The making of the ABERRATIONS book trailer

Penelope Przekop, the author of ABERRATIONS who was interviewed here in July, recently created a book trailer for her novel with the help of her publicity team and generously agreed to give us a behind-the-scenes look at what that process was like for her.

Why did you decide to create a book trailer?
Although I’m an avid reader, I was unfamiliar with book trailers until just prior to the release of ABERRATIONS. When my publisher sent over a few examples, I was surprised to see that the concept was being used for books. I thought this was quite interesting. I decided to explore it further, and then to create one for ABERRATIONS because it would complement the Internet publicity campaign planned through my publicity firm, Planned Television Arts. Every little bit helps!

There are numerous ways you could have taken it. What was the inspiration for your choice? I spent some time searching for and viewing more examples on the Internet. Frankly, I thought many of them were boring, considering we’re all spoiled by the exciting movie trailers being thrown at us. It’s an excellent tool for book promotion, but from what I’ve seen, the concept seems to need a few creative twists to really explode into the mainstream. I decided to use the concept in ABERRATIONS, and I wanted it to be thought-provoking and inspiring. In addition, I came up with the following criteria:

-Must grab the attention; nothing boring.
-Must appeal to the target audience for the novel.
-Must somehow embody the tone and voice of the novel.-Must be relevant to the current mainstream pop culture. (Since it’s an Internet tool, it’s important to consider the types of readers who are heavily utilizing the Internet, particularly for entertainment.)
-Must make viewers want to know more.
-Must be inexpensive. (I also had to consider my budget. I didn’t want to pay thousands of dollars for my trailer.)

With all this in mind, I brainstormed about which way I could take it. I like those YouTube videos that start out comical and then morph into a serious message. I thought about doing something along those lines, particularly because I could tap into the comedy around narcolepsy. Ultimately, I wasn’t comfortable with that approach and moved on in my thinking. I eventually decided to focus on the underlying theme of the novel rather than the plot, which is that we all have something different about us that may, at times, be perceived as negative by ourselves or others, but that actually makes us unique and interesting. I came up with the specific idea by using my standard creative process, which is tough to explain and includes simultaneously thinking and not thinking about something until the best ideas pop into my head, usually while I’m driving, taking a shower, blow drying my hair, or cleaning a toilet—some type of physical, automatic process. I guess that’s content for another blog topic... Anyway, what you see was the outcome of this process, and is the type of book trailer that I would want to watch. It’s the type of book trailer that would inspire interest in me. Hopefully this translates to being interesting and inspiring for everyone else!

How did you create the trailer?
Creation of a book trailer was not included in the contract I signed with PTA, but they were willing to help. With this said, in discussions with them, it was agreed that I would do much of the work myself, and they would primarily assist with distribution of the trailer. I boiled it down to just about the simplest thing I could: a slideshow. I put together a slideshow with captions and transitions that would help relay the intended message. Then I spent some time reading song lyrics until I found one that I felt was perfect. PTA helped me with a few of the technical aspects, such as syncing up the music and transforming the slideshow into video format. Once I had video format, I was able to upload it to YouTube. It was a fun and creative process, and I look forward to doing it again. My main concern was that it would look professional enough, and I believe that was accomplished. I’m sure there are more complex tools and approaches that can be applied, however, and I look forward to being in the position to explore those further.

What do you plan to do with the book trailer now that it’s done?
To put it simply, our goal is to spread it around the Internet as much as possible. We’ve reached out to all the contacts that we’ve already worked with on the Internet campaign. I have also shared it on MySpace and Facebook, including sending it to my Facebook Fan Page buddies. We uploaded it to the home page of my web site. The great thing about YouTube videos is that when they are over, the viewer is automatically provided a link and html code that can be easily grabbed and used on web sites, blogs, e-mail, etc. I hope lots of people will grab this information and share the trailer with their networks. There are no guarantees and it may take some time, but I do believe it’s a wonderful addition for an Internet publicity campaign.

For more about Penelope Przekop and ABERRATIONS, visit http://www.penelopeprzekop.com.

