Okay, so I’m two for two in terms of number of days I’ve posted an entry here. That certainly won’t continue for long as I am going to be away from computers for a spell this coming week.
I had an e-mail from Locus magazine this morning, requesting an updated photograph for their files. If you aren’t familiar with Locus, it is the trade magazine for science fiction and fantasy, a sort of SF Publishers Weekly. The do reviews, convention write-ups, book forecasts, etc. I’ve been reading Locus for about 20 years and was greatly thrilled when news of The Road to the Dark Tower made its pages earlier this year.
Now, apparently, they’re planning to do SOMETHING that might possibly require my photograph for the October issue. They didn’t tell me what it was, but I obliged them with the photo.
Generating publicity is half the battle, especially for new authors. How do people know to look for your book if they don’t know it exists? I probably haven’t done all that I should to spread the word, but I think I’ve done not too bad. I found out yesterday that a library in British Columbia ordered three copies, which pleased me immensely. The most recent Ingram’s catalog (they are the distributors who sell books to bookstores) had The Road to the Dark Tower as the lead-in book, which can’t hurt! I’m also volunteering my services as a Dark Tower expert to some national media that are doing things in conjunction with the release of Volume VII of the Dark Tower series later this month. Not sure how that is going to pay off yet, but it might be interesting.
I’m also preparing press releases to go out to the local media and to the media in places where I grew up or lived for a significant time. The old college newspaper, for example. Probably as useful as throwing cash into a wishing well, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. My wife tells me regularly that I lead a charmed life, so maybe something useful will come of it.
Did you all catch that wild man who interrupted the marathon during the Olympics? I didn’t pay much attention to the games, I’m afraid, but that was on a TV set when I was the YMCA on Sunday. The poor leader, he wouldn’t know what was happening to him.
Today’s writing: 1300 words of chapter 5 of a new novel. I’m waiting until after I get back from vacation to put a concerted effort into revisions on MISSING PERSONS.
See ya ’round the net…