Promote, promote, promote by Vivian Zabel

Each year I attend two writing conferences: OWFI (Oklahoma Writers' Federation Inc.) writing conference the first of May and The Muse on Line Writers' Conference in October. I always bring at least one or two excellent ideas away with me.

OWFI had Dana Stabenow as the keynote speaker in May. I don't usually take notes during the keynote speech at the Friday night banquet, but she gave some excellent promotion tips.

You don't know Dana Stabenow? Then please go to your local Wal-Mart, Target, or bookstore, or Amazon, and find her books. She writes mysteries (of course) which take place in her home state Alaska. She is becoming more well-known all the time, and she is a best selling author.

One strong point brought out by Dana, publishers don't do much for promotion unless the author is already famous. That isn't a surprise to most of us. Even James Patterson pitches his books on television. Therefore, she decided she would do a major promotion for her books herself, using the Internet.

For her first major promotion she used her website to present one chapter of the book per month starting four months before its release, and she used only the first four chapters, no more. She gave a free ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of the book each month for those four months.

Dana wrote and posted a transitional chapter linking book one to the next book, or the book before the current book to the current book. She covered what happened to her main characters (which include a wolf) and community from one novel to the next.

The Stabenow URL (http://Stabenow.com) appeared on everything, everywhere she could place it. Her website offers great advice for writers, too.

She paid for a professional trailer, which she discovered was not cost effective. Now one not done by a professional, but of good quality, does the job.

After the first book she promoted so strongly, Dana adjusted her procedure some. She began to do only one except before the release of a book, but continued adding a transitional chapter between the previous book and the current one soon to be released. She also offered an ARC as a prize a couple of times before the release of a novel, rather than one each month for four months.

Dana puts out five newsletters each year, with an active "buy" link in each e-newletter.

One thing Dana Stabenow covered, too, was building a platform (sometimes called a marketing plan), by which potential buyers can be reached. Facebook, Twitter, other social networking groups, and building followers for one's blog and website are a few ways to build a platform. Also, collecting email addresses through having people subscribe to her newsletter helps.

I am already using some of these ideas to promote my newest novel, to be released in October, and encourage other authors to do the same. I set up a website for Stolen, the novel, and incorporated some of Dana Stabenow's tips. I'll share any successes.

Since I face surgery tomorrow morning and will be rather limited for two months, I may not be back for a while. However, keep learning and writing and improving.

Vivian Zabel
Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap
4RV Publishing

When Other People Say It Better...

Part of writing is marketing and publicity. I know that. I spend a fair amount of time working the internet social networking sites(although not nearly as much time as I'm told I SHOULD spend), doing library panels and other author events, and reading other people's advice on how to further promote my works and writing career. Like everything else in life, it's a balancing act of time and energy spent in the right areas..and for this post, I've found a clever way to balance out my need to work on my latest WIP (due May 1st) and deliver my Make Mine Mystery Post.

It's LINK time!

Aside from my impending deadline, my excuse for referring you to other sites today is whenever I read well-thought out articles on publishing and marketing strategy, written so much better than I could ever write it, I feel like Ralph on the Simpsons, with nothing to add to the discussion beyond, "My cat's name is Mittens!" Which won't get anyone very far in terms of sensible marketing advice, will it?

Sia McKye has a fantastic post on the realities of getting published and POD publishers at her blog.

Pat Bertram of Book Marketing Floozy has a guest post by Edward Talbot about marketing, publicity and promotion, as well as some great links within this post.

Links within links within links, like a picture of a never-ending reflection. It's both the wonderful and addictive thing about the Internet - you can fall in and get lost in an endless scavenger hunt of information. And with that thought, I am now going to quit Firefox for the day (okay, the hour) and get back to work on my WIP!

How Not To Promote Oneself

I've read a lot of blogs over the last year, gotten to know many fellow authors, attended and sat on panels and other events. I realize it's necessary to indulge in self-promotion and have done a fair bit of it myself. But nothing turns me off to an author more than one who talks about nothing but his/her own work, rarely has anything positive to say about another writer, and NEVER asks other authors about their work.

If I go to a panel, I want to hear about the subject, be it 'what makes a cozy mystery cozy' or 'sexed up thrillers' or whatever. I do NOT want to to hear an author answer every question by turning it into a reference to his/her book. Once in a while, sure. But every question? Jeez Louise, just shoot me! No, just shoot the author in question. With a tranquilizer dart, of course. An elephant tranquilizer 'cause some of these people have all the subtlety of elephants.

And if you're writing post on a publishers author blog, don't make every post an advertisement for your latest work. Or upcoming or past work, for that matter. Don't tell your readers to 'get those sales going.' Make sure your post will still hold together if you take the words 'I' and 'me' out of it.

Don't get me wrong, the majority of writers I've met are delightful people with genuine interest in other people, supportive and helpful to aspiring writers. Sisters in Crime Nor Cal alone has some of the nicest people I've ever met. Hailey Lind (current president of our chapter) is worth the price of membership alone. She is personally responsible for kick-starting my social life at last year's Left Coast Crime. Without her, I'd probably still be wandering the hotel halls, too shy to talk to anyone. Actually, if you're in SinC NorCal, just assume you're always welcome in my house. Unless you're allergic to cats. If so, you're still welcome, but bring Benadryl.

And so many of the writers I've met through Make Mine Mystery and Fatal Foodies...well, I've enjoyed both getting to know you and (slowly) making my way through all of your books. You offer good, solid advice and what promotion you do for yourself makes me want to read what you write.

Now I want to know, what drives YOU crazy in terms of bad promotion? What makes you turn and run the other way, vowing never to read a word a particular author has written..and if you do, it's only out of a morbid curiosity to see if their work can possibly live up to their own hype? Inquiring minds want to know...