Category: Self-Publishing

Welcome to our Authors Forward series, where our innovative and talented Books Forward authors interview other great, forward-thinking voices in the industry.

August Authors Forward Interview with Lynn Slaughter and Lori Robbins

Lori Robbins is the award-winning author of the On Pointe and Master Class mystery series. A former dancer, Lori performed with a number of modern dance and classical ballet companies. After ten very lean years onstage she became an English teacher and now writes full time.

• Tell us about the On Pointe Mysteries and the character of ballerina/amateur sleuth Leah Siderova. Is her personality similar to your own?

Leah and I share a similar sense of humor. We both love cities, and we’re equally devoted to the art of dance. Other than that, we’re quite different. Leah’s upbringing, personal relationships, and aversion toward calories, carbohydrates, and commitment are uniquely hers. I fear I’m more like Leah’s mother, Barbara. Or, even worse, her aunt Rachel.

• Does Leah have special skills which help her solve crimes?

Leah comments, only half-jokingly, that after she takes her last bow she’ll end up on the unemployment line, with nothing more than a high school diploma and a borderline eating disorder on her resume. In spite of this disclaimer, her lifelong devotion to ballet has rendered her far more determined and resourceful than most. Because ballet prioritizes daily discipline over fleeting desires, Leah’s ability to control herself and her environment becomes her superpower. She pairs that self-restraint with an extraordinary ability to inhabit fictional roles. For example, she’s afraid of heights, so when she has to climb down a fire escape she imagines herself as the Firebird. When the threat is personal, she imagines herself as Myrtha, who condemns mortal men to death by forcing them to dance until they die.

• What might surprise readers about a mystery set in a professional ballet company?

Like many dancers, Leah obsessively calculates every calorie she ingests. What might surprise some readers is that dance companies often include what’s colloquially known as a “fat clause.” Staying thin is literally part of her job. The precarious nature of life as a ballerina is also something not many people understand. Every dancer, no matter how successful, is one injury—or one birthday—away from irrelevance. Willpower plus uncertainty make dancers creative and innovative problem solvers. Those very high stakes are a great backdrop for a murder mystery.

• Were any of your books inspired by real life events?

Yes! Theaters are full of drama, both onstage and off, and I’m often inspired by true stories. When the Metropolitan Opera did a new staging of one of Wagner’s operas, the elaborate set design was infamously loud, creaky, and unreliable. I transferred that idea to Murder in Third Position, in which Leah has to dance upon a platform that hovers over the stage. It ended up a metaphor for Leah’s life. She’s on top of the world, but she’s never been more vulnerable.

• There is a lot of delightful humor in your books. Has humor always been important to you in navigating life?

When faced with adversity, dancers might say something like: “What are you going to do? Slit your ankles and cha-cha to death?” It’s ironic, silly, resigned, and sarcastic. That pretty much sums up my attitude. Humor in all its forms gets me through.

• We are both former professional dancers, and I haven’t met a lot of us who’ve made the transition to fiction writing. Can you tell us about that journey for you?

The same skill set that fueled my career as a dancer helped me as a writer. Both professions require tremendous self-discipline, as well as the ability (and humility) to take corrections and make them work for you. It also helps if you enjoy working for very little money. When I think of it that way, the gulf between those two pursuits doesn’t seem quite so wide.

• What’s next for you writing-wise?

My academic mystery, Lesson Plan for Murder, will be released this summer. It features an English teacher who solves crimes using clues from her favorite books. The protagonist refuses to believe her colleague’s death was a suicide, because no self-respecting English teacher would kill herself without leaving a perfectly penned note, complete with obscure literary references and suggestions for further reading.

Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers. 

Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.

booksforward.com/about-us/ellen-whitfield/

Welcome to our Authors Forward series, where our innovative and talented Books Forward authors interview other great, forward-thinking voices in the industry.

