Back to Business: KEEPING UP WITH THE (no, not Kardashians) PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

So, you shouldn't waste too much time on the interwebs. YOU SHOULD BE WRITING! But just in case you (like me) need a break from time to time--and, in truth, if you're serious about being in the children's or YA literature business--here are a few helpful industry links:

PUBLISHERS LUNCH on FACEBOOK (nice, free updates on the industry, book deals, etc.)

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Children's page (on the web, great info and links to blogs)

SCBWI (if you don't belong already, go join today!)

If Twitter's your thing, I recommend @ShelfAwareness

And, if you're so inclined, click one more time and enter to win a signed, annotated arc of THE
SOUND OF LETTING GO!

Back to Business: Identifying the Resources You Already Have (but maybe don't recognize) to Market Your Book

Sometimes the idea of guiding your book out into the world is simply terrifying. Likely you started in this business because you wanted to WRITE BOOKS, not because you wanted to generate character interviews and playlists, participate in giveaways and blog tours, bare your soul about the lonely and often highly-caloric life of one who sits at a keyboard waiting for the muse while ingesting chocolate or Pringles or whatever. IT IS SCARY. You feel powerless. Also, possibly annoyed and intimidated. But I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS.

YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE THE PEOPLE YOU MEET ON THIS JOURNEY FROM PRIVATE WRITER TO PUBLIC AUTHOR. LOTS OF THEM WILL BE LIKE YOU. SOME WILL EVEN BECOME GOOD FRIENDS.

At many a conference, I have heard editors, publicists, agents and authors advise others that you should help market your book in ways that feel natural--ways you are comfortable. Don't start vlogging if you hate it. Don't create a blog if it's not your thing. Don't speak to school kids if it drives you to drink. But what they don't tell you is WHAT YOU SHOULD DO.  I'm gonna try.

HERE IS OUR QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TODAY...

1. Think of your FAVORITE thing to do when you're not in your author world. Do you hike? Draw? Go to rock concerts or community theater productions?  Who from that world is also interested in books? How do you connect those parts of your life (there may be no answer, but try)?

2. Think of times you have helped others get the word out about ANYTHING (your kid's school play, a political campaign, a new business). What kind of help did you lend them? What parts of the effort did you enjoy?

3. Where would you LOVE to visit? NOT HAWAII. I mean a lower-forty-states city, maybe a

landmark bookstore or your college alma mater. Make a list of at least five of these places and, if possible, people you know there (even FB friends are fine!).

4. Run through your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter connections, as well as any professional organization or other group lists, and write down the names of people with whom you genuinely enjoy interacting, or whom you've always wanted to reach out to because they make interesting contributions to chats, write cool posts, talk about their local library, whatever.

5. Do you have a cousin who is the president of anything? Heehee! I don't. Wish I did.

#5 aside, you have before you the seeds of a promotional team, a list of potential tour stops, and the beginning of a brainstorm of ideas for the WAYS in which you would like to share your AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT. 

YOU WROTE A BOOK, BTW. Don't knock it!

 

NEXT WEEK, we'll start putting the pieces together into a MARKETING PLAN.

Back to Business: WHAT IS A MARKETING PLAN (and who is in charge of it)?

WHAT IS A MARKETING PLAN?

Ever wondered this? Sometimes it's easier to know what a marketing plan isn't.  A marketing plan is not a SALES plan. A sales plan is a plan for maximizing revenue and closing deals. Sales is what happens when a customer takes a book to the cash register of a local bookstore and hands over his or her credit card. Sales is getting said bookstore, novelty shop, big box chain, book club, etc., to stock/list your title.  Marketing is also not PUBLICITY efforts, which you might consider the attention-grabbing actions that require payment, such as placing ads in teen magazines (virtual or paper) and sometimes producing professional book trailers or other promo materials (note: publicists also arrange for radio/tv appearances but let's assume you're NOT Chris Coifer or Tyra Banks, 'kay?). YOU (the book author, exceptions noted in intro, above) can rarely impact point-of-sale. And, if you're like me, you have no personal publicity budget. BUT you can make a strong contribution to marketing, because...

