By Nicole Murphy.I've just spent the past week immersed in all the various bits and pieces that go along with being a writer, in preparation for the launch of Rogue Gadda in four weeks.
I've started up a newsletter (you can sign up for it here: http://nicolermurphy.com/post/My-newsletter.aspx) I've chased some people to review my books, particularly in the US (my publisher will handle Aus reviews). I've organised a blog tour for myself, and guest bloggers for my website in July. I've organised a 'secret' part of the publicity for Rogue Gadda. Secret for now - am yet unsure whether I'll promote it when the time is right or see if people will just find it...
I've been brushing up on my extremely poor graphic design skills to make a whole lot of bits and bobs to give away at Supernova in a little over two weeks. By the way, are YOU coming to Supernova? You'll get to meet THREE Darksiders - myself, Tracey O'Hara and Erica Hayes.
It's all this sort of stuff that people may not tell you about when you're chasing the dream of being an author. Particularly if your aim is signing with a major publisher, like I did. You think you'll get a lot of help from them and it is a truth that you do get an extra leg up. For example, I had reviews of Power Unbound in some of Australia's biggest newspapers - that's hard t0 manage on your own.
But there's only so much the publicity department can do. Particularly at times like this.
What time is that? Well, two weeks after my book comes out my publisher, HarperVoyager, is releasing one of the most anticipated books of the last decade - George RR Martin's A Dance with Dragons. And you can bet that publicity at HarperCollins is up to their eyeballs with people wanting to get their hands on that and they'll do what they can for me, but they're only human.
Hence my newsletter. And my blog tour. And guest posts. And 'secret' mission. And anything else I can do to excite people about the fact that the last book in the Dream of Asarlai trilogy is out.
And folks, you should be excited! There's danger, magic, betrayal, trauma, love and passion, all while the future of the secret magical race the gadda balances on a knife edge.
You can be one of the FIRST people in Australia to own a copy of Rogue Gadda. I'm going to give you one of mine, and I don't get many. So to earn this, I need you to help me.
I've got to write a dozen blog posts for other bloggers. What do you think I should write about?
Winner announced next Wednesday.
I'd definitely like to know more about the inspiration process behind the trilogy.
ReplyDeleteHow about your experiences at cons like Supernova? I've seen a lot of people say "Oh I had a great time at " but I'd love more details. Did you get into an argument with anyone about a book? What's it like being on a panel? etc.
ReplyDeleteFirst, congrats on the release of Rogue Gadda!!!
ReplyDeleteBlog post topics...I'm always interested in posts that link to interesting sites. So, Regency authors that show us recipes from the era, stuff like that. Also, posts like this one, that let commenters contribute something, like favourite foods (hmm, food theme. Must be hungry).
Happy promo!
Fantastic post, Nicole. Promotion, while necessary, can be still a time-suck. Though you seem to have it all under control.
ReplyDeleteYour secret mission sounds intriguing, I'd love to find out more about that, or some clues.
Also, maybe a post of some of the worldbuilding - who the Gadda are, what is their story.
I love the other ideas from the other ladies, too.
Nicole - your books look awesome! And oh how I hear you on the blog posts. I've got a zillion all waiting for me to attack and it's making my head hurt. Some of my fall-back on fav topics are:
ReplyDelete-books/movies that inspired the book.
-trying to promote a book while living in Australia/NZ.
-call story (because people NEVER seem to get sick of them)
-something about the genre you write in
-why David Boreanaz is so freaking hot(hahaha, I tend to use this one a LOT!)
Anyway, good luck and happy release day!
Good luck with the release Nicole.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could write about the importance of being an Australian author in such a global world. Or maybe what a great tool blogging is to authors and how it keeps your readers enthused for more stories.
I always love hearing about the process of writing and I'm really interested in how you went about getting your books into ebooks - was it something your publisher organised or did you have to do your own? (PS - you're welcome to post on my blog anytime). BUT - I don't want to win because I'm a happy consumer and will be picking up this book at your launch :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I am going to Supanova! This is my first time. My 9 & 13yr old daughters begged us to go (they are busily organising their costumes). My 9yr old wanted us to spend $400 so she could meet James Masters (that can't be a healthy crush???).
Wagging Tales - Blog for Writers
Unfortunately I am going to miss out on Supernova, but hopefully I'll manage one of the conferences or festivals this year.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite posts are 'the story behind the book' type posts and 'my writing space' type posts (or 'my writing space while writing THIS book' as may be the case). :)
Thanks for all the great ideas folks - they're helping a lot!
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear an Australian authors perspective on the global publishing industry and the challenges facing Aussie authors due to the popularity of online bookstores... is it harder getting published in Australia if consumers are more likely to source their books overseas? Something I have been wondering about.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot to mention tips/lists posts. 'Ten Ways to Kill your Characters' is the most fun post I've ever written and still gets the most traffic on my site. I love reading those kinds of posts, too. It's always nice to see an author let loose and have some fun.
ReplyDelete