Speculative Erotica Markets -- Philcon 2010

Almost every year at Philcon, I moderate the panel on selling fantastic (science fiction and fantasy) erotica. It was interesting this year to note how the panel topics have shifted over time: print to electronic to self-electronic.

For several years, after I first began to publish erotica, just before the beginning of the twenty-first century, at science fiction conventions I would give talks or host discussion groups on selling science fiction/fantasy erotica. I would focus on short stories, in particular selling sf/f erotica to mainstream erotica markets, also discussing sex in science fiction/fantasy in general. Once I'd sold novels, I added in chat about print publication, and my experiences writing erotica for Harlequin.

For the last few years, another local author, Stephanie Burke, has also participated in the Philcon panels; she focuses on electronic publishing, mostly in erotic romance, and talks about how she broke into and continues to sell to those markets.

This year, for the first time I found myself discussing self-publishing at the panel, as well. It seems to be the year of it. I read an interesting article in the Novelists, Inc. newsletter about how cover quality can influence sales of Kindle/Smashwords/etc. books; if you've received back the rights to a novel from your print publisher, usually you will need to do a new cover. Some writers have seen significant sales increases simply from getting a new, better cover that looks good as a thumbnail. One of this year's panelists was L.W. Perkins, a cover artist for numerous small presses and for electronic press Liquid Silver (please note her site is undergoing renovation at the moment; I gave the link for future reference).

I've been following reports from fellow writers who've experimented with electronically publishing novels or short stories they were unable to sell elsewhere, or that were out of print; sometimes they have significant sales. I've been following discussions of using free Kindle downloads to encourage sales of an author's backlist.

Last year, I didn't have any of that information. This year, discussion of these possibilities is becoming more and more mainstream.

Rachel Kramer Bussel interview

Please welcome my guest, Rachel Kramer Bussel! Rachel and I met almost a decade back, when we were both reading our stories from Best Lesbian Erotica at Bluestockings in New York City. She graciously consented to answer some questions I had about the process of editing and her latest anthology, Passion: Erotic Romance for Women.

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How do you choose a focus for an anthology? How did you choose the focus of Passion?

I try to look at what readers might want to read, what I’m interested in, and what would be fun to work on. I like having a theme but it’s tricky because you don’t want the stories to be too similar to each other, so a theme like passion and erotic romance is wide enough that there’s room for plenty of variety.

I’ve done a lot of kinky anthologies and wanted to try something a little sweeter and more romantic, though there is definitely kink in it. I was surprised to find that it was a challenge to write my own story, “Five Senses,” but it also brought me to a range of new authors who work in the erotic romance field, something I’m looking forward to continuing with 2011’s Obsessed anthology, and another erotic romance book to follow.

How does your original idea for an anthology translate into the call for submissions, and into the stories you eventually choose?

Sometimes it’s a more exact match than others, and that process has gotten refined over time. I put out very detailed calls in terms of what they should look like but regarding content try to leave plenty of room to allow authors to come up with whatever strikes their fancy.

To me the beauty of editing an anthology is that so much of it is based on the writers’ creativity; they always come up with a cool take on my original idea that I never could have foreseen. One great example of that in Passion is Jacqueline Applebee’s story “My Dark Knight.” I know nothing about Renaissance Fair type of play but I didn’t need to to appreciate her story, which also touches on the uncertainty of new relationships, especially where you really like someone and aren’t sure exactly how they feel about you. I look for stories that have a real-life nuance to them, where even if the plot is outlandish, there’s relatable emotion between the characters.

What's the hardest part of choosing stories? The most fun?

The hardest part is rejecting stories. I hate that, and sometimes it makes me want to quit editing anthologies because it’s not fun at all, but I also know I’ll always be working on new anthologies so I can pass along those calls for submissions.

The most fun part is finding a story that just nails the theme perfectly and is so wonderful I want to read it to everyone I know. Those are the gems and make the very time-consuming process of reading submissions a joy.

How do you choose the order in which stories appear? What input does the publisher have into the final product?

I tend to select the first and last stories as ones that will, respectively, suck the reader in and leave the reader satisfied but maybe wanting a little more, and beyond that, I don’t have a highly scientific ordering process. I add stories as I go over a few months of editing, and at the end may move them around. I like to build up to the more intense stories, but a lot of it, for me, is actually pretty random.

