Hoover, PJ. 2009. (October). The Navel of the World. CBay Books. 296 pages.
As soon as the elevator passed by, Benjamin Holt jumped; and then he started falling--straight down the shaft. Sure, he'd planned to levitate himself, but seeing as how he was out of practice, he dropped a good two hundred floors before he finally got the whole levitation thing under control.
The Navel of the World continues the quest first begun in The Emerald Tablet. The problem...I don't know how to discuss this second book without spoiling the first one. So be warned...
In the first book, Benjamin discovered some shocking truths about himself--his past, his family. His parents aren't his biological parents. His biological father is evil. Oh, and he's one of three, a triplet. He needs to find his brothers in order to protect the world and complete his mission...
But finding his brothers may not be so easy. He enlists the help of his friends. He tries to follow the few clues he has, but this quest may send him shuffling back and forth in time.
The book is full of adventure, risk, and danger. It begins when Benjamin and Andy are working at his dad's office in Wondersky City over Spring Break. That's where they receive a new clue. But most of this one takes place over the summer as everyone returns to summer school. It is the second year for Benjamin and his close friends--Andy, Gary, Iva, Heidi, and Jack.
What did I enjoy about this one? I loved the use of mythology. I loved the adventure. I loved the humor. And most of all I loved the time travel.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
The other day I was indirectly asked by an author what kind of promotion does Blooming Tree do vs. what was expected from the author. Now, I am not in charge of the marketing and promotional work over at Blooming Tree and never have been. I can only answer with 100% confidence for CBAY Books. However, what I do at CBAY is similar to what is done at Blooming Tree which is similar to what is done at most other presses (big or small) for a mid-list book.
(The marketing done for a blockbuster or potential blockbuster book is radically different. Most authors never see the kind of marketing dollars that books like the later Harry Potters, Brisingr, Twilight sequels, or even Audrey, Wait! get. So, we're going to discuss the marketing done for normal books with normal authors.)
What the Publisher does:
- Pitch the books to chains, independent bookstores, and libraries.
This doesn't guarantee sales to the end consumer, but availability always helps. (In the case of CBAY and Blooming Tree, this will soon be done by our new distributor, National Book Network. However, I can't say with absolute certainty when this transition will take place since the whole process is taking 6-9 times longer than I expected. I will freely admit to feeling frustration over it all.) - Produce advance readers for most hardcover books and some paperbacks.
These readers can then be given to the sales force to be given to potential buyers, sent to reviewers, handed out at trade shows and generally create buzz over a book. - Send books to reviewers and award programs.
- Produce marketing material.
This can include, but isn't limited to: posters, bookmarks, TIP sheets for the sales force, stickers, postcards, websites, dumps, storytime kits, and any other random promo type item you can think of (pens, tshirts, etc.) I personally think that pretty much all of these items except for TIP sheets and websites are a waste of money, mostly because most promotional items end up in the trash. - Have or hire a publicist.
Most of the large houses have staff publicist. How much time or effort they'll spend on your book depends on the book's budget, the publicist, and your relationship with him/her. Most small presses have to hire a publicist by the project. At CBAY, I will (and have) subsidize a publicist on a book by book basis. - Physical book tours for your book.
First off, these are rare for first time authors unless its a book the publisher is really standing behind. Even then, the tour is going to consist more of trade show dinners and talks rather than bookstore signings. I have never subsidized a book tour, partly because I have never been given a proposal for one, and partly because I know how depressing a poorly attended book event can be. However, I would consider helping an author do one that was geared more around school visits and places where the author possessed truly masterful mailing lists.
These are some of the main highlights of what a publisher plans to do with its marketing dollars. Tomorrow, I'll discuss what the publisher expects the author to be doing.
A little while back someone asked if I was ever going to post again.
A fair question since I seemed to disappear into the ether. However, I have an excellent excuse:
A wretched first trimester. And yes, that is my actual belly as of last Thursday.
This is my first child and pregnancy has been a shock, to say the least.
However, I really am back (and firmly in the nausea-free second trimester). I have all sorts of things to talk about from the four books
CBAY is putting out this year to the books other people are putting out. We're going to talk about writing, editing, publishing, books, conferences (yes, I've still got one lined up), and more. Check back tomorrow!
Websites.
You get to update lots and lots of websites. There's Amazon and Barnes & Noble (which Boss does) and the other major online retailers as well as all sorts of industry sites like Bowker's Books in Print.
And then, of course, there is my own. I have finally got the CBAY Books site all prettied up with accurate covers and an authors page. Curious about what my authors look like? Click on over and take a look.
And since at the moment I'm the webmaster for the Blooming Tree site (except for the store. I take no responsibility for the store.), I've gotten that site all updated too. Make sure you hit refresh on the home page you can see the new graphic with all of our 2008 books. I'm particularly pleased with that. And as soon as Marketing provides me the copy, I'll have all our authors and links to their homes on the web on that site as well.
Now, I'll stop tooting my own horn.
Back to work.
Arghghgh! You've hit on one of my great fears -- that the elevator will plunge to the ground while I'm in it.
I like the sounds of this book -- the idea that the three are working together to protect the world. That's a theme that's part of this YA fantasy novel, "Rumer and Qiz," by Kathleen Wilson. The youth are in charge, trying to save the 31st century world. I think it's great to have a 16-year-old (and her tiny sidekick, Qix) doing battle with the bigwigs and winning. Very empowering for teens/youth.
I have a huge fondness for time travel books, and I hadn't yet heard of this series. I am going to be looking out for it, it looks awesome. If you haven't read it already, there is another YA book out about time travel, it is called The Book of Time. My apologies if you have reviewed that one already.