copyright 2013, Scott Eder
With Knight of Flame coming out on October 15th,
I turned the crank on my great wheel of marketing to the notch labeled—Local Independent
Book Stores (LIBS). While a tremendous amount of work can be done online, there is no substitute for, or a peripheral
device yet invented that replaces, a firm handshake, and that personal touch.
Building relationships
is still important, still relevant, and a great way to garner support at your
local independent book seller. It's not a one visit, wham, bam, buy my book,
kind of deal. It can be, if your end goal is to see your book on their shelves;
but, if you actually want the store personnel to keep you in mind and recommend
your books to their customers, it takes a little more time and attention. I
learned a lot during my first visit, and would like to share it with you.
The LIBS I targeted is touted
as one of the biggest new and used book stores in Florida. They host quite a
few author events, as evidenced by the huge array of signed book cover posters
along the walls. These guys have been around a long, long time, founded in 1933
to be exact. I haven't been in a store like that in years. The arid smell—of
old paper, dust, adventure, and wisdom—filled the place. I loved it.
Now, I've been in tons
of bookstores before, but as a reader. This was my first sojourn with more on
my mind than picking up the latest release from Brooks, Farland, Anderson,
Owen, or several of my other favorites. So, my expectations were low. I wanted
to go in, look around, introduce myself, ask how they made stocking decisions,
buy a book (I didn't want to take up their time without giving something in
return), and call it a successful recon mission with a plan to come back in a
few weeks.
It didn't quite work
out that way.
I struck up a
conversation with one of the guys behind the desk. It only lasted a few
minutes, but I got the chance to introduce myself, handed him my business card,
and mentioned that I had a book coming out soon. He gave me the owner's card in
return and suggested I give him a call. Done. Nothing major, but I was nice,
made the initial contact, and gained the information I needed. Mission accomplished.
Free to peruse the
shelves, I found the Fantasy section. Being an avid Fantasy guy, most of the
other shelves, and there were shelves everywhere,
appear grayed out to me anyway. While perusing the new releases, the gentleman
I had spoken to, Roger (name changed to protect the innocent), walked over and
picked up the conversation where we left off. We talked about some of the
different authors, and then changed topics to cover art.
Roger appeared to be roughly
my age, give or take, and he'd worked in the store since he was three, THREE,
said he started in the comic book room. Based on his confident demeanor, and
the comfortable, familiar way he talked about the authors that had held
signings over the years, I got the impression he'd seen just about every book
that had come out in the last thirty years worth seeing.
We discussed some of
the old Frank Frazetta and Boris Valejo covers from the '80s, among other
things. Then, in the midst of Roger bemoaning the trend of some Sci-Fi covers
being too abstract, I offered to show him my cover art. I mean, what could it
hurt? We were in the midst of the cover conversation and he seemed to know a
lot about the topic. He said, "Uh, sure." Not overly enthused, but
willing to take a peek. (He mentioned earlier that the owner of the store gets
at least twenty calls a day from authors asking for him to stock their books. I
bet he sees all kinds of covers, all the time. By his demeanor I assume that
most aren't all that spectacular.)
So, I pulled my cover
up on my cell phone. Did I mention that I love technology?
Roger's eyes widened.
His stance changed. He stared at the cover. "That's a really good
cover." His voice sounded deeper, different than it was before the reveal.
"You know, every book is judged by its cover. I don't care what anyone
says. And yours is really good."
His demeanor changed. I
felt he took me more seriously. That great conversation we were having before
just took on a new level of subtext.
Still on the topic of
cover art, he pulled me to another section in the store, explaining how one
particular cover sold well. It was a serious military series with a rifle on
the cover. Nothing else. It left no question as to what the story was about. He
related that the publisher was concerned that the cover was too serious, and
rebuffed some readers who were looking for an element of romance. But there was
decidedly no romance in the series. At all. None. Still, they changed that
cover, depicting an abstract human torso dressed in a nebulous uniform. It gave
no clues as to what the story was about, and the artwork sucked (his words).
Sales for that entire series tanked. Roger said that he practically had to
force people to check it out. Once they did, though, the story sold the rest of
the series.
Since our relationship
had evolved, and we were talking about a series of cover, I boldly took another
step forward. I explained the plan for the changing covers in my four-book
series. There are three consistent POV characters throughout my series to
ground the reader. In each book, there is an additional POV character,
typically one of the other members of the Knights Elementalis. I explained that
each cover would showcase the face of that new POV character in the same style
as my Knight of Flame cover. The next
book features the Knight of Air.
Again, he paused for a
moment, taking in the new information. Eyes wide, assessing, mulling over the
possibilities, he said, "That sounds really cool. That could work well.
Very distinctive."
I
got the same impression as before, could even see it on his face.
