R. Lawson Gamble's Blog: R Lawson Gamble Books, page 16

Salomon Pico’s Monterey

(Once a month or so I will write excerpts of interest from my history research.The following piece is one such.)

The times shape the man (or woman). It is in part why research for an story, history or novel is so fascinating. Why do people react to similar environmental circumstances in vastly different ways? What are the triggers that send one person spiraling downward while the next finds opportunity in the same situation?

I am currently researching the life of Salomon Maria Simeon Pico, known popularly as a Mexican bandit, thought by some to be the origin of Zorro. For the purposes of this article, our story begins in Monterey, Alta Mexico in 1835. Salomon was 14 years old. His father, manager of the great Rancho del Rey of Mission San Carlos Borromeo, had died 8 years before, in 1827. Salomon grew up on that rancho, straddling a horse by the time he was four, as did most Californios.

His mother, Maria Isabel Ascension Cota was born of pure Spanish blood, a fact which instantly elevated Salomon beyond his own father in terms of caste, and hence social standing. His mother preferred life in Monterey to that of the ranch, but her attempts to coax Salomon away were futile, until his father died. She then brought him back to the city.

Monterey itself is critical to the man Salomon would become. At the time, it was a town undergoing tremendous change. After the Mexican Revolution, the new rulers encouraged international trade, a dramatic turnabout from the strict Spanish restrictions. The flags of many nations flew from ships in the harbor, and Monterey citizens were catapulted into cultures other than their own for the first time.

Further, this small capital constantly fermented revolution, for the governor in place at the moment was never agreeable to everyone, and the problem was usually addressed by force rather than politics.

Indeed, 1835 marked a transition in governors from José Figueroa to José Castro as acting governor, an old family friend of the Picos, and a man who would play a large role in Salomon’s life. Beginning in 1834, the Mexican government secularized the missions, resulting in huge tracts of land becoming available to opportunistic Mexicans––and foreigners who played their cards right––in the form of grants.

Under Mexican rule there was more tolerance for foreigners living in Alta California; by 1835 there were some 300 non-Californio males living there. William Hartnell, an American, as an example, fully embraced Mexican culture and was even appointed inspector of missions during the secularization period.

Another high-profile American on the Monterey scene was Thomas O. Larkin. In 1834 he began construction of the first two-story adobe house in the town, opened a store, and conducted trade with Mexico and the Sandwich Islands. He would later serve as the first and only United States Consul, 1844-1848. When he died, he was one of the richest men in California. Larkin would also become a major influence in Pico’s later life, in a dramatically different way.

In the early 1830s Indians from the interior tribes were raiding for horses around Monterey. It was a huge problem, exacerbated by the mission secularization which left many Indians at loose ends, and hungry. The Indians loved horses for mobility, but even more for eating, making them a handy meal on the hoof, so to speak.

Such raiding was not new; in fact, it had its beginnings as early as 1810, building to a crescendo by the 1830s. Such raids would have been extremely relevant to Salomon and his father during his ranch life growing up in the 1820’s. Undoubtedly, he would have heard stories of the San Jose Mission Indian Estanislao, who was alcalde of the mission Indians during the day, but secretly rebelled against the Mexican soldiers by night wearing a mask and cape, plundering soldiers and wealthy Mexicans where he found them upon the road, and leaving a trademark ‘Z’ upon their belongings (Yes, he was nicknamed El Zorro, the fox).

More history anon.

Tagged: history, Indian raiders, Jose Castro, Mexican bandits, Monterey, rebellion, research, Salomon Pico, William Hartnell, Zorro

Are You Reading The Author You Expected?

It came to me after reading Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code first, his preceding novel Angels and Demons second––this awareness of author growth. I found both books enormously entertaining, yet the greater sophistication of the former in contrast to the latter was clear. I suppose I had not previously thought in terms of author growth when reading a favorite author, the journey from journeyman to master, until that moment.

