O Horrors! Marketing!!!

Last night we had the first meeting of a group that we are temporarily calling the Cape Ann Independent Publishers Cooperative (we have to come up with a better name, something with a great acronym - Cape Ann Regional Publishers Exchange or C.A.R.P.E. - now what do we do about the “Dieum” part?) It was an inspiring evening. The five people there, representing four publishing houses, all have published books through their own micro-presses and the quality of the books is impressive. All of us have plans to publish more.

We talked a lot about our hopes, plans, goals, frustrations with BNYPs (big New York publishers) but the single issue identified by all participants was marketing. How do you do it? What works and what doesn’t? And, most of all, how daunting a task it is.

As someone who spent twenty-some years of her life in the marketing and advertising department of businesses ranging from big energy companies (Enron and Pennzoil) to ad agencies to fiber optic manufacturers, I am the only member of the group who doesn’t find marketing mysterious and intimidating. I am not thrilled about having to spend so much time doing it but it is definitely something I’m used to.

There are a lot of basics that I can teach them - know your market, distinguish yourself and your product, use available tools, cultivate contacts, network, identify alternative markets, etc. etc. But the one thing that is the hardest to overcome for many of us is just the necessity of putting yourself out there. That’s a tough thing to do.

Years ago, in a workshop, a business woman was speaking about her own trials and tribulations in marketing. She was an interior decorator of considerable skill and had been urged by her friends to start her own business. I remember her saying, “I thought I would just go to people’s homes and make them absolutely beautiful and they would give me a bunch of money and that’s how it would work. Was I in for a surprise!” The comment got a laugh but it was a laugh of recognition - particularly among creative folks. We often tend to think that our ability to make something wonderful is enough. Alas.

I work a lot with artists, designing web sites for them and other marketing tools - brochures, postcards, exhibition books. I love having the privilege of working with creative people but I usually see in them something I know all too well in myself. We pour all our energy and passion and personal resources into the work that we do whether it is painting, writing, designing gardens or clothes - whatever - and feel that in doing that, we’ve done our work. But that is just the beginning.

Putting it out there is tough. We live in a world of heavy competition and, even worse, frequent indifference. It is a personal challenge to get over one’s own fears and go out in the world and say, “hey, look at what I did, look at what I can do.” For every person who says “wow, that’s cool” there is one who says “who cares what you did, you self-centered jerk” and two who totally ignore you.

There are two things we all need to remember when it comes to marketing our creations. First, it is going to be work but it can be inspired work when you are marketing something you love. And, second, more importantly, our creativity, in whatever form it takes, is a gift we have been given, a gift that the world needs and may well be somewhat resistant to but that doesn’t matter. The gift deserves a place in the world and we have been burdened with the unique task of putting it out there. Ironically, we come to discover, even something as commercial as marketing, is ultimately an act of Faith.

Thanks for reading.