Publication - Blog Interviews

9 January 2012, Publication - Blog Interviews
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.  Book signings.
14.  Book trailers
15.  ...

You can be interviewed for print media, for radio, for TV, on blogs, Internet general, character interviews, trailers just to name a few. 

With blog interviews we are moving to a more controllable media (by the author).  In general, many blogs wish to interview authors--the opportunities are almost endless.  To get together with those opportunities, you need to connect with blogs on books and writing.  You also can usually find authors with your publisher who want to do blog interviews.  These work one of two ways.  The easiest is that the blogger simply asks you to answer a very simple question (or two).  Usually the questions are: describe why you wrote your novel and how did it get published.  These are the most common types of questions.  I did a blog interview like this about a year ago on my novel Centurion for Lynnette Bonner.  You can see it at http://lynnettebonner.blogspot.com/2010/08/lionel-alford-talks-about-his-book.html.  I should do many more of these, but I just haven't taken the time.

The other type of blog interview is where the interviewer gives you a list of questions to answer for the blog post.  This is simple too, just answer the questions.  In each case, the less structured or the more structured interview, just answer the questions and send them back to the blogger.  You might want to send some pictures illustrating your novel and your picture.  If you don't, the blogger will usually get your picture and novel cover picture from one of your sites (or amazon).

Let's move on to the content of blog interviews, 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/.

Marketing Materials - A Marketing Website, Basic Information

25 September 2011, Marketing Materials - A Marketing Website, Basic Information

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.  At this moment, I'm showing you the marketing material I put together for a novel.

Today's Blog:  I've been dwelling on the information that you add to the website following publication, but I don't want you to lose sight of the basic information that should be on any novel marketing website.  I already told you the basic novel information you should include on the site, but I don't want you to forget that the basic information we already developed for marketing is a critical piece of that information.  For example, the synopsis and the author bio are both pieces that should be on the novel website.  You might also want to use the teasers you wrote to introduce the novel.  Look at my websites to get an idea of what I mean and make yours better.  You can see examples at 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/. 

If you are a well known author, your bio should be first.  If you are a lesser known author, your bio should be last.

I'll write about other connections tomorrow.

Marketing Materials - My Publisher

11 September 2011, Marketing Materials - My Publisher

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, 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.  At this moment, I'm showing you the marketing material I put together for a novel.

My publisher is OakTara.  From their website http://www.oaktara.com/:

"OakTara is passionate about creating a new market for inspirational books,especially with readers who may not traditionally enter a Christian bookstore but who avidly shop the Web. Our goal is to provide readers with something different, vibrant, and new—not “just the same old thing” that they’ve seen, time and again, from other inspirational publishers."

They published five of my novels Centurion, Aegypt, The End of Honor, The Fox's Honor, and A Season of Honor.  They have two of my other novels on contract Sister of Light and Sister of Darkness.  I continue to offer them first dibs on my novels.  So, when I finish writing a novel, I prepare the long and short forms, then I prepare the OakTara information.  That information follows.

Information needed for manuscripts submitted to OakTara

Date:  31 July 2011

Name:  L. D. Alford

Address:  1704 N. Cypress
City, State/Province, Country, Zip/Postal Code:  Wichita, KS  67206

Home and/or Work Phone (only in case needed):   (316) 636-9514

Email address:  pilotlion@aol.com

* Your personal information is considered confidential and for OakTara’s purposes only. It will not be distributed or sold to any third party.

Working Manuscript Title:  Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon

Genre:  Historical suspense

* e.g., allegory, biblical, contemporary, fantasy, futuristic, historical, mystery/suspense, romance, or science fiction

Plot Summary/Marketing Hook:

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

In November 1918, the young sorceress Lady Aksinya Andreiovna Golitsyna called the demon Asmodeus to protect her noble family from the Bolsheviks, but she was too late.  When Aksinya and Asmodeus arrived at the estate, her father and mother, brother and sister were already dead.  Unfortunately, Aksinya conjured a demon, whose only purpose was to aid her in accomplishing evil. 

With the demon at her side, the world for Aksinya becomes one of repeated temptation and fall.  The demon tempts her to call a servant, the Lady Natalya.  He tempts her to travel to Austria and to her relatives there.  He tempts her to sorcery.  He tempts her to take a lover.  Each of the temptations drives her deeper and deeper into the depths of evil and despair.

Asmodeus plans a destruction that will result in the end of Aksinya’s friends, acquaintances, and relatives—a much greater end to everything in her life than she could ever imagine. 

Aksinya wishes to be free from the demon, and she will give up almost everything to achieve that goal.  Will she be able to gain her freedom, and will she be able to face the results of that freedom?

Here is my commentary.  If you look carefully, this synopsis is a condensed version of the long form.  This is why I told you to begin with the long form.  You can easily go from a 500 to a 200 word synopsis.  You will find it very difficult to write a 200 word synopsis right off the bat.  At least it is difficult for me.  I find it easy to cut and hard to add.  If you can make a 200 from a 500 word synopsis, you can write a 100 word synopsis etc. 

