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Sending email to all your contacts about your new book?
Including all the agents you queried before you were published?
I don't know how other agents deal with this, but when you send me an email like that, I add your email address to my spam filter so I never have to hear from you again.
This might not be what you want to accomplish.
At some point in the future you might want to get in touch with me. You might want one of my clients to blurb your book, or invite me to your conference, or even ask a question for Friday Night at the Question Emporium. If your email is listed as spam, it doesn't go to my spam folder. It gets discarded. I'll never see it.
It's a Very Good Idea to use a mail service to send your promotional emails. At the bottom of those emails are instructions on how to unsubscribe. If you send me an announcement with an unsubscribe button, I'll click that rather than listing your email as spam.
in case you're wondering; that's one of the nut carts on the sidewalks of New York.
If you have not yet discovered Keigo Higashino, you're in for a delightful surprise. I am a rabid fan. You will be too.
With this new book, Higashino has taken the art and craft of mystery writing to a new level of excellence.--starred Library Journal review
The author is Japanese so I waylaid editor Keith Kahla for some insight into the book
JR: How did you find the author Keigo Higashino?KK: Well, as frequently happens, it was an enterprising agent who found me. In this case, it was Akiko Kurita of the Japan Foreign Rights Centre, who is now retired.
Earlier, we’d discussed a book of Edogawa Rampo – a towering figure in Japanese mystery fiction – so when she took on the foreign rights for The Devotion of Suspect X, she had her U.S. sub-agent approach me with that book. And that was my introduction to Keigo Higashino.
JR: Both Devotion of Suspect X and Salvation of a Saint have two "detectives" of sorts. One is a policeman, one is a physicist. This idea of dueling detectives is a variation on the sidekick motif. Is it common in Japanese detective novels? I can't think of other examples of it...
KK: I don’t know this trope shows up a lot in Japanese mystery fiction, but it’s not wholly unknown in the West. The bumbling police detective who solves a problem incorrectly only to be put straight by the talented amateur – a standard in pre-WWII English mystery fiction – is but one twist away from what Highashino is doing with these two books. I think Higashino rings an interesting change on the traditional mystery novel but he’s not really inventing something new.
JR: . Neither book involves the stylized courtesy American readers are familiar with in Japanese culture. Is this a choice in the translation, or is it also absent in the Japanese editions?
KK: It’s a bit of both. The stylized courtesy that American readers see in translations is part of the basic furniture of interaction in Japanese – it’s unremarkable and unnoticed by the Japanese reader but feels stiff and formal in English.
The idea of this kind of translation is make it as invisible as possible to the reader – and to the majority of English readers to have Detective Galileo referred to as ‘Yukawa-san’ would be intrusive in a way that it isn’t in to native Japanese speakers.
JR: What drew you to these novels?KK: Originally, what drew me to take a closer look is just how popular Higashino is in Japan and throughout Asia, how many movies and TV shows are made of his work, how – unlike the vast majority of authors – he’s so popular that he’s known in Japan to general populace in a way that almost no writers other than Stephen King or J. K. Rowling are in the west.
From there to these specific books, it was the sheer complexity and cleverness of the plots. And how, while there is an essential quality to the stories, sometimes it’s the characters and how they react, sometimes it’s a cultural plot point, that make them unmistakably Japanese, they are so essentially human that they also transcend culture. Which is to say, there’s a universality about them that makes me think that the average American reader can understand and enjoy them, if not in precisely the same way that the original readers in Japanese might have.
JR: You and I have had several conversations about the interesting fan mail your authors get. What kind of responses are you hearing about these books?
KK: Alas, not any real fan mail on this.
JR: (Consider this blog post fan mail then! I am crazy about this book!)
JR: Have you met the author? What's he like?KK: I’ve not, nor have we interacted directly. Which isn’t uncommon at all when an editor is publishing an author in translation. A lot of my U.S. authors have never interacted with their non-English speaking European publishers, there’s no reason to expect Higashino to have the time or interest to reach out to his U.S. publisher. That man’s got deadlines to meet and books to write!
When there are points to discuss, I raise them with the U.S. agent for the book, she takes those concerns to the agent in Japan, she takes it to the publisher (who administers the foreign rights for the author) and the publisher, presumably, discusses those matters that the author has expressed interest in hearing about.
JR: How did you find the translator?KK: A lot of reading. I had a sense of what sort of tone I wanted in the translation, so I went out and bought a lot of current translated works – from literary novels to manga – and picked a few that seemed to suit, have a sense of commercial fiction and story-telling that came through in their translations.
