January 2014 Book Tour

I'm excited about the Virtual Book Tour this month. A number of top, exciting bogglers and book reviewers have been kind enough to include me on their sites. There is even a signed, hardback giveaway of my new mystery, Passage Of Crime. Listed below are the dates followed by links to the sites.

January 14- Christa Reads and Writes

January 15- Psychotic State Book Reviews

January 16- Kelly P's Blog

January 17- Readalot Blog

January 18- A Blue Million Books

January 20- Thoughts in Progress

January 22- Books-n-Kisses

January 23- Musings and Ramblings

January 24- Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

January 25- Dru's Book Musing

I hope you take a few minutes and visit these sites. I'm sure once you do you will find them as interesting and informative as I do, and continue to follow them.

A Few Words About Rejection

So you got rejected. As a writer you should understand this is all part of the process. It’s not like this is something new. We have experience rejection since we were old enough to draw on a wall with a crayon. We saw it as art, but mom saw it as a reason to hide the crayons. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t art.

We put pen to paper (or actually fingers to keyboards) with the idea of one day standing beside those literary giants that inspired us to do more with our thoughts and imaginations than just daydream. We toil over a keyboard for what seems like an eternity. Editing, then editing again. Reading, editing, moving this, adding that, until we are certain we hold within our hands exactly what the world has been waiting for–the novel all future novels will be compared to.

With the query written, and the first chapter attached, the email shoots off into hyperspace in search of a worthy agent for such a masterful work of fiction. You start the next book, certain your offer of representation is being drafted simultaneously. Maybe just one more cup of coffee as you await the email alert indicating your invitation to success has arrived.

Then it happens. You open the email and, with little more than a polite salutation, your heart is ripped from your breast. It’s a short paragraph, and the only word that stands out is – ...unfortunately.

No need to read on. That same feeling comes over you. The painful vision of mom collecting up the crayons and carrying them off to another room flashes through your mind. You weren’t old enough to understand then, but you should now. Even though mom took the crayons away, you didn’t stop finding ways to express yourself or finding an audience for that expression. You continued on despite the rejections you faced. For those who didn’t give up, the roots of those scribblings blossomed into true artistic expression.

Remember, as with every artistic expression, it’s not suited for everybody. Patience and a belief in what you’ve produced should keep you to task. I read somewhere 90% of writers don’t become published authors because they quit after the first sense of rejection. If you look at this from a glass half-empty/half-full perspective, what really happened is 90% of your competition has been eliminated. You can certainly compete with the other 10%.

With the New Year upon us, it’s time for a new resolution. You felt strongly enough about putting those fingers to the keyboard, now keep at it until your query lands in front of the right person at the right time. Do your research, continue to develop your writing skills, and get the next idea on paper and out the door. There is an agent out there waiting for you’re your submission, don’t disappoint them.  

A very bright and Happy New Year to all the soon to be authors out there!

A Book Review In A Forest

Have you ever wondered– If a book review was tacked up in a forest, and no one was around, would it make a noise?

The second best promotional tool an author has (I'll get to the best in a minute) is a good book review. As a first tier author this is an easy one, you pretty much have your choice of reviewers. But lets move a little deeper into the forest to the self-published or first-time authors published by small independent presses.

As you toil away at your first novel you begin to fantasize about your place on the New York Times Best Sellers list. You know if you could just get your book in front of the right reviewer it would be your ticket to the big time. They're out there, you can hear them typing away. They're just beyond the clearing. So you set your compass and begin to blaze a trail, fighting your way through the underbrush of obscurity. Easy, right? Not so fast. Before I get to the book reviewers, let me say a few cautionary words about the publishing forest.

As with any forest there are dangers. The sign reads Authors Beware! There are thickets of "Get Published Fast" schemes waiting in the shadows to ensnare unsuspecting writers. Cottages where evil "Self-Proclaimed Editors" lurk, tempting you with fame for the gold in your pockets. Fire-breathing "Critique Groups," beating down your prose with poisoned pens. And don't even get me started on the flying monkeys. But you're strong and stay on course, making it through the worst of it. The day finally arrives when your idea has become a published book. Now, what about those book reviews?

There are a multitude of sites/blogs willing to review books of every fiction genre. What you need to consider is– What is their visibility and what are you getting in return? By this I mean, if a blog touting itself as a book review site has a hundred or so book reviews but only 8 followers, what have you really gained by submitting your book for review? Were comments left by someone other than friends or family members? Were comments left at all?

You may regard this as cynical but there is a certain reality to it. I'm not saying ignore these sites/blogs; like anything else they should have a place in your marketing plan as part of a blog tour. What I caution is to keep it all in perspective. And, in case you missed it, I'll say it again, the important thing here is your marketing plan. This is an authors best tool. Without a solid marketing plan you can expend a great deal of energy for very little return. Getting reviewed should be a priority, but getting reviewed by a top reviewer should be a top priority. Set your sights high and go for it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight, but the greater the effort the greater the prize.

In this day and age of spider bots trolling the web, the more links you have out there the greater your exposure. So, in relation to our forest, continue to tack up small reviews as you make your way to the clearing, but be selective. Each one increases the chances of your book being stumbled on by intrepid readers passing by, but each one requires an effort on your part. Make that effort count.

Photo courtesy- dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net