A Bad Case of Novelism
by C.A. Scott
I am a novelist. To put it another way, I suffer from novelism, a peculiar form of obsessive-compulsive disorder that has driven many to drink, to drugs, to all kinds of self-abuse and even suicide. If you can possibly manage to live without writing, I say, then by all means do so! It is misery, it is insanity, it is not a talent but a malady. Novelists are barely functional manic-depressives for whom writing very often takes the place of prescription psychoactives. And that’s if they’re lucky.
All humans are creative to some extent. The most popular past-times these days are gardening, crafting, and scrapbooking — all arguably creative pursuits. There’s a whole entertainment industry based on exploiting the work of artists. And you can dabble in just about anything, especially if you have a new iMac on your desk. Welcome to YouTube Nation.
But novelism... Well, that’s a special kind of crazy. No other supposedly legitimate endeavor is so easily expressed in the terms of a psychological disorder. Only method actors are almost as bad. A novelist makes up imaginary people and obsesses over them for months, even years on end. She has conversations with them, even arguments, and struggles to control them but never really can. She sees the world as a reflection of her own inner landscape, spends hours and hours doing the same thing over and over again: tap-tap-tapping at the computer. Sometimes she laughs out loud or shouts “Yes, that’s it!” for no apparent reason while driving down the highway. When you’re talking to her, and her eyes go all glassy, you can be sure she’s off in that other world again, wherever it is.
This. Is not. Normal. Behavior.
I finished my first novel around age 18, and it was terrible. I actually (cringe) had some people read it, and they all said nice things like people always do. I’m embarrassed to think about it now — more for the characters than for myself (another sad symptom of novelism, putting imaginary people ahead of yourself). I even sent it out — I so hope no one who saw it then remembers it now! — and got an invitation from TSR to write for hire. But I didn’t want to write in someone else’s universe, I had a perfectly good one all my own!
Eventually I gave up and set that first one aside. After all, it was really bad. But the characters didn’t go away. They just waited... for years... until the right moment came along. Meanwhile, I went to college, played in a couple rock bands, wrote other things, toyed with acting, and started a career in journalism. Then one day, about a decade after that first novel, I went to the local moviehouse and sat down to watch Dark City for the first time.
Those eyes… I was entranced. Where had I seen them before? And that voice… Where had I heard it before?
“Oh no.”
Out of the darkened theater, he appeared, took a seat next to me, looked over and gave me that infernal smirk. “Hey, long time no see.”
“Urk,” I said, very quietly, a vain attempt to stifle my insanity.
“Honey, have I got some things to tell you…”
“Oh crap.”
And thus was Diego Lee reborn. I hear Rice had the same problem with that Lestat fellow. And Doyle too, with Sherlock Holmes. There are some characters who just won’t let you go. But look here, I’m the writer, I’m supposed to be god to this guy! I tried to tell him that the original book had been a great big pile of unsalvageable dreck, tried to explain that I had a career and a husband so there was no time to write some dang novel (series), tried to tell him I wasn’t good enough at the whole fiction thing anyway... tried everything I could think of to get him to leave me alone.
“Not gonna’ happen, ma cher. You better just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Enjoy. Ha. You should see what the MRI of my spine looked like after five years of weeknights and weekends at the computer… You should see the weight I put on when I should’ve been out hiking the Cascades… You should see what happened to my finances when I stopped paying attention to them... Ay... Diego. That bastard.
Sometimes, I tried to work on other ideas. I had lots of them, still do. But he was brutal, kicking them aside and forcing them to the back of my mind, one after the other. Some weren’t strong enough to survive.
Diego changed my taste in music, taught me some very bad words in several languages. He whispered to me in the night, lurked through crowds and on my TV, sometimes even spoke through me or my friends. Some people who have never read the book feel that they know him already. An artist I know has found herself drawing him even when she doesn’t intend to. He’s insidious that way.
But the final version is finished, and in a year’s time the whole thing will be out in the world on its own. Guess I was finally ready to write the story he wanted me to write, the one he deserved. The real story. I learned a lot in the process of hacking it out, too — about myself, about the world around me, and about writing. And I rode it all like a carnival ride — sometimes dizzyingly fast, sometimes nauseatingly slow, sometimes euphoric, sometimes agonizing — often felt as though I had little to do with what was happening beyond merely serving as transcriptionist.
