K.R. Conway's Blog, page 20

The Barnstable Patriot and Undertow.

Friday could have sucked.

It could have sucked because I was dumb enough to blurt out, “SURE I’ll drive the band to Rhode Island,” when I really needed to grind through STORMFRONT.

It could have sucked because the dog barfed on my new rug, but only after I realized she demolished my gloves.

It could have sucked for many reasons, but it didn’t because of one chance look at The Barnstable Patriot newspaper.

YUP! The whole day turned to roses and smiles, dog barf be damned, thanks to a glowing review of UNDERTOW by Kat Szmit.

THANK YOU KAT FOR A KICK-BUTT FRIDAY!

Filed under: stories, Writing Tagged: authors, Barnstable 375, Barnstable High, blog, bodyguard, book blog, book reviews, books, cape cod, Eila Walker, fiction, goodreads, K.R. Conway, killer, KR Conway, literary agent, literature, lunaterra, netgalley, new adult fiction, Nikki Shea, novels, Red Raiders, self-publishing, soul thieves, stories, supernatural, The Barnstable Patriot, Titcombs, Undertow, writers, writing, ya blog, ya lit

Writers Night Out – My Notes on Marketing

Tonight the Cape Cod Writer’s Center hosted a sold out WRITERS NIGHT OUT at UNOs in Hyannis – many thanks to Dean Coe who started the ball rolling on the self-published info night and to all those who came and worked hard on it! Especially Janet, who is a part-time slave of the CCWC.

We love you Janet ;)

I was part of the Self-Pub Panel and my topic was marketing, which is probably the fastest way to melt your brain if you are a writer. I had a few minutes to speak, which was like trying to jam GONE WITH THE WIND into FROG AND TOAD.

Anyway, the topic of marketing can fill a two hour class without batting an eye, so realize that what I spoke of, only scratched the surface. As promised, here are my notes (and they reflect my scattered brain).

THE GOLDEN RULE OF THREE:

1 – A flawless story with a focused audience. Why would they read it? Did you aim for them? Who is your competition? Why are the top-reviewed books getting 5 stars? Has it gone through the hands of honest reviewers who are NOT family members? Now is the time for criticism, not praise.

2 – Cover it: Design a phenomenal cover, eye-catching that is on-par with other bestsellers. Spend the money, make it breathtaking, use a matte finish. Build a header for Facebook, Twitter, and your blog as well – though don’t simply repeat the cover over and over.

3 – Pitch the sucker: Build a tight teaser line, back jacket, and multiple pitches. You will need these for blog tours, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Two Types of Indie Authors:

A – Those who simply want to say that they “wrote a book” so they can tell their family and friends that they are an official, published author.

B – Those who are dedicated to the craft of storytelling and the business of selling books.

If you find yourself in the first category, don’t bother with the marketing aspect. Publish directly to Kindle (.mobi), let Createspace (Amazon) assign you an ISBN and convert the format. Tell your family and friends, let them buy some ebook copies, and be done for around $500.00

If, however, you are self-publishing a book because you really want to compete with traditionally published books, know several things: Marketing is a full time job, expensive, and it can backfire miserably if your book isn’t really ready to be published. Additionally, marketing needs a lead time of several months before a book should “drop” (go on sale). For example, if you are done with edits, story boarding, graphics and layout in January, then the book should go on sale in May. Marketing a book takes time – and large amounts of coffee. 

****HAVE AN ACTIVE BLOG AND FACEBOOK / TWITTER PRESENCE FIRST****

Step 1 – Flawless Story: approved by a team of readers (mine had to literally force me to go to press).

Step 2 – Goodreads Page: Using your personally bought ISBN from Bowker, upload the details of your book to Goodreads, then have Goodreads mesh your profile to the book as author. Link your Blog to the Goodreads page.

Step 3: Printed ARC copies offered to reviewers (use Facebook, Twitter, and book blog reviewers). Send with cover letter explaining what is required of the reader. Once you get feedback and are pulling consistent 4-5 star reviews load to . . .

Step 4: NETGALLEY: I use Patchwork Press co-op to load to the review site. Used by librarians, reviewers, book buyers, etc.

Step 5: Goodreads Giveaway: Goodreads allows you to giveaway physical copies of your book. This is a great way to get your book into the eyes of other readers.

Step 6: Pay it back: Reviewers who are librarians and teachers and who love your book should be offered FREE printed copies for their library or classroom.

Step 7: BLOG TOURS scheduled: Schedule 3 blog tours, separated by a month each.

