I’m a relative newcomer to the literary world but I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Thanks for the welcome, folks. I haven’t felt this excited about anything since, ooooh, 2005.

Meanwhile, I can be found at newly rehabilitated @KyleMacRae on Twitter (or here on Facebook).

You know, there’s some fantastic, inspiring, thought-provoking stuff in the Author Interviews on AA. I’ve just re-read them all and suggest you do too. Thanks again to everyone for sharing.

Onwards!

Kx

It’s published by Freight Books on 19th September 2011.

You’ll find Christopher’s website here, on Facebook here, and on Twitter here.

How digitally aware are you generally?

You’re asking about my online banking? Is this a scam by the Prince of Nigeria and all you want to do is to hack my bank account?! [Damn, busted. Ed]

Yep, I Skype, use the interweb for lots of things, all legal, decent and honest of course. KILLING THE MESSENGER is being published simultaneously as an ebook across multiple platforms and sites and that was fundamental to the strategy.

Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter professionally and/or personally? If both, how do you distinguish between them?

Mostly professionally (as a writer). In a public sector job you have to be careful what you put online as any hack can access it… and it’s amazing how ‘humour’ can be misinterpreted (deliberately) when taken out of context. While social media can be a vortex into which things disappear (time mostly) it’s a great way to get immediate reaction to stuff you put out there.

Do you have a blog? If so, why – and what do you blog about?

Blog? Now that just sounds dirty.

In your online networking, how much time do you spend talking to other authors/publishers and how much time with readers/fans? Do you get any tangible benefits from either?

I know a couple of guys who are brilliant writers and who have spent a lot of time investing in online networking. They’ve lots of friends but haven’t sold many books (even though their stuff is great). Everything in moderation I say. It’s easy to get distracted.

Do you enjoy interacting with your readers in the real world and/or online? Any significant differences between the two?

The reach online is wider, so it’s easier to talk to a larger number of folk quickly. But there’s no substitute for going off to the pub for a pint with some folk.

Do you respond to reviews, good and/or bad?

I tend to agree with the bad ones and feel flattered by the good ones.

Have you ever actively marketed to a target demographic based on the genre of your writing or the theme of a particular book?

Now, as an ex-ad man, that’s my line…

Previously, I was published by HarperCollins, which is a very big organisation that likes to keep the noses of its authors well and truly out of the marketing process. One of the pleasures of working with an independent on this novel was a greater involvement in the marketing.

Saying that, writers are always the last people to ask about this – we just want everyone to read our books!

How clearly defined is the reader in your mind when writing? Would you know where to find them online?

Because I come from a marketing background yes, probably, although I do leave this up to the publisher. It can be tricky to try and write for a specific kind of reader. Most writers would admit that they write for themselves (I think), if they’re really honest.

How satisfied are you with your current publisher’s marketing efforts on your behalf?

Having experienced the joy of London publishing I’m delighted at the effort Freight has been putting into flogging my book.

What’s the Grand Marketing Plan for your next book?

Write it.

To what extent do you buy into the concept that as an author you are a brand?

The concept of writer as brand is not that new, just has been articulated this way in the last few years. Dickens did a hell of a lot of the things we talk about authors doing now, reading tours, signings, Q&As, journalism, performance etc.

Fundamentally the most important part of any (productbased) brand is the product itself – so no matter how good you are selling yourself, if the book’s crap then you’ll get found out (unless you’re Jordan).

To what extent do you believe that it’s up to you to find your audience and ultimately sell your books?

I think it’s a collaborative effort between writer and publisher. Over and above making sure the book is the best it can be (again, a collaborative effort), I’m there to support what the publisher is doing. I don’t think the author’s role is to go out onto the street corners and shout ‘buy my novel’. I don’t have time.

What would your advice be to a debut novelist hoping for… well, a publishing deal, or at any rate readers?

Focus on the writing. That’s all you can do. Read as much as you can, analyse it, seek advice, from the right people. Don’t think just because you’ve written one draft that it’s somehow finished. Don’t be too ambitious technically if it’s your first. Be the best writer you can be – it’s about professionalism. And remember, there are many excellent writers who cannot write novels. It’s not for everyone. And don’t expect to get rich.

So where’s it all going, this publishing business?

Ewan Morrison gave an interesting hypothesis on the state of the industry at a debate with Ray Ryan at the Edinburgh Book Festival. I enjoyed his highly pessimistic view of the survival of the printed book and his analysis of the consumption habits of what he calls “Generation Y”. Here’s the link for the exclusive article on the event the debate topic: click

However, the continued existence of Radio 4 proves that people’s tastes change. I grew up listening to radio 1 but now I’m a devotee of Radio 4… there’s a basic beauty and simplicity in the printed word. Whether any of us can making a living at it is another thing…

Do you have any experiences of doing your own marketing, digitally or otherwise, that you could share with other authors?

Hire an intern to do it all! They work for close to nothing, they’re young enough to work it all out and they’ll even do your interviews for you.

His twelfth novel, SIGNAL TO NOISE , is soon to be released.

Gordon’s writing is often concerned with the paranormal, but the central theme usually has to do with how we see the world. We all are viewing the events around us through the lenses of our experience; and this not only shapes what we see, it shapes what we can see. This inability to be certain about the world around us surfaces again and again as a subtext in his fiction.

Most of Gordon’s stories are set in the places he’s lived – upstate New York, the Pacific Northwest, and the bayou country of southern Louisiana.

You’ll find Gordon blogging here and here, on Twitter here, on Facebook here and on Amazon here. Also check him out on the Independent Authors Network here.

How digitally aware are you generally?

I’m one of those people who learns things by doing. I don’t think I’ve read an instruction manual in my life. My entry into the digital world has been gradual, but I’m still only good at a limited range of applications that I’ve had to use — Amazon, MapQuest, and a variety of science websites that I use for my day job. As far as grocery shopping online, I’ll probably continue to do it the old-fashioned way until there’s no other option.

Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter professionally and/or personally? If both, how do you distinguish between them?

Yes, and yes. I have a personal Facebook page and an author’s page, and a Twitter account. I see Twitter as more of a way to market my writing, and less about personal friendships (although I’ve made friends on Twitter), and Facebook is more about connections with friends and family (although I’ve sold books through Facebook).

There is a blurred margin between them, but I am careful about using Facebook too much for hawking my writing – I don’t want my friends thinking, “Wow, all he does here is push his books on everyone.” Twitter, though – to me, it’s more clearly designed for that purpose.

Do you have a blog? If so, why – and what do you blog about?

Yes – as a matter of fact, I have two blogs. One of them (Skeptophilia) is something I started about four years ago, and is an exploration of skeptical thinking. My day job is teaching biology in a high school, and I am constantly astounded by the weird things people believe in — and it’s not always the teenagers. Skeptophilia is dedicated to the idea of looking at oddball beliefs with a critical (although often humorous) eye. (My apologies to anyone out there who is an ardent believer in Bigfoot.)

