Things are rather busy at the moment, but so this is just going to be a status update.
Conflict of Interest, the sequel to The Docks, is undergoing a lot of editing. The first round of editing added extra plot and tightened up the action. Now it's back for a second re-read and I'm hoping the editor likes it.
I'm working on replacing the Googlesite with a decent website, hopefully something which looks a bit better and is more likely to sell books.
The real problem right now is promotion. Due to contract restrictions from my work, I am very limited in what I can do to "promote or endorse" a product - one reason why I use a penname. However, it has been confirmed this does mean I can't use my real name for things like Facebook and setting up a fanpage, or even admin my own fanpage, because it would be held as endorsement. Huge sections of existing promotion are having to be split off (e.g. Squidoo lenses).
I need to find ways round this, but aside from sending out a lot of review copies, there isn't actually much I can do. Right now, I'm just getting my head down and back to writing.
Showing posts with label promotion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label promotion. Show all posts
Friday, 22 July 2011
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Amazon hijinks & £3 a book?
I was rather surprised this morning to find that a seller, book depository, had started advertising my book at about £3. I contacted my publisher to see if this was a promotion, and found out a few things.
There is apparently some hilarity going on at my publishers. Due to the snow, they currently know where every copy of the book is, and have for the last three days. Certain sellers who do not have copies have been advertising it for the last three days.
On the other hand, Book Depository's offer is legitimate. More importantly the sale rate to the distributor is fixed, so it doesn't affect my royalty or the publisher's margins.
So, for anyone looking for a stocking filling for Christmas, please consider my book. After all, that is £2.97 for something you can guarantee they don't have, and that's getting 4 and 5 star reviews. Oddly enough, it is more expensive on their own page (£5.99), so to get the discount buy through Amazon.
I don't know how long that offer will stay live for, so if you're after it get it here!
There is apparently some hilarity going on at my publishers. Due to the snow, they currently know where every copy of the book is, and have for the last three days. Certain sellers who do not have copies have been advertising it for the last three days.
On the other hand, Book Depository's offer is legitimate. More importantly the sale rate to the distributor is fixed, so it doesn't affect my royalty or the publisher's margins.
So, for anyone looking for a stocking filling for Christmas, please consider my book. After all, that is £2.97 for something you can guarantee they don't have, and that's getting 4 and 5 star reviews. Oddly enough, it is more expensive on their own page (£5.99), so to get the discount buy through Amazon.
I don't know how long that offer will stay live for, so if you're after it get it here!
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Quick Amazon Update
The book's back up on Amazon, so search for the ISBN, author surname or title (sorted by publication date) and you can see it again.
However I will admit to spending a very worried evening.
My attempt at publicity materials are also underway, including a set of mini-bookmarks that should arrive later this week. The publisher is refining their press release and putting together a media kit.
- Fire Season
on amazon.co.uk
Monday, 18 October 2010
The Rocky Road to Sales...
Things are currently rather interesting. I'm in the middle of setting up my Amazon Author Central page which will be live in seven days, working on my Goodreads and Authorsden pages and generally trying to tell the world about my book. On Twiends I got a brief VIP feature which increased traffic to my Fire season lens significantly.
The publisher spoke to Nielsen and the release date issue has been corrected. I will confirm here it is the 1st December 2010, not 1st November.
Perhaps most worrying of all, in two days I should receive an ARC copy of my book for promotional purposes. It has a placeholder cover, but the internal text should be properly laid out.
Things were looking good.
This of course is when Amazon crashed this afternoon and lost my book page. The page still exists but currently without the direct URL you can't find it as it isn't on the search, making promotion rather difficult. Things don't ever seem to be easy with this book, but then nothing worthwhile ever is. If I keep repeating that I might believe it, but I can't believe most authors go through all this to get their books out.
Meanwhile I'm back to bothering bloggers for reviews. If anyone would like an ARC copy for a review, please leave a comment below and I'll pass it on to the publisher.
The publisher spoke to Nielsen and the release date issue has been corrected. I will confirm here it is the 1st December 2010, not 1st November.
Perhaps most worrying of all, in two days I should receive an ARC copy of my book for promotional purposes. It has a placeholder cover, but the internal text should be properly laid out.
Things were looking good.
This of course is when Amazon crashed this afternoon and lost my book page. The page still exists but currently without the direct URL you can't find it as it isn't on the search, making promotion rather difficult. Things don't ever seem to be easy with this book, but then nothing worthwhile ever is. If I keep repeating that I might believe it, but I can't believe most authors go through all this to get their books out.
Meanwhile I'm back to bothering bloggers for reviews. If anyone would like an ARC copy for a review, please leave a comment below and I'll pass it on to the publisher.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Promotion underway
Since it can now be pre-ordered I'm back to promotion. Less than fifty days left to sell the entire printrun before we print it (just joking).
The trailer is slowly being sent out. I'd deploy it everywhere at once, but to be honest neither my internet nor my patience will stand for waiting on the upload times. There's a new hubpage for extra backlinks, and even a few promotional items for Fire Season up on Zazzle using old digital artwork designs.
I'm shattered already - and it's only Day 49 before launch. Much more to do!
The trailer is slowly being sent out. I'd deploy it everywhere at once, but to be honest neither my internet nor my patience will stand for waiting on the upload times. There's a new hubpage for extra backlinks, and even a few promotional items for Fire Season up on Zazzle using old digital artwork designs.
I'm shattered already - and it's only Day 49 before launch. Much more to do!
