Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 6 Issue 2 | Page 22

DON’T DISS PRODUCT PLACEMENT
FOR YOUR BOOK!
BY CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON, AUTHOR OF THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING
BOOKS THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER AND THE FRUGAL EDITOR,
BOTH IN THEIR SECOND EDITIONS

About a year ago I was answering questions for an online interview to
promote the Southern Utah Book Expo I would soon be presenting at. Because I
am from Utah, my high school newspaper and yearbook became a topic of
discussion when mentioned that getting sponsorship ads for those things was as
vital to their being as the photos, writing, and layout of those parts of high
school life we all value.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author

Authors do the same kind thing with their Web sites. Carefully vetted ads can
add value to their contents. I am a sometime actor and occasionally I notice how
carefully a director places a picture on a wall or a can of Coke on the table in the
shot he's taking. That's placement advertising and we—as consumers of both
the Coke and the ad itself—hardly notice. It's subliminal. It's natural to see them
there. And besides, the US lauds capitalism and monetary independence. In fact,
many metaphorically wave the flags of commerce in our politics (though some
suddenly become shy about doing so for their own books! But more on that
later!)
Just as I'm thinking about that, I ran across a related article in the business
section of the LA Times. Of course! It's about product placement in videos and
how it's growing. And how it's making some smart video companies and
producers some really big dollars. Why am I not surprised that is happening?
Here's why. The Love Boat, the TV series from several decades ago, was one
giant product placement sitcom! This kind of marketing is not new—nor is it
unacceptable. And I have long recommended to my to my clients sponsorships
(a soft word for advertisements) for their books and e-books. Similar ads have
long appeared in the front- and backmatter of fine literary journals.
Now, back to the idea of authors using the same techniques for upping the
value of their content and for fattening their pocketbooks. I hope I’ve convinced
you that if it’s OK for everyone else, it’s OK for those who write books.
For any author to sell product placement or advertising and make large
quantities of money requires an audience (we authors call it a platform). But it
can be done on a small scale. You might do it for a fellow author out of the
goodness of your heart or perhaps in trade with other authors who are out there
making videos and otherwise promoting and building their platforms like crazy.
MARCH - APRIL 2016

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WRITERS’ TRICKS шH