Dorian Box's Blog, page 10

New Review from Surfer Dad UK

Check out the great new review of Psycho-Tropics by Andrew Norton, editor of Surfer Dad, Blog of a Wave Starved Father:

While you’re there, peruse Andrew’s excellent blog about all things surf-related.  It’s a surf blog for the entire family!

One More Week to Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for Psycho-Tropics

Still one more week (until June 15) in the Goodreads Giveaway contest to receive one of twelve hard copies of Psycho-Tropics. There are currently 242 entries, which makes for about a one in twenty chance of winning. Not bad odds. Enter today!  In the meantime, check out the reviews.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Psycho-Tropics
by Dorian Box

Giveaway ends June 15, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Legal Issues Facing Self-Published Fiction Writers

By Dorian Box

One advantage traditional publishers continue to have over self-publishers is access to legal counsel.  Self-published writers, here we’ll stick with fiction writers, need to be aware of and alert to potential legal issues their words can create.  That’s right.  This is about legal issues in the actual writing.  Legal issues regarding the business of writing (royalties, contracts, taxes, etc.) are a whole other subject.

Keeping things at a basic level (and with the standard disclaimer that this does not constitute legal advice), here are some ways fiction writers can stray into territory with potential legal ramifications.

1.  Defamation

Most writers know they can get sued if they defame someone.  Defamation occurs when an actor publishes a false statement “of and concerning” another that injures the other’s reputation.  Note that the statement must be false. You can publish the most horrible things in the world about a person and not lose a defamation suit if the statements are true. However, depending on the nature of the statement and other circumstances, an action may lie for invasion of privacy (discussed below).

In fiction, actionable defamation can occur even if you attempt to disguise the character defamed.  If a reasonable reader would identify the fictional character with the real person, that is sufficient to satisfy the “of and concerning” element of defamation.  Any fiction writer being honest will concede that at least some of their characters are based on real people, or a composite of real people.  If you are drawing a character based on a real person, be very careful to change the person’s name, appearance, locale, etc., so that no one says, “Hey, I know this guy.  I think she’s writing about her neighbor, George.”

Fortunately, for writers of all stripes, legal privileges created by the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the First Amendment make it exceptionally difficult to bring a successful defamation action.  This is particularly true if the person defamed is a public figure.  In those cases, the plaintiff has to prove the defendant knew the statements were false.  Private figure plaintiffs can prevail by showing the lesser standard of negligence.  Other legal hurdles to success in defamation actions, such as difficulties in proving damages and higher-than-usual burdens of proof, line the legal highway.

Nevertheless, you do not want to defame a person in your writing even if you stand a good chance of winning a lawsuit. Even a cease and desist letter will ruin a writer’s day.

2.  Invasion of Privacy

Good news again for writers, although perhaps not for everyone else.  Americans have very little legal protection from invasion of privacy.  In theory, one can be sued for publishing highly embarrassing true facts about a person that would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, but—very similar to defamation law—the Supreme Court has erected enormous hurdles to this type of invasion of privacy lawsuit to protect free speech.  (Of course, just as with defamation, the published matter would have to identify a real person as a threshold matter to even reach the other hurdles.)

However, European countries offer much stronger privacy protection for citizens.  Some U.S. writers have found themselves deep in legal trouble from libel and invasion of privacy lawsuits abroad in countries such as England with much weaker protections for free speech.  With nearly all books now being sold on a global platform such as Amazon, geographic boundaries are no longer a reliable protection against either libel or invasion of privacy actions.

3.  Right of Publicity

One of the surest ways to get in legal trouble is to use the name or likeness of a celebrity to promote your book.  U.S. courts universally recognize the right of a person whose “name or likeness” is appropriated for commercial use to sue for damages.  Due to First Amendment issues, there are some gray areas here as well; for example, unauthorized biographies of a famous person.  It doesn’t violate the right of publicity (or the closely related privacy tort known as “appropriation”) to simply refer to a famous person in your book.  There’s a big difference between, “Mama sure loved Frank Sinatra,” and “Hello, I’m Frank Sinatra and I’m the main character in this novel.”

4.  Trademark and Copyright Infringement

A copyright is a legally enforceable right to the exclusive use of an original artistic or literary work.  A trademark is a “word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.”  A “service mark” provides the same protection for services rather than goods.  For some basic explanation, visit the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office website here and the U.S. Copyright Office here.

