I read a very interesting article the other day have a look at http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/60-rejection-letters-didnt-stop-kathryn-stockett-and-her-bestseller-the-help
It came up on my twitter feed from Top Books and even though I get loads of tweets like this, this particular story caught my eye. I think it would for any budding novelist. Plus it gives us what we all need in this life and that is Hope. Anyway have a read it is interesting. I also read another good article about self publishing on writers digest. Basically it said- of course your friends and family ar4 going to like your book – and that’s because they see you in it- Good point. It’s the others that you want opinions from. So does this count for work colleagues as well? I mean if you don’t know them all that well. I think it doesn’t I think I need a review from someone completely unbiased. Someone who perhaps hasn’t even read this blog- because surely this blog would give them an insight to my psyche. Not an editor mind, just a random! So now how do I go about doing this- I set it as my task for the rest of the year. Yes I know that this is a minor task for 5 months but hey I have book number two to finish, a full time job and yes I have even joined the gym- so now there are even less hours in the day. Not to mention Tony Blair – 700 pages is no easy feat!
Anyway I think the best way to go about this is one of two options:
1) Ask anyone I know to who has bought the book to pass it on to a friend of theirs that does not know me at all- then ask them for a review- even if it is only a few lines. This could be annoying for friends who already have been so supportive for buying and reading the book in the first place!
2) Do a free book give away on Good reads. Marketing is expensive and this could be a good way to get my book out there a bit of publicity and maybe the people who get the book will read and review. Who knows!
However in both instances people will not have parted with their money so really is their view going to be accurate – do free things read better or worse.
Well I will ponder this until September I am sure. I am in one of those phases at the moment when thing are taking a long time to do. I think this is part of growing up (I say at 30) – The whole Tony Blair books, the awful awful riots in England – it is making me be more alert to current affairs, it is making me be a kinder more aware person. You know what I mean? When you are young you can go through life as if in a bubble not really worrying about wars and communities but then you grow up it does matter. It has been happening to me alot recently – The world around me is making me take things more seriously, making me want to make even more of a difference. Anyway this topic is for another blog at another time!
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