Category Archives: marketing

Woot, Huzzah, and This and That

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One of my goals this year is to get myself out of debt as a writer, the biggest expense I have being ongoing payments for commissioned cover art. Since the second half (or the last quarter) of 2010 all the way to – yessireebob – now, I’ve been in the red, cashing my royalty checks only to send them off as payments. It’s been tough, to be honest, especially since I don’t write popular books in my market. But I know that those wonderful illustrations done by Ms. Rosek really helped get some folks’ attention, at least long enough for them to bother reading the books’ blurbs and consider whether or not the books are worth their time and money. For that, I’ll always be grateful.

2012 is a new start for me, though, and the first step toward those goals I’ve set for myself is to complete those commission payments and then save those royalty checks, finally. Just a few moments ago, I sent the final installments, which takes a massive load off my shoulders. My checking account might be unhealthy at the moment, but that’s only temporary, and I can finally turn my attention to other things.

The next step for me is to be a lot more judicious about sending out review copies, more specifically print books. This issue remains a bit of a sore point for me, having gone through one too many bad experiences involving review (print) copies and an increasingly deeper financial hole with nothing to show for it in the end as far as the promised marketing help goes. I need to hold back and reconsider my options, even if it means foregoing the usual places I used to depend on for exposure. I’ve way too many factors working against my favor insofar as market and genre are concerned, which in the end spells: “I’m not made of money!” So, yeah.

Oh, man, what a great feeling it is, though, knowing that my biggest financial obstacle is finally cleared, that the talented artist who did so much work for my book covers is properly compensated.

Here’s a Health to the Cow and to Her Long Tail

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This post’s subject header was taken from the “Gloucestershire Wassail”, which is a traditional English Christmas song. I spent part of my day earlier listening to traditional French holiday music in order to get myself worked up over my next historical fantasy novel. Nope, it doesn’t take place during the holidays, but there’ll be lots of snow in it – and for good reason. No spoilers, though.

Anyway, I just randomly latched on to that line because I couldn’t come up with one that’s more appropriate. Might as well liven things up around here by throwing you off.

The past several days, the indie publishing scene was suddenly all abuzz about social networks and marketing, and I’ll have to say that those blog posts couldn’t come at a better time. Susan Kiernan Lewis, Kristin Kathryn Rusch, and J.A. Konrath all talked about the ineffectiveness of social media when it comes to marketing one’s books. And what they say pretty much lines up with my thoughts about networking based on my own experiences, all of which convinced me to damn what “experts” say and stick to my blog and maybe Twitter for what I need.

Do I start to believe that selling your book has bollocks to do with social media?

Is it possible that the prevailing belief that having an online platform is essential to a book’s success is wrong? Are we all just the cool kids playing with the latest gadgets and wanting them to be essential and really they’re irrelevant? Is it really the author’s platform that’s important? Is that why YOU buy a book?

Isn’t it about the damn book? Read more

From a writer’s viewpoint, I’ve seen just how little effect social media have when it comes to bringing in sales. Yes, they work – to a point. And a lot of the results depend on many factors, all of which are already explored in those articles I linked to. My experience overall has been poor, regardless of where I go, and I know I’m not the only one who goes through this. Twitter is this world of infinite noise, where your tweet is only a drop in the proverbial bucket. The chances of people latching on to it and retweeting it is miniscule unless you’re being followed by hordes of faithful fans who hang on to your every word. Not so in my case. Even a link to a blog post here doesn’t get clicked on, but when I’m lucky, I might have one or two out of over 300 followers checking out what I have to say. Goodreads? Well – I left all my groups, deleted my blog, and just kept my account if only to be able to access Goodreads’ database and update it with new books.

I went through a bit of a crisis of sorts recently because of experiences I had over at Goodreads, and those articles pretty much hit me over the head with what’s so obvious. I really should be focusing more on writing and improving, not wasting time hobnobbing with everyone. Another aspect of that crisis involves the need to set firmer goals for myself where publishing’s concerned.

