Passing along information from my editor at Crimson Romance . . .
“I don't usually post about agents
and agencies on here, but we've been working lately with The Corvisiero Agency
for one of our authors, and I really can't recommend them enough for those who
are seeking representation. Their level of commitment and investment, including
organizing very extensive promotional support for their authors, is really
quite impressive. I'm not sure how much they do editorially on manuscripts
before they submit them to publishers (also a very important criteria for
agents), but for those authors searching, I would definitely check them out.”
cj Sez: I would add to that that this group may or may not be right for you. As with any legal document, do your homework
and research the organization before signing a contract with anyone.
Marketing is my blog topic today. Since my first novel, Deadly
Star, and second novel, Choosing Carter, were released, I’ve
done a lot of cost-free advertising. I sent out press releases to newspapers,
blurbed on Facebook pages, and have been the beneficiary of generous friends
who enthusiastically sent the book cover around to their friends. I’ve done blog
interviews and presentations at writers groups and conferences. I’ve donated
books to my local library to have them placed on their shelves.
Some marketing choices were not free, but I calculated them
to be cost-effective: I invested in an
ad in an on-line review site (https://thebookbreeze.wordpress.com
). I created bookmarks that I punch holes in and string a pretty ribbon through
to attract a browser’s eye. When the book was still an eBook and there was
nothing to sign at a conference or writers’ group, I signed the back of the bookmark
which has a link to the purchase site. My 2015 trip to Killer Nashville was not
cost-effective in the short term, but my panel appearance exposed my face and name to a very
large, mystery/crime writers’ audience.
For 2016, I’m going to market my books a little more
aggressively. All that means is that I’m willing to take some losses on sales
of books that I have personally purchased. I’m not self-published, so books I
purchase from the publisher are a bit expensive (between the price and the cost
of shipping). I usually use them as “out-of-the-trunk sales” when I make
presentations, but when an indie book store agreed to take a consignment of some
of these books, that was a big plus. I’m hoping for break-even. However, if a
store takes 40 percent or more of the sale price (as some do), I’ll be losing
money. Still, I’m going to invest a few books in that market this year.
There is a limit to how much I’m willing to lose to “get my
name out there.” I am such a slow writer that I don’t have a catalog of books
that would benefit from that loss-leader strategy. Once my stash of books is gone, if they go, I will re-evaluate the results.
Right now, I’m more interested in the potential for sales of
book number two because the publisher was clever enough to insert the first
chapter of book number one at the back of book number two. I’m hopeful that a
sale of the newest one will attract readers to the first and, perhaps, lead to
my Amazon Author Central page.
Have you any other ideas for marketing your books? Drop me a
note. I’d love to share them with other writers here on Lyrical Pens.
Okay, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do
the same.
cj
(The "toon" is from a Facebook post by "Hot Girls Read.")
cjpetterson@gmail.com
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