Books do tell our stories! Not only should we support the NEA and NEH, but we should support each other, as well! Let me do that by sharing promotion opportunities with you.

Featured New Book.

Lines of Distinction.

Two easy promotion methods that I offer here at West of Mars — why aren’t more of you using them?

If you have, or if they are too hard for you (really? All you graphic teaser people?), here’s another promotional opportunity for you. It’s over at Wise Words Book Blogger, where Louise Wise is looking for current affairs articles written by your protagonist.

Seriously.

And seriously fun, no? Especially if you have a protag who doesn’t share your worldview. Stretching yourself to understand how your character would view something happening in the news right now is a great way to get to know not only your character, but to gain a better look at the world, as well.

We’re always told to write what we know, but sometimes, the demands of fiction don’t allow us to do that. This is a great opportunity to learn new things, stretch your writerly wings, explore a bit — and get some eyeballs on your project(s), too.

Go for it. Tell Louise I sent you — and be sure to drop me the link when it runs!

What.
the.
heck.

The Featured New Book Spotlight is still empty?

One question.

Free.

Promote yourself.

What’s not to like?

Back before I got hurt, I was running the Featured New Book Spotlight pretty consistently. For years. YEARS.

And then I went and fell off my bike and spent the past year recovering and pretty much let anything but medical needs and paid editing gigs fall by the wayside. Makes sense, no?

But although there’s at least one more surgery ahead, it’s supposedly an easy, in-office zap with a laser. Minimal recovery time, and I say that as someone who had to fight with herself to honor the recovery time on the cataract surgery.

Which means it’s time to pick up the pieces that have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for me. And one of them is the Featured New Book Spotlight.

It’s easy. It’s simple!

If you think you have a book that my readers aren’t familiar with (and there’s a clue in there, if you’re quick enough to catch it), stop in. The directions are on their own page here, or I’ll list them right here, right now for you.

1. Answer this question: What song makes you think of your book?
(Remember: this is your chance to hook your potential reader, so you may want to explain.)

2. Provide the YouTube link to it, just in case I dig up the one you didn’t intend anyone to ever associate with your book.

3. Provide the book description.

4. Provide buy links.

5. Provide social media links that you’d like to share.

And that’s it! I run them in the order they show up in my inbox, unless you want a specific date. Then I charge a $5 fee, and let me tell you, when I’ve been busy, that fee is necessary. At my heyday of the Featured New Book Spotlight, I was scheduling pretty far out. You guys were clawing for dates.

Let’s get back to that. Because if you’re willing to be flexible, I’m willing to give you space here. For free. (Oh, and once your post is scheduled, it can’t be bumped, either.)

Drop me a line. Let’s feature you in the Spotlight.

It’s funny how publishing runs in cycles. It’s September and as I’ve said before, it’s the busy season on the editing side. And more keeps rolling in, too. I’m not complaining, except that another rush job has fallen on my head, I’ve pushed one client back two weeks already, and another’s fans are sending him evil e-mails, demanding the next in the series and I’m the one messing up the works. It’s crazy, it’s fun, it’s exhilarating — and it’s hard work.

All this editing, surprisingly, goes with a slowdown in the Featured New Book spotlight. Are you guys all in the editing cycle, too? No one has a release they’d like to promote? REALLY?

(And here’s a hint: hit your editing cycle earlier in the year and release your books in September! Seems like a good month without a lot of competition and you’ll still have something new out in time for the Christmas rush. Yes, if Costco and Target can think about Christmas in September, so can you.)

Tell your friends. As always, spread the word. The Featured New Book Spotlight here at West of Mars is ONE question. How can you not want that sort of easy promotion? And it’s not the same old, same old question, either. It’s new! It’s fresh!

Okay, it’s a bit tough. But isn’t tough better than describing your work space, your daily routine, or your writing process one more time?

Here’s the details.

Use them yourself, tell a friend who’s got a book out. It doesn’t matter to me; this is about you guys. About getting the word out for your books. For this one, I’m just the host.