Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

Writers’ roles in book promotion have changed a lot in the last twenty years. Instead of being expected merely to write and edit, they’re looked at as partners in the publicity process.

If you’re not promoting your book in some way (signings, interviews, blog tours, website giveaways), then you’re really not doing your fair share. This doesn’t come as a surprise to any writers who are plugged into the writing community. After all, with Yahoo Groups like Murder Must Advertise (which is a fantastic group, even if you don’t write mysteries) and writing forums that share tips on promoting, writers would have to have their heads under rocks to not realize the current climate for book marketing.

But when are you too committed to promoting a book instead of writing the next one? Is there an alarm bell that goes off when you’ve spent too much time away from your manuscript?

In an interview with Galley Cat, Sue Grafton confessed that it used to take her nine months to complete a book. “It used to take me nine months to write a book, then ten, then thirteen, and so on,” she explained. “Over the years, the publicity has begun to encroach on the writing process. Around the time of K Is for Killer, I began to realize that every time I had to do a phone interview, I was getting annoyed—’leave me alone, I’ve got work to do!” She said that she went to her publisher to ask for more time to write and less time for interviews, and was able to work out an arrangement with them.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

Write First—Your writing is the reason you’ve got something to promote. Make sure you satisfy your writing goal for the day first.

Get Ahead With Your Blogging—Feeling pinched for time? Try penning several blogs in a row. That way, if you have a day when you’re pressed, you’ll have something thoughtful to post on your blog.

Multitask—Okay, I know this is a difficult one. But it can be done (this is coming from a mom who frequently writes at stoplights.) But you can read and post comments on blogs while a pot of water is coming to a boil. You can write your answers to a blog interview while monitoring your kids as they do their homework.

Know When to Say No—Are you getting too stressed out? Is your stress level pouring out into your interactions with family and friends? Consider taking a week off (letting your readers know a date you’ll be posting again.)

Guest bloggers: Are there friends looking for extra exposure or a promo opportunity? Now’s the time to check in with them.

What do you do when you’ve gotten temporarily over your head?

I’d actually planned on putting some great photos on this particular blog post—but then realized as I’m here at the Malice Domestic conference in Washington, DC, that apparently I didn’t pack the cord that connects my camera to the laptop. But I’ll definitely be posting some pictures later from the conference.

Writers’ conferences can be great for everyone—aspiring writers looking for industry info, an agent, or a publisher; readers who enjoy hearing favorite authors on panels; and published writers, who connect with readers, find new readers, and network with other writers.

Here’s what I’ve gotten out of it so far:

Readers: Core readers who love the genre come to Malice Domestic. These are folks who read as many cozy mysteries as they can get their hands on…and I was very glad to be able to visit with them.

Writing friends: I’ve had a great time sharing meals and visiting with writers that I’d only known online. It’s fun to see how they are in person…and amazingly easy to fall into conversation since we’ve already know each other, even though it was a virtual friendship.

Malice-Go-Round—Billed as ‘speed dating for writers’, this part of the program featured 40 authors making snappy pitches to a table of readers before time was up and they moved to the next table of readers. Useful for developing pithy pitches and finding new readers. I sat in as a reader, not a writer and was introduced that way to all the writers that I knew online that I’d yet to meet in person.

Panels—sitting in the audience. I’ve picked up all kinds of information on what other people are working on and the way they handled different topics in their books.

Panels—sitting at the podium. A nice way to reach new readers and promote upcoming books.

Meet people you don’t ordinarily get to see—I’m having coffee with my agent tomorrow. Although we’ve been working together, I haven’t been able to meet her in person.

One of my publishers, Berkley Prime Crime, took its authors to dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. I had an opportunity to meet editors, my publicist, and the actual president and VP of that Penguin imprint. I also had a chance to visit with other Berkley authors and find out what they’ve been working on and maybe the direction that Berkley is going in for its upcoming series.

