Authors, Why Write a Blog? by Christine Duncan

.I think the reason I hear most for writing a blog is about promotion–keeping your book out there somewhere. Whereever out there is. But I have to say that writing this blog for as long as we have now (is it going on 3 years or 4? Must look that up.) has taught me a thing or two that is useful.
For one thing, this blog has taught me a little (much needed) discipline. Inevitably it will be my turn to post again. And I won’t let my fellow bloggers down. This has been a good thing for my other writing too. Some how, this blog gets me jumpstarted enough to think about my novel each week. And then I write more.

This blog has also taught me the importance of titles. Over and over again, the same posts get hits. The search engines lead them here regularly. Are they the best posts on this blog? Eh. Maybe. But the titles are great. How to really really scare someone. Senior sleuths, what makes a really good bad guy.

People want to know and those titles lead them here.

This blog has also taught me just how small the net and the world really is. But that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Thinking of writing a blog? I say go for it. The rewards aren’t monetary but they are good

Time for Promotion by Christine Duncan

This week, one of my publishers had a company wide discussion on e-books and POD. Changes in the publishing industry were making the publisher rethink how she was doing things and she wanted a feel for how her authors felt about it. In the course of things, I found two other authors from that company who live in my state, and I started thinking we should do promo together. After all, who likes to do book signings alone? All right some of you probably do, but I hate to do book signings alone. It makes me feel like I’m one of those folks at the front of the grocery store trying to sell you a subscription to the local paper. You know, those folks you zigzag a wide path around, as you go in the store, hoping they won’t notice you?

Anyway, after that, I went into the local Barnes and Noble searching for a gift for my husband’s birthday and noticed someone at a booth there demonstrating a Nook. And again, I had this neat idea that maybe I should contact the CRM at Denver West and tell her she was missing an opportunity to have local authors display their books on the Nook, and talk to the customers. Wouldn’t cost her a thing–so no wages for a sales person, and authors would sign up by the dozens. And yes, by the way, I wanted to be the first to sign up. And by the way, my publisher has two other authors who would sign up for a weekend day with me.

You see, I have ideas for promo. What I don’t have is time. And yet, I ran for over three hours today folks (Over 19 miles. The idea of a marathon still sucks.) I took a (short) nap. I got in a couple of trips to the grocery store and the library.

I just need one more day to the week. Just one.

Creative Promo by Christine Duncan

I used to do a bit of promo for other writers through Breakthrough Promotions. I found the job interesting because, I have no problem singing the praises of other writers.

A little trick I learned there is that you can use promotion to get more. For instance, if a writer had a radio interview somewhere, it was standard procedure to call bookstores in the area to tell them about the radio interview and ask about a possible book signing at their store. The implied promise, of course, (or sometimes the flat out statement) was that their store would be mentioned on the radio. It worked! Most of the time anyway.

I’ve been doing things similar to that since Safe House came out about a month ago–or trying to. For instance, my publisher was very busy all spring and summer and couldn’t give me a definite date when the book would be out. Consequently I could not even begin to arrange book signings until I had the book in my hand–literally.

This is very bad because when you are published, as I am, with a small press, booksignings are a way to get the store to carry your books. But signings usually have to be arranged months in advance so that the store can put the info in their flyer and advertise other ways.

So, without any advance arrangements for signings, I was afraid no one would carry the books. But when I got the interview with the local paper, I called my local Barnes and Noble (who had already turned me down on the signing) and told them about it. They immediately ordered the book, on the promise that I would mention it was there in the interview–which I did. One problem solved.

Tell me how you got creative with promotion. What did you do that helped you?

Blogbook Tour Update

I’m beginning to think a blogbook tour is actually a mental health challenge. If you make it through without being certified, you are good for life. If not….well there are some nice facilities for mental rehab nowadays.
Today’s post was supposed to be a calm update about my blog tour which kicked off Sunday. I was going to tell you how I got it all together, had all the posts written, the links up, and was now just waiting for comments.
You guys all know me better than that now, don’t you?
First off, the book is not out yet. We were waiting to get the blurb from a review, but then the reviewer needed it edited. Then the reviewer’s editor wanted a live link on Amazon or Borders or some other online bookstore, which ISN’T GOING TO HAPPEN UNTIL THE BOOK IS PUBLISHED which we don’t want to do until we have the review. (it is on Fictionwise and Amazon as an e-book with my other pub, but that apparently wasn’t enough.) You see the circle?
Okay, so no print book yet since I can’t see my way out of the circle and neither can my publisher apparently. But I do have the tour lined up all the way into the beginning of June. And I have the posts written (okay, most of them. You folks who are waiting for the first week of June posts–I’m working on them. As soon as I get this post written and the one written for MakeMineMystery for the last Thursday in May and the intro post for our guests here, oh and I have to tweet and put updates up on Facebook and myspace and crimespace bout Linda Faulkner visiting here tomorrow. Okay, it’s not probably going to happen today–but I’m working on it.
I do have the first part of the tour schedule up on my website. and I’m going to list it on Goodreads and FB events and anywhere else.
Should we have a pre-order link do you think? Maybe something tasteful up on the pub’s website? Or just keep going on the blogtour until the book is actually out?
I can practically hear Narelle. Breathe in, Christine.