I approached several and from the pool that had the time and the interest, I then picked three (or four? I can’t recall) and contracted them to translate the first chapter of the book.
A group of us – the U.S. agent, my editor in chief, my imprint publisher, a colleague (or two) and I all read, picked our favorite version and for everyone, that was Alex’s translation. And that’s how I tracked down and decided upon Alexander O. Smith.
JR: What's the biggest challenge in publishing novels in translation?KK: Convincing readers that there really is something for them in a novel with a foreign setting by an author with a name they can’t easily pronounce. It’s a very tough hurdle and the few successes only attest to how hard it actually is to get readers to read outside of what they think is their comfort zone.
JR: (I will lend you my cattle prod to encourage people to read this!)JR: This is a classic puzzle book. Did you figure it out before the end? (I didn't!) KK: Nope, I didn’t. In fact, what I told everyone was quite true – when that last twist came along, I was so shocked, so surprised, that I gasped out loud for the first time since I was twelve years old and reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
JR: YES!!!!
JR: Please tell me there are more books in the works! I'm not sure I can stand waiting though. KK: There are, in fact, two. One is the next (and for the moment, the only other) Detective Galileo novel, A Midsummer’s Equation. The contracts are off being signed in Japan now and I hope to get the translator started later this fall.
The other is Malice – a novel about two children’s book writers, colleagues and rivals, one of which has killed the other. It will be the first book in Higashino’s series featuring Kyochiro Kaga, a Tokyo police detective, to appear in English. The Japanese publisher – a different on than for the Detective Galileo books – is currently reviewing the contracts, so that one is moving ahead as well.
JR: Thanks Keith!DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X and
SALVATION OF A SAINT should be required reading for every crime novel lover. They are both amazing.
Yanno, Mr. Child, if that whole writing thing doesn't work out you've got a career as a reader for audio books!
My intrepid cohort in crime Brooks Sherman and I found our way to Mysterious Bookshop on Thursday (departing from our new office digs, we had to take a new route--it was quite the adventure!)
Jesse Kellerman is a well known suspense novel writer and his debut novel SUNSTROKE was one where I turned the final page and thought "yowza!" I've been a fan ever since.
His new novel POTBOILER is a bit of a departure. I had no clue of that until the reading but you'd have picked up on it from the first page. Here's why:
"Of all the books I have read this year, this is one of them."--Lee Child
What??
Of course, the plot of POTBOILER revolves around a fictional novelist and his (ta daaa!) fiction novels! These are blurbs for the character!
Here's another:
"There's no one like William de Vallee. Every time I finish one of his books, I feel like washing the blood off my hands. And after
Fatal Deadliness, I had to take a twenty-minute shower. Dick Stapp sends Mike Hammer to the slammer, and Jack Reacher looking for a preacher. No mystery here; this is a thriller reader's thriller by a thrilling thriller writer." --Stephen King
As Jesse is reading these aloud, I'm in the back row cackling with laughter. (Poor Brooks was inching away from me as subtly as he could I'm sure!)
It's always interesting when a good writer takes a new path. It's a huge risk career-wise because established fans expect the same kind of book they read the last time. This is particularly true among us cackling genre fans.
I can tell you this: POTBOILER is funny as hell. And one more thing: the literary agent is called Savory. (When Jesse read that part, cackling gave way to outright guffaws!)
Jesse Kellerman is one helluva funny guy, and just plain one helluva writer.
See so for yourself!
Of course you do.
You'd even want Satan to buy your book and probably give him a discount if he bought enough copies for everyone in Hell while he's at it.
So, how you do it?
There are lots of good ways. Get short listed for an Edgar or Anthony. Get a nice review from Chief Temptress at Shelf Awareness Marilyn Dahl. Be published by Concord Free Press. Those are just for starters.
Sadly, those options are not available to all authors, so you have to find other ways.
It's those other ways that can trip you up.
Here's a recent email blast from an author:
TITLE is now available through every outlet you can think of. Sorry for the shameless promotion, but if I don’t tell you I have a new book out, who will? I encourage everyone who wants to buy the book to go to their independent bookstore, but if that’s not an option, here you go:
(tiny url)
Here's the first thing you don't see:
(1) Dear Janet.
If you're sending a promo email to "everyone you know" you'd be wise to send them individually with a salutation. For starters, that will help you weed out the people you shouldn't be sending this to.
