Stumbling in the Dark

Today I welcome Shelly Bell to Terry's Place. Shelly's debut book, A YEAR TO REMEMBER, releases today as an e-book and will be available in print this July. Here, she's sharing some of the things she learned about the other side of writing...promotion.

I love to read. To me, there’s nothing better than reading a book. From snuggling on the couch during a snowstorm to sunbathing at the pool, you’ll always find me with my Kindle.

Maybe that’s why I got a crazy notion to write a book. Only, like my book’s protagonist, Sara, I’m stumbling in the dark looking for the light switch. I’ve written my story and gotten it published. Now what?

Before I entered this industry, it never occurred to me that authors had to do anything other than write a book. I assumed the publisher took care of the advertising. Wrong! In addition to the writing and editing, an author is responsible for the marketing and publicity of the book. I’m an attorney by day. I’ve never had to ponder the ins and outs of the advertising industry. Where to begin?

Book Trailers

What I'm reading: Your Saving Grace, by JL Wilson

Lately, every time I check one of my on-line groups, I'm seeing "Check out my book trailer". I'm still on the wrong side of the fence with these, I think, but with their increasing popularity, maybe I'm wrong (won't be the first -- or the last-- time). But to me, it seems strange to judge a written medium with a visual one.

Also, people seem enthralled with all the bells and whistles they can use, so they throw them all in there. Fancy dissolves, sparkling, bouncing text, backgrounds that obscure what you're trying to read. Why? If there are words on the screen, isn't the purpose to be able to READ them?

My take: When I want to read a book by an author I know and trust, I pick it up without the need of a 'sell'. I belong to the Mystery Guild, and they send a monthly catalog. I look at the blurbs. In the library or book store, I pick up a book and read the back cover copy, then read a page or two. If I'm shopping on line and have never read (or sometimes even heard of) the author, I go to the blurb, then read an excerpt.

I can't see that a 'movie clip' about a book is going to give me what I need to decide to buy. What I'm looking for is good writing. How does a movie clip let me judge that?

Then, there's length. Some of these go on for 5 minutes. I can usually tell within 30 seconds of reading an excerpt if I want to read the book. Why should I spend five minutes "reading" at someone else's speed? That reminds me of those old filmstrips in school. (Showing my age again--I'll bet most of the readers here have no clue what I'm talking about--think of it as an early precursor to PowerPoint.) I would always be done reading whatever was on the screen long before the little 'ding' said move on. If I click over to a YouTube clip and the time shows more than a minute, I'm gone.

Another pet peeve -- websites that open trailers as soon as you click to the site. If I'm browsing, odds are I'll have my iTunes going. Getting a jolt of someone's trailer music is an immediate turnoff. If you want to attract me as a potential reader, you'll do better to have an optional 'click here for trailer' button. Then again, Nora Roberts is advertising her books on television.

Maybe this is one more thing that makes me feel old. (Here's my idea of a clip worth my time -- and it's NOT a book trailer, just something another "old" friend sent).



Do you go out of your way to check out trailers? Have you ever bought a book based on seeing a trailer? Did it live up to expectations?

The dreaded synopsis, continued.

What I'm reading: Payment in Kind by J.A. Jance (along with Daphne and Touch of Magic reads).

What I'm working on: A marketing plan (ugh) and the dreaded synopsis.

And check out today's post at The Graveyard Shift. Agent Janet Reid discusses blogging and promotion.


Yesterday we met Dalton. Miri's a little more troublesome. It must be because I tend to like my heroes a whole lot more than my heroines. Even though all of my early books began with the heroines, somehow, the books turned into "he" books. True, in a romance, they're usually almost equal--but there's usually one who's more equal than the other, and for me, it's become clear it's the hero. Must be why my next books begin with the hero front and center. Do you prefer "he" books or "she" books?

Anyway -- here's Miri. Suggestions? Comments? Leave you cold?

Street-smart Miri Chambers wants nothing more than to help everyone at the Galloway House shelter find a new and productive life. It's more than a job. Galloway House saved her and her sister years ago when they escaped an impoverished and abusive life in New Orleans. So when her sister begs Miri to crash a black-tie gala to make sure the secrets of their less-than-savory past remain buried, she accepts the challenge. To deny her sister would be like not breathing.

Although Miri's left her street days behind, some instincts won't go away. When she's snooping in the host's study, confronted by two men who obviously have no business being there either, she reflexively lifts one's wallet. In the darkened room, all she knows is the wallet's owner is Texan and smells delightfully like sandalwood. Old habits die hard, and a little insurance never hurts, even if you're not sure it's insurance when you take it.