July Authors Forward interview with L.S. Case and Jeannie Moon

Jeannie Moon is a USA Today bestselling romance author known for her Compass Cove and Forever Love Stories series. Married to her high school sweetheart, Jeannie has three kids, three lovable dogs, and resides on Long Island, NY.

1. Your Forever Love Stories and Compass Cove series have engaged readers in beautiful romances. How do you make your novels stand out from others in the genre?  

One of the most important things I’ve done is to create compelling characters that readers can connect with and root for. Whether a billionaire or a librarian, my goal is always to create characters who are relatable, flawed and easy to connect with. My other strength is creating a strong setting that keeps readers engaged in the story. Even in the Forever Love Stories when the super-rich take center stage, there’s a grounded feeling to the places they live and work. (Okay, maybe the mega-yacht in the first Forever Love Story was over the top, but it was fun.)

2. How has your approach to book promotion evolved since your debut novel? What’s your advice for young writers trying to build an author platform? 

In the beginning, I tried to do it all. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… Don’t do that. It’s exhausting and a time suck. Find where your readers are, and use social media to connect with them on a personal level. Look for small reader events to attend, connect through local libraries. Last, I wish I’d paid more attention to my newsletter in the beginning. The popularity of social media platforms ebb and flow, but if you build your mailing list and send a message once a month, not just when you’re selling something, you’ll grow your fan base. 

3. What is the best investment you ever made in your writing? 

The best investment is the time I’ve spent with other writers as part of a local writing group or at small conferences and workshops. I learn from every class I take, but the time with other writers is priceless. Writing can be very isolating and building a community is the best thing I did for myself. 

4. What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Too much information can be a problem. Everyone has a theory about how you should write, about how to be more productive, about how to sell books, and I’m not saying advice is a bad thing, but too much can weigh you down. Find a process that works for you and let it evolve naturally. If you have reams of information, pick and choose what makes sense to you. If you attend a workshop and you come away with two or three tips that help your process, that’s fantastic. No “system” works for everyone. Trust yourself and your process. 

5. Have you ever resuscitated a shelved project? What made it more successful the second time around?

My very first book was 120,000 words long and was like a soap opera. At its core was a lovely romance, but it was buried in superfluous details and melodrama. It was rewritten several times, words were culled, and it did have interest, but it didn’t sell. In 2014, I went back to it, stripped it down, and re-envisioned the story. The Playing Field went from 120K to 45K words and became the novella, This Christmas. The reimagined version was character driven and emotional, and that’s why readers loved it. It was a reunion story, and focusing on the couple and their love story–not extra characters, jobs, or extraneous drama–made the book special. 

6. How can readers contact you and learn more about your upcoming projects?

The best place to find me is on my website, jeanniemoon.com. Readers can sign up for my newsletter, find my social media accounts, and see where they can meet me. It’s where I’ll announce new projects and book news.

Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers. 

Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.

booksforward.com/about-us/ellen-whitfield/

Welcome to our Authors Forward series, where our innovative and talented Books Forward authors interview other great, forward-thinking voices in the industry.

June Authors Forward Interview with Sid Balman Jr. and James Wade

James Wade lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and daughter. He is the author of River, Sing Out, and Beasts of the Earth (winner of the 2023 Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel) as well as the critically-acclaimed debut novel All Things Left Wild (winner of the MPIBA Reading the West Award for Debut Fiction, and the Spur Award for Best Historical Novel). James’s work has appeared in numerous literary magazines, and his novels have been featured by publications such as PopSugar, BookBub, Deep South Magazine, and the New York Journal of Books. 

Your novels – All Things Left Wild, River, Sing Out, and Beasts of the Earth – seem to share a common theme: the loss of innocence in characters swimming amid a pool of evil. In your view, is that the inevitable dilemma of the human condition? 

