What I Want to Tell You

I read a great blog this week by author Janette Rallison called “Ten Things Published Authors Won’t Tell You”, which you can find here. I loved this blog because I found myself smiling and nodding at every point she made.

There are five points I want to add because I often come across new authors who don’t understand the business side of writing. And let’s be clear, the minute you publish your first book, whether traditionally or self-published, you are now in business. To give your business a chance at succeeding, you’ll need to market and promote the book with as much energy, integrity, and resourcefulness as you can muster. I appreciate that many of us are introverts and that forcing us to market our work may feel like entering a marriage you’re not quite sure about. But you’re in it now, and you either work at it or walk away.

As a self-published and traditionally published author, here are five things that this author has experienced:

·         Some of your marketing efforts will take a mountain of effort for very little return. You have to decide if the exposure and simply networking to get your name out there is worth the effort. You may spend hours arranging book signings, commuting, and then sitting in the stores for two to four hours at a time. The return on investment (number of books you sell) may not cover the price of gas. You may well spend 20 hours or more preparing the best talk of your life but it won’t necessarily translate into sales either, which leads to my second point.

·         Many authors sell only one or two books at events. It’s happened to me more than once, in good traffic areas and at well promoted events. The number of books sold at signings, conferences, and elsewhere is a crapshoot, unless you’re already famous or notorious or astonishingly attractive. Yes, we live in a shallow society.

·         If traditionally published, you will likely be arranging 99% of your own promotion and if it involves travel, you will also likely be paying for that too.

·         If you write a series and you’re not yet famous or garnering dozens of great reviews in well-known publications, your second, third, and forth books will probably not sell as well as your first. Mystery fans especially like to start at the beginning of a series. Even if they really liked the first book, as has been said to me, they won't necessarily spend money on subsequent books when there are so many authors to try.

·         There will be setbacks, deep disappointment over meager royalties, and probable re-evaluation about your entire writing career. If you’re really lucky, growth and change will come from it. Embrace this. Writing is a journey, and as Rallison mentions in her tenth point, despite the downside, we love writing anyway.

Debra

The Question of Book Promotion Sites

I’ve been reading blogs lately about the viability of paying to list, or place an ad, on book promotion sites. I’ve also talked with several authors who’ve taken part in some sites. While the info coming in is anecdotal at best, there is a common pattern, which is that the sites aren’t as effective as they used to be. Here’s just one example of the same story I’ve been hearing:

Author Melinda Clayton posted a detailed compilation of her promotion results over a two-year period and, like her colleagues, found that they weren’t as useful. She concluded that it’s not a good idea to promote a book more than two or three times on a single site. She also doesn’t believe that the glut of books is the sole reason for diminishing returns, but also attrition. Apparently, a number of these sites are merging or being purchased by publishers like Random House to showcase their own authors.

It’s interesting that, again generally speaking, the most profitable book promotion site for authors, BookBub, is also the most difficult to be accepted into. It’s also hugely expensive to join that elite club. I took a look at their price page and nearly gagged. If I wanted to list one of my cozy mysteries for free, I would have to pay $460. If I wanted to sell it at below $1.00, the fee would jump to $920, and if I wanted to sell my book between $1.00 and $2.00, I’d have to pay $1,600! They say that the average discounted sales on this type of book is 3,620. In other words, if I put my book out there at $1.99 and sold 3,000 copies, I’d make $5,970. Hmm, but is that really true? Numerous authors have reported that BookBub isn’t as effective as it used to be, although it  appears to be still profitable. If you’re thinking of investing that kind of cash, it’s a good idea to carry out your own research specific to your genre.

You can see, though, why that some authors are starting to feel that book promotion sites are the newest parasites in the long list of services designed to take your money without giving back a whole lot in return. And these authors have a point. Some of the sites merely take your money and list your book. Are they actively promoting their lists through social media? Are they targeting specific genres to fans of that genre? Are they living up to the claims that they make?

At this point, I’ve only experimented with three smaller sites for my novella, Dead Man Floating. As it turns out, not all book promotion sites accept novellas, which is another challenge. Whether I sold anything or not will become clear in the royalty statement from my publisher next month. At this point, I’m not even sure which sites I should pursue, if any, given the increasingly challenging odds. If anyone has insightful information to share, I’d love to hear your experiences.

Debra

Sword and Sorceress 30

I just got my author's copy of Marion Zimmer Bradley's SWORD AND SORCERESS 30, with my story, "Temple of Chaos," in it!

Women of Enchantment and Valor... 

Adventure featuring strong female protagonists. Yes, the 30th in the series!

So rush on out and buy you a copy! Makes a great gift, too!

