I wish she would be a bit more transparent on the real sweaty nose-to-the-grindstone hand-selling that has to go on with self-published material (as well as regular publishing, for the most part; only best-sellers get publicity--as if they needed it). Sure you have a website or a blog, but no one's going to check it out unless they have heard about you from reviews or word-of-mouth, through public readings, or convention appearances. I don't know many people who sit around randomly googling "author's website" to deliberately seek out new authors they've never heard of. --It also helps a LOT to have built up contacts over decades, as KKR has done.
Sure, I can publish my never-crossed-an-editor's-desk novel myself. I can publish as many as I can write and front the money for. But selling is another beast entirely. What would help is a KKR column on how to convince bookstores to let you do a reading if you're not already a best-seller. Who to pay to get preferential shelf or table placement in that bookstore. What cheapo chotchkes work best as con swag to publicize your book. How to pay Google to make your name/website come up higher in searches. How to hunt up the best venues for reviews that people will actually read and respond to (You may even consider "buying" a review slot someplace prestigious; Kirkus and others now sell them, and PW is considering it). How to approach con committees to allow you to participate and get face-to-face with readers. Because that hands-on interaction--by you-- is what sells your book. Self-publishing it is the EASY part. -cb On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 10:55 AM, delancey <[email protected]> wrote: > If you are even thinking about writing a book, read this: > > > http://kriswrites.com/2011/05/11/the-business-rusch-writing-like-its-1999/ > > and the accompanying links. Shocking and valuable. > > cd > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Association" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/r-spec?hl=en. > > -- Charlene Brusso -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Association" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/r-spec?hl=en.
