Recently I've been trying to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions, on the theory that if one new author asked, a dozen more want to know the same thing. Not all the questions I get are deep or heavy. Consider this inquiry for straightforward marketing detail.
“When you send stores those 11x17 posters for book signing publicity, are they laminated, dry mounted, or anything other than a sheet of legal-sized paper? Do you make them up at work, home, or a printer's?”
First you should understand the importance I put on those posters. I learned quite quickly that many booksellers make no effort whatsoever to attract attention to the fact that they have an author signing books in their store until he or she arrives (and often not even then.) It’s a special event to them, so they carry on, business as usual. Then when no one shows up they say, “See? Book signings are pointless.”
Once I figured out that store managers couldn’t be bothered to even put a sign up in their windows I started supplying a couple of signs myself. They feature my face, my book cover and some words like “Meet The Author!” with the name of the store, the day, date and time of my appearance. I send the posters 2 weeks in advance and beg the manager to put them in prominent places. If nothing else it lets the staff know something is happening.
Managers soon figure out that it really does impact how many books move if you act like it’s a special treat to have an author in the house. I combine this with a stack of brochures or bookmarks which I tell them to hand out or use as bag stuffers BEFORE the day. And I ask them to set up the table and stacks of books before I arrive – it builds a little anticipation.
The point is that most people don’t know who a celebrity is or what a special event is. We have to tell them, in both overt and subtle ways. The bottom line is, it sells books.
And to answer the actual question: I get simple, color posters, 11” by 17” not laminated, dry mounted, or anything special. Kinko’s makes them up for about two dollars a piece. It costs more to mail them to the stores. It’s a small investment in making my appearance look a little like a big deal.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
On the Edge
Just two days before my big book release party I feel as if I’m poised on the edge of a knife with spectacular success on one side and abysmal failure on the other. I’m not worried, exactly, but there is a certain amount of uncertainty. Anxiety? Maybe apprehension. A lot of time and effort has gone in to getting to this day but now we’ve reached the point where it’s too late to do more, too late to make a difference. Nothing left to do for now but wait. Will the Washington Metro area turn out to cheer my successful book launch, or will I be listening to crickets chirp and my wife’s sobbing while hundreds of dollars worth of wine and h’or douvres go to waste?
My lovely wife Denise put much time, sweat and tears into setting up a fabulous event in a fabulous place, to attract the local literary leadership. This event will be a bellwether, an indictor of how well I can expect to do at the first bookstore event, at the Borders Superstore in Waldorf, Maryland. And THAT event will be an indicator of the life Russian Roulette will have.
Russian Roulette, my latest novel, was a labor of love. The Fifth in my Hannibal Jones mystery series, the book allowed me to continue the rising and advancing of my protagonist’s spirit and I want to share that experience with as many people as possible. Goodness knows I’ve done all I could think of to make the book explode onto the scene. I’ve tried old school paper marketing, internet marketing, and personal appearances.The old school way begins with free books. After mailing out review copies to all the usual suspects I gave away another stack of books to anyone who would promise to post a review in four different places on line.
I got a bunch of blurbs from favorite mystery writers who are also pals. I bought print ads in Mystery Scene and Crimespree Magazine. I bought a list of 5,000 mystery readers so I can send each of them a postcard announcing the new novel. And I sent personal letters to each of the 47 bookstores in this country that specialize in mystery fiction informing them of the imminent release of Russian Roulette and respectfully asking (alright, begging them) to order a few copies. I also promised them a pizza party for their staff if they sell 50 or more copies of Russian Roulette. Yeah, I’m shameless.
For the on line audience I got a book trailer produced and made a promotional video for Russian Roulette myself. I launched a blog tour, appearing on several mystery and literary blogs, and I’ll be on 10 more (at least) in June. That is not my favorite kind of writing, but it is essential in the 21st Century to get the buzz mill running.And I’ve arranged for a dozen personal appearances at writers’ clubs and book stores. That’s the easiest part for me. I love being face-to-face with readers, explaining my books and discussing their favorites to find if my work is a good fit. Writing aside, this is the best part of being an author. And every hand I shake is another potential fan for the whole series. Someday, that could even make this writing addiction evolve into a decent living.
