Wanted

Some might approach marketing a book from the point of view that it is such an incredible work of art, everyone must love it. An author could spend years trying to convince swarms of people that they should like their story.

Somehow, I don’t think that will work for me. I have a unique setting, and although something different might sound like a good idea, what it really means is “There is no existing market for what you’ve produced.”

But there are people out there who like what I write. In the past month or so, I’ve started receiving compliments out of the blue from people I either know just a bit, or not at all. One tweeter said “Just so you know, you’re awesome.” It apparently was a general statement, not a reply to a specific tweet. I did thank her, but I was really caught off guard.

Someone out there likes me.

I’ve had a few others comment that they read everything I write. Again… flattered, yet flabbergasted. I do think that some of the fiction I’ve put Under Loch & Key is pretty darn good, but there’s a lot of so-so stuff there too.

My marketing job is to find those readers out there who genuinely like what I do, not to convince just anyone that they should like me. But like I posted regarding Kieran Kramer a couple weeks ago, the perfect book can sit unnoticed on a bookstore shelf for months and never get noticed by the right people.

So who are the right people?

Readers who love a sweet romance.
Readers who enjoy other worlds and futuristic societies, not just for their technologies, but for their different culture and social norms.
Readers who embrace the idea that gender, though important, is not the only deciding factor in sexual attraction.
Readers who appreciate marriage, in all the adaptive forms it may take.
Readers who like stories about every kind of person, from the Dukes and Duchesses to the everyman swinging a hammer for a living.
Readers who realize that religion and spirituality mean different things to different people, that these are important aspects of a person’s identity.
Readers who just happen to like my style, my sense of humor, and the way I have with words.
You know, the kind of people who would see a stranger waving a “free hugs” sign, and run to them with open arms. Or the kind of person holding the sign in the first place!

I know they’re out there. I’ve met a few already. My job is now to locate them, and do my best to entertain and enthrall.