Re: Regional garden books

**"C.L. Fornari" c*@mail.com**

Saxton wrote 
> Regional publishing is the best way to get targeted information to
> local audiences but too often the books do not get publishing support
> beyond an initial press release or author tour.   

When my first book, "The Cape Cod Garden" came out I was scheduled to do a number of author's events, and was frequently on a panel with author's whose books were put out by big-name publishers.  When I moaned about having to do all the promotion of my book by myself, they all, much to my surprise, had similar experiences.  I came to learn that for most books it's left to the authors to create what buzz they can.  

That said, I also discovered that regional books sell themselves; the people who buy my book about gardening on the Cape feel like this book was written just for them.  For this reason, when the publisher of this book went bankrupt I self-published it without hesitation.  (I sold 1,000. copies a year after doing this, but I know that those sales would be greater if I was doing a better job as a publisher.  I just don't have time to notify bookstores and make sales calls on local gift stores etc.  So recently I decided that I'd probably make the same amount of money in the end if I turned it over to someone else to do the distribution.  I'll let you know in a year's time if this has worked for me, but for now, having that job off my plate is a relief.)

I think that any author of a regional book should try to have another media presence that will continue to get the name of their book out to the public - a radio program, a weekly newspaper column, or monthly or periodic articles in regional magazines are all good.  Anyone who writes for a regional newspaper, or does local radio knows that the pay is shockingly low.  But if you can mention the name of your book on the air each week, or if your bio at the end of each column reads "C.L. is the author of....." it keeps the book alive.  Speaking at local home shows, library fundraisers, garden clubs etc also do the job.  I spoke at a local "newcomers" group recently and sold 25 books after the talk...would have sold more but I ran out.  For a large audience, "the back of the room" can be more lucrative than the talk sometimes. 

So I'd encourage all authors of regional books to take on the promotion of their books, and to look for publishers that specialize in regional publications - they know their market, and books published with the right regional house have long lives.

C.L.
C.L. Fornari
www.gardenlady.com

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