Monday, 11 October 2010
A pause in promotion
I was slightly doubtful about the title change; after all if you google VH Folland Firestorm I am the first three pages of results. However that happened in four weeks, so with luck I can get the same effect with Fire Season. Unfortunately I can't seriously start promoting until next week.
With just over 50 days to publication and launch, I have been asked to hold off on publicity for a few more days. If I wait, I can include pre-order links in my online material. Since the publisher is setting things up with a partner who sells world wide, I think that it is well worth waiting for.
However to keep people interested, while the publisher gets their pages set up, there's a page now up on Squidoo with everything about the book so far (including the Amazon link).
With just over 50 days to publication and launch, I have been asked to hold off on publicity for a few more days. If I wait, I can include pre-order links in my online material. Since the publisher is setting things up with a partner who sells world wide, I think that it is well worth waiting for.
However to keep people interested, while the publisher gets their pages set up, there's a page now up on Squidoo with everything about the book so far (including the Amazon link).
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Still working on promotion
This blog should hopefully be appearing on Technorati shortly. Meanwhile I'm creating a list of local press, review sites and author profile sites, so that once the book is up, I'll have it ready.
Even if it's the same profile on each, it's all extra backlinks and publicity.
If anyone is interested I could put this site list up on Google docs and make it shareable.
BBQ646NECY2F
Even if it's the same profile on each, it's all extra backlinks and publicity.
If anyone is interested I could put this site list up on Google docs and make it shareable.
BBQ646NECY2F
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Endorsements and promotion
This morning I gingerly dipped my toe into the murky world of endorsements. This largely involved going through my address book and looking out anyone still involved with aircraft, and then trying to write something that might persuade them to endorse my book.
Yes, in the US and Canada these people may not be names in their own right, but the fact they've got the word "Air" "Aeroplane" or "Aviation" in their job title and that they (fingers crossed) liked the book enough to say so on the cover, might help sales in those areas. It would certainly help in the UK. However this does leave me to see if the publisher is prepared to give me permission to send out full bound manuscripts for their reading pleasure.
On the downside, after my last encounter with duelling experts it does lead me to wonder if I'll get them back covered in red pen and contradictory advice.
On the upside, I've already had two preorders based on the blurb I wrote for the back cover. It's now been added to:
Why not have a read?
Yes, in the US and Canada these people may not be names in their own right, but the fact they've got the word "Air" "Aeroplane" or "Aviation" in their job title and that they (fingers crossed) liked the book enough to say so on the cover, might help sales in those areas. It would certainly help in the UK. However this does leave me to see if the publisher is prepared to give me permission to send out full bound manuscripts for their reading pleasure.
On the downside, after my last encounter with duelling experts it does lead me to wonder if I'll get them back covered in red pen and contradictory advice.
On the upside, I've already had two preorders based on the blurb I wrote for the back cover. It's now been added to:
Why not have a read?
Saturday, 12 June 2010
And a final goes across
Having had it sanity checked, spell checked, proofed and hopefully honed to near completion, the manuscript is now back with the editor.
I am, not surprisingly, extremely nervous. To kill the nerves, I've been busy with yet more promotion, getting the blog linked to new sites and trying to make sure the RSS feeds are all connected. Hopefully most of this is now done - as you can see from the growing list of badges on the right hand side of the blog.
As long as I can get this done correctly now, it should make getting word out about the book a lot easier when the time comes.
I am, not surprisingly, extremely nervous. To kill the nerves, I've been busy with yet more promotion, getting the blog linked to new sites and trying to make sure the RSS feeds are all connected. Hopefully most of this is now done - as you can see from the growing list of badges on the right hand side of the blog.
As long as I can get this done correctly now, it should make getting word out about the book a lot easier when the time comes.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Promotion and proofing
Today has been an interesting mix of editing, spell-checking and promotion work.
I've finished a first look through on the manuscript, highlighted areas of concern, corrected the spelling errors that I found, and then switched to promotion work since I was having trouble focusing on the pages.
Things have moved rather quickly on the marketing front. There is now a site up at vhfolland.co.uk. It's bare bones at the moment, but does have a forum for interaction. Two teasers and a book trailer are now ready at my end, although unreleased. I'm not sure what the publisher intends on this front, but I thought I'd make sure there was something available.
Yesterday if you googled VH Folland you got a few links to Folland Gnat fighters with that registration. Today, I'm on the front page of search results, so I think the work is beginning to pay off. Now I need to manage the same with "adventure author" as the keyword, but until the book is out that will be a challenge.
All those years consulting in information, engineering, security, media and ecommerce have come in surprisingly useful. The first three gave me something to write about. The last two are helping me let people know that I've written it.
I've finished a first look through on the manuscript, highlighted areas of concern, corrected the spelling errors that I found, and then switched to promotion work since I was having trouble focusing on the pages.
Things have moved rather quickly on the marketing front. There is now a site up at vhfolland.co.uk. It's bare bones at the moment, but does have a forum for interaction. Two teasers and a book trailer are now ready at my end, although unreleased. I'm not sure what the publisher intends on this front, but I thought I'd make sure there was something available.
Yesterday if you googled VH Folland you got a few links to Folland Gnat fighters with that registration. Today, I'm on the front page of search results, so I think the work is beginning to pay off. Now I need to manage the same with "adventure author" as the keyword, but until the book is out that will be a challenge.
All those years consulting in information, engineering, security, media and ecommerce have come in surprisingly useful. The first three gave me something to write about. The last two are helping me let people know that I've written it.
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