Cleis Press rarely alters the order of the stories, though they do have final approval of manuscripts and sometimes stories get cut for space or if they aren’t quite a fit with the book. I appreciate this attention to detail and think it makes the books truly beautiful, inside and out. They find outstanding cover photographs and work hard to create quality, memorable books.

What was the first anthology you edited? How did that come about?

I co-edited the anthology Up All Night: True Lesbian Sex Stories, and was brought on board by co-editor Stacy Bias. She asked me to help and that book includes stories by Tristan Taormino and L. Elise Bland. That came out in 2004 and then soon after I started editing anthologies on my own, like Glamour Girls: Femme/Femme Erotica and Naughty Spanking Stories from A to Z.

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Thanks, Rachel! I'm looking forward to the anthology!

Living in the Future

I have purchased a Kindle! My first surprise, when I announced my purchase of an e-reader on Twitter, was how many people immediately demanded details. So I guess others have been pondering which e-reader, if any at all, just as much as I have.

My decision was based on a whole string of factors including reviews, personal discussions, and, umm, me having a gift certificate.

Before the actual device arrived, I was tickled to learn I could add content while it was in transit. So I bought a few books I'd wishlisted, samples of others, and then started looking at what was available for free download.

Wow.

I don't know yet how good the formatting is on all of those free books, but I was very pleased to find that a number of classics on my personal TBR were available for free, and I won't have to check out large musty tomes from the library. We'll see if that makes me go through my "classics" TBR faster, or not. At least I'm one step closer to finally reading some Wilkie Collins (The Moonstone
and The Woman in White), and Mary Shelley's The Last Man, among others.

I will defintiely share more of my experiences with the Kindle once I actually have it in hand. ETA: It arrived late yesterday.

E-Galleys - Lost Sales, Gained Publicity

I've had people ask me why I think it's good to give out free books instead of selling them. Having been a reviewer, I know that regardless of my opinion on the matter, publishers want reviews and will send all kinds of things to reviewers in hope, even if the reviewer hasn't published a review in years. (Having served on an award jury, I also know that publicists will send books on the mere off-chance that they might be suitable for consideration, even if they only squeak into the award category by a whisker.)

Also, galleys are intended to reach reviewers before the book's release date. Sales during a book's first month on shelves are extremely important. (I'm considering them separately from bookstore orders, which happen far in advance.) Better to have the online buzz start early and continue throughout that month. If the reviewer has to wait for release day, she doesn't have as much time to read and review.

I don't know if free books lead to lost sales. But consider: what if those reviewers, in other circumstances, had never heard of the book at all? Better a slim chance of a review, reaching potentially thousands, than leaving it to fate.

Since I don't know how much longer galleys will be available, this post is also to serve as a reminder that The Duke and the Pirate Queen is now on NetGalley if you're a reviewer who's registered with the site. The catalog of Harlequin galleys. You don't have to review for magazines or a blog to register; you're eligible if you only plan to review books on GoodReads, Amazon.com, etc..

If you're curious about the service, here's the FAQ. To me, it seems like a good idea just from the standpoint of being Green. Publishers who are making their galleys available in electronic form are not printing galleys, many of which would end up being discarded. And, hopefully, they can reach reviewers who prefer electronic reading, or who might not have been receiving review copies previously.

Here are some excerpts from the book:

Excerpt from the opening chapter.

Second excerpt.

Third excerpt.

Fourth excerpt.

Amazon link for pre-ordering print copies.

Talent versus Marketability

All of us are good at something. Sometimes the hard part is recognizing what we’re good at, and not only what we’re good at, but what we’re really good at.

You can be good at a lot of things, but only one or two of those things sing.

For a writer, fiction that sings is the fiction that engages and involves people on a deeper level than most of their everyday reading. Naturally, that varies person to person. But there is still an indefinable something that some writers seem to have and some don’t.

Even if you have that something, it isn’t necessarily present in everything you write. Think of a favorite author who has more than one series, one of which is on your ultimate keeper shelf and another which you traded away on BookMooch. What did the keeper have that the transitory read did not?

The reader who can figure that out can save herself a lot of money and time on books she won’t adore. The writer who can figure that out might be on the path to selling a lot more books.

I think a way to go about finding what sings for you is to think about market categories. This serves two purposes. First, it helps you narrow down story elements and plot structures that particularly work for you. Second, it helps you think about how salable what you’re good at might be. I don’t think there’s any shame in trying to make your work marketable. After all, after you’ve written it, don’t you want a lot of people to read it? Not to mention money (but if writers only wrote for money, there would be a lot fewer of them!).

