Publishing, at times, is like going to the zoo and poking a stick through the bars at a sleeping lion.  You want to wake the lion up, get it to roar a bit and put on a show.  You don’t want the lion to jump the bars and make you its mid-morning snack.  A balancing act.  So too when courting controversy with your publicity.  Choosing a title like Band of Sisters was more than simply creating a sympathetic harmonic with Stephen Ambrose’s best seller, it was also a shot across the bow of chauvinists everywhere; women are in combat, deal with it.  Unsurprisingly, some can’t, or won’t.  If you’re curious, you can read some of what’s going on at www.militarytimes.com  Scroll down to Book Buzz, click, and see what the buzz (the elixir of life in publishing) is all about.   You’ll notice, he says affecting an air of practiced innocence, that of all the books they could be talking about, they’re talking about this one.  Gratis.  And for every sling and arrow sent its way, there are that many shields springing up to defend it.  The end result will be increased awareness followed by increased sales. 

Detractors almost never buy the book, they save their money and rail against what they perceive to be wrong with it.  The great thing about that is that all the gnashing and chest-thumping acts like a beacon for those interested in the book, and they are far more likely to buy it, especially after their blood gets hot reading what the naysayers have to bray.  Hmmm, I wonder if this would work when on a date…

Whilst I putter away at the day job and work on the second novel in the Iron Elves series I am also developing a YA/middle school series.  My agent looked at it and wondered if it was at all similar to another series already published.  Whenever anyone says ‘gee, that sounds just like ______’ your first reaction is probably a short flight off a tall bridge or green-tinged anger that someone would dare take your idea.  A few deep breathes later you read the offending book and grow increasingly more relieved when you discover it’s nothing like yours.  You’re cloning labradoodles while that other guy cloned dinosaurs.  Whew, right?  Not quite.  When my agent shops my series, it won’t be enough to simply say this isn’t like that.  I get submissions daily that sound an awful lot like the submissions I got the day before, and the week before, and just like any number of books already published.  Editors are always eye-deep in manuscripts and looking for the quickest way to reject something.  A ms that arrives sounding similar to something else and not taking the time to explain how and why it’s different and oh so much better is likely destined for the shredder.  You, or your agent, will need to be armed with detail and substance to show how your ms is so much more, and not at all similar…except that it will still tap into that same market and make as much or more money for everyone concerned.  Original, but not so original that it can’t be categorized with fifty other equally original books all about say, hot and sexy vampires (maybe yours are different because your vampires are descendant from fruit bats and are devastating Florida’s citrus crops.)  Write your story, make it the best it can be, but also be aware of what else is out there, and be able to show, with a good-natured chuckle, how unique your story is…while still slotting nicely among all those other unique books on exactly the same thing.

Almost seven years ago I moved to NY to take a job with Del Rey at Random House.  After two years I was ready for a change, and took a job with Stackpole Books located in Mechanicsburg, PA.  Barely noticed the difference… After four years in PA I really needed a change again, and my line was growing to such an extent that it made sense all around for me to move back to NY.  Doing so meant giving up a three bedroom apartment in a new building with my own washer and dryer and cramming my life into a studio on the Upper East Side, and I’ve never been happier. 

Now I live in the heart of one of the most vibrant cities in the world and feel more at home than I ever have before. I own fewer things and am richer for it…and apparently auditioning to write for a greeting card company, but you get my drift. 

Kirsten did her three hours of radio interviews this morning and I’m told they went very well.  Each interview was between five and ten minutes in length.  The stations were all over the map from Ohio to Oregon.  We expect a bump in sales, but as with most of this, how much is the million dollar question.  While we wrestle with that, we went back to press for a second print run.  Re-orders are coming in fast and furious, so things are happening out there.

Things are percolating for Band of Sisters.  We got a nice bump from the News Hour appearance which in turn is getting us noticed by other media.  On Wednesday Kirsten will do a two hour talk radio set of twelve interviews covering coast to coast.  We should get another bump from that, but how big, and for how long?  I’ll be trying to figure that out for the foreseeable future.  If all this sounds like an editor getting into the publicity side of things deeper than normal you’re right.  Stackpole is a small to mid-sized publisher and has a more hands on approach.  It’s time consuming (being an editor, like being an author, means always having homework,) but it’s also what I love so I don’t really notice, although I think this blog is the closest I’ve come to a social life in months. 

Kirsten is fielding several interview requests a day so part of my job is to keep in touch with her, see how she’s holding up, talk strategy – what to focus on for this or that interview – and otherwise keep my eyes and ears open for trends and opportunities.  None of this would be possible without my truly brilliant assistant, Dave.  He’s the one that has to make sure every reporter/interviewer gets a book in time, or a high res image of the cover for an article.  That’s key by the way, always have a high res image ready to send.  A two sentence article on your book becomes a much bigger plug with an image of the cover, and it makes it a lot easier for readers to find it in a bookstore.  The media have a million stories to track down.  The easier you make their job by providing them with clear images, concise statements (ok, sound bites) and a quick response means you’re more likely to see your name in print, and repeatedly.  Oh, and if you are calling in to a show, radio or tv, be on a land line in a quiet location where you won’t be interrupted.  And never hang up until they tell you the interview is over!  Well, unless you’re really miffed.