These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

I've been re-reading Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things for the authors' book club I belong to. The book was my choice. It's almost guaranteed to spark a lively debate for many reasons. I find myself intrigued by the way that Alma, the main character, can find beauty and wonder in the world around her.

It is, I think, a talent well-worth having. To see past the broken, the ugly, and the dirty, and to find pockets of wonder. Perhaps it's a form of gratitude. Instead of taking the world for granted, it's an opportunity to appreciate the moment.

I try to do this in my books, leaving a trail of literary bread crumbs for the reader to follow. It's my way of sharing what has given me joy.  Because owning a Great Dane is out of the question for me at this juncture, I gave one to Kiki Lowenstein. Because I love turning trash into treasure, I assigned that job to Cara Mia Delgatto. Because I like to look like a lady (even if I don't behave like one!), I told Clancy that she has to be a Jackie Kennedy clone. The list goes on and on.

This morning, I was thinking about my favorite things, things that have or should become part of my books. What would you add to the list?

* blue patterned china
* sunrises
* miniatures
* ferns
* my Paris coffee mug
* my color printer
* my notebook computer
* our blue bedspreads
* Jax, my puppy
* Jax's toy, Foxie
* Hibiscus
* the beach
* thunderstorms
* a good book
* peanut butter
* fresh cherries
* the walk to my mailbox
* tissue paper
* greeting cards
* my comfy pajamas
* lavender the fragrance
* sandalwood

Okay, it's not all inclusive, but I think I'll stop and work on Kicked to the Curb, a book I love writing, but one that's been through TONS of rewriting!

Tell me about your favorite things!

Where Are the Paper Versions of the Kiki Books?

Last April, my longstanding publisher Midnight Ink decided to discontinue the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series.

So I am now self-publishing the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series. I had self-published other books years ago, so this is will be fine…eventually…although there have been many changes since I founded “Spot On Publishing.”

I had already mastered the mechanism for putting short stories up on Amazon. They’ve made it very, very easy, bless them! The folks at Amazon have been simply terrific to work with. And financially, it’s been an absolute godsend.

I now have an assistant, Sally, and she’s working to get the books printed on paper. We hope to announce that we’ve conquered this new technology very shortly!

However, as you might imagine, you can’t give away a book on paper for FREE. There are costs involved—paper, ink, printing, shipping, storage, and mail, not to include insurance, bookkeeping, boxing up, and fulfillment. So to keep the series alive, to keep readers interested while we work out the details of print publication, I’m releasing new books as epublications. Frankly, we’re also hoping that by releasing the epublications and giving them away for free, we can actually grow the number of Kiki fans!

In the long run, I think I’ll be able to satisfy my readers and their interest in Kiki. Since I’ll be in charge of my own covers, my editing, pricing, and release dates, I can do as I wish. Since I’m a bit of a control freak, I like that!

But as my assistant reminds me, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

This year I’ve written countless short stories and four books. (Yes, you read that right--FOUR.) Most authors write one a year. So, we’re working hard…

But evidently, not hard – or fast!—enough.

Please bear with us!

j

Why do YOU read?

Tuesdays with Sally Lippert, Joanna's Ace Assistant

Do you read for fun?
Do you read to escape?
Do you read to learn a new skill?
Or is it all of the above?
Currently, I am reading for all of the above.

As I am trying to assist Joanna in the self-publishing world, I have developed a whole new appreciation for what an author goes through to get a book into our hands.

When we are very young, our parents introduce us to the world of books.
School starts and we begin our education via books and teachers.
Choosing our professions, we go on to higher learning and study a field of interest.
Growing up, I read the Boxcar children, Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew.
My brothers read comic books.
Through adulthood, I have gone through all the genres of reading as I am sure most of you have done.

But I never had an appreciation for what it takes to write a novel until now. I didn't know the "behind the scenes" work involved. The hours spent editing, checking facts, double-checking style for consistency, making decisions about cover copy, and reaching out to fans. As I go through Kiki Land, my admiration for Joanna has grown by leaps and bounds because of her growth as a writer.


