Getting Published--Additional Resources

Last night I taught “Getting Published” to a group of about 20 people at Lewis & Clark Community College in Edwardsville, IL.

My "students" were great. What a terrific, thoughtful and motivated group of people. Wow. They really kept me on my toes.

To follow up, here's a list of resources and a few terms that might be helpful to anyone wanting to write and get published:

Groups and Resources That Can Help

* St. Louis Writers Meet Up

Also google "writers meetup" and a plus sign (+) with the name of your particular geographic area.

http://writers.meetup.com/34/

* National Novel Writing Month

Next month is National Write a Novel Month. This group will help you get on track and encourage you along the way.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

* Writers Market

Notice the free 30 day trial period. This is where you’ll find all the information about magazines, periodicals, publishers and agents. Use it like your own personal encyclopedia. Remember: You can look up the publications by topic, then read about how they want articles, etc., submitted. But whenever they offer an online link called “writers guidelines” go to that because it’s likely to be the most current information. You could buy the hardback version, but online is probably a better value.

http://www.writersmarket.com/

* Sisters in Crime

A group of mystery authors—male and female. Join their “Guppies” group which is a resource group for unpublished authors. You can join Sisters in Crime nationally, then pay an extra but small fee to join Guppies. Go to the link below and scroll down to “guppies”

http://www.sistersincrime.org/chapters.html

* The Newbies Guide to Publishing

A blog by Joe (J.A. Konrath) with all sorts of information, and a critique form that’s a very helpful device for any critique group to use when assessing a book.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

Publicity and Marketing

For a fun look at how an author interacts with a publicist, check out Dennis Cass’s hysterical YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxschLOAr-s


Books

For those considering Self-Publishing, read these:

John Kremer--1001 Ways to Market Your Book

http://www.amazon.com/1001-Ways-Market-Books-Sixth/dp/091241149X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224690185&sr=1-1

Tom and Marilyn Ross—Complete Guide to Self-Publishing

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Self-Publishing-Self-Publishing/dp/1582970912/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224690043&sr=8-1

Dan Poynter—Self-Publishing Manual

http://www.amazon.com/Dan-Poynters-Self-Publishing-Manual-16th/dp/1568601425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224690229&sr=1-1

Remember, self-publishing is a BUSINESS. You must approach it that way, or you’ll regret it.


Helpful Terms

ISBN—International Standard Book Numbering—like a social security number for a book. Helps anyone find your book. A necessity.

Query letter—a letter sent to “query” or question an editor as to whether he/she would be interested in your article. Usually accompanies a non-fiction article proposal. It is appropriate to follow up after a reasonable period of time by phone. Use Writers Market to determine what that reasonable period might be, as Writers Market lists how long the publisher/magazine will take to respond. (But that time period is always a lie.)

Blog—short for “website log.” A website that allows easy and regular updating so that it becomes an online diary or journal of information. Many are free. Go to http://www.blogger.com/ and you’ll learn more. But there are other blog providers, so do your research first. Typepad and Wordpress are two more providers.

Book Proposal—a package sent to an agent or publisher in advance of sending a whole manuscript. Should include a cover letter, a marketing plan, why you are uniquely qualified to write this book, three chapters and an outline or synopsis.

Synopsis—different from an outline because instead of going point by point, this tells the story in third person of your book. (Obviously it’s for a fiction offering.) It’s as if you were telling a friend about the book. There are many good books on submitting manuscripts. Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Concept is my favorite.

Novel—this is a fiction book. Some or all is made up.

Non-fiction—the material within is true. If there’s a mix of truth and fiction, the book is always considered fiction.

E-book—a book that is offered as a file, online. Readers can choose to download and print out the book or read it online.

POD—print-on-demand. Book doesn’t exist on paper until an order to purchase it comes in. POD publishers don’t command the same respect, generally, that a traditional publisher does. Also, because you don’t have large quantities printed at once, these are more expensive than a traditionally published book. Therefore, if you are a new author, it might be hard to convince readers to spend that additional sum on you since you aren’t established.

Galley—a copy of your book, with the pages printed out pretty much as they will appear in the final draft. However, the pages might not be bound together, just loose. This is used to proofread for mistakes.

ARC—Advance Reading Copy—a copy of your book that will look almost exactly like the finished product, except usually with a cheaper cover. These are sent to reviewers in advance of the publication of your final product. There may still be proofreading problems in this version, and it may not have endorsements from other others or reviewers in it.

Character arc—the journey a character makes through the course of a book or a series. This is the emotional growth pattern of a character.

Blurbs—a complimentary comment that will appear on the cover (inside or outside) of a book to promote the book. Usually your publisher helps arrange these, but you might also ask any author friends if they would be willing to read your book and give you a blurb.

Mass market paperback—the type of paperback you typically see sold at a grocery store. Usually small, say five by six inches. Costs the least of all book types, except an e-book.

Trade paperback—considered a cross between a mass market paperback and a hardback book. Larger than a mass market paperback, still having a paper cover, but the cover is generally of a higher quality, thicker stock. Cost is somewhere between that of a mass market paperback and a hardback book.

Advance—the loan made to an author which is to be paid back by the author’s portion of sales, which is a percentage of the net (not retail) cost of the book.

**

And here's something to get you going...

November 15 is I Love To Write Day

Founded in 2002 by Delaware author John Riddle, I Love to Write Day iscelebrated every November 15th by having everyone spend some timewriting -- a poem, a letter, an essay, a greeting card.
If you go to and www.ilovetowriteday.org sign up to participatein the day you can get two free reports from John. Just send John an email (johnriddle@sprintmail.com) telling him how you'll help spread theword and he'll send you: How I Made $66,270 in 9 Months Writing forWebsites and Getting a Book Contract in 30 Days or Less.

Kingsport (TN) Times Women's Expo

Whew.

I rolled in last night after being on the road eleven straight hours. I'm dizzy, ditzy and tired today after attending my first Kingsport (TN) Times Women's Expo. (Thanks again to my gal-pal and BFF Shirley Damsgaard who helped wrangle me an invite!)

On Friday, I gave a humorous speech to kick off the event. It's been a while since I delivered a keynote and I was stressed. Still, somehow I found my "funny person" inside. You know, you can practice and practice but unless you're in the groove, it won't happen. And after the warm welcome given to me by the organizers, Sharon and Lydia, I was definitely feeling good. Read about it at Jennifer Estep's blog

http://www.jenniferestep.com/blog/?p=604#comment-9055

The next day I sat beside Valerie Ramsey, who at 68 is proof we can age both gracefully and beautifully. That's Valerie in the red jacket. Check her out at http://www.valerieramsey.com/ She's a dear, and I enjoyed chatting with her in-between selling books.

I really wanted to get to know Teresa Medieros, Beth Williamson, Lora Leigh, Julia Quinn, Trista Ann Michaels, and Kay Stockham better, but honest to Pete, we were so busy talking to readers there just wasn't the time. (And let me say that there must be some magic to writing romance because all these women were gorgeous. I'm standing between Kay on the left and Teresa on the right. I came home determined to NEVER eat again! Fat begone!)

I did take time to smell the roses. I spent a couple of hours on a private tour of the Bays Mountain Nature Preserve. My heartfelt thanks to Karen Travis.

Check out my blog post at http://www.midnightwriters.blogspot.com/ to read more about my weekend.

Schedule Through November 2, 2008

Here's my schedule for the weekend and the week ahead I'll add details later:

Friday, Oct. 17, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.

Keynote speaker at the Kingsport (TN) Women's Expo Authors Dinner.

Also speaking will be Valerie Ramsey, the remarkable woman who "lived her life backwards" by becoming a top model at the age of 63.

**

Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday

Kingsport (TN) Times Women's Expo

I'll be appearing with Valerie, and such fabulous authors as Julia Quinn, Teresa Medeiros, Lora Leigh, Kay Stockham, Jennifer Estep, Mary Wine, Beth Williamson, Trista Ann Michaels, Jessie Verino, Tammy Robinson Smith, Lisa Hall, Elizabeth Barker, Gayle Trent, and Daphne Matthews.

**

Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 p.m.

"Getting Published"

I'll be teaching this class at the N.O. Nelson Campus of Lewis & Clark Community College, 600 Troy Road, Edwardsville IL

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Wednesday, October 22, evening

Bad Girls Book Club

A virtual meeting! Can't wait!

**

Friday, October 24, 2008

Got 2B Scrapping

I'll be doing a scrapbook demo, making a holiday slam album at this store in Effingham, IL.

**

Friday, October 24, 2008-Sunday, Oct. 26

I'll be at Magna cum Murder in Muncie, IN

**

October 28, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. CST

Fiskateers Chat

An online visit with the Fiskateers and friends.

**

October 29, 2008 at 6:30-8 EST

Great Dane Rescue Group Fundraiser and Booksigning Virtual Event

Online book event with the Great Dane Rescue People. Go to my chatroom on my website www.joannaslan.com and click the chatroom icon to participate in this fundraiser

**

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Scrapbooking Demo at
St. Joseph, MO Library

Another scrapbooking demo.

