Today I’m going to talk a little bit about how to market your book before you get a publishing deal or possibly before you even finish writing it. It’s a little like preparing for the birth of an unborn child but without the shower. There are a ton of great similarities but not everything is sugar and spice or puppy dog tails. You are going to get the same funny looks from people when you start marketing yourself as a “pre-published” author, as you will when you announce that your top baby name choices are Petunia and Atlas.
But, if you’re serious about being a professional writer, you have to develop your platform at the same rate that you are developing your writing. This is not you being vain. It’s a vital component to being a successful writer in today’s day and age. You work to improve your writing without a guarantee of publication–you must also grow your knowledge and presence in social media the same way.
A lot of people cringe at the thought. I know, it seems pretentious. But I promise, it’s only awkward if you’re attempting to act like you’re JK Rowling or Stephanie Meyer. Yes, this will be a turn off to–everyone. What I’m asking you to do is to build a platform a group of friends, peers and resources. You are working to become a vital part of a community of your peers, your future employers, your friends and your potential readers. The way that you go about this is actually by being a genuine friend to people. Here is a real life example of what I mean.
Several years ago I attended a SCBWI Conference and met the uber amazing Molly O’Neill from Harper Collins. I really wanted to submit TOUCHING THE SURFACE to her, so I came home and immediately started to stalk follow her on FB. In the process of watching and listening to the information that Molly provided to her followers, I noticed that a colleague of hers was a debut MG novelist. Molly raved about this author and her book. So I bought it. I loved the book and became a fan. Then this author had a second book come out. Just a tiny little book called…
I was already a fan and a cyber friend. I talked to Nova across multiple forms of on-line media. I was excited for her next book and shared my excitement with my friends and family. I loved the book when I read it and continued to support Nova. Then I got a chance to attend my very first LA SCBWI Conference. Guess who I got to meet in person…
That’s Mike Dangerpants Jung, Nova and myself. Mike is another one of my amazing cyber friendships, but I’ll save that story for another day. And by the way–it was awesome to meet them both. I now consider them “real” friends, not just cyber friends.
Right after I got home from the conference, Nova was scheduled to have an IMAGINARY GIRLS book signing at one of my local indie bookstores–Oblong Books. I packed up the hubby and the kids and we went up for the book signing. I was so excited to let my family meet Nova. It was such a wonderful experience. One giant love fest–books, author, friends, family, indie and mini-cupcakes.
I continue to support Nova because I’m a fan and because I’m a friend. I can’t say if or how Nova will support me and my book in the future. And I can honestly say it doesn’t matter. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time with her. I learned a ton, enjoyed myself and felt great along the way. I didn’t do it to get something out of it. I did it to get someone out of it. And she was worth the time and effort it took to build the friendship.
What I will tell you is that when my editor at Simon Pulse, Anica Rissi, officially announced my book in her Fall 2012 line-up, Nova tweeted to Anica and myself that she was so excited to read it. And that felt like winning a million bucks.
Have I spent years marketing my unborn book? Absolutely. But, I’d like to think I’ve gone about it in a way that has been not only painless for everyone involved, but beneficial and even fun. You don’t have to be a spam bot to market your book. You have to be the same kind of emotionally connected person that it took to write the book in the first place.
I’m going to take back my earlier statement about an unborn book not getting a shower. If you are the kind of person who is a good friend to those around you, I have a feeling you will get showered with love, attention and support. And really, there is no better way to bring your new “baby” into the world.
If you have any specific questions I’d be more than happy to try and answer them. And if you have any great tips on marketing your book that you’d love to share I would love to hear them. Success stories and marketing bloopers welcome. :o)
Galavanted around New York City with the family this weekend and saw all kinds of cool things, but this was one of my favorites. Every time I passed by this building– I grinned like a damn fool.
In case you can’t see what I’m standing in front of it’s…
The home of Simon Pulse!!!! I seriously had to refrain from telling EVERYONE on the street that I work there!!!! (Even though I’ve never been inside LOL!)
