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UK Libraries
The website of the libraries is www.branching-out.net It allows bulk messages to be sent to branches although, as these are web messages, its best to create and save your document in word processing first, and then paste it in the relevant box (go via Contacts).
Please, everyone, dont sent messages to them all at once otherwise we might end up being blacklisted!
See towards the end of http://www.bewrite.net/authors/jay_mandal.htm for other people I wrote to.
The links below - which may change - show comments about The Dandelion Clock on 6th July 2006.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1904224253/026-5496965-5713201?v=glance&n=266239
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1904224253/qid=1152212935/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1757935-9033758?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
Or you could ask someone to read your book and make a list.
This list has had over 1,800 hits:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/1X8RT1WCKSIZI/102-6886576-4289750
and this one over 1,900 hits. And, no, I don't know the authors of the lists (but they get my thanks)!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/1WX9S5S372RBL/102-6886576-4289750?%5Fencoding=UTF8
The story is based around a group of pensioners that don hoodies and turn to crime, partly to survive, and partly for revenge (its complicated).
So, I figure what I need is about a hundred or so pensioners in hoodies, put them on a bus, take them to bluewater, and ake sure the papers are there when they are refused entry to the mal for wearing hoodies..... should be fun....
Anyone want to lend me a granny???
Milhouse.
I'll lend you my Mum - she's 62 and a granny and it seems to me like you have based your novel on her already - although she doesn't wear a hoody. She is pretty good at carpark rage and her walking stick often gets waved around in temper. I'm very interested in reading your novel, but forgive me for not buying Mum a copy for Christmas - she doesn't need any fresh ideas!
Publicity - Universities that run writing courses are a great source. They often invite writers in to speak about their craft, run a workshop and finish by reading a sample of their work - selling copies throughout the day. Not a huge audience but an avid one - and plenty of sales!
http://www.bookgroup.info/041205/review_archive.php
http://www.rldbooks.com/Newsletter/IGW-V2-Issue3/IGW-v2-3p7.html
http://www.squashduck.com/ltd/reviews/index.htm
http://www.matb.com/rgmbc/books.htm
http://www.thenewwriter.com/tnwreaders.htm
http://www.writersnews.co.uk/links/writerlinks.asp
Being new to this business these tips are invaluable.
I'll echo the local radio comment - although I'd also suggest that before going on air that you ensure that a couple of local book stores have shelf stock and mention them on air.
Also, a company worth checking out for some low cost marketing collateral is http://www.vistaprint.co.uk
A word of warning though. Once you've signe dup you'll end up getting at least an email a week offering 'free' or low cost items.
Also the 'free' piece is a misnomer as you do pay postage.
It's pretty good for getting handfuls of postcards, fridge magnets, business cards etc; though which can be customised online.
Another great site for grabbing additional art work for marketing collateral is http://www.istockphoto.com
It is a royalty 'almost-free' web site where artists and photgraphers from all over the globe post their work. It's an awesome collection and there is some top quality work up there at very affordable costs (My two pieces of artwork for my book cost me uner $10 and I have reprodcue rights for up to 500,000 copies)
Hope this helps someone
Taff
The clip was made using Movie Maker together with freely-available pictures and music downloaded from the Internet. My publisher did it for me. There was no charge. They also made sure we didnt infringe any copyrights. You can see the video clip at
http://www.bewrite.net/bookshop/excerpts/all_about_sex.htm
(theres an underscore between the three words of the title but it's easier if you just copy & paste)
The clip is romantic rather than raunchy!
http://www.bewrite.net/bookshop/excerpts/all_about_sex.htm
It's got music, too, so make sure you have the sound turned on.
I was recycling old magazines, and came across this article:
"The Booksellers Association ... will source from their database bookshops they think will be interested [in your book]. They even print out all the labels and send them to you. There is a charge ..."
The charge last year was £12 per 100 addresses plus VAT, but I suggest you contact them for up-to-date details. Their telephone number is 020 7802 0802.
My top tip though is to to contact Justin Hutchinson, the independent author advisor at Watderstones Head Office, (email [email protected]) and ask him to send you a spreadsheet of contact details for all of their stores. You will need to have an ISBN and distribution through Gardners Books. Then get ringing ! It is a lot of work, but worth the effort, and the best piece of marketing I ever did.
my second tip is to get your own website and do regular updates. Set up a Paypal account so that people can order signed copies direct from you - much cheaper than going through a bank. If anyone needs a good website, I can recommend my partner's services ! See www.coransweb.co.uk
Make your SP publicity machine roll
Another tip is to get on the local speaker circuit for the WI, TG, Rotary and the like. Prior to the publication of Pets in Prospect in paperback I auditioned for the WI and phoned many groups such as Probus. Lined up 40 talks through to next April. In the past six months have managed to shift over 200 books. And there's a ripple effect. Contacts made in the last two talks have engendered interest in another three bookings. Then there are the schools esp for children's authors. www.contactanauthor.co.uk is the site to register on. But it's all hard work and very time consuming.
Remember that the publisher will arrange some publicity for you, too, so if you're not too good at it then all is not lost.
Morning Jay, don't waste space with an acknowledgement, it's a pleasure to help. :)
Cheers Jay, and others.
He says he gets a cheque once a year from libraries on people borrowing his work.
A library may not have the book, and if it hasn't gone through their selection and buying process they will borrow it from elsewhere- usually the British Library- and it costs.
Just because you ask for it, notify them of its details, it doesn't mean they will purchase it.
PLR is not paid by the libraries, it is from funding by the government. You would also have to have your book in the current libraries being used for gathering figures.
