Hazel Edwards

When discussing her writing lifestyle and promotional activities with Hazel Edwards, I put this question to her:

"Your article about authors' personal websites shows clearly the uses to which you put your website - and why other authors find a website useful. You finish by saying "Invest in an up-to-date shopfront window on your mind!"  What other means do you use to publicise your books/services/talks/other initiatives?"

Hazel responded with a list of useful tips for other writers: 

• Have a generic 'How to' or 'How this book was written' 1,000 word article for easy sending. Write it while your work is in progress, otherwise you forget!
  
  
• Have humorous anecdotes ready about the writing of that title - and how it was received! Prepare these in point form to give journos on the spot.
  
  
• Put brief bio & book details on one sheet to give to journos.
  
  
• Use a one-page detailed sheet (including web site and ABN) with latest titles which can also double as an invoice.
  
  
• Frankly, having your web site on a business card is the BEST, as long as the site is updated monthly. Time spent on this saves you from answering other requests for bios and photos etc. for school projects.
  
  
• Have a hi-res author photo on web site so it can be downloaded by festival organisers and save you e-mailing.
  
  
• Keep a file of well-marked, different-length bios (like "Bio 150 words") so you can find things quickly.
  
  
• Carry a 'talks' folder which also contains 2 copies of recent PR, so one can be given away or copied.
  
  
• Have links to your publishers on your web site.
  
  
• Have a sheet pointing out the sales angles or topical issues for that title. e.g. "Hippo books are about reassuring friendship and an antidote to bullying".
  
  
• Provide added value e.g. List of useful books and sites for those studying their family histories.
  
  
• Set up links with relevant blogs or e-newsletters BUT use these only for PR, or to link with your books in some way. Don't get seduced into chatting online instead of working.
  

Note from Marg: That tip about creating bios of different lengths and saving them clearly marked under a file name that indicates the length is pure gold! I've lost count of the number of times I've asked an author for bios of varying lengths - and journos appreciate them no end: if they've got a lot of space to fill, they can use one that's more detailed: if they're short on space you save them time by having one that's the right length.

Below you can see:

• two of Hazel's bookmarks: one for Hippo's 30th birthday, another front'n'back for Gang'o'Kids
• her business card (plenty of room to write on it!) and
• a closer view of the letterhead/contact sheet she also uses as the basis for a tax invoice.

 Final advice from Hazel re. the items below: "One of the issues with a bookmark is to include the websites of publisher and author but also leave space for autographing. Because the sports /orienteering market is an important niche for this book, the bookmarks have been valuable in publicising the book at sporting events. I tend to have separate bookmarks for separate publishers' books."

and: "Re. the tax invoice... strictly speaking I only use this when I'm on the run, more as a receipt. I add the invoice number and take a photocopy if necessary for my files, or get it scanned."