Dazed and Confused

Sneak Preview & Contest!

I just got word from the CRM at Barnes & Noble that the books she ordered for my signing (FIVE WEEKS from now) are already in and she put them on the shelf.  (How fast do you think I can get to the store???  Can you say Warp Speed?)

If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.

CONTEST--CONTEST:

I'll give away an Advance Review Copy of Dead In Red to the first person to send me a picture of themselves with a copy of MURDER IS BINDING in their hands.  Remember, the author name on this one is LORNA BARRETT.

Go forth and check your local chain bookstores!

How can I spend more money???

First things first:  the large print rights have been sold for Murder Is Binding. 

YEEEE-HAAAAA! 

I don't actually get to see any up-front money, though.  The publisher applies it against my advance.  (All 15 cents of it.)  But that means if I sell enough copies, I'll actually see a royalty check.  (It took four books in one series before a friend of mine saw a royalty check.  She said it's a very nice feeling.)

Having two books come out in one year is proving to be...expensive.  Publishers don't cough up dough for promotion for mid-list authors.  It just isn't done.  They give you some nice exposure on their web site, and some bound galleys, and that's about it.

So it's up to me to cough up the dough for promotion. 

I've already had bookmarks made up for Murder Is Binding, and boy-howdy they are pretty!  I've also ordered postcards so that I can send them to people announcing the book.  And I've done a postcard that mentions both Murder Is Binding and Dead In Red.  I'm going to include them in my library campaign--and wouldn't you know, it's too late to add the ISBN for the large print edition (not that I have it yet).  Oh well. 

Bookmarks are also in the pipeline for Dead in Red, but I'm waiting for the reviews to come in before I do that.

After that, it's time to STOP spending money on promotion and time to buckle down and get the next book written.  Because without the book...there's no reason for promotion.

That "MySpace" Question

Catch me over at Writers Plot today where I'm talking about my days working for the movie studio, and how me and celebrities are NOT a good combination.  See it here.

More Baby Steps

Dead In Red has shown up on WorldCat--that's the library web site that keeps track of where books are.  It has also shown up on Amazon for pre-order.  So far, they're only offering a 5% discount (same as they always offer for pre-order).  Pre-orders can make a world of different to an author. 

Author Mary Kay Andrews has been waging a fierce campaign to get her new book Deep Dish on the NYTimes Best Sellers List.  In order to do that ... you got it!  Pre-orders.  The big lists don't really gauge sales, they gauge orders for books.

Now there's no chance in hell Dead In Red or Murder Is Binding will ever be best seller material.  They're simply too "small."  (That is, they aren't 400 page tomes.  They aren't even 300 page tomes.) But that doesn't mean that pre-orders don't help.  My publisher uses Amazon pre-orders to gauge what the demand for the book will be.

The problem is--they're a library publisher.  They're expecting libraries (with deep pockets) to buy the book; their business model doesn't really take into account regular people.  (A library needs a hardcover because paperbacks fall apart too quickly. They're good for maybe 5-10 reads.  They figure a "popular" hardcover may be read 50+ times.)

Asking my readers to cough up $25.99 (you do get free shipping from Amazon) is asking a lot.  Therefore, I'm asking that my readers ask their local libraries to order the book.  But should you have an extra $26 kicking around, by all means PLEASE buy my book!!!

Now that Dead In Red is up on WorldCat, libraries can order it.  All you need is the ISBN ... and it just happens to be:

ISBN 10:  1-594141-640-3
ISBN 13:  978-1-594141-640-4

(Hint, hint.)

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by for a MEME by the Bibliochef over at Cooking With Ideas.

The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

I don't usually do stuff like this, but it's Sunday afternoon and I don't feel like working--so what the hell!

FIVE FACTS ABOUT ME, ME, ME!
1.  I have really, really blue eyes.  I've been told this my whole life, but this morning I saw a new picture of myself (which really sucked, BTW) and WOW--I have really blue eyes.  Like Dan Blocker or Meg Foster.  Who knew?  (BTW, that's Meg Foster over there--not me.)

2.  My favorite book isn't a mystery.  It's actually The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald, which I first read when I was 12 years old.  I have at least five copies (one of which is Large Print that I bought at a library sale for a buck).  I read it at least once every year.  It was Betty's description of her terrible bread-making ability that has kept me from trying to bake with yeast--even to this day!

3.  I would live in rural New York (the town of Huron in particular) if my husband would leave the suburbs.  He won't -- I like him, so I guess I'll stay put.

