IWSG--Book Launch Advice

 Welcome to March! I'm looking forward to spring, even though in the Midwest we can still get snow in April.

 

I assume almost everyone reading this is already a member of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, where we offer encouragement and support to other writers. You can learn more about them on their website or Facebook page.

 

Our hosts this month are PJ Colando, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Natalie Aguirre. 

Our question this month is about book launches: What elements do you include in your book launch? Or, what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or, what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?

It's been a couple of years since I published something commercially. If/when I ever do resume my cozy mystery series or return to the fantasy world of my Season Avatars, I would probably focus on marketing the first book in each series with sales and ads, hoping that will lead readers to discover the rest of the series. I'm not sure if my newsletter is still active, but I would also send out announcements that way. I wouldn't recommend doing a blog tour, if that's even a thing anymore. The only one I did seemed to attract people more interested in giveaways than my book. I would also suggest to other authors to line up pre-orders and book reviews by readers (not sure if it's still kosher to offer free copies in exchange for honest reviews). I'd also advise other authors to celebrate the milestone but (at least for indie authors) not to worry too much about initial sales. It can take time for a book to find its audience.

What do you include as part of your book launches? Feel free to share in the comments. 
 

Edited to add: Let me clarify what I was giving away as part of the blog tour. It wasn't my book, but items related to the book. This was over a decade ago, so I don't remember everything that was in the prize pack. I do distinctly recall two mugs with Shakespeare quotes, since my book featured an aspiring actor who loved Hamlet. No one wanted the mugs; they just wanted the gift cards. I still own and use the mugs.

ReCONvene 2020

 

 I originally hadn't planned to attend any more virtual conventions this year, but when one of my blogging buddies, Terri Bruce, posted about ReCONvene 2020 (the virtual version of Boskone), I was intrigued by a couple of the panels. (Terri published a short story collection called Souls last month. The cover is pictures, and You can check it out on Amazon at the link.) Since it was only ten bucks to attend the convention, I decided to register. Below is a list of the panels I watched. 

Glimpsing Climate Recovery

The Distant Future in Science Fiction

The AI Amongst Us

Modernizing Fairy Tales and Myths

Exploring the Literary Sandbox of Speculative Fiction

Worldblending in Speculative Fiction

Unfortunately, the con chose not to record the panels, and I didn't take notes. (One good thing about virtual panels is that it's easier to do things like clean, cook, and crochet while you're listening.) I was particularly interested in the Modernizing Fairy Tales and Myths panel, but it didn't go into the details of adapting old tales to new settings as much as I hoped it would. It occurred to me after the panel was over that I could have asked for writing tips in the Q&A, but by then it was too late. 

The panelists (at least, the ones I'd heard of) were mostly traditionally published authors, and all of the panels were well moderated. A couple of the panelists missed panels for technical or other reasons, but on the whole the panels were well run. Obviously a virtual convention lacks many of the charms of an in-person convention, but since this I've never been able to go to Boskone, a virtual convention is better than no convention at all.

Distaff Anthology Releases Tomorrow

DISTAFF: NOUN

A staff used in spinning.
Of women and women’s work.
An anthology of women’s stories woven through time and space.

In 2018 a crack team of women sci-fi writers, all members of the sffchronicles community forum, came together to write an anthology. Distaff is the result. Join us as we share stories of people, of science and exploration, and enjoy the words we weave.

Further Info:

Distaff is a Science Fiction Anthology featuring nine short stories by female identifying authors. The anthology began in 2018 on SffChronicles.com, a webforum devoted to the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror genres. Like the site that gave birth to the idea, Distaff encapsulates the broad range of the Science Fiction genre. The anthology shrugs off the negative connotations of the word Distaff and embodies the positive aspects of what women can achieve when they pool their talents. Distaff is entirely ‘of women’s work.’ 

Distaff contains nine stories from new and best-selling authors. 

·       Authors: Susan Boulton, Damaris Browne, Kerry Buchanan, Shellie Horst, Rosie Oliver, Jane O'Reilly, Juliana Spink Mills, E. J. Tett, Jo Zebedee.

·       Publication Date: August 15, 2019

·       Website https://distaffanthology.wordpress.com

·       Available at Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/8vsjzx

·       ISBN 9781074955007 

·       Cover Design: Shellie Horst 

Editing: Rosie Oliver & Samanda R. Primeau

2018 Goals: The Misses

Way back at the end of last year (doesn't that seem longer ago than it really was?), I posted a rather ambitious set of personal goals for 2018. It's time to look back and see how I did. I'm going to spread this discussion over two blog posts. Today, I'm going to list the goals I didn't achieve this year. Unfortunately, there were a lot more misses than I thought there would be. I didn't even finish the first draft of Dryads to Discover, which I started in 2017. Part of that is because I traded a lot of writing time for crochet, and I spent a lot of my remaining time working on short stories. (More on that next week.) I recently decided to make a major change to the plot, so I wouldn't have been able to publish Dryads to Discover this year anyway. My slow publishing may be linked with my slow sales, but there's only so much I can juggle along with my job and my family. Additional commentary on my failed goals will be added below:

Writing

Finish Dryads to Discover (new urban fantasy, first in series)--See above.

