2010 Backspace Writers Conference

Time's running out to save up to $120 off this year's registration for the 2010 Backspace Writers Conference and Agent-Author Seminar.

Unquestionably the best of all writers’ conferences, this two-day annual conference has leaped to the top with its emphasis on quality, not quantity. No more than 150 can attend, and there are no formal pitch sessions. Instead, you’ll have the opportunity to attend quality workshops and mingle with some of the best editors, agents and other publishing professionals in the industry in a comfortable, non-aggressive atmosphere." -- Bibliobuffet

May 27, 2010 - Agent-Author Seminar

Query letter and opening pages small-group workshop critiques (10 authors, 2 agents) and panel discussions with ONLY literary agents on the program - PLUS keynote speaker, #1 NYTimes bestselling author Lorenzo Carcaterra

May 28, 29 - 2010 Backspace Writers Conference

Panel discussions with literary agents, authors, and acquisitions editors, agent workshops, master classes taught by NYTimes bestselling authors, and opening pages workshop critiques (5 authors, 2 agents) - PLUS Friday evening booksigning and cocktail reception

Radisson Martinique - New York City

REGISTER for one event, or both!

Congratulations to Helen DePrima - the SEVENTH author to sign with an agent in 2009 through a Backspace event!

Keynote speakers:

Lorenzo Carcaterra, #1 New York Times bestselling author, screenwriter

Neil S. Nyren, Senior Vice President, Publisher and Editor in Chief of G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Literary agents:

Noah Lukeman (Lukeman Literary Management), Paul Cirone (Molly Friedrich Agency), Elizabeth Evans (Jean Naggar Agency), Joanna Stampfel-Volpe (Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation), Adam Chromy (Artists and Artisans Agency), Elana Roth (Caren Johnson Literary Agency), Jennifer DeChiara (Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency), Victoria Horn (Liza Dawson Associates), Brandi Bowles (Howard Morhaim Literary Agency), Lois Winston (Ashley Grayson Literary Agency), Rebecca Strauss (McIntosh and Otis, Inc.), Jeff Kleinman (Folio Literary Management) Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary), Jamie Brenner (Artists & Artisans Literary Management), Colleen Lindsay (FinePrint Literary Management) Jason Allen Ashlock (Movable Type Literary Group) Diana Fox (Fox Literary Agency) and more to come!

Authors:

Gayle Lynds, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Jonathan Maberry, Richard Krevolin, Eileen Kennedy-Moore, Karen Dionne, Elizabeth Letts, Rachel Kramer Bussel, J.E. Taylor, Norb Vonnegut, Rebbie Macintyre, MJ Pearson, Barbara Caridad Ferrer, Randy Susan Meyers, Janice Gable Bashman, Jason Pinter, A.S. King, Stephanie Cowell, Melanie Benjamin

Editors:

Keith Kahla, Executive Editor, St. Martin's Press

Freelance Editor:

Jerry Gross

Publishing professionals:

Bella Stander, Ron Hogan, Don Lafferty, Dana Kaye Litoff

Negotiating Your Advance

by Jessica Faust

A few different times this year I’ve been asked, through the comments section, whether or not it’s ever beneficial for the author to negotiate a lower advance and higher royalties or if the author should always go for the big money up front.


There are a lot of differing opinions on this subject and ultimately there is no right or wrong. There are agents out there who believe that an advance should never be earned out, that their job is to get the most money possible up front for their clients, and that if an advance is earned out they haven’t done their job. There are others who believe that publishing is a slow and steady climb, that selling your book for a smaller advance is better because with each subsequent deal you can negotiate a bigger advance, better royalties, and hopefully the publisher will stick with you longer and help you build a career.

Personally, while it’s rare I’ll turn down a really big advance, I’m a big fan of the slow and steady climb, especially when it comes to fiction. In my experience, I’ve seen far too many debut authors accept huge advances, write the books as per the contract and disappear from the publishing scene. The publisher had big expectations and they weren’t met, and it usually doesn’t make financial sense to keep throwing money at something that really isn’t working. My opinion on the slow and steady climb is that you will eventually make the money you were meant to make, and if your royalties are big then that only gives you more negotiating power with the next contract. All that being said, in my mind, my job is to guide the author, not make the decision. Ultimately it’s going to come down to how much of a risk taker the author is and what she really believes about her book.