And I loved every bit of it. I never feel better, more alive, or more truly me than when I’m working on this stuff. It was hell trying to market such a huge, bloated, Dickensian nightmare of a 5-volume novel series… but now finally, I get to go back and spend quality time with it again. I get to come up with cool cover imagery and fun extras for my readers… I want to podcast and find an artist for a comic series... There’s not enough time for everything I want to do. But I need to share the madness. That’s the only way it’ll ever let go of me.
Oh, there are other stories, some about characters who live in the same alternate universe as Diego, and they’re already tugging at my attention — albeit none so obnoxiously impossible to ignore as him. There are even other worlds entirely, other people with totally unrelated stories to tell. They wait patiently on each successive hard-drive every time I upgrade to a new computer, some cowering in fear whenever his name is invoked. How I’ll ever find time to write about them in the midst of all this Racing History, I have no idea.
You gotta’ be crazy to do this. You gotta’ be crazy to love it.
My name is Cheryl, and I am a novelist. A very special kind of crazy.
RACING HISTORY
"Every WayFarer has a story. Every traveler tells a tale.
And in this life… you have to make a name for yourself."
Racing History is an ambitious, five-volume sci-fi series that proudly flaunts its appreciation for pop culture: music, film, comics, television, videogames, and yes literature of all kinds. In her episodic series, the author dares to challenge many of today’s boundaries in science fiction. This is the full story of a singular moment in history, not Earth history or human history but all of history — the story of everybody — and the how and why that make all the difference. One person can change the world, and the right people can make history. Sometimes silly, sometimes scary, alternately tragic and triumphant, but never boring, this is epic space-punk: space opera with a cyberpunk attitude and a touch of film noir.
Volume 1 (Episodes 1-7) is METEORIC, a dark and gritty story of life at the bottom of the glorious star-spanning civilization futurists are always raving about. This book introduces a man who will one day change the face of the galaxy. His early years are a trial by fire, preparing him for great challenges to come. People often talk of a “meteoric rise to fame,” but meteors are really just glowing brilliantly as they burn to nothing in the atmosphere. They never rise, only fall spectacularly... And Diego Lee lives both sides of that expression.
A scientific journalist and editor (with a few "skiffy" projects on the side), C.A. Scott is author of many articles and magazine supplements covering biotechnology. As a technical editor, she has been a guest at several west-coast science fiction conventions — and will do so again. Traveling extensively for work, she has visited nearly a dozen countries (so far) and once met a real live clone. She is also an alumna of Long Island University’s "SEAmester" program and Eugene, OR’s infamous "Wordos" professional writing group. Science fiction is her passion. She lives in Springfield, Oregon, with her husband and her mother, who retired from the working world in 2003 to devote full-time to her art,after raising three successful kids on her own. C.A. Scott drives a Jeep, misses her horse terribly, and loves to hike and spend time with her black Labrador retriever and her iMac computer.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Author! Author!
Innerview
with A.J. Alise
What is your ideal writing environment?
Although I can write anywhere—on planes, in restaurants, in the library—my favorite spot is at my cabin in the Poconos sitting at my desk overlooking an expanse of wild overgrown “garden” consisting of rocks, weeds, mountain laurel, rhododendron, lilac bushes and cattails. My six bird feeders just outside my windows lure blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, (and squirrels) and while I’m engaged by their antics a line of dialogue, an image, or exactly the right word suddenly comes to me.
What authors inspire you most?
Too many to list, really, but I’ll mention a few who come to mind. I love different authors for different types of inspiration—Tennessee Williams, Lajos Egri, Adrienne Rich, and Shakespeare for playwriting--Colette and Anne Sexton for poetry--Jane Austen, Truman Capote, Vladimir Nabokov, the Bronte sisters, Edith Wharton and Gustav Flaubert for novels-- Annie Dillard, Anne Lamott, Natalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron for writing advice and finally-- for a good escape into mystery I love Niki French, Patricia Highsmith, and Ruth Rendell.
