Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 303, short Synopsis, Marketing Materials

7 February 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 303, short Synopsis, Marketing Materials

Announcement: My new novels should be available from any webseller or can be ordered from any brick and mortar bookstore.  Information can be found at www.ancientlight.com.  Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy them.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, 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 beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.

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, visit my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:

1. Don't confuse your readers.
2. Entertain your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

All novels have five discrete parts:
1.  The initial scene (the beginning)
2.  The rising action
3.  The climax
4.  The falling action
5.  The dénouement

The theme statement of my 25th novel, working title, Escape, is this: a girl in a fascist island nation will do anything to escape--a young cargo ferry pilot not following the rules crashes on the island.

I'll make a slight digression because I'm developing advertising and publisher materials for my newest completed novel, Lilly.  Here is the cover proposal for Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer. 

Cover Propsal

Before you can market a novel to the public, you have to market it to publishers or potential publishes.  This means you need to develop materials to market your novel.  These marketing materials can be used when the book is published.  We've already looked at two main pieces used in marketing: the title and the book cover proposal.  These are necessary for a web design, and they are also necessary for a publisher.  You can live without a cover proposal for a while, but you need a title right away.

The next step is to build the marketing information you will use to present your novel to publishers and to the public. Here is an outline:

Title of Work:

Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer

Author(s) Name:

L. D. Alford

Plot Summary/Marketing Hook:

* 200 words or less. Here’s your chance to “sell” a reader on the plot of your book!

The girl came into FastMart where she bought food, not with dollars, but with FastMart bucks you earned from purchases at the convenience store.  She always used a different account.  That changed when she used the phone number and password of another customer in line.  Dane had to rescue her.  That was Dane’s introduction to Lilly.

Lilly could hack as easily as a person could type.  Dane traded Lilly three squares for her operating system, computer enhancements, and her class notes. 

Lilly shared her meals with an old homeless Japanese man every evening near a Shinto torii.  When the old man invited Lilly and Dane through the torii—they entered a Shinto shrine that could not be part of the world.  The old man claimed to be the Japanese god of metal.  He was tired of existence and confused by the modern world.  He wanted Lilly to assume his duties.

 

      Dane and Lilly found themselves in possession of a Shinto shrine.  They now face the pantheon of Japanese gods who are skeptical of a human made a goddess.  They must use their new-found powers to keep the shrine successful and purposeful in spite of its place.   

This is an example of a shorter synopsis than the last one I showed you.  To get to this, take the great 500 word synopsis you wrote and start chopping.  Cut out anything that is extraneous to the main theme and plot of the novel.  Cut, cut, cut--that's the only way you can keep it cohesive and get to less than 200 words.  You still want to introduce the main characters (protagonist, protagonist's helper, and antagonist).  You still want to get the main ideas in.  You need to end it with a kicker.  My kicker isn't as strong as I like it, but it gets the point across.

The importance is to write these basic synopsi down so you have them available.  If a publisher needs a 500 word synopsis, you have one.  If they need a 200 word synopsis, you have one.  If they need a 250 word synopsis, you can easily write one from those you already have.  When you need a blub or a synopsis for your book cover or your websites--you have them.  That's the point, we now have all the information we need to build a website.

At this point everything I'm doing with and for this work is about marketing to a publisher and building a website.

More tomorrow.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com