More on Drop-Ins

So, I've started again.

After about seven months off (aside from a few isolated instances) I've once again climbed into the RustyMobile to drop in bookstores and sign stock/schmooze booksellers.

There are those who question the cost effectiveness of doing drop-ins, both in terms of time and money.

Those people are wrong.

I went to seven bookstores yesterday, all of which I'd visited last year, and had the same basic experience at all of them.

1. No store had less than 15 of my books. Some had more than 30. Even though none of them expected me to show up, or knew I was coming.

2. The booksellers knew who I was, even if they hadn't met me. I always wondered about this. When I visit a store, I only meet a small portion of the people working there. But booksellers tell other booksellers that an author dropped in, so I shook hands with folks who I'd never met before who knew I visited last year, and knew about my books.

3. The free books my publisher sent them were received and appreciated. As far as promotions go, nothing beats a free books.

4. Many stores ordered more books before I left. In a few cases, they were out of one of my early titles, but my visit prompted them to order more. I also found out that I was on the "automatic re-order" list for several of the stores.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be visiting stores in most of Northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, southern Michigan, and parts of Indiana. I've got about 150 lined up.

In the meantime, if you're looking for signed JA Konrath books and you can't make my Chuck E. Cheese Book Luanch Party on July 26, visit one of these fine establishements:

Poisoned Pen, Phoenix AZ

Borders, Schaumburg IL

Barnes & Noble, Schaumburg IL

Waldenbooks, Bloomingdale IL

Brain Snacks, Downer's Grove IL

Barnes & Noble, Bloomingdale IL

Borders, Wheaton IL

Barnes & Noble, Wheaton IL

Borders, St. Charles IL

Barnes & Noble, Geneva IL

Borders, Geneva IL

Now, back to the road...

Newsletter #7

Straight Up - The Official Newsletter of Author J.A. Konrath #7

In this issue:
--Introduction
--Book Launch Party
--The Dirty Martini Tour
--Bookseller Contest
--Reviewer Contest
--Writing Contest Winners
--Library Contest Winner
--Free Whiskey Sours
--MySpace
--Books for Troops
--Recent News
--Summer Reads
--Freebies


--INTRODUCTION

You're on this mailing list because you love books. I love them, too. This email is my way of reaching out to readers, librarians, bookstore employees, fellow authors, and giving you free stuff. If you want to be taken off this list, just reply with REMOVE in the header or opt out using the link at the bottom. If you've asked to be removed from this newsletter and haven't been, I apologize--my current address book got corrupted and I had to rebuild it using an older file. Sorry--won't happen again. If you've signed up for this newsletter and haven't received it, you probably aren't reading this, but I apologize anyway.

My fourth Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller novel, DIRTY MARTINI, has just been released in hardcover and on audio CD and MP3. It's gotten some terrific reviews, and unlike the previous books in the series, this one has very little violence in it. But rest assured, there's still alot of scares and suspense, as well as some big laughs. If you would like to read or listen to the first seven chapters for free, visit www.JAKonrath.com.

The first three novels in the series, WHISKEY SOUR, BLOODY MARY, and RUSTY NAIL, are currently available in paperback, hardcover, and on audio. They'll make you laugh, and then scare your socks off. Please head to your favorite bookstore and buy fifteen copies of each for yourself and everyone you know.

Now let's get to the fun stuff:


--BOOKLAUNCH PARTY

I'm having a booklaunch party for DIRTY MARTINI, on Thursday, July 26, from 8pm until 9:30pm.

After carefully considering many venues, and taking into account the tastes and needs of my close friends and fans, I've decided to hold the launch at Chuck E. Cheese, on 990 S. Barrington Rd, Streamwood Illinois. The first thirty people to buy books will also get free game tokens.

Yes, I'm serious.

