Class Description
This session is part of GrubStreet's Manuscript Month, a programming deep dive into the publishing journey. Learn more about Manuscript Month here!
The days of your publisher handling all, or most, of the publicity and marketing for your book are long gone. Despite a few exceptions, writers today can expect to manage their own marketing strategy, event scheduling, and promotional opportunities. Hiring a publicist, paying for ads, submitting to book awards, travel and conference fees: it can all add up to a hefty price tag, with little assurance that the investment will be worth it in the end. But fret not. Your publication experience can still be meaningful and successful without having to break the bank!
In this session, we’ll discuss how writers can prepare in advance of publication with steps and strategies that cost nothing more than some modest effort and time. Topics will include: creatively leveraging support from your publisher and community of fellow writers; finding reviewers and publicity prospects for free; knowing when and how to properly contact venues for a reading or event; successfully engaging book clubs and local libraries; reaching out to conferences and university departments; finding niche opportunities based on your book’s focus; and researching awards, fellowships, and artistic grants for which your book is an actual fit.
You can expect to leave this session with concrete options to consider, a deeper understanding of what publicity and marketing can look like when you take charge, and a reduced level of anxiety around the question: will anyone even notice my book exists?
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.