MARKETING is a collection of "cost-free" (as in dollar cost, not time and effort) things done to connect with prospective book buyers. Marketing is reaching out, persuading, enticing...

This is merely a working definition because, as in many industries, children's and YA book publishers' trade marketing plans have significant overlap with publicity and educational marketing. 

For many titles, the marketing plan is a pro-forma document including such generic phrases as "online promotion & social media outreach" and "ARC distribution and blogger outreach." Sometimes, there's no actual written plan at all. You can ask (nicely) to see your in-house marketing plan but don't freak if one isn't forthcoming. This is nobody's fault. Big-name authors and highly anticipated novels will get the most attention in-house and everywhere else. But there's a bright lining to this cloud: The more bland your in-house marketing plan, the lower the sales expectations likely are for your novel. You have more opportunity for small victories and less risk of flaming out.  Embrace the very typical scenario that you're getting low-level marketing attention, and that much of the marketing effort will fall to you (e.g., that "blogger outreach"? - your job!).

But you can still help yourself along. Keep in mind that you are a WRITER, not a marketing professional (some exceptions surely apply) and that you probably have a limited amount of time to support your publisher's marketing efforts. Here are some ways to be efficient and a solid team player.  First...

IDENTIFY YOUR MARKET

Take a sober step back from your beloved manuscript and ask yourself: WHO WILL WANT TO
READ THIS BOOK? WHO WILL LIKE THIS BOOK? More specifically, answer these questions:

1. WHO are three other authors who I believe have similar readership? And how are their books marketed?
2. HOW might I draw the narrowest parameter around my "ideal" reader (e.g., age 7-9; girl; horse-lover; suburbanite - OR - age 16-20; girl; educated; sexually curious; child of divorce). And, are there magazines, websites, blogs, specialty stores, clubs, etc., that speak to this same reader?
3. DOES my book have more than one type of reader? If so, repeat exercises A & B. This may especially be the case with crossover titles.
4. WHO buys books for my ideal reader (parents, friends, readers themselves, online or in-store)?
5. DOES this book have CLASSROOM POTENTIAL (go learn about the Common Core Standards and write 2-3 bullet points showing any connections).

That's a lot of work, but it is important for a writer to answer these questions for him/herself. they are the equivalent of your "elevator pitch" for the next leg of the author journey. Whether or not you already have a virtual platform or other marketing springboard, you are now becoming a smart advocate for your book, ready to jump in and help your publisher draw eyes to your lovely cover. You are in a position to ask your publisher for help because you have done some serious work to identify your market and are not wasting time asking for broad, expensive help that will really only be given to proven superstars and lead titles.

WHEN SHOULD YOU ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS? As soon as possible after you've finished revising the ms (don't tweak the ms for marketing--very bad idea).

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO (SPECIFICALLY) WITH THE ANSWERS?
Keep your answers and get ready for next Monday's worksheet/questionnaire: Identifying the Resources You Already Have...

BACK TO BUSINESS MONDAY: Labels & Plans

Happy Monday-After-Thanksgiving!  The day on which we avoid scales and pray we never see a slice of turkey again in our lives.  Also the day on which the panic over Christmas preparations sets in.

Between writing and holiday plans, I am worried about keeping up with my cyber-presence (ahem, note that tardiness of this Monday's post).  And, I've got a lot to do to get the website live by my March 1 deadline. In conversation with fellow writers and website folks, I've come to realize that a good website requires a great deal of thought and planning.  And, as I consider some of the issues which have been pointed out to me, I realize both shortcomings of this blog and things I want to do so that what I share here makes sense and connects to my main author website.  A LOT to ponder. So, to avoid feeling completely overwhelmed, I have decided to give myself a number of clear, quantifiable (e.g., I'll know when I'm finished) tasks to get this blog in maximum good shape between now and Christmas.

This week: BLOG LABELS.  I am going to go back through at least six months of blog posts and add labels so the blog is searchable.  Anyone want to join me?  Or are you all blog-efficient smarties who label as you go?  (If so, I am very jealous of you right now!)

