Almost Full Circle?

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Terry Odell

Almost Full Circle?
Terry Odell

cartoon man wearing glasses looking at a computer screen

Lately, I’ve seen a growing number of authors choosing to take selling books into their own hands. I get it. Selling through the “usual channels” means sacrificing a chunk of the profits. Plus, people are stopping making purchases from certain outlets for personal reasons. With sales from the Big Store dropping, or a desire to stop sharing revenue, I can understand indie authors wanting to find other ways to make up for lost sales.

My thoughts? Note: This post is focused on e-books.

This takes me back to the pre-Kindle days, when ebooks were starting out, and e-publishers were popping up like mushrooms after a rain. These were actual “publishers.” You had to submit your book, it had to be accepted, and most likely went through an editorial process. How rigorous that process was varied.

They had an art department that designed a cover. How much input an author had varied there, too. Some accepted suggestions. Other said if your name and the title were spelled correctly, that was it.

For these publishers, your book lived on their site, and people had to go there to buy it. If you published different books with several of these, then a fan might have to go to each site separately to buy the books.

Here are some of the early ebook pioneers.

Ellora’s Cave, and its offshoot, Cerridwen Press
Loose ID
Samhain Publishing
Fictionwise
eHarlequin/Harlequin Digital
The Wild Rose Press, which is still around. (I was their first outside contracted author back in the day, when their main offering was short romances.)
Liquid Silver Books

There were no e-readers then, either. You read on your computer, a PDA, Palm Pilot, or printed the book. PDF was a common format. Anyone remember Rocketbook/.rb?

A while later, other sites (still pre-Kindle) would let you put your books up for sale in their “stores.” This meant you didn’t have to get approval, and you could put your book on more than one site. A step toward one-stop-shopping, although most had a specific genre focus.

Some examples:

Fictionwise
eReader.com
All Romance eBooks
Diesel eBook Store

Most met their demise once Amazon and the Kindle joined the party.

At the time, my genre was romantic suspense, so I was publishing at venues that targeted romance readers. If someone bought their books from All Romance ebooks, then by golly, I was going to make sure mine were there, even if it was a single reader who requested it.

Now, with authors creating their own storefronts, it’s come almost full circle. I’m not a big fan. If I want to shop, I want to look at books from lots of authors. I don’t want to have to bounce from one site to another, buying from author A here, author B there, and author C somewhere else.

Does this mean I might miss books by excellent authors? Probably. Heck, I already deal with that because I buy my books from Barnes & Noble.

There are plenty of excellent authors who prefer to go wide and make their books available to as many outlets as possible. If I really want a book by an author who’s not at B&N, I go to my library. I’m not going to get into a “which is better, wide or exclusive”? argument here. Those are personal decisions.

I also have no plans to open my own storefront. Too much bookkeeping, more hoops to jump through, and there are still costs of doing business. I’m lazy.

Your thoughts? Shopping from multiple author storefronts or the one-stop-shopping at the major ebook stores, such as Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple, or Amazon?

Authors, do you have a storefront? How’s it working for you?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Deadly Ambitions
Peace in Mapleton doesn’t last. Police Chief Gordon Hepler is already juggling a bitter ex-mayoral candidate who refuses to accept election results and a new council member determined to cut police department’s funding.
Meanwhile, Angie’s long-delayed diner remodel uncovers an old journal, sparking her curiosity about the girl who wrote it. But as she digs for answers, is she uncovering more than she bargained for?
Now, Gordon must untangle political maneuvering, personal grudges, and hidden agendas before danger closes in on the people he loves most.
Deadly Ambitions delivers small-town intrigue, political tension, and page-turning suspense rooted in both history and today’s ambitions.

Preorder now

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Adventures at Book Signings

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Terry Odell

Adventures at Book Signings
Terry Odell

Table display of books written by Terry Odell

First, forgive my absence here at TKZ. We were away for a week, and I was off the grid, and coming back to “real life” is a slow process.