Certainly I’ve been involved in a number of auctions in my time. In some cases the advance offer of one house so far outweighed what others were offering that there was no argument. I’m talking ten times the amount. In a case like that I don’t think there are many authors who would take the lesser advance and I don’t think there are many agents who would advise them differently.

In other cases the offers were almost identical. In those cases I usually encouraged the author to go with the bigger house or the house and editor who I thought were the most enthusiastic.

And in some cases, the advance was bigger at one house, but the other house was offering more on the backend (royalties and rights offerings). In those cases it was up to the author and me to really talk about what she was most comfortable with. Did she want to take the chance that she would make back the difference down the road? And how did she (and I) feel about the editors and the overall enthusiasm the house had for the work? In one case, we actually went with the house that offered the lower advance for a couple of reasons. This particular house was not able to come up with more money up front, but their royalty offer far outweighed what the other house was offering. More important, though, there was a level of enthusiasm and commitment the smaller house was willing to make that the other house wasn’t. We felt that commitment was much, much more important than money.

In other cases, I’ve had situations where we knew we were short-changing ourselves in terms of how much of an advance was being paid per book, but the author felt that she would rather feel locked in with a certain number of books (say, a four or five book deal) rather than simply a three book deal. She felt that the number of books the publisher was buying showed their commitment even though she might be slightly underpaid for the later books in the series. Her feeling was that she would make the money in royalties anyway.

There are so many things to consider when negotiating a contract that there’s no easy answer to this question. In the end, yes, I do think it makes sense to sometimes take a lesser advance if it means higher royalties. Other times, however, I’d say take the money and run.

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Jessica Faust is a literary agent and cofounder of BookEnds, LLC, and prides herself on working closely with her authors to make their goals come to fruition. Her areas of expertise include historical, contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and erotic romance, urban fantasy, women's fiction, mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. In nonfiction, Jessica specializes in current affairs, business, finance, career, parenting, psychology, women's issues, self-help, health, sex, and general nonfiction. While open to anything, Jessica is most actively seeking unique fiction with a strong hook, and nonfiction with creative ideas and large author platforms.

Originally posted on the BookEnds, LLC blog.

Building a Facebook Ad

by Therese Walsh

Why Facebook ads? Facebook ads are something the marketing team at Shaye Areheart Books recommended I try, since I wanted to contribute to my book’s campaign. They were easy to set up, they said, not to mention customizable in order to target the right demographics. They could also be an uber inexpensive marketing option. While I contributed to my marketing campaign in other ways, this was one area that would be all me. I would need to set up the ads, establish my price points, monitor everything, etc…



Where to begin? I found this handy guide to setting up a Facebook ad on eHow, and decided to time myself. How quickly might I be able to do this?

Beginning time: 9:32 p.m.

The eHow guide says to click on the “advertising” link at the bottom of Facebook’s main page, and then to click the “Create an Ad” button. I do that, and am taken to a new page.

Advertise on Facebook
Get started in three easy steps.
1. Design Your Ad

The program asks for info, and I feed it in:

Enter destination URL (http://ThereseWalsh.com)
Enter title (The Last Will of Moira Leahy)
Enter body text of the ad in 135 characters

Erk — 135 enticing characters? I skirt the issue of genre, since LWML is like a carnivale with something for everyone, and choose a part of MJ Rose’s quote, which is one of my favorites: “If it were written by a seasoned novelist, Last Will would be a feat. That it is a debut makes it all the more amazing.” – M.J. Rose

But it won’t enter. The text cannot start without a punctuation mark, the system tells me. I argue with my computer, because I’ve already included a punctuation mark. I spend five minutes reentering the text until I realize the Facebook message said, “The text cannot start with a punctuation mark.” I make a mental note to never again attempt constructing a Facebook ad at 9:44 p.m. or after having a glass of wine.

I abandon eHow. Not only is the Facebook platform easy and intuitive but section 2–Targeting your audience–is engrossing. What do I think I know about my audience? I check a few key demographics:

US
people 18- ?
women
education – college grad
language – I type in “English.” It wants me to choose between English (US, UK or pirate). I choose US, though I am mighty irritated that I can’t also choose pirate. Arrr.

