tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post2513987650100164349..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Donning Hats and Juggling Acts Savita KalhanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-71367180098314799652011-01-26T14:53:05.782+00:002011-01-26T14:53:05.782+00:00Good to know that, savita! maybe I ought to get on...Good to know that, savita! maybe I ought to get on twitter after all...Leilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02890097085059764567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-44307390163549831062011-01-25T22:38:06.652+00:002011-01-25T22:38:06.652+00:00What a lovely blog post. I fear publication and ho...What a lovely blog post. I fear publication and how to handle it is like so many other lessons in life - learned only through experience. But that can be little consolation when your book has come and gone. I have to say - what a great amount of information from the comments alone! Blogging at its best - stimulating lots of very interesting debate and sharing knowledge.karen ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05595346107578248030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-89504796379859585122011-01-25T18:39:42.375+00:002011-01-25T18:39:42.375+00:00@Sarah - Hard to believe that most writers got tha...@Sarah - Hard to believe that most writers got that kind of support just a few years ago. As for the rumours of the time - I'm sure there's a book in it...!<br />Adele - When my book came out I thought publicity depts were still on the case, but I was wrong. Mind you, I think I would much rather be cheered up by a glass of Prosecco in the company of friends!Savita Kalhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977368691995933130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-3610876683839911852011-01-25T18:31:11.841+00:002011-01-25T18:31:11.841+00:00Yup! I remember a time when publicity depts did a ...Yup! I remember a time when publicity depts did a lot more publicity than they do now! The cheering up of a sexual nature never came my way!!! :)adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-53808279379342135382011-01-25T18:25:55.262+00:002011-01-25T18:25:55.262+00:00@Miriam - Good luck! Can't wait till your book...@Miriam - Good luck! Can't wait till your book, HIDDEN, comes out in March!<br />@Leila - I know, I have no idea how well it works generally, but what I do know is that sales of my book have gone up since I started using things like Twitter. There are lots of librarians and school librarians on Twitter and lots of them also have very good book blogs.Savita Kalhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977368691995933130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-28987679102583922792011-01-25T17:43:13.162+00:002011-01-25T17:43:13.162+00:00The difficult part, I think, is reaching readers -...The difficult part, I think, is reaching readers - children who are going to tell all their mates to read your book, librarians who are going to vote it onto prize lists, booksellers who will put it face out. I wonder how much of that authors can really manage through social media. I don't think I could reach my 9 - 11 year old readers through blogs and facebook and twitter - if they are on the internet they have much more fun things to do than listen to some boring old writer like me tell them about my day! I think character blogs might ahve more potential, as Inbali mentioned in the recent SAS newsletter - or things where they can get involved somehow. I don't know. I'd like to see evidence that all this facebookery and tweeting actually gets people to read/ buy our books... wish someone would do a study!Leilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02890097085059764567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-84473264795847286312011-01-25T16:55:38.973+00:002011-01-25T16:55:38.973+00:00You've given us lots of food for thought Savit...You've given us lots of food for thought Savita and as an author about to publish I am taking notes!Miriam Halahmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04935448538608020877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-47393438996357573062011-01-25T15:57:59.530+00:002011-01-25T15:57:59.530+00:00Things have changed so much in the last five years...Things have changed so much in the last five years...<br /><br />I remember as recently as the years 2001 to 2006 (time spent working in house at Macmillan Children's Books and Puffin) how almost all of this was handled for an author by the marketing teams and their PR colleagues. I recall members of staff accompanying children's authors on train trips up and down the UK for book signings, school and library talks, festivals, prize ceremonies, the lot. The in-house people used to spend a lot of money making them nice posters, pencils, badges, whatever to hand out. Sometimes they made their blogs for them. I recall one already nice-looking and young female children's author being given a free publishing house-paid makeover (haircut, make-up, clothes, shoes) because it was thought a more It girl look would help promote the book. <br /><br />I also heard several industry rumours down the years (and I'm not going to say which publishing house or which list, adult or children's) of members of staff sleeping with the authors to cheer them up before and after a meet-the-public session. <br /><br />How times have changed!Sarah Taylor-Fergussonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01507013836947182706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-91290646326916102482011-01-25T12:56:39.464+00:002011-01-25T12:56:39.464+00:00@Lynn - Thank you! It is easier to connect with yo...