**

Friday, October 31-Nov. 2

Manhattan Mystery Conclave

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Saturday, November 1, 2008

Scrapbooking Slam Album Demo at the Ben Franklin Store in Manhattan KS

The Tremendous Power of a Thank You Note

Disclaimer: I'm not nearly so good at writing "thank you" notes as I should be. But I try, I really try.

Lately, I've been spending at least a portion of my day writing them. And I think quite possibly that a "thank you" note is the most accessible form of magic that we can create. I've noticed that writing them seems to make me happier--and that shouldn't be surprising. Martin Seligman, the psychologist, found that people can improve their overall feelings of happiness by writing a letter to someone who made a positive difference in the writer's life. So, it seems to me, that even a short note of gratitude reminds me that I have much to be thankful for. It causes me to pause and pay attention to the myriad of small generosities of spirit that come my way.

Of course, it also creates magic in the recipient.

Last weekend when I was at The Big Read, I finally got to meet Danielle from Left Bank Books, the young lady who organizes their author events, in the flesh. She and I shook hands and then she thanked me for my "thank you" note. In fact, all the other Left Bank Books employees in the booth weighed in, telling me how much they'd enjoyed what I said.

I wrote about how it felt to stand in the place where so many greats had stood. (You can read my blog about it, and that's pretty much a longer version of what I said to them when I wrote my note.) I took the time to think through why that event was special to me. Whenever I write a "thank you" note, I try to figure out exactly and specifically why I'm saying thanks. Just a blank "thank you!" doesn't really cut it. That's a cop out.

While the group from Left Bank Books thanked me for the "thank you" note, one of the owners Chris came over and joined our conversation. She told me about their plans for their second location and I told her I'd love to be involved.

Was it because of the "thank you" note? I don't know for sure, but I bet it was, at least in part. You see, I think we enjoy working with people who are appreciative. Why wouldn't we?

So if you are feeling stuck, or low, or like your marketing efforts aren't bearing fruit, instead of asking for more, maybe you should stop a minute and say "thanks."

Couldn't hurt.

What I Miss Most...

Last Wednesday I participated in Chill Me, Thrill Me--a panel of mystery authors who spoke at the McClay Branch of the St. Charles City-County Library. Saturday I moderated a panel and taught a class at The Big Read. So my "social" calendar for promotions has been very full.

And I miss writing.

You see, as I write I tell myself a story, and I indulge in that world of my fantasy. When I don't get to work on a book, I find myself cranky and sad. I miss Kiki Lowenstein and her friends. I miss the creative outlet of immersing myself in another world. I get very lonely.

So in the evenings, I always try to work at a craft. Lately I've been experimenting with markers making journaling boxes and embellishments. I'm using several stamps, stamping the images, and trying a variety of coloring and shading techniques. It keeps my hands busy and helps me feel productive. Because that's something I need, and something crafts provide...a feeling of being productive. (See my The Big Read Journaling Box here.)

Preview of a Busy Week

Looking forward to this week, it will be very busy. Tomorrow early I have a radio interview. Tomorrow night I'll be at a book club at Suzanne Hooper's house. She's a neighbor, the wife of my friend Tony, and a trainer of Support Dogs. I admire Suzanne's work and her fantastic spirit. Suzanne's not afraid to engage anybody and chat! You should have seen her at my book launch at Main Street Books. She'd buttonhole shoppers with that huge smile of hers, a megawatt smile, and say, "Have you read Joanna's new book? You need to. It's set here in St. Louis."

Then on Wednesday I have an interview with Diva Craft Lounge. That's the "big daddy" (or "big mama" I suppose) of all scrapbooking Internet radios. On Thursday, our wedding anniversary, I had to Kingsport Tennessee. On Friday I speak at the Authors' Dinner of the Kingsport TN Times Women's Expo. So I'll be busy working on my speech until then. Yes, I practice. I break the speech into bits and actually say those out loud. I'm working on a little song to the tune of "Downtown", the Petula Clark hit, but I suggest you go shopping instead!

About AllTop...

As you might have noticed, I've joined AllTop. Check out the badge at the bottom of this page to learn more. AllTop is an aggregator service. That means they scan all the blogs and put together a listing of the top blogs in different categories. They add a line or two about the most recent posts.

Why is AllTop important? I don't know about you, but I don't have time to scan every blog I should so that I can keep up with all the news in my field, scrapbooking and in my profession, writing. So AllTop does that for me.

Okay, I promised myself some writing time after I posted this. Now for dessert!

Addendum to Marketing Your Book Class

As promised yesterday when I was presenting at The Big Read, here's a list of resources every writer should consult. Please also go to my older blog posts and look up my February 22 post, as I have a list of books there to help you with publicity.

Note that I haven't organized these--I simply pulled everything off my top shelf and started typing. In that respect, it represents a snapshot of the resources I have used most frequently in the two years since I sent out into the marketplace with my manuscript, which became Paper, Scissors, Death.

Some books are on how to find a literary agent. The keyword to know when looking is actually an acronym: AAR, which is Association of Authors Agents. That means the agent belongs to an organization with industry-respected standards. What I don't have on my list is a current copy of Writers Market. It's a great resource, but it's not inexpensive and since it's updated every year, you should get your hands on the most recent copy.

Here's the group:

* Sell Your Book on Amazon by Brent Sampson
* Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron
* Electronic Publishing : The Definitive Guide by Karen S. Weisner
* Mastering Online Marketing by Meyerson
* Seven Strategies in Every Best-Seller by Tam Mossman --This provides a good way to check your manuscript against the books it might be competing with BEFORE you try to sell it.
* Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass -- See above remark.
* Guide to Literary Agents by Kathryn S. Brogan (also check out Jeff Herman's book on agents. It was interested to cross-reference these two books and see who was in both.)
* Your Novel Proposal from Creation to Contract by Camenson & Cook -- Invaluable for how to deal with agents DURING the submission process.
* Plug Your Book! by Steve Weber
* The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter
* The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book: 20 Steps to Succeed by Susan Page
* 12 Keys to Writing Books That Sell by Kathleen Krull
* Take the Mystery Out of Promoting Your Book by p.m. terrell -- I can't say enough good stuff about Patricia. She's a whiz.
* Non-Fiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write by Elizabeth Lyon

These books are definitely worth your time and attention.

If you are in this for the long haul, you need to educate yourself.

One Book at a Time

My friend Angie Fox told me that she read this startling statistic in USA Today: 85% of all Americans want to write a book.

Wow. That's...that's just an enormous number.

I've been thinking a lot about how to make this blog special. As many of you know, I also blog over at http://killerhobbies.blogspot.com/ with six other writers of craft cozies. That's a pretty free-wheeling blog, although we often write about our crafts.

And I contribute to the InkSpot, which is a blog written by a group of Midnight Ink Authors.

So...what can I do here that will be unique?

I think I'll chronicle the day-to-day work of a debut author. If you really want to write a book, you need to know that your work doesn't stop when you sign a contract. Contrary to popular belief, your work really BEGINS with the contract. You see, the contract only marks the end of a phase. That phase is the publisher's acceptance of your book.

What really matters--in my humble opinion--is the public's acceptance and interest in your book. Because unless you get the word out, and unless people start buying your book, your career is over, fini, done, stick-a-fork in it and take it out of the oven.

With that in mind, what have I been doing since my book Paper, Scissors, Death was released in September? Well, I've been trying to hand-sell (that is sell by personally suggesting) my book to as many people as possible. That might seem pretty hopeless. After all, that's pushing these puppies into the market one book at a time.

But I recall a moment sitting in a bar in Florida with Robert Crais. (Yes, he really is that dreamy looking.) A group of us mystery writers and author wannabes (myself included at that point) were sitting with him and talking about sales. He pointed out that in the early days of your first book, because print runs are generally small, your efforts can have great impact. For example, if your print run is 5,000 and you get out there and hustle so that your efforts cause you to sell 500 books, you've sold 10% of that run BY YOUR OWN EFFORT.

Crais went on to say that as you move up the food chain (I call it the food chain, he didn't), the print runs get bigger. So your individual efforts don't matter so much.

Right now I have this small, golden window of opportunity. If I hustle, I can make a difference in sales. So far, here's what I know I've accomplished:

* sold 400 copies to Archivers and now they've placed a chain wide order. With 45 stores, and assuming they buy at least a box each, that's 1620 books. Add the initial 400 and that's 2020 books.

* working with Barnes & Noble. Got Paper, Scissors, Death modeled here in St. Louis. That means the local stores will stock at least two copies. Next up, I want to sign at as many B & N stores as possible. My goal is to sell a box of books per store. I figure there are four, maybe five stores in the area. That would be 180 books, and if I can have an impact on regional sales, I think they might model the book chain-wide.

* sold books at Borders event. I handsold 28 copies. That's actually better than it looks because when you move that many books in an evening, you prove to the booksellers that your book has legs.

