Tor Books’ production department has moved my book’s release date out one month. I’m getting so antsy to have it hit the stores, but October’s actually a better month, it being closer to the holiday season.
You still might be able to get it earlier if you pre-order. The books actually start shipping in the second half of September. But it takes a few weeks to get them out to all the stores.
I will conduct The 3 Things You Must Learn to Write Killer Stories workshop at CONduit this year. It’s being held at the downtown Raddison hotel. Here’s my schedule.
I just got this from my editor. My first reaction was what?–No bronze brassiers, naked thighs, or gravity defying breasts?! I’m ruined! Then I remembered I’d given up writing books about bimbos with swords (alas, I really had some terrific mosquito scenes).
Folks, I think Swanland’s style is gorgeous, and I hope readers find this particular cover compelling. Click on it to see it full size. There are many things about this cover that I like, but one cool thing about the content of the illustration is that he worked in Sugar with the raveler. Those are, to date, my favorite weapons ever. In fact, Sugar herself looks, well, strong, beautiful, smart. Dang! Who wants to write about a bimbo when you’ve got a woman like that?
(Of course, a bimbo with a sword could make a very good Legally Blonde meets Lord of the Rings. Humm. I’m tempted…)
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Gallup did a poll in 2005 asking readers how they selected the books they read. Here are the results.
What this says to me as an author is that the most important thing I can do to help my career is write the best dang story I can, seeing that almost 60% of what readers select is driven by the experience they or someone else had with the book.
The next most important factor has to do with helping my book stand out for browsers. This would include the cover, store placement, blurbs, flap text, and the opening pages. The only part of this an author can really focus on is the opening pages–again, writing the best dang story I can.
So it seems authors, especially debut authors, can’t do much to affect sales. But not being able to do much doesn’t mean they can’t do anything. Somewhere, somehow the first readers have to be enticed to give the book a go. Robert Sawyer talks about some of the methods to do that here.
EDIT: 4/8/2011
Kris Rusch adds more information that confirms the findings of the poll above in “The Business Rusch: Promotion”. READ HER WHOLE ARTICLE. Notice she does concede that publishers can get some notice for a book. So there ARE things that can be done to make the offer. But I agree with her advice that the best thing to do is get more product out the door. The studies she cites are:
2010 Survey of Book-buying Behavior by VERSO Advertising. The key conclusion on book-buying is that “Multiple factors impact consumer awareness of a particular title, but final purchase decision (online and offline) driven by author reputation, personal recommendations, and price.” If I were you, I’d read the whole presentation.
| # | Reason | % Respondents |
| 1 | Author reputation | 52% |
| 2 | Personal recommendation | 49% |
| 3 | Price | 45% |
| 4 | Book reviews | 37% |
| 5 | Cover artwork/blurbs | 22% |
| 6 | Advertising (including on-line) | 14% |
2007 Survey on what motivates readers to by a book by Spier Advertising, reported in Publishers Weekly
| # | Reason | % of Respondents |
| 1 | Friend’s Recommendation | 49% |
| 2 | Familiarity with Author | 45% |
| 3 | Description on Jacket | 32% |
| 4 | Reviews | 22% |
| 5 | Advertisement | 21% |
| 6 | Place on bestsellers list | 17% |
| 7 | Reading group pick | 16% |
| 8 | Cover design | 12% |
I found this a fascinating talk. It’s Ira Glass who is the executive producer of the This American Life radio program from Chicago Public Radio. It’s a show that merges true stories (and some short fiction) of everyday people, surprise, humor, and meaning. There’s a structure to the types of stories that they produce. It’s not a new thing. It’s used all the time in a venue many of us are familiar with. Maybe you’ll identify that venue immediately. If not, it doesn’t matter. Watch and listen. This is a fascinating talk and it highlights just how much humor, curiosity, and insight depend on surprise.
Ira Glass at Gel 2007 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.