I’m an indie author. The vast majority of my book sales are ebooks. But every now and then, I have the opportunity to get out among real life people who like to read print books. They refer to them as “real” books, but I’m not going to get into my feelings about that here.

Most of my signings are either at conferences or at library author events. As an indie author, I have to supply the books, usually sold on consignment if it’s a conference, or I handle the sales at libraries.

I’m not a big name. Occasionally, I get seated to a Big Name Author, and spend most of the time chatting with their long lines of people wanting their books. Craig Johnson, Julia Quinn, and Brenda Novak come to mind.

Once, back in the day, when I was with a small publisher, they sent the books to the conference. Twenty of them! I’m not a big name, and if I sell five, it’s a good day. I asked the organizers why they ordered so many, and they said, “Oh, you can just return the unsold ones.” What they didn’t know was that the publisher charged for returns, and I was out a bunch of bucks because I wasn’t going to ship them back to me, and they wouldn’t fit in my luggage.

But, last weekend was different. Our neighborhood/development/community has an annual Holiday Bazaar, and I have participated for the last three years. I set up a table with my books on display, and try to remember I’m supposed to be outgoing and personable. I ‘bribe’ people to my table with a bowl of chocolate, my lip balm, and post-it notes.

It’s an interesting event. Vendors sell jewelry, baked goods, photographs, and lots of other handmade craft items. I’m the only one selling books. Unlike a writer’s conference or library event, people aren’t coming predisposed to buy books.

I had one woman approach my table and ask if I’d read all the books I had on display. I smiled and told her I’d written them. She leaned forward and said, “I’m 73 years old, and I’ve never read a book. I don’t know how I graduated from high school.” I told her she had the opportunity to make one of my books her first, and she actually bought one.

Another woman approached with an image of the books she’d bought last year. She’d given them to her 99 year-old mother who loved them, so she bought some more.

I had one woman tell me she wrote a novel during the pandemic but didn’t know what to do with it, and could she pay me to help her get it published. Ummm… not sure I can be much help. I’ll wait to see if she contacts me.

**Note to self: Rookie mistake. Next time make a sign that says “Meet the Author.” Too many people looked at the books on display and it took them a while to realize they were all written by the same person, at which point they asked if I was Terry. (Except for the one guy who asked if I was Dan’s wife—he’s much more outgoing and involved in the neighborhood, and people know him. Me, I’m an introverted writer who likes sitting in my office with my characters, so I’m not known to many people, nor do I know many of them.)

Another mistake. I forgot to bring my business cards. Thought they were in my purse, but after all the switches because of our travel, they weren’t. Fortunately, my lip balm and my post-it notes have my contact information and website on them.

Since almost everyone who comes to the bazaar lives in the ’hood, they know each other, so a lot of their “shopping” time is spent chit-chatting and catching up. The noise level in the small building/room gets high. It’s as much a social event as a sales event.

I had people come up to my table who told me they were so glad I’d come back—but they didn’t buy. Others marveled at my output. Most of them didn’t buy, either. But I did make enough sales to make it a respectably profitable day.

This year was the first time we could take credit card payments. (The building now has wifi). Technology! I have a Square card reader, but it’s old, and I haven’t used it in a couple of years. Turns out my new phone has a different plug in thing (I don’t speak tech), but I have an older iPad mini that uses the same connection, so I figured I’d be able to keep up with the times. However, I thought I’d try to be more up to date, so I ordered one of the new gizmos that could take chips and tap to pay. It was supposed to be delivered the day before the bazaar, but of course, it was delayed, so I was back to using my iPad mini.

Once at the venue, the woman at the table next to me told me if I had the Square app on my newer iPhone, it would take charges without needing a gizmo, and she walked me through using it. When my gizmo finally shows up, it’s going back to the store.

