Chapbooks: Nifty Little Promotional
Tools
Copyright Judy Bagshaw - All Rights Reserved
I belong to a large, active writer's group in my local
community, something I highly recommend to any writer.
It offers support, networking opportunities, workshops,
camaraderie, and a monthly injection of writing energy.
We have monthly breakfasts at a local pub/restaurant,
and speakers from various corners of the writing world.
One speaker not too long ago was a Toronto poet, who
talked on the subject of chapbooks.
Chapbooks are "a written (usually
printed) story or collection of writings presented in
unlimited ways--a booklet, a scroll, a recipe box..." (
from The WCDR Chapbook by the Writer's Circle of Durham
Region) They have been a popular choice for poets to
self-publish their work and get it into the hands of the
public. Our speaker even sold his on the street, like a
busker.
Our writer's group got very excited
about chapbooks, and very soon a chapbook festival was
being organized. It took place in October and was a huge
success. It was immediately apparent to me that chapbooks
offered me a lovely, relatively inexpensive tool, that I
could use in promoting my work. And it has been fun to
design them!
Some word processing programs offer
nifty little tools that help you create booklets easily.
If, like me, your computer software is Jurassic in age,
then a little creative noodling is needed. Basically, you
need heavier cover stock or card stock paper (the color of
your choice) for the covers, and for most booklets,
standard 20 lb. paper for the interior pages. If you intend
to include a lot of graphics, you might want to go to a
heavier quality paper for inside so the graphics don't
"bleed" through.
The following is from the WCDR Chapbook
Chapbook and illustrates how to do a simple
layout.
"We'll use an eight-page booklet as our
example. Take two sheets of paper and fold them in half to
make four pages. Each page has two sides, so you actually
have eight printed pages or faces in your
chapbook.
If you print it and lay it out yourself,
the pages must be printed in a specific order to get it
right in the final product...Our example, an eight-page
chapbook composed of two sheets of paper each folded in
half, is laid out as follows:
Pg.1 (cover) will be on the right
opposite Pg.8 (outside back) on the left
Pg.2 will be on the left on the back
of Pg.1 opposite Pg.7 (inside back)on the right, on the
back of Pg.8
Pg.4 on the left will be opposite
Pg. 5 on the right; these two pages will be on the back
of Pg.3 on the right and Pg.6 on the left"
It sounds complicated, but if you fold
some paper and manually number the pages, then open them
out again, you'll see how the pattern falls. You can make
your books 8 ½ by 5 ½, or you could make "mini's" that are
5 ½ by 4 ¼.
But remember, a chapbook doesn't have to
be in booklet style. It could be a scroll, a box full of
postcards, an accordion folded book, a flip book, an
origami shape with a story inside...an unlimited number of
possibilities. And it doesn't have to be created on a
computer. It can be printed by hand, done with elaborate
calligraphy, include artwork, use hand made
paper!
Chapbooks can be anything. A chapbook
could be a teaser or an excerpt from a recently published
or soon to be published work. It could be given out prior
to the release of the book to build interest in it, or be
included in your press kit. You could produce a chapbook
that is a short story related to your novel. For example,
prior to the release of your book, a background story about
your heroine or hero. Or perhaps after your novel has been
published, an epilogue story showing what happens to your
characters after the happily ever after ending. Or maybe
you could give a minor character from your book, their own
story. You could do a book of character sketches of your
cast of characters as well.
Another avenue is to produce a
non-fiction partner for your book, such as a collection of
recipes mentioned in the novel, or a how-to of some craft
or skill your character exhibited. If your novel is
historical, you could produce a little background history
guide for your readers, or a touristy type treatise
regarding your setting. If your novel has fantasy, or
sci-fi elements, you could provide a booklet of information
regarding your universe's history, language, customs, etc.
Look at your novel to see all the tie-ins there are. You
might be surprised. Does your heroine have a dog? What
about a chapbook on dog grooming, or pet training. Is your
hero a doctor? Maybe you could provide a simple guide to
living a healthy lifestyle.
Chapbooks also offer a writer a chance
to express personal philosophies, share wisdom, or just
plain rant. Consider small collections of essays, or
poetry, or short shorts. The only limit is
imagination.
These simple little booklets can be used
in a variety of ways. They can be gifts for loyal readers,
or for friends and family. They can be giveaways used at
signings, or in promotional campaigns. Or they can be
prizes in contests you run to promote your work. You could
even have them as free downloads offered to fans on your
website.
And they offer another way to generate
writing income. Like our visiting poet, you could choose to
sell your words on the street. Or it would be relatively
easy to offer them for sale on your author's site. Many
e-publishers are starting to offer "dollar downloads" of
single stories on their sites. Why couldn't you? At our
chapbook festival, most chapbooks were selling for between
one dollar and five dollars, depending on the size of book.
Value your work, and charge accordingly.
However you envision your chapbooks,
they are a nifty little tool for promoting your work. Have
fun!
If you are interested in more
information on making chapbooks, check out www.wcdr.org regarding obtaining
their wonderful Chapbook Chapbook. Good words in small
packages!
About the Author: Judy
Bagshaw has been published since 2000. Writing
romance featuring full-figured heroines, her
publishing credits include 4 novels, 1 collection of
short stories, and short stories in three
anthologies. She was also part of the writing team
for the Ginn Reading Series, and Reaching Readers
Series, used in many elementary schools. Retired from
teaching, she writes full-time from her home in
Ontario, Canada. Visit Judy's website: www.judybagshaw.com