Here's the second thing you don't see:
(2) We met at X Conference and you liked (something).
Personalize that email if at all possible. It reminds me that we've met, and that I like you. It reminds me that I liked something about your first book. Or liked something. In other words, find the something that we have in common. (Clue: what we do NOT have in common is that you want me to buy your book)
Here's the third thing you don't see:
(3) TITLE is the (what the book is about)
Honest to godiva when you send a promo and don't tell me what I'm asked to buy it makes hitting the delete button automatic.
When you promote your book you MUST tell me what it's about. At the very least let me know if it's the next book in a series or the start of a new series. Even your mum needs to know that basic info.
Here's the fourth thing you don't see:
(4) Title (Publisher) (price) (format)
Now, admittedly this might be just because I work in publishing but I think it's helpful to let people know if your book is trade paper or mass market or digital. And the price.
And here's the last thing you don't see:
(5) Full URL
A tiny url is valuable in many places, and email can be one of them but I don't know what the link is to. Even "here's the link to Amazon (tiny url)" would be better than nothing.
Is this a lot of work? You betcha. It takes DAYS to do this, not seconds.
The reason you invest that extra time: I would have probably clicked and bought the book if it had been a personal email. I buy books by friends and acquaintances ALL THE TIME to support them. I know and like this author, but this email annoyed me so much, I didn't.
There is NO INCENTIVE to click and buy when you treat me like a stranger on the street. The first rule of marketing is people buy from people they know and like. Your pr strategy MUST include a reminder of how people know and like you to have maximum effectiveness.
Any questions?
It was a lovely evening here in NYC so a merry band of FPLM agents trekked down to the
WIX.com office on 18th Street to hear "The Making of a Bestseller" sponsored by the good folks of the
Women's National Book Association-NYC chapter.We were glad we got there early; the place filled up fast!
The author Helen Simonson (left); her delightful agent Julie Barer (middle); and amazing editor Susan Kamil (right) were the first speakers.
These are just a few of the notes I made:
Q to Helen: How did come to write Major Pettigrew's Last Stand?HS: I finally wrote something just for me. I had no idea if it was any good. I took it to my critique group and when they read it, they just started talking about the Major. That had never happened before--they didn't critique it, they just talked about it.
Q to Julie: How did you connect with Helen?I agreed to judge the first chapters submitted in a contest run by a Bronx writing group. How much reading could it be, just first chapters? (howls of laughter from all the agents in the audience--and most of the editors too!)
As soon as I read Helen's chapter, I got in touch with her. "I'd love to read the rest," I said, only to learn the first chapter was all there was.
So I stayed in touch and finally it was done, and Helen emailed "you may not remember me" (here Julie gives the universal sign for 'she's GOT to be kidding, of course I remember her!') and I read it right away. And I loved it. I just loved it. I felt so happy at the end of the book. I couldn't wait to tell everyone about it.
Q to Susan Kamil: And what caught your eye?SK: When Julie called and said she had something she knew I would like, I paid attention. (Then Susan reads the first paragraph from the book) And once I read that paragraph, I closed my door and read for the next four hours. And I loved it.
And my job is to bring the very best books to Random House, and I knew if I loved this, other people would too.
I put together my offer, and because I knew I needed to move fast, I put on my coat, walked across the street to where Gina Centrello was having lunch (thank goodness she wasn't in Istanbul like she is today!) and said "we have to buy this book right now" and Gina said yes, and we did.
Once the book was acquired, marketing, publicity and the paperback team get involved. For this book it was (l) Avideh Bashirrad,VP, Director of Marketing; (middle) Karen Fink Associate Direct
As everyone living reading this blog knows I'm a devoted fan of Lee Child and the Jack Reacher novels. Despite his devotion to pleasing his fans, Lee Child can write but one, maybe two, books per year. Sadly, I read faster than that.
Enter the book bag of enticements at Bouchercon 2011. The new John Sandford SHOCK WAVE was enclosed. I'd heard of John Sandford, seen him on panels, thought he was a nice guy. I might have read one or two of the very first books way back when.
But I wasn't a fan. Certainly not in the way I'm a Jack Reacher fan: drooling, demanding, deranged all come to mind.
But, I had a four hour trip to Boston on the train. Starting at 8:30 am. I knew there was no way I was going to go for anything serious at that hour of the morning. And SHOCK WAVE had the added beauty of being an ARC: paperback, and when I was done, I could leave it behind.
So I took it for the train ride.