What reader reaction did you get from your contemporary romance versus your historical suspense novel? Did readers fall in love with your spaceship captain heroine but feel nothing for the vampire? And what did you love most? Did that translate into your writing? What lives in your writing, and what is limp and dead?

I’m going to keep thinking about this. I’d welcome input!

Author Headshots

Behold! I have headshots! Well, really, head-and-torso-shots.

Tell me in comments which one you like best, and why. Thanks!






All photos by Kyle Cassidy.

Author Photo Shoot

Since I'm getting my website redone, I knew I had to have an author photo. I've been resisting this for a really long time, since I have chubby chipmunk cheeks and dimples and would much prefer to be dramatic, angular, and perhaps tubercularly pale in the fashion of a Romantic. Also, I tend to have frozen grins.

However, needs must, and I did know a photographer in Philadelphia where I live. Kyle Cassidy has a wide range of work.

We arranged to do the shoot on Friday night. I wanted an outdoor, urban setting because that's where I live and it would feel weird to do something sylvan. The night part was bonus coolness; we did evening because I had to work during the day, and cloud cover on Friday was such that shooting before dark wouldn't have been any advantage.

Kyle brought his assistant, Addie, who helped with the lighting and also providing me with some entertainment. We started off at a street corner near my apartment. I leaned on a stone staircase rail and tried to look authorly. Kyle told me the best pictures of people were when they weren't aware of being photographed, so I had to try and forget he was rapidly snapping pictures while I stared directly into the lens' red eye. Occasionally he would fire off a "look at me" or a "look into the distance" or "now I'm waiting for that car to go out of shot."

It helped a lot to know and trust the photographer, but I still felt a bit awkward at times. I didn't know what to do with my hands, and I didn't want the cheesy glamour-shot chin on fist even though I sometimes do that naturally. Addie noticed the large ring I was wearing and we tried to get that into a few shots. We tried different facial expressions: "laugh!" "you know a secret!" "Think of kittens...you hate kittens?"

Kyle showed me several of the shots, but eventually I had seen enough; if I kept looking, I was afraid I would freeze up.

Then we trekked to a nearby alley. I was getting cold by this point so switched from my jacket to my wool coat. Per instructions, I'd brought two jackets and a couple of scarves to vary the look. Also my hat, since I planned to be walking home late in the cold. For the alley shots, I wore my coat and the second scarf. I was able to shove my hands into my coat pockets (mainly because I was cold) but I think that helped me feel more relaxed. You can't see my hands in the photos, but I'm wearing red gloves, nice and warm. I became a bit mesmerized by the camera lens as the camera went click click click.

We probably had enough shots by then, but on our way to our final destination, The Pen and Pencil Club, I spotted a neat bit of ironwork and we paused there for a few more shots. This time I was wearing my hat, which makes me look like a cheery Dutch newsboy, and I didn't mind; clearly, I was getting used to the process. And having seen some of the results, I'm pretty pleased.

If you're wondering where the pictures are, I'll to post some tomorrow, so you can vote for your favorite.

Picking Goals When the Trees Are Autumnal

The time always comes when I have to make new writing goals, but I never like it. Right now, since I'm not under contract, I am at looser ends than usual.

My "business" goals are pretty well laid out for right now. I'm getting my author photo done, and my website re-design is in progress, and I've already set up a dozen or so guest blogs in conjunction with the release of my next novel, The Duke and the Pirate Queen.

It's the writing goals I'm pondering. What to write next? What do I want to write? What do I feel enthusiastic about writing? What's marketable?

I can't seem to make any decisions. Not firm ones. I wrote a couple of synopses, and they felt flat; the process was like digging through mud with a teaspoon. I suspect I'm a bit burned out, after spending the last four years writing novels while holding down a full-time dayjob.

Along with drafting synopses, I've been reading research materials and looking at unfinished projects. I've been reading, because reading is one of my essential methods for filling up my brain with materials that will eventually compost into fiction. I've been reading a book on woolly mammoths (Mammoths: Giants of the Ice Age) and enjoying it hugely (pun intended).

For the next few weeks, I think my goal is to read more and think about writing less.

Maybe something will shake loose.

Related Posts:
Resting, Or Not-Writing.

Shopping and Recharging.

Website Makeover

My website's makeover is in progress. The hard part, for me, was telling the designer what I want. I'm not that great with visual stuff and when I organize things, they tend to spiral on and on and on rather being laid out in tidy grids. Luckily for me, the designer had a questionnaire for me to fill out.

