I attended a charity book-signing function this week sponsored my publisher Archebooks. It was a benefit for the Adonis Autism Center of Southwest Florida. I not only felt good about helping out a worthy cause, but I also had the opportunity to talk to other authors and see them in action.
It was reassuring to realize the authors sitting behind that long table have all gone through the very same process of writing a book, finding a publisher, waiting to go into production, anticipating their book’s release and tackling the marketing aspect, with much of the same trepidation I feel.
Sandy Lender, author of the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, does an excellent job of marketing her book while continuing to write as well as holding down a demanding full time job. I work to keep up with one blog on a weekly basis while she juggles five or six, several daily. She serves as an inspiration—if she can do all that while working, surely I should be able to do it too and I don’t even have a job(other than writing).
By the way, Choices Meant for Gods is one of the first fantasy novels I’ve read in years so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the sequel.
Michelle Weston, author of another fantasy novel, A Prophecy Forgotten, exudes energy and confidence so it made me smile when after purchasing her book, I learned that signing them makes her nervous. She worries about misspelling the buyer’s name. I worry that when the time comes for me to be in that position, I’ll be so nervous that my shaking hand will make it look as if I can’t spell my own name.
The one thing all writers have in common is the love of writing and the desire for people to read and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Maybe next year I will be able to sit behind the authors table with copies of The Ride in front of me and encourage another budding author much as I was the previous year.
Have a wonderful 4th of July. See you next week. In the meantime if you want to check out one of Sandy’s many blogs, go to http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/. Michelle’s blog is http://mbweston.blogspot.com/.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
(to be released by ArcheBooks Publishers)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , Michelle Weston, A Prophecy Forgotten,
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Guerrilla Marketing
With exercise, the first few minutes are the toughest; with writing, it’s the first couple of sentences. Then somehow, without realizing it’s happening, I lose all sense of time and the real world around me and become part of my make-believe creation. It’s a wonderful experience.
But, I am a writer who is most productive when I’m in my own little corner, alone with no music or other distractions. This week, I was in Arkansas visiting my parents; my writing ‘nest’ is in Florida. I decided to use my free time, to read up on marketing ideas rather than trying to write.
To me, the term ‘marketing’ has always meant going to my local grocery store to buy items on my shopping list. I knew I needed to change this mindset, so I picked up the book Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman and Michael Larsen. I visualized techniques that would have me dressing in camouflage, taking hostages and forcing them to buy my book, The Ride, at gunpoint.
While their book did not go to those extremes, it may not be the best first read for a marketing novice. If I know nothing about the marketing in general, how can I possibly be ready for aggressive marketing techniques? It’s kind of like walking into a calculus class without ever having taken any basic arithmetic courses.
Doing a quick scan of the Table of Contents, I noticed most chapters contain the word ‘weapon’ in their title. And, while I’m sure the book is chock full of great ideas for aggressive people with unlimited time and energy who can walk into a crowded room and within five minutes know everything about everyone, it simply reinforced the fact that I’m a peace loving introvert who simply wants to write.
Evidently I am not alone. From http://www.sedgeband.com/quotes.html, I found this quote:
“Publishing today is a manufacturing industry that puts its production workers in charge of product marketing. I wonder what great books may go unwritten while authors are busy soliciting cover blurbs, cranking out news releases and promoting the bookstore signing they had to schedule themselves.”
Martin J. Smith
Shadow Image
See you next week. In the meantime, I think I’ll head back to the bookstore and look for a “Marketing for Dummies” book.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
Web site: http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/home
Email: janekennedysutton@gmail.com
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, marketing, Guerrilla Marketing for Writers , Martin Smith
But, I am a writer who is most productive when I’m in my own little corner, alone with no music or other distractions. This week, I was in Arkansas visiting my parents; my writing ‘nest’ is in Florida. I decided to use my free time, to read up on marketing ideas rather than trying to write.
To me, the term ‘marketing’ has always meant going to my local grocery store to buy items on my shopping list. I knew I needed to change this mindset, so I picked up the book Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman and Michael Larsen. I visualized techniques that would have me dressing in camouflage, taking hostages and forcing them to buy my book, The Ride, at gunpoint.
While their book did not go to those extremes, it may not be the best first read for a marketing novice. If I know nothing about the marketing in general, how can I possibly be ready for aggressive marketing techniques? It’s kind of like walking into a calculus class without ever having taken any basic arithmetic courses.
Doing a quick scan of the Table of Contents, I noticed most chapters contain the word ‘weapon’ in their title. And, while I’m sure the book is chock full of great ideas for aggressive people with unlimited time and energy who can walk into a crowded room and within five minutes know everything about everyone, it simply reinforced the fact that I’m a peace loving introvert who simply wants to write.