Something else that I think helped sales. Most of the people who came to buy were used to paying with cash, so although I’d bumped up my prices a little to cover fees, I told them I’d discount cash sales. People love a bargain.

To recap. My takeaways:
Make it obvious you’re the author.
Have swag to attract people to your table.
If you’re indie and can set your own pricing, make things look good. I had a ‘bundle’ price, and a lot of people bought three books when they saw they were getting a bargain.
Stand, don’t sit all day. Initiate conversation. It’s hard for me, but got easier as the day went on. One lead-in that worked for me (and killed more than one bird), was to ask if I could answer any questions about my books.
If you have more than a couple of books on display, get ready to talk about which one(s) you’d recommend. When people ask which is my favorite book, I ask if they have children, and if they say ‘yes’ I ask which is their favorite. I try to find out what their interests are, or point out things about my books–especially the ones based on my travel–that might engage them.
Think of it more as introducing yourself and making contacts, not sales.

Anything you have to add?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Preorder now

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Creating Buzz

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Terry Odell

Creating Buzz
Terry Odell

Buzzy Bee toy In my last post, I talked about how the cover for Deadly Ambitions came to be. I mentioned in a response to a commenter, that with the book in the hands of my editor and an extended period before the book will go live, I need to put on my dreaded marketing hat and come up with ways to generate some buzz.

Unless you can afford to hire a publicist, I don’t think it matters whether you’re indie or traditionally published—you’re still going to have to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Publishers don’t fork over the big bucks for most of their authors.

If you’re working with social media platforms, you’re going to want visuals, be they ads, memes, or whatever you call them. I’m not a graphics designer, so I rely on other programs.

I’ve found two resources that have helped me: Mockup Shots and Canva. (I do have paid accounts at both.) I know a lot of authors use Brush instead of Canva, but I found it too limiting since I create images for a lot more than book promo (like for my blog, newsletter, and TKZ).

Mockup Shots is very easy to use to generate images featuring your book. You plug in your cover, and it creates a huge number of choices. These are just a few.

You pick the ones you like and download them. Here are a few I picked.

Next, I take the mockups, and any images of my own I might want to use, and upload them to Canva. From here, it’s a lot of playing around with all the options and tools they offer.

My go-to design template is their landscape Facebook size, but you can choose your own dimensions. From there, it’s a matter of dragging the image(s) onto the template, and adjusting the size using the “handles” for lack of what I’m sure is a more correct term.

Next, I add the text. I have several tag lines so my projects won’t all be the same. I also have snippets of text from the manuscript. Canva gives you the opportunity to choose fonts, size, color, outline, shadows … more features than I need.

Another handy feature is the transparency adjustment. I tend to use this for my backgrounds so my text is more conspicuous. There’s also a position feature, so you can move your additions forward and backward. You go to the ‘text’ on the left sidebar and play around from there.

Another thing I like about Canva is they have people who will help you. I’ve used them. A lot!

Once I’ve finished, I download the file as a jpg (best for sharing). Rinse, repeat.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

I’m not fond of the marketing side of publishing as an indie, but at least playing around with these sorts of images is something I enjoy. Now, it’s a matter of deciding how to put them to best use. Suggestions welcome!

Oh, and before I forget. I’ve set Deadly Ambitions up as a preorder. The ‘go live’ date is January 14th, so I have plenty of time to work on honing my marketing skills.

What marketing/promotion tools do you use? Likes? Dislikes?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Deadly Ambitions

Peace in Mapleton doesn’t last. Police Chief Gordon Hepler is already juggling a bitter ex-mayoral candidate who refuses to accept election results and a new council member determined to cut police department’s funding.

Meanwhile, Angie’s long-delayed diner remodel uncovers an old journal, sparking her curiosity about the girl who wrote it. But as she digs for answers, is she uncovering more than she bargained for?

Now Gordon must untangle political maneuvering, personal grudges, and hidden agendas before danger closes in on the people he loves most.