I think so. Mostly. Maybe. It’s certainly the dilemma of those humans who have been cursed with awareness and ambiguity both. I think the central characters (Caleb, Jonah and River, and most recently, Harlen) in each book are those types of people. They’re weighed down with guilt, but they’re also weighed down with this longing for inner peace. Their primary struggle is whether or not they can be okay with things not being okay. Ignorance is bliss, and none of these characters are ignorant, so they have a tough time finding solace– not just from the world, but from their own thoughts about it. It’s a great way for readers to connect with the characters and something you do a wonderful job of with the Laws and Zarkans in Seventh Flag, showing readers the tension and anxieties that exist within these families and the world they inhabit. 

Your central character(s) survive this crucible, a happy ending if you will. How do you square this in the nihilistic worlds you create in your novels?

Not to spoil things, but they don’t all survive. Some of the central characters make it. Some don’t. To your point, it speaks to what some folks would consider nihilism or randomness. I think it’s just realism. There’s a desire to create realistic outcomes, which means the main character can’t always survive dangerous situations. However, there’s also the goal of the novels, which in large part is to show how a character is changed by the circumstances they come up against. That’s tougher to do when you kill them off. But even for the ones who do make it through, there’s not always a happy ending waiting on the other side. 

God, or a divine force, is the one character that seems missing from your novels. Of course, writing a novel is an act of pure faith and folly, prima facie evidence that all novelists must have some form of faith. How does your faith, or lack thereof, impact your stories?

I’d argue that there is a God in my novels. Maybe a different God for each one, or maybe not the God most folks are used to seeing, but it’s there. The desert, the river, the Watchmaker. Wise old men and women. Innocent children. Love and grace and the hurt it takes to be human– to be alive.

The truth is I struggle with this world– with all of it, not just its religions and politics. And faith, or lack thereof, is certainly a part of that struggle.  Because I often write about the things I struggle with, it makes sense that faith and religion would make their way into my novels pretty frequently. I’m also a regional author, with all of my novels being set in Texas, and it’s only natural that the dialogue and worldview of many of my rural-Texan characters is centered around God.

I worry that I write too much about that stuff, or maybe use too much biblical allegory. That’s just part of who I am as a writer and as a person. I was raised Southern Baptist. I’ve read the Bible in its entirety several times and still reference it regularly. But because I approach it now in a literary context rather than as holy scripture, I’m able to access the storytelling techniques and beautiful prose without being beholden to a certain viewpoint. And ultimately writing a novel takes faith in yourself more than anything else. If outsourcing that faith to a deity makes you a better writer, then I’m all for it. But in the end, divine intervention or not, you still have to put your ass in the chair and get it done.

Only a ‘real’ Texan like you, as opposed to a Houston transplant from New York or LA gallivanting around Marfa in a shiny new pair of cowboy boots and a crisp Low Crown, could write about their state with such authenticity and gravitas. What is the ‘it’ about Texas that infuses your life and writing?

Texas is the perfect character. It has a little bit of everything, from a terrain or cultural or culinary standpoint. I grew up in East Texas where we’re more culturally aligned with the southeast than we are with the southwest. To think El Paso and Beaumont are in the same state seems ridiculous. Or Marfa and Gun Barrel City. Or Dallas and Fort Davis. So many places in Texas are unlike anywhere else, including the other places in Texas. I’ve worked at newspapers in rural Texas, worked at the State Capitol during the legislative session. I’ve driven across the state to cover high school football, to lobby for water conservation, and even to deliver beauty supply products to rural salons while I was in college (there’s a book in there somewhere). We’re as diverse a state as exists in this union, and no matter how much Texas is talked about, there’s still always more to say. I’ve been asked if I’ll ever write anything set outside of Texas and the answer is always, “why would I?”

Tell us a little about the book you’re incubating, and why your editor wanted a rewrite. An inevitable part of our process, but how does that make you feel. Do you push back, or simply go back to the drawing board? 

I’m working on a prohibition/great depression era novel set in a fictional East Texas town. The basic theme explores what folks will do to survive when put in precarious situations, and how our psyches are shaped by tragedy.

