Comments on: The scary bits http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/ A mutual support group for SF/F Novelists Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:26:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Elias McClellan http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7407 Elias McClellan Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:53:09 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7407 Ms. Reeve, Thanks for passing on Donald Maass's book. E. Ms. Reeve,

Thanks for passing on Donald Maass’s book.

E.

]]> By: Stephanie Burgis http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7402 Stephanie Burgis Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:42:32 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7402 Randy, I totally feel your pain! The dream is definitely worth it...but the promo-fatigue is very real. Laura, that advice is so helpful. Thank you!!! And Adele, thanks so much for the kind words about the website and the good luck wishes. I really appreciate them! Randy, I totally feel your pain! The dream is definitely worth it…but the promo-fatigue is very real.

Laura, that advice is so helpful. Thank you!!!

And Adele, thanks so much for the kind words about the website and the good luck wishes. I really appreciate them!

]]> By: Adele http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7401 Adele Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:06:26 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7401 The website is gorgeous and lovely and friendly. Best of luck. The website is gorgeous and lovely and friendly. Best of luck.

]]> By: Laura Reeve http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7400 Laura Reeve Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:29:58 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7400 Stephanie, I'm a pathologically shy person who is going through the release of her second book. When people tell me to relax and enjoy it (are they kidding?), I know they're from planet Gregarious. And I'm not. What has helped me, however, is to stop beating myself up about my level of self-promotion. Getting the signings for my first book was agony, and enduring them was stressful. Were there enough signings? Were they effective? I suspected not, because in two hours, there might not even be a fiction reader (let alone a military SF reader) coming through the doors of a strange bookstore (even with announcements/promotion). For my second book, I vowed to not push myself into a nervous breakdown. Several signings fell into my lap anyway, without me having to cold-call on Booksellers. I also re-read Donald Maass' The Career Novelist, where he has a chapter titled "Self-Promotion or Self-Delusion" that puts it into perspective. Basically, new fiction authors with large print runs just can't reach out to enough readers, even with the Web, so the book _always_ has to generate its own recommendations. So... try to stay close to your comfort zone. Try to do things you _might_ enjoy anyway, or learn from, even if you didn't have a book to plug. Put the numbers into perspective. Finally, try not to believe all the self-promotion hype that tells you its soooooo crucial to self-promote. The crucial work occurred during the writing/editing of the book. (If this sounds like heresy, go read Donald Maass). And I wish you the best of luck! Stephanie, I’m a pathologically shy person who is going through the release of her second book. When people tell me to relax and enjoy it (are they kidding?), I know they’re from planet Gregarious. And I’m not.

What has helped me, however, is to stop beating myself up about my level of self-promotion. Getting the signings for my first book was agony, and enduring them was stressful. Were there enough signings? Were they effective? I suspected not, because in two hours, there might not even be a fiction reader (let alone a military SF reader) coming through the doors of a strange bookstore (even with announcements/promotion). For my second book, I vowed to not push myself into a nervous breakdown. Several signings fell into my lap anyway, without me having to cold-call on Booksellers. I also re-read Donald Maass’ The Career Novelist, where he has a chapter titled “Self-Promotion or Self-Delusion” that puts it into perspective. Basically, new fiction authors with large print runs just can’t reach out to enough readers, even with the Web, so the book _always_ has to generate its own recommendations.

So… try to stay close to your comfort zone. Try to do things you _might_ enjoy anyway, or learn from, even if you didn’t have a book to plug. Put the numbers into perspective. Finally, try not to believe all the self-promotion hype that tells you its soooooo crucial to self-promote. The crucial work occurred during the writing/editing of the book. (If this sounds like heresy, go read Donald Maass). And I wish you the best of luck!

]]> By: Twitter Trackbacks for The scary bits at SF Novelists [sfnovelists.com] on Topsy.com http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7398 Twitter Trackbacks for The scary bits at SF Novelists [sfnovelists.com] on Topsy.com Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:55:50 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7398 [...] The scary bits at SF Novelists www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits – view page – cached A mutual support group for SF/F Novelists — From the page [...] [...] The scary bits at SF Novelists http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits – view page – cached A mutual support group for SF/F Novelists — From the page [...]

]]> By: Randy Susan Meyers http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7396 Randy Susan Meyers Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:42:23 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7396 Thank you for your wonderful warm post. It came just at the right moment of promo-fatigue, reminding me how lucky I am to be feeling promo-anything with a dream come true. Thank you for your wonderful warm post. It came just at the right moment of promo-fatigue, reminding me how lucky I am to be feeling promo-anything with a dream come true.

]]> By: Stephanie Burgis http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7386 Stephanie Burgis Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:55:01 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7386 Elias and Kathleen, thank you so much. :) Elias and Kathleen, thank you so much. :)

]]> By: Kathleen Foucart http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7383 Kathleen Foucart Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:39:16 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7383 It's great how you can take those scary/stressful things and make them fun. I understand that inside-shrivel (for me it was college), so it's nice to see how others turn it around. Every time I see something related to Kat it makes me smile. I can't wait for your book & to see all the fun things you have lined up to help introduce her to the world. :) It’s great how you can take those scary/stressful things and make them fun. I understand that inside-shrivel (for me it was college), so it’s nice to see how others turn it around.

Every time I see something related to Kat it makes me smile. I can’t wait for your book & to see all the fun things you have lined up to help introduce her to the world. :)

]]> By: Elias McClellan http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7381 Elias McClellan Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:20:43 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/10/26/the-scary-bits/#comment-7381 Ms Burgis, first, thank you for your inspiring words from those of us in mid-book, mid-workshop, or mid-waiting a workshop to open. Secondly, please, please, please, pretty please, with sugar on top, follow up on this thread/theme as you can with points that worked or didn't, dead-end paths, or paths you wish you'd took... You know what? Scrap all that. ENJOY THIS. For youself. The rest of us will find our way. Everybody ever once met is gonna come out of the wood-work, looking for a touch/hookup/inside track. This is your moment, your work, and you deserve to savor it. Best wishes on your continued success. E. Ms Burgis, first, thank you for your inspiring words from those of us in mid-book, mid-workshop, or mid-waiting a workshop to open.

Secondly, please, please, please, pretty please, with sugar on top, follow up on this thread/theme as you can with points that worked or didn’t, dead-end paths, or paths you wish you’d took…

You know what? Scrap all that. ENJOY THIS. For youself. The rest of us will find our way. Everybody ever once met is gonna come out of the wood-work, looking for a touch/hookup/inside track. This is your moment, your work, and you deserve to savor it. Best wishes on your continued success.

E.

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