Guest post: 'Dying to Promote' by Mystery Author Tj O’Connor
You spent months,
perhaps years on your novel. You plotted, developed characters, researched,
wrote, edited, wrote again, and re-edited. Finally, you reached page-the-last.
The greatest single triumph of a new author’s life is typing, “The End.” I bet
less than five percent of those who claim they’re writing a novel ever get that
far. Without question, it’s satisfying, exhilarating, and rewarding to finish.
But get ready, new author, because the hard work hasn’t even started yet.
What’s the real work? Oh,
yeah, there’s social media (Facebook, Twitter, websites, Goodreads). There are
newsletters, email blasts, and blogging. Then comes event schedules—conferences
and conventions to get you on panels to chat about your work, book signings, personal
appearances (if you’re lucky), travel to anywhere
to anyone who will let you talk about your books. Then, after all that, you
blog about it, newsletter it, Facebook it, Tweet it … trust me, typing “The
End” should really be, “Just Beginning.”
Your novel is truly
just the prologue to your author work.
But hey, that’s the way
of the writing world. That’s what your agent and publisher and publicist expect
of you. Oh, and by the way, unless you’re Nelson DeMille, it’s all on your
dime, too.
No one ever told me
that getting my novels published was only Part I of a multi-part series of responsibilities.
No one is going to promote you and your book more than you—no one. And frankly,
think about it, no one can, right? Who knows your characters and plot better
than you? So find your checkbook, do your research for the best web people, the
best publicists, and start learning to Tweet, post, blog, blog, blog and more
blog—because you gotta, my friends. It’s part of the journey. It’s called
promotion. And you, Author-Oh-Author, must become one with promotion.
Now, it may sound like
I’m grumpy about all this. It’s because, well, I am. I’ve spent my life in the
security and confidentiality business and having my face plastered on Facebook
and websites and all that is counter to my nature. So when my agent told me all
that I just imparted on you above, I had a panic attack. No really, I did.
Now, after two years in
this crazy author-world, I’m just now getting the hang of some of it. I’m not
necessarily good at it, but I’m learning. For those of you who are new to this
world too, or perhaps dancing with the notion of jumping on the crazy train
like me, let me share with you two big parts of my book promotion strategy.
Website/Author Email: First,
I found a great website developer who would handle my site, posts, newsletter,
and if I wanted, my author email accounts. It’s a must unless you’re a IT guru
and have lots of time. Not me. I have neither time nor patience. So I hired Maddee
James at Xuni.com. They specialize in authors and writers. What I didn’t know
to ask, they told me. And they’re top notch. Oh, there are lots of these folks
out there, but I have to say, Xuni understands authors and our world. And
looking at the list of things you have to do, three less in my hands works for
me.
Blog Tours, Book
Reviews, Publicity, Oh My! I took the road less traveled by, and for me, it has
made all the difference (sorry Mr. Frost). I had no clue what to do about PR,
so I hired Maryglenn McCombs—and thank God I did. Maryglenn specializes in
authors of mysteries and thrillers. She’s been a huge asset for me. First, I
knew nothing about PR and feared spending money for nothing. Not only did she
guide me on what I should and should not spend money on, but she found me the
right pieces I could afford and placed me in some great PR spots. She handled
dozens of book reviews, magazine coverage, radio interviews, newspaper
interviews and reviews, blog tours, awards, and web guest appearances and
contests.
Perhaps I could have
done all this stuff myself—websites and PR planning. Sure, I’m a smart guy, I
could have. But why in the world would I? I need to write books and go on the
road and talk books and beg for readers (read that, seek an audience). Who has
time and energy left for all this? Not me.
Besides, Xuni and
Maryglenn are top notch. They know their trade (and parts of mine, too). I took
the easy way, albeit not the cheapest, to attack my promotional needs. I have
to do the tough stuff—write, talk, travel, beg … but they do the behind the
scenes like I never could.
And yes, Mr. Frost,
Maddee and Maryglenn have made all the difference.
Title: DYING TO TELL
Genre: Mystery
Author: Tj O’Connor
Website: www.tjoconnor.com
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Purchase
on Amazon
About
the Book:
In Dying to Tell, the latest mystery by award-winning novelist Tj O’Connor, Oliver “Tuck” Tucker—dead detective
extraordinaire—is back for the case of a lifetime, or, rather, the afterlifetime.
A former police detective who now solves
mysteries from beyond, Tuck doesn’t appreciate just how perilous the past can
be till his wife, Angel, is nearly killed and reclusive banker
William Mendelson is
found dead in a hidden vault. Tuck knows
there’s more to Mendelson’s murder than decades-old skullduggery. As murderers,
thieves, and spies descend on small-town Winchester, Tuck joins up with Angel,
old detective partners, and a long-dead grandfather still on an army mission
from 1942. With the case unfolding around him, Tuck must confront haunting
family secrets and the growing distance between his death and Angel’s
life. The outcome could be a killer of
its own, but Tuck is set on solving this case. Dead set. After all, some things never die…
About
the Author:
Recipient of the Gold Medal in Independent Publisher’s IPPY Awards
(Mystery Category, 2015, Dying to Know) Tj
O’Connor is an international security consultant specializing in
anti-terrorism. As a consultant and former government agent, O’Connor has lived
and worked in such places as Greece , Turkey , Italy , Germany , the United Kingdom ,
Spain , and throughout the Americas .
A native of New York , O’Connor lives in Virginia .
Connect
on the web:
www.tjoconnor.com / https://www.facebook.com/TjOConnor.Author/ https://twitter.com/tjoconnorauthor / https://twitter.com/tjoconnorauthor
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