kickstarter
While we were working on the final story in the book, I ran a Kickstarter campaign in October 2018.
Although Dark Horse gave me the green light to run the campaign—they said Kickstarter audiences and bookstore audience don’t overlap much, so they didn’t think it would impact sales—I hadn’t originally planned on doing one. In fact, it wasn’t until after I announced the Dark Horse book that the creators in Tyler James’s ComixLaunch Mastermind group suggested I launch another campaign.
The group had strong reasoning for how and why I should launch another campaign, but it never felt right for me. On paper, it all made sense. In my heart, it didn’t click.
Instead of listening to my intuition, I did it anyway. (Following your intuition and listening for what feels right to you is a big part of my message to writers, and here’s an instance I failed to follow my own advice.)
The new campaign included two issues: Teeth and Dead Lake. Despite successfully funding and raising over $6000, I considered the campaign something akin to failure. Nothing went smoothly, and my attention was split between it and the Dark Horse book.
Looking back, I realize my feelings of failure had more to do with the fact I had no clear strategy. Not for the campaign itself nor for how it would feed energy into the Dark Horse volume.
The campaign came together in a rush. And because I clearly referenced the Dark Horse book on the campaign page, I kept wondering if I was splitting my audience, forcing them to decide whether to buy single issues or wait for the upcoming trade.
Another problem was that this campaign took place 15 months after my previous campaign. Instead of slowly building my audience one issue at a time, I sprung two new issues on my readers a year after the previous one.
I should also note that I never ran a Kickstarter campaign for the Attack of the Killer Snowmen issue. Instead, I used it as a bonus item in our second campaign (I sent 10 copies to random backers, and included the issue as a bonus digital book for 31 random backers).
Had I built House of Fear slowly on Kickstarter with campaigns every 4-6 months, would things have ended differently? I don’t typically dwell on past mistakes or play the what if game, let’s do it anyway: what if I had created three separate campaigns for Snowmen, Teeth, and Dead Lake? What if I announced the Dark Horse book after those were all successfully fulfilled?
Lesson 1:
I’ve watched many creators successfully build audiences on Kickstarter by releasing one issue at a time. In fact, this is my number one recommendation to my writing clients who are interested in self-publishing and crowdfunding comics. I certainly had the content to launch a campaign every four months, which likely would’ve helped me build my audience over time. Instead, I skipped one issue entirely and launched two others in one campaign.
Even if traditional publishing is your primary goal, I suggest you keep pitching publishers and agents while putting your books out there and growing your audience via crowdfunding platforms.
Lesson 2:
Taking time to strategize is a big step many writers and artists fail to consider. Yes, they might plan their next project, but they don’t always see how that fits with their larger goals. I’ll be examining this step in future posts, but for now, know that good planning includes the zoomed in, detailed approach as well as continually checking in on the big picture.
PR and Marketing Part I: The Dark Horse Representative
When I signed with Dark Horse, I was not expecting them to help with marketing. I assumed they’d solicit it where appropriate but nothing more. As it turned out, they connected me with a marketing representative.
She wrote the press release and sent it to her media contacts. She also helped me put together a short list of media outlets to contact. However, I was responsible for contacting the media and securing interviews and reviews.
Our collaboration was brief, but it was nice to have her in my corner, if only to give me a little added confidence and to answer a few questions.
Lesson:
Although I had some support from Dark Horse, it wasn’t much. And today, you'll likely have even less. So be prepared to do all of the marketing and PR yourself.
In fact, as part of your regular routine as a writer, I suggest keeping a spreadsheet of media outlets, podcasts, and social media accounts that you might contact when you land a publisher or launch a campaign. Granted, you shouldn’t ignore them until you need them, but having an ongoing list is a good idea so you’re not scrambling when it’s time to develop a plan for book promotion.
PR and Marketing Part II: Solicitations and Preorders
Here's another instance where my lack of understanding and lack of planning hurt. As with Kickstarter, I didn't even know I was missing out until much later.