But of course the work of a writer, as the work of any craftsperson, is like the arc of fireworks from their explosive, exciting beginnings, however crude, to the final arching display of beauty. The digital revolution has made this arc more apparent. We may now see an author’s works from first to last.

When a publishing house was the single option, first novels of authors might not have made the cut––with some exceptions––and unless the famous author is back published, as some have been, we are unaware of their earlier works. Modern authors of a popular series, say Clive Cussler, John Sandford or David Baldacci are more likely to be back published; the aim in the case of a series is quantity. No doubt the earlier works are subject to rewrites and new edits before publishing. Clive Cussler broke in with Raise The Titanic, his third or fourth book, yet we can read the prior books because they were consequently published. Does Mr. Cussler have even earlier works? who knows…possibly in a drawer somewhere. But the temptation to rework, publish, and cash in on them must be strong.

There is something special about a first novel. Whatever the author’s motive for writing it, the excitement is high. All those thoughts and ideas the writer has stored away for so long can now be released. Crude, awkward, unsophisticated a first work may be, but it is also likely to be explosive and exciting. After that, the author continues the journey, that long arc into the sky, culminating in a final burst of magnificence…or a dud.

If you enter an author’s collection of works midstream, you may meet a different writer. An author’s growth process often involves experimentation with various points of view, genres, writing styles. Had you handed me Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, followed by Intruder In The Dust, and finally Light In August without any indication of the author, I would likely believe those novels were written by three different people. Furthermore, I might tell you I loved the first, did not at all like the second, and am feeling ambivalent about the third. Faulkner was an experimenter.

One of my favorite contemporary writers is Elmore Leonard. I read Hombre again and again. One or two of his earlier works, however, seem to me the scrawlings of an amateur: revamps of plots, simplistic dialogue, non-engaging to the extreme. But then he gives you Get Shorty and Valdez is Coming. What can I say?

I think about this journey as I look back on my own writing; I certainly see an improvement from first to last, a growing style, a clearer voice. I have experimented very little, yet there are differences in voice and point of view from book to book. I know there will be more experimentation…and hopefully growth.

Indie books take this craftsmanship journey to a new level. With indie publishing, first works are published and available to the consumer from the start. It is possible for the reader to join the writer on the journey, observe the changes, see the growth. There is excitement in this for the reader, rather like buying a piece of art at a local auction, then years later see this artist become popular, and your art increase in value.

I suppose the lesson here is when you go to an author with high expectations, only to find them dashed, do not give up. Revisit that author further along the arc of growth. Perhaps then you will meet the author you were expecting.

Tagged: Author growth, author's voice, editing, Elmore Leonard, ePub authors, great authors, Literature, Publishing, readers, self-publish, traditional publishing, writers, Writing

Why An Audio Book?

The hot topic in my writing circles lately is audio books. I sense a fascination among my fellow authors. Several have made them, many want to make them. And why not? Audio books are enjoying an enormous surge in popularity, having more than doubled sales in the last several years.

For the author, it’s never been simpler to make one. Amazon’s ACX and Audible are among the companies that have sprung up to meet this need. If you have a Kindle book listed with

Amazon, your work is all but done. But before we discuss the how, let’s talk about the why.

First, it’s interesting to note that 18 to 24 year olds make up almost a quarter of the listeners. These are tech savvy young people, who have grown up with ear buds perpetually in their ears. These are multi-taskers, young people who as students did their homework listening to music and walking an elastic band across their fingers. It’s a short step from listening to music to listening to a story.

Non-fiction books, and particularly “how to” books are admirably suited for audio, allowing hands and eyes free to focus on the job. I suspect there is even an audio book for making audio books. If not, I’m going to make one.

My doctor was the first to suggest I consider an audio book. I had gifted her a copy of Mestaclocan. I could tell from her expression there was no way, with her incredibly busy schedule, she would ever finish it. She has offices in Solvang and in Santa Barbara, a 50 minute drive apart, a perfect time for an audio book.