There will be pizza, beer, wine, and pictures with Chuck E. Cheese the giant mouse. I encourage you to come by, say hello, and get a signed copy of any of my books. Everyone is invited, except for Al Gore, who I'm mad at for not returning my calls. I'm having a big Styrofoam bonfire at the party, Al. Then we're going to play "Improperly dispose of the used batteries" at a nearby pond. Then, Twister.


--THE DIRTY MARTINI TOUR

After visiting 29 states on tour last year, my lovely wife has threatened me with violence if I ever do that again. But I will still be dropping in stores in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana all summer, and there's also a good chance I'll visit stores on the West Coast, including Washington, Oregon, and California late summer/early fall. Keep an eye on my website for details. The only "official" signing I currently have planned is on July 25 at Mystery One in Milwaukee, where I'll be appearing alongside legal thriller author David Ellis. Hope to see you there.


--BOOKSELLER CONTEST

On the back of DIRTY MARTINI, instead of the standard quotes by reviewers and bigshot authors, I feature blurbs by booksellers. I love booksellers. In fact, I thank over 1300 booksellers by name in the acknowledgments of Dirty Martini. If you are a bookseller, I encourage you to write a quote of your own for Dirty Martini. Send it to me at haknort@comcast.net. I'll put it on my homepage, and name a character in my next book after the bookseller who sends me the coolest quote.


--REVIEWER CONTEST

I enjoy being reviewed, whether it's in a newspaper, a newsletter, a listserv, on a website, a blog, MySpace, a bulletin board, an online review site, a bookstore site, etc. Write a review of Dirty Martini, and put it someplace where people can read it, and you'll be thanked in the acknowledgments of FUZZY NAVEL, coming out next year. Simple as that. The first twenty reviewers will also get something free. I have several copies of DIRTY MARTINI on audio CD and MP3 (featuring another amazing vocal performance by Dick Hill and Susie Breck) plus various copies of anthologies I've been in. The freebies will be autographed, of course.


--WRITING CONTEST WINNERS

I apologize for taking so long to judge this contest. I wish I had time to personally respond to everyone who submitted a story, but I was overwhelmed by over five hundred entries. There are a lot of great writers out there!

After some torturous deliberation, I've selected one winner and five runner-ups. Each will get a signed hardcover book, and the winner will also get a hundred bucks, and my help with crafting a query letter.

The runner ups (in no particular order) are:

Al Bixby
Jonette Stabbert
Alan Peden
Steve Hagood
Richard M. Coad

And the overall winner is Dwayne L. Williamson, for his crime story, "Buried and Dead."

Thanks to all who entered!

If you didn't win, don't dwell on it. Rejection is part of being a writer. Remember, I collected almost 500 rejections before I sold a single word. Keep writing, keep trying, and never say die.


--LIBRARY CONTEST WINNER

After printing up over 400 entries and picking one at random, the winner is:

Denise Gullikson and the Andersen Library in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Congrats, Denise! We'll coordinate a time for me to visit your library, give away some free books, and do a talk.


--FREE WHISKEY SOURS

Haven't read any of my books yet? Now you can, for free. WHISKEY SOUR, the first Jack Daniels book, is available as a free pdf file for a limited time on www.JAKonrath.com. My print publisher, Hyperion, is limiting the freebies to the first 1000 downloads, so act quickly. You can read the entire text of WHISKEY SOUR on your computer, or you can print it out, put it on your tablet PC, PDA, ebook reader, Palm Pilot, Blackberry, iPhone, etc. Be sure to tell all your friends, and drop me a line to let me know what you think of it.


--MYSPACE

Are we MySpace Best Friends Forever yet? Visit my page at www.MySpace.com/JAKonrath and join my 15,000 other BFFs, each of whom I know by name and stay in constant touch with because they are so very dear to me.