Contents:
Liars' Tournament	Pauline J. Alama
Temple of Chaos	Marian Allen
The Sea Witches	Robin Wayne Bailey
Grave Magic	Steve Chapman
Diplomacy in the Dark	Suzan Harden
Phoenix for the Amateur Chef	G. Scott Huggins
The Piper's Wife	Susan Murrie Macdonald
Admissions	Michael H. Payne
Four Paws to Light My Way	Deborah J. Ross
An Old Dragon's Treasure	Robert Lowell Russell
A Fairy Tale of Milk and Coffee	L.S. Patton
Death Among the Ruins	Jonathan Shipley
Jewels on the Sand	Catherine Soto
Dark Speech	Michael Spence & Elisabeth Waters
Possibilities	Julia H. West

Available at Amazon in print or for Kindle and at Barnes & Noble for Nook.

Marian Allen, Author Lady
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

What advice would you give other novelists about book promotion?

I don’t generally give advice about book promotion since so many authors are better at selling books than I am, but if I had to, I’d tell other novelists to have patience, stamina, and willingness to give up part of their writing time for promotion. Unless a writer has the benefit of a major publisher’s publicity department, and sometimes even then, he/she will have to spend time promoting their book. It’s not enough to have a blog dedicated to self-promotion or to add thousands of friends on Facebook. You have to give people something to get something — write interesting articles, comment on articles other people write, get to know your Facebook connections. And most important of all, check out Book Marketing Floozy. http://marketingfloozy.wordpress.com It’s an indexed blog with how-to articles on every facet of promotion.

Here are some responses from other authors about advice they would give to other novelists about book promotion. The comments are taken from interviews posted at Pat Bertram Introduces . . .

From an interview with Debra Purdy Kong, Author of “The Opposite of Dark”

I’d advise writers to use patience and not expect too much right away. Promotion means engaging with others and building a rapport with potential readers. It means building a solid, longterm platform through social networking, blogging, and designing your website. It can seem daunting, but if you limit your time each day, then you won’t risk burnout. And burnout is a big factor for writers who are also actively promoting!

From an interview with Joylene Nowell Butler, Author of “Broken but not Dead”

If you’ve gone to all the trouble of writing and revising and querying, why not market? Why not spend hours blogging and visiting other blogs and establishing a connection to like-minded writers? I’m still astonished when authors tell me they don’t have time to blog and they certainly don’t have time to visit other blogs. They just want to fill your inbox with news of their book and why it’s important for you to buy it. They’re targeting the wrong people. Writers write, readers buy books. Yet how many emails do you receive in a week telling you why you should buy their book?
Promotion is about creating a presence online. But it’s also about getting out and doing readings, signing copies, writing related articles, doing online, radio and newspaper interviews, joining evening events where the opportunity to read arises. It’s about fairs, bazaars, contests, giveaways, and anything else you think will put you and your book in the public eye.

What about you? What advice would you give other novelists about book promotion?
(If you’d like me to interview you, please check out my author questionnaire http://patbertram.wordpress.com/author-questionnaire/ and follow the instruction.)

***

Pat Bertram is the author of the suspense novels Light Bringer, More Deaths Than One, A Spark of Heavenly Fire, and Daughter Am I. Bertram is also the author of Grief: The Great Yearning, “an exquisite book, wrenching to read, and at the same time full of profound truths.” Follow Pat on Google+. Like Pat on Facebook.

New Release: How I Made Over $42,000 Selling My Kindle eBooks

In March 2012 one Canadian author boldly went where few have gone before—into the land of making real money with Amazon's KDP Select program.

This is her story…

My name is Cheryl Kaye Tardif and I am an international bestselling suspense author who earned over $42,000 dollars in March 2012 selling ebooks via Amazon's KDP Select program, captured the interest of a major literary agency, and went on to sign with a foreign rights agent. And I'm about to tell you HOW I did all that.

I don't normally tell people how much money I make, but I believe writers need to know it IS possible to earn a real income from your books. Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can—if you have the right combination of criteria and techniques.

In this book, I'll share with you what I believe are four key elements you must have in place to see high sales. And I'll reveal the strategic techniques I used during my KDP Select promotions that resulted in earning over $42,000—with $32,000 of that from ONE title alone.

Not only did I earn over $42,000 in ebook sales, I was contacted by one of the leading literary agencies in New York. The chairman noticed my success when my one title made #4 in the Top 100 Bestselling Kindle ebooks, right under The Hunger Games trilogy. Since then, I've signed with another agent for foreign rights.

So, if you're ready to earn some real money with Select, let's begin…

Available at Amazon (Kindle) for only $2.99.

Thinking Outside the Bookstore

Writers are looking at venues other than big-box stores for signings. Small, independent bookstores are increasingly attractive, with their (sometimes) lower commission, and their strong connection to an active reading community.

Conventions and writing workshops have long been valuable ways to meet the public, meet and make fans, and promote and sell your work.

But, more and more, writers are looking beyond these obvious spots.

The "occupation cozies" probably led the way. A woman who decorates cakes for a living stumbles into a mystery and ends up solving it. So the author sells books at small bakeries and pastry shops. A zookeeper solves mysteries and the author does signings at zoos. I recently heard of a group of writers who feature horses in their books who banded together to sell at tack shops and other places horses and their owners are known to gather.

