Taking stock

Wow. It's August already. At the beginning of the year, I made a public resolution on my blog to slow down this year. Take a breather. 

Yeah, that hasn't happened! Life threw a huge curve ball at me in February, and my writing time dropped to about one tenth, or less, of what it had been. So I've been really frustrated that I haven't had enough time to devote to the dozen WIPs that are calling me, begging me, to finish them, already. I'm about 26k into another paranormal that I'm very excited about, but have so much more to do: at least three more novels in the Goddess Connection series, and possibly a followup to Dead to Rights, along with various other half-started projects.

With half the year gone, I finally took stock of what I have accomplished. Until a recent interview, I didn't realize how much I actually had finished:


- re-releasing seven previously published titles, which included revising and sometimes expanding the stories, creating covers, revising the book video, and formatting the files for Smashwords and Amazon (not terribly difficult, but terribly tedious!)


- finishing and self-publishing four stories - Dead to Rights, The Magic of Lavender, San Francisco Dreams and Just the Right Amount of Wrong. I'd been working on them all for a year or more, and after making the rounds with many critique partners, finally finished them all. Whew! This also involved making book covers, book videos and formatting the files for Smashwords and Amazon.



- promotion. Not my finest skill, and I'm still not sure what works and what doesn't. After two years, I still consider myself a novice, and defer to other authors, following in their footsteps to get the word out. I try to include interesting or fun stuff in posts and interviews, so hopefully it's not always the same old same old. I apologize if it seems I'm yammering at you here instead of opening a conversation - I don't intend it to be that way. I love to hear from you! I'm just overwhelmed and often post in a hurry. Not a great excuse, but I promise to try to do better. I really do love to hear what you think, but you're such a quiet bunch!


- two new releases through publishers - Rock Bottom through Lyrical Press in June, and The Bridge Between through Whiskey Creek Press in April. More promo. More book videos.


- completing publisher edits for two upcoming fantasies with The Wild Rose Press - Romancing the Hero and Ground Rules, a Christmas story. I am so looking forward to these releases!


So, having taken stock, now I don't feel like such a slacker. I still have very little time to write new stories, but I've always been the type to put more pressure on myself than anyone else could ever possibly do. Still, I'd like to do a better job of staying on track with my goals, nebulous though they are (I just want everything to happen now, lol).

What do you do to keep yourself on track? Any tips to share as far as achieving goals?

Like the new look?

Whew. Yesterday was a productive day, but not for writing. I gave the blog an overhaul. How do you like it? I think it’s a cleaner look, don’t you? Easier to read, and I packed lots more info from my web site, mostly about my books.

Mimicking my web site, each book has its own offshoot page from the main Books page to showcase it individually with the blurb, reviews, trailer and excerpt. For an example, take a look at the page for Seventh Heaven.

Additional changes are in the works. In 2011, I'll have frequent posts, but not every day. I feel a real need to slow things down. Likewise, Author Spotlights will appear on a page rather than a post, probably beginning in March, as I already have some authors scheduled. They'll also be on a set weekly schedule to give authors a full week rather than a day in the Spotlight. It will also allow my blog to function more like a web site.

Which brings up an issue I’ve been wondering about. After doing a wonderful job redesigning her blog, Susan Gourley began the discussion about whether an author really needs a web site if a blog can handle all their info.

What do you think? If an author only has a blog, but it’s put together well and you can find what you need, would a web site be redundant?

Mine now feels as if it is. I actually like my blog better than my web site since the revamp.

Thoughts? Input? Feedback? I’d love any or all.

Fun trailers from Meg Cabot

So today, I guess, is Meg Cabot day here at the blog. I found these fun trailers and thought I should share. You'll notice, they're all promoting the same book, taking a different tack with each. It made me wonder: how effective are trailers in selling a book? Maybe Meg will pop over and share her experiences. :) She obviously has a blast making them!

Insatiable


Is your boyfriend Undead or a Just a Deadbeat?


Barbie Re-Enactment


Things we learned about Meg Cabot filming the Insatiable trailers


The next two are interviews about the backstory for her novel Insatiable, and also, ta da! Meg talks, ever so briefly, about making the trailers.





I have to admit, I agree with Meg about the whole vampire thing. And then an idea hit me for a satire/spoof, so now I, too, am writing a story about a vampire. And a werewolf. And a witch. And it's kinda fun! So stay tuned for more on that.

Free is in the interpretation?