Evidently I am not alone. From http://www.sedgeband.com/quotes.html, I found this quote:
“Publishing today is a manufacturing industry that puts its production workers in charge of product marketing. I wonder what great books may go unwritten while authors are busy soliciting cover blurbs, cranking out news releases and promoting the bookstore signing they had to schedule themselves.”
Martin J. Smith
Shadow Image
See you next week. In the meantime, I think I’ll head back to the bookstore and look for a “Marketing for Dummies” book.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
Web site: http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/home
Email: janekennedysutton@gmail.com
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, marketing, Guerrilla Marketing for Writers , Martin Smith
Thursday, June 14, 2007
How long is the gap between the signing of a contract and the publication of manuscript?
I’m curious because I really need to let my mother know when she can anticipate seeing The Ride in it’s published format. She’s my biggest fan and when I told her I’d signed the contract, she expected them (the publishers) to drop everything and get right on it. “After all,” she says, “I’m not getting any younger.” If only they’d listen to my mother.
I check the ArcheBooks Production list daily—no make that a zillion times a day. In March, when I signed the contract, there were five books ahead of mine; soon after that, only two remained. I got excited thinking any day now it’ll be my turn. The closer I get, the slower the process. I feel like a kid waiting on Christmas.
From attending the Florida Writer’s Association luncheons, I knew that ArcheBooks tries to publish within six months. From what I understand, it’s hard to predict exact dates because each manuscript’s length of stay in the editing process varies considerably.
But, I still wondered what the average turn around time is for the publishing industry as a whole so I researched this question. I discovered it was very difficult to come up with actual statistics. Okay, I admit, my research was limited by time (an afternoon or two) and available resources (the internet). Still, I think the answer is one of those nasty secrets that most publishers don’t really want you to know. From what little I did uncover, it sounds as if turn around times are anywhere from six months to three years. It appears that the bigger the publishing house, the longer the wait.
During my research, I ran across this quote on http://www.sedgeband.com/quotes.html and thought it apropos:
“A writer needs the heart of a lioness, the thick hide of a rhinoceros and the patience of a saint to deal with publishers. Still, I've been doing it for almost 20 years, and I keep doing it, so I must either love writing or be a serious and certifiable masochist.”
-Bertrice Small
Deceived
Thanks for visiting. I welcome your comments and hope to see you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
Web site: http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/home
Email: janekennedysutton@gmail.com
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, publishing, Beatrice Small
I’m curious because I really need to let my mother know when she can anticipate seeing The Ride in it’s published format. She’s my biggest fan and when I told her I’d signed the contract, she expected them (the publishers) to drop everything and get right on it. “After all,” she says, “I’m not getting any younger.” If only they’d listen to my mother.
I check the ArcheBooks Production list daily—no make that a zillion times a day. In March, when I signed the contract, there were five books ahead of mine; soon after that, only two remained. I got excited thinking any day now it’ll be my turn. The closer I get, the slower the process. I feel like a kid waiting on Christmas.
From attending the Florida Writer’s Association luncheons, I knew that ArcheBooks tries to publish within six months. From what I understand, it’s hard to predict exact dates because each manuscript’s length of stay in the editing process varies considerably.
But, I still wondered what the average turn around time is for the publishing industry as a whole so I researched this question. I discovered it was very difficult to come up with actual statistics. Okay, I admit, my research was limited by time (an afternoon or two) and available resources (the internet). Still, I think the answer is one of those nasty secrets that most publishers don’t really want you to know. From what little I did uncover, it sounds as if turn around times are anywhere from six months to three years. It appears that the bigger the publishing house, the longer the wait.
During my research, I ran across this quote on http://www.sedgeband.com/quotes.html and thought it apropos:
“A writer needs the heart of a lioness, the thick hide of a rhinoceros and the patience of a saint to deal with publishers. Still, I've been doing it for almost 20 years, and I keep doing it, so I must either love writing or be a serious and certifiable masochist.”
-Bertrice Small
Deceived
Thanks for visiting. I welcome your comments and hope to see you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
Web site: http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/home
Email: janekennedysutton@gmail.com
Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, publishing, Beatrice Small
Friday, June 8, 2007
Question: Will books, as we know them, be extinct one day?
Last Saturday I attended the monthly luncheon for the Southwest division of the Florida Writer’s Association (http://www.floridawriters.net/) held at the Duval Street Restaurant in Bonita Springs. I find these meetings inspirational—interesting people from wannabe writers to successfully published authors and everything in between. It’s also a comfortable place to practice ‘shameless plugs’ of my novel, The Ride.
I always return home from these meetings ready to sit in front of the computer and write my heart out. However, I stalled a bit this week when I started thinking about one of the topics of discussion—my question of the week. Although book extinction due to the advance of technology may be extremely beneficial for the tree population, it’s sends shivers up my spine. Will our future generations only know how to download books to some gizmo and listen through earphones during rerun season on television or when there’s nothing better to do.