Sometimes I feel as if the marketing is the tail wagging the dog. My wife Denise is very supportive but sometimes I think she misses the point. I don’t get discouraged if a book doesn’t sell a million copies because it’s not about the sales. It’s about the writing. It’s about that process that spins random straw thoughts and ideas into golden chapters.I know I won’t get rich from sales of Russian Roulette, but the book deserves its fair share of attention. It isn’t simply a good story with a social conscience, putting good characters into a complex puzzle of a plot. It is the distilled embodiment of all the hours I could have spent with my lovely wife Denise but instead chose to give a keyboard my attention. It is the concentrated essence of her hopes that I will one day achieve my dream. At its core are the lunch hours I spent creating instead of relaxing, the early mornings, the late nights, the surreptitiously stolen moments when no one was looking. It deserves the eyes of an appreciative public, and I want so badly to give the book what it deserves.
But the ugly truth is that a book does not become popular in the marketplace just because the author wants it to be. No matter how good it is, you can’t force a book into buyers’ hands. You can’t will a novel onto the best seller list. You can only do your best to draw attention to your baby and hope that you stumble upon that magical combination of writing quality, buzz, distribution and timing that will raise your literary voice above the din of the thousands of worthy contestants whose fiction enters the lists every year.So here I sit, three days before the kickoff of my own big game, poised on the edge of night. But is that dusk I see approaching, or the glow of dawn?
My lovely wife Denise put much time, sweat and tears into setting up a fabulous event in a fabulous place, to attract the local literary leadership. This event will be a bellwether, an indictor of how well I can expect to do at the first bookstore event, at the Borders Superstore in Waldorf, Maryland. And THAT event will be an indicator of the life Russian Roulette will have.
Russian Roulette, my latest novel, was a labor of love. The Fifth in my Hannibal Jones mystery series, the book allowed me to continue the rising and advancing of my protagonist’s spirit and I want to share that experience with as many people as possible. Goodness knows I’ve done all I could think of to make the book explode onto the scene. I’ve tried old school paper marketing, internet marketing, and personal appearances.The old school way begins with free books. After mailing out review copies to all the usual suspects I gave away another stack of books to anyone who would promise to post a review in four different places on line.
I got a bunch of blurbs from favorite mystery writers who are also pals. I bought print ads in Mystery Scene and Crimespree Magazine. I bought a list of 5,000 mystery readers so I can send each of them a postcard announcing the new novel. And I sent personal letters to each of the 47 bookstores in this country that specialize in mystery fiction informing them of the imminent release of Russian Roulette and respectfully asking (alright, begging them) to order a few copies. I also promised them a pizza party for their staff if they sell 50 or more copies of Russian Roulette. Yeah, I’m shameless.
For the on line audience I got a book trailer produced and made a promotional video for Russian Roulette myself. I launched a blog tour, appearing on several mystery and literary blogs, and I’ll be on 10 more (at least) in June. That is not my favorite kind of writing, but it is essential in the 21st Century to get the buzz mill running.And I’ve arranged for a dozen personal appearances at writers’ clubs and book stores. That’s the easiest part for me. I love being face-to-face with readers, explaining my books and discussing their favorites to find if my work is a good fit. Writing aside, this is the best part of being an author. And every hand I shake is another potential fan for the whole series. Someday, that could even make this writing addiction evolve into a decent living.
Sometimes I feel as if the marketing is the tail wagging the dog. My wife Denise is very supportive but sometimes I think she misses the point. I don’t get discouraged if a book doesn’t sell a million copies because it’s not about the sales. It’s about the writing. It’s about that process that spins random straw thoughts and ideas into golden chapters.I know I won’t get rich from sales of Russian Roulette, but the book deserves its fair share of attention. It isn’t simply a good story with a social conscience, putting good characters into a complex puzzle of a plot. It is the distilled embodiment of all the hours I could have spent with my lovely wife Denise but instead chose to give a keyboard my attention. It is the concentrated essence of her hopes that I will one day achieve my dream. At its core are the lunch hours I spent creating instead of relaxing, the early mornings, the late nights, the surreptitiously stolen moments when no one was looking. It deserves the eyes of an appreciative public, and I want so badly to give the book what it deserves.