Trademark and copyright law protect different interests, but when it comes to fiction writers using trademarked or copyrighted work, the basic legal principles involved are similar, mainly in that you can’t borrow either without permission.

But there are exceptions (there always are in the law) that grant leeway for writers to reference trademarks or copyrighted works. (By the way, everything is legally copyrighted the moment it is written down. Registering copyrights does not create the copyright. It simple provides a means to more easily establish a first claim on the work in the event of a dispute.)

“Fair use” is a major exception to both trademark and copyright issues. The analysis and application of the concept is different under trademark and copyright law, but similar enough for generalized statements.   Dan Goldman described the law nicely in his article on Legal Zoom, When is Unauthorized Use Not Trademark Infringement?

Speaking very generally, fair use may occur when one uses trademarked of copyrighted material not to directly promote one’s product, service, event, etc., but for a secondary purpose, such as parody, news reporting, or artistic or literary creations. It’s a highly technical area and if you have any doubts about your work, you should consult legal counsel. Different rules apply, for example, to quoting from song lyrics and books. Because songs are so short, quoting anything more than a couple of lines without permission gets dicey.

The problem for writers of fiction is that the use of trademarks, song lyrics, and other pop culture references is often desirable, even necessary, to tell the story the writer wants to tell. I struggled with the issue in Psycho-Tropics because the psychopathic antagonist is obsessed with “high-quality” consumer products and seventies pop music. Early drafts had many references to both. In the end, even though I do not believe any of the uses constituted trademark or copyright violations, I deleted all but the most essential trademarks and copyrighted references.

That’s probably the best advice. Err on the side of omitting trademarks and copyrighted material unless they are essential to your story.

Are Self-Published Authors Who Publish E-Only Titles at a Disadvantage?

By Amy Holland, with Guest Andrew Norton of Surfer Dad: Surf Blog by a Wave Starved Father

With technological advances in the digital age and the relative ease of self-publishing, many self-published authors lean toward publishing e-only titles rather than both print and e-books. Of course, one reason is the added expense of producing hard copies. Preparing a print file also requires extra work: laying out the book block, getting the spine measurement correct, and preparing a back cover.

But for the self-published author who is serious about marketing and promoting his book, the benefits of having hard copies are worth the added cost and extra work it takes to produce them, especially in relation to:

* Appealing to Reviewers

* Professional Image

* Utilizing Promotional Tools

Blogger Andrew Norton joins me in this post to help shed some light on the importance of hard copies.

Appealing to Reviewers

We all know how important reviews are, and not just on Amazon and Goodreads, but also from bloggers and other media sources. Some of those reviewers prefer hard copies, and for good reasons.

Norton: I spend my whole working day and most evenings staring into a computer screen. Reading from paper is a relief from the brightly lit screens. A paper version helps me detach from work as there are no emails, social alerts, or other distractions competing for my attention in the background.

As one reviewer explains in her post Why I Prefer Hard Copies Over E-Books, “I am more motivated to review a book when I have it in hand. Not only is it a visual reminder, but it is a visual stimulation that engages me.” She further explains, “Ebooks just do not provide this feeling to me at all. I find that if they are not in sight, they are out of mind. The more memorable an author or publisher . . . the more I am likely to recommend their work . . . .”

Providing reviewers with their preferred format not only makes their reading experience more enjoyable, but can actually be a deciding factor in whether some—particularly those who review as a hobby—will read your book in the first place.

Norton: If an author wants their book read, they need to make it as easy as possible for everyone to read it. I do not use Kindle, iPads, or iPhones to read books. So if a paper version isn’t made available, I won’t read it. If I were getting paid to review books, I would perhaps be a little more accommodating, but I’m not. I review books on my blog as a hobby, on my own time, without financial gain. I think if I started to read books on my electronic devices, reading would soon start to feel like work.

Professional Image

Self-published authors with e-only titles, ask yourself this question: what message am I sending to potential readers?

Norton: My gut reaction [to e-only titles] is that the author published the book half-heartedly. I know that isn’t always true, but I can’t help thinking it. If you have confidence in your product, give it everything you’ve got. Adopt a ‘print it and they will come’ attitude. Anyone can self-publish a book on Amazon, but offering a print version sets an author apart. If you can offer a print version, do it. Otherwise, you are potentially losing sales, and maybe credibility.