First, let’s take a look at some dates:
August 22, 2018: House of Fear shows up on Amazon.
August 24, 2018: I get the green light to announce the book.
October 2018: I run a Kickstarter campaign for Teeth and Dead Lake.
December 18, 2018: Dark Horse sends out a press release.
December 20, 2018: Bleeding Cool posts the press release with commentary from Jude Terror.
December 20, 2018: I reach out to my marketing representative for the first time.
January 2, 2019: Solicitation ad appears in Previews catalog.
April 16, 2019: My first interview about the book appears online.
The key here is that there were four months between the book appearing on Amazon and the first time it was mentioned online outside of my own social media posts (Bleeding Cool).
So why is this important?
Because Dark Horse does not set the print run for their books until days before they send the files to the printer. In my case, that was January 9, 2019.
Publishers determine print runs based on several factors, but initial orders from the book market and the direct market (comic shops) are a big one.
I didn’t perform any real outreach until Christmas. Sure, I posted on social media a few times, and yes, I had that Kickstarter, but I made no real efforts to increase pre-order numbers because my mind was focused on selling the book to end readers.
Remember, solicitations were live in August. So I had 3-4 months to reach out to librarians, teachers, and bookstores, all of whom had access to information about the book and who had the ability to place pre-orders.
There was another small hiccup: The Previews catalog usually comes out at the end of every month, so potentially December 19 or 26 of 2018. However, due to the holidays, it slipped to January 2. That meant comic shops weren’t even aware of the book until the first week of 2019, just seven days before Dark Horse began printing.
How did this impact me?
When the Dark Horse publishing committee approved the House of Fear project, they did so off the projected print run of 5000 copies.
Unfortunately, preorder numbers were lower than anticipated, and they printed 3478 copies.
At the time, I was more than happy to have a print run of over 3000 copies. Believe me, I was ecstatic. But looking back, I wonder what would’ve happened had I done more to generate buzz with librarians, teachers, comic shops, and bookstores in an effort to secure more preorders.
I’m sharing so much detail here because this is massively important, but I didn’t know how important. I was focused on what I knew at the time, which was Previews catalog and promoting at launch/release.
Lesson:
Print runs are based, in part, on preorders, and you only have one chance to set the initial print run. Before the print run is set, find ways to get the book in front of people who might increase those numbers. This is when you approach comic shops, bookstores, libraries, etc. Even if you're not provided with help in marketing, ask your publisher for information on when it's best to start hyping the book and ask for tips on where/how to do so.
PR and Marketing Part III: Release Date
I didn't do well promoting before they set the print run, but I was ready to get things rolling to generate buzz on release day.
At least, I thought I was...
It can take 2-4 months to set everything up for an interview to be posted online, so I started reaching out to websites on December 21, 2018, and then I started in a little heavier once Previews hit the stands the first week of January.
In my emails, I referenced the solicitation, explained the book, and offered interviews, exclusive preview pages, etc.
What I didn’t factor into any of this is who I was: just some random guy with a book being published.
There I was, a new writer with no real books under his belt and without a built-in audience—no mailing list, no huge social media numbers—sending blind requests for interviews and reviews.
I realize now that, subconsciously at least, I sort of assumed having Dark Horse publishing the book would be enough to interest journalists. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it would be a challenge, but at the same time, I wasn’t just James Powell anymore, I was James Powell, Comic Writer for Fucking Dark Horse Comics!
I didn't track the numbers, but I sent requests to approximately 30-40 websites (it should've been four times that many). Of those I emailed, only 5-6 were interested in running an article. And all of those articles and interviews ran at the time of the book's release.
Believe me, I was happy to have an interview with Geek Dad. I was thrilled that Bleeding Cool ran the press release. And I’m still grateful that Horror News Network and Horror DNA were interested enough to post an interview.
Was it enough? Could I have done more?
Lesson 1:
It’s never too early to hype your book, and you can never reach out to too many people to help spread the word.
