When my first novel, the thriller Talion, was published last spring, I began promoting it on my blog and Web site as well as Facebook. I did research, sent queries, and found a few bloggers willing to interview me and/or review my book. Then I waited for the material to come online. Months passed. One review and a couple of interviews appeared. I hated to pester anyone – after all, nobody was obligated to pay attention to my novel – but finally I emailed the remaining blogger to ask if a review of Talion would be posted on his blog. He responded immediately with an apology. He’d assigned the book to someone who had completed and sent the review awhile ago, but swamped with email, he’d overlooked it.
At that rate, it would take years to establish an online presence. Clearly I had to devote a lot more time and become a lot more persistent, I thought, or I might as well as stop. I faced the same quandary as many other writers. Should I put the writing of my next book on hold while promoting this one? Then I found Pump Up Your Book and signed on for a virtual tour. Now, as my six-week tour comes to an end, I’m amazed at how much I’ve enjoyed and learned from the experience.
I had no idea how much work and planning goes into arranging the many blog stops and book reviews. I appreciate the help and attention I’ve had from my tour director, Jaime McDougall. Jaime has worked hard to ensure my tour is a success. She has answered my questions cheerfully and found a way around every glitch.
I had to complete about twenty interviews and guest posts in the two months before the tour began. I worried my creativity would fail. With the interviews especially, I feared being reduced to covering the same stale topics over and over. But I had more to say about my life, my novel, and my writing than I suspected. Discovering this material was a revelation. I gained a deeper understanding of myself as a writer and a new commitment to my writing.
I also began to learn what kind of blog posts spark a response from readers – the ones that intrigue them and make them think. I was especially proud of a couple of posts, but they drew no attention whatsoever. The final post of the tour, which seemed too intellectual, evoked over a dozen comments.
It was hardly a surprise that not every reviewer thought Talion was wonderful. My work has suffered as much rejection and criticism as the next writer’s. What did surprise and impress me was the reviewers’ thoughtfulness and evenhandedness. The most positive reviewer saw a need for improvement here and there, and the least positive reviewer gave the novel some praise. More than ever, I respect the efforts of those people who love to read so much they undertake the task of reviewing books.
Thanks to the tour, I’ve met wonderful people, found fascinating blogs and Web sites, and stumbled upon worthwhile books by other writers. And yes, sales of Talion have gone up. Most of all, though, I’ve become more persistent. Promotion is a long-term project. The tour has given me an online presence, a foundation on which to build, but I have to continue the process. One piece of advice in particular has stuck with me: Do something every day to promote your book. Thank you for that, Jaime.
Would I do it again? Definitely. When my next novel is published, I’ll be back.
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Mary Maddox grew up in Utah and California. A graduate of Knox College and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she now teaches composition and literature at Eastern Illinois University.
She lives in Charleston, Illinois with her husband, film scholar Joe Heumann. Her interests include riding her horse, Tucker, and playing club and tournament Scrabble. Mary’s short stories have appeared in a number of magazines including Farmer’s Market, Yellow Silk, and The Scream Online. Her writing has been honored with awards from the Illinois Arts Council.
Talion, her debut novel, is available at Barnesandnoble.com as a trade paperback and at Amazon.com as both a paperback and a Kindle book. You can visit her at her Web site www.marymaddox.com and follow her blog at http://blog.marymaddox.com.
Dorothy Thompson
December 22nd, 2010
All I can say is wow. Mary, I want to thank you so much for the kind words and also the high respect you had for Jaime. Jaime works very hard and it’s so nice to hear that someone does appreciate it. Unless you have done it, this is a hard job…but…it’s a job we all love. Jaime indeed loves her job and it shows. I especially like the part where you said you gained a deeper understanding of yourself as a writer. I hear this all the time. There is no better way to know all there is about your book than having to answer fifty million interviews and write fifty million guest posts, lol. Slightly exaggerating but I know you know what I mean. I am so impressed with your blog post today, I’m going to feature it on the Pump Up blog. I hope you continue to pump up your book, Mary, and good luck to you and have many many successes!