Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Follow-up to Yesterday...

"Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the Catskills." - Al Ries

Thanks for all your comments on yesterday's "birth of a cover" blog post. In fact, Marianne did one of her own today, with all the covers she went through for One Love for Liv. Go check it out - you'll see that mine was pretty painless compared to hers!

Dru asked me the most daunting part of the whole publishing process, and I have to say, it's the marketing. The editing, the revising, the cover design - all that is still related to the writing aspect, which I'm fairly good at (I think!). But the learning curve as far as marketing and promoting a book has been huge, for me. Learning what kinds of promo to use and when, how much to spend, what audience to target for what promo...it's interesting but also overwhelming. After about a year of doing it, I feel marginally more comfortable...but only marginally.

Devon is in the process of having her very first novella published by The Wild Rose Press, and she's outlining her whole journey on her blog, from submission to contract signing to blurb writing to pre-marketing thoughts. I'll be interested to see her cover for Addicted ~ especially since I'm making the trailer for it!

Finally, while we're talking about covers, I should mention that for Lost in Paradise, I only got one version. I loved it, so the artist didn't change anything at all. Let's take a moment and look at that yummy picture of Eddie West again, hmm?...

And guess what I discovered yesterday? It's up on Amazon! Funny thing, though: I think you can buy it (I haven't tried yet) - it says it's in stock. But my "official" release date isn't until May 23. I wonder what's up with that? Hey, if you want it now, give a try and see if you can buy it. Why wait?? :)

6 comments:

Marianne Arkins said...

I absolutely have to agree with you... marketing is HARD. I'm glad you're going through it all first and can share with your friends! *G*

Your release is getting SO CLOSE. I'm excited beyond belief, so I can only imagine how YOU feel!

Devon Gray said...

Yes, let's look at Eddie one more time... I'm headed over to Amazon to buy it. I read the e-version (as you know!)but I have to have that cover. Facing it out on the shelf...yep! Thanks for the link. I can't wait (I think)to see the cover either. I'm looking forward to the video. I know it'll be awesome.

Devon Gray said...

Do you want me to post my review on Amazon? If not, no big deal. Just let me know.

Dru said...

Recently there was a discussion about buying books before the on-sale release date. For some it doesn't matter, for others it does. Where do you fit in? How does this affect your statistics?

BTW, I think you're doing a terrific job in marketing and/or promoting your books.

Congrats Devon.

Allie Boniface said...

Ooh, Devon, I'd love for you to post your review on Amazon - thanks!

windycindy said...

Greetings, I am learning so much from all of your authors! I think the marketing aspect can apply to many jobs. I always enjoy your posts. Thanks,Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com