If you don’t already subscribe to Godin’s blog, trust me, click the link and hit subscribe. It is a constant stream of useful nuggets and inspiration to keep up the good work. Likely it will help make your work better, more productive, and fingers crossed, more successful.

Writing naked (nakeder than Orwell)

Feel free to email me for a slot on the schedule.

Renee

Are you suffering from writer’s block? Katina shared her article with us, which was featured on OnlineCollege.com

If you’re interested in what makes authors tick, you’ll love reading what they have to say in interviews. You can learn about how they got started writing, what they enjoy about books, and more. Here you’ll find 50 interviews with famous authors that you just can’t miss.

Bestsellers

Get a look into authors with celebrity status in these interviews.

1. Dan Brown: This interview with Dan Brown focuses on The Da Vinci Code.
2. JK Rowling: In this interview, JK Rowling sits down with Katie Couric to discuss saying goodbye to the Harry Potter saga.
3. John Grisham: You’ll find 10 questions for John Grisham in this interview.
4. Stephen King: This Stephen King interview takes a look at Lisey’s Story.
5. Mitch Albom: In this interview, Mitch Albom discusses his uncle Edward Beitchman.

Non Fiction

Cookbooks, social commentary, and more are discussed in these interviews.

1. Julie Powell: Check out this interview from Julie Powell, author of Julie and Julia.
2. Raj Patel: Raj Patel’s interview discusses accurately viewing the world.
3. Eric Schlosser: Eric Schlosser is interviewed about the fast food industry here.
4. Lauren Weisberger: Lauren Weisberger covers her experience writing The Devil Wears Prada.
5. Anthony Bourdain: See what it’s like to travel around the world for food in Anthony Bourdain’s interview about A Cook’s Tour.
6. Annie Leibovitz: Annie Leibovitz takes you behind her work in this interview.

Novelists

These interviews cover romance, mystery, and beyond.

1. Kevin Sampsell: Kevin Sampsell’s interview is about a big fish in a small-press pond.
2. James Frey: This interview rings in James Frey’s return to the spotlight.
3. Fern Michaels: Fern Michaels claims she’s a scribbler in this journal.
4. John Irving: John Irving’s lecture looks into the author’s list of recommended books.
5. Laurie Notaro: Check out Laurie Notaro’s interview about her rise from humor columnist to novelist.
6. Orson Scott Card: Orson Scott Card’s interview discusses Lost Boys and beyond.
7. Clive Barker: This interview discusses Clive Barker’s return to writing with Galilee.
8. Nora Roberts: Nora Roberts covers her start as a romance novelist in this interview.
9. Jodi Picoult: Learn about the household name Jodi Picoult in this interview.
10. Jackie Collins: You’ll learn about Jackie Collins’ examination of sex, drugs, and Hollywood in this interview.
11. Amy Tan: Amy Tan’s interview focuses on the spirit within.
12. Philippa Gregory: Philippa Gregory’s interview crowns her the queen of historical fiction.
13. Hallie Ephron: Hallie Ephron’s interview discusses finally giving in to becoming a famous writer.
14. Audrey Niffenegger: Audrey Niffenegger’s interview discusses art, writing, and more.
15. Eoin Colfer: Sci-Fi author Eoin Colfer discusses Artemis Fowl, Hitchhiker’s Guide, and more.
16. Neil Gaiman: Graphic novelist and writer Neil Gaiman discusses his diverse repertoire.
17. Janet Evanovich: Janet Evanovich opens up about Stephanie Plum and more in this interview.
18. Mark Haddon: Check out this interview about the literary debut of Mark Haddon.
19. Sue Grafton: Sue Grafton’s interview covers a long career of successful mysteries.
20. Chelsea Cain: Learn about Chelsea Cain’s infectious laugh and more in this interview.
21. Chuck Palahniuk: This author interview with Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, explains how he never pulls punches.
22. Eric Klinenberg: This interview with author Eric Klinenberg takes you into July of 1995 in the city of Chicago.
23. Malcolm Gladwell: Find a few thin slices of Malcolm Gladwell in this interview.
24. Mary Higgins Clark: Mary Higgins Clark discusses her Irish heritage’s influence on her writing.
25. Isabel Allende: You’ll learn about Chilean author Isabel Allende in this interview.
26. Jung Chang: Check out this interview about Jung Chang, the Chinese author.

Children’s Books

Get a look into children’s authors through these interviews.

