As I was going through the pre-release promotions, one of the most important things I was trying to do was set up talks at bookstores and libraries. I had had such good luck in my early publishing days when I offered to do signings in Nebraska that I figured it would be like this almost every time; at least when I had a big story. Nebraska bookstores opened their doors wide to me, and I had lines going out the door of people wanting the book. It turns out this would not be representative of all of them.
First, my premier book was about something that deeply affected Nebraskans, and I had a personal, family connection to the story. (It was about Caril Fugate and the Starkweather murders.) Also, people who had known me years before came out to see me because they hadn't seen me in more than 10 years. It made everything a much bigger deal. But now they're used to me there; and people in other parts of the country don't know me at all. I thought that having a person who had a direct connection to the Capones would help, but for some reason it hasn't. In fact, San Francisco bookstores, which always have loads of guest authors, haven't even responded to me. Part of that is because of their prejudice against independent authors, (even though they pretend to be all about independent artists,) but they're also afraid that they're not going to get enough customers to justify the event. Even in Chicago they turned me down, and apparently for the same reasons.
Some of the Nebraska bookstores are having me back out of loyalty, and because the Harts will be coming with me. First on the list are A Novel Idea and the Bookworm, two places that have been very good to me over the years, and for whom I will be eternally grateful. I also had an event at the Burbank Central Library, apparently the last one they will be having as they recently were placed under the arm of the Los Angeles Public Library system, which doesn't care for independent authors.
I shouldn't be too disappointed, though. As I implied, after my initial success, the signings I've had since have been mostly empty rooms, or occasionally just a gathering of a few friends. Ultimately, promotions online and social media are more effective. However, I did stumble upon a better way to have events; and this one came from one of the Hart family members.
I've known for a while that it's all about going after the niches, but I hadn't really pursued this logic when it came to giving talks. And there's no better niche than specific departments within universities. When I was invited to speak at the University of Utah, Corey Hart and I gave a presentation to the Italian-American studies department. This meant that not only would the university tell people who were already interested in the topic, and not only was it a good place to have an event at which we could invite people from all over town, but there would be students who either had to go, or got extra credit for going. It was almost literally a captive audience. Once there, I was able to win them over with the story. There were about 50 people at the event, and almost every one of them ordered a book. Many of them have also linked up with me on social media.
So I've come to appreciate universities for non-fiction books. There are a few other concepts I might try, like organizations that study the specific subject. I'll be talking to Civil War roundtables about The American Game, and local "Sons of Italy" organizations about Two Gun Hart.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
The Various Jobs of an Independent Author
The book is now out and the pre-release promotions are all done. (Well, they can't be done anymore. There were a few things I didn't do that I wanted to, but I ran out of time.) I had intended on keeping this journal active as I went through the process so you could see it, but I learned that the only way I could really accurately do it would have been to have someone else with a camera taping me as I did it. The process took so much freakin' time that I had no time left over to talk about it. This is why major publishing houses have multiple people doing the various jobs. As an independent author, you have to be writer, publisher, and promoter, and each of these jobs has sub-categories.
The writer of course has to also be a researcher, and has to learn to edit his/her own work. He/she also has to go on tour and talk to people about the book and give signings.
A publisher has to learn all of the different formats, such as hardcover, paperback, e-book, etc., and he/she has to know how to upload them and make them look right. He/she also has to learn which platforms work best for printing and releasing the work. This leads to another job I forgot to mention...
Distributor. You must learn how to distribute the work, and part of that job combines with the publisher responsibilities, as you have to print from places that will be accepted by the selling platforms. For instance, bookstores will not take your book unless it's printed from a place that will do returns. Thus, you must make the book available through Ingram Spark, or you have to have a distribution warehouse that can handle all of that.
Finally, you must also be the promoter, because your book can be all over the place, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it. This involves going to radio and TV stations, newspapers, podcasts, magazines, etc., etc. It's one of the most time consuming, difficult, and discouraging jobs, as most of your efforts go unanswered.
At a major publishing house, these aren't just various positions, they're entire departments. So as an independent author, you have to not only put on different hats, you have to wear various feathers in that hat. Running this blog is supposed to be part of promotion, but sometimes you have to just accept what's likely to work and what isn't. I also want this blog to help future independent authors and publishers, but so far very few people have been reading it, so it's been a lower priority.