Promotional ideas. I’ll admit that I’m not the most creative person when it comes to marketing. At the conference I’ve seen some wonderful promotional ideas in action. Several authors came up with baskets for the silent auction–filling the basket with their books and small things that tie in with their book or setting. The conference helped the authors out by having author bingo–the readers walked around looking for authors that fit certain criteria…published by a particular publisher, from a certain region of the country, etc. A group I’m involved with had a button contest: we each had a button made from our book cover and readers could approach us and get our button. Whoever had the most buttons from our group of authors first won a gift certificate to the conference bookstore.

Of course, there were also bookmarks and postcards and business cards galore. At the signing after my panel, I did sign my books, but I also signed anything that anyone put in front of me, whether they bought my book or not. In addition, there were authors giving small things away (with their promotional information tied onto the materials) at their signings….like my barbeque potholders. Again, I didn’t mind if the reader bought my book or not–it was an opportunity for me to meet a potential reader (and readers at these conferences are avid readers) and tell them about my upcoming release.

Getting to conferences can be expensive, so I’d recommend finding conferences that are a good fit for what you write and are maybe, geographically, not too far away. I’ve really enjoyed the connections I’ve made, the industry information I’ve gotten, and the friends I’ve been able to visit.

Have you gone to any conferences, either as an aspiring or published writer? What have you gotten out of it?

I’m not the most relaxed traveler in the world. I checked over my lists at least twenty times to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, rolled my clothes up into my carry-on and finally called myself done. I was ready for the Malice Domestic conference.

I’ve written all kinds of details down for my husband—where I’m going to be, where the kids will be (they were coming and going over the weekend), etc.

My husband suddenly made a face. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I just had this anxious feeling. About you and the plane ride.”

I looked sternly at him. “This is not something you tell a Paranoid Traveler. Besides, everything will be find—it’s a short trip…I’m only going to be in the air for an hour and twenty minutes.”

Everything, for a while, seemed to go well. Oh…except I realized I didn’t have my driver’s license and needed to go back to the house. But I was barely out of the neighborhood.

The security check went well. The plane was on time. I had my laptop and my carry-on luggage with me. I walked over to the bridge to board the plane when the lady at the desk said, “Ma’am, you’re going to have to give that bag to the man at the end of the bridge. It’s oversized and not going to fit in the overhead bin.”

I clutched my bag.

“It’s okay, ma’am,” said the woman in a soothing voice one might use for a fractious toddler. “Just give it to the gentleman there. He’ll take care of it for you.”

The man smiled and nodded and reached out a hand encouragingly. I guess the airline staff is used to taking care of crackpot customers and I must have looked panicky. But this was the reason I’d stuffed everything into my carry-on!

So now I’m feeling really anxious, myself. I’m all twitchy and thinking I’m going to have to wear my black dress for 3 days in DC and won’t that be ridiculous? Or I have to go shopping while I’m at the conference. And my books are in that bag!

Then we’re about to take off and the pilot says there’s a mechanical problem with the plane and a mechanic is coming over to fix it.

Now if this had been a story I’d been writing instead of real life (and this all would have been much nicer if it were fictitious), then I never would have written my husband’s worries in.

The foreshadowing would have been too heavy-handed.

There are different ways to handle simple foreshadowing, and I think—most times—that simple is better with these hints.

We could go with physical descriptions—stomach butterflies, or even my twitchiness at being separated from my bag.

We could even overstate the positive: “This is going to be a great trip,” thought Elizabeth. “I’m leaving so early that the flight is sure to be on time.” This determined embracing of the positive (which I certainly didn’t do) as things start going wrong could help underscore to a reader that maybe everything really isn’t so great.

We could build up a particular mood for the plane ride. Weather would be a pretty easy way to do it,if we’re careful not to be trite. Instead of the clichéd ominous clouds, we could go with weather that wasn’t forecasted and threatens to keep the plane grounded for a while. Maybe it’s icy. Or maybe there’s a lot of lightning.

