Yesterday while driving to the farmer’s market to pick up my meat (I’ve belonged to a meat CSA since last fall) I was treated to a NPR interview with M.J. Rose on marketing and promotion.
I haven’t read any of her books but I do recall seeing The Hypnotist recently on several book blogs. Rose is right. It’s really difficult to get your book to stand out from the thousands of other books published that year. And to keep the momentum going is difficult too!Â
So many good books get published and it’s not easy to read them all in the first year. It seems that’s when the sales have the most impact on future book contracts. Though none of my novels have been published, I do have friends who have their novels in bookstores and available online.Â
What makes a book or author stand out to you? Is it the buzz you hear? An interview? A regularly updated blog?
Before I started blogging, I rarely read any books in the year that they first came out in hardcover. I usually bought them in trade paperback. When I see really good writing and I enjoy the story and characters, I will usually go back and hope that the author has written more. I don’t read a lot of author blogs so I wouldn’t notice anything in that arena.
I’ve noticed my reading habits have changed since blogging too. I do read a bit more current stuff than I was before. I would pick up the deals on the hardcovers or buy the trade paperback.