I wanted desperately to supplement my novels with short fiction, but I simply can’t do it, and it’s frustrating. Unless a filthy rich, distant relative ups and dies and decides to leave all his wealth to me, there’s just no way for me to free up the time to do what I really want to do, which is to focus on both long and short fiction. Then I went back and reassessed those short stories I contracted with Queerteen Press and saw that I even managed to fool myself there, though temporarily.

It might seem as though I’m über prolific, but I’m not. All eight of those short stories were already written between 2001 and around 2005. A few were published before, but I now have my rights back, and by and large, they all sat in my writing folder for years before I thought to do something with them. So, no – I didn’t start with a clean sheet of paper for each of those stories. Would I realistically be able to divide my time between new short fiction and new novels? Not with a day job, I can’t.

If I were to choose, I’d rather focus on novels, at least until I finally leave my day job behind. Pipe dream, that. The long and short of this is that I want to beef up my backlist in some way, and if I can’t manage a combination (my ideal), I think I’m better off focusing on one or the other. And since I’m a lot more comfortable writing longer stuff, I’ll stick to novels, and in order for me to achieve my writing goals for the year, social networks simply have no place in the grand scheme of things. I already took Twitter off my sidebar.

It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out with my short stories. At the moment, it’s way too early to tell, but I’ll definitely be keeping close tabs on them. Maybe what I’ll see will end up reshaping my goals, who knows?

Now Available: Out of the Depths (And Some Goodies)

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Heads up! My short story, “Out of the Depths”, is now available from Queerteen Press in e-book format (note: short stories are only available in e-book format). In brief, it’s a horror / gothic retelling of the “Pygmalion” myth.

Blurb: It has been a year since Konstancji’s lover passed away, but rather than move on with his life, Konstancji hires one young man after another to sit for him as he obsessively works on a statue. What’s apparent is the fact that each sitter dies and is replaced with a new one, his grieving family compensated generously.

What no one’s aware of, though, is the purpose of the statue, which is the means through which Konstancji hopes to bring his beloved back from the dead.

If you purchase directly from the publisher, you’ll receive a 20% discount. Go here to buy it as well as to read an excerpt if you want to get an idea of the piece’s tone and style.

And some extra bits of news!

     

“The Knight”, a short story due out in March, is now listed at Queerteen Press. It’s a retelling of the “St. George and the Dragon” legend, and you can read the story’s description and an excerpt over here. And then there’s Mimi Attacks!, the next book in the Masks series (this is book number five), which is all about superheroes, supervillains, crazed fangirls, and a sixteen-year-old boy who always ends up with the short end of the stick. Book blurb and excerpt can be found here. Since this is a novel, it’ll be available in both print and e-book formats.

There you have it! And if you purchase a copy of “Out of the Depths”, I hope you enjoy it. :) It’s the only horror story in the collection of short fiction that I’ve contracted with Queerteen Press.

Early Pimpage: The Dollhouse and The Winter Garden

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Punctuality. I love it. My upcoming releases (read: February releases) are now posted at Queerteen Press, and you can read excerpts from them as well. I’ve yet to add these two titles to my sidebar and my Fantasy Page, but it’s too early for that. In the meantime, a pimp-ish blog post will do.

The Dollhouse

A strange force is at work in a magnificent house filled with revelers. When midnight strikes to mark Christmas Day, guests find themselves in the wrong company. An old couple who despise each other sit together in a private, romantic corner. A frail young girl is surrounded by chaperones she dislikes. Servants are busy in the kitchen or serving their masters, though their minds are elsewhere. A young man proposes to a lady, in all appearances his perfect match, but his heart lies in a neglected musician who copes with his inexplicable isolation in the conservatory.

No one knows why this happens every time Christmas rolls around, and no amount of defiance on the guests’ part ensures the preservation of their true partnering when midnight strikes again.

