Publishing: It's About Marketing

What I'm reading: Dirty, by Debra Webb.

Also, I'm revisiting my post on romantic moments over at Ellis Vidler's blog, the Unpredictable Muse today.

Thanks to Paty for sharing her reasons for going indie with her older books. I'm in a similar situation, and understand exactly what she's talking about. In addition to publishing my back list titles, I've also taken the plunge into indie-publishing a new book. And in case you missed it, I'm offering a Buy 1, Get 1 Free sale. And, unlike the normal retailers, I'm not restricting the free book to the cheaper one. Nope. Buy the 99 cent book (When Danger Calls) and I'll give you the $2.99 book (Danger in Deer Ridge) free.

Why? Because if you're someone starting in e-publishing, people are more likely to take a chance if you've got an established name. I don't. One of the ways to get noticed is for your books to rise in the rankings at the e-stores, and the only way to get them up there is for people to buy them or review them. So, in the hope that if I gave away books, mine would move higher up the ladder, which in turn would generate more sales, I'm willing to eat the cost of giving away books. After all, any business must have an advertising budget.

So, if you've been considering reading my Blackthorne, Inc. e-books, this would be a great time to take that next step.

Left Coast Crime - Research

Thanks to Sherry Gloag for her great post yesterday. I'm looking for bungee cords to keep my muse in her seat.

And please - don't forget my next contest, and my special Tax Relief Pricing on When Danger Calls and What's in a Name? Click the appropriate tags above for details.

Other panels I attended at Left Coast Crime discussed doing research. Even though we write fiction and tend to make things up, we can't simply ignore doing our homework.
For one of the panelists, a former journalist, doing research is second nature, and he's not really aware he's doing it.

The question came up as to when authors did their research. One, whose background is in geology, which plays a part in her books, said she read books, collected maps, and was familiar with the setting before she ever arrived to do the "actual" research.

One author writes books based on things that actually happened. His publisher wouldn't let him use the name of a former governor because the man was still alive. The author reluctantly changed the name, but anyone familiar with the history of that state would wonder where that stranger came from. As he put it, it would be like reading a book where "After the Civil War, President Schwartz freed the slaves."

Left Coast Crime: Publishing Part 2

In yesterday's post about publishing, everything focused on print vs digital. However, I neglected to give a nod to audio books, which is yet another way a story gets from author to "reader."

I should also mention POD, which once had the same bad rap as being self-published. It's important to remember that POD stands for "Print on Demand" and has nothing whatsoever to do with the content, or its quality. It's simply a technology—a way to put a book into print. Given the problems with bookstores finding shelf space for books, or publishers having to gamble on what size print run to produce, it's quite possible that more and more books will be printed on demand—that is, when a reader places an order.

I was going to discuss the panel on research today, but yesterday afternoon I discovered that an interview I did for the Kindle Author blog was posted. The blog owner, David Wisehart, asked some very interesting questions, and since it's a blog about Kindle books, and going the indie route, I thought it would fit with what I've been discussing. I hope you'll pop over there and read the interview.

Tomorrow is Friday Field Trip, and we're going to—where else—Santa Fe.

Love and Heroes

Yesterday I talked about what makes a hero someone both the reader and writer loves. There were some great comments, and one of the frequent ones was that he had to love the heroine.

When writing a romance, there are some reader expectations that have to be met. When we write a romance, we're promising the reader that we're going to address them. One of the "requirements" is to show that moment when the hero realizes he's in love with the heroine (and vice-versa, of course). There are others, but this is a blog post, not a workshop.

I seem to have a theme for my heroes that they're all career consumed, and their careers don't lend themselves to family lives. With the exception of Blake Windsor in What's in a Name?, they're all either cops or covert ops specialists, and don't think their jobs can mix with relationships.

My preference is for that moment to sneak up on the hero. None of mine have been actively seeking a life partner. And, like with all writing, you can't just dump these things on the reader. They need foreshadowing and setups.

And of course, taken out of context, these 'aha' moments aren't as meaningful, but I thought I'd share a few examples from my own work (no issues with copyright that way).

So, here they are:

My Last Gift To You

Tonight's the last night of Hanukkah. I hope you've enjoyed some of your gifts. Remember, Rebecca York's contest runs through December 11th, so scroll down and leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of her book, DRAGON MOON.

And my last gift for you is another Smashwords coupon. This one is 50% off WHEN DANGER CALLS, and it's good through the end of the year. Use Coupon Code ET46A at checkout. I hope you'll enjoy it. This should give you plenty of time to read it before the sequel, WHERE DANGER HIDES is released in May. And if you want a dirt-cheap hard cover, email me.

(I have pleas for reader help at the end of this post—please read through)

My next NOOKcolor discovery really isn't about the device as much as about the programming and communication between the bookstore and the reader. My daughter-in-law gave me a gift certificate for Barnes & Noble for Hanukkah. I went to their website and 'registered' the certificate in my account. Then, I bought a book using my NC. When I checked my account on the website, lo and behold, it "knew" to use my gift certificate funds rather than the credit card associated with the NC account. Frabjous Day. I'm still refraining from going hog wild. I downloaded a slew of samples, but I will buy them only after I read the sample and decide I have to know what comes next.

On the home scene, the remodel is still going well—knocking on my desk. We had our first inspection, and it passed; nothing could move forward until the inspector signed off on the electrical.


Then there's the "this would NEVER fly in a book" scene.

Launch Party - Refreshments!

What's a party with out food?

I've got some Nanaimo bars on the buffet. Graham baked 3 kinds of cookies: butterscotch chip, double chocolate chip, and lemon bars. If we ask nicely, he might bake some brownies too. Colleen doesn't cook much, but she's got all the fixings for some good coffee—whipped cream, cinnamon sticks, and chocolate sprinkles. Randy from Finding Sarah and Hidden Fire came all the way from Oregon with his cherry pie—just like his grandmother taught him to make.

And on the warming trays, Sarah has some of her pasta featuring her old-family recipe spaghetti sauce. Kelli, from What's in a Name? has her chicken with orange-mustard sauce. (Blake wants everyone to know he helped!)

Frankie from When Danger Calls has a tureen of tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich wedges.

So – what are you contributing to the virtual food spread? Let us know—and be entered in the drawings!