A.C. Gaughen's Blog, page 6

In Which I Rant

I have been in the position now for almost three years of working at a job that I've chosen for reasons that do not reflect my ultimate ambitions. 

I want to write full time--I think we know this.  I also am very suspicious that I want to teach full time--that one maybe we didn't know. 

I do NOT ultimately want to work in a hospitality industry.  This job does not reflect my training, my experience, my earning potential or my skill set.  It does, however, have many things that I wholeheartedly appreciate and that find me choosing to stay here--an awesome boss, great coworkers, flexible schedule, enough money, and usually amenable hours. 

So I understand that many of the people I interact with on a daily basis feel justified in thinking that they're smarter than I am.  And hell, I'm not getting into a pissing contest here--maybe they are smarter than I am.  But they go one step further, and treat me like the idea of my intelligence is worthy of sarcasm (I had one person laughingly refer to me talking to my coworker as a "meeting of the minds"), like I am beneath them (another person referred to me as "the help") or that I simply don't deserve a say or the right to speak at all (a third person spoke to me for TWO HOURS without once asking a question or inviting response.  It was a two hour monologue in a room I couldn't leave). 

Fine.  I get it.  But I am not ok with it. 

More so because I've been delivering workshops to teen girls again as part of Boston GLOW and our IGNITE Change contest.  I listen to them talk, every single time, about the people in their lives who, in various ways, teach them to think less of themselves.  One girl even heartbreakingly brought up the famous passage from Marianne Williamson's work:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

And tonight, as another person spoke down to me, discounted me, discarded me, these thoughts collided. 

Something is wrong with us.  Something is wrong with our society.  Where has our empathy gone?  Where the hell is our curiousity?  Because it's not just the assumption that a person is beneath your notice, or somehow belittled in your eyes.  It is the assumption that they cannot teach you anything.  That you cannot discover something of value in their experience, in their heart.  That their life, however small or great, would not somehow change your understanding of what it's like to be human. 

You don't know.  I don't know--as often as I accuse others of it, I know I'm not above reproach.  I know there have been times when I've made assumptions about people--whether its habit, an issue of time and focus, or just lack of empathy I don't know.  I've done it. 

But let me just say, as a young woman who considers herself to be smart, accomplished, intelligent, curious, and sensitive, so many people know nothing about me.  So many of the people I encounter on a daily basis at my job know nothing about me. 

Don't be that guy.  Maybe you're too busy to have an indepth conversation with someone about their life and experiences (though, to be honest, that kind of one of the best joys of life), but don't make that assumption.

Don't think that my job defines me. 

That includes being a writer, maybe being a teacher, or working in hospitality or non profits.  None of that defines me. 

Don't think my background, my address, my age defines me. 

Don't think my gender defines me. 

These are absolutely all pieces of who I am--how could they not be?  How could I not be effected by my jobs, my living situation, my lack of a Y chromosome?  They are part of me.  But they aren't everything. 

You don't know until you know the person--until you set aside your busy life and make the connection.  And it's not your fault if you can't do that, can't connect with everyone you cross paths with.  No one can. 

But don't judge until you do.  Because trust me, it sucks.  And when it comes to our young people, you aren't just dismissing them.  You're teaching them to do it to themselves, to believe the judgements and the idea that they are somehow less. 

So, like my mother's fridge magnet says, just be a little kinder than is necessary.  Personally, I'd appreciate it. 

/Rant. 

 

Debut Year: Pre-Launch Promo

Last Week on Debut Year: Swag!

Promotion is this big, scary, weird, awkward beast that gets 0% percent easier--ever. It's weird!  It's awkward!  It's asking the kid who is literally telling themselves stories to keep themselves entertained to turn around and be cool, effortless, and good at talking.  About stuff.  To people. 

It's just not in the author's traditional wheelhouse, but it has to be.  More on really good, interesting promotion from people who actually know what the hell they're doing later--for now, I'm going to tell you what I learned with a lot of googling, comparing notes, and of course, barrelling my way through it like it was 1901 and I was tackling Niagara.