Back-to-Business Monday: DEADLINES & TIMELINES

Can it possibly be just ten days until Thanksgiving?  Where did November go (not to mention October, September, and summer)?  For those of you in the midst of NaNoWriMo this year, I'm sure the time feels like it's flying even faster.  For me, I am certain it will be minutes until I blink and we're in 2011--the big year--the year my first novel will hit the shelves.  Every time I think of all there is to do before next fall, I get a little queasy.  Okay, a LOT queasy.

For decades I struggled as a writer-on-the-side, in an endless search for the time to write manuscripts and (ultimately) the courage to submit my work for publication.  Still, the timeframes were always mine to set, the deadlines internally imposed.  Now I find myself in a new place with the pressure of writing, editing, promoting, blogging, Tweeting (argh--just kind of trying this now but if you're curious, I'm @swkehoe) on deadlines coming more from the "outside world" of publishing.

Here's some good advice I've gotten from writer friends: MAKE YOURSELF A TIMELINE to help you set priorities and stay focused.  Here's mine:

NOVEMBER 24: Cook a turkey

DECEMBER 24: Get kids' presents under tree

JAUARY 1: Revisions on new ms (so close...just not THERE yet)
FEBRUARY 1: Run my long-in-the-works blog contest in which I'll write a free reading guide for the author/illustrator winner's book of choice (this one is for published/soon-to-be published writers)

MARCH 1: Have website live

I've mixed a bit of real life with the writer life stuff.  I'm also forcing myself to NOT write a word on this great new book idea I've had until AFTER the website is live.  And, I've decided that I want to run the blog contest even though there might be a bit of a time crunch.

"Sometimes it helps to just write things down," said the writer :)

What does your timeline look like?

Back to Business Monday: WHO USES YOUR BLOG?

A year or so ago, when I got back to blogging in earnest, I added a stat counting function. At first it was fun just to see how many hits my blog got each week (okay, I admit, at the beginning I was totally compulsive and checked the thing daily!). Anyhow, before the thrill wore off, I explored the various functions of my stat counting program and discovered I could track visitors by geography, point of entry, and even by keyword search.

Given the modest scope of my blog, I didn't look at this data with much more than curiosity. Still, when I saw many searches on "themes in HUNGER GAMES" and "titles about lies" (I did a post on the YA novels LIAR and WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED awhile back), I briefly wondered how many school papers might be informed by my musings. 

Anyhow, this morning on the Kidlitosphere discussion string, there was some interesting information about a cooking blogger whose article was lifted and reprinted on a cooking website. Here's the originating CNN article, if you're interested.

I began to wonder if I should be more troubled by certain searches that drive to my blog and whether this is a consideration for other bloggers.  Have you ever encountered (or worried about) the journey the web content you produce is taking? Does it affect what you write for your posts?

Back-to-Business Monday: BIOGRAPHY

Does writing about yourself
make you feel like this?

Ha ha ha -- you thought this was going to be an enlightening post about nonfiction, didn't you? Nope!

Last week, my editor asked me to send along an author bio for the book jacket. So, what did I do (after panicking)? I ran around my house reading every jacket bio I could lay my hands on. Then I panicked some more, wrote something mediocre, sent it to my husband, disagreed with his feedback ("honey, shouldn't you be more 'braggy'?"), rewrote said bio and sent it to my agent .

Along the way, I have discovered a personal preference for bios that are crisp, concise, and not too academic. I like knowing where an author is from and if they've got a family (nosy me!). Also cool is information on whether they have any sort of personal connection to the subject matter of their book. Funny is good. Witty is better. Then again, if you've been on the NYT best-seller list, you can kind of just write: I've written lots of other popular stuff--hope you like this one :)

Have you ever read a particularly great bit of biographical flap copy?  Share, share, share.  Please!

Back-to-Business Monday: IT'S ABOUT THE BOOKS, RIGHT?

It's a fine line we 21st century writers walk between writing great work to go between the covers of our books AND writing, almost constantly, as part of our efforts to reach out to our readership through websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook and so on. So many words, so little time.


