Here is a fact: I fell off the couch laughing while writing PLUMB CRAZY. Now, I am living in the tension of "I hope my readers will too." I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas day. You know, will I really get the bean bag chair? This is a bigger story than you think. This is about the power of belief and my best marketing advice.
I remember the excitement of that Christmas morn, and the big let down when I ran to the Christmas tree. Santa Claus dropped unwrapped stuff under the tree. There was no Christmas bean bag chair, and I had been a good girl! Oh, dear God, my sister was right--there was no Santa Claus. I wailed into a couch cushion. Then my mom tapped my shoulder. She said we should check the attic because bean bag chairs were really big and didn't fit down cardboard chimneys. Dad pulled down the fold-down ladder, and I scampered up. I found my bean bag chair. I screamed, shoving my face into its buttery softness. Santa was real! All was right with world!
So here I sit, waiting for PLUMB CRAZY to make its way into the world. I am jittery and excited. All I have is belief right now. Will any of my readers fall of the couch like I did? Will they laugh so hard that their heads ache? Will they feel the "big hug" of knowing Elva Presley? Writing a book is a very exposing thing, a private and intimate process. The process of publishing a book is the exact opposite, revealed and public.The shift is nevre-wracking for writers.
And now, for the big moment, my best marketing advice. The best marketing thing you can do for your book is write your best possible book. Pour out your soul. Uncover your secrets. Say what only you can say. Write sticky thoughts that readers won't forget. Write something that connects with readers worldwide. Believe and believe. Send it out to readers and let them decide. Then start the next book.
Yes, I know you wanted it to be how to get your book on NPR or something, but I am a truthteller and "soul on page" is what you need. Please come back as I share more of the inside story of PLUMB CRAZY. I hope that you pour your belief into your books this week because I love to read a good book. Love! See you next week!
Here is a doodle: Sun!
Quote for your pocket from Mr. Neil Gaiman. Here is a link to the longer quote because it is a fun read.
I can believe things that are true and things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they're true or not. Neil Gaiman
4 comments:
So exciting, Molly! And great advice- readers can really tell the difference when a book has that 'spark' of the author's heart in there.
Hi Leandra, I know that I'm always looking for that spark in books.
OH, Molly, that is solid advice ...heart on the page! And June is almost here!!! I can't wait. I still remember those first three chapters you shared at critique when Plumb was a baby! A funny, giggly baby. She's all grown-up now ... and I have a feeling she'll keep me up well past my bedtime.
I hope Plumb Crazy keeps lots of folks up! Ah, June!
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