Book trailer keeps the spotlight on SHINING CITY

Authors might debate the merits of book trailers in general, but no one can deny the 2 minute, 13 second short Seth Greenland produced for his novel SHINING CITY was money and time well spent.

Soon after he posted the trailer on YouTube in June, it was the subject of this essay in the Los Angeles Times' Sunday Book Review (back in the days when the L.A. Times had a stand-alone book section -- but that's a rant for another day).

And the trailer is still gaining attention.

Last week, NPR's All Things Considered ran a feature on book trailers and included SHINING CITY's in its reporting. "This additional publicity resulted in a spike in YouTube hits for the video and a noticeable sales bump on Amazon," Greenland says.

Does every book trailer get this kind of attention? Of course not. A search in the YouTube database alone pulls up thousands, mostly of the elevator music and slideshow variety, and most of them largely ignored.

But if a trailer is done well, it can be an important part of a book's media campaign. SHINING CITY's is proof.

(What? You haven't even seen the trailer? Oh, c'mon! It's really pretty entertaining. See for yourself:

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS, with novelist Alyson Noel

When the young adult novel FAKING 19 published in 2005, it didn’t take long to see that Alyson Noel was a writing star on the rise. The former flight attendant’s debut earned her a Quill Award nomination, and she has since published five more young adult titles, as well as an adult fiction novel, FLY ME TO THE MOON, which Publishers Weekly hailed as “Sex in the City at 37,000 feet,” and Romantic Times called a “wonderfully written romp” that “elicits fun, surprise, and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of the airline industry.” Her latest novel, CRUEL SUMMER, was chosen as one of Seventeen Magazine’s Summer Beach Reads.

Noel lives in Laguna Beach with her husband, where she’s at work on her next novels.

What were the top five things you did to market your book after publication?
You mean other than cross my fingers? Well, with my most recent release, CRUEL SUMMER, I donated books for contests and giveaways, blogged incessantly on my blog (http://www.alysonnoel.com/blog.html), as well as my group blog, (http://teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com/), and signed stock at just about every bookstore I drove past. And since most teen readers spend a good amount of time online, I try to keep my Myspace and Facebook pages current, respond to all comments, and I’ve even started to Twitter!

What was the best thing you did before publication to prepare?
I reserved ad space on teensreadtoo.com, which is a really great site dedicated to YA books that drives a lot of traffic to my Web site. I also hired Circle of Seven to make a book trailer because they’re fun to have, COS is great to work with, and the company offers amazing distribution. And while the jury’s still undecided as to whether or not it translates into sales, it does give the book’s cover additional exposure, and my readers seem to like them. I also sent copies to various online YA reviewers, but one of the best things I ever did was add a bulletin board feature to my Web site where I can communicate directly with readers—that’s proven to be not only rewarding, but fun!

Did you work alone on your book promotion strategy, or in conjunction with a publicist?
I’ve got a great publicist at St Martin’s Press, Katy Hershberger, who I’ve worked with for several books now, so we hit all the usual outlets and are always looking for new ones to add as well, which resulted in CRUEL SUMMER getting a really nice write-up in Ciudad, as well as a Seventeen book club pick!

If you knew then (when your book first published) what you know now, what might you have done differently?
Um, everthing? Seriously, I was so green back then, so completely clueless, I had no idea what I was doing. Heck, I didn’t even join RWA or any Yahoo loops until my third book, LAGUNA COVE, was already on the shelves! So, in a way it’s been sort of a reverse learning experience! But, looking back, I would’ve taken better advantage of the numerous promotional opportunities to be had on the Internet and sent more books to online reviewers. It was an online reviewer who read my sixth book, SAVING ZOE, and who liked it so much she included it on a “Give the Gift of Reading” segment on the CBS “Early Show”!

How do you balance writing with the business side of being an author?
As a predominately right-brained person, I’m still trying to figure that out! But basically, I just try to carve out a little time in the morning and then again in the evening for promotional tasks and other business-related duties, so I can spend the bulk of the day doing what I love most—writing!

Any other advice for newly published authors?

