So I posted something last week about whether or not you should have your agent land you magazine pieces, and my answer to said question was no, almost universally. But it was mentioned in the comments section that one reader was told by a perspective agent to wait to pitch magazines until she'd sold her book, the thinking being that as a soon-to-be published writer, she'd have an easier time landing gigs.
I wanted to take a second to talk about why I think this is terrible advice and why having a platform is so critical to selling a book these days. (Courtney - please note that this post totally isn't aimed at you! I just think it raised an interesting topic that I wanted to elaborate on!)
To begin with: platform: defined as a presence, ideally national, at which you are recognized in your area of expertise (maybe you're an master florist or more likely, a famous doctor) or your work (maybe your byline is in every magazine known to man).
Establishing a platform certainly raises the chicken or the egg conundrum: how on earth are you supposed to get famous if you need to be famous to get famous in the first place? Follow? In simpler terms - a lot of aspiring writers worry (partially justifiably) that they need some name recognition to get published but getting published in the first place is what will give them the name recognition. Chicken. Egg.
And that's the problem I have with the advice that sparked this whole post. These days, like it or not, it is incredibly hard to land a book deal. That's just the truth. If you're aiming to publish non-fiction (self-help, etc), you'll have almost an impossible time of it without a platform or without a co-author who has a platform. So to wait to aim for magazines until after you've landed a book deal...well, you might be waiting until you're old and withered because it likely won't happen. While a platform isn't as critical for nabbing a fiction deal (and maybe a memoir deal, though it certainly helps to be famous), it can still help immeasurably. Did the fact that I am relatively well-known in the magazine world land me my first deal? No. The manuscript did. Did it help boost my advance significantly? Without a doubt. My publisher was paying me for my connections and for the fact that I might gain more national exposure than someone who hadn't written for all of these magazines.
Building a platform isn't easy. But I think that's a discussion for another day. And one worth having. But to wait until your platform comes to you...well, foot meet trigger, and pull.
What say you readers? Has your platform (or lack thereof) helped or hindered you in your quest for publication?
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: first fiction, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 25 of 48
Blog: Ask Allison (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Life as a writer, Promotion, Life as a writer, Promotion, Add a tag
Blog: Happy Healthy Hip Parenting (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: picture books, boys, booklist, male, Taro Gomi, first fiction, jack russell, the team, jack russell, the team, first fiction, Taro Gomi, male, Add a tag
Dan from Dan's Angel:
A Detective's Guide to the Language of Paintings
Taro Gomi's nameless son from I Lost My Dad!
Kali from Kali and the Rat Snake
Jonathan from The Key to My Heart
Mustafa from My Father's Shop
Paul from Paul Needs Specs
Paul and Sebastian
Unnamed hero from Samsara Dog
Sebastian from Sebastian's Roller Skates
Norman from The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley
Sosu from Sosu's Call
Tibili from Tibili:
The Little Boy Who Didn't Want to Go to School
Troy from Troy Thompson's Excellent Peotry Book
Eddie from What Eddie Can Do
Unnamed narrator from What's Going On?
Wilfrid from Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
Little Sala from Brush
Marc from Marc Just Couldn't Sleep
Kevin from:
Kevin Spends the Night
Kevin Takes a Trip
Kevin Goes to School
Kevin Goes to the Hospital
Harvey from The Team series:
The Soccer Machine
Top of the League
Soccer Camp
Superteam
Blog: BookEnds, LLC - A Literary Agency (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: promotion, promotion, Add a tag
Stacey Kayne
Maverick Wild
Publisher: Harlequin Historical
Pub date: January 2008
Agent: Kim Lionetti
(Click to Buy)
Stacey Kayne is a multi-published author of western historical romance. The second book in her WILD series, Maverick Wild, blazed into bookstores this January. Watch for the second book in her BRIDE series, The Gunslinger’s Untamed Bride, coming this July.
Awards: Stacey is a four-time Golden Heart finalist and multi-award-winning author.
Web/Blog links:
Website: www.StaceyKayne.com
Home Blog: staceykayne.blogspot.com
Group Blog: www.PetticoatsAndPistols.com
Group Blog: www.WritersAtPlay.com
Maverick Wild: Haunted by a promise he couldn’t keep, and a past he can’t forget. Chance Morgan locked his heart away from the world—until part of his past travels halfway across the states to find him. Plagued by horse thieves and marriage-minded females, the last thing Chance needs is a woman on his ranch. Cora Mae Tindale is more than a distracting array of curls and curves . . . she holds the key to his heart and unleashes a desire he refuses to trust.