My other blog, Tales of Whoa, is about my fiction writing, and has excerpts from my novels, pieces of flash fiction and poetry, book reviews, and musings on the writing process.

In your online networking, how much time do you spend talking to other authors/publishers and how much time with readers/fans? Do you get any tangible benefits from either?

At the moment, I spend a lot of time chatting with other authors, and relatively little chatting with my readers. One of the problems with Twitter, in my opinion, is that we find each other by picking up on hashtags, or on similar interests listed in profiles, and this means that writers usually link to other writers. If Twitter is to be an effective marketing tool, shouldn’t writers be trying to link to readers?

Thus far, my online marketing efforts have not been terribly successful, and I think it’s largely because I’m preaching to the choir – trying to sell my work to other authors who are desperate to sell their work.

Do you enjoy interacting with your readers in the real world and/or online? Any significant differences between the two?

Absolutely! I have had some wonderful conversations, both real world and electronic, with people who have read my novels, and I am always fascinated by their take on what I’ve written. My favourite part is when they pick up on something about a character, or the plot, that I didn’t – just as I mentioned earlier, we all see the world through our own lenses, and that applies just as much to what we read as to what really happens around us. I love it when a reader sees something in my character that I hadn’t thought of.

Do you respond to reviews, good and/or bad?

I thank people for good reviews, and ignore bad ones. Bad reviews are inevitable, but I think it’s bad form to argue with someone over a review – just read it, cry if you need to, have a nice glass of wine, and move on.

Have you ever actively marketed to a target demographic based on the genre of your writing or the theme of a particular book?

I think only one of my books has a specific target demographic – BEHIND THE FRAME, which is a YA paranormal adventure story.

How clearly defined is the reader in your mind when writing? Would you know where to find them online?

Whew. Okay, this is a hard one, and a question I’ve been wrestling with. I had not really given a lot of thought to target audience until recently, and my writing is in fact a little difficult to classify. It’s paranormal fiction, but I wouldn’t say it’s typical of that genre. It’s clearly not horror, I’m not into writing blood and guts. My writing is subtle, often has a psychological bent, and doesn’t give you all the answers. As a result, it asks a lot of the reader — you’re not simply told what’s happening, there’s a level on which you have to decide what you think is happening. The result is that it doesn’t fit neatly into a niche, and is a little hard to market.

One of my readers, who read one of my novels and then turned around and bought all of the others, said, “I think you are the most under-appreciated author I’ve ever seen.” So, evidently there are people out there who like this sort of writing, but how to find them? I wrote back and said, “Thanks… maybe you could tell me where to find ten thousand more people who think like you do!”

How satisfied are you with your current publisher’s marketing efforts on your behalf?

I’m doing all my own marketing, and have e-published.

What’s the Grand Marketing Plan for your next book?

I’m trying to drum up interest on Twitter and in my blog. I’ve posted excerpts and teasers, and soon will be posting the cover illustration, which should generate some interest! My plan is to release it around October 15, if all goes well.

To what extent do you buy into the concept that as an author you are a brand?

I think that’s true, but the difficulty is creating your brand in such a way that it is marketable. This is the problem with genre writing; you have to keep within the conventions of the genre and still be distinct enough to create interest in your work.

To what extent do you believe that it’s up to you to find your audience and ultimately sell your books?

That’s certainly true in the world of e-publishing. While the advent of the e-book was seen by some writers as removing the roadblocks that prevented them from getting traditional agents and publishers, it simply added a different set of roadblocks — the problem of being adrift in a sea of e-books. How do your readers find you? The marketing of your books is critical if you want to sell more than a few dozen copies to friends and family.

What would your advice be to a debut novelist hoping for… well, a publishing deal, or at any rate readers?

Don’t quit your day job… um, did I say that out loud?

Seriously, it’s a tough thing. I would advise him/her mainly to write, write, write. Keep at it. Write what you love, write from the heart, and don’t be discouraged by the difficulties of getting seen. The “big breaks” that happen often occur because of some completely unforeseen set of circumstances that have as much to do with luck as anything else.

Write from a passion for writing, not from a hope for marketing success. I write because I have to. I could no more stop writing than I could stop speaking.

If I get “found,” well, that will be wonderful, but even if some psychic told me that I would never sell a lot of books, I would still write.

So where’s it all going, this publishing business?

Hard to say. The e-book thing was a game-changer, but I think it will be a while before traditional publishing goes the way of the dodo — if it ever does.

The problem with e-books is that any sufficiently smart person with a computer can upload an e-book onto Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and this has a real effect on overall quality. Where agents and editors (for good or bad) used to act as gate guards, preventing poorly edited work from reaching the market, now we’re seeing a lot of writing being published before it’s ready.

Before turning to writing, she was a police officer with Strathclyde Police. She has published four novels focusing on the people behind the uniform: THE TWILIGHT TIME, AFTER THE FIRE, SHADOWPLAY, and her latest book PROOF OF LIFE, released July 2011.

In 2009, Karen won the Best New Scottish Writer Award, and last year SHADOWPLAY was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger.

She has recently finished a fifth novel, THIS IS WHERE I AM, a story about a Somali refugee living in Glasgow, which will be published by Bloomsbury in 2013.

You’ll find Karen on the web here, on Twitter here, and on Amazon here.

How digitally aware are you generally?

I’m reasonably savvy, especially now we’ve just moved to the country and everything’s that bit further away! I use online banking, buy some groceries online, and use Amazon, online clothes shopping etc.

Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter professionally and/or personally? If both, how do you distinguish between them?

I only use Twitter, and to be honest, I use that quite sporadically. It’s handy for networking, sharing reviews, event details etc, but I find I can get sucked in to online gossip, which drags me away from the writing, so I do limit its use.

In your online networking, how much time do you spend talking to other authors/publishers and how much time with readers/fans? Do you get any tangible benefits from either?

My online networking is pretty limited. I’m not too good at ‘marketing’ myself, but I definitely respond to enquiries/ emails etc if I get them – and certainly, that’s where I find having an online presence is extremely useful, as it acts as your ‘shop window’ to the world.

I find I’m getting more bookings for events , readings etc since I got a website, and also that more readers are getting in touch with me that way.

Do you enjoy interacting with your readers in the real world and/or online? Any significant differences between the two?

I prefer the real world – you can get a dialogue going there. I find online communications to be short, snappy – efficient certainly but a bit… impersonal. You don’t get the nuances, body language, subtext etc you do when meeting people face to face.

Do you respond to reviews, good and/or bad?

No, other than to sniff quietly into my pillow if it’s a bad one!

What’s the point if it’s a bad one – you won’t change someone’s mind. However, if someone’s gone to the bother of emailing or writing to me to say they enjoyed my work, I would of course write back to thank them.