So that's a bit about what I do. I'll go on to more topics throughout this week, as many as I can get done.
The writer of course has to also be a researcher, and has to learn to edit his/her own work. He/she also has to go on tour and talk to people about the book and give signings.
A publisher has to learn all of the different formats, such as hardcover, paperback, e-book, etc., and he/she has to know how to upload them and make them look right. He/she also has to learn which platforms work best for printing and releasing the work. This leads to another job I forgot to mention...
Distributor. You must learn how to distribute the work, and part of that job combines with the publisher responsibilities, as you have to print from places that will be accepted by the selling platforms. For instance, bookstores will not take your book unless it's printed from a place that will do returns. Thus, you must make the book available through Ingram Spark, or you have to have a distribution warehouse that can handle all of that.
Finally, you must also be the promoter, because your book can be all over the place, but if no one knows about it, no one will buy it. This involves going to radio and TV stations, newspapers, podcasts, magazines, etc., etc. It's one of the most time consuming, difficult, and discouraging jobs, as most of your efforts go unanswered.
At a major publishing house, these aren't just various positions, they're entire departments. So as an independent author, you have to not only put on different hats, you have to wear various feathers in that hat. Running this blog is supposed to be part of promotion, but sometimes you have to just accept what's likely to work and what isn't. I also want this blog to help future independent authors and publishers, but so far very few people have been reading it, so it's been a lower priority.
So that's a bit about what I do. I'll go on to more topics throughout this week, as many as I can get done.
I Will Be Giving a Talk at the Burbank Central Library Today at 7:00
I will be speaking at the Burbank Central Library today regarding my newly released book Two Gun Hart, the true story of Al Capone's long-lost brother who was a Prohibition officer in Nebraska. He was also a cowboy, complete with two six-shooters by his side, cowboy hat, and horse. He was a war hero during World War I, a stuntman in a Wild West show, and a BIA agent who learned the language of every American Indian tribe with which he worked.
Discounted copies of the book will be available for sale, and I will be signing copies.
This long-lost brother's son Harry will appear via video, along with a short documentary I made about the subject. The event starts at 7:00. Below is the information for the event, so come on down!
http://www.burbanklibrary.com/event/2015/mar/author-visit-jeff-mcarthur
Discounted copies of the book will be available for sale, and I will be signing copies.
This long-lost brother's son Harry will appear via video, along with a short documentary I made about the subject. The event starts at 7:00. Below is the information for the event, so come on down!
http://www.burbanklibrary.com/event/2015/mar/author-visit-jeff-mcarthur
Two Gun Hart: Lawman, Cowboy, and Long-Lost Brother of Al Capone Releases Today
Today is a big day for me. Two Gun Hart: Lawman, Cowboy, and Long-Lost Brother of Al Capone at last releases to the public. I have been working on this story since 2008, a seven year journey. I was lucky enough to be trusted enough by the Hart Capone family to tell the story of this incredible and brave man. I have been honored by their willingness to let me in on the details of their family's history. As a result of their aid, this book tells more about the Capones than any book before it.
Two Gun Hart is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as all e-readers. It can also be ordered at any bookstore.
http://www.amazon.com/Two-Gun-Hart-Long-Lost-Brother/dp/1506124631/ref=sr_1_2_twi_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1426534387&sr=8-2&keywords=Two+Gun+Hart
Two Gun Hart is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as all e-readers. It can also be ordered at any bookstore.
http://www.amazon.com/Two-Gun-Hart-Long-Lost-Brother/dp/1506124631/ref=sr_1_2_twi_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1426534387&sr=8-2&keywords=Two+Gun+Hart
Monday, March 9, 2015
Polly Courtney on Book Launch
I just got in the last edits for the book, (yes, I'm still making adjustments up to this virtual last minute,) so I need to work on those. So I'm going to do on this blog what your teachers did when they didn't have anything prepared... show you a movie!
Actually, this woman's videos are some of the best about self-publishing. Her work was being traditionally published, but she decided to turn her back on them when they were doing what so many publishers do, putting short term perceived gains over long-term quality. (Yes, I said it. Major publishers often reduce the long-term quality, not increase it. They are often very short-sighted, much like movie studios are.)