Stacey Kayne’s WILD World of Promotion
On July 24, 2006, lightning finally struck and I sold my first book! Two days later I was flying off to Atlanta for RWA National and had an amazing time cheering and celebrating with all my writing pals. My plane touched back down in California a week later, and that was when it hit me . . . in eight short months I would have a book on the shelves . . . that gave me four months to prepare . . . in the midst of meeting new deadlines—aaahhhh!!!!
For those on the brink of taking the fast drop from “When will I ever sell a blasted book!” to “Oh crap! I have a book coming out!!!” here’s some helpful tools to guide you into that rollicking world we call BOOK PROMOTION.
Stacey’s Promo Starter Kit:
- Website—nowadays many websites are free (Go Daddy, HostMySite.com) or cost next to nothin’ and everyone is on the Internet! Websites are awesome for keeping your readers up to date with new books and what’s happening in your career.
- Online Newsletter–don’t wait for that book to hit the shelves, get that book info up on your site and start growing your reader list during the excitement of your sale! Life flies by and many months pass before your baby makes it into bookstores. With a newsletter, you can help out those like me with memory-deficiency disorders, letting me know the book I’ve been waiting for is finally available. Some online newsletter services are actually free until your member list hits a certain number. I use Constant Contact, and I have friends who use Mail Chimp.
- FREE Promo–ya just can’t beat it, and those promo dollars add up quick, so don’t pass these up! Your book is HUGE NEWS!!
- Send a press release (one-page announcement with book info, cover, a little bio and picture) to all your local newspapers, local news shows, online and local writing chapters.
- Book reviews–does your publisher send out for reviews? If not, this is another free promotion opportunity you want to jump on early, as most reviewers like to get the book 3-4 months before its release. Many review sites allow you to upload a pdf file of the book, which is handy and saves postage. Some quick review sites: Romance Junkies, All About Romance, Love Western Romances, Romance Reader At Heart, CataRomance, The Romance Reader, Historical Romance Club, Novel Spot, Arm Chair Reviews, New and Used Books . . . (there’s a ton–Google).
- Many online book review sites and industry blogs (perhaps your agent’s *g*) offer Author Interviews and Guest Spots–great venue for meeting new readers. Check it out and get hooked up!
- Bookmarks–readers, booksellers, and reader groups love ’em! They’re handy, useful, and easy to pass out. I use Earthly Charms for mine (sample posted on my blog), but there are many online bookmark sources available. If you’re going to do bookmark promotion, I also suggest using Pat Rouse’s Reader Group List. The list is purchased through Pat for around $80, and lists just about every Reader Group in existence with names and contact information, genre preferences (this alone is fabulous, because you know you’re sending your bookmarks to folks who read your kind of book), and ready-print Avery mailing label files with all the addresses and the number of members in each reader group. Romantic Times also offers a program called RT Booksellers That Care program—you send them 7,000 bookmarks bundled in groups of ten, and for about a hundred dollars they’ll distribute the bookmarks to bookstores across the U.S.—info can be found on the RT website. Personally I prefer Pat Rouse’s list, simply because I hear back from booksellers who’ve appreciated my bookmarks—if you can do both bookmark programs, even better.
- Author Promotion Site–such as Fresh Fiction, The Romance Club, Author Island (to name a few) reach a broad audience and offer all kinds of promotion packages. I’ve used features on each of these and have a membership with Fresh Fiction. Running a contest on these sites is great for building an online Newsletter list—Fresh Fiction offers an Excel spreadsheet of entrants (can be in the 1000s!) that is easily uploaded to online Newsletter sites.
- Online Book Banners–reader sites and review sites often have space for website book banners that link to your website (sample posted on my blog). Some review sites and author promotion sites create banners that can be fairly inexpensive, $10-$50. Some sites will post banners for free, others charge between $10 and $25 a month.
- Magazine Ads–personally, I do three mag ads for each book–Romantic Times, The Romance Writers Report, Romance Sells. All have to be reserved 3-4 months in advance. If you have a release date, it’s never too early to reserve your spot. Because I like one-stop shopping and Su at Earthly Charms is great to work with, she also designs my ads for me, but you can do them yourself if you’re far more computer savvy than I am.
