Alyssa Hall
asked
Allison Brennan:
You are one of the reasons I started writing. I absolutely loved Notorious. My first book "Trusting Claire" is being well received but I am very excited about my second, coming in May. I would love some day to hear your opinion. I am a Canadian author, I live in B.C. and I winter in Oro Valley Arizona. Was it difficult for you to get known in the beginning?
Allison Brennan
Hi Alyssa! Congratulations on your new book. And thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed NOTORIOUS ... I was also inspired by several authors, including Lisa Gardner and Iris Johansen. I would read them and think, "This is what I want to write!"
As far as getting known ... it's really kind of a crapshoot in many ways. You have to write a good book. Then your publisher needs to market/promote it. Get reviews, get blogs, etc. When I was first published (15 years ago! Yikes!) the only thing I did was maintain my website. (Which is very important -- have a website, make it up to date, make sure that the most important thing is clear -- which is information about your current book, and when the next book is coming out. That's the primary reason people go to your website. Excerpts, bio, blog are important but secondary. A newsletter that you control is also important -- encourage your FB members to sign up for your newsletter.) Anyway, I still believe that it's the publishers responsibility to promote your book and make sure that it's available in stores (both physical and online). You can't get it into bookstores. But you can partner with your publisher and ask about a blog tour, finding ways to get more reviews, doing interviews with bloggers (both text and video), making sure you post regularly, interact with your readers. All this is important -- you're building a community of readers. But it's not going to be instantaneous. It's a long-tail plan, to slowly build and maintain your readership.
The single best thing that happened to me when I was first published was that my publisher published three books close together. This kind of jumpstarted my career and really helped launch my career. But then we had to maintain that momentum, and it's not always easy. So just focus on building from book to book.
Good luck
Allison
As far as getting known ... it's really kind of a crapshoot in many ways. You have to write a good book. Then your publisher needs to market/promote it. Get reviews, get blogs, etc. When I was first published (15 years ago! Yikes!) the only thing I did was maintain my website. (Which is very important -- have a website, make it up to date, make sure that the most important thing is clear -- which is information about your current book, and when the next book is coming out. That's the primary reason people go to your website. Excerpts, bio, blog are important but secondary. A newsletter that you control is also important -- encourage your FB members to sign up for your newsletter.) Anyway, I still believe that it's the publishers responsibility to promote your book and make sure that it's available in stores (both physical and online). You can't get it into bookstores. But you can partner with your publisher and ask about a blog tour, finding ways to get more reviews, doing interviews with bloggers (both text and video), making sure you post regularly, interact with your readers. All this is important -- you're building a community of readers. But it's not going to be instantaneous. It's a long-tail plan, to slowly build and maintain your readership.
The single best thing that happened to me when I was first published was that my publisher published three books close together. This kind of jumpstarted my career and really helped launch my career. But then we had to maintain that momentum, and it's not always easy. So just focus on building from book to book.
Good luck
Allison
More Answered Questions
Msann
asked
Allison Brennan:
Will Fear No Evil ever be made into an audio book, it's Lucy's beginning? Also I love everything I've heard of yours so far and thank you, thank you for Shattered it was Awesome listening to Max and Lucy forge a bond that we will hopefully hear in future books. Thanks for sharing your gifts!!
Rhonda
asked
Allison Brennan:
Just wanted to let you know that I LOVED Shattered! I like the dynamic of Max, Sean and Lucy. To finally find out what happened to Lucy's nephew! So cool! I was wondering, given the ending, will Sean be helping Max in the next book? and when will the next Max book be out? Thanks Rhonda
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