Deadly Ambitions delivers small-town intrigue, political tension, and page-turning suspense rooted in both history and today’s ambitions.

Preorder now.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Edits and Covers

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Terry Odell

Edits and Covers
Terry Odell

I’ve been focused on getting my new book, Deadly Ambitions, ready to meet the public. Given scheduling conflicts between my editor and my own travel, plus not wanting to compete with the barrage of holiday books, I’ve decided to put of the release until early next year.

Does that mean I can relax until then?

(Sputter, Snort, Guffaw.)

The first complete draft came in at about 85,000 words, which was longer than I wanted, so when I did my first read-through, I looked for excess. I talked a little about my process in my last post. Plot threads, scenes, and just plain wordiness. SmartEdit makes it easy to find these culprits, although it’s a tedious process. I’ve managed to cut about 4,000 words. One “thing” I’m doing this time around is opening the manuscript to a random page and looking at random paragraphs and sentences. Taken out of context, I’m finding places where my penchant for rambling shows through, so I’ve done some microsurgery using that technique.

But Wait. There’s More.

As an indie author, I wear many hats. My least favorite is the marketing chapeau, but it’s a necessary evil. I’m no marketing guru, but I know enough to know people want visuals. That meant a cover.

What did I want on the cover? I had plot threads running through the book that I considered. . One revolved around a construction project. A half-finished remodel wasn’t likely to entice readers. Or it would make them think it was a DIY book.

Another thread began with a traffic accident. A little more compelling, but I was having trouble finding images, not to mention Deadly Puzzles already had a similarly-themed cover.

A car tipped down a snowbank with an overlay of puzzle pieces

I regrouped (after a few nudges from one of my critique partners).

Since my Mapleton Mystery series is set in Colorado (although I’ve never pinpointed where), I decided on a Colorado image for the background, something many of the other books included. But what? The book is set in December, so snow-capped mountains? Been there, done that.

Wait. We’d been up to a couple of old mining towns recently, and I’d decided to go along with the Hubster when he pulled onto a side road, saying “he just wanted to check something out.” Of course, that meant a hike along one of the old mine trails. I finished the hike with a bunch of pictures of old mining equipment.

What a coincidence. There’s a plot thread relating to an abandoned mine in the book. I browsed through some stock images on the site my cover designer, Kim Killion of the Killion Group, prefers and found one or two that might be acceptable. However, after going through my own images, I found one I thought had promise for the background.

Turned out, that’s the one she preferred. Yay me!

But the book is a mystery, and it’s not actually set in a mine, or even a mining town. How to let potential readers know it’s a mystery? I followed that plot thread (don’t want too many spoilers here), and sent Kim some more ideas.

This is what she came up with. I hope you like it.

Cover of Deadly Ambitions by Terry Odell

What’s your favorite and/or least favorite “non-writing” part of getting a book published? Do you like having creative control, or would you rather turn everything over to others?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Danger Abroad

When breaking family ties is the only option.

Madison Westfield has information that could short-circuit her politician father’s campaign for governor. But he’s family. Although he was a father more in word than deed, she changes her identity and leaves the country rather than blow the whistle.

Blackthorne, Inc. taps Security and Investigations staffer, Logan Bolt, to track down Madison Westfield. When he finds her in the Faroe Islands, her story doesn’t match the one her father told Blackthorne. The investigation assignment quickly switches to personal protection for Madison.

Soon, they’re involved with a drug ring and a kidnapping attempt. Will working together put them in more danger? Can a budding relationship survive the dangers they encounter?

