This is one of those happy days. You invite the whole family to watch you unpack the books. Then the cat turns up and investigates to see if this box is a good place to sleep.
You slave over a book for X years, do the structural edits, line edits, copy edits and finally ... drum roll ... your publisher sends you copies of your printed book!
You pick up your book, (smell it - don't you love that new book smell?) and then you suffer every writer's dilemma. What if no one buys it?
So, here I am, asking your advice.
I'd like to do a blog tour. (I have time to plan this, as the books isn't released until July 15th). Can you recommend any blogs I could approach? I'll offer to do a give-away of the book. I'll research the Australian blogs, but I'm at a bit of a loss for the US blogs and the UK blogs.
The other thing is this. My friend Richard Harland is on a US and UK tour. Sounds like he is having a wonderful time. Marianne de Pierres and I were thinking what if we could get a grant to travel to the US?
Which would be the best Conventions or events to attend? We've looked at the Romantic Times Convention. Now there is a lot of people who love reading. And then there's Dragon Con. What is the best way to connect with readers?
All advice welcome!
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24 comments:
Hi Guys,
I'm sick with the 'flu so I'm going to bed early. Sniff .. sniff. Can't you tell I'm suffering?
I'll check the blog before I race off to work tomorrow.
Congrats! It is lovely, and looks great, even the cat thought so.
Cons- limited experience here but midsize is good IMO. The really tiny ones (I did one in Rochester) are just not effective, although you get more notice. Lunacon was good.
Here's hoping you feel better soon.
As long as sleeping on the books is all the cat is doing it should be okay
Rowena,
Hope you feel better soon. I was sick yesterday. We must stop passing viruses over the computer. Cons are great for finding more work. I've never found them that good for publicity.
OTOH what I've found works to publicize books, in my perceived order:
blog tour
releasing free short stories set in the world
recording readings and releasing them for free download.
Now, keep in mind I'm NOT a maven of self-promotion, but...
John Scalzi does a feature on his blog called "The Big Idea". Sarah was featured on it for DST. John's submission guidelines can be found here: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/01/06/the-big-idea-open-call-to-publicists-editors-and-authors/
Great looking book, Rowena.
Dragoncon is to big for a new author you will definitely be lost in it. NASFIC in Raleigh this year would be a place where you probably could meet your editor or his/her boss. You may be able to get the promo freebies to give out there. It;s also the place where you might make connections to other cons where you might be invited to be a guest.
PS Sarah said she was going to NASFIC.
Tom,
Rowena is not a new author, and planning a trip from OZ ... well, I think it would be for next year, right?
BTW, Rowena, my first thought on kitty in the shipping box was "oh, no" because D'Artagnan (almost sure it was him) peed on the contributor copies of NWBH. I THINK he doesn't like historicals. I hope.
Awwk, slept in.
I have 15 mins to get ready for work. Will read your comments when I get back. Value all comments, even Brendan's, who said:
As long as sleeping on the books is all the cat is doing it should be okay!
Wow, I can't even imagine. I made a fool of myself once just because I got a "thank you" on a dedication page. I sort of bounced around the book store pointing to my name saying, "That's me! It really is!" ;-)
As for the other questions... what is a blog tour and how does it work?
And for cons? Bubonicon, of course!
Synova,
Are you a wee-bit invested in bubonicon? I tell you what, not this year, but convince them to contact me about programming next year, and I'll do my best to come, driving 110mph down New Mexico roads, and terrorizing the tumble weeds. (I like running over them. It drives my husband nuts.)
Hi, Rowena. The book looks fantastic. Can't wait to get my copy. I'm in the ackowledgements everyone!
I'll second Dave on Lunacon, it was a great con and the organisers were friendly and accessible. Other than that I have heard that World Fantasy is better for networking than Worldcon, which is often too big.
Hey - I'll be watching this space to get ideas myself!
Sarah, I actually got myself talked into being Go-fer Wrangler this year. And then I went and missed the meeting to suggest GoH for next year. Bleh.
Honestly, I don't how good a bet Bubonicon is for promotion. It's a small con. I think that the paid memberships are in the mid 400s each year.
I think I doubled up. Apologies.
Sarah, I like the idea of recorded story readings. I'm just a little shy of doing this because I have a lisp.
And it is only when you start to read something aloud that you realise how many 's' there are in words!
Chris, I'll follow up that link to John Scalzi. Many thanks.
Hi Thomas,
The last book of my last trilogy came out in 2002, so it has been a while. It is like starting all over again. There were no blogs around when the first book of my first trilogy came out in 1999.
Yes, the trip would be for 2011. I can dream!
Sarah, it was only after I posted the photo that I thought, Oh, kitty litter box!
Bubonicon??? Synova?
Chris, World Fantasy is for the professionals. Which means it would be heaps of fun.
But I want to connect with the readers.
Synova, in Australia the National Convention runs to about 350 - 400 members!
I don't follow blogs much, or at least not that many of them, but I have noticed that a number of authors are doing "guest posts" where they have other authors shove in a post about their upcoming book.
Ilona Andrews, Rob Thurman, Lisa Shearin are the only examples that come to mind, but I get the sense there are more. (I'd go for Ilona Andrews - rabid fan base there.)
And I'm always getting stuff from Bittten by Books, but I don't know if they're mostly UF.
I don't know if this'll help, but. * shrug *
Come to think of it Justine Larbalestier just blogged about having to go into blog hiatus due to health issues, she may be interested in a few "guest posts" to keep her loyal fans clicking on the link to her web page.
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