1. Laurie Halse-Anderson: Check out this lecture from the author of Chains, Fight For Life, and more.
2. Joanna Cole: Joanna Cole’s interview shares a look into the creator of Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus.
3. John J. Muth: John J. Muth opens up about Stone Soup, Zen Shorts, and more.
4. Katherine Paterson: Watch this interview to learn about Newbery Medal award winning author Katherine Paterson.
5. Judy Blume: In this video interview, you’ll learn about the classic children’s book author, Judy Blume.
6. Tomie de Paola: This interview from Tomie de Paola covers a reflection on his career and encouragement of young readers.
7. Eric Carle: This interview shows you how Eric Carle goes beyond The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
8. Kate DiCamillo: Check out this interview from super-successful children’s book author Kate DiCamillo.
9. Norman Bridwell: This interview offers a look into Norman Bridwell, author of Clifford the Big Red Dog.
10. Jon Scieszka: John Scieszka’s interview is about his weird style and concern about boys and reading.
11. Beverly Cleary: In this interview, Beverly Cleary talks about teddy bears, the pleasures of writing, and beyond.
12. R.L. Stine: This interview covers young adult horror author RL Stine’s life and career.
13. Chris Van Allsburg: Watch Chris Van Allsburg for insight into the author of The Polar Express and Jumanji.

Get your book really ready by following these steps:

1) You need a distribution strategy (whether POD or off-set – just the logistics are different) – how sad is it to create great buzz – and you don’t have your book anyplace where the trade and consumers can get it for your anxious buyers. Big lost sales and a waste of $$ on the publicist.

2) To engage a trade distributor (assuming you are doing print runs) you must have a written marketing plan for them.

3) You have to make sure that your product is top notch – or a publicist won’t take it – their reputation is on the line with every book they recommend to their media contacts. that is what you are really paying for – who they know.

4) You have to make sure that your price is competitive with other books in your genre or no amount of publicity will create the sales that you expect.

5) You need a good media kit for the publicist to use as a basis for the publicity she/he will create for you – or you can pay the publicist to do that work for you.

When I can “have it my way” – which isn’t often (<: – I prefer to work on the book at least 6 months ahead of the pub date – you really need that much time to get the marketing/distribution/pricing plans together, apply to distributors, get their paperwork done, get their sales team representing your book to the chains, the chains place their advance orders, you know how many to print and ship to them, they have to get them in stores – all prior to your pub date.

A website is another activity that should be done as early as possible – you can use it to begin creating advance buzz for your book, have a media room where the media can learn about your book (cover art, pictures from the book, pub date, etc.) and a place to post your media coverage as it comes in. You can post your Table of contents, a sample chapter, do a blog, and so on – lots you can do to start building that platform waaayyy ahead of the book.

You also need your publicist in place with your media kit to do pre-pub reviewers 3-4 months minimum before pub date (required time), get early copies out to large magazines with long lead times, and then when the time gets closer, do newspapers, blogs, websites, and short cycle magazines.

WHEW!!! See why it takes 6 months? Oh – and YOU have to follow-up on all this to maximize the impact.

My motto: No follow-up = no results

Of course all of this is predicated on your goals for your project, the amount of resources (time & money) you can devote to your book and any constraints that your life situation imposes on you (don’t want to do live appearances or maybe radio terrifies you, etc.).

So give your book a chance – start early and plan your marketing just as carefully as you planned your words on the page.

Carol White is an author, speaker, writer, and book marketing coach.  In addition to co-authoring the best selling, award-winning book, Live Your Road Trip Dream, Carol is a frequent guest speaker at conventions such as the national AARP Life @ 50+ and The Great North American RV Rally.  She is also a published writer for magazines and websites and has spoken about publishing to groups including IBPA’s Publishing University, the Northwest Association of Book Publishers and the Bay Area Independent Publisher’s Assn. She has an active book marketing consulting practice that includes both domestic and international clients. www.carolwhitemarketing.com

And to those of you who tuned in, and/ or participated in our discussion via the chat room, you’re great and we appreciate you stopping by!

We took some notes, just in case anyone missed it:

A quality review is one that makes you think and makes you want to go pick up the book from the store. It needs to be well written, and includes a brief description, discuss style of writing, and compare it to similar books that perhaps the reader would also be interested in. Reviews should never include spoilers. There is no strict formula for a review to follow, but it should be more of the readers’ reaction and gut feeling towards the book.