Postcards

About three weeks before my book came out, I sent out 300+ postcards to every independent bookstore and high school in about 150 mile radius.  I printed one side with the cover, one side with a grayscale, 80% transparent version of Scarlet's face (see my post on SWAG).  This did and did not work out. 

1.  The high schools were a total wash.  Not a single bite, but I think that's my fault, because I stupidly addressed it to the SCHOOL and not a given representative at the school.  Dumb. 

2.  The indies DID work out; I had several contact me, and more still that I've since found out became aware of me through those post cards. 

On all of the INDIES, I wrote that I was a local author with a new book coming out and I'd be honored if they considered it for their store.  On the HIGH SCHOOLS, I wrote that I was a local author who would be available for school visits beginning xx/xx/xx. 

Since then, I've done targeted mailings for high schools that I think are much more effective; a cover letter and a page that talks about your book and the workshops you're able to give.  If you're looking to make money doing school visits, this more comprehensive tactic is much more likely to net you some actual visits. 

Press Releases

So, no one really told me about this in the author world; I do work for a non-profit, and we had just sent out millions of press releases for our stuff with great responses, so I was like--why aren't I doing this for my book?  I did, and it was awesome.  In fact, all of the newspaper coverage I've ever gotten has come through this. 

I'd seen a lot of author media kits; I made my own.  But I went one step further and made the press release, which I then sent to every local outlet that might care about me; my hometown paper, every local Patch.com that might cover it, anywhere else that would allow me to "submit a story" or "submit a tip".  I submitted it on a few free presswires; I actually got a congratulations from an old employer via one of the free newswires, but other than that, I'm not positive that did anything tangible. 

Beyond that, I created press releases for any events I was having.  People still read newspapers, which is kind of shocking to me, but it's crazy how much this can help boost an event. 

Bloggers

Bloggers will always be your best source of pre-launch promotion, and the good part is a lot of them are dying to get their hands on you and your book.  See the "Your Website" section below for a little chat about ARC availability, but bloggers have ways, and even if they don't have their hands on a copy of your book, they still might be interested in interviewing you or hosting a giveaway of some sort (again, see the SWAG post). 

Say yes.  Sometimes it may seem a little out there, sometimes it may be taking up every minute of time you don't have, but say yes.  Bloggers do what they do for FREE, for the love of books, and when even one loves YOUR book, they champion it with their whole hearts.  It's unbelievable, and it's how you stay afloat.  It's how word gets out. 

It's the end of my debut year, and I have to say, man, it's bloggers and librarians--and guess what, a lot of bloggers are librarians, and vice versa.  SCARLET would have never succeeded without a lot of love and championing from both populations, and I will always be grateful for that. 

So say yes.

Your Website

Set up destressors, like a Google Docs form that feeds directly into a spreadsheet you can share with your publicist for people who are asking for advance reader copies.  Everyone will think you have a horde like a book ogre of copies of your own book, but typically you get fewer than five ARCs.  Beyond that, your publicist really needs to handle the requests, so give people a way to deliver that information to the right sources without landing you in awkward town.  Because it can be awkward; we always want to say yes, but usually we just don't have the raw materials to say yes with. 

Goodreads

THIS ONE TIME I will allow you to go on Goodreads, and you won't listen to me, but that's ok.  You'll figure it out.  You will stalk Goodreads as the first few reviews come in, then you'll read it when you want to punish yourself, and then you'll learn to just leave it alone.  Because it's amazing that people have such strong feelings about your work, but it's hard to remember they're talking about a thing with pages and not your fluttery heart. 

BUT what Goodreads is amazing for is a giveaway.  So whether your publisher can put one up or whether you can pledge one of your feeble number of ARCs, it is worth it's weight in gold to put a copy up for a Goodreads giveaway.  Do it for at least two months; I know that seems like an ungodly amount of time, but it's what they recommend and it WORKS.  Thousands of people will enter and that's a lot of eyes on your cover. 

 Next Week on Debut Year: Hilary Weisman Graham talks about her self-marketing experience!

Debut Year: Swag

Check out the first in the Debut Year Series here: Pre Planning.

Swag is scary, confusing, and overwhelming--not to mention shiny, addictive and fun.  Oh, and EXPENSIVE!