There’s lots of books I love, but I rarely take the time to get in touch with the author, so I find it hugely flattering if a reader tracks me down to tell me they enjoyed a book. And, if I get a good review from a critic, yes, I’d certainly send the link out via my Twitter account, but I wouldn’t repsond to it as such.

Actually – I’ve just remembered that’s not strictly true. I got a fantastic review for Shadowplay in the Scotsman; the reviewer totally ‘got’ that the book wasn’t a crime novel, but an exploration of how the ‘protectors’ (ie the police) protect themselves from the effects of their job. I couldn’t have written a better review myself, and I was so chuffed, I sent a little thank you card to her via the newspaper.

How clearly defined is the reader in your mind when writing? Would you know where to find them online?

To be honest, I don’t think about a specific reader at all when I write. I’d find this quite restrictive , because then you’d be writing for someone else and not for yourself. I think you have to be selfish when you write, and not allow anyone else’s vision to obscure your own. Otherwise, whose story is it that you’re writing?

What’s the Grand Marketing Plan for your next book?

Well, I’m moving to a new publisher, Bloomsbury, which I’m very excited about! In terms of their marketing plan, it’s too early to say, as the book won’t be out for a year and a half, so I’m very interested to see what they have lined up.

Authors, unless they’re big names, tend not to get very involved at the planning stage, but we are always hugely enthusiastic to do anything (within reason!) that will help market our books. I’ve sent out my own copies of books to potential reviewers, done local readings for free, contacted local press and so on.

The book I’ve just written is about a Somali refugee in Glasgow, so I’m hopeful that there may be a way of tying its launch in with Refugee Week or something similar.

To what extent do you buy into the concept that as an author you are a brand?

Not at all. I’m really uncomfortable with branding. As soon as you stick a label on something or someone, you define them as a particular ‘type’, which is hugely limiting.

Every book you write is different, and to be sold as a brand implies a uniformity, and a prescribed level of expectations, which I think is damaging both in terms of a writer’s creativity and a reader’s excitement.

Each book should be a journey into the unknown… At least, that’s how it is when I begin a book. I never know how it’s going to end, or in fact what will happen beyond a vague theme or a mood or a topic I want to explore.  Knowing I had to fulfill some brand expectations would just make the writing dry up.

To what extent do you believe that it’s up to you to find your audience and ultimately sell your books?

I think, more and more, that is the case. Publishers have fewer resources to devote to new or less well-known writers, so we can’t sit back and expect constant promotion.

What would your advice be to a debut novelist hoping for… well, a publishing deal, or at any rate readers?

Don’t expect to make a lot of money from this!

I think you have to write because you have something to say; then you have to hope that ‘something’ chimes with other people. I wouldn’t recommend analysing the market initially, then writing to fit some trend or gap, because the market’s always changing, and if you try to fit in with an existing fashion or theme in writing, there’s a real danger that, by the time you’re ready to punt your book, that trend has moved on, and you’re yesterday’s news.

But a voice that is fresh and original will always have something pertinent to say.

So where’s it all going, this publishing business?

Good question…

Digital and eBooks are on the rise, libraries are closing, bookshops are disappearing… I honestly don’t know.

But, since caveman times, we’ve gathered round the fire and told stories, so I’m hopeful that people will always want to hear stories. Maybe it’s just the way we convey them that will change.

Do you have any experiences of doing your own marketing, digitally or otherwise, that you could share with other authors?

Not really. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but I’ve found that personal networking has been the most effective thing for me – whether it’s joining a writing group and meeting other like-minded people there, or going to literary soirées like Weegie Wednesday.

Stuart Land is writer based in Thailand. His story ideas come from his vivid imagination, but his inspiration draws from extensive world travel and fascinating careers: from US military medic to hairstylist, then Washington D.C. Police officer to NYC photographer.

Later, he converted a chicken coop in the woods into a live-in studio and taught himself metal sculpture. That rudimentary craft expanded into the fine arts. Sculptures in bronze and fiberglass led to shows in the US, England and Thailand.

His passion for all arts segued into: costume design (top 100 designers in the book, Fashion: 2001); modeling agency art director; fashion show designer; water feature designer, computer illustrator and a top sculptor for special effects, sets and props in the entertainment industry with work in over thirty major films, hotels and theme parks worldwide.

During his film career, he learned screenwriting firsthand, writing over a dozen screenplays. To explore character and environment more, he took up narrative fiction. He has completed many short stories and six novels.

Four of Stuart’s six books are in the paranormal genre. He calls it supernatural realism because the situations are based in real life circumstance with paranormal or supernatural elements involved. ORIGINAL BLOOD is a vampire story, SHADOW HOUSE is a psychological time-bending ghost story, EPIPHANY is a totally different end of the world scenario based entirely on science fact, BACK FROM THE DEAD is the true sequel to Frankenstein, and the lone pony is CLAIMING LIVES, a crime thriller.

He continues on his journey.

You’ll find Stuart on the web here, on Facebook here, on Twitter here and on Amazon here (UK) and here (US).

How digitally aware are you generally?

I understand the digital universe and use it extensively, but since I live in Thailand, I still can’t get a NY pizza delivered. I use it to spread rumors, er, information about my books.

Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter professionally and/or personally? If both, how do you distinguish between them?

All these types of sites are now exclusively for my writing. I use smoke signals for personal use. Sometimes I actually get on my motorbike and go across town to see someone face to face. Nothing like getting real spit in your eye when you talk to someone real.

Do you have a blog? If so, why – and what do you blog about?

Yes I do. Why? Good question. So I can convince people that I’m someone to waste their time with, uh, to learn interesting things from. And more propaganda, ah, information about my books.

In your online networking, how much time do you spend talking to other authors/publishers and how much time with readers/fans? Do you get any tangible benefits from either?

I talk to everyone all day and night because most people’s day is my night, right? I don’t know who the authors/publishers/readers/fans are because no one tells me those things. OK, I know who the authors are because I can recognize blatant propaganda as good as the next guy, but readers and fans cover their tracks too well.

Do I get any tangible results from all that yakking? Well, I’m talking to you, so let me know when we’re done.

Do you enjoy interacting with your readers in the real world and/or online? Any significant differences between the two?

I love interacting with my reader! But it’s really hard to arm wrestle them online. So, let me think what the differences are between my two readers…oh, you mean real world and online? Well, online I can make risqué comments and not get slapped.

Do you respond to reviews, good and/or bad?

Oh yes! I respond really well to good reviews. I respond much less so to bad ones. Well, not really sure about that yet because I’ve only had one bad review and that was from someone who never read my book. I sent out a hit team after him/her and that’s what my next book will be about. Stay tuned.

Have you ever actively marketed to a target demographic based on the genre of your writing or the theme of a particular book?

I’ve been trying to. My stories are mostly cross-genre. No, I’m not confused. I just like lots of stuff. Not one person who has read my work has complained that they were confused about the story because I cross those genre thresholds. Well, except him/her who never read my book.

