About Books

Well, I’m happy to report that Karma Girl has received another thumbs-up from a second respected author. 🙂 I can’t tell you who it is just yet, but I’ll be posting the blurbs from both authors on the Web site soon.

And, of course, shouting my good news to everyone that I meet. Stay tuned …

So, I’m going to a women’s expo event in late October, and I’ve been asked to make some goodies to give away.

And I have to idea what to do.

I don’t have cover art for Karma Girl yet, so bookmarks are out of the question. So is anything else I could put the cover on, like mugs, nail files, mints, etc.

I’m pretty much reduced to slapping my business card on something … I just don’t know what that something should be yet. I’m leaning towards chocolate, though. You can never go wrong with chocolate. Unless you put coconut on it. ;-)  Maybe I could find someone to make me some chocolate-shaped business cards. Not very practical, as they would get eaten, but they’d definitely be fun. Hmmm …

What about you? What sort of goodies do you like to give and get at conferences? What do you keep? What do you throw away? Inquiring minds want to know …

Agent Kristin Nelson has been blogging about cover blurbs this week. She’s got some really interesting insights. Check her out at Pub Rants.

I’m on the prowl for cover blurbs myself right now. Well, my editor and agent are on the prowl. They’ve sent Karma Girl out to some folks, and we’re waiting to hear back. For those of you who don’t know, there’s a lot of waiting in the publishing world. Empires can rise and fall in the time that it takes for someone to write a book and see it in print. Seriously. 

We’ve gotten one really great response so far from a paranormal romance author. More details to come. Rest assured that this author is definitely going to get a box of Godiva or something nice from me in the mail. 😉 So will anyone else who is gracious enough to give me a blurb. Are you listening, best-selling authors? Free chocolate! And all you have to do is read my book. 🙂

Supposedly, a good cover blurb can entice a reader to buy a book, especially if it’s by a newbie debut author like me. Personally, I’ve never paid that much attention to cover blurbs. I usually just give them a cursory glance. If it’s somebody I’ve read and liked, then I might be a smidge more inclined to buy a book. But just a smidge. The cover itself and the description of the book carry more weight with me than anything else.

But now that I need one, I find myself staring at every cover blurb I see, sounding out each phrase, parsing the words to find hidden meanings, examing each syllable for secret subtexts. I even check out the punctuation marks. Exlcamation points, good. Periods, not so good.

In short, I’ve become obsessed with simple phrases and sentences.

What about you? Do you pay any attention to cover blurbs? Whose blurb would make you pick up a new author’s book? Inquiring minds want to know …

All writers dream of getting “The Call.” That first phone call when your agent or editor phones you and tells you that yes, someone wants to publish your book. It’s a wonderful feeling, the highest of highs.

But reality eventually sets in.

And you realize that now you have to sell the *@$! thing. That you getting another book published will depend, in part, on how well Book 1 does.

And the desperation sets in.

You get out there and talk to everyone you come across about your book. Order your friends and family to buy it (sorry, Mom, no freebie for you). Bully your co-workers into picking up a dozen copies for Christmas presents. Accost total strangers in the grocery store and demand that they stop at B&N on their way home.

And this is you being restrained.

But you can’t help it — you’ve got desperation fever. 

I’m feeling a touch warm myself, right now. And my book won’t come out until May. I can’t imagine the pressure on other authors to deliver big sales numbers all the time. I also can’t imagine badgering someone to buy my book when they’re trying to pick out the perfect watermelon. I hope I don’t sink to that. But the fever’s got a hold of me …

What about you? Do you get desperation fever when your latest book comes out? Inquiring minds want to know …

I finally sold this year, after many, many, many years of writing and querying and getting rejected. When that magical moment came, I was thrilled. I’d finally achieved my dream. I’d made it. My work was good enough, I was smart enough, and doggone it, people liked me. And I wouldn’t get rejected anymore. 

Boy, was I wrong. 

I went on a day trip this week to do some shopping and take in the sights over in Asheville, N.C. (A lovely, bohemian town, for anyone who’s thinking about visitng.) While I was there, I went into a few bookstores to give them my business card, ask about signings, chat up the locals, you know the drill.

One guy was very friendly. Asked me how long I’d been writing, etc., etc., etc.

But the other woman I talked with not friendly at all. She looked at my card for maybe half a second before saying that she’d need to see a copy of my book to determine if it was right for the store. That was it. End of discussion. We talked for less than a minute.

She runs a bookstore. I write books. Seems like a natural fit to me. But apparently not.

But her cool reception reminded me of all those rejections I use to get. The ones that are form letters or where your name and book are so badly misspelled that you wonder if the agent even bothered to read it.

Her rejection depressed me. At least, until I went to this fabulous little chocolate shop. It’s amazing what truffles can do to restore you. 😉

A couple of pounds of chocolate later, I’ve decided not to let it bother me. It’s just another part of the author game. I’ve gotten hundreds of rejections. What are a couple hundred more?

What about you? Have you ever been rejected by a bookseller? How do you cope with it? Inquiring minds want to know …