A Bittersweet Good-Bye

A lot happened for me in 2013: I got an agent (yay!), I got a book deal for Becoming Jinn and its sequel, Circle of Jinn (double yay!), and I started revisions with an editor for the first time. I also joined the YAtopia community in September of that year. Sharing my journey to publication with the readers and fellow bloggers at YAtopia has been a privilege—and a blast.

With 2015 came even more excellent stuff: Becoming Jinn’s launch (ah!), finishing up Circle of Jinn (woo-hoo!), and a long period of promotion—events, festivals, writing workshops, giveaways, the Read Local campaign, and more. Marketing is a full-time job, as I quickly learned.

The one thing 2015 hasn’t been for me is a very strong writing year. Marketing and writing at the same time became near impossible for me. Switching hats was less the problem than not having enough heads…meaning I just haven’t had a lot of time to dedicate to writing. While I did manage to write and finish a first draft of something I’m very excited about, I haven’t been able to dig into revisions.

Since 2016 also hold’s a book release with Circle of Jinn coming out on May 17, I knew it was time to make a decision, and that was to start finding more time. Unless Hermione was going to let me borrow her time turner, the only way to do that was to start easing things off my plate. It’s with a heavy heart and reluctant fingers on keyboard that I am announcing my decision to step down from the YAtopia blog.

But here’s a hidden truth: I love blogging! Some of my favorite posts have been on this blog. From my series on novel planning to my posts on finding your writing voice, to my favorite marketing campaign to date. I am sure I will miss it.

Thankfully the kind folks at YAtopia have agreed to let me swing by for guest posts. But I’ll also be blogging on my own Web site once in a blue moon, and the best way to see those posts is to sign up for my newsletter, which comes out every one to two months. It has writing advice, book news, event updates, giveaways, and critique opportunities. I’ll be giving away some preorders of Circle of Jinn exclusively for newsletter followers in the new year.

Another good thing about making some changes is that I’m also now able to do more freelance editing. My roots are in copyediting, and I offer both copyediting and manuscript consulting for all genres. I have query/submission packages as well as marketing consultation services. The number of projects I can take on will be limited, so if you are interested, best to hit me up soon to schedule! I have a particular love for query critiques and have given many away over the past couple of years, especially around Pitch Wars, and most of those folks have found great success (triple yay!). As always, if you buy a new copy of Becoming Jinn or preorder a copy of Circle of Jinn and e-mail the receipt to summerofjinn@icloud.com, you get a free query or first page critique!

A huge thank you to the YAtopia community—my fellow bloggers and all of you readers. I’d love to stay connected, so please follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, my newsletter, or in person (though if you follow in person, please don't be creepy about it....)! And you can add Becoming Jinn and Circle of Jinn to Goodreads too!

One last shout-out: My debut group, the Freshman Fifteens, will be doing a special end of year giveaway. Be sure to follow me and the group on Twitter to see what we’re cooking up!

See you next time as a special guest!

Happy Holidays and Happy Writing to all!

Best,
Lori

Lori Goldstein is the author of Becoming Jinn (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, now available!, sequel, Circle of Jinn, May 17, 2016, available for preorder). With a degree in journalism and more than 10 years of experience, Lori is a freelance copyeditor and manuscript consultant for all genres. She focuses on the nitty-gritty, letting writers focus on the writing.

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Readers First: A New Spin on Marketing

My book is in the world, my book is in the world! Now buy it, buy it, buy it!

(please?)

('cause, I gotta eat . . . and maybe, one day, get another book deal . . .)

Such is the case of every author with a book for sale. And especially nowadays, authors have to become their own publicists, sales reps, and marketers. Selling your book is a full-time job, which leaves little time for writing. 

As a debut author, this is something I've struggled with this year: the push-pull of "am I writer or am I a salesperson?" has guided my every workday from January 1, 2015 (and my book, Becoming Jinn, came out on April 21). 

I'm one of those debut authors who has done a lot: from blog posts to bookstores to festivals to giveaways to conferences, I've been in the world selling my book. I haven't been writing as much, but that's something I'm rectifying. And next year, when the sequel, Circle of Jinn, releases on May 17, 2016, I hope to have a better handle on balancing that push-pull. That's another blog post for another time!

This post is about the one aspect of marketing my book that I've found the most fun and rewarding: putting the reader first.

This should be a no brainer. Books are for readers, right? Yes, but sometimes, when all you want to do is reach more readers, that simple fact gets lost in the noise.

I recently completed a project with some of my best author friends that brought the joy of connecting with readers to the forefront. I'm sharing the project with you here in the hopes that it inspires you to find new (and enjoyable) ways to market your own book.

I live in New England, and this area is chock-full of talent. Middle grade and young adult authors have a strong footing here, and yet many readers are unaware of just how many writers live among them.

Who knows? The creator of a child's favorite story just might be behind them in line at the movie theater or next to them at the community pool. Authors such as Jeff Kinney, Suzanne Collins, and Rick Riordan call New England home. Not bad company to be in.