Available now.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Triple-D Ranch bundle. All four novels for one low price. One stop shopping here.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

The Latest in Marketing Ploys

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Terry Odell

The Latest in Marketing Ploys
Terry Odell

laptop with red screen saying HI! with two yellow danger triangles

Image by Svetoslav Atanasov from Pixabay

I’m sure we’ve all seen requests to feature our books hitting our inboxes, often several a day. Until recently, they’ve been straightforward, like this one:

I’m a content creator (not a marketer) who helps authors bring their books to life through cinematic trailers—whether it’s fantasy, romance, thriller, or memoir.
I’ve had the chance to read your book, and it truly resonated with me.
New release or backlist, a powerful visual hook can instantly boost engagement and reach.
I’ve created trailers that connect deeply with readers and stand out across platforms.
Happy to send a few samples so you can see the quality firsthand.
Let’s chat and explore how we can make your story unforgettable.

Note that it says “read your book.” No mention of which one. Sometimes they do pick a book from our publication list, sometimes, like the one above, they just say “a book.”

Others want to “help you sell” your book. They go on to tell you where they’ll promote it, and how many followers or subscribers they’ll reach.

If I’m in a snarky mood, sometimes, I’ll reply with a “You want to feature my book? Go ahead. You have my permission” as if I didn’t realize (gasp) that I had to pay for the service. These all end up trashed.

Most recently, I got one via the Author’s Guild that starts out “Dear Great Author.”
Yeah, right. I’m going to hire you when you don’t know who I am. Not.

My website says “I’d love to hear from you,” and I do try to respond. When this email hit my inbox, it seemed legit.

Hi Terry,
I came across your book CRUISING UNDERCOVER and after reading the synopsis, it truly caught my attention.
I’m a big book lover and was curious to ask, what inspired you to write it?

I answered his question (it came from and was signed by a person’s name, not a company), and got this response (copied and pasted; typos are his)

Yes sure its enjoyable
You can feel it in the book — that it came from somewhere deep.
It’s not just a story. It feels like a message that needed to be heard.
If you don’t mind me asking, did you write it more for yourself, or for someone else to finally get it?

Still sounded enough like a reader to offer another answer, albeit a brief one. And then … the real reason he sent the message:

This is actually the kind of work I do. I help authors like you give their book more life after it’s published — so more readers actually feel what you wrote.
There are a few simple ways to do that:
I can help you get Goodreads reviews (which link to Amazon)
Create a short, powerful book trailer
Improve your Amazon listing so it stands out
Build your social media or help you launch the book properly
Even make you a clean author website or help with email marketing
You don’t need everything — just whatever feels right to you.
Would any of that help right now?

Off to the trash with you!

That one was initiated by a person, with some generic but potentially believable comments about the book/my writing. But lately, things have taken a different turn. These solicitors are using AI to make it sound as though they’ve actually read the book, and they’re pulling people in. Are they scammers? Or just misleading the people they’re targeting? Or is there a difference?

I’ve had my share of these, and they’re increasing.

There was this one:

Subject line: Truly Inspired By Your Work.
Hello there,
I hope this message finds you well. I recently came across your work while doing some research, and I have to say—it immediately drew me in. Your story resonated with me on a deep level, and I truly admire the incredible effort and creativity behind it.
I’d love to know—what first inspired you to start writing? Also, are there any upcoming releases or current projects you’re excited about? I’m really looking forward to following your journey and staying connected to your work.
Thank you for sharing your voice with the world.
Julian Creativity

The signature and the lack of a specific book reference were enough for me to send this straight to trash.

One of the groups I belong to has a thread of people reporting how their no-longer-active Instagram accounts have been scraped for solicitations. Others are getting emails that are up front about their goal—get you to pay for their services, but they are getting far more personal.

Some examples from friends willing to share:

I just finished reading about The Smiling Dog Café and felt like I’d stepped into something quietly magical one of those rare places where story, heart, and healing intersect. The blend of grounded human grief and otherworldly comfort, paired with canine intuition and coffee that stirs memory, is a truly special formula. This is the kind of book that readers discover and share because it speaks to something deep, universal, and comforting.

