It’s been over a week since the last post. I can’t keep up with time marching onward.
I’ve been sick with the flu for the past two weeks, but still managed to prop myself up at the computer and work on the edits for TCH. The beginning hook is on hold–I’m letting it stew.
On the marketing front, it appears some agents/editors like to see an author’s website up–even those who are as yet unpublished. Others say it doesn’t matter much since you have no following. However, if you do have one they like to see it frequently updated.
A website presence is a small step in preparing to market your book. A mailing list will be a must so start gathering snail mail and email addresses of everyone you know–and their brother/sister. Add a guestbook to your website and sign up for a newsletter mailing list. Link your blog, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter to your website, as well.
Carefully plan which publications in which to advertise. You want the widest coverage for your marketing dollars. Book trailers are an excellent vehicle for promoting your novel. Your local on-line news source is a good place to buy ad space for a trailer–preferably front page. Box ads in local magazines and newspapers, too. Of course, it all depends on how much money you’ll have to work with.
Local booksellers are usually thrilled to arrange book signings for authors in their community.
If you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person, I found Serif WebPlus SE is a great program for building web pages. Free to download and easy to use. My pages are almost done. A little more tweaking and they’ll be ready to roll. I’ve parked my page at GoDaddy.com. I’ll only need select a hosting plan when I’m ready to upload.
Happy writing/planning/website building!
Lis’Anne
