Book trailer tips

I'm not here today, I'm over at Rabble Writers, sharing tips on making book trailers.

Come on over to learn what goes into planning, how to avoid "bait and switch" marketing, where to find low-cost or free images and music, how to avoid getting sued for copyright infringement, and much more.

Host a rambler
If you're interested in hosting a stop in my blog ramble for Never Gone, please use the form HERE I'll make ebooks available for giveaways and provide content unique for your blog if you wish.

What do you think of book trailers? What, in your opinion, makes one effective?

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Presenting the book trailer for NEVER GONE

For your viewing pleasure, the book trailer for Never Gone.

In a future post, I'll share a bit about how I built it from the script up, and explain some of the technical aspects of how this was created.

HUGE thanks go to my husband, who was able to take my rather static concept and make it sing!

Let me know what you think. Did this pique your interest in the book?

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Ramble versus whirlwind tour

image source: morguefile.com

The past five days have been wonderfully, horridly busy. I at last had in hand all the requisite files to produce ebook versions of my novel.  There was no reason to not barrel ahead and get my book on sales channels. And then a funny thing happened.

I started thinking like a traditionally published writer. Having total panic attacks that I hadn't built buzz properly, that I'd put my book out into the world when only one of my early reviewers had even finished it. Horrors. I read that so-and-so had daily guest posts for six weeks and alarms are screeching in my head that omigosh I have to plan everything NOW. Have to come out of the gates fast in order to not fail.

Um, no, I don't. And anyone else who self-publishes, you don't either. Traditional publishing might apply pressure to sell well in just a few months, but self-published books stay available for years. No one will yank your title if you sell only 50 copies in the first six months. Going slower might enable you more time to keep producing new work and actually get a little sleep too. You have years to build an audience, so take the time to have meaningful interactions with readers, rather than blitz-and-run.

As a book consumer, I find it wearying to hear the same message over and over blitz style.  I'm much more won by a few quality posts of the non-hype variety. I've seen some authors do well with chart rush projects, but burn through their contacts too quickly to keep any kind of steady interest in their books. Your mileage, as one of my CPs says,  may vary.

It was in corresponding with her that I remembered a promise I'd made myself when I started on this journey. A promise that I would do what felt right for me and not succumb to this-or-that marketing trend of the moment.

As much as I'm excited to share my story with readers far and wide, I don't plan a blitz approach. It would make me crazy and make you sick of me. I hope only to share posts here and there, as folks are willing to have me. Posts with unique content. About the grief process, about research, about setting, about third-culture kids, about ghosts, about perceiving versus judging, about father-daughter relationships, about mannequins and the uncanny, or about another topic that interests you.

If you'd like me to visit you during my ramble, please to use the form here.

What do you think of the current marketing blitz approach? As a reader and book buyer, how much does buzz sway you? What promises have you made to yourself about your writing or publishing approach?

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It's here! (part 1)

The Kindle edition of NEVER GONE is now available from Amazon US and Amazon UK and through Amazon's other EU sites as well. The Nook edition is available through B&N. Woot!

The official release date for the paperback is 9/27.

Would you like to help me spread the word? Click on the form below and let me know how you'd like to participate.





In other news, I at last got the share buttons functioning on this blog, so my posts are tweetable etc. right from this site. Apparently the CSS needed a bit of tweaking for the widget to appear.

Have a great weekend, friends! Any special plans?

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Cover reveal - NEVER GONE

So here it is, my lovely cover.

This is very much a group effort. The concept is mine. I wanted a clean, minimalist look with custom art that reflected my protagonist's two great loves--pencil drawing and her dad--yet hinted at the grief-oriented content.

Thankfully I have a very talented husband who was able to create this wonderful sketch of my protagonist's father, Graham the photographer. From there, the sketch went to an actual photographer, my friend's cousin, Whitney Levin. She had a laugh about how strange it was to photograph a photographer. Very meta. The shoot was done in August with a green leaf. Deep green.

That's when the real magic happened. I turned over the photograph (purchased all rights, something I'd recommend for the most flexibility) to my designer friend Ruth. She worked in book design before becoming a homeschooling mom, a thorough pro. She was able to autumn-ize the leaf and give me wonderful typography that manages to keep minimalist from being boring.

So what's NEVER GONE about? Grief, ghosts, and God.

Here's my official product description:

Days after her father’s death, fifteen-year-old Dani Deane begins seeing him all around New York — wading through discarded sketches in her room, roaming the halls at church, socializing at his post-funeral reception. Is grief making her crazy? Or could her dad really be lingering between this world and the next, trying to contact her?

Dani desperately longs for his help. Without him keeping the peace, Dani’s relationship with her mother is deteriorating fast. Soon Mum ships her off to rural England with Dad’s relatives for a visit that Dani fears will become a permanent stay. But she won’t let her arty, urban life slip away without a fight, especially when daily phone calls with her lab partner Theo become her lifeline.

To find her way home, Dani must somehow reconnect with Mum. But as she seeks advice from relatives and insights from old letters, she uncovers family secrets that shake her to the core. Convinced that Dad’s ghost alone can help her, she sets out on a dangerous journey to contact him one last time.

For ages 14+, YA edgy inspirational

= = =

You can add it to your to-read shelf on Goodreads today. The ebook will be available in a matter of days, the paperback by my official release date, September 27.

Stay tuned for more news about blog tours and other festivities.

What do you think? 

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The gift of delays

Most of the time, when things don't happen on schedule, our natural reaction is annoyance. Stupid obstacle! Rubbish delay!

Taking on the publisher hat in addition to the writer hat has really challenged my attitude about delays. Doing things right is better than doing things fast. I can't tell you how many times in the processes of setting up my small business and preparing NEVER GONE for publication that delays have proven beneficial. I ended up delving into new social media to relieve the itch of waiting for my photographer to get back from vacation and my cover designer to take needed time to do color enhancements. I found and fixed some wonky ebook formatting while waiting for some early reviewers to tell me what format they preferred to read in.

I continue to wait to have the final cover files to do a reveal, and I'm pretty sure the wait will be for the good in some way.

So stay tuned. I'll soon share the look and a description of my "book baby"...when the time is right.

How have you been stretched in your writing life? Have you experienced times when your patience has paid off in unexpected ways?

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How much new can you do?

I've dived into a whole lot of new things in the past few months. I joined a gym. Started a small business. Accepted a promotion at work. Got new glasses that gave me headaches for weeks. Learned to format ebooks in CSS. Joined Twitter, and more recently Goodreads.

Oh, and I am trying to put together a book launch for late September.

Some of you lovely folks have found me on Twitter, and I thank you. I hope some of you will find me on Goodreads (hint, hint). A few of you have talked me off the ledge when I thought I'd crack under the pressure of so many learning curves at once (I owe you some really killer cookies).

I've realized a few things in the midst of all this:

~No matter how much you plan, something will pop up you could never have planned for (like my hubby's nasty bike accident).

~The easy stuff often turns out to be the hard stuff.

~Stuff you thought would drive you insane might actually be fun (me, learn CSS?).

~Your friends genuinely do want you to succeed. Never be afraid to ask for their advice and help.

~Don't forget the "realizing a dream" part of the equation when you tackle new skills. It will help you stay positive even when you hit roadblocks.

~Remember that every pro was once a newbie.

I wish a happy Labor Day weekend to my American friends, and a pleasant end-of-August to those who don't have a holiday weekend.

Have you ever tried a lot of new things at the same time? How did you cope?

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