Joy and Repetition

[Judy Nichols]

I have once again finished all the required edits on my new mystery Tree Huggers (as I expected, the editor had more corrections) and the publication date is sometime in December.

Which means it's time to get in gear for marketing.

I hate marketing. Like most writers, I'm perfectly happy to sit hunched over my computer weaving tales of mystery (or romance or horror or long depessing accounts of our own miserable lives and calling it "poignant memoir"). I do not relish the idea of getting out there and plugging my book, which to me is all about calling as much attention to myself as I possibly can. I grew up in the midwest. We call that showing off. Nobody likes a show off.

And that brings me to the famous Rule of Repetition, the idea that you must repeat your name to your target audience at least five times (or six or eight or ten depending on which marketing expert you talk to ) to even get their attention. Whether you're selling books or real estate or microwave ovens, your potential customers must be bombarded with messages touting your name so they'll remember you when it comes time to buy.

I like to believe that people who read books aren't that dense. At least I hope they aren't. If I hear a review of a book or a friend recommends it, I remember it. I don't need to have postcards and radio announcements and billboards to get me to that magic number of repetitions where I'll shell out money to buy the book.

People buy books because they want to read a good story. Let them know you've got one, be it in a radio interview, on a blog, at a book signing, or as a speaker at the local Kiwanis club, and they'll want to read yours. You don't have to beat them over the head with a two-by-four to get their attention.

And name recognition does not translate into sales. Remember the pets.com sock puppet? At one point, everyone who had a television recognized the annoying hand puppet and knew they could order pet supplies online, but 99.9 percent of them continued to buy their dog food at the grocery store.

I will get out there and plug my book. But I will not become another pets.com sock puppet.

By the way, if you're looking for a good read that's already published, go to Caviar Dreams