--BOOKS FOR TROOPS

Believe it or not, there's a JA Konrath Library in Iraq. A friend of mine is stationed there, and I put out a call to send him books for his fellow troops. They've gotten several hundred so far, but those were mostly by Nora Roberts. If you have some extra books lying around, send them to:

Soldiers of C Co / 163 MI Bn
c/o 1SG Hansen
COB Speicher
APO AE 09393


--RECENT NEWS

The anthology I edited, THESE GUNS FOR HIRE, just received some great news. Author Julie Hyzy won a well-deserved Derringer Award for her contribution, STRICTLY BUSINESS. The antho features hitman and assassin stories from many top thriller writers, and is a must-read for everyone who loves mysteries. Visit www.TheseGunsForHire.com for details.

My short story EPITAPH, which is a Jack Daniels tie-in, was recently nominated for a British Dagger Award. It appears in the anthology THRILLER edited by James Patterson, now available in paperback.

If you're looking for more Jack Daniels stories, there's one in the upcoming anthology CHICAGO BLUES edited by Libby Fischer Hellmann.

I have a fun essay about Janet Evanovich in the recently released PERFECTLY PLUM, edited by Leah Wilson.

My gross little horror story, Mr. Pull Ups, is now available in the anthology TALES FROM THE RED LION.

I recently returned from Rome, Naples, and Milan in Italy, hosted by my Italian publisher Alacran Edizioni. If you, or someone you know, reads Italian, pick up their gorgeous edition of Whiskey Sour at www.bol.it or www.ibs.it.

Whiskey Sour, I'm pleased to report, was just reprinted and is now in its third paperback edition. I'm thrilled by the support from Hyperion and from all of the fans who have embraced the book and the series.


--SUMMER READS

If you've read all four of the Jack Daniels books (thanks!) and are desperately looking for something good to read, I heartily recommend the following:

A POISONED SEASON by Tasha Alexander - I normally don't like historical fiction, but I love this series.
BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD by Sean Chercover - Great mystery debut.
BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE by Lee Child - Another awesome Jack Reacher novel.
REQUIEM FOR AN ASSASSIN by Barry Eisler - Eisler keeps getting better and better.
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER by David Ellis - An amazing serial killer novel.
THE MEPHISTO CLUB by Tess Gerritsen - Gerritsen's best yet.
SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD by Melanie Lynne Hauser - Funny and touching chick/mom lit.
SLEEPING WITH FEAR by Kay Hooper - Kay is wonderful.
CROSSHAIRS by Harry Hunsicker - Number three in one of my favorite new mystery series.
HELL'S BELLES by Jackie Kessler - Fun supernatural chick-lit.
SCAVENGER by David Morrell - An amazing follow up to CREEPERS.
A THOUSAND BONES by PJ Parrish - Awesome thriller.
THE MARK by Jason Pinter - Incredible debut.
THE JUDAS STRAIN by James Rollins - One of the best thriller authors out there.
THE REINCARNATIONIST by MJ Rose - MJ is always fantastic.
EVERY CROOKED POT by Renee Rosen - A heartfelt coming-of-age story.
THE BLADE ITSELF by Marcus Sakey - Great thriller debut.
ON THE ROPES by Tom Schreck - Great mystery debut.
PRESSURE by Jeff Strand - One of the scariest books I've ever read.
SERPENT'S KISS by Mark Terry - Great follow-up to DEVIL'S PITCHFORK.
SHADOWS IN THE WHITE CITY by Robert W. Walker - Walker's terrific sequel to CITY FOR RANSOM.


--FREEBIES

Free stuff is cool. A few times a year I have a random drawing for free J.A. Konrath merchandise, and everyone on my mailing list is eligible. Two newsletter subscribers have been randomly picked to receive some cool gifts.

The lucky winners this time are:

Lucky Andringa
Cynthia Paulino

Lucky and Cynthia, email me to get your gifts.

Remember, even if you didn't win, you can still get free stuff and also get mentioned in the acknowledgments of FUZZY NAVEL by writing a review of DIRTY MARTINI.

Keep an eye on JAKonrath.com for updates and news. Book #5, FUZZY NAVEL, is due out June 2008.

See you on the road!