Step 8: LAUNCH BOOK: Launch book a week before the first TOUR is scheduled. Release to all selling points – CreateSpace, Lightning Source, KDP, BookBaby (B&N, Kobo, etc).

Step 9: LOCAL SUPPORT: Give copies to local libraries with a press release. Let them know you are available for readings or to provide them with more books if needed.

Step 10: Local media: Contact local newspapers and tv shows, pitching them your book and if you might be able to get in the paper someway (you have a good shot if you are pulling great reviews and can spin your profile as an author into something local – i.e. the you wrote half the book on the napkins at a local coffee shop and the waitresses helped you complete the story).

Step 11: Bookstores: Show bookstores a top notch book, all the marketing you have done, publicity, and agree to their consignment guides. Tell EVERYONE where to find printed copies of your book.

Step: 12: BOOKBUB and the like: Apply to have your book become a featured “best buy” via KindleFire Department, Kindle Nation Daily, Bookbub, Book Gorilla, etc. Set your ebook price lower than normal and send it out.

Step 13: Repeat steps over and over and over.

Step 14: Pray

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25 Independent Presses That Prove This Is the Golden Age of Indie Publishing

sharkprose:

Looking for a good small press? Check out FlavorWire’s top 25

Originally posted on Flavorwire:

Independent publishing — that is, publishing whatever an individual or small group think is worthy of dumping their time and money into — is nothing new. From Virginia and Leonard Woolf starting up Hogarth Press to the early days of Farrar, Straus and Giroux championing now-iconic authors that other publishers wouldn’t touch, DIY publishing has long been responsible for some of our best literature.

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Book Review – THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE by Jennifer Mathieu

I was given the book via NetGalley for review – thank you to Roaring Brook Press for the opportunity to read it.

THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE by debut author and English teacher, Jennifer Mathieu, is an intriguing read. It is a story of gossip, cruelty, lies, and the unfailing desire to put oneself above others. It is about small town mentalities and the social stoning of one person to assuage all the sins of the group.

ALICE is told through the eyes of four characters, who relay what they know about Alice – though we learn nothing from Alice until the last chapter (I actually found that a stroke of brilliance on the part of Mathieu). Alice is accused of sleeping with quarterback and beloved small-town son, Brandon (who she is also blamed for killing) and college kid Tommy, during popular girl Elaine’s party. The novel shows the evolution of gossip, betrayal, and the pack mentality of socially isolating one girl.

As for the characters – there is Elaine (the ultra-popular babe and superior, self-obssesed twit), Kelsie (former BFF and wallflower to Alice, who turns on her on a dime), Josh (the football player with is sexually conflicted and BFF to Brandon), and Kurt (the ultra smart loner who is considered a general dweeb, but befriends Alice).

All in all this was a really interesting read – especially the WAY it is written and how the reader slowly builds a full picture of Alice and the mind-set of her accusers. All the characters slowly evolve from self-centered and shallow to more emotionally complex and conflicted. There are some tougher topics in the book, so I’d say beware for the under-15 crowd, but by and large I liked this book. It is, however, a one-time read for me. Books I adore, I read over and over, but books I just “like” get read only once. This falls to the later category, mainly because of how it portraits teenagers.

You see, I drive a school bus. I hear what my students say, and they actually talk to me quite a bit. They relay their day, sometimes gossip, sometimes their hopes and fears. I am a CDL licensed, freaky sort of therapist in some ways. Yes – I’ve seen bullying, but I have also seen equal moments of compassion and students standing up for one another. Kids DO gang up on one another, but they also will come to one another’s defense. For this girl, Alice, to be ENTIRELY isolated by the whole school AND PARENTS, with the exception of one kid named Kurt, seems far-fetched for me.

How Mathieu, an English teacher, sees teenagers is probably very different than how I see them, as a driver. On my bus, they shed their “school” skin, become their own person, and I get a glimpse of who they truly are for two hours, five days a week.

And because I have driven them for two hours a day, for nearly three years, I have gotten to know them and I can say, without question, that ALICE would have had many friends on my bus.

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Bookstores and Book Signings

I’ve had many Indie authors ask me how I landed book signings for UNDERTOW at various bookstores. The questions were the same: How did I ask them? What did I say? Who did I beg?

Want the truth? I didn’t ask any of them. Instead, they asked me.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I could have asked. But a book signing isn’t a simple task for a bookstore, and to ask for such an event without proving that UNDERTOW would sell, seemed . . . arrogant.

So I didn’t ask. Instead I focused on the task of building buzz – and it worked.