And oh boy am I glad I did.
Amtrak was having a fit of the vapors on Wednesday and I did NOT care! I was glad of the extra time in fact.
SHOCK WAVE is a terrific book. The main guy, Virgil Flowers, isn't taking Jack Reacher's place in my heart any time soon, but I'd let him buy me a drink and wax enthusiastic about his odd musical tastes.
John Sandford is a New York Times bestselling author. He doesn't need my help to promote his books but he's gonna get it anyway. If you need a good thriller for a Christmas gift, SHOCK WAVE should be on your list.
And it's the fifth in the Virgil Flowers series...so there's enough back list to satisfy those of us who don't like to wait around to read the next one.
Authors should always be on the hunt for innovative ways to promote their books.
My strategy for success is to steal ideas I think are very cool.
Here's the latest:
The white card in the bottom right corner says "Scenes from BEAUTIFUL LIES take place here"
And of course, you could have variations:
"This is where I wrote this book"
"This is where I banished my spouse while I wrote this book"
"This place is where I got the idea of how to kill the bad guy"
"My agent brought me here to sign my publishing contract, and drank so much they threw her out on the street!"
The idea of course is to reach people who might not hear about your book in reviews, blogs or at the library. Local folks just walking by or coming to the restaurant/cafe/distillery.
That's the title to a blog post by author Brad Parks, and it's both serious (sort of) and hilarious.
Here's part of what he says:
She has even been, yes, a bestselling author. Her 2004 memoir “Confessions of an Heiress” debuted at No. 7 on the New York Times Bestseller List. And I suspect there are more than a few of us reading (and writing) this blog who would gladly trade their knucklebones for that.
So what can we learn from Paris Hilton? As Dave White would say, “Prepare for awesomeness.” Because I have done rigorous research – and I think we can all agree that ten minutes reading the free pages of her memoir posted on Google Books qualifies as “rigorous” – and come up with…
TEN THINGS CRIME FICTION WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM PARIS HILTON
My reason for writing this is not just to link to the post or introduce you to the blog and suggest you subscribe although both are good things to do.
My reason is this: I'd never heard of Brad Parks before 10:30am today and now I both know who he is, and have bought his book. If you're a writer, you ll want to pay attention to how that happened because you really want total strangers to find you, think you're a good writer, and buy your book.
Here's how it worked:
First, he is pals with at least one of the writers who is a regular contributor to the blog
Do Some Damage.Second, Brad Parks
bribed enticed finagled arranged to do a guest blog post about the same time his book is due to be published.
But I'd never heard of the blog, and I didn't read it regularly. The crucial middleman here is
Step three:
Sophie Littlefield. I do know Sophie, but more importantly I follow her on Twitter. This morning, as I drank coffee and checked twitter to see what fresh conspiracies were being hatched by the fabulosity of clients, I saw this tweet:
swlittlefield: "Oh, that Brad Parks is so funny - had no idea he was so tight with Paris http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/2009/12/faces-of-divas.html"
And I clicked on the link.
Sophie may know Brad, or she may know Dave White. Knowing Sophie as I do, she probably knows both and they think she's the cat's pjs just like I do. Sophie is one of those people that can make things happen for people. How do you know who those people are? You don't. You just meet as many people as you can and hope that one of them is a Sophie Littlefield.
But to return to the clickage trail: I clicked on the link and I read the post. And I thought Brad Parks IS funny. But I also think he makes a good point.
So I clicked the link to see about his book.
And it had some good reviews.
So I bought it.
And then I bought another book so I could get free shipping (a book I saw mentioned on Erin McKean's blog
A Dress A Day)
Book promotion isn't just guest blogging, or getting good reviews, or making friends with other authors. It's all of those things coming together. Doing just one wouldn't have gotten my one-click purchase. Brad Parks had to do ALL of them, and even then had to be one degree of separation from me, via Sophie Littlefield.
This is why you go to conferences, why you tweet, why you blog.
This is why you do it twenty minutes a day, every day.
There is no direct correlation between how much you do and how successful you'll be. There's a huge dollop of serendipity at work here.
But it worked today for Brad Parks. And it can work for you.
I knew it!
I knew Sophie Littlefield was going to be a big name.
I said it here!
And, I was RIGHT!
Look at what Entertainment Weekly has to say:
Crime fiction hasn't seen a character as scrappy, mean, and incredibly appealing as Stella in a long time. A- (although what that dash after the A means, I don't have a clue; because BDFS is clearly an A+)
Yes indeed, the incredible Molly Harper garners a starred review in PW for her delicious debut Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs.