- Group Blog–I joined up with Petticoats & Pistols, a western authors' blog started by Pam Crooks, a site devoted to western readers. This year some other writer pals and I launched Writers At Play, a multi-genre group blog. I love group blogs for two specific reasons, cross-promotion (sharing of friends and readers), and shared responsibility—blogging is time-consuming, but a day or two a month is manageable (usually!).
- Extras–totally not a necessity, but a couple things I like to have for book signings and writing conferences are fridge magnets with my logo and pens with my website and logo. I also offer them free to my readers who want to mail me a SASE. I used Earthly Charms for my pens, and have purchased buttons and magnets with my logo on them from VistaPrint.com and Zazzle.com. A logo is another option. I went with a dragonfly theme because I wanted something that was visually appealing and, well, I love dragonflies. Perhaps not the best branding strategy, but they sure look nice on the fridge or pinned to a conference badge!
And last but not least, an author's best promotion is to write another great book.
So, that wraps up my spiel on quick-start promotion—a list I wish I would have had a year and a half ago. Anyone else have promo tips that have worked well? For the readers out there, help us out—what type of promo items do you like best?
Blog: Sugar Frosted Goodness (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustration, animation, Valentine's Day, promotion, Joe Rocco, Add a tag
I took some old piece of animation I made a while back when I was just learning flash and turned it into a Valentine animated promotion on my blog. Check it out and see if it makes you laugh at all. Roccoblog
Blog: Chickengirl Design (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: valentine, promotion, illustration for kids, promotion, illustration for kids, Add a tag
Over at Illustration for Kids, we just did a valentine's day mailer. This is my piece:
Here is our mailer (front):
And here is the back:
and I got a sweet little CHICKEN valentine from Gis. Thank you, Birdie! The chicken is so cute, I had to show it:
Happy Valentine's Day!
Blog: Happy Healthy Hip Parenting (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: first fiction, books, japan, picture books, non-fiction, favorites, france, australia, belgium, spain, gift books, libros del mundo, first fiction, belgium, gift books, spain, libros del mundo, Add a tag
Continued from the Previous Post...
Picture Books
From Spain
Sebastian's Roller Skates
Written by Joan de Deu Prats
Illustrated by Francesc Rovira
From Australia
Fox
Written by Margaret Wild
Illustrated by Ron Brooks
Several middle school teachers - upon first reading Fox - mentioned the story's similiarities to Shakespeare's Macbeth and several of these teachers use Fox in their classroom as an introduction to this classic work.
Whether you're dealing with playground disagreements or boardroom arguments, this book is an emotional and startling look at the realities of life and working or dealing with others.
From Australia
Jack Russell: Dog Detective
(Book 4): The Lying Postman
Also introduced in this mystery is a new character - Ralf Boxer - a little chihuahua who surprises Jack with his courage and shatters every stereotype that Jack has regarding these small dogs.
From Australia
Could You? Would You?
by Trudy White
Be careful though - many of these questions will bring up childhood memories which may have you longing for the times when you could cuddle in a sheet-made fortress under the stars or thinking about what you'd like to do with the time you have left.
What's your favorite Kane/Miller book?
Blog: Happy Healthy Hip Parenting (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: books, japan, picture books, non-fiction, favorites, france, australia, belgium, spain, gift books, libros del mundo, first fiction, first fiction, belgium, gift books, spain, libros del mundo, Add a tag
I've thought long and hard about this question and have finally decided to select one title per catalog section just so I cover all the bases. It's only fair that I answer the question. Selecting favorites from these sections was not easy but I'll explain my reasoning behind each choice.
All of my "favorites" are great books for readers of any age in that they speak to both children and adults in very different ways (the mark of a great illustrated book, in my mind).
Frontlist Titles (March 2008)
From France
Jukebox
by David Merveille
For anyone who loves music (don't all children?) this book is wonderful! It covers over a dozen different musical genres which means that there is - most likely - something for everyone. But what it also highlights is that music is something that inspires people, allows us to reach into our imagination (very child-like), reminds us of times past, or enables the listener to reach outside of their (ordinary) every day life.
For young children who may not be familiar with each type of music mentioned, this book will give them the opportunity to perhaps pick their favorites and be introduced to new and different ways to enjoy active listening.
From Japan
¿Quién se esconde?
by Satoru Onishi
Non-Fiction / Concept Books
From Slovenia
Why?
by Lila Prap
Board Books / First Picture Books
From Belgium
The Nights of the World
Written by Corinne Albaut
Illustrated by Arno
To Be Continued...
