A phrase I often hear from hanging around publishers, publicists and authors are the words “create a buzz.” I had no clue what that meant and am just now realizing how important the phrase is.
It seems that writing a book is only a small part of the publishing journey. What’s important is that the author creates a buzz about his/her book way before it’s even completed. Here, we’ll create that buzz and highlight two authors from Frances Dayee’s manuscript critique class.
• Violet Wentland’s story:
Shortly after college, history buff Violet accepted a position at Middle East College in Beirut, Lebanon, a position that would last 21 years.
During the summer of ’58 she experienced her first brush with civil war.
“The Lebanese president called in our U.S. Marines,” she says.
Although many students and faculty left, Violet recalls, “Those of us remaining on campus once invited a few Marines for a home-cooked Sunday dinner.”
She notes, “There was always something to write home about.”
In 1975, Violet remembers, “At night, we watched the missiles lighting up the sky. We had a ring-side seat of many deadly fireworks. We finished the school year, despite the lack of electricity, phones, mail and rationing of water.”
Violet felt the story of Middle East College needed to be told to inspire and encourage all readers who endure difficult times. As missiles again flew overhead in the following years, she documented daily events. The diary, plus her letters home, would become the basis for her book, “On the Edges of the Battlefield.”
• Jean Pinski’s story:
“I intended to become the next Erma Bombeck,” says Jean Pinski, thinking of the comedic escapades parenting four teenagers.
However, it was her year filled with family tragedies — deaths, illness, accidents — when she saw her cast of characters dealing with one tragic event after another.
Wayne Purdon, Jean’s brother-in-law, became the central character in her book, “COACH.” For 40 years, football coach and teacher Purdon impacted thousands of kids in the Yakima Valley.
“The words of respect and gratitude that poured into his house as he slowly lost his fight with cancer, were so uplifting, so poignant, so kind, that I knew I had to share the impact that this small-town coach had on so many lives,” says Jean.
Jean promises readers will smile, laugh, sigh and cry when reading “COACH,” as they reflect on that one teacher who positively affected their own lives.
Once “COACH” hits the shelves in September, Jean has two more books planned — one promises to be that Erma Bombeck comedy about following her husband through retirement.
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So how does an author create a buzz? An important avenue is through social networking. I didn’t grow up with social media and it wasn’t until recently that I started my own Facebook page and joined LinkedIn. I always thought Facebook was for kids, and frankly, I’d never even heard of LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a site for professionals, business folk and writers who want to keep the dialogue strictly business. It’s a place to meet other people in your field, join online related organizations, search for employment or post a job opportunity.
Facebook and LinkedIn serve as places to herald your upcoming book. Other outlets? Start a personal blog of your published and unpublished articles to form a fan base of followers who are interested in your writings. And by all means, design a Web site for your book, make business cards and bookmarks and work on that press release. In other words, create the buzz before publication. Sound like a lot of work? Yes, it is. The rewards, however, are big.
Suzanne G. Beyer is a Bothell resident.
