Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group discussion
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The Author's Nook
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Getting to Know Pamela Clare
message 151:
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AH
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Oct 24, 2010 07:13AM
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. I have seen so many people rave about your books and I am slowly getting a hold of them. I can't wait to get them all so I can read them (in order). Looks like I'll be in for a treat!
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Pamela wrote: "Gabe's family... Er, well, I sort of just forgot about them. In the spoiler chat after the book came out, we all decided that 1) he'd been an only child and 2) his parents were dead."Oh, I thought it was just me missing something again like I did with Julian! D'oh! LOL Yep, makes sense. That's what I figured. Kat and the I-Team are his family now. Well, you had a lot of things to cover in Naked Edge and it was really his other relationships and how they affected him that were most pertinent.
Pamela wrote: "I've found that the readers who most relate to Kat are Native women, women with mixed backgrounds, and women with Asian backgrounds."
Yes, well I'm mixed, have Native Malaysian blood, and Asian blood! LOL So, yes, I completely related to Kat's more conservative values and the importance of family and community. And her struggles of "belonging".
Pamela wrote: I feel bad for Reece. There are just so many characters in the I-Team series now that putting them all together in a scene creates some really complicated writing problems. And Reece isn't really a part of the "bromance," which is a threesome in BREAKING POINT. He's a different kind of guy. Never spent time in prison. Never served in the military or as law enforcement."
Yeah, I know. I felt that, myself. Reece is a different kind of guy than Julian, Marc and Gabe, and not in their line of work. But I was happy to see him again at the end of NAKED EDGE and once again pushing for a meaningful Bill. *sighs* No one else would get this but with my legislative background, Reece is MY hero. ^_^ I wouldn't mind doing briefings for Parliament if I was doing the work for Reece and his worthy Bills!
I did notice that about Will and Lissy. Maybe they went overseas for work? ^_~
After seeing you mention my poetry I did see your comments. Thanks for taking the time!
I think working with inmates to improve their writing skills is a very worthy cause, Pamela! I hope that works out for you!
Hi, AH — You're welcome! Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope you're able to find copies. The historicals are going to be hard to get for a while because of the whole publisher issue. I hope you enjoy them. And thanks for giving them a try! I really appreciate that.
Lady J, I'm so glad Reece is your hero. He needs some affection. He's done some fantastic stuff as a lawmaker, things that had an impact, turning all of these adventures into new state laws. So he's made a sizable contribution to the world of the I-Team. In some ways, he's he perfect hero because he isn't too dark and angsty and knows how to love a woman without having to get over a dark past. I adored him when I wrote him. Well, I adore him still.Good idea about Lissy and Will... Note to self: They are traveling and working overseas.
Thanks again for your kind words and good wishes.
Okay, it's 1am here and I should get to bed. I gotta go to work tomorrow. I can't believe it's Monday already! :-( Have a great Sunday, for all of you who are still on Sunday! ^_^
Pamela, will we be getting MTM this week? I need some of that! LOL
Mod
Good night, Lady J! Have a lovely Monday. Yes, there will be MTM. I haven't set it up yet, but, yes, it will be there a midnight my time, which probably puts you most of the way through Monday.I DO need help. Anyone who wants to send hot pics, feel free to email them over. LOL!
Pamela(AllHoney), if you're slut for loving and lusting after all the I-Team guys, then so am I! LOL*off to dream about ALL the I-Team men*
Hi, Pamela-Honey, ;-)If you're a slut, dear, then so am I!
If there were some magical place and time where I could be with all of the I-Team men — all of my heroes, really — I would do it with no hesitation. It's very hard for me to choose. I love them all.
So I can add that to my list of titles: Pamela Clare, author, journalist, slut...
Pamela wrote: "Good night, Lady J! Have a lovely Monday. Yes, there will be MTM. I haven't set it up yet, but, yes, it will be there a midnight my time, which probably puts you most of the way through Monday."YAAYY!! Something to look forward to! *bounce, bounce*
And y'all, please feel free to call me Jayne. No need to stand on formalities! ^_~ LOL
Lady Jayne wrote: "And y'all, please feel free to call me Jayne. No need to stand on formalities! ^_~ LOL"
Too funny! Okay, Jayne.
Sweet dreams!