4. I paint my toenails red, but I don't wear sandals or go barefoot so nobody knows.

5. I collect frames.  I have way too many mirrors in my house (not that I look in them) just because I like the frames.  I have boxes of unused frames I bought at garage sales and auctions.  Most of them are odd sizes, but they were cheap and are pretty so I like them.

TAGGED-YOU'RE-IT:
I'm going to cheat.  I'm not going to tell the people I've tagged because not everyone wants to do this-- but I do encourage you to check out their blogs.

1. Dwight Wannabe.  Only...Dwight is moving to his new blog and you can't really judge it because there's not much content.  So go look at this old blog, too.

2.  Wil Wheaton --yeah, Wesley Crusher from ST:TNG.  He doesn't know me from a hole in his socks, but I enjoy reading his WWdN: In Exile blog.  Only...(why do I have all these onlys?) he recently had surgery and hasn't blogged much during his recovery.  Try him again in a few days when he's back in the pink.

3.  What, she doesn't read any blogs by women?  Of course I do!  Lesa's Book Critique is really good.  She does a great job reviewing new books and interviewing authors.  I promise, you'll like Lesa.  (I do.  And I think she likes me, too!)

4.  Joshilyn Jackson's Faster Than Kudzu.  She's a nut case--but the kind of nut case you'll like.  (You can tell she's a nut case because she spells her name JOSHilyn and calls herself JOSSilyn--like there's no H in there.  What's with that?)  P.S. the woman can write.

5. Julia Buckley's Mysterious Musings.  Julia and I met once.  She was so nice to me when I was bouncing off the walls at Bouchercon 2006 (when her editor said she loved my book) and then she was so nice to me later when I found out her editor decided she didn't love my book enough to buy it.

Try out those blogs.  You might like them as much as I do. 

My Head's About To Explode!!!

According to Wikipedia, there really is something called Exploding Head Syndrome. Thankfully, I don't have the symptoms they mention, but lately I've felt like there aren't enough hours in the day and, BTW, MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE!!!

There are just toooooooo many choices out there for book promotion.  Almost ALL of them cost money, and none of them come with a guarantee.

One of the things we're told over and over again is NEVER look at your Amazon numbers. 

Well, guess what?  I've been peeking.  And ... they've been good. REALLY good.  (For Murder is Binding.)  I don't think I ever crept close to less than a million with Murder On The Mind -- but I've been as close as #77 in the mystery category with MIB.  (That means I was in the 6,000 range.)

SIX THOUSAND???  AND THE BOOK ISN'T EVEN AVAILABLE YET?????

How the hell did that ever happen? 

Well, I have a couple of theories. 

Theory 1:  I've met a great bunch of women on a couple of cozy mystery lists.  MIB was chosen as the April read on one of the lists, and possibly the May read for one of the others.  To read it in April, those ladies need copies of it.  Hence, pre-orders.

Theory 2:  I'm a part of Writers Plot.  We've worked very hard to make that blog known.  Suddenly, we're starting to see some really wonderful numbers.  (Too bad those readers haven't been coming here to check things out.)  Other members of the group have seen blips on their Amazon numbers, too.  It just may be that blogging DOES help sell books.

Of course, Amazon numbers really don't mean a whole helluva lot.  Get three orders and you can move up thousands of positions on the list.  (Hence, the reason Uncle Albert actually got to up to #40 one week.  Several members of my Sisters In Crime chapter bought it and I went from the bottom to #40 in one day.  That was early in the program when they only had about 100 stories in the mystery category.)

Meanwhile, I'm trying to resurrect a "shopworn" manuscript.  It's too short, and has been rejected by several publishers.  I'm rewriting it (and giving myself a week to do it) before I approach my agent about it...again.  She has not been enthusiastic about the project when I've mentioned it in the past.  But as I approach the end of my three-book (Booktown) contract, I want to have something else in the pipeline.  This book is good.  (Hey, it finaled in the St. Martin's/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Contest.)  After not looking at it for two years, I fell in love with the characters all over again.  I really, REALLY want to see them find an audience.  I know what it needs, and I'm addressing its shortcomings (that is, length--or lack thereof).

So while I'm juggling ARCs and ordering postcards and holding a contest, and working behind the scenes on Writers Plot (I do most of the PR), I'm thinking about the new book and working on an old book.

Whew.  No wonder my head is about to explode!

Amazon Shorts

Author J.A. Konrath has an article on Writers Digest about Amazon Shorts.  In it he reports that he regularly receives royalty checks in the $10-$15 range.  Not a large amount of money, but his stories have been up there for almost three years and he figures people sampling his work for 49 cents a pop has sold many copies of his books over the years.