JA Konrath
www.JAKonrath.com
www.JAKonrath.blogspot.com
www.MySpace.com/JAKonrath

The Follow-Up

I feel I do pretty well at self-promoting.

I meet a lot of key people--booksellers, librarians, and fans--both in person and online. I try my best to make a good impression by being friendly, approachable, helpful, courteous, thankful, and genuine. I know how to pitch, how to give good interview in print, radio, and TV, and how to make sure I hit key points that will hopefully lead to sales, or at least to being remembered.

But I have an Achilles heel. I'm crummy at the Follow-Up.

The Follow-Up is a simple, yet powerful, self-promotional tool. In short, it's reaffirming the relationship (a bookstore meeting, a well done interview, a great review) by responding within a relatively short period of time. Sometimes the response is a simple "Thanks!" Sometimes it's a reminder (my new book is currently available.) Sometimes it's simply a note to say we should keep in touch.

A Follow-Up makes a person feel special, while also keeping you in the forefront of that person's mind. It takes very little time to do.

Yet, for some reason, I stink at it.

Here are some things you (and I) should be working on to better our Follow-Up skills:

1. Answer Email. This should be a no-brainer, but if you're like me and your In-Box is larger than your last novel, keeping up with email is a daunting task. Every few weeks I get obsessed and go on an email-answering frenzy. But it's much easier to keep control of your email with this simple trick: Respond as soon as you read it. Then there are no huge, daunting pile-ups, and everyone who contacts you, whether they be fan, peer, or newbie writer asking for blurbs, gets a timely response rather than thinking you're an ignorant jerk.
   


2. Respond to Posts. If you're like me, and you lurk on writing message boards (http://www.bksp.org/), listservs (http://www.dorothyl.com/), Yahoo Groups, newsgroups (news://alt.fiction.orginal/) other authors websites and blogs, and the many other places on the Internet that allow exchanges of information, you'll often occasionally post something. It's easy to post once, then disappear, thinking your work there is done. It's a much better idea to stick around and have some conversations. Remember; No one enjoys being sold something. But people do like to communicate with authors. Like a good website, or blog, it's about what you have to give, not what you ant to sell.
   
   This also applies to your own blog. If you're getting a lot of responses, it's easy to forget to say thanks to those with kind words. Here's another tip: Check your old posts every so often. Google links to posts that are years old, and people will find them and leave comments, then check back to see if you've responded.
   


3. MySpace. I'm awed at how much time I'm spending on MySpace lately, and the truth is I should be spending even more. I get a lot of MySpace messages and comments, sometimes a few dozen a day. I've been pretty good a bout responding to messages, but when someone posts a nice comment about me, I often don't reply. This is stupid. From now on, every time someone posts a comment on www.myspace.com/jakonrath, I'm going to immediately post a comment on MySpace page. This not only makes the commenter feel good, but then my comment (along with my book cover and link) is on their page for all of their MySpace Friends to see. Ditto responses to your MySpace blog.
   
   Stay away from spamming. But a nice, personal comment is always welcome, and if it mentions you also have a new book coming out, not many people will mind.
   


4. Amazon.com. We all know that authors can blog on Amazon. You can also create Listmanias, sell stories on www.Amazon.com/shorts and post reviews. A new Amazon option allows people to respond to reviews directly.
   
   If you're an author, you should blog. You can read my Amazon blog, Listmanias, and reviews, by clicking on any of my books and scrolling down, or by checking out my Amazon Profile.
   
   There's a new feature that allows readers to comment on user reviews. I DO NOT recommend getting into a flamewar with the moron who gave your book one star. Authors should be above that. It's petty.
   
   However, if they guy is a real brain donor, go ahead. I love posting positive reviews of books I love, and following up by gently correcting the negative ones.
   


5. Booksignings. You would think, with all the bookstores I visit, I'd have a master list of every single bookseller I've ever met. Sadly, I don't.
   
