tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post116230624487212851..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Perpetual TouringJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162605939929339542006-11-03T20:05:00.000-06:002006-11-03T20:05:00.000-06:00At what point does the quality of the work start t...At what point does the quality of the work start to suffer? Book 2? Book 3?<BR/><BR/>You can do all the self-promotion in the world, but it has to be in support of a quality product.<BR/><BR/>There's a reason most authors take 6 months off to write the next book. Sometimes it's necessary.<BR/><BR/>I'm not saying it's necessary for Joe. Maybe he's the exception. Maybe he can write a great book in a month.<BR/><BR/>But then again, how many of us can be that exception in the long run?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162525349935402572006-11-02T21:42:00.000-06:002006-11-02T21:42:00.000-06:00What I've been doing is trying to create a buzz ab...What I've been doing is trying to create a buzz about me before I get published. I have a web presence, and I go to as many book signings as I can to meet other writers, buy their books (gotta help the industry and the writers) and receive advice. Bookfests, and conferences have helped too. Even when I was on vacation I went to a book signing, and met a writer that is currently touring in Europe and we are still in touch . . . and as always, Joe, your wisdom is impeccable . . . but I'm sexier.Douglas V. Gibbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09388639848567082980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162504854825087612006-11-02T16:00:00.000-06:002006-11-02T16:00:00.000-06:00Ann, you make an excellent point that I had honest...Ann, you make an excellent point that I had honestly never thought about before--that romance writers often published 2 or more books per year while other genres don't. Hmm. <BR/><BR/>Joe, I wasn't disagreeing with you or trying to get anyone to not self-promote. I think we agree everyone needs to do what they are comfortable with--and sometimes go outside their comfort zone--to get noticed. And I bought all your books for my mom and she liked them, so I know they're great. (And anyone who knows my mom knows she's the best at word of mouth :)<BR/><BR/>Publishing is a combination of so many variables, many completely out of our control. Believe me, I don't take my small successes for granted. I'm just as paranoid about my upcoming releases (and, BTW, doing more speaking engagements and events than last time) as I was about my first book. NOTHING is a sure thing.Allison Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02872860080644987843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162491607325854232006-11-02T12:20:00.000-06:002006-11-02T12:20:00.000-06:00I plan to try hospital gift shops as soon as I can...I plan to try hospital gift shops as soon as I can buy a dozen copies or so of my own book. Since my book of humor essays is about injuries and broken bones, I figure it'd be perfect - LOL!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162489850735680442006-11-02T11:50:00.000-06:002006-11-02T11:50:00.000-06:00Yes, Jude, I agree with you. And even when others ...Yes, <B>Jude</B>, I agree with you. And even when others disagree with Joe, it doesn't matter. I just appreciate the fact the he's firing up conversation about these issues. As a yet-to-be-published author, it's all great information.<BR/><BR/>So, <B>Joe</B>, you could be singing the lyrics from the Beatle song:<BR/><I>So, it really doesn't matter<BR/>When I'm wrong I'm right<BR/>Where I belong I'm right<BR/>Where I belong.</I>Robert Burton Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07821314494504718440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162472273384751662006-11-02T06:57:00.000-06:002006-11-02T06:57:00.000-06:00Joe, just finished reading Rusty Nail. Damn good ...Joe, just finished reading Rusty Nail. Damn good read. I was getting a little tired of Herb's future wife, but what a twist and it sucked me right in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162467499938709072006-11-02T05:38:00.000-06:002006-11-02T05:38:00.000-06:00I went back and looked at JA's tour. I live in the...I went back and looked at JA's tour. I live in the Northeast and several hundred bookstores are accessible by car on day trips.<BR/><BR/>Just by driving I could do a smaller version of the 500 tour.<BR/><BR/>Will my publisher (Midnight Ink) give me a few hundred ARCs to give out? Could a buy some at a reduced rate?--I have to find out.<BR/><BR/>(just happy to posting without a reference to the chicken grease on Joe's fingers.)Tom Schreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01050914130524851863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162445794843915812006-11-01T23:36:00.000-06:002006-11-01T23:36:00.000-06:00Great post. As always, you're an inspiration.And I...Great post. As always, you're an inspiration.