Quote for the Day

From The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes by Jack M. Bickham:

Under Item #37, Don't Give Up:

"Regardless of how hard your struggle as a fiction writer may become, as long as you are studying, writing, and improving, you remain 'in the hunt.' The prize you seek may yet be yours. Your quest cannot be lost unless you choose to throw in the white towel.

"If you find yourself getting stale or blocked or bitter, then, perhaps it would be well for you to recite some of the following litany.

YOU CAN SELL WITHOUT AN AGENT.
PUBLISHERS ARE LOOKING FOR NEW WRITERS.
BEGINNERS DO BREAK IN EVERY YEAR.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN NEW YORK TO SUCCEED.
YOUR NEXT STORY WILL BE BETTER.
YOUR LUCK IS NOT WORSE THAN MOST.
PERSISTENCE WILL WIN OUT.
THE STRUGGLE IS WORTH MAKING.
YOU DO HAVE ENOUGH TALENT.
ANYTHING YOU STILL NEED TO KNOW CAN BE LEARNED.
TOMORROW WILL LOOK BRIGHTER.

"You must not slip into the habit of complaining or making other excuses. To do so is to give up, and among successful people that isn't an option, simply isn't allowed."

And soon we will be in a new year, with all sorts of possibilities ahead! Write out those New Year's resolutions and then just keep on writing!

Marketing Aha Moment

Anyone following this blog knows I post a lot about marketing and promotion. This morning it all came together when I read Nicola Morgan's new post. (I LOVE her blog! Of all the publishing/writing blogs I follow, hers speaks to me the strongest.)

Sales on my novel Uncut Diamonds have not been real good. Maybe 250 copies sold since it came out this summer. One can blame the economy, because after all it's a women's novel and women, especially wives and mothers, don't typically spend money on themselves when money is tight. (Unless it's for chocolate, clothes or makeup. Oh, wait, that's me.) No, I think the real reason is because Uncut Diamonds has not yet reached the demographic it was written for, the readers I had in mind as I was writing it-- specifically, Mormon women who don't like Mormon fiction. Who don't shop at Deseret Book and Seagull. Who look everywhere for a good read that supports our moral standards without preachiness, without fluff or light happy froo-fra.

I wrote it for women like myself, who love a good realistic novel where everything seems to go wrong for the characters but still there's some humor, some hope, and most of all, honesty and truth in how things happen and how the characters relate to events and to each other. That's what I like in a novel and what I don't find with most Mormon authors. (I discovered it in No Going Back by Jonathan Langford, which is why I promoted it so heavily here on my blog.)

I have gotten feedback from a few readers in my demographic: "Refreshingly honest." "Like real life, not like sappy Mormon romance novels." "Believable characters."
Yep, that's what I was going for and it's satisfying to get these responses from readers who "get" it.

Uncut Diamonds went out initially to LDS independent bookstores. Well, sure, any exposure is good, but come on! I never shop at those bookstores, because I don't buy Mormon fiction, because I don't like it. (Or at least I haven't in the past, I have a few novels on my to-read list that I think I might like. First up, Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack) So my novel went out to the specific bookstores that my target audience avoids. No wonder sales are low.

This would explain why women either love or hate Uncut Diamonds. Fans of the Mormon women's fiction genre will hate it, because it won't be what they expect. Non-fans of Mormon fiction will love it, because it will be what they like.

So here's the dilemma. How to get it out to my readers? Those women I had in mind when I wrote it? I have a few ideas, and now it helps to fully grasp the demographic problem...i.e. not all Mormon women who love to read like the same kinds of books and my readers will not be shopping at the bookstores who carry my book! Definitely a challenge!

Promoting London-style

I am thrilled to be doing an interview with Marsha Moore, author of 24 Hours London, which is a handy guide to enjoying London. My husband and I have had fun thumbing through and daydreaming about what we will do when we go to England one of these days!

I have been following Marsha's blog and reading her interviews here and there, and the picture of a savvy author/promoter has taken shape. I asked her a few questions relative to how she marketed her book, and I love her answers. Hopefully, many of you will find this interview helpful. I certainly did.

24 Hours London is a fun, handy travel guide with a twist. How did you come up with the idea for it?

Thanks, Karen! The idea was developed through a rather convoluted process over a couple weeks. I’d met a publisher who was seeking non-fiction projects. Since I love London and I love exploring, most my ideas were London-related. There’s already a lot of London material out there, so we needed something different; something that didn’t already exist. Most London guides list a mind-boggling number of activities and sights to see, but there didn’t seem to be a guide to help people decide what to do, when – a kind of ready-made itinerary spanning 24 hours. A few more brainstorming sessions later, and the 24 Hours London idea was born! I wrote up a few sample hours to give my publisher a sense of how it would look, and the project developed from there.

What kind of direction did your publisher give you regarding marketing and promotion?