As goes the tablet book, so goes the audio book in terms of use. In both cases, there are multiple advantages to their use, which constitute reasons to consider this format. But there is a consumer adjustment period for every new format; one expert estimates a period of ten years. According to her, we are 5 years into the audio experiment, with five more to go, with increases each year.

With that kind of encouragement, I decided to give it a try. My choice was ZACA, my most recently published Zack Tolliver, FBI series book. As the most recent of the novels, it lags behind the others in sales. Perhaps an audio book will give it a boost.

I chose ACX as my producer, given the Amazon relationship, which means automatic retail shelving. I wanted to create an audio book for no cost. First, a caveat; my definition of cost is cash forward, not royalties. Royalties to me constitute a promise of a percentage of something that does not yet exist, money I never had to begin with.

ACX requests title, ISBN or similar, and a tax number. If you published and already sell a book, you have these things. On the ACX platform, you register your book and use the check-off form to define your narrator needs. Unless, of course, you decide to record your own book. That calls for equipment you may not own, and a studio setting. If you have these things, along with the voice, ability, and time, you can save your royalties. Time is the greatest consideration to me. A 250 page book, for instance, can require six or seven hours of recording, not counting edits, patches, and retakes.

Once I registered my book, I completed a check-off form to determine the kind of voice I wished in my narrator. That completed, I waited for an offer. When none came for several days, I grew impatient and utilized a second option. I defined the voice I wanted, found one I liked among the offerings, and made my offer. It was accepted within the hour, and I was on my way.

For the author, it is a buyer’s market, with over 40,700 producers ready to offer their services through ACX. The important thing is, the production of an audio tape of your book does not need to take up a lot of your time. You can get on with other things. Meanwhile, it means another income stream from royalties, however small.

Tagged: ACX, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Audible, audio books, authors, book sales, E-book, Fiction, marketing, Publishing, sales, self-publish, Social media

But What About Us Readers?

Graffiti on a junior school bathroom wall:

“I love grils”

“You mean, you love girls”

“But what about us grils?”

Messages like this one make teaching worthwhile.

Most people will admit the demise of physical books was exaggerated. It appears eBooks and traditional books can live side by side after all. Now some are predicting, if not the demise, at least the endangerment of indie publishing. I think about that, and then ask, “But what about us readers?”

Electronic books and instant digital publishing have opened exciting new horizons. People who never imagined they might write a book and see it published have done so. Even best-selling traditionally published authors have found new options available to them in this new world. Readers have incredible choice available, instantly and inexpensively. We are in a golden age of books.

In his recent blog, Smashword creator Mark Coker has once again bravely ventured to look into the future. Among other conjectures, he sees a decline in indie authors due to an increasingly crowded field, leading to lower profits for most, hitting hardest at full-time indie writers. The favored few, however, will see increased profit (sound familiar?).

This projection comes from the perspective of authors and publishers and people in the book business. Many in the field agree. But what about us readers? Is that population static? Might there be more readers, better matching supply and demand? Might more readers read more books? Are readers that predictable, so very much tied to publishing houses?

Few anticipated how stubbornly readers would cling to traditionally bound books. Many people read both formats. Each has its place. It seems to me the world is divided between readers and non-readers, that is to say, those who read frequently for pleasure, and those who read only to gather needed information when they must (my mother the former, my son the latter). It seems to me the eBook has served the last group most particularly, offering quick and easy access to the substance they seek. I would expect that population to grow.

To project a rise or fall of indie published eBooks, one must anticipate how the digital book will be used, including any future, not-yet-thought-of applications. I suggest indie publishing is rather like the iPad when it first appeared, when Apple said: Here it is, now figure out what to do with it. And, of course, we did.

