You Write This Great Book, and Then...

...you have to let people know about it.
Honestly? Yuck.
I'd rather people see the title (A LETHAL TIME AND PLACE--now, isn't that compelling?) and say to themselves, "The '60s? Murder? Plot twists? I have to own that book!"
But no. There are thousands of books and authors out there, clamoring for readers' attention.
So authors do stuff--promotion stuff.
*We do pre-release buzz: Little blurbs all over the place that say, "Hey, this book is cool and unique and you've heard of this woman if you're a mystery fan. She's gotten awards. She's gotten great reviews from all the big guys."
*We do specials. Amazon has a new thing: Kindle Countdown, and A Lethal Time and Place is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 3rd. The idea is that you get the book for 99 cents for the first few days of the sale, then the price starts to slide upward to its original amount. I guess the message is "HURRY! BUY IT NOW!"
*We do more. Announcements. Blogs. We beg for reviews (Please, just 20 words! You can do that!). We Facebook, Tweet, Goodreads, and onward. We get our name out there. We get our book's name out there.
But honestly? Yuck. I'd rather be working on the sequel.

Eureka! The Perfect Way to Promote a Book

Here are five easy steps to selling more books than anyone, ever:

1. Surf and study the Internet until you understand every single aspect of it.
2. Gain practical knowledge of the buying habits of every reader and prospective future readers.
3. Establish a personal relationship with #2 using #1.
4. Maintain #3 long-term with daily contact, offering enticements, encouragement, and unique gifts/prizes
5. Provide a steady stream of fascinating books whenever you aren't working on Steps 1-4

Wasn't that easy? Now sit back and enjoy!

Questioning Conferences

My post today is more question than commentary: Do you think conferences are becoming less helpful as a way to promote your work?

On one hand, I love attending cons to see writers, those I know as well as those I admire as a reader. In terms of a social event and a re-energizer, a con is a great time.

On the other hand, it seems that cons these days have fewer fans/readers and more authors trying to sell each other our books. As a way to garner readers, recent cons felt like I was tossing a very expensive pebble into a gigantic pond.

As I look at 2013 and think about cons, I recall that on the way home from the last one, I said to my husband, "This just doesn't pay." I'm not looking for an agent. I have not one but two publishers waiting for me to write more books. I've heard all the advice about promotion, craft, and legal issues from the panelists who have their experiences while I have mine. Still the lure remains, and I look forward to being among writers again at Bouchercon in October. But again, I'll be one of hundreds of authors there, and I know that I seldom even remember more than two or three names of authors I meet for the first time at a con, much less go out and buy their books.

So what do you think, Authors and Readers: Is a conference good for anything except catching up?

And the Promotion Begins for Angel Lost

Angel Lost is now available on Amazon as a trade paperback--and can be ordered by any local bookstore.

As thrilling as it is to have a new book out, now my real work begins. (Not easy since I'm also working on another book in my other series.)

I'm beginning a book tour starting here today

I'll also be headed that day to give a talk to the Ridgewriters at Ridgecrest CA--the home of China Lake Naval Air Station. I love this group and I'm thrilled to be seeing and visiting with them again.

My official in-person book launch isn't until the last Saturday of the month at a small used book store--Books Off Main--in Porterville.

I loved writing this book. One of the plot lines was suggested by a police officer friend I met through PSWA and another came from something that actually happened in the next town from mine--the appearance of an angel in a store window.

So off I go on another wild ride.

Marilyn

Magna cum Murder 2010

Magna, a small con in Muncie, Indiana that happened this past weekend, is always fun because it is smaller and more fan-friendly than some other cons. Here are my photos of some of it. Pictured: Luci Zahray, a.k.a The Poison Lady; Laura Alden, author, and P.J. Coldren, book reviewer. Charles Todd (a writing duo comprised of mother Caroline Todd and son Charles). Brenda Chapman, Tony Perona, and one unknown (sorry).
It was great fun!

