Publicity
That’s the good news. Now here’s the bad news. Southdowner, I think it was,* suggested that I tour over here for it, since after all the UK is small, and I said it’s not that small and I have this little hellhound digestive issue that keeps me on a short leash, but that I could come up to London for half a day if she wanted to harass my publisher into setting it up. And she** wrote back and said to get her an address to direct her harassment at.
I wrote to my editor who said she’d look into it. And this is what I got back:
info@transworld-publishers.co.uk
Any request will automatically get forwarded to the publicity department.
This is not hopeful. What we wanted was a name and preferably a title, like Minor Marketing Gnome in Charge of Dubious Projects. So if all three and a half of you British readers out there want to make a dent, I’m afraid you’ll have to get organised as well as strident. One or two polite emails isn’t going to wake anybody up, let alone grab their attention. I have no idea how many emails and how many signatures you’d need–anybody out there know more about this than I do?–but, you know, more than several. And don’t worry, I’m more than happy not to come up to London to do a signing where the only two people who show up are the two people who wrote all those emails/letters on all those different computers/from different e-addresses. Well, no, if it’s southdowner it will be one person and a dog. ***
* * *
* One of you unnervingly frisky types
** friskily
*** Or possibly eleven dogs.
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It’s a pretty crummy state of affairs if an editor can’t contact a publisher re marketing. Hmph. Maybe Southdowner needs to set her dogs to work. !!
I think if Southdowner brought all her dogs to the publisher offices…
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OOOOoooh. That’s a GREAT idea. Especially the bullies!!!!
::rubs her hands in glee::
“Dozen bullies invade publishing house. Film at eleven.”
YESSSSSS. :)
****** I think if Southdowner brought all her dogs to the publisher offices…
… THIS is what the publisher would get…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26303732@N02/2482871986/in/set-72157604993937314/
so maybe they’d better submit after all!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26303732@N02/2689270796/?edited=1
Oh, I am reminded of how adorable bullies are! :)
And I LIKE the submissive publisher pose! LOL!!
I’d come in a heartbeat if I lived anywhere near that side of the world. I’d round up my friends and we’d have that road trip we’ve been planning. Hey, any chance you want to come back to the US for a visit in about two or three years, when I’ll most likely to have a car?
I’m supposed to tour for PEGASUS in two years. I’ll find a way to weasel out of it. :)
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I’m supposed to tour for PEGASUS in two years. I’ll find a way to weasel out of it. :)
*sigh* Even if you did tour, you probably wouldn’t stop in Harrisonburg or Charlottesville, the sizable towns near me. It’d be DC or Richmond, probably? I wonder if I could make a ferret suffer a two-hour car trip. *ponder!*
Well, if you did tour here and you were within driving distance, *I’d so be there.* I’d make you a pair of tour socks, too, in PEGASUS colors. (Whatever those colors would be.) But only if you came here! ;)
LOL! My impression of my sort of touring is that I’d be a lot likelier to come to Harrisonburg or Charlottesville. They kept telling me that I really was getting a PROPER tour . . . maybe author-supporting bookstores are always slightly out of town? :)
(Oooh! *Ferrets!* I wouldn’t have to do any TALKING! We could just pass the ferrets around and go, Ooooh! :))
Aww, you’ll break our hearts! We’re planning a road trip anyway, but don’t have anywhere to *go*. Until now. Where are you going to be? Or is that too far in the future to say?
Wait, wait! [sweating] What are we talking about? My only offer of a meeting place is LONDON.
Don’t you dare weasel out of it! I’ll fly somewhere to come see you, since naturally you won’t come anywhere near Cincinnati. *sigh*. Don’t worry too much– we’ll give you tea; and some of us actually know how to make it! All will be well, I promise.
Oh? You warm the pot first, you use finest loose leaves? You use the RIGHT AMOUNT so you can leave them in long enough to *develop* the flavour, and you use a big ball or sieve so there’s plenty of flow through and you can then take it OUT? –And I’m *not* going to say anything rude about Cincinnati, since possibly the best hotel I stayed at for the SUNSHINE tour was the Cincinnatian.
My impression of my sort of touring is that I’d be a lot likelier to come to Harrisonburg or Charlottesville.
That would be okay with me! :D
I’ll put it on the list. :) By the way, authors have NO INPUT WHATSOEVER on their itinerary.
By the way, authors have NO INPUT WHATSOEVER on their itinerary.
Heh, I never imagined you did. Pushy publicity people!
But a girl can dream. :)
Yes, a girl can. :)
Werl, if you’re looking for nice, cozy, independent bookstores who LOVE authors… Wordsworth Books in Waterloo, Ontario is absolutely bonkers about authors. They have a regular schedule of appearances, signings, etc. I’m sure they would be very accomodating(:
Maybe Southdowner needs to set her dogs to work. !!
Cry havok, and let slip the Dogs of Southdowner!
:)
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****** Cry havok, and let slip the Dogs of Southdowner!
Havok? Sounds like a normal day to me lol
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I am in the UK, and I would be happy to help….annoy a publicity department. Possibly, we could also get some names off a website? It always helps to be specific in aggravation…I learned this from my thirteen and fourteen year-old students.
LOL! Good luck, and thanks–it *would* be nice if SUNSHINE got some lift off this time.
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Oh Robin.