But the ugly truth is that a book does not become popular in the marketplace just because the author wants it to be. No matter how good it is, you can’t force a book into buyers’ hands. You can’t will a novel onto the best seller list. You can only do your best to draw attention to your baby and hope that you stumble upon that magical combination of writing quality, buzz, distribution and timing that will raise your literary voice above the din of the thousands of worthy contestants whose fiction enters the lists every year.So here I sit, three days before the kickoff of my own big game, poised on the edge of night. But is that dusk I see approaching, or the glow of dawn?
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Working the Web
I've been trying to get some buzz going for the imminent release of Russian Roulette and things are happening on line. You'll have to pardon my ego while I share my good fortune.
First, the Crime Critics website posted a very nice review of Russian Roulette, the very first advance review published. Crime Critics is one of the best mystery review sites on the net, and I'm flattered that they plugged my newbook so soon.
The same week I recorded a short promotional video for Russian Roulette, in which I personally explain my new novel. It's on You Tube and several other web sites.
Also, I was interviewed by mystery author Jean Henry Mead on her website, Mysterious People. She is an excellent interviewer who prompted me to reveal some new sides of my work.
And the lovely video trailer for Russian Roulette went live a couple days ago - it's down below this post. By now I'm sure you've found it on this page. Circle of Seven Productions does the BEST work!
Russian Roulette was not my only writing effort to turn up on line. A blog post on The Stiletto Gang highlighted the new journal called “The Writer's Journey.” This new manual for authors is a collection ofwriters' essays on the craft and business of writing fiction. It'salso obviously a journal with pages left for authors to write abouttheir own journey. Thirteen writers contributed to this manual,including yours truly. Aspiring authors can e-mail me at ascamacho@hotmail.com to learn how to get an autographed copy of the manual from me.
While monitoring the internet for my activity it is sometimes surprising what Google Alerts will turn up. I found out that you can order copies of The Troubleshooter in India. I had to do some research to figure out what Rs 1143 is in American money.
And finally, the trailer for Blood and Bone turned up on a web site for African American Scholarships. Maybe someone will use it for a fund raising event. Check the posting on African American Scholarships.
Will all this internet activity really translate into book sales? I'll let you know.
First, the Crime Critics website posted a very nice review of Russian Roulette, the very first advance review published. Crime Critics is one of the best mystery review sites on the net, and I'm flattered that they plugged my newbook so soon.
The same week I recorded a short promotional video for Russian Roulette, in which I personally explain my new novel. It's on You Tube and several other web sites.
Also, I was interviewed by mystery author Jean Henry Mead on her website, Mysterious People. She is an excellent interviewer who prompted me to reveal some new sides of my work.
And the lovely video trailer for Russian Roulette went live a couple days ago - it's down below this post. By now I'm sure you've found it on this page. Circle of Seven Productions does the BEST work!
Russian Roulette was not my only writing effort to turn up on line. A blog post on The Stiletto Gang highlighted the new journal called “The Writer's Journey.” This new manual for authors is a collection ofwriters' essays on the craft and business of writing fiction. It'salso obviously a journal with pages left for authors to write abouttheir own journey. Thirteen writers contributed to this manual,including yours truly. Aspiring authors can e-mail me at ascamacho@hotmail.com to learn how to get an autographed copy of the manual from me.
While monitoring the internet for my activity it is sometimes surprising what Google Alerts will turn up. I found out that you can order copies of The Troubleshooter in India. I had to do some research to figure out what Rs 1143 is in American money.
And finally, the trailer for Blood and Bone turned up on a web site for African American Scholarships. Maybe someone will use it for a fund raising event. Check the posting on African American Scholarships.
Will all this internet activity really translate into book sales? I'll let you know.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Who You Gonna Call? Ghost Writers??
For the next couple of weeks, we'll try to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions, on the theory that if one new author asked, a dozen more want to know the same thing.
Here's another question that comes up:
"What do you think about ghost writing? I'm in need of a writer to tell my story because I really do not have the time to write it and really don't know how to get started."
This is really two different questions, depending on whether you are asking about fiction or nonfiction.