Awhile back, I'd mentioned in a post about the concept of publishing your book for free. The editor-in-chief of Wired, Chris Anderson, posited free books made the most business sense.
Hmm. I respectfully disagreed then, and now, even moreso. Apparently, Anderson's book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price, appeared on the Scribd site. Sure, it logged more than 17,000 views in one day.
But apparently, "free" comes with a catch. Readers can *only* view it online. No downloading. Not surprisingly, readers have not been amused. As a business model, the strategy failed.
As a writer, I depend on the income from selling my stories. It's not so much about profit as survival.
Making your work available for free can be a great marketing tool, even if it's an unknown quantity. My free read with The Wild Rose Press, Cinderella Dreams (are tough to shake) has garnered some nice praise, though I have no idea how many people actually read it.
I've also linked all the flash and short stories published with web zines to my web site; though these tend to receive zero feedback, unfortunately. Still, they're out there, please read them and if you enjoy them, I'd love to hear from you.
They're free. Enjoy.

Marketing madness comes to an end, for now

To finish up this series of hopefully helpful posts, here are a few more resources dredged from the far-flung corners of the Internet.
Ironically, this last has to do with keeping it local. Reach out to area libraries or readers’ groups. Create a list of questions for the groups to discuss.
Reach out to the media with press releases. PR Web provides tips on content and formatting press releases. You can also post your release on this free press release site. Don’t forget to send to your local newspapers, too – they’re hungry for content, and many allow releases to be emailed. Send it in a text document, not a PDF, to allow them to pull the text. If they have to retype it, they’ll likely ignore it. Send it to your local television stations, too. Many media allow you to email news releases, making it extremely easy to do.
If your release is in print, Lorna Tedder provides a Book Promotion Countdown Checklist in a handy timeline format.
To recap, so far we’ve learned: web sites are essential. To get an idea of what works, check out Writer’s Digest’s 2008 Best Writer’s Website winner and the runners-up (though they looked to be mostly, if not all, nonfiction).
Book trailers are an unknown as far as marketing value, but the fact that authors can create them cost-free using Windows Moviemaker, music and photos from free sites, it’s a no-brainer. Make one to help spread the word.
Lastly, write a great story. Because it always comes down to that.

Marketing magic

Ah, if it were only that easy, to chant an incantation or cast a spell. Nope, marketing is work. A big part of the magic, apparently, involves having a web site (something I'm working on). Author Melissa Lopez posted a great article on her web site (which I love, btw). Pay attention to the part about registering with search engines, having meta tags and updating your content frequently to keep those visitors coming back for more.
According to Phyllis Zimbler Miller, authors should use their web sites in a variety of ways to build a bond with readers. Her two main points are: Post the first chapter of your story online to hook them. Second, if your novel has a theme - for instance, domestic violence – post links to organizations supporting that. Phyllis lists examples of missed marketing opportunities here.
Phyllis also provides tips for promoting your stories on the cheap. Starting a blog is a must to keep readers up on your latest news. Networking with other bloggers is also essential – most sites are open to guests (including me), so don’t be afraid to ask. Phyllis lists a few publicity books, but take advantage of free opportunities first. Watch other authors and take cues from them. I’m bombarded on Facebook with author requests, but caution a little restraint in overdoing it. I’ve dropped some authors who just can’t seem to NOT promote promote promote.
Email groups are another way to really connect with readers. Your inbox will be overwhelmed with messages but participating in groups will allow readers to get to know you as a person, not merely a writer.
And, to do a little shameless promotion of my own, I had great news yesterday – Freya’s Bower contracted a short urban fantasy, The Lure of the Vine. More info later. And a little more marketing madness (or magic, if done well!)

The madness continues...

What sells a book?

I’ve been following a few threads on this discussion. The consensus seems to be three things:
1. The book cover
2. The story blurb
3. The opening page

The book cover seems a pretty subjective way to judge a book, especially given that the author has zero control over that aspect of marketing. The epublishers I write for ask for suggestions for cover art, but the final product is completely their baby. The only possible change, once done, is if the artist made some glaring error such as misspelling the author’s name, and that and only that will be corrected. I’ve read that market research shows that book covers sell fifty percent of all books.

The author has more control over the blurb, though the editor has the final say in this, too. Concentrate your efforts on writing the most succinct, catchy blurb you possibly can.

The opening paragraph, or the hook, should be equal in your efforts to the blurb. This is where the writer’s voice will make itself heard. You’ll either hook a reader with it, or not. And authors can work a great hook -and blurb - by posting them on their blogs, on blog tours, on email loops.

But even openings can be misleading. Some books that start off slow end up with fantastic twists, such as the Life of Pi, although I suppose literary novels are allowed a little more leeway in this area. Still, it’s good to remember the most critical piece: the actual writing. It’s the hard, simple truth. If asked: How can I get published?, most agents/publishers will answer: Write a great book. And to do that, my friends, you must practice your craft. Write a great book, and your marketing efforts may turn viral. Readers will generate a buzz for you. And less time marketing means more time writing!

More marketing madness!