I used to post over at Amazon and I had a real problem with some of the self-promotion of the authors in those threads. There was a discussion about it where I tried to explain that, what bothered me was authors who came into a thread like, "looking for pirate romance" with a plug for their book (which often didn't have anything to do with pirates). And otherwise they were absent. One of the authors got incredibly defensive and insulting to the group. It was a bit insane.
I contrast that with your involvement here at Goodreads and I think you could be a prime example of how it's done. So it makes sense to me that an organization would want you to talk about internet promo, Pamela. You seem to enjoy chatting with fans, not just about your own books, but others. That's what I was complaining about over at Amazon. You don't just step in to say "buy my book!", you're an actual presence.
How much promo do you get from the publisher and how much do you have to do yourself? Do they give you a number of books to give away as prizes/promos? Do they set up signings and chats for you?
It always seems to me they don't do enough for their authors but their expectations are pretty high. JMO.
Thanks for saying that, Beanbag. That's very kind.I hate sales pitches and don't feel comfortable giving them. I was a romance reader for a long time before I started writing, so I love talking about all books.
Yeah, it annoys me, too, when someone asks for a medieval Scottish romance with a kidnapped heroine and fifteen print-on-demand authors pop in to promote stories that have nothing to do with it. Still, it's very hard to get noticed as an author these days.
As for the promo, my publisher gives me books to use for contests, but I arrange them all. For NAKED EDGE, they designed an online ad, but I paid for the advertising. They also created bookmarks, of which I have about a million left. They've done some promo through booksellers, such as Borders, where NE was No. 12. They pay the stores to place the books prominently. (Yes, every iota of shelf space there, particularly the tables up front and the endcaps are PAID positioning.)
The rest -- magazines, online advertising, publicity to newspapers, etc. -- I do myself. It's gotten quite overwhelming, and I've told my family I need their help now, as I can't afford to hire an assistant.
The bookstores are very reluctant to do signings with anyone other than top NYT bestsellers these days, so getting book signings is no longer easy. But I used to set those up myself, too.
I've set up most of my own chats.
This one, however, was set up by UM Dhestiny. She read my books and seemed to enjoy them. I emailed her to say "thanks." We chatted back and forth a bit. Then she emailed me and told me she wanted more people to know about my books. Then she went through all the effort to arrange this.
Thank you, Dhes!
One of the things publishers and agents screen for are writers who are willing to do the hard work of promotion. I think my media background helps a bit, but I had fantasies of having a publicist... LOL!
Oh, well.
Wow Pamela! I just always thought the publishers would promote you more since they get more money when you sell more. Well, I think you do a great job here but I think the best selling point is a great book because then you will get great word of mouth and people buying the rest of your books - which I also think you have accomplished with your books.I wonder how these online communities and blogs affect sales, do enough romance readers get online to increase sales based on recommendations? I think places like Goodreads will become more important to author sales as more readers get online and connect with other readers.
I agree with MelissaB. I have discovered so many wonderful authors on Goodreads. I love how authors like yourself come online to discuss their books. It really is a nice personal touch and I am more likely to buy that author's books because I remember some silly little detail that was discussed.
Oh, Pamela! That's what I was afraid of, that so much is left to the author. I want my favorite authors writing, not having to do all that other stuff. I get really annoyed at publishers, especially for the huge cut they take when the author is being tasked with more than just writing. /end rant/Anyway, if there's anything we can do to help, let us know.
Hi, Melissa — A publisher's general approach is to throw books by new authors out there and see which ones sink and which one swim. I've always thought that it would be better for them if they backed up their releases with intense promotion. But what do I know?Some authors have enough money to advertise; others don't. With my first book, I bought a tiny ad for about $800 from Romantic Times and it was a huge investment for me. I still don't buy as much advertising as I'd like.
But I agree with you — advertising cannot buy word-of-mouth recommendations. Only a good book can do that. So I've tried to put my focus more on writing books that don't stink. That's one reason. I'm soooo sloooooow. I've spent this entire weekend wrestling with Chapter 26 of BREAKING POINT, trying to get it right. I haven't even written 1,500 words yet. In three full days of writing.
An author's online presence accounts for only a small percentage of readership. You'd think that Amazon sales are a big chunk, but they're actually a single-digit percentage of an author's overall sales. As more readers find themselves online, having a website and Facebook page, etc., is starting to matter more.
