Lara Ward Cosio's Blog, page 4

More marketing angles for your self-published book

I've created a "novel trailer" for Playing At Love using the website Animoto. The idea is to give visual flavor of the book. It was fun to make and gives my marketing outreach a new spin. I've shared this on Facebook, Twitter, my Amazon Author Page, my website, and here on the blog. 

Once again, whether this will procure new readers, I can't be certain. But it certainly doesn't hurt to put out the effort. 

 

Trying to get your Indie novel noticed

As I've mentioned before, marketing your own book takes a ton of time. I spend hours every single day researching ways to get my book in front of more eyes, hoping I'll hit on the right answer.

I've reached out to almost two dozen book bloggers, asking for them to read and review Playing At Love. Three actually said yes! But so far, only one has posted a review. It was from the lovely Lucy from Sweet Is Always In Style. You'll see from her review (below) that she really read the book and got to know it well! And, I'm so pleased that she adored it! The glowing review was posted to her blog and tweeted to her 19k+ followers more than once. Sounds like just the trick for getting some sales, right? Well, not so much. It's frustrating that yet another attempt at getting Playing At Love noticed fizzled out.

The only answer I have is that I refuse to give up.

Lucy's review (posted on March 22, 2016)
Musicians, heartthrobs, rock stars, yes please! :) I have to say that I feel as though I went on a rollercoaster with this book. It sucks you in and grabs you at your very core, so much so that when I put it down I would go about my day thinking about the characters as though I needed to get back to them, to see if they were OK and what they were up to. This book takes you on Connor and Gavin's journey as they try to rekindle their friendship and record their band 'Rouge's' fifth studio album. There are a lot of obstacles in the way and feelings that have to be laid to rest, as it wasn't too long ago that the rock star lifestyle got to Gavin's head and he turned to cocaine and was far from the man he used to be, resulting in him pushing his wife, Sophie, away. His wife also being a great friend to Connor, and the women Connor also happened to be in love with too, lead to them making some emotional decisions of their own and sleeping together. Having all made mistakes, they want to fix it and make it right. Gavin wants to get his wife back, who he hasn't spoken to in months. Connor wants to forget her and move on with his life with his fiancé Colette and his best friend back by his side. It's not going to be easy though. Sophie is working and feels more independent that ever before, she misses her husband but she's scared of going back. He left her when she was vulnerable and didn't make contact with her for 6 months, she believed he had left her with no thought to return. She had loved him with every piece of her since she was a teenager, so what was she supposed to do now? Was he clean, can she trust him? In turn, can Gavin really forget the images of his wife sleeping with his best friend? He wants to, but it's not so easy when he sees them talking together. Meanwhile, in an attempt to move past it all Connor is back with his young, on again off again model girlfriend, he has promised marriage to her, though he's not exactly sure why. He loves her but they have never shared a deep connection, she is lovely and great in bed but so very different to him. She loves drama and attention and is always playing games with him. To make matters of Connor's heart even more complicated, one of his closest friends moves back home after 10 years and he finds himself drawn to her like old times. He's relaxed when Felicity's around, he finds it easy to flirt, be himself and be honest with her about everything. I adored the characters in Playing at Love. I felt that were very real and true. It's not your typical romance story, I believe its a little more raw, showing that love isn't always straight forward, love isn't always fair, love doesn't always mean that you are meant to be with that person. It can come in many forms, friendships, admirers, lovers, partners, soul mates and it can be wonderful yet also painful. I was pulling my hair out at points with Connor and got very mad at him, I understood the situations he found himself in and really didn't want to fault him, but couldn't help getting upset with his behavior at times. He's sexy, flirty and will definitely keep you turning the pages and in the end I feel his heart was always in the right place. The women in this book are also pretty awesome, beautiful, confident, fierce and bold, they were definitely inspiring each in their own way.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It was a captivating read with incredibly strong characters and depth. It will tug at your heart strings, make you swoon and teach you what true friendships and love is all about. I look forward to reading more from Lara Ward Cosio and thank her very much for getting in touch with us and sharing her story, I thoroughly enjoyed it! :)

Get your copy here: Playing at Love!

Keep reading!

Love Lucy xx



 

 

Cover design - objective feedback

I submitted the cover for Playing At Love to The Book Designer website as part of their monthly "e-Book Cover Design Awards." While it did not win the top prize, it did get favorable (objective) feedback:

Lara Cosio submitted Playing At Love: A Rogue Series Novel designed by Dane & Brittany at EbookLaunch.com. “This novel is the first in a series and focuses on a rock guitarist. I asked Dane and Eebook Launch to develop something that looked more “women’s fiction” than “rock star romance” but still alluded to the main character’s music connection. I also wanted something that could be a brand for the series”

"JF: It definitely has a feminine appeal, and it’s clean with a bit of cleverness."

