On Marketing Archives - Page 17 of 19

Porch Swing Party

September 9, 2013 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

A book signing on an island as small as Denman is a little like hanging out all afternoon on a covered porch with good friends dropping by to say hello. They stay for a spell and we share a laugh or two over cookies while we catch up on families and gardens, visitors and holidays, and especially how and when we arrived on the island. Local hot topics pop up in conversation as often as marvels at the beautiful weather and the speed at which time flies.

And fly, it does . . . it was less than a year ago that the good folks at Abraxas Books hosted the signing of my first book, The Gift: Awakening (now titled Secret Sky). When the second book, The Gift: Revelation (now titled Hidden Enemy), came out, once again, they jumped on board with enthusiasm. Thank you, Juan, Leslie, Corinne and Shaun for your early and continuing support.

And for everyone out there who’s been asking when the third book in the trilogy, The Gift: Redemption (now titled Burning Lies), will be coming out, you won’t have long to wait. I’m working toward a Christmas release and I’ll announce it all right here on my blog and through my newsletter. If you’re not getting my posts by email, click the “follow” button on my blog and you’ll get an email notice every time I post something new. Or sign up for my newsletter and you’ll get free short stories and a notice when a new book is coming out.

Until then, enjoy the spectacular weather, and support the hard-working folks at your local book store.

An Important Lesson About Public Readings

July 23, 2013 By JPMcLean 10 Comments

An Important Lesson About Public Readings

You might think I’ve been on holiday–some remote island without Internet service. Unfortunately, I have no such excuse. Life just got in the way of writing, which is a refreshing change from the other way around.

In the midst of a wave of visitors and a landmark birthday celebration, the 2013 Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival came and went. At last year’s festival, I read from Book I, Awakening. It was the first public reading I’d ever done. I spent weeks choosing, polishing and practicing the perfect piece. I had twelve precious minutes and wanted to make the best of them.

When the announcement came out for the 2013 Festival, I immediately signed up to read from Book II, Revelation. Once again, I spent weeks on my twelve-minute selection. I was feeling quite comfortable about it, but that was before I attended Terry Fallis’s Festival Workshop, “Building an Audience.”

Don’t misunderstand me; Terry Fallis presented a smorgasbord of useful and interesting tidbits, and his comfortable, humorous approach to the workshop and, I suspect, life in general, made the workshop whiz by. But something he said near the end made me anxious. He understood something I’d forgotten.

He reminded me that if a writer gets the opportunity to read from their work, they’d better choose something compelling and representative of both their writing style and their book.

Makes sense, right? Intuitive, don’t you think? No brainer?

Uh-huh…yeah, should have been.

Thank God I attended Terry’s workshop BEFORE my scheduled reading. You see, with Book II, it was difficult to find a passage that didn’t contain either a spoiler or some bit of “lore” that would require lengthy back story to explain. Also, I didn’t want to read from the first chapters, because they’re available on Amazon and elsewhere. Therefore, I chose a scene from chapter six. It was a minor, simple scene with easily described characters and self-explanatory setting.

I thought it was ideal; instead, it was boring.

I left Terry’s workshop in an anxious mess and headed home to scour the book for another passage.

After a tense evening, I decided to read from the first chapter after all, then spent the next morning refining and practicing the new selection to be sure I stayed within my twelve minutes. I read out loud and standing up (another Terry tidbit), and noted the places where I needed to pause or add emphasis.

At the appointed hour, I entered the auditorium and took my place. My nerves jangled and I fluffed a few lines, but I got through it. Most importantly, I read a piece that was representative of the story and in doing so, I left people curious and asking questions they might just have to read the book to learn the answers to. Which is the whole point.

Thanks, Terry Fallis‎. This is not a lesson I’ll forget again!

JP McLean relaxing with Molly after her DIWRF Reading from Revelation

Remote Island Photo by Damien Checoury on Unsplash

After Publication

April 25, 2013 By JPMcLean 2 Comments

After Publication

One of the first things I learned in the post-writing, post-publication phase of this business is how much work the marketing and promotion phase demands. Being relatively new to this aspect of the business, I found it a daunting road with its own language and sign posts. Social media, branding, platforms, back links, blog tours, websites–yikes!

The die was cast.