If you're talking about a fictional story you're probably out of luck. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a writer who would write a story you came up with when they could be writing their own. Such writers do exist, but they generally get assignments from publishers to add to a series of books that are written under a house name. When Lester Dent created Doc Savage in the 1930s he wrote under the "house name" of Kenneth Robeson. Other writers added to the collection using the same name. This practice continues today, but I won't out any of my friends by naming ghosts. I just know they don’t work for individuals.
Besides, if someone else writes your story, you're not a writer. Is that what you want?
Ghost writers more often write nonfiction for others – autobiographies, memoirs and the like. I know a few of these folks too. They do work with individuals from time to time to tell the other person's story. These writers don’t expect their work to sell well, and their names aren’t on the cover anyway, so they don’t work for royalties. This kind of writing is called fee-for-service work, meaning that these ghost writers generally get paid a flat fee for their work. A book length work might cost $25,000 or $30,000. So a good ghost writer can make a decent living, and if you want to hire someone to do this kind of writing, you can probably find them pretty easily through a local writers’ organization.
But why not tell your own story? Take the time to write it instead of taking the time to explain it all to another writer. Then hire an editor to help you shape and refine the story. That way, you’re still a writer.
Here's another question that comes up:
"What do you think about ghost writing? I'm in need of a writer to tell my story because I really do not have the time to write it and really don't know how to get started."
This is really two different questions, depending on whether you are asking about fiction or nonfiction.
If you're talking about a fictional story you're probably out of luck. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a writer who would write a story you came up with when they could be writing their own. Such writers do exist, but they generally get assignments from publishers to add to a series of books that are written under a house name. When Lester Dent created Doc Savage in the 1930s he wrote under the "house name" of Kenneth Robeson. Other writers added to the collection using the same name. This practice continues today, but I won't out any of my friends by naming ghosts. I just know they don’t work for individuals.
Besides, if someone else writes your story, you're not a writer. Is that what you want?
Ghost writers more often write nonfiction for others – autobiographies, memoirs and the like. I know a few of these folks too. They do work with individuals from time to time to tell the other person's story. These writers don’t expect their work to sell well, and their names aren’t on the cover anyway, so they don’t work for royalties. This kind of writing is called fee-for-service work, meaning that these ghost writers generally get paid a flat fee for their work. A book length work might cost $25,000 or $30,000. So a good ghost writer can make a decent living, and if you want to hire someone to do this kind of writing, you can probably find them pretty easily through a local writers’ organization.
But why not tell your own story? Take the time to write it instead of taking the time to explain it all to another writer. Then hire an editor to help you shape and refine the story. That way, you’re still a writer.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Meeting with Agents
Meeting with Agents
For the next couple of weeks, we’ll try to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions, on the theory that if one new author asked, a dozen more want to know the same thing.
Here's a question I hear often:
“I am attending a conference and I am meeting with three agents at the conference. Do you have any advice?”
Meeting with agents should be positive for you, assuming you have confidence in the quality and marketability of your writing. But before you sit down in front of an agent, make sure he or she handles your kind of work.
When you do meet with an agent you won’t have much time. Typical agent meetings at conferences last ten or fifteen minutes. So be prepared to cut to the chase. I recommend that you have a one sentence description of your book ready, and be prepared to go into more detail if asked. Bring the manuscript in case someone asks to see some pages. And be able to answer the most obvious questions.
What genre is your novel? To an agent, that means, where will Barnes and Noble shelve it?.
Who is the market (or audience) for your book? Don't say "everybody." Instead, pinpoint a book or an author whose readers would like your work too. Also, do a little research so you can tell them which publishers you think might buy it.
Have you had the manuscript professionally edited? Answer truthfully but if the answer is no, make it clear that you are open to editing. The agent wants to know if you’ll be easy to work with.
Stay on point. The conversation needs to be about you, the agent or your book. Anything else is a waste of precious time.
You should definitely tell them if you’ve submitted your manuscript to anyone and if you got any positive feedback, share it.
If the agent expresses interest in your book, be sure you know what he or she wants from you: a synopsis, an outline, sample chapters or the whole manuscript. There is no standard so don’t be disappointed or excited about what you are asked for. And exchange contact information, so you can reach the agent if you have any questions later.