* sold books at Left Bank Books. I figure we sold 18 copies or more. Again, the value is in introducing the book to the booksellers.

* sold books at The Mystery Company in Indianapolis. See above. Curiously, the number seems to hold steady. Since the average number of books sold at a signing is 4--and no, I don't know where that number came from or how true it is--I'm doing better than average. I know the booksellers have been pleased.

* sold books at Main Street Books in St. Charles. See above. About the same number sold.

* I've been going from independent scrapbook store to independent scrapbook store, and I have events upcoming on their schedules. This is the wild card. A box of books here and there can really add up.

* I have a full calendar of conferences, etc., to attend such as The Big Read in Clayton MO this weekend, the Kingsport TN News Women's Expo next weekend, The Manhattan Mystery Conclave the weekend after. My goal is to always have more than one "event" per location. Otherwise, I might be wasting my time driving.

What I really miss in all this, besides the sleep!, is the time to write. Writing is my escape and my sanity. I did some work on Book #3 yesterday while at the hair salon. Bless my stylist's heart, he was kind enough to work around the computer! When I finally had to close the file, a felt a tug at my heart.

I miss writing. I really do.

Standing in the Footprints of Giants

Last night I did a signing at Left Bank Books.

My heart was banging around in my chest like a pigeon caught in a trap. I was that nervous, and since I'm accustomed to public speaking, the question was, "Why?"

Well, Left Bank Books is the premier independent bookseller in St. Louis. All the biggest names in literature come to town and sign at LBB. In fact, just the week before, I'd been in the audience to hear what John Lutz had to say. And last night, he and his lovely wife Barb were so generous with their time as to be there for me.

I thought John's approach to his signing was a good one, so I "scraplifted" (copied) it. I set the scene and then read a chapter. John had inserted "he said" and "she said" to help the listeners keep track of who was speaking. A smart move, that.

After I read Chapter Two, I talked a bit about scrapbooking and showed off some pages. I figured that at least some of my audience members probably wouldn't have any idea how complicated layouts can get. There were lots of "oohs" and "aahs" over the layouts.

I showed off a big poster of Orion, Keri Murphy's dog, my model for Gracie.

I read another scene--this one a funny one. Then I answered a few questions about the writing process.

All in all, it was rather like a dream. I forgot to give my husband my camera, so I can't share pictures. But that's okay. It's engraved in my mind.

A Brief History of The Best of British Contest--and How That's Been a Great Promotional Tool

I started The Best of British Scrapbooking Contest to encourage the growth of scrapbooking in the UK. You see, scrapbooking became big here in the US due in part to contests which spotlighted new talent and added excitement to the marketplace. I lived in the UK in 2001-2 and I was there when the first dedicated, independent scrapbook store opened. No one there was doing a contest for talent, and having seen how that worked here in the States, I knew it could work in the UK, too.

Here's what it took to make it happen:

1. I had to hire a solicitor in the UK. My friend and neighbor Lesley Hindmarsh was kind enough to find one for me. I submitted rules and then made the necessary adjustments so all was legal.

2. I had to announce the contest so we'd get entries. The strongest and most popular website for scrapbookers in Europes was and is UK Scrappers. I announced the contest there to good result.

3. We needed judges. Mary Anne Walters and Beverley Stephenson of UK Scrappers were natural selections. Shimelle Laine was the first person to win two contests in the same year here in the US. They all agreed to help me.

4. I answered ongoing questions about the contest. Meanwhile, Lesley's home was the gathering spot for the entries. Poor Peter, her husband! On the one weekend day he chose to sleep in, someone decided to have her entry specially delivered and woke him up to accept the package!

5. I flew to the UK, met with the judges and we went through the entries. It was hard work--and it's gotten harder--but we found our winners. We actually expanded the number of winners because we had so much great material.

6. We requested that winners send their original art to Mary Anne, who graciously packaged it all up and sent it to me in the US. (We held our collective breath that nothing happened en route.)

6. I worked for about 12 months with a graphic designer to create the book. I personally scanned and extracted art, one pixel at a time. My hand was cramped from the effort at the end of each day. But I wanted crisp, vivid images. We spent nearly $12,000 on getting everything just right, including having a professional photographer shoot the cover art. I actually sat down with our graphics person and we compared the original layouts to the on-screen layouts and adjusted the color for accuracy.

7. We sent the files to Malaysia for printing. This cost about $20,000.

8. While all that was happening, my original distribution deal fell through. I sent out packages and called folks to get distribution. Which I did. (Believe me, I have all sorts of respect for any publisher. You don't know panic until you've invested $30,000-plus of your own money in a project which might wind up sitting in your garage.)

9. We sold the books. We covered our costs. Most importantly, we didn't lose any money.

10. ScrapBook inspirations Magazine asked me if they could "take over" the contest. This was a natural fit. They were there in the UK, so they could much more easily administer it. For legal reasons, they asked me to be the judge, which I agreed to. I sure didn't want to see all that hard work come to an end. And the contest now had a rep. ScrapBook inspirations vowed to continue the high standards, which they have.

How have I benefited? (I'm sharing this for the edification of my writer friends who look to this column for marketing ideas.)

1. The contest keeps me current with the marketplace. Now that my mystery is out, people keep asking, "Do you scrapbook?" Well, I do, and I feel my involvement with Best of British helps me stay on top of trends.

2. My name is associated with the contest, so I get numerous mentions which I hope will translate into attention when Paper, Scissors, Death is released in the UK.

3. I get a nice warm, fuzzy feeling. Yep. I remember that as the color galleys were due to go back to the printer, I received an email from Sarah Wheatley's husband. Sarah was losing her battle with breast cancer. One of her life goals had been publication--and she was one of our winners. I Fed Exed the color galleys to her. She was able to see her work in print, and two days later she died.

No contest is perfect. No judge is always right. But when I look back at all the names of scrapbook artists (and I think of them as artists) whose work now appears in various publications, I take pride that many of them were "discovered" through the Best of British.

So, yes, the Best of British has been a good promotional tool for me. If I'd spent that time and money in other ways, I might have had the same or a better return. BUT...I wouldn't have had the satisfaction of seeing the names and work of others receive well-earned recognition.

You have to give back. That's a rule in nature, in life and certainly in business.

What's HOT Across the Pond

Whew. I finished judging “The Best of British Scrapbooking” a few minutes ago and sent my results to Rosie Waddicor, one of the editors. It was hard. Really hard. There were so many great entries, and I wanted to give out a lot more prizes than allowed. But enough of that.

Recently, someone forwarded an email to me from Debbie Macomber. Not only is Debbie a great read, she’s also a keen judge of the marketplace and emerging styles. Debbie noted, and I have reason to concur, that trends here in the US often start in the UK and work their way over. That’s particularly true of scrapbooking. So allow me to share some trends, and tell me if you think you’ve seen them, too.

1. 3 – D embellishments. Used to be, all scrapbook pages were flat. In this group of entries, I saw ribbons looped up and stapled down to stick up like roller coasters. One memorable page had “google” eyes on a cartoon character. Those are those bubbly eyes where the pupils roll around. Yep, texture is definitely jumping off the pages.

2. Going green. Contestants used a lot of corrugated cardboard, ripping off the top skin of paper to expose the ridges beneath. Also used were bubble wrap, plastic wrap, and slivers of a Coke can cut into the shape of petals. No doubt about it, scrapbookers are recycling on their pages.

3. Doodling. Doodling hasn’t quite caught on here like it has in the UK. Folks here are too restrained. There, scrapbookers take a pen to about anything and add colors with abandon. The result? There’s a sense of playfulness to the layouts.

4. Cartoon art. Anime stickers, cartoon characters, simple line art, every aspect of cartoons showed up. I particularly enjoyed where one contestant cut out a photo of her head and put it atop a cartoon body and paperdollish arms. We’ve gone from one extreme to the other. Once upon a time, scrapbookers used templates to cut photos into stars and what-not. Then no one cropped anything, and now we’re cropping body parts and combining them with paperdoll limbs. It’s really fun.

5. Paint on pages. Paint was used to alter a paper’s original color, to create a background so journaling would stand out, to customize patterns by adding color or design, and to simply add seemingly random funky circles to a plain pattern to jazz it up. Also big is painting on the REVERSE side of an acetate overlay. Say you have a clear overlay with flowers on it. You flip it over and fill in the flowers with paint. Let it dry and use it on your page.

6. Collage and simplicity. I saw both ends of the spectrum. Collage pages included fabric, plastic, charms, photos, fiber, ribbons, epoxy stickers, distressed paper, memorabilia, rubber stamped swirls, embroidery, stitching, ephemera, buttons, brads, and so on. But, a goodly number of layouts were spare, with simple combinations of paper, photo and journaling AND tons of undecorated space to create a refreshing change to the busy nature of collage.

7. Birds. Oh, golly. There were bluebirds, robins, owls, of every sort of paper, color, and pattern. Closely following were dragonflies and butterflies.

