CREATING WORLDS

While I'm waiting for a thunderstorm to move past so I can go back to revising on my PC (since I thoughtlessly forgot to download the current version to my laptop) I'll muse on Jan's question about "creating worlds."

This was in reference to marketing ourselves, not necessarily the worlds we create as I've done with the Mystic Isle series. The marketing expert said to develop an author's name, they need to invite the reader into the worlds the author has created, presumably on their website and Myspace page and blog and so forth.

I don't visit many websites, but I understand authors like Sherrilyn Kenyon and Yasmine Galenorn have set up their various internet interfaces in a manner that directly reflects the kind of books they write. They have music and videos and maybe vampire or witch recipes, for all I know, to broaden the world of their books. I assume Debbie Macomber has hints on knitting and maybe photos of the village she writes about.

And of course, to do this, the author has to stick to writing those kind of books. Commitment to consistency is more of his advice. I have a real problem with this. I LIKE writing both contemporaries and historicals, and I love adding paranormal elements when I can. So I guess my "signature" as an author is rural worlds and slightly offbeat characters. Heck if I know how to duplicate that on my website. Pictures of space aliens? The best I can do is my "voice" on my blogs and a wholesome background that indicates I don't write erotica. Guess middle of the road is hard to sell! Anyone else have any suggestions?

Novelists Inc 2008

I’m just back from New York where I attended the Ninc 2008 conference. For those of you unfamiliar with the organization, it’s a group for multi-published fiction authors. You have to have two novels published before you can join. We meet once a year with other publishing professionals to discuss the state of the industry, the market, and each other.

In other words, we have a lot of fun while actually doing business.

This year, we had Jennifer Crusie and Jen Enderlin telling us about taking risks—which means if you enjoy being bankrupt or eating beans, then you really really ought to take risks with your writing. They said it more creatively and with a more positive spin! Risk in anything—from writing to construction—means you’ll suffer boom and bust times. But if you can hit that boom, it’s likely to be much larger than clinging to the middle of the road.

We had editor and agent round tables, sort of like speed dating, where a group gathered around a table for twenty minutes to discuss anything of interest, then moved on to the next table. I heard both Kate Duffy at Kensington and Betsy Mitchell from Del Rey say they’re interested in lighter paranormals—something different than what they’re seeing. Which means you really have to stretch and take risks—there’s that word again—if you want to catch an editor’s attention.

I didn’t catch all the sessions, but I did hear people talking later about editors still wanting historicals, wanting different time periods, and still talking about wanting western historicals—if they’re different. We’re all creative people, how many ways can we be different but stay the same? It’s a mystery.

And just for the record, a twenty-year veteran of Avon marketing said media ads and publicists are useless for developing an audience for fiction writers. Instead of “branding,” he said we need to get our “signatures” on-line, that readers want more of the world we create in our books. I’ll have to look into creating virtual super-heroes for my web page, I guess. Anyone seen any lightning-wielding hunks hanging around with nothing better to do than adorn my page? I’m open for suggestion!