Blog Ten
The Fall Reading Season
Summer is gone from the calendar, but not from my daily life. So many gardens to put safely to bed, and all those grasses I planted over the years…everywhere, to cut down. What was I thinking? The days are sunny and the nights are cool; my bedroom window is still open a crack to let in the outside air. It’s time to get down to business marketing my two recent novels, The Image Maker and Lila’s Story: War, Alaska, and the Open Sea.
I’ve whined about how hard it is to do marketing, even with some guidance from people like Jane Friedman on LinkedIn, friends from the literary portion of Chautauqua Institution, and my dear friends who are always saying. “I know exactly what you should do. Just get signings in all the little bookstores near here, including Buffalo, and you’ll sell hundreds of books. How could they refuse you?”
That last one doesn’t often work, although I have done some local signings and a few talks. Historical Fiction is increasingly popular these days, so I’m in the right genre, at the right time. I feel a small group of book club members is a much better way to set expectations for your storylines. I am exploring this deeply now, although my initial research on book clubs hasn’t yielded the return I hoped for. I will work with the library system, since they'll know who requests copies of the same book. Some libraries and museums host their own Book Clubs, so off to do the footwork.
Another thing that works for me, and gives me a little pat on the back, is submitting your book for prizes in your genre, with a book review as part of your entry. I did this with The Image Maker, and it worked well for me: good reviews to use in publicity and a decent return on prizes. It is an expense to weigh, but I’ve narrowed it down to a select few and feel comfortable about the return on my buck.
Nothing works better to keep your literary juices flowing and your self-esteem positive than in-person conversations with other writers. My network is growing, and I hope it will keep growing. If you are a writer or are trying to become one, please comment by using my contact information on this site. I would love to get some conversations going to get through the long Western New York winter.
My beautiful tall ornamental grasses are calling me, but they are moving like waves in the sea, and the sun makes their tassels so bright. Maybe I’ll wait until tomorrow to cut them down.
