Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "publishing"

Ah...those were the days.
Just about a year ago, I was putting the finishing touches on my book -- and I had big plans.
I dreamed of becoming a best-selling author and pictured myself doing book tours, television and radio interviews. Maybe my memoir could become a TV movie or major motion picture!
Naturally I'd need an entourage if all that happened, so I carefully selected the members of my inner circle. I couldn't think of a better makeup artist than my former Mary Kay consultant and I promised my hair stylist I'd take her on the road. With hundreds of cops to choose from, I knew picking my security chief and a few body guards would be a piece of cake...
But by the time warm spring days and sultry summer nights finally began to yield to cooler autumn climes and I finally held the very first copy of my book in my hands, reality set in. Sure, I could have fame and fortune. The only question was -- at what cost?
I didn't write "Truth be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey" to "out" my ex-husband or to exploit him in any way. And I definitely don't want to exploit my own life.
So imagine my marketing gurus' disgust when I put the kibosh on any publicity involving social networking. "No Twitter? No Facebook? No way!" they practically screamed in incredulous email messages.
"Pitch the book to a select group of media outlets, colleges with classes specializing in gender studies, and mental health professionals," I told them. "We can pitch it to the general public too -- but only as a secondary strategy."
So far, the mainstream media pitches haven't resulted in the publicity I once envisioned -- and the last time I looked, my memoir ranked No.2,194,764 in books on amazon.com.
I still have my day job, but I also have my integrity. I guess super-stardom and world domination will just have to wait.
Until next time... "That's life"

I can hardly believe it. It's been a little over two years since I gave birth to my first child -- or more accurately, the 174-page, 9.6-ounce bundle of joy known to millions (okay, maybe a few hundred thousand) as my memoir, Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey.
Like all new "parents" I've read a lot and gotten quite a bit of advice about how to raise a child (or in my case, how to market a book). Some of it has been good, some of it has been bad and most of it has been worthless.
Suffice it to say I've learned a lot the hard way and discovered that, well, I've still got a lot to learn.
In hindsight, one of the biggest mistakes I made was heeding my publisher's advice not to engage in any marketing activities prior to publication. Truthfully I don't know why they insisted that I wait, and although I could probably hazard a few guesses, this is neither the time nor the place for pointless speculation. After all, what's done is done.
I made another big mistake by deciding not to have an e-book created at the same time the paperback was published. I had my reasons at the time. Although I made my book available to the general public, I initially targeted educators and gender and women's study groups as my primary audience. While appealing to such a specific niche, I did not see a pressing need to make my memoir available in an electronic format.
I also feared that by making the book available in two formats (one of which would theoretically be less expensive) I would be competing against myself. To be honest, cost was also a factor.
The good news is, I can now remedy all of that. Or at least I can try. Back in August, I finally bit the bullet and spent the money to have Truth turned into an e-book. It was released in various formats earlier this month and is now available for your Kindle, Nook and other tablets and e-readers. I also hope to make it available here on goodreads as well.
No matter which format the book is in, however, one thing hasn't changed. I have an unusual, compelling and important story to share. I hope you'll be generous enough to read it, and that if you do, that you enjoy it. More importantly, I hope you'll learn a thing or two.
I have.
Until next time, "That's life..."

I guess it's time to update my LinkedIn profile. For the past couple of years, it indicated that I've been "laying the groundwork" for my second book. Now I'm actually writing it.
I'm writing it even though I never really "finished" my research. I'm writing it even though my trip to Europe in 2013 left me with more questions than answers. I'm writing it even though I haven't even started going through my father's personal effects yet.
Yes, I'm flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I'm relying on memory, imagination, and the research I've done so far. Mostly I'm relying on my imagination, though.
I'm putting pen to paper... or more accurately, fingers to the keyboard, and letting my imagination take me where it will. I'm having a blast.
Some say it's better to pre-plan, outline, pre-plot and so forth. I've tried that technique, believe me. But it just doesn't work for me. The more structure I try to put in place, the more it just kills the creativity.
Perhaps that is because for me, free writing isn't all that different than a technique I learned as a reporter called bloc writing. Using that method, you simply write all of the facts you've gathered first. Then you fill in the rest of the story with quotes from the people you've interviewed, and then you write the first sentence or lede. If nothing else, it saves a lot of time -- and it sure beats staring at a blinking cursor for an hour or two.
At any rate, since I started writing my first draft a week or so ago I've come up with about half-a-dozen working titles. The page count stands at 10 and the word count stands at roughly 4,000. Before you pass judgment on that, keep in mind, I have not been writing every day. I've also been looking for a new day job.
Anyhow, now that you're in the loop, stay tuned for more updates. It's going to be a wild and crazy ride.
Until next time,"That's life..."