Every week (and sometimes almost daily), I have conversations with authors struggling to find balance between producing their best work and promoting what's already published (not just on line but through bookstore appearances, author visits, conferences and other types of in-person promotion) so that they'll continue to have opportunities to write. I always have the greatest sympathy for this conundrum--I struggle with it myself. And I so wish I had a magic formula to help authors choose which types of promotion are worth the time and angst and which are not.

Right now, for me, I feel strongly pulled toward writing (over promotion). This always happens when I'm revising something that really excites me. You know, when you find yourself driving along the road or standing in the shower and all of a sudden you think, "Of course, and then the mc HAS GOT TO do/say/think..." and you've got to pull over quick or wrap yourself in a towel to write your idea out, dripping wet or running late to whatever's next in your real world.

To this end, I'll close today by pointing you to my lovely friend Molly's blog to read about her November event, the Golden Coffee Cup. Molly has a knack for spreading good writing karma and for those of you who are "all about the book" like me right now, you might want to head on over and join in the golden fun!

Back-to-Business Monday: POSTING PARANOIA

 
 
Okay, I just deleted a very useful and practical post about authors who take too long to reply to emails from their publishers.  It even had suggestions for professional ways of managing email/logistical correspondence if it isn't your strong suit.  However, as we all know, nothing ever really disappears from the internet and it occurred to me that my helpful words might be misconstrued as the angry rant of a marketing person.  Truthfully, this is not the case.  I save all my real tears for my novels :)
 
However, after having wasted the better part of an hour composing, proofing, and deleting, I realized that what I was learning was that I have a pretty solid case of posting paranoia.  In fiction, we work to quell the "inner critic" but in blogging, a sober second thought before hitting the "publish post" button is probably a good idea.  Because, as bloggers, we develop our own online personas and they have to be in keeping with who we are, what we want to talk about and, hopefully, our offline objectives as well.
 
Have you recognized any boundaries of your blogging comfort zone?  Could you describe your blogger persona in fifteen words or less?  And, do you ever have posting paranoia?

THE HONORARIUM QUESTION #4: School/Library Appearances & Bookstores

Okay, let's admit it, not every bookstore signing makes you feel like a rock star. Weak turnout can happen for a variety of reasons and you've all heard the stories so I'm not going to enumerate them here. BUT school and library appearances can be a BIG HELP in making bookstore appearances more successful.

If you've got a bookstore signing lined up, on your own or with help from your publisher, offer to visit nearby schools and libraries so that, when you arrive at the bookstore in the evening, you've built buzz amongst area readers and educators. When you're at the schools, tell them about something special that'll be happening at the bookstore (give-away, secret, food) to give them incentive to come back for more.

HOW do you get school gigs near a local bookstore? Check with the bookstore to see if they have relationships with local schools (clear with your publicity department first, if applicable). Be aware that if your book signing has been planned and funded by your publisher, it's generally considered proper etiquette to comp stops at nearby schools. If you are coordinating bookstore visits on your own (and paying on your own dime) it's a bit of a different story but, since you'll be in town anyway, I'd advise a reduced, flat fee without travel or expense charges.

In general, when you've got to travel to an appearance, it's great to try to maximize the marketing value of all that time and trouble. I know authors who aggressively pursue school visits to coincide with book signings, and authors who always ask host schools if they know another school that might be interested in a second day (especially if the visit requires notable travel). As with all marketing, it's best to keep your publisher in the loop and to be sensitive to your own limits in terms of how much marketing you can manage (or stomach) and still be doing your best writing.

I hope these honorarium posts have been helpful. Now I'm back to my own ms :)

THE BUSINESS OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS: "Free" Lessons for Children's Book Writers

On Wednesday mornings, I teach "Literary Magazine" in my son's third-grade classroom. I take half the class  at a time, so it's nice for the teacher to spend an hour with a smaller group. And, it's something different for the kids, so they seem to enjoy it, too. But the person who likes "Literary Magazine" best of all is me. (For a charming take on school visits, read Louise Borden's delightful THE DAY EDDIE MET THE AUTHOR.)
What's so great about spending an hour a week with ten third-graders?