I have an out-of-the-bookstore experience coming up today: The Southern Indiana Writers Group, of which I am a member, have been accepted into an art exhibit. The exhibit is Arts Council of Southern Indiana's "The Animals In Us", and our entry is our anthology about animals, BEASTLY TALES. Our anthology will be for sale, along with prints, sculptures, and other pieces of original and reproduced art.

It pleases me more than I can say to see literature going out and finding readers, and it pleases me even more to see people responding to that availability.

We did a reading in an art gallery/restaurant once, and one of the patrons (who didn't buy a book, alas) came up and thanked us, saying that she never liked to read, but she had discovered from us that she loved being read to. If we had had our books on tape or disc, she would have bought one. The fact that we had opened somebody up to reading in any media was very, very satisfying.

How have you seen writers promoting or selling books outside of big-box bookstores? How could you do it?

Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

Using Excerpts For Promo

Your book is out, and you need to promote it. Maybe you want to buy an ad, maybe you want to do a giveaway postcard or bookmark, or maybe you're doing a blog book tour. One way to attract readers is to give them a taste of the book--a "try before you buy". You want to give them an excerpt.

If the book is divided into chapters, you have a natural place to start. I have the first chapters of EEL'S REVERENCE and FORCE OF HABIT posted on my web site.

When I visit someone else's blog and he or she or they want an excerpt, I'm most often asked for something much shorter.

Now, even if your book is NOT divided into chapters, it's divided into scenes, and most chapters are divided into sets of scenes. Your scenes are divided into "beats": pieces of scenes in which points are made, information is gained, character or relationships are revealed or shifted.

How many beats or how long a beat you provide depends on your length requirements. You might just want a one-line quote, or a variation of the quote like this "tagline" for FORCE OF HABIT:

All she wanted was a breath of fresh air. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently so.

You might want a beat out of a scene:

"You are aware of the training vessel we operate in conjunction with the Galactic Union Space Troopers? St. Gregory The Wonderworker?"

"The kids call it 'Uncle Gus.'"

"Call what 'Uncle Gus?'"

"The ship. Galactic. Union. Space Troopers. GUS."

"Ah," Mother Hadrian said, as if the sound might pass for a display of interest. "Well. The students aboard are referred there by their teachers. They're the best of the lot."

Sure, they are. That's why they're out there, and you're down here. 

"You have a challenging and rewarding..." Mother Hadrian referred to Bel's contract... "five years ahead of you." She thrust a hand forward, cocked for a blessing.

Bel intercepted it and gave it a bitter shake.

Slain with the jawbone of an ass.

Although every beat of your book should lead from what comes before to what comes after, be scanning your manuscript for more-or-less self-contained bits that can be lifted out and used to tempt potential readers.

Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

New Release! FORCE OF HABIT - Contest!

All she wanted was a breath of fresh air. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently so.

Isobel Enid Schuster never planned to go into space. She almost wished there had been no Vatican III, and the clergy had not gone co-ed, or at least the Jesuits had not.

But all those things had happened. The Galactic Union Space-Troopers teamed up with the St. Bennedetta Jesuits to form the Space Academy Preparatory School, and now Bel is a Professor of Extra-Terrestrial Humanities and Value Systems on a starship.

Restricted shore leave on the planet Llannonn is better than staying on the ship, especially when Bel swaps clothes with a close-look-alike Llannonninn woman and slips out to see the sights. But the woman is the target of a criminal from another planet. The woman thinks Bel is a police agent, come to take her place. The criminal thinks Bel is his target. Yet another criminal thinks Bel is a VIP he can kidnap and hold for ransom.

The only thing between Bel and a life of slavery in the provinces is the tenuous friendship she's formed with Tetra Petrie, a language professor from the planet Gilhoolie.

Gangsters aliens, local law enforcement and highly placed political operatives all get into the act, as a tangle of misunderstanding, miscommunication and mistaken identity land Bel in court, facing what passes for a legal system on Llannonn.

AND, I'm running a contest on my blog:

What are the prizes?

• a copy of EEL'S REVERENCE (eBook)

• a copy of FORCE OF HABIT (eBook)


• a copy of LONNIE, ME AND THE HOUND OF HELL (eBook)


• a copy of THE KING OF CHEROKEE CREEK (eBook)


• a copy of MA'S MONTHLY HOT FLASHES: 2002-2007 (eBook)


• a MomGoth's Sweet Little Baby Angels pin


• the name of your choice in the story I write to promote my next eBook release, SIDESHOW IN THE CENTER RING. Holly Jahangiri, who won this in the last contest, called it, "Best. Prize. Ever."

How do you win?

• leave a comment on this or any other blog on which I post, saying you're entering the contest. One entry for each post on which you comment.

• If you've already bought and read one or more of my books, write a review (or reviews) and leave a comment on this blog linking to the review(s). One entry for each review.


• Mention the contest on your blog and your social media networks (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, whatever) and leave a comment on this blog saying so. One entry for every place you spread the word.

Entries will be numbered and winners chosen by Random Number Selector. First entry drawn gets first choice of prizes and so on.

