Skip to main content

Advance Marketing and Sales Information

Captain’s Log, Stardate 05.24.2006

Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS by Cheryl Wolverton.
My Monday book giveaway is A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND by Kristin Billerbeck.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

What Zondervan needs from me:
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water...

So here I was, thinking I’d never need to do a stupid one page synopsis ever again now that I’m contracted, right? Guess what they need by September 15th for the next book in the series:

** My current bio (no problem, I love talking about myself)

** A one or two-sentence summary (You mean like a pitch??? One of those 30-second things that I never thought I’d need to do again?)

** A completed Marketing Information Form (Okay, I just got this, and it’s a TON of stuff. A lot of character things—what they look like, personal items, temperament/personality, what they’d typically wear, all the inconsequential details filled out on my character charts somewhere...Then also back-cover copy and short blurbs for marketing to use for catalogs and website copy.)

** A chapter excerpt (My best chapter—which should be my first chapter—that introduces the atmosphere of the novel, the characters, the setting.)

** A one-page book summary for marketing/ promotional purposes (Wait a minute—you mean like a one page synopsis??? I thought my one-page horrors were over once I dropped from the contest circuit, because proposals are typically a 2-3 page synopsis, and an optional chapter-by-chapter synopsis. I am sadly disillusioned. The dreaded S-word never goes away.)

Some of this stuff is redundant with the Marketing Information Form—for instance, the MIF also asks for a short summary and a chapter excerpt. I’m thinking that the MIF and some of this other stuff might go to separate places, but don’t quote me on that.

Now, before Robin smacks me upside the head, I’m not complaining. This is really cool stuff. I just had some preconceived notions about what nasty things might go away once I had a house to develop me as an author. Haha. Silly me.

TMI:

Writing: Still revising. Had a great talk with Sue Brower on the phone today about my Marketing Info Form for my cover! Let me say right now, THAT IS SO WEIRD.

I’m not one of those writers who fantasizes about what her cover will look like. I just don’t want something that gives away all the good parts of the book, and that doesn’t look dark and gloomy.

It’s just strange to think about what I want for my cover. It’s like it’s now starting to sink in that this thing will actually be printed and bound.

And in a second I’m going to start panicking about letting Zondervan down. I just want to do my best so they sell a lot of books and justify all their time and effort in me. It’s in God’s hands, I know that, but I just don’t want to disappoint them.

Comments

Chaos-Jamie said…
Funny. I've totally planeed my cover, fully knowing that it will probably never be. How much fun are you having!?!
Sabrina L. Fox said…
Thanks, Camy, for keeping us in the loop. It's fun to hear all the inside stuff.
Unknown said…
Camy, thanks for providing this information.

As a book reviewer those blurbs help us determine what to include when we write our synopsis for your review. If there are things you want to save for your readers(red herrings other suprises,) we will notice it when we receive the blurb from your publicist. And won't give your darlings away.

It also helps me decide which books I want to accept for review, and which books might be a good fit for a specific magazine edition I might be writing for. For instance, Claudia Burney's book would be a great fit for our Male issue at Anointed Mag, because Jazz is such an awesome male love interest. Or like when Angela Benson wrote an article in Precious Times Magazine(another place I write) about church abuse for our Church issues edition.

When you can transcribe your story into a quick sentence or three, you have a better chance of getting more copy opportunities. Well, at least from me.

Happy writing.
Mary DeMuth said…
Oh man! So NOT fair! I'm laughing because I am writing synopses (yes, plural) for three books I haven't written. It's excruciating. It makes me want to hurl! (er, in a nice way?)

The truth? The hard work never ends. Thankfully, and I think I'm speaking for both of us, we LOVE what we do enough to endure marketing forms.
Anonymous said…
Oh, man! You burst my bubble, too. At least all the character profiles I do might come in handy some day.
Anonymous said…
It really must be a scary thing to get your baby ready to perform. I feel like that at any interview. I get so terrified that I flunked two interviews completely. And it can be very embarrassing, especially when you hear this young thing who's about half your age mimicking: "I want to help these immigrant women" as you go out the door. Actually, I almost turned around and said to her, "What are *you* doing here with that kind of attitude? Are you going to make fun of the women you're supposed to be helping?" By that time I was so furious I could have done bodily harm to someone. I knew I hadn't got the job so I really had nothing to lose except my dignity, self-respect and my witness for the Lord. So I got out of there as fast as I could.

God really helped in the next and last interview I ever had. I had to do an accounting test before the interview and I guess I must have passed that with flying colors because I got no weird questions and did not have to prove myself anymore in the interview. And believe me, I'll never go for another.

I think justifying your book's life must be similar to that. "How do you think you can benefit our company?" Only here it would probably be: "Why do you think people will enjoy your book?"

I'm so happy for you that you've got the proverbial "foot in the door" now.

That's what I hated too: doing synopses of anything but it can be a useful took for any essay; a little more difficult for fiction as I've found when I've reviewed books. Yeah, I can do that since I don't have to make up the story myself.

Are you working on your next book already? And do you know when this first one is scheduled to come out? You actually might have mentioned it but my mind is spotty right now. Too much stress.

Hugs and prayers.
Sharon Hinck said…
Hey, Camy.
I know, I know. The elevator pitch is still important (you use it when you do interviews or chat with customers at signings), the synopsis is still needed, back cover copy is needed....EVER so much like writing a proposal.

(I'd WAY rather write an entire novel than a proposal and synopsis).

But the good news is that you KNOW this is all going to support your ultra-cool novel. :-)

Hugs, Sharon
Angie Poole said…
Camy,

As the four year old says,

"Sit in peace podition, and belax."pb
Catherine West said…
Ha. hahahahhaha....
Okay, mean laughter done - I really love you and I am so glad you are going through this in order to warn the rest of us what may lie ahead. :)
Of course, it's enough to 'almost' make me glad I'm not published. But not really.
God allowed you to get to this point, so He will give you the grace, patience and all the sushi you need to get you through filling out that form and writing those synopses.
You can do it!!
'Go, Camy, Go, Camy, Go Camy - woot woot!!'
Does that help???
Lynette Sowell said…
I'm laughing, and smiling. SURE, we authors just get to WRITE the books, huh? For me, the MOST fun has been writing the dedication page. :)

The synopsis is still painful, but it's my road map with occasions for (short) detours.

The back cover/inner cover copy is also a kick in the butt. Which is why they always say to learn to condense your book into a sentence, then into 50 words or less. And SAVE that info. You'll need it.
Lynette--
who is still giddy after getting her case of AUTHOR COPIES in the mail. :)

Popular Posts

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

How My Regency Heroines Hide Knives in Their Corsets

Historical research behind the stealthy fashion of my lady spies What would you do if you were a woman in 1811 and needed to carry a weapon, but had no pockets and couldn’t very well strap a dagger to your thigh? That was the challenge I faced while writing my Christian Regency Romantic Suspense series, Lady Wynwood’s Spies , where my heroines don’t just attend balls and sip tea—they also sneak around carriages, spy on dangerous men, and fight off attackers when necessary. In Volume 7: Spinster and Volume 8: Traitor , two of my heroines—Lena and Phoebe—retrieve hidden knives from secret slits in their gowns. The sheaths are sewn directly onto their corsets. Naturally, you won’t find that kind of accessory in the pages of Ackermann’s Repository of Arts or La Belle Assemblée , the fashion magazines of the day. But I wanted my heroines to be both era-accurate and armed. So I dug into fashion history to find a creative (and plausible) solution. The Idea Behind the Hidden Knife Shea...

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and...