 

UNDERTOW sold like mad, even drawing the attention of Barnes and Noble, who wanted in on the action. And while I loved the UNDERTOW story, I knew that books, no matter what, are a business. They are about money, pure and simple, and bookstores want a book that sells, not one that sits on the shelves festering for years.

They want it priced right, looking good, bringing in buzz via reviews and word of mouth, and they want to see a marketing plan. They want to see it in the papers, on TV, and on blogs. They want to be able to take 20-30 books at a time and sell-out in a couple of weeks, if not days.

They want to see it hit the bestseller lists on Amazon and NOT because it was a freebie (folks – it’s called the bestSELLER list, not the bestFREEBIE list). Ideally they want to see it climb onto the bestseller list and stay there – for a while.

A real Golden Goose for the stores? When they find out it is on Bookclub lists and is being added to the summer reading list for schools.

UNDERTOW did all that for me. I am forever grateful for whatever brain cramp I had that led to the story, and my team of Beta readers who tirelessly re-read it for flow.

But I also know that giving back to those who have cheered for the story is critical, for without the stores, librarians, schools, and reviewers, I would have never found the success I have in this one, crazy novel.

So I give back, offering a free book to libraries, English teachers, etc. I teach fiction classes, try to help other authors, and lend my graphics work to libraries and bookstores. While these acts of gratitude really have had no impact on UNDERTOW climbing the bestseller ranks, it does mean that I give a damn as an author and writer. I’m passionate about the success of bookstores, libraries, and the creativity of writers, new and old. At the end of the day, my “writer’s code” is quite simple: Give back to the fans and strive to give them one hell of a story.

I will be at Barnes and Noble in Hyannis for a second book signing on
April 4th, 2014 at 6pm. Come find me :)

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Book Review – Second Star by Alyssa Sheinmel (YA)

I was given the book via NetGalley for review – thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishing for the opportunity to give it a whirl.

Second Star by Alyssa Sheinmel is pitched as a twist on Peter Pan, and touted as a “radical reinvention of a classic” which would be great . . . except it really wasn’t. And I could get past the fact that it wasn’t really Peter Pan, though there were vague references to the beloved children’s classic, because the concept still seemed cool . . . for a while.

In Second Star, Wendy Darling is searching for her lost, surfer brothers who the entire world has written off as dead. She meets the charismatic surfer, Pete, whose love of flying on the waves, captivates Wendy. There is fiesty Belle, who is a side-kick to Pete, but also his ex-girlfriend (she dislikes Wendy from the get-go). And then there is Jas (a shadow-version of Hook), a young drug-dealing surfer whose best-selling hallucinogen is known as “dust.” Jas and Pete used to be friends, seeking the perfect wave like POINT BREAK, but Jas starts dealing to fund their dreams of chasing the ultimate curl. That’s when Pete kicks Jas to the other side of their beachy paradise known as Kensington, and the line in the sand is drawn.

And yup – I could get down with all those crazy twists . . . even when Wendy ditches her love for Pete for that of Jas, (yes – Wendy has the hots for Hook). I could get down with all those twists, because I realized this wasn’t Peter Pan AT ALL. This was a story about a girl searching for her brothers, but gets mixed up in a band of surfing-obsessed misfits and runaways.

The writing was well done, the setting realistic (I live a mile from the Atlantic – Sheinmel nailed the beach stuff), and the story line interesting. Unfortunately, I really wanted to leave Second Star back in the Milky Way by the time I hit the half-way mark. I finished it, I did, but for me this story just didn’t have the spark and passion that I needed it to have.

I was hoping for an un-put-downable read. Instead I got a story that felt like homework, because of one missing piece: the characters had no depth.

None of the characters had any voice – any dimension – save for Belle. Wendy sounded like Pete and Jas. She falls for BOTH of them, one right after the other. And I can do the insta-love thing, but for me, it didn’t make SENSE. I didn’t see the spark between the characters, I didn’t see the passion or desperation for the truth, and I didn’t FEEL Wendy at all. She could have been eaten by a great white, and I wouldn’t have spared a tear . . . I’m not sure Pete would have either.

I do give the author credit however – for trying to be bold and rewrite a major, childhood classic. I LOVE the idea of it and I loved her twisted view of the story. But there wasn’t enough similarity to Peter Pan to make it a remake, and there wasn’t any voice or depth to the characters to make me cheer them on. It is absolutely well written, but I know my 13-year-old will be bored inside of the first 10 chapters.