What do you do when you aren’t feeling inspired or motivated to write?
I walk my dog, or go horseback riding. I sculpt. I find pounding and shaping clay amazingly therapeutic. Sometimes I get up early and drive on the back roads of Pennsylvania listening to music or a book on tape. I sit in my sky swing and read. In New York I enjoy a night at the theater or dinner out with my husband—sushi or Indian food preferably. Or I fly to California to play with people I love—Eric, Heather, and their two-year-old twins—Gwyneth and Sydney Anne.
What inspired you to write CRIMSON ICE?
When I began I thought that I wanted to write a good mystery merely as a challenge to myself and a diversion but as I got deeper into the writing I found that many of my real life obsessions were seeping into the story. I had long been concerned with the catastrophic consequences of unrestrained temper and male violence toward women and children, also how the lack of love and the damage caused by alcoholism can filter down to affect several generations. I also suffered over the loss of a sister I loved and the illusion that I could have somehow prevented her death. These concerns became somehow submerged in and threaded through the novel.
Did you know how the story would end when you began writing it?
Absolutely not! When Rocky’s body was found I was as surprised and saddened as any reader might be. It seemed that when I sat down to write this book a separate part of my brain often took over and dictated incidents and characters to me, almost against my intentions and the outline I had written. On the other hand I struggled with the final twists and turns and wrote several versions before the final one and even though it’s finally out there, I still find myself rethinking the ending and figuring out how I can take it up in the sequel.
“I was hooked with the first page.”; “Wow!! This book had me from the first paragraph.” ; “I was pulled into CRIMSON ICE…”; “This book is hands down in the top five as one of the best books I have ever read.” These are all direct quotes from professional reviewers and avid mystery readers. Besides being a great confidence-booster do you think you’ve got a sequel in you?
As for the fine quotes—of course they are encouraging. It’s terrific to know that people read and enjoy my work. On the other hand I try to keep in mind that I’m writing out of my own passion and for my own pleasure and I would keep at it even if no one recognized it or encourage me. It’s my life sentence, my escape, and my salvation.
As for a sequel, I guess I already answered that question. I’ve outlined and written part of the sequel BONE MOON already. I’m determined to stick to my outline this time, but then again I’ve said that before and then found myself exploring unexpected pathways. I’ve just completed a totally unrelated novel—a coming of age novel called SWEET WILLIAM AND ROSEMARY that I plan to market under my own name Joanne Weck rather than my mystery nome de plume (A. J. Alise) and even though I was certain I knew the ending when I started, I found that the pathway to that end took many unexpected turns.
You are also an actor and a playwright…Can you speak a bit about how those talents have played into your work as a novelist? Do you think it has helped your writing when it comes to dialogue?
I’m sure that my theater background affects my fiction. I had the opportunity to hone my skills (via a Geraldine R. Dodge Playwriting grant) with theater notable such as Adrienne Kennedy, Anne Bogart, N. Richard Nash, and I was greatly impressed by the relentless focus on the importance of the physicality and dialogue of the actors as characters. I visualize my characters movements and expressions and I hear their conversations almost as though I’m watching them on stage or in a film.
Got a favorite quote?
Yes. It’s hard to select just one but here’s something by William Trevor that keeps me going:
“I believe in not quite knowing.
A writer needs to be doubtful, questioning.
I write our of curiosity and bewilderment.”
Crimson Ice By A.J. Alise (ISBN # 0-9763083-2-0, published by PulpBytes, 2005) is available in eBook format for purchase ($8.95) and downloading at the DPPstore.
Following the disappearance of her sister, Rocky is hurled into a life changing adventure. The responsibility of caring for her own son, and her sister’s two children complicates everything and raises the stakes of this already tension-filled story.
With nods to the genre-gumshoe beset by insurmountable challenges, really bad bad guys, and great cliché bits that never get old-this maintains the good old detective form, while adding a new dimension - a strong, maternal woman as the hero.
A.J. Alise grew up in rural Pennsylvania. She spends much of her time at her cabin in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, where Crimson Ice is set. She is a novelist, actor, teacher, and playwright. Her plays have been produced in various New Jersey theatres. Alise’s other writing credits include the video productions: “World Hunger Project” and “Looking at Union, New Jersey.”
with A.J. Alise
What is your ideal writing environment?