Like it or not, Norton is right. It’s hardly fair to expect others to take you seriously if you don’t put forth effort and show that you believe in your own work.

And as I mentioned in Challenging the Stigma of Self-Publishing, self-published authors already have difficulty getting people to take them seriously due to fallacies and generalized assumptions. But a factor that fuels the stigma is lack of professionalism. Making hard copies available helps with that.

Chris Robley (editor of BookBaby) mentions in Nancy’s Baumann’s e-Book vs. Print Book . . . It’s Not an Either/Or Situation!, that having print copies establishes “legitimacy in the eyes of fans, as well as industry professionals.” Robley explains that “[m]any in the publishing industry don’t take e-only titles seriously. Some folks also assume that if a book is only available digitally, it may not have been good enough to warrant a print run.” Robley advises, “[F]or now the print book is still the standard. So make yourself look like a serious contender.”

And producing hard copies helps with more than just appearance; there really is an extra degree of professionalism required to prepare a quality print edition. It will force you to pay more attention to details, which will help you present your self-published work in the most professional light possible.

Utilizing Promotional Tools

Having hard copies also allows authors to take advantage of certain promotional tools. The Goodreads Giveaway feature, for example, can really bolster attention to a book. But the Goodreads Giveaway program only accepts “physical editions” of books to participate; the terms and conditions expressly state, “eBooks and downloads are not allowed in the giveaway program.”

In running a Goodreads Giveaway for twelve copies of Psycho-Tropics, the first day we got more than one hundred participants, and even better, fifty people added the book to their “want to read” list. Again, that was just on the first day. The number of participants doubled within the first ten days. That’s a lot of attention in a short amount of time, and it wouldn’t have happened if Psycho-Tropics had been published as an e-only title. (Btw, you still have fifteen days to enter the Psycho-Tropics Goodreads Giveaway).

Moreover, as Norton mentions: You can’t sign an e-book!

Excellent point. A great way for a self-published author to promote her books is through signing events, whether at a book store or a flea market. AuthorHouse offers information on how to set up book signings for self-published authors here: Planning, Promoting, and Conducting a Worthwhile Book Signing.

Bottom Line

You definitely need to prepare an e-book version of your work. No doubt about it. Kindle copies, for example, outsell hard copies for most books. But don’t overlook the compelling reasons for producing print books.

Diary of a Novice Publicist: Are Self-Published Authors Who Publish E-Only Titles at a Disadvantage?

By Amy Holland, with Guest Andrew Norton of Surfer Dad: Surf Blog by a Wave Starved Father

With technological advances in the digital age and the relative ease of self-publishing, many self-published authors lean toward publishing e-only titles rather than both print and e-books. Of course, one reason is the added expense of producing hard copies. Preparing a print file also requires extra work: laying out the book block, getting the spine measurement correct, and preparing a back cover.

But for the self-published author who is serious about marketing and promoting his book, the benefits of having hard copies are worth the added cost and extra work it takes to produce them, especially in relation to:

* Appealing to Reviewers

* Professional Image

* Utilizing Promotional Tools

Blogger Andrew Norton joins me in this post to help shed some light on the importance of hard copies.

Appealing to Reviewers

We all know how important reviews are, and not just on Amazon and Goodreads, but also from bloggers and other media sources. Some of those reviewers prefer hard copies, and for good reasons.

Norton: I spend my whole working day and most evenings staring into a computer screen. Reading from paper is a relief from the brightly lit screens. A paper version helps me detach from work as there are no emails, social alerts, or other distractions competing for my attention in the background.

As one reviewer explains in her post Why I Prefer Hard Copies Over E-Books, “I am more motivated to review a book when I have it in hand. Not only is it a visual reminder, but it is a visual stimulation that engages me.” She further explains, “Ebooks just do not provide this feeling to me at all. I find that if they are not in sight, they are out of mind. The more memorable an author or publisher . . . the more I am likely to recommend their work . . . .”

Providing reviewers with their preferred format not only makes their reading experience more enjoyable, but can actually be a deciding factor in whether some—particularly those who review as a hobby—will read your book in the first place.

