In case you’re interested in what happens between selling a book and the publication of the book, I’m happy to enlighten you. Being a seasoned veteran of the industry for the past 18 minutes, I feel eminently qualified to do so. This and future blogs will answer many of the questions you may have on various topics.
One of the to-dos a rising author (rising, in this sense, refers to successfully getting out of bed each morning) must tackle is to ask fellow authors to read their manuscript and provide a blurb. This is daunting, especially since asking someone to read your book and provide a short review is not exactly like asking them to pick up a bag of Bugles or a Snickers Fun Bar (omigerrd, they’re good) while they’re at the store. It’s a big request! I was terrified that I would have to populate the “What People Are Saying About the Book” section of my website with quotes such as the following:
“I don’t have time.” Brendan Stewart, author of Time Management for the Busy Executive
“Who is Ken Miller? Never heard of him.” Sarah Hill, author of Mnemonic Tricks
“Thank you for your email. I am currently out of country and will respond upon my return.” Franklin Hanratty, author of Travel as a Social Avoidance Tactic
While these are, technically, responses from notable authors and, yes, they can, presumably, be posted under the guise of what authors are saying in regard to the book, they wouldn’t exactly help move the sales-o-meter (book industry patois) on my title.
But listen up! There’s a happy ending to this blog: many wonderful authors said ‘Yes!’ to my request (I added the exclamation mark, but I’m sure I could sense enthusiasm in their responses.) And they provided me with the most wonderful blurbs, which you can see at this link. Many, many thanks go out to Robert Alexander, D.M.S. Fick, Greg Fields, Cary J. Griffith, Colin Hamilton, Dylan Hicks, Lorna Landvik, Brian Malloy, Rachel Stone, and Sarah Stonich for taking the time to carefully read the manuscript and share with me their generous reactions. You, too, can provide a book blurb. First, run out to your favorite bookstore and order a copy of the book, Doorman Wanted (publication date is March 26, but bookstores and online sites are eagerly awaiting your preorders). While you’re there, save time and preorder three or four more copies for friends and family. They’ll thank you and, at the very least, they’ll appreciate that you regard them as someone who enjoys receiving books as a gift. (Here’s a fun tip: if, while at the point-of-purchase, your book purveyor has a display of Snickers Fun Bars [omigerrd!], do yourself a favor and add a fistful to your order. Keep these for yourself… you needn’t distribute them to friends and family). Now, where was I? Oh, RIGHT… the book blurb. Read the book and go to Amazon, Goodreads, or a nearby coffee shop bulletin board and post a glowing 3-4 sentence review. It’s that simple. Who knows? I may thank you personally in a future blog.
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