Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 284, Name, Marketing Materials

19 January 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 284, Name, 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

Type: Either Screenplay or Book

Book

Length: Either # of words for books, or # of pages for screenplays

105,300 words

Keywords and Market Focus:

Fiction, Washington State, Tacoma, Spanaway, Seattle, Computer, Pacific Lutheran University, Hacker, goddess, sushi, Redemption, kami, Japan, Shinto, torii, Shrine, engineering, math; will fascinate anyone interested in the spiritual, mystery, and suspense—will appeal particularly to those who enjoy historical mystery and suspense novels.

Genre:

Fiction Suspense

 

Author Bio: Approximately 120 words

Synopsis:  Approximately 500 Words

Concept of the Work:  Approximately 250 Words

Registration: WGA, ISBN, or Library of Congress, Write the number.

Other Information:  If you have more work, a website, anything interesting and professional, especially any awards or recognition.

 

Reviewer’s quotes.

I'm a little out of order here.  I should have started with names first.  There are few reasons for not using your real name on your novels, but like all marketing decisions, it may mean the sale of more or less books.  This is a critical lesson for many who have already made a place in the business.  Every decision about a novel is a marketing decision--even to the name the author uses.  Because of this, I recommend you think long and hard about the name you will use to publishers and to the public.  I did.

Think of the names of authors.  Many are contrived (pen names).  Many are intentionally changed.  Most are shortened or modified in some way to make them easier to say or more majestic on the cover.  Think of celebrities.  Many of them (if not most) change their names to be more dynamic and special.  Authors don't necessarily need to change their names for marketability (although some do), they need to just evaluate the name they will put on the cover of their novels for the way it looks and how it sounds.

I decided to use my initials and last name, "L.D. Alford."  This looks good on the cover.  It is easy to say.  It is a good handle.  Plus it represents the kind of writing I would like to be associated with--literature.  If my specialty were Romance novels, I might have chosen a different pen-name.  If my specialty were horror novels, I might have chosen something different.  Just look at the name Stephen King--it looks like the name of an author of horror novels.  This is how you want your pen-name to be viewed--matched appropriately to your writing.

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 46, more Naming Developing Characters Rising Action

26 May 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 46, more Naming Developing Characters Rising Action

Announcement: There is action on my new novels.  The publisher renamed the series--they are still working on the name.  I provided suggestions as did one of my prepub readers. Now the individual books will be given single names: Leora, Leila, Russia, Lumiere', China, Sveta, and Klava--at least these are some of the suggestions.  They are also working on a single theme for the covers.  I'll keep you updated.

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 this new novel is: An agent of the organization becomes involved with a vampire girl during a mission, she becomes dependent on the agent, and she is redeemed. 

When I described George Mardling, the agent and protagonist of my vampire novel, I used his first name as a tag.  The actual introduction to the overall name comes later when I introduce the vampire during dialog.  This is at the end of the first scene:

George smiled, “There is no need.  I had no more need of my blood.  I know I am dying.”

“I’m sure it is a sin, but do you wish to live?”

“I don’t want to be a vampire.”

The girl’s voice was very sad, “That is certainly no gift.  I can give you back your life.  It is all I can do for you, mortal man.”

George raised his hand, “Not as a vampire.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in vampires.”

“I don’t.”

The girl bit her tongue and pressed her lips against his.  He tasted her blood in his mouth.  He had been tasting blood since he was shot, but this was different.  The taste was different, and he felt something burning in his body.  He felt her lips form a smile and pull back.  She licked her lips with that oddly pointed tongue of hers, “That is all I can do for you.”

George was more groggy than before—perhaps he was finally dying.  He stared at the girl, “My name is George Mardling.”

The girl stood over him, “I was called, Valeska by my master, but my given name is Heidi.”

“Heidi is the name of a vampire?”

She frowned, “You don’t believe in vampires.”

“No, I don’t.”  George’s head fell to the side and he was suddenly unaware of anything.

In this dialog, we discover the name of the vampire.  The reason the vampire has two names, Heidi and Valeska, is simple.  The culture of Gdansk is Polish and German.  People from certain periods had both Polish and German names.  I chose Valeska as the name of the vampire because it means "Glorious Ruler" in Polish and "vitality" in Latin.  I also chose Heidi as the German name because it is a diminutive of Adelheid that means "Noble and Honorable" in German.  The name Heidi and Valeska mean essentially the same thing.  Also, I asked my wife, what name would you least expect a vampire to have--she answered: Heidi.  This was an alignment of the stars.  I picked the name Heidi for these reasons and the name Valeska because of its meanings and it fits a vampire.  The point here is that the names of the main characters all fit the characters.  They are bestowed on the characters for a specific reason and they sound right.  Valeska fits a vampire princess.  Heidi fits a child who became a vampire.  Heidi was not innocent by any measure--she richly deserved her new name: Valeska, but that is for another time.
 
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