The manuscript of The Butcher Bird went off to be typeset yesterday, and work should soon begin on a cover. In theory I could do both of those using online tools for free, but I decided long ago that it was worth having a professional job done to produce a professional end result. As I’ve probably said before, writing and revising the book is, for me, the (relatively) easy bit; the hard bits are thinking up a descriptive blurb and a marketing approach. I’ve thought quite deeply about both of these previously, but so far nothing has worked.
Fake Taylor.
I mentioned on Facebook that the only thing almost guaranteed to make sales is to have Taylor Swift photographed reading one of my books, and that led my friend Joe to fake up the inset photo. Yes, of course it is fake and, apart from putting here for amusement value, it cannot ever be used, alas.
Some time ago, I had the idea that there must be an organic way to exploit the network effects of social media for viral marketing. I still think that must be possible, but it is hard to make happen and, probably, getting harder as algorithms shift towards commercialising engagement. While social media has certainly led to some sales for me, it hasn’t led to any great volume of sales and, as I approach publication of my fourth book, my costs far outweigh my revenue. For The Butcher Bird I intend to be more proactive in promoting the book, though there is always something I find inherently distasteful about that. I’m more of a Sgt. Wilson than a Pvt. Walker on this (one for the kids there.)
Also, there is something interesting about the advice available online: it contains an inherent logical fallacy. It is,
-
- commercially successful writers do x, y and z. Therefore
- if you do x, y and z you will be a commercially successful writer.
That is not how it works.
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