This author has always seen the indie publishing field, in fiction particularly, as a great leveler. In Amazon, Stephen king appears next to Jane Doe. At any given moment, Jane might be outselling Stephen. Who decides? The reader decides. I have faith in quality and utility finding its own level. Like Wikipedia, the greater mass of opinions must ferret out the truth.

What does this say about the future of indie publishing? Sure, the field is crowded, and will become more so. It may be tough on some writers, but it’s a good thing for the reader. Improved devices make it easy to acquire and read books, competition means lower prices, a growing population will increase consumption. Ratings are there to guide the reader, define quality. It’s a treasure hunt; will the next Hemingway be among all those books?

As for authors, the formula for success hasn’t changed. As Coker himself has said, in so many words, “write a really good book, then write another really good book and another…”

Tagged: Amazon, Apple, authors, book ratings, Indie publishing, IPad, Mark Coker, Smashwords, traditional publishing

Writing A Review Is Easy

Of course, everybody knows how to write a book review. We all wrote them in grade school. All those summer reading reports due at the opening of school. The formal review styles we were taught in English classes. No wonder we pause when asked to write one. Who’s got the time?

Times have changed. Book reviews have taken on a new life, a new purpose. Now, we are all professional reviewers like those in the Sunday newspapers (except we don’t get paid). We have a similar impact. We can pan or promote, our words mean something.

Today there are three interested parties who will read a review: (1)the distributor and/or publisher, (2)the author, (3) and readers. Each has a singular objective. The distributor/publisher wants to sell books and determine how to tier them for marketing. The author wants to sell books, and maybe gain some meaningful critique. The reader wants to know if the book will hold her/his interest, whether to invest time in it (so many books, so little time).

Unlike days of yore when we detailed the plot so the teacher would know we actually read the book, interested parties today do not want that. No one wants to read spoilers. Authors and distributors like spoilers even less; they don’t sell books. Hint at the plot, yes––describe it, no.

Most on-line reviews today come in two parts; the review and the rating. One should complement the other. Nothing is more frustrating to an author than to read a complimentary review accompanied by a 2 rating. Most analytic engines will file that under pan, not promote, regardless of praise.

To digress for a moment, speaking of ratings, anyone who rates a book should know what the numbers really mean. It’s simple: a four or five rating means you like the book; anything less means you do not. There is no middle ground in book ratings. Think about it––the people who go to the trouble to write reviews either love the book, or hate it. People are not motivated to write a review when feeling ambivalent. Come to think of it, rating systems should probably have only two stars; 2 stars for “love it” or 1 star for “hate it”. The absence of a rating speaks for itself.

While I’m at it, on my soapbox, I wonder why anyone who does not write a review should rate the book. Again, if the reader loves or hates the book, she/he should give a reason. It should be shared, so everyone will understand, maybe even learn from it.

Okay, back to writing a review. I’ve just finished a book, and I love it. I’m ready to rate it a five, and write my review. Where to begin?

I feel the purpose of fiction is to deliver the reader from real life to a different world for a period of time. Did the book accomplish that? Remember, it did or it didn’t––no middle ground. Write it down.

Now I ask if the book accomplished my purpose for reading it? This is a complex question, because my goal for a book may well differ from time to time. Do I crave excitement? Want adventure? Want to be soothed and calmed? Simply want to escape? I think about what I wanted from that book, and decide whether it provided it. Write it down.

When a reviewer wades into a discussion of the author’s skill, things can get sticky right away. Should the average reader pass judgement on an author’s voice, writing style, craft? I say no, not unless you’re certain you’ll never meet him at a bar. However, as a reader I’m certainly qualified to talk about the way an author’s writing effected me. How many times did you stop to reread a sentence to understand its meaning? How often did you become annoyed by point-of-view changes mid-chapter? How many times did typos, word use, too many adverbs, too much dialogue, or too much narrative bring you up short, take you out of the story? Write it down. On the other hand, if there were a million typos but the story was so compelling you didn’t even notice––write that down, too. The author did his job.