Although I can write anywhere—on planes, in restaurants, in the library—my favorite spot is at my cabin in the Poconos sitting at my desk overlooking an expanse of wild overgrown “garden” consisting of rocks, weeds, mountain laurel, rhododendron, lilac bushes and cattails. My six bird feeders just outside my windows lure blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, (and squirrels) and while I’m engaged by their antics a line of dialogue, an image, or exactly the right word suddenly comes to me.
What authors inspire you most?
Too many to list, really, but I’ll mention a few who come to mind. I love different authors for different types of inspiration—Tennessee Williams, Lajos Egri, Adrienne Rich, and Shakespeare for playwriting--Colette and Anne Sexton for poetry--Jane Austen, Truman Capote, Vladimir Nabokov, the Bronte sisters, Edith Wharton and Gustav Flaubert for novels-- Annie Dillard, Anne Lamott, Natalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron for writing advice and finally-- for a good escape into mystery I love Niki French, Patricia Highsmith, and Ruth Rendell.
What do you do when you aren’t feeling inspired or motivated to write?
I walk my dog, or go horseback riding. I sculpt. I find pounding and shaping clay amazingly therapeutic. Sometimes I get up early and drive on the back roads of Pennsylvania listening to music or a book on tape. I sit in my sky swing and read. In New York I enjoy a night at the theater or dinner out with my husband—sushi or Indian food preferably. Or I fly to California to play with people I love—Eric, Heather, and their two-year-old twins—Gwyneth and Sydney Anne.
What inspired you to write CRIMSON ICE?
When I began I thought that I wanted to write a good mystery merely as a challenge to myself and a diversion but as I got deeper into the writing I found that many of my real life obsessions were seeping into the story. I had long been concerned with the catastrophic consequences of unrestrained temper and male violence toward women and children, also how the lack of love and the damage caused by alcoholism can filter down to affect several generations. I also suffered over the loss of a sister I loved and the illusion that I could have somehow prevented her death. These concerns became somehow submerged in and threaded through the novel.
Did you know how the story would end when you began writing it?
Absolutely not! When Rocky’s body was found I was as surprised and saddened as any reader might be. It seemed that when I sat down to write this book a separate part of my brain often took over and dictated incidents and characters to me, almost against my intentions and the outline I had written. On the other hand I struggled with the final twists and turns and wrote several versions before the final one and even though it’s finally out there, I still find myself rethinking the ending and figuring out how I can take it up in the sequel.
“I was hooked with the first page.”; “Wow!! This book had me from the first paragraph.” ; “I was pulled into CRIMSON ICE…”; “This book is hands down in the top five as one of the best books I have ever read.” These are all direct quotes from professional reviewers and avid mystery readers. Besides being a great confidence-booster do you think you’ve got a sequel in you?
As for the fine quotes—of course they are encouraging. It’s terrific to know that people read and enjoy my work. On the other hand I try to keep in mind that I’m writing out of my own passion and for my own pleasure and I would keep at it even if no one recognized it or encourage me. It’s my life sentence, my escape, and my salvation.
As for a sequel, I guess I already answered that question. I’ve outlined and written part of the sequel BONE MOON already. I’m determined to stick to my outline this time, but then again I’ve said that before and then found myself exploring unexpected pathways. I’ve just completed a totally unrelated novel—a coming of age novel called SWEET WILLIAM AND ROSEMARY that I plan to market under my own name Joanne Weck rather than my mystery nome de plume (A. J. Alise) and even though I was certain I knew the ending when I started, I found that the pathway to that end took many unexpected turns.
You are also an actor and a playwright…Can you speak a bit about how those talents have played into your work as a novelist? Do you think it has helped your writing when it comes to dialogue?
I’m sure that my theater background affects my fiction. I had the opportunity to hone my skills (via a Geraldine R. Dodge Playwriting grant) with theater notable such as Adrienne Kennedy, Anne Bogart, N. Richard Nash, and I was greatly impressed by the relentless focus on the importance of the physicality and dialogue of the actors as characters. I visualize my characters movements and expressions and I hear their conversations almost as though I’m watching them on stage or in a film.
