Does anyone else get overwhelmed.

Thank you Paul. :)

Digby_Adams, No, I'm not assuming anything. Having been published for half a century on three continents (that means print) and having being an editor for two London publishing houses, plus edited someone's doctorate on the publishing world, I'm not assuming anything. I'm speaking from knowledge.

You're right, of course, and that is exactly what I've been doing. I've spent eighteen months researching for ways. I've discovered how some others have done it and I've got two ideas which may keep my books selling... However, something else has just come up, and it may mean another direction which means public interaction. 

I was putting out this thread for ideas...

Thank you.

Just to put all this hype of yours in context: The sales figures / ranks of your books on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_17?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=tessa%20schlesinger show that you sell, at best, a couple of books per month in total. I would start to worry about being "How does one publicize oneself if the response from the reading public is too much for one to cope with?" if and when you are successful, but not earlier. If you worry too much about what could/may be in a far and distant future that might never happen you just add needlessly angst and anguish to your live ...

Sam, in order to sell more, I've got to go out there. The Sales figures are low because I'm not marketing. I don't want to market because I have to expose myself. 

So you don't make sense.

And if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it.

I already have a publisher interested. They keep emailing me for the book. .. I've thought about it. I'm going to email them and tell them I'm not interested in being published by a mainstream publisher because I like being invisible.

You say,"He was subsequently required to interview with a few bloggers and YouTubers, and flown out to three or four promotional events to speak or sign copies, but he still has zero presence on facebook or twitter, or indeed any online presence at all.

Well, yes, that's what I want to avoid.

Tell me, do you actually have any experience with this, apart from hearsay.

I was an editor for two publishing houses in London, and worked for a mainstream newspaper in South Africa plus a stable of magazines. 

I actually do know how the system works.

I think I'll stop asking questions here.

Okay, I give up. Sorry I asked. I thought it was a simple question.

How does a writer get a book publicized without having any attention drawn to oneself in today's world.  Obviously nobody knows and that's okay. All that needs to be said, is "I don't know.

Sorry I asked.

I really feel for you, Tess.   It sounds to me like you have the skills to do something that you really enjoy - writing novels - but not the aptitude to do the promotional work.   It's such a 21st century thing to have to do both.  In the old days, writers could hide in their homes and there would be people to do the marketing.  Extroverted people.

Writer does necessarily equate salesperson.

I'm reminded of Emily Bronte.  If she'd been required to do anything more than actually write Wuthering Heights, we'd have never seen it on our bookshelves.  Fortunately, her big sister Charlotte was a bolshy individual, with the patience to badger 36 different publishing houses until one accepted; then to charge on with writing letters to explain Emily to the rest of the world.

In the meantime, Emily made pies, taught herself German and went for walks on the moors.  She saw no good reason why Victorian society even needed to read her novel.

Tess is one of the Emilys of this world.   Sam and Ryan, you seem to me to be more of a Charlotte.

Unfortunately, this is the 21st not the 19th century, so there's pressure on us all to be Jack and JIlls of all trades.  The Emilys get crushed and end up downing pens to concentrate on baking the pies instead.  So what to do about it?

Tess, do you have a Charlotte in your life?   Someone who could pretend to be you, while dealing with all of the social networking, interviews and such.  If it's good enough for Emily Bronte, it's good enough for you.

Or could you be an actress?   Know that you can't do it, but that a certain character inside you could?  I once asked a friend how she could be so extrovert and confident (I'm the polar opposite).  She said, 'I'm an actress, I act.' 

Or as Sam and others have said, you could go down the route of being enigmatic and not publicizing.  This is obviously going to affect sales, but it's still an option.

Or maybe you could control the publicity?   Have a family member interview you over a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake.  In calm, familiar surroundings, where you can pause the recording if you get overwhelmed.  Then put that interview onto YouTube and link to it from everywhere else.

Authors of Wizzley!  Anyone here willing to interview Tess for your blog, site or Wizzley article?   She's one of us and we ARE publicists, in a writing kind of way.  Plus we all have referral links, so first person to flog one of her books gets the commission.

So many options.  What's appealing so far?