Joanna curling up with a good book

Of course, I am reading lots of other authors and now respect the research that goes into writing a book.

I also have a new respect for the online world that authors must navigate, a world changing every day. As my own career as a nurse unfolded, I never stopped studying or learning, especially as critical care changed with all the new technology. That ability to stay mentally agile is definitely coming in handy, as I am learning new ways of publishing and marketing.

But even though so much of the delivery system has changed, in the end, it is still all about delivering a good story. Writers definitely have their work cut out for them as they help us to learn, entertain and escape.

Are My Books In Your Local Bookstore?

They might be. Or they might not be.

And I can't tell you exactly why. Book distribution...well...it's tricky, and confusing, and a big mystery. Trust me, even Sherlock Holmes could be baffled by the ins and outs of book distribution. My friend Emilie Richards does a wizard job of discussing this on her blog.

So, yes, I know that fans have found my books in chain booksellers around the country. But I also know that sometimes, they don't see my books.

If they've sold out of my books--and I've been told that Photo, Snap, Shot is flying off the shelves, thanks to the great reviews--please consider ordering a copy (or two or three!) from any chain bookseller. They'll have no problem getting copies for you.

I also know of many independent booksellers who do a wizard job of promoting my books. Hurrah for Indie Booksellers! Any local independent bookseller can order copies of my books. Just ask.

Many college bookstores are now carrying my books. If they don't have copies in stock, they too can order them.

There are scrapbook stores who carry my books, and of course, there is always Amazon. They are great at taking preorders. You can also buy my books directly through my publisher by clicking on Midnight Ink.

Meanwhile, here's some ordering information you can use:

1. Make, Take, Murder (Book #4) will be officially released May 1, 2011.
2. Ink, Red, Dead (Book #5) will be officially released April 1, 2012.

Ink, Red, Dead will debut a new character, one that my fans in St. Louis asked me to "invent." Her name will be Bridget Eichen, and trust me, you are going to love her! (Mega thanks to Ruth M. and all the book lovers at Barnes & Noble in Fenton.)

The Future of rhe Publishing Industry

Last night I did a signing at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Reston. I spoke to a lovely and enthusiastic crowd. We were seated near the children's book section. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a young lady, at most maybe eleven years old, watching me and listening in. Eventually she slipped into a seat in the second row, as her papa watched from his spot by the YA (Young Adult) books stack.

She seemed thoughtful, quiet, and the expression on her face told me she was obviously absorbing the entire scene as I held up pictures of the debutante ball that makes up part of the mystery in Photo, Snap, Shot.

This young lady wore a knee-length rust colored dress, with a ruffle on both sides of the buttons down the front of the bodice, and a sewn-on sash tied around the waist. Her hair was long, dark walnut brown, and it formed waves as it ran down her back. It had been pulled back very neatly with a rubber band.

In so many ways, she reminded me of myself at that age.

At the end of my presentation, she waited until most of the adults had their books signed. Then she brought up a book, and I asked if she would like it signed. (I never assume anyone wants my signature. That's a choice that's theirs to make. I would never be so presumptious.) When she nodded and spelled out her name, I signed the book with deliberation, taking the time to ask her if she liked to read and what she read. She said, "All sorts of things." I asked if she liked mysteries, and she nodded. I asked if she liked Nancy Drew.

No. She'd just read one of those, and no more, because "it creeped me out."

Her language was so vibrant, her words were so emotional and heartful, and her thought was so unexpected that I laughed out loud.

After I finished signing stock for the bookstore, my young fan came back again. Her face full of solemn expression. "What's your name?" she asked me.

I told her. She nodded and walked away. Heel-toe, heel-toe, heel-toe. Hands clasped behind her back.

I hope that she likes my book. I hope that she'll find something inside to encourage her to be a lifelong reader. I hope that if she wants to write, she'll remember that she once met an author...and that this particular author was kind and interested in her.