But still the most important place for sales for an author are brick-and-mortar book stores: B&N, Borders, BAM, Wal-Mart, chain grocers. So many romance purchases are impulse buys. That's why the covers and back blurbs are so important.
(What do you all think of the cover of BREAKING POINT and the back blurb for that? I wrote it myself — first time I've done that.)
Online, I maintain my website, have a blog and Facebook page. I'm pretty lame with Twitter. And I haven't even been to my own MySpace page, which a reader very kindly set up for me. I lurk on Amazon, and I lurked here before I finally got the courage up to e-mail someone — might have been you, Melissa, or KarLyn — to say thank you for all the wonderful word-of-mouth support.
My blog has been a fun experiment. It's like a cross between journalism and romantic fiction somehow. I blog about the stupidest stuff sometimes, but based on the number of visits I get, readers enjoy it anyway. Or maybe it's like watching a car crash... Regardless, it gives me a chance to get to know people.
I decided early on that since I couldn't afford a big ad budget I would do the one thing that I could do — and that was to answer every reader e-mail personally and to be genuine with anyone who reached out to me.
AH wrote: "I agree with MelissaB. I have discovered so many wonderful authors on Goodreads. I love how authors like yourself come online to discuss their books. It really is a nice personal touch and I am mor..."Hi, AH — That's good to know! I love talking about my books and any books, really, because I just love to read. One thing the Internet has done superbly well is to bring people together who have shared interests who otherwise would never have connected.
Good morning, everyone!Pamela, you teased us with some Connor goodness, what can you give us about Breaking Point?
Pamela,You did send me a wonderful message, it really made my day when you sent it. I had no clue you were on any of the websites so I was surprised you knew how much I loved your books but very glad to hear from you. I had almost sent you a long email on your website after I read Surrender but I was afraid you might think I sounded a little too excited :)
Beanbag wrote: "Oh, Pamela! That's what I was afraid of, that so much is left to the author. I want my favorite authors writing, not having to do all that other stuff. I get really annoyed at publishers, especi..."Hi, Beanbag — It comes as a surprise to most new authors just how much is being expected of them. If you were to attend an author conference, you'd see that so many of the workshops have nothing to do with storytelling or the craft of writing. They're about promotion and how writing is a business... Most of us write for the love of writing and storytelling, so it's a shock.
There are all kinds of intangibles that impact an author. Did it snow heavily on the East Coast the week your book came out? Chances are your sales in that region will suck during that all important first week. Did the books not leave the warehouse in time to make it to the chain stores by your release date? Forget making the NYT. Did the stores get a glut of new books the same week that your book came out? It's likely that some stores haven't even unpacked your books even a MONTH after receiving them. The boxes might even be returned to the publisher unopened with your precious books that never saw a shelf inside, ready to be pulped.
All of those things have happened to me at one time or another.
Here's what I do for my friends who are authors: I go out the day the book comes out and (try) to buy it at a brick-and-mortar store so that the sale will count toward Bookscan and other bestseller lists. If they don't have the books unpacked and on the shelves yet, I stand there (impatiently) waiting until they bring me my copy. I've had to ask. One guy told me to come back later in the week. I said, "No. Her book came out today, and I want it now." Then I offered to help shelve the books so they would have a chance to sell. (That was for one of KMM's Highlander books.) Yes, I can be a b*tch. LOL!
All it takes to get on a bestseller list is a big upfront push in sales — a combo of momentum and numbers. If 5,000 people buy a book its first week out, it's completely different than if those 5,000 people buy that same book over a few months.
As readers one thing to remember is that if a new book isn't on the shelves it might mean that it's in the back, so you can always ask them to check. If it IS in the back, you're doing that author a huge favor.
For BREAKING POINT, I plan to play out the events in the book in real time on Natalie's Facebook page. Yes, she has her own Facebook page and people keep telling her that someone named Zach MacBride is in her future. It's pretty funny. I'll have to have a disclaimer, of course. I don't want CNN showing up to cover the kidnapping of a Denver journalist.
In terms of what you can do to help, again it's word of mouth. Honest reviews and recommendations. And if anyone wants to organize a "5000 Club" for July 2, 2011, I'm game. But that's the kind of self-promo that I feel really uncomfortable doing.