How long does it run?

Until midnight EST October 31.

Ready. Set. GO!

Click here to read the first chapter.

Click here to read a sample and buy from Smashwords in multiple formats.

Click here to read a sample and buy from OmniLit in multiple formats.

Here’s a link to a post about turning fanfic into original fiction.

Here’s one about the roots of this novel in Star Trek (TOS) fan fiction.

Here’s a link to a post about cross-genres and mash-ups relative to FORCE OF HABIT.

Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

How to be a Tease

Last weekend, I explained how writers need to learn to become a tease and tease readers with bits of information BEFORE their book is released. Creating buzz is important to your success. This weekend, I'm giving you some ideas on how to be a tease.

1. When you sign a book contract or when you decide to self-publish a book, make a small announcement that you have a book deal or that you will be publishing a new work within the year.

2. If working with a publishing company, blog about the process, but don't go into too much detail on the specifics. Always keep in mind that you really want to talk to your target audience, your readers. Give them only enough info about the process that you think they can identify with. Help them identify with the process by comparing it to a more mainstream type of career.

3. When your publisher has shown you the cover, blog about seeing it, but don't describe it. Mention that you'll post it as soon as you can, once your publisher has given you permission to do so. Use the same technique, though obviously different wording, if you're self-publishing.

4. When you see the back cover text, blog about seeing it. Let people know how awesome it is. Again, tease them and let them know you'll post it ASAP.

5. When you are about 2-3 weeks to publishing, post the back cover text. Later, post review blurbs. Post them one at a time. Ask your readers for feedback. What do they think about the description?

6. About 1-2 weeks before, mention that you'll be posting the cover soon and that they should check back. Again, tease them.

7. Post the cover. Make it large. Ask readers what they think? What do they like best about your cover?

8. On release day, let everyone know your book/ebook is available and give them a live link so they can easily click on it and buy it. Always make it easy for your readers to find information on your book and give links to major retailers so they know exactly how to buy a copy.

The above list will always be subject to what your publisher wants you to do. When unsure, always ask. Never post something they send you without clearing it with them first. Often you'll see early drafts of a front cover, or a rough draft of back cover text. Your publisher may also want you to do things a bit differently than the list above.

Becoming a tease is easy for some and more difficult for others. What may make it easier is to always ask: if I were the reader, what would I want? What would tease me? Putting yourself in their shoes is one of the best marketing practices you can learn. Learning to be a tease is another. And this kind of teasing doesn't require nimbleness. Or a pole.

There are other things you can do to tease: post a book trailer video, write a short post about one of your characters, or become a guest blogger/interviewee on someone else's blog.

What else can you do to tease a reader prior to publication?

Cheryl Kaye Tardif,

bestselling author of Children of the Fog

www.cherylktardif.com

Where Publishers Went Wrong, According to Some

There are many blogs and opinions which say this is a great time to be a writer, and they’re not wrong. Let’s face it, the ease of publishing your work in print and electronically, and the many opportunities to promote books through the same platforms big name writers use, allows people to bypass the lengthy process of traditional publishing. Traditional and self-publishing have their ups and downs, but I came across a really interesting blog by Alan Rinzler in forbes.com who goes into some depth about why it’s so good to be an author these days. His piece is worth reading because he worked on the inside of the publishing industry and what he has to say might floor you.

As Zingler and others have pointed out, the balance of power is shifting from publishers to authors. More authors are choosing to control their publishing destinies, and this change in paradigms is finally being admitted aloud, by some publishers anyway. According to Zingler, technology isn’t the only reason this has happened; it’s that publishers have messed up big time, and not just because they’ve been slow to change their ways. The big reason, Zingler says, is that many of them don’t know what they’re doing in the first place!

Most traditionally published books lose money, Zingler says. Publishers have no clue which book will become a bestseller, and they can’t rely on the old models of selling books through bookstores and book tours. Shelf space has diminished and book tours definitely don’t pay for themselves. In fact, pretty much all expenses, not to mention marketing plans, fall on the authors’ shoulders now, so is it any wonder more of them are choosing to self-publish?

Zingler goes on to list the three big myths about self-publishing: that commercial publishers won’t touch a self-published book, agents won’t represent self-publishers, and that it’s easy to succeed as a self-publisher. To read what he has to say about these go to http://blogs.forbes.com/booked/2011/06/06/good-day-sunshine-for-writers/

Recently, I was speaking with a writer who was told at a conference last month that self-publishing isn’t the way to go with one’s career. Other established writers state that you’re dumb if you do sign with a publisher because you lose control and possibly income. Who’s right? It’s a good question, and I can only speak for myself.

Self-publishing my first two novels opened some doors for me and taught me a lot about the production process and about book promotion. I understood the business and the financial risks before I signed with my traditional publisher. As an unknown writer, I felt it was important to go with a traditional publisher because their distribution avenues for print books (and print still matters) are far better than mine. Also, a publisher can publicize my books in ways that I couldn’t. For instance, my traditionally published novel, The Opposite of Dark, has had far more access to established reviewers than my self-published novels did.

