When I first self-published a couple of years ago, it really never occurred to me to put out print copies of the books.  I felt print was on its way out, and that it might be expensive to publish a printed copy. Plus, I wasn’t sure exactly how to go into print.

But soon after e-publishing the first of my books, I started receiving emails from readers asking about getting the Myrtle books in print.  Some of the readers sounded rather put-out with me.  “I know digital is The Thing right now,” said one, “but I will never buy an e-reader. Never. Even though I would like to read your books.”  That’s when I decided to reassess my decision.

Benefits to print:

Some readers mentioned preferring print to digital when gift-giving.  They like having something to wrap and present to their friend.

Popular reader site Goodreads only allows printed books to be part of their giveaways.  And giveaways frequently mean reviews.

Another benefit is that the ebook price for your book looks like a real deal when the print price is a good seven or more dollars higher.

And, as mentioned earlier, some readers don’t want to read ebooks.

After doing a little research, I discovered that it was actually free to upload to CreateSpace and publish to Amazon, aside from formatting and cover design, of course (and some of you might be adept enough to tackle those things yourself).  Uploading the files was an extremely simple process. Most writers choose to go through Lightning Source or CreateSpace.   Jen Talty with Cool Gus wrote a nice post last year about their decision to choose CreateSpace.

I didn’t have much time, so I paid folks to help me with the formatting to print and paid someone to create a full cover with spine and back, based on my ebook cover.  After the print copies released, I’d recouped that money within two months.   This, obviously, will vary.  Are your ebook sales strong?  Have you gotten any requests from readers for your book to be in print? Those points can indicate if it’s worthwhile to invest money in pursuing print.

Author copies of my books (which retail to readers on Amazon for $10.99) are only $3.41 apiece (my books are fairly short), plus the price of shipping.  Not a bad price for promo copies.  The nice thing is that we can pay for and print books as we need them—we don’t have to store a couple of hundred copies, that may never sell, in our closet. 

The one-time investment in formatting and cover design has paid off.  Now I feel as if I’m connecting to readers who wouldn’t otherwise be reading my books.  The CreateSpace sales have provided steady income since early summer.

If you’re self-published, are your books available in print?  Did you format the text and cover yourself, or hire someone?  Has the investment in time and money paid off?

Back in March, I wrote a post weighing in on the self-publishing vs. traditional publishing choice.  At the time, I was stunned by a report from a Digital Book World survey .  Although I didn’t mention it in the post, I couldn’t believe that one of the main reasons surveyed writers said they were interested in pursuing traditional publishing (76%) was the “marketing support from a publisher.”

At the time, I didn’t really want to pooh-pooh that on the blog—I wasn’t trying to slam my publisher(s) by outing this myth.  So I ignored it, figuring those were just ill-informed writers who wouldn’t be reading my blog anyway.

But now, there’s been another survey published. The Bookseller’s and FutureBook’s annual publishing survey.  Porter Anderson in his weekly Writing on the Ether column for industry expert Jane Friedman’s blog, quoted Sam Missingham: “Traditionally published authors say they need more marketing and publicity support. But self-publishing authors say they want to get contracts because they think a publisher will give them the very marketing and publicity support the traditionally published writers say they don’t get.”

It’s time to put this marketing myth to bed.  Marketing support should not be your reason to go to traditional publishing, y’all. 

There are other reasons to be interested in traditional publishing.  Some writers cite validation.  Some hope for excellent editing.  Some feel strongly about bookstore distribution.  Some have just always wanted to see their book on a bookstore shelf.

Marketing support from the publisher should not factor into your reasoning unless you’ve written a blockbuster-style, high-concept book.  The kind of book that really will get a push from publishers, but doesn’t—ironically—need a push from publishers.

If you’ve written standard commercial fiction, most literary fiction, 95% of genre fiction…you’re not going to get much marketing from your publisher…or what I’m imagining that writers consider marketing support.

