What happened to the Featured New Book Spotlight?

Yes, I’m swamped and yes, things are getting shoved to the side while I work on this edit.

BUT I love seeing the Featured New Book Spotlight active and talking about books. Call it just another way I have of giving back to my fellow authors. Call it selfishness because my favorite thing is seeing what song everyone picks. My second favorite thing? Reading the book description.

As a group, we authors are the most creative people I’ve ever met. One of the best parts of being an editor is that I get to see authors who push themselves, who dedicate themselves to the craft of writing. Who go places I don’t have the guts to.

For you authors, remember: unless you want to reserve a specific date, the Featured New Book Spotlight is free! It’s ONE QUESTION — how can you not have time for one question?

Best of all, I’ve heard from a number of authors who say this one question has caused them to look at their book in a totally different light. They learn new things about themselves and about their baby.

Or maybe the best is when I hear from readers, who saw a book featured here and bought it — and instead of letting it languish on the Piles of Good Intentions many of us have (mine is an entire mountain range of TBR goodness), they read it immediately. Some even leave reviews.

Featured New Book Spotlight. It’s here. It’s free. It’s designed to showcase you, the author, not me.

Grab hold. It’s just a spotlight. It won’t hurt you.

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.