update: i've been told this looks good, but really doesn't mean that much because it's only amazon, and amazon is about 2% of books sales. *sigh* was nice for a while!
I've met a lot of great people and scarfed some terrific opportunities as a result of blogging. But it takes time. So I'm on hiatus because my job description says 'writer', not 'blogger', but no way I'd yank the cord and disappear.
Sister Boniface has something more to say on the subject, but I don't have time to let her post.
mg: LOL! yes, i probably blog more than i write. i keep thinking i'll simply SLOW down, but i have no self control.
angie: it does feel good!!
anne: maybe we should have an online happy hour at some point. wish i could make the retreat. can't do it this fall, but if you have one in the spring i might make it.
I was going to read Pale Immortal this past week, but my wife smuggled it out of the house and took it to Disney with her. She just finished it last night and pronounced it "great." I hope to get started on it this weekend.
patrick -- pass on my thanks to your wife! disneyworld. haven't been there in years. wonder if i'd still like the tower of terror. i loved that ride.
jason, kel, jeff, stephen -- thanks. i'm not sure what this means overall. i'm going to run it past my agent and see what he says. he's very straight-forward, so i know i'll get the truth from him. it's such a tiny, tiny, tiny area of the publishing house. i'm not sure it means that much, but i'll find out.
Just an anecdote, but I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of thing happened a lot.
So I have a friend who is deeply into the Jack Reacher style of novel. High-mayhem stuff. I've talked about you, but his reaction has been a bit tepid. Just not into "kinda supernaturally sorta stuff." I've tried to explain that there's more to it than that, but without success.
So the pimp crawl came along and he mentioned that he'd visited a few pimps that day. Surprised me, since he had never mentioned even reading my blog. But cool. Then he said, "Maybe I'll give it a try." About a week later I asked him about it, but he hadn't picked up a copy, so I gave him mine. Then life got busy and I didn't talk to him for a while. Finally yesterday we're on the phone and he said, "Hey, I read that book you gave me. It was really good. I picked up some of her other ones. Good stuff."
I'd like to think he's indicative of a larger trend.
bill, this is exactly what i've been up against. i'm glad to actually have an example of it, because up until now i've only guessed by examining what my own response to my unread books would be. theres a stigma, and and i believe the cover -- as beautiful and expensive as it is, just reinforces the misconception. so my job in self-promotion has been to try to get people to look beyond the synopsis and cover. that's tough.
oh, i should also add that TitleZ rankings appear to be just AMAZON. and amazon is supposed to make up about 2% of book sales. so this is something that looks good, but might not mean that much overall. that's what i've just been told. ;)
susan, the truth is we'll never know if anything helps. i think if self-promotion is something you are uncomforable with, then it's not worth doing. IMO.
I see what you mean, Anne. I was thinking about the positive side of my anecdote -- someone who hadn't seemed interested buying multiple books as the result of reading one. But the other side is the positioning to begin with. Are potential readers not picking it up to begin with because they don't understand what they're looking at?
bill, i was in a hurry when i replied to your post yesterday. i wrote it as i was dashing out the door and didn't say all i wanted to say. there is a good side to your anecdote! thanks so much for going to such length to get your friend to read PI. and the end result couldn't be better!! :)
"Are potential readers not picking it up to begin with because they don't understand what they're looking at?"
i think that's the case. but i don't know if any other kind of cover would have worked better. if it had a cover that looked more literary, then that would also alienate people. i've said this before, but my feeling was that it should have been a trade paperback. i think a trade would have given off a different signal, but i know nothing about these things.
Anne Frasier, USA Today bestselling author of Hush, Sleep Tight, Play Dead, Pale Immortal, and Garden of Darkness, has been recognized with numerous awards including the RITA and Daphne
du Maurier for romantic suspense. Publishers Weekly says Frasier "has perfected the art of making a reader's skin crawl." The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls her a "master." She divides her time between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
25 comments:
And you're in good company up there, sweetie.
I've met a lot of great people and scarfed some terrific opportunities as a result of blogging. But it takes time. So I'm on hiatus because my job description says 'writer', not 'blogger', but no way I'd yank the cord and disappear.