We had a lot of discussions and brainstorming sessions about marketing and promotion; it was very much a team effort. Luckily, we both had previous experience in public relations so we already had a sense of what might work and how to go about getting coverage. We developed a comprehensive ‘plan of attack’ well ahead of time so we were both on the same page.

As with most publishers large and small, the only constraints were time, resources and cost. I’d read a lot about how authors need to take responsibility for their marketing, so I was more than willing to help my book succeed! It was a lot of time and effort – from finding the right contacts at national newspapers to writing press releases – but it definitely paid off. The book The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson has a lot of great (and no-cost) promotional ideas.

I first heard about you and 24 Hours London on Nicola Morgan’s blog. How did you approach her? Have you been reviewed or interviewed on other blogs? Print media? How did you go about getting media attention?

I’d followed Nicola’s blog since its launch about a year ago and I found it extremely useful in advising how to approach and pitch publishers. So when I finally got a book deal, I dropped Nicola a quick line just to say thanks! She asked me to do an interview on her blog, and I was delighted. That was a good marketing lesson for me: you never know when one of your emails will blossom into a great opportunity.

About a month before the book came out, I made a list of blogs and media I thought would be interested and emailed them with a PDF of the book, asking if they’d do a review. Some didn’t respond but many did, and I managed to get some great reviews from influential bloggers right around my release date. The media was a bit harder to crack, but after pitching a few articles based on my book, I got a few hits from some fairly large papers. The key with the media, I think, is not to be afraid to pitch different ideas, even if you don’t hear back from them the first time. Try to find a local or unique angle on your book that makes it relevant to the paper and make sure to send your pitch to the right contact (that’s half the battle!).

And I have to mention the wonderful world of Twitter! It’s been a great medium for me to talk about my book launch, run giveaways and contests, and network with others. I got a radio interview with a fellow Canadian through Twitter, as well as other blog interviews. I’ve ‘met’ a lot of people who’ve been really helpful in getting the word out there about the book.

I like the story of how you successfully approached the mayor of London for a blurb. It goes to show that it never hurts to ask. What advice would you give to authors seeking endorsements? What other success stories can you share about your marketing efforts?

‘It never hurts to ask’ is by far the most important thing I’ve learned. When my publisher suggested getting a blurb from the Mayor, I was willing to try but secretly thinking no way! Three months later, completely out of the blue and long after I’d given up hope, I got an email from the Mayor’s office saying he’d give us a quote – which of course was a massive boost to the book in terms of credibility and marketing.

For authors seeking endorsements, I think the best thing is to just to ask. Try to find other authors or public figures who are relevant to your market and who might lend credibility. Make it easy for them by writing a few blurbs for them to choose from, if they like. And make sure to give them plenty of time to respond. The majority may completely blank you, but if you get one good blurb it’ll be worth it.

I’m also proud of helping to get my book into some of the big London bookstores in time for Christmas. Many of the bookstores had done their buying well in advance, but we visited quite a few in person and pitched the book to them. It was very well received and a couple weeks later many had stocked it! I was wracked with nerves at the thought of selling it face to face, but the results were great.

What has proven to be the most difficult and the easiest parts of promotion for you? Are you like many writers, just wishing you could go back to work and not have to worry about book promotion? Or do you enjoy this part of the author’s life?

Definitely the most difficult thing about promotion is the sheer amount of time it takes to manage. Keeping track of lists, reviews, updating websites and trying to stay on top of everything can drive you bonkers! While I can’t say I found any part of the process easy, I did enjoy a lot of the marketing aspects. When it’s your own product, you can’t help but feel excited and passionate about it. Every time you send an email, there’s an element of excitement: will you get a good review? Will an editor ask you to write an article? What might happen next? So I do enjoy this part of an author’s life, as different as it is to the isolated writing process.

As with anything, though, it’s hard to stay balanced – it’s easy to let the excitement of promotion take over. I tried to keep in mind that above anything else, I’m a writer. I set a daily word target each day to make sure I still managed to do a bit of writing.

What are the five top goals you have for your writing career?

One the non-fiction side of things, I’d like to help grow the 24 Hour brand and develop my reputation as a travel writer. In my fiction writing – which I’m still learning a lot about – I’d like to develop as a story teller and learn more about plot construction and character development. On the business front, I need to understand more about contractual issues and rights related to e-books and such.

Is that five? You’re making me think here, Karen!

What is your next project and how do you plan on promoting this one? What will you do differently, what will you do the same?

24 Hours Paris is due to be released in March 2010 and the promotion plan is pretty much the same as the last book. I’m really happy with what we managed to achieved and I have my fingers crossed the results will be as good for Paris!

Thank you, Karen, for having me on your blog. If any of your readers have questions, they can email me at marshawrites AT gmail.com and I’ll do my best to answer! I’d love to hear about others’ promotional ideas, too. And if anyone would like to buy 24 Hours London, it’s available on Amazon or from the Prospera Publishing website (www.prosperapublishing.co.uk) with free delivery worldwide!

