Before You Publish

84: 10 Ways to let your characters out of the book!

This tip, and many others on the writing and editing aspects of the business, can be found in Before You Publish: Tips on grammar, writing, and editing, now available in digital and paperback format.

You can think of this as a reference guide, rather than a book you need to read from cover to cover. It will become your new go-to guide for all things writing, grammar, and editing. The tips are easy to follow and explained in simple terms that anyone can understand and put to use right away.

The tips shared here will come in handy, especially if your book has been out for a while and your sales are decreasing, but they can also vamp up interest if you are preparing for a big online event or book signing. If readers can connect to your characters, they will usually be sucked into the story. This approach may not be for everyone, but for those of you who can pull it off, it may help your work stand out.

Why do Disney movies fare so well in sales? Because they bring the characters to life for the children. They allow the characters to take on entities separate from the book or movie. You can do the same with your characters.

Here are a few things you can do to pull your characters off those pages and into the minds and hearts of your readers:

• Provide a blog post written from the perspective of one of your characters, as if that character is dropping by to share something about the story or that wasn’t in the story.
• Provide a character interview on your blog.
• Create a social media account for your character and post for him/her.
• Share deleted scenes from the book, from the perspective of one of your characters—somewhat of a “this is what the author didn’t want you to know” type of post.
• Share a short story based on one of your characters.
• Dress up like, or become, one of your characters for a book signing or virtual event. Take pictures and share on social media. (Or you can have a model do this.)
• Resurrect one of the characters you killed off in the story, to share a secret you didn’t reveal in the story.
• Share a blog post where one of your characters interview YOU about the writing and creation process!
• Share something from a character’s profile sheet–favorite song, color, food recipe, or… you can even take it a step deeper and share a review of a major novel you’ve read but review it as one that your character enjoyed.
• Create a new character, or perhaps use one that didn’t have a major role in the book, but one who “knew” your main character. Share an interview with that character to spill some juicy details about the main character. (somewhat of an “I shouldn’t be telling you this but…”)
• **BONUS: You can create a piece of clothing or jewelry that identifies with the character and sell it on your site for fans.

I’ve just shared ten ways to bring your characters to life and keep your story going. If you brainstorm, I’m sure you can come up with a few more. Think like a reader in this process. What would be something cool enough to make you visit an author’s blog to learn more about a particular story you’ve read or are considering reading?

About Traci Sanders

Traci Sanders is a multi-genre, multi-award-winning author of ten published titles, with contributions to three anthologies. An avid blogger and supporter of Indie authors, she writes parenting, children’s, romance, and nonfiction guides.

Her ultimate goal is to provide great stories and quality content for dedicated readers, whether through her own writing or editing works by other authors.

Follow Traci on Amazon and see all her books.