I’m sure anyone reading this post will have also gotten some form of announcement about the release of Do It for Daisy. The response from family and friends has been exciting, and I’m greatly appreciative. Now comes the tricky part, promoting the book to the public. If you want to get a good mystery and pay less than two dollars, you can easily find them on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and other sites. Heck, books are going for a dollar, and some authors will give you a novel free if you buy another from them.
Why do authors practically give their work away? The argument is that, as new writers, you have to build a reputation, and to do that, you create a readership who like you enough to pay near full price for your subsequent publication. Of course, they might wait and get it for ninety-nine cents when you do your next promotion. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the world of the independent and small press authors.
I recently did a book giveaway with a fellow Level Best Book author. Teresa had a blog site and a member list numbering several hundred. She said her readers “loved the chance to win a free book.” She did an excellent job hyping my story synopsis and book cover on her site. Sadly, she reported, only three people signed up for the giveaway. I laughed out loud when I saw that they were a good friend, a nephew, and my daughter.
My current work-in-progress, the Man Who Fixed Things (TMWFT), is now in the able hands of Erica the Beta Reader. Here is her assignment:
- Previous readers felt the opening Act, now called The Pitch, was too long. I moved and deleted 5,500 words, reducing the section by about 23%. My questions – did I reduce it enough? Does the slimmer version still work? Can I cut it further, and if so, what might I consider?
- The suspense surrounding whether Harrison would make the movie never achieved any intensity. I’ve tried to address that concern by elevating Uncle Sid’s role to where he’s threatening to cut off funding if Harrison fails to keep Ducky engaged. Did I pull it off? Are there other ways of cranking up the reader’s concern for Harrison?
- I tried to ground both Lewci and Ducky, making them less of a caricature and quirky, more believable. Keep an eye on that. I don’t want their romance to be unbelievable, incredible maybe, but within possibly.
- I tried to clarify and strengthen Harrison’s mother’s impact on him and his failure that spawned his guilt toward Fillie. That is a critical element of his motivation, and it needs to be strong, convincing, and effectively distributed throughout the story. Please focus on that piece and identify where I fail.
- I tried to refine the movie plot, showing a more straightforward relationship with Harrison’s experience. I’m not feeling great about it. I’d appreciate your thoughts.
I should get her review later this month. Meanwhile, I’ll work on the agent-cover letter and one-page summary. I’ll also start identifying the all-important “comps,” i.e., published works that are comparable to mine. I plan to finish the last revision by August and pursue an agent. Stay tuned.