8. Acrylic overlays. One was even cut into a body silhouette, secured at the top with a brad, painted from the back and then used to cover hidden journaling. This is such fun, and folks are getting more adventuresome with their usage.

9. Negative space. Okay, if you punch out a form, the empty space that's left behind is negative space. More and more of it is showing up on pages, and the background that peeps through makes this a fun and interesting addition. Not to mention, it can be a thrifty use of your apres-punch leftovers.

10. Flowers. In leather, silk, paper, and plastic. In fact, one trend I could rather do without was too many flowers on pages where flowers did NOT match the theme of the page at all. You see, trends are great fun, BUT…just like in fashion, you have to be careful that you don’t sacrifice what “works” for what is trendy. Just because flowers are hot doesn’t mean you should use them to decorate a page about the Grand Canyon or road racing.

11. Colored buttons. These were used en masse to form lines, to add punch to other groupings, and to act as the center of flowers.

12. Journaling boxes. We call them "boxes" but they don't necessarily have borders on them. These included pages that looked ripped from notebooks, artsy edged boxes, and just rows of lines sticking out from brackets or parentheses. Not only do journaling boxes add style to a page, they also encourage you to write!

You can bet my heroine Kiki Lowenstein will be incorporating this cool ideas in her next adventure!

PS When the winners are announced in December, I'll share some of the names and layouts with you. Until then, mum's the word.

The Real Deal

"Do you really scrapbook?"

That was the question I answered most frequently over my three days at ScrapFest, the nation's largest scrapbooking get together up at Mall of America. As I stood there in the Archivers' flagship store, all I could do was grin. I knew why folks were asking. They wanted to know if I REALLY knew what I was writing about in my book Paper, Scissors, Death or whether I was, gulp, a pretender.

Well, folks, let me be clear: I scrapbook. In fact, I scrapbook a lot. And my husband can tell you, I'm addicted! I have way too much paper and all sorts of toys. I have probably thirty albums. I know how to use PhotoShop Elements (some!). I have even taught scrapbooking here at CKU (Creating Keepsakes University), at what used to be called HIA (Hobby Institute of America, now combined with another convention to be CHA), on cruise ships, and in the UK. I also teach scrapbook journaling online for Writers Online Workshops. (I wrote the class for that one.)

Oh, and I am the author of seven scrapbooking "how to" books, and countless articles on the subject that have appeared in Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Scrapbook Trends, ScrapBook inspirations, and the now defunct PaperKuts. So...yeah...I scrapbook.And you can see some of my pages at http://www.scrapbookstorytelling.com/ Click through to the Archives and look at the free scrapbook magazine I've been producing for years. Coming soon...as some of you suggested...I'll put a gallery up on one of my websites!

When Your Book Is Out, the Work Begins

Say It Isn’t So

“I thought you were done after you wrote the book,” said the young woman standing beside me at the presentation by p.m. terrell, author of Taking the Mystery Out of Promoting Your Book. (Learn more about Patricia at http://www.pmterrell.com/)

I was standing next to my pal Angie Fox--that's Angie on the right. We're holding copies of each other's books. (Visit her at http://angiefox.wordpress.com/ ) I smiled at Angie, and she smiled back at me. “No, that’s just the beginning,” I said.

Truth is, I’ve never worked so hard in my life. I have a list of 30 promotional activities I’m trying desperately to pull off. My friend Shirley Damsgaard warned me. “Joanna, I know the kind of person you are. You’re going to have to come to terms with the fact you can’t do everything. Do what you can and move on.” (Visit Shirley at http://www.shirleydamsgaard.com/)

So…what did I get done today, which is Sunday as I'm writing this?

* I wrote a column for the Suburban Journals, circulation 660,000.

* I designed and set out (with David’s help) my first Constant Contact e-blast announcing my book signing dates to our local friends.

* I wrote a post that will run in the Lipstick Chronicles on Saturday, October 18, thanks to the kindness of my friend and sister home-girl Elaine Viets. (She’s formerly from St. Louis.) ( See http://www.thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/ )

* I began the judging of the Best of British Scrapbooking contest. One section, experienced scrapbookers, has more than 90 entries, and each entrance submitted six layouts. There are two sections. I have no idea how many are in section two, the new talents. I’m afraid to look. I'm happy to do this because the magazine provides great exposure for me in my UK market. Visit the ScrapBook inspirations blog at http://www.scrapbookinspirationsmagazine.co.uk/

* I bought some supplies for my upcoming visit to Scrapfest in Minneapolis—including crime scene tape. (Read more at http://www.scrapfest2008.com/)

* I sent bio info, photo, and book cover for my virtual book signing with the Great Dane Rescue people.

* I discussed via email the handouts for my Sisters in Crime presentation in Minneapolis.

* I explained how to write a review on Amazon to one of my Blog Brigade, the group of scrapbook bloggers who have kindly agreed to read and promote my book.

* I offered a copy of my book to a woman who’s an influence leader in the scrapbook community.

* I started a list of people mentioned in my acknowledgements to whom I owe books.

* I followed up on an interview Claire Applewhite is doing with me for the book blog in our local paper.

* I followed up with p.m. (Patricia), sending her the best of the photos of us together for her to include in her newsletter. (I took the red eye out and fixed the color first.)

I think that’s it. It’s 7:30 p.m. and I haven’t had any dinner. Whew! And you know what? I’m thrilled, just thrilled to have the opportunity to do all this. I am incredibly fortunate to be published. Whenever I think, I want to quit, I pick up a copy of my book and remind myself: This is what I’ve worked for, hoped for, and gone to school to do. And all those efforts are wasted unless I get the word out.

Where to Get Your Copy of Paper, Scissors, Death

1. From your local independent bookstore. Go to
http://www.bookweb.org/aba/members/search.do

2. From your local independent mystery bookstore. Go to
http://www.mysterybooksellers.com/IMBA_Members.htm

3. From Amazon (they can always get copies). Go to
http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Scissors-Death-Lowenstein-Scrap-N-Craft/dp/0738712507/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220476375&sr=8-1

4. If you are a retailer, or a customer, you can always order from
http://www.midnightinkbooks.com/contact_us.php

My Path to Publication...

Ever wonder how an author got her start?

You can read all about mine at Heidi Ruby Miller - http://ambasadora.livejournal.com/

You'll probably get a kick out of why my fellow students at Ball State University thought I'd appeared in drag!

I also am very honest about what kept me from writing a book earlier.

Tracking the Successes and the Not-So-Much Encounters

Patricia Terrell is better known as p.m. terrell, author of Taking the Mystery Out of Promoting Your Mystery. I was lucky enough to chat with her the other day--and we have a meeting upcoming--so I'll be sharing some of the great ideas I learn.

But after looking at my schedule, here's one that immediately comes to mind--tracking your responses.

Patricia keeps a file where she "debriefs" herself after an event. This shouldn't have come as a surprise to me, because that's what savvy motivational speakers do. In fact, one of the absolute best in the business, Jeannie Robertson would note which stories she told and how they went over. If she learned a new line to add, she'd make note of that as well.

And when I did something like this after Love Is Murder, I saw that by stepping away and out of the fray and examining what worked and what didn't, I really forced myself to be honest, to evaluate with care and to make "mid-course" adjustments.

You see, an author can be a nimble unit of one, or a bull in a china shop. I hope that if I pause, reflect, and make note, I can use a technique NASA calls "downmoding." When a mission isn't going as planned, the powers that be at NASA pause and decide what's important, what can be salvaged and what objective should simply be dropped.

As I panicked over my huge "to do" list today, my husband asked, "And what happens if you don't get all that done?"

I thought a minute. The answer was, "Nothing. I might disappoint a couple of people, but it's no biggie." And he nodded and said, "Exactly."

So bring it on. I'll be chugged Emergen C and Airborne, and trying to have a whopping good time. Which reminds me of another tidbit of wisdom. I recall hearing that during the filming of Nine to Five, that "old" movie with Dolly Parton, Lilly Tomlin and others, that Dolly never, ever complained about anything. One of the younger actresses remarked on this, and Dolly said, "Before I was famous, I promised myself that if I'm ever lucky enough to make a movie or be somewhere, that I'd always just be so grateful and never complain." Now, that's not probably EXACTLY what she said, but I bet it was something pretty close.

So here's to being grateful, to making adjustments, and to debriefing AFTER the event so that I can spiral up instead of plummeting down.