So first, if you're reading just for straight recommendations, these are my favorite websites:

Just for Women--haven't used them yet, but I love the idea of customized nail polishes, lip glosses, etc.

GotPrint--I've used them for everything paper related.  Bookmarks, stickers, postcards, business cards.  I've tried several other printers and been REALLY unhappy with the results; these guys rock. 

Contagious Graphics--I found out about this late in the game but rest assured this is my deal going forward.  I love doing tshirts, but they're super expensive.  CG does a "garage sale" where they pick the colors and you upload the graphic.  For a fraction of the price of other tshirts, you get a ton of colors, which I actually like better. 

Instashirt--if the multicolor thing doesn't appeal to you, I like Instashirt; good quality, and I love that they offer a small but still appreciated discount for non-profits (I work for a non-profit and we get our shirts here). 

Discountmugs.com--Not just for glassware!  They have tons of random stuff on there and it's the cheapest place I've found for most of it.  They actually have really great tote bags.

I'm not going to bash, but I will just say if a company is offering you 500 free business cards or WHATEVER, they may not have the best business model and they have TERRIBLE quality printing.  Ahem.  Just saying. 

 

Now let's get technical. 

Swag You Need

-Bookmarks.  I kind of hate this--I don't like bookmarks--but everyone grabs them, everyone wants them, they're signable and light and easy to ship.  You need these and you can't avoid it.  You will go through 1000 very easily; I had to reorder another 1k and I'm about halfway through that (with demand obviously way down), so I recommend 1500. 

-Postcards only if you want to do a mailing.  I'll get to that. 

-One "other" item.  For me this was tshirts; a lot of people do tote bags, pens, or rubber bracelets.  To the left you can see a chart of what all the Apocalypsies (of the 90 or so people who participated in the poll) bought for swag.  It varies widely; obviously the more it makes sense with your particular book, the more successful it will be. 

How to use these:

You need bookmarks on you at all time.  They should summarize your book and have all the pertinent links. 

The "other" item will be a little more special--you can use this for giveaways, for bloggers, for a more interesting display at your signings, to capture kids' interest at school visits.  They should be a little more dynamic and fun.

 

Swag Tips:

Don't overspend.  You will be tempted; if you need more stuff later, buy it later. 

Don't get more than you need now, because things like your title, your cover, and your publication date can all change--usually on the exact day your shiny swag arrives. 

Don't make your swag labor intensive; Do make it special.  Making swag bags full of your swag and your author friends' swag?  Genius.  Hand crocheting every bloggers name into mittens?  BAD CALL. 

Do whatever seems like fun to you.  Marketing is supposed to be FUN.  You find your fun and you'll invite others to have fun with your book. 

Designing Your Swag:

There are a LOT of great designers out there.  Personally, I think there's a lot to be done with the cheap version of Photoshop and a little creativity. 

On your bookmarks: I got a PDF of my jacket from my publisher; I took the inside flap with the book summary and put it on the back, a slice of the cover for the front, and shrank the title to go under the cover slice.  On the back, I made space for my website, my publisher info, and my ISBN.  SUPER simple. 

On your "other" swag: I like tshirts because I had a ton of fun with them.  I made designs using a quote from the book "Don't get on the wrong side of a lady thief" imposed over a knife, and one that just simply says "Fight Like a Girl".  For tshirts, the fewer colors and design elements the cheaper it's going to be, so simple is awesome.  For smaller swag, like pens and tshirts, your title or cover is fine. 

Always include your website when you can.  CRUCIAL INFORMATION! 

Next Week: Pre Launch

Debut Year: Pre Planning

Welcome to the first of my debut year in review posts! These might not be all that interesting to non-debut authors, but hopefully I can impart some fresh-from-battle knowledge to the newbie class of authors coming up behind me. 

So basically, you've got your contract (or maybe just your offer, those two can be REALLY far apart).  You know you have a book coming out on xxxx year, maybe even a season. 

First of all, YAY!  Go you!!  You will forget throughout this process how special and rare and dream-fulfilling this is; you will be reminded at times, but the more you can appreciate it, and take time to appreciate it, the better.  I actually had a really hard time with this--after so much rejection and fall-through, it never seemed real until the book was on the shelf, and by then I was too busy to be so starry-eyed and in awe of it. 