Got a favorite quote?
Yes. It’s hard to select just one but here’s something by William Trevor that keeps me going:
“I believe in not quite knowing.
A writer needs to be doubtful, questioning.
I write our of curiosity and bewilderment.”
Crimson Ice By A.J. Alise (ISBN # 0-9763083-2-0, published by PulpBytes, 2005) is available in eBook format for purchase ($8.95) and downloading at the DPPstore.
Following the disappearance of her sister, Rocky is hurled into a life changing adventure. The responsibility of caring for her own son, and her sister’s two children complicates everything and raises the stakes of this already tension-filled story.
With nods to the genre-gumshoe beset by insurmountable challenges, really bad bad guys, and great cliché bits that never get old-this maintains the good old detective form, while adding a new dimension - a strong, maternal woman as the hero.
A.J. Alise grew up in rural Pennsylvania. She spends much of her time at her cabin in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, where Crimson Ice is set. She is a novelist, actor, teacher, and playwright. Her plays have been produced in various New Jersey theatres. Alise’s other writing credits include the video productions: “World Hunger Project” and “Looking at Union, New Jersey.”
You Are Your Own Best Marketing Rep!
MARKETING MADNESS
by Kathryn Jordan
Question: What is the single most important thing you can do to promote your book?
Please resist the urge to scroll down for the answer.
Here’s the good news: if you decided to become a writer, as you probably already know, you’re crazy. And crazy is exactly what it takes to tackle the immense, many-headed beast of today’s book marketing. Most of us go in blind, swinging whatever makeshift weapons we scavenge along the way, like Don Quixote. But isn’t that how you tackled your first blank page?
Tip # 1 - Trust the process, follow wherever it takes you, and keep swinging.
Hopefully my story will at least point you in the right direction, and give you an idea what to expect.
In November, 2004, I got the phone call writers dream of - my agent, B.J. Robbins, saying we had an offer from a major New York publisher (Berkley / Penguin). My fourth novel, but first sale. B.J. was as excited as I was. For several ecstatic minutes I danced around my kitchen, clutching the phone, savoring each morsel of what my “editor” said about why she wanted the book. Editor! My God, I would have my very own editor!
Then - I will never forget this - B.J. said, “You know, you have to do everything you can to make this work. Think of it as a job, an investment in yourself and your new career.” The words hit the pit of my stomach like the proverbial chunk of lead. Five months earlier, I had retired from years of teaching high school English, years gleaning early morning hours to write before school. I retired to write full time. Now my new job was book promotion? Days later B.J. emailed info about a workshop in L.A. I went and soaked up everything.
Tip # 2 - Attend Bella Stander’s Book Promotion 101 (www.bookpromotion101.com) offered twice a year in L.A. and New York. And read everything you can find on the subject.
On a gruelling Saturday eight workshop participants refined and practiced our “elevator pitches,” learned how to give good readings, how to make a “Marketing Plan,” get media attention and much more. What struck me most was the power of “niche marketing” and this harrowing truth: If you rely on your publisher’s publicity department or on book store signings, you’ll most likely be very disappointed, i.e. paltry book sales. Premature remaindering.
Tip # 3 - Find a niche (or several) for promoting your book.
My novel, HOT WATER, takes place in one weekend at a lush spa resort near Palm Springs. Sexy, fun, full of female empowerment - perfect for spa-ing. So... why not market it as “The Ultimate Spa Novel.”
Put gold stickers on the cover. All my Adobe PageMaker practice with students paid off. I made flyers using the book cover, a Q & A, author bio, endorsements and excerpt, and sent a mailer to 100 spa resorts around the southwest. Then followed up with phone calls and advance copies of the book to those interested, and started scheduling events.
When HOT WATER was released last January, we held the launch party at Two Bunch Palms, the resort where it’s set. What a dream! Since then I’ve done book events at a dozen spa resorts, including La Costa in Carlsbad, The Oaks at Ojai, Ojo Caliente and La Posada in Santa Fe and the Aladdin and Paris Hotel Spas in Las Vegas. The first novelist to tour spa resorts. Crazy. Who woulda thought!?!