   I have business cards from many of them, but I rarely follow up after dropping by. A simple, "It's was great to visit your store!" email or postcard would go a long way toward getting booksellers to remember me, but I'm lax in this department.
   

   However, I'm working on changing that. In Dirty Martini, I thank over 1300 booksellers by name in the acknowledgements. And each store I stopped in on the Rusty Nail 500 got a free copy of the book, along with this letter:
   
   A note from author JA Konrath.
   
   Hello again! I'm saying "again" because I visited your bookstore last summer while touring the country for my third Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels mystery, RUSTY NAIL. That tour took me to 29 states, where I signed books at 618 bookstores.
   
   This store was one of them.
   
   Hyperion and I want to thank you for your support, so we've sent you a free copy of the newest Jack book, DIRTY MARTINI. Everyone else has to wait until July 3 (the release date) to read it.
   
   If I was lucky enough to have met you, or any of your co-workers, last year when I dropped in, I've listed you by name in the acknowledgements pages at the end of the book. If I spelled your name wrong or accidentally omitted you, email me at haknort@comcast.net and I'll make sure you're in future editions.
   
   If I didn't get a chance to meet you last year, or if you haven't read my books before, DIRTY MARTINI is a good place to start. It's a fast, fun beach read, sort of a cross between the suspense of James Patterson and the humor of Janet Evanovich.
   
   Some of your peers have already read of DIRTY MARTINI, and they've said some wonderful things about it. Instead of the standard review snippets and author blurbs, my back jacket features bookseller quotes. I'm sorry we didn't have room for all of them. If you already sent me a quote, or if you like DIRTY MARTINI and want to send me one, I'll put your quote and your name on my website, www.JAKonrath.com. I'll also name a character in my next book after the bookseller who sends my the coolest quote.
   
   As you already know, booksellers are not only the smartest, nicest, and sexiest people on the planet, they are also hugely influential. I'm humbled and honored that so many of you have embraced the Jack Daniels series, and have hand sold and recommended them to so many people. Thanks so much for your hard work and efforts. You're awesome.
   
   Hope to see you again soon...

Do you have any Follow-Up tips? If so, please list them here. I promise I'll respond. :)

DeceptiKonrath

Michael Bay's latest blockbuster film, Transformers, is coming soon to a theater near you. I'm predicting it will make a lot of money.

For the three of you who don't remember, Transformers were toys from the 1980s. One of them was a robot that looked like a truck, which, with some clever manipulation, could be transformed into a truck that looked like a robot.

Why will a movie based on a 25 year old toy make a lot of money?

Branding.

We remember Transformers the same way we all remember toys from our youth---with rose colored glasses. This movie has automatic name recognition with the Gen-X crowd. Many have children, who are the same age as they were when Transformers came out. They'll want to bring their kids and relive their own childhood.

Plus, Transformers have taken over our stores. You can't go into a supermarket, fast food chain, or watch TV without being assaulted by new Transformer toys and products.

It all fuels name recognition, which generates interest. Transformers will have a huge opening week.

But it will only be able to sustain ticket sales if the movie is good. If the movie is awful, ticket sales will plummet. Word-of-mouth has killed many big movies. I remember Battlefield Earth toys available at my local Toys R Us for fifty cents each. You can't market a turd.

Selling books (you knew we'd get around to that, right?) is also about name-recognition and branding. But word-of-mouth is essential too. A big marketing push by your publisher will fuel demand, but that demand will only be sustained if people like the book and tell other people about it.

Dirty Martini has been out officially for about a week, and began to trickle into stores two weeks ago.

From what I can interpret watching Amazon.com and calling Ingram, the book is doing better than the previous three.

Coop is part of that. Dirty Martini is on the new release table in the chains and major indies. It is in the public eye. Publicity plays a part. Dirty Martini is a Booksense Pick for August, which should help it sell in the indie stores. There have been some great reviews.

Name-recognition is also key. People who enjoyed my previous novels are buying this one. The time I've spent schmoozing booksellers and acquiring MySpace friends is helping my cause (I had three MySpace Friends show up to signings I had in Italy. MySpace works.)