Try not to stress about all of the things you can’t control. And while I know that’s easier said than done, the truth is pretty much everything but the writing is out of your control. Print runs, bestseller lists, front of the store real estate—all of these things are out of your hands. So be sure to take the time to celebrate your release in some way, because seeing your book on the shelf is an amazing moment—a huge accomplishment—and you’re going to want to acknowledge it in some way. On the day my debut novel, FAKING 19, was released, my mom and I visited just about every bookstore in Orange County so I could sign copies and gawk and squeal and jump up and down—it was a day I’ll always cherish! Oh, and once you’re done celebrating, it’s always a good idea to immerse yourself in writing book number two!

5 FAVES

Favorite item on your writing desk: A tiny, red, plastic replica of the Oscar Meyer Weiner mobile that my husband gave me—every time I look at it, I can’t help but smile, knowing I found the one person on the entire planet who truly gets me!
Favorite way to procrastinate: Before I begin a new book, (after the cast is assembled and the plot more or less decided upon), I make the perfect iTunes playlist that will help evoke the mood I’m trying to create. If done correctly, and approached with the proper amount of seriousness, this task can easily eat up a day (or three!).
And once the book is begun? Well, then there’s all manner of Internet “research” to be conducted. Research that, to the uninitiated eye, might look suspiciously like online shopping—but it’s not. Really. I swear!
Favorite literary character: Holden Caulfield.
Favorite CD: This changes all the time—but recently, I’ve rediscovered Nirvana’s "Nevermind" CD and it (still) rocks!
Favorite Snack: Golden Spoon frozen yoghurt—half pistachio/half vanilla with yoghurt chips on top! Actually, this is one of my favorite meals!

To learn more about Alyson Noel and her books, visit http://www.alysonnoel.com/.

An Update from MJ Rose & AuthorBuzz

MJ Rose writes:

As summer starts winding down and fall titles loom on the horizon, I thought it would be a good time to send you a note and let you know we are booking October–January titles now and spots are going fast. Plus we've had some great press with the Internet advertising we did for the New York Times bestseller, PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W. BUSH, by Vincent Bugliosi – and our campaign got buzzed in The New York Times, GalleyCat and others. We're proud to have been part of making the book a bestseller.

"I've worked with MJ Rose on many book projects using AuthorBuzz, and can say that I believe that her creative energy, her out-of-the-box thinking and her extraordinary understanding of the credibility and value of Internet marketing have without doubt added to our success and sales. She helped come up with a very targeted list of Web sites/blogs, created the flash ads which were very effective, then provided click-through information to show the impact at these various Web sites, which was extraordinary," said Roger Cooper, publisher, Vanguard Press.

No one knows more than we do that it's all about the book first. The great book. The compelling book. But if no one knows the book exists, no one is going to know it's out or to look for it. That's why we're happy we can help get the news out in an affordable way. Which brings us to our current out-reach numbers. Our effectiveness and our reach keeps going up! But we're keeping our prices at the same level. AuthorBuzz Basic: Exposure to 365,000-plus readers, 10,000 librarians and 3,000 booksellers. ($985 package – via DearReader.com and Shelf-Awareness.com)

"The AuthorBuzz module in Shelf Awareness is pulling 25% more clicks than last year. We often hear from our readers how much they love the personal tone of the ads and how informative they find them to be. We've seen really strong success when an AuthorBuzz ad is shored up with an insertion banner in the Shelf. It compels our readers to take another look and pay even more attention. We've also seen a consistent pattern in the statistics of ads having an even greater click-through rate when it has three impressions," said Jenn Risko, publisher Shelf-Awareness.

AuthorBuzz and Bookclubbing: Exposure to 365,000-plus readers, 10,000 librarians, 3,000 booksellers and readers and leaders of more than 13,500 bookclubs. ($1,550 package– via DearReader.com and Shelf-Awareness.com and Bookmovement.com) And we also have Reading Group Guide of the Week banners at Bookmovement.com available for $450.

Of note: The readers and leaders who visit Bookmovment.com and get the newsletter that features our books represent more than $16 million in book sales a year.

What does 365,000-plus readers mean? That's part of the news. We've discovered - because they write to tell us - that librarians love AuthorBuzz so much they are putting our books on their own library Web sites increasing the weekly potential audience to millions, not just hundred of thousands. And now DearReader gives readers the opportunity to sign up directly to get AuthorBuzz updates.