An author should never pay for a public endorsement, only private critique.

Online reviews are one part of the promotions process. They work to spread the word about the book, and create “buzz”. They call attention to the book, and get it in front of those who are genuinely interested. The great thing about the internet is that it makes up for the shortage of space in which there is to do that kind of writing in traditional media outlets these days. Many people are finding that with the decline of newspapers and magazines, the prevalence of reviews online are becoming much more important. An author’s web presence can be vital to their marketability.

For those who are professional authors, or career writers, and say they do not have time for social media, take note: it is important to treat yourself and your writing as a small business, and you must pay attention to marketing and publicity, as much as the writing itself. Social marketing is effective and affordable, if not free! A few tweets a day, or a mention on Facebook should take no more than 15 minutes out of your day. Also, take a few minutes to search for sites that was relevant to your book, that would be willing let you market your work on their site. “Put the time in, get results… Blind luck won’t get you far”.

Social media outlets, such as Facebook or Twitter, can increase the level of visibility an author has on the web. Authors can engage in direct dialogue with their reviewers and fans, and cultivate relationships with readers. It is important to determine what kind of web presence is appropriate for the author, depending on their fan base, as well as their own level of skill on the Internet. How much of your online perception are you in control of? How much of the message is what you are saying versus what others are saying about you? It is important that an author be able to maintain his or her own online profile. Readers want to hear from them, not the publicist.

If you are an author or publicist seeking out bloggers to write reviews, do your research. Find out what kind of books they are willing to review. When you contact them, make it personal. Show that you have made the effort to look into their site.  Be strategic. Don’t “carpet bomb the blogs”.

In regards to interviews it is important for the interviewee to keep the answers fresh. Pull difference sections of the book to discuss with different interviewers or media outlets. Most publicists do not give media coaching, however they can point to good (or bad) interviews as examples and learning tools for the author. The interviewer is also a key role in how well an author is perceived by the public. Do your research and ask questions that are relevant to not only the book, but the author as well. Find an angle that is targeted towards the passion the author has for their book, and get them to express that.

Again we would like to thank our panelists, as well as our listeners for your participation!

Next month’s WriteOn! Roundtable will be on April 14. We will be discussing how to get the most out of book conferences and expos.

If you’ve written a book, the real challenge begins when you start to market that book. Marketing can be expensive, and most authors don’t have loads of money to use for promoting or marketing their book(s). Here are a few no-cost or low-cost ways to get the word out about your book:

1. If you don’t already belong to a local writer’s group that includes at least a few authors who are published in the same genre as you, then join or start such a group. Then, when your book comes out, and other authors in your group who publish similar books also have a new or recent title, offer to do group signings together at your local bookstores. Often, just one unknown author has a hard time generating much enthusiasm from a local bookstore for a signing. But, if several local authors band together, a book signing can be more of an “event.” A big table at the front, or even at the back, of the store, with 3 or 4 authors seated there, along with copies of their books, is bound to attract shoppers’ attention, and bookstore owners or managers LOVE this.

2. Bookstores and libraries are not the only places where you can sell your books. Many authors have a lot of fun, and sell quite a few copies of their books, at restaurants–yeah, restaurants! All you need to do is ask the restaurant owner or manager if you can set up at one of the tables at the front of the restaurant. Then, people can drop by to look at your book and purchase a copy and get it signed by you, if they like. Again, do this with a friend who is also an author and you’ll have more fun and generate more interest in your book(s). Plus, if no one stops by to purchase your book(s) at least you and your friend can have a nice time having coffee or a meal together.

3. Sell your book(s) at holiday fairs and crafts fairs. People look for all sorts of gifts, for all sorts of people, at holiday and craft fairs. And, generally, a booth or table at these types of local events doesn’t cost much. Have a poster made up of the cover of your book. Put it on an inexpensive easel you can get at a local art store, then stack copies of your book on the table, and you’re ready for business.

4. Start your own talk show on Internet Radio. Center your show around the topic you cover in your book. Having your own show will increase your visibility as an author, which will increase your credibility. It will help you become known as THE leading expert in your field. And, it doesn’t cost a thing to start your own Internet radio show through sites such as Blog Talk Radio. Plus, you can have your show “on the air” immediately.

5. Present a free teleseminar as a way for people to preview your book. A teleseminar is nothing more than a conference call, where dozens, even hundreds or thousands, of people can call in to hear you speak. Generate interest in your teleseminar by letting everyone know you’ll be making a special offer or having a giveaway drawing at the end of the teleseminar.