MelissaB wrote: "Pamela,You did send me a wonderful message, it really made my day when you sent it. I had no clue you were on any of the websites so I was surprised you knew how much I loved your books but very ..."
I would have LOVED that e-mail, Melissa. That kind of thing keeps me going when (like this weekend) I decide that I'm an idiot who can't write her way out of paper bag. My sister just called from Sweden responding to this weekend's SOS...
Yes, I lurk on Amazon so I had seen your very passionate recommendations for SURRENDER and KarLyn's for RIDE THE FIRE.
Now this is going to make you think I'm nuts, but...
I WAITED... YES, I waited by my computer, compulsively checking Amazon for your review of UNTAMED. You had enjoyed SURRENDER so much that I desperately did not want you to be disappointed with Morgan's book. I watched every day. And when you finally posted your review and said you liked the book (though I think you prefer SURRENDER), I burst into tears of relief. Ask my boys. They were here for Thanksgiving when it happened. Maybe I am nuts, but that's how much it matters to me that the people who read my books get what they want out of them. I know I can't please everyone all the time. But how you all feel when you read the stories matters to me.
What's a 5000 club? Sounds like it could be fun.
Pamela,I preorder my books from Amazon because I can't make it to a bookstore on Tuesday since they closed the downtown Pittsburgh Barnes and Noble (I work downtown and don't really go shopping during the week if I can't walk to it on my lunchbreak). Do you as an author get credit for a preorder sale as much as a brick and mortar sale? If you get an ebook sale the first day will you get the same credit?
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Good morning, everyone!Pamela, you teased us with some Connor goodness, what can you give us about Breaking Point?"
Sure! I would love to talk about BREAKING POINT.
First, here's the back blurb, so we can all be on the same page:
While investigating border violence in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Denver journalist Natalie Benoit is caught in a bloody ambush and taken captive. Alone in the hands of ruthless killers, she will need every ounce of courage she possesses to survive.
Betrayed by another operative, Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride has endured a week of torture and interrogation at the hands of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Ready to give his life if he must, he remains unbroken—until he hears the cries of an American woman.
Although Natalie is only a voice in the darkness of their shared prison, her plight brings renewed strength to Zach’s battered body. With her help, he overpowers their captors, and they flee through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun.
But past loss and tragedy leave both of them reluctant to follow their hearts, even when the passion between them reaches its breaking point. Faced with feelings neither expected, they fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both…
It's absolutely the most action-packed and fast-paced of the I-Team books. A lot of it involves just Zach and Natalie, so there's less I-Team in this I-Team book than in others. Not many newsroom scenes.
Zach is a chief deputy U.S. Marshal and a former Navy SEAL with some war trauma in his past.
We find out what happened to Natalie during Hurricane Katrina and how she came to be in Denver.
And the bad guys in this story are every bit as evil as Alexi Burien from HARD EVIDENCE. That is to say, they are seriously evil.
I've posted the first two chapters on my website if anyone wants to read excerpts. Here's the link http://www.pamelaclare.com/excerpt_br...
The story itself is hauntingly reflected in the headlines these days. I planned it out months and months ago, and yet the very cartel I'm writing about is the one making big headlines these days for doing unspeakable things to other people. Kinda freaks me out.
The book grew out of my reportage on the sexual femicides in Ciudad Juarez — some 1,400 raped and murdered girls/women found mutilated in the desert, with more than 3,000 still missing. From. One. Town.
Will Natalie be the next victim?
The cover model is exactly the model I was using to help me visualize Zach. My editor saw that I was basing Zach on Jed Hill and went after him for the cover. I thought that was incredibly sweet of her.
Wow, I'm trying to do this without giving away spoilers. Not easy. :-)
Pamela wrote: "MelissaB wrote: "Pamela,You did send me a wonderful message, it really made my day when you sent it. I had no clue you were on any of the websites so I was surprised you knew how much I loved you..."
Pamela,
Wow, I wish I would have sent it :) I had it all thought out what I was going to say but hopefully you know how I feel now anyway.
I had no clue you looked for my review! I wanted so bad to write how much I loved Surrender and Untamed in my reviews so other people would want to try them because I think they are both great books that romance readers will love. I am not a writer so I have to put a little effort into my reviews to get my point across. I am glad you liked my review, I really did love Untamed but Surrender will probably always be toward the top of my list because I love Iain and the story so much.