I also do book store and library signings, book club events and my second niche idea - the HOT WATER House Party, like Tupperware or lingerie parties only with me and my novel. Oh, and fun door prizes. Turquoise t-shirts and thongs that say, “Get Into HOT WATER.” Mugs with the Eleanor Roosevelt quote that starts the book: “Women are like tea bags. They don’t know how strong they are until they get into hot water.” Some fifteen parties so far. Amy Murphy, a teacher in Escondido, was so moved by the story, she compiled a CD of HOT WATER music and registered it on iTunes. More door prizes.
Tip # 4 - Use the internet as well as your personal network, colleagues, clubs, organizations, friends, relatives.
Email, make calls. Be polite and confident. (It gets easier). Explain your idea for an event or media appearance. You’re an author, remember. They admire your accomplishment. If your book fits the niche, they want you. It may take four, five, ten calls, one will bite.Brainstorm, think outside the box. Ask yourself where your book would fit. Is there a scene in a beauty salon or art gallery, a dog kennel, a museum, car dealership?
Two HOT WATER parties were held in Mexican restaurants because of scenes late in the book. An unusual event stirs interest and sales for the business too. Often they’ll do the advertising, especially in smaller towns. My best sales per time spent were in Grand Junction and Montrose, Colorado. Also Bisbee, Arizona. People said they’d never met an author in person.
Tip # 5 - Never under estimate the power of grassroots word-of-mouth.
Be a big fish in a little pond. An event with 6 or 8 people can lead to more events. You can’t track the sales from people telling people. Just do the work. Knock on every door, follow every lead, every “crazy” idea and dream, just as you do when you sit down to write. And trust those dreams enough to spend the time and money to make them happen.
Believe me, with each step, part of my mind said, this is crazy! It’ll never work. Touring spa resorts? HOT WATER House Parties? Who would have them? What if I end up with stacks of t-shirts and credit card bills? Instead, I keep running out and ordering more. Especially the thongs. (How women love an excuse to throw a hot party!)
It is working. HOT WATER keeps selling. Hey, it was #2 on a local best seller list in the San Luis Obispo Tribune! DA VINCI CODE was #4. There’s a framer! On two of my tours I never stayed a single night in a hotel, and my life is enriched beyond measure getting to know the fascinating people who set up events and opened their homes to me. Still, even with such kindness and the financial help B.J. negotiated from Berkley, it’s expensive.
In Book Promotion 101 we learned it is not at all unusual for an author to spend her entire advance on book promotion. At the time I thought, not me! Right.
Tip # 6 - Let’s get practical.
All this is extremely difficult while working and / or raising children. Save money and hire a publicist. Negotiate with your spouse to hold down the fort while you take a leave of absence. Sell something. Weigh what you want and believe in most. If it’s your book / writing career, go for it. (As long as the children still get raised).
In July I start work on a sequel. Readers keep asking what happens next. What better way to keep HOT WATER afloat? And I’ll be writing again!Here are the latest additions to my schedule:
Girlfriend Weekend with the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs www.pulpwoodqueens.com
Marshall, Texas, January 19-21, 2007.
Check it out. They expect 10,000 girlfriends. Saturday night is the “Hair Ball.” (As in big hair). Know where I can find a glam gown and a wig?
Bloggers: July 20. Join me in some HOT HOT WATER blogging at Romance: By the Blog! With romance columnist, Michelle Buonfiglio.
*(See her fab June 21 review at www.WNBC.com/romance)
And don’t miss the Southern California Writers’ Conference in Palm Springs, Sept. 29 - Oct. 1st. www.WritersConference.com.
Author, Sherry Halperin (RESCUE ME, HE’S WEARING A MOOSE HAT) and I will share a workshop, "Promoting Your Book: What the Author Should and Must Do." I’ll also do a workshop on, “Erotic Encounters: Writing Sex Scenes that Satisfy."
Me? Crazy!But no crazier than that night at The Hot Licks BBQ & Saloon in Bisbee, Arizona, complete with belly dancers and a sexy lingerie fashion show. A book signing in a bar!? Hey, I have photos to prove it.