<BR/><BR/>And I wanna see you with the earring. I've always had a thing for guys with earrings.<BR/><BR/>;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162422041761739352006-11-01T17:00:00.000-06:002006-11-01T17:00:00.000-06:00Just wondering if you have seen an increase in sal...Just wondering if you have seen an increase in sales that you can attribute to your 500 store tour. I'm an unpublished writer still trying to get educated on the business. I didn't know if there was a way to track sales by region and if you had seen spikes in numbers of sales in ares where you toured this summer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162410043161969362006-11-01T13:40:00.000-06:002006-11-01T13:40:00.000-06:00I had an unpleasant conversation with a CRM yester...I had an unpleasant conversation with a CRM yesterday. She said my book was too old for a signing, and anyway, she only schedules launches because A.) she wants the author to bring in their friends and family (i.e. NEW customers to her store), and B.) if you've done more than one signing, the market is saturated and no one will be interested in your signing or your book. Mind you, this is a big chain store, and the largest in our area. <BR/><BR/>I think part of the reason she blew me off is because my book is from a small press. When I told her I had a paperback deal coming up she was a little nicer, but still told me she would only do a launch.<BR/><BR/>With that kind of attitude, I'm surprised they sell any books in that store. (BTW, I'm doing 5 other holiday signings; I'm glad not all CRMs think like her.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162407206488687342006-11-01T12:53:00.000-06:002006-11-01T12:53:00.000-06:00See, that's why you're so sexy, JA. You tell it li...See, that's why you're so sexy, JA. You tell it like it is. :-)<BR/><BR/>Move to the big bad city -- hmm, you know, I never thought about that. I came from there to here. Going back never even crossed my mind.<BR/><BR/>It's crossing it now, though. If the conference I'm headed for in December gets me close to where I wanna go, I just might do that.<BR/><BR/>Thanks! <BR/><BR/>(Oh, and right now cold showers are the only kind I can take. My hot water heater done blowed itself up. :-)s.w. vaughnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102544611773720262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162404382067156262006-11-01T12:06:00.000-06:002006-11-01T12:06:00.000-06:00There is very much a "wild west" mentality to publ...There is very much a "wild west" mentality to publishing and the business of selling books. I'm still relatively young, but I've learned that if I'm not doing something publicity-wise that makes at least one person go "He can't do that!" then I'm not doing my job.<BR/><BR/>You have to push the envelope. Otherwise, you're boring.<BR/><BR/>The goal with publicity when you're starting out is to make people talk, and if people aren't at least <I>thinking</I> "He can't do that, can he?" than they're probably not going to be talking about you.<BR/><BR/>For example, see any controversial novel that's become a bestseller. Boring novels don't become bestsellers. Usually.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.staceycochran.com" REL="nofollow">Stacey</A>Stacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162402998535658482006-11-01T11:43:00.000-06:002006-11-01T11:43:00.000-06:00Joe: Telling authors to visit bookstores is good a...Joe: Telling authors to visit bookstores is good advice. I'd go one step further, however. Give them something while you're there. A couple of signed ARCS, 100 signed bookmarks to set on the counter, etc. I do book signings almost every Saturday. The first thing I tell the CRM or manager is that I have a signed ARC for everyone who works in the store who wants one. All they have to do is come over and get it. Someone almost always makes the book a staff recommendation, which gets the book displayed longer, which sells more books, which generates re-orders, etc.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01234972022475955356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162401792881213882006-11-01T11:23:00.000-06:002006-11-01T11:23:00.000-06:00You're scaring me with your arson metaphors, Joe. ...You're scaring me with your arson metaphors, Joe. :)<BR/><BR/>Very interesting comment thread here. For a yet-to-be published writer like me, it's nice to know that there are a variety of ways to succeed in publishing. No right or wrong way, really, just whatever works for you. For me, it's all about balancing career and private life, and having some fun along the way. It's all good.