 

 

When Your Book Mirrors Reality, or The Dangers of Being Seen as Fanfiction

I set about to write a novel - Playing At Love - where the main characters are part of a successful four-piece rock band. In Ireland. No, not that band. But yes, similar to them. Especially the fact that the fictional lead singer has long-running issues with the absence of his mother. Just like Bono, as it turns out. In U2's latest album, Songs of Innocence, Bono explores how his mother's death affected him both when he was a teenager and up until this day.

Most U2 fans (and maybe even some casual observers) will put two and two together to recognize that my fictional singer shares this significant, defining characteristic with the real singer of U2. And though I was only lightly borrowing the idea of the effect of the absent parent on an artist, I know some may want to read it as fanfiction.

Playing At Love takes place about thirty years after U2's meteoric rise. The singer in my book, Gavin McManus, is inspired to be an artist after his mother abandons their family when he is very young. He, in fact, takes comfort in not only Bono's story, but other musicians like Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Geldof, and Eric Clapton who all also suffered some sort of loss of that all-important maternal figure.

The drive of all these artists to funnel the anger, hurt, and anxiety from their loss into music is something that the fictional band's guitarist, Conor Quinn, recognizes and respects: 

“Conor had always been drawn to those who possessed raw talent—both out of admiration and a tinge of envy. He was attracted to that intangible thing that elevated mere aptitude to something great, especially in music. By studying his favorite artists, he realized the key to their genius was an ability to channel the wounds of a damaged childhood into their art. Gavin, having lost his baby sister and mother when he was just seven, had that same wounded artist aura. And he had used it to impressive effect over the years.”

— Playing At Love

The novel also questions, not the legitimacy of artists' wounds, but how actively they nurture those wounds in order to mine them for inspiration. That is, if they had had a "normal" upbringing with both parents present, would they have gone on to become legendary artists?

In Gavin's case, he's not just using his music as a means of catharsis, but as a way to reach out to the mother that he hasn't seen since childhood. He's motivated to become famous so that she will return home, return to him.

Now, these themes may seem a bit heavy but they are mixed into what are essentially parallel love stories with Conor trying to finally figure out how to have a real relationship and Gavin trying to win back his estranged wife. There are also lots of glamorous backdrops, including fashion shows on the runways within Paris' Carrousel du Louvre, a romantic nighttime episode on The London Eye Ferris Wheel, island-hopping in Greece, and explorations of Sydney, Australia.

With the characters being Irish rock stars, I realize that I've opened up the possibility for it to be seen as U2 fanfiction. That was the risk I took when I set the story and characters the way I did. Part of why I did that was to envision what the next big band out of Ireland might look like, as there could one day be another U2. Though that may have already happened, but with a solo artist who beat me to any imaginings of what's to come. His name is Hozier. 

Marketing angles for self-published books

Being a self-published author means you spend a lot of time trying to find ways to market your book. A. Lot. Of. Time. Time that could be spent writing the next book. Sigh. That's just the way it goes. 

One angle is to create a visual that incorporates a part of the book that is compelling enough to (hopefully) draw readers into wanting to see more. I've put together a couple of these for Playing At Love and although I like them, I cringe at the fact that they aren't able to get all the nuances of the book. How could they, though? These are just a little taste of things.

Here's one that plays up the "rock star romance" side of the book, although it is definitely "not  your ordinary rock n' roll read!" as one reviewer put it.

I made another with a gorgeous nighttime view of The London Eye Ferris Wheel to play up one of the most romantic scenes in the book and showing Conor's struggle with his attraction to Felicity:

Whether these things work, I'm not entirely sure, as is the case with so many other efforts at marketing your own book. The only real tried and true method is word of mouth recommendations. And the only thing you can do to ensure that is write the best book and characters you can and hope that you'll find fans that are vocal about their enjoyment of it.

Favorite lyrics

I've got music on my mind this morning. I've always been drawn to the lyrics, of course. The format of a song restricts the writer in ways I could never master. I've written a song for Playing At Love, and partials of other songs for the band in the Rogue Series, but am still in awe of the songwriters I admire. I tweet my favorite song lyrics now and again and have compiled them here:

You gotta cry without weeping/ 
talk without speaking/ 
scream without raising your voice
#favoritelyrics #U2 

You sit there in your heartache/
Waiting for some beautiful boy/
To save you from your old ways
#favoritelyrics #theKillers 

Called up to listen to the voice of reason/
And got his answering machine
#favoritelyrics #ArcticMonkeys

And all the weekend rockstars are in the toilets/
Practicing their lines
#favoritelyrics #arcticmonkeys

Sleight of hand and twist of fate/
On a bed of nails, she makes me wait
#favoritelyrics #U2

And tell the Devil that he can go back from where he came/
His fiery arrows drew their bead in vain
#favoritelyrics #brandonflowers 

And I can't be holding on to what you got/
When all you got is hurt
#favoritelyrics #U2

Take my hand/
Take my whole life too/
For I can't help falling in love with you
#favoritelyrics #elvispresley 

Without permission His face became wet/
He thought that he learned/
How to not get upset
#favoritelyrics #arcticmonkeys 

And the decades disappear/
Like sinking ships but we persevere/
God gives us hope, but we still fear what we don't know
#favoritelyrics #TheKillers

I heard that you fell in love/
Or near enough
#favoritelyrics #arcticmonkeys   

And when when the hardest part is over, we'll be here/
And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fear
#favoritelyrics #brandonflowers

It’s no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest/ 
It’s no secret ambition bites the nails of success/
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief/
All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief
#favorielyrics #U2 

It's not like I'm falling in love/
I just want you to do me no good/
And you look like you could
#favoritelyrics #arcticmonkeys  

 

Kindle Countdown Deal

So, I'm trying an Amazon ‪#‎kindlecountdowndeal‬!