You might possibly get an ad in one of your genre’s magazines…I’ve heard of this occasionally happening—I haven’t experienced it, myself. You’ll get good shelf placement in stores on some occasions, depending on your publisher (more likely if it’s a very large publisher) and their deals with individual bookstores and chains…I get books on a tower near the B&N café the first month of the launch.  They’ll send out review copies for you (usually only for the first book of the series, although I’ve lately gotten more ARCs).  They list your book in the publisher’s catalog. This is your marketing.  A lot of it depends on print and bookstores, both of which seem to be on the decline. If you get it, it will be a short-term push…not a long-term effort. 

They’ve tweeted and done a giveaway for me on Twitter once.  I’ve written for Penguin’s blog on several occasions.  I’ve been interviewed for their newsletter.

On the other hand, I’ve paid in the past for the design and creation of my own bookmarks, business cards, postcards.  I’ve always put together my own blog tours when I’ve done them.  I’ve never been sent on a book tour—although I did tour once—on my dime—in a very small region.  I’ve set up my own book signings.  I pay for my own copies of books for promo reasons (I do get a discount) after I’ve used up my contracted author copies.  I’ve set up my own online giveaways.  Facebook (2 pages, 2 profiles), Twitter, blogging, LinkedIn, Google +?  Me, me, me, me, me.   I set them up, I branded myself.  My website?  Me.  Designed by…me. Paid for by…me.  Press kit?  When mine was updated, it was all by me for me on the website I designed and created.

My friends who are traditionally published came up with their own book trailers.  I’ve not done this, myself.

This isn’t intended as a slap at the PR folks at my publisher or any publisher.  I’m sure they’re overwhelmed with work and represent many writers. It’s simply the way it is.

If you, in fact, are a traditionally published author and you’re waiting for your publisher to promote your book…you’re already in trouble.  If you don’t earn out, you might not end up with a contract for more books.  It’s the author’s responsibility to promote and brand…not the publisher’s.

Publishers do differ.  Someone else’s experience will be very different from mine.  But, speaking as a midlist author who has a couple of different series who isn’t brand-new to the business…I know I’m not alone in what I’ve experienced.

If you self-publish, you’ll be doing the same promo as if you were traditionally published. 

This has been my public service announcement for writers today. :)  I find plenty of reasons to enjoy being a hybrid writer…I just wouldn’t list marketing support among them since I find my efforts a good deal more focused, long-term, and effective than my publishers’.

Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 23,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

November 13-14:  Get Read – Marketing Strategies for Writers: Dan Blank’s We Grow Media is a  two-day online conference for authors looking for promotion strategies–and, ultimately, readers.  Speakers include Porter Anderson, Chuck Wendig, Dan Blank, Jane Friedman, Therese Walsh, and many others.  (I’m one of the scheduled speakers and am also am serving on the advisory board.)  More information about the conference and registration information can be found here.

If you use the discount code elizabeth, you receive $20 off the conference price.

There’s a new resource for writers—whether you’re writing your first book, trying to query agents or editors, or whether you’re working on promo.  It’s Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group website.  There you’ll find pages of links to resources—writing tips, publishers, agents, queries, self-publishing, marketing, contests, and publications for writers. Alex is a friend and frequent commenter here and very active in supporting writers. Thanks to Alex and his helpers for compiling the information for the site.

How not to write a mystery: http://dld.bz/cRDgP

34 Strategic Ways To Use Pinterest to Market Your Book and Your Author Brand: http://dld.bz/cRDgR @writerplatform

Tips for finding a hungry agent: http://dld.bz/cRDnr

Why 1 writer hates strong female characters: http://dld.bz/cRDpd @McDougallSophia

6 Personality Types Who Will Fail as Writers: http://dld.bz/cRDpp @victoriamixon

Hand-Selling Your Book: How Savvy Are You? http://dld.bz/cRDp9 @angelaackerman

A Reluctant Novelist’s Confession: http://dld.bz/cRDpQ @BTMargins @MaryanneOHara

Gothic Science Fiction – a beginning: http://dld.bz/cRDpT @GothImagination

Titles For Aristocratic Characters In Novels: http://dld.bz/cRDqe @WriteHistNovels

Seven Stages of Writing: http://dld.bz/cRE5a

Trendy Hotel Wants You to Finish Your Novel in One of Their Rooms: http://dld.bz/cRE5e @theAtlanticWire