Upcoming Appearances

(as of August 27, 2008)


Monday, September 1
Release date for Paper, Scissors, Death

Thursday, September 11
Booksigning and presentation: Blast that (Writer’s) Block
7 p.m. CST
St. Louis Park Library
3240 Library Lane
Minneapolis MN 55426
Phone: 952-847-6125

Friday and Saturday, September 12 & 13
Booksigning
1-2 p.m. CST
ScrapFest 2008
Archivers in Mall of America
60 East Broadway
Bloomington MN 55425
www.scrapfest08.c9m

Thursday, September 18
Booksigning
4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. CST
At “The U” (the bookstore on the campus of UMSL)
UMSL University Bookstore
One University Blvd.
St. Louis MO 63121
Phone: 314-516-5763

Saturday, September 20
Champagne & chocolate book launch party
6 p.m. CST
Main Street Books
307 S. Main
St. Charles MO 63301
Phone: 636-949-0105


Sunday, September 21
Online chat
7 p.m. EST
http://www.writerschatroom.com/schedule.htm

Saturday, September 27
Booksigning and Craft Demo
Noon and 2:30 p.m. CST
The Mystery Company
233 Second Ave. SW
Carmel IN 46032
Phone: 317-705-9711

Thursday and Friday, October 2 & 3
8:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. CST
Missouri Library Association
Millenium Hotel
200 S. 4th Street
St. Louis MO 63102
Venue phone: 314-241-9500

Tuesday, October 7
7 p.m. CST
Booksigning
Left Bank Books
399 N. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis MO 63108
Phone: 314-367-6731

Wednesday, October 8
Panel discussion and booksigning
McClay Branch Library
2760 McClay Road
St. Charles MO 63303
Phone: 636-441-7577

Saturday, October 11
Panel moderator and presentation plus booksigning
The Big Read
Mark Twain Circle and Topton Way
Clayton MO 63105
Phone: 314-863-0178

Thursday, October 13
6 p.m. CST
Program and booksigning
Kathryn Linneman Branch Library
2323 Elm St.
St. Charles MO 63301
Phone: 636-723-0232

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 17-19
Keynote speech and booksigning
Kingsport (TN) Times Women’s Expo
Marriott Meadowview Resort and Convention Center
1901 Meadowview Parkway
Kingsport TN 37660
Venue phone: 423-578-6632

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 24-26
Panel discussion and booksigning
Magna cum Murder
Horizon Convention Center
401 S. High Street
Muncie IN 47305
Venue phone: 888-288-8860
http://wwwmagnacummurder.com

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 31 thru Nov. 2
Great Manhattan (KS) Mystery Conclave
Panel discussion and booksigning
Holiday Inn at the Campus
17th & Anderson Avenues
Manhattan KS 66502
Venue phone: 785-539-7531
http://www.manhattanmysteries.com

Friday, November 7
Panel discussion and booksigning
1 p.m. CST
Jewish Book Festival
JCCA
2 Millstone Campus Dr.
St. Louis MO 63146
Venue phone: 314-432-5700
http://wwwjccstl.com

Saturday, November 8
Craft demonstration and booksigning
Read Between the Lynes
129 Van Buren Street
Woodstock IL 60098-3249
http://www.readbetweenthelynes.com


Tour information updated frequently at www.booktour.com

Seven Days Without Showering--Don't Try This at Home

"I can go seven days without showering and I won't stink at all," said the woman standing next to me inside the gas station outside of Clarksville, Tennessee. She was addressing her comments to the young girl behind the cash register. "That's one advantage of being Native American."

Now I don't know about you, but I love learning new factoids, especially when they are so totally unexpected. So I paid for my bottle of Starbucks Frappacino, my blueberry donut, and asked her, "Really? Why is it that Native Americans are different?"

With one hand, she flipped back the curly black hair that spilled over her shoulder. The color, I noted, was blue-black. A deeper black than I've ever seen. She grinned at me, "Something about our glands. We have the fewest, you know. Fewer than whites, Asians, and African Americans."

"Is it true that Native American men don't have beards? Don't have any facial hair?" I leaned against the counter. The clerk had taken my money, given me change, and now she seemed curious as well. It was midnight, and we were the only three people in the convenience store/gas station. My husband was outside refilling the car for the third time. We were on our last leg of the drive from Florida to Missouri, a trip which took us 18 hours.

Maybe if I hadn't been locked up in a car on Highway 24 for the better part of a day, I wouldn't have been so chatty. On the other hand, this was good stuff. The kind of scoop you add to a book to give it veracity. It was also the sort of conversation you probably couldn't have tried in a formal setting. No sir. It needed the right ambiance: flickering flourescent lights, the sound of cars on the highway whizzing by, and a stacking tray of No-Doz.

"Yes, that's true. None on their chests either." The speaker cocked her head. "Well, my brother does get one or two little hairs right here," and she pointed to a spot between her breasts, "but his wife plucks them out."

"Joanna?" My husband stuck his head in the door. No telling how long he'd been listening. "Um, ladies? I need to grab my wife and get going." And then to me he gestured, "Come on. Time to hit the road."

Rats. And I had all sorts of other questions to ask.

Marketing Lessons from Girl Scouting

Remember Girl Scouts? Thinking back on it, I believe that Juliette Gordon Lowe was actually creating a marketing organization, designed to promote the idea of good self-esteem to young women. She was a remarkable woman, and obviously a smart (Girl Scout) cookie.

Let's rethink some of the precepts:

1. Make new friends but keep the old. Okay, you never know what you'll learn from a pal. I just received an email from Jess Lourey telling me that my pre-release book Paper, Scissors, Death is beating out some releases on Amazon. I didn't know that! I don't know how to surface that info, but Jess does. That's just one tiny example of how friends can help us with this gnarled world of promotion. Secondly, she noted I didn't have my book tour on my website. Gosh, I hadn't thought of that! Now I'll hop right on it! (The tour info is on the Midnight Ink site and on http://www.booktour.com/ But that's not enough.)

2. Do a good turn daily. Each day when my google alerts pull up scrapbooking posts, I try to email at least one of the blogs and pass along an honest compliment. Will that help me? Who knows? I just know I feel good afterwards, and maybe I'm spreading a little goodwill. Of course, I sign the posts with "Joanna Campbell Slan, author of Paper, Scissors, Death: A Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-and-Craft Mystery."

3. Be prepared. I try to bring bookmarks and business cards (with my book cover) with me wherever I go. In fact, I had this great idea: I'm going to ask my local branch of the public library if I can slip a bookmark inside other craft cozies. I bet they'll say "yes," because they want to keep books pristine and recommend them. This will do both. Slipping them inside is smarter than putting them on the counter.

4. Help other people every day, especially those at home. Well, that's an easy one to overlook, isn't it? My sisters Jane and Margaret would both willingly help me, if they knew how. So it came as a surprise to all of us when I started asking questions: Do you know any mystery readers? Have any friends in book clubs? Turns out that Margaret's school has a book club. I gave her an excerpt booklet and bookmarks to give the to organizer. Jane is an online whiz, so I've asked her to help me when I get my Facebook site going.

5. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I remember something I learned years ago when I was getting my minor in psychology. When you ask a person to do a favor for you, if they didn't like you before, they will after they are asked. You see, we can't hold two competing ideas comfortably. So, the "favor granter "will decide to like the "favor asker " or feel unsettled. I'm telling myself to buck up. To ask people for help when I think they can. A "no" never hurt anyone. I can take it! Especially when the "yes" answers feel so good.

And I plan to wear a lot of green, highlighted by a great big Brownie smile.

PS Like these? I'll be posting the first in a list of ideas I've used to promote Paper, Scissors, Death on the Midnight Ink blog http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com/ on August 21.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

You remember this song, right? I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anyone's religion, but I think this song title could well be adapted to our work as promoters of our books.

I think it's my job to tell anyone and everyone who meanders across my path about my books, because you never know when you are going to meet a new (potential) fan.

Let me give you a few examples:

1. I was talking with the account rep at National City Bank about transferring some money from one account to another. She said, "While we're waiting for this to go through, is there anything else I could do for you today?" And I said, "Sure! You could take a look at my new mystery on Amazon." Well, wouldn't you know it, she LOVES mysteries and scrapbooking, and she copied down my book title and told me she'd tell all her friends.

2. We said "Hi" to the nice lady in the villa two doors down from us here on Kiawah Island. She told us she was shocked because none of the renters here usually say hello, and she's a very lonely resident. "I've joined local bookclubs to get to know people," she said. And so I followed up with, "What kind of books do you read?" Then I told her about my book, and later I delivered a customized bookmark. Her daughter was visiting when I dropped off the bookmark, and my neighbor had already told her all about my book.

3. I found out that one of my doctors has a holiday boutique in her office each November. I asked if they would have an opening for me to come sell my books--and they were thrilled.

4. I talked to my sister who's a teacher about how important it is to promote my books. We changed the subject, and then, Meg said, "You know, they have a bookclub at school. I didn't even think about it, but there's no reason they couldn't read YOUR book."

5. I talked to Sonja who exercises right next to me at Jazzercise. She told me there's a book club in her association, and she's getting me the contact information.

6. At a party, I handed one of my business cards (with my cover on it) to Vickie Newton, a local news anchor for KMOV. She's planning to interview me as soon as the book comes out.

You don't have to be obnoxious. You do have to be strategic. And the conversation can't just be about you and your book...

But here's my thinking: I personally LOVE books. I really love knowing authors. And if someone shared information about his or her book with me, I'd be happy to hear the good news. As long as the person was respectful and not pushy. I'm always looking for that next new favorite author.