• I get to experiment with writing strategies, themes and ideas I am developing for reading guides.

• I learn what works and what doesn't work--what makes sense and what goes right out the proverbial window.

• I get to see what third graders of all sorts of ability levels can and want to do.

• Working with my son's class reminds me that all kids don't find reading easy...all kids don't love to write...but ALL KIDS want to share their stories.

These lessons are valuable in so many ways, not the least of which is the way that they can prepare published and unpublished writers for the school and library marketing journey. Here (in no particular order) are six things I have learned.

1. I love teaching kids and I don't mind if they're a little bit flaky. In fact, I often find the disinterested or unfocused kid my biggest challenge and work hard to think of ways to help them get in touch with their "inner writer."

2. I can make kids think I'm cool (and occasionally funny) by not being too strict and admitting when I mess something up.

3. I love the hush that comes over the group when I read something really great out loud.

4. I find that kids enjoy breaking down WHY a story or paragraph engages them.

5. I have found free writing to be a great teaching tool, but it is skill that must be developed and tends to get harder as kids reach adolescence (this I've learned from also working with older students).

6. I find stereotypes such as "hyper kids should be onstage" and "quiet kids are probably going to become computer programmers or writers" to be highly amusing--and the kids do, too!

If you can't make a list something like the one above, go to your local elementary, middle or high school and volunteer to teach writing (aka, "free" lessons on developing your school and library marketing platform and presentation). If you wind up having fun, then school and library appearances are probably for you!

ON READING GUIDES, WRITING, AND HIDDEN SNOW: Some "Reading Guide Questions" for Writers

A couple of months ago, my husband made the mistake of doing some back-country skiing with a friendly old guy who'd been living on our ski hill for years (note random ski photo of me and husband to right). When my husband took his inevitable tumble, the guy told him that this had happened because he'd failed to look at "the snow beneath the snow." Go ahead, laugh at the expression. But, in the context of analyzing manuscripts and writing reading guides, I think it may have some merit. Seeing the author's craft, hopefully artfully concealed beneath a breathlessly wonderful story, is kind of like looking at the snow beneath the snow. And it can teach you a lot about writing and revising your own work.

An example. Recently, I read a highly-recommended, much-lauded book. I have to admit, I didn't love it. Usually I read books in one sitting and this one took me almost a week. Back in my pre-writing-guide days, I might not even have finished the book. But, as a writer and guide-writer, I WANTED TO KNOW what made the book work for so many people. This is important because, if you work for hire, you will from time-to-time find yourself working on a manuscript that is out of your comfort range. It is also helpful to look at your own work this way if you find yourself feeling disconnected from your story or its characters.

Here are 4 question bundles to help you keep reading and learning from both beloved and challenging manuscripts--to spot that underlying snow!

1. Is the book's point-of-view typical or unusual? Do I generally like books written from this POV? Why do I think the author chose this POV to explore the plot and themes of this story? Do I feel they made the right choice? Why or why not?

2. What are the three most interesting attributes the author has given to the main character? What is fresh about this mc? Do I like or dislike the mc, and why? How do I think middle grade, YA, or other age-level readers will connect with this mc?

3. Whether fantasy, historical, realistic fiction or even non-fiction, how does the author create a world for his/her reader? Does the world feel complete, fleshed-out? If so, why?  If not, what feels like it is missing (specifics, like plant life or smells are fine)?  Would I want to be a character in this world? Where would I fit in?

4. What do I think the author is trying to accomplish, show, or explore in this book (this is kind of that snow-beneath thing)? Does he or she achieve these goals, entirely or partially? What do I think is the strongest accomplishment (e.g., writing style, characterizations, plot twists, imagery) of this book?

In the end, by asking the questions above, I learned a lot from reading the aforementioned much-lauded book. I was impressed by the uniqueness, clarity and consistency of the point-of-view, as well as the work the author put into creating such an authentic world. The book, despite everything, has stuck with me. Because of my analytical read, I was able to find a lot to appreciate. Who knows, maybe it'll marinate awhile and wind up on my favorites list one day after all!

All the same, I am not taking up back-country skiing :)