My short story, We're So Sorry, Uncle Albert, has been a fixture on Amazon Shorts for almost two years.  It hasn't enjoyed the kind of success that Joe's stories have seen.

Has being on Amazon Shorts found me new readers?  Doubtful.  Although, I got three reviews.  I have no idea who two of the reviewers are (one gave a four-star review and the other gave a five-star review.  Not too shabby). 

The fact is, you have to earn $25 before Amazon pays you anything.  Of the 49 cents each story costs, the author earns 20 cents; not a bad rate.  So far, in two years, I haven't earned a penny.  In fact, unlike Joe, whose stories have remained in the top ten.  The best my story got was to about #40.  It's such an also-ran that it hasn't had a ranking in quite some time.

So, in order to earn my first $25, I have to sell 125 copies of the story.  In two years, that hasn't happened.  Then again, when I think of the original print run for Murder On The Mind, and how most of the copies that didn't end up in libraries were sold locally, by hand, by ME...and how many of those people buy books from Amazon...I figure I've probably earned about $3 on that story, a far cry from the $25 it takes for Amazon to cut that first check.

Joe's a big proponent of giving away stuff on his website.  He gives away e copies of several of his "unpublished" (early) work, as well as short stories, and even gave away a number of e copies of his Jack Daniels books (as an experiment--and with his publisher's blessing).  Joe's got promotion down pat.  He's earned out his advances.  He's a lot more successful than the likes of me.

Joe's also younger than me, with a lot more stamina, and a natural-born performer.  He's got a BIG personality and if you've ever met him in person, you're not likely to forget him.

Still, I've tried to follow in Joe's footsteps.  I do have a free short story up on my website.  I've also posted the original "last chapter" (which ties up the loose ends) for Murder On The Mind.  (You have to scroll down to see it.)  I've got articles I've written on the site, too (including an interview I did with Joe).

It sounds like I've done everything right, but the truth is I'm a tiny fish in a very big ocean of published authors. 

The promotional ball is just starting to roll for Murder Is Binding and Dead In Red.  I've got my fingers crossed that both books will do a LOT better than Murder On The Mind.  And I'm hoping that if readers like my new work, they might seek out my other work...including Uncle Albert.

Question:  has anybody here even read Uncle Albert?   

Dazed and Confused?

When I was in high school, I listened to Led Zepplin.  Yea those many years ago.  While "Dazed and Confused" was not my favorite of their tunes, I loved the title.  It stuck in my head.  I used it in a fan story many years ago.  So when it came time to title this blog, that's what I chose.

But now I'm unhappy with it.  It's not really me. 

Okay, I lied.  I'm often dazed and confused--just ask my husband.  He'll be talking to me and I'll just zone out, tapping into my latest story, my latest worry, and should I wash the whites or the darks first?

Lately I've discovered too many Typepad sites using the same template as me.  I like it, but I don't like showing up at the wedding in the same dress as the groom's mother.  (Yes, that happened to me once.)  I'd like it to look at least a little bit unique.

But what should I call this blog?  And more important, what can I use for a banner that goes WITH the new name?

Here are two names my friend Sheila suggested.

Bartlett's Quotations
Grin & Bartlett

I like them both, but I'm not sure what to do (graphically) with them.  And as I write under more than one name, it might be better not to use my name in the blog title.

How about I run a contest?  Suggest a new name for this blog; the winner gets an Advance Review Copy of DEAD IN RED, the second in my Jeff Resnick mystery series.  Deadline:  Feb. 27th.

Send an e-mail with the subject line BLOG CONTEST to:  LLB @ LLBartlett.com

P.S.  Entering the contest means I'll be adding you to my periodic mailing list.  Fear not, I will never sell your name/email address--and I won't badger you more than 4-5 times a year with my charming newletter.  Honest!

Smooch!

I'm a member of the KISS Army.  Oh, not that one, the "Keep It Simple, Stupid" Army, and I talk about it on Writers Plot.  Check it out. 

When Your Writing Career Goes Wrong

Thriller Author Elizabeth Becka (TRACE EVIDENCE, UNKNOWN MEANS) guest blogs today on Writers Plot, discussing what happened when the second book in her mystery series was rejected by her publisher--and the snowball effect it's had on her writing career.

Don't miss this intriguing--and rather frightening--post.

Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day.  The day to declare your love to your special someone.

We're not doing that this year. At least, not on "THE" day.  We usually have a nice tea--with (Mom-made) scones, cucumber and egg salad sandwiches, cookies and maybe a little chocolate.

We're going to do it Saturday.  Honestly, does it really matter?  And as my pal Kate Flora said in her Writers Plot post yesterday, "Truth revealed: chocolate tastes just as good if purchased at half-price and eaten a day later."