My biggest weakness as a writer is plotting. I like characters and landscape and conversation. If I could sell a novel where two characters sit in the woods and talk to each other about pain and anger and beauty and loss for three hundred pages, I’d do it. But my publisher, rightfully, wants action, pacing, plot, etc. so I tried to give that to them with the first draft. Get all the elements out there and let them decide which ones to develop more and which ones to cut or revise. That’s basically where we’re at now.

As for how edits and revisions make me feel, it’s twofold. First, I have incredibly thick skin. I’m lucky and grateful to be a writer, and I accept criticism as a reality of my very fortunate position. Second, I have to look at it as a business decision. My publisher is paying me. They have to sell the books in order to make any money back. I have to put them in the best position I can for them to succeed, and they let me know when I haven’t done that. That’s the business.

If I feel incredibly strongly about something, I’ll definitely push back, and they’re great about being receptive. But I have such severe imposter syndrome, that I usually don’t feel that strong about my work to begin with. That’s a confidence that I believe will come with time and experience. In my opinion, I’m still learning how to write. There’s no critique I can’t benefit from. Even if I don’t agree with something, it helps to see it through another person’s eyes. 

Ego can be a difficult thing to manage. You have to have a certain amount of ego to write anything in the first place, but then you have to immediately discard it when it comes to feedback and reception. 

Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers. 

Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.

booksforward.com/about-us/ellen-whitfield/

Authors, especially those who are new to publicity, often wonder: What is the value of coverage from book bloggers, influencers and other niche media? 

A fair question! 

The value in traditional media coverage (think: New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle) is obvious. These sources have wide-reaching readerships, and positive coverage from them will meet a lot of eyes and ears. Yet, they represent only a fraction of the bookish community and the media they consume. There are plenty of benefits to working with more niche media outlets, and oftentimes, these benefits fill in the gaps where traditional media falls short.

The numbers problem

A thought experiment: If media Outlet A has an audience of 1,000 and media Outlet B has an audience of 500, will a book review in Outlet A always lead to more sales? Though it may be tempting to work this out mathematically (if the likelihood of a purchase is 10%, I can expect 100 sales from Outlet A compared with 50 sales from Outlet B…) book sales never follow such solvable patterns. If Outlet A has more followers, but they are on the whole less engaged with Outlet A’s content, they’ll be less likely to make a purchase. By the same token, if Outlet B has a smaller – but more dedicated – following, coverage with them may leave a more meaningful impact on a larger number of readers. 

Consider an author who has written a book about fishing. A review in a niche hunting and fishing magazine may lead to equal or greater engagement than a review in a general interest publication with a larger audience because only a fraction of those readers like to fish.

Furthermore, a sale is a sale no matter how small! Even if a media link inspires only one person to buy a copy of the book, that’s one more reader than you had yesterday. Every new reader is a potential long-term fan, and every one counts!

General benefits

One of the goals of a publicity campaign is to build up online buzz by securing multiple media links for a book. That way, when someone hears about it and they search around, they can easily find plenty of positive reviews, mentions, and coverage. Most readers won’t check to see how many followers certain websites have; instead, they’ll be more interested in the content (“Wow, they really loved this book!”) and the number of links out there (“It seems like everyone’s reading this book!”).

Having all these links is also good for your SEO, as these sites often link back to you and instigate more google searches for your name and/or book title.

Bloggers often cross-post their reviews to Amazon and Goodreads as well, which is great for your brand, too!

Loyalty

Many authors who’ve been interviewed on national media in the past feel this should give them a one-up on the competition. Surely they’ll be a priority for future coverage right? Sometimes this is true, but unfortunately, a wide variety of factors can (and often will) stand in your way. 

If your previous interview was about a nonbookish topic, it’s unlikelythis will give you an advantage for a book-related interview. If you interviewed about a past book, but have since switched publishers or changed genres, that can be enough for producers to pass on future coverage.