Sister Boniface has something more to say on the subject, but I don't have time to let her post.
Well that's pretty damn cool to get some good news. Not too shabby, eh?
yep, you definitely need to buy the pimps a drink. And you could come to the writers' retreat and do it. Hint, hint.
mg: LOL! yes, i probably blog more than i write. i keep thinking i'll simply SLOW down, but i have no self control.
angie: it does feel good!!
anne: maybe we should have an online happy hour at some point. wish i could make the retreat. can't do it this fall, but if you have one in the spring i might make it.
word verification: grogg
I was going to read Pale Immortal this past week, but my wife smuggled it out of the house and took it to Disney with her. She just finished it last night and pronounced it "great." I hope to get started on it this weekend.
*cue the music. We Will Rock You.*
Wow, that is so cool!! You've heard of, "You da man"? Well, you da writer! haha!
That is good news, Anne. Although I must say I'm not surprised.
Congratulations!
Congratulations! And you were worried.
patrick -- pass on my thanks to your wife! disneyworld. haven't been there in years. wonder if i'd still like the tower of terror. i loved that ride.
jason, kel, jeff, stephen -- thanks. i'm not sure what this means overall. i'm going to run it past my agent and see what he says. he's very straight-forward, so i know i'll get the truth from him. it's such a tiny, tiny, tiny area of the publishing house. i'm not sure it means that much, but i'll find out.
Just an anecdote, but I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of thing happened a lot.
So I have a friend who is deeply into the Jack Reacher style of novel. High-mayhem stuff. I've talked about you, but his reaction has been a bit tepid. Just not into "kinda supernaturally sorta stuff." I've tried to explain that there's more to it than that, but without success.
So the pimp crawl came along and he mentioned that he'd visited a few pimps that day. Surprised me, since he had never mentioned even reading my blog. But cool. Then he said, "Maybe I'll give it a try." About a week later I asked him about it, but he hadn't picked up a copy, so I gave him mine. Then life got busy and I didn't talk to him for a while. Finally yesterday we're on the phone and he said, "Hey, I read that book you gave me. It was really good. I picked up some of her other ones. Good stuff."
I'd like to think he's indicative of a larger trend.
bill, this is exactly what i've been up against. i'm glad to actually have an example of it, because up until now i've only guessed by examining what my own response to my unread books would be. theres a stigma, and and i believe the cover -- as beautiful and expensive as it is, just reinforces the misconception. so my job in self-promotion has been to try to get people to look beyond the synopsis and cover. that's tough.
I hope that means that your books are selling lots and lots.
I guess I'm going to have to take a course in Self-promotion 101 after all??? lol
oh, i should also add that TitleZ rankings appear to be just AMAZON. and amazon is supposed to make up about 2% of book sales. so this is something that looks good, but might not mean that much overall. that's what i've just been told. ;)
susan, the truth is we'll never know if anything helps. i think if self-promotion is something you are uncomforable with, then it's not worth doing. IMO.
i think good news is good news... :)
emeraldcite: simple and true. :)
I see what you mean, Anne. I was thinking about the positive side of my anecdote -- someone who hadn't seemed interested buying multiple books as the result of reading one. But the other side is the positioning to begin with. Are potential readers not picking it up to begin with because they don't understand what they're looking at?
Hmmm.
Ooo, love your new pic!
bill, i was in a hurry when i replied to your post yesterday. i wrote it as i was dashing out the door and didn't say all i wanted to say. there is a good side to your anecdote! thanks so much for going to such length to get your friend to read PI. and the end result couldn't be better!! :)
"Are potential readers not picking it up to begin with because they don't understand what they're looking at?"
i think that's the case. but i don't know if any other kind of cover would have worked better. if it had a cover that looked more literary, then that would also alienate people. i've said this before, but my feeling was that it should have been a trade paperback. i think a trade would have given off a different signal, but i know nothing about these things.
gotta love nosferatu!! especially this time of the year. :)
Great news, Anne. And you use a Mac, so that makes it even better (to geeks like me)!
thanks, daniel. and i do love my mac!!!!
Great news Anne! Congrats!
thanks, tami!
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