FB, MS, Tweets

If you know what the heck the title of this post means, you do your fair share of networking. Me, I always have to stop and think–MS is a disease in my book, not myspace and as for FB, I tend to think of some feminine product. Lately, all the writer’s listserves I’m on seem to be devoted to these acronyms as the authors try to get each other’s Twitter addies or facebook urls.
I guess that’s promo at work. If we’re promoting to ourselves as writers. Don’t get me wrong–if you send me your Twitter name, I’ll follow you. I tweet about this blog and the other blog I’m on MakeMineMystery and I like being part an on-line writing community. I pick up a lot of stuff there just as I do on the writing listservs I’m on.
But I don’t expect you guys to buy my books either. Plus I keep hearing that these things are on the last legs of the fad. So what’s the newest fad? What new way is there to get your book out there promo wise? Are you podcasting? Are you putting book trailers up on Youtube? (I really don’t see the point of that one–are there really that many people so bored with their lives that they’re sitting on Youtube trolling for book trailers? Isn’t it easier to just go to a store and check out the covers and the backs of the books?)
Or are you trying the old fashioned way–going out to the book stores and trying to hand sell your stuff one signing at a time?
The thing is I have learned in the last year or so just how much of a time sink blogging, tweeting, facebook, and all the of the rest are. So a podcast or a book trailer would probably be even worse. Wouldn’t they? And I am trying to write the next in the series although my critique partners claim not to have noticed. And with this economy, I tend to shudder at the thought of how much it would cost to go across the country trying to sell my book.
Still I need ideas. What are you doing right now to promote and why?

Bio stuff

One of the things I should have done a whole lot earlier in the promo game was work on my bio. Some people will tell you they hate writing a synopsis. (Well, I do too.) Others will tell you it’s the query letter they don’t want to deal with. (Okay, that’s not my favorite either.) But writing your own bio is really up there in awful.
Maybe if you have a ton of writing awards and credits this gets easier. You’ve all read this type of bio: “John Doe writes Pulitzer prize winning articles for the New York Times, got the Nobel Prize for literature for his novel, Nothing Much and blah blah.” Not having any wonderful awards sure slows down the bio writing process.
But actually, I’m not sure that would help. Writing your bio involves a degree of bragging that most of us have been taught not to do–especially those of us who were raised Catholic. Mother Helen Matthews instilled in me years and years ago that bragging has got to be at least a mortal sin. My own mother raised all ten of her kids with the idea that if she said anything good about us in our hearing it would give us swelled heads. The only good place for bragging on someone was at their funeral. So–not being dead, I have a problem because, in essence, a bio is telling the world how good you are. You see my dilemma?
Add to that the fact that my books are set in a battered women’s shelter. My husband has no problems with my writing except that he would like me to include a line in the bio that says something like this: Christine Duncan has been married for over twenty years to the same man and anything she knows about domestic violence has nothing to do with him.
So how about this for my bio: Christine Duncan modestly states that she prefers you judge her by her book, not her credits. Oh yes, and her marriage is doing just fine, thanks for asking.
Obviously, I need to work on this some more.

Crunch Time

Since Safe House is coming out next month I am fast approaching freak out mode. There is still so much to do, and no time to do it. My cover is not yet done but people are asking for it to post with their reviews or to post with my guest blog for my blog tour. So I am just putting them off.

My links are not yet final as since the book is not done yet, it is not up at even my publisher’s site yet let alone Amazon or Borders.com. But again reviewers and others are asking for the link to post.
I need to line more blogs up for my blog tour, get some posts written. Joyce and Jim Lavene, I have not forgotten your interview for your blog. I am working on it, really. Linda Hutchinson, I have also not forgotten your kind offer. I will be in touch this week.

