Homegrown Publishing Success

Iain’s promotional strategy for his books has been shaped by the unique sense of community in Scotland, particularly within the writing scene. Although Scotland's geographic distance from literary hubs like London could be seen as a challenge, Iain has leveraged the close-knit nature of local networks to his advantage.

Through word of mouth and the support of independent bookstores and local bloggers, he has carved out a niche for himself, with his work receiving attention from a passionate audience.

Iain's books, set against the backdrop of the stunning Scottish landscape, tap into local pride and the growing popularity of Tartan Noir, helping to increase their visibility both within Scotland and beyond.

What specific aspects of your local area did you leverage to boost your promotional efforts?

I’m lucky in a way that Scotland sits in that space of being a country in its own right but is also small enough that it has a very close community feel, especially amongst the writing community. While that can be a drawback on some levels - the distance from the literary centre and market of London for example - I have found it to be more of an advantage in that there is space in the market for an independent writer with a smaller indie publisher to establish a foothold and carve a little niche out for myself within that community. It is also a bonus within that community that word-of-mouth can make a real difference - once one or two stores or bloggers notice your book, then there is a chance that word will spread. Equally, Scotland - while it does not have a huge amount of bookstores - say around 50/60 in total, that means the stores, owners and staff are a community that helps and share, so a good reputation with one or two stores can lead to others hearing about your work - which has certainly been my case.

Were there any unique cultural or community traits in Scotland that you found particularly advantageous for marketing your book?

Without planning it this way, the location of my first book, The Barra Boy, on the remote island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, proved to be a powerful marketing tool. I was inspired to write a story set there after visiting relatives who lived on the island. The community of 1000 or so people may seem like a small market, but once the book was published, I soon found a wealth of people who had connections with the island - whether family, holiday memories, or just the romanticism of the Western Isles - and interest grew from there. Local stores in the Western Isles and along the Western coast of Scotland also showed interest - although there are plenty of travel books and local history books set in the islands, there are not many crime fiction books set there. Scottish people - I’m generalising here - are usually proud of their country and do like to read about places and people they recognise as being ‘one of their own’, so I try to tap into that. Also, the landscape of Scotland - particularly in places like Barra - is very much a character in its own right, so the setting is intrinsically linked to the stories that I write.

There is also the nature of the Scottish diaspora and ancestry around the world that is a powerful marketing tool for books based in Scotland - with large communities around the world, particularly in America, that have links to Scotland (think Outlander!) - so that Scottish community, as well as being local, can also spread out into the wider world. And there is the tourism factor, with many visitors to Scotland who look to books set in locations they have fond memories of.

The other cultural phenomenon that helped my books was the tradition of Tartan Noir writing in Scotland - a relatively recent history of writers like Ian Rankin, Peter May, Ann Cleeves, Val McDermid and more who have established crime novels set in Scotland - whether in the remote Highlands and Islands or the big cities - as a very popular subgenre. Having read those sorts of books for a long time, I was able to follow in their footsteps and tap into that homegrown market. Of course, that does come with an added pressure - to try and make sure my books can live up to the quality of established writers already on the bookshelves. Have I achieved that? I will let the readers decide on that one!

What challenges did you face in tailoring your promotion efforts to the local audience, and how did you overcome them?

Of course, the downside to following in their footsteps was trying to attract readers to my own books in a crowded market of Scottish crime fiction. I try to make my books different enough that they offer readers something both familiar and attractive to them, while at the same time being different enough to stand out from the crowd. So, no lead detective a la Rebus or Perez from the ‘Shetland’ books. I also try to include local details in the books that readers from these places will recognise and be attracted to. I try to follow one of my all-time favourite authors - Iain Banks - in making my books crime books but also literary books that say something more about life in Scotland. Among all the other books, being able to get the paperback into bookstores across Scotland has definitely been a huge factor in their visibility and my ability to market them as a quality product, which has led to more people taking a chance on an ‘unknown’ name outside of the big hitters in Scottish literature.

Can you describe any specific events, partnerships, or collaborations in Scotland that contributed to your success?

The real breakthrough that set the ball rolling with The Barra Boy was a fortuitous email with an independent bookstore - The Book Nook in Stewarton, a small village about half an hour from where I stay. Sarah, the owner, had heard about my book through the grapevine and asked for a copy to be sent to her to read. Fortunately, Sarah enjoyed the book and championed it with her customers. A couple of months later, The Book Nook moved into new, bigger premises, and on their first opening day, Sarah invited me along to talk about The Barra Boy, to a crowd of around 35-40 people. Since then, Sarah has continued to champion my work - The Barra Boy was a book club choice for them, I had another successful event for my second novel All We Cannot Leave Behind there, as well as being invited along to various open evenings and events at the shop. To date, The Barra Boy has sold around 100 copies in this one shop alone.