I haven't begun promoting Dirty Martini yet. Very soon my newsletter will go out to 12k people, and I'll do a big Internet promotion. That should spike my numbers. Especially since I'll be "buying" advertising space with contests and freebies (you'll see what I mean when the newsletter is released.)

I'll also be doing some limited touring, which will help the cause.

But, ultimately, the fate of Dirty Martini, and of the series, comes down to word-of-mouth. If people like it, they'll tell others about it. Much of my promotion has been geared toward booksellers, because they are word-of-mouth megaphones. This time around, I'm going to see how many fans I can reach via the net to get them to spread the word.

Another thing about word-of-mouth; it builds. Now that I have four books out, I've found books are four times easier to sell. If I hook one new fan, they'll buy all four. As more books of mine are printed, they reach more people, which generates more word-of-mouth. As more books of mine are released, they take up more shelf space at libraries on at bookstores, leading to more people discovering them.

There's a snowball effect. Sales build on sales. James Rollins once told me that a hardcover is just an advertisement for the paperback. I believe a hardcover is an advertisement for the whole backlist.

But this cumulative effect only happens as long as books are still available. Which is why I spend so much time promoting, not just the new release, but the backlist as well.

The newsletter is coming soon. If you haven't signed up for it yet, visit www.jakonrath.com.

Have a Dirty Martini

Though the official release date for my new Jack Daniels novel, Dirty Martini, is July 3, you should be able to find it right now at bookstores everywhere.

Library Journal said: "Mix witty repartee with edge-of-your-seat suspense, over-the-top killing devices, and action that never takes a breather, and you have Konrath's latest white-knuckle thriller. Not to be missed."

Booklist said: "Like Jeffrey Deaver, Konrath ratchets up the suspense until readers don't dare stop flipping the pages. A solid success for those who like to mix comedy with grit."

Publishers Weekly said: "Dirty Martini is a particularly potent mix of equal parts mirth and mayhem with a dash of sex and a twist (or two) of plot. It should be taken straight, no chaser needed."

Kirkus said: "The prose ranges from careless to wretched, and the plot demands a breathalyzer."

Ah, Kirkus. If I hadn't burst out into laughter when I read that, I might have been irritated.

I sent out a MySpace bulletin a few days ago, and got over 200 positive responses, plus my Amazon numbers for each book in the series jumped in conjunction with the bulletin. For those authors interested in using MySpace as a promo tool (which should be all of you) here's my post:

---------------------------------

Hello (your name here)!

I'm your close, personal MySpace Friend, thriller author JA Konrath.

I hope everything is going well where you live in the world. How about those local sports in your area? I never would have predicted that win or loss.

I check your MySpace page several times a day. I know you're busy with all of those cool things on your Profile, like that awesome music you listen to, the cool TV shows and movies you watch, and those wonderful hobbies you have. I love those pics you may have posted. You're a truly awesome man or woman!

If you have some free time this week or next, I have a tiny favor to ask. My new Lt. Jack Daniels mystery novel, DIRTY MARTINI, is now available in bookstores everywhere.

Please buy a copy. :)

It's a fast, fun, beach read kind of book, about a homicide cop hunting for a lunatic who is poisoning Chicago's food supply. There's a lot of humor (you'll laugh) and some scary parts. Plus, plenty of action, suspense, and a little bit of sex as well.

If you like books by James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Tess Gerritsen, Christopher Moore, Patricia Cornwell, Dean Koontz, Dave Barry, Kay Hooper, Kathy Reichs, Sandra Brown, John Sandford, Carl Hiaasen, Ridley Pearson, Robert Crais, David Morrell, or Robert B. Parker, you'll really love this book.

If you like TV shows like CSI, Law and Order, The Closer, Bones, The Flintstones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Idol, Survivor, The Sopranos, Sex in the City, Deal or No Deal, or Oprah, you'll really love this book.