A whopping 2,900,000 people fit the profile I selected. I start inputting keywords to narrow the field, attempting to hone in on what my readers might look like–what their favorite things are, etc… These are literally taken from and developed through hundreds of thousands of Facebook profiles. Remember those lists of favorite things you inputted on your profile page (found under the Info tab)? This is what Facebook does with those lists. I enter “avid reader” and “twins” and “magical realism” and a few other plum phrases that Facebook has made available to me. I choose a few of my favorite authors, too — Audrey Niffenegger, Sue Monk Kidd, and look there’s Juliet Marillier as a Facebook choice! The new parameters mean I’ve honed in on 26k potential readers.

It’s 10:15. I had some fun with that last step, though.

Time to deal with money matters. Ads through Facebook aren’t purchased for a set fee. Rather, you decide how much you’d like to bid for either clicks–the action taken by a reader when they literally click on your ad and are transported to your website–or impressions–the number of ads shown throughout a given day. I’d learned that paying for clicks was a better bet for authors, since the number of impressions Facebook will put up to help you get those clicks is tremendous for the dollar. And those impressions can still work for you–meaning that even if someone doesn’t click through to your site, they may still notice your ad, remember your book when they see it in a store, or even go to their favorite book-buying site and look up your novel on their own. I bid 75 cents per click and cap expenses at $20/day. (The Facebook tutorial on money matters–was a great resource as I decided on numbers.)

I finish at 10:25 p.m., and submit the ad for Facebook approval.

Fast forward. Facebook approved the ad within a few days and held it until the start day I’d listed–October 13th, the release date for The Last Will of Moira Leahy. Over the course of a month, the length of my campaign, Facebook posted 1,636,530 impressions of my ad, and 650 people clicked through to my website (the click-through rate varied between .04% and .07%, which I think is decent). That was a busy month for me, so I didn’t toy with my ad during the campaign. But. I did notice that the majority of clicks seemed to occur in the evening, and next time I’ll find a way to use that to my advantage. I’d probably also develop more than one ad next time, see which is stronger, and fiddle with my demographics.

Next time. Yes. I would absolutely utilize Facebook ads again. Big exposure for a fair sum, and doable in under an hour.

Write on, all!

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Therese Walsh is the author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy (October 2009, Random House) a debut The Boston Globe called "a strange, fascinating novel of psychological suspense is suffused with the supernatural. (It's) an imaginative exploration of the bond between twins.” She’s currently hard at work on her second novel—another story about self-discovery, acceptance and magical journeys—at her home in upstate New York.



This article first appeared on Writer Unboxed, a blog for writers about the craft and business of genre fiction. For more information visit theresewalsh.com.

Social Media Fast Track for Authors at the Backspace Writers Conference, May 28th in NYC

by Don Lafferty

Buckle up for the fastest hour of social media how-to for authors, when the Backspace Writers Conference turns me loose from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Friday, May 28th.

I’m bummed that my time slot is up against Karen Dionne’s Agent-Author Relationship panel, featuring Scott Hoffman, Norb Vonnegut, Jeff Kleinman, and Elizabeth Letts, but I figure it’s their bad luck too. (If you guys want a few minutes just grab me in the hallway or at the bar.)

One hour is going to fly by, so this is what you can expect:

1:00-1:10: Setting goals, measuring results and time management

1:11-1:20: How to listen effectively and why

1:21-1:30: Essential Web Presence Components

1:31-1:45: Business Development 101

1:46-1:55: Q&A

Attendees will also walk away with an updated version of my ever-evolving cheat sheet, Social Media Starters for Authors, and one hour of personal coaching whenever they need it.

I’ll see if I can hunt down some sweet freebies too, Like Kodak’s tremendous Social Media Tips guide.

If anybody has any suggestions for must-have social media references or web-based resources, please let me know.

For more information about the Backspace Writers Conference’s complete lineup, and to register, click here: Backspace Writers Conference.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Connect with Backspace on Twitter.

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Don Lafferty is a writer, lecturer and Web 2.0 marketing consultant. He leads from the front lines of the social web, defining effective online strategies and tactics for authors and publishers, enabling them to capitalize on this exploding opportunity to connect with their readers like never before.

He's the social media director of the literary magazine, Wild River Review, and a member of the Philly Liar's Club. You can find him at his blog, "Don Lafferty's Practical Social Media Strategies and Tactics for Connecting With Your Public" http://donaldlafferty.com.

