I just added an Obnoxious Self-Promotion Page to Notes. It’s titled “The Divorce Diet” and you’ll find it at the top, in the black bar under the photo of the Cornish coast. Even here, in this nearby yet tastefully promotion-free space where we’re speaking, you can hear its crass bass thump leaking through the walls.
But that’s the kind of thing you do when you have a novel coming out. You set all shame to one side and promote the hell out of it—anywhere, everywhere, and in just about any way you can. Does it make a difference? I haven’t a clue, and everything I’m hearing says that no one else has a clue either, but the book’s close to my heart and (sorry to be the one to say this, but I will anyway) I think it’s good, so to hell with manners. The page is up. Feel free to explore. Feel free to pre-order a few thousand copies, to review it online, and to tell 500 of your closest friends about it. Or feel free to ignore the whole shebang. It’s up to you.
After a while, you get used to the bass thump and it doesn’t bother you quite as much. Or you invest in earplugs or poison the neighbor who has the loud sound system. I’m a New Yorker. I know these things.
And while I’m promoting things, you can check out a beautifully written (and, ahem, favorable) review on The Zombies Ate My Brains.
Irrelevant Photo: Boscawen Un, an ancient stone circle
Notes from the U.K. 
Obnoxious?? Hell no. Can’t wait to read it! Best of luck!!
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Not obnoxious? Maybe I have to try harder….
And thanks.
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Ha ha, you do have to, yes. :-)
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Something to aspire to.
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;)
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Oooh I love that stone circle photo!
You know – thanks to Maggie – I have Divorce Diet on my list from Amazon and will definitely write a post once I’ve read it (I’m not a book reviewer, but I support my blogging author buddies).
You gotta change that ‘obnoxious self-promoting’ negativity – i think this part ( the marketing) has to be akin to pure hell for authors (many if whom are introverts) but your page us VERY impressive, and you are obviously a skilled writer. Others won’t take a chance in you if you don’t believe in yourself. Although I know that kind of outward confidence is easier said than done.
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Thanks for the promise of a post. They do seem to make a difference, and I really appreciate it.
In a discussion site for Kensington authors, I’ve been following various people’s comments on self-promotion. Some seem to take to it and some clearly don’t. The one thing everyone agrees on is that no one really knows what works–at least for any given book; some people argue that over time it makes a difference, but for future books. It’s a bizarre business, and my feeling is that if I’m going to do it (and I am, I am), I will at least make fun of it. And myself.
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:-) that’s my life motto – what doesn’t kill you deserves a laugh :-)
Publishing was always very difficult – nigh impossible to break through in the old days, and now it seems like every woman for herself and throw it against every social media site to see what sticks.
I’ve never tried to publish anything – then or now – but it’s got to be the hardest part of your journey. You can always wail in posts because we writers are an empathetic bunch :-) or is it just that misery loves company ?!?
Am I correct the paper copy of book won’t be out till 12/30 at Amazon?
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Before I broke in, I thought getting published was the hardest part. Now I believe getting a book off the shelves and into people’s hands and conversations is the hardest part. It’s a bear-went-over-the-mountain thing: There’s always another mountain.
You’re right about when the book will be out: December 30. Strange date and have no idea whey they picked it.
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Hahaha! Ellen…I am taking notes from you, my dear…You take self deprecation to new heights of funny! :-) :-)
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That’s how you get away with obnoxious self-promotion. I hope.
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Hi, Ellen,
Just reading the book, and enjoying it very much!! So no hiding your light under a bushel (whatever a bushel is)!
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A bushel’s one of those weird measures we inherited from you that you had the good sense to abandon and we kept, probably to prove it made sense in the first place. Pride’ll do that to a person. Or a people. The only way we seem to use it is in gardening, where you’ll find bushel baskets, or (I think) as a measure of produce, but maybe someone who’s still living in the US would want to correct me on that.
Glad you’re enjoying the book.
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I think I’ll change it to ‘don’t hide your light under a bushel basket’. It has a nice ring.
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It does. All that nifty alliteration.
Wild Thing reminds me that in the U.S. apples are often sold by the bushel. Which is one hell of a lot of apples. I can’t remember any other fruit or veggie being sold by the bushel, but maybe that’s because I didn’t live close enough to where they were grown. Minnesota has really nice apple orchards.
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Cannot wait to read it! Except I’m going to – wait, I mean – first NaNo, then new reading. In the meantime, CONGRATULATIONS! Also, I think the link to the Zombie crit might be broken … I am going to check it again after I post this, but it didn’t work the first time I tried.
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It won’t be out till Dec. 30. I should probably have said that. Ah, hindsight. So much clearer than its cousin fore-. I tried to Zombie link and it seems to be working.
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