Passengers get off a plane and are greeted by officials in hazmat suits. Gunmen roam through a shopping mall as people hide wherever they can find a safe area. Guests at a resort are stricken with a contagious and debilitating illness. While these alarming scenarios sound increasingly as if they’ve been torn from newspaper headlines, they are actually plot elements in Jonathan R. Miller’s novels. Though his books are labeled literary thrillers, Miller is most concerned with developing his characters, who are biracial and struggle with issues of discrimination, identity, ideological rigidity, and belonging. Miller, who is biracial himself, was born in Illinois, raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and later moved to California. In a literary landscape where biracial characters are rarely at the fore, Miller is interested in exploring his own life experiences through his work. I talked with him about writing fiction based on real-life incidents and his efforts to inspire discussions on the biracial experience. For some perspective on promoting his books, I consulted P. J. Campbell, author and former events manager at John Wiley, and Penny Sansevieri, founder and CEO of the book-marketing firm Author Marketing Experts, Inc. 

The Author’s Approach
Jonathan R. Miller, forty-two, has always been interested in writing, but ended up teaching eighth grade in Oakland after attending Stanford University. Today, he is a technical writer and lives in the Bay Area with his wife and daughter. He has self-published five books, including his most recent novel, The Two Levels, which was released last year.

Reading Push (Knopf, 1996) by Sapphire spurred my desire to take writing more seriously and try to reach a wider audience. I first began writing poetry, but after being rejected by several graduate programs I turned to fiction. In the late 1990s I participated in several writing groups and a more experienced writer in one of them became my mentor. Looking back, I’m embarrassed at the quality of my work at the time, but somehow my mentor was very encouraging. With his support, I began completing my books rather than starting them and then putting them aside. About ten years ago, I approached traditional publishers. They all saw my books as special-interest or niche. The rejections didn’t deter me; I believe most readers want a good story and will read about characters of any background if the story is irresistible. My goal has always been to build a broad readership despite the fact that some people may be unfamiliar with the issues I’m examining in my writing.

I spent a few years floundering because there was no inexpensive mechanism to self-publish. But with the advent of e-books, I decided to dive in. In hindsight I know I shouldn’t have released my first book, because some of the writing was just plain bad. It was really closer to a draft; after it got some very negative feedback, I took it offline. Because self-publishing gives you instant access to readers, it’s tempting to release your books too soon, before you’ve revised and polished them enough.

After my first book I also realized how many aspects of publishing—from design to marketing—authors have to handle after they’ve finished the writing. Even on my subsequent books I probably tried to do too much and didn’t reach out to people with expertise in these areas. I’ve done all of my own covers, but for future books I hope to hire a designer. I have a day job, I’m married, and I’m a father, so I don’t have much spare time.

I spent about twenty-five hundred dollars to hire a proofreader for my latest book, The Two Levels. For my previous books, I always read my own proofs and asked friends to read them; this time I wanted a professional’s eye. I also hired a publicist. I had learned to do my own outreach, though as an introvert I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t expect publicity to move the needle on sales; I wanted to boost readership for my books in order to attract a traditional publisher at some point. In fact, the publicist got me on three radio talk shows, and I got a spot on a local CBS news show. These appearances have in turn increased sales. I also pound the pavement and do a tremendous amount of my own publicity work. When I approach the media, I understand that I can’t simply pitch the book: I try to write organically on topics related to the book that the particular outlet will find interesting or relevant to its coverage. Getting a mention is great, but I’m trying to cultivate relationships that can be mutually beneficial for the long term. I have published a few articles online and had one piece in Style magazine, which led to coverage in an Instagram promotion from the local ABC station about notable Bay Area residents.

I may work in tech, but I’ve just started using social media to promote my writing and I’m still learning the ropes. I created author profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads, and on the latter took advantage of the book-giveaway-contest tool, which asks winners to post reviews of the book. Unfortunately, fewer than half of the people who received my book actually posted reviews.

My books don’t neatly fit into traditional genres in which there is hard data about the readers. The reviews have gotten more positive over the years, and I know that I’m attracting more fans. I would love to be a full-time author but can’t afford to do so without getting an advance from a publisher. Ideally, I would like to continue to self-publish certain books and work with a publisher on others. I would welcome the guidance that comes from working with an editor who can develop a book and also champion it through publication. Having a publisher’s muscle in terms of marketing would also be helpful. While I accept that all authors—self-published or not—have to do the lion’s share of promotion, determining which activities are worth the time and money is difficult.

A Consultant’s Take
P. J. Campbell, author of the self-published novel Booked to Death: An Author’s Guide to Publishing and Murder (2015) and 101 Author Tips: Creating a Successful Book Campaign (2009), was formerly the director of events at John Wiley & Sons. She is now a publishing consultant, working with authors on marketing and speaking opportunities.