Pitching Novels Face to Face, or Learning that Literary Agents Don’t have Horns (at least, not the ones I met)

by Teresa Bergen

I’m used to rejection coming the old-fashioned way, through the mail. However, last year I ventured out of my writerly isolation and attended the Willamette Writers Conference. It featured something entirely alien-- face to face pitching to literary agents. Wasn’t it enough for us to get words on a page? Now we had to be able to speak?

Turns out it’s not a new phenomenon, just new to me. When I asked Herbert Piekow, who has long ruled the excitingly hectic consult pit at the conference, he told me WW started bringing literary agents to the conference in 1985. Call me behind the times.


This year, I bravely attended two writing conferences -- Thrillerfest in New York, and the Willamette Writers conference in Portland. People say you have to confront your phobias, and my phobias had faces: literary agents. I did a lot of confronting this summer. At Thrillerfest, I pitched to seventeen agents. At WW, I spent three four-hour shifts volunteering to assist agents and editors. I poured wine. I brought them coffee. I watched them listen to people’s pitches. I tried to understand this complicated social and professional transaction.

The way it works at conferences, an attendee pays for a certain amount of time with an agent. At WW, the fee is twenty bucks for ten minutes. At the Hawaii Writers Conference, it’s fifty. At Thrillerfest, it was more of a flat fee, speed dating kind of event. It definitely costs more than a stamp.

Writers have much higher hopes for face to face meetings. We seem to think if we could just tell someone in person about our brilliant idea, they would be swept up in it, too. Some agents and editors bear out this hope.

Nick Eliopulos, an associate editor at Random House who edits middle grade and young adult books, said he gets a consistently higher quality of manuscripts from the WW conference than from average submissions. “I’m really excited about reading some of the projects people pitched here,” he said. By the way, Eliopulos was definitely not the editor of my fears. Boyish and friendly, he quickly put conference goers at ease.

But what are the agents getting out of this? It’s not much of a vacation, flying across the country and sitting in a hotel ballroom all day, meeting with a parade of hopeful writers eager to pay to pitch, escaping only to be hounded by cheapskates at lunch and in the bathroom. There will be no shortage of unsolicited manuscripts waiting on their desks Monday morning, whether they attend conferences or not.

“In face to face meetings, you can see if the person gives an impression of professionalism,” said Deb Werksman, editorial manager at Sourcebooks. “You get a sense of their ability to market themselves.” Werksman said she did not see a significant difference in the quality of publishable material between conferences and what comes in over the transom.

With all these agents running around, I saw a marked increase in my ability to see people as products. I would watch someone pitching and think, sweetheart, if only you’d found a more flattering outfit, or touched up those six inches of dark roots.

Maybe I was being extra cynical or extra paranoid. While writing this, a Yahoo article warned job seekers that receptionists run out into the parking lot during interviews to check the cleanliness of your car. Turns out that is an indication of your character.

Many of the writers were nervous. But some were confident, like Randal Houle, who is looking to publish a mystery set in Portland called Right of Passage. In pitching, he said, “Your personality and how you handle yourself comes out.” Houle, who sells prepaid funeral plans, finds it easier to pitch verbally than to write a query letter. “But I’m a salesman by trade,” he said.

For some people, a face to face is a good thing. For others, well, a written query might be better. Now if only I could figure out which category I fall into.

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Teresa Bergen is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. After years of toil in literary fiction, she is now completing her first thriller. Her articles and stories have appeared many places, including Exquisite Corpse, Ms., and the South China Morning Post. She is excited that one of her short stories has just been accepted to Baconology, a horror anthology involving bacon.

This article was originally posted on Portland's Reading Local, where Teresa is a regular contributor.

Blind Spots

by Erica Orloff

The other night, I was watching TV when a commercial came on for a new blind spot mirroring system on Ford cars. The system in question is electronic, and actually a little light comes on to let a driver know there is something in his or her blind spot. I consider myself a very good driver, but I can recall a handful of times when I pulled over to switch lanes and suddenly heard a horn because I had somehow missed spotting the car in my blind spot.