Start Dragons to Deceive (sequel to Dryads to Discover)--Obviously it's hard to start Book Two when Book One isn't done

Finish “The Unnumbered World"--I'm having so much trouble with the plot that I may shelve this short story indefinitely.Maybe I should move on to Catalyst in the Crucible, the next installment in the Catalyst Chronicles series.

Revise “The Fighting Roses of Sharon"--I need to revise at least two, if not all three, of the subplots. 

Work on Welcome to Costume City--Didn't have time for this one.

Plan overall arc for Selathen Avatars series (followup to fantasy Season Avatars series)--I wrote a short story bridging the Season Avatars series to the sequel series (which I may rename), and there are some rough notes somewhere. There's still a lot of plotting to be done here, though.

Publishing

Publish Dryads to Discover

Publish “The Fighting Roses of Sharon” as standalone

Marketing

Prepare at least one pull quote graphic for each novella/novel-I may have played around with some graphics, but I need to find some suitable quotes to use.

Send out at least four newsletters--I actually sent out three, but there's been nothing since June. Maybe I should send one out in the next couple of weeks.

Run a promotion every 1-2 months--I did paid sales and Instafreebie promotions for about the first half of the year, but they fell off afterward.

Sell 150 units (books, short stories, collections)--Effective selling is one of my biggest challenges as an indie author. I don't sell many books unless I do discounts and promotions, but even then the sales don't make up for the promotion cost. I really need to write and publish more so my works can promote each other.

WisCon?--I haven't missed a WisCon since Alex was born. We had other things scheduled that weekend.

I did almost nothing on the goals listed below:

Other

Finish Jedi costume!

General Leia costume?

Finish 2 Death Star pillows--I did one, but not the second.

Crochet blanket for Alex

Household

Garage sale!

Get compost bin?

Landscape back yard

Despite this long list of misses, I did have a few successes. I'll share those with you next week, along with (hopefully) more realistic goals for 2019. Until then, happy holidays!

Maintaining Author Websites

Every time I publish a new work, I try to update my website. I maintain it myself. (I'm switching back and forth between this blog and my website as I write this post.) I'll feature my latest work with the cover, blurb, and buy link on the landing page and update any notes I've shared about work in progress. I'll also add the book or story to the appropriate page. If any of my links are broken, I fix them. Sometimes I also change the background or theme to freshen my website's appearance.

Authors, how often do you update your website, and what do you do to it? Readers, what are you looking for when you visit an author's website? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

The Alien Mind by V.L Jennings

One of my former blogging buddies had her YA science fiction book re-released recently. Here's some information about it:

When a group of aliens called the Aruk abduct Young Rivinaig and several other children, they are thrown into the adventure of a lifetime. 

The Aunantet, a benevolent race of aliens, rescue the children and adopt them into their culture and raised them as if they belong. The children's new families teach them how to harness the full capacity of their minds, enabling them to defy the laws of physics and develop special mental abilities. 

The past returns to haunt them as the Aruk plot revenge and regain control of their former captives. The fate of the entire galaxy depends on whether the children can maintain their freedom.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36130453-the-alien-mind

Buy Links:

E-book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0755Q6D2V
Will be priced at .99 on Amazon till January 1! Normal retail price is 2.99

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974669661
Large Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1975813944
Hard Cover: http://www.lulu.com/content/hardcover-book/the-alien-mind/21245642

Audio Book: (coming soon)

When V.L. Jennings isn't traveling to other worlds through her imagination, she calls Dillon, South Carolina her home. She is the author of science fiction novels "The Alien Mind" (recipient of the Readers Favorite Five Star Review Award), and "Visionary From The Stars".

But what motivates Virginia to create, to illustrate, to prognosticate? Virginia is a speculator, the kind of person who always debates the "what if?" of where stories both true and fantastical are leading themselves to, which explains her love of post-apocalyptic fare such as "The Walking Dead." Through her writing, she enjoys trying to figure out what our human potential is, and where our innate desire for a better world could lead us.

Overall, Virginia is just about as real as a person can get. Yes, even authors love to sing along with their favorite local radio station while driving, and Virginia is no exception to this rule. She enjoys watching Doctor Who or Star Trek with her family over dinner, and also watching the latest sci-fi and action movies with her husband. On the weekends, you may even find Virginia and her family at the local comic book store, hunting down more comics to add to their collections.

V.L. Jennings spends her free time writing flash fiction on her blog and working towards her degree in Electronics Engineering. You can find out more about V.L. Jennings as well as join her newsletter at:

www.virginialorijennings.com