And I trust that there's a universe of other people who feel the same.

Promoting Your Book to Organizations

Motivational speakers often promote their books to businesses. They offer to personalize their books or individually sign them, and then to appear at a business meeting for free. There's no reason fiction authors can't do the same.

For example, my husband hosts a meeting of the St. Louis Area Music Teachers Association every year. This year, I suggested he purchase a copy of my book for each of the teachers who'll be in attendance. I'll appear at the event and personally sign them.

The sales? At least 60 books.

Maybe more, because I'll be on hand to sell additional copies to the attendees. And I'll create a flyer to go to each attendee with the dates/times/locations of local signings. Plus details on where to order (through my local independent bookseller) more personalized copies.

Okay, you're thinking, but Joanna that's YOUR husband. That wouldn't work for me!

Nonsense. I'm working on a similar event with a local realtor. She wants to buy copies for her business associates and host a signing party for me. At the signing party, she'll invite her customers to meet an area author (me!) and enjoy some light refreshments.

What's really super about this event is...it's right in my backyard, it has no cost to me, and it will increase my local sales which may bump up my regional numbers.

Here's the key: It never hurts to offer--and I mean OFFER--your book and your presence to a business owner. They are always on the look out for a new, exciting and personal gift to give their best clients. Why not a copy of your book?

The Lesson of the Starfish

I found a starfish on the beach today.

I admire starfishes. Their power to regenerate impresses me. And most of all, I admire that even if they are missing a limb, they go on.

I think there's a lesson there. It's all too easy to give up. To throw in the beachtowel and say, "Things are going wrong. I want to cut my losses. It's time to quit."

But I wonder how often we quit right before we become successful. I imagine it's more often than not.

Sometimes I Goof and When I Do...

Groan.

I did something really stupid. And my excuse? I was tired and I wasn't thinking.

I sent out an invitation in my ezine. I told people that if they would email me, I'd send them the six new journaling boxes I had created.

That was cool, and fun, and I had 22 responses by the time we hit the road for vacation. I also had my husband help me load "everything" I needed on my memory stick. Everything, that is, except the journaling boxes.

So today is Sunday, and it's after 11 p.m., and I open my email and what do I find? 46 new requests for my journaling boxes, which is MONDO-cool but...here's the catch: I don't have the file!

So here are my options:

1. Ask everyone to wait until I return home.

2. Make a new set of journaling boxes, take it to Office Depot (I looked up the closest one in google) and have them scan it and send it to me to send along.

3. Beg some of the early recipients to send me a copy of the file I sent them.

I decided to roll with #3 for now. Let's see what happens!

Here's the scoop: In this increasingly technical age, we can do just about anything. BUT...when you're tired and not thinking straight all that technical gooble-de-gook can't help you. It's good old fashioned rest that matters, not the strength of your hard drive or how much memory your computer has.

But here's another scoop: I'm only human and sometimes I goof up. Usually when I do, it's a biggie!

A Visit to A.C. Moore

We spent the night last night in Columbia, SC, and as we drove to our motel which was on Columbiana, we passed an A.C. Moore store.

Wow. Was that bashert (Hebrew for "fated" or "meant to be") or what?

So this morning my son's girlfriend Emily and I went there to do a little vacation shopping while the guys, my son Michael and husband David, gassed up and got coffee for us all.

I loved the store. What a super, super selection they had of clear stamps, paper package, and lots and lots of lovely embellishments. What I really wanted to buy was some of the new laser paper, but our SUV was packed pretty tightly, and I thought it would get wrinkled. Instead, I stocked up on colored pens, a clear stamp from the Hannah Montana collection (wanted to use the guitar on a page for my son), another clear stamp of birdies (so hot right now), a ColorBox set of inks, and some paper...plus several packages of black brads to use when I customize my bookmarks.

I hope to get Emily started scrapbooking. She said she's always wanted to, and her sister does, but she hadn't caught the bug.

I have to say that traveling with my son's girlfriend is like HEAVEN for me. Usually I'm the lone female, and it's fine because I love my own company, but having a young lady with me is making this especially fun.

Road Trip

Tomorrow we'll hop in the car and try to get out of the house by 6 a.m. Yipppeeee!!! It's a road trip.

Are there any other two words so glorious in our language? I remember being little and getting up before dawn. My mom would pack the car the night before, using pillowcases for suitcases. She'd level out the well between the front seats and the back, then toss a blanket over the whole area. It became our playpen because back then, cars didn't have seatbelts and no one worried about being thrown from the vehicle.

I loved how the headlights would reveal the road as we drove. The way the streaks of pastel sherbet colors lit up the sky heralding the sun. The possibilities...

Road trip! Road trip! Road trip! Away we go!

Paper, Scissors, Death Delivered to My Door Today

The first copies of my new book came today by Fed Ex.

Do you remember the scene in Back to the Future? The dad opens a box and pulls out copies of the book he's written. Well, it's exactly like that. The box (in this case a padded bag) arrives at your door, and you open it with trembling hands.

In my case, you show your dogs what you've done. They were mightily impressed. They're big fans.

Then I called my dear friend Olivia, and I suggested we move our lunch to my husband's store, the Steinway Piano Gallery of St. Louis. I ran by Schnucks (a grocery store, yep, I spelled it right) and bought us salads and a bottle of champagne. When I got to David's store, he gathered all his employees, and he toasted my success.

It was pretty nifty. The folks in the store have helped in all sorts of ways. Gerry Malzone has helped with graphics. Pat Sonnett has helped with mailings. Others have simply been kind enough to ask about my progress.

Then I drove over to the Veterinary Group of Chesterfield to get more dog food, and I couldn't resist bringing along the book, because I thank lots of people there, too.

I read a rant by Robert Randisi about authors whose acknowledgements go on for too long. Maybe Robert doesn't have as many people to thank because he's been at this a long time.

But I sure do.

Promote, Promote, Promote

Okay, we're a month and a half out from my book launch. So how do I fill my days?


Promoting. Sigh. No writing on my most recent work-in-progress unfortunately. Job #1 is selling the heck out of Paper, Scissors, Death before it hits the bookshelves.



Every day I have chores, jobs to do, and emails to answer. Right now I'm working on these projects:

1. A mailing to independent mystery booksellers complete with a special folder for Book Club members. I address my remarks to "Book Club Organizer" and include my excerpt booklet for her to peruse, plus a customized bookmark. There's also a letter to the bookseller with info to help them sell my book--what authors I compare to, info about the coupon, and so on.

2. A letter to go to scrapbook stores, independent ones. My Midnight Ink publicist will put it in a packet and mail it out.

3. My Virtual Blog Tour. I'm filling in the spreadsheet. I have 17 dates in September already. Now I need to finish out the open spots and write the individual posts for each blog

4. My Virtual Tour in the U.K. I'm working with two websites. My book won't be there until November, but we're already thinking up ideas. One website is the hottest UK scrapbooking site. They're planning a mystery weekend in my honor. That should be tons of fun.

5. My latest issue of my ezine. That went to the web guy yesterday. Because my list has more than 4,500 names on it, he has to send it out in shifts so we don't get caught in the spam blocker. the ezine is chock full of freebies and even a contest. To sign up, sign in at my website. Or email me at joannaslan@aol.com and put "I want to get your ezine" in the subject line.

6. Details of upcoming events. I log these into www.booktour.com That's a great resource. Check it out. Go there and put my name in. You'll see where I'm appearing this fall.

7. Publicity here in St. Louis. The pretty mermaid is an example. She was created as part of an invitation for The World Aquarium and then auctioned off for charity. I'm busily working with various members of the media. I write a thrice-yearly column for the weekly shopper, and I need to work on my next one.

Did I mention I need to make some upgrades on my scrapbooking website?

I must admit, I'm happy doing this. This month I've started to get emails randomly from people who've heard about the book and are excited. That tells me something is working. I'm getting the word out.

I hope the movie is right. I'm building it. I hope they come!

Krkus Review of Paper, Scissors, Death

PAPER SCISSORS DEATH
SECTION: FICTION;
MYSTERYLENGTH: 242 words
When her husband is murdered, the only things that keep Kiki Lowenstein sane are scrapbooking, her daughter Anya and, of course, her unauthorized investigation. The Lowenstein marriage was far from ideal. Kiki had suspected her husband was unfaithful. But still her world crumbles when he is found naked and dead in a hotel room and handsome St. Louis County Police Detective Chad Detweiler suspects Kiki of murder. Her wealthy mother-in-law, who's never liked her, refuses to pay anything but Anya's private-school fees when Kiki is forced to sell everything to cover her husband's debts to his business partner. So Kiki, the queen of scrapbooking, takes a full-time job to support Anya and their Great Dane at Time in a Bottle, the store where she buys her supplies. Things go further downhill when Kiki's little rental home is robbed and her mother-in-law uses the alleged danger as an excuse to try to take custody of Anya. Her only comfort is that Detweiler has come to believe in her innocence, even though she is briefly suspected of killing her husband's longtime mistress. Kiki must overcome years of low self-esteem if she's to survive her traumatic experience and unmask the murderer.Kiki's debut, a well-turned cozy with loads of scrapbooking tips, will drive many a like-minded reader to indignation on her behalf.