Because I was. Of all the people there last night, I cared most about that little girl.

She's the future of this industry.

Time for a Change...or Two

Nothing stays the same, does it? I keep casting my thoughts back to one calendar year ago. The amount of change in my life is positively dizzying. (Is that a word?)

I'm not just talking about a change in locale.

CHANGE IN WORD COUNTS

This morning I heard from my editor that Book #4 is a bit long. I'm not surprised. I had noticed that my original goal was 80-85,000 words. The more recent contract we're negotiating shows a final word count of 70,000 words. That's a big change. Especially since I've been working very hard to develop subplots that take my books to the next level.

CHANGE IN MARKETING STRATEGIES

Today, most publishers schedule books to come out yearly. When you think about that, it's a bit odd. I mean, I watch my favorite shows every week, and they've got me hooked. So why is it different with books? I would love to share my Kiki short stories between the book launches. We'll have to see if I can.

CHANGE IN MY HAIRSTYLE

For some odd reason, most of the curl in my hair has just...disappeared. I have no idea now. Maybe it symbolizes that I'm not nearly so tightly wound. Or maybe it's the result of living near Washington, D. C., where everyone seems to be very, um, personally conservative and straight-laced. Curly doesn't seem to fit my new life.

CHANGE IN MY WEBSITE

Stay tuned. Working on this.

CHANGE IN MY PRIORITIES

A old friend sent me a ranting political piece she'd written that was totally inflammatory--and then she asked me to critique it. This came totally out of the blue. I thought to myself, "I didn't sign up for this." See, when you work at home by yourself all day, and you get something that's so...ugly, it's hard to shake the mood. As a wise business coach once said, "The most important thing any entrepreneur can do is protect their confidence." Translated for writers that becomes, "The most important thing any writer can do is protect her mental state." I should have told my old friend, "Please don't send me anything like this again."

CHANGE IN STATUS

Used to be, I was the new kid on the block. My dear pal Emilie Richards came over for breakfast the other day, and we had a lovely talk about how to write a synopsis, how to keep track of a story in progress, and where we hoped to go with our next books. I reflected at the time that this isn't a conversation we could have had years ago. I didn't know enough to ask Emilie the questions I'm asking today. I guess I'm not such a newbie anymore! This lovely blog post by Pam DeVoe confirms it.

Almost Seems Like Home

Yesterday I drove to the grocery store and back without thinking. Not a big deal to you. But it was to me. You see, I'm feeling at home.

This has been a year of tumult. In January, my mother's exam found spots in her lungs. However, the spots didn't light up, so the doctors were convinced it wasn't cancer. "Probably scar tissue," they told us. By June we knew the truth: She had terminal lung cancer.

Still, Mom clung to hope. After all, last time she had cancer, the chemo and radiation zapped it. She'd had two, almost three good years in between. "I just need to get through this treatment," she told a friend. "I think I have five more years. Okay, maybe two." But she never gave up hope.

When the doctor scoped her, he didn't tell my sisters how advanced the cancer was. Mom insisted on taking her chemo. Despite the fact it made her sick.

When I visited her on Mother's Day, I was shocked at how frail she'd become. Even before we were told the cancer was terminal, she lost fine motor control. She dropped things repeatedly. Her legs had become extremely bowed. When we drove places, she read the signs as though she were trying to ground herself in the here and now. Her conversations were erratic. She forgot things. She wasn't herself. Now I know...even then, she was dying. Even before the diagnosis, she was slipping away.

My sisters and I worked out a plan. I flew down in July to have a turn taking care of her. My plane landed late on a Saturday in Miami, so I was going to drive up to Stuart on Sunday. My son and husband were already there--my son needed a place to live for college. The guys planned to make a father-son weekend of it. Somehow their plans got confused. They visited Mom on Saturday night. She was barely lucid. They said their goodbyes. My husband David didn't think he'd ever see her again.

He was right.