Norton: If an author wants their book read, they need to make it as easy as possible for everyone to read it. I do not use Kindle, iPads, or iPhones to read books. So if a paper version isn’t made available, I won’t read it. If I were getting paid to review books, I would perhaps be a little more accommodating, but I’m not. I review books on my blog as a hobby, on my own time, without financial gain. I think if I started to read books on my electronic devices, reading would soon start to feel like work.

Professional Image

Self-published authors with e-only titles, ask yourself this question: what message am I sending to potential readers?

Norton: My gut reaction [to e-only titles] is that the author published the book half-heartedly. I know that isn’t always true, but I can’t help thinking it. If you have confidence in your product, give it everything you’ve got. Adopt a ‘print it and they will come’ attitude. Anyone can self-publish a book on Amazon, but offering a print version sets an author apart. If you can offer a print version, do it. Otherwise, you are potentially losing sales, and maybe credibility.

Like it or not, Norton is right. It’s hardly fair to expect others to take you seriously if you don’t put forth effort and show that you believe in your own work.

And as I mentioned in Challenging the Stigma of Self-Publishing, self-published authors already have difficulty getting people to take them seriously due to fallacies and generalized assumptions. But a factor that fuels the stigma is lack of professionalism. Making hard copies available helps with that.

Chris Robley (editor of BookBaby), mentions in Nancy’s Baumann’s e-Book vs. Print Book . . . It’s Not an Either/Or Situation!, that having print copies establishes “legitimacy in the eyes of fans, as well as industry professionals.” Robley explains that “[m]any in the publishing industry don’t take e-only titles seriously. Some folks also assume that if a book is only available digitally, it may not have been good enough to warrant a print run.” Robley advises, “[F]or now the print book is still the standard. So make yourself look like a serious contender.”

And producing hard copies helps with more than just appearance; there really is an extra degree of professionalism required to prepare a quality print edition. It will force you to pay more attention to details, which will help you present your self-published work in the most professional light possible.

Utilizing Promotional Tools

Having hard copies also allows authors to take advantage of certain promotional tools. The Goodreads Giveaway feature, for example, can really bolster attention to a book. But the Goodreads Giveaway program only accepts “physical editions” of books to participate; the terms and conditions expressly state, “eBooks and downloads are not allowed in the giveaway program.”

In running a Goodreads Giveaway for twelve copies of Psycho-Tropics, the first day we got more than one hundred participants, and even better, fifty people added the book to their “want to read” list. Again, that was just on the first day. The number of participants doubled within the first ten days. That’s a lot of attention in a short amount of time, and it wouldn’t have happened if Psycho-Tropics had been published as an e-only title. (Btw, you still have fifteen days to enter the Psycho-Tropics Goodreads Giveaway).

Moreover, as Norton mentions: You can’t sign an e-book!

Excellent point. A great way for a self-published author to promote her books is through signing events, whether at a book store or a flea market. AuthorHouse offers information on how to set up book signings for self-published authors here: Planning, Promoting, and Conducting a Worthwhile Book Signing.

Bottom Line

You definitely need to prepare an e-book version of your work. No doubt about it. Kindle copies, for example, outsell hard copies for most books. But don’t overlook the compelling reasons for producing print books.

Free Copies of Psycho-Tropics – Goodreads Giveaway Starts on May 15

Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to receive one of twelve free paperback copies of Psycho-Tropics! Runs May 15 through June 15.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Psycho-Tropics
by Dorian Box

Giveaway ends June 15, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Challenging the Stigma of Self-Publishing

By Amy Holland

As a novice literary publicist, I’m learning the term “self-published” still carries a stigma, even in an era where increasing numbers of reputable and established writers are making the decision to go straight to Amazon CreateSpace and Kindle, or similar services, rather than pursue the traditional agenting/publishing route.

At root, the stigma is based on the belief that if a book is self-published, it can’t be good—that writers resort to self-publishing only because they were unable to obtain a “real publisher.” The assumption underlying this fallacy has been around a long time and has not dissipated despite revolutionizing technology advances in self-publishing and content distribution generally. Even going back to the “old days,” the list of famous self-published books and authors is pretty impressive.

The “Quality” Dismissal

Some reviewers claim they don’t read self-published books because of poor quality. They argue that self-published books contain typos and grammatical errors, the plots lack cohesiveness, and self-published writers haven’t reached the level where they deserve attention from professional reviewers. The problem is, this claim lumps all self-published books into one “poor quality” category. Like most stereotypes, the fact that the assumption is true some of the time, or even most of the time, certainly does not mean it is true all of the time. My guess is that most elitist reviewers of this type have never even picked up a self-published book.