Timing, as they say, is everything.
On authors loops recently, the question of timing has popped up a few times. Some say they’re sick of writers doing too much too soon. Some advance promo is fine, but the word is: too much will glut your readers and actually kill interest. I’ve taken heed of that advice. My next release is May 6, and about a week before, I’ll send one email with a story blurb and excerpt to the publishers’ readers/authors loop, post my trailer on You Tube and my blog, but the rest will wait until release day. I’ve heard that, for print books, there’s a specific promo timeline starting months in advance, and for print, that probably makes sense. For ebooks, not so much. Although I must admit, I was a little puzzled to receive an event notice on Facebook last week for a book being released… in the fall. Will I remember by then if I reply now? No. To me, that’s a wasted effort on that author’s part, and an annoyance on mine.
According to BronzeWord Latino Authors, marketing is all about establishing a brand. Some authors (myself included) write across genres, so I don’t want to pigeonhole myself. I need a platform that will represent all the genres I write in, from urban fantasy to contemporary women’s fiction to paranormal/historical/contemporary romance. Hmm. A conundrum, as you might well imagine. But not impossible, I think. For me, it will be about the passion of the writing itself, not necessarily which label is slapped on the product.
The greatest power, even in this digital age, is word of mouth. Generating a buzz takes a lot of time, but is well worth the effort. To get your name out there in front of readers, participate in as many email groups, chats,
Romance writers seem to have more resources available to them than other genres. Sites such as Romance Junkies provide some great tools for authors.
FreeBookExcerpts.com allows authors to post excerpts and readers to post comments. Let the buzz begin!

Marketing madness

March flew by so fast, I didn't get in on any March madness this year. So I’m designating April as Marketing Madness month. With eight stories ranging from shorts to novellas releasing from three epresses this year (or early next), I’m trying to be very organized about how I go about promoting them all. Each needs to be given their due in individualized attention.
I’ve been exploring the web for some marketing resources, and have found some great stuff which I’ll post over the course of this month.
First, a freebie called The Savvy Book Marketer’s Top Book Marketing Tips: A collection of popular articles from the Book Marketing Maven blog and The Savvy Book Marketer newsletter. Developed by Dana Lynn Smith, the Book Marketing Maven, this PDF includes tips on viral marketing, virtual book tours, using Flickr and videos, creating display materials, and more. It includes links to outside resources. Worth a look!

Blogs
As Ms. Smith advised, I listed this blog with a few blog listing sites: Google’s Blog Search and Technorati.
Ms. Smith also mentioned Samepoint but I didn’t see a quick sign-up there. I’ll have to look into it a little more.
I also listed my blog with Romancing the Blog and Authors’ Blogs.
Blogging Tips lists 75 blog listing services with which to list your own site.
I looked at Blog Listing because it seemed generic enough, but saw no category for fiction or authors blogs. I have an email into the admin and we’ll see what they say.
It’s all about getting the word out, and part of that is driving traffic to your site.
The other handy thing to remember about blogs are the Tags. Whatever terms you enter into the Tags field will be made available to search engines, so if someone enters, say, your name into Google and you’ve used that as a Tag on a post, it will come up in the search results.

Blog tours
This year, I have or will be guest blogging at a few other sites, so far including Yankee Romance Reviewers, Lily Stone (possibly next week), Alisha Paige (April 30), and Book Talk with J&J (Oct. 3-4). Once each month, I blog at Popculturedivas, too - next on April 24.
I hope to feature other authors here on my blog, too. Any author who wants to set up a reciprocal arrangement, just email me at cate.masters@gmail.com.
Marketing Madness will continue!

More on Marketing

In these days of smaller budgets, both corporate and household, publishers will increase pressure on authors to market their books to drive up sales. The holidays are an opportunity to do just that. As American Booksellers Association says, books make great affordable gifts. With increased potential for sales comes increased competition, making marketing even trickier.
Brenda Lyons provides some great ideas for creating a “spider web effect” in capturing readers, based on an author’s comfort zone and budget. Any author can use her list of 28 methods, though some are more cost-prohibitive than others, such as purchasing ads. I don’t necessarily agree with her idea of strategically placing promo items such as pens in public places – the person who picks up the free pen may not be a reader, or if s/he is, may not like the genre.
For those authors on a zero budget, the strategies that cost only time are imperative. Build a presence on Facebook, Ning or other social networking site. Joe Pulizzi’s Using Social Media to Launch your Book suggests setting up your networks long before the book launch. Content is all-important. Involve potential readers in the process.
BookEnds LLC Literary Agency asked authors for their over-the-top marketing strategies and posted ideas on their blog. While some are predictable (i.e., MySpace pages), others are inventive, such as the author whose characters blog, or the mystery writer who holds “How to Plot a Murder” talks.
Infuse a little fun into your marketing efforts, and it won’t feel so much like drudgery. Then you can get back to what you really love – writing.