Pamela wrote: "In terms of what you can do to help, again it's word of mouth. Honest reviews and recommendations. And if anyone wants to organize a "5000 Club" for July 2, 2011, I'm game. But that's the kind of self-promo that I feel really uncomfortable doing. "I don't know what a 5000 Club is.
I know it must be awful that first week when your book comes out when something huge happens and nobody's bothering to read. Big news stories, or the World Cup or something. It must be so frustrating.
KMM's publisher has instituted a street team campaign for her Fever series. They give a fan who signs on a box of the first book in the series and they're supposed to give it to people they might think are interested. I'm not sure how they can trust the fan won't just trade them at the UBS, but it seems to be working. A lot of her fans are reporting back that they've given the book to friends who've become addicted, going out and buying all three of the next books.
Another good thing, I think, is to offer the first book in the series as a freebie on e-book for a month or two. Same approach, but a lot cheaper for the pub! You'd probably get a lot of new I-Team series readers if they put Extreme Exposure up for free a couple of months.
RE: Breaking Point -- that's a very cool cross-medium idea! I'm going to check it out today. I wish other authors would do something like that.
Also: I-Team Christmas? Yes!
KarLynP wrote: "What's a 5000 club? Sounds like it could be fun."It actually sounds kind of kinky, or maybe that's just my dirty mind. ;-)
In this context, it would be a group trying to get 5,000 people together who are committed to going out on July 2 to get the book to push it onto the NYT.
Let me say, I'm not seriously suggesting someone do this. I wouldn't stop y'all, but I was kind of joking there...
MelissaB wrote: "Pamela,I preorder my books from Amazon because I can't make it to a bookstore on Tuesday since they closed the downtown Pittsburgh Barnes and Noble (I work downtown and don't really go shopping d..."
Ah, that's right! You're in Nicholas and Bethie country! Oh, man, I wish I were there!
Amazon usually releases books a bit early so they often don't count toward that first week, but they DO matter in over all sales. I don't think they're counted by Bookscan. But Amazon has its own lists, and being high on those can be important, too. If a book is above 100 on Amazon, that's usually very good news.
On that note, the French translation of UNTAMED (titled, "Highlanders in the New World, Volume II: Loyal to His Clan") was No. 26 in France a couple of weeks ago.
Seriously, don't worry about it Melissa. Recommendations like yours are the best support a reader can give an author.
MelissaB wrote: "I had no clue you looked for my review! I wanted so bad to write how much I loved Surrender and Untamed in my reviews so other people would want to try them because I think they are both great books that romance readers will love."I told my boys, "This reader really loved SURRENDER and she's been waiting and waiting for UNTAMED. I just didn't want her to be disappointed!" They thought I was a total goofball.
A lot of things happened while I was writing UNTAMED. My brother was seriously ill. Both boys got into near-fatal car wrecks. It sucked as a year. I really struggled to stay focused and finish the book. I can see why a reader would like SURRENDER most. But Beanbag, I know, likes UNTAMED. :-)
Beanbag wrote: "KMM's publisher has instituted a street team campaign for her Fever series. They give a fan who signs on a box of the first book in the series and they're supposed to give it to people they might think are interested."My publisher might be willing to do something like that for BREAKING POINT, though probably not entire boxes of books. I've been hoping they might agree to send me extra advanced copies so that I can send out copies to avid I-Team readers who agree to post reviews and share the book with friends.
If that happens, I'll let you all know so that you have the option if it interests you. :-)
Pamela wrote: "But Beanbag, I know, likes UNTAMED. :-)"
The word is LOVED. :P
I think it's in my review, but I really didn't know what was going to happen from one moment to the next. I could not figure out how Morgan was going to get himself out of that situation and take Amelie (sp?) with him. Whew! It was stressful, but in a good way. :D
Beanbag wrote: "PThe word is LOVED. :PI think it's in my review, but I really didn't know what was going to happen from one moment to the next. I could ..."
When I wrote it, neither did I. My editor said, "I can't wait to see what you have planned to get him out of this. And I thought, "Planned???"
Some people have been cautioning Natalie on FB NOT to take that trip with SPJ and the State Department. They're telling her Mexico is dangerous right now. I haven't noted on her page that she's a fictional character yet. And she's very pretty, so the guys are really interested in being her "friend." LOL!