Blog: Sugar Frosted Goodness (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: chocolate, promotion, chocolate-log, toy, plush, chocolate log industries, Add a tag
Now is a great time to get some plush toys made by Chocolate Log Industries!
We have added new designs and if you buy at least two items we'll give you a free Chocolate Log plush toy. Awesome!
Check out the Chocolate Log Store here.
Also sign up to our free mailing list and receive latest product updates, promotions and exclusive give-aways! Click here to join!
Blog: ThePublishingSpot (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: public readings, Promotion, Amanda Stern, Happy Ending, Add a tag
Most people are scared to death of talking in public. By the law averages and the fact that lots of shy people to end up writing, most writers are even more scared of reading in public.
A couple weeks ago, I took some lo-fi video of the Happy Ending reading series in New York. The event celebrated the literary journal, A Public Space, featuring an amazing list that included Ian Chillag (a producer at NPR's amazing Fresh Air) and my favorite National Book Award nominee, Jim Shepard.
The event was hosted and founded by novelist Amanda Stern, and I've turned my footage of her engaging reading into a lo-fi primer on how to make a better reading when you are sharing your stories, novels, or journalism.
Add a Comment
Blog: Ask Allison (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Industry, Promotion, Promotion, Add a tag
(Admin note: Blogger's spellcheck isn't working, and I'm typing on a new laptop and not used to the keyboard, so if you see misspellings, just ignore them! Thanks!)
So I had drinks last week with a very good author friend of mine, one whom I befriended after reading her first novel and sending her a note telling her how much I adored it. Turns out that we went to the same college and were in the same sorority, only, ahem, I'm a few years "wiser" (let's not say older, 'kay?) than her, so we never knew each other.
Anyway, we were sipping our drinks (okay, our teas - that's how lame we are these days - tea, not drinks), and I asked her if she's nervous about the upcoming release of her next book. Not that she should be nervous - her first book did really well and was published to much acclaim. But you know, just nervous in general because having a book published is nervewracking, period.
Her: "So nervous."
Me: Why? You've been through this before.
Her: Exactly. That's why I'm nervous. Because basically, I know that I'm screwed. (Though she might have said something fouler than "screwed." I'm paraphrasing.)
And I couldn't help but crack up. because I knew exactly what she was talking about.
Here's the thing about publishing: it is so super-exciting to have your work in print. Hell, you busted your ASS off to get it there, and it's no small accomplishment to have done so. But once you're there, you find out that writing a break-out book is nearly impossible, often -no, almost always - to no fault of your own. Which is totally fine. Not everyone needs or wants to be a best-seller. But the advance of your next book is based on the sales of your last one, so if you really want to bring home the figurative bacon (or just quit the day job), quite frankly, those sales do matter a whole damn lot. Which is why my friend and I got such a good chuckle out of her statement.
The bottom line, as I mentioned above, is that barring Oprah or The Today Show or something else major happening, your book is likely to float along at midlist, neither too high nor too low, and unless the publisher decides to push the hell out of your book (which they might - you'll know that long before your book hits stores), it's an uphill battle for eyeballs. (In my opinion, a review in People and/or EW can also really boost sales.) My friend and I tried to name a few books that really took off without expectation (i.e, without that publisher push and money behind it), and the list is short. I know that both Emily Giffin's first book and The Nanny Diaries didn't sell for huge advances and yes, they became best-sellers, and lately, the Memory Keeper's Daughter comes to mind as one that just skyrocketed in paperback. I'm sure that I'm missing others - dozens of them - but these books are the exception, not the rule.
So what does all of this mean? Hell if I know! I'm just passing on some insights from the trenches. I really, really don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I'm just stating the facts. It would be nice to think that writing the book is most of the work, but, in fact, that's just the beginning. Which isn't meant to be discouraging - you know that here at Ask Allison, I'm all for positivity! - just realistic. This book business is a tough gig, no two ways about it.
So any other break-out books you guys can think of that come to mind? I'm talking about books that really took off without a six-figure advance and the promotion and print run to guarantee a best-seller. Eat, Pray, Love, maybe?
Blog: Pub Rants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: promotion, websites, promotion, Add a tag
STATUS: Boy, I’m not off to a good blogging start in this new year but I promise that I’m not flaking out either. I still plan to blog M-F like normal. I just need to get control of the chaos first!