We could even have a fellow passenger who’s really nervous about flying and have the protagonist reassure her. Although reassurances ring hollow because the reader is starting to suspect that there might be a problem with the flight.

A little foreshadowing or premonition of trouble goes a long way. But it can add a touch of suspense to the story. Will the plane get there in one piece? Will it be delayed so long that the protagonist misses out on all her activities at the conference? (Fortunately not!)

I think these recap posts get better stats than all my others! :)

I’m doing this a little early this week because I’m flying to the Malice Domestic conference today and won’t likely have time to compile these while I’m gone.

I’ll also probably not be good this weekend at answering comments on my blog and visiting others’ blogs. I’m looking forward to a return to normalcy next week!

2 years, 3 manuscripts, and 50 rejections–anatomy of an agent search: http://dld.bz/bExN

What should be do with our bookmarks? Some marketing ideas: http://dld.bz/bEUv

The dialect dilemma: http://dld.bz/bEm9

Dorian Gray’s true picture of Oscar Wilde (Guardian): http://dld.bz/bEyb

On building a publishing house: http://dld.bz/bEm2

World building is not just a genre issue: http://dld.bz/bEkM

How NOT to make your characters real: http://dld.bz/bEka

Corporate English: http://dld.bz/b8ND

How to read a publishing contract (part 7): http://dld.bz/b8Np

Examples of why show is better than tell: http://dld.bz/b8MR

The life of a commercial fiction author: http://dld.bz/bBCT

Writing humor: http://dld.bz/bBCJ

Tips for hitting the NY Times Bestseller list (GalleyCat): http://dld.bz/bBC4

Do blurbs matter? http://dld.bz/b8MB

Tips on building suspense: http://dld.bz/bAMd

Harnessing Shadow: A Writer’s Way to Overcome Shortcomings: http://dld.bz/b8Mn

Ingredients of a great crit partner: http://dld.bz/bAHr @RoniGriffin

Publishers should learn fearlessness: http://dld.bz/b8KX

Writing about a life or social issue? Do it justice: http://dld.bz/bAFn

Tips and links to help with plotting: http://dld.bz/bAK5

WordPress permalinks 101: http://dld.bz/b8KN

Style guideline–rules on writing numbers: http://dld.bz/bAEU

Nancy Drew turns 80 (GalleyCat): http://dld.bz/bAEJ

Author pitch tips: http://dld.bz/b8K9

The books powerful women love (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/b8Ks

Carve out satisfaction instead of pursuing cut-throat success: http://dld.bz/b8Kh

Tips on pacing from the Pike’s Peak writing conference: http://dld.bz/bAfw

He had blond hair and blue eyes you could lose yourself in for days… and other stereotypical crap: http://dld.bz/b8Kh

10 musts of personal branding: http://dld.bz/b8JX

The dark appeal of the short story (LA Times): http://dld.bz/b9uN

The dangers of onomatopoeia: http://dld.bz/b9u2

How writers can get more out of Twitter: http://dld.bz/b8JM

Running and Writing: Focus, Endurance and More– http://dld.bz/b9kX

An agent says that writing is a lifestyle, not just an activity: http://dld.bz/b8JE

An agent on passing manuscripts to other agents in the agency: http://dld.bz/b8Hp

Disclaimers for book endings: http://dld.bz/b3YX

3 ways to find an agent via Twitter: http://dld.bz/b2Uk

Branding for multi-genre writing: http://dld.bz/b2TT

The components of a solid pitch for a memoir or how-to: http://dld.bz/b2TQ

To critique or not to critique: http://dld.bz/b2T4

After Loss, Turning To Poetry For Grief And Healing (NPR): http://dld.bz/b4cn

An agent on starting your career as a writer: http://dld.bz/b2Tz

10 steps to writing…or not writing. http://dld.bz/b5ky

How quitting can help you finish your writing: http://dld.bz/b4bB

Dialogue that matters: http://dld.bz/b2Tg

You don’t need time to write–you need space: http://dld.bz/b4bv

How to support an author: http://dld.bz/b4bh

The great myth about publishing: http://dld.bz/b4aV

How to get your privacy back from Facebook: http://dld.bz/b2SX

Character is destiny: The Edward/Bella dilemma– http://dld.bz/b2SS @msforster

A couple who started a publishing company in Nigeria–feeding the African imagination: http://dld.bz/b2Uy