You just did something awesome.  Congratulate yourself.  And not with chocolate or alcohol--you'll need those later. 

What to do now? 

Myself and Some Apocs Brave the Subway at BEA1. I really recommend joining a group

You do not know what you're getting into.  You will have questions upon questions and your agent can only take so much.  You will have feeeeelings that are awkward and weird and no one in your current support circle will understand them--you need people. 

The two groups I joined were the Class of 2k12 and the Apocalypsies.  The Class of 2k12 will be reincarnated each year with that number, so it's easy to track them.  The Apocalypsies will be reborn as well, but the name changes.  They derived from the 2009 Debutantes, and 2013 is the Lucky Thirteens I believe.  After that you'll have to do a little research to find the current incarnation, but they're there. 

The differences: 2k12 charges (you do collective marketing, put out ads, share bookmarks, etc) a small fee, and the other group is free.  2k12 capped out at 21, Apocs capped out at 150 some-odd.  They both had their benefits; Apocs was a less tight knit army, 2k12 was a very tight knit guerrilla force.  Apocs had some big names (which can sometimes be devastating to compare yourself to) and 2k12 was all smaller titles. 

I don't think I could have survived without both, however. 

2.  Get your money in order. 

I set aside $5000 for "book stuff"--I will do a post later on about how all of this shook out, but it was roughly enough.  I spent more on conferences, etc, but I think those were worthwhile.  Don't plan on spending more than $1000 on swag--I'd even say aim for $500.  And do NOT underestimate the awesome cost of postage.  It's a LOT.  Obviously advances and life expenses differ, and I spent my money a little more liberally because I don't have kids or student loans or anything like that, so I felt more comfortable with it.  Set a budget that you can live with NOW. 

3.  Nail down the internet basics. 

Get:

Your name.com

twitter.com/yourname

A page SEPARATE from your Facebook profile that is facebook.com/yourname.

Whatever other social media you feel partial to, do it under your name. 

Note that I'm NOT saying do it under your book's name.  Why?  Titles change a LOT.  And you're going to be more than a one hit wonder, aren't you?  You may have multiple books, but one authorial brand.  Use your name. 

Start generating a list of topics to be blogging about.  It helps to have a list. 

 

And that's it.  You're going to start going through edits and you probably can't even announce the book yet, so just relax and take it as it comes.  Because it's about to get crazy.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

One of the things that people comment on most about SCARLET, for good or for bad, is the voice. 

It's distinctive, and for some people, it totally throws them off.  For others (I hope the majority!) people say the voice is what makes them identify with Scarlet--fight with her, love with her, bleed with her. 

So I can't help but wonder what her voice sounds like. 

Or, rather, WILL sound like. 

 

Because...ahem...

 

SCARLET'S GONNA BE AN AUDIOBOOK GUYS!!

Yup!!  Expect to see Scarlet on Audible.com in roughly six months. 

How's that for starting the new year off right?  WHEEE!!!! :-)

Debut Year Decoded

There must be a clue in here somewhere...

Happy New Year!

My debut year is now over, and I'm going to attempt to get some kind of perspective on it, and in the process maybe relate some kind of advice.

Okay, maybe "decoded" is a little strong of a word.  Let's be honest--debut year is a crazy mess of emotions, deadlines, chocolate and in my case, the sadly occasional glass of booze.  It's nuts from beginning to end, and I can't begin to speak for all debut authors and their experiences, but what I'm going to try and do in the next few posts is share what worked and what didn't for me, and what I've seen other people do that I'm impressed by. 

Here's the list, and I'll link back here as they go live on Monday each week:

Pre Planning (Post Contract)

Swag

Pre Launch Promotion

Creative Marketing

Launch Week

School Visits and Book Signings

Where to Go from Here

 

With all of these posts, I'd love to hear your thoughts, impressions and experiences.  I'd love to be able to help the next generation of debut authors go through this trial by fire with their sanity intact!

What a Year.

I feel so different right now from when this year started.  A year ago I really didn't believe it; I felt like a total fraud.  I felt like someone was going to realize that my book was awful and this was all a big mistake.  It still didn't feel real. 