@Lynn - Thank you! It is easier to connect with your reader now, but it can be time-consuming depending on how much you're trying to do. Some publishers still do a lot to promote their authors. Others do not.<br />@Elen - I agree, joining in the conversation is a brilliant way to get your name known, and there are lots of great conversations going on across the internet. I only realised several months ago that I should be joining in. Still, better late than never!Savita Kalhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977368691995933130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-85183139754657689222011-01-25T12:41:28.018+00:002011-01-25T12:41:28.018+00:00@catdownunder - In the beginning it was frightenin...@catdownunder - In the beginning it was frightening and overwhelming! And now it can still be those things, but the trick is finding the right balance that works for YOU - I'm still working on that!<br />@Anne - thank you! I should have said something like:<br />Eleven year olds Sam and Lloyd get into the wrong car after school. They end up trapped in a secluded mansion at the mercy of a sinister man. Will either of them get out alive?<br />THE LONG WEEKEND is an uncompromising thriller which will chill you to the bone and have you breathlessly turning page after page. - The Bookette<br /><br />There's a great review out today that you can read here - <br />http://www.heavenhellandpurgatory-bookreviews.com/<br /><br />@Sue - A blog tour is arranged by a book blogger - they support each other and many link up to promote a book blog tour. One of the bloggers will co-ordinate the timings and all the blog posts and bloggers involved, send out the interview questions, guest posts, etc to you to complete. The bloggers are very happy to accomodate you in terms of how big the blog tour is, the timing, and its content. And you don't even have to step out of the house for this - it can all be done from home! Initially, sent query emails to a few and the responses I got were all positive, which is why The Long Weekend has been getting lots of fab reviews.Savita Kalhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07977368691995933130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-45701426460574903512011-01-25T11:00:17.273+00:002011-01-25T11:00:17.273+00:00This is very interesting - I've learnt somethi...This is very interesting - I've learnt something! Thank you Savita, and thank you Anne. Now, a question - how does a blog tour work?Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-33109681802900362952011-01-25T10:04:58.133+00:002011-01-25T10:04:58.133+00:00I think one of the problems is that when people (...I think one of the problems is that when people (us) try to promote their own book they don't give a thumbnail sketch of it. Having read your blog Savita I still don't know what the book is about.A recent campaign to promote Malorie Blackman's new book (as if she needed it!) BOYS DON'T CRY focused on the STORY of the book. So it informed anyone and everyone that this was about a boy who was just about to go to uni and his ex girlfriend turned up on his doorstep with the baby he never knew he had. That was the hook. When writers promote their books they need to find that hook and then repeat it as often as they can. Example. My new book HEART BURN is about a girl who owes a boy a big favour. If she helps him she might end up in danger. If she doesn't he might end up dead.<br />So now you know. I'd LOVE to know about THE LONG WEEKEND.Anne Cassidyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122890017026913723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-75230551888190082502011-01-25T09:11:07.205+00:002011-01-25T09:11:07.205+00:00catdownunder - you don't say 'look at me&#...catdownunder - you don't say 'look at me', but you have got an interesting comment or perspective on most of the children's writing sites that I visit regularly. That's the most effective way to get known, I think: to join in the conversation.<br />And Savita, you/your publisher must be doing something right, I've seen reviews of your book all over the place!Elen Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00445201005486291612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-8003214678172083122011-01-25T08:20:41.984+00:002011-01-25T08:20:41.984+00:00Thank you for your insights into this other side o...Thank you for your insights into this other side of being a published writer. <br /><br />One assumes that once a book has been published, that's the end of the writer's work - and they get on with writing their next book - as it used to be. Amazing how much things have changed. And how difficult that must be, since the marketing/promotional hat is often not a comfortable one for writers to wear. At least it is easier with blogs/websites/facebook/twitter for writers to reach out and connect with potential readers - though is it this ease which allows publishers say 'let the authors worry about that side of things'? (Or is that now the way that we expect to interact with writers, rather than in the less direct, more formal way of the past.)<br /><br />At any rate, it does work. You've just reached one person who didn't know of your book before reading this post.<br /><br />All the best with your next book.Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01674923395134039554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-10470011323606806852011-01-25T07:47:20.096+00:002011-01-25T07:47:20.096+00:00This is the other part of writing that frightens m...This is the other part of writing that frightens me. I am not good at saying "Look at me"! It is so good to know that published authors have their worries and doubts and their learning curves in this area as well.catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.com