Weird Question Perhaps

[jpskewedthrone]

OK, I'm still working on the damage from the flood so I'll do an official update later. I'm up to about 300 paperbacks lost though. And I gave up on the CDs and DVDs. If it had just been water they might have made it, but the silt from the flood sticks to everything and DOESN'T COME OFF. Really. You scrub (this is on furniture, not the CDs) and scrub and scrub and it looks like it's off and then the water dries and you see . . . more silt.

I did actually get a call from the insurance company and I'm covered, so that's good.

The most heartbreaking loss for me: I had a first edition 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King, hardcover, with the typo on the coverflap, great condition. Totally gone. It was in the last container, so had been soaking in water for 4 or 5 days, however long it's been. Last time I checked, about 5 years ago maybe, it was worth $550 at auction. *sigh*

Anyway, the question, regarding how to possibly promote myself more:

How the hell do you get your book on the "Coming Soon" list at amazon? Skewed didn't show up there. I'd like to get Cracked on there. I'm thinking it's a publisher thing: they pay to get them up on there. Maybe not. If anyone out there knows . . .

Comments

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Word of mouth is everything. I'm still trying to figure out how to get it. I just keep going to cons, where the general response so far is "Who are you?" *sigh* I did have a friend who said that at my last con I walked by and someone near said, "Is that Joshua Palmatier?" in an excited voice. That made me feel good. Now if they'd only tell 100 other people and convince them to buy the book. *grin*

Good luck with book 2. And let me know if you find an answer to the amazon question . . . or how to get word of mouth!

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Books 2 is rattling along--I thought the first half was solid, but I discovered the prose is so awful half the hemisphere must be gasping from the gas emmissions.

Word of mouth isn't anything anyone can control, or at least by anyone like me--middle-aged, zero charisma, little poise, of no interest in the physical world. To deliberately generate word of mouth, I am convinced, one needs influence. The impetus for the word of mouth acceleration on my one success appears to have been an on-line book group of teens who apparently liked it, swooped in and made a zillion amazon reviews and links. (this was back when 10 was considered good, especially if they weren't obvious puffs from friends and relatives. They made about eighty within about five weeks.) That caught the notice of the editor, who arranged the paperback sale, and so it went. Had nothing whatever to do with me. I discovered it when the editor pointed it out; I'd been hiding from reviews because the very first one was a slamdunk.