It would seem, with over 300,000 titles released each year (yes, you read that right 300,000) the idea of extinction is far-fetched so I started surfing the web. Here are some interesting (and scary) statistics I found on http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm
- eBook sales increased 1,442% in January 2003 over January 2002. --Publishers Weekly, March 24, 2003.
- While the US Population is growing and education levels are rising, book sales are not-due to heavy media competition for leisure time. --Business Trend Analysts, Inc. as reported in Publishers Weekly, October 27, 1997.
- 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
- 42% of college graduates never read another book.
- 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
- 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
- 57% of new books are not read to completion. --Jerrold Jenkins. http://www.jenkinsgroup.com%20/
These statistics are hard for me to believe because what better escape from the world is there than to curl up in a corner with a good book with paper pages and printed words.
See you next Friday and in the meantime, go buy and read a book!
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
Web site: http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/home
Email: janekennedysutton@gmail.com
Tags: The Ride, Florida Writers Association, Duval Street Restaurant, Reading Statistics, book sales
Friday, June 1, 2007
Question: How did the writing community exist and/or thrive before the computer-age?
Once again, I found limited time to write this week but not due to seminars or fun trips to Key West. I spent hours in front of the computer without writing one word and I wasn’t even playing solitaire.
Writer’s block? Well, maybe, but the block resulted from lack of technical skills rather than ideas. No one warned me that once I’d written my book, The Ride, I was going to need an advanced course in computer literacy. The Archebooks Professional Novelist workshop, introduced terms like pinging your blog, RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication), Meta tags, SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I could go on, but it gives me a headache and I’m sure you get the idea.
I took copious notes, but once I sat down with them in front of the computer, I discovered they made absolutely no sense. It’s like learning a new language; I can pronounce the words, but I haven’t a clue what they mean. It would have been a much better idea for Kim (my husband and computer geek) to attend that portion of the workshop for me, because when someone speaks those endearing terms to him, his eyes sparkle with excitement.
For instance, when I announced to him I needed to begin a blog, he immediately sat down and showed me how simple it was by starting one himself. (Check it out – http://lakesparkfortmyers.blogspot.com/ -for a wonderful slide show of the flowers of Lakes Park as well as comments on wildlife sightings.) Still it took me over a month more to convince myself that I could blog too.
When trying to apply what I learned at the seminar I’d become frustrated and whine loud and long enough to cause Kim come to my rescue. Although they don’t look different, thanks to him, my web site and blog have bells and whistles they’d never have otherwise. Now I look as if I not only retained useful information from the seminar, but I applied it as well.
Isn’t it incredible that before computers, people actually wrote by using pen and paper, turning out great works without the use of spell checker or the cut and paste icon. And, I can’t help but wonder when Shakespeare finished his first play, Henry VI, Part One, in the late 1500’s, how did he manage let the masses know without email, blogs and web sites? I must admit, I may be a little envious.
See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
Web site: janekennedysutton.googlepages.com
Email: janekennedysutton@gmail.com
Tags: The Ride, Shakespeare, Lakes Park
Once again, I found limited time to write this week but not due to seminars or fun trips to Key West. I spent hours in front of the computer without writing one word and I wasn’t even playing solitaire.
Writer’s block? Well, maybe, but the block resulted from lack of technical skills rather than ideas. No one warned me that once I’d written my book, The Ride, I was going to need an advanced course in computer literacy. The Archebooks Professional Novelist workshop, introduced terms like pinging your blog, RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication), Meta tags, SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I could go on, but it gives me a headache and I’m sure you get the idea.
I took copious notes, but once I sat down with them in front of the computer, I discovered they made absolutely no sense. It’s like learning a new language; I can pronounce the words, but I haven’t a clue what they mean. It would have been a much better idea for Kim (my husband and computer geek) to attend that portion of the workshop for me, because when someone speaks those endearing terms to him, his eyes sparkle with excitement.
For instance, when I announced to him I needed to begin a blog, he immediately sat down and showed me how simple it was by starting one himself. (Check it out – http://lakesparkfortmyers.blogspot.com/ -for a wonderful slide show of the flowers of Lakes Park as well as comments on wildlife sightings.) Still it took me over a month more to convince myself that I could blog too.
When trying to apply what I learned at the seminar I’d become frustrated and whine loud and long enough to cause Kim come to my rescue. Although they don’t look different, thanks to him, my web site and blog have bells and whistles they’d never have otherwise. Now I look as if I not only retained useful information from the seminar, but I applied it as well.
Isn’t it incredible that before computers, people actually wrote by using pen and paper, turning out great works without the use of spell checker or the cut and paste icon. And, I can’t help but wonder when Shakespeare finished his first play, Henry VI, Part One, in the late 1500’s, how did he manage let the masses know without email, blogs and web sites? I must admit, I may be a little envious.
See you next week.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
Web site: janekennedysutton.googlepages.com
Email: janekennedysutton@gmail.com
Tags: The Ride, Shakespeare, Lakes Park
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