One day, Massachusetts-based authors Jen Malone, Jen Brooks, Trisha Leaver, and I were chatting (as we are wont to do), and we said: "We eat local, we shop local, why not read local?" 

And such was born our Read Local Challenge. We created a poster celebrating 30 MG and YA books written by New England authors, appropriate for the middle school level. We are distributing this poster free to more than 500 schools and libraries in the region, in addition to making them available at library conferences. Our goal is to reach as many schools and libraries as we can and encourage students and patrons to read local. As a bonus, the schools that read the most titles will win prizes from us, from swag to in-person school visits. 

This poster has our four books on it, of course. But it also has the book covers of 26 other authors. The only thing we asked of those other authors was to give us a cool fact about themselves that we could put on the poster to increase the fun factor. This project took a lot of time, effort, and funds, all provided by the four of us. But this is one of the most exciting and rewarding "marketing" efforts I've done, and I think the reason comes down to one thing: readers first.

This is not just promotion for me and my book, it's celebrating reading, something I am passionate about, and it's celebrating the region in which I live, something I'm also pretty jazzed about. I'm proud of us New England authors (and yes, all the snow does give us a lot of time to hole up and write).

And in turn, readers are responding in an overwhelming positive fashion to the project. 

Kids are loving the poster and the challenge. They want them to hang in their rooms. They want to check off all the ones they've read and start reading more. Librarians and teachers are excited as well, hanging them in their spaces and asking for more. This is a project that is bringing us closer to that elusive species: book readers. And in part it's doing that because it's not just about us four sponsoring the poster: it's about all authors and all readers. That's what makes it cool. That's the kind of marketing I hope to do more of in 2016.

What out-of-the-box initiatives have you done to reach your market?

Are you teacher or librarian in New England? Interested in the poster for your classroom or library? Visit my Web site for more information.

Are you in need of ideas for marketing your book? I'm offering consulting on this very topic. Check out my Web site for more information.

Lori Goldstein is the author of Becoming Jinn (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, now available!, sequel, Circle of Jinn, May 17, 2016, available for preorder). With a degree in journalism and more than 10 years of experience, Lori is a freelance copyeditor and manuscript consultant for all genres. She focuses on the nitty-gritty, letting writers focus on the writing.

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The Perfect Match: Beach and Read

If you’ve read Becoming Jinn, it’s no secret that I love the beach. It’s one of the few traits I share with Azra (though I wish I had her height and hair).

It’s my happy place. And it’s where I like to do my most favorite thing: read.

This month, I’m doing something a bit different and asking some of my 2015 debut authors friends to share their favorite beach reads.

Virginia Boecker, author of THE WITCH HUNTER:

“My favorite beach read is Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. This book is satire at it’s best, and I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. It's perfection.” 

Stacey Lee, author of UNDER A PAINTED SKY:

“Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer, about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join the navy, and later becomes a pirate.  This book smells like the ocean.  There are adventures and far off lands, and it's perfect for the beach.”

Kim Liggett, author of BLOOD AND SALT (September 22, Putnam)

“JAWS by Peter Benchley. It's just so perfect.”

Jenny Martin, author of TRACKED:

“My fave beach read is Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland. Nantucket Blue is a beach read to savor. You’ll root for Cricket, and you won'’ want her summer story to end.

Kim Savage, author of AFTER THE WOODS (February 23, 2016, FSG):

“Anything Dennis Lehane. Because I love beauty matched with grit, any time of year.”

Laura Tims, author of PLEASE DON'T TELL (Summer 2016, HarperCollins):

“Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas. There's sand on the cover and murder inside it, what more could you ask for?”

So what’s my favorite beach read? 

Besides, of course, Becoming Jinn, which, being set on the north shore of Massachusetts just happens to make for a perfect beach read (ahem)…..

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I read this on my last beach vacation, and it made for a perfect couple of days. The humor in here is top-notch, as is the expert structure and storytelling.

What's your favorite beach read?

Lori Goldstein is the author of Becoming Jinn (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, now available!!, sequel, Spring 2016). With a degree in journalism and more than 10 years of experience, Lori is a freelance copyeditor and manuscript consultant for all genres. She focuses on the nitty-gritty, letting writers focus on the writing.

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Putting “Write What You Know” into Practice

We’ve all heard the adage “write what you know.” In her latest book, the upcoming Young Adult novel, MAP TO THE STARS, which releases on July 14, author and former YAtopia blogger, Jen Malone, does just that.

The book, which I was lucky enough to read early, follows fifteen-year-old Annie as she travels through Europe as part of a teen movie idol’s promotional tour.

Is Jen a movie idol? No (but she could be!). The “write what you know” comes in as Jen not only worked in publicity for 20th Century Fox, but she also traveled around the world after she graduated, hitting a whopping forty-three countries over ten months. Awed yet?

Jen’s here to tell us a bit more about writing what you know…

Q: Does Annie encounter anything you experienced in your role at 20th Century Fox?

