IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW... AS USUAL

Sunday saw me attending a marketing session held in the Margate Bookie Event. I have learnt that you can NEVER learn enough about writing, publishing and marketing. So, with that frame of mind I sat back to winkle out some nuggets of information from two authors, who are obviously a lot more well known and successful than me. (That was not bitterness you heard, just envy)
 
​Sadly, their names escape me, but they did help on two counts. First, to reassure me that I'm probably doing almost everything I can to get my work to market (excluding the nirvana of traditional agent & publisher scenario) Second, to tell me about two strategies I haven't done, or got round to; including Vlogging and getting a review quote from an acknowledged person.

​Vlogging, for those of you new to the word means video blogging. Hence the corruption of two perfectly good words into V-logging. Though I might argue that blogging is an awful word already and bastardising it probably improves its appearance. It is also far too close to the words flogging, bogging, slogging and snogging in my opinion. 

​The idea is you film yourself, using your phone or some such, in my case my beloved tablet and give your adoring fans a few tasty titbits or pearls of wisdom. Why they should be interested in seeing the author's face is beyond me. Some folk read a few paragraphs from the their book - that appeals. So maybe, when I find the time I shall trial a short snap here, in a future blog. Does that make it a Blog-Vlog I wonder?

​The second useful, and not so useful piece of advice, is the review quote. Here one asks/requests/grovels/begs/pleads or pays a successful person, who everyone has heard of, to say something nice and enticing to encourage folk to purchase said novel. That's great! If you happen to know one such individual, or are rich enough to pay their fees, but not if you have already printed the damm book! It's a bit late then. Though I did think, momentarily about stapling a tiny slip of paper across the front cover, until images of being sued for staple disfigurement fell into my trapdoor of a mind.

​Nevertheless, its something to consider for next time, should I fall over Stephen Fry or Jason Statham coming out of Asda. Mind you I think probably snogging might be involved if its Jason and sod the book.

​So, if anyone out there has a celebrity, popstar or member of the royal family in their close circle of friends tell them there's a free copy of the novel in it for them and I can probably throw in a fridge magnet too! No expense spared for my endorsement pals.