Do you truly believe that if you gave a signing at a bookstore, with halfway decent publicity, (and the word spread by way of internet) that only 2 people would show up?
Publicity.
Isn’t that what a blog is for?
FF
Oh FatFred. You poor sad publishing innocent.
Yes.
And this is an EXPERIMENT in the practical application of a blog. Don’t worry, when Southdowner and eleven dogs show up, I’ll still keep blogging. :)
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****** Don’t worry, when Southdowner and eleven dogs show up, I’ll still keep blogging. :)
Always glad to provide additional blog material :)
Oh, relief relief! I’m not the only one who’s been worrying that you haven’t been seen for several days! SOUTHDOWNER SIGHTING! YAAAY! After all, this was YOUR fault to begin with. :)
My back went – old nursing injury which falling backwards onto concrete off a rearing horse never helped ;p It’s much better now tho creaky, but I’m very pleased that AJLR has kept the momentum up – YAY! organiser types!!!
Some of my bullies went to London to do a publicity shoot for Crufts which was in the Times and other mags (about 2003/4??) so they’re more than happy to roll up to a publicity occasion for our favourite author – just say the word and we’ll go to London :)
Yes, Southdowner definitely should show up with dogs. They are photo magnets, after all. Heavens, you would think the publishers would be happy to have a practically pre-organized publicity event handed to them out of the blue.
Perhaps a crowd of your relatively-local UK readers (and their critters) could just show up en masse outside a bookstore a la the Harry Potter people, waiting to grab copies of SUNSHINE as they hit the shelves. A spontaneous demonstration of enthusiasm that blocks the pavement should get noticed! :)
Yes, especially the critters. :) That would create, you know, MEDIA INTEREST. This is GOOD.
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It needs coffee…. tea ….. free cinnamon rolls ….. zebra cookies ….. ;)
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“Perhaps a crowd of your relatively-local UK readers (and their critters) could just show up en masse outside a bookstore ”
Hmm, Southdowner’s cats are used to her dogs. I think if I showed up with Tabbs, her feline laid-backness might vanish under pressure…:)
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also in UK, would also like to help, but am not near enough to London to pop there for half a day. Leeds? I could do Leeds. Or Manchester at a push, though as I work and you have hellhounds I’m guessing that times that would suit me would not suit you :(
Doubt it. But let’s see if we get anywhere with London. If it were a ravening success Transworld might be willing to do it again and I could look at hellhound/train times.
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OK, campaign starts now…:)
Just so it is possible to get some idea re what size of audience there might be, could any of your readers who would attend a publicity or signing event in London, sometime in the next few months, please go here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xnULTPtfKkUiadr9hdr1Tg_3d_3d and fill in the (very brief) details asked for, please? The only required field is name/blog name, just so there’s less possibility of a mistake in potential numbers. :)
The survey will be open until – well, whenever you say. I’ve put it to close in a week’s time (17 August) at the moment but that can be changed to whatever you feel appropriate.
Robin, if this makes you feel uncomfortable in any way then of course, don’t unscreen the comment.
Gods, you **bureaucrats.** :) Hey, I mean that in the best possible way. The world NEEDS you.
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Oh come on!
Creatives, sheesh!!!
:)
Hey. We don’t live in the real world. Forms make us nervous. I have to *gird* myself to ring up the Aga Cleaner People tomorrow, having had a–aaaugh!—FORM letter in the post that my Aga Needs Cleaning.
Form letters are usually trying, I agree. (Except when being used in response to queries, jmeadows…? :) )
Hope the Aga isn’t too upset by having a cleaning visit. I can imagine it would need a lot of patting and comforting after such an event…:)
I HATE cleaning days. I have to turn it OFF! For a whole TWENTY FOUR HOURS! I feel like I’ve killed a friend! (I am crazy . . . )
**Hey. We don’t live in the real world. Forms make us nervous. I have to *gird* myself to ring up the Aga Cleaner People tomorrow, having had a–aaaugh!—FORM letter in the post that my Aga Needs Cleaning.**
But, but, but, how do they KNOW????
Do they have little diddy heatproof spy cameras so that they can SEE it needs cleaning? ;-)
LOL! I don’t know how they trapped my cottage’s previous owner in their toils, but I inherited the yearly reminder from her!
(Except when being used in response to queries, jmeadows…? :)
Depends on which end you’re at. ;)
Okay. If you come to the US–Springfield, MO. We at MO State have a rich children’s/young adult/adult literature department. In the right season I can suppy roses, and I may be the only Missourian who can make a proper cup of tea. We have a great independent bookstore downtown which would make a great host-site. Love to have you. (This is to file away–I know you can’t face the idea of a tour now–just know you would be welcomed graciously.) :)
Thank you! :)
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London!
Great idea.
I like the idea of dressing up as our favorite character. I’ll think I’ll be Sungold. Or maybe I’ll just buy a tick for my Great Dane and she can sit next to me on the plane. Then She can wear a golden blanket and be Sungold and I’ll be free to be Hari!
:)
Going now to fill out survey …
All right, now I AM interested in this London signing. :)
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This should have been a response to one of your previous posts, but comments have already closed. I went poking around my local library’s website, trying to figure out how to request that they order your book, and found that they already had two copies of Chalice on order, and there are already three hold requests for the book. Not too bad considering it’s over a month away. . .
:) Thank you!
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