What’s playing on the iPod right now? WHEN IT’S SLEEPY TIME DOWN SOUTH by Louis Armstrong
Last week I spoke on a panel at the Boulder Bookstore with publicity expert Bella Stander where she outlined for the audience 5 new “rules” that soon-to-be published authors need to know. In fact, we had lunch a week or two before then and that’s when she first unveiled them.
The minute she spoke them aloud, I knew I had to share with my blog readers because I hadn’t thought of this before but she’s spot on.
Most of you already know this but if for some reason you don’t, I’ll tell you the number one rule right now. If you are a published author (or about to be), you need a website. And not some do-it-yourselfer page by the way. You want to pay someone for his or her expertise in this field because that does make a difference.
But here’s what most authors don’t know. That website needs to be up and ready before the book is actually published. In fact, that website should be up and running when the catalog copy is being done for your book.
Why? Because your publisher is going to be sending out ARCs to reviewers and to other terrific people who have the power to give you a plug, and it’s at that moment in time when they might want to find information about you and the book quickly and easily. What better way than through your website?
Darn straight! Consider this a new rule to live by and if you want to check out the other four, click here.
Blog: Illustration for Kids Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Promotion, postcards, holli, valentine, process, Promotion, holli, postcards, Add a tag
This week's theme is "process". We are working on getting our Valentine's promo out this week and here is my little piece and my process.
I start out with a sketch.
I then draw everything in Illustrator.
And then I move it over to Painter where I add more depth and texture and then jump it over to Photoshop for my final file prep. Viola! And illustration :)
Blog: Pub Rants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: author camaraderie, publicity, promotion, Add a tag
STATUS: Finished up a deal negotiation and continued work on the accounting upgrade. I’ll be so happy when that is complete and all the reports are in order for my Tax CPA.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? I STILL DO by The Cranberries
There are some authors in this world who view themselves in competition with other authors for the ever-shrinkingbook buying dollar slice of the pie. And then there are authors who know and understand that this is a unique community, that book buyers will buy a range of authors if they are interested enough, and there is no reason not to support each other.
And let me tell you, it’s the latter authors who I want to work with. And nothing proves that good karma goes around and comes around more than what has happened for debut author Patry Francis.
Here’s the story if you haven’t heard it. Patry is ill with a cancer and knew she would not be able to promote the release of her debut as most authors do.
So what did the writing community decide to do? They decided to pitch in and promote it for her since she was unable to. Over 300 bloggers committed to participating in THE LIAR’S DIARY blog day.
Check this out by clicking on some links. Here’s an article in the Sun-Sentinal about the effort. Here’s some more at Red Room, Lit Park, and Backspace.
Look at all the links on Technorati!
Wow! And of course some of my authors joined the party, but here’s what I want to say. Don’t ever let anyone convince you that publishing is “an every person for him or herself” industry because it’s not. There is a real community of writers and if you haven’t got connected, ask yourself why not?
Blog: Illustration for Kids Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Promotion, valentine, Watercolour, watercolor, Claire, Promotion, Add a tag
This is a detail of my illustration for our latest promo for Valentine's Day. I work in watercolour but I find that the computer can be helpful. I start out with a few pencil sketches and try to work out the content and composition. Sometimes this comes easily and sometimes (this time) I take ages trying to come up with something I like. It's nice to get the chance to do something creative though, something that I can make up myself.
At this point I don't worry too much about the exact size. Sometimes I find it easier to sketch things at a small scale so I don't have to get bogged down by all the details.Then I scan the sketch into the computer and use Photoshop to do some tweaking. At this point I can touch up things that don't quite look right and adjust the scale of the whole piece. Sometimes I add a bit of colour just to see how it will work generally. It's very rough, but I can imagine how the final art will look.
Then I transfer the sketch to watercolour paper. I use transfer paper to do this, it's paper covered with graphite. You place your sketch over it and when you trace your sketch with pencil faint lines are transferred to the watercolour paper.
The next step is inking the lines onto the paper. I use a pen with waterproof ink so that the paint won't smudge it. Sometimes I use a nib pen at this stage and bottle ink in black or sepia. I find the lines with a nib pen are more varied in thickness and this can be nice for some pieces. Then finally it's time to paint!