This story has some really strong moments – great vivid scenes that I loved. And if used by schools, it will make for interesting discussions on the similarities and contrasts with the real Peter Pan.

But for me, the story fell flat . . . kind of like the waves at low tide.

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Book Review – THESE BROKEN STARS

Only once in a while, does a book shave a few decades off my aged brain and cause me to run around screaming like a teenager, out of my mind obsessed. I tell everyone about it, down to the random lady counting her coupons in front of me at Market Basket. Really – I did, though she eyed me warily, debating whether to taser my weird butt.

I tell the kids on the bus, the bookstore I bought it from, other story-freaks like myself, but most of all, I tell other novelists. Because, quite frankly, this blew me away as a writer. I understood what Spooner and Kaufman did in THESE BROKEN STARS, and it left me awed. It was like being at a concert, listening to a band that people rarely listen to, but everyone is screaming at their greatness because you know, KNOW, this crazy band is about to skyrocket.

To me, Spooner and Kaufman broke the rules of most YA tales out there, writing the book almost like a film, and I ADORED it. More importantly, they didn’t put angst in there for the sake of angst. The leads, Lilac and Traver, had reactions and emotions that FIT – not overblown,  not excessive, just 100% real. Plus, the authors scared the crap out of me with the whispering voices-in-the-night thing. Jeeze, I’m a wimp I know, but stuff like that FREAKS ME OUT. Loved it – pure, skin crawling torture, like JAWS – show just a little, nothing crazy, but how it is presented sends chills through your body.

Brilliant – BRILLIANT – was the idea to interlace the lead boy’s interrogation (a jump forward) with the storyline of what had happened. Dear god almighty – it was a stroke of genius.  It is how the entire story kicks off – seven lines, between an unknown interrogator and a young, decorated war hero named Traver and his mention of lead girl, Lilac LaRoux:

“When did you first meet Miss LaRoux?”

“Three days before the accident.”

“And how did that come about?”

“The accident?”

“Meeting Miss LaRoux.”

“How could it possibly matter?”

“Major, everything matters.”

I read those lines and knew, KNEW I was about to enter one hell of a story. As a writer, the killer way THESE BROKEN STARS opens with just seven lines that say so much, literally made me hold my breath. I read the page several times, and thought to myself, “This, THIS is how storytellers find greatness.”

Maybe it’s because I am a novelist and professional writer, but that single page caused a devious grin to spread on my face, and I tuned out the world until I hit the last line of the book.

The story was insane – loved every unique little plot point, every sway of the tall grass in the plains, every smoking detail of a space liner as it plummets to its death on an unknown planet. I lived inside the world that Spooner and Kaufman created, tearing through the book in a day – yes, A DAY and it was a work day, so I read like a druggie needing a hit. It’s a world that haunts me still . . .

I can’t even describe the entire story, but someone called it “Titanic in Space,” but that’s not accurate. No this story is a brand new world – a new vision of greed and sacrifice and what it is to really exist. If anything, it is the TV show LOST, but set on an abandoned planet with only two people who make it off the “jet” alive.

The silence that encompasses the two survivors of the space liner, Icarus, are opposites on the social spectrum – there is Lilac, heiress to empire of wealth and controlled by her powerful father. She is a bit of a rebel herself, but is surrounded all the time by those who seek to bend her life the way her father demands.

Then there is Traver, a young and decorated war hero. He is also aboard the Icarus, dragged there by a media-frenzie surrounding his story – a boy from nothing who becomes the pinnacle of heroism. He hates it and just wanted to go back to his simple life.

But then something terrible happens to the Icarus, and it plummets with all 50,000 souls aboard. Traver and Lilac, thrown together among the chaos of stampeding passengers, find their way to a mechanic’s escape pod and manage to crash on a planet, surviving  the impact.

I love how Kaufman and Spooner paint the world they land on and the desolation of apparently being the ONLY people on the planet. I love how the authors portray the bits and pieces of violence that had rained from the sky when the Icarus fell, and how Traver tries to hide it all from Lilac . . . though she is no fool.

But it is the apparent descent into madness by Lilac, and how Traver tries to handle it, that is fabulous. And Lilac evolves into who she truly is on the inside as that spark that was so completely snuffed by her father, begins to ignite.

But the ending . . . Oh man.

While unmissable by readers, THESE BROKEN STARS will be unforgettable if you are a writer. Do yourself a favor and tune out the world for a day and just become LOST with Traver and Lilac.

Simply unforgettable . . .

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The Knight Bus

I have a confession to make: I am a feminist.

