New Book

I'm trying hard to do a better job of promoting the second book in the Marge Christensen Mystery Series. Since the first book came out I've learned a lot. But, readers like to read series in the order they were written, and those who first read this book and like it are already going to have the first two out of order. When the third one comes out I need to figure out some way to make sure people know it is preceded by two others, so they can get those first. That sounds a little circular, doesn't it??

Just got my first blurb back and it looks like the reader liked the book. She's one of the first "mystery reader" types to do a first read, so it means something if she likes it when she has read many other mystery authors. Word of mouth is more important for a self published author than one with the distribution power of a publisher behind the book, so I hope this round of ARC readings -- about ten times as many as I did with the first book -- will spread that circle.

But I still have to take the time to learn how to use the internet to sell my books. And I have to get them on Kindle. But thats a project for a couple months down the road, at least.

All this left brain activity does nothing to help me keep going on the third book!

I am by nature shy and withdrawn, so, when I did my first book signing, I was nervous and tense. I couldn't imagine speaking up and trying to draw those passing customers over my way; they were obviously busy with something else.

But the refrain of a song kept running through my head: "Feel the fear and do it anyway." I took it as my motto. Before I knew it, I was greeting everyone who walked in with a smile, and asking everyone who looked at me if I could tell them about my book. Some smiled back and said no. Some stopped. Some listened. Sometimes they talked (not always about my book). Sometimes they bought a book, sometimes they didn't.

But suddenly I was leaving booksignings feeling good, whether I sold any books or not. And I started looking forward to the next the same way I look forward to social events.

Bring them on!

Where Have I Been?

Anyone who by chance is trying to follow my blog undoubtedly wonders where I've been for the last three months. Wondering what to write on my blog, that's where. I can't pretend to be expert enough to teach any aspect of writing or publishing or blogging. And some of the instructions I've read about blogging tell me that I have to have a "theme" or something readers of the blog come to expect so they won't be disappointed and stop reading. Well, sorry folks, I've given up on coming up with that. I'm going back to "Meandering" about anything and everything; then maybe I'll get something of interest in here every now and then. Lately all the buzz is telling me that now I need to "twitter". One more thing to worry about! Oh, my.

Self Publishing 2

It took me a while to get back to this, partly because the Sisters in Crime e-mail list addressed self publishing this last week. Mostly in negative way, I might add. I certainly do not sell my books door to door, as one person said would be the only way I could sell them. And I have had several book signings and presentations, in bookstores and libraries, which a couple people said was impossible for a self-publisher.

If you are going to self publish you have to take care of the things you would expect a publisher to do for you. One of those is to make sure you have a quality, thoroughly edited product. In addition to my critique group and numerous friends, I have two editors in whom I put great trust: Roberta Jean Bryant, author of books on writing and my critique group mentor from Seattle, and Mary Jo Zazueta of Traverse City. Mary Jo, with her imprint To the Point Solutions, made it possible for me to self-publish. She not only did a final edit on my book, she took care of all the nuts and bolts of getting ISBN numbers and getting the book listed in the Library of Congress. She handled cover design and interior design, with MY approval. With a publisher you are lucky if you get any choice in these. She found three printers to print the book and I chose among them. Again, a control only available with self-publishing. In other words, she handled all the details I didn’t know how to or didn't want to handle, but I had the final word on everything that was done with my book. Of course, that cost me money, but I gained a lot for what I spent.

So, what about after the book is published? Doesn’t a publisher do promotion and get your book out there in a way you couldn’t do on your own?

Yes and no.

Writers, even when published by major publishers, are expected to do more and more of their own promotion. The publisher does, however, have a reputation that makes it possible to get reviewed and listed in areas the self published have to struggle to break into.

I hired a publicist from Gaylord, Michigan, Denise Glesser of Progressive Book Publishing. She works a couple hours a week to get me book signings in book stores, spots at book fairs, gets my name out to book clubs and libraries and all the other avenues of promoting my book, and does a lot of the internet stuff I’m not up to yet. In other words, I am self-published but at both ends of the “publishing” part I hired expertise to make sure my book was a good a quality and as “out there” as books published by big companies as I could make it.

Some say self publishing is the wave of the future. I don’t know. Traditional publishers are under the gun and have made it difficult for writers to break in, but to self publish in a way that puts out a quality product that is visible to the market costs money. I wanted to be published and see if I could build a readership. If my books are good enough, I think I can do it. The final answer will come from readers – like you.

Self Publishing

Self-Publishing:

Vanity Publishing?

What a negative term!

No, I’m not self-publishing because I have an inflated opinion of my work. I like my book, and I hear other people saying they like my book, but years of ingrained self-doubt makes me wonder if I can really write a book that is good enough to be published.