Blog: Ask Allison (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: books, Promotion, Promotion, Add a tag
So today, I have to make mention of a few newly released books that you should get your hands on. The first, The Opposite of Love, was written by Julie Buxbaum, who has since become a friend but that's not the reason I'm mentioning it! Really! I've been psyched about this book since I first read about the sale on Publishers Marketplace. I even sent the description to my agent and said, "Doesn't this book sound kick-ass?" Cut to a while ago when I receive an email from Julie asking if I'll take a look at the book for a blurb. Now, normally I turn down blurb requests when I'm working on my own manuscript because I find that my voice can be easily swayed when I read something else (this first started showing up when I was a kid and was obsessed with Stephen King...even the way that I'd talk to myself would evolve into his "voice," not my own...which, if you've ever read Stephen King, you know can be more than a little disturbing!). But I was so freakin' psyched to get my hands on this hot little book that I made an exception. The galley arrived a few days later, and I finished it 48 hours later.
And then, of course, I happily blurbed it because as a fan of smart women's fiction, it was right up my alley. (Of course, this is ignoring the fact that I actually FORGOT to send her the intended blurb for like, two weeks, and Julie was totally sweet and gracious that I blew past her deadline.)
This book is getting A LOT of promotion. You'll see it everywhere, I promise. From what I've read, the print run is big - big enough to push it to best-seller status (as I've mentioned in the past, if you don't have a big print run, you ain't hitting those lists), and I have to say, Julie is just a fantastic person, and I'm thrilled for her. So check it out if you're a fan of women's fiction.
The second book I want to mention is The Liars Diary by Patry Francis.
Here’s the scoop on the book: “Jeanne Cross’s contented suburban life gets a jolt of energy from the arrival of Ali Mather, the stunning new music teacher at the local high school. With a magnetic personality and looks to match, Ali draws attention from all quarters, including Jeanne’s husband and son. Nonetheless, Jeanne and Ali develop a deep friendship based on their mutual vulnerabilities and long-held secrets that Ali has been recording in her diary. The diary also holds a key to something darker: Ali’s suspicion that someone has been entering her house when she is not at home. Soon their friendship will be shattered by violence—and Jeanne will find herself facing impossible choices in order to protect the people she loves.”
I don't know Patry personally, but we're members of the same writing organization, Backspace, and it was recently announced that Patry was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, and thus would be unable to promote the book herself. So...a cry went out to bloggers 'round the universe to pitch in and promote it for her. She's the mom to four kids and is fighting the hell out of her cancer, so my admiration for her is a thousand-fold. Check out her website for more.
And finally, while we're on the subject of book promotion, Amazon now has a link up to Time of My Life! How cool is that? So...you know...if you want to get a jump on any pre-ordering, now's the time. :) So readers out there, heard of either of these books or are you excited for any forthcoming releases?
Blog: Chickengirl Design (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: promotion, promotion, Add a tag
My business cards came! Notice its slightly different than what I had shown. Its from all the over thinking and now I am STILL unsure about it. Yes, I've definitely got some control issues.
Oh well, they are shiny and ready to go. One thing checked off from the list of to-dos!
Blog: First person present (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: promotion, self-by-proxy, promotion, self-by-proxy, Add a tag
...and it's not even mine!
I came home from my VCFA residency (so sleepy, btw) to discover that one of my Media Bistro students has SOLD THE NOVEL WE WORKED ON LAST SEMESTER!
I will leave it to her to post details, of course, but wow. I am so, so proud.
Blog: Chickengirl Design (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: promotion, branding, SCBWI, conference, branding, promotion, Add a tag
A few things going on professionally this year as I will finally be attending the SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers & Illustrators) winter conference in February. What took me so long? After all, I live in NY and can conveniently attend, without worrying about hotels and traveling. To be honest, I was worried if I was "good enough" to attend. But, this January marks the beginning of my third year as a working freelance illustrator. That counts for something, right? I'm excited to meet those of you who are attending. Come up to me and say "cluck cluck!"
Other news, My agent, formerly HK Portfolio, is now MB Artists. Same great agent, just under a different name!
To prepare for the conference, first things up- some new business cards.
I wasn't crazy about the old design. I wanted to take the emphasis off of the big text that read Chickengirl Design, and more of my actual name and style. I won't abandon the chicken branding anytime soon, it has worked well for me. But as I get older, I wonder, is it too immature for me to be "chickengirl?" Anyways, the new design suits me, for now!
By the way, there is a nice little deal going on now over at psprint where you can get 50 business cards for $4.95 plus shipping. (the offer ends 1/31!). 50 cards are plenty for me, so thats where I will be getting them done!
Blog: Sugar Frosted Goodness (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustration, website, promotion, Rod Hunt, Add a tag
Just launched the new
Rod Hunt is an established London based Illustrator who has built a reputation for retro tinged Illustrations & detailed character filled landscapes for UK & international clients in publishing, design, advertising & new media, for everything from book covers to advertising campaigns, & even the odd large scale installation too!