This got me thinking about blind spots in general. The person who wears an outfit two or three decades younger than perhaps might be best for them. There is a woman on the main street around here who is in her 70s and always (!!!) mows her lawn in a bikini. I don't know whether to admire her gumption, laugh, applaud her sense of self, or wonder about her sanity since her bikini body days were clearly many decades ago. I can't tell you how many near-miss accidents there have been from people distracted by the sight of her. She also comes out to get her mail in the same brown bikini. I often wonder if she owns any other outfits.

We have blind spots about relationships. (Is the wife always the last to know?) Blind spots regarding our own faults. And blind spots in writing.

One of the most nauseating things I have to do when I edit a novelist is to point out x or y. I will send the pages back and cringe. Have I hurt their feelings? Were they aware that this didn't work? Did they know this scene--or character, or chapter--could easily be cut?

Sometimes the writer gets defensive. But most times, it is as if I have leaned on the horn, and they suddenly see the car in the next lane. "NOW, I get it. NOW I see what the rejection letters have been telling me."

Some of us have blind spots we're aware of and don't know how to fix them ("I'm constantly told I need more emotion, but don't know how to add it," or "My character has been called unsympathetic, but . . . I like her. How do I fix that?"). Sometimes writers have blind spots and don't even know they're there. Sometimes defensiveness BLINDS a writer to their blind spots.

For me, the most fortunate gift in my writing career has been my writers' group. Fifteen years and still ticking. Every other week, I never fail but to at least pause and go, "Hmmm . . . I hadn't thought of that." I have blind spots. Others in the group have DIFFERENT blind spots. Somehow we all work to lean on the horn.

So how about you? What are your blind spots? And how are you fixing them?

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Erica Orloff is the author of Freudian Slip (HQN). Under the pen name Erica Kirov, she is the author of the Magickeepers middle-grade fantasy trilogy (Jabberwocky). She has written over 20 novels across a variety of genres.

Originally posted on Erica's blog.

Backspace writers conference early registration discount - two weeks left!

If you're looking for an agent, or want to hone your craft, the 2010 Backspace Writers Conference and Agent-Author Seminar might be just the event you're looking for! (In 2009, 7 authors signed with an agent they met at a Backspace event.)

Early Registration Discount through Feb. 1 - save up to $120!

May 27, 2010 - Agent-Author Seminar: query letter and opening pages small-group workshop critiques (10 authors, 2 agents) and panel discussions with ONLY literary agents on the program - PLUS keynote speaker, #1 NYTimes bestselling author Lorenzo Carcaterra

May 28, 29 - 2010 Backspace Writers Conference: panel discussions with literary agents, authors, and acquisitions editors, agent workshops, master classes taught by NYTimes bestselling authors, and opening pages workshop critiques (5 authors, 2 agents) - PLUS Friday evening booksigning and cocktail reception

Radisson Martinique - New York City - REGISTER for one event, or both!

Questions may be directed to me, Karen Dionne, at karendionne@bksp.org

Keynote speakers:
Lorenzo Carcaterra, #1 New York Times bestselling author, screenwriter
Neil S. Nyren, Senior Vice President, Publisher and Editor in Chief of G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Literary agents:
Noah Lukeman (Lukeman Literary Management), Paul Cirone (Molly Friedrich Agency), Elizabeth Evans (Jean Naggar Agency), Joanna Stampfel-Volpe (Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation), Adam Chromy (Artists and Artisans Agency), Elana Roth (Caren Johnson Literary Agency), Jennifer DeChiara (Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency), Victoria Horn (Liza Dawson Associates), Brandi Bowles (Howard Morhaim Literary Agency), Lois Winston (Ashley Grayson Literary Agency), Rebecca Strauss (McIntosh and Otis, Inc.), Jeff Kleinman (Folio Literary Management) Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary), Jamie Brenner (Artists & Artisans Literary Management), Colleen Lindsay (FinePrint Literary Management) and more to come!