"AuthorBuzz is one of the things librarians love about our Online Book Clubs. Not only can their patrons link to AuthorBuzz through the online book club, they can access it through their library's Web site, too. Every week librarians and readers tell us how much fun it is to see what goodies authors have for them, and they enjoy being able to contact an author and receive a response back," said Suzanne Beecher, founder of DearReader.com.

I'd also like to share some stats on one of the other popular services AuthorBuzz.com offers: A recent two-week/$3,000 AuthorBuzz campaign we did reached more than 6 million people who each saw the ad two or three times. We had more than 1,650 people click through to the author's Web site/Amazon page. Since, according to direct marketing statistics - 1% to 0.5% of everyone who thinks about clicking actually does, that means 165,000 to 300,000 stopped on the ad long enough to consider clicking through. Recommended - and shown to be a significant component in higher listing/velocity/sell-though marketing plans - is the $6,500 package that we recently did for a NYT bestseller that included two full flights of Authorbuzz.com - at pre-pub and at pub - and two weeks of blog ads to coincide with co-op. The reach on that package was more than 20 million people, plus booksellers and librarians.

We're booking AuthorBuzz spots now for October books on through the winter and we're continuing to sell out every month. Blog ads take three weeks to set up.We also do creative brainstorming and extensive campaigns involving radio (starting at $6K), and movie theater and cable TV campaigns starting as low as $7K, including creative. And if we don't do it and you need it done - we'll recommend someone who does.

If you'd like to know more visit http://www.authorbuzz.com/ or e-mail Authorbuzzco@aol.com.

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS, with novelist Natasha Bauman

If life experiences are the seeds of great stories, Natasha Bauman has only just begun to tap into her potential. Before becoming a novelist with her historical fiction debut, THE DISORDER OF LONGING, published this summer, she was a ballet dancer who became an actor who became a screenwriter. When she became a mother, she returned to college to study literature and went on to earn a master’s in fine arts in English and creative writing at Vermont College. Her novel, a moving story of a young woman in 1890s Boston who yearns for more than the socially constricting society and her frustrating marriage allow, was lauded by Library Journal as an “engrossing blend of female self-discovery and grand adventure.”

Bauman lives in Southern California, where she teaches college writing and literature courses.

What were the top 5 things you did to market your book after publication?
1. My editor stressed the importance of the Internet. I have spent hundreds of hours searching the Internet looking for book blogs and sites, and emailing people to see if they would like to write about THE DISORDER OF LONGING. I also look for sites that will let me write something. For instance, I wrote a review of THE PAINTER FROM SHANGHAI for Feminist Review, and they posted a link to my site.

2. Since I live in the Los Angeles area, I have access to lots of bookstores. I have visited around 20, where I have signed books and talked to some of the managers about hand selling the book. They say that a signed book is a sold book!

3. I am starting to learn (belatedly) to think outside the box regarding the whole marketing thing. For instance, I am attending a large dinner sponsored by my faculty union. When one of the organizers suggested I should give away a copy of my book as a door prize, I realized I should have thought of that. I'll take my postcards with me to the event.

4. I have done a number of podcasts, which I found to be great fun. There are lots of people doing interviews with writers. Again, I have found many of them through the Internet.

5. Readings and book fairs. I will be on a panel at the West Hollywood Book Festival at the end of the month. I look forward to that and would like to do more panels.

What was the best thing you did before publication to prepare?
The first thing I did was create my own Web site. I think that's pretty important for writers. I did a lot of Internet searching before publication, as well as after. I think with the Internet, it comes down to being willing to spend the time it takes to find sites you may have never heard of before. I found the Historical Novel Society through a Google search and became a member of that group. It was the perfect niche book group for me. I have had lots of visitors to my site as a result of my member profile there. The Web site goes hand-in-hand with the Internet work; you need a site for people to link to.

Did you work alone on your book promotion strategy, or in conjunction with a publicist?
I have a publicist, but the vast majority of my strategy has been of my own design. My publicist did send postcards of my book to orchid groups and said there was a good response from them. That was a great idea! My protagonist's husband collects orchids. This is the kind of thinking that is crucial to the success of a book, I think. You have to consider all the key elements in your book, and ask yourself what sorts of people might have an interest in these elements. Then, reach out to them.