How clearly defined is the reader in your mind when writing? Would you know where to find them online?

Hmmm, reader? My characters think they’re real, so keep it down. Do you live your life for someone else? I didn’t think so. Well, neither do my characters. After they’ve told their story, I try to narrow the genres down to as few as possible.

But yes, I do have trouble finding those readers anywhere. I think the problem with my books is that a reader has to want to take the time to read, not skim so they can get on to the next book. I don’t care what someone says, if they read a book or two (or more) a day, they’re skimming.

Even though I may write (sometimes) in a particular defined genre (vampire), I write with intent. My stories are to be savored, as are the characters and the situations they find themselves in. I’ve written six novels (three out now, with two on the way soon), and not one person has been able to guess any of my endings, or even come close. This isn’t a challenge to all the clever readers out there, though if you want it to be, I’ll play. I’ll even take your word for it. If anyone guesses the ending of any of my books before the last page, I’ll refund their money. (Except for the one I’m writing now called CLAIMING LIVES, which takes a couple of pages to tie up.)

How satisfied are you with your current publisher’s marketing efforts on your behalf?

My publisher (me) isn’t as good those big six guys. Or Amanda Hocking. Or anyone selling hundreds of books a day. Oh, I appreciate all his (my) efforts, they’re first rate, but it’s results, baby, results! Now if this interview suddenly causes a huge spike in sales, well, I’ll be liking the publisher (me)(and Kyle) very much.

What’s the Grand Marketing Plan for your next book?

I plan to be on every virtual street corner, naked, wearing a clapboard sign, and annoying everyone with interviews and reviews everywhere they look, so they’ll all rush out and buy my books just to be rid of me. How does that sound?

To what extent do you buy into the concept that as an author you are a brand?

I always knew that. It says Campbell’s on my tush.

To what extent do you believe that it’s up to you to find your audience and ultimately sell your books?

Unless you do it, Kyle, I guess it’s pretty much up to me.

What would your advice be to a debut novelist hoping for… well, a publishing deal, or at any rate readers?

Ah! Finally a place to put Ah!

It’s like this: unless your file or manuscript is soaked in some mind-altering drug, or your uncle who REALLY likes you owns the publishing company, my advice is to sell a f-n huge amount books in a relatively short time, then all those publishers will beat a path to your real door with real money. You should (need) to realize that very few of the very few who even write a book, do anything at all with their first book. And even if they eventually do, it’s after they’ve written a bunch of others first. So, your first might really be your six or seventh or fifteenth.

But don’t let me discourage you. If I did, you’re not a writer, just someone who writes.

So where’s it all going, this publishing business?

Look, if I’m about ready to buy an iPad or Kindle (or both), then it’s past the tipping point. Don’t believe me? Look it up on Wikipedia. It says that Stuart Land is the tipping point of the sudden resurgence of the normal person who will read on anything where they can make out the written word.

They have these figures (I don’t know what they are) which says how many people worldwide can’t read. But the rest of them can read, and that’s billions of people, folks. There will be enough room for everyone once the majors figure out that all these new writers and readers aren’t going to go away.

Do you have any experiences of doing your own marketing, digitally or otherwise, that you could share with other authors?

My biggest advice is…Be Nice. Seems like an easy thing to do, right. I’m astonished at how many people on the internet are just not nice. The internet is immediate, but your answers and questions don’t need to be. People will tick you off, sure. But take a breath before you let your fingers lead you down the road of no return, because that’s what the internet is. Once you hit send, whatever you said is there for eternity. You can only hope for a huge, electronic-wiping solar flare to eradicate your blunder.

Of course that would probably also eradicate all life on earth, so please don’t pray for it, especially if you have connections in that vein.

Kyle, thanks for flying halfway around the world to interview me in my modest grass shack. It’s been fun. Hey, watch out for that spider…

 

What if you could ask the author of a book a question while you were reading the book? That’s the kind of world Amazon wants to offer with its new @author feature, which the online bookstore launched on Wednesday with a group of writers including Susan Orlean and self-help guru Tim Ferriss. Readers can ask questions directly from their Kindles while they are reading a book, and the question gets sent to the author’s Twitter account as well as to their home page at Amazon. In addition to creating what the company hopes will be a kind of reader community around Kindle titles — something it has been pushing in other ways as well — this new feature looks like another step in Amazon’s quest to cut publishers out of the equation and build relationships directly with authors.

The full article is here.

So the question (well, one of them) for authors is: when somebody buys your book, does that buy them the right to connect with you?

As in… talk to you,  ask you questions and expect a response, let you know that in their humble opinion you rock/suck [delete as appropriate]?

In public.

Are you up for that? Ready to deal with the rough and the smooth without going crazy?

You’d better be. Cos your readers expect it. Or if they don’t now, they soon will.

Out of the garret, folks. The Age of Audacious is upon us!

Her short stories and articles are published in UK magazines, in the US, and online, and her children’s stories are in three different anthologies. A short story  was included in the fundraising book, 100 STORIES FOR HAITI in 2010. A historical short story was published in THE WATERLOO COLLECTION, launched by the late professor Richard Holmes in April 2011. She has won a few competitions and will be a short story adjudicator at the annual Scottish Association of Writers’ Conference in March 2012.

You’ll find Rosemary on the web here (and blogging here and here), on Twitter here, on Smashwords here and on Amazon here.

How digitally aware are you generally?

Very aware. I’ve been using the Internet for years: banking, Amazon, Goodreads, research for writing. But not online groceries!

Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter professionally and/or personally? If both, how do you distinguish between them?

Most of the people who are friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter are fellow writers and friends, so I only have the one account for both. Can’t be bothered creating a Facebook ‘fan page’, for instance, as I prefer to have everyone together, and it still feels alien to me to have any kind of ‘fan’ page!

Do you have a blog? If so, why – and what do you blog about?

I have two blogs [links above]: the Reading and Writing one is a general blog about both those subjects. I started it while a freelance writer so I could share market information on it for other writers. And the reading part is about favourite writers, and for interviewing other writers in the Author Spotlight.

The second blog is under my historical romance name: Romy Gemmell. It’s now a general Romancing History blog, with snippets of history and historical information.

I’m about to create a new blog for younger fiction, before my Tween novel comes out next year – that will  focus on children’s, tween and YA writers and books.

In your online networking, how much time do you spend talking to other authors/publishers and how much time with readers/fans? Do you get any tangible benefits from either?

Most of the quite considerable time is spent talking to other writers, although I follow an interactive agent’s blog, and several publishers on Twitter. The difficulty is finding the readers, although writers are readers too and are valuable colleagues. A couple of forums have some readers on them and that’s a way of chatting to them.

The most benefit is interacting with other writers.

Do you enjoy interacting with your readers in the real world and/or online? Any significant differences between the two?

