Marketing Materials - A Marketing Website, more Secrets

21 September 2011, Marketing Materials - A Marketing Website, more Secrets

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'm writing today about the secrets page(s) on your novel's website.  You don't have to have secrets page(s), but they sure can be a draw.  One of my novel's secret pages gets more hits than the regular page--that's because it is a secrets page.

So, what goes on a secrets page?  I've already given you some ideas.  You can find my novels and their secrets pages through http://www.ldalford.com/ or the individual novels websites.  Every one of my novels has their own website--yours should too. 

If you look at my secrets pages, you can see what I have filled them with.  I've put up the original cover ideas: my proposals, the publisher's proposals, and the final--plus some info on the cover.  I've included some of my notes, pictures, maps, diagrams.  On some secrets pages, I've given details on why I wrote the novel and the theme.  I've also show how I went about putting the novel together.  There is much more information I could include.  In general, a secrets page is a place your readers and future readers can go to find more information on your novel.  By the way, when I give a class on one of my novels or about the history in one of my novels, I also put the slide set on the secrets page.

So put up a secrets page.  Tomorrow, I'll give you more information about what can go on your marketing page after your book is published.