#Books, #Videos and Exposure on #12_12_12

A marketing tool that has become an important resource for authors of all genres is YouTube. Short videos, if done with some professionalism, offer a great way to increase the exposure of an author or a book. So, YouTube is just one more effective way that we have chosen to promote sales of Pabby’s Score on 12/12/12.

We've all heard stories about a video that "went viral," got passed among friends, and became a seemingly overnight sensation.  Anyone ever heard of Justin Bieber?

An author infomercial is a unique method that a writer can use to spread a message. Anyone can read a blog or a back cover, but a message that is delivered to both sight and sound might be the best way to reach some readers. After all, look how many movies are produced because of an author’s words in a story. The connections between the two types of media are strong.

With Pabby’s Score we tried two different types of videos. The first one offers a generic look at the title and concept of the book. The second one details the words of others, found in reader comments and reviews. Check them both out and see which one speaks to you. I’d love to hear your feedback.

In Pabby's Score, the cast of regulars from the golf course is ever present, but close to twenty-five new characters also emerge on the scene. Two prominent characters I introduce in this novel are Pabby and Shae who are special needs children at Footprints of Hope foster care center. They arrive at Prairie Winds with their mentors as part of a youth in need program.

At the same time that wonderful relationships are being formed for these boys, sinister events in the form of a bogus insurance claim, civil lawsuit and tainted courtroom decisions fuel frustration with the golf course owners.

A trip along the Mississippi on the River Road, the discovery of an old, well-hidden secret and a hunting excursion with falcons attempt to explain the events. You’ll have to pick up a copy of Pabby’s Score to see the intriguing conclusion.

Pabby’s Score is the fifth novel in the Prairie Winds Golf Course series from James Ross. It is a story with INNOCENCE – GREED – CORRUPTION – and SEX, as well as a few laughs and several surprises. Mark your calendar for the Pabby’s Score Blitz at Amazon online on 12/12/12. It is available in paperback and Kindle format.

Networking -- A Word Most Authors Know Well

Before I focus today's post on two important topics beginning with the letter "N," I wanted at least to share one character associated with the letter as well.

The father of the title character in my fourth novel, Opur's Blade, is nicknamed Nada. Owen Purler, Sr. is only a teenager when he impregnates his high school girlfriend, who is upset by his lack of motivation and chides him about his excessive beer drinking. She insists that if Owen doesn’t change his ways, then he won’t amount to anything in life. In a moment of anger leveled at her unborn baby's father, she blurts that he’ll be nothing--Nada. And the nickname stuck.

Nada becomes an over-the-road truck driver and eventually files for a divorce after he falls for a younger girl from Russia during his travels. One unfortunate result, as is so often the case with divorce, is that Owen strands his son during a critical time. Nada never disappears entirely, though, and the storyline eventually comes full circle.

Now, on to two issues are important to all authors, I believe--names and networking.

Naming characters gives me about as much pleasure as dreaming up plots. I love to create memorable men and women to occupy the pages of my novels. I want them to be so off-the-wall that any reader will forever remember their actions. One of the ways to etch that creation in the reader’s mind is to dream up a name that is so catchy and impressive that it is instantly unforgettable. If you've read any or all of my books, I would love to hear if one of my characters stuck with you in a particular way.

And, every writer who wishes to share his work must become familiar with networking. Our world has changed. It used to be that an author sought an agent who then opened doors to publishing houses. The Internet has changed that. Now anyone can get his manuscript published. That’s the easy part.
Driving sales is where the hard work truly lies. Through the use of keywords, fresh content (such as that provided by this blog challenge!) and social networking sites, authors have the opportunity to spread their work and go viral. It takes patience and organization but getting the message to readers is an important step in the sales process, and the efforts online can be quite rewarding at very little cost. 

If you are a writer, what has proven to be your most effective networking outlet?

James Ross
Author of Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, Tuey's Course, Opur's Blade, and Pabby's Score
jamesross@authorjamesross.com
Website: http://www.authorjamesross.com/
Publisher Websites: http://www.xlibris.com/ and http://www.nightengalepress.com/
Blog: http://www.authorjamesross.blogspot.com/
Purchase: http://golftwitt.com/46ey

The PR Power of YouTube

Pabby’s Score was recently published and we tried to do some things during the pre-release stage of marketing that we had not included in publicity efforts for my previous four novels. I like to think that I am learning from each book publishing experience and becoming a more effective marketer of my own work with each new offering. The digital age presents writers with so many ways to share our products that weren't available ten or even five years ago, and the possible outlets can be overwhelming!

This new book of fiction I've created could have been available for purchase as early as the summer of 2011. But we waited . . . and waited . . . as we planned out our marketing tactics for optimal coverage.

We wanted to present to the online community an organized, promotional campaign that was cohesive and multi-pronged in its distribution. One decision we made was to include the use of video.

We all recognize the power of YouTube as a marketing method. Just ask Justin Bieber or any number of laughing babies whose parents now have a million hits on a homemade video!  These publicity pieces can be made by anyone; it is rather easy if you follow the tutorials. So, we decided to give it a try.

Our focus was to try to keep the message at a length of thirty seconds. We wanted to make our point and move in and out of the video quickly. The cuts are realistic. The writing is to the point. We slapped a little music to the screen and presto -- we made our own amateur YouTube production.

You can watch the video as embedded in this post or check out the link. If you find the video convincing, I hope you then will give Pabby's Score a try.  I'm really excited to share this fifth novel with my reading audience and I look forward to your feedback, both on my YouTube efforts and the book itself.

James Ross
Author of Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, Tuey's Course, Opur's Blade, and Pabby's Score
jamesross@authorjamesross.com
Website: http://www.authorjamesross.com/
Publisher Websites: http://www.xlibris.com/ and http://www.nightengalepress.com/
Blog: http://www.authorjamesross.blogspot.com/
Purchase: http://golftwitt.com/46ey