Being a Writer: Commitment vs. Self-Doubt: http://dld.bz/cRE68 @jamigold

Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing: Book as Event: http://dld.bz/cRE6D @deanwesleysmith

5 Ways To Use NaNoWriMo As Your Writing R&D Department: http://dld.bz/cRE7z @Figures

Top 10 tips for writing a Hollywood blockbuster: http://dld.bz/cRE7P

Bad Characters Do Bad Things: http://dld.bz/cRE8P @mooderino

Don’t cliche yourself into becoming a hack writer: http://dld.bz/cRE8X @jasonsanford

3 Secrets To Writing Blog Posts That Go Viral: http://dld.bz/cRE9G

On Keeping a Notebook: http://dld.bz/cNNhm @SarahNumber4 @parisreview

Nonfiction: How to See Yourself Through an Acquisitions Editor’s Eyes: http://dld.bz/cRGGV @ninaamir

How Self-Published Authors Can Improve Our Industry: http://dld.bz/cRGHj @mollygreene

Is crowdfunding right for you? 5 questions: http://dld.bz/cRGJt

3 Sure-Fire Ways to Prepare Your Characters: http://dld.bz/cRGJw @matty_gibbon

Goodreads For Authors: http://dld.bz/cRGJK @PatrickRBrown

A Dungeons and Dragons Guide to Book Sales: http://dld.bz/cRGJU @DoSomeDamage

Famous Writers and their Addictions: http://dld.bz/cRGJY @Writers_Write

Adventures in Horrific Fantasy Literature? http://dld.bz/cRGKe

25 Steps To Becoming A Self-Published Author: http://dld.bz/cRGKf @chuckwendig {lang.}

SF–Dragons: Classifications: http://dld.bz/cRHZ8 @fantasyfaction

How 1 author stays organized: http://dld.bz/cRHZJ @ventgalleries

Rejection and Despair:Just Another Day in Writer Paradise: http://dld.bz/cRJan @TMRadcliffe

Jump-start Your Writing Routine with NaNoWriMo: http://dld.bz/cRJbD @fictorians

“Up”: High concept or not? http://dld.bz/cRJbF @gointothestory

How to Edit a Book: Long Sentences and Comma Splices: http://dld.bz/cRJck @EBindery

6 Psych Tips For Creating The Ideal Workspace: http://dld.bz/cRRH7 @PsyBlog

Tools for Character Excavation: http://dld.bz/cRRKN @YAMuses

New Facebook Feature Spells ‘Awesome’ for Blogging: http://dld.bz/cRSdC @JennyHansenCA @LisaHallWilson

Writing in 2nd person POV: http://dld.bz/cRSm5 @MartinaABoone

Fear and the Second Book in a Trilogy: http://dld.bz/cRSmH @jlizhill

For Biographers, The Past Is An Open (Electronic) Book: http://dld.bz/cRST6 @npralltech

When ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ is Really Bad Advice: http://dld.bz/cRSXc @readjennymartin

Authors who reprise the greats need a bold touch: http://dld.bz/cRSXq @TelegraphBooks

What did the publisher do to help make the novel succeed? http://dld.bz/cRSXy @MacGregorLit

Character Clichés: http://behlerblog.com/2013/09/04/character-cliches-make-like-a-tree-and-get-outta-here/ @behlerpublish

Script To Screen: “Badlands”: http://dld.bz/cRSX2 @gointothestory

Are You Writing in the Right Medium For You? http://dld.bz/cRSX7 @Julie_Gray

Get in the water already. http://dld.bz/cRSXD

When Science Fiction is Not Science Fiction: http://dld.bz/cRSXH @AmazingStories0

Tom Clancy’s 5 big rules for writing and life: http://dld.bz/cRY2s @salon

Need an Attitude Adjustment? Screenwriting Tips on Approaching Your Work: http://dld.bz/cRY26 @nofilmschool

Why Should You Be an Unconscious Writer? http://dld.bz/cRY58 @WriterJimDenney

Write your story–don’t worry about what people will say: http://dld.bz/cRY5F @RachelintheOC

