{"id":13734,"date":"2020-10-21T08:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/?p=13734"},"modified":"2023-12-07T21:34:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T21:34:57","slug":"indie-authors-lead-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandra.oddjar.com\/indie-authors-lead-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Indie authors lead the way"},"content":{"rendered":"

The coronavirus impact on authors isn’t lost on the media.<\/p>\n

I’ve read several articles detailing how authors are dealing with COVID-19. The word “authors” in these articles nearly always refers to traditionally published writers who are suddenly left high and dry.<\/p>\n

No book tours. No speaking honorariums. No presentations at book industry events.<\/p>\n

Sounds like the normal indie author experience, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n

Reports in the press<\/h2>\n

Here’s just a sampling of what’s been appearing in the press since March:<\/p>\n

Erik Larson canceled the remainder of a planned 33-city tour for his best-selling book about the London Blitz, “The Splendid and the Vile”; his publisher is now looking at ways to livestream a conversation with him, and plans to post a series of short videos online in which he discusses his research and writing process.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“15 Books and Authors Hurt by the Coronavirus,”<\/a> Publishers Weekly<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The mass cancellation of tours and events has forced Chavez to switch her focus to “connecting with readers on social media instead.” She is finding it difficult. “As a debut [author], it\u2019s challenging.”<\/em><\/p>\n

” ‘From Author to Bookshop’: The IPA Takes Stock of the Coronavirus’ Impact,”<\/a> Publishing Perspectives<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Authors who had books ready for launch in the spring have had those launches put off or cancelled altogether. So they\u2019re having to scramble to try to do an online launch, and [is that] as effective in terms of sales as an in-person launch?”<\/em><\/p>\n

“Inside the Book Industry’s Battle to Stay Afloat During the COVID-19 Crisis,”<\/a> Esquire<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“They weren\u2019t cancelled all at once,\u201d writer Paul Lisicky said of the twenty-two stops on his cross country book tour. \u201cNo one gave me a phone call and said, \u2018Your book tour is cancelled.\u2019 It all went down one by one. It felt like a kick to the heart.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The problem is universal<\/h2>\n

This has to be incredibly disappointing for authors who had high hopes for their book launches.<\/p>\n

Accustomed to the kind of publisher marketing support that includes book tours and other gratifying live events, they’re now trying tactics that successful self-published authors have been using all along.<\/p>\n

Like their indie peers, traditionally published authors are taking their book launches online. New-to-them, but standard operating procedures for others, include:<\/p>\n