Well I have to tell you when The Writers' Cafe Press picked up Forever Richard I was excited and so were they (they are friends first and foremost.) Moving up from a small Indie press to a Mid-range press (in regards to sales that is. Non-monumental sales but sales none-the-less) surely meant more respect from first-line reviewers who get most of the attention when they review books (good or bad.)
I tried to get a review of Never Ceese from PW when it first came out but learned, oh my, you had to send them an arc well in advance of being published. Okay. No problem. Forever Richard would certainly meet that criteria. Oh and then there's this criteria.
An accompanying letter should contain a description or synopsis of the book, and any pertinent publicity information, including the author’s previous titles, blurbs, or previous reviews. Book club, paperback, audio or movie rights sales, author tours of 5 cities or more, a print run of more than 10,000 or an ad/promo budget of more than $30,000 should be noted.
Sure. Yeah. Right. Who in the heck are they talking too?
They were sent an arc of Forever Richard with all the information associated with my previous book and wala--nothing. Oh yeah. They get a lot of books. Give you one guess who gets reviewed and it ain't the small presses or self-pubbed authors.
What's my point?
What? I have to have a point?
Sorry. Didn't really have one. ;)
I lost my original post here. I wanted to say that you should not give up sore, or be frustrated as this is normal. I understand this well as I have been put through 'the mill' myself try to go through Writers' Market for a good number of years. You should submit your books to the Hollywood Book Festival which would go nuts over your work: It reads like a script and perhaps just the right person may see it. That is all it takes! I know the talent is there. It just needs the right person to see it! I will talk to you later, Joe Blevins
ReplyDeleteLOL at Joe. Oh I'm plenty sore but not just for me as for all the others who fall victim to this helping those who absolutely don't need help.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know me well enough now to, I think, to understand I will NEVER give up. It isn't in me. ;)
I am pretty much through submitting my books to anyone else though as there's nothing governing they are who they say they are. As far as the right person seeing it, I gave that up for lent.
I believe an author should become a best-sellng by merit not because they found the winning lottery ticket . . . in a basement . . . in a coffee shop . . . in England . . . I'm just sayin'.
I need lots of help, every single day. I sometimes wonder what it takes to write a decent book. I have come to the realization that it takes more that what I can do by myself. Often I am so thick-headed that a double axe could not dent my skull. I need good advice from others and to have the consolation of someone who has went down the same path I have walked. Having a published author give me some good advice is better than the lottery as it is something I can really take to the bank. Thanks, Joe B.
ReplyDeleteI am just ranting today...One of my favorite books when I was growing up was "Gulliver's Travels". In one place he was a giant, and in another place he was almost microscopic in size. Sometimes we leave home to find that at home we don't get much respect as they do not see us as 'viable' some way. Often when we travel elsewhere we find that some people see the merit of what we do. You now have a new audience that recognizes your efforts to be well rewarded. Where I grew up people hated me many times and I did not know why. I was not like them and I saw things in a different light. After I left home and made my 'mark' in other places I grew as a person and gained respect that I never had in my hometown. I can talk in front of a group of hundreds of strangers and not be afraid. I went back home to talk to my hometown to promote my first book and I was scared out of my gourd. SO It does matter where and how you promote. Having the advice from people like you (all) means a great deal to me. I can't begin to express my appreciation to be a part of your writers' group. Often I will sit back and listen as this is how I best learn something the best way. Your opinions are highly valued and nothing is off target as you have lived it and you know what you are doing. Thanks, Joe B.
ReplyDelete