E-book Evolution

First, they were obscure and unattainable. I read somewhere that the biggest selling e-book of 2006 sold 60 copies. Wow.
Then they were romances, mostly erotic, possibly due to the fact that the reader did not have to take a stack of books with heaving bosoms on the cover to the register and claim them as hers. Many of those were not very good, and some readers and writers are still suffering from that mindset: e-book = trash.
But the idea did not go away. Readers like the idea of books on tap in endless supply, and publishers are starting to catch on. Yesterday I bought new releases from two author/friends offered from Day One in both e-book and print form. Yay!
There are still problems, of course. E-publishers don't really want to play nicely with each other. Protection from piracy is weak (although one person I heard speak recently who has spent years in publishing reminded us, "We're been experiencing book piracy for centuries. We call it a library.")Still, the e-book is here to stay, and anyone in publishing who ignores it does so at his or her peril.
The biggest problem for me as an author is promotion. The Internet is such an ocean, and one book such a tiny drop, that it is hard to get noticed. Those who already are well known will be found, of course. All a reader has to do is type in a name.
But what if your name is no household word?
I've heard there is a new company forming that will address the problems of lesser and unknown authors who want to publish in e-book format. When I know the details, I will share them here. Who couldn't use some help with preparing, publishing, and promoting that next book?

Pathetic Moments in Marketing

We know we have great criminal minds. We believe we have writing talent. But who told us we had to understand marketing, selling through, contracts, and returns?
I thought it might be interesting to hear authors' stories concerning their WORST marketing/promotional/sales idea. Be brave: tell us all the sordid details.
Here's mine.
Early on, as I looked for ways to sell my historical novel, I read advice that said authors should look for non-traditional places to offer their books. "Don't just contact bookstores," the advice ran. "Look for places where people who like what you write congregate."
I looked. I pondered. And I discovered Renaissance fairs.
What a great idea! Hundreds, maybe thousands, of history lovers would walk by and see my book. Surrounded by all that pageantry and ambiance, how could they resist?
I contacted several fair organizers. Most ignored me completely. I was a little miffed. They could have a real historical writer on the grounds, and they passed on the offer? One, however, was quite excited to have me attend. The fair was in Florida, I'm in Michigan. All right, it's a road trip.
Then she asked what my costume looked like. My costume? "Oh, everyone has to be in costume," she said. Hmmm. Okay, a long skirt, a colorful blouse, and slippers. Instant costume. Of course my hair is chopped shorter than any Renaissance boy's, and I can't operate without glasses, but it will have to do.
What followed was a series of mini-disasters. My husband ended up unable to go with me, so I drove to Florida alone. The woman who booked my appearance broke her foot the day before I arrived and was so stressed I feared that a heart attack would follow. And of course, it rained all the first morning. Fair staff hurriedly moved my table into a nearby shelter where I was obscured by racks of T-shirts and souvenir swords.
Worst of all, I learned what might be obvious to others. People do not attend Renaissance fairs to buy books and then carry them around for the rest of the day. They prefer to walk around gnawing on huge turkey legs, buy cheaply made maiden wreaths, and watch hired actors strut, preen, and entertain. Most people walked by me without a glance. A few were kind enough to take a bookmark, one of which I later saw in the bathroom trash basket. One person in two days bought a book.
I learned from the experience, so it was not a total loss. Now I think before committing myself to an event. What a writer wants is sales (first choice) or exposure to readers (also good). She does not want to compete with jugglers, belly dancers, or anything else that is ten times more colorful than she is. Oh, and always bring along a garbage bag. When it rains, those pretty book covers can get ruined really quickly.
Now it's someone else's turn. What's your worst marketing/promotion/sales decision?

Mystery E-books: for Writers and E-readers

For some time it has bothered me that there seems to be no site online where a person can read about ONLY mysteries published as e-books. With some trepidation and a lot of help, I’ve decided to attempt to change that. A friend has established a blog that will be dedicated solely to mysteries that are e-published. The submission process is somewhat experimental right now, but the plan is that authors will tell us about their books, following the template found on the site. Please be careful to do exactly as asked, or your book will not be listed. We will not list self-pubbed books, and mystery—the solution of a crime--must be the dominant theme.
If you’d like to submit a book for consideration, go to the site : http://mysterebooks.blogspot.com. There you will find the template and a sample submission. Submit the completed post to mysterebooks@yahoo.com, and we’ll let you know the date of its appearance on MysterEbooks. We’ll also promote the site so that readers learn where they can go to find e-mysteries.
If you are a reader of mysteries on electronic devices, visit us often to read about new options for e-reading!