I enjoy online interaction as we don’t have to leave the house. But I’m beginning to think that the best way to interact with readers is by meeting them and talking to them in the real world, at book signings, libraries and talks.

Do you respond to reviews, good and/or bad?

This is new to me and I have read every review online, all good so far which is easier – only responded to one official review to thank the reviewer and agree with one of the points she mentioned.

How clearly defined is the reader in your mind when writing? Would you know where to find them online?

I always write the kind of novel I would like to read, so I guess the reader is someone like me! Some of them will be on Facebook or Twitter and some are on the online forums I take part in.

How satisfied are you with your current publisher’s marketing efforts on your behalf?

I had no illusions about this as I’m with two independent publishers in Canada, and all authors have to provide a marketing sheet with ideas on submission. However, the publishers do send reviews of each book out to at least three online review forums and both publishers are promoting the books in Canada.

What’s the Grand Marketing Plan for your next book?

Next one is a Tween novel for 10 to 14 year olds, to be published in Canada, but set in Scotland. I’m creating a new blog for this and will be promoting it online and hopefully in some local schools.

I had a successful, fun online launch for the historical novel, when it came in out e-book, and will do the same for this next book. For the next historical, I’ll build on contacts already made.

To what extent do you buy into the concept that as an author you are a brand?

Ah, that’s an interesting one, as I’m writing under three slightly different names. The thing that unites all three is my surname, and that’s because I’m not hiding my persona but I’m allowing readers to know what kind of book to expect: full name (Rosemary) for freelance writing and mainstream novels; Romy Gemmell for historical romance, and Ros Gemmell for children’s/tween novels.

So I guess that’s kind of branding each type of writing.

To what extent do you believe that it’s up to you to find your audience and ultimately sell your books?

I’d love to have the luxury of a mainstream publisher with a promotional/marketing person behind my books, but this is becoming less possible for anyone. So, yes, it is largely up to me to find my audience and sell the books – even if I have to work hard at overcoming that Scottish reserve that holds many of us back!

What would your advice be to a debut novelist hoping for… well, a publishing deal, or at any rate readers?

For a publishing deal you have to get your work out to be read. If you’re unsure about its quality, there are literary consultants who will give you great feed back for a fee, such as Hilary Johnston. Unpublished romantic novelists can join the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme, where you can submit a whole novel for an in depth critique. You have to pay, but it’s well worth the report. I did that with my mainstream novel which is currently being read by an agent.

So where’s it all going, this publishing business?

It’s opening up and becoming an exciting time for writers! Traditional publishers and large advances might be decreasing, but there are many smaller publishers (especially across the Atlantic) who are doing a great job in bringing a more diverse variety of novels to readers.

And eBooks have revolutionized reading and writing, making it an easier way to find books across countries. Then Amazon allows those too impatient to wait for a publisher to try it for themselves – some very successfully. Writers just need to adapt to what is happening and take full advantage of what’s on offer to get their books to readers.

Do you have any experiences of doing your own marketing, digitally or otherwise, that you could share with other authors?

• Have a good website or blog. Interact with other bloggers, for they are potential readers. Offer reciprocal interviews to authors.
• Buy or make business cards, and promotional bookmarks or postcards for your books, and hand them out. Vistaprint is an inexpensive online company with everything you could need.
• Have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and any online forums that the publisher provides.
• Amazon and Goodreads provide an author page/profile. Make sure your publisher puts the eBook on Smashwords (or the author should, if self-published) – they offer downloads in all formats.
• Look out for opportunities to speak about being a published author – perhaps to clubs and meetings.

FALLEN STAR is his début novel.

You’ll find Ian on the web here, on Twitter here, on Facebook here and on Amazon here.

How digitally aware are you generally?

In my day job I’m editor of a computer magazine, which means I’m paid to be digitally aware.

Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter professionally and/or personally? If both, how do you distinguish between them?

Yes, on Facebook I have a personal profile and a page for the book. I like to keep the two separate then you don’t have to worry about how much you reveal to people who aren’t ‘real’ friends. I think Google+ has the potential to do this sort of thing much better because of its Circles feature, but it’s early days yet and people haven’t quite worked out what it’s for.

Twitter is my favourite social network. I love the immediacy and the ability to interact. It’s no good just pushing out marketing messages all the time on Twitter though, you have to do something a bit more varied or people quickly tire of your stream. Twitter is also good for jumping on passing bandwagons.

FALLEN STAR is about celebrity culture so when shows like Big Brother are airing you have a ready-made audience to aim at by using the right hashtags.

Do you have a blog? If so, why – and what do you blog about?

No, at least not in the conventional sense. I seldom read blogs so I don’t see why I should expect people to read mine. Also writing a good blog post takes up a lot of time and I always feel that I should use that writing time more productively. I do use Tumblr to post the odd interesting snippet. Like Twitter it’s quick and easy, plus you can use it to update Facebook and other sites automatically so it’s a handy time saver.

In your online networking, how much time do you spend talking to other authors/publishers and how much time with readers/fans? Do you get any tangible benefits from either?

Good question. It often seems that the Internet is full of writers who simply follow each other around. Connecting with real-life readers is surprisingly hard. I don’t thing there’s a magic formula for this and I’m not sure the effects are measurable in terms of how many books you sell. You just have to keep plugging away and hope that some of the time you’re hitting the right target.

Do you enjoy interacting with your readers in the real world and/or online? Any significant differences between the two?

It’s always nice to get feedback. People tend to be less inhibited online as there’s a degree of distance and anonymity so I suspect there’s more honesty in online interaction.

Do you respond to reviews, good and/or bad?

I enjoy reviews and so far I’ve been lucky enough not to have any really bad ones. I think you have to accept that not everyone is going to like your book. It’s always good to acknowledge that bloggers have taken the time to write a review – you may need them again some day.

Have you ever actively marketed to a target demographic based on the genre of your writing or the theme of a particular book?

See the answer above with regard to bandwagons!

How clearly defined is the reader in your mind when writing? Would you know where to find them online?

When it comes to fiction I write for myself rather than trying to please a specific audience – I get enough of that in the day job. I’ve also found that often the people who enjoy your book aren’t always the ones you’d expect so trying to aim at a particular group may be limiting your reach.

How satisfied are you with your current publisher’s marketing efforts on your behalf?

Rebel has been great (no, honestly!) Although a small press it’s been active in sending out reviews and press releases as well as promoting via social media.

Also because there are as yet a fairly small band of Rebel authors we tend to be in touch and help promote each other’s titles.

What’s the Grand Marketing Plan for your next book?

The next book is a sequel to FALLEN STAR so I’m hoping that I can build on the existing audience. I’ve also learned a lot in promoting this title so with any luck I can do it better next time.

To what extent do you buy into the concept that as an author you are a brand?

Maybe if you’re JK Rowling or Dan Brown. Lower down the food chain, however, I think the book is what matters.

To what extent do you believe that it’s up to you to find your audience and ultimately sell your books?