I know, I know . . . you’d never guess (ya right . . .). I’d say what makes me a feminist is a stalwart belief that I can do anything a dude can do (or another woman, alien, robot from Mars, etc). And even if I fail, I went down swinging, guns blazing . . . you get the gist.

I don’t need flowers, candle-light dinners, or jewelry. I like to educate myself, never settle for just one line of thought, weigh my options without guilt, and jump in the ocean when the guide tries to spook me, declaring, “Those are Mexican piranhas!” Just for the record I did jump, and the fish DID have huge teeth, and nope – no one else, man or woman, joined me. It’s probably a miracle I am alive.

As a feminist, I also don’t expect for a man to step aside and let me go first (though I will admit they often hold doors open for me, whereas women let the same doors slam in my face). I do appreciate the kindness, don’t get me wrong! I just don’t think because I sport a bra and ovaries, that they HAVE TO open the door for me.

So, when I first added a stop to my bus for two middle school students (a boy and a girl), I wasn’t really paying attention when the girl got on the bus first. You see, they are the only two kids at this one particular stop and they are neighbors, separated by five houses. It was a 50/50 shot who got on the bus first . . . or so I thought.

It took me a week to notice the pattern – the girl always got on first, even if the boy was at the stop first. In addition, she always got off first, even if the boy was seated ahead of her. He would stand and wait for her to pass him, then he would follow.

It could be five-degrees out or pouring rain, and this young boy would stand aside to let his female neighbor always, ALWAYS go first.

Then one afternoon, on the way home, he didn’t realize she was on the bus. She was seated five seats behind him, chatting with her friends. He was in his own seat, enjoying his friends, when their stop arrived. He got up, gathered his things, and stepped into the aisle. At some point he saw her, behind him, and he STEPPED  BACK into someone else’s seat, apologized, and gave her a nod as she walked PAST him.

Understand, this young girl isn’t some queen bee. In fact, I don’t think she expects the act of chivalry at all. But this boy does it, every time, without fail. EVERY TIME.

After they get off the bus, she goes to one side of the road and he goes to the other where his house is. As I drive away, he stands and waits for the bus to move to reveal the girl again. I watch in my rearview mirror as they wave to one another and smile. Then they go their separate ways.

One bitter-cold day, as I left them on their opposite sides of the street, the girl realized the sidewalk was 10″ deep with snow, and she had a distance to walk. The boy, however, was standing in his plowed driveway. When he saw her looking down at the snow, he walked back across the street and said something to her. As I rounded the corner, leaving them out of my sight, I saw them walking together, in the near zero temperature, to her house. He was escorting her home as they walked in the street, even though his own house, so warm and toasty, was just feet away.

And that is what I, a feminist, calls a true knight in shinning armor. No sword, no testosterone-ridden, “I can do it, ye’ shall step aside!” crap.

A true knight is quiet, steadfast, respectful.

Because of one young boy, I can now dub my bus, The Knight Bus.

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Fiction Craft Class for Teens!

I will be teaching another Fiction Craft Class for Teens on Saturday, January 25th at the Sandwich Library, thanks to the tireless efforts of YA librarian Kathy Johnson – THANK YOU KATHY! There may still be slots open, so please head over to the Sandwich Library website – on the right-hand side you will see the class listed under UPCOMING EVENTS.

If you are not a teen (I know – such a bummer), have no fear! There are plans being hatched for an ADULT (and Teen) class at the Marstons Mills library thanks to librarian Lindsey Hughes.

WRITE LIKE A MANIAC!

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Book Marketing 101

Below is the article I wrote for Cape Women Online.
It appears in their Winter 2014 issue.





Book Marketing 101
by K.R. Conway

You’ve finally finished your novel.

A beast that has been edited no less than ten times and torn apart at least twice that number. It has gone through the hands of a fabulous team of Beta readers who give you the brutal truth.

You bawl over their feedback and then suck it up, heading back to reshuffle and edit once again. You edit and rewrite, over and over, until you are rooting for the bad guys to simply hurry up and kill your main character before you do. Finally, when it is flawless in plot, characters, world-building, and basic line-editing, you are done.

And then you think, “Woo hoo! I’ll just slap it on Amazon and people will be knocking down my door!” Think again, because if you are really in it to win it, you need to be a marketing maniac.

I can say, without question, I nearly committed myself to the nuthouse when it came to marketing. Thankfully it paid off. REALLY paid off. Care to know what devious plan I developed? Thought you might . . .