By the time I arrived on Sunday, she was in a coma. For the next eight days, my sisters and I cared for her. We called upon hospice. I shall forever be grateful to them for all they did. Sally Lippert was an absolute angel. Connie, the other hospice worker, was kind, helpful and thoughtful.

But it was an ugly, painful way for Mom to go. The morphine didn't completely assuage her pain.

I won't think about that now...but I will say that at the end, we were happy for her release. These earthly bonds no longer served my mother's spirit. And when she died, the lights in that room strobed on and off, on and off, on and off, until Sally got up and turned them off at the switch. She's seen thousands of deaths, but never seen anything like that.

I came home and tried to pack to move to the Washington DC area. Actually, I wandered around my home in St. Louis like a ghost. I tried. I really tried. But I was lost. I was exhausted. I would pick up things, look at them, put them back where I found them and wander around some more. In between, real estate agents would call asking if they could show the house. That's their job, after all. So, I'd scoot everything into some semblance of order, grab the dogs, toss them in the car, and go drive around for an hour or two. I was a mess.

Finally I told David, "You'll have to pick out a house for us. I can't do it. I don't have the time to fly to DC. I trust you."

So he did.

We had a memorial service for Mom, and we moved Michael into his new condo. He loves it. David flew back to DC, leaving Michael and me to buy towels, furniture, cleaning supplies. I'm not sure he's used the latter yet! Oh, well. He's happy--and I think I've never been happier than pushing a grocery cart with him by my side and loading it with food for my boy.

Two weeks later, the packers came. I tried, really tried to organize our belongings, but I couldn't. The two women who did most of the packing were enormously kind. One took my husband aside and told him to tell me not to work so hard. Bless her. I remember wandering (again with the wandering!) from room to room, thinking, "This is the house where I raised my son. Where my mother came to visit. Where we had friends stay the night. Where we celebrated the holidays. Where my dog Kevin lived. Where I wrote my first book. How can I say, 'Goodbye'?" But I did.

We drove for two days. My dogs--Vicky and Rafferty--sat beside me in the passenger's seat. They were very, very good. Almost as if they knew I needed them.

We arrived in the DC area at 8 at night. I drove, for the first time, on the notorious Beltway, aka Highway from Hell, with its uneven lanes. I was sooo tired. At one point, my wheels bumped the uneven asphalt, and my car careened back and forth in the lane. But I made it. We drove to this house.

It's a good house.

I can live here.

And now I can go to the grocery store, all by myself. Without the help of GPS.

It's going to be all right.

I'd Rather Be Eating Kibble...Or Why Some Books Are Hard to Take

Every day the Universe conspires to teach me lessons I don't wanna learn. As they say in the movies, "Resistance is FUTILE." And yet, I still struggle.

Today, my dog was the teaching assistant. Rafferty decided he didn't want to eat his food. Being a good dog mom, I coaxed. "Ah, come on, Raffie." Then I threatened. "Eat your food." And finally, I resorted to unfair tactics. I poured beef boullion over the kibble.

To no available. He licked off the beef and sat down to stare at me.

His desire to eat has not overcome whatever resistance he's feeling. And yet...and yet...it's spring and I have hope.

It's like that with books, too. I keep trying to read Bleak House by Dickens. At first, I tried because I own an old copy, and there's a deep seated part of me that believes old books are to be venerated. Then I tried because I read a reference to the characters. And finally, I've taken a third stab at Bleak (was there ever a book so aptly named?) because I'm doing research on the justice system in Victorian times.

Personally, I'd rather be eating kibble.

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet--and You Could Win a Big Box of Books!

Argh. Every day I open my email and think: I don’t have time for all this. I especially don’t have time to update my website, to check all the posts on all the list-serves I belong to, visit every online community I need to, and comment on everyone’s blog as I should.

But I do have time to Twitter. Apparently, the rest of the world agrees. The site has reported an eight-fold rise in visitors since 2007, and in December reported 2.7 million people stopped by. At this rate, it is poised to overtake Facebook. It’s especially popular among the young and restless. One in five people between the ages of 18 and 35 with Internet access have “tweeted” or posted short messages of 140 characters on Twitter at least once.

