Yesterday, I told readers how important it is that they preorder their favorite comics—particularly the titles not published by the Big Two, where every single order truly makes a difference.
But it's just as important to make preordering as easy as possible.
After your book is completed and solicited in Previews, you're not done. In fact, you haven't really started. None of us have any reasonable expectation that anyone outside our immediate family should buy our books. The rest of the world needs two things: 1) Your readership needs to see just how cool your book is, and 2) You need to make preordering the book as easy as possible.
1) You can say your book will die if readers don’t preorder it, but guilt is a crummy way to motivate someone. Instead, SHOW them what’s cool about your book, by providing a preview of every issue. Share it on your website, on your Facebook page, on your Twitter feed, and on any forums you frequent. Don’t be a pest, and don’t be obnoxious about it. But you can’t expect readers to preorder it sight unseen. Show them.
I know some creators say it’s the publisher’s responsibility to provide previews. If your publisher does, that’s great. But the reality is, no matter how awesome your publisher is, NO ONE has a greater interest in your success than you do. Own it.
2) Make it easy for a new reader to preorder the book. When you’re posting those online previews, include a downloadable preorder form with your book’s title, the Diamond preorder code, the publisher’s name, and the Previews page where your book can be found. Space for the reader’s contact info, quantity of the issue, and the option to add it to a pull list are necessary. Top it off with a logo and the cover and you’re good to go.
I’ve included a couple preorder forms as examples. One is for Dave Wachter’s Guns of Shadow Valley collection and the other is a form I designed for Ray-Anthony Height’s Midnight Tiger. I also have a blank Adobe Illustrator template that I can't get to upload to Weebly, but will be glad to email you. If you'd like the blank template, or if you’re not proficient in Illustrator and would like me to design a preorder form for you (free!), drop me a line at SteveBryantArt at gmail dot com and I’ll whip one up for you.
In my last post, I suggested an experiment. If you plan on preordering independent comics, share what you’re ordering via social media and use the hashtag #PreorderIndie. This isn’t limited to fans and readers. As creators who want people to preorder your book, you should be at the forefront of this. Tell everyone what you’re preordering.
But it's just as important to make preordering as easy as possible.
After your book is completed and solicited in Previews, you're not done. In fact, you haven't really started. None of us have any reasonable expectation that anyone outside our immediate family should buy our books. The rest of the world needs two things: 1) Your readership needs to see just how cool your book is, and 2) You need to make preordering the book as easy as possible.
1) You can say your book will die if readers don’t preorder it, but guilt is a crummy way to motivate someone. Instead, SHOW them what’s cool about your book, by providing a preview of every issue. Share it on your website, on your Facebook page, on your Twitter feed, and on any forums you frequent. Don’t be a pest, and don’t be obnoxious about it. But you can’t expect readers to preorder it sight unseen. Show them.
I know some creators say it’s the publisher’s responsibility to provide previews. If your publisher does, that’s great. But the reality is, no matter how awesome your publisher is, NO ONE has a greater interest in your success than you do. Own it.
2) Make it easy for a new reader to preorder the book. When you’re posting those online previews, include a downloadable preorder form with your book’s title, the Diamond preorder code, the publisher’s name, and the Previews page where your book can be found. Space for the reader’s contact info, quantity of the issue, and the option to add it to a pull list are necessary. Top it off with a logo and the cover and you’re good to go.
I’ve included a couple preorder forms as examples. One is for Dave Wachter’s Guns of Shadow Valley collection and the other is a form I designed for Ray-Anthony Height’s Midnight Tiger. I also have a blank Adobe Illustrator template that I can't get to upload to Weebly, but will be glad to email you. If you'd like the blank template, or if you’re not proficient in Illustrator and would like me to design a preorder form for you (free!), drop me a line at SteveBryantArt at gmail dot com and I’ll whip one up for you.
In my last post, I suggested an experiment. If you plan on preordering independent comics, share what you’re ordering via social media and use the hashtag #PreorderIndie. This isn’t limited to fans and readers. As creators who want people to preorder your book, you should be at the forefront of this. Tell everyone what you’re preordering.