6. Create an in-person workshop based on your book. Offer the workshop at no-cost or low-cost, but sell your book at the back of the room during the workshop. Another way to sell more books through a workshop is to charge a fee for the workshop and make sure the fee includes the price of the book. Then, everyone who registers for your workshop will also get a copy of your book. People love it when their registration includes something they can take home with them from the workshop.

There are so many ways to market books these days. And you don’t necessarily need a LOT of cash. Get creative! And have fun.

For more tips to market your books or to create your own freelance writing career, subscribe to The Morning Nudge or visit the Working Writer’s Coach.

Suzanne Lieurance is a freelance writer, the author of 22 (at last count) published books, and the Working Writer’s Coach.

When I’d finished the first draft of my novel, Husbands May Come and Go But Friends are Forever, I knew I needed feedback.  I also knew it was too early to hire a professional editor; so instead, I joined the California Writers Club in search for a critique group.  As luck would have it, at the first meeting a woman stood up and announced the formation of such a group.  I immediately raised my hand.  Over the next five years, three other women writers and myself met every two weeks to critique each other’s work.  As a result of this collaboration, my novel was published in September of 2009 and has received seventeen 5-star reviews on Amazon so far.

Here are the elements that made our group successful:

1. Compatibility – It’s important that members of the group have the same goal.  In our case, that goal was to be published. 
2. Commitment – At our first meeting, we came to agreement on how often we would meet, what notification procedures would be used if one of us couldn’t make it, and when cancellation would be warranted.  We took out our calendars and filled in the dates of our meetings for the next three months to illustrate our commitment to the process.
3. Structure - We decided that each person would bring a maximum of fifteen pages to each meeting, to be read and critiqued for the following meeting.  Each person would have thirty minutes to receive feedback.  We also agreed to how feedback would be presented; i.e. start with an overall positive comment, followed by opportunities for revision and/or questions, and ending with reassurance and support.

As a result of my positive experience, I am an advocate of in-person critique groups whenever possible. However, there are a number of virtual critique groups also available.  Whatever option you choose, receiving feedback from fellow writers can be invaluable. 

Keep Writing, 

Judith Marshall

www.judithmarshall.net

Although, Mark Hyman, M.D, the New York Times Best Selling author, and practicing physician, had a strong, multi-faceted marketing and sales plan in place, the addition of an article marketing strategy helped him in his successful quest to push his book, UltraMetabolism – The Simple Plan For Automatic Weight Loss to the #2 spot of the NY Times Best Seller List. Dr. Hyman’s article marketing campaign was only one piece of the puzzle, but an important piece that helped him establish key relationships with website publishers that will result in increased, targeted traffic and stronger sales for many months and years to come.

By including a targeted article marketing program into your marketing and sales plan, you too could achieve book-marketing success. Doing this effectively requires planning and perfect execution from beginning to end:

Step 1: Create An Article That Grabs Readers Interest

One of the most important parts of the article is the title. Remember, the first 3-4 words of your article title have the most weight with Google and other search engines. The point of the title is to intrigue your audience to actually sit down and read the article. You may even want to offer an outrageous proposition that you can fulfill within your article body as we have with the title of this article.

The articles that get the best results are the ones that provide unique, high quality content that solve at least one piece of a problem puzzle. However, to convert readers to buyers, you must not give the reader all of the answers to the “HOW” to solve a particular problem. Instead you want to tease them with some of the how and top it off with the why it’s important.

Step 2: Turn Readers Into Prospects With A Strong Call For Action And An Offer They Can’t Refuse

You want to encapsulate the essence of what makes you and your offering unique. This is your Unique Selling Proposition. Do this by chiseling away the information that no one cares about from your golden nuggets. Refine them into gleaming insights. Hammer them into logical sequence. Fasten them to reader benefits. Then polish and polish it until your fingers ache, to create a glittering necklace of persuasion that seduces the eye, charms the imagination, and dazzles the reader with so much human interest that it is indeed much easier to click and go to your website than skip.

If you add a free bonus offer, you will make it even easier for readers to click to your website. You can offer a sneak preview of your book, a free ezine subscription, or a free special bonus report that further enhances your credibility as the expert.