Blog: ThePublishingSpot (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Self Publishing, publicity, promotion, Print-on-demand, self-publishing, Add a tag
First of all, a big welcome to all the GalleyCat readers coming through The Publishing Spot today. It's a real honor to meet all these new people.
Over at GalleyCat, Ron Hogan has been running some fabulous self-publishing advice, and I dug through our archives to bring out some more wisdom from writers I interviewed here. Here are my Top Five Self-Publishing and Print-on-Demand Links...
1- Richard Grayson- This New York writer rescued his book, With Hitler In New York using the print-on-demand Back in Print bookstore at the Authors Guild--allowing us to savor every surreal page.
2- Victoria Strauss- This professional novelist blogs about the pitfalls of self-publishing at Writer Beware!--debunking myths about the profitability and popularity of our humble profession. Read this essay for more cautionary tales.
3- Nick Mamatas- This science fiction writer took his first novel and re-packaged it as a web project with a Creative Commons license. His project spawned a conversation that included novelists like John Scalzi and Charles Stross.
4- M.J. Rose- This writing and marketing guru (with a number of self-promoted books under her belt) runs some of the smartest book marketing websites on the Internet--helping self-published and published authors alike. Here's a sample essay about self-publishing.
5- Josh Kilmer-Purcell- While this memoirist landed a deal with a publishing company, he did it through the support of The Memoirists Collective, a band of supportive writers (that he helped build) who helped each other self-publicize their books.
Do you have a success story to add? Drop us a line in the comments section and I'll summarize the best posts next week.
Add a Comment
Blog: ThePublishingSpot (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Promotion, book publicity, how to publicize, Tony D'Souza, Add a tag
What happens after you publish your first book? Not much, unless you're willing to do a lot of work.
While pondering the pros and cons of self-publishing, GalleyCat reminded me of an important point that can get lost in the writing and editing shuffle. Check it out:
"technology has made it possible for just about anybody to become a published author—but that's only the first step in becoming a successful author, and only the people who have the courage and tenacity to see the project through, with or without a big company's help, will reap the full rewards."
Novelist Tony D'Souza told us something similar when he stopped by for an interview. He single-handedly arranged a book tour, dinners with magazine editors, and interviews with bloggers. Nobody magically publicized his book and the majority of the work fell on his shoulders.
What does that mean for us? Write a book you are committed to; a book that you are ready to defend and lug around the country. Getting published is only half the battle. Selling copies is something else.
"It’s not Nicholas Sparks, Dan Brown business I’m talking here because that’s not art. I’m talking the great writers, the great editors. For all the rhetoric of the Beats, Kerouac didn’t give his On The Road money back. And nobody called Gatsby a ‘sell-out’ book because it sold out."
Add a Comment
Blog: BookEnds, LLC - A Literary Agency (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: publicity, promotion, Add a tag
I had an interesting thought regarding Erik's comments considering this is an agent's blog. The hype machine costs money, yes. Didn't Trump just pay out something like $25K to about 1,000 people standing in line waiting to buy his book and have it autographed? Who bears the cost of promotion? Authors and, sometimes, publishers.
Do agents pick up the promotion tab, or do they simply reap the benefit of author and publisher promo? If the latter, then those NYT Bestseller spikes don't cost agents anything, and, in the long run, it's the agents that net out better than either the author or the publisher.
Interesting thought that at a 15% commission the agents ever net out better than anyone. No, agents don’t typically pick up a tab for promotion. That’s really up to the people who are making the money—the publishers and the authors. The agent, however, will often do her best to eliminate as much of that tab from the author’s own pockets as possible. In other words, the agent will do her best to get the publisher to pay.
Any author will always bear the cost of some promotion, even if it’s the cost of attending a conference, but the more successful an author becomes the more the publisher should and will bear those costs. And the publisher absolutely should. It’s part of the cost of doing business in the first place. Should an agent bear the cost of building an author’s brand? I’m not sure and I’d be interested to hear what others say about this. I do know that some of the larger agencies now are bringing on publicists. I don’t know how well that’s working or how much they are actually spending. BookEnds has started this blog, which we see as a promotional opportunity for our authors should they choose to use it. We also have a Web site where we heavily promote our authors. It only makes sense. Successful authors = successful agents.
