urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:seanan_mcguire The Journal of Seanan McGuire Seanan McGuire 2009-02-10T18:53:42Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:seanan_mcguire:81739 2009-02-10T18:53:42Z 2009-02-10T18:53:42Z Karissa Noel, 'Corrupt.' So as I sit here, a safe seven months from my release date, I'm watching various friends and acquaintances as they madly dance through the steps required to promote and advertise a new book. It's important, especially for newer authors, to do something beyond just saying 'I have written a book and my mommy says it's awesome' when they have something hitting the shelves. (Although 'I have written a book and <i>Seanan's</i> mommy says it's awesome' seems to carry a surprising amount of weight for everyone but me. Does anybody else out there have a tattooed, foul-mouthed mother who'd be willing to fill that particular role for me?)<br /><br />So the question becomes, what works? Book giveaways are obviously good things, but also somewhat self-limiting, as I sort of want people to buy things. (Oddly enough, I don't feel like earning back my advance all by myself.) Competitions are also good, providing the prizes are interesting -- and heck, prizes are just lovely things to offer. So what do <i>you</i> think would be a good idea? What kinds of promotion would <i>you</i> like to see? We have seven months to put even the strangest of plans into motion, so sing out!<br /><br />Operators are standing by.