The making of a marketing plan

I have received the marketing plan (really an overview) from the University of Nebraska Press for Voices of Vision. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised--after hearing horror stories for years about publishers making no effort to promote books at all, to see that Nebraska is making an effort is gratifying.

Not having published before, I don't have any basis for a comparative analysis, but I had prepared myself for no paid advertisement at all, but lo and behold, they're running ads in Locus, the SFWA Bulletin, Science Fiction Weekly, the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, PMLA, AWP Writer's Chronicle, Weird Tales and the Science Fiction Chronicle. Most strike me as pretty spot-on for the target audience, but really, the PMLA? Frankly, I'm surprised that journal would even accept a genre-related advertisement. There's a good mix of online and print ads, and I'm optimistic that people will at least know the book is available. Whether or not they actually go out and buy it is another matter entirely. My only quibbles would be that I'd like to see ads in Interzone as that's where many of these interviews originated, and the upcoming Los Angeles Worldcon progress reports, so as to better reach those potential Hugo voters (shameless, I admit).

I'm looking forward to seeing their list of review copies sent out, and to which reviewers. So far, so good. I, of course, will continue my own efforts at shilling the book as well. You have pre-ordered your copy, right?

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