The other partnership that has contributed to the success of the books has been with the local Waterstones stores in and around Glasgow and Scotland. Again it came from contacting my local Waterstones in East Kilbride around the publication of The Barra Boy. Fortunately, the branch manager was very supportive and as well as stocking the book in his store, also reached out to the buying team that covers Scotland. That led to the book appearing in around 8/9 stores around Glasgow and an event in Oban (a town featured in the book). Although that event was not a huge success, it did achieve a bit of local publicity and was the first time The Barra Boy made an appearance in a shop window! Sales of The Barra Boy were consistent enough that when my second and third books came out, they were picked up by Waterstones in Scotland and were stocked in a wider selection of stores (about 20 stores across all of Scotland). In East Kilbride Waterstones, they have had me back for book signing events for All We Cannot Leave Behind and Full Sun. Being able to pop into any Waterstones in Scotland and chatting to staff and signing book stock is very rewarding, and also the perfect way to strike up new contacts and connections. There are a few Waterstones branch managers who may be sick of the sight of me!

How important was networking within your local community for increasing your book's visibility?

That lucky break with The Book Nook in Stewarton opened up several opportunities, including other author events with other independent bookstores around the country - Seahorse Bookstore in Ardrossan, Ginger Cat Bookshop in Bridge of Weir, Daydreams Bookshop in Milngavie and more. Again the local community has been a massive help in making these contacts, and also I benefit from Scotland’s location - some of the big-hitting authors, particularly from America or London, will come to Scotland on a book tour and visit big stores in Glasgow or Edinburgh, and take in the festivals - but there is room in independent stores in towns and villages across the country for lesser-known authors to have events. It’s also fair to say smaller events come with less pressure to draw a huge audience and some of the better events I have done have been with groups of 15-30 people.

What role did local bookshops, libraries, literary groups, etc. play in your promotional strategy?

The role of local bookshops has been vital, as I’ve already mentioned. From them, it has led to a few book clubs picking up the books and that obviously helps to spread the word. I have had book groups as far away as Arizona reading my books, as well as local groups - and of course, book groups will always appreciate an author visit if they are featuring one of your books. I have reached out to my local library and again, they have been wonderfully supportive of my work. I’ve held two library events with them in East Kilbride, and importantly again, that first contact has led to the library spreading the word about my book to other regions who have then gone on to stock the books in their regions. Again that has helped with the visibility of the books, it has been another opportunity to market the book and opened up more connections - for example,e one library event doubled up with a local podcast project which involved pupils from the local school coming in to interview me. All these small things have helped to add up to a relatively successful experience. 

How did you balance local promotion with broader marketing efforts to reach a wider audience?

In all honesty, I have not differentiated between my local promotion and broader marketing efforts - I see them all as the same thing. Starting, and concentrating on, local marketing and events have organically allowed wider marketing to occur. I would love for more bookstores in England and beyond to stock my work, but obviously, geography means I can’t spend time touring around to promote my books in the same way I can locally. However, my social media presence, alongside reviews, has allowed my books to spread to other parts of the UK and to expat communities and Scottish ancestry which is beyond my expectations. A Bookbub deal for The Barra Boy opened up a whole new ebook market in Australia and Canada. With my latest book - Full Sun - I hope to write a continuing series and with that, I hope to open up to a wider market again. I have made some concessions to try and help achieve this - while The Barra Boy and All We Cannot Leave Behind used Scots dialect in part, I have not used it in Full Sun - and hopefully, the book is no less good for that omission. I have high hopes that Full Sun may find a wider audience, but equally, I am more than happy if I continue to achieve success within Scotland.

Do you think your success in Scotland can be replicated in other regions or by other authors? If so, how?

I see no reason why other authors could not achieve the same success. I think it is important to be realistic with your goals and know your market. If you wish to achieve wider recognition then it does matter which genre you write within and which kind of books might do well within your local area and will be attractive to local bookshops and book clubs. There is also some luck involved - I am forever grateful that the shop owners, managers and librarians that I have been in contact with have been enthusiastic supporters who have been willing to give up time and effort to help me. The personal touch does work best and that can mean hard work, putting in the hours and travel required in order to make those vital connections. Don’t get me wrong - there have also been rejections and frustrations along the way. For every bookshop that has taken the time to consider my books, there are 8/9 that have ignored my approach or flat-out rejected looking at my books. As well as considering your local readers and market, the role of social media in garnering some recognition in the wider world is also a vital element.

What advice would you give to authors considering focusing their promotion efforts on their local area?

1. Hard work - you have to be willing to put the same effort into marketing and networking as you do into the actual writing. 
2. The personal touch - get out to bookstores and introduce yourself. 
3. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there - if you don’t champion your writing and have confidence in its worth, then no one else is going to make that effort for you.
4. Setting - consider your setting when you are looking at a local audience - readers often love to recognise places they know and are familiar with and can join in a shared memory of them.
5. Quality of Writing - above all else, local or wider marketing, it all still comes back to making sure you have written the best book you can so that you can have the confidence to go out there and sell it to customers.