Today (March 3), Playing At Love is ONLY $0.99! 
Friday (March 4), Playing At Love will be $1.99
Saturday (March 5), Playing At Love will be $2.99
Sunday (March 6), Playing At Love will be $3.99
Monday (March 7), Playing At Love will be back to $4.99

Go on and get your copy! Happy reading!

http://www.amazon.com/Playing-At-Love...

The toll of writing

As I mentioned last blog post, I've completed the first draft of Tangled Up In You. While there were definitely some heavy emotional scenes in Playing At Love, I'm feeling the toll of writing Tangled more. 

The journey characters Gavin and Sophie take in this novel has really affected me, which may sound weird since I wrote it! But, I am the type of writer that really  enjoys those times when the characters seem to reveal themselves without my "interference" so to speak. 

I can only hope that those moments that weighed heavily on me translate to other readers. 

 

Tangled Up In You - Cover reveal

Much progress has been made on the newest book in the Rogue Series Novels. The first draft of Tangled Up In You is with my editor and I now have the e-book cover!Here is the synopsis:

When Gavin McManus lost his mother at age seven, he comforted himself with not just music, but the stories of artists who also experienced the absence of that all-important maternal figure: McCartney, Lennon, Hendrix, Geldof, Clapton, Bono, and others. In his teen years, he nurtured grandiose aspirations of becoming a famous singer-songwriter, willing his mother’s abandonment to give his life meaning. And maybe his fame will mean she will want to seek him out.

Sophie Kavanaugh is the first girl to see through Gavin’s bravado and into his wounded core, and in return he trusts her with the truth about his mother. This school-year spent together during which Gavin and his best friend, Conor Quinn, form their band Rogue, makes an indelible impression on all of them.

What should have simply been a memorable school-days romance is amplified into an intense—and public—love story when Gavin and Sophie reunite several years later. Rogue has become a college-circuit hit in America, and they teeter on the edge of making it big. Sophie is a sophomore at USC but has never quite given up hope of seeing Gavin again. When a chance encounter brings them together, they are desperate not to lose one another again, and they let their hearts rule.

 

Trying to settle into some sort of normalcy beyond the heady rock scene brings its own challenges as Gavin and Sophie wrestle with how to handle the ramifications of their naive, impulsive reunion.

Over the course of three more albums and the next dozen years, Rogue earns their place as the biggest band in the world. At the same time, Sophie finds her own place in the modeling industry. They exude the outward appearance of the perfect rock star/supermodel couple. And no matter what doubts or fears test them, their need for each other never wavers. It’s what works for them. Until it doesn’t.

A magazine exposé finally reveals the truth to the world about Gavin’s mother, who he had for twenty-odd years insinuated was dead. In the ensuing media storm and backlash, Gavin descends into depression and worse. Sophie, rejected from her role as Gavin’s indispensable support system, is vulnerable to Conor’s long-simmering attention.

The angst Gavin fostered from losing his mother has paid off in terms of musical inspiration and success. But what does all that matter now that he risks losing the other most influential woman of his life—Sophie? If he can’t figure out how to finally confront the past he may face the future without Sophie.

Turning your book into an audiobook

I have a co-worker who does audio for books in his off-hours. When he found out about my book, Playing At Love, he offered these tips on how to turn a book into an audiobook:

The Audiobook Creation Exchange www.acx.com is a free-to-use platform connected with Amazon & Audible. Narrators and Title Rights Holders (authors or publishing companies) can create a profile and post or look for projects. In your case, you’d put your title up for auditions and specify what you’re looking for from the narrator (female and/or male voice, accent (if any), style, and so on).You can offer to ‘buy out’ the project by paying the narrator directly once the project is completed, or do a Royalty Share where you and they split 40% of each sale (Audible keeps the other 60% for hosting/sales/distribution).As auditions come in, you listen to them and once you decide on the one you like, you can extend an offer to them to produce the book. They may (or may not) accept the offer based on the terms you specify (timeline for completion, payment option, etc).As a Rights Holder, you can be as involved or hands off in the process as you like, having the option to listen to and review each chapter as they are uploaded by the narrator, providing feedback or requesting changes as you go along. Some Authors I’ve worked with have been very hands on, others haven’t said so much as a word before hitting the final ‘approved’ button at the end of the process.

I'm not quite at the point where I want to go down the road toward audiobook recording, but I thought it might be helpful to share this information.