Yeah, it’s a cool building in and of itself, but it’s also right by Radio City Music Hall and Magnolia Bakery. (Yup–I had a chocolate cupcake.) Honestly, if it had been an episode of Glee I would have totally broken out into a song and dance. :o)
Although I was tempted to stand on the Avenue of the Americas all day and pet the building, I didn’t and because I’m so diversified, I saw lots of great things that were not called Simon & Schuster.
The view from Hubby’s job–Ground Zero and the Freedom Tower.
More of the New York sky line.
The Brooklyn Bridge.
These locks were on the bridge and they just captured my attention.
View from the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Apple Store down in the Meat Packing District.
The windows were plastered with messages and memorials.
From inside the apple store…
We did lots more good stuff. Visited friends, saw a show, ate great food, walked our butts off and laughed so much. But as much fun as it was I always love coming home and home is even better when you find great mail. A bag of swag arrived from the class of 2k12.
Loving it!
Bookmarks–front and back. With my name and title on them! *squee*
Pins and guitar picks.
And don’t for get the pens.
And now I’m off to bed…to sleep in and recover from a wonderful weekend. Happy Columbus Day!
I’ve got line edits again! And line edits often feel like this…
I have a quick deadline rushing at me. Since I’m trying to make sure I boomerang this baby back on time, in addition to working diligently on book number two, I’m going to stream line this blog post and direct you to the always informative and entertaining Jackson Pearce. Fasten your safety harness because she has some interesting information on publishing that you might not know.
Just curious–did you know know how bookstores are stocked? And isn’t Jackson adorable?
It’s official, for the time being, Simon Pulse is stuck with me!!!! I’ve signed my contract. Wanna see?
Because a watched pot never boils, I actually got my contract while I was on vacation. In addition to a little bit of difficulty printing it out at the hotel, I just figured it would be mean to take a picture of me signing the contract here…
The only thing worse than that (for you) would be if I was sipping on a chocolate shake while signing. I’m just not that mean. So I waited until I was back in NY. In fact, I’ll even make you feel better by showing you this…
*sigh* Of course, it’s only the tip of my post-vacation iceberg. But I don’t care because I can check this off my bucket list.
And if that wasn’t enough awesome for one vacation–I got the proofs from my author photo shoot. My friend, the very talented Dawn Sela, has made me blush with her kind words and beautiful photography. Dawn Sela Photography This is just a smattering of the amazing photographs she took. I don’t know how I’m going to pick a favorite.
Vacation is over but I’m still in a very happy place. *grin* It’s the perfect week to send the boys to camp–off to finish my revisions!!!!
As you know, I turned in my first round of revisions on TOUCHING THE SURFACE and I’m not expecting to hear back from my made-of-awesome editor, Anica Rissi until mid-June. While I’ve been waiting biting my nails, I’ve done some yard work and laundry, caught up on some assignments for my debut authors groups and peered into the woods. Not the actual woods–the proverbial one. I’ve been peeking down the path of the unknown and dancing around my work in progress THE OPPOSITE OF GRAVITY.
Back in the good old days, before WICKED became my favorite Broadway play (rivaled by RENT, LE MIS, CHORUS LINE and MISS SAIGON) there was another favorite. You can ask my college roommate because she’s probably still sick of hearing the soundtrack. I was obsessed with INTO THE WOODS.
How are the two connected? The play is about a fairy tale, which is exactly what getting your first book published feels like. But it’s also about what happens after you get the fairy tail when you forget, in the glow of your debut novel, that you have to write a second book.
*shudders*
I’m just kidding, I love my second book. Even though I haven’t been “actively” working on it while I’ve been doing revisions, it’s ALWAYS in my thoughts. I do a lot of my early writing in my head–that’s my process. So, on Monday I transferred what I’ve written into Scrivener. Yesterday I read what had been in my “drawer” for so long. Then I started adding new material. Of course, I lost some time searching for the perfect song to drum into my head for this new chapter. Without a doubt I erased what I’d written a dozen times and in the end, I had a whopping 350 new words.