I also need to email some of these reviewers myself and ask if I can use a quote to promote the book–maybe on the back of the book? I need blurbs, people. Anyone want to blurb Safe House?
I also need more reviews and need to send our more ARCS, as soon as I get them made!

I have, I kid you not, 516 emails in my in-box–and that is just one of my four email accounts, piling up waiting for me to get time to answer them. But that was because I was stupid enough to take on an extra job doing taxes just as my book was coming out. Silly me! What do I need money for? I’ll only spend it on more promo! Who needs to pay their own taxes and incidentally, eat?

I am overwhelmed. I am out of my league. How does anyone ever do all this? Someone, please, give me a hint now.

Stop Me Before I Print Again

As many of you know, I am gearing up for the print release of Safe House, the second book in my cozy mystery series.  This past week (month, eon) I have been sending out ARCS.  But first I had to print the darn things up myself, since getting them made somewhere was NOT in the budget especially this close to Christmas.  (If you are at this point in your promo and want directions, just leave me your email addy–I’ll send you the directions.)

Then I had to print up things for the media kit, like the sell sheet (important because it has all the info on the book there such as ISBN, what kind of book–trade paper, hard bound etc, and publishing date .)  I printed out a press release, my business cards, and a bio.  The bio was a real fun project because my husband wanted me to include a sentence that said something like this: Christine Duncan is a Colorado mystery writer whose books are set in a battered women’s shelter, but her husband wants the world to know, it’s not because of anything HE did!

At this point, I have been printing out so much stuff, I don’t know how to stop.  I am looking for another full-time printing project.  I have carefully considered printing out some t-shirts.  This is complicated by the fact that 1. I don’t have the cover art for the print book yet.  (I’ve done a t-shirt for the e-version)and 2. the only place I would wear such a t-shirt is out running, and right now, any shirt I wear running is covered up by a sweat shirt and 2 hoodies to keep me warm in a pretty typical Colorado winter.  Add to that, I usually see more foxes, bunny rabbits, and even deer  in my run through the park, these cold winter mornings than I see people, and you see the usefulness of the t-shirt.   Just about nada.

I would do bookmarks, but oh yeah, see point #1 above.

The other thing that struck me again, this week, is just how much has changed since the last time I did this.  Many places where I sent ARCS for the first book are out now–such as the Drood Review.  Anybody with any suggestions besides the obvious:  Booklist, Library Journal, Foreword,  Mystery Scene? (Oops, violated the rule of three there!)

Apparently some parts of promo could be addictive.  Who knew?

Promo Manners

We all know them: the authors who join yahoogroups (or DorothyL or FictionL or…) so they can send you spam about their latest project. The authors who snail mail their newsletters, postcards, or bookmarks to strangers they meet on the street—or so it seems, because you have no idea how you go on their mailing list. Oh the waste of promo money–I still don’t buy their books.

Neither will I buy the books of the author who takes over the whole panel at conference–you know the one who won’t let the other panel authors get a word in edgewise.

Promo manners–or lack of them, tend to get on other writer’s nerves–and we do remember.

I have a story–one that doesn’t show me in a great light.  I did a signing with a bunch of other mystery authors at a nearby store. The CRM was wonderful. We were right by the door so customers couldn’t miss us. We were each given our own little table and plied with chocolate and cold water bottles. Announcements were made to remind customers we were there. And my table was right next to one of THOSE authors.

Everything was fine while we were busy and the problem author (let’s call her PA) had readers at her table. Then traffic started to slack off. A few people lingered at my table but PA had no one. The next thing I knew she came over to my table and literally took my book from one woman’s hand and guided her over to PA’s own table. The first time, I did nothing but sit there and imagine PA as the victim in my next book.

The second time it happened, (yes, I am a wimp) the woman who was browsing the books let herself be led to PA’s table, but after a moment, she put the PA’s book down, saying, “I’m sure it’s very nice, but I was really interested in that other book.” And she came back to my table and bought my book! (No, I didn’t stick out my tongue at PA although I did think about it.) After that, I packed up my stuff and moved to the (distant) table of an author who had to leave early. (Hey, I know my limits.)

Is there some protocol for this? I have to admit to a big hole in my education here. When my mama was teaching me manners, it usually included a lecture about being modest. (“Nobody likes a girl who can only talk about herself.”) None of that is useful for promoting a book or anything else for that matter.

Do you use your signature line even when you’re emailing your fatally ill Grandmom? Do you actively look for some topic on your favorite listserv that will allow you to drag in a mention about your latest article or book? How do you feel about authors who do that?