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162396163212643932006-11-01T09:49:00.000-06:002006-11-01T09:49:00.000-06:00There are indeed many ways to skin a cat, MJ. It's...There are indeed many ways to skin a cat, MJ. <BR/><BR/>It's important to try many things, and do what works for you.<BR/><BR/>I think visiting bookstores is smart marketing because it is within the author's control, is cheap, and it will sell books.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps it will only sell a handful of books. But multiply a handful by a dozen, a hundred, a thousand. And realize that in some cases, it will sell many more than a handful.<BR/><BR/>Even with marketing campaigns that sell a million copies, books are still sold one at a time.<BR/><BR/>I recently had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker at a regional manager meeting for one of the chains. That was a great and helpful experience. Not every author has that opportunity. But every author can do it on a local level, visiting stores.<BR/><BR/>If the goal is to destroy a city, you can drop a huge nuclear weapon on it and blow it up in a milisecond.<BR/><BR/>But you can also destroy a city by starting a thousand tiny fires. Some will fizzle out. Some will stay contained. But a few will grow larger and join others, and eventually the city is ashes.<BR/><BR/>Authors don't have the money or power to attain nukes. But we all can get our hands on a Bic.<BR/><BR/>There will always be cases where authors succeed without doing all of the things I recommend. And cases of authors who fail doing everything I recommend.<BR/><BR/>Allison Brennan hit the NYT list for her first three books. I haven't. Yet I do more self-promotion than she does. <BR/><BR/>It has nothing to do with the quality of our books, or how much we promote. That's just the way the ball bounces.<BR/><BR/>Yesterday, I talked to two close friends whose books were released last year.<BR/><BR/>The first just found out their trade paperback will be on the Borders buy 2 get 1 free table. This is a huge promotion, and huge for the author.<BR/><BR/>The second just found out that thier publisher dropped them because of lackluster sales.<BR/><BR/>Of the two, the one who was dropped does a lot more self promotion, and is savvier about the business. <BR/><BR/>Does that make sense? No. But, for whatever reason, the publishing gods smiled on the first author, and crapped on the second author. <BR/><BR/>The bottom line is: visiting bookstores will help you sell books. You still may not sell enough to hit the NYT list, or even get another contract. But you will sell more than if you don't visit bookstores.<BR/><BR/>I don't have control over my print run size, or the current publishing climate, or the amount of promotional money my publisher spends, or the forces that create bestsellers.<BR/><BR/>But I can sell my books, one at a time, to as many people as I possibly can.<BR/><BR/>Will it be enough? We'll see.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162395800865868472006-11-01T09:43:00.000-06:002006-11-01T09:43:00.000-06:00Joe, I took a survey among my friends and we grand...Joe, I took a survey among my friends and we grandmas all agree: you are sexy. I think the earring put you over the top! So forget about whether or not the men find you sexy. Grandmothers are where the real action is! (Now there's an image everyone will have a hard time shaking out of their heads!) Terrie MoranAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162395541668752772006-11-01T09:39:00.000-06:002006-11-01T09:39:00.000-06:00I agree that publishing often is great promotion. ...I agree that publishing often is great promotion. Writing many books per year (I'll have five released within an eleven month period) gets your name out there like nothing else. But getting multiple publishing slots per year is the exception in everything other than the romance genre, so that avenue isn't open to all authors. We have to tailor our promo to our situation, and we all have different situations.<BR/><BR/>Like Allison, I generally limit visits to local bookstores, although I only have two young kids. And I need to immerse myself in order to write. But I have to buy books to read anyway, so why not chat with the bookseller while doing so? <BR/><BR/>It's not much, but in my situation my time is better spent writing. That's not everyone's situation.<BR/><BR/>You have to what gives you the most bang for your time/buck. That might mean we're not as sexy as Joe, but then who is?Ann Voss Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15141783064748972033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162392441852055552006-11-01T08:47:00.000-06:002006-11-01T08:47:00.000-06:00I agree with MJ--there are more ways to promote. I...I agree with MJ--there are more ways to promote. I like going to bookstores, but with my writing schedule I can't travel. I've been to all those locally, because I think it's very important to meet your local booksellers (this also landed me a very well-publicized event for next year that I'm thrilled about!) But in addition to my writing schedule, I have five kids, all under 13, and I can't be away from home for days at a time.