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Jun. 28th, 2011 07:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cblj_backupI was supposed to go to Food Truck Tuesday this evening, but fate had other plans.
Actually before I even left work I realised that I have a fundamental issue with food trucks, namely that I don't like to eat standing up. I'm enough of a fumble-fingers when I have a proper plate and silverware. And then I fell asleep on the train and missed the stop anyway, so it's probably just as well.
I'm spending the evening doing research, mostly (at least until White Collar hits the torrent sites). I've decided to use Trace as a test case for more aggressive marketing than I've done in the past, so I'm digging into techniques for book publicity -- which, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
firynze and I moan at each other about, isn't easy. Don't worry though guys, I'm not talking about the blog; after all, I already market the books here. You won't get spammed any more than you usually are by me.
It seems to me -- and please feel free to offer corrections here if I'm wrong -- that book publicity comes down to a few elements: marketing to bookstores, signings and readings, press releases, mailings, websites, and reviews. Some of these are not really an option for me; I'm focusing on press releases and reviews, because those seem the most feasible in my situation. I've got the Trace press release done up in rough; I'm not sure what I do with it once it's finished, but I'm working on it.
As for reviews -- well, I have a few copies of Nameless and CG left over from overestimating the signed copies orders, so I'm going to do a dry run with those. Mostly I'm pondering what kind of letter one sends to a reviewer -- I have no problem finding review blogs, but I'm torn between the more shiny publicity copy (open with a hook, keep the reader engaged) or the more formal cover-letter style ("I'm writing to inquire about the process for obtaining a review of my book..."). Suggestions and voices of experience welcome.
Do you think if I emailed Cory Doctorow and told him I'm the guy who wrote the Prufrock parody, he'd accept a copy of Trace for review? :D
Actually before I even left work I realised that I have a fundamental issue with food trucks, namely that I don't like to eat standing up. I'm enough of a fumble-fingers when I have a proper plate and silverware. And then I fell asleep on the train and missed the stop anyway, so it's probably just as well.
I'm spending the evening doing research, mostly (at least until White Collar hits the torrent sites). I've decided to use Trace as a test case for more aggressive marketing than I've done in the past, so I'm digging into techniques for book publicity -- which, as
firynze and I moan at each other about, isn't easy. Don't worry though guys, I'm not talking about the blog; after all, I already market the books here. You won't get spammed any more than you usually are by me. It seems to me -- and please feel free to offer corrections here if I'm wrong -- that book publicity comes down to a few elements: marketing to bookstores, signings and readings, press releases, mailings, websites, and reviews. Some of these are not really an option for me; I'm focusing on press releases and reviews, because those seem the most feasible in my situation. I've got the Trace press release done up in rough; I'm not sure what I do with it once it's finished, but I'm working on it.
As for reviews -- well, I have a few copies of Nameless and CG left over from overestimating the signed copies orders, so I'm going to do a dry run with those. Mostly I'm pondering what kind of letter one sends to a reviewer -- I have no problem finding review blogs, but I'm torn between the more shiny publicity copy (open with a hook, keep the reader engaged) or the more formal cover-letter style ("I'm writing to inquire about the process for obtaining a review of my book..."). Suggestions and voices of experience welcome.
Do you think if I emailed Cory Doctorow and told him I'm the guy who wrote the Prufrock parody, he'd accept a copy of Trace for review? :D