Step 3: Maintain Reader Interest & Create a Squeeze Page

Think of your article as a sales funnel. Your article title, content, bio box and the link you send your readers to should all flow right into each other. Including a link to the main page only distract and frustrate readers. You will lose that sale forever.

When you promote your book in your bio box, then take them to a squeeze page within your site that convinces people why they should either buy the book or why they should subscribe.

Step 4: Target Your Audience With Ezines & Websites That Make a Difference

You need to find websites that are highly visited and ezines that are the most read, but more importantly, you want to focus on websites and ezine publishers within your specific niche that have strong emotional connections to their audiences. Through our research for Mark Hyman MD, we found information for a popular About.com editor. About.com is among the top 50 sites on the net today. This submission resulted in a substantial number of opt-ins and book sales in one day, not counting the successes from other credible websites.”

Step 5: Submit Your Article & Build Your Links and Traffic

Now is the time to perform the tiring, boring and tedious task of submitting your articles. But, as you completing this process, know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. By using these article marketing strategies, you can build a steady stream of warm ready-to-buy visitors and substantially increase your book sales.

By including article marketing into your multi-faceted marketing and sales plan, you too can achieve success in marketing your book. You will then only be limited by your imagination and your time. The question is “What is your destination?”

About the Author:

Article marketing expert Eric Gruber has helped hundreds of authors, speakers and Internet marketers promote their books, products and services online with articles. To discover how you can get more targeted website traffic and sell more books – faster, check out Eric’s new article marketing coaching program. Try it risk-free at http://www.GetArticleMarketingCoaching.com

When my novel, Rain Song, made its debut, I was eager to promote it with the typical book signings at local stores. I arranged three events and enjoyed each one; people came and bought books. However, I wanted more, something unique, something to stand out. As one friend said, with a wry smile, “You want a following.” I grimaced; that sounded lofty.

Rain Song is set in Mount Olive, NC and has quirky southern relatives who believe in tradition and unity. They don Mount Olive Pickle Company aprons and make pineapple chutney while discussing the next family reunion. I wanted my novel to expand off the pages and generate some fun in the lives of others today. So, after the book signings, I hosted a Holiday Reunion Open House Event. I sent out printed invitations to neighbors, those in my writers group, friends, church folk, and relatives. I announced the event on social networking sites.

I’d never done this before, but with the help of my children and boyfriend, I knew the event couldn’t go wrong. We planned the menu to reflect the food in the novel–hot ginger tea, egg salad and cucumber sandwiches, shortbread, and of course, homemade pineapple chutney. About an hour into the open hous

e, I gathered everyone into the living room and read portions, primarily the food-related ones, from my southern novel. Books were for sale in the kitchen, and after the reading, many were ready to purchase with cash and checks.

I posted pictures on my Facebook page and, days after the event, I heard from two friends planning a canning party. Their delicacy of choice? Pineapple chutney, using the recipe at the back of my novel. They bought twelve ripe pineapples and enjoyed a day of chopping and cooking. Centering a copy of Rain Song in the twelve pineapple line-up, they took photos. The 48 jars of chutney they made were for Christmas gifts. (These friends also purchased twelve books between them to give as presents.)

You, too, can think about themes and topics that are evident in your books. Have fun! Fun creates a bright audience, an audience waiting and ready to talk about your novel, and anticipate your next.

I guess you could call it a following, and there would be nothing wrong with that.

[Copyright 2009]

~ Alice J. Wisler, author of Rain Song, How Sweet It Is and (coming in October) Hatteras Girl, enjoys having food-related events centered around her novels. She teaches online grief-writing classes, designs and sells remembrance cards, and speaks on writing through pain and building your self-esteem.

Click on her blog link to enter in a novel giveaway this month: http://www.alicewisler.com

              When I finished writing my novel, Swann’s Last Song, I thought the hard work was behind me.  I should have known better.  In fact, it was just beginning.

              I wrote Swann’s Last Song, which is what I like to describe as a quirky, literary detective novel, almost twenty-five years ago.  At the time, I was making a living as a magazine writer here in New York City.  Always a novelist at heart, I had reluctantly made the leap into journalism, selling my first few articles to some major publications.  But writing was writing and, as it turned out, being forced to write to length, having the opportunity to interview all kinds of people and research a variety of subjects, only stoked the creative juices.  In fact, the idea for my protagonist, Henry Swann, came from an interview I did with a skip tracer.

