First first first!
Remember Kim Fay, and The Map of Lost Memories? I reviewed Kim's book for Hometown Pasadena. Now, The Map of Lost Memories is a 2013 Edgar Award finalist for best first novel by an American Author. Congratulations, Kim!
Kim has got herself some clout. I'm going to have clout, too. In the five days since I've released Camelot & Vine on Kindle I've been busy, you know, marketing my book. I want to find the right audience for my literary work, and I believe I've got it.
It's the broccoli lobby. These people are my fans.
You go to the grocery store. You shake hands, chat people up. It's touch and go. Today I'll try the farmers' market. They can't exactly kick you out of an outdoor market.
I've also been uploading C&V to Barnes & Noble, which is also Pubit, which is also Nook. Do the multiple monikers make life easier for someone, I wonder? A friend who does this all the time can't figure out why it takes me so long. It takes her about fifteen minutes to upload a book. It takes me days. I have to format, upload, format again, try to figure out why it looks weird, upload again, count the pages...
And what do I call the file? Barnes & Noble? BN? Pubit? Nook? I decided to name the file BN/Pubit/Nukeit/Fercrissakes. That'll work as long as I remember to look for it under B (listed near Broccoli).
Print: gotta make a phone call. I think one of my emails got lost.
Diesel, Sony, Kobo, Blio: all finished, not showing up yet.
iBookstore: also finished, but apparently this one takes even longer. Very mysterious.
Smashwords: "Pending review." This is why all the others don't show up. I think. Like I said, I have the clout of broccoli behind me.
Oh hey! I applied for a Goodreads author page. Someone there named Molly has already reviewed Belinda's Birthday. She gave it one star. This is great! Reviews are very important.
I am a novelist, baby! Pass the broccoli!
Mmm … broccoli.
ReplyDeleteWow! So many digital outlets. That's a lot of work. Maybe I'll stop my constant yelping after the paper version and just be patient while you frantically work the digital sites. Good things come to those who wait.
Have fun at the farmers' market.
Go Broccoli Woman!
ReplyDeleteGiven the title of your book, you might want to try the grape sellers and wine bars too.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your book's debut - I can't wait to read it!!
ReplyDeleteDive, Smashwords takes care of many of them in one fell swoop. It's in their favor, and mine, that they put the manuscript through an approval process, and it takes some time.
ReplyDeleteDes, if Popeye had eaten broccoli I'd feel better about this.
Bellis, you're onto something.
Hi Kim! Congratulations to you once again. I'm very excited for you!
Animal, vegetable, don't forget mineral.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for exploiting produce for a good cause. I'm so excited for you, Petrea, I could just about quote a line by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I'll be ordering the hard copy {and hoping for your autograph} when it's ready, but I don't think I can resist leaping into the Kindle version in the meantime. If you could expand your reach into cauliflower...
ReplyDeleteI've got an old dog, some broccoli and rocks. I worked in the yard today for the first time in about a year.
ReplyDeleteShell, I looked for the quote you referred to and I don't think I found it, but I found this:
Vivian: Let's watch old movies all night... we'll just veg out in front of the TV.
Edward: Veg out?
Vivian: Yeah. Be still like vegetables. Lay like broccoli.
Edward: Look, I'll tell ya what. I'll be back. We'll do broccoli tomorrow.
It is all so complicated. I'll go check out your goodreads page.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been approved yet, Margaret. They don't seem to want me to make changes to Belinda's Birthday (add a photo, etc.) so maybe once I'm approved. You can still review it, though!
ReplyDeleteI just gave up on Nook. I'm going to let Smashwords do it. I gave B&N a lovely document but it uploads differently every time, whether I change it or not.
Wow, you've had a busy week! I have a lot of catching up to do. First, congrats on publishing C&V on Kindle! I'm so excited for you. It sounds like there are a few usability issues with publishing on e-readers. I had a usability class today, so that's where my head's at... but seriously, it does sound way too complicated.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to Kim! I'm looking forward to reading both your books.
First, congrats to Kim!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the varying digital formats. (Often times competition between software developers is frustrating for the rest of us....)
The Farmers Market sounds like a good "market" to try. Especially if you have the clout of broccoli. You could add asparagus -- it may have more clout than broccoli since it's often used in gourmet dishes. Think Hollandaise....
I want me some broccoli, too. I looked up Clout. What is this Clout? As a word I understand it, but as an app, eh, not so much. Is it something that measures one's influence/recognition across the various e-media? Is it something I need?
ReplyDeleteSo far, I've made 2 calls to people who might be interested in carrying my book in their little gift shops, with plans to contact more, and add'l nudges as I go along to people I've hit up before. E-mail and phone contacts are my friends, but the rest, not so much. I realize the importance of the social media, but I just can't get interested.
My blog and my website are my friends, important to maintain and make use of. I was downtown on business yesterday, stopped in to speak with the property manager to ask about an exhibit. While there, the woman looked at my blog and website. I left with an offer for a photography exhibit in December, all because the e-formats are so available that one can look at them without the inconvenience of the artist toting in a portfolio.
Broccoli, I want broccoli soaked in butter. It's a comfort food that's as good as candy. And I'm going to need a lot of it.
I am enjoying C&V, Petrea, a few chapters at a time, wishing I could escape with Casey to another time.
Usability is a fascinating subject, Susan. Considereding the experience of the end user and making that a top priority can make for success (think Apple, Amazon, Walmart--like it or not). Many businesses try to "make sales," "cut costs," "ship product," etc. Where's the end user in that?
ReplyDeleteMs. M, I like your idea. I shall research Asparagus.
Speedway, it's this thing called Klout that someone once convinced me I needed. I looked at it a few times, until it rated me as an authority on broccoli. That's when I knew just how important it is to me.
Author, author!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your excitement.