10 ways to keep your prose strong and simple: http://dld.bz/b3F6

Do you have a security manuscript? http://dld.bz/b3Fr

The shrunken manuscript method of revision: http://dld.bz/byzJ

Some insights on querying: http://dld.bz/byRE

An agent on rejection: http://dld.bz/bywQ

What made Twain famous (Daily Beast) : http://dld.bz/b2SE

Thoughts and tips on plotting and outlining: http://dld.bz/byuW

An editor advises going to the heart of the revision instead of following advice to the letter: http://dld.bz/byuA

When business is personal–using Facebook’s privacy settings: http://dld.bz/byRY

Auditioning characters: http://dld.bz/bwXe

Why start a website or blog if you have nothing to promote? (Writer’s Digest) http://dld.bz/bwWN

How Amazon’s Pricing Affects Author and Publisher Profits http://dld.bz/bwWG

How does theory of mind relate to creating believable characters? http://bit.ly/dhYeet @p2p_editor

World building in urban fantasy: http://dld.bz/bvGn

The No. 1 grammar trap and how to avoid falling in: http://dld.bz/bvJs

Telltale signs of a bookaholic: http://dld.bz/buSf

Michael Ignatieff and the imperfect world of book blurbs (Globe and Mail) http://dld.bz/buRE

How writing a novel is similar to taking care of a newborn: http://dld.bz/buRc

Great series on plotting: http://dld.bz/buPR

Memoirs Require More Than Just Facts (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/buPK

An editor on coincidences in our book (avoiding them): http://dld.bz/buPB

Book bloggers behaving badly–the unforgivable book blogging sin: http://dld.bz/bwWq

Free software apps for writers: http://dld.bz/bvGt

Do readers want to learn trivia or useful info in novels? Should novelists consider including such info? http://dld.bz/bwrh

Do unpublished books need trailers? http://dld.bz/buPm

The Holy Grail of focus for writers: http://dld.bz/buPg

Setting up the tension in your book: http://dld.bz/bvFK

A guide to creative visualization: http://dld.bz/buNQ

Establishing mood: http://dld.bz/bvth @MermaidHel

Garden therapy for writers: http://dld.bz/buNz

What an agent does: http://dld.bz/buMG

Does your agent have to love your book? http://dld.bz/buSm

Why Digitization and E-books are Good for Literacy : http://dld.bz/buMB

Understanding screenwriting (with examples from film): http://dld.bz/buQD

Writer’s Envy–what to do when you’re feeling green about a friend’s success: http://dld.bz/buM9

Writing the cozy mystery–keeping it delightful: http://dld.bz/bsXe

Top Ten Things Authors Should NEVER Do To Promote Their Book: http://dld.bz/bta6

An agent says to be (slightly) afraid of posting your work online: http://dld.bz/bsYx

How to write powerful paragraphs: http://dld.bz/bsXh

The Procrastinator’s Guide to Writing That Thing You Need to Write– http://dld.bz/bsXc

How to write about life, the universe and everything (What’s your book *about*?) http://bit.ly/byIRSS

Write a how-to book–cookie cutter writing: http://dld.bz/brpC

Blockbuster movies and bestsellers–what do they have in common? http://dld.bz/brpp

Mystery writers–a guide to crime scene investigations: http://dld.bz/bq2T via @micheleemrath