BookEnds did briefly toy with the thought of hiring an agency publicist, but in the end we weren’t sure a publicist for the agency would do any more than a publisher’s publicity department does (or that we can get them to do). I guess I’m not convinced it makes sense.
Okay, that was not much of an answer, but I think this is worthy of more of a discussion than just one woman’s answer. Thoughts?
Jessica
Blog: BookEnds, LLC - A Literary Agency (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: blogs, promotion, professionalism, Add a tag
I was curious about your take on author blogs. First, do you think author blogs sell books? Second, do you think revealing personal information, even when presented humorously, is appropriate? Over time I’ve found myself disenchanted with some authors after reading posts about the inner-workings of their marriage, as an example. I understand the need to entertain and for blog readers to feel that they are seeing a slice of an author’s life, but is there a fine line between professional promotion and too much information?
Confession time. I don’t read that many blogs. I read a few here and there and I love it when people clue me in to an interesting post (hint, hint), but I don’t spend a lot of time surfing other blogs (although I do check out Nathan Bransford daily, because he is extremely clever). I’m not part of author fandom. Actually I’m not much of a “fan” in general. I never hung posters from Teen Beat on my wall and I never wrote fan letters to the Duke Boys. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this is probably a question that’s best put out to readers. Do you read author blogs? Do they make you buy books?
My opinion. It can’t hurt, but it needs to stand out. You need to provide readers with something more than just a daily rundown of your life to make it interesting. I do think readers like getting a personal taste of who you are, but no one wants the minute details of your life. When asked by my own clients if they “have to” blog, my answer is always, You have to want to blog. I don’t care if you blog, but if you do you need to commit. You either need to join up with a group or you need to decide that you are indeed going to blog every day. Let me ask you this? Would you come to this blog regularly if it wasn’t daily? Probably not. You’d forget.
I think this is an interesting post for regular blog readers. Do you read author blogs? What do you like to read in them? Do you prefer individual blogs or group blogs? And for those authors who do blog (great time to promote your blog) do you have any parameters for yourself and your blog? Do you think it helps your sales?
Jessica
Blog: Chickengirl Design (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Illustration Friday, promotion, illustration for kids, trick or treat, Add a tag
I did this piece recently for the Illustration for kids promotion mailer and it is a perfect fit for this week's illustration friday! Happy Halloween!
Blog: Illustration for Kids Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: halloween, Jannie Ho, Chickengirl Design, Promotion, Add a tag
Here is my piece for our Halloween mailer. I love how we get to use a different , darker palette than the usual bright colors for children's work. -Jannie
View Next 22 Posts
Hi Allison,
Would you consider the fiction equivalent to platform building akin to attending conferences or networking in genre specific group, for instance RWA, or entering writing contests, short story, first chapter, etc?
In those instances, do you have to walk a fine line between the value and exposure of those experiences against allowing those venues to keep you from finishing the novel, or the query, to ultimately get you published?
-Suzanne
I think my experience writing about the South Jersey shore was a big part of me landing a book contract to write about the South Jersey shore. Those clips (and my time editing a magazine about South Jersey) showed that I knew the area, and that I knew how to write about it. Even though I'd consider my history of going down the shore every summer since I was born better validation that I knew the area, if I were the publisher, I'd be more interested in my experience writing about it.
That being said, I didn't write those magazine articles with the book in mind. But for what I hope to be my second book, I'm pitching articles about the topic while I'm writing the proposal. This not only builds platform, but allows me to do research for the proposal and get paid for it at the same time.
I guess having a bit of a platform (probably a 3-inch one at best!) helped me get an agent and a book deal with my nonfiction--but sadly, all my (and my coauthors') connections and publishing experience didn't really translate into book sales. The experience with my forthcoming fiction has been completely different. Specifically, I didn't have a platform (at least, not one that could be used to market these particular books), and the deal was based almost entirely on my writing. I guess we'll see what happens with those sales soon enough! :-O
Thanks for the reply, Allison. I guess I should've mentioned that I'm a fiction writer with non-fiction creds in trade mags. I'm hoping to leap from mags with a circ. of 50,000 to ones with a circ. of 1/2-1 million (i.e. Elle and the like), so perhaps this was advice specific to my situation. I agree with you though on the chicken/egg thing. I'll be honest and say I'm trying my hand on both things and for me, finding an agent is feeling much easier than breaking into the well-paying women's mags. Though maybe your more recent tips on being aggressive will help (I am with agents, just not with editors... go figure).