I think that’s become much more important over the last few years. At one time you’d have expected the publisher to do most of that but now it’s much more of a joint enterprise and authors have to play their part.

What would your advice be to a debut novelist hoping for… well, a publishing deal, or at any rate readers?

Write the best book you possibly can. You’re not going to get anywhere with a below par product. I have the feeling that at the moment too many people are giving up on traditional publishing too soon and going down the self-pub route without taking the time to properly polish their work and understand why they’ve been getting rejections.

I can honestly say that I haven’t yet read a self-published book which wouldn’t have been better for the attentions of a good editor. FALLEN STAR was accepted by Rebel after they’d initially rejected it but with suggestions for improvement.

So where’s it all going, this publishing business?

If only I knew! I don’t think dead tree books will ever disappear completely. They may become a premium product in the way that vinyl has survived the introduction of both CDs and MP3s. I don’t think we’ve quite reached the eBook tipping point just yet either as dedicated readers are still too expensive. When you can pick up an eReader for under £50 – which I don’t think will be too long in coming – then a lot more people are likely to adopt the technology.

Do you have any experiences of doing your own marketing, digitally or otherwise, that you could share with other authors?

Sometimes you feel like you’re simply throwing notes in bottles out into a vast ocean. You have to believe that at least some of them are going to wash up on a shore where they’ll be read.

Author of BEAT ON THE BRAT (and other stories) and DIRTY OLD TOWN (and other stories), his work has appeared in a number of magazines and collections, including the Mammoth Best British Crime Stories this year.

He is about to release the much awaited PULP INK anthology with co-editor Chris Rhatigan in collaboration with Needle Publishing.

You’ll find Nigel on the web here, on Twitter here, on Facebook here and on Amazon here. Also check out the PULP INK site  here.

How digitally aware are you generally?

I have an online bank account, but it’s only used for checking up whether I’m in the black or the red.  I post a lot in threads at various book related sites (including Goodreads and Amazon) and many of our family purchases are made online.

Do you use Facebook and/or Twitter professionally and/or personally? If both, how do you distinguish between them?

I use both Facebook and Twitter.  The personal and professional worlds have pretty much blurred together now.  A lot of the people I’m linked to are also writers and it’s a community within which I feel very welcome.

Do you have a blog? If so, why – and what do you blog about?

I started a blog about 18 months ago.  It seemed like an important step for me to take if I wanted to take my ambitions regarding writing seriously.  It began with fairly random posts about me and my background.  I produced a poetry/short story magazine for about five years (the Rue Bella) and have been visiting author events for many years, so I was able to stretch things for a while.  Wherever I could, I gave things a crime slant as that was the intention of the blog.

The difficulty came when I realised that I would quickly run out of things to say.

I posted old work and book reviews to keep things going and then, in the bath (eureka!), I realised an old idea I’d had would be perfect to give me some respite.  It was the idea of author self-interviews, something I thought would allow writers, publishers, editors, bloggers etc. to talk about what really mattered to them.  That’s when the Dancing With Myself series was born.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing people through it and it’s been a very enriching experience.

In your online networking, how much time do you spend talking to other authors/publishers and how much time with readers/fans? Do you get any tangible benefits from either?

I guess that much of my networking is also partly socialising.  As I said earlier lots of the people I’m linked to are linked to writing in some form, so I imagine I talk mostly to them.  That probably takes up an hour a day. I rarely engage with readers/fans, though if the opportunity arises I will do so.  If a review appears or a thread is posted on, I’ll respond then.

This may not be a very sensible answer when I think about it, but I probably don’t engage with readers much at all; it’s more the firing out of information in the hope that it will land on fertile ground.

I do manage to maintain a trickle of sales (an average of just over 3 per day so far since January), often due to the kind efforts of friends who review, blog, tweet, Facebook, post interviews etc to help me out.

Do you enjoy interacting with your readers in the real world and/or online? Any significant differences between the two?

I love talking about eBooks, publishing and matters of writing craft.  I’m more comfortable talking to other writers about it than non-writers whose eyes seem to glaze over rather quickly if I begin.

Online interaction is much preferred.  I’m a fairly shy and bumbly sort of a chap in many ways.  My words often get twisted when I’m talking and, when this happens, I lose a lot of confidence during a chat or in a meeting.  I’m much better at writing things down; for some reason my use of grammar holds better when I’m at a keyboard, perhaps because the stress-levels are lower.

Do you respond to reviews, good and/or bad?

I’ve only just started responding to the reviews on Amazon when I see them. One of the least pleasant and probably least productive things I’ve done was to respond to what amounted to heckling on an Amazon thread.  As soon as I tried to defend myself, it felt like the whole world had joined in to give me a kicking.  Worse still, I reaped a one-star review.  It was clearly an act of malice as the author of the review hadn’t even read further than the sample.  Being me, I protested.  Big mistake.

The lesson I’d pass on there is to let negative comments slide.  Leave them to the people who enjoy making them.  However respond, you’ll soon be left in knots feeling rather angry and rather sorry for yourself.

Have you ever actively marketed to a target demographic based on the genre of your writing or the theme of a particular book?

No.  I did read a thorough survey put out by Sisters In Crime about readers and their buying habits.  It mentioned that eBook sales were on the upturn and that the lion’s share of the audience for crime fiction is female.  I wouldn’t know how to begin to do anything with that kind of information.

How clearly defined is the reader in your mind when writing? Would you know where to find them online?

I have a story in mind when writing and I don’t always have as much control over things as you might think.  Usually I’m writing to myself in the first instance.  If it’s a story for a specific target magazine, I may have an individual or their production in mind.

If I’m thinking about a broader audience, I suppose it’s the online community in which I spend a lot of my time.  When looked at like that, it seems less likely to grow a readership with such a view, rather than to open things out to other circles of readers.  Perhaps I should spend more time reading through the articles here.

How satisfied are you with your current publisher’s marketing efforts on your behalf?

Mostly I’ve been self-published.  Where that’s not the case, I haven’t seen any clear evidence of attempts to woo readers.

What I know is that I couldn’t work any harder at what I do (given the limitations imposed by 4 days a week of teaching, three young children and writing output to consider), but as I write this I’m feeling that I could work more effectively and efficiently.

What’s the Grand Marketing Plan for your next book?

My next book is an anthology.  PULP INK has 24 (I think) amazing authors involved.  We’ve send round some suggestions to those involved about getting out word.  We’ve also sent out some review copies and had some great quotes in from Anthony Neil Smith, Julie Morrigan and Chuck Wendig.  We did contact Kevin Brown (managing director for Quentin Tarrantino’s company) to see if he might get us a quote or two from someone connected to Pulp Fiction (the inspiration for this collection) and he was really helpful (though it hasn’t yet paid off).

