What Would You Do If This Were Your Book?

[Dale]

Now I'm going to ask a really bold (or foolish) question. ;-) This is just to allow me to gather food for thought from all you insightful and generous people.

Somewhere in January or February, I hope to release my next Howard County Mystery, Ice on the Bay. (When depends somewhat on my wife's health, but things are looking pretty good for now.) I have been mentioning it for most of a year on Facebook, in my blog, etc., and I've been trying to get a bit more traction for my first two novels. We have also been working hard to make sure this is the best-written HCM so far.

Question: If it were your forthcoming novel, what would you be doing to prepare for release?

If you need more information before answering, feel free to ask questions.

Thanks!

[Theodore]

Dale wrote: "Now I'm going to ask a really bold (or foolish) question. ;-) This is just to allow me to gather food for thought from all you insightful and generous people.

Somewhere in January or February, I ..."

Well, if you're releasing a Kindle edition, NOW is the time to put it on Pre-Sale and market the hell out of it.

I am releasing my first Flash Fiction anthology on February 5, 2018, and just put it on Pre-Sale. I not only have had my Webmaster work up a new page on my Website, but also, link it to the Amazon.com page for the new book:

https://www.theodore-cohen-novels.com...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077RMWGTG

You can do a Pre-Sale 90 days in advance of a book's release.

Of course, I also did a blog piece on the Pre-Sale that is linked to my Author Central site.

[Carole]

I would book a bunch of blog tours - google Monsterland by Michael Okon- they are just ending now- the books was released Oct 13. I started some of them the first week of October- I did at least six - it brought a ton of reviews. I send out a mail chimp to our mailing list with a giveaway and the offer of an ARC. We got over a hundred replies- Mind you, this book was released two years earlier and has over 188 reviews I think already- So, many people were reading it over.
If the book was indie- I'd send an arc to Kirkus, Foreword, and Readers' Favorite.

I send a care package with arcs to about 100 colleges- the school newspaper- the arts and entertainment editor.

I started posting teasers on Facebook. I got him onto about four podcasts. I ran contests-

I did street teams, I'm sure I did more- I have to think. It was last month, after all. lol

[Anita]

In my opinion, Carole is the marketing guru for Indie authors. Where she goes, I follow.

[Carole]

Aww- thanks, Anita. You make me feel more special than I am. I am just following the templet of the movie studios. I try to imitate what they do on a small scale.

[Anita]

I believe you are an awesome and talented individual and don't mind passing that thought onto others.

[Anna]

Anita wrote: "In my opinion, Carole is the marketing guru for Indie authors. Where she goes, I follow."

I agree. I'm going to put a star by this thread. A rare occurrence. Must do that now before I forget!

[Carole]

Thanks, guys- I learn so much from all of you- really. I think we are all an amazing group of authors. I don't get the secrecy on the other threads. If you have something that might help- you have to share. That's how I built my business. I never had a brochure, salesperson, or marketing plan. We built it by word of mouth and by the advice of the people we were servicing. Their generosity helped me feed my family. I just carry that model in everything I do.

[Dale]

Thank you for the input, and I agree, Carole (and Ted, too), seem to have fairly broad experience and are worth listening to.

So here's a bit more detail. First, the book isn't 100% done yet. My wife wants to add a bit of material to it and tweak a few scenes. That's why it's not ready for publication right now.

Second, we haven't managed to pull together a cover yet. When we do, I plan to preview it here for feedback.

When released, it will be available in print, Kindle, and epub editions. All three will be available on our publisher's site, https://www.serpentcliff.com. The Kindle edition will be available on Amazon (but not the print edition), and both print and epub editions will be available on B&N, although the print edition might take some time to show up there.

For my first two novels, we ran a Kickstarter to help fund the print run. I'm not sure if we'll do that this time or not.

So what I'm hearing would be something like this:

1. Get the cover done pronto.

2. Put the book on pre-sale on Amazon and on our publisher site. (Not sure if B&N has that facility, but I can look into it.)

3. Send out ARCs to reviewers, etc. But would that be as the book currently stands, or should it wait for final edition to be ready? And do the places mentioned accept ebooks? This is new territory for me, so I have a bit to learn about it. I know I can order a short print run with disclaimers stamped in/on it (cover not available, editing not complete, etc.), but those cost $$ and I'm not sure I'll have the money to do it. Plus, some reviewers want them 6 months in advance.

4. Arrange blog tours. I'll look into Monsterland but this is also new territory for me.

5. Post on social media and send out MailChimps (I have a list, but it's not very big right now).

Thanks!

[Carole]

You put a sticker on it or a notice that says ARC Advanced Reader Copy with errors or something like that. So- they know it's not the finished copy.

[Carole]

If you do a press release- you may get more reviewers.

[Dale]

I'm working on compiling a list of mystery blogs to contact about a blog tour. I looked into Kirkus (which I did before, but couldn't remember their pricing), and that's likely going to be out of the question. I can't afford the $425 they want, especially not with all the medical bills we're facing right now. It does occur to me that if we run a Kickstarter, we could factor in money for Kirkus, but my previous two have required some family contributions to make their goals, so that might be a stretch. I pretty much have to rely on free or at least cheap marketing tools right now.

I started on the cover last night. Kathleen (my wife) found a photo she thought would work, and already had the font picked out. I'm a bit unsure of her photo selection, but I'm going to put it together and see what we get. Problem is, I couldn't find anything better.

I also need to work up the blurb, and then we'll have to get the ARC produced, which is complicated by the fact that Kathleen has the InDesign typesetting skills, and she's not quite up to doing a lot yet. Plus, we have two other works under contract that we need to publish, so she contends that my book is third on her list.

Not that I'm complaining, really. She needs to rest and get her strength back. But it's always something...

[Grady]

You are one amazing lady, Carole, and I stand in awe of all you have done for your own books and your generosity in helping your
colleagues. Bravissima!