It's much easier for me to formulate my website ideas around what I like and dislike rather than just imagining what I want it to look like. I now know a lot about what I don't like.

Things I like: organization, organization, and organization. Open space, so it doesn't feel cluttered. Black print on white background.

Things I dislike: blinky lights; animation; splash pages; image maps; blinky animated splash pages that lead to image maps. Sea green backgrounds. Also, I am not fond of taglines for authors, but I understand why some people have them.

What about you? What do you absolutely detest on author websites?

My Smashwords Experiment

Recently, I decided to experiment with Smashwords and Kindle publishing. So far, I much prefer the interface and FAQs on Smashwords, though I've been told most people sell more copies through Kindle.

For my experimental book, I compiled all of my lesbian erotica that was also speculative fiction (some science fiction, some fantasy). All of these stories were originally in print.

Here's the result, Erotic Exploits. You can download a free sample that's 25% of the total, which means at least the whole first story.

Table of Contents:

"Free Falling"
"Camera"
"Wire"
"Toy"
"The Princess on the Rock"
"Place, Park, Scene, Dark"
"Mo'o and the Woman" (also available for free online, elsewhere)

If you buy or download, please let me know how the formatting came through on your device.

Dealing with Rejection

I am sure there must be at least a few writers who've never been rejected, but I'm equally sure they're the exceptions that prove the rule. It's part of being a writer. If you don't submit your work, it can't be rejected; but if you don't submit your work, it can't be accepted, either. It's important to remember that even when you're feeling especially crushed.

Every submission is a risk, even if it seems that your story is absolutely perfect for the editor you've chosen. Even if that editor likes your story and wants to buy it, they might have to reject you anyway, because they've already spent all their money, or they've already filled the anthology, or someone higher up at the publisher hates your prose style. Even if your story or novel is accepted, all sorts of things out of your control can happen and the story will never see print.

I think the best way to deal with rejection, after the screaming and crying, is to keep those things in mind. And then to go do something else. Preferably send out your submission again; but you're allowed to spend a week watching The Muppet Show in your pajamas, first.

And always keep new projects in the works, ready to get you excited about writing again.

The Best Part of Marketing

I'm not as dedicated to marketing my books as many advisors recommend, but I invest some effort because I can't resist the idea that I can find more readers. In particular, I hope to find readers who have never heard of me and who wouldn't necessarily search for a Harlequin Spice novel; readers who might not even know the Spice line exists. Specifically, I felt I had to market because I thought my books might appeal to a segment of speculative fiction readers, who wouldn't necessarily encounter Harlequin's marketing.

There is one thing I really like about marketing. It's when, unexpectedly, my little rubber balls thrown out into the aether bounce back. The best part is when I actually hear from someone, and they tell me they're interested in my novels because they saw one of my blog posts or follow me on Twitter or picked up one of the postcards or bookmarks I left in the Goody Room at RWA. It's empowering to realize something I've done has made a difference.

For instance, I recently received a message from someone who friended me on Facebook, based on one of those postcards. I met several people at the RWA Conference who knew me from Twitter.

When I hear back from someone, and they sound interested, I don't feel so much like I've been pelting the universe with me, me, me. Marketing feels more like a conversation to me, then. It feels less obtrusive. This realization helped me to make up my mind about revamping my website (I'm in the process of getting a quote on that, with the aim of having it fixed up in November sometime).

And I feel like I've accomplished something real.

Alas, No Steampunk.

I'm sorry to announce that the steampunk Western novel for Spice has been cancelled.

I'm not sure if I will continue to work on that project for another possible publisher, or work on something else entirely, since I have a number of different projects clamoring for my attention.

I'll post when I've decided.

Selling the Unusual Setting

This post was originally written for The Naughty Girls Next Door. Since then, I learned from author Michelle Styles in a comment to that post that Harlequin Mills & Boon has been seeking out unusual historicals, publishing one a month - so there's a market right there! You can check out her comment in more detail here.

Here's the original post:

And now for something completely different.

A different time period, I mean. Since I've been following author blogs and forums related to the romance genre, again and again I've encountered the notion that unusual historical settings are a hard sell. There's less talk about erotica; it's a smaller part of the market and doesn't always overlap; it's its own niche, and I think sometimes there's more freedom of setting in erotica than in romance.