We’ve set up a blog for the book itself at http://pulpinkbook.blogspot.com and have also set up some threads at ebook forums and on Amazon. There’s been a countdown at Sea Minor which has involved the creation of a kind of a Top Trumps game using the cover and the authors.  I think that’s been fun.

The rest will be blood, sweat and late nights.

To what extent do you buy into the concept that as an author you are a brand?

I haven’t thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense.  Whenever I put something out, I try to make sure that it’s as good as I can manage within the time restraints I have, which I suppose is a way of acknowledging that the ‘brand’ can easily be let down and damaged.

To what extent do you believe that it’s up to you to find your audience and ultimately sell your books?

It’s entirely up to me.

What would your advice be to a debut novelist hoping for… well, a publishing deal, or at any rate readers?

Big question and I may not be the man to ask. My early approach was to aim to get work published in respected publications so that when it came to working through a pile of thousands there was some kind of validation there and it might, at least, get a reading.  I was published by The Reader and then by Crimespree and they were big steps for me. The idea from there was to get an agent and a publisher and to leave my salaried job to write and nothing else.

It didn’t happen.

The eBook revolution does offer another route.  I would still suggest getting work published elsewhere first.  To me it makes sense that buying the work of someone you know or who’s passed the test of a reputable editor makes more sense than just selecting something without any credentials whatsoever.

So where’s it all going, this publishing business?

It’s going to be electronic in the main.  The publishers will catch up in the end.  Amazon will increase further its position of strength.  Innovative companies will get in now and become the leaders and trend-setters.  Self-publishing will taper off a little, like the old fanzines and indie productions of poetry mags etc.  Authors will have a little more to gain from their sales.  Authors will still have to work extremely hard at making sure people know who they are and what they write.

Libraries and bookshops will need to adapt.  New technology will come along that will make what’s happening now look like trivial change, most likely by combining media and ease of access, and likely to have a strong visual element.

There’ll be clear pricing demarcations for novels, novellas, short story collections and individual stories.  Porn and erotic work will still fill most of the slots at Smashwords (or rather their equivalent if we’re talking futures).  Tactile books for children, specialist books, limited releases of hard-backs and paperbacks will still be created.  And people will still love stories.

Do you have any experiences of doing your own marketing, digitally or otherwise, that you could share with other authors?

I think I’ve probably talked about most of them in this interview. In my time I’ve stood out on street corners selling, fly-posted in the middle of the night, done readings, blog interviews, told everyone I know, contacted the whole of my email address book (sorry folks) and probably tried to make my work more accomplished than it is from time to time. Just doing this has been a learning exercise for me.

Those fly posters I mentioned, all around the borough of Camden, might have accounted for two sales in Waterstones and most likely neither of them.  In other words, you can spend a lot of time on the wrong thing.

Maybe it would be very productive for us all to learn about what the right things are. And thanks for the lesson.

As a child, L. J. wrote and drew stories for herself; as a teenager, she produced a fanzine about punk rock bands in her hometown; as an adult, she started writing short stories and novels. She has a website and a blog at Livejournal, which links her Twitter, Goodreads, and various other internet footprints in one convenient place.

Promotions

Ah, the word that everyone loves to hear.

It can be a difficult, even challenging thing to step up to the plate and promote yourself and your writing, especially if you’re naturally shy or self-effacing. Even on the internet, where there’s still distance between you the author, and your readers, it can still feel daunting and scary. I know, I’ve felt like that myself sometimes. In the end, though, I’ve had to gird up my metaphorical loins and just do it.

It seems strange as I write this to acknowledge that yes, I do get attacks of shyness, remembering that when I was a teenager, I was writing, publishing (if you call photocopying and stapling pages together) and distributing a fanzine. True, it was only in my home city and it was a very niche market – local punk rock bands – but I was still going out there, interviewing bands, printing those interviews, reviewing their music and having a ball doing it. Later, in my twenties, I did the promotional work for the history group I was a member – and secretary – of, and I loved doing that too, but again, that was local and a niche market. Same with managing a band – small city, niche market and there’s only so many fliers you can put up before you wonder how to get the punters into the band’s gig. (And, sad to say, there’s no money in it. We did it all – the history group, the band – for love, not money.)

And that’s the rub, regardless of who or what you’re promoting. You can’t force people to read your book or listen to your music or watch your play at the local theatre. You can’t make your work be the most desired thing on every reading list, ever, because we’re all different and sometimes, your baby, your child, your work is just not going to appeal to a broad audience.

I’ve had that experience, too. It sucks, to be sure. But, you pick yourself up, dust off your hands and get back into it.

One of the best things you as a writer can do, is continue to write. Creating a backlog of work is good not just for you but for your readers. If they like one of your books, they’ll tell their friends and hunt out your other books. The more you write, the more people will read. It’s a lovely ouroborous.

However, there is always the question of what do you do when the manuscript is polished, edited, formatted and on sale? How do you let people know that there’s a novel they might like to read and hey, you’re the one that wrote it?

Before the advent of the internet and social networking, there were less immediate ways to promote your work that didn’t cost a lot of money. Australian thriller author, Matthew Reilly, author of the Scarecrow series, released his first novel, CONTEST, before the internet’s social networking boom and as a self-published book. How did he promote it? By being inventive and by using traditional media.

Matthew says of promoting CONTEST,

First (and probably most hilariously), on the way to work, I would sit in a seat that faces the rest of the bus and I would read CONTEST – making sure to hold the book high so everyone would see it! Secondly, I called my local newspaper and said, ‘Hi, I’m Matthew Reilly, I live in the area and I’ve written a novel, would you like to write a story about me?’ They sent a reporter and a photographer that afternoon. Remember, local newspapers are desperate for local interest stories and, mark my words, people read them. My local sales skyrocketed after that one small article. Apart from that, give a few (signed) copies away at work. If someone likes your book, they will email the whole darn company about it (which is much better than you emailing the whole company about your own book) Hey, it happened to me. A lot of people at my law firm got a signed copy of CONTEST for Christmas in 1996.

The internet has given us a bevy of tools to aid in the promotion of our work, be it books, music or art. A lot of these are collected beneath the umbrella Social Networking.

The big three: Facebook…

I, myself, don’t use Facebook for this purpose. However, I asked Xakara, author of SHIFTING PASSIONS, who uses Facebook frequently as a promotional avenue, for her views. Xakara writes ménage – male/male/female and more – erotic paranormal romance. She very kindly took the time to share what it is about Facebook that she finds useful.

It was the community atmosphere of Facebook that drew me in. I appreciate the fact that Facebook promotes interaction through status updates, wall posts and notes–a blog like feature for longer points of sharing. I have a profile page rather than a fan page on Facebook. I wanted to begin building my platform as soon as I got my first contract. A fan page seemed presumptuous since I didn’t have any available work to be a fan of at the time. It was also my first foray into using Facebook and I wanted to learn it as a reader utilizes the format. Once I reach the limit of friends I can have on a personal page, I’ll launch a fan page and do for each world I’m writing is as well.

