of course, this takes a lot of time.

but i think it’s wroth it. and i do love hanging
out in online communities like AW.

Grabbed this off a quick web-search on the term:

“The dissemination of promotional material to draw interest or generate sales”.

On the other hand we can see publicity as merely being in the public eye. You say “Online promotions - go easy on these.” and I say but! But!

For example, not ten minutes ago, I, from my just de-snowed redoubt among the rolling hills of Central Maine was having a delightful conversation with Jane Watson, the lady who owns this website:
http://www.janewatson.com.au … I assume she was at home in Melbourne.

we met face to face in Second Life, where I have several store fronts and Sharon and I are getting ready to give a talk later this week — perhaps our fifth or seventh in Second Life — to an international audience. Jane is working with the group putting on the Second Life Book Fair…

Store fronts? Virtual storefronts? Right. And in the SRM Publisher store fronts people can see our book covers, link to the SRM Publisher site, and also link directly to sites where they can hear a podcast of one of our books or visit the half-a-book samples at Baen webscriptions or Jim Baen’s Universe.

Meanwhile on rec.arts.sf.composition I sometimes talk with other writers; I think that’s where I first “met” Alma Alexander; we later met Alma for breakfast at a worldcon as a result… and just recently have been working on an interview with someone Alma sent our way.

Note — I try to avoid drive-bys. That is, I *participate* in the community and be a member rather than rushing in to say LOOK AT ME and then rushing away, trailing leaflets with “me, me, me!” all over them.

So when you have the time, investigating and participating in communities makes sense. We were first invited to be Guests of Honor by someone we met online; we were later invited to several other GoH gigs by people who saw us or read accounts of us being GoH or special guests elsewhere. Someone who read one of our books because of an online intro later invited us to a paid speech before the Western Pennsylvania library consortium’s annual program, where we sold quite a few librarians on the idea that our books should be in their libraries.

A longtime ago (well, ten years or twelve years ago) we talked to Barry Longyear about what we should *do* as Guests of Honor at a convention. He was very clear on this point: Sell the BOOK! So bookmarks, badges and pins (our “Plan B is Now in Effect” pins were all the rage at one Worldcon, the con where Plan B was announced and pre-orders started) can focus on onebook, and that’s not a bad idea.

These days though, you have an opportunity, online, to sell not only “the book” but to build that fanbase… but I think I’ve pointed this out before:
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php

I DO live in a fairly metropolitan area, though. I love doing readings. So, there’s that and SF conventions. I created a blog when the first book got published but am having a devil of a time getting the readership.

I keep hearing about mailing lists. But I loathe them. I can’t bring myself to do it. I suppose I’ll have to eventually succumb, but it will be kicking and screaming. What’s the alternative when your publisher is leaving the lion’s share of publicity to you? I’m trying to get on the niche market bandwagon, but that works better for non-fiction. I’m thinking maybe comic book stores and cons are the only non-bookstore place to sell books. Believe it or not, I have copies at a shoe repair shop. The owner likes to support local authors. I left copies of an anthology I’m in at the dentist office and the car dealership with information about my upcoming book and my contact card taped in. I have no idea how many, if any, sales that’s getting me, though.

Always glad to hear new ideas. The publisher suggested T-shirts. He didn’t, however, say they’d pay for them. My favorite local bookstore already sells them. She has a program where she makes them herself. And better still, she specializes in SF/F and Thriller/Mystery. Maybe…