Authors:
Gayle Lynds, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Jonathan Maberry, Richard Krevolin, Eileen Kennedy-Moore, Karen Dionne, Elizabeth Letts, Rachel Kramer Bussel, J.E. Taylor, Norb Vonnegut, Rebbie Macintyre, MJ Pearson, Barbara Caridad Ferrer, Randy Susan Meyers, Janice Gable Bashman, Jason Pinter, A.S. King, Stephanie Cowell, Melanie Benjamin

Editors:
Keith Kahla, Executive Editor, St. Martin's Press

Freelance Editor:
Jerry Gross

Publishing professionals:
Bella Stander, Ron Hogan, Don Lafferty

"Unquestionably the best of all writers’ conferences, this two-day annual conference has leaped to the top with its emphasis on quality, not quantity. No more than 150 can attend, and there are no formal pitch sessions. Instead, you’ll have the opportunity to attend quality workshops and mingle with some of the best editors, agents and other publishing professionals in the industry in a comfortable, non-aggressive atmosphere." -- Bibliobuffet


Excerpts from an agent panel at the 2009 Backspace Writers Conference and Agent-Author Seminar:

Help! I Can't Finish The Book

by Allison Winn Scotch

Question of the day: I was wondering if you have any advice to writers who seem to get stuck not at the beginning, but closer to the end. I have written 3/4 of a book as well as 3/4 of a screenplay and I feel stuck as if I have nothing important left to say. I'm not sure if I am bored with the main characters or just feel tired from all that writing and thinking, but I just don't know what to say or do next. Any advise on how to jump start it again?

Yes, one word: conflict. I think the single biggest problem that unsuccessful books have and that aspiring writers fall into is that they haven't created enough conflict in their character's lives, and thus, at a certain point in the book, everything gets so boring that there's not much of a point in finishing it.

When I'm starting a book or feel like I'm stuck at a certain point in a manuscript, I consider all the ways that I can screw up my characters' lives. What's going wrong personally? Professionally? With her friends? With her psyche? With her family? What wrenches can I toss her way as she resolves some issues and has to deal with others. Every time you throw a snafu into the plot, you HAVE to write something because you have to find a way for your character to resolve the problem. Not only will this make your story less boring, but it will actually propel the plot along with actual ACTION. Without conflict, your manuscript will likely fall into the dreaded exposition category in which you're telling us what the character is thinking, blah, blah, blah, without actually moving her forward anywhere. MOVE HER FORWARD. The only way to do this is to figure out where she needs to go and throw obstacles in her path. (I should also add that you may need to go back and tweak plot lines from earlier in the book, as they should culminate/crescendo right around the 3/4 mark of the ms.)

Remember that readers pick up books because they're interested in seeing characters evolve, go from point A to point B and learn something along the way. They are not interested in stagnant, flat, baseline stories - what's the point in reading that? So make your heroine scale some figurative mountains, and I think you'll find that you're able to climb them along with her.

Anyone else have other tips on eking out that last part of the book?


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Allison Winn Scotch recently became a New York Times bestselling author. Her latest book, Time of My Life, was published in October 2008 by Shaye Areheart, an imprint of Random House. Her debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found, was published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, in May 2007.

Originally posted on Allison's blog, Ask-Allison

A No-Regrets-Pre-Pub Push

by Therese Walsh

Scenario: Your book is about to come out (as mine is, in exactly seven days–that’s one week–squee!). You have a great publisher (check). You’re thrilled with the book (check). Your publicity team is working hard on your behalf (check). What do you do in the weeks and months leading up to your novel’s release?

A. Nothing. My publicity team is rockin’. They’ll handle everything.
B. Something. My publicity team is rockin’, but I’ll post some information about myself on Twitter, Facebook and my blog.
C. Bunches. My publicity team is rockin’, I’m posting about myself on Twitter, Facebook, my blog and taking some of the opportunities that come my way.
D. Everything I can think of–Twitter, Facebook, other social networking sites, my blog, their blogs–and then some.

So you might’ve guessed which road I’ve chosen: D. I’m going to tell you a little about what I’ve done, in case any of my steps inspire you into thinking outside of the publicity box, too, but first let me tell you why I picked the hard road.

1. This economy. It stinks. Though I haven’t heard anything official from my publicity team (e.g. “Wow, we would’ve had more to support you a year and a half ago”), I suspect they’ve been asked to tighten the purse strings. That doesn’t change my advance. That doesn’t change that my reputation as an author will be hurt if the book doesn’t sell as well as it could’ve if the word was spread just a bit more.

2. This economy. It stinks. People who read books are still reading books–thankfully–but they may very well only be choosing to buy a small percentage of the books they used to. My book has to pop on their radar if it’s going to take one of those plum chosen-book spots. And getting on their radar means they hear about my book in a variety of places.