It's settled, now.  Somewhere inside my chest, I've absorbed that funny little word--author--and I actually believe it now.  How strange is that?

So thank you all for believing in me and being here and somehow, along the way, helping me to believe in myself. 

Scarlet Arrives!

Signing My First Book

Freaking Out! Plotting Scar 2--In SEKRIT!Braving the New York Subway at BEA!Thank you, and Happy 2013!!

YOU GUYS!!

So, first of all, LOVE.  So much love!!  Thank you all for helping me celebrate the big news.  The contest is closed and I've announced the winners (I think they're supposed to pop up in the rafflecopter box, but if it was YOU I emailed you), BUT you can still get bookplates signed and sent to you for FREE!  I'm also going to start trying to send bookmarks with the bookplates.  Lately it's been a little too much to ask of my addled brain, but I'm trying. 

I'm knee deep in edits on the next book right now (eeeee!!!) so it was really amazing and motivating and fun to see all your favorite lines.  I've been so grateful for the love that people have for this book--AND, if you want to show that love, you can VOTE in the Hypable awards, for which SCARLET was nominated as best debut.  (teee)

And I'm off to hibernate in an editing cave.  xx

REALLY BIG NEWS!

I cannot WAIT to tell you this good news.  You might even say it's double the good news. 

So, first, a teeny tiny bit of mush: I am so excited to share this with you guys after SO SO long because the past nine months have been crazy.  They have been exhausting and exhilarating and frustrating and so many other things, but the thing that I have been touched by every day is how much people care about SCARLET.  That love and excitement has gotten me through so many of the rough patches of this crazy journey, and I am so thankful for the people who have let SCARLET be part of their story. 

And I apologize.  I'm sorry for all the questions I've left vaguely answered or unanswered while I've been sitting on this--because it's been under wraps for SO LONG!!--and I am doubly appreciative of the people that stuck with me even when I've been evasive, and have campaigned for SCARLET to have more adventures. 

Are we at the good news yet? 

Almost!

This good news is worth celebrating, so we're going to celebrate!  In TWO ways--First, the holidays are coming up, so anyone who puts their name on this form (it's been neglected for a while, I apologize) BEFORE DECEMBER 14th  I will mail a free bookplate to anyone in the US so you can have/give personalized SCARLET books for the holidays if you so desire. I'll do it afterward too, but I have no guarantees if it will get there in time. 

 

And SECOND, I'm hosting a giveaway to thank all of you guys for sticking with me and sticking with SCARLET--I have FIVE tshirts that say FIGHT LIKE A GIRL on the front (they're various colors and sizes). 

Example:

How can you win?  Check it:

1.  US Entrants only--sorry international SCARLET lovers!

2.  The only thing you HAVE to do is leave your favorite quote from SCARLET in the comments; you can earn an extra entry by tweeting about it. 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

So that's it. 

 

Oh...wait...you wanted good news, right? 

To Talie, Katherine, Amanda, Rida, Josie, Melissa, Kat, Hayley, Toni, Susan, Meg, Bree, Heidi, Kelsey, Cathy, Beth, Sanette, Ravenna, Nicole, Leah, Sydney, Brittany, Pam, Jack, Taylor, Jordan, Kily, Jordan B, Emily, and Rachel (and those are just the people that used the form on my website)--you all had the VERY SAME QUESTION that I couldn't really answer til now.  

The question?  Will SCARLET have a sequel?

NO.  SCARLET WILL NOT HAVE A SEQUEL. 

IT WILL HAVE TWO SEQUELS!! 

MY BABY'S GONNA BE A TRILOGY!!!!!

::commence stupidcrazyhappyjoy dance::

Love you all.  Thank you for letting me stay in this business a little while longer, thank you for helping my dreams come true, thank you for believing in me! xxxx

BIG NEWS...Friday.

So, I have REALLY BIG NEWS to announce.  And I'm looking for the best way to announce it. 

 

I think it will involve giving things away.  And it should involve a contest of some sort. 

 

If you have an idea, let me know.  Otherwise I'll just go with whatever I think of on Friday.