But the answer to the riddle is simpler than they think.

Go here to read an excerpt from the story. It’s a historical fantasy that takes place during Christmas.

The Winter Garden

Fifteen-year-old Nicholas’ fragile health forces him into a life of isolation and loneliness, his connection to the outside world nothing more than a glimpse between the bars of an iron gate in his family’s spacious and paradise-like garden. His life changes when a bold young stranger not only befriends him but also dares to trespass into Nicholas’ quiet world.

The two boys’ friendship deepens as Adrian’s visits increase, their connection strengthening in defiance of too-real dangers posed by the coming winter on Nicholas’ health. It’s a bond that withstands the sting of separation, bringing both boys back to each other again and again, weathering time and ensuring that the impossible is, in the end, very much attainable.

Go here to read an excerpt from the story.

I’m very excited. All the short stories I contracted with QTP were written six or so years ago, and it was only recently when I decided to dust them off, rewrite some, and revise the holy heck out of every single one of them before submitting them for consideration. I’m thinking of writing lengthier stories (all historical fantasy) for another set of releases that’ll also be compiled into a single-author anthology down the line. I’ve got several story ideas, but many of them don’t have enough material to justify novel-length fiction.

At any rate, I’m thinking along the lines of novelettes (about 15,000 words), which are three times the lengths of the current short stories QTP will be releasing. If I do end up moving forward with it, it’ll be after I finish my current WIP.

Pimpage: New Genre LGBT YA Novels (Not Mine)

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Seeing as how I’m always desperate for new LGBT YA genre fiction (novel-length, at that), I think that I should pimp out a couple of new titles that I’m treating myself to (as Christmas presents, of course!).

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1. FoxHart by AR Jarvis

Tucked safely away from the world on their peninsula, the three ‘Veld kingdoms–Estveld, Ostveld, and Norveld–have little to do with the rest of the world, instead focusing their efforts on fighting amongst themselves. But the world hasn’t forgotten about them, and the Cheil Empire has turned its armies their way.

The three ‘Velds ally together, but even their combined might is not enough to prevent their eventual defeat. The kings are forced to surrender, but the terms for Estveld and Ostveld appear suspiciously lenient; each kingdom maintains its independence, so long as the royal bloodline continues unbroken. The only catch seems to be that the Cheil Emperor is allowed to choose each generation’s bride.

Prince Cavan of Ostveld is unhappy with the terms because he fears he won’t be allowed to marry the princess to whom he was betrothed. Prince Gair of Estveld is disgruntled because he never intended to marry at all. But the surrender is already signed, and the princes are left with no choice but to travel to the capital of the Cheil Empire where they will learn who–or what–the Emperor has in store for them.

2. Devilwood Lane by Lucia Moreno Velo

When the Jeffersons move to Darkfort, their reputation precedes them. Mrs. Jefferson has recently disappeared and everybody just knows her husband must have killed her. Suddenly, the whole town is in an uproar. But nobody is more shaken than Jamie Park, who falls in love with Timothy Jefferson. When Jamie finds out that Timothy’s a werewolf, he’s surprised, but not enough to stop inviting him to his bedroom every day after school. But then the school bully dies after a fight with Timothy, and Jamie starts thinking that maybe he is dating a monster, after all.

Then Jamie finds disturbing information about his father’s death, ten years before. He starts looking into Kevin’s death and decides there must be another werewolf pack in Darkfort. But Timothy doesn’t believe him. As Jamie starts to understand the true nature of werewolves, he is revolted by their violence. But when the Jefferson’s old pack turns up to destroy them, Jamie finds himself fighting along Timothy.

Fighting for the pack and for his life. And with a little luck, for a chance to unravel the mystery of Kevin’s and his father’s death.

* * * *

I look forward to reading these. New, upcoming talent deserves some exposure, and if you purchase these books, I hope you enjoy them and help spread the word. :)