I’m Elijah, a book marketer specializing in indie authors who tell stories with soul. I’d love to help amplify the reach of The Smiling Dog Café through a campaign that honors its tenderness while putting it in front of the exact readers who will embrace it.

The recipient did pay for this service, and did get some reviews, but he reported “Several reviews followed quickly, all of them sounding like they were written by AI, and from reviewers with only one or two reviews under their belt.”

Another friend shared this with me:

Reading Return to Hoffman Grove felt like stepping into the messy, tender terrain of old friendships, unspoken regrets, and the quiet bravery it takes to begin again. You’ve written more than a romance. This is a deeply human story of emotional reckoning, healing, and the powerful grip of the past.

What stood out to me most is how honestly you portray the layers between Cinda and Brody. Their bond is more than romantic; it’s threaded with loyalty, betrayal, and the kind of childhood closeness that never quite lets go. The way you let their tension simmer beneath every interaction makes their slow reconciliation all the more rewarding. And Cinda’s emotional arc, especially her instinct to go it alone, even when she’s surrounded by people who care feels true to life and beautifully nuanced.

But Return to Hoffman Grove isn’t just about relationships. You weave in mystery and quiet suspense with a deft hand. The house fire, the mounting threats, and Brody’s unraveling career all add urgency and depth without ever distracting from the emotional core. It’s that balance of plot and heart, of past and present that makes this story so compelling.

This was followed with a plug for the sender’s company, with the offer of a ‘snapshot’ of what they could provide, which turned out to be quotes for 3 levels of service, ranging from $150 to $400 on Goodreads Listopia lists.

My friend didn’t bother responding.

What about you, TKZers? Any of you being hit by these AI generated marketing ploys as well as the ‘old-fashioned ones? Do you respond? Have you tried any with good results?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Danger Abroad

When breaking family ties is the only option.

Soon, they’re involved with a drug ring and a kidnapping attempt. Will working together put them in more danger? Can a budding relationship survive the dangers they encounter?

Available now.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Triple-D Ranch bundle. All four novels for one low price. One stop shopping here.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Why I Suck at Marketing

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Terry Odell

Why I Suck at Marketing
Terry Odell

shopping cart of books Being an old dog and, as an indie author, being responsible for every aspect of my book publication processes, it’s hard to remember that just because I don’t like something doesn’t mean nobody else does. I’m not talking about the writing. Everyone finds the system that works for them. Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser? Nitty gritty or beautiful words? How much violence? Profanity? Look at any best-selling book’s reviews on Amazon. There will be one and two star ratings along with the fours and fives, so you’ll never please everyone.

No, I’m talking about the other side of the job. The part I dread.

Marketing. Promotion. Getting the book from “uploaded” to “being bought.”

There are so many aspects of marketing, and I haven’t found any I like.

But just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean I shouldn’t at least give some of them a try. Debbie covered some of this in her post yesterday.

I know authors who promote a new release with Facebook “parties.” Or blog tours, some of which they spend bucks on to have a professional set them up.

What I see is people who follow these tours are looking for a chance to win whatever giveaways the author is enticing people with. Most of them aren’t buying the book. But maybe the authors are looking at this as more of a way to connect with readers, which might lead to future sales.

What about posting things on social media? I’ve said it before, and my opinion/advice hasn’t changed. Social media should be at least 80% SOCIAL. Seeing countless variations on “buy my book” doesn’t work for me as a consumer, so I don’t do it as an author.

I’ve never bought a book based on a book trailer. I might have looked at the book after a trailer, but that’s rare. Yet, just because I don’t think book trailers are of much value, some people do. And, because it was very easy to do with Canva, I went ahead and made a trailer for Double Intrigue.

