So what’s up with my writing life? Well, in between writing my next Brava, editing my e-book releases, and promoting said e-book releases, I’m working on promoting Bad Boys Ahoy! This is a time-sucking, money-draining process that I personally feel is absolutely necessary.
Other, far more experienced authors than I, would say one or a combination of the following:
1.) Do as much as you can afford (both time-wise and money-wise.)
2.) Do as much as you enjoy.
3.) It doesn’t help, don’t do it.
I’ll be honest and say that I think the number one thing I’ve done to help sell BBA is to sell e-books. With every book that releases, I pick up new readers. The promotion and loop discussions about my stories have increased my visibility. Will all of those e-book fans crossover? Nah, not with BBA being historical and my e-books being contemporary, futuristic, and paranormals. But I’m certainly farther ahead of the game than I would have been without.
However, I feel as if I remain an unknown author and this will hurt my print sales. I am surprised by how often I am complimented by other writers on how well I’ve promoted myself. Have I? :think: I don’t know. The only thing I know for sure is that any reader who isn’t online has never heard of me. Will they walk into a bookstore and pick up my book? The Brava name helps, the Bad Boys franchise helps, but I’ve had friends who released books with well-known publishers and franchises, and their newbie status negatively affected their sales.
My unknown author status affects my profile on the bookseller’s websites, too. Go to BN.com and look at their Coming Soon page. BBA is not on there. So if a reader who has never heard of me went to BN.com and was surfing for something they might want to buy, they won’t find me at all. Unless you search my name or the book title (which a person who’s never heard of me wouldn’t do), BBA doesn’t exist. 
What’s the big deal with BBA? Why put so much effort into it? Well, it’s the first of three scheduled print releases next year, and I’m fairly positive about a fourth (anthology) release. I also have this third Brava I’m presently working on. (If it goes over well. Ya never know… Just because it’s contracted doesn’t mean it’s going to be accepted.) So kicking off strong will help the sales of those other books.
AND any other contracts that may come my way will be based heavily on the orders of BBA. Those all-important numbers. They really are all-important.
So I do what I can afford, but not as little as I’d enjoy doing. I envy those authors who have reached the point where they are beyond personal promo. The authors who have such strong support from their fans and publishers. 
I do have some fun promo to share news to share with you that didn’t cost me anything. Brava excerpts upcoming releases in the backs of their books and BBA is excerpted in the back of Valentine’s Day is Killing Me, which features MaryJanice Davidson, LA Banks, and Susanna Carr. Susanna emailed me the exciting news last night and is sending me an ARC so I can hop up and down and do the :yay: It’s getting closer… Soon I’ll be holding BBA in my hands. And if I do everything I could possibly do to promo BBA, there will some peace of mind in that. I’d hate to hear about crappy sales and think, “I should have done [insert whatever] Maybe, it would have helped.”
Excerpts have a lot of power. I found Charlaine Harris after reading an excerpt in MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead and Unwed. I know I’ve picked up some Bravas for the same reason, like Alison Kent’s The Bane Affair.
I think sales will be better than you think.
on November 12th, 2005 at 6:00 pm
Brava does a terrific job excerpting upcoming releases in the back of their books. Most other publishers don’t seem to do this. But it really sells me on a lot of new Bravas– I tend to read their excerpts and go, “Wow, I HAVE to have that!”:grin:
on November 12th, 2005 at 5:50 pm