So here's one of her videos. I'll probably put more up on this site later when I'm maintaining it better.
Actually, this woman's videos are some of the best about self-publishing. Her work was being traditionally published, but she decided to turn her back on them when they were doing what so many publishers do, putting short term perceived gains over long-term quality. (Yes, I said it. Major publishers often reduce the long-term quality, not increase it. They are often very short-sighted, much like movie studios are.)
So here's one of her videos. I'll probably put more up on this site later when I'm maintaining it better.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
In the Final Stretch to Release
I missed a week of describing my promotional efforts because I've been so busy getting everything done for the big, last push. I'm in the final stretch now, just over a week before the book releases. I've always known that March 1st to release day would be a huge time filled with a lot of work, and I'm now there. I had hoped to be able to record it in this blog, but when you're author, publisher, promoter, distributor, etc., you have to make priorities.
The big issue is the fact that this is a merging point between pre-release promotions release promotions, and post-release promotions. I cannot push back anything that needs to happen before release, and I need to promote things that are timely with the release. Plus, I need to do post-release promotions on a schedule. So everything gets jammed into this one period of time without any room for adjustment.
Additionally, all distribution has to happen now. Many places won't consider the book once it's already been released, and if other places have already started selling it. Therefore, most distribution has to happen at the same time. I've been setting this up for a long time, but some elements were not ready until recently, or they got pushed back due to other things that needed to get done, like reviews.
It's finally getting under control, and I'm wrapping up the majority of promotions for Two Gun Hart. I had to have most things done a couple weeks before release, so the week before will include mostly just contacting some news organizations, and telling the public about the release; so I'll be able to take some time to describe in greater detail what I did to promote and distribute this book since I won't be too busy doing it.
I'll be starting these blogs tomorrow, and will release them each day for the next couple weeks. I might forget some details, but hopefully it will be enough to help anyone who might read this in the future.
The big issue is the fact that this is a merging point between pre-release promotions release promotions, and post-release promotions. I cannot push back anything that needs to happen before release, and I need to promote things that are timely with the release. Plus, I need to do post-release promotions on a schedule. So everything gets jammed into this one period of time without any room for adjustment.
Additionally, all distribution has to happen now. Many places won't consider the book once it's already been released, and if other places have already started selling it. Therefore, most distribution has to happen at the same time. I've been setting this up for a long time, but some elements were not ready until recently, or they got pushed back due to other things that needed to get done, like reviews.
It's finally getting under control, and I'm wrapping up the majority of promotions for Two Gun Hart. I had to have most things done a couple weeks before release, so the week before will include mostly just contacting some news organizations, and telling the public about the release; so I'll be able to take some time to describe in greater detail what I did to promote and distribute this book since I won't be too busy doing it.
I'll be starting these blogs tomorrow, and will release them each day for the next couple weeks. I might forget some details, but hopefully it will be enough to help anyone who might read this in the future.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Three Weeks Until Release
I missed blogging last week because I've been so swamped trying to get work done. I even took time off my day job to try to do everything.
Part of what made me so busy was that I was promoting Relic Worlds as well, which is supposed to be more during the second half of the year, but there was an event last week where I wanted to present it. Los Angeles's biggest game convention, Orccon, took place February 13-16. I put on a miniatures game of Relic Worlds where I had a large table in the main room. We had a banner at the table, books, and bookmarks to show it off. Jamie (my girlfriend) and Rachel (a friend and soon-to-be neighbor) played the Dark Agents versus the pirates. Artifacts were scattered around the table, as well as mundane items, traps, and monsters. This was a way to show off the concept of the series to everyone who passed by, and gamers are a big part of our audience, so it seemed like a good fit. I also put on a role playing game where the players got to be the pirates from the series, and their actions would affect the spinoff storyline about the pirates that I'm doing.
The effect of both of these were underwhelming. The miniatures game would have worked better if I'd had the book trailer running, which I forgot to do. Also, we need bigger settings to attract people's attention. As for the role playing game, the area was run by a bunch of kids who screwed up where the game was to take place, so no one played. It was just as well, though; only one person signed up, so that didn't really work out.