The qualifying libraries changed this July.
For details see the PLR website: http://www.plr.uk.com/
One very important point is that you can't sell something that's not readily available: so if you arrange anything like local press coverage, for example, it's no good unless the people who read the piece about you can go into their bookshop and buy it from the stacks: if they have to order it in specially, they're unlikely to bother and your effort will be wasted.
http://www.amazon.com/tag/gay%20and%20lesbian/forum/ref=cm_cd_pg_pg11?%5Fencoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx39DAA9C1KY5TT&cdPage=11&cdSort=newest&cdThread=Tx14449QJN77TGI
http://www.amazon.com/tag/gay%20romance/forum/ref=cm_cd_pg_oldest?%5Fencoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx2O13Q2BBVZXLN&cdPage=1&cdSort=newest&cdThread=TxC89G4QE1PYFY
http://www.amazon.com/tag/gay%20romance/forum/ref=cm_cd_pg_oldest?%5Fencoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx2O13Q2BBVZXLN&cdPage=1&cdSort=newest&cdThread=Tx2F7VOWS3YJ27B
I really cannot understand how this can work. Yes it works at your local library, but you cannot phone a library 300 miles away and order it: they'll want your library card number -- oh, and NAME, so they'd know you were ordering your own book LOL. OK you can use a friend's card, but what about being outside of the county? It just won't work.
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Have a book launch on the smallest budget you can manage at a high profile venue. Invite the most famous or eminent people you can contact/persuade to come. Tell the press. Be prepared for the press not turning up. Take your own photos at the event, write a piece as though you were a journalist, and send it to a reporter. If it's published, quote [those words you wrote yourself] in your publicity, citing the newspaper as the source of the quote.
My own experiences with "Railwaywomen": After I invited my MP to attend my book signing at the local Waterstones, in order for me to ensure the Press turned up, he arrranged instead for me to have a book launch at the House of Commons (I kid ye not!) and issued invitations to a guest list I provided of eminent people. Maybe because the invitation came from the House of Commons each and every one of them turned up. I'd once met Glenda Jackson on a train and had a chat with her in which I mentioned the research I was doing, so my MP invited her to lead the proceedings. He also paid for a buffet lunch in his office afterwards.
Photos: <http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/railwaywomen/hoc.html>
With "Notable Sussex Women" I had my launch at the local museum, who waived the usual fee for use of a magnificent, historic room in exchange for two copies of the book. Invited MP again plus Mayor (female) and a professor of women's history from the local university. Invited hundreds, about 60 turned up. Spent £50 on booze and nibbles. Sold hundreds of pounds worth of books. Press attended cos MP there, so also got coverage in local paper.
Mayor and others could not attend. So arranged another launch, in my house/garden a week later. Spent about £50 on food, and almost everyone brought booze with them because it was a house party rather than a formal venue. Boyfriend donated ten years' worth of wine etc he'd received as gifts (he does not drink). About 55 people attended, sold about £300-£400 of books.
--------------
Get free publicity by writing articles for local magazines for no fee, but a free plug for your book. Run special offers and competitions.
My own experiences with "Notable Sussex Women": I did this with about ten magazines. One of them ran a six-week series of excerpts from my book. Another ran a competition to win a copy of my book. OK that cost me three books plus postage (£15), but I got about £250 worth of free publicity.
===============================================
PS.
I'm pretty rubbish at sustained publicity, to tell the truth. I have a few good ideas for launching, but I have a great weakness and that is, once the launch is over I have become so tired and bored of that book and turn my attention to my next exciting project, cruelly abandoning the previous book to fight its own way in this harsh old world. (A friend once told me her sister (who had 6 kids) love being pregnant and loves little babies, then gets bored of them once they are toddlers. Well, I am like that with my books.)
I know I must mend my ways... but I've got a fantastic new project on that takes up all my time!
Hope that helps - it works for me
Chris
The writer failed to say anything about themselves, whether the book was fiction/non-fiction- it was hard to be certain from the info sent. Whether he had done other talks etc. (Just because you haven't, it won't neccesarily put them off.)
Many large writers' clubs can book their whole programme in advance for the following year, so if you contact them be prepared that it could be a long wait, BUT, do say you can be contacted in case they need a last minute replacement for a cancelled speaker, you may be able to do the talk.
Smaller groups are usually more flexible, and may be able to get you in quicker.
^ for discussion January 2010.
Book-dropping is eponymous and my local branch of Starbooks has a library where you can donate books for others to share. I've dropped a few books in the park so people who wouldn't necessarily enjoy a lappuchoca can enjoy a read.
http://localbookshops.tbpcontrol.co.uk/tbp.web/customeraccesscontrol/home.aspx?d=localbookshops&s=C&r=10000020&ui=0&bc=0
Best, Kaz
and go to the bit about Author Platform.
(Thanks, Carol.)
"UK Libraries
The website of the libraries is www.branching-out.net It allows bulk messages to be sent to branches although, as these are web messages, its best to create and save your document in word processing first, and then paste it in the relevant box (go via Contacts)."
I've looked at this and am not sure what it is. Is this really from UK Libraries?
Produce flyers - and get them out there. Networking - with local groups such as the gym, retired groups. Throw a launch party. Issue press release. Contact local bookshops - but they will only be interested if you have drummed up enough interest already. Craft fairs. Write articles mentioning the book. Local Libraries - some have a show case of locally written books. The Internet. Talk to interested groups - a friend sold 1000 copies of her poetry anthologies just by talking to WI's, Towns Women's Guilds etc. There's always the ISBN spinoff.