Tip # 7 - Stay crazy.
You started this “impossible” dream. Make it happen! And get ready for the time of your life!
Answer: Write a good book.
References: PUBLICIZE YOUR BOOK, Jacqueline Deval, A Perigee Book, Berkley PublishingNAKED AT THE PODIUM, The Writer’s Guide To Successful Readings, Peter V.T. Kahle and Melanie Workhoven, Seventy Fourth Street Productions, LLC
Kathryn Jordan can be reached at katejor@earthlink.net. Web site: www.kathrynjordan.com or hotwaterthenovel.com. Her column, “Women Changing The World,” is published monthly in THE DESERT WOMAN.
by Kathryn Jordan
Question: What is the single most important thing you can do to promote your book?
Please resist the urge to scroll down for the answer.
Here’s the good news: if you decided to become a writer, as you probably already know, you’re crazy. And crazy is exactly what it takes to tackle the immense, many-headed beast of today’s book marketing. Most of us go in blind, swinging whatever makeshift weapons we scavenge along the way, like Don Quixote. But isn’t that how you tackled your first blank page?
Tip # 1 - Trust the process, follow wherever it takes you, and keep swinging.
Hopefully my story will at least point you in the right direction, and give you an idea what to expect.
In November, 2004, I got the phone call writers dream of - my agent, B.J. Robbins, saying we had an offer from a major New York publisher (Berkley / Penguin). My fourth novel, but first sale. B.J. was as excited as I was. For several ecstatic minutes I danced around my kitchen, clutching the phone, savoring each morsel of what my “editor” said about why she wanted the book. Editor! My God, I would have my very own editor!
Then - I will never forget this - B.J. said, “You know, you have to do everything you can to make this work. Think of it as a job, an investment in yourself and your new career.” The words hit the pit of my stomach like the proverbial chunk of lead. Five months earlier, I had retired from years of teaching high school English, years gleaning early morning hours to write before school. I retired to write full time. Now my new job was book promotion? Days later B.J. emailed info about a workshop in L.A. I went and soaked up everything.
Tip # 2 - Attend Bella Stander’s Book Promotion 101 (www.bookpromotion101.com) offered twice a year in L.A. and New York. And read everything you can find on the subject.
On a gruelling Saturday eight workshop participants refined and practiced our “elevator pitches,” learned how to give good readings, how to make a “Marketing Plan,” get media attention and much more. What struck me most was the power of “niche marketing” and this harrowing truth: If you rely on your publisher’s publicity department or on book store signings, you’ll most likely be very disappointed, i.e. paltry book sales. Premature remaindering.
Tip # 3 - Find a niche (or several) for promoting your book.
My novel, HOT WATER, takes place in one weekend at a lush spa resort near Palm Springs. Sexy, fun, full of female empowerment - perfect for spa-ing. So... why not market it as “The Ultimate Spa Novel.”
Put gold stickers on the cover. All my Adobe PageMaker practice with students paid off. I made flyers using the book cover, a Q & A, author bio, endorsements and excerpt, and sent a mailer to 100 spa resorts around the southwest. Then followed up with phone calls and advance copies of the book to those interested, and started scheduling events.
When HOT WATER was released last January, we held the launch party at Two Bunch Palms, the resort where it’s set. What a dream! Since then I’ve done book events at a dozen spa resorts, including La Costa in Carlsbad, The Oaks at Ojai, Ojo Caliente and La Posada in Santa Fe and the Aladdin and Paris Hotel Spas in Las Vegas. The first novelist to tour spa resorts. Crazy. Who woulda thought!?!
I also do book store and library signings, book club events and my second niche idea - the HOT WATER House Party, like Tupperware or lingerie parties only with me and my novel. Oh, and fun door prizes. Turquoise t-shirts and thongs that say, “Get Into HOT WATER.” Mugs with the Eleanor Roosevelt quote that starts the book: “Women are like tea bags. They don’t know how strong they are until they get into hot water.” Some fifteen parties so far. Amy Murphy, a teacher in Escondido, was so moved by the story, she compiled a CD of HOT WATER music and registered it on iTunes. More door prizes.