I agree that a lot of self-published material really is subpar. Anyone can slap something together and put it on Amazon. But it is misguided to generalize that all self-published books fit in that category. Numerous self-published works are out there that are far superior to many traditionally published books. Many of them have been professionally designed and edited. The quality is such that no reviewer in the world would be able to tell they were self-published without asking or researching the name of the imprint (unless, of course, the author did not create an imprint and the front matter explicitly states the name of the on-demand publisher).

The “We Don’t Have Time” Excuse

Other reviewers concede that not all self-published books are bad, but still refuse to consider reviewing them because there are too many to choose from, making it overly burdensome. For example, Roger Sutton, editor-in-chief of Horn Book magazine, states, “If we were to commit to giving self-published books the same level of scrutiny we give to what we already cover, I would need to increase our staff exponentially, which is not going to happen.”  Roger Sutton: An open letter to the self-published author feeling dissed.

I’m not denying that the number of books that reviewers receive can be overwhelming, but I have to agree with Arvind Dilawar, editor of The Airship, that “refusing to review any self-published book because you can’t review every self-published book is poor logic.” Arvind Dilawar: The deluge of the Information Age has made it difficult to keep pace, but that doesn’t mean we should discriminate so callously.

The “Gatekeeper” Argument

Related to the quality argument, some reviewers and media sources say they will only consider traditionally published books because they feel that “real” publishers serve as a sort of “gatekeeper.” Ron Charles notes in Henry Baum: “I don’t want to read your self-published book,” that traditionally published books are “the books that had to find an agent. And then a publisher. And then they were professionally edited. And now are being professionally marketed by people with money on the line.”

This argument does have some merit; however, just because a book made the cut through a traditional publisher does not necessarily mean it is better or more professionally done than a self-published one. There are a lot of crappy books out there that somehow made it through this gatekeeper process. Moreover, the argument relies on the assumption that professional editors and marketers can only be obtained once the book has found an agent and publisher, and that self-published authors don’t have “money on the line.” That simply is not true. The best self-published authors have already done that legwork and may have a lot of their own money on the line as a result of hiring graphic cover art and layout artists.

Sometimes Self-Publishing is a Choice 

Many terrific authors—plenty of whom have previously gone the traditional publishing route (Dorian Box, author of Psycho-Tropics, included)—choose self-publishing simply because they’re tired of dealing with the BS, including the interminable delays, they’ve encountered with the traditional agenting/publishing process.  In this video, three bestselling authors–Theresa Ragan, James Altucher, and Maria Murnane–explain their disappointing experiences in the traditional arena and why they decided to forge their own paths on CreateSpace:

Ronald H. Balson, author of Once We Were Brothers, reasons, “Like other writers, I became impatient. I wanted to see the book in print before I died of old age. So my son and I . . . did it ourselves.” Ronald H. Balson: Bestseller Success Stories that Started Out as Self-Published Books. Once We Were Brothers is now at 1,547 Amazon reviews and counting.

Anyone who has been through the agenting process can attest to the frustration of the discourteous treatment. You do your research.  You tailor a personalized letter to the agent. You send out your hopes and dreams. But no matter how riveting, polished, and professionally presented your work is, the chance of getting a non-form response to a query is about the same as being struck by lightning in a rubberized house.

(As an aside, just as anyone can self-publish, anyone can hang out a shingle as an agent, so apart from proven, successful agents, why should people care so much about what they think?)

Agents, reviewers, and the entire publishing industry need to see the winds of change. Look what happened to the music industry.  Record companies imploded in large part because they refused to see the changes technology was wreaking in their world. Isn’t a musical artist releasing their own work—which is extremely common these days even for some of the biggest artists—a form of self-publishing?

To self-published authors everywhere: believe in yourself and your work. Dare to dream!

In the meantime, for those of you self-published writers who would like a shot at getting a review on some sites other than Amazon, here is a link to a list of legit reviewers for “indie” books: http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/.