Embracing Your Dark Side: http://dld.bz/cRY6g @pshares

Tips for making it as a writer: http://dld.bz/cRY6s

Get Past the Fear and Just Write: http://dld.bz/cRY6x @rebeccatdickson

Querying Literary Agents: Your Top 9 Questions Answered: http://dld.bz/cRY65 @thewritelife

Four Things ‘Breaking Bad’ Taught 1 Writer about Writing: http://dld.bz/cRY7k @NaturiThomas

How to choose a theme for your author blog: http://dld.bz/cRY8E @Belinda_Pollard

8 Book Marketing and Diversification Tips to Make Money: http://dld.bz/cRCEc @karencv

Don’t Let Your Characters Act Like Idiots: http://dld.bz/cRAQa @JamesScottBell

Three Most Common Story-structure Pitfalls: http://dld.bz/cR9am @KMWeiland

20 Places to Publish Personal Essays: http://dld.bz/cRxk4 @meghancward

How to Craft Perfect Posts for Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter: http://dld.bz/cRxaK @hubspot

On Keeping a Notebook: http://dld.bz/cNNhm @SarahNumber4 @parisreview

Why you shouldn’t ask Beta Readers to do copy editing: http://dld.bz/cRYAR @belinda_pollard

Understanding the Hidden Editing in Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’: http://dld.bz/cRYCd @nofilmschool

As Naysayers Cleave To Old Ideas, Indie Authors Keep Moving Forward: http://dld.bz/cRYCp @RachelintheOC

The Oddest Odd Jobs of 10 Literary Greats: http://dld.bz/cRZdQ @writersdigest

The CFD–Crappy First Draft: http://dld.bz/cRZdT @niniehammon

How to Write Like Nicholas Sparks: 4 Tips: http://dld.bz/cRZeC @monicamclark

The Strange and Unpleasant World of the Sock Puppet: http://dld.bz/cRZeM @cathinnorway

Who Wrote at Standing Desks? Kierkegaard, Dickens and Ernest Hemingway Too: http://dld.bz/cRZeY @openculture

10 Ways to Develop Confidence as a Writer: http://dld.bz/cRZfk @mufidah

5 Tips for Writing Query Letters: http://dld.bz/cRZfB @authorterryo

25 productivity secrets from history’s greatest thinkers: http://dld.bz/cRZzg @TheWeek

Dan Brown sells more books than Michael Chabon. Does that make Dan Brown a better writer? http://dld.bz/cRZzu

The 3 best ways to physically describe your characters: http://dld.bz/cRZzy @niniehammon

What Makes A Good Short Story: http://dld.bz/cSbv5 @BAShortStories

30 Obnoxious Phrases to Expunge from Our Writing: http://dld.bz/cSbvF @writerspotlight

Why Don’t Writers Have a Lingo for Their Writing? http://dld.bz/cSbvJ

Word sprinting: http://dld.bz/cSbvP @TheSprintShack

Top Writing Tips for Self-Published Authors: http://dld.bz/cSbvW @PublishersWkly

5 POVs complete with short story excerpts that show them in action: http://dld.bz/cSbwe @JanineDonoho

When Writing Feels Wrong: http://dld.bz/cSbwt @DavidSpinks

C.S. Lewis on Writing and Criticism: http://dld.bz/cSbwv @SilverPetticoat

Self-Publishing: Top Four Lessons Learned: http://dld.bz/cSbwx @JL_Campbell

Writers on writing about sex: http://dld.bz/cSbw4& @nytimes

The 7 Best Literary Wedding Themes: http://dld.bz/cSbw6 @BNBuzz

10 Tips for Working with an Editor: http://dld.bz/cSbxa @jonestony

8 books about writing: http://dld.bz/cSbxc @elephantjournal

Learning from the homes of famous writers: http://dld.bz/cSbx8 @BostonGlobe

How 7 Step Plans can be Straitjackets: http://dld.bz/cSbye @JamesPrescott77

Screenwriting: The Simple Things Every Writer Should Know: http://dld.bz/cSbyq @scriptmag

Write every day and other lies: http://dld.bz/cSby2 @missstaceymay

Tips for Parting Ways with Your Agent: http://dld.bz/cScNP @ElisabethWeed @writerunboxed