Tip # 4 - Use the internet as well as your personal network, colleagues, clubs, organizations, friends, relatives.
Email, make calls. Be polite and confident. (It gets easier). Explain your idea for an event or media appearance. You’re an author, remember. They admire your accomplishment. If your book fits the niche, they want you. It may take four, five, ten calls, one will bite.Brainstorm, think outside the box. Ask yourself where your book would fit. Is there a scene in a beauty salon or art gallery, a dog kennel, a museum, car dealership?
Two HOT WATER parties were held in Mexican restaurants because of scenes late in the book. An unusual event stirs interest and sales for the business too. Often they’ll do the advertising, especially in smaller towns. My best sales per time spent were in Grand Junction and Montrose, Colorado. Also Bisbee, Arizona. People said they’d never met an author in person.
Tip # 5 - Never under estimate the power of grassroots word-of-mouth.
Be a big fish in a little pond. An event with 6 or 8 people can lead to more events. You can’t track the sales from people telling people. Just do the work. Knock on every door, follow every lead, every “crazy” idea and dream, just as you do when you sit down to write. And trust those dreams enough to spend the time and money to make them happen.
Believe me, with each step, part of my mind said, this is crazy! It’ll never work. Touring spa resorts? HOT WATER House Parties? Who would have them? What if I end up with stacks of t-shirts and credit card bills? Instead, I keep running out and ordering more. Especially the thongs. (How women love an excuse to throw a hot party!)
It is working. HOT WATER keeps selling. Hey, it was #2 on a local best seller list in the San Luis Obispo Tribune! DA VINCI CODE was #4. There’s a framer! On two of my tours I never stayed a single night in a hotel, and my life is enriched beyond measure getting to know the fascinating people who set up events and opened their homes to me. Still, even with such kindness and the financial help B.J. negotiated from Berkley, it’s expensive.
In Book Promotion 101 we learned it is not at all unusual for an author to spend her entire advance on book promotion. At the time I thought, not me! Right.
Tip # 6 - Let’s get practical.
All this is extremely difficult while working and / or raising children. Save money and hire a publicist. Negotiate with your spouse to hold down the fort while you take a leave of absence. Sell something. Weigh what you want and believe in most. If it’s your book / writing career, go for it. (As long as the children still get raised).
In July I start work on a sequel. Readers keep asking what happens next. What better way to keep HOT WATER afloat? And I’ll be writing again!Here are the latest additions to my schedule:
Girlfriend Weekend with the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs
Marshall, Texas, January 19-21, 2007.
Check it out. They expect 10,000 girlfriends. Saturday night is the “Hair Ball.” (As in big hair). Know where I can find a glam gown and a wig?
Bloggers: July 20. Join me in some HOT HOT WATER blogging at Romance: By the Blog! With romance columnist, Michelle Buonfiglio.
*(See her fab June 21 review at www.WNBC.com/romance)
And don’t miss the Southern California Writers’ Conference in Palm Springs, Sept. 29 - Oct. 1st. www.WritersConference.com.
Author, Sherry Halperin (RESCUE ME, HE’S WEARING A MOOSE HAT) and I will share a workshop, "Promoting Your Book: What the Author Should and Must Do." I’ll also do a workshop on, “Erotic Encounters: Writing Sex Scenes that Satisfy."
Me? Crazy!But no crazier than that night at The Hot Licks BBQ & Saloon in Bisbee, Arizona, complete with belly dancers and a sexy lingerie fashion show. A book signing in a bar!? Hey, I have photos to prove it.
Tip # 7 - Stay crazy.
You started this “impossible” dream. Make it happen! And get ready for the time of your life!
Answer: Write a good book.
References: PUBLICIZE YOUR BOOK, Jacqueline Deval, A Perigee Book, Berkley PublishingNAKED AT THE PODIUM, The Writer’s Guide To Successful Readings, Peter V.T. Kahle and Melanie Workhoven, Seventy Fourth Street Productions, LLC
Kathryn Jordan can be reached at katejor@earthlink.net. Web site: www.kathrynjordan.com or hotwaterthenovel.com. Her column, “Women Changing The World,” is published monthly in THE DESERT WOMAN.
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