This sort of page building is very similar to blogging – the platform is what is different. Facebook doesn’t appeal to everyone (and I include myself in that), but if the idea of networking that way does appeal to you, then Xakara has this to say about the pros and cons of Facebook.

The pros: It’s simple, direct and immediate. In particular with profile pages, it’s an approachable medium between authors and readers that you don’t get with static websites and can sometimes be lacking with blogs. The cons: Facebook no longer allows artists to run promotional contests on their pages. The posting format changes without warning and the games are addictive and such away time from writing! I post everything from random thoughts, to links, to information on guest blogs. My personal blog is also connected to Facebook so that every time I post, it appears on my page. Some might feel that the random thoughts aren’t professional, but it’s not meant to be. Authors are real people and Facebook is a chance to show that real side.

I think this is one of the most important things to remember. Authors are real people and we like to talk as much as the next person. The internet and promoting via social media allows us to do that without leaving home, and, more importantly, without leaving whatever we happen to be working on at that moment.

Twitter…

Twitter is one of my personal favourites for promoting. I will admit that when I first got myself a Twitter account, I was a little perplexed at how on earth I was going to convey anything interesting in 140 characters. However, that brevity quickly became a writing challenge in itself. Condensing your work into 140 characters is a good challenge and a good exercise in writing a by-line/log-line. Twitter also gives you the opportunity to chat with anyone and everyone about anything. For me, I find Twitter more immediate than blogging (which is my second favourite), and it’s invaluable for promoting your book, running competitions to give away freebies or alerting your followers if you’re guest blogging.

Xakara agrees, adding that, “Twitter is invaluable. It’s a social media format that doesn’t make sense from the outside, but once you begin to use it, it’s an incredibly inspiring tool of communication and community building around common interests.”

I spoke to fellow Australian author, RJ Astruc, author of HARMONICA & GIG about Twitter and how she promotes her work. RJ writes humour/fantasy and cyberpunk science fiction, adult fiction for adult audiences. Of Twitter and her experiences there, RJ said, “I’m not terribly good at self promotion, as I’m rarely a fan of my own stuff, but I do talk about my books on Twitter and occasionally on my blog.” She went on to say that the most effective method of getting her work out was, “Twitter,” and:

Normally most promotion is through book reviewers. For the latest novel though, my publisher looked at specialist bookstores (local to Australia and New Zealand, as that is where the story is set) and sent them review copies as well. My publishers also go to a lot of conventions and have stalls there which include my books. I think people learn my name from the short fiction and then hopefully traipse back to my website to see what books I have available.

I will tweet about whatever happens to come to mind, not just my books. Twitter’s flexibility and the interests of the people who follow me and who I follow is extremely broad. I think that building a dialogue and giving an insight into yourself, what you do, what you like, links to things you find interesting or funny or sad or generally emotive, is a great way to share not just your work but yourself as The Author. If people tweet me, I tweet back. The speed and immediacy of Twitter makes it one of the best ways to promote, in my opinion. And whenever the Fail Whale pops up to say that Twitter is over capacity, that’s a good sign to get back to work!

…and blogging

Blogging allows me to expand on the 140 character limit and write about not just my work, with links and giveaways, but to interact with readers and fellow authors at greater length. Most blogging platforms have ways to link to your other means of promotions, be it Facebook or Twitter or both, and I use the link feature to promote my blog on my Twitter account.

The blog also serves as a first port of call so to speak. As Xakara says, “I think blogs are vital to allowing those necessary glimpses into the process and into the artist themselves.” I’ve seen comments that a reader is more likely to read Y or Z’s novel because of how much they enjoyed their interaction with them on a blog. Blog hopping or guest blogging is a way of getting your blog self out to a broader audience. Blogging platforms come in all shapes and sizes, the most popular being Livejournal (where I am), Blogspot, Blogger and WordPress. All of these have the ability to cross post to other platforms and to link back your posts to Twitter and Facebook with the click of a button.

There are also weekly activities such as Thursday Thirteen (each Thursday you blog a list of 13 things. What kind of things? Any kind! Just come up with a list theme and run with it. One week you may list “13 things on my mind” and maybe the next week you’d list “my top 13 favourite movies”). There’s also Six Sentence Sunday (from the sfrcontests at Blogspot: Pick any SIX sentences from your work from any genre, whether WIP or published (you don’t have to be published to participate) and post them on your blog on Sunday before 9 AM EST.)

Blogs can also be great tools for hosting release parties on the release day of your book. Post excerpts from the book, talk about what inspired you, invite readers to ask you questions and do release day giveaways of the e-book version of your book. The best way to sum up the blog party comes from Xakara, “I find site parties where ads are used have been helpful. My favourite forms of promotion are blog hops and guest features that allow several authors to band together for cross-promotion, bringing readers diverse options and sharing the time load to bring valued content to the media at hand.”

Of course, that isn’t all. Those are the big three. If you aren’t exhausted by those and you have the time – and I fully understand that not everyone does have the time, writing is not the sole occupation of every writer – there are other things you can do.

Other channels

Goodreads is a great place to interact with readers, authors and publishers. You can create an author’s page on the site and join discussion groups, review books, let others know what you’re reading in between the process of writing. I find that I tend to lurk more often than not, because of, yep, you guessed it, my shyness. That shyness chooses the strangest places to rear its ugly head.

That is not to say that I never participate at Goodreads, because I do. I review books from time to time, I join in discussions in the groups I’m a member of. There are groups for just about everything related to books and reading on Goodreads, so I have little doubt that there’s something for every author and reader to enjoy. Goodreads is growing day by day and personally, I find the atmosphere and the layout to be friendly and welcoming, the site to be easily navigable and again, you can tie your Facebook, Twitter and blog to your Goodreads Author Account.

Then there are mailing lists. Oh yes, mailing lists still exist, and hosts such as Yahoogroups or Googlegroups have millions of them. It takes some time to trawl through the list of groups related to your genre to be sure, but once you find a group that suits you, join in and get to posting – following the group rules, of course.

Mailing lists (or loops, as the publishers refer to their own lists,) provide the opportunity to post excerpts and blurbs and interact with readers and fellow writers. Just as the Blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads do. It’s another platform to use to promote yourself, get your work out there and to meet new people and make friends.

Finally, there are other social networking platforms, like Klout or Google + or Plurk or Library Thing or Shelfari. The internet really is your oysteR.

When life gets in the way

Of course, one can’t always do these things. Work, health, family – there are obligations that we need to fulfil and situations we can’t ignore or avoid, as much as we might like to. We all have to eat and pay the bills, after all. If all of this sounds daunting and makes you feel that you simply don’t have time to promote your work, don’t panic.

Another fellow Australian author, who kindly agreed to talk about her promotions is Meredith Shayne, author of EQUILIBRIUM. She is a writer of m/m contemporary romance has this to say.