*head thunk*
I know that my methods for drafting are way different from revision. I’m also aware that I love things about both of these phases of the process. I just need to remember to switch hats. At the end of the day what matters is that I feel very deeply about this story, the way I always have about SURFACE. This doesn’t stop me from wondering if it’s a piece of crap. Yeah, that’s what I think about, if I allow myself into the dark corners of my mind. But I also know, without a doubt, that it’s the right story for me to explore. I’ve simply forgotten how much raw me went into my first book. How scary it is to go to those unknown places. I’ve traveled so far with SURFACE that like giving birth to a real child, I’ve forgotten how hard the labor is. All I seem to remember is the pure, unadulterated joy of holding that baby.
But now it’s time to be brave again. Because if I could give you one tip, it would be to write your truth. To be afraid, but to do it anyway. I’m never going to stop being frightened of my potential to fail. NEVER. But I also know that I’m more afraid of having no potential. What’s the worst thing that can happen to me? I could be a hypocrite. SURFACE could hit the shelves and readers could take that journey with me–only to discover that I didn’t learn anything from my own writing. I don’t want that. Instead I’m packing up my heart and my cheese grater (so I have something to rub it against) and I’m heading off into the woods…
“Into the woods to find the thing that makes it worth the journeying…
…because children will look to you, for which way to turn–to learn what to be. Careful before you say listen to me. Children will listen…”
I’m getting ready to dive back into my revisions, but I owe you a blog post. So that got me thinking…an unrevised manuscript is sort of like a mouth in need of dental work. It can be terrifying to think of what might have to be extracted.
But, I had a light bulb moment this morning when I woke up to this…
This little guy has a date with the tooth fairy tonight. He’s been wiggling that tooth for days and when he woke up this morning he was officially one of the big boys. He crossed some magical line in the sand and as you can see, he doesn’t look too traumatized. Which makes me think that revision can be an equally excited experience, if you’re in the right frame of mind.
Now don’t get me wrong-my oldest did have to have 7 teeth taken out. All at one time! I’m aware that some days, whether it’s teeth or manuscripts–things are going to get ugly. But they must get done and I also know that I’ve dreamed about this. I wanted to sell this book more than just about anything. When Simon Pulse said they wanted to buy TOUCHING THE SURFACE-I crossed my own magical line in the sand. So I can’t help but feel-that as I edit, change, add and even extract-the book fairy is just around the corner.
*Youngest son was the “project” of two older brothers and my friend’s two girls LOL!
And that is something to smile about. Can’t wait to see what show up under my pillow.
Just a few days after I sold TOUCHING THE SURFACE to Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, I got a letter home in the 7 year old’s book bag. The second graders were studying communities and were asking parents to come in to do a mini job fair with the kids. I looked at the sign up sheet, bit my lip and took the plunge.
(I can’t lie-I giggled and did a little happy dance when I saw this. Didn’t even care about the name typo.)
Then I put the date on my calendar and forgot about it, until I realized that I should bring stuff with me that was authory. But what should I bring? I don’t actually have a book at this point. I took my best guess and stuffed a bag with authory stuff and headed out. Of course, as I made my way to the school, it was raining like I was in the middle of a biblical plague. There weren’t even any close parking spots. Can you picture me hauling a giant dance bag, a rather large bag of book stuff and a pocket book while balancing an umbrella and herding the 5 year old? Kind of hilarious, but so worth it when I got to do this…
You know I was grinning like a little fool. And of course two of my favorite mom librarians were there and there was extra jumping up and down and looking silly.
So what did I bring and why did I bring it?
I started with a variety of dance shoes, my teacher’s notebook and some pics of me dancing over the years… What was that? Oh, you wanted to know about the author stuff? Just kidding.
I arrived with the tools of the trade! I started with a hard copy of my manuscript that I’d used with a beta reader. The guesses of how long it took me to write that thing ranged from 7 days to 200 years. My response? "That would make me like 227 years old." *grin* My humor totally went over their heads.
I also brought books and magazines that I like to read. Some I read for pleasure and some are about craft and some straddled both. I explained that if you want to be a writer, the single most important thing you could do was be a reader. And own a dictionary. And be proficient at marketing and networking…(Notice I was doing subliminal sales for my fellow wolf-pack member Kiersten White and her YA novel Paranormalcy.)