Again, because it was easy, and more fun than a lot of other marketing chores I avoid, I created some graphics as well. Do they send people to my book pages? I don’t know. But they seem a slightly more subtle way to draw attention to my book. (Clicking will enlarge images)

Don’t get me started on ads. When I’m shopping for a book, I usually have a good idea what I’m looking for, and go straight there. I’ve been told that Amazon puts ads on book pages, but to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed them. Of course, that’s because 97.63% of my book purchases are at Barnes & Noble, not Amazon. Almost all of my Amazon “buys” are the monthly free books because I have a Prime account. B&N probably has ads, too, but there again, I’m there for the book I want.

I haven’t done Amazon ads.

The big reason? Because Amazon ads require all sorts of conniving to reach an audience. You have to bid for placement, target an audience, set budgets, do AB testing … my old brain hurts, and I wonder how much money you have to put out there before you see a return. I was at a workshop once, and the presenter said she had no issues with forking over $200/day just to test her ads. Not me. And having to take courses to learn how to run ads … not my thing. I’d rather spend that time writing. After all, writing the next book is the best marketing ploy.

Now, I have run ads (not talking about Featured Deals) at Bookbub because they’re very easy to set up. Are they as effective as if I’d spent the time learning how to use Amazon and Facebook ads? I don’t know. Can’t compare what I haven’t tried.

A takeaway here is that you shouldn’t be acting based on only your preferences. You’re not your audience. You’re not your peers.

Another aspect of marketing I learned the hard way. Covers. They’re part of your book’s image. Part of your brand. They need to let readers know at a glance what kind of a book they’re being asked to buy. That’s why publishing houses have art and marketing departments, and they’re separate from the editing side. Deb went into covers in great depth last week, and I shared a post I did about covers there as well.

What about you, TKZers? Do you enjoy the marketing side of publishing? And yes, even traditionally published authors, unless they’re the BIG NAMES, have to do some of their own marketing.

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

When your dream assignment turns into more than you bargained for …
Cover of Double Intrigue, an International Romantic Suspense by Terry Odell Shalah Kennedy has dreams of becoming a senior travel advisor—one who actually gets to travel. Her big break comes when the agency’s “Golden Girl” is hospitalized and Shalah is sent on a Danube River cruise in her place. She’s the only advisor in the agency with a knowledge of photography, and she’s determined to get stunning images for the agency’s website.
Aleksy Jakes wants out. He’s been working for an unscrupulous taskmaster in Prague, and he’s had enough. When he spots one of his coworkers in a Prague hotel restaurant, he’s shocked to discover she’s not who he thought she was.
As Shalah and Aleksy cruise along the Danube, the simple excursion soon becomes an adventure neither of them imagined.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Marketing Outside the Box

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Terry Odell

Marketing Outside the Box
Terry Odell

This is my last post before TKZ takes its annual holiday hiatus, and I’d like to wish everyone a happy whatever you celebrate. If things have gone according to plan, I’m in Prague on my way to Vienna to embark on a Danube river cruise. I’m not likely to be around to respond to comments immediately, but I’ll do my best to check in.

In a happenstance of diversity, we’ll be observing Hanukkah on board while stopping at numerous Christmas markets. Another event we’re planning to participate in while in Prague is Krampusnacht, which celebrates the Norse God of the underworld, although it’s become associated with Christmas. Works for me. Of course, I’ll have trip recaps and pictures when I’m back. And, I hope, notes for a new book.

Speaking of new books, Deadly Adversaries is moving along the pipeline, and it’s time to think more seriously about the (to me) dreaded marketing. As long as I’m here, I’d like to point out that Deadly Adversaries is now available for preorder.)

Even if you’re traditionally published, you’re expected to bear some of the load. Inundating the interwebs with “buy my book” proclamations isn’t my thing. Remember, too, that social media platforms should emphasize “Social.”

Say “Marketing” and people assume you’re talking about running ads. That can be part of it, and depending on the platform, can be very effective, but there are other low-to-no-cost options to build buzz for the book.

What have I been doing?

Creating images that help call attention to the book. Between Canva and MockUp Shots, I’ve made half a dozen or so, using quotes from the book, such as the ones below.