My post today is not to be taken as the be-all and end-all on this issue. Mostly, I'm just thinking through strategies that might work. Keep in mind that my World War One novel, The Moonlight Mistress, is erotica, which as I mentioned might be an easier market for unusual settings. I have not yet sold a romance novel, so anything I say about the romance market is gleaned from observation and conversation.

Here are my thoughts on unusual settings in Romance. In romance, historical usually means Regency (often extended beyond the actual Regency period), Victorian, pre-Regency Georgian, a few French Revolution novels, and...not a lot else. There's a sprinkling of European medievals, usually set in England, and a few Westerns (America, usually post-Civil War), and a few others. I'm sure I'm missing some, and of course the periods and locations of the few books not set in eighteenth through nineteenth century England will vary according to market pressures and other things which I am not going to go into, since that isn't really the topic of this post.

My topic (finally she gets to it!) is how to make the most of the "unusual" period you've chosen. Bear in mind that none of my suggestions are guaranteed to work. If they were, I'd be selling them on television. My suggestions are just intended to help you to think about ways of selling your novel in a more holistic way than simply throwing it against the wall of Regencies over and over again.

If you're starting from scratch, I think the first step is to write the book. No, really. You're much better off trying to pitch something that's a little different if you already have it in hand. The editor can then see what the whole novel is like, and you can impress them with how cool it is and how relevant to today's world.

A simultaneous step is to know the market. Even if there's nothing else exactly like your novel out there, still be prepared to give examples of already-published similar works, not just books but movies or television series or comics, to give an idea of your novel's potential market viability. "Similar" might mean similar themes, a similar basic plot, or a similar sub-genre. For instance, you could compare your romantic suspense novel set during the Russian Revolution to one set during the French Revolution that features similar situations. Or compare your novel to a series of historical mysteries set during the Russian Revolution or some other revolution. Or even to a novel with similar themes set during the breakup of the Soviet Union. Knowing that there are similiarities will not only help you pitch the novel, if needed, but also will give you ideas as to how you might shape it to make it more marketable. (Yes, I said write to market! Those aren't naughty words!)

Third, you can set up a niche market for yourself. Perhaps you could write some short stories set in the time period and location of your choice. After you've sold a few of those, you can use them to demonstrate the possible viability of a longer project. At the least, you've made a little money from the short stories!

I'd welcome further ideas on this topic, so feel free to comment or tell me that my ideas would never work.

My New Steampunk Project

It's been an eventful couple of weeks for me.

For the last few months I've been working on a sequel to my World War One werewolf novel, but my next published novel for Spice will be a different project instead: a steampunk Western. The tentative release date is spring/summer 2012.

I don't have a title yet, but I do have characters! The men include a Native American scientist who's also a bit of a diplomat/spy; a down-on-his-luck younger son of a British aristocrat, who was thrown out of Cambridge for his scientific experiments; and a charming gambler/con man who happens to be an extraordinary mechanic. The women are an airship pilot who bears a bit of resemblance to Han Solo in personality, and an east coast bluestocking engineer who's fleeing marriage.

I've already begun collecting research materials. This won't be a historical; rather, it's an alternate universe with a few ties to "real" history and a whole variety of extrapolations. I'm really excited to work out the details!

Writing for Women, Writing for Men

I read about a workshop at the RWA Conference whose topic, I think, was writing for women versus writing for men. I didn't attend, so the actual title didn't stick in my mind. However, it sparked thoughts, and I of course had to pour those thoughts into a blog post. With a hot picture of Josephine Baker wearing a top hat.

I write for women. At least I think I do. The line that publishes my novels, Harlequin Spice, is aimed at a female audience, so by default that says I write for women, right? I'm not sure what that means, exactly, beyond "books most women will like," which to me also suggests "books some men will also like."

I've had reports from a few men who've read either The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover or The Moonlight Mistress or both. Most have been boyfriends or husbands of female friends who'd bought the book. All of the men whom I've heard from, about five, so it's not a large sample, have liked the books; most commented not only on the stories, but on the erotica. They commented very favorably on the erotica; more so than some female readers who told me they were uncomfortable with the language I used.

I didn't really expect to hear anything from male readers, especially not that they'd liked the sex scenes. Possible factors include 1) these particular men like reading erotica in general, and are willing to talk about it; 2) my direct language in the sex scenes appeals to men; and 3) they were just being nice.

I don't really have any conclusions. Though I do wonder how I might market my books more effectively across genders.

Thoughts? Comments?