Why do we twitter? Because we can. Because I can dash off a 140-character (that’s letters and symbols, not characters as in people who populate books!) post to update people on the release date of Cut, Crop & Die, the second book in the Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-N-Craft Mystery Series. (That’s June 1, so mark your calendars or go to Amazon.com and place your order.)

Because I can post regular journaling prompts to remind scrapbookers the world over to write about their own lives. (Check it out at twitter.com/joannaslan. If you are an author, the journaling prompts are great tools for overcoming writer’s block. Try them and you’ll see!)

Because I can follow my favorite authors, geeks, and newsmakers by hitting the FOLLOW button.

Because I can make a post to Twitter from a Blackberry. (Try doing that with a regular blog post. I mean, if you are young and have well-trained thumbs, you probably can handle this, but I can’t. Yet.)

Because Twitter will automatically take any regular URL and turn it into a tiny URL and post the link for me. Because I can quickly scan the posts and see what interests me. Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit,” so I think he would have LOVED Twitter.

Because Twitter fits. I can squeeze it in.

Want to see how it works? Become one of my followers on Twitter and I’ll enter your name in a contest to win a Box of Books. Yep, I did find time to cull an entire box of mysteries from my bookshelves. (It's a honking big box!) So, add your name to my followers on Twitter by going to twitter.com/joannaslan, hitting, FOLLOW, and then EMAILING me at savetales@aol.com and telling me you are now following me. Be sure to tell me your “twitter” name so I can see that you did it! (No cheating!) I’ll choose one follower and mail him/her that box of books. For best results, share your postal address with me. Otherwise if I can't get a hold of you and get your address confirmed within a day or two, I'll choose another winner. (Life's too short to chase you down!)

Let’s see if this Tweeting works!

PS You can hear a live broadcast of a scrapbook crop at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/circle-of-seven/2009/02/14/readers-entertainment-radio-with-guest-joanna-slan-author-of-paper-scissors-death If you have NO idea what a “crop” is, or why women love them, this will be very, very enlightening!

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.

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 Promote Your Book

Since some of you asked...it was easier to write this up than to keep sending emails.

The best time to think about promoting your book is before you write it. Yes, I know a lot of you might disagree, but I’m the author of 12 books and I’ve sold more than 175,000 copies so I think I’m qualified to suggest this approach. By thinking before you write—or even as you write—you can build in natural audiences.

Venn Diagram Marketing Approach

You do this by finding that intersection between your reader and your characters. Think of this as a Venn Diagram. One circle would be all that comes to mind when you imagine your reader’s life and interests. Another circle is your character (or characters, but do this one at a time) and her/his unique interests and lifestyle. Where these two circles overlap, you have an arena of marketing potential. You need to keep this arena of marketing potential in your mind as you write. It’s a delicate balance. If you pander to that arena of marketing potential, your book will be a shill for products and organizations. If you ignore that arena of marketing potential, you’ll be without hooks for your manuscript.

Steps to Promotion

But let’s say you’ve already done that. Here are the promotional steps in nearly chronological order:

1. Start by getting a website. Today, a website tells people who you are and why they should buy your book. It tells folks you are for real, serious and in this for the long haul. You need to get one up and going before people can buy your book, because a lot of people will check out your website before deciding whether your work will be of interest to them. Some agents and editors will even look at your website to decide if you are going to do “what it takes” to create sell-through in the marketplace.

2. If you can’t get a website up and running (and trust me, this makes remodeling your house seem a snap), create a blog. You can do this very easily at blogspot.com At least you’ll have a presence on the web.

3. Join writers’ organizations. You can’t go it alone. If you don’t have time to go to meetings, join organizations with strong online communities. These communities will help you by offering you opportunities such as signings and contests and by answering your questions.
Work hard to meet people in your genre and to make contacts. Be a giver, not a taker. These people will help guide you, offer you opportunities, and perhaps blurb your book. But don’t count on any of that. Go with an open heart and an open mind. Years ago, I read a supermodel’s secret to success: “I steal with my eyes.” Great advice. Keep your eyes and ears open. You’ll learn a lot and save yourself a lot of heartache. (Believe me, I have. This is the best advice I ever read, bar none!)