3. This season. It’s a fine season for books–despite the economy, despite meager budgets. There are long-awaited books out this fall by authors such as Audrey Niffenegger, Dan Brown, Jacquelyn Mitchard and Edward Kennedy. What’s a debut author to do if she hopes to be picked up alongside one of these greats or at least be considered? Options A, B and C weren’t going to cut it.

So what, exactly, have I done?

Researched my heart out. Random House was kind enough to send me extra galleys, so I utilized Indiebound’s terrific online search engine, locating and then contacting independent bookstores across upstate New York. Everyone I contacted wanted a galley, and many said they’d like to have me in for a signing once the book was released.

The relationship between twins is at the heart of Last Will, so I explored this niche market and found several twin review sites and one fantastic indie bookstore dedicated to all things twin (DoubleUp Books). I reached out, and now the reviewers will be reviewing. Made a new friend in Shelby at DoubleUp Books, who is now carrying Last Will.

Remembered my past. I went to college—three of them in fact—so I contacted my alumni associations and had blips posted about Last Will and me in my alumni newsletters and online. Good stuff: I’ve already heard from some fellow alums who hadn’t heard about the book.

I’ve also been a big supporter of my local choir, and a singer with them when time allows. I decided to take an ad out in this coming season’s program. Yes, I’m marketing, but I’m also giving back and supporting an art I love. Win-win.

Buzzed all over town. Sure, Writer Unboxed is part of my platform, but I have others, including connections in and around my hometown. One of the very first things I did—and you’re going to laugh at this—is give one of my galleys to my hair guy. Yep, the guy who cuts my hair, who is a total doll. (He calls himself my “humble barber.”) We both agreed that he sees more women in a month than anyone else in town. He made a virtual shrine for The Last Will of Moira Leahy, then called a few weeks ago, ecstatic: “I’ve set you up with at least eight books clubs. No, I’m not kidding.” Never underestimate the power of a humble barber.

I also reached out to both my local indie store and my local Barnes & Noble, and now have book events (readings/book talks/signings) scheduled at each. Our local library wants to have me in to discuss the writing process, as does my local community college. The local paper will be profiling Last Will and me this coming weekend, and a local radio show—a highly respected one at that—is going to have me as a guest soon.


My local arts community is strong. Last Friday, I participated in my first outside event and reading for Last Will, acting as one of two non-visual installations during an art gathering. Because I knew people were in the mood to be visually stimulated, I printed out the photos from Last Will’s online photo journal and placed them around my room. Flyers produced for the event were distributed, listing the dates and times of my local book signings. Extras will double as mailers.

Prepared for a blogging tsunami. I’ll be either guest blogging for or being interviewed by ~15 others here in the blogosphere. (If you’d like to host me, give me a holler. If I can do it, I will!) In addition, I’ve signed on for a Women on Writing (WOW) blog tour; through them I’ll appear in one way, shape or form on another ~15 blogs. Blogging Tsunami? Well, maybe that’s a wave.

The tsunami is something else.

One of the options I had when signing up for the WOW tour was an add-on called “Everybody’s talking about it.” WOW would then arrange to have as many people as they could gather mention my book on release day via a post on family relationships. So far, ~50 bloggers are participating in the event. [I’ll post details about this in a sec, if you’d like to add your blog to the list—a good networking opportunity, as WOW will list all bloggers; apparently there are also prizes involved.]

Got social—advertising. I’ve already told you about my Twittering and Facebooking, but I took it a step further and took out ads on Facebook, too. This? Was a fun experience that I’m going to tell you more about in the coming weeks. Very easy but also interesting how you can hone in on your target audience.

Have I done more? Yes, but those are some of the high points, and this has already turned into a long post. Am I tired? Yes, but here’s the thing: I’ll have no regrets. No matter what, no matter how the book sells or how it’s received, I have done everything I can to support it. And that’s something I can live with.

Write on, all!

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Therese Walsh is the author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy (October 2009, Random House) a debut The Boston Globe called "a strange, fascinating novel of psychological suspense is suffused with the supernatural. (It's) an imaginative exploration of the bond between twins.” She’s currently hard at work on her second novel—another story about self-discovery, acceptance and magical journeys—at her home in upstate New York.



This article first appeared on Writer Unboxed, a blog for writers about the craft and business of genre fiction. For more information visit theresewalsh.com.