--Remember you heard about Molly HERE first --
Here's the close of the review: "Harper keeps the quips coming without overdoing the sarcasm, and her take on vampire lore will intrigue and entertain even the crabbiest of agents the most jaded paranormal fan."
Not hard to see why eagle-eyed Stephany Evans snatched this right out of the incoming submissions, whisked it off to auction, and brought home a tidy deal for several more books.
Pub date is April, but you can reserve a copy on Amazon
Well, it's also important to note that you cannot, from a legal sense, copy your personal address book into your new fancy mailing service.
I like to think that this is one of those rare instances where the gov't ineptitude is actually saving us from bulk email.
So, what you're saying is that mass emailing "HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW?!" and an attached file of the Toby Keith song along with your sales states is a bad call, right?
:-P
i dunno Josin, I kinda like Toby Keith.
Thank you for the post regarding email lists. (I hope it goes through this time because I've tried three times now and Blogger keeps picking up a client's account) I work with authors for websites and marketing, through http://authors.barjd.com. When there is an opportunity for readers to continue contact with the authors, the forms are connected to either Aweber.com or MailChimp.com. Both require an opt-in confirmation before the reader is added to any list. We still plan to email only news because there can be too much, coming close to spam. We know how spam feels due to the spammy commenters on the websites. Fortunately I keep moderation in place on them.
Valerie Haight recommended your blog at a Facebook group, Writers Harbor. mr. Haight and several FB commenters are personally acquainted with you.
Thank you again. I like the way you think and will enjoy reading your blog.
JudyAnn Lorenz, Mansfield, MO
Well...actually...ah, I don’t know how to say this without watching you splash around in shallow water looking for limbs, but well, I’ll just warn you now because when my book gets published I AM SENDING YOU AN EMAIL. And, because you will spam me I will not only send you a signed copy of the book but also a can of Spam...so there, you son-of-a-shark.
Hey, calm down, don’t get your fins all uppity with me Missy. Why wouldn’t I want to share my success with the big fish who taught me how to swim in this very scary sea?
Wry
Wry, there's a HUGE difference between "Dear Shark for Brains, thanks for your help" and "Dear Friends, Family and Everyone in My Address book" emails.
I get the first kind sometimes and they always warms my cold dark heart. I don't mark those emails as spam. I code them as "authors to buy."
Thank you for your great post. This blog is great
publishing books
I'm always astounded by some of the behavior I read about when it comes to writers/authors. Someone ought to put together a book on etiquette, i.e. the do's and don'ts with agents, editors and publishers, titled "Don't Be An Idget; How To Act Like A Mature Adult In The Publishing World."
The best dos-&-don'ts manual out there is Janet's "Annoy Me" posts. Read them and quake.
Yes Bonnie, that was a subliminal hint...to Janet. She could write the book for sure and all she'd have to do is take those posts, maybe add in a few "Rants" and "Suck It Up" sections = Best Seller IMHO. :>)
Actually think 'Annoy Me' would be a great title...
It would be a brilliant title. I love the idea of a Suck It Up chapter too -
Okay Janet, the beach ball is in your corner.
When is YOU'RE A WRITER YOU ANNOY ME going to be published in book form.
Well, I'd have to find an agent and of course I've heard that's really hard; you have to know people; you have to already be published; and it's really better to self-publish first. I'm sooooo confused.
IF YOU’RE A WRITER, YOU ANNOY ME
A how-to book, about swimming with the big fish.
By
Janet Reid
Ms. Reid’s debut ‘you annoy me’ manual on how not to act like the much-maligned anchovy, while seeking fame and fortune via the tidal-page, is a must Reid.
Fathom One - “Find an agent”, they live in silt and are real beaches.
Fathom Two - Know people, always be formally introduced to your next meal.
Fathom Three - No need to be published, you have a week named after you.
Fathom Four - Self-Publish versus traditional. Sharks are solitary creatures self-gratification has its place.
Fathom Five - You think you’re soooo confused...think about us krill.
Fathom Six – If it’s all about the platform than why are you lurking under it?
I wouldn't imagine a busy agent has time to read my book. I'd guess you'd be too busy with your own clients.
And it does seem a bit like the "how do you like me now!" crap.
Well, that was fun. I'd buy ANNOY ME; And Other Things Writers Shouldn't Do.
(I took liberties with the title)