Thanks, Marsha, for a wonderful interview!

Author Promotion

My last post about book signings with the anxiety and even desperation that often accompany these events got me thinking about author promotion. The message is getting through loud and clear-- authors have to promote themselves and their books because nobody else will care enough to do it. The publisher cares, but often has a whole lot of books to market, with most of the attention going to the next title, or to the bestselling titles, or whatever. Anyone but moi, right? And if you are lucky enough to be one of those bestsellers, you better stay with it to keep your place on top.

There's no way out of it. We have to promote.

I have an upcoming interview with 24 Hours London author Marsha Moore on her book promotion. She has some great ideas and success stories. I am obsessed by this idea of promotion. There's a lot out there on the subject--good, bad and ugly. That idea of approaching passersby to put a copy of your book in their hands? No, that's a bad idea. Jane's comment about the writer of the recipe book in Costco wearing a chef's coat and engaging people with a genuine smile--good idea.

What are some of the ideas you've heard? Some that you want to try? Some you would never feel comfortable with? That you would resist with every fiber of your being? And what are you excited to do?

Blogging relieves anxiety and Book signings don't

When I have anxiety over things, even a near panic attack, I can blog and it calms me down. Maybe because it's instant writing to an audience (although a somewhat invisible audience), which to a writer is instant gratification. Chocolate will also calm my anxiety attacks, but blogging is less fattening. And talking to my husband or one of my kids who know how to relate to my crazy fears also helps, but they're all asleep.

I could write about what is giving me anxiety and bore you all to tears. Half the time I don't know myself, it just comes in the night, a sleep snatcher, and drives me to do things--like fill the dishwasher, fold laundry and blog. Read, comment, post. Read, comment, post.

Okay, now to the second part of this post, which I'm sure is much more interesting and thought-provoking than "my anxiety and how I cure it":

A Tale of Two Book Signings.

I attended W. Everett Prusso's signing at Borders last Friday and was very impressed. He had a poster set up, he had invited many, many friends and family, and he had a group of family members who stayed with him the entire time so he wasn't sitting there alone. A good number of his invited friends stopped by and purchased copies of his book, Ghost Waves. The people at Borders were pleased by the results. He prepared ahead of time, and at the event he conducted himself with class and good taste.

Now the next story. It's short and painful. Setting--Costco, a great place to have carry your book and do signings due to all the traffic. Characters-- woman with a stack of books at her table and an attractive young man who just happens to belong to the clan of Gowen. Freakish event that really did happen-- the Gowen fellow is walking down the aisle of this Costco toward the book section with an acquaintance of the female gender. Gowen is closest to the author's table. Author, still seated at her table, grabs his hand and says, "I'm so and so, and I wrote this book." Handsome Gowen fellow nods, smiles and says, "Okay," as he quickly walks on, with no desire whatsoever to even look at her book, let alone buy a copy.

Conclusion: This is why people will avoid book signing tables. They're afraid of being accosted. Better to bring your own friends who want to buy your book, have a party, sell a few copies and walk away with your self-respect. Desperation doesn't sell books.

Prusso, yours was a successful signing. Good job.

Our Landmark Baby Turns Eighteen

Today, on Pearl Harbor Day, 18 years ago, the last of our ten children came into the world. He was our landmark baby. Every landmark he hit, my husband and I cheered because it would be our last.

Hooray! The last time we have to worry about preschool. The last time we have to do kindergarten! The last t-ball, softball, basketball game. The last time we have to go to a grade school dance program in the gymnasium! The last cub scout pack meeting! The last child to suffer through middle school. Soon it will be the last high school graduation. Hip hip hooray! High fives all around.

And he has decided he wants to attend the Singles Ward now that he's 18, since many of his friends go there already, so next Sunday it may be--"the last time we listen to one of our sons bless the sacrament"-- awww, I won't cheer about that one, I'll miss it. I'll also miss him cuddling up to me in church--yes, he has done that all through high school. Either me or his sister, and then he takes his Sunday nap.

Some of the landmarks I'll miss, some I won't. It's the circle of life. Like in Lion King. Or Fiddler on the Roof--"sunrise, sunset..." You know about it, you hear the songs, you listen to your mom and grandma talk about how fast life goes, but when you see your baby turn 18, there are just no words for how that feels.

Happy Birthday, my darling angel. (Even though you won't read this, because you can't stand blogging. Maybe I'll send you the link. Ha!)

I'm going to be editing!

So Kristine is swamped, as is Liesel, my book promotion really isn't going anywhere, there's no rush on the sequel, and manuscripts are stacking up in Salt Lake and Minnesota. William is working on a major project that HAS to be done by August, Sean is getting married and in school full time, Allie has her hands full with acquisitions. WiDo needs another editor, and guess what? I'm it! Hooray! I'm excited for the opportunity. So the next few acquisitions will be given to me, in order for Liesel and Kristine to have time for their stack.

I look forward to my first project. I love editing and working with authors to make their books awesome.