Publication Date: 9/1/2008 0:00:00
Publisher: Midnight Ink/Llewellyn
Stage: Adult
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1250-5
Author: Slan, Joanna Campbell

Scrapbook Updates Spotlights Paper, Scissors, Death

Need a good summer read? How about scrapbook fiction?

Asks Nancy Nally of http://www.scrapbookupdate.com/

Scrapbooking's popularity has spawned a whole crop of fiction books that have scrapbooking themes which are starting to show up in bookstores. If you are looking for a good summer read, here are a few suggestions--

(A marketing idea for local scrapbook stores: you might want to try donating copies of scrapbook-themed fiction to your local library. It might get readers in the mood for scrapbooking, and even better, a lot of libraries allow labels to be placed in donated books that say "donated by..." which would be a great advertisement for your store! This might also be a productive use of unsold copies of scrapbook publications - turn them into advertising by donating them to places as reading material with your name on them.)

So let's take a look at the scrapbook fiction shelf...

Something to look forward to... The fall (specifically September) will bring the release (a) new mystery series featuring an expert scrapbooker... from a name that may be familiar to some in the scrapbook industry.

Paper, Scissors, Death: A Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-N-Craft Mystery by Joanna Campbell Slan will be released on Sept. 1st. The book focuses on Kiki Lowenstein, a recently widowed mom of one and scrapbook store employee, who must solve the murder of her husband to avoid being next on a hit list.

Campbell Slan is familiar to many in the scrapbook community for her long resume of writing there and it will be exciting to see if she can deliver on the fiction side as well. She certainly has the knowledge of the scrapbooking arena to make her setting authentic.

Campbell Slan is having a contest on her website where the winner gets to name a character in her next book, Cut, Crop & Die, coming in June of 2009.

Joanna Campbell Slan writes for a site called Killer Hobbies, a blog by seven mystery writers that write hobby themed books.

A Day with Nathan

(An Interview with Nathan Arnold, 7th Grade at Westminster School, St. Louis )

Nathan came to my office to “shadow” me for professional development day. He asked me some questions about my work and I asked him questions about his desire to become a writer.

Question for Joanna: What activities are enjoyable as a writer?
Answer: I enjoy writing, reading and marketing. I love what I do.

Question for Nathan: What activities seem enjoyable, even exciting about the job of an author?
Answer: Reading a lot, writing, meeting fans.

Question for Joanna: How many hours do you work a day?
Answer: Eight to ten.

Question for Nathan: What activities appear unpleasant or excessively boring?
Answer: Reading over your book so many times.

Question for Joanna: Does the position require homework after hours?
Answer: There’s some after-hours work, like working on marketing at night or when I go to conferences and meet with readers and other authors.

Question for Nathan: In what specific ways does school now prepare you for the world of work later?
Answer: It teaches you the basic skills in every subject. And the encore classes teach you about different things and unique skills you might need later on.

Question for Joanna: What other responsibilities do you have outside of work?
Answer: Well, I’m a mom. I make meals and do laundry. I take care of my dogs.

Question for Nathan: What do you like to write?
Answer: I like to write historical fiction and just plain fiction. Maybe some science fiction. I’m into fiction.

Question for Joanna: How did you decide to pursue this career path?
Answer: I always wrote. I can’t say that I actually decided to be an author, I just always read and wrote a lot. That’s how I think. How I process the world.

Question for Nathan: What surprised you about what you observed on the job?
Answer: The amount of work needed to make the book and get it finished. The amount of perseverance.

Question for Joanna: What are the top five most needed skills and characteristics for the job?
Answer: 1.) Perseverance 2.) Continuous learning 3.) Marketing 4.) Writing skills and 5.) The ability to handle rejection and criticism.

Question for Nathan: Is this a job that you might be interested in doing someday?
Answer: Yes, because I love to read and write, and I like what I can learn from reading and writing books.

Question for Joanna: What do you do to market your books?
Answer: I write for three blogs, contribute to newsletters and other publications, make appearances, create excerpt booklets and bookmarks, approach the media about publicity, create partnerships with organizations who might sponsor coupons or special events, work with other writers, set up book signings, work to create online communities, and appear on panels.

News Travels Fast, So Make Sure Your Name Stays With It

I found this wonderful and very savvy piece by Michelle May. M.D. http://www.amihungry.com/ and asked her if I could reprint it here.

Savvy marketers, take note! (I added the subheads, so don't blame Michelle if you don't like them. I just thought her info was so powerful, that I wanted you--my readers--to take note.)

STOLEN CONTENT

Like many infopreneurs, I was posting some of my articles in various ezine directories. I have Google Alerts set for several of my keywords so I receive an email when these keywords show up on Web sites or in blogs. I began to see that a lot of my content was being stolen from these directories and published without crediting me as the author.

MAKING THE SWITCH

Therefore, I’ve switched my focus to providing quotes for other authors and supplying articles to more targeted Web sites that value the content and are happy to give me credit and a link back to my Web site.

Last week, I got a Google Alert for my name that led me to an article in US News and World Report that quoted me http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080316/starved-for-sleep-watch-your-waistline.htm. It soon showed up on numerous other reputable online news sources like MSN.com http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100198286.

GOOGLE ALERTS

I had forgotten about the interview and probably wouldn’t have even known the article had been published had I not received the Google Alert. Within a couple of days I got more alerts for my name that led me to the same article on many different Web sites and various blogs, sometimes without the author’s name. In one blog, the blogger even made it appear that he wrote the article in response to a question one of his readers posted http://askglen.blogspot.com/2008/03/lack-of-sleep-linked-to-weight-gain.html.
Another example. My expertise is in weight management without dieting and I was interviewed by Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD who writes for WebMD. The article, 15 Best Diet Tips Ever http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/15-best-diet-tips-ever?page=1 was very popular on websites promoting diet drugs, supplements, etc. and appears over 10,000 times in Google. However, Kathleen’s name was not included in many of those posts.

WORSE THAN STOLEN--MISATTRIBUTED

Worse yet, in some instances, the article was stolen by someone who posted it on an ezine directory with HER name as the author, so wherever the article was picked up from there and the byline is left on, she appears as the author. Since my name is in the article, it appears every time that article is published (too bad it didn’t include a link to my website!).

THE LESSON?

The lesson is that your name is more likely to stay with an article when it is in the article than when it is in the byline.

WHAT TO DO?

So what about quoting yourself in an article? Most of us do it for our press releases but would feel uncomfortable doing it in an article with our byline. I asked Mary Westheimer, an expert on marketing with articles, and here is what she said:

I believe that being quoted in the body of the article is the best way to go. Why?
It’s easier to make it like a real news article, which makes it more likely to be printed.
There are more places an article can appear than a column (in which you are the expert-as-writer as opposed to being the quoted expert). That gives you more potential venues.
I think (just a gut feeling) a quoted expert has more credibility with readers.
You can better control the quote (what you would like to be “heard” saying).
Being quoted in the piece means you get the exposure if the byline gets “lost.”

AND THE BEST IDEA YET...

If someone is uncomfortable quoting themselves (being the author and expert), he or she could have a “PR partner” and they could interview each other.


Eat Mindfully, Live Vibrantly!
Michelle

Michelle May, M.D.
MMay@AmIHungry.com
480 704-7811
http://www.amihungry.com/
http://www.michellemaymd.com/
Blog: http://blogs.eastvalleytribune.com/consumed/

101 Ways to Market Your Books

101 Ways to Market Your Books by Joanna Campbell Slan, author of Paper, Scissors, Death (Available September 13, from Midnight Ink. ISBN: 0738712507 Pre-orders now accepted.)

This article was prompted by a challenge by John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Book.

1. As I write it, I think of the discreet audiences within and build in opportunities.

2. Get the best cover possible.

3. Ask for help refining my back cover matter.

4. Request over-runs of the cover.

5. Print marketing information on the inside of that over-run cover and use it like postcards, especially to market to booksellers who want to see the cover before placing an order.

6. Make interesting bookmarks. (I customized them and added flowers.)

7. Get blurbs from people with recognizable names.

8. Get reviews and permission to use those reviews in anyway I dream up.

9. Run a contest associated with the book. (Mine is The Best of British Scrapbooking administered now by ScrapBook inspirations Magazine in the UK.)

