Using SFWA Effectively for Book Publicity

People sometimes ask whether or not the membership fee for the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America is worth it. I think it is, but mileage will vary. That mileage is certainly dependent on how effectively you use it. So here’s a sample action plan I’m putting together for my next book.

4-6 months ahead of time

2-3 months ahead of time

  • Submit for the New Release Newsletter; perhaps think about paying extra for the special focus slot.
  • Think about pitching the SFWA Blog a related article.
  • Get the book listed as a featured book.
  • Look at the SFWA boards to see if there’s any upcoming cooperative efforts you might become part of, or propose your own, along the lines of “Hey, I’ve got a book coming out on this date, anyone else got something coming out around then that wants to coordinate publicity?

1 month ahead of time

The day of the release

  • Make sure you say something on your personal thread in the Discussion Forums so people know to spread the word! Give them as many resources to do so as you can, such as supplying a graphic or a pre-composed tweet.
  • Tag @SFWA in a tweet or two to get them to RT it.

After the release

  • Keep an eye open for the next SFWA Storybundle; they appear every six months or so.
  • Make sure there are copies in .mobi, .epub, and .pdf forms in the appropriate forums on the discussion boards if you want members to be able to read it when thinking about making Nebula nominations.
  • List the work on the Nebula Reading list. It’s okay to put your own work up there.
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About Cat

Cat Rambo lives, writes, and teaches by the shores of an eagle-haunted lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her 200+ fiction publications include stories in Asimov's, Clarkesworld Magazine, and the magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Her story, "Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain," from her collection Near + Far (Hydra House Books), was a 2012 Nebula nominee. Her editorship of Fantasy Magazine earned her a World Fantasy Award nomination in 2012. She is the current President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). She is currently working on Exiles of Tabat, the third book of the Tabat Quartet. A new story collection, Neither Here Nor There, appears from Hydra House this fall.
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