We’re almost done. I now have three meaningful sentences in my review. This is the time for a personal viewpoint, your emotional reaction to the book, or simply what you liked best. What was it? The protagonist? The fight scene? The dachshund named Hot Dog? Write it down. But write just one thing. Don’t clutter your review at this late date.

There, that’s it. It might look like this:

     Gone With The Wind transported me into pre-civil war Georgia as if I had flown there by time machine. I wanted romance and adventure; the book left me breathless (pant, pant). The story was so compelling I forgot the author was involved at all. I particularly loved the scene where Scarlett and Brett met for the first time.

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

One departing thought: write the review as soon as you can after finishing the book. Memory makes it tougher later.

Tagged: authors, E-book, Fiction, readers, Review, reviews, Reviews and Criticism, writing a review, writing reviews

Free Choice for Readers

Life in the digital age is user-friendly, full of choices. The choices we make determine the choices available. The path not taken tends to disappear.

This is certainly true in the world of books, for readers as well as writers. These creators and consumers maintain a symbiotic relationship, the writer dependent upon the choices made by the reader, the reader faced with an amazing array of choices presented by writers. The book not chosen goes away, or at least disappears from sight.

Another choice the reader faces is whether to buy a physical or digital book. There are personal preferences, we’ve all had this discussion: to have and to hold a real book, treasure it, shelve it; or to purchase a digital book spontaneously, read it quickly and conveniently, and move on to the next. Neither will go away soon. As long as both roads are taken, they will continue to exist.

This choice is most apparent during the Holiday Season. For gifting, a physical book is the more likely choice than an Ebook. I sell more physical books during this season than any other time of year. The paperback or hardcover book can more easily be signed, wrapped, and placed under the tree, or presented as a Chanukah gift. The physical book costs more, a disadvantage the rest of the year, but a clear advantage for gift giving, if one doesn’t wish to appear cheap.

My format preference has evolved. I enjoy my eBook at night, to read just before sleep. It is light (in both senses of the word), and instantly refillable. I like a paperback or hardcover for the coffee table, for gifting (as mentioned above), to hold, smell, listen to the creak in the binding. I treasure my shelf of books signed by the authors.

Sometimes I buy both formats. I may read a book digitally and love it so much I have to own it. I have a shelf of those, too. These are books I can pull down at any time, to revisit a page, study an author’s style, contemplate the “hook” in the opening paragraph. I keep this shelf by my side as I write.

Again, a book format choice may be about the reading device one uses. I use only a computer and a reader. My wife uses an iPad. She is enrolled in a book loan program (paperback) for her book club, but uses the iPad the majority of the time to read or listen. Neither of use own a smartphone. I can imagine how smartphones synced with other devices might create a different world for digital books, visual or audio, and so influence preference.

The digital revolution is about free choice. Anyone may choose to write and publish; anyone may choose to read what I publish, or not. Since the publishing industry began, publishers and agents have made choices for us. The books the agents chose to represent, and those the publishers chose to publish, were the books we were given to read. No more. The publishing houses must change their ways, or disappear. On sites like Amazon and Smashword, readers, through reviews and ratings, suggest to other readers books that merit reading. Readers may choose to read them…or not.

Tagged: Amazon, Author, best books, choosing books, Fiction, kindle, novels, Publishing, Reader, reading devices

Tips From The 805

Last Saturday I drove to Ventura to attend the 805 Writers’ Conference, mostly for the chance to hear Penny one more time. Penny is the author of How To Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon.com, a catchy title for me since that is what I try to do. What I like about Penny is she keeps herself current in a digital publishing world that moves at light speed. And she shares what she learns.

She did not disappoint. And I heard other speakers who would have been well worth the trip all on their own. I hoped to come away with some tips for maximizing my sales on Amazon. Why Amazon? That was deftly illustrated in a presentation by Sabrina Ricci. She put up a pie chart of distributors of books today by volume. Apple had a large piece, so did Barnes & Noble, a few others joined them to almost fill in a third of the circle. The rest? You guessed it––Amazon. If you succeed on Amazon, you succeed in the book world.