I don’t believe that publishing is about choosing just one option. I believe in learning and making use of whatever avenue is available in the best possible way. Not everyone will agree with my decisions, but at the end of the day, I’m the one who must live with them.

THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, http://bit.ly/i983XE, Chapters/Indigo http://bit.ly/gtFSFw
FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl
TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n

Facebook Ads

Writers in several groups to which I belong have recently asked people to share their experiences with Facebook ads in boosting book sales.

I'm sorry to say my experience has been disappointing. After having thought it over, though, I wonder if the fault didn't lie with my ad, not with Facebook.

In case you're considering buying a Facebook ad, here's how it works:

You go here and follow the links to read suggestions on how to set the ad up. You have to "bid" on the ads. Facebook suggests a bid for you; apparently, if you don't bid enough, your ad doesn't get shown. Of course, if it doesn't get shown, you don't pay, but you also don't ... you know ... get shown.

I bid what Facebook suggested, and I selected to pay per click (people click on the ad and go to where I send them) rather than pay per impression (in which I pay for every time the ad shows up somewhere, whether people notice it or not).

My ad ran for 30 days at a lifetime budget of $50. I had 327,782 impressions in that month, and 77 clicks on the ad out of those 327,782 appearances of the ad. I know I sold one book during that time; I may have sold more, but not enough to generate a royalty check, so I didn't sell many.

The text of the ad was:

An old woman stands between greed and a holocaust of mermayds, but a bigger challenge is friends who would kill to keep her safe.

Is that boring? I mean, seriously, I'm asking you, is it?

I linked the ad to the page on my website that's full of links to excerpts, reviews, and links to pages where the book can be bought for Kindle, Nook, and other formats. Did that extra click kill sales? Would it have been better to buy three ads and have each ad click through to a different storefront?

These are the questions I'm asking as I prepare for the launch of my next book, FORCE OF HABIT.

These are the questions you should ask yourself as you consider setting up your own ad, on Facebook or anywhere else.

Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

Am I Doing Enough?

This week, I read JA Konrath’s blog about how to generate e-book sales. The blog was in response to a question he’s often asked: “How do I make sure I sell lots of e-books”? As you might imagine, there is no magic bullet. No one really knows why some books sell well while others, beautifully written and produced, languish. Konrath offers excellent tips about what works and doesn’t work for him, but what struck me was how much effort he’s put into promoting his work.

He states that most of his job isn’t spent writing, but promoting. He works, on average, 60 hours a week and, while he makes it clear this doesn’t guarantee bestseller status, it does create sales. He used to spend a great deal of time making appearances, having visited over 1,200 bookstores, traveled 40 states, and met with countless librarians, fans, and booksellers. He did a mass mailing to 7,000 libraries, and compiled a mailing list of 10,000 names, as well as attended scores of conventions, conferences, and book fairs. He goes onto say that he doesn’t do appearances anymore because they’re neither time or cost efficient.

After reading his blog, I felt like a lazy slug, and I work at my writing seven days a week. Because I’m trying to be more prolific, I spend more time writing than promoting. Maybe when I have 40 books to my credit like Konrath does, I’ll work more on promoting. Right now, I average 35 hours a week toward writing/promotion, and that’s working everyday of the week. I could probably put in longer days, but it would mean giving up family time, and family is too important to me.

Still, Konrath’s staggering promotional efforts made me take a closer look at my own. I keep records of all the conferences, signings, and fairs that I participate in. To my chagrin, I realized that I’ve only attended 65 events since 1987, and half of those in the last three years. It’s pretty obvious where I need to step up my efforts.

By the way, one of the promotional things Konrath endorses is guest blogging, and I wrote my first one this week on Amy Corwin’s wonderful blog: Fiction Writing and other Oddities. I wrote about the job research I did for The Opposite of Dark. It was a pleasure to write and I was grateful for the opportunity. It looks like I’ll be searching for more opportunities. The blog can be found at: http://amycorwin.blogspot.com/2011/05/guest-blog-debra-purdy-kong.html

JA Konrath’s blog is at http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-works-promo-for-ebooks.html

THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, http://bit.ly/i983XE, book trailer http://youtu.be/ojgoDKSW_ck
FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl
TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n

To Support or Not Support? A Thorny Question

Yesterday, I attended a well publicized literary festival in one of my local communities. This is an annual event run by an arts council and although the tables were nicely arranged and there were lots of great volunteers, there weren’t many more customers than there were displayers; however, this isn’t an unusual phenomenon at literary events. Unless organizers tie book events into larger events (fairs/festivals, etc.), or hold these events in high traffic areas, the customers won’t go out of their way to show up.

It’s interesting because this morning, I was on a forum where a writer was lamenting that the announcement of his new book—placed on several venues, and to family and friends—generated virtually no response. A couple of others writers commented that they’ve noticed a definite decrease in the amount of support and comments they’ve received on their blogs and for their books. Hmm. So, what’s going on? Well, I can only speak from personal experience.