Count me in for the 5000 club, as I'll have the book on pre-order anyway. :-) So 4999 more to go...I'm really hoping to see at least one of your books make the new AAR top 100 list for 2010. The voting is going on now. My number 1 pick was Ride the Fire (no surprise there!), and from what I can see there have been others voting for your books too. I don't know how it impacts sales, but the exposure and recognition can't be bad! Maybe a '5000 voting club' is in order...
KarLynP wrote: "Count me in for the 5000 club, as I'll have the book on pre-order anyway. :-) So 4999 more to go...I'm really hoping to see at least one of your books make the new AAR top 100 list for 2010. Th..."
Thanks so much, Karen.
YIKES! It's that time of year again, isn't it? I will admit that I would love to end up on that list. The exposure would be wonderful. More than that, it would be very satisfying to see my books land there now that time has given people a chance to reflect on which books really stayed with them. It's a huge honor.
So, 4999 to go for the "5000 Voting Club," too. I'm very honest about these things and never vote for myself, so I can't be a part of it.
Pamela wrote: "YIKES! It's that time of year again, isn't it?"Actually, this isn't their yearly poll but the really mega big one they only do every 3 or 4 years that includes ALL romances ever written. (Yep, authors are up against Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Charlotte Bronte too.) I've read 83 from the 2007 list (actually, 82.5 as I am in the middle of reading one right now), and a lot of fans make it a goal to try to read as many from that list as they can. I think if you have read 50 or more from that list than you are considered a very serious romance fan. :-) It's a respected poll and gives a high level of professional credibility to the authors who make the list, but I don't know how much that turns into sales.
Oh! Wow! That list. Ending up on that list, even as No. 100, would rock my world whether it turns into sales or not.
Sales are important, but I get much more excited when someone says, "I love your writing," than when they say, "I bought your book." And this list is more a list of one's writing ability, I should think.
I guess I should go peek...
Pamela wrote: "This one, however, was set up by UM Dhestiny. She read my books and seemed to enjoy them. I emailed her to say "thanks." We chatted back and forth a bit. Then she emailed me and told me she wanted more people to know about my books. Then she went through all the effort to arrange this.Thank you, Dhes!"
"Seemed to enjoy them?" ROFLMAO! I'm obsessing about them, they're so good!
And regarding setting this event up - as easy as it might be to be blinded by my goodness, my kind, giving nature and overall wonderfulness (ha, ha), my reasons were purely selfish! I want to see Connor's book sell more than any other book ever, including the Bible! **gasp** Ouch! I was just zapped by a rogue electrical current from my keyboard. I wonder if God has an "in" with Dell? ;)
Anyway, we know the importance of getting Connor Mackinnon's book out there and sold in big numbers so that this series will continue on! I'm hoping that when others who keep meaning to read your books see this, and see what a wonderful person you are and what a loyal fan base you have, that they'll stop thinking about reading them and start doing it.
And wow! Thanks for all that about Breaking Point. It promises to be an amazing book, and it sounds like we'll have another hero giving Reece, Julian, Marc and Gabe a run for their money!
Pamela wrote: "I guess I should go peek... "To see what people are voting for, here are two posts that show people's top favorites. The AAR has the most, but this is just a small sample. I imagine they get hundreds (if not thousands) of people voting.
Peak #1:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/romance/for...
Peak #2:
http://www.likesbooks.com/boards/view...
Thanks, Karen! It's really wonderful to see my books mentioned in there now and again. :-)
I'm betting they get thousands of votes. I know their annual lists get thousands.
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Seemed to enjoy them?" ROFLMAO! I'm obsessing about them, they're so good!And regarding setting this event up - as easy as it might be to be blinded by my goodness, my kind, giving nature and overall wonderfulness (ha, ha), my reasons were purely selfish! I want to see Connor's book sell more than any other book ever, including the Bible!"
Wow, that would be nice! We could have our next chat on a tropical island. I'd fly you all down.
I really do appreciate it. And, yes, Connor's book will hopefully do well enough to open the door to all of the others.
Speaking of flying...
This past year at RomCon in Denver, I did a little thing that one of my friends named "The Pamela Clare Reality Tour." (That's PC Reality Tour, for short.)
I loaded up a van and took readers to the places in the I-Team books from Colfax and the State Capitol to Rocky Mountain National Park and the newspaper where I work. We even spent a half an hour getting a private talk from a Mountain Parks ranger who's a good friend of mine.