So then, how do you succeed on Amazon? As we all know, there isn’t a magic bullet. There are a lot of things you can do to improve your sales, a lot of small things to tweak your visibility. Assuming you have a good product, visibility is what you want. As Penny says, you need to stop thinking about Amazon as a book distributer and see the site as a search engine. Readers search, authors try to be searchable.

A large tool, a very large tool on Amazon is the review. A truckload of reviews is good, a truckload of good reviews even better. To get reviews, the author must request them. This comes easier to some than to others. There is risk of refusal, there is risk of receiving a poor review. And there is the chutzpah needed to ask a favor of people, often strangers. If you sit back and wait for the reviews to roll in, you will be disappointed.

Another tool in your drawer is the keyword, or more specifically, the keyword strand, a series of words to identify your book. Each individual word in the strand is a little clue to help steer the reader to your book. Key words can be placed everywhere: in your book description, subtitle, author bio––all are searchable.

The genre category you select to identify your book is of utmost importance for two reasons. First, if you select well, the reader who really wants to read your book will find it. The most acid reviews I have received have come from readers who expected one thing, and got another. You can’t prevent it entirely, of course, but you can prevent it most of the time. The second reason is category size. If you select an extremely popular category, you will never crack the top 100. Amazon likes books in the top 100 and will push them, no matter how narrow the category. You have two opportunities to select your category––choose well.

Remember this about Amazon: they want you to sell well. Their algorithm is built on that. The more you do to help yourself, the more they do to help you. The rich get richer, the poor stay poor.

I am in the process of transferring all my notes and tips from the 805 to folders in my computer, aligned and worded to be useful to me. It’s going to take a long time. After I have recorded them all, I won’t have time to apply every one. I’ll pick and choose, try the ones that make the most sense for me at a particular point in time.

Yes, all of this takes a lot of time. But remember this: if a traditional publisher contracts for your book, it could be as long as two years before anyone sees it.

Tagged: 805 Conference, Amazon.com, book rank, categories, genre, keyword, keyword strands, marketing, reviews, Sansevieri

Writing and…Exercise?

I was fortunate to spend this past week in Palm Desert, CA. To say Palm Desert of course means Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta…even the Salton Sea, for we spent time in all of them. Don’t turn away. This article is not “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”. It is about an association between mind and body, a connection I see more strongly with the passing years.

When in Palm…when in all the above mentioned cities, I particularly love to run trails. There are great trails everywhere, short interpretive trails, long mountainous trails, and desert trails connecting oases (that’s the plural, I looked it up) far out into the Coachella Reserve.

When in the 5 Cities I also like to write––no marketing, no signings, no talks, no research, no communication––just write. I get up early each morning to greet the sun and write until I’m writ out (that’s not the past tense, I looked it up). Then, in the afternoons, I run, hopefully somewhere new, to something I’ve not seen before.

Okay, here’s the connecting part. I’m certainly not the first to experience a sharper, more creative mind from running. Bernd Heinrich has written a great book on the subject: Running With The Antelope; what animals can teach us about running and life. In it he explores our biology, how running is in our DNA, how as humans we are able to do something animals can not do––sweat, which allowed us to keep cool enough to run long distances, and eventually run down our quarry.  The point is, humans are made to run.

John Ratey of Harvard has studied the benefits of running. He has found that students who take tests after running score higher than if they don’t, that the power of the brain is better facilitated after aerobic exercise. The evidence is so convincing that some school systems have instituted a policy that requires children to run laps before classes start in the morning, with notably better academic success (and a lot less hanging about in the corridors). Dr. Ratey explains the physiology of this connection in his book Spark. Give it a read.