When I started to build an internet presence about three years ago, it was great fun to meet other virtual friends, to “friend” all sorts of people on MySpace, etc., and to chat. A number of people proudly announced their books and asked for tags, votes in contests, reviews, and other forms of support. I tried to comply, but it soon became clear that the number of writers asking for support was multiplying faster than rabbits in spring.

Frankly, I was a bit taken aback that strangers were asking me for favors because I would never ask someone to vote for me for anything. Also, my review requests went directly to reviewers, not to forums at large, so to speak. I’ve also never put out a general requests for tags; if I tagged someone’s book, I didn’t ask to be tagged back, although I’m starting to now because tagging takes time. To this day, though, I don’t expect anything back from anyone. I make announcements, try to keep people informed about what I’m doing, and let it go at that. Some might call me a poor marketer, and maybe I am, but I have to do what feels right for me.

The thing is, I’ve drastically cut the number of votes I cast, tags I give, and comments of support because I’m overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people asking. It’s like an electronic tsunami that threatens to drown me if I don’t pull back and limit by internet time. Much of the week, I have to skim the many forum posts I receive daily, and I’ve already left a few groups.

The bottom line is that we all do what we can, but there are so many writers and so many requests that it’s becoming more difficult to offer the level of support that colleagues wish for. It’s like yesterday’s literary event: too many sellers, not enough buyers, and a little less support every year, for plenty of good reasons. But you know, hasn’t it always been this way, to some degree, for writers?

THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, http://bit.ly/i983XE, book trailer http://youtu.be/ojgoDKSW_ck FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n

Promotion Events for The Opposite of Dark

My debut Casey Holland mystery, The Opposite of Dark, has officially been out for about three weeks and, as every writer knows, it’s up to us to do our own marketing. My publisher officially launched their spring season on the first of March and have been busy lining up events for their writers, which must be a daunting task for the publicist. To help the cause, I’ve compiled a list of events I’ll be participating in.

As I mentioned last week, I and Kay Stewart will be launching our debut mysteries, The Opposite of Dark and Sitting Lady Sutra at The Fort Cafe, 742 Fort Street, Victoria on April 12th at 7 p.m. I’m delighted to announce that we will now be joined by mystery writer Roy Innes, who will be reading from his third mystery, Murder in the Chilcotin. There will be reading, conversation, and mystery writing secrets revealed!

Kay and I will do this again in Vancouver on April 27th at 7 p.m. at the People's Coop Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive. Apparently, they have a brand new space for such events, and since my main character, Casey, lives in that area, I‘ll feel right at home.

The next night, at 7 p.m. on April 28th, I’ll be on a panel in the Alma VanDusen Room at the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia Street, for Coastal Crime Wave: An Evening at the Arthurs with BC Crime Writers. Not only will be having a lively discussion about crime writing, but we will also be announcing this year’s finalists for the coveted Arthur Ellis Awards. It will be a great night!

And on May 17th at 7:30 p.m., I’ll be reading and speaking at Spoken INK, a fun event featuring a number of readers, at La Fontana Caffe, 101 – 3701 East Hastings Street, (on the northeast corner of Hastings and Boundary). There are three more events coming in late May, June, and July, but I’ll post those as the time draws nearer. Meanwhile, here’s some links to find The Opposite of Dark, which is now available on Kobo at http://bit.ly/gtFSFw

If you want to see the cool book trailer, go to http://youtu.be/ojgoDKSW_ck

The book can also be found at: TouchWood Edition’s website http://bit.ly/i983XE

Amazon site, http://tinyurl.com/2frw58u

How Much Is Too Much?

As every writer knows, book promotion is vital and, happily, much of it can be carried out from the comfort of home, at our convenience. Goodness knows, there are a growing number of venues to promote your books. My favourites are Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Authorsden, kindleboards.com, and amazon forums. I try to visit these venues at least once a week, and I type a couple of messages on Twitter everyday because it’s so quick and efficient.

Over the past two years, I’ve seen the same names crop up countless times on the amazon forums. I’ve gotten to know a number of people there, and we share bits of our personal lives, plus our publishing triumphs and tribulations with one another. They’ve become my electronic pen pals, so to speak.

I’ve noticed, though, that two or three people on the forums promote their books over and over again everyday. I see the same plug as much as ten times a day and, frankly, it’s become annoying, even though it takes me only brief seconds to delete their posts.

I’m not the only person who feels this way, as I’ve read muttered complaints before. For me, it’s become a turnoff from wanting to buy these authors’ books. It’s also an important lesson: if we want to promote our books to readers, we should carefully consider what we want to say and how often we plan to say it. Nobody wants to hear from someone who’s worn out his welcome, and wouldn’t the time be better spent working on that next book anyway?

My Alex Bellamy mysteries can be purchased at
FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl
TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n

Do Print Books Still Sell?