If you have a pulse and can read without moving your lips, you'll really love this book.

DIRTY MARTINI is a hardcover. For every book sold, I'll donate a portion of the funds to ending world hunger, by taking my family to a nice restaurant.

If you can't afford a hardcover, please pick up my new Jack Daniels paperback, RUSTY NAIL, available at bookstores everywhere. This one is even scarier that DIRTY MARTINI. If you liked Silence of the Lambs, or Blades of Glory, you'll love it.

Please buy a copy. :)

My books are also available on audio, so you can listen to them while travelling, or working out, or watching juggling videos on YouTube.

If you're so broke you can't even pay attention, you can get my books at the library. If your library doesn't carry them, demand that they do. Try yelling loudly and throwing things. That's how my son gets his way all the time. And he's 23.

Thanks so much for your time (Your Name Here)! I'm so happy we met on MySpace. You've enriched my life and made me a better person.

Please buy my books, or I'll start cutting myself.

Your Friend,

JA

----------------------------

I'm off to Italy for a week. My Italian publisher, Alacran Edizioni, is flying me out to do some signings for Whiskey Sour. I'm excited, and encourage the many Italian readers of this blog to seek me out while I'm there.

When I get back, I'm going to release my next newsletter, which will have info on past and upcoming contests, along with a touring schedule for Dirty Martini. I'm looking to visit the West Coast this time.

Until then, check out the latest Jack Daniels novel, and let me know if the prose really does range from careless to wretched. Better buy several copies and get your friends' opinions too.

Negotiating Contracts

Let's talk about negotiating contracts.

As authors, we're so damn needy we usually accept whatever we're offered. We're afraid that if we don't take the offer, we won't get published.

Publishers know this. And they use this to their advantage. It is in their best interest to offer low advances and try to acquire as many sub rights as possible.

One one hand, if your book does well, the advance doesn't matter much---royalties will kick in, and you'll get quarterly checks.

On the other hand, a healthy advance lets you spend more time and money self-promoting, which can only help your sells. A healthy advance also shows that your publisher is confident in your books, and will spend a sizable amount on marketing them.

A wonderful book was recommended to me, called The Secrets of Power Negotiating by Roger Dawson. It demystifies a lot about negotiation, and tells you how to respond when your publisher lowballs you, pulls offers off the table, and basically tries to show you that they don't need you.

Truth told, your publisher doesn't need you. But you don't really need them either.

When you're negotiating a contract, your agent should be doing most of the work. But there are some things you should know before you enter negotiations.

1. How much you want per book.
2. What rights you're offering.
3. What your previous sales figures are.
4. What your sell-through is, and how many printings you've had.
5. What will make you walk away from the negotiating table.
6. How you will react to every point and counterpoint your publisher brings up.

The last one is especially important. You should always have an answer for anything your publisher throws at you. This means brainstorming, practicing, and role-playing.

By role-playing, I mean talking out things with a trusted friend playing the part of your publisher, so you're prepared if these things come up in negotiations.

What are you going to say when your publisher tells you:

"Your first book(s) didn't do as well as expected."

"That's as high as we can go."

"If you don't accept now we're pulling this offer from the table."

"The market for your genre is collapsing."

"We're the best publisher for your book, and we love you here."

"We can't offer more money in the advance, but we can offer X in bonuses for copies shipped, hitting the NYT list, copies sold, etc."

Be prepared to counter these statements using a combination of facts and logic. Passion is fine when negotiating. Anger is not.

If you want to be in a position of power while negotiating, you need to:

1. Be in control of your emotions.
2. Be knowledgeable about your numbers.
3. Be confident, but not cocky.
4. Be polite, but firm.
5. Be prepared for every possible thing that may come up.
6. Be willing to walk away.

Your agent should already know all of this. But you should discuss this with her anyway.

It may seem obvious, but it's easier to sell a finished book than a proposal. Just because your contract is finished doesn't mean you need another one immediately. It is almost always better for you to finish your next book and shop it around rather than accept your current publisher's low offer on a proposal.