I am sixty something. I believe in my work and know given enough time I would find a publisher for it, but I don’t have forever to find out. And, fortunately for me, I can afford to spend the money up front to self publish. Yes, it does cost money up front. BUT, in return, I have complete control over my book. No one can sell rights without my okay, or own my copyright, or control what is happening with my book unless I let them. I don't have to worry about my publisher being taken over by another publisher and what will happen to my rights. I am hearing enough horror stories lately to make me believe I have done the right thing by self-publishing.

However, don't go into self-publishing with a blindfold on. Unless you are willing to spend the money and take the time to be sure you have a quality product to hit the market, and the follow-up to get it noticed by the market, self-publishing may not be for you.

My next blog will address these issues.

Cozy Mysteries -- My Way

One of the reasons I write "cozy" mysteries is because, when I started, I couldn't find enough of them to read. Since then I joined Sisters in Crime and discovered a lot more of them. If I'd joined sooner I might never have felt compelled to write them!

To me, a cozy means a book without gore, without murders happening "on the page", without hard core detective or police characters, without anxiety raising terror, and without graphic sex scenes. A "whodunit" that involves everyday people not involved in a professional way with crime, who happen (or snoop) their way into the action and discover a talent for ferreting out the truth. None of the discussions I've seen about what constitutes a "cozy" mystery limits them this much, but that's my view.

One of the best comments I received about What Did You Do Before Dying? (after the ones about it being a "page turner") was that, even though it is not a YA novel by any stretch, the reader felt free to hand it on to his 16 year old granddaughter without worrying about her reading something inappropriate. That may not be a criteria for a cozy mystery, but to me it comes close.

Remember the Slower Is Better Blog?

I started writing when I was 8 years old, but with school and then working never had the energy to do it seriously. So, thirty years later, when my husband’s job took me across the country from Philadelphia to Seattle, I told him I was going to write for five years and if I still hadn’t made any money I’d go back to work. I joined a writer’s critique group and spent four of those years trying to write short stories. Didn’t happen.

Then I started something I soon realized was going to cover three generations. I knew I had started a novel, but I didn’t believe I had the perseverance to write a novel – that’s why I was trying to write short stories. To my amazement, I completed the book.

While the book was reviewed by a couple of agents, its real value was that it showed I could do it. I could keep going until it was finished. I could rewrite and correct and still stay involved with the work. I loved it and wanted to do more, but my five years was up. I got a job.

Five years later I had a short break between jobs and decided to write as much as I could while job hunting. Something fun. I’m a puzzle doer, and I like to read mysteries, especially cozy mystery series. So What Did You Do Before Dying? was born.

About a third of the way through I got another job and the book went into a drawer (figuratively speaking, since I work on a computer). A little over ten years later I retired (early, so I’d have years left to write). I started spending four hours a day writing. It was heaven. I finished the first draft of the book and starting a second one. This writing was FUN! I sent What Did You Do Before Dying? to the leader of my old writer’s group. I sent her the first chapter of the second book in the series, too.

She said to throw out What Did You Do Before Dying? and start with the second one. I was crushed.

I kept working on the second one, trying to figure out how I was going to introduce the important parts of the first one as flashback. It didn’t work. Somehow, I had to make the first one good enough. So I tucked away the second book and went back to the first.

Then my husband was diagnosed with stage four terminal cancer. The next four years my writing tapered off until it was nonexistent, though I did send out What Did You Do Before Dying? to several agents and publishers with no success. When my husband was gone, I moved back to Traverse City, Michigan, to be near my aging mother. I had a hard time finding the motivation and energy to write again. I joined a writer’s group at the local library. Then I attended the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference and, in particular, a session called Writing the Breakout Novel by agent Donald Maass. It was like opening a door. I knew that his techniques were the keys to improving What Did You Do Before Dying?

When I had spent as much time as I could on that, I returned it to the drawer and went back to the second book. I told myself that if I had three books completed publishers might take me seriously. They like mysteries and romances in series. Besides, I didn’t have the heart to start sending it out again and face all those rejection slips.

Then Mary Jo Zazueta talked to my writer’s group about how she helped people self-publish. I knew that was frowned upon by the publishing world, but decided I didn’t care. I wanted my book out there right now. After all, I’m not getting any younger.

I pulled What Did You Do Before Dying? out of the drawer and reread it to decide how much more work it needed. Wow! I liked it. I asked Jean Bryant to read the book again. One of the blurbs on the back cover is her reaction.

So, how long did it take? About 23 years. But you won’t have to wait that long for the next one. Why Did You Die In the Park? is due out early 2009, and Who Wanted You Dead the Most? Will follow on its heels.