Finally, when your time is up, be fair to the writer behind you and leave promptly. No agent wants to work with a selfish author.
For the next couple of weeks, we’ll try to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions, on the theory that if one new author asked, a dozen more want to know the same thing.
Here's a question I hear often:
“I am attending a conference and I am meeting with three agents at the conference. Do you have any advice?”
Meeting with agents should be positive for you, assuming you have confidence in the quality and marketability of your writing. But before you sit down in front of an agent, make sure he or she handles your kind of work.
When you do meet with an agent you won’t have much time. Typical agent meetings at conferences last ten or fifteen minutes. So be prepared to cut to the chase. I recommend that you have a one sentence description of your book ready, and be prepared to go into more detail if asked. Bring the manuscript in case someone asks to see some pages. And be able to answer the most obvious questions.
What genre is your novel? To an agent, that means, where will Barnes and Noble shelve it?.
Who is the market (or audience) for your book? Don't say "everybody." Instead, pinpoint a book or an author whose readers would like your work too. Also, do a little research so you can tell them which publishers you think might buy it.
Have you had the manuscript professionally edited? Answer truthfully but if the answer is no, make it clear that you are open to editing. The agent wants to know if you’ll be easy to work with.
Stay on point. The conversation needs to be about you, the agent or your book. Anything else is a waste of precious time.
You should definitely tell them if you’ve submitted your manuscript to anyone and if you got any positive feedback, share it.
If the agent expresses interest in your book, be sure you know what he or she wants from you: a synopsis, an outline, sample chapters or the whole manuscript. There is no standard so don’t be disappointed or excited about what you are asked for. And exchange contact information, so you can reach the agent if you have any questions later.
Finally, when your time is up, be fair to the writer behind you and leave promptly. No agent wants to work with a selfish author.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Question: Virtual touring
Hardly a book signing goes by without a writer coming up to the table to ask me about the business or craft. Likewise, my lovely wife Denise gets queries about publishing and since we’ve learned all we know from the doing, people know they’ll get the nitty gritty from us. For the next couple of weeks, we’ll try to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions, on the theory that if one new author asked, a dozen more want to know the same thing.
Here’s a pretty common one, and it’s timely as I’m about to set up a blog tour to promote Russian Roulette:
“I'm considering methods to "get the word" out on my first book, so I'd be very interested in your honest appraisal of the effectiveness of virtual tours for POD authors.”
Once you get the hang of it, the virtual tour thing is pretty easy. Assemble 3 or 4 documents – an interview with yourself, your opening chapter, a blog entry-type essay about something related to your writing – and offer them to bloggers on blogs relevant to your work, or to other writers’ blogs. You will also want to send them a jpg of your book cover.
The challenge for me has been finding the right blogs to appear on. The important thing is to find blogs that your potential readers are already reading. And be sure to give back to that blogger who hosts you. That means making an effort to drive traffic to their blog, and watching it closely the day your guest blog appears. If there are questions among the comments you’ll want to respond to them.
I have no real metrics that can tie sales to the “virtual tour” idea, although novelist Cheryl Tardif has had great sales success using them. As far as I’m concerned, anything that costs me nothing and helps make my name more recognizable is a good thing. Plus, it’s one of the few places where being POD is no different from being published mainstream.
But make sure you get a web site for people to link to. Your guest blog spots are only hooks to get people to want more detail about your work. They need to have a place to go for that. If you don’t want to build a site from scratch, consider setting something up on redroom.com.
And BTW, if you have a blog and would like to have a guest post some fun and interesting stuff in June, let me know. I still have some dates open.
Here’s a pretty common one, and it’s timely as I’m about to set up a blog tour to promote Russian Roulette:
“I'm considering methods to "get the word" out on my first book, so I'd be very interested in your honest appraisal of the effectiveness of virtual tours for POD authors.”
Once you get the hang of it, the virtual tour thing is pretty easy. Assemble 3 or 4 documents – an interview with yourself, your opening chapter, a blog entry-type essay about something related to your writing – and offer them to bloggers on blogs relevant to your work, or to other writers’ blogs. You will also want to send them a jpg of your book cover.