A publisher tries to understand the negativity in reader reviews: http://dld.bz/cScNR

Need more time to write? A better way to tell people “no”: http://dld.bz/cScPg @katecollinsbook

What Would Dickens Do? http://dld.bz/cScPx @Bookkaholic

Is Trope a Five-Letter “Four-Letter” Word? http://dld.bz/cScP6 @lemmony @pink_typewriter

Hating on Present Tense? A Defender: http://dld.bz/cScPR @Tamfrancis

Writing Tips for Creating a Complex Villain: http://dld.bz/cScQ8 @melissadonovan

Jennifer Egan And Michael Chabon Reveal 16 Truths About Writing: http://dld.bz/cScXD

When to Be and When Not to Be a Writer: http://dld.bz/cSdyy @BillieMosiman

Don’t let your characters over-share: http://dld.bz/cSdyD @alexbilledeaux

The Importance of Reading Out Loud: http://dld.bz/cSdyS @brevitymag

7 questions for an MG lit agent: http://dld.bz/cSdyZ

Writing Out of Middle Age: http://dld.bz/cSdzg @BTMargins @kimtriedman

Behind the curtain: the dark arts of dramaturgy: http://dld.bz/cSdzm @IrishTimes

First Novels: The Romance Of Agents: http://dld.bz/cSdzw @nprmonkeysee @hppywrtrMartha

8 Tips For Creating Great Stories From George R.R. Martin, Junot Diaz, And Others: http://dld.bz/cSdzz @hughhart

Easy Book Marketing Techniques For Writers: http://dld.bz/cSdzC @writeonepub

After You Sign The Publishing Contract: What Comes Next? http://dld.bz/cSeGj @randysusanmeyer

Branding Yourself. Be Careful Of The Hot Pokers. http://dld.bz/cSeGn @The_Real_HH

Top Three PR Moves Authors Should Make: http://dld.bz/cSeGr @makasha

10 Dumb Things Stopping You From Finishing Your Novel: http://dld.bz/cSeGx @ajackwriting

10 things 1 writer has learned about author crowdfunding so far: http://dld.bz/cPPqP @MaryDeMuth

Can a Foreign Language Enhance your Writing? http://dld.bz/cSeKb @serbaughman @writeitsideways

Creative Flow: There is Magic in Asking Yourself The Right Questions: http://dld.bz/cSeKg @ADDerWORLD

Understanding the Five Phases of Book Marketing: http://dld.bz/cSeKm @writerunboxed @BKGKristen

The Top 5 Reasons for Not Doing NaNoWriMo This November: http://dld.bz/cSeKU @chrisbaty @ChronicleBooks

What Do Authors Owe to Indie Booksellers? http://dld.bz/cSeMf @passivevoiceblg

277 Movies About Writers And The Writing Life: http://dld.bz/cSeMq @thewritermama

A self-pubber’s memories of querying: http://dld.bz/cSeRC @GerarddeMarigny

Tips for writing a blog post intro: http://dld.bz/cSeRD @HubSpot

E-readers: the best way to get the world’s children reading: http://dld.bz/cSeRF @guardianbooks

How to Edit for a Friend:  http://dld.bz/cSeRM @writing_tips

4 Cool Facebook Tools to Run Contests on Your Timeline: http://dld.bz/cSeRY @jeffbullas

9 Do’s and Don’ts for Creating Outstanding Facebook Cover Photos: http://dld.bz/cSeSc @hubspot

5 Reasons Why Journaling is the Ultimate Tool for Self-Development: http://dld.bz/cSeSe @JWhite

Blending urban fantasy with legal thriller: http://dld.bz/cSeSk @mybookishways

How to Sell Your Short Fiction: http://dld.bz/cSeSr @amazingstories0

Publishers Constantly Mistreat Their Suppliers: http://dld.bz/cSeSs @passivevoiceblg

Making Your Characters Extreme: http://dld.bz/cSeTj @storyfix

Five Myths About Writers: Busted: http://dld.bz/cSeT7 @chel_c_cam

Concrete Tips for Developing Voice in Your Fiction: http://dld.bz/cRYqd @JodieRennerEd

