Sunday, May 22, 2011

It's the end of the world....or not

by: Joelle Charbonneau

Despite all the hype, the rapture didn’t happen. The world is still spinning. Which mean I have to start thinking about gearing up for my next release.

I find the pre-release process to be both exciting and scary. Last week, I finished proofing the typeset pages of SKATING OVER THE LINE, which was lots of fun. For those who haven’t been through the process, this is the last step in which I the author can make any changes before the publisher waves his magic wand and turns the pages into a real life book. Yippee.

This is only the second time I’ve had to go through this step and each time I held my breath hoping to God I’d still like the book after I was done reading it. So far, so good. Although, I am well and truly baffled as to how so many typos that weren’t in my word document version of the book (I know this because I am anal enough to go back and look) ended up in the typeset version. Something tells me this mystery is a lot like the sock going missing in the dryer and will never be solved.

Now that the pages have been proofed and the corrections sent back to my publisher, it is time for me to start working on pre-release publicity and all that entails. EEEK! So, I now am embarking on setting up a blog tour, getting copy ready for some advertising opportunities and scheduling signings and conference appearances. (Now do you see why the end of the world was looking so attractive?)

So, I am now asking for your help. Tell me – what are your favorite blogs to read about new books? Do giveaways and other novelties draw your attention? Do short stories in magazines grab your notice and make you want to pick up the author’s longer fiction? In short – tell me what you think I should be doing to get the word out about my books. And if the rapture folks got the date wrong for the end of the world and it ends before I respond to your comment – thanks for the help! I really appreciate it.

3 comments:

Dana King said...

My favorite places for learning about new books are blogs like this. Hearing good things from a writer whose taste i trust means more to me than the word of an appointed arbiter of goodness.

I realize this makes me something of an outlier, as I'm not much interested in the mainstream a crime fiction. (Patterson, Sandford, and the other million sellers, with the exception of an occasional Lee Child.) Maybe I'm not the best example to use, but you asked.

Steve Weddle said...

Woohoo. "Pre-release publicity." You authors have all the fun.

Dru said...

The best way to get your name and book out to the reading public is to do guest posts on author blogs and group blogs (Cozy Chicks, Killer Characters, The Stiletto Gang, etc.).

Giveaways such as magnets, post cards, pins, etc. are good, especially if they are fun.