The challenge for me has been finding the right blogs to appear on. The important thing is to find blogs that your potential readers are already reading. And be sure to give back to that blogger who hosts you. That means making an effort to drive traffic to their blog, and watching it closely the day your guest blog appears. If there are questions among the comments you’ll want to respond to them.
I have no real metrics that can tie sales to the “virtual tour” idea, although novelist Cheryl Tardif has had great sales success using them. As far as I’m concerned, anything that costs me nothing and helps make my name more recognizable is a good thing. Plus, it’s one of the few places where being POD is no different from being published mainstream.
But make sure you get a web site for people to link to. Your guest blog spots are only hooks to get people to want more detail about your work. They need to have a place to go for that. If you don’t want to build a site from scratch, consider setting something up on redroom.com.
And BTW, if you have a blog and would like to have a guest post some fun and interesting stuff in June, let me know. I still have some dates open.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Lightning Source Tips and Tools by Denise Camacho
Lightning Source (LSI) Tips and Tools
I have decided to blog about LSI because it has been a very successful place for us to publish and because I am asked numerous questions about it by other authors wanting to know how it works. We used LSI when we published Austin's latest Hannibal Jones Mystery, Russian Roulette.
So the next few blogs from me will be explaining some of the ways LSI works. Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions about them and I will be happy to answer.
First thing I am going to talk about is their Book Design Essentials tool that they have on the front page of their website. There are a number of tutorials that will guide you through the process of making your book ready for production on LSI.
There is a Cover Template Generator, this will generate the bar code you need to add to your cover template in order for LSI to produce a complete cover.
All you need to do is complete a few key questions such as:
ISBN (with dashes):
Content Type:
B&W Color
Paper Type:
Creme White
Book Type:
Page Count:
File Type to Return:
Email Address:
Retype Email Address:
________________________________________
Optional Information:
Price (including decimal): Currency:
Price in Bar Code:
Once you have answered the questions and clicked on the SUBMIT button an email will be sent to you with the file attached that is the specific File Type you chose above, ie. PDF.
You can then use that template for your cover. It is extremely easy to do.
Another very nice tool they have provided for you is the Weight and Spine Width Calculator. This gives you the precise dimensions based on the following criteria for your cover:
ISBN: (optional)
Content Type:
B&W Color
Paper Type:
Creme White
Book Type:
Page Count:
This tool is invaluable for giving the information your cover artist or book designer will need to be sure your artwork is in line with LSI's requirements for having print ready artwork.
A tip for you with regard to the inside book design. If you are going to be sending it as a .pdf file, be sure that all of the fonts have been embedded or they won't accept it.
More soon!
I have decided to blog about LSI because it has been a very successful place for us to publish and because I am asked numerous questions about it by other authors wanting to know how it works. We used LSI when we published Austin's latest Hannibal Jones Mystery, Russian Roulette.
So the next few blogs from me will be explaining some of the ways LSI works. Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions about them and I will be happy to answer.
First thing I am going to talk about is their Book Design Essentials tool that they have on the front page of their website. There are a number of tutorials that will guide you through the process of making your book ready for production on LSI.
There is a Cover Template Generator, this will generate the bar code you need to add to your cover template in order for LSI to produce a complete cover.
All you need to do is complete a few key questions such as:
ISBN (with dashes):
Content Type:
B&W Color
Paper Type:
Creme White
Book Type:
Page Count:
File Type to Return:
Email Address:
Retype Email Address:
________________________________________
Optional Information:
Price (including decimal): Currency:
Price in Bar Code:
Once you have answered the questions and clicked on the SUBMIT button an email will be sent to you with the file attached that is the specific File Type you chose above, ie. PDF.
You can then use that template for your cover. It is extremely easy to do.
Another very nice tool they have provided for you is the Weight and Spine Width Calculator. This gives you the precise dimensions based on the following criteria for your cover:
ISBN: (optional)
Content Type:
B&W Color
Paper Type:
Creme White
Book Type:
Page Count:
This tool is invaluable for giving the information your cover artist or book designer will need to be sure your artwork is in line with LSI's requirements for having print ready artwork.
A tip for you with regard to the inside book design. If you are going to be sending it as a .pdf file, be sure that all of the fonts have been embedded or they won't accept it.
More soon!
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