Tess, I was going to suggest something along the same lines as Jo. Perhaps you could gift a couple of your books to fellow authors in order for them to write a review (on the site where the books are sold) but also on sites such as Wizzley. I'm sure any form of publicity might help. 

ryank: 01/28/2013 - 07:17 AM

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I don't think that I'm any Bronte, I can't write fiction for shit! 

You are forgetting the Bronte men.   Do you end towards religion?  There's Patrick Bronte, father of the famous three.   Or are you more a drink and drugs, stay in the pub and get carried home by your friends type?   There's Branwell, their brother!

HollieT: 01/28/2013 - 08:18 AM

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Tess, I was going to suggest something along the same lines as Jo. Perhaps you could gift a couple of your books to fellow authors in order for them to write a review (on the site where the books are sold) but also on sites such as Wizzley. I'm sure any form of publicity might help.

That works too! 

Thank you, Jo, you've read me exactly right. I can write. I can't publicize. My late mother told me that she would be dead before I was rich and famous. My sister recently asked me how many times I had submitted a book for publication and I said, "Never." 

Fortunately, when I explained she understood and said, "Tess, nevermind, we all have our weaknesses and strengths. I'm the only ballet dancer who is not teaching at this point of my life. I'm still performing but I can never teach." Then she asked if I minded if she submitted some of my books to varoius publishing houses in South Africa. I said no, I didn't mind.

I don't really know any extroverts because they're too noisy for me, and they talk to much. I just get overwhelmed very easily I go swimming. I go for walks. I sit on my computer. I read. And I'm currently trying to figure out how to go back to dancing without getting hit on all the time. A friend is helping me with that by role playing all sorts of situations. The other side of this is that many people really struggle to understand me because I come across very confident and polished. It's the inside that is the issue. So, maybe, I'm an actress. It was, originally, my first choice, but my late father wouldn't let me be an actress because my sister was already a dancer and my brother a singer, and he wanted someone to carry on the academic tradition. Anyway, I never got to be an actress, and knowing what I do now, it's probably a good thing. I would probably have never made it.

It's not feasible for me to find another career. Firstly, I'm in my 60s, and secondly, I am actually doing writing because I can't do anything else. That's becasue all jobs involved people, and while I can do the jobs, I was never able to cope with the constant movement, noise, interruption, and instant processing required.  Besides that, I really do write well sometimes. It's one of my strengths.

I like your authors of Wizzley idea. I think it's absolutely brilliant. So, I am on the KDP program on Wizzley which means I can make my books free for five days. That means people can download them and read them free, and if I can get a review for them, wow, that would be wonderful - and scary!!! So how do I find fellow Wizzley authors? And, of course, I'd be happy to do the same for them. I love reading more than I love writing. :)

HollieT: 01/28/2013 - 08:18 AM

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Tess, I was going to suggest something along the same lines as Jo. Perhaps you could gift a couple of your books to fellow authors in order for them to write a review (on the site where the books are sold) but also on sites such as Wizzley. I'm sure any form of publicity might help. 

Hollie, absolutely. I mentioned this in my reply to Jo. I can make them free on Amazon through the KDP program for five days and anyone can download them. I would love reviews. The more reviews there are, the better. I've been fortunate so far in that everybody who has given me reviews has given me five stars.

That's for my memories of a magician. I've got three 5 stars on Goodreads, and two 5 stars on Barnes and Noble (but have removed it."

Here's the current sole review on Amazon...

"Tessa placed so much symbolism and the true heart of a woman in this book. Mingling metaphysics with humor, romance, and drama is a difficult feat and she pulled it off. I definitely recommend this book. If I would compare (if you will) this book trumps "The Alchemist" in the profound lessons of human nature that it teaches. It was an excellent read and brought out many emotions within me. That's what good books do."

I can't believe that this person actually got what I was trying to do. Well, I wasn't hoping to trump 'The Alchemist' because I haven't read it. But I was hoping to write an entertaining story with life lessons, a little bit funny at times, a little bit sad at other times.