Ultimately, this comes down to loyalty. No one can blame these media giants for being picky with their coverage. But what many authors seek are loyal supporters who want to cover all their work and follow them throughout their author journey.

This is why we love working with book bloggers and influencers – they are the most fervent supporters of authors! If they become a fan of your work, they often remain a fan for life. We’ve heard from some bloggers that they’d be willing to read outside of their preferred genre if the book is written by an author they trust, which we think is the ultimate sign of loyalty.

Additionally, influencers and bloggers will often follow you on social media, helping you grow your accounts, and they’ll spread the word about your work through online and in-person brag-sessions. There’s no better feeling than knowing that someone is out there championing you!

Don’t forget about the little guys

National media will always be on our bucket list, but we never want to forget about the bloggers and influencers who work so hard to keep the book community fresh, fun and full of joy. They do so much for authors, often for free and without thanks. So, be sure to show your support for these folks who promote new books everyday, simply for the love of reading!

Jackie Karneth

Jackie Karneth is a publicist with Books Forward is an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers. 

Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.

If you value the booksellers and librarians in your community (and you should!) you’ve probably wondered how to earn their support. 

A meet and greet is an opportunity for you to make a positive personal connection with booksellers and librarians who have the ability to promote your book to customers and patrons long after you meet them.

After connecting personally with these industry “tastemakers,” they will often consider your book for events, official staff recommendations, and special displays (like a local author’s table). They may even nominate your book for awards in the future!

The first step for connecting with a bookseller or librarian is to call ahead. Be respectful of their time, and ask to arrange a brief 10-15 minute meeting.

You should bring:

• a copy of your book
• a printed copy of your press kit or one sheet (your ISBN should be displayed here for quick reference)
• (optional) swag, bookmarks or treats to help you stand out

A meet and greet is all about creating a personal relationship with the bookseller or librarian. You can’t show up once and expect the world. As an author, you have to be willing to put in the time and effort, especially if you want their help in return!

A few tips for your meeting:

• Emphasize that you just want to introduce yourself and not take up a lot of their time.
• Thank the staff for all they do to support the literary community in your area.
• Give them a copy of your book and press kit.
• Share a quick summary of the book and explain why you wrote it (this is your elevator pitch!)
• Mention that you hope they’ll consider ordering a few copies, or ask about the possibility of scheduling an event/stock signing.
• If planning an event, be sure to mention what you expect to see in the way of attendance and/or book sales.
• Be considerate and flexible. If you’d be open to a dual-author or panel event, let them know! Mention that you’re open to their ideas, and you want to collaborate with them to make sure their financial needs are being met.
• Thank them for their time and for keeping your book in mind.
• Show support and make a purchase while you’re there.
• If they don’t decide to order copies on the spot, that’s okay. Continue supporting them by shopping locally and attending other author events. Show them you’re serious about mutual support in the industry.

If you want to reach booksellers and librarians outside of your local community, or if a meet and greet isn’t feasible, you can still make a good first impression. Here are a few strategies: 

• Attend an event or take out an ad with your regional bookseller association. Not sure what that is? Check out my article here for more information!
• Take out an ad in an industry publication that reaches booksellers and librarians directly, such as Library Journal/School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Foreword.
• Create a postcard that highlights all of your essential book information and positive blurbs and mail it to the libraries you want to reach.
• Make phone calls asking if you can send a copy of your book to the store/library and set up mailings for those that are interested.

Reaching librarians and booksellers can be a lot of work, but once you’ve opened the door to a new relationship, they will be far more likely to support you in your next book release! Building these personal connections early on in your career is a powerful investment for any author.

Remember that relationships are always a two-way street, so try not to ask too much of your new contacts, and support them as much as possible to ensure a healthy, lasting partnership!

Jackie Karneth

Jackie Karneth is a publicist with Books Forward is an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers. 

Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.