Writing the Perfect Book Blurb

By Dorian Box

The book “blurb.”  That elusive quest to capture 100,000 words and years of work in 100-150 words.  I’ve written blurbs for my nonfiction books and abstracts for numerous scholarly articles, but composing a blurb for my first novel, Psycho-Tropics, presented unique challenges.

For nonfiction, the blurb generally summarizes the content, not focusing on attention-getting teasers.  With fiction, it’s a much finer tightrope.  Except for the most well-known writers, the blurb needs to both catch attention and persuade a person who has never heard of you to fork over money for the privilege of reading your book.  It has to tantalize while still conveying something concerning what the book is actually about.

(Well-known fiction writers do not face the blurb dilemma.  Study the back covers of novels by popular writers and you will rarely spot a blurb, but instead a list of to-die-for reviews.)

Studying blurbs from a bunch of books, I identified three different approaches to writing a novel blurb.

The Pure Teaser Blurb

The pure teaser is a short, intriguing attention-getter. For Psycho-Tropics, it might be something like this:

What if you could go back and bury your biggest mistake?  What if it came to bury you first?

This generates a certain intrigue, but would you buy a book from an author with whom you are not familiar based solely on a teaser?  I don’t think I would.

The Tweener Teaser/Descriptive Blurb

In composing a blurb for the WordPress Book Table plug-in on the Author’s Garage page of dorianbox.com, I went short and sweet:

A high-school reunion in a South Florida town unburies (literally) secrets from the past, launching laidback surfer Danny Teakwell on a roller-coaster ride of mayhem and mystery through the Sunshine State.  Pulse-pounding action and “whodunit?” mystery combine with heart and dark humor in this zany tale of revenge and redemption, where everyone has a secret and nothing is what it seems.

Definitely more detail concerning the nature of the book than the Pure Teaser, but still no real indication as to what it is about.

(Speaking of plug-ins, har-har, let me insert a plug in here for Author’s Garage, where self-published fiction writers can receive free, legit exposure on dorianbox.com).

The Longer “What It’s About” Blurb

Too long of a blurb?

In the end, I went with the blurb below for Psycho-Tropics, based on my thinking that most readers want to have some idea of what a book is about before buying it.

June 1995.  A twentieth high school reunion in a South Florida town unleashes this mystery thriller, a zany concoction of darkness and light.

Lottery-winning surfer Danny Teakwell seems to be living the life in his beachfront condo, but he’s been hiding a secret and punishing himself for two decades.  Now he’s hit rock bottom. Or so he thinks.

The skeleton in his closet shows up at the reunion, along with a cheerful psychopath posing as a classmate.  The imposter’s loony mission to avenge the past launches Danny on a treacherous race for survival—and redemption.  Turns out Danny’s not the only one with a secret.

With the help of his pill-popping lawyer, a crusty barkeep, and a band of oddballs he meets along the way, Danny has three days to save his skin and, most important, the woman he’s loved since the fifth grade.  They made a vow as kids and he broke it.  He won’t let it happen again.

This blurb, which I agonized over for a month, shows that having the luxury of writing the blurb for your own book is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because no one knows the book as well as you do.  I mean, who could possibly appreciate all of the great things about your book except you?

But it’s a curse for the same reason: no one else knows the book as well as you.  “How can I possibly summarize this masterpiece in a mere 100 words?  It can’t be done.”  The result can an overly long blurb containing too many details, which may have happened here.  (The blurb clocks in at 160 words.)

What’s your verdict?  Not on the specific wording, but what you think is the most effective of the above three approaches:  The Pure Teaser Blurb, The Tweener Teaser/Descriptive Blurb, or The Longer “What It’s About” Blurb that gives more details as to what actually happens in the book.

Diary of a Novice Book Publicist–No Rest for the (Review) Query

By Amy Holland 

There’s always a learning curve when it comes to breaking into a new line of work, and with that learning curve comes stress. Publicity is no exception. As a novice literary publicist—working to promote Psycho-Tropics by Dorian Box–I was particularly stressing over sending out my first review query.

We all know how important reviews are to a book’s success. And not just the content of the review, but getting it in the first place. It requires care in selecting outlets that might be interested in the book. Mass send-outs or email barrages are a waste of time and money.