If you knew then (when your book first published) what you know now, what might you have done differently?
I would start even earlier than I did (I got to work about three to four months before my pub date). I really had no idea how much time I would have to invest in just figuring out the landscape, or how much of the marketing would be completely up to me. I think I would spend less time on the Internet and instead reach out to more on-the-ground niche groups that might have an interest in my book.

How do you balance writing with the business side of being an author?
I find it is difficult to suddenly switch to writing after spending six or eight hours with my head spinning around marketing ideas and doing the actual work of marketing (like driving to bookstores, doing readings, etc.). I need a cool down period. If I have spent a number of days in a row focused solely on marketing, it may take me a few days to switch gears and actually start writing again. This is the hardest part about marketing for me. When I am in the midst of a marketing blitz, sometimes I forget that I am actually a writer.

Any other advice for newly published authors?
The crucial thing is to understand that your book's survival is probably up to you. With that mindset, go out into the world for the sake of your book. If you have an issue, as I did, with having to be the one to market your book, you have to find ways to get over it. I remind myself that my book deserves to find its readers, and I am the one who has to bring them together.

5 FAVES

Favorite item on your writing desk: I always buy small things that remind me of something in my book. I have a small print of a painting of Isabella Gardner from the Gardner Museum in Boston. Ada, my protagonist, is from Boston, and my story is set in the 1890s, when this painting was done. Gardner looks, in the painting, the way I imagine Ada, so the print is perfect inspiration. Now that I am working on my next book, NORTH OF THE SLOT, I have a postcard from around 1900 that depicts a Taoist temple in San Francisco. My book is set in San Francisco, and one of my main characters is a Taoist, so this postcard—especially since it was actually made in the time period I am writing about—is very evocative for me. It's a sort of talisman.
Favorite way to procrastinate: Surf the Internet. It's way too easy, since I do a lot of research online.
Favorite literary character: I can't choose between Ishmael in MOBY DICK and Molly in ULYSSES.
Favorite CD: Right now, Edgar Meyer, who plays the double bass. Good writing music.
Favorite snack: Chocolate. Italian chocolate, if I can find it!

For more information about Natasha Bauman and her book, visit http://www.natashabauman.com/.

More marketing help for authors

I just discovered two great sites designed to help authors help themselves with book promotion and publicity.

The first is the On Marketing (Working with Authors) blog, written by Sarah Keeney, who is the marketing director for historical titles publisher Savas Beatie LLC. Some of the posts are geared specifically to the historical market, but some of them, like the one about setting up author events at Borders, have information all authors can use.

The next one is a social networking site for authors that a friend referred me to called Marketing Mavericks. It bills itself as a "Marvelous Marketing Network for the Mild-Mannered." Intriguing, huh? Like Myspace, Facebook and other social network sites, you start by creating a profile for yourself. You can build your stable of friends, and post photos and videos, but the real meat of the site is its forums. Here, members can share information on advertising venues, talk about their goals and challenges, announce pertinent events, and much more. There's a lot of great information here! I can't wait to explore more of it.

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS, with novelist Claire LaZebnik

When Claire LaZebnik’s KNITTING UNDER THE INFLUENCE debuted in the fall of 2006, she already had one novel under her belt (SAME AS IT NEVER WAS, which was the basis for the ABC Family movie “Hello Sister, Goodbye Life”), as well as co-writing credit on OVERCOMING AUTISM: FINDING THE ANSWERS, STRATEGIES AND HOPE THAT CAN TRANSFORM A CHILD’S LIFE. So it wasn’t a surprise that her novel about the ups and downs in the lives of a set of girlfriends who meet for a Sunday morning knitting circle was praised by the Library Journal as “a nice combination of humor and heartache,” and that “the characters and problems here are more realistically portrayed than in many chick-lit books.”

LaZebnik’s latest, THE SMART ONE AND THE PRETTY ONE, a funny and endearing novel about two sisters, was released this week and already has received praise from the Library Journal, Publishers Weekly and Booklist.

She lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with her husband and four children.

What were the top 5 things you did to market your book after publication?
The main thing I did with KNITTING UNDER THE INFLUENCE was contact local yarn stores to see if they'd be interested in sponsoring a "read and knit" night—I would come and read from my book while their clients could knit and snack, and then I'd sell books to whoever was interested. I think it helped raise interest in the book. It also got me out of the bookstore routine—bookstores host so many book signings that it's hard to distinguish yourself at those, but the knitting aspect of the novel allowed me to find a very different kind of venue.

Of course, I did do a bookstore signing too, and I threw a big party for friends for the launch.

I hired a publicist—more on that below.

Hmm. Can't think of any more. Sorry.

What was the best thing you did before publication to prepare?
Set up an Amazon webpage and let people who had bought anything by me previously know that I had a new book out. I don't know how many of them bought it, but it was well worth doing.

Did you work alone on your book promotion strategy, or in conjunction with a publicist?
I hired a publicist who was very nice and supportive and did get me a good review in her local newspaper—but that was the main thing she did. I'm not hiring a publicist this go-round. (My new novel, THE SMART ONE AND THE PRETTY ONE, came out this week.) The publishing house has a very good in-house publicist, so I'm happy to stick with her this time.

If you knew then (when your first novel published) what you know now, what might you have done differently?
I spent all of the publisher's publicity money (and a lot of my own) on a big event that ended up being a complete waste—only a handful of people showed up even though we had mailed thousands. I hadn't taken into account parking (there was none in that neighborhood) or time of day and had allied myself with a store owner who was really difficult and demanding. We ended up spending a lot of money for almost no return. I would not do anything like that now. I would keep any event low key and inexpensive, spending my energy, time, and money on finding places with the right clientele in the right communities and not fussing around with fancy invitations and posters.

How do you balance writing with the business side of being an author?
It's hard. If it were up to me, I'd just spend my days writing. But the reality is you have to sell. I find I go through phases: there are months where I'm holed up writing, trying to MAKE the product, and months when I'm doing anything I can to SELL the product. I prefer the former but I'm resigned to the latter. There are times when I'm genuinely frustrated because I'm so busy blogging and e-mailing and arranging events that I don't have time to actually write. I don't like that feeling—writing is the fun part.

Any other advice for newly published authors?
Be polite to everyone and grateful for any attention! If anyone e-mails me, I'll e-mail him/her back immediately. I had one person write me saying she thought I used too many four-letter words in KUI. I e-mailed her back, thanking her for taking the time to point that out, explaining why I had made that choice, and telling her I hoped she'd read my next one because the characters really don't swear much in it. She sent me a very nice note after that. We could easily have been at odds, but I was sincerely touched that she had cared enough to contact me about that and was happy to let her know I was listening. Now I hope she'll buy my next novel!

These days it's all about having an online presence, so I think it's important to set up a Web site and get comfortable with Facebook, Myspace, etc. It's a pain but probably worth it in the end.

5 FAVES

Favorite item on your writing desk: A cup of coffee. Always. I write all over the place btw—I have a desk, but I often work standing up in our dining room or out at a Starbucks. Wherever I am, there's a cup of coffee.
Favorite way to procrastinate: http://www.gofugyourself.com/. I check it like five times a day. Also sneaking to the kitchen to eat cookies. (And make more coffee.)
Favorite literary character: Claudine. She rocks. (by Colette).
Favorite CD: "Painted from Memory"—Elvis Costello meets Burt Bacharach
Favorite snack: Homemade chocolate chip cookie (with lots of oatmeal and flaxseed) with a cup of coffee. Are you surprised?

For more information about Claire LaZebnik and her books, visit http://www.clairelazebnik.com/

4 More Things I Love About Being a Writer...

* Eavesdropping is acceptable, if you're trying to learn the nuances of dialogue.


* You can ask anybody anything, if you say it’s research.



* Writing is cheaper than therapy.



* You can write a paragraph, spend hours revising that paragraph, ultimately decide to scrap the paragraph, and call it a solid day’s work.