Bowker’s new self-pub figures: http://dld.bz/cSjxY @Porter_Anderson @ljndawson @BeatBarblan

Write the introduction last: http://dld.bz/cRY9e @Belinda_Pollard

The Laws of the (Amazon) Jungle—8 Rules Authors Need to Know to Stay Safe: http://dld.bz/cRZca @annerallen

Query pitfalls to avoid: http://dld.bz/cScGA @KeithCronin @WriterUnboxed

Reader pet peeves: http://dld.bz/cScQx @JungleReds

Phrasing for immediacy and power: http://dld.bz/cScX6 @JodieRennerEd

At CONTEC: Content, Technology…and Questions: http://dld.bz/cSeK8 @Porter_Anderson

I thought I’d give an update on both the audiobook platform that I started doing this spring and the promo efforts that I’ve made for the past few months.  Maybe it can give some of you ideas for expanding your content’s reach or for marketing it.

ACX—Still steady income for the $0 I put into the process.  Readers are requesting that more books go to audio (several readers wrote that they’re losing their eyesight and can only “read” via audio). I hate admitting that I don’t have the audio rights for the traditionally published books and that I find it less-likely that my publisher will put them on audiobook.

This time, as soon as the latest of my self-published books was published, I immediately put the book up for audition on ACX.  Now I’m already at the point of reviewing the finished audio.  It’s moved things through a bit faster. Thanks to Lia Frederick for narrating.

Free books. I believe that the single, most effective thing I do to move books is to keep one of them free.  I keep one of my titles free at all times by listing it as free on Smashwords and allowing Amazon to price-match it.  I consider it advertising and it’s the only form of real reader-focused promo that I do…except for Goodreads giveaways, which I’ll mention next. I do think, however, that this is probably a better practice for writers who have several or more books out.

I’ve found that the freebie also seems to result in sales for my trad-published titles, even though they’re higher-priced than my self-pubbed books.  My royalty checks have been higher as my self-pubbed sales have grown…even for the books I’ve written under a pen name.  I think that Amazon does a good job putting my other books in front of the readers.  I don’t think that Barnes & Noble does nearly as good of a job in cross-promoting my other titles.

I’ve noticed that although free promos always work well to keep my other books visible, they do especially well if the freebie is one that has lots of reviews.  It’s almost as if the readers are looking at the number of reviews and not the reviews themselves—one of the books that was recently free has 236 reviews.  But its giveaway was not quite as successful as a freebie for another of my titles that has 446 reviews, even though I think the one with fewer reviews probably has more favorable reviews.

So…what does this mean?  I’m wondering if it means that readers can be influenced by sheer numbers—an “everyone is reading it” mentality.  Even subconsciously. 

Goodreads. On that same thread (trying to get reviews), I received a box of ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) a few weeks ago for the book that’s coming out in December.  I was a little surprised to get them, since I don’t always get them except for the first book in a series.  My editor’s assistant asked me how many ARCs I wanted.  The idea these days is to get as many reviews on the upcoming release as possible.  I think, before online retailing became such a huge thing, that ARCs usually went out to various print reviewers…then bloggers, when blogging reviewers became popular.  Now it seems to be readers. I asked the assistant for 18 ARCs for a Goodreads giveaway.

I’ve noticed that giving away ARCs on Goodreads sometimes makes traditionally-published authors a little nervous.  This is because sometimes signed ARCs end up being sold online on eBay…even before the release.  I’ve heard writers talking about it.  It’s against the Goodreads rules, but pirating, etc., has never seemed to hurt me or my sales.

The giveaway for the December book had a good response…Goodreads reported that 1310 people entered it and I had 16 winners, keeping two of the ARCs in case one got lost in the mail or some other problem.  I’ve found that a good approach seems to be to send a message to the winners –you can click on their link when Goodreads sends you the list of winners.  You congratulate them, tell them when you’ll send the books out (I hear that you can get one-stars on Goodreads for not being prompt), and possibly even give them your other contact info so that they can email you or Facebook you, or whatever.  It makes you a bit more human, more friendly—instead of just a calculated giveaway.  I don’t ask for reviews when I send my note, but several readers wrote me back this time (a few on my email instead of using Goodreads) and said that they were excited to have won and planned to write reviews. 