#1 Have an ACTIVE blog. Post weekly (if not more) about all things related to writing, books, literature, agents and your own book. This needs to be established well before the book launches. It is a connecting point for you and other bloggers, reviewers, and media. I prefer to work in WordPress.com and yes, I pay $100 year to upgrade it to professional status. Your blog is the center of your media hive.

#2 Build buzz BEFORE you put the book up for sale. This is one of those, “Well DUH?” steps, but amazingly it is often overlooked. Facebook helps if you have a bunch of friends and connect with the numerous writer and reader groups. Agent Query Connect can help as well (post your query letter, your synopsis, and pay it forward by helping other writers as well). Use Twitter, Wattpad, and FictionPress to build a fan-base too.

At the end of the day though, what really counts are reviews from bloggers, book reviewers, other writers, avid readers, etc. Your ten family members and a handful of friends won’t cut it. You need to be visible in cyberspace on other blogs, because each blogger comes with hundreds of followers. Get on one blog and be seen by many. Get on many blogs and be seen BY THOUSANDS.

Blog hopping can create the ultimate domino effect of virtual visibility. The best way to get there is to post your e-book for free on NetGalley.com. I used Patchwork Press and their NetGalley co-op. I paid $45 a month and the book was requested by bloggers, teachers, librarians and reviewers all over the world. By the time I launched UNDERTOW, I had 100+ reviews on GoodReads, which brings us to #3 . . .

#3 Build a Goodreads page and link it to your blog.Goodreads allows you to “add” your book BEFORE it is published. Once you add it, you must email Goodreads and have them link your profile to the book as the author. If you do use Goodreads, for goodness sake, have a thick skin and don’t reply directly to reviewers.

#4 Don’t rely only on e-books. The worst idea you could have as an indie author is to only distribute e-books. Care to guess why? Come on – guess! Sigh . . . fine, don’t guess. E-books, while great, cannot be given from one reader to another. They cannot pass from one fan to another. But a printed book can be physically handed off, again and again. A reader who loves the book can tell their friend about it excitedly and say, “Here! You MUST read this!”

As a journalist, I knew the importance of selling the story by having it physically available to the reader. I used Country Press in Lakeville MA to print the first 60 ARC copies (Advanced Reader Copies). These look like the final run, but had a different cover that also was marked with the following: ADVANCE COPY, UNCORRECTED PROOF, NO RESALE. These copies did not have an ISBN, because they would never be for sale.

I posted on multiple reviewer sites that I had physical copies up for grabs and I would ship to anywhere in the USA in return for an honest Goodreads review – they were all gone in four days.

Each book went with a letter that gave details about what an ARC copy was, what I asked of the reader, and what they should do if they wished to hand it off to someone else (the letter stayed with the book). This is not cheap to do, but worth it.

#5 Schedule Blog Tours. I used YA Bound, which I have been very pleased with. For about $250, I had a bunch of bloggers and Twitter writers “tweet” about the launch of the book, and 40 bloggers sign up to post my book and a review on their site over a 5-day period. If you decide to use the Kindle Select program, I highly recommend offering the book for free during the blog tour.

#6 Brand your book. When I was writing UNDERTOW, I knew that I wanted full creative control of the cover, even if some magical agent-fairy fell on me. I wanted to use REAL high schoolers from Cape Cod to be the faces of my characters.

The logic was simple – if I used real kids from the Cape to become my characters, then what newspaper would ever pass on such a crazy story?

Even if they didn’t review my book, the book went with the kids. And each kid, had friends, family members, etc. who all became followers of the book because of their pal’s involvement.

In addition, by having my own cast of models, I had hundreds of photos in different poses of them, allowing me to use them on blog headers, badges, and posters (I learned Photoshop just for this reason). They became REAL characters and an outrageous, supernatural crew. Basically, I branded the book, like a movie.

Launching a book correctly is a time-consuming task. Even worse, if your book isn’t quite polished enough, spending all that time and money marketing can really backfire (you go from positive press to negative in a heartbeat). Which brings me back to my opening statement: Have a Beta team that cuts you no slack. People who read your genre frequently and know your characters.

Listen to them, because you can’t defend what you have written to the world or reviewers. Once it is out for the public, it’s out. If your team tells you something is wrong in the book, listen to them. Take a hard look at what you have written and where the holes are. Why would it sell? What makes it unputdownable?

And, above all, be a reader of your genre and read all the time. Writers who are not readers fail to study the craft of writing and storytelling. Such a lack of “studying” can ultimately cause them, as writers, to fail their own readers in the process.

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