Frontlist vs. Backlist Promotion

Seth Godin has written a great article on How Often Should You Publish. In the article, he proposes that you think about the question in a different way – by examining your tactics for your frontlist and backlist.

Frontlist

This is your new book release or your new published short story. The stuff that your fans are anxiously waiting for. The releases that make the news.

Backlist

Backlist is all of your books and stories that are not new. They aren’t in the news, they aren’t in the stores any more. Maybe they’re only available on Amazon or used book outlets.

The Strategy

1. Assemble a tribe, a group of true fans, followers, people who have given you permission. Give them all the frontlist they can handle. Make it easy for them to spread the word, to Digg you or bring a friend to your movie or buy your new book for their friends. If you create too much content for this crowd, then you’re publishing too much. They care, and they want to hear from you.

2. Promote your backlist. Invest significant time and money to make your backlist available, to recirculate it, to have it adopted as a textbook in English class or featured on Netflix or part of a retrospective on TV. Take all that money you waste in frontlist marketing and spend it on the backlist instead.

3. Repeat. Frontlist becomes backlist, backlist grows, fan base grows, it scales.

What Does This Mean for Writers?

Use your website to connect with your fans. Give your current readers as much of your work and attention as you can.

1. Post short stories on your site, especially ones written with your familiar characters or new characters in your familiar world, as a “reward” for your fans.
2. Answer as much email as possible and reply to comments on your blog. It gives your fans a feeling of connection to you.
3. Have an email signup for readers to opt-in and get emails from you announcing your latest release.

Make sure your backlist is clearly available through your website.

1. Use obvious navigation to your backlist page so it can’t be missed.
2. Give plot summaries for each book. Use your backcover copy if your publisher will allow it. If you can’t get permission to use the cover copy, write your own enticing summary.
3. Provide a suggested reading order for your books, especially if you write a series.
4. Provide printable lists of your backlist books so new readers can take them to the store.

Make it easy for your fans to recommend your backlist to their friends.

1. Provide links to your books on Amazon or an online bookstore so they are easy to buy.
2. Provide “Tell a Friend” links so that your fans can easily email book recommendations to their friends.

What other suggestions do you have for promoting your frontlist or backlist?

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