Psycho-Tropics is set in Hollywood, Florida, a fairly small community between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I decided to start by targeting the local newspaper. I mean, how many thrillers have ever been set in Hollywood, Florida? None is the best guess.  In drafting a letter to the newspaper editor, I stressed the local angle, even including a brief excerpt from the book capturing the vibe of Hollywood Beach:

“He took a last look at the surf shop and began the trek home. The aroma of grilling burgers and hot dogs wafted from the Sea Dog near the paddleball courts. Behind him a tourist caused a traffic jam feeding popcorn to a network of high-strung seagulls. An old woman with skin like rawhide sat in the shade of a coconut palm weaving a hat from green fronds.”

Despite all of my work I actually lost sleep because I was so nervous it wouldn’t be good enough, or that I’d make some critical mistake. The few winks of sleep I did manage were plagued by dreams of inadequacy and epic failure.

I knew I had to do a lot of homework to figure out what makes a good review query. In doing so, I found that there is a ton of readily available information out there on what to do in terms of promoting and publicizing a self-published book, but good advice on how to do those things well was more difficult to find.

In hopes of saving others like myself a little time, I’d like to share a couple of good information sources I found on writing review solicitation letters and press releases:

Bronwyn Hemus, Write A Better Press Release–50 Ways to Reach Your Readers #14

The first source, a series installment called “6 Tips for a Better Press Release for Your Book,” is a blog post specifically geared toward drafting press releases, but much of the advice applies to review queries as well. The tip that stuck out to me the most was number 4: “Inform, don’t promote.” This was helpful to me because, coming from a sales background, my first instinct is to promote, promote, promote! But this blog post advised against it, and for good reason. Press releases (and queries/publicity letters) are primarily intended to be informative, not necessarily persuasive in the sales traditional sense. Of course, that’s not to say you can’t write a query with enthusiasm; just don’t spend too much time trying to “sell” the product.

Denise Enck, How to Write an Excellent Book Review Query

This second source is an article from Empty Mirror Books, an online arts magazine. The advice here somewhat overlaps the advice in the previously mentioned blog post, but this article gives a little more detail on actual review query writing, offering a sample letter.

The information in these sources is not groundbreaking, but the tips do make a lot of sense, and offer valid points that anyone should consider in writing press releases and queries.

My experience in sending the letter was bittersweet. The good news is it was successful, at least preliminarily. I received an immediate, positive response requesting a copy of Psycho-Tropics. Yay!

But I made a bonehead mistake, omitting a word in the very first paragraph! Imagine my horror when I noticed this error in my very first professional query as a budding publicist

It’s not that I didn’t proofread my work. I did, about eight billion times. I even had my husband read it, because we all know how easy it is to overlook mistakes in one’s own writing.

I should have set it aside for a while and let my brain rest before coming back for a final read. Luckily, it worked out fine, but I learned a valuable lesson the hard way: Never rely on my husband to be my proofreading assistant.

Kidding. I learned that no matter how perfect my own writing seems to be in the moment, it’s crucial to give my brain a rest and come back to it for a final reading before hitting the “send” button. But seriously, my husband is SO fired. Haha.

Meanwhile, I will keep my fingers crossed that the reviewer reads and likes this terrific book.

Why Use a Pen Name as a Writer?

Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain is one of the most famous pen names.

By Dorian Box

A difficult decision in publishing Psycho-Tropics was whether to use my real name or a pseudonym or “pen name.”

There are good reasons and bad reasons for using a pen name.  Bad reasons include thinking you can get away with libeling people or invading their privacy by hiding behind a pen name.  Good reasons may include disguising gender, switching genres, or keeping boundaries in different parts of your life.

The reasons often vary as between new self-published writers and established writers.  No point reinventing the wheel here, as many people have already explored this issue very well.  Here are some good posts on the subject:

Howard Zaharoff, A Rose by Any Other Name: Pros and Cons of Pseudonyms

Moira Allen, Should You Use a Pseudonym?

The Economist Blog, Why Do Some Writers Use Pseudonyms?

My decision to use a pseudonym was based on not wanting to commingle my professional life as a college professor, which includes a lot of scholarly writing, with writing fiction.  I contacted Mr. Zaharoff, a lawyer, author of the first post listed above, for his opinion, and appreciated his generous feedback.  If your instinct is to use a pen name, it’s probably right to follow it.

As an aside, friends have asked, “How did you come up with Dorian Box?”  There actually is a story behind this, but it is a disappointingly prosaic one.