The reality is that it is incredibly difficult for authors to do everything themselves. It’s nearly impossible for someone without experience in publishing to understand the intricacies of the business. Since Miller usually publishes a book every year, he should aim to promote and publicize each one for at least three to six months. Local publicity and exposure is important, so authors should aim to get speaking events at bookstores or local organizations. Having twenty-five people at a local bookstore is considered a success. Also, remember there is positive spillover: Attendees tell other people about your book, and local bookstore managers tell national chains about successful events.

I don’t think Miller has taken advantage of all of the opportunities available to self-published authors. Among the strategies he can use to increase his sales:

• Go directly to the target audience. Look for organizations that support diversity or advocate for specific communities. They might relate to Miller’s themes and help promote the book.

• Develop a picture book. Since The Two Levels is written from a child’s perspective, a children’s book aimed at parents who want to help their kids understand the issues faced by biracial individuals could be a useful accompaniment to the novel.

• Get out and promote the book at book festivals. Many book events such as the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and the Miami Book Fair International welcome self-published authors. These festivals would help expose Miller to a larger audience. The event organizers promote authors and, more important, media, readers, and booksellers from all over the country attend these festivals.

• Become more active on social media. Miller should research his target readership by visiting other author sites. Spending about an hour a day on Twitter and Facebook would enable him to generate some buzz. Miller should ask questions to engage readers and offer a free digital download of his book. My only caveat is that he needs to be thick-skinned; he must respond positively even if there are negative posts.

• Blogging is still relevant. Miller could blog on topics about race and identity in the news and promote the posts on Facebook and Twitter.

• Consider Amazon promotions. The retailer offers a variety of promotions for self-published authors at different price points, which could boost book sales.

Above all, Miller should keep talking about the messages in his books. There’s no substitute for establishing rapport in person or online. All authors should mention their book whenever possible, even at the gas station or grocery store. You never know who may be listening, and who might help spread the word about your book.

A Publicist’s Perspective
Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is an internationally recognized book-marketing and media-relations expert. Her firm has developed cutting-edge online book-marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including the self-published titles Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insider’s Guide to Marketing Online (2015) and How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon (2013).

While it’s true that publishing has gotten more competitive, there are also many new opportunities to promote books, especially genre fiction and e-books. When I work with authors before their books are published, I often tell them to have both print and e-books available even if they’re certain readers will primarily buy the digital edition. Print on demand (POD) allows people to affordably print a relatively small number of physical books that can be sold or sent to reviewers. Authors need print copies for many publications and to schedule promotions on Goodreads, a fan site for readers.

I’m honest when potential clients approach me. Authors who hire a publicist or marketer should expect feedback that may not be positive. On occasion, I’ve told authors that the jacket they love will make the book almost unmarketable or that the book needs another round of editing. If the author takes my advice, he or she then has to take the book down from Amazon to get a new jacket designed or have more editing done. Any criticism is not personal; I’m telling authors what they need to do to make their books commercially viable. Many of the four thousand or so books published every day are just not salable. 

Having a well-written and professional-looking book still isn’t enough. Authors, especially those who aren’t yet household names, need to build and engage their fan base. Miller is on social media, which is a good start, but so far his following on each platform is pretty small; he should be more active on those platforms to help grow a dedicated readership. One way to do that on Goodreads is to post excerpts of the book. The themes of Miller’s books also make for good discussions, so he should focus on reaching out to bloggers. This outreach could garner reviews and exposure for his writing, which could also lead to speaking engagements. Several years ago I worked on Geography Club (HarperTeen, 2003), a young-adult novel about gay youth and bullying by Brent Hartinger. The author ended up speaking at many schools to promote his book. I think Miller could take a similar approach.

He should also revise the description of The Two Levels on Amazon. It needs to be stronger to attract and entice readers. Miller should reach out and ask people to post reviews on the site. I often tell authors to include a page at the back of their books specifically asking readers to post favorable reviews.

More tips for self-published authors:

• Get the book professionally edited and proofread. (Miller did hire a proofreader, but a developmental editor may have also been helpful.)

• Don’t scrimp on the cover. Unless you’re a very capable illustrator or artist, hire a book designer. Professionally designed book jackets are available for a range of prices and can make the difference between a book selling well or quickly disappearing.

• Determine your goals before hiring a publicist. Fees can range from less than a thousand dollars to twenty thousand dollars. Figure out what you hope to accomplish from a campaign. For example, while it is probably unrealistic for a new author to land a three-minute segment on a national morning news show, an author could do a satellite radio tour.

• Look at the prices of other books in your genre. Fiction e-books are particularly price-sensitive, so don’t overprice.

Debra W. Englander is a New York–based freelance editor and writer. She managed a business-book program at John Wiley & Sons for nearly seventeen years and previously worked at Money magazine and Book-of-the-Month Club. She has written about business and books for numerous publications, including USA Today, Good Housekeeping, and Publishers Weekly.