Ladies, I received the following e-mail from a writer friend who has submitted for BWS. She has written and published a book and is asking for help with marketing it.

As you will be able to tell from her e-mail she's an awesome women and believes in the power of friends helping friends.

Be sure to check out her web site at the end.

I beleive our resident QUEEN was written up in one her her recent newsletters!

I post this for 2 reasons:

First, if anyone in here is interested in helping her out that would be super. I'd be grateful and so would she.

Second, she shares some excellent ideas for getting the word out about publications.

Let me know what you think and if you can help her, let her know.

Here goes....

Wow.
What generosity.
Thank you all for volunteering to help me get the word out about The Clovis Incident.

This is the first--and longest--official email about marketing my book. It's going to be a bit of a primer, since you may not know much about marketing books. And, I'm not expert, yet.

A friend of mine referred to this project--and you who have offered to help--as a synergy circle. I really like that term because it implies we all help each other. A good, good thing.

Here's the update on the book: Review copies--known as ARCS or galleys--were mailed on Wednesday to the big publications such as Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Library Journal. UNM Press also mailed to
other smaller publications and some mystery bookstores. In addition, I bought more copies and
paid to post an email in the BookSense Advance Access program. The short
entry went to all the independent bookstores who subscribe to the list. I got close to 20 responses and sent out the ARCs myself this week. So, that's good.

Blurbs:
These are the quotes from authors and reviewers. I'm proud to say that the ones I've gotten so far are from people who actually read the book. Frequently, blurbs are edited down. Probably one of the most influential ones we've received so far is from Tony Hillerman. Here's the full quote--of which UNMP is using the first sentence.

"Great plot idea, well developed (and interesting) characters, lots of action and, best of all, Pari Taichert is a skilled and witty writer. The Clovis Incident might win her an Edgar Allan Poe award."

I've got some other good ones that we'll post on the website.
Right now, I'm walking on air. When the reviews start coming in, I'm sure they'll be more of a reality check.

Marketing Books:
Deborah Donnelly, a mystery author I met last year, told me that books are sold one at a time. One of the most powerful tools is word-of-mouth recommendation. I've got about 4 ARCs left that I can send to people in this synergy group who want to pre-read the book. What I would do is ask you to read it quickly and send it back to me so I can share with others on this list. So, let me know. Right now, I'm sending these babies priority mail with confirmation because I don't want anything to get lost.

What most people don't know is that CLOVIS will actually be available before the new year. I've got a final copy and it's gorgeous (of course they accidentally left out a really cool map and we didn't get Hillerman's blurb in time . . . oh, well). Apparently people should be able to order the book much sooner than the Feb. publication date. Wow, again.

Here are the main ways--I know about--that books get sold (besides the sales reps at the publishers):
1. word of mouth
2. reviews
3. public presentations/appearances
4. people going into bookstores and libraries and requesting the book (or that these organizations order it)
5. launch parties and other hosted events in people's homes (as opposed to book signings)
6. posts on internet listservs/newsgroups etc.
7. newspapers/radio/television

I'm sure there are more methods. They work together to create the all-important "buzz." You can help with any or all of them. Please let me know what you'd be comfortable doing.

Below, I'll discuss each of the six methods briefly. The important thing is to expand the number of people who know about the book and who might buy it. I know many of people, but even if every one of them bought a book, the total still wouldn't make a big impact on my modest first printing . . .

1. Word of mouth
It's as simple as telling your friends, acquaintances--heck, you can tell your hairdresser and the cashier at your local grocery store--that you know this cool author and that everybody in the whole wide world should read her fun, entertaining book (of course, you'd fill in the words, I'm just giving a goofy example). Probably, you should emphasize the title of my book, The Clovis Incident, rather than my name (Pari Noskin Taichert can be intimidating).

When the book is available, I'll ask those of you who are comfortable--to send an email out to your friends with your personal endorsement.

2. reviews
Once you've read the book--or ARC--you can always write a review and post it on Amazon or other web sites . . . You can ask reviewers you know personally to contact UNM Press for press materials. I'm particularly interested in getting reviews in the less common places like UFO listservs (hee hee hee) or on book sites that may not be mystery-specific . . .

3. public presentations/appearances
I've got young children and my husband Peter travels, so, for the moment, I'm trying to get the word out while staying close to home. That'll change a bit closer to the official launch date. Right now, what I need to do is start scheduling public presentations. I'll talk to any group locally or that I can drive to without interfering too much with my children's lives. I'll try to schedule out-of-town talks with booksignings in the same area.

Are any of you in a professional or social group that might like an interesting speaker? Sure, I can talk about my book--but I can also talk about how to get published, other aspects of writing, integrating research into fiction, um, the things small towns will do to attract tourists--you get the picture.

Again, these groups don't have to be literature or book related--just venues with people who like to be entertained by what they read.

4. people going into bookstores and libraries and requesting the book (or that these organizations order it)
It might take you and a couple of your friends to get a bookstore or librarian to order copies. If you're in the mood, talk up the book to librarians, bookstore owners, other kinds of shop owners (the book explores a bit about dairy farming--and the possibility of UFOs and alien abductions--Sasha is a strong, quirky, baby boomer, nominally Jewish, moderately successful PR consultant . . .) Who knows who might think the book would be great for business?

This might give you an idea of some "angles."
"In her delightful debut novel, Pari Noskin Taichert takes readers on a wild ride through the small towns and huge prairies of eastern New Mexico. Heroine Sasha Solomon gorges on the strangeness of the place as avidly as she wolfs down fast food along the way. The story's got murder, mayhem, a cast of crazies, a cunning cop, cows and UFOs. Who could ask for anything more?"
Steve Brewer, author of "Bullets" and "Fool's Paradise."

5. launch parties and other hosted events in people's homes or other locales (as opposed to book signings)
Bring out the chocolate and champagne! (Actually whipped cream, Guinness and scotch would be more in keeping with the book.) Parties or events where you invite your friends and acquaintances are great because they expose my book to an audience I don't yet have . . . But these events take your personal energy. I can support you with bookmarks. I might print postcards--I haven't decided yet--if enough of you want to give me parties, I'll do it for sure because you could use them for invites.

6. posts on internet listservs/newsgroups etc.
If you subscribe to any of these kinds of online discussions, you can always post a note about the book . . . Do you belong to a writers' discussion group? A communications/marketing group? MUFON? A university alumni group?

7. newspaper/radio/television
Do you have a friend who would interview me or write an article about the book (not necessarily a review)? I put this last because although this method reaches the largest amount of people, I don't know how effective it is in selling books. I know that getting a mention on Oprah or an interview on Charlie Rose couldn't hurt <g>.

Thank You
. . . for bearing with this long, long email. I know I've only touched some of the methods out there.

Let me know what ideas you have, what you might want to do and what you've done and I'll post them in these emails, so that everyone can see and share. I'll do anything I can to support your efforts and keep you posted about mine.

Again, thank you with all of my heart. This is such an astounding time, the realization of a dream I've held for decades . . .

My deep gratitude to each one of you,
Pari Lisa


www.parinoskintaichert.com
www.badgirlspress.com

[ December 15, 2003, 04:54 PM: Message edited by: Dotsie ]