10. Send information about that contest through a variety of channels—online, websites, magazine, the magazine’s blog.

11. Offer a prize for the contest.

12. Put out birth announcements through an online invitation site when my book launches.

13. Have stickers made of the book’s cover.

14. Use cover stickers on name badges when I attend conferences.

15. Attend conferences.16. Ask to be on panels.

17. Ask to host tables at banquets.

18. Create super handouts that are “keepers” for any panel or appearance. Include marketing information.

19. At table (that I host) give away “goody bags” with items related to the book.

20. Invite booksellers or reviews or well-known fans to join me at that table.

21. Carry around a faux subpoena, fill it in to invite people to share my table on the spot.

22. Contact people through the business cards I collected last year and ask them to sit at my table.

23. Contact people from last year and tell them I’m looking forward to seeing them at the conference.

24. Offer my book as a prize for charity auctions. (Go to the social section of the daily paper and find these events.)

25. Give a portion of sales to a charity.

26. Ask to be a party of the charity’s annual event.

27. Ask to have my book publicized in the charity’s program.

28. If the charity has an auction, and if my item fetches a nice price, immediately tell the auctioneer that I will also offer a duplicate item for the runner-up. (This gives the charity twice the money, and me twice the exposure.)

29. Make a “jacket” for my three-legged dog and feature a photo of my book on it.

30. Have a tote bag made with the cover of my book on it. (Use the tote bag.)

31. Distribute bookmarks to the local library.

32. Go to the bookstore at the local airport and offer to help them put together a display of books by local authors.

33. Create shelf-talkers.

34. Send shelf-talkers with media kits to local libraries.

35. Ask friends to call their local library and ask them to order my book.

36. Offer to do a program at my child’s school.

37. Create handouts for the program with links to booksellers and my ISBN.

38. Staple a copy of my book to a cheap package of seeds. Add a card saying, “It’s spring and good books are blooming.” Leave in gardening centers.

39. Offer to do a program for retirement homes.

40. Create a handout for attendees from retirement homes—make it large enough to add the attendee’s photo and suggest they post it in their rooms so that their family can see my book when they visit.

41. Carry my book with me and read it while I’m waiting in public transportation.

42. Leave bookmarks on seats in public transportation.

43. Offer to do a lunchtime program for local companies.

44. Work with other authors to create a speakers’ bureau.

45. Come up with an idea for Chase’s Calendar of Events and CelebrateToday.com and have a holiday that relates to my book.

46. Offer free support materials online for my holiday.

47. Have a website.

48. Have a MySpace page.

49. Have a FaceBook page.

50. Enter myself on as many social authors’ groups as possible.

51. Come up with a list of blogs where it would be ideal for me to blog.

52. Ask them if I can guest blog.

53. Give them a copy of my book to give away.

54. Ask the blogs that allow me to guest blog if they’d suggest a friend who blogs.

55. Get my book into company libraries.

56. Get my book into hospital bookstores—don’t forget the shelf talkers.

57. Contribute to social marketing sites and add my book in my signature line.

58. Add my book in my signature line of all email.

59. Drop a business card into all our outgoing mail.

60. Have an open house in my neighborhood to launch my book.

61. Ask a local real estate agent if she’d like to host a book launch party for me and invite her clients.

62. Make my book available to my son’s school, and ask the librarian to send out a notice in the parent correspondence about my book.

63. Tell my doctor and dentist that I’d be happy to personalize a copy of my book for each of their employees.

64. Hold a book signing in a local grocery store near the holidays.

65. Package several of my books together with a ribbon around them and sell them as a package.

66. Offer to email people a free report or goody to anyone who shares an Amazon order number with me after purchasing my book.

67. Run contests through my blog that reward people for bringing in new readers. (They must identify the name of the new sign up so I know this happened.) Give away an excerpt booklet or a bookmark

.68. Create my own fan club—and have someone else run it.

69. Swap with an author friend: I put up her info on Wikipedia and she does the same for me. We both mention our books.

70. Work with other authors, create a program and offer it to libraries.

71. Offer to speak to book clubs at libraries and in schools.

72. Ask my spouse to keep my business cards with his and to hand out as appropriate.

73. Wear a pin made of my book cover to social events.

74. Made a donation to public radio and have four announcements about my book made in one day.

75. Contact all my local media with a story idea.

76. Apply to write a column for my local media.

77. Write articles for my trade publication.

78. Create a group of interested bloggers who will receive review copies of my book to start the buzz.

79. Attend local Chamber of Commerce activities and offer a program about my book.

80. Post information about my book on bulletin boards where I shop and exercise.

81. Promote my upcoming book signings with a flier for booksellers to drop in their outgoing purchase bags.

82. Put a contest in the back of my book—use it to collect more names/details about readers.

83. Offer character naming rights in a contest.

84. Offer character naming rights to a charity to be auctioned off.

85. Offer character naming rights to anyone who pre-orders my book through a local bookstore.

86. Have book club questions on my blog, and offer to be available by phone or online to clubs.

87. Take classes that are relevant to the topic of my book. Offer bookmarks and business cards to other students.

88. Have a large poster made representing something of interest in my book. (In my case, a harlequin Great Dane) Take it along to book signings to spark conversation.

89. Offer to take other authors (from out of town) around to do signings. This helps me build professional relationships with both the author and booksellers.

90. Find a society or association that would be interested in some aspect of my book (Great Dane Rescue Society), and ask them to run an article about me.

91. Designate a day when a portion of all sales are donated to that society or association.

92. Teach Adult Ed classes that relate to my books.

93. Teach something online that relates to my books (I teach online scrapbook journaling.)

94. Send a mailing to your high school alumni list.

95. Send a mailing to your college alumni list.

96. Send postcards (over-run of your covers) to stores that should stock your books. (In my case that’s scrapbookers.)

97. Offer to sign books in local coffee shops or Starbucks.

98. Check out your state’s arts programs, especially the visiting author programs.99. Offer to be the “author in residence” at a local high school.

100. If your family lives in another area of the country, ask them to help you set up a book signing there.

101. Ask people who read your blog to come up with 101 ideas for promoting their books. Tell them you’ll post them online.Check out John's site for 101 More Ways . . .

Marketing Resources You Need to Check Out

I casually mentioned on Murder Must Advertise that I thought all of us would benefit by reading how self-published authors promote their work. After all, if you are self-published, you KNOW you have to make it on your own, often with limited resources.

Here's a list of sites and blogs I compiled. There's a lot of great of information here. I suggest you choose one each day and spend a little time going through the articles or posts.

http://www.pma-online.org/articles/search.aspx (This is great…a wealth of articles on marketing)

http://www.pma-online.org/articles/shownews.aspx?id=1421 (The most interesting and useful article I’ve read on marketing fiction…PERIOD. Opens your eyes to new ways of seeing how to promote your books.)

http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/ (Okay, this isn’t self-publishing, but she’s written about self-publishing)

http://www.parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/index.cfm (The guru/granddaddy of self-publishing.)

http://www.selfpublishingresources.com/Articles.htm (The godparents of self-publishing.)

ftp://ftp.fripp.com/One-PageTemplates.pdf (Since marketing yourself as a speaker is a great way to sell your book, this is a super resource. You can adapt it for your book.)

http://podwriting.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/how-to-promote-a-self-published-book/ (These might seem obvious…but how many of us do them?)

http://www.elderstribune.com/writing/how-market-your-self-published-book-online-free (Some interesting and new ideas.)

http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php (Fascinating article--that all anyone needs is 1,000 True Fans.)

http://www.bob-baker.com/self-publish-book/blog/2007/12/beyond-myspace-and-facebook-meet.html (On becoming an octopus or a squid, and why you’d want to.)

http://www.bookmarket.com/tipsindex.htm (I hate all the sales-BSP stuff at the beginning of his newsletters, but I love the info and opportunities.)

http://www.authorsandspeakersnetwork.com/articles.html (Terrific articles.)

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/blogmarket.htm (Great articles...especially this on finding top blogs.)

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/pub_mkt.htm (A treasure-trove of links.)

http://www.publishingbasics.com/category/sales-and-marketing/ (Ignore the self-publishing references. It’ll work for traditionally published authors, too.)

How to Pitch a Reporter

I contacted a newspaper I once worked for...and even though my book isn't out yet (but it can be pre-ordered through Amazon), I wrangled a nice interview:

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2008/04/14/life/features/1031691.txt

Because book pages are slowly going the way of the dinosaur, it behooves us to "pitch" reporters who may not be book reviewers. I went to the newspaper site, trawled around for articles, and decided Arlene looked like a good match for what I had to offer. Then I called her and made my pitch. We noodled around, and she suggested the slant for the interview.

You know, the media are "herd" animals. They don't want to be left out of a good story. I remember when I worked for newspapers and freelanced for radio--the news director would go through all the day's stories and grill the reporters with, "Why didn't we get this story? Check it out. Do a follow up."

What makes a story newsworthy?

1. A unique angle (see the link above)
2. A local or seasonal tie
3. Number of people affected and how close to home it happened
4. Sex,blood, money, scandal and celebrity
5. Human interest--which includes humor and a look at other people's lives
6. Something new....

The more of those qualities you can pitch, the more likely you are to get coverage. Visualize a slot machine: How many cherries can you get in a row? In fact, if you go through the interview, you'll see she and I touched on all of the above. (The "blood" being I wrote a mystery.)

j