However, after I decided to publish, the die was cast. I’d chosen this path and I had to follow through no matter how daunting.

My first sojourns down the marketing and promotion road felt like peddling a tricycle in traffic on a six-lane highway. Experts dish out a wide array of advice, but they’re unanimous about two things: promo should start when you begin writing, and whatever platforms you develop, be they blogs, Twitter or Facebook, should be fed a regular diet of quality fodder.

I’d barely made it out of the driveway and I’d already failed two “should do” tests. Regardless, I’d already strapped on my helmet, so off I went. I’d written a book. Surely I could figure this out–right?

Wrong. I failed miserably. Cases in point (yes, that’s plural). I tried, but failed to:

get a blog running on Tumblr
create a Gravatar for my main character
upload my work onto Wattpad.

I was lost in a maze of on-ramps. Have I mentioned that I’m hopeless with technology?

Writers to the rescue.

With no idea how to get from point A to point B, I reached out to other writers (read crawled, pleading and begging). Some of those writers knew me, some didn’t. Without exception, they stepped up and pointed me in the right direction.

With their guidance, I managed to connect with a web designer who secured my domain name and designed an elegant website. In time, I created a Facebook page; I created a Twitter profile and learned about hashtags; I joined Goodreads and figured out how to get my book listed; and then I spent some time with WordPress and created this blog to add to my website.

It’s now six months later. The first book is under my belt and I have another one in the chute, which means that dreaded marketing and promotion road lies in wait. Again. I know it won’t be a relaxing leisure trip, but this time around I’m better prepared. And when I get discouraged and overwhelmed, I won’t wait so long to ask for directions.

How about you? What do you do when you get lost on the marketing and promo highway?

You can purchase all of my books on the Bookstore Tab.

Photo by John Lockwood on Unsplash

How NOT to Market a Book

April 1, 2013 By JPMcLean 7 Comments

How NOT to market a book

I made a rare visit to Vancouver last week. It gave me an excuse to wear heels and “city clothes.” It also gave me an opportunity to practice the elevator pitch for my book.

I’m an introvert.

Marketing is outside my comfort zone. However, when you publish a book, if you want people to discover it, you have to market it. That’s why I keep a supply of business cards at hand. I use them as an opening to talk up the book when I’m out and about.

Last week, I met my sister-in-law downtown and we poked in and out of stores for most of the afternoon. While we shopped, I handed out a few cards to sales clerks who looked like they might be in my target readership. Their quick smiles and easy acceptance boosted my confidence.

At just past six, we called it a day and stopped for a drink and to rest our feet before heading back to her place. We settled into a comfortable window seat in a busy bar in an old hotel on Georgia Street. Our waiter was an interesting young man who took the time to make sure we had the perfect drinks. He shared his personal history in the bar business and checked on us often. The service was a real treat and I was enjoying my visit to the big city.

Buoyed by happy endorphins and confident that our waiter would be receptive, I decided to give him my book pitch on his next visit to our table. I reasoned that even if an urban fantasy thriller didn’t appeal to him, he might have a girlfriend or sister who would be interested.

As he approached our table, I held out my card. He frowned as he took it, and before I could explain myself, we were interrupted. He half turned as he spoke to the person who’d interrupted, and jammed my card into a pocket. I watched him morph from our relaxed, happy-go-lucky waiter to a visibly stiffened young man shuffling from one foot to the other. He finished his conversation then quickly excused himself and beetled away before I could deliver my elevator pitch.

He never came back.

I didn’t catch on at first, mostly because I’m daft. And then a completely different employee came by to present our bill. I looked around for our waiter and spied him on the far side of the room serving another section. That’s when it dawned on me: He thought I was trying to pick him up.

At first, I was just embarrassed about the misunderstanding. But then the reality sunk in: He’d literally run from our table. Talk about a humiliating eye-opener. Suddenly, it was me who couldn’t exit fast enough.

Apparently, I’ve officially entered cougar country. I must say, it’s not my favourite place. It takes the shine off of all kinds of delusions that I was rather fond of.

In future, I’ll be more careful about handing out business cards – especially in bars. My ego might not be able to take another mad dash from a handsome young man with his pants on fire.

Want to know how I got into this mess? Check out How it Started.