My sister said that after she finished reading it, the tears were flowing and she had a lump in her throad for the rest of the days. She said that she could see it as a Hollywood blockbuster. Another person - someone where there is no love lost, (if you no know I mean) actually wrote me a 5 star review as well, and said that she couldn't put the book down once she started. I was so overcome by that (because we have had some really nasty fights) that everything she ever said to me was instantly forgiven and although I haven't approached her (too scared to), I feel such love for her. I mean, that is greatness - to be constantly upset with someone, then to read their book, and to publicly say what they did. Don't know how many of us can do that.

Of course, some people will hate it, and it scares me, but I guess it's part of being mature, that we can take the bricks with the posies. :)

So, as I said to Jo, where do I start getting my book distributed from Amazon to Wizzley authors????

2uesday, I've been considering this, so it's funny you should mention this. I need to ask Amazon if one can publish under different names from the same account or if one needs different accounts. thank for bringing that up.

BRL, well, now there's a thought. You're absolutely right. A lot of writers feel the way I do. I know that because I started a community group on Google Plus to figure out how to sell our books. I thought that we could all share what we learnt and come up with something.

You know what happened?

Not a single sausage knew because they didn't know where to start, and the one's who had managed it weren't telling.

But, yes, as soon as I figure it out (and there's been a few good ideas here), that's a pretty decent topic to write about! ;)

ryank 

BECAUSE... in case you missed it.

1. I don't want to use the publishing house route. I've got an offer from a publisher (they came to me). It has a lot of stress and I don't like stress. I have a central nervous system processing disorder and it plays havoc with my life. I know what the contracts read like and there are things in there that I don't want to be part of because my particular brain chemistry doesn't do well with it. 

2. The you-tube thingie was a suggestion from someone else. Yours? I was just pointing out that it was interacting with people and I didn't want that.

3.. You're wrong in what you say.  Publishing houses are increasingly making it a standard requirement that authors have websites and other ways of interlinking with their reading public.  The less well known you are, the tighter your contract. They don't want ot lose money on the author.

Next, I don't appreciate your implication that I'm lying. I cannot write all the details here becasue some of them are private, and quite honestly, the entire story would take a book.  Most intelligent people get what I'm saying. If you don't, please ask me what you're missing. Please don't imply that I'm lying. Just because the majority of people are into fame and fortune doesn't mean that I want it. .

All I want is a monthly income on which I can live - same as many other people. Having a disability that impacts heavily on one's life makes it far more difficult to earn a living

As Jo so clearly understood, some of us are just insular people. 

I've just had a look at the Amazon link.  It's US, so I don't think I'd be able to download it from there.  But I'd be happy to review it, if you wanted to chuck it over via other means.

Same here Tess, if you have more than one book which you'd like to have reviewed. And it seems the person with whom you'd had a run in was big enough to put your differences aside and acknowledge a great read. :)

Hi girls, all my books are available all over the world. You will just have to search the relevant amazon, .e.g. amazon.co.uk

this is Amazon.zo.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/280-0510478-7323352?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Tessa+Schlesinger

when I make them free, I have 5 days to make them free, and then you should be able to download them. look through the books and see which one's you'd like to read. :)

Noted, I'll have a search through in the morning (but I already have my eye on one in particular:) ) Read it, and then get cracking writing a review! :)

Of course. I wouldn't have expected an accurate accessment from you, but I am pleased you won't be responding to me in the future. As you can see, some of the others feel differently, and some of them have even known me for a good few years...

Sadly, I also noticed those errors when I happened upon them the last time this modest character began describing her history.

They really should be corrected as they are most certainly driving away casual sales.

On a fun side note, this thread is probably filled with people who actively sell books and products using pseudonyms and marketing personas. It's not all that difficult.

If you can write a character....  well, write a character!

I didnt really see that you asked your question very clearly, but after reading through the responses, I got the gist.

So, Im willing to be the straight shooter..

Option 1: If you cant stand the heat get out of the kitchen.
Option 2: Reach in your pocket and pay someone to do the marketing and promotion. This would include telling you to keep the modesty down, its overwhelming...  people want to read books by people, not gifts that fell from the sky from the Gods. 

On a serious note..if you really have a great product, find some paid support, so you can focus on what you enjoy and are good at.