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Questions for Teens
As you may know, our teen panel starts in Feb. They will be talking abut books, what they like, what attracks them to covers, how they hear about books, etc.
If you have any questions for our teen panel on marketing, please leave them in the comments or email me by the end of the week.
This is your chance to get in the minds of teens and find out how to target them directly.
Marvelous Marketer: Gail Carson Levine (Bestselling author, Ella Enchanted)
Hi Gail. Thank you so much for joining us. Can you share a little with us on your latest project, how you got started, and your journey to publication?
Hi Shelli. Thanks for having me today.
My latest book is Ever, a young-adult fantasy set in ancient Mesopotamia, which got its start after I read the bible for the first time and became interested in the troubling story of Jeptha and his daughter. My story spun off the biblical one. It doesn’t have its own website. My general website, which is maintained by HarperCollins and I also have a blog.
You are a blogger, did that have anything to do with your success? Or how do you utilize your blog in a marketing way?
I recently started blogging in May, ’09, and I was originally published in 1997. However, I started the blog with the hopes of bringing more people to my books, which are listed on the site. I also use the blog for event announcements.
In your opinion , what are the top 3 things every author should and must do to promote their book?
- Write the best book you can. Then revise it. Then take your editor’s suggestions VERY seriously. Never disregard an edit unless you have a really good reason.
- Join the Society of Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating, which will help you with promotion strategies and much more. It is a fabulous organization to get involved with.
- If you’re comfortable with public speaking, let your publicist know, and say that you’d like any opportunities that come along to speak at conferences about your books. But do NOT bug your publicist or expect a lot of support for a first book.
What creative things have you done to promote a book?
I always send postcards out especially to family and friends by snail mail when I have a new book coming out. Ask your editor if the house would be willin
Great Interview. Thanks for your thoughts, Gail!
Thank you for the interview! I'll be sure to check out Gail's blog. "Ever" sounds like an interesting book. I checked it out on Amazon, but they only have audio and hard cover. I buy almost all my books on the Kindle. I guess I'm kind of a computer addict.
Awesome interview! Gail, I'm a big fan of Ella Enchanted, and was before Anne Hathaway became Ella. FYI, My adult brother-in-law was also a fan of the book and dragged his other adult brother along to see the movie with him when it opened in theaters. :)
Ooo! Gail and I would be BFFs - if she knew me, of course.
I loved this interview! I feel exactly the same :-)
Great interview. :) I like the postcard idea.
My son's reading Ella Enchanted in school right now. It's been a good lesson for him that just because you've seen the movie doesn't mean you can't read the book.
Question for teen: How important is romance when you read a YA book?
One of the most important comments here, I think, is that the writing comes first, including the editing. It's easy to get carried away with everything else we know we must do, but if the book isn't its best, we miss the mark. *slinks back to open her manuscript*
Thanks to Gail and Shelli for a good interview.
Very interesting to hear from Gail! I especially love the post card idea. Thanks!
Great post today! I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks for the great interview. I loved Ella Enchanted. I like the post card idea too. And it's refreshing to know that you can market without starting a blog right away.
Oh to be Gail. ;) Guess the next best thing is to follow her advice and write a great book!
Oh, I've met Gail in RL, and she is so so charming! Great interview Shelli! Thanks for the answers, Gail.
LOVE the title & the cover of Ever - awesome :)
Great interview!
Thanks for sharing! Such a great interview. : )
Great interview, thanks, ladies!
Great interview, Shelli! I love Gail Carson Levine. Not only have I read her novels, I also have her non-fiction book Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly. My kids and I will do the writing exercises in there and it's great for helping me when I get stuck creatively.
Good job, Shelli. I enjoyed the interview. I love Gail's books.
Wonderful ... thanks for the interview!!
The new book sounds really interesting! :) Also, great point about the blog link in your email--I'll have to do that.
Thanks so much, Gail & Shelli!
Great interview and really useful tips!
What a great interview! Thank you to both of you.
Great Interview. It was nice to meet you!
Wonderful interview. I found Ella Enchanted because our librarian must love it. It's frequently facing out on a middle grade display shelf. Ever sounds interesting.