4. Create a basic “kit” to promote your book: business card with your book and ISBN; bookmarks, and a media pack. Make it a goal to pass out tons of business cards. They don’t do you any good in your desk. Keep a copy of your media pack ready to mail out at all times. Yes, your media pack or kit can be files in your computer, but a hard copy is also a good idea.

5. Figure out what organizations might benefit from learning about your book. Let’s call these Allied Interest Groups or AIGs. This is where that Venn Diagram comes in handy. What special themes do you cover? Who is your main character? What is he/she involved in? What are your hobbies or your protagonist’s hobbies? Where is your book set geographically?

Think of these as links…as side roads that can lead a reader to your work. For example, my protagonist rescues a Great Dane. This provides the following organizational “links”:

Great Dane groups
Great Dane rescue organizations
Any dog rescue organization
Any dog lovers’ group

Once you figure out your AIG, think about creating a win-win situation. How can you help them? What can they offer you? (Notice the order of these questions.) Think of a win-win proposal you can offer. Here’s a chance to use your creativity.

6. Create your own media list. This would include:

AIGs
Your local media
Any alumni publications
Any other affiliations you have—churchs and synagogues, clubs, associations, professional groups, neighborhood alliances, businesses you patronize, where you work, organizations your children are part of

7. Make connections with local booksellers. Don’t press yourself on them. You might even volunteer your time. Learn about their customer base. Your goal is to be an ambassador for your book, not to be a pest or to demand that your book be front and center. And never, ever demand a book signing or demand that they carry your book. Both are privileges.
If your book would be a fit, ask (do NOT demand) to do a signing or special event at the store. But you need to realize it will be up to you to market the event, so think this through.

You can also do stock signings.

Some booksellers will let you talk to their employees or post a message in their coffee-break room.

8. Read every book you can get your hands on about marketing, promoting and publicizing your book. Sign up for Murder Must Advertise (MurderMustAdvertise@yahoogroups.com), a wonderful service by Jeff Marks. You never know when you’ll stumble over a great idea.

Ideas will fall into two categories:

• Low-hanging fruit—It’s a business term, but one that’s perfect for the visual. These are easy opportunities that come your way. Like the parents’ book club at your child’s school. Or dropping a copy of your business card in the mail with all your bills or holiday cards.
• Top of the tree fruit—These take longer and include more risk. These are a stretch. You might have to work on these ideas for months before they pay off. They might include giving a workshop or being covered in the media.
  
  
  Books to Help You Promote Your Book
  
  1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer
  Guerilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman & Michael Larsen
  Buzz Your Book by MJ Rose and Douglas Clegg
  Take the Mystery Out of Promoting Your Book by p.m.terrell
  Publicize Your Book by Jacqueline Deval
  Bestselling Book Publicity by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman
  Plug Your Book by Steve Weber
  The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
  Intent to Sell by Jeffrey Marks
  The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity by Lissa Warren
  
  Websites and Blogs to Help You Promote Your Book
  
  By the way, don’t worry that some of these seem to be for self-published authors if you aren’t. Remember: Self-published authors HAVE to do all their own promotion. So this is really good stuff.
  
  http://joannaslan.blogspot.com/
  http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
  http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/
  http://www.mysterypromotion.com/
  http://authorsaccess.com/archives/category/marketing
  http://www.gmarketing.com/articles/
  http://www.rickfrishman.com/blog/index.php
  http://www.author101.com/
  http://www.selfpublishingresources.com/Articles.htm#PR
  http://www.bookmarket.com/tipsindex.htm
  http://www.larsen-pomada.com/pages.cfm?ID=18
  http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/buzz.shtml
  http://www.sitepronews.com/