The ethicist’s blessing of e-piracy revisited…with the same result: http://dld.bz/bq2h

Back up your data: http://dld.bz/bqzj

If we make life simple, can we write more? 95 posts on simple living: http://dld.bz/bq22

The difference between a ‘bad’ book and one someone just didn’t like: http://dld.bz/bqyB

How to find online writing markets and write for the web: http://dld.bz/bqy3

Putting emotion into your characters: http://dld.bz/bqyx

10 ways to write skinny sentences: http://dld.bz/bq3g @KMWeiland

A quick guide to ISBNs for the self-published: http://dld.bz/brqe

Why translators deserve some credit: http://dld.bz/bqxZ

Parents must let kids choose what they read (Guardian): http://dld.bz/bqxB

The truth about some crime fiction myths: http://dld.bz/bqF2

What are your rules for reading? (Chicago Tribune): http://dld.bz/bqwF

Suspension of disbelief–getting readers to believe the magic in your fantasy or SF: http://dld.bz/bq9B

The Roots of Steampunk–. http://bit.ly/bmlwDX

Death to prologues? http://dld.bz/bqw8

A writer’s life–permission to take a break: http://dld.bz/bk5j

Working at home isn’t home anymore: http://dld.bz/bk4X

Why men don’t read–how publishing is alienating half the population (Huff Post) : http://dld.bz/bk5q

101 uses for a failed author: http://dld.bz/bk4E

YA novelists send tweets back to their high school selves (Publishers Weekly): http://dld.bz/bk4C

When poets became monsters (Telegraph) : http://dld.bz/bk4e

How not to hook an agent: http://bit.ly/daxjxo

7 paranoid provocations on Ebooks: http://oreil.ly/duI11Z

Revisions–Cutting Words: http://bit.ly/aO6nHs

A historian confesses to writing the Amazon poison pen reviews (Guardian) : http://bit.ly/9YVqMX

Trying to figure out how to write the ‘first act’ of your novel? This analysis of “The Matrix” might help: http://bit.ly/cRzJO0

To blog or not to blog? http://bit.ly/9S1Bfc

How to find an agent (when you’re self-published): http://bit.ly/d0ufcO

Plot points for mystery writers: http://bit.ly/91b7SK

The 4 paragraph approach to writing cover letters: http://bit.ly/bhZYGI

Necessary arts that writers must master: http://bit.ly/bbZVZA

Stop lying about the way your characters lie (tips on lying) : http://bit.ly/9IecSt

Negotiating with the idea fairy: http://bit.ly/cqeB7n

A week ago I was on a social media panel, talking about the benefits of networking and giving some tips.

Afterward, one of the attending agents asked a fellow panelist and me if we think people choose agents based on whether or not they’re active on social media. He was also curious whether we thought social media was important for agents to engage in.

I thought these were interesting questions. And my gut reaction, of course, was to say that everyone needs social media and to hop on it right way.

Of course, there are many agents blogging daily, tweeting, and Facebooking. The benefits to writers are tremendous.

But no, I really don’t think anybody chooses agents based on how active they are with social media.

Here are my thoughts about pros and cons of social media for agents.

Pros for agents:

Networking with editors and other industry professionals.

Participating in online dialogue with clients.

Possibly attracting more clients.

Educating writers on querying and writing in general—and maybe getting better-quality queries?

Cons for agents:

The time-sucking factor. And this is a huge consideration because there are only so many hours of the day when you’re not reading queries/synopses, sample chapters; submitting manuscripts to editors; following up with editors; etc.

Do agents need more clients unless they’re just starting out? Or are they already completely swamped?

I’ve got more pros than cons listed here, but then I’m a social media fan. What do you think—how active should agents be online? And how important is it to you as a writer that they are? Can you think of any other pros or cons?

I forgot to mention before that I’m hosting Alan Orloff on the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen today. He’s got a fantastic recipe for chocolate babka–please join us!