A Block of Promotion

Okay, okay, I know I haven't written for a while. All I can say is I've been trying not to spread myself too thin over the Christmas holiday. In my defense, however, that is exactly (well, almost exactly) one of the bits of advice John Kremer gives in his book, "1001 Ways to Market Your Books."

Yes, I stretched Kremer's meaning just a little, but what he really meant to say was publishers and authors need to focus their efforts on a few, worthwhile marketing strategies before adding more because overloading tends to dilute effectiveness, not increase it. Good advice, I think, in all of our priorities (even Christmas!).

There are many other Kremer tips I especially like, too. A few are (these are not in any particular order):

1. Give your buyers the best you have, plus more. I know I've never regretted giving more to anyone (except the bank, of course); but I have regretted those times I knowingly held back. An example of giving more, is to offer something free, like a bookmark or a small flyer about the subject.
2. Work with your editors on marketing. As I said in my previous post, "Editors are People, Too," editors are people, who, just like us, are trying to do a tough job the best way they can. They may even have a lofty goal--a dream book they're hoping to bring to the world--just like we do. BUT they also have valuable experience and a good understanding of the market, so yes, share your marketing ideas with them, but above all, respect and trust their advice.
3. Let your editors know about your experience, associations, and expertise. These can provide valuable promotional avenues that can not be explored if the editor doesn't know about them.
4. Spend at least ten minutes every day promoting/publicizing your book; i.e., making contacts, sending post cards/flyers, making follow-up calls, etc.
5. Last but NOT least, remember "Word of Mouth." It's our biggest promoter, so actively look for ways to get the word out about your book.

As I said, these are just a few of Kremer's marketing tips, there were "1001," after all, but I believe they are among the most important ones to keep in mind, no matter what other strategies we use.

So, what block of advice can you add?

Christmas Gifts

In keeping with the coming holiday, and realizing most of us have "what should I give . . . ?" on our minds, I thought I'd let this blog be a simple "idea catcher" of homemade gifts. I recently read a newspaper article about gifts--who to gift, how much to spend, etc., and it suggested homemade gifts were often the most meaningful; and I have to agree.

One of my neighbors has a very large family and extended family, yet every Christmas they have a party where they one, draw names for who they will give a gift to next year, and two, present their homemade gifts to the person they had all year to think about. What a great, family togetherness idea! Even little kids can be involved in their tradition.

Another one of my favorite, homemade gift ideas, came from a dear friend. She gathered all her favorite recipes together and put it into a recipe book. But that's not all. The best part is she also wrote a little story with each recipe--where or from who she got the recipe and events surrounding it (like a description of how every time she went to grandma's house they had . . ." You get the idea.

One year, my father made my young boys a barn and several animals out of wood. It was a great present. Not only did my children love it, but I still cherish it--you know, the heirloom thing.

These are a few of the great, homemade Christmas gifts I've received or known of, and one of them even incorporated writing! What are some of your favorite, homemade gifts?

Maturation Plot

I was just checking out your really informative blog and I noticed your "how to write" offer of help so I thought I'd ask. I'm about to write my first screenplay. its a maturation, coming of age, rites of passage plot about two teenage brothers trying to survive after the apocalypse. their father returns to take them on a journey that they don't wish to travel. what advice can you give me on tackling such a plot?

your help is most appreciated

When I am constructing my plots, I do two things first, but not necessarily in this order: 1) study and outline the plot points in a few movies, books, and plays that have similar structures, and 2) study relative reference books. When I've completed that process, I review my notes and pick out the plot points which are common to all references.

Next, using the above information, I create a rough outline of those common elements, as well as the ones I want to be in my book, and then I begin to "flesh out" the outline and fill in the gaps with my own characters and situations.

Two books that might be helpful to you with your story are "Blueprint for Writing" by Rachel Friedman Ballon (she covers screenwriting) and "20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them)." I've referred to these two books in past blogs because they have been tremendously helpful to me.

As I read your plot description, it appears to be a combination of two plot lines: Maturation and Adventure? Quest? Discovery? I don't know your story well enough to tell, but if I were you, I would study the requirements for the two you believe they are and weave them together as you construct your plot. That's what I had to do on the romantic suspense book I recently finished (it includes elements of both maturation and quest/rescue) and on the romantic suspense novel I'm currently working on.

As I stated in my previous blogs on "Wretched Excess," I can not entirely cover all that Tobias has to say about each plot, but as a bit of information to get you started, here are a few key elements of the Maturation plot:

1. The maturation plot focuses on children progressing toward adulthood.
2. "Start your story where the protagonist has reached the point in her life at which she can be tested as an adult" and then hit her with a"belief shaking" test like death, parent divorce, abandonment, or something else "apocalyptic."
3. Show your character resisting then undergoing gradual, psychological and moral "change."
4. Decide what price your character pays for this lesson and show how he copes with it.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your screenplay.

A Leading Query

"What's the best way to get an editor's attention? Punch him in the nose." So begins Chapter
Three of Lisa Collier Cool's book, "How to Write Irresistible Query Letters." Chapter Three, as you may guess, is titled "Leads That Hook the Editor" and is chock full of good ideas and important advice on how to begin a query letter to a magazine editor. This blog contains a brief overview of that chapter.

The first step, she says, is to ask yourself the five questions newspaper writers answer in their first paragraphs: When? Where? What? Who? and Why? Knowing the answers to these questions, while alone may not capture an editor's attention, will help you focus your slant and incorporate your more salable elements into your lead. For instance, if the "where" is in Salt Lake City, and the magazine you're querying focuses on subjects relating to Boston's coastline, you would probably want to omit the "where" from your lead and focus more on the tantalizing "Who," which just happens to be, let's say, a survivalist sea captain.

Next, Collier suggests implementing another newspaper formula, the "inverted pyramid." The inverted pyramid is simply this: "lead with your strongest material, save the details for later." That means, don't spend your first paragraph on miscellaneous details; instead, "punch" the editor with your most powerful, eye-catching information, such as "my method will double readers' incomes," or "Jane Doe is changing the way America loses weight." Also, the first paragraph based on the inverted pyramid is organized in this way: 1) Arouse interest. 2) Provide specifics. 3) Close with the key point.

Anecdotes, especially success stories, can also be effective leads because they immediately show the editor how readers can benefit from your article. Structuring anecdotes, according to Collier, is "a one-two punch: first you show the reader the problem or situation with an illustrative case history or two, then you tell the story behind the story . . . with approriate facts and figures." The anecdote is the lead I personally used several years ago to sell my profile article to "Guideposts for Kids."

Other effective leads are:
1. Beginning with a question.
2. "Cramming" your first sentence with specific facts to prove your expertise on the subject.
3. Incorporating quotes and dialogue to add drama or present difficult information.
4. Using comparisons and contrasts. "Yesterday we . . . Today we . . ."
5. Implementing "uncommon leads," such as "witty definitions, commands to the reader, surprising twists, and shockers." Collier's example of a shocking or twisted opening, which I've paraphrased, described that while a family was spending time in an amusement park, their dog was slowly dying inside their scorchingly hot car.

There you go. Writers often question how to write effective queries, and I've seen many examples by both new and established writers, but Collier's advice has worked best for me: We need to grab--punch--the editor with our first sentences, just like we do with the first sentences of our articles. This not only helps us hold the editor's interest, but it also stimulates his desire to buy our work.

So, this is one of the secrets to my querying success. What's yours?