Poetry Chapbooks: Ten Tips for Promotion

There are several ways of publishing your chapbook. You can do it yourself with a printer and a heavy duty stapler; you can submit a manuscript to a literary entitiy that publishes chapbooks; or you can try a self publishing company. It is fairly easy to get your poetry bound in a chapbook, but the real challenge is trying to promote it.

Since a poetry chapbook is usually fairly small, (between ten to fifty-something pages), distrubution of these books is not going to be a national or world wide endeavor. Many poets use their chapbooks as an introduction to their writings, but even then, a poet needs to get the word out about his/her book. With that in mind, here are ten ways to promote your poetry chapbook.

1. Contact small book stores in your local area to see if they will carry a few of your chapbooks on consignment.

2. Hold poetry readings at book stores and other literary events and keep several of your chapbooks on hand for people to purchase.

3. Create a website about the kind of writing you do and sell your chapbook on the site.

4. Submit your chapbook to contests which will allow for previously published chapbooks.

5. If you belong to a writing group, be sure to tell your fellow group mates about your recent success. Tell them how they can purchase a copy of your chapbook.

6. Send out press releases to local newspapers.

7. You can also donate your chapbooks to libraries and other organizations.

8. Create a signature at the bottom of your e-mails that points people to the URL where they can purchase a copy of your chapbook.

9. Also create signatures that have the chapbook URL at the bottom of any message your post in any forum.

10. Consider your chapbook, no matter how simple it was to publish, a true success. When you type up your bio for other writing endeavors, or for websites, be sure to say, "Author of the chapbook "name of chapbook."

Devrie Paradowski is an aviation weather forecaster and part time freelance writer. Her works have appeared in local venues, Adagio Verse Quarterly, Meeting of the Mind's Journal, Poetry Renewal Magazine, Literaryescape.com, and throughout a dozen content sites. She is also the author of the chapbook "Something In the Dirt," which can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/108560

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Book Marketing Information:

Related Articles

Make Big Profits from Small Booklets
What is your excuse for not being published? "I don't know enough to fill a book." "I don't have time to write a whole book.
Book Events - Make Yours Successful
A book event (a book signing) is a popular way for authorsto create awareness for their work. Most large publishinghouses require authors to participate in a 10-city booktour, at the minimum.
Dont Sell your Book, Share It
Most authors who aren't used to speaking before a group think, "I'd rather get a root canal than have to 'sell' my book." If you think about how great your book is, how you wrote it because you wanted to help or entertain your audience, you can change this fear to the idea of sharing your book.
Publishing Your Book-What Way is Best For You? - Part 2
Your print or ebook is nearly finished. You wonder if you should try to get an agent to represent you to the publisher.
Best Sellers Aren't Written - They're Made - It's All About Promotion
Writing a book is becoming more and more of a trend these days. In fact, an estimated 5,000 mystery books were published last year in the United States alone, and that number is expected to grow.
Are You Ready For The Publishing Revolution?
Writing has traditionally been considered a solitary craft. You wrote you article or book in seclusion.
Oh No! A Bad Book Review! Have No Fear...Advice For Dealing With The Blues Of A Bad Book Review
You've just been notified a review of your book has been posted. You're all excited and can't wait to see what has been written.
Your Book Marketing Plan - Winning Strategies and Tips
Many authors hit a roadblock when it comes to putting together and implementing a book marketing plan. You know you need to have one, you have a vague idea of what it needs to include, but pulling it all together into a step-by-step plan of attack is not nearly as easy as it sounds.
How to Get More Readers For Your Book
Marketing your own book can seem like a scary task. You poured your heart and soul into the writing of it, and now when you think about marketing your masterpiece, you think, "I'm a writer, not a salesperson!"But there is a simple way you can get the word out about your book.
Spend a Little Time, Get Free Books Online
There's just something so gratifying about owning your own books and creating an in-home library. Not only does book ownership provide you with hours, and hours of escape and enrichment, a well-stocked library is a great heirloom for future generations.
Authors Should Be Optimistic
A client wrote me recently and asked what I thought of his using a publicist to promote his book - to the tune of $4,000 per month. In my usual blunt fashion, I responded by telling him most self-published books never sell more than 100 copies, that 2000 sales is considered excellent in the industry and that the number of people who sell between 50,000 and 100,000 can probably be counted on one hand.
How to Sell Your E-book - (or other information product) - Through Quickie Seminars
I've been selling my own self-published information products (mainly e-books) online for the past 3 years. Is it profitable? Definitely.
Publishing Your Book-What Way is Best For You? - Part 1
Your print or ebook is nearly finished. You wonder if you should try to get an agent to represent you to the publisher.
Sell More Books on Amazon.com
Why Should Your Book Be on Amazon.com?Credibility.
Increase Book Sales: When a Book is No Longer Just a Book for Sale
Do you have books sitting in your garage that you haven't sold yet and looking for ways to move them? Then you will want to know about these five outrageous ideas that aren't difficult and can be just plain out fun. Dede Hall, author of The Starving Student's Cookbook had very poor sales for her books.
Extend Your Books Life With a Sales Letter
Authors, publishers and business owners are great at getting their books written and launched. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down.
Book Marketing 101 - Setting up Author Events and Book Signings -- Get the Most from Book Publicity
We all have at one time or another had the fantasy of our books being absolutely indispensable to readers - and that our genius is immediately recognizable even without the benefit of creating awareness or self-promotion. Well, for some very famous authors this may be true - but then again, publishers still spend millions of dollars promoting even the greatest writers' books.
Colour and Book Covers - What You Should Know if Youre Self-Publishing
Color is tricky at the best of times. If you want exact color management (such as a particular shade of blue for a university logo) you really should use something called spot color.
Plain Speaking - 4 Secrets For Getting Your Book Purchased
What can be more infuriating to a potential purchaser of a non-fiction book than chapter headings which give no clue as to their contents? After all, if someone is looking in the non-fiction section of a book store, it implies they want facts, not a fancy and "clever" table of contents! Here are 4 sure-fire ways to make your text grab the reader's attention:1. Make sure the text on the front and back covers is compelling.
You, Your Book and the Internet!
Authors, especially self published, small press and Print on Demand authors should understand the power of the Internet when promoting a book. There is POWER in cyberspace authors and it's only getting bigger and better.