<BR/><BR/>I did pretty well with my first couple books without doing lots of bookstore visits. This isn't to say someone SHOULDN'T do them if they have the time and they enjoy them (or, rather, don't HATE them). I wish I could get out more because I love meeting booksellers, especially those who really love books. But remember that if you don't meet your deadline, your publisher will not be happy.Allison Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02872860080644987843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162392038824822372006-11-01T08:40:00.001-06:002006-11-01T08:40:00.001-06:00I could never protesteth to mucheth about thateth,...I could never protesteth to mucheth about thateth, Konratheth.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162392000170546362006-11-01T08:40:00.000-06:002006-11-01T08:40:00.000-06:00I can't do - once again - what Joe does at all. I ...I can't do - once again - what Joe does at all. <BR/><BR/>I can't think about promoting a book all the time. Or even half the year.<BR/><BR/>I can't go in bookstores all the time. Or even every other weekend.<BR/><BR/>I need to take real time to write - where I am immmersed in the world of the book and my characters. I need to hibernate and disappear. <BR/><BR/>I'm not arguing - I just think its important that authors know there is more than one way to skin this cat.<BR/><BR/>My most successful books have been those where I did the smartest marketing/pr not necessarily the most marketing/pr. And in every case - as much as I wish it was otherwise - it was not visiting bookstores that made big differences. <BR/><BR/>Maybe I'm just not sexy enough when I go in those stores - gotta say - Joe's got me beat in that dept.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162382685157967022006-11-01T06:04:00.000-06:002006-11-01T06:04:00.000-06:00Damn sexy. Look at that wide smile, the big blue e...Damn sexy. Look at that wide smile, the big blue eyes, the whisky tumbler nose ... oh, wait<A HREF="http://101reasonstostopwriting.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">.</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162357038337743002006-10-31T22:57:00.000-06:002006-10-31T22:57:00.000-06:00Ross,In the Bleak Midwinter rocks. Please tell Jul...Ross,<BR/><BR/>In the Bleak Midwinter rocks. Please tell Julia I said so. I can't believe I just found out about this novel as a result of Bouchercon. I'm serious. It's one of those where I say to myself, "<I>That</I> is what a mystery novel can do!"<BR/><BR/>It's actually inspiring. I've been telling everybody in my family about it (in no small part because so many of them are in the clergy).<BR/><BR/>I can't believe I had dinner with you and got to meet your wife. <BR/><BR/>StaceyStacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162337992385898092006-10-31T17:39:00.000-06:002006-10-31T17:39:00.000-06:00When travelling, don't forget to stop in airport b...When travelling, don't forget to stop in airport bookstores.<BR/><BR/>I'll also stop in used bookstores if I see them. I don't go out of my way to visit used bookstores, but if one is nearby I check it out and sign stock. Someone may buy it used for the signature, then graduate to buying me new.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162336958359485042006-10-31T17:22:00.000-06:002006-10-31T17:22:00.000-06:00I had the pleasure of meeting Stacy Cochran at Bou...I had the pleasure of meeting Stacy Cochran at Bouchercon, and watched him distinguish himself as a true gentleman under the most trying circumstances. And trust me, they WERE trying, Stacy gets MY vote for Sexiest Man in Madison.<BR/><BR/>Perpetual Tour? So THAT's what Julia does...I was wondering what it's called. We live slightly north of the Middle of Nowhere, but that never stops her. Julia stays in touch virtually, sends publicity pieces regularly (many inspired by JAK...)and when she has no news, helps spread the word about OTHER terrific authors whom, indies might support. Generally, she makes a nuisance of herself. And she calls indies at the weirdest hours...something about free minutes.<BR/>Best spooky regards,<BR/>Ross Alexander from MaineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1162325741161664552006-10-31T14:15:00.000-06:002006-10-31T14:15:00.000-06:00Just peeked in here and boy am I sorry. It's like...Just peeked in here and boy am I sorry. It's like some freaky geeky Halloween initiation party for lonely pirates… nice earring there, Joe… arrrrr.Richard Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04094016831874148306noreply@blogger.com