The New Publishing Reality by Christine Duncan

I had lunch recently with a friend who writes. She had been trying to sell her mystery and although she got good feedback, the manuscript kept being returned to her with notes that said something like, "loved this, but don't think I can sell it." What did they want? She asked.

My take? Simple. They want a writer who has a platform that will sell the book. Now if you are not already famous in some other venue, just how do you do that?

Establish an internet presence. Join Facebook and Twitter and start a fan page. Blog. No, don't just start a blog--be disciplined about it and do it religiously.

Investigate bookstores, blogs and groups that are about your topic. In other words, if you write mystery check out places like Stopyourekillingme and Crimespace (and makeminemystery!)Check out places where you could speak, or give talks. Learning to promote takes almost as much time as learning to write, and it changes all the time. Put in the effort.

Make yourself a marketing plan and submit it with the book. Don't promise what you have no means or intention of delivering. But show off your hard won knowledge of what it will take to promote and let the publisher/editor/or agent know that you know that it is part of your job.

Don't quit with the first (or thirteenth or twentieth rejection.) It's a hard market out there and selling the book to the publisher is just the first hurdle.

Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Bereano mystery series. Book Two, Safe House is available now.

Promo Ideas Anyone? by Christine Duncan

Fall seems to get me started in a creative way. I'm usually revved up to write, and promote in the cooler weather. I've been thinking about ways to get promoting and what seems to work--or not.

For one thing, lately I'm wondering who reads blogs. I'm thinking that the audience for this particular blog is writers, but how do you pick a particular writer's blog from the ton of writer's blogs out there. What attracts you?

And how is there word of mouth on blogs? I've read blogs on what blogs to read, but frankly I rarely agree with the writer.

I've thought about getting together a group of e-authors to volunteer at Barnes and Noble to demonstrate their e-reader, The Nook. It seems like a win-win situation for the store and the authors. I recently participated in a discussion on my publisher's e-group and found few authors here in Colorado who are published there. It could be a good place to jumpstart Fall promo.

And I have "traded" with other authors about asking for their books in my library. Sometimes if patrons suggest a book, the library is more apt to buy it.

A friend of mine has that in her signature line: "Ask your library to buy (Booktitle). It's hard to measure how any of these things turn out.

But I'm up for some innovative ideas about promo. Cheap is important. Easy is a must. Anyone have any new and super ideas for book marketing?


Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series. Book two, Safe House is available now

Promotion by Christine Duncan

I did a conference a while back where I was on a panel with a bunch of other authors to talk about promotion. Most of us were published by small press; a couple had made it to NY pubs, and one was self-pubbed but the theme we all hammered was the same. Promotion is the author's job.
An older lady in the back of the room caught my sympathy though. She wanted nothing to do with it. It made her blush, she said, to even ask us the question in front of an audience, but really, couldn't she hire someone to do the promo for her?
I can sooo relate. Before I was published I had a deal with one of my older sisters. I would write the book, and she would do the promo. She promised to do signings, any talks that would be necessary and all the interviews.
So now I'm published and where is my sister???? I'd seriously like to know.
Even though promo has changed in recent years in that much can be accomplished over the internet, it's still a hard game. Authors anxiously scan places like Novelrank and fixate on sales, trying to figure out how to affect them in a positive way.
The more promo I do, the more I know--I haven't got a clue.
A friend of mine saw an interview I did for the local paper and was upset with me. I should do more to promote my books, he said. And here I thought I was doing something by arranging for and doing the interview. To hear him tell it, I should drag the topic into every conversation I have with friends and co-workers.
The other thing I know about promo is that it gets old. Fast. I know at least two authors that I tend to avoid mainly because they can talk about nothing else but their books with the underlying theme being that we should all buy them. I will never ever buy either author's books. But that's me.
Besides, I don't want friends and relatives to buy my books out of curiosity or even because they want to help me out. I want real mystery readers to read my books--because they want saw it in the library or the bookstore and wanted to read the books.
I guess promotion, like so much else in this life, is a juggling act. Or maybe I mean a tightrope walk. You can definitely overbalance one way or the other.


Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series. Book two, Safe House has been recently released.
Christine Duncan

Blogging by Christine Duncan

A while back I took an internet course on blogging. The gist of the course seemed to be how to network with your blog. I liked that idea as I had been on the net a relatively long while and was used to discussion group lists and bulletin boards where I got to know the participants. I have been thinking about the course lately due a question posed by Julie Lamoe on Crimespace.

Julie had a question about guest bloggers. Do you just invite anyone? What if you don't like their books?

First let me state that I am in awe of anyone organized enough to read the books of all the people who guest blog for them. Although I do the job of requesting (begging for) guest bloggers for my other blog with a very few exceptions, I neither request nor receive copies of the guest's books. I do check out their blogs and am a little tough on their guest posts. Any guest post that smacks too hard of self-promo is declined. But generally speaking, I've looked on it as a chance to get to "know" other writers. And I've learned one heck of a lot from them.

I know the idea is to network to some "better" publishing position.

But the concept offends me.

I like to blog because I'm so...well I prefer the word opinionated, but feel free to insert whatever came to your mind. I like reading the blogs of other folks to see their opinions. Some of the people whose blogs I enjoy reading aren't even mystery writers. But I know that if I tune into their blogs, they will have a post there that will make me think, or laugh, or comment.

Why do you blog? Seriously, if you are an author, it is expected that you blog or at least guest blog. But because something is expected of us has never been a reason to really want to do it.

Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series.

Review Sites Anyone? by Christine Duncan

I know it always sounds like such BS to any unpubbed author but learning how to promote your book when it is published is almost as time consuming and difficult as it was to learn to write the books. There are so many different aspects of promotion out there to keep in mind from arranging in-person talks and booksignings to doing blog tours. Blogging, twittering, talking on Facebook and Goodreads are familiar to me now, and I think I'm getting a little more efficient about my time on the net. (I can say that because I have touched Instant Messenger or personal email yet today. Catch me after I have and the update might be different.) Getting a buzz going about your mystery can be downright difficult

I thought I had promo down pat this time. I put together a media kit to email to bookstores so I could have that in front of them when I called to ask about a signing. I designed a press release customized several different ways so that one emphasized the local author aspect, one emphasized a news aspect and still another talked about the underlying theme of the book.
I arranged a virtual tour, printed up ARCS and sent them for review and talked up the book everywhere.

But I got my print copies of Safe House today and although I'm so excited, I'm also worried! Things have changed in the time since the first book came out. Review sites have disappeared. I have a couple of reviews for the e-book and I tried to send ARCS to anyone remotely interested late last year. And now, I need to send print copies out to the review sites who wanted to have books upon publication. I know to send to Mid-West book review but who else is there?
Sigh
And I need to learn about making a book trailer. Fast. I guess what I really need is to figure out how to go without sleep for a couple of months. Too bad I don't like any of those energy shot things they have out now.
Do they still make No-doze?


Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series. Book two, Safe House is available now.