Negotiation is a dance. Try to lead, rather than follow. And if you don't like your dance partner, find another one.

Backlistics

I was reorganizing my library (late Spring cleaning) and a few hours into it I was hit by a terrifying revelation.

I have about 5000 books, paperback and hardcover. More than 4500 of these books are no longer in print.

These books are dead. Completely dead. And some of them are damn good reads.

If that wasn't scary enough, a lot of my favorite authors from years past are no longer being published.

Maybe some of them have passed on. But I suspect that there's also another, more sinister reason:

They simply can't sell their latest book.

When a book is published, the writer and the publisher have big hopes for it. They want it to sell well. They want it to make money. And they probably want it to keep making money for a long time.

But the majority of books published don't get a second printing. Like comets, they have their moment, then burn out.

This is bad for the writer for several reasons. First, because an out of print book isn't likely to see print again, which means no royalties. And second, because an out of print book often indicates a lack of sales, and these numbers are tracked by publishers who won't want to buy new books from this author. It's a downward spiral.

Having your backlist in print is hugely important. Not only do your sales accrue, but so does your fan base. The longer you're on the bookshelf, the likelier you are to be discovered, and the more books you'll sell in the future.

I've heard that publishers make most of their money on backlist titles. The huge bestsellers usually cost them huge advances, and those books can take years to earn out. But a steady backlist title can be a money machine, bringing in dollars year after year without any advances paid or marketing/advertising funds required.

So why isn't more attention paid to selling the backlist?

A few bestselling authors get dump boxes or cameos or endcap shelf space, dedicated to their backlist titles. In my opinion, this is the very best use of coop dollars. Even better than being on the New Release tables and towers. This does more than push the backlist and keep it in print. This is a message to potential readers which subconsciously says "This author is obviously worth reading because he has a big expensive display, and if I like him I'll be able to read more of his books because they're all right here."

If you're a series author, keeping the first few titles in print is critical. People want to start at the beginning.

But, unfortunately, it's unlikely your publisher will push your backlist titles. Those cardboard displays are expensive to produce, and bookstore real estate doesn't come cheap either. The irony is that the writers who get these displays are probably the ones who really don't need them, because they're already selling gazillions of copies.

Of course, it's not entirely your publisher's fault. Demand drives supply. If your books aren't selling, the bookstores won't order any more. Then they go out of print, and barring a miracle they'll stay out of print forever. Thus begins the downward spiral.

So what can you, the author, do to ensure your books stay in print?

More than you think.

Meeting Booksellers. A bookseller who likes you won't listen when the home office tells them to return a book. Instead, they'll handsell you. Last year, I met more than 1700 booksellers. I thank most of them by name in the acknowledgements of DIRTY MARTINI, coming out July 3. My new book also has back jacket blurbs by booksellers rather than the usual authors and reviewers.

Signing Books. It's a myth that signed books can't be returned. They get returned all the time. But they're less likely to get returned, and they're more likely to sell. Plus, a signed book often gets prime bookstore real estate without costing coop dollars.

Speaking in Public. Every chance you have to pimp your books should be taken. The more you stay in the public eye, the more books you'll sell. Speak at all of the libraries, conferences, conventions, and book festivals you can.

The Media. I'm not a fan of advertising. But getting a review, or doing an interview (for zines, newspapers, websites, blogs, radio, etc) is a free and easy way to get your name out there.

Writing. The very best way to stay in the writing spotlight is to keep writing. A book a year is essential. Two books a year is better. And don't forget short stories and articles--these not only pay you, but give you a much wider exposure than your books alone.

The Internet. Be active on your website, blog, MySpace, newsletter, newsgroups, message boards, listservs, and email correspondence. The more people you can reach, the better off you are.

Will this guarantee you never go out of print? No. There are no guarantees. But the fact remains: the more you do, the more books you'll sell.