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS, with novelist Danielle Younge-Ullman

Danielle Younge-Ullman is the author of the critically acclaimed debut novel FALLING UNDER (Plume, August 2008), and also a playwright and sometime actor. (She likes to call herself a “recovering actor.”) Publisher’s Weekly calls her novel, which follows the fictional life of Mara Foster from turbulent childhood to adulthood—“edgy” and “honest,” with “artsy flourishes and a touch of dark wit.” A reviewer in Canada’s National Post says “it is gutsy, emotional, sexually charged and, because of its second-person narrative style, unremittingly intense.”

In addition to her novel, Younge-Ullman’s one-act play, 7 ACTS OF INTERCOURSE, debuted at the SummerWorks Festival in 2005.

She lives in Toronto with her husband, daughter and their dog.

What were the top 5 things you did to market your book after publication?
1. I continued to pitch my book to online reviewers.

2. I stayed in close contact with my agent, editor and publicists, and let them know about every online review or mention that came in.

3. I went to two writers’ conferences, RWA national and the Backspace Writer’s Conference. I
took part in the conferences themselves, joining a panel discussion at one and giving a workshop at the other, and then in each city I planned non-conference bookstore events and also went to every bookstore I could find and met the managers, signed stock, etc.

4. I’ve been going to tons of bookstores near where I live and signing stock—signed books sell better.

5. I held back a few ARC copies and give them to bookstore managers or staff working in the fiction section in stores in my area. Booksellers are much more likely to hand-sell a book they’ve read.

What was the best thing you did before publication to prepare?

I think the most important thing I did was join The Debutante Ball—a group blog of debut novelists (Gail Konop Baker, Jenny Gardiner, Lisa Daily, Eileen Cook and Jess Riley). Through the grog, I got to connect with tons of readers, and I also made some great connections and wonderful friends in the writing community and blogosphere. Obviously there’s only one Debutante Ball, but it’s very valuable to be part of a supportive and resourceful group of fellow writers who can work together to cross-promote and help each other know what to expect.

Also, I pitched a well-researched list of online reviewers. It’s brutally difficult getting attention for a debut novel, but there are many excellent book review sites, and they are run by people who love to read! It was really helpful for me to have my own reviews coming in, in addition to those my publicists set up, and I think it helped them to pitch me more easily, since they could point out the excellent online coverage I was getting on my own steam.

Did you work alone on your book promotion strategy, or in conjunction with a publicist?

I did a ton of work on my own, but also met with both my N.Y. and Canadian in-house publicists, so there was definitely a joint effort.

If you knew then (when your book first published) what you know now, what might you have done differently?

I would have got my next book finished immediately! I tried, but it was a really distracting year, and the result is I’ve got a two-thirds finished book that’s been waiting for my attention for the past two months.

How do you balance writing with the business side of being an author?

Honestly, I’m still struggling with that. It’s tough! My best advice is to compartmentalize your time, prioritize and make lists. But also, at the end of the day it needs to be about the writing, and you need to know when it’s time to get back to it. (I’m almost there now.)

Any other advice for newly published authors?

Believe in yourself, surround yourself with people who support you and find some writing friends who will understand what you’re going through. This has been the hardest, but also the best year of my professional life. It’s tough because people who are not in the industry assume you are about to be rich and famous, and hanging out with Oprah—they have no idea of the pressure and stress involved with a first book—so you’ll be very happy to have fellow writers to call on when you’re freaking out.

5 FAVES

Favorite item on your writing desk: Well, just above my writing desk (I hope that counts) is a ribbon-board with photos of my 2-year-old and the people who have encouraged and stood by me on this journey, including my 92-year-old grandmother and my husband. I also have some favorite quotes on there, a few cards, and I’ve started to put snippets of my favorite reviews up too. That board is where I look when I’m in need of inspiration.
Favorite way to procrastinate: Reading a good book—it’s work-related...right?
Favorite literary character: Hmm...probably Garp in THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP
Favorite CD: Tough one...Prince’s “The B-Sides”? Melanie Doane’s “Shakespearean Fish”
Favorite snack: M&Ms...anything chocolate

For more information about Danielle Younge-Ullman or her book, visit http://www.danielleyoungeullman.com.