What sells, what doesn’t; what works, what doesn’t? I’ve been pondering these issues a fair bit, as I’ve had a number of interesting discussions with fiction writers over the past month who are both self-published and traditionally published, and who sell print and/or ebooks. Clearly, many authors are still looking for the most efficient and productive means to sell books, and while technology and ebooks have certainly evened the playing field in terms of visibility and promotion opportunities for authors, the reality is that about 90% of the fiction listings on amazon probably far sell less than a hundred print copies. Some of the reasons for this are poor attempts at promotion, no reviews, a poorly written book, and the fact that amazon carries millions of titles. But what about the author who promotes everyday, garners a few good reviews, and has written a fine book?

I don’t have all the answers, but here’s what I and others have noticed from our experiences. First, if you want to sell print copies of your novel, then a lot of really good reviews from established reviewers can help. The reviewers don’t have to be connected to newspapers. There are some credible, online reviewers. If even one of them likes your book and posts their review on several different blogs, forums, and websites, this can help boost your sales, or so it did for me in both print and electronic formats.

Second, if you want to sell more print copies, I recommend getting out there and meeting book buyers. Arrange bookstore meet and greets, and attend book festivals; even certain craft markets can be good venues. Two events I took part in this fall sold more print copies than they had in three years of selling through amazon. In fact, when I look at my stats over the past five years, the more events I took part in, the more books I sold that year. Not every event resulted in sales, but 75% of them did. On the other hand, social networking does not generate sales 75% of the time for me, although it has helped with ebook sales.

The bottom line is that a good book, word of mouth, and participation are still effective selling tools. As far as print fiction goes, I don’t see technological advances changing the tried and true methods anytime soon.

My Alex Bellamy mysteries can be purchased at
FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl
TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n

Guest Post: Ten Things You Can Do Now to Promote the Novel You Haven’t Even Sold Yet

Today's guest blogger is Gina Holmes, author of the novel Crossing Oceans, and she's sharing some valuable tips. Here are Ten Things You Can Do Now to Promote the Novel You Haven’t Even Sold Yet:

1. Buy your website URL and begin to build it. You can go very expensive and pay thousands for a professional site, or you could start small and do something like godaddy, where you build your own site. I took a third route and hired someone to make me a template and then set it up like a blog, so that I could tweak and update it easily.

2. Get professional headshots. I hired a friend whose work I admired but who is still considered an amateur. For fifty dollars and my husband agreeing to baby-sit for an afternoon, I got a few really great and professional looking pictures. Don’t let anyone convince you that a good headshot is a waste of money for a novelist. On Novel Journey we post lots of author photos, many of which look like candid shots that other people are cut out of. Remember how important perception is. I look at a substandard picture and I subconsciously think this author is no perfectionist, and am less likely to want to read their work. Spend the money and get a good promo picture of yourself.

3. Keep a file filled with the names of magazines you come across that fit your writing. For example, if you write Victorian era historicals, Victorian magazines might later be interested in an article written by you. Jot down the names of them and any other publications you come across that might be a fit. This will save you a lot of research time later on.

4. Keep a folder of book reviewers you’ve come across that seem to enjoy the type of  stories you write. I send myself emails with the reviewer’s name, books they’ve reviewed and liked, their email address and, if I know them, how I know them. While it’s true that they might not still be reviewing when your book finally releases, it won’t hurt to try. 

5. Start reading marketing/publicity books now and take notes. My personal favorite is the simply titled Publicize Your Book. If you can only afford one book on marketing/publicity, I highly recommend you make it that one.

6. Read The Tipping Point. It will explain some very important concepts on what makes things popular. It’s an easy and surprisingly entertaining read.

7. Read How to Make Friends and Influence People. The book has been around forever for good reason.

8. Keep a list of natural influencers. You’ll call upon these folks later for help in getting the word out about your book.

9. Help anyone you can. For one, it’s just the right thing to do, for two, what goes around comes around.

10. Start building your platform now. Write articles, create a blog with excellent and frequently updated content, volunteer to teach classes on what you’re an expert in, or for whatever committees in ACFW, or other writing organizations you belong. People are much more likely to be interested in your book if they feel like they know you and you’ve shown interest in them.

About Gina: In 1998, Gina Holmes began her career penning articles and short stories. In 2005 she founded the influential literary blog, Novel Journey. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her husband and children in Southern Virginia. Her debut novel, Crossing Oceans released April/May 2010 with Tyndale House Publishers.

Visit Gina at: www.ginaholmes.com and www.noveljourney.blogspot.com  

Cheryl visits Polished Publishing Group blog and gives her Recipe for a Bestselling Novel

Two nights ago Kim Staflund, a publisher I've recently connected with, asked me if I'd like to write a guest post for their blog. Of course I said yes. I love writing, and even more I love a good writing challenge.

The topic she wanted me to blog about was on becoming a bestselling author. She gave me a good week to complete it. I was finished that evening. :-)

I invite you to check out my post on the PPG blog, and please leave a comment for us if you find it helpful. Now, get your mixing bowl ready...
Recipe for a Bestselling Novel

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Guest Post: Anthony Bidulka shares The 5 'C's of Promoting Your Book

The morning after.