It was kind of tricky to work it into the events of RomCon, because there were so many things everyone wanted to do. This took an entire afternoon.
So this next year, I intend to host the event as a separate event from RomCon the day prior to the conference opening (a Thursday, I think).
Anyone attending RomCon can be a part of it. Or people who just want to fly to Denver to hang out for a weekend are welcome to do that, too.
I paid for it myself this past summer, though an Aussie friend paid for gas when we had to stop to refill. This time, I'm thinking of scheduling food stops -- perhaps at the restaurant where Kat and Gabe had lunch -- and more sites, such as Valmont Butte (i.e., Mesa Butte).
Because so many people wanted to go this past year and I had to turn people away, I'll probably rent a bus, meaning that there may be some cost involved -- I'll split it with you all. It won't be a for-profit event, however, like most Cons, so it involve a huge up-front cost just to attend. It will just be a sort of relaxed friendly get-together that focuses on the I-Team books and whatever anyone wants to talk about.
If you're interested, let me know, and I'll put you on a mailing list.
Thanks for the reminder KarLynP! I had my list made up in Excel but still needed to submit it. Pamela got quite a few votes from me of course, I hope you get on the list this time! Nalini Singh is another author who was all over my list.Pamela - the funny thing was, I always thought when I was preordering a book that I was adding a number to their important first week sale figures. I made sure to preorder all my favorite authors. Oh well, at least the number is on some lists.
Pamela, that sounds like such a great time!
MelissaB wrote: "Pamela - the funny thing was, I always thought when I was preordering a book that I was adding a number to their important first week sale figures. I made sure to preorder all my favorite authors. Oh well, at least the number is on some lists. ..."I think the lists are biased toward older models of distribution and neglect the online scene. Bookscan is based off some 1,000+ brick-and-mortar stores. I don't even think they count Wal-Mart or the grocery chains. NYT might be overall sales. I can't be sure about that. Not sure about USA Today, either.
You help create momentum on Amazon, and those high numbers help put books higher on Amazon's lists, which, in turn, helps generate reader interest. So it's all good. :-)
MelissaB wrote: "I always thought when I was preordering a book that I was adding a number to their important first week sale figures. I made sure to preorder all my favorite authors. Oh well, at least the number is on some lists."I would assume/hope ebooks would count toward first day sales as they are not released early (dang!), so hopefully pre-ordering ebooks still count towards that 5000+ club. :-)
Nissie wrote: "Pamela, that sounds like such a great time!"It was a lot of fun. I showed them Reece's office at the State Capitol and walked all the way up to the dome. We saw Denver women's prison from the parking lot, as well as the Denver County Jail where Sophie is locked up for a time. We saw the part of town where Alexi Burien had his warehouse and where he shot Toby in the head. We saw the Platte River, where he'd planned to dump Tessa's body. From there it was a haul down HWY 36 to Boulder, where we saw Mountain Parks from a distance, then up close when we met with Ranger Rick. We drove from there past the cement plant I investigated up to Rocky Mountain National Park, where the altitude started getting to some folks. Then we drove back to Denver.
It sounds like you had a great time! You ought to make up a brochure for those of us who might want to take the tour, but can't schedule it in advance. A self guided tour. You could have it online for us to print out. I don't ask for much, do I? ;)We spent a few days in Denver/Boulder/Colorado Springs a few years back, before the book bug bit me. Lucky for you because had I know about your books, I'd have been camping in your front yard!
That is awesome! I would love to do something like that.UM a brochure is a fantastic idea!
Speaking of the Denver women's prison, I was fascinated by the work you did to get the bill passed banning the shackling of pregnant inmates. That's when it really hit me that these books you write, the stories you tell us, mean more to you than just dollar signs. You truly do believe in what you write about, and it shows in your books. If you have time, could you give everyone a run down on what that entailed? I found it to be very interesting.
UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "It sounds like you had a great time! You ought to make up a brochure for those of us who might want to take the tour, but can't schedule it in advance. A self guided tour. You could have it online ..."When people camp out in my front yard, I just invite them inside and feed them. :-)
I've had readers stay here before out of the blue, people I'd met online who wanted to meet me.
Ain't nothin' fancy here, but I do make good cookies.
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