Wicked Wordsmith

The Most Important - and Most Compelling - Short-Short Story of Your Career as a Selling Author by Robert W. Walker

Catalog Copy:
General synopsis of book (no more than 290 words) See example below.
Title: DEAD ON
Author:  ROBERT W. WALKER

Quote: “Walker’s prose cuts like a garrote; he is a master at the top of his game.”  —JA Konrath, author of Whiskey Sour, Dirty Martini

Synopsis:
Private Eye Marcus Rydell is fighting to keep his hold on life in modern day Atlanta, Georgia.  He is a detective struggling with suicidal tendencies due to his having been disgraced and having lost all he holds dear four years earlier.  Marc’s suicidal gun to mouth is only stopped by his cop’s instinct and the promise brought to him by Dr. Kat Holley.  She makes him an offer at the point of a gun, one he can’t refuse, for it actually provides him with a reason to live in the form of vengeance.  Rydell sets aside his plans of suicide to chase a killer who, four years previously, hurt both Kat and him in immeasurable ways.  The hunt takes them to the darkest regions of the Atlanta night and the Georgia forests where the monster they are chasing turns on them amid the spectacular Blue Ridge Lake region.  They hunt a psycho Rambo type who is hunting them.  The killer bundles people into square blocks, breaking every major bone, packages them up, hangs them on a tree, builds a fire below them and they die a horrible, torturous death.  He has eluded police and feds for four years.  Marc and Kat, who fall in love along the way, along with a black German shepherd named Paco must end the maniac’s life before he ends theirs.

Cover thought:  Cast in blue, an idyllic lake with moonlight reflecting off its center.  At right a lovely modern log home where warm glow of light makes shadows of a man, a woman, and a black dog.  At left a stand of trees, a small fire glowing below a human “package” dangling from one tree branch.  Body has legs, arms, torso and head\face crammed and bound into a square the size of the torso.  Perhaps another figure, the killer, peering through binoculars at the couple and dog at the house.  These figures could all be silhouettes in style of flat black cut outs.  Maybe a twirling abandoned boat on the water.

Author Bio:  Robert W. Walker lives in Charleston, West Virginia with his RN and author wife Miranda and, two daughters, two sons, a dog, a lizard, and too many bills.  Rob loves traveling and sharing his hard-won lessons on writing via his online Write to Sell class.  Contact rob at www.robertwwalkerbooks.com

This example is straight from my latest sale, some 44 in all now counting my E-books.  For more examples of “copy” or “pitches” for books see all the copy written for these at www.FictionWise.com

If and when you become proficient at clearly and concisely describing your novel in 125 words or less, then this short-short about your novel can be used in the proposal, in the oral pitch, and anywhere else that it makes sense.  To get help on this take my 3-Hour, 60 dollar online course WRITE TO SELL during which time I will look at the opening 30 pages of your novel.  Part of the course is the work you will do – read certain of my articles forwarded and the opening 30 pages of DEAD ON.

Simply contact me at inkwalk at sbcglobal dot net, and let’s get to work on your MS post haste.  I’ve never had a complaint save the one guy who called me a butcher.  You got a story to tell, you got guts, so next step is to share it with Robert W. Walker, the book shaper.

Robert W. Walker is the author of more than 40 novels including the 2006 hit [City for Ransom] from HarperCollins. Find him on his blog or on his Web site.

Marketing Creative: E-letters

Let's step back from Web sites this time to talk about connecting with your readers via letter.

Before e-mail, authors had to spend significant cash to send out newsletters, postcards and other mailers to that core group of loyal readers who need to know about new releases, signings, panel discussions, library readings and more.

But the Internet now allows us to send personalized messages - for free. Here's what to know:

DO:

• Include book signings, MySpace, Facebook, Ning.com, Web site and other addresses in your letter. Just do simple links - don't make it complicated.
• Tell readers about library readings.
• Talk about panel discussion with other writers that you will participate in.
• Talk about your writing - what you're working on, how it's going (this is also good blog copy).
• Publicize your latest/upcoming work.
• Writer about any awards or cool stuff that happens to you.
• Be conversational.
• Tell readers when you switch publishers. Tell them why and if that will change where your books are categorized in the stores and libraries.
  
• Make the letters pop up instantly in the email, and don't send along a link. People are more likely to delete if it's a link.

DON'T:

• Include heavy graphics. These are bad for dial up users
• Be pompous. You aren't writing to someone to impress; you are writing to readers who want to connect to you on a personal level.
• Make it too long. A standard page is a good rule of thumb. Only change that when you have important news - like the launch of a new series. If you go a little over or under, don't sweat it. Just keep it concise and as brief as possible - and not two pages.
• Have someone proof your e-letter. I've seen many come to my Inbox with spelling errors, dead links and photographs that don't convert correctly in my e-mail program. Have someone else proof it to catch those mistakes that you won't see because you are too close to the project.
• Charge. This is a free service to generate interest in your work.
• Create a PDF newsletter. Attachments from unknown places are sometimes sent right to the junk mail folder. People like myself just empty it without checking it. You will lose people by doing this.
  