That said, there's something special about getting that box of Russell Stover for THE day. 

Yesterday, I stopped over at my folks house to bring in the mail and the garbage tote (so they wouldn't have to), and there was clear evidence that Dad had taken the car out.  In the cold.  Which is bad for his lungs.  Naturally, I was immediately annoyed.  I meant to yell at him about it as soon as I got in ... but then the dog started barking demanding I give her some M&Ms (she has me trained) and I handed over the mail and was consulted (with no clue how to solve) a flipping DVD.  Next thing you know, I'm on my way back home (after spending more than six hours on my feet hauling around display pieces and squeezing an entire booth full of merchandise into HALF a booth).

As I started for the door, my Dad said, "Wait a minute.  I have something for you."  Then I remembered he'd gone out in the car.  On a cold day.  Which is bad for him. 

I was about to berate him when he handed me a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day.

Flabbergasted, I thanked him.  Told him he shouldn't have done it (and it occurred to me minutes later that he'd probably gone out to get my Mom a box and decided to spring for a second for me), and off I went.  Only as I pulled out of the driveway, my eyes filled with tears. 

I went home with my box of chocolates and decided to tease Frank.  "A man gave me a box of chocolates and it wasn't you."

"Yeah.  It was your Dad."

"How do you know?"

"Because you were just down the street."  (Where they live.)

So much for making him jealous.

A week ago I ordered a double DVD of The Secret Garden (my favorite Children's book), and The Little Princess.  I tossed in The Little Princess as as background noise as I updated my inventory list.  In it, Sarah's father tells her that she's a Princess.  That all little girls are Princesses.

As I was watching that, I remembered my box of chocolates and the tears came again.

I don't remember my Dad ever telling me I was a Princess, but I do remember him calling me his Rainbow.

I've looked at my box of chocolates at least 20 times in less than 24 hours, and every time I do I feel just like a Princess.

ARC! And not of the Covenant!

My ARCs (Advance Review Copies) from my publisher have arrived--far sooner than I expected and far, FAR more as well.  (Tell me again why I just ordered 25 of the suckers?)  And I was astounded to see that the cover is even better on a book than it is on any computer screen.  WOW!

Since my publisher doesn't send them to many places, this means it's up to me to find BIG TIME reviewers, as well as a bunch of online review sites.

Our local rag doesn't review local authors.  (Scratch them off the list.)  Do I send copies to big name newspapers like the Denver Post (who reviewed local author Charles Benoit's first (small press) book), the Miami Herald, The Cleveland Plain Dealer; the Chicago Tribune, etc.

I figure I'll give away at least 10 for online reviews, and will first offer them to places that reviewed me the first time.  (To those wonderful reviewers, I am truly grateful.) 

I'm actually afraid to read the thing.  In retrospect, I wish I'd had more time with it--more input.  But it's (almost) out there now.  Gulp.  And if nothing else, it shore is purdy.

And Tuesday rolls around again...

I've been scarce while I work on promotion for Murder Is Binding.  But I did have time to write a post for Writers Plot.  It's on Star Trek.  Find it here.

Remembering the victims of murder

The city where I...well, don't live...but live in a suburb of...is the murder capital of New York State.  Yup, that means that we have more murders per 1000 people than even New York City.

At the local George Eastman house, they're running a program called Not Forgotten: Portraits of Life and Death in Rochester, which commemorates, in pictures and testimonials, Rochester's victims of murder in 2007.

My friend Jared Case talks about it on his most recent blog.  It's worth checking out, here.

Bribery or Largess?

Yesterday I got an e-mail from my publisher telling me that I could BUY ARCs (advance review copies) of my book.  Not through them, but through the company they bought ARCs from. 

Turns out, the sales rep lives in the next county.  (Small world, huh?)  She sent me the information I needed and now I'm waiting for the shipping estimate before I make a final decision.  (Oh, the heck with it.  You know I've already made up my mind to do it.)

I don't know if this company did the ARCs for Murder On The Mind.  That batch was very nice.

I made my own ARCs for Murder On The Mind.  Oy, talk about a time sink.  I wouldn't have considered doing it if I hadn't gotten my "printing" for free.  The color covers broke down to $2 each, and the glue, binding (which was only marginally successful), and miscellaneous costs brought the cost to about $3 each.  Needless to say, the "professionally" produced ARCs will be at least double the price (before shipping), but will look far more polished than my own. 

And what does one do with ARCs?