              But Swann was a different kind of detective novel, because he follows all the clues but, in the end, finds that the murder he’s investigating was completely random.  And so, he does not solve the crime. I thought it was a great, fun, genre-bending idea.  Editors didn’t.  And so, I tucked the manuscript away and forgot about it.

              Almost. 

              A few years ago, I picked it up again and, now willing to change the ending, sold it first to M. Evans, an independent publisher which, only months before the book was due to be published, was swallowed up by another publisher which didn’t publish fiction.  The book was returned to me and my agent re-sold it to Five-Star Mystery, a small imprint of a much larger company, Cengage.

              By this time, I was experienced enough–I’d had over 25 non-fiction books published–to know it was going to fall upon me to actually sell the book, if not door-to-door (and believe me, I considered that,) at least using any other means short of that.  But, unlike many other writers, I was prepared. Kind of.

              First, I called on many of the contacts I’d amassed over the years–through teaching, hanging out with other writers, and meeting a few people with recognizable names–to get blurbs for the novel.  Best-selling author, Andrew Klavan is the brother of one of my best friends, Ross Klavan, a screenwriter who wrote Tigerland; I gave a little advice to Robert Hicks, author of Widow of the South, I worked with and taught comedienne, Joy Behar, from The View. I worked with Brian Kilmeade, of Fox and Friends. I asked these and others for quotes, and they obliged. 

              One of my students was Lauren Weisberger–she began The Devil Wears Prada, in my class–and she generously wrote about Swann on her blog.  I joined Facebook and created a separate page for Swann.  And Twitter.  I booked readings.  I sent copies to whomever I knew who might have any connection to the media. I taught magazine writing at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and one of my students is now an editor at the New York Post, and she gave Swann to the book editor and he gave me a nice mention in the weekend edition.

              I also joined the Mystery Writers Association and, through their invaluable help, was asked to appear on a number of library panels.  Every time something interesting caught my attention, like the first Empire State Book Fair, in Albany, New York, I made contact, finding that these venues are always looking for authors who’ll appear on panels and sign books.

              Sometimes, opportunities come out of the blue.  A few weeks ago, I received an email meant for an editor, who happens to be a friend of mine.  It was from a woman representing the Kansas Writers Association and she was asking the editor to appear as a speaker at the convention.  I contacted her and informed her of her mistake. I gave her the proper email address, as well as a number of other possible editors for her event.  Several days later, she contacted me again.  “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this, since it was right under my nose, but would you like to speak at our conference?”  It didn’t matter to me that she probably couldn’t come up with an editor.  What did matter is that nearly 100 people are scheduled to attend and I’ll be allowed to sell my books.  And even though the only thing they were paying for was expenses, I leaped at the opportunity.

              I also asked friends to recommend the book to their book clubs, offering to appear at the book club meeting, if they chose to read it.  This impulsive offer wound up costing me money when a friend in L. A. convinced her group to read the book.  There were only six readers, but a promise is a promise, and so I wound up spending several hundred dollars to sell half a dozen books.  But it was fun.  And besides, it was never about the money.  It’s about numbers. 

              The dirty little secret of publishing is that your next book isn’t dependent on reviews, it’s on the number of books sold.  Low numbers, no contract.  It doesn’t even matter if you’ve been nominated or won awards.  In fact, when Swann’s Last Song was nominated for a Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel, I excitedly called my agent and asked, “will this help with selling the sequel?”  His terse answer was, “it can’t hurt.”

              This was hammered home when I’d spoken to my agent not long after the book was released. “I just ordered 25 books from the publisher to sell at an event,” I announced, thinking he’d be thrilled.

              “Haven’t we had the talk?” he asked.

              That I rarely spoke to him at all, didn’t seem to cross his mind, so the answer was, no. 

              “Always buy your books from a bookstore or Amazon or BN.com.”

              “Why?”

              “Because books sold from your publisher don’t appear on BookScan and if they don’t appear there, they don’t count.  And when I’m looking to sell your next book, you can bet that while I’m on the phone with an editor, she’s punching up BookScan on her computer to check your numbers.”

              That it would cost me significantly more buying the books the way he wanted me to, didn’t matter to him.  And the truth is, it didn’t matter to me, either. 

              And so, I’ve probably spent way more promoting my book, than I’ll ever make from it, despite the fact that it went to a second printing in hardcover and is now available in paperback.

              Is it all worthwhile?  I’ll answer that if I find a publisher for my Swann sequel, Bad Reception.