I was making my list of contacts only a week before I started sending out requests. Instead, I recommend you start making a list right now. Always be jotting down websites, YouTube channels, podcasts, and book groups that might be interested in your work.
Journalists and other content creators are receiving emails from hundreds if not thousands of people just like you. Only a fraction will be interested in telling your story, and it's up to you to find them. But it’s more than just creating a list of names and email addresses.
As you’re writing your novel or comic series, find ways to engage with those writers, YouTubers, podcasters, and book groups who talk about and promote stories similar to the ones you’re creating. Do this well before you want them to share information about your book.
Find groups of other writers and artists who create similar things and talk about why you love the genre. Then find where readers talk about their love of other writers, books, movies, etc. Make a name for yourself as a fan as you’re writing the next masterpiece.
Also, keep building your personal audience through Kickstarter, email lists, social media, etc. Connect with your audience. Connect with other creators. Connect with people in the media.
What I’m talking about is building community, and being a part of something bigger than yourself.
Lesson 2:
Think outside the box. There's more to hyping your book than sharing it with online journalists or comic shops. For example, local news outlets are always looking for content.
For comic writers, keep in mind that local doesn’t mean just where you are. Get your creative team involved. They’ll have local news outlets who might be interested in running a story, too. (Don’t neglect your creative team’s local stores either.)
Lesson 3:
Knowing how to do a thing and actually doing the thing are two separate steps. We often hear “oh, just do this” as if it’s easy and everything will fall into place simply because you know the steps. Usually, the people telling you it’s easy or those who point out what you did wrong are those who’ve been doing it for years.
If you’re new to marketing and promotion, set proper expectations. Accept that you’re new and understand there will be some growing pains. And give yourself a little grace when things don’t immediately go your way.
Release Day
House of Fear: Attack of the Killer Snowmen and Other Spooky Stories hit comic shops on May 1, 2019, and bookstores on May 14, 2019.
For those keeping track at home, that’s approximately 16 months after sending my first query to Dark Horse and 13 months after signing the contract.
As the release date approached, I grew more and more excited. I was finally going to be a published comic writer! Sure, I had been a part of several anthologies published by Dark Horse, Image Comics, and Random House, but this one would have my name on the cover.
It was a dream come true.
On the day of release, I went to the local comic shop with my wife and son and bought a copy. When it hit bookstores, we drove to the two nearby Barnes and Noble stores to check out their copies.
It was an absolute thrill.
I was definitely walking around in a buzz, but you know what? The world didn’t stop spinning. Stephen King didn’t call to welcome me to the club. I didn’t get any big congratulatory emails. None of my friends texted to tell me they were excited for me. No one threw me a party.
When I enthusiastically told the comic shop employee that I wrote this book and that it was the first one I'd seen on the shelf, she shrugged and said, "Oh, cool," and rang me up without another word.
After all this work, all this build-up, it sort of landed and was over in an instant. Sure, I enjoyed the moment, but that feelings of euphoria and accomplishment were over quickly. Instead of basking in that glow, I was already off preparing the next thing.
It’s not that I expected fireworks, but because I now know how fleeting it all can be, I wish I had made a bigger deal out of it—especially now that I know what came next.
Lesson:
Celebrate everything!
One thing I’ve learned over the years is the importance of celebrating your milestones, big and small. It’s the secret sauce for motivation. It reminds us that we’re doing the things we love and that we’re on the right track. Writing is a process, and you won’t become a success overnight, so remind yourself why you’re doing all of this by having a little fun.
Organize a celebration for release day. Live it up. It doesn't matter how big or small the book, publisher, or release...surround yourself with friends who understand how important this moment is for you and stop long enough to recognize your accomplishment.
But celebration isn’t just for when your book is published. Just finishing the script is a big deal. Recognize your efforts and your successes along the way, which helps motivate you to keep doing more.
Looking for more information on the publishing process? Continue reading:
This series is awesome. Thanks for laying out the process so bare! Much appreciated