I held several contests, giving away about 10 copies.  The catch was, if the reader enjoyed the story they had to post a review somewhere.  This worked well with members of my Sisters In Crime chapter.  (Go, Ladies!)  When I offered them on DorothyL, the results were quite different.  First of all, I don't believe anyone even ACKNOWLEDGED receiving them, and even when I contacted them, most hadn't read the book and some had no intension of reading it.

THEN WHY ENTER THE CONTEST?!

Lesson learned:  People like free stuff, but they usually don't value it.

Additional lesson learned:  Don't give away free stuff.

Then why would I need to buy ARCs? 

Last time I did well with online reviews.  Since I received no "national" reviews (oy don't get me started on that again.  Bitter?  Me?  Ha!), I depended on these online reviews, which were generally Excellent.  (Yes, with a capital E!)  That said, I'm not sure potential readers actually access these sites to look for new reads.  (Do you?)

I'm also not sure if my goals are the same.  Online reviews are pretty much ignored by libraries; my publisher only targets libraries.  The (pseudo hardback, actually "board") books cost far too much (unless Amazon is feeling generous and discounts them at 30% off, which is hit and miss at best), so only loyal "fans" (and how many of those do I have?) will buy it.

It's discouraging.

Still, I've been saving up the money from my returned pop bottles (a nickel each) and think I can swing buying a score of ARCs to use as promotional tools.  But potential readers are going to have to pry those copies out of my hands and PROMISE to give me a review.

Research Redux

To carry on where I left off on Friday, I've written a blog about my research on running a small cafe.  Only I did it over at Writers Plot.  (I even swore--MORE THAN ONCE!  Gasp!)  Go on, you know you want to read it.  Here. 

Begin the Begging

No, not the old Artie Shaw tune, Begin the Beguine.  I'm talking about actually BEGGING librarians and booksellers to buy/carry my upcoming books.

It starts with the Internet and searching for appropriate libraries and independent booksellers.  As for libraries, I try to find those that carry my publisher's books and/or ride the coattails of much more successful (small press) authors than me.  I had a 15% success rate on my last library campaign.  I haven't had as much luck with indy booksellers.  I can't say I blame them; after all, one of my publishers markets its books to libraries and isn't much interested in selling to other concerns. 

Last time out, I tried an (indy bookstore) e-mail campaign.  Spend nothing--get nothing.  Actually, I did get one hit.  A bookstore owner (former home-town girl) requested an ARC. I sent her my very last one.  She promised to read the book and feature it on her website.  She did not.  I wrote to her several times.  She ignored my e-mails. 

No doubt about it, authors need to develop a thick skin to survive in this business. 

I'm going to double up my library campaign.  Double the amount I target, and double the amount of money I spend on the "campaign."  Mostly this takes time; research; setting up a data base; running off letters, envelopes, and stuffing them with the promotional activities.

First, though (pre-publication), I need to target reader groups, since they may want to schedule a time (later in the year) to read the book.  Another spreadsheet; another letter, more envelope stuffing.

Tell me again when I'll find the time to write?

Research...the hard way

The manuscript was mailed off on Tuesday and ever since I've been hip-deep in prepping for promo for Murder Is Binding and Dead In Red.  But tomorrow, I'm going to resurface for some in-depth, down-and-dirty research.

Most of my research is conducted with my butt in my chair and my fingers on my keyboard.  If I can't find it online, I know someone in my Sisters In Crime chapter, The Guppies, will have the answer.  (Hey, do those women know about goose poop, or what?)

My next WIP (work in progress...which, er, isn't quite yet in progress) will have a subplot about opening/running a small cafe.  It just so happens, I know a woman who owns/runs a small cafe.  It's called Grammy G's and it's housed in the Craft Antique Co-Op.  Gail (otherwise known as Grammy G) focuses on the lunch crowd, exactly as my character will do.  I spoke with her for about an hour yesterday and just learning the basics of what it takes to run a small restaurant was mind-boggling.  And once again it was driven home exactly how difficult local, state, and the federal governments make it for small businesses to operate, let alone make a profit.

But there's Gail, baking wonderful homemade cakes and cookies, and making her marvelous soups on a weekly basis--and why?  Because she loves it!  She laughs a lot.  She could talk to whales under the ocean and understand them, too.

For two days in 2006, Gail graciously let me stand outside her cafe and hawk copies of Murder On The Mind.  While I was there I pushed cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, homemake fudge, and soup, too.  She had good sales and I was extremely pleased with the number of books I sold. 

Tomorrow I'm going to work for her for a few hours.  I may only clear tables and wash dishes, but I'll get a first-hand look at the problems and joys of running a small cafe. 

I think it'll be a helluva lot of fun.