Lastly, I brought chocolate. I shouldn’t have to explain my love of it by this point in our relationship, but this was no ordinary chocolate. This was editor love chocolate. I sniff it often while admiring the amazing note from my editor AND THEN I wander off to find similar looking chocolate to eat while I’m writing. I can’t part with this one. *I reserve the right to revise that statement in a chocolate emergency.
So was it fun? Being an author/dance instructor, role-model, thing-a-ma-jiggy?
Ummmm…YES! YES! YES!
I even got some love from my own second grader. He picked me first. *phew* with his gaggle of guy friends. They all sat down and with my most serious looking face I said…"I’m pretty sure I know which hat you guys want me to wear for this interview. Today I’m going to teach you all about ballet." *gasp* I never said I was a nice author.
But paybacks can be tough…
(My favorite second grader.)
After I told the boys all about being a WRITER, they tumbled off like a pack of puppies and an adorable little blonde girl wandered over…
Girl: "Are you Ty’s mom?"
Me: "Yes, I am."
Girl: "He’s been telling me a lot about you."
Me: (Beaming) "I hope he’s saying all good things." (Beams some more)
Girl: "Eh, about half and half."
Me: *Head thunk* followed by a *grin.* We all know the truth-any publicity is good publicity, right?
If you haven’t heard me screaming and jumping up and down with joy–you may be suffering from undiagnosed hearing loss. Why all that hooting and hollering you wonder? It’s because my most amazing agent, Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency sold my Young Adult novel TOUCHING THE SURFACE to the incredible Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse. *jumping, shouting, jumping, shouting*
I wish I had some crazy story to reel you in with, but the truth is…
GET YOURSELF A FANTASTIC AGENT WHO KNOWS EXACTLY WHO WOULD BE THE PERFECT EDITOR FOR YOU.
I know it sounds easier than it is. I’ve been there. It’s worth it. I know that you can do it, so don’t give up. (((hugs)))
Well, that covers the first half of my title, but I know you’re wondering about the second half. It’s simple…I write about my Dad a lot. If you know me or my blog, you know how much he means to me and you’re aware of how much I miss him. But I have a great Mom and she’s been equally as instrumental in helping me to be who I am today. The thing is-it’s easier to write about dead people-they don’t argue with you, get disappointed or make you feel shy about expressing your mushy side. Dead people are extremely accommodating. They handle your neurosis with kid gloves. But sometimes, even if you’re not sure if you’ve used the right words, you have to take a risk and talk to the living people too.
My mom has been lifting me up for as long as I can remember…
She used to write little quotes and notes and tack them to the mirror in my room or put them in my lunch box. I grew up with one on my mirror that started like this…
"Being beautiful isn’t a talent…"
I looked at that every day and always knew two very important things about myself–my mom thought I was beautiful and she also thought that I was more than that beauty.
Back when I was growing up, a full Angelina Jolie mouth wasn’t popular or pretty. I can remember standing in front of that mirror and practicing how to hold my mouth so that no one would tease me. I did it so I wouldn’t hear someone say that my lips were so big that if I licked them, they could stick me to a wall. The mouth exercises never worked, but the quote was a good anchor to hang onto. Intellectually I knew how insignificant little comments like that should be-but it doesn’t work that way. We all know that.
My mother taught me that words have power and that I should use them both carefully and with abandon.
When my Dad passed away, my Mom asked my brother and I if it would be okay if she put our names on their stone. She wanted to write that Richard and Jean were the parents of Kimberly and Terry. She wanted everyone to know that raising us was the greatest accomplishment of their lives. Oh, the power of words…
As you continue to write and search and reach for publication, remember that you write for you and you alone and you do not have to be published to be the greatest accomplishment of someone else’s life. You write to fill your own soul and you love in order to fill the rest of them.
February 11, 2011
Kim,
Congratulations!! Grandma always said you were a dreamer. Lots of people just dream and never do anything about it. Not you. When the time was right you took a huge leap, sprouted wings and landed safely in your dreams. You were blessed with such a wonderful talent and I am so proud of you. I’m sure Daddy is busting his buttons telling everyone how proud he is of his "beautiful baby"!