Marilyn Meredith, aka FM Meredith, is one of the most prolific writers I know. The woman is a bundle of energy and I can't figure out how she does it. As all writers know (and most reader's suspect) writing a book is a huge and complicated job.
One of the first hurdles to clear is to sell your book to a publisher and sign that contract:
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| SIGNING THE CONTRACT |
Many readers think that the last chore on a writer's to-do list is typing 'The End,' at the bottom of the last page.
WRONG!
Today Marilyn tells readers about of one of the final tasks for a writer: THE BLOG TOUR for promotion purposes.
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Summing Up My Blog Tour for A CRUSHING DEATH
by FM Meredith
Right
away, I knew I had two contenders who really wanted me to use their names for a
character. And there was a third runner up. I decided to use the names of the
two who tied:
Joseph Haggerty and
Susan Tuttle.
Interestingly, I know
both of them in person. Joe because he’s a fellow member of Public Safety
Writers Association, and Susan because she’s a fellow member of the Central
Coast chapter of Sisters in Crime. Joe lives on the East Coast and Susan on the
West. Because I’m just now starting the book, I have no idea who they’ll end up
being.
The purpose of a blog
tour, of course, is to interest people in your latest book and hope they will
buy it. I asked my publisher if sales had happened during the tour, but though
some books were purchased, nothing to get thrilled about. Though she did report
that there had been sale in the earlier books in the series.
When planning a blog
tour I tend to ask reliable hosts—those I can count on. However, to get my book
and series exposed to new people, I try to ask bloggers I’ve never used before.
Sometimes that works well, and others, not so much.
When on a blog tour,
you want blog hosts who know how to set up a blog ahead of time so it will
appear on the right date. You also want someone who knows how to use your cover
photo and anything else you send.
Though I do proof read,
often after the post appears I’m appalled to find a typo. In fact, I’ve thought
about having a contest to give a prize to the person who finds the most typos
during a tour. A good host will fix something if you let them know.
Do I think my tour was
a success? Over 65 individuals left comments on the blogs—and I know many
others just read them. Some people sent there comments to me via email. Though
I recognized many of the names, there were others that were new to me.
Though it was a lot of
work thinking up new topics to write about, or writing about something the host
wanted, I enjoyed that part a lot. I am a writer, after all. The most work comes
with the promoting of a new blog each day.
Now that the tour is
over, I have much more time to write.
If you haven’t had a
chance to read A Crushing Death, here’s the link to find it on Amazon.
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http://www.amazon.com/Crushing-Death-Rocky-Bluff-P-D/dp/1610092260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462997019&sr=8-1&keywords=a+crushing+death
4 comments:
I'm always amazed at how prolific Marilyn is and how enjoyable her books are to read. I'm also amazed that log tours still produce results.
Thank you, Jackie, for hosting me today. And Jean, I think blog tours are just one of many ways to promote. Though they are a lot of work I enjoy doing them. And yes, there's a typo in this post too. Grrrrr, those gremlins are always busy.
Marilyn, I find typos in practically everything I read. I read for the story, not the typos or the grammar. I have my book read by several people before ever seeking a publisher and even after six or seven reviewers and proofreaders there are still typos. I can't afford a real editor so I rely on people who I know like to read. I always premise my request with please do not hold back on criticism, by I specifically tell them not to change dialogue unless it really doesn't make sense. You are a far better writer than I am as evidenced by your success, but we all make mistakes. I know sometimes when I'm writing and I know what I'm saying in my head, but when I see it on paper some of the words in my head didn't make it on the paper. That last sentence was a perfect example. When I read what I wrote I left out the word WHEN right after 'sometimes.'
Thank you, Jackie, for hosting me today. And Jean, I think blog tours are just one of many ways to promote. Though they are a lot of work I enjoy doing them. And yes, there's a typo in this post too. Grrrrr, those gremlins are always busy.
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