There isn't much more to be said, except, if you are sending information on your manuscript to a publisher, you need to exactly follow their instructions.  They likely won't even take a look at a manuscript or a submittal in the wrong format.

You are selling yourself and your work.  That's in the next section.

Author bio:

* 200 words or less. Please include any previous publishing experience (title and publisher); professional credits (degrees, schooling, etc.); any personal experience that relates to plot/characters of this book; and your reason for writing this book. In addition, please let us know if you're planning any sequels of other titles in a series.

The finest escape in literature is an escape into a real and inviting culture—so asserts L. D. Alford a novelist who explores with originality those cultures and societies we think we already know.  He builds tales that uniquely explore the connections between events close and familiar and events of the past—he cleaves them together with threads of reality that bring the past alive.  L. D. Alford is familiar with technology and cultures—he earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Pacific Lutheran University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Dayton. He is a graduate of Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, and the US Air Force Test Pilot School.  He is widely traveled and has spent long periods in Europe and Central America.  His writing includes over 40 technical articles, historical fiction novel The Second Mission published by Xulon, and historical fiction novels Centurion and Aegypt and science fiction novels, The End of Honor, and A Season of Honor published by Oaktara.  L. D. Alford is an author who combines intimate scientific and cultural knowledge into fiction worlds that breathe reality.

This is where you sell yourself.  Notice, it is the same bio I use on the long form.  For now, this is way I want to be know and build my market.  If my publisher wants me to change it or vary it--I shall.

The point is to please your publisher.

Tomorrow I'll write about how to use the marketing information in websites.

Centurion will be featured on another blog

Next week, Monday 16 August, Centurion http://www.centurionnovel.com/ will be featured on Lynnette Bonner's blog at http://www.lynnettebonner.blogspot.com/ Lynnette is an OakTara author and wrote Rocky Mountain Oasis. She has another similar western work on contract with OakTara called High Desert Haven. I read her first novel and thought it was a great read. Lynnette asked me to write about the development of the novel, Centurion and about its publication. That's what I provided for her blog. There will be some great writing secrets in the blog, and I will answer questions about the novel and its publication.

After the Monday blog, I'll publish the information on Centurion here and on my website at www.ldalford.com. Here is a synopsis of Centurion:
Who was the man ordered to crucify Christ?

What did he witness that led him to proclaim, “This was surely the Son of God?”

Traditionally, we named him, the Centurion Abenadar, and we know almost nothing about him. The novel, Centurion, gives life to Centurion Abenadar.

Abenadar’s life is based on primary source documents about the Roman Legion. Abenadar was close enough to the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, that Pilate trusted him with the responsibility of the controversial and potentially explosive crucifixion of Christ. At the same time, Abenadar was a man to whom Pilate effortlessly gave the dirty work of the crucifixion, the execution for which Pilate himself would not take responsibility.
Centurion casts Abenadar as the bastard child of the Roman ambassador to the court of Herod the Great. Abenadar’s mother was a Judean girl, the Roman ambassador’s concubine. When the ambassador returned to Rome, he left her pregnant, and in disgrace. The girl returned to her home in Nazareth of Galilee. She named her son, Abenadar, after his father.

Abenadar’s father did not leave him with nothing—he granted his son Roman citizenship. When Abenadar accepted his legacy, he also discovered a place in the Roman Legion stationed in Galilee. Abenadar found in the legion and Roman citizenship a boon and a curse. From his mother’s training in Herod’s court, Abenadar spoke and read Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and from the taint of his father’s legacy and his hard childhood, Abenadar learned to be a cunning fighter. The legion honed these skills. Centurion maps the rise of Abenadar through the ranks and units in Palestine until he is a chief advisor and one of the lead Centurions in Jerusalem. In this capacity, he both advised Pilate and became the vehicle to enact Pilate’s decree.

Abenadar was more than a Centurion; he was also half Judean. His abilities derived from his understanding and communication with the people of Judea. But Abenadar was a man, not a piece of cardboard—all the forces in his life shaped and formed him. He fervently trusted in God—and in the legion. When he accidentally rescued a prostitute, Ruth, in the streets of Jerusalem, he redeemed her—for himself. Ruth was a destitute girl; the death of her parents forced her into her past life. After Abenadar took her in, she lived a semblance of the life she was raised to lead. Life with Ruth changed Abenadar. He returned to the Judean practice of his youth, and through Ruth’s faith, Abenadar’s life became connected to the new prophet—Jesus.

Abenadar experienced the events in the city of Jerusalem from inside the court of Pilate and from the city streets. When Jesus was brought before Pilate, Abenadar became his interpreter and translator. When Pilate gave Jesus over to the Priests, he instructed Abenadar to crucify Jesus.

Through Abenadar’s eyes, Centurion reveals the crucifixion and the resurrection. Abenadar’s greatest fear was that he would lose Ruth, for she believed the message of the prophet he must execute. But Abenadar misjudged Ruth’s love and her faith. And he misjudged how his experience of the Christ would change him.