Friday, September 08, 2006

Excerpt-y Goodness

I've added two small excerpts from The Black Dragon to the website. You can find them here. The first was posted some time ago on Elektra's Crapometer, the second--which you need to click "Read More" to get--hasn't been posted anywhere before (it's from Chapter Three). I may go in and change them next month--they're each only one scene long, so I have plenty from the first three chapters to whet your appetites.

I've also made a little addendum to the cover post, so please check it out.


I'm setting up promo stuff for the book. I really, really loathe the process. I mean, don't get me wrong. I quite enjoy doing the promo itself. I have two interviews set up (one at Fallen Angel Reviews for November, plus two chats there--23 September and 2 December, and the other interview, also in November, at the Historical Romance Club) and I'm very excited about doing them all. I'm booking ads at Smart Bitches, Historical Romance, FAR, and The Romance Studio and most of those sites should be doing reviews as well. So I'm way excited about the months of November and December. I'm excited about January when the Prince of Death ads and stuff come out, too (the FAR interview, chats, and ads will cover both books, and the Romance Studio stuff will deal with both as well. Historical Romance is obviously just for The Black Dragon. I'm also placing an ad (along with other Triskelion authors) for The Black Dragon in the Romantic Times magazine, which I'm really excited about--if they give it a good review (please dogs) that's a real feather in my little peaked cap.

But I hate booking all the stuff. I never know what to say. "Hi, here I am. Please like me!" It's harder too because I use a pseudonym (you guys didn't think my real name was this cool, did you?) So I send all of this through my decemberquinn email, but some of the sites want my real name, so I never know how to sign my emails when I respond. Plus I have to send all Paypal stuff through my husba'ds Paypal account (because they won't let you hook up more than one email addy to a bank account) so I'm forever having to send extra emails to explain why they think they don't have my payment.

I always feel sort of silly and vaguely ashamed, begging to be allowed to feature my work. Maybe I still don't believe this whole writing thing is actually working. Maybe I think people are going to think, "Oh, man, why does she keep pushing that terrible book on us?" I have no idea. I have confidence in my work but not in myself, I guess? I think as my work gets more and more notice and I make more sales (not that I'm burning up those bestseller lists by any stretch, mind, but I know I have at least one or two actual fans out there, which is a huge deal for me) I'm aware that there's more to lose. Kind of pitiful, if you think about it, but true just the same. Nobody wants to be a one-hit or -book wonder.

Or I'm just unfamiliar with the process, which is entirely possible. I have a tendency to get snappish and wierd when I don't know what I'm doing. Luckily this is all done by email so I can get snappish and wierd in private. :-)

What promo works for you? What doesn't work? Do you read reviews or pay attention to ads you see? What about an ad or interview makes you think, "I want to read that book?"

And the hubs and I have just had a five-minute conversation about how weak the English Blue's Clues host is compared to the mighty Steve. How sad is that? A real, genuine, engrossing conversation about it.

So I think I'm done for the moment.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Although I read reviews, they rarely influence me. As far as ads go, I guess I am a visual person so if the ad looks good and the book looks good I will at least give it a start. For some reason I love watching author interviews (reading them a little less -visual driven me). I can get a feel for the author's personality from an interview and if I like the author, I get the feeling I will like the book. So, I would say make sure you let your personality "hang out" in an interview -be true to yourself first. Usually, more people will like you if you are just being yourself than if you put on a false front. Good luck with the books. I think your fan base will grow if you just get enough people to notice your stuff. -JTC

Sorry it's long. I'm very bored now that EE has blocked out anonymous comments on his blog. I can't create an account because [conspiratorily whispering now] I am at work. I guess some anon pissed him off.

Stacia said...

Most men are more visual, JTC, so that's not a surprise. That is one of the reasons I'm excited about the interviews, though. To know me is to love me, yanno (TM). Ha, ha. No of course it isn't but I am hoping to seem likeable enough to get people interested in my work, before they find out what a heartless bitch I actually am. :-)

Don't apologize for the length. (As the actress said to the bishop.) It's nice to get a longer comment from you.

And yes, you need to set up a Blogger blog. I've been meaning to bug you about that for a while.

Lynne Simpson said...

I agree with JTC: Be true to yourself. I enjoy reading author interviews and blogs, and I've picked up more than a few books because the author seemed like an interesting person, based on what she or he had to say on the 'net.

I read reviews, but they're not the final word (by any means) on my book-buying decisions. I wish you the very best of luck on your reviews, and I hope you get through your promo phase with a minimum of irritation. :-) I know that's the part I'm going to hate, too!

Stacia said...

Thanks Lynne! I tend to buy based on author interviews as well, so I'm glad I've got a couple of people who do the same thing.

And thanks for the good luck on the revews! *Bites fingernails*.

Stacia said...

Ah, so what JTC. At least now you have a real blogger ID.

And you play bass. I seem to attract you bass players like nobody's business. Out of 7 total men I dated before I met my hubby, 5 of them were bass players. Explain that one.

Anonymous said...

You've got great rhythm? -JTC

Stacia said...

Lol!

That must be it.

Bernita said...

Don't fuss.
It's a GOOD book.

Robyn said...

I feel for you- how do you walk the line between confident promotion and pathetic begging?

The excerpts are great. You'll do just fine.

Stacia said...

Whee! People read the excerpts!

The website always feels like such a lonely place, even thought the statistics show it isn't. So it's muy exciting to know somebody actually took the time to go over there and read something!

Thanks!

s.w. vaughn said...

Oh my goodness... December, you've just written a post that I could have written. This is what I'm doing now too. ARGH. :-)

Black Dragon isn't good, it's AWESOME. Seriously.

Don't feel ashamed. Just look around and see that everyone up on the FAR site and forums and such is doing the same thing and no one is whispering behind their backs. These sites expect that you're coming to them in order to promote your book. They don't think you're being pushy.

And I'm with you on the Steve issue. We stopped watching Blue's Clues when he left. The real Steve is the only Steve. :-)

Anonymous said...

Lovely excerpts - and I do love your heroine's name. ;)

Stacia said...

Thanks, guys. It does always make me feel good to remember how much you like the book, SW.

No, Joe just wasn't the same at all, was he? And Steve was such a good singer, too, which the others really haven't been. I loved his weather duet with Nell Carter. ("The tundra is cold...and everywhere you look it's white and snowy...")

Isabella, I love his name too! It was one of those that's just instantly perfect.