The town where I live has been having a rather vocal debate between the merchants and zoning board about signage. Basically, one side says: "No signs, no flags, nothing exterior to indicate that you are a store and open because they detract from the view." The other side says: "Small signs, 'Open' flags, etc. because we have to let people know we're here and open for business."
It all comes down to advertising. How do you get your name out there and let people know who you are, what you have to offer, and when they can do business. How can your advertising budget best be spent?
An author faces the same issues. We have to get our names "out there", but what gives us the most coverage for the money? For an author published by a small press with a little or no publicity department, it becomes even more of a predicament. The old adage "You have to spend money to make money" has never been more true. Do we spend our unknown royalties on a fancy website? Postcards? Bookmarks? Go to book signings that generate little revenue? Send out our personally purchased copies for reviews? Take a blog tour?
How does an author get his or her name out there in order to sell the books - whether print or ebook? What is the best place to drop hard-earned money in order to generate sales?
I hope you are not looking to me for the answers because I don't have them. I am searching for them myself. One thing I do know is that if you write the best book you can and get it published by a legitimate publisher, that in itself is a huge accomplishment and is the best thing you can do for your career.
Then write a better one. :)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
A Sad State of Affairs
My husband and I had a workman in yesterday to run some wiring for new cable hookup in our office. Our office is in what would normally be considered the master bedroom. We chose that room because it is large, bright, and met our needs better than any other room in the house. Anyway, like most writers, the room is also lined with shelves on which I have hundreds of books sitting/piled/stacked.
So the man comes in and, according to hubby (I wasn't there), takes a look at the shelves and says "Wow. You have a lot of movies."
Movies??? Okay, I guess the old VCR tape boxes look like book covers. But I don't just have paperback books. I've got books of all sizes and types.
After a touch of surprise, my husband set the man straight and then went on to brag about me a little informing the guy that I am a writer and even showed off my latest book to him.
But rather than laugh over the incident, hubby and I were saddened. Now, granted, my husband is not a heavy reader. It was not encouraged in his home, in fact, often discouraged. But he knows the importance of books and especially what they mean to me. And our children were raised with a love of books.
What really saddens me is that this man who thought I had amassed huge numbers of movies is not alone. Too often, I hear "Oh, I don't like to read." or "I don't like books." Or other similar statements. This bothers me not just because I'm a writer, but because it also underscores what I believe is the literary decline of society. And I'm not talking about reading "high-brow" books, but, rather, the nearly illiterate writing skills of society in general these days. Highly placed business people who can barely spell or teachers who don't know the difference between a colon and semicolon. People who can't figure out the difference between homophones (they're, their, there).
My son was at a job-hunting seminar a few weeks ago and noted a misspelling on one of the handouts. During a break in the session, he quietly pointed it out to the presenter. Instead of being thankful, she got huffy with him and informed him that five people had proofed that paper and all said it was okay. Unfortunately, all five of them (actually, six if you count the presenter), were wrong. The word was definitely misspelled. And these were people who were showing others how to present themselves.
I realize we all make mistakes. Typos and the mistaken word creep in, especially when we are in a hurry (as we all seem to be these days) or our typing doesn't keep up with our thoughts. These are minor incidents in a major deterioration.
As I said, a sad state of affairs. Literacy is important. Spelling. Grammar. Diction. And, unfortunately, with people who should know better at the top of the ladder, I don't see it getting any better.
So the man comes in and, according to hubby (I wasn't there), takes a look at the shelves and says "Wow. You have a lot of movies."
Movies??? Okay, I guess the old VCR tape boxes look like book covers. But I don't just have paperback books. I've got books of all sizes and types.
After a touch of surprise, my husband set the man straight and then went on to brag about me a little informing the guy that I am a writer and even showed off my latest book to him.
But rather than laugh over the incident, hubby and I were saddened. Now, granted, my husband is not a heavy reader. It was not encouraged in his home, in fact, often discouraged. But he knows the importance of books and especially what they mean to me. And our children were raised with a love of books.
What really saddens me is that this man who thought I had amassed huge numbers of movies is not alone. Too often, I hear "Oh, I don't like to read." or "I don't like books." Or other similar statements. This bothers me not just because I'm a writer, but because it also underscores what I believe is the literary decline of society. And I'm not talking about reading "high-brow" books, but, rather, the nearly illiterate writing skills of society in general these days. Highly placed business people who can barely spell or teachers who don't know the difference between a colon and semicolon. People who can't figure out the difference between homophones (they're, their, there).
My son was at a job-hunting seminar a few weeks ago and noted a misspelling on one of the handouts. During a break in the session, he quietly pointed it out to the presenter. Instead of being thankful, she got huffy with him and informed him that five people had proofed that paper and all said it was okay. Unfortunately, all five of them (actually, six if you count the presenter), were wrong. The word was definitely misspelled. And these were people who were showing others how to present themselves.
I realize we all make mistakes. Typos and the mistaken word creep in, especially when we are in a hurry (as we all seem to be these days) or our typing doesn't keep up with our thoughts. These are minor incidents in a major deterioration.
As I said, a sad state of affairs. Literacy is important. Spelling. Grammar. Diction. And, unfortunately, with people who should know better at the top of the ladder, I don't see it getting any better.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
My Aching Back
It snowed again yesterday. Actually, it started on Tuesday - and didn't stop until late yesterday. Then the wind started to blow... By the time it was done, we had almost two feet of new snow - on top of the almost two feet of snow we got on Saturday. Then it drifted. My front yard now has piles over six feet deep in snow. And tonight, they're calling for strong winds. Lovely.
According to our news guys, Philadelphia (an hour away from me) has more snow this winter - this week! - than Buffalo, N.Y. or Alaska. Most of the interstates in the state were closed, one of them just opening this afternoon. Some of the piles on the sides of the roads are fifteen feet high. We've set more records this week than in the past hundred years.
And yet, there are robins at the bird feeder.
To everyone fighting this white battle, be safe. Pace yourself. And good luck.
According to our news guys, Philadelphia (an hour away from me) has more snow this winter - this week! - than Buffalo, N.Y. or Alaska. Most of the interstates in the state were closed, one of them just opening this afternoon. Some of the piles on the sides of the roads are fifteen feet high. We've set more records this week than in the past hundred years.
And yet, there are robins at the bird feeder.
To everyone fighting this white battle, be safe. Pace yourself. And good luck.
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