Interesting interview with lots of good bits. Definitely worth a read.
Here are a few snippets…
It’s not the first novelists that are in jeopardy or the stars, but the repeat midlist – but then, it’s been that way for quite a while, hasn’t it? Every account can call up sales figures instantly now. First novelists have no black marks against them, no large returns or tiny sales, so anything is theoretically possible. But if an author has published four books to static or declining results, there’s no way to hide it, and it’s very hard to convince an account not to order accordingly.
This is one of those cold hard facts people never quite believe…well, believe it. :)
Here’s another one on promotion…
The book always comes first – always. If you don’t have a good book, published at the right time, then none of the rest of it matters. After that, websites are useful if they’re well done, give readers a reason to come back, and act as a vehicle for collecting names – there’s nothing like that email blast to fans shortly before publication to concentrate your sales early. Conferences and book festivals are fine as long as you’re having fun, building contacts, getting your name out there, and not spending so much time at them that you’re neglecting your first job (see above!). Blogs – I probably shouldn’t be saying this to you, JT, but sometimes I wonder if all the time and energy spent on writing a blog might not be better spent on…well, you know what I’m going to say.
Okay, go read the rest…