I know little about the physiology of the human body, or the effect of aerobic exercise on body nutrients and hormones and brain cells, etc.. I do know that after a run, I always feel better than when I started out. At about mile two in my runs, I am able come up with plot solutions for novels I am writing, or ideas for new books. By the end of a run, I’m likely to have a brand new perspective on my work.

It doesn’t end there. The clarity of mind running brings stays with me the remainder of the day and into the next. I don’t claim my brain is particularly sharp, but it is at its best after a run (some of us need any edge we can get). With this clarity of mind comes greater enjoyment of my surroundings, which in turn contributes to my descriptions of settings. That I sometimes have my characters use the same trails I run is a bonus. I have yet to experience writer’s block. I have no way to know if such a lucky circumstance is due to my running, but I’ll claim so until someone can prove otherwise.

Many people are not runners. It happens running is the easiest exercise to engage in, but other aerobic workouts, according to Ratey, will bring similar benefits. Nor is it about competition; it is about maintaining a high heart rate, as established through your base rate, for a prolonged period of time.

“Our culture treats mind and body as if they are separate entities,” Ratey says. His goal is to reconnect them. Makes sense to me.

Tagged: aerobic benefits, Bernd Heinrich, creativity and exercise, exercise and brain, John Ratey, running and the brain, writer's block, writing influences, writing stimulation

Take Control Of Your Event

It’s been a full summer of book launches, signings and sales for this author culminating in a long weekend of talks and vending. It was exhausting, yet profitable, a reminder that even something as pleasurable as writing can succeed only with the application of hard work––well directed hard work, which brings me to my thoughts.

All of my events this year were successful, relatively speaking. The marker of success for me is meeting expectations. These expectations are developed from my previous experience with events, and certain factors that influence them. They are: the nature of the crowd, the venue, indoors or out, the weather, the aim or theme of the event, the organization, and advertising. Each is influenced by the next. Here is what I mean.

1. The nature of the crowd drawn to the event is influenced first by the aim or theme, then the venue, in order of importance. For example, I launched my latest novel Zaca at Zaca Mesa Winery this summer in the very shadow of Zaca Mountain. There is an obvious theme. The novel is oriented locally and the winery/tasting room was excited about hosting us. But the venue shaped the nature of the crowd; people came there first and foremost to taste wines, not to read books. I met my expectations, but only later in the day after wine was consumed and financial defenses relaxed. By contrast, my last event was Los Alamos Old Days, a two-day town celebration, selling at a booth on the main drag. My book was Images of America Los Alamos Valley, a pictorial history of the town and valley. People came specifically to celebrate the heritage of the town, to learn more about it. I had the perfect product for the venue and occasion, and exceeded my hopes for sales.

2. The organization of an event can greatly influence your success. Was there sufficient advertising, including disclosure of the fact that books would be sold and signed? That, of course, affects the nature of the crowd. Were the arrangement and distribution of vending booths or tables well thought out, to maximize visibility and approachability for each vendor? Was there sufficient signage, enough tables and space, room for the flow of the crowd? A truly experienced and skillful organizer can make a huge difference.

3. Venues for book launches, sales, and signings need not be restricted to bookstores. There are few enough of them these days. Any retail outlet can serve as a venue. There is a tendency to overlook a wide variety of possibilities, most retailers are delighted to host a special event such as a signing or launch. I have known of successful signings at restaurants, hardware stores, museums, even a store specializing in the occult. If you can align your book subject, so much the better. As I mentioned earlier, understand that the crowd will be specific to the venue, and plan your campaign accordingly. You and the venue form a partnership; the retailer expects you to draw customers, you hope to interest their regulars.

4. Advertising is a mixed bag. It is clear that an ad about your book all alone in a newspaper will attract little interest and do little to increase your sales, unless you can afford a full page. However, an advertisement by your selected venue, whether retail store or special event that includes you and your book is generally more successful. It suggests a special atmosphere in a familiar place. Best of all is an article about you and your book written prior to an upcoming event. Journalists often need filler, but it must be news. Events are news. If you can interest a newspaper in doing a piece about you prior to your signing or launch, you have established a partnership with both the venue and the newspaper. And reporters have a tendency to return to the well when short of material.