As I’ve mentioned before, I personally don’t find Goodreads a particularly warm and fuzzy environment for writers, so I just pop in, do my giveaway thing, and pop out again.  You don’t have to hang out there to do giveaways…you can tweak your settings so that Goodreads notifies you via email when they’ve picked the winners. You do have to have a physical book for a giveaway there…they don’t give away ebooks.  But your books don’t have to be traditionally published to be entered, either—CreateSpace or Lightning Source works fine.

So, that’s about it for how things are going for audio and promotion—and what works for now.  Being flexible is good in this business…what works one month may not work the next.  We should just be prepared to change course.

What have you found that’s worked promo-wise lately?  Any thoughts about Goodreads giveaways?  Anyone doing ACX?

I’m new to outlining and sometimes there’s an element that’s missing when I draft outlines—complexity.

I think that’s because I usually add more layers to my books after the first draft is finished.  Unfortunately, I won’t have finished the first draft when I submit an outline to my editor…I won’t even have started the book… and it won’t occur to me to add the complexity into the outline before I send it (at least, it hasn’t before).  This means that I ordinarily get feedback on my outlines that state “could you please add some complexity to this mystery?”

(Note to self: it will save us all a lot of time if I take that step before submitting the next outline.)

I’m imagining that I’m not the only one who gets this kind of feedback from an editor…at least, I hope I’m not.  Luckily, there are quite a few ways to make a mystery less cut-and-dried or easily solved.  Some ideas:

More suspects. You have to be careful here, because if you have too many suspects, then readers can get lost.  If you already have quite a few suspects, then really take a look at them.  Is one of them less-likely as the murderer?  Can you add to their motive or give them more opportunity to have committed the crime?  Can you, in other words, make that suspect appear more suspicious?    

A motive that is different from the motive you’ve originally promoted as the one tied to the murder.  You’ve got greed or financial gain as the motive for the murder—with a cast of characters who all have something to gain from the victim’s death.  But you could suddenly reveal either a different motive or a suspect with an additional motive—revenge, anger, ambition, jealousy.  Maybe the suspect is trying to cover up a different crime. 

Point to a different suspect toward the end of the story.  One way to help make the killer’s identity more of a surprise is to subtly direct readers to a completely different suspect very close to the end of the book. 

Have your suspects both lie and tell truths.  In my books, I’ve got my suspects feeding my sleuths a variety of different information.  Some of it leads the sleuth to clues.  Some of it functions as a red herring.  At times, it’s hard for the sleuth to distinguish the truth from the lies and it makes it more difficult for her to solve the mystery when she isn’t sure the information she’s receiving is trustworthy—or if the source of it is.

Obfuscate. Give suspects secrets that have nothing to do with the murder.  One reason that your suspects would lie is if they were trying to protect their secrets.  Most people have things they’d rather no one else knew about.  This is especially easy to write if your book is set in a small town—folks don’t want the whole town to know their business when they have to live and work closely with a small number of people. There are old scandals, petty crimes, or illicit relationships they’d like to keep to themselves.  These secrets function as roadblocks, red herrings, and detours for our sleuths.

Another victim.  Just when your readers think they’ve nailed the right suspect—kill the suspect. :) Or, kill another likely suspect and give the most likely suspect a great alibi.  On that note…

Locked rooms, iron-tight alibis.   If you add a bit of impossibility to the story, it not only adds complexity, it helps break up endless suspect interviews.  Then you can gradually offer glimpses how these situations are possible.

Parallel subplots.  Bonus points if you can connect a subplot that develops a character to the mystery somehow.  Maybe it can get the sleuth out of hot water or provide a clue to solving the case.  Tie-ins are interesting.

Basically—what can you do to make this story twist a little?  Brainstorm ways to play havoc with the sleuth’s investigation.  Can you derail it temporarily? Send it off in a different direction?  There are ways to add complexity without taking it so far as to frustrate the reader (which we don’t want).

Some of these fixes will also work with other genres.  You can expand on it, too.  How do you see writers in your genre add complexity or twists to their stories?