Pimpin The Novel

Everyone who sets foot into my house knows about my parakeet Juli. Juli has a habit of making herself known whether its the small feathers or seeds she's dropped around or that damn loud screeching she does (the equivalent of a two year old's temper tantrum). Juli has no problem flying onto your shoulder especially when you don't want her to because she wants you to know she's here and you can't ignore her no matter how hard you try. As silly as it might sound this bird is great at self promoting.

WWW.writersmarket.com talks about one of the most important things a new or established author can do is self promote. I mean what's the point of having created an amazing piece of literature if no one knows about it? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand that there are people out there who write just for themselves because I used to be one of those people too. Nothing wrong with that at all, but my novel was meant to be read by many. So how do I get that to happen?

Here are some ideas. With the help of my dear friend Dave I want to turn this blog into a basic website. First and foremost I need to add some graphics to spice things up, make it a little easier on the eyes. Next I want to add some interaction: funny poles, question and answers page, and open ended blogs prompting reader response. One fun thing I wanted to do was create a link for each character with a blurb about them, an excerpt from the book on them, and a feature where you can ask that character a question and I'll respond in that character's "voice". There would also be an about the author section for those of you wondering "Who the hell is this girl?" I wonder that myself at times. Then of course there would be progress reports about my process: how far along am I in my editing, did I find an agent, did I find a publisher, ect. I also want to schedule some reading of my book at local book stores or coffee houses. But most of all I want to hear from YOU. What are some ideas you have? What directions do you think I should go in with my self promoting aside from screeching and flying on people's shoulders?

I want people to know my name, Laura Kaponer, and I want people to know my book, The Journey. Someone recently told me that it is persistence that shows others how passionate you are for something. I plan on being very persistent in the efforts to make my dream become a reality.