Launch Day! Or, You Mean I’m NOT the Center of the
Universe?
Thank
you Tess Gerritsen and Joe Konrath. My mom is suffering as I write this.
***
Today is Tuesday, the traditional day for book
releases. I’m an excitable debut author, and today’s my day. Get out the
balloons! It’s all about me! See my book cover over thereà?
See, see? That’s my baby. Isn’t it about the best-looking book baby you’ve ever
seen? (See bottom of this post for a description.)
Cue in: Fly buzzing and bouncing off my office
window. The sound of anticlimax.
I’ve spent so many months preparing for this day
that I almost forgot I was a writer rather than a social media wizard or a marketing
guru. I became addicted to checking my blog stats and my Facebook likes, and to
brainstorming cool and innovative promotional activities (none of which I
implemented). I was trying to build my platform and increase my
“discoverability” in preparation for today. Twitter parties, blog hops, and QR
codes. I learned so many new terms I thought my head was going to topple off my
neck.
The truth is, in many ways I’m an indie author semi-stuck
in a traditional mindset. I blame my beginnings as a fictionista in New York
City. I worked at a couple of the Big Boy houses, and I loved it. The
behind-the-scenes glamour lived on within me even after I fled the big city
back to my native west coast. I viewed getting my novel published through a
nostalgic haze. I imagined myself walking the halls proud as Jackie O. in her
senior editor days. I imagined being feted and courted … Or, at the very least
I imagined a dedicated publicist. I wanted those preorders, and I wanted the
big build-up to launch day!
The notion of a launch day meant something to me.
Only, it didn’t matter so much to Amazon. My ebooks were available ahead of my
official launch date. Also, having preorder status mattered to me. Preorder
status goes with launch day. It’s the chocolate to the peanut butter, or the
peanut butter to the chocolate. Together, they make a delicious whole. Unfortunately,
in the indie world preorders can be hard to come by.
Now my debut novel is officially out there, and you
know what? I’m still staring out the window, the fly is still buzzing. I’m
sitting here thinking, I’m not sure how much preorders and official launch
dates matter except to appear legitimate. But legimate to who? My fellow
writers? Most readers don’t care. Why did I spend so much precious brain energy
fretting about it all? I can only control what I can control.
I count myself lucky to be with an indie press. I’m
not feeling the pressure to makes my numbers within six weeks. In the indie
world a launch date is floating and flexible. At any time I can re-activate my
promotional efforts to grow an audience over time.
So in the end, on this, my launch day, I’m feeling
rather liberated. Foremost in my mind:
1. Keep
writing. For frick’s sake set some boundaries on my crazy online efforts.
2. Don’t
sweat the small stuff. I don’t know how many hours I wasted trying to “get”
Google+. Forgettaboutit.
3. Be myself,
not a wizard or a guru. On Facebook, I still receive more comments for my
funny pet photos and absurd observations than for Kilmoon news. People, and potential readers, want to know about me
as a person not a capital-a author.
4. No one
really cares about my book launch except me. I’m not the center of the universe
today. If you happen to buy my book based on meeting me here today, I’ll be
thrilled (oh yes I will, and I’ll send you a thank you note if you let me know
you did buy Kilmoon), but I’ll also
be surprised.
5. Even my
family forgot today was my launch day. Of course, I forgive my mom. In
fact, my mom is my best fan because every time I bring up my novel she gets
excited all over again, bless her supportive but forgetful self.
P.S. At the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention last
September I got my guts in order and introduced myself to Tess Gerritsen. She
was so gracious as I told her about my mom and extended my appreciation for her
charitable efforts. Talk about a fangirl moment!
About Kilmoon
Merrit Chase travels to Ireland to
meet her father, a celebrated matchmaker, in hopes that she
can mend her troubled past. Instead, her arrival
triggers a rising tide of violence, and Merrit finds herself both
suspect and victim, accomplice and pawn, in a manipulative game that began
thirty years previously. When she discovers that
the matchmaker’s treacherous past is at the heart of the chaos, she must decide
how far she will go to save him from himself—and to get what she wants, a
family.
Lisa evokes a world in which ancient
tradition collides with modern village life and ageless motivators such as
greed and love still wield their power.
Kilmoon
captures the moodiness of the Irish landscape in a character-driven mystery
that explores family secrets, betrayal, and vengeance.
“Brooding, gothic overtones haunt Lisa Alber’s polished, atmospheric debut. Romance, mysticism, and the verdant Irish countryside all contribute to making KILMOON a marvelous, suspenseful read.” —Julia Spencer-Fleming, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Through the Evil Days
“This first in Alber’s new County Clare Mystery series is utterly poetic … The author’s prose and lush descriptions of the Irish countryside nicely complement this dark, broody and very intricate mystery.” —RT Book Reviews (four stars)
“In her moody debut, Alber skillfully uses many shades of gray to draw complex characters who discover how cruel love can be.” —Kirkus Reviews
Lisa
Alber received an Elizabeth George Foundation writing grant based on Kilmoon. In addition, Ms. George asked
Lisa to write a short story for Two of
the Deadliest: New Tales of Lust, Greed, and Murder from Outstanding Women of
Mystery (HarperCollins). She featured Lisa’s story in an “Introducing…”
section for up-and-coming novelists.
Lisa is currently trying to find time within her
busy social media schedule to finish her second in the County Clare mystery series,
Grey Man. Ever distractible, you may
find her staring out windows, dog walking, fooling around online, or drinking
red wine with her friends. Ireland, books, animals, photography, and blogging
round out her distractions. Lisa lives in the Pacific Northwest. Kilmoon is her first novel.
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