Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.
I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.
Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, go to my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.
Here is the list of ideas for advertising--there are more and I'll add to the list as we go along. I'm certainly not an expert in all these, but I've dabbled in all of them. I'll try to relate my experience and the degree of that experience to you.
1. Have a website for your novel.
2. Write a blog.
3. Advertise.
4. Literary awards.
5. Book cards.
6. Contests.
7. Interviews.
8. Blog tours.
9. Press releases.
10. Speaking and teaching.
11. e-mailing.
12. Gifts.
13. ...
You can be interviewed for print media, for radio, for TV, on blogs, Internet general, character interviews, trailers just to name a few.
So, for any interview, how do you keep the interviewer on topic (that is your book). Your interview should focus on "Why you wrote the book." That's all there is to it. If every question and every answer comes back to this specific point, you win. With this answer, you will be able to answer the interviewer's questions and, at the same time, get out information on your book. You might want to prep this specific question and answer before your interview.
Just answer this question "Why did you write the book." Encapsulated in this question (and its answer) is every single important point an interviewer can ask. You can also turn every question into an answer that is based on this. For example, let's say you wrote a novel about the civil war. Any question the interviewer asks can be answered, "I wrote this novel to answer that question for myself," then you can expand. Don't expand too much. Give the interviewer a few choice quotations that come from your novel or that about your novel. You can also use the teasers that you developed for marketing your novel as the basis for your interview questions.
So remember, keep on topic and try to get a word in about your novel. I give you more ideas on this tomorrow.
I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.
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