All that preparation took time away from setting up Two Gun Hart, which is going into the final stretch. Now I'm putting everything into that. I made some fixes to the hardcover and ordered some to take to the local bookstores. They came in just last night. I found a small problem in the formatting of the chapters. It's not a big deal, so I will be taking these to the local bookstores, and I'm trying to make the fixes on Ingram Spark before anyone orders them. (This has to be done quickly, as I made sell sheets and mailed them out, and paid $60 to have the book added to the Ingram Spark catalog.)
I will also be emailing bookstores this week to let them know about the book's availability. However, I'm putting that off for a couple days while I get the book fixed on Ingram. Right now the upload seems to be stuck, so hopefully that will get fixed soon here. I still have several copies I need to send to bloggers, news outlets, and reviewers. The time is getting very short for this, however.
I'm also setting up talks at bookstores and libraries. Most places have been turning me down, saying that signings and appearances don't usually get many people. I think they're being short-sighted in two ways. First, just having a signing and appearance is an excuse for radio and newspaper promotions. Even if no one comes to the signing, there's an excuse for marketing and free promotions. Second, in this particular case you have a story related to something everyone's heard about, but with lots of new information. True crime buffs and anyone familiar with Capone is going to want to see and especially interact with his nephew, and learn about this long-lost brother. They should be seeing this as an exception, but most are not, at least in LA and, of all places, Chicago.
Corey Hart has set up a talk with the Sons of Italy in Salt Lake City. I also have an appearance at the Burbank Library, and several in Nebraska. It's amazing how Nebraskans seem to be a little smarter when it comes to these things, or at least less short-sighted.
Part of what made me so busy was that I was promoting Relic Worlds as well, which is supposed to be more during the second half of the year, but there was an event last week where I wanted to present it. Los Angeles's biggest game convention, Orccon, took place February 13-16. I put on a miniatures game of Relic Worlds where I had a large table in the main room. We had a banner at the table, books, and bookmarks to show it off. Jamie (my girlfriend) and Rachel (a friend and soon-to-be neighbor) played the Dark Agents versus the pirates. Artifacts were scattered around the table, as well as mundane items, traps, and monsters. This was a way to show off the concept of the series to everyone who passed by, and gamers are a big part of our audience, so it seemed like a good fit. I also put on a role playing game where the players got to be the pirates from the series, and their actions would affect the spinoff storyline about the pirates that I'm doing.
The effect of both of these were underwhelming. The miniatures game would have worked better if I'd had the book trailer running, which I forgot to do. Also, we need bigger settings to attract people's attention. As for the role playing game, the area was run by a bunch of kids who screwed up where the game was to take place, so no one played. It was just as well, though; only one person signed up, so that didn't really work out.
All that preparation took time away from setting up Two Gun Hart, which is going into the final stretch. Now I'm putting everything into that. I made some fixes to the hardcover and ordered some to take to the local bookstores. They came in just last night. I found a small problem in the formatting of the chapters. It's not a big deal, so I will be taking these to the local bookstores, and I'm trying to make the fixes on Ingram Spark before anyone orders them. (This has to be done quickly, as I made sell sheets and mailed them out, and paid $60 to have the book added to the Ingram Spark catalog.)
I will also be emailing bookstores this week to let them know about the book's availability. However, I'm putting that off for a couple days while I get the book fixed on Ingram. Right now the upload seems to be stuck, so hopefully that will get fixed soon here. I still have several copies I need to send to bloggers, news outlets, and reviewers. The time is getting very short for this, however.
I'm also setting up talks at bookstores and libraries. Most places have been turning me down, saying that signings and appearances don't usually get many people. I think they're being short-sighted in two ways. First, just having a signing and appearance is an excuse for radio and newspaper promotions. Even if no one comes to the signing, there's an excuse for marketing and free promotions. Second, in this particular case you have a story related to something everyone's heard about, but with lots of new information. True crime buffs and anyone familiar with Capone is going to want to see and especially interact with his nephew, and learn about this long-lost brother. They should be seeing this as an exception, but most are not, at least in LA and, of all places, Chicago.
Corey Hart has set up a talk with the Sons of Italy in Salt Lake City. I also have an appearance at the Burbank Library, and several in Nebraska. It's amazing how Nebraskans seem to be a little smarter when it comes to these things, or at least less short-sighted.
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