Websites Are Interview Suits

If you're reading this blog, you may or may not have visited my website. I've been thinking about it a lot in the last year or so. I've read articles and blog posts about what makes a good website. I've made lists of other people's websites that I like. I've investigated designers.

You will notice, though, I haven't done much with the actual website. The reason? It takes commitment on my part. I have to make a whole host of decisions, and I'm not sure I'd be making the right ones. I'm in the midst of looking at even more websites, and also at designers.

Currently, my website is fairly simple. I hand-coded it myself (partly why it's so simple!). Though I know how to do tables, I haven't yet included any on my website because I worry that they won't come across properly on all platforms; I feel that's a valid concern, when so many people access websites through their phones or other handheld devices. I don't want to make those people wait around for complex pages to load.

On the other hand, a plain website doesn't look Glossy and Fashionable. I have to decide how important that is to me, to look...I suppose the word to use is successful. As in, "fake it until you make it." As in, wear a suit to a job interview even if the current employees go to work in jeans.

I seem to have a knee-jerk bias against looking Glossy. I'm not sure why. I don't think my bias is necessarily a good thing, in this case. Because there are interview suits. (I even have one! Though I haven't worn it in a while.) And even though this blog gets many more hits than my website, seemingly making it more important, that won't necessarily always be the case, particularly if I manage to integrate blog with website someday soon (one of the things I'm discussing with a web designer).

I don't want to turn off a potential reader simply because they don't like my face.

When to Submit.

How do you know if you're ready to submit a story or novel to an editor?

When's the deadline?

Have you proofread? Have you put "the end" at the end? Then it's time. Go for it.

Okay, so I'm being a little facetious. But not entirely. More than once I have used a deadline (perhaps adjusted to account for mailing time) to inspire me to finish a story. Or I've used a deadline as a goal. After that, I trust myself to get it done in time.

Trusting yourself isn't something you learn automatically. Well, you might trust yourself automatically, but if you don't have the experience to back it up, your trust in yourself might not be useful.

I'm not being very useful, am I?

I can't help it. Writing cannot be turned into a tidy set of rules. Trying to turn the psychology of writing into tidy rules is even worse. But "know yourself" is a good one.

Know when you've gotten as far as you can get on a story in the time you have. And then submit it.

Taking the Bookmark Plunge

After much pondering and asking people, I decided to have bookmarks made for The Duke and the Pirate Queen. I am very much not an artist, so I hired Jax Cassidy of Jaxadora Design to make pretty ones that utilized the book's cover. I chose Iconix to do the printing.

Jax completed my designs with a couple of days, tailoring them to specifications for Iconix, and Iconix sent me a quote within an hour or two of me uploading the designs; at my request, they held the invoice until I'd also uploaded postcard designs, so I could pay for both at once and have them shipped in one batch. Awesome service.

Why am I telling you all this? Because it's the first time I've ever had bookmarks made. It's an experiment. And I plan to report on my experiences.

The first thing I learned was that, yes, someone who knows about design can do a much better job than I can! You get what you pay for.

The second thing I learned was that it's handy to have some little text items to include on the bookmark: descriptive blurb, review quotes, brief summary of the book. Left to my own devices, the back wouldn't have had any information but my website URL.

The third thing I learned is that most reviews, even ones that loved a book, don't yield short, punchy quotes suitable for use on bookmarks. Unless I am doing it wrong. I sort of knew that blurbs were an art form.

I'm planning to make the bookmarks available to bookstores and librarians, so if you're affiliated with one of those, let me know and I'll send you some!

I will probably bring some to RWA Nationals, as well. I know the audience there will be mostly writers, but writers also read. And I will have plenty of bookmarks.

Related post: Online Promotion: Is It Worth It?

Promotional Goodies Questions

I've been pondering options for promotional items I could give away that would be related to The Duke and the Pirate Queen. I would really, really like some input into these ideas, so please feel free to comment at length.

Here are my ideas so far:

1. The usual suspects - postcards or bookmarks. Bo-ring, or usual because they work?

2. Temporary tattoos, which would fit in with the pirate idea. Except, tattoos of what exactly? Are they any use as promotional items if they don't include the book title?

3. Pirate duckies. Possibly with labels stuck on, so one could then lose the labels and forget where the duckies came from. But oh so cute.

4. A single large giveaway of "pirate loot," which would entail getting entrants to email me and then drawing a name. Would people just enter and forget? I think people would enter even if they had zero interest in the book.

5. Something else. Feel free to enlighten me on possible answers to this one.