Means a lot of different things to different people, but to writers it means one thing: promotion. What to do the morning after you’ve landed that long sought-after publishing contract. It can be a shocking thing, the morning after, when you realize there isn’t some marketing guru whose sole responsibility every day is to figure out more and better ways to get your book into the hands of readers. It can be shocking when you realize that marketing guru needs to be YOU.

When it happened to me, after some hits and misses, I came up with:

The 5 ‘C’s of promoting your book.

1. Confidence
2. Circulation
3. Communication
4. Capitalization
5. Creativity

(1) CONFIDENCE

• A successful career comes from within:
• Be confident - Portray confidence no matter what is happening with your career.
• Protect your confidence – don’t let critics, reviewers, jealous neighbours and frenemies get you down.
• Nurture the confidence of colleagues – it will come back to you ten-fold.

(2) CIRCULATE

• YOU are the best salesperson of your work.
• Do not rely on your publisher/agent/booksellers/distributor/best friends to do it for you.
• Help them help you - Get out there/ be seen and heard.
• Lack of publisher promotion strategy? Create your own and see how far you get.
• Research what other authors are doing.
• Ask for nothing from you publisher, get nothing. Ask for 100 things, get at least one or two.

(3) COMMUNICATION

There are a plethora of choices for (a) Who you communicate with/to and (b) How to communicate

WHO

• Publishers
• Bookstores – owners/managers/suppliers
• Your Readers
• Other writers – critique or writing groups, joint readings, conferences, online groups
• Book clubs
• Writers groups – local, national, international – professional and otherwise

HOW

• Website
• Book trailers
• Readings and public appearances
• Facebook
• Myspace
• Blogging
• Online discussion forums
• TV interviews
• Radio
• Newspapers
• LibraryThing.com
• Goodreads.com

Means of communication are proliferating – important point: know you can’t do them all without jeopardizing time for other things. You need to begin by selecting a few communication choices and stick with them for a while – then evaluate, be flexible, and change it up over time.

(4) CAPITALIZATION

• Know your strengths and capitalize on them. Know your weaknesses and either improve, work around them, or get someone else to do it!
• The best example is a colleague of mine who is, self-admittedly, a poor public speaker. His books are terrific, but to hear him read from one was pure torture for both him and his audience. He practiced and got pointers from everyone he met, but nothing seemed to help. He came up with a brilliant solution. He still organizes readings, but instead of doing the reading himself, he simply asks a local celeb (like a radio DJ or a bookstore owner) or even his wife, to do it for him. Afterwards he handles the Q&A. Genius I think.

(5) CREATIVITY

• Be creative with how you promote yourself and your work. You can use tried and true methods – but spice them up. Ask other authors what creative things they have done. It’s a competitive industry – get noticed! It doesn’t have to cost big dollars.
• Key- there is no one golden bullet - have a basketful of tricks.
• Take control.
• Think outside the box.
• Sometimes it’ll work. Sometimes it won’t.
• Oftentimes you won’t even know for sure.  
• Having no budget is no excuse to do nothing.
• Never give up.

* * * * * * * * * *

Anthony Bidulka’s Russell Quant mystery series (please visit http://www.anthonybidulka.com/) tells the story of a world-travelling, wine-swilling, wise-cracking, gay, Canadian prairie, private detective living a big life in a small city. The series is a multi award nominee, including for the CWC Arthur Ellis Award, and winner of the Lambda Literary Award. Aloha, Candy Hearts is currently shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel.

Serendipity, Karma, and Connections

There’s no doubt about it, promoting and marketing one’s book is hard work. There are quite literally thousands of ways to promote yourself and just about all of them take you away from your writing time. Half the time, your efforts seem to produce little or no sales at all, and you can only hope that getting your name out there will eventually pay off one day.

So, it’s always a complete surprise to me when selling a book happens with absolutely no intention or effort at all. Sales can happen by pure serendipity, for instance. You know those wonderful, rare occasions when you happen to see someone you hadn’t seen in a long time at a place you never expected to, and you get to talking and suddenly that person’s asking to buy your book (this is the best reason for keeping books in your car, by the way).

This week, I sold a couple of books without actually trying. In fact, a cold virus made selling the last thing on my mind, but I sold a book to someone at the gym because I’d recommended a writer’s conference for her son. The conference turned out so well for the young man that she bought a copy of Fatal Encryption as an early Christmas present for him. Honestly, I was just happy I could help this person.

This week, a writing colleague recommended me for a joint book signing/reading/workshop at a local store. I met my potential presenting partner, things clicked, and she too bought a copy of Fatal Encryption. That’s how it goes sometimes, and I’m so thankful that it does. May you experience your own serendipity, good karma, and connections.

To read excerpts of Fatal Encryption and Taxed to Death, visit http://www.debrapurdykong.com/.

Fatal Encryption is available through amazon.com at http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl and Taxed to Death can be found at http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n