Instead of making everything “buy, buy, buy”, I like to give readers something in return. I’ve been writing vignettes, scenes, and short stories that are companions to the books. These take two forms. For some, I interact on a personal level with my characters, giving readers a chance to peek behind the curtain. Here’s an example showing when Randy Detweiler, of my Pine Hills Police romantic suspense series showed up at my office.

When Randy Interrupted

“Come in, Randy,” I say. We’ve been working together on Finding Sarah for a couple of months now, but I still can’t get used to how tall he is. I’ve written him as six-six, but I have a hunch he’s even taller. But he’s comfortable with his height, walks with an easy grace across my office and settles himself on the couch.

I remember his awkwardness at our initial interview. Like he was afraid it was a stereotypical casting couch, and he might have to ‘buy’ his way into the job, or I was going to make sure he could handle the sex scenes.

“What can I do for you?” I ask.

His lips curve up in a shy smile, and he shoves a lock of hair off his forehead. “I…um…I had a suggestion. For my character.”

I give him my full attention now. He’s never demanded—heck, he’s never even suggested anything. Maybe he’s nervous. We’re about to get into his first real sex scene with Sarah. It’s not like he’s naïve or anything, but I know how characters can get self-conscious when they’re actually asked to perform on cue. At least he’s not one of the cocky ones, no pun intended, who thinks he can take over the scene.

“Well, I was looking at the pages. You know how, afterward, we’re sitting around eating pizza. I’m watching a basketball game, and Sarah’s trying not to be bored. I thought maybe you’d let me play piano for her.”

My jaw drops. I search my memory for his initial interview. “Piano? You play the piano?”

He ducks his head and nods. “Yeah. I haven’t played in a while—long story, old memories. But after working with Sarah on this book thing, well, she’s made me a lot more comfortable with my past, and I’d like to get back into it. I thought it might work for the story.”

“You can really play the piano?” I ask, sounding too much like a babbling idiot than a writer in control of the manuscript.

“Would you like to hear?” he asks.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I believe you. What’s your preference?”

He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. I play it all. Classical, rock, jazz. I worked my way through college playing in lounges.”

Okay, so now I’m scribbling notes. “You can do Simon and Garfunkel?”

He grins. “Piece of cake.”

“What about something melancholy? One of those things that make the world stop?”

“I can handle that. Beethoven’s Pathetique should work.”

I stand and walk around the desk. He remains seated, not because he’s rude, but because he knows our eyes will be level. I shake his hand. “Take a couple of hours off while I rewrite. See you at three.”

“Will do. I’ll go home and practice.” He stands, towering above me. I study his hands and understand why I described them the way I did on page 26.

I watch him leave, wondering if he’ll like the scene coalescing in my head. It’ll mean a bit of a rewrite. Will he be able to handle an on-scene emotional breakdown, or will I have to write it in Sarah’s POV? I turn back to my computer and open a new document. I hear him whistling Bridge Over Troubled Water as he walks away.

Others works provide back story that doesn’t really have a place in the books themselves. This is my newest one, When Titch Met Gordon, featuring a secondary character who showed up in book 2 fully formed. I thought readers might like to get a closer look at his history. It’s a little too long to include here, but if you’re interested, you can downnload When Titch Met Gordon here. Consider it my holiday gift to you.

What do I do with them?

The images go into my newsletter and onto my blog and Facebook pages.

Randy’s story was offered to my newsletter subscribers as a simple ‘thanks for being here.’

When Titch Met Gordon is going to be a reader magnet, a gift to new subscribers.

How do I get it to them?

BookFunnel is an easy way to distribute works. I have Draft2Digital do the formatting, then upload them to BookFunnel. D2D doesn’t require you put works on sale, so it’s an easy way to use them as gifts or magnets. You also have a choice of collecting emails or not, or having them sign up for your newsletter. For this one, I