A: Soooo much of it!! For example, in one early scene in the book Annie gets roped into helping out at a press junket (which is where a movie studio will fly in reporters from around the country and gather all the stars of a movie in one hotel for a full weekend of interviews). In the book Annie’s in charge of timing Graham’s (the teen movie idol) TV interviews to five minutes each and then ushering one reporter out of the hotel room and the next one in. 

When the questions become really repetitive as the day wears on, Graham entertains her by coming up with really offbeat answers that differ wildly from what the previous reporter was told. This actually happened to me, when I had the same job at the press junket for Star Wars: Episode One. I can’t reveal the movie star but let’s just say he could handle himself just fine on a plane full of snakes. Anyway, if he answered one reporter saying he and George Lucas had creative differences during filming, the next was told he and George had spent Christmas together and were arranging the marriages of their children. So hilarious! Also, it should be noted, in the book Graham does this to flirt with Annie. That was NOT the case in the real-life scenario -- he was just trying to crack up those of us stuck in a tiny hotel room with him and all this camera equipment all day. As a fun aside, in the book Annie’s mom (who is a makeup artist) gets cornered in the hallway by an obnoxious publicist wanting to ask her how she should do her makeup for her upcoming wedding. That was a direct dig at me, because I did exactly this to Natalie Portman’s makeup artist (who happens to be the founder of Stila!). I figured if she was getting paid five figures a day to put makeup on the flawless NP, she’d probably be grateful for more of a challenge. J She was pretty awesome with her advice, actually!

Q: What’s the most fun/craziest thing you did as part of your movie job?

A: Craziest: I once met LL Cool J and his entourage at the airport after midnight and he decided he wanted Chinese food before heading to his hotel. Except he wanted it from a specific place in a not-so-great area of Boston and he’s not sure exactly where it is, but his friend will “know it when we see it.” Eventually we roll down the window of the limo at a light and ask a few kids on dirt bikes, who immediately offer to escort us there. So now we’re cruising at 8 mph through housing projects in a limo and people are coming out to point and the kids on the bike are yelling, “Hey, it’s LL in there!!!!” By the time we stop at the restaurant about fifty people are running behind the limo. He got out and signed autographs (on all kinds of body parts) for every last one of them and when one guy told him he couldn’t afford to see the new movie LL was promoting, he handed him $20 and said, “Now go peep it.” I break this story out at every dinner party, by the way!

Q: I was hoping that was the story you were going to tell! Now, as glamorous as it sounds to work in the “biz,” I’m sure there were mundane tasks, just like the ones Annie has to do. What were some of the least fun aspects of your job?

A: I had one actor who insisted on quadruple stuff Oreos (Double Stuff just wasn’t enough “stuff”) so I spent an afternoon picking apart and smooshing together Oreos. Another would only drink bottled water from a particular area of France and it took me hours to find someone there who would ship me some. Before I collected the actors from the airport, I would first have to go check into their hotel rooms for them and make sure all the light bulbs worked in their lamps and the toilets flushed, so they wouldn’t have to endure the hassle of calling the front desk (can you sense my eye roll here?). So I was literally getting paid to flush toilets!

Q: Is there a celebrity you met who stands out? Why?

A: Strange as this might sound, the A-list actors were always, always the sweetest. I think they’d had time in the industry to just “get over themselves” in a way the newer, less secure actors hadn’t yet. The absolute nicest of the nice were Jamie Lee Curtis and Oprah Winfrey (who, for security reasons, had to come in through the hotel’s employee entrance and then spent considerable time chatting genuinely with each third-shift worker she encountered in the kitchen and laundry rooms she passed through on the way to the elevator).

Q: Having visited so many countries, I’m sure it’s hard to pick a favorite place. What are your top three? 

A: Hmmm. Yup. Definitely hard, and constantly changing! Top is Nepal, both for having the nicest people and for being so exotic and yet so accommodating to English-speaking travelers (although I always made sure I knew the local words for please and thank you and some other basics so I wouldn’t be the obnoxious American; it’s a huge bonus when you can read an occasional street sign or a menu!). Next up is Prague. I just love all the cobblestone paths and the castle and the architecture -- it’s beyond atmospheric. Rounding it out, I might have to say Australia for combining beautiful surroundings with such a laid-back vibe.

Thank you, Jen!  

Get more of Jen's former life via Annie in MAP TO THE STARS!

About Jen

Jen Malone writes books for tweens and teens. Her debut At Your Service published with Simon & Schuster/Aladdin MIX in 2014 and her new series, You're Invited (Simon & Schuster), co-written with Gail Nall, released on May 19, 2015. Map to the Stars is the first of three young adult titles forthcoming from HarperCollins. Jen lives outside Boston with her husband and three children, teaches at Boston University, loves school visits, and has a "thing" for cute hedgehog pictures. You can learn more about her and her books at www.jenmalonewrites.com.

Lori Goldstein is the author of Becoming Jinn (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, now available!!, sequel, Spring 2016). With a degree in journalism and more than 10 years of experience, Lori is a freelance copyeditor and manuscript consultant for all genres. She focuses on the nitty-gritty, letting writers focus on the writing.

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