Tag Archives: self published

Marketing

Marketing

I said I was gonna use this page more often and hopefully get some regular readers so here I am once again. When I first started out writing stories I thought the hardest part of that was going to be all the grammar rules I didn’t know at the time and the actual writing of said stories. Now that I’m a few stories in I can tell you that I was horribly mistaken. The hardest part, by far, is the marketing.

It doesn’t help that I don’t enjoy talking about myself or trying to nudge people to buy my books. Its not that I have some insecurity that I have about talking about myself, it just seems very fake and forced. I think my stories are awesome. I’ve read them dozens of times and not just to do edits or revisions. I just never liked the idea of tooting my own horn to make money. It just seems akin to a used car salesman (no offense meant to any actual car salesmen).

All that needs to change though. I was talking to my friend Melinda a few days back and gave me a piece of advice that I had actually given to other people (mostly theater folk) numerous times over the years but didn’t realize I should be taking it myself. She told me that I need to think of marketing as a role. Don’t be me, be that person that smiles and shakes hands and asks if they want a copy signed for a small extra fee. To basically put on a mask and be someone else when it comes to marketing. Of course she was absolutely right I just needed to hear it out loud.

Then today I got followed on Twitter by the president of the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) a group that I have been a part of for a few years now. The problem is that even though I’ve paid my dues every year I wouldn’t say I’ve been an active member. They provide a lot of services and have tables at a lot of conventions that I could save money on going to if I coordinated through them. Its also a place filled with other writers that all market themselves as well so I’m sure they could be very helpful on ways to go about getting myself out there. So as soon as I finish this piece I’m going to mosey on over to their forum site and write an introduction post putting myself out there to try and interact a bit more.

I said last year that I was going to try and attend more conventions this year but that kind of fell to the wayside, so I think I’ll see if we can put that on the marketing agenda again for next year. I will hopefully be at the Arisia sci fi convention again in January and am looking into getting a table in authors alley. Normally, I just do my panels and that’s that so we’ll see if spending time in authors alley helps any.

That is the extent of my marketing schemes so far. I’m optimistic but it’s not something that’s going to garner overnight results. If anyone else has any suggestions please feel free to leave a comment.

Back to marketing,

Don

Almost as good as winning!

Almost as good as winning!

I entered a contest a while back. I didn’t win but I got the judges review of book 1 of Strand today and I have to say I’m ok with losing if this is what they thought of the Antilles…

 

22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

 Entry Title Strand Book 1 “The Antilles”

Author: Don Chase

Judge Number: 22

Entry Category: Genre Fiction

 Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”. This scale is strictly to provide a point of reference, it is not a cumulative score and does not reflect ranking.

 

*If you wish to reference this review on your website, we ask that you cite it as such: “Judge, 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.” You may cite portions of your review, if you wish, but please make sure that the passage you select is appropriate, and reflective of the review as a whole.

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 3

 Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 3

 Production Quality and Cover Design: 4

 Plot and Story Appeal: 3

 Character Appeal and Development: 4

 Voice and Writing Style: 3

Judge’s Commentary*:

 

STRAND BOOK 1 “The Antilles,” by Don Chase, is a fast paced space thriller filled with adventures, interesting characters, space technology, and an unexpected ending. Both the plotting and characterization are excellent. There are a few things missing that interfere with the enjoyment of the book, but for the most part it is a great read. The book needs some tweaks in formatting. It is traditional to put in an extra space when changing scenes, locations, etc., so I had to give special attention to the story as the scene often switched without my being immediately aware. However, that is a small glitch in a book this entertaining. It is a true space thriller, and the crew of the Antilles constantly experiences problems. Some are true action, some are political with kings and queens being murdered, some are personal problems with so many people living in a small space, etc. Somehow the crew is able to pull things together and escape from the many close calls that confront them. These men and women are true heroes, working for their country, their galaxy, etc. The author has done an excellent job pulling all of these factors together to give us a successful book.

Hopefully my next book can get such great reviews too!