How to start:

Take down e-mails at events you attend and put them into an email account that you can use to send out the letters. Let people sign up on your Web site, MySpace, Author's Den or any other site you are on.

Austin Camacho is the King when it comes to e-letters. Sign up for his letters at www.ascamacho.com and start getting news on Austin's writing front, plus examples on formatting and content.

Play around. Try a few formats. See what works for you. Then DO IT.

Angela Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith

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Use Typepad to Promote Your Book

Are you an author using TypePad for all your blogging and Web site needs? Check out this little ditty from the Knowledge Base:

How can I get my book added to the TypePad Bookstore? We have many authors that use TypePad to present their books to the world. Our TypePad Bookstore offers both books from these bloggers and also books about blogging. We also have a Book of the Month Blog where we highlight a different book each month.

If you are an author using TypePad, have written a book about
blogging, or know of an author that uses TypePad that should be
considered for our Book of the Month, Featured Blog, and Bookstore
programs, please fill out this form to be considered.

Angela Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith

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Promotion Tools: Author Chats

http://www.readerscircle.org/promote.html

http://www.gather.com/

www.readinggroupguides.com/

Authors: Chats with reading groups is insanely popular right now. Here are some sites where you can touch base with readers. Reader's Circle will promote your book and put you in touch with groups for half hour discussions.

Gather.com is an online community similar to Crosswalk.com. You can start an account, talk about books, then, when you feel comfortable, touch base about your own work. The subtle, effective way is to put your Web site in your tag line/signature line. There is also a group for writers on this site.

If you have a book that's great for a discussion group, get with your publisher and get listed on a  site like ReadingGroupGuides.com. That site offers guides to a variety of books on scores of topics.

Happy promoting!

Angela Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith

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e-Letters Connect You to Readers

Today's consumer isn't interested in the pitch. They've heard it all by now. What they are interested in is relationships. Personal relationships. And that is the driving force behind PR and marketing efforts in the 21st century.

As an author, you have an incredible opportunity to intimately connect to your readers and their friends via the web - and all it will cost you is a little time. (And maybe a few conversations with IT-savvy friends - or your children or grandchildren!)

On your website, set up a listserv where people can sign on for e-letters - newsletters with personalized information sent via email. Start a podcast. Talk to your audience about... whatever is going on in your life. Do the same on your blog. Don't just write or talk about writing. Yes, they are interested in the process, but they want to know about you, too. Tell them about how your dog ran through the house while you were bathing him, or how your life has suddenly turned upside with the arrival of your first child.

Keep e-letters short. Talk about your latest promotional tour stops, your next book, the success of your current work. Toss in something about your efforts with local charities (especially if they deal with literacy) and topics that you want to share. Don't have more than five sections, one graph each. Make certain the links you include are live. You can be more lengthy in blog postings, but I wouldn't go much over 1,000 words if you can help it.

Same with podcasts. Keep them short and simple. Talk about something you are passionate about and really connect with the reader. Tough to sit alone and do it? Pretend you're chatting with a friend, or have a friend interview you.

Need some examples? Check out author Austin Camacho's site. His blog is from the POV of his main character, Hannibal Jones. A link to his podcasts is easy to find at the top left of the homepage. Dean Koontz' blog is actually a compilation of columns by his beloved dog, Trixie. His podcasts are available via iTunes. (His website totally rocks now with cool interactive elements.) Authors including Jane Ann Krentz write about anything and everything on a shared blog, Running with Quills.

Hey, and if you get the hang of it, try a live chat one night with fans.   

Think about connecting with readers and potential readers like making new friends. Stop and chat a moment, find something in common and head out for (virtual) coffee.

Angela Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith - www.angelawilson.blogspot.com

 

Promote Your Work... Through e-Video

Wicked Wordsmith contributor Daniel Lance Wright just launched his website. What's cool about this site? Wright uses a video montage to entice readers behind the cover of his new book, Six Years' Worth.

Check it out. See if this innovative e-Video can work for you.

http://www.daniellancewright.com/

Angela Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith - www.angelawilson.blogspot.com

Innovative Website Helps Authors Promote

Author D.L. Edwards knows that publicity is key to author success. After all, most publishers leave it up to authors to promote their own work.

So Edwards started a website for readers. That's right, readers. Authors can advertise their work and offer scores of swag for readers including books and T-shirts.

Think she's off target? Think again. Her site. www.AuthorIsland.com, gets 7,000 hits a day. That's correct. Seven thousand readers click on her site each day in the hopes of winning something or discovering a new and exciting author.

Typically I would hesitate to advertise for a site like this. But I had the pleasure of speaking with Edwards at the Love Is Murder conference in Chicago (my interview with her will be placed on www.PopSyndicate.com in short order) and I know that she's 100 percent real. She's motivated. She has a marketing background. And she wants to help fellow authors publicize themselves.

See if Author Island works for you. Visit her site. For more information, email gottawrite4me@yahoo.com.

Angela Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith - www.angelawilson.blogspot.com