We talked about a few
other things, moseying about the store. He kept track of the work going on
around him, making sure the guys behind the counter could handle the steady
flow of customers. When we got to the subject of local writers using
recognizable settings in their work, I couldn't resist. I mean, he lobbed a big
juicy pitch over the center of the plate, I had to swing for the fence.
"Hmm," I
said. "Knight of Flame takes
place here in the Tampa/St. Pete area. There's an epic battle atop the Sunshine
Skyway Bridge, and major events take place on the top floor of the Regions Bank
building in downtown Tampa. I've got a strong mix of real and fantasy settings
in the story."
He
waited for me to continue.
"While the first
book in the series is primarily local, the next book expands to the west coast,
Canada, and Europe as the influence of the Gray Lord is felt on a more global
scale. It escalates further from there until things wrap up in book four. My
plan was to build a large story that would draw in readers all over the
world."
He
smiled and nodded as I spoke. "Sounds really good." That's when he
told me the process to win over LIBS. I'll paraphrase.
1.
When you go into an independent book store,
don't talk about the big retailers like Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. It really
doesn't matter to them how much you've sold through the other guys. Focus on
the store at hand.
2.
Be nice. Roger called out a number of the
authors on the wall, all exceedingly nice people. He mentioned a few others, no
posters marking their presence, giving examples of how not to behave.
That's
it. The key is to be nice. Got it. Roger that, er…uhm, Roger.
Business
picked up in the store, so he excused himself. Not to belabor the issues, or to
push my luck, I paid for my selections and left, exhilarated.
I've
had a few days to mull this phenomenal adventure over, and I think there are
more steps for a successful visit than Roger let on. I lucked out to some
degree. I always try to be nice on general principal, and I have no past
history with the big book dogs, so there was no way for me to cross the line
there. Here's the process I came up with:
1.
Be Professional
a.
Plan the trip – Don't go in on a whim. Set the
date and treat it like a business meeting.
b.
Look decent – Look the part. Be the protagonist
in your own author success story.
c.
Leave a business card - A good looking,
professional business card will enhance their perception of you, and leave a
souvenir of your visit.
2.
Be Nice
a.
Courteous
b.
Respectful
c.
Watch language – treat the encounter like it's a
professional business meeting.
d.
Get to the point – don't waste their time.
3.
Be Prepared – if you follow the first two
points, especially number two, be prepared to take it to the next level. Create
the opportunity to sell yourself and your work.
a.
Cover art – my awesome cover art was done by
Brad Fraunfelter – www.bradfraunfelterillustration.com
b.
Back cover copy
c.
Story pitch – you're not selling to an agent or
editor, but you are trying to interest someone in your work.
d.
Anything else you might be able to use to tell
your story
4.
If you have the means, buy a book – the LIBS
guys and gals need to eat too, and your to-be-read pile can never be too large.
That's it. Simple,
right? Now, go out and win over your LIBS.
***
Since he was a kid,
Scott Eder wanted to be an author. Through the years, fantastic tales of
nobility and strife, honor and chaos dominated his thoughts. After twenty years
mired in the corporate machine, he broke free to bring those stories to life.
Scott lives with his wife and two children on the west coast of Florida.
Scott lives with his wife and two children on the west coast of Florida.
Knight of
Flame Blurb
Fire. The most chaotic of the primal elements. When wielded
properly by the Knight of Flame, it burns like the sun. Otherwise, it slowly
consumes the Knight, burning away his control, driving him towards dark deeds.
Stationed in Tampa, FL, Develore Quinteele, sixth Knight of Flame, waits impatiently for the predicted emergence of the last Gray Lord, his Order's ancient enemy. Hampered by a centuries-old tragedy, Dev knows of only one way to control his elemental power—rage. It broils just below his surface, waiting for the slightest provocation to set it alight.
After a brutal attack by the Gray Lord's minions for which Dev is blamed, he's stripped of his freedom until he learns to control his violent impulses. With the help of his fellow Knights, can he balance his rage and unlock his true elemental potential to prevent Tampa's devastation?
Stationed in Tampa, FL, Develore Quinteele, sixth Knight of Flame, waits impatiently for the predicted emergence of the last Gray Lord, his Order's ancient enemy. Hampered by a centuries-old tragedy, Dev knows of only one way to control his elemental power—rage. It broils just below his surface, waiting for the slightest provocation to set it alight.
After a brutal attack by the Gray Lord's minions for which Dev is blamed, he's stripped of his freedom until he learns to control his violent impulses. With the help of his fellow Knights, can he balance his rage and unlock his true elemental potential to prevent Tampa's devastation?
Contact Info
Email – scotteder@verizon.net
Website – www.scotteder.net
Blog - madmuncleforge.blogspot.com/
Facebook - www.facebook.com/knightselementalis
Twitter - @scotteder
***
Summer Sequel