5. My final word on this subject is control. When I am a small cog in a big wheel, wielding little or no influence, I seldom succeed. I find myself participating in joint signings organized by other groups or authors less and less. When I organize my own event, I can control contingencies to a large extent. I approach the venue myself, work out a mutually agreeable plan, share the publicity, establish my theme based upon the anticipated nature of the crowd, create a physical set up according to my needs, invite all my friends. If I believe including other authors will be advantageous, I invite those particularly suited to the venue.

There are no rules governing the number of times you launch your book. There are no venues that are off limits. When you control your own destiny, you can fit the pieces together to make it work. Create a plan, be flexible, and most important, have fun.

Tagged: book launches, book marketing, book sales, book signings, marketing, signing venues

THE POWER OF READERS REVISITED

This article is for readers and, of course, writers who are readers, as all writers must be. So perhaps this article is for everyone, other than those who disdain either reading or writing (poor souls).

This piece is a compilation of several posts I have previously published on this site, as far back as June 2012. Not much has changed on this subject. What I wrote then is even more applicable now. It is about the power of the review.

In “What Friends Can Do For Authors” (March 2013) I pointed out that many great books have been written, books of a such quality as to rival the best of the ages, that no one has read. Why? They were never put before the public. In the past, agents and publishers have played a shell game with books, selecting the manuscript they believe will earn them money. Quality has not been the only consideration; to make a living, publishers must consider current trends, the writer’s platform, and the expectations of that particular publisher’s readers. Nothing is more frustrating to an author than to write the greatest book never read.

In this digital age, the age of the Indie writer, it is increasingly possible for an author to bypass such obstacles. But there are new difficulties. So many books are published today that your book might well be buried under layers and layers of inferior books, never to see the light of day. While I continue to believe that great quality will eventually bring a book to the surface, the author may not live long enough to see it.

The reader’s voice has increasing impact on a book’s fate. Agents and editors admit they keep a watchful eye on reader reviews at Amazon and Goodreads, looking for that surge in popularity that suggests a potential winner, and hoping they can acquire that property in time to develop, package, and sell it. The books that sell best are those that appear to sell best by their number of strong ratings and lots of reviews. A catch 22, of sorts.

When visiting sites like Amazon.com and browsing through the infinite layers of books and eBooks, the reader may believe (if indeed we actually think about it) that the best favor we can do an author is buy the book. Actually, that’s the second best favor. The best is to review and rate the book.

When it comes to neglecting to write reviews, I am as guilty as most (and more so than many). It does take time and effort. But I allow the task to loom larger in my mind than it actually is. I feel I need to write a thesis. I don’t. Just a few simple sentences suffice. I believe the fear of writing a review may prevent many people from doing so. It is unfounded. I read a review to try to determine whether a particular book is for me. I would rather read one or two succinct sentences than an essay. By the same token, I notice the number of reviews, the number of people moved enough by the work to make the effort to comment.

Don’t put off writing the review; it only gets harder. Write it immediately after you have finished the book, while the characters and plot, and your emotions, are fresh in your mind.

It is even more true today that the power to elevate or negate a book lies with the reader. This is how it should be. But readers should realize their increasing impact on the book market today. The wheel has somehow turned. Where once the reader’s opinion was never sought, today the composite view of many readers matters more than that of a professional reviewer.

One more thought…the absence of a review from a reader is not the absence of an opinion. It counts as an adverse opinion. It says the book had so little impact on the reader he didn’t bother to write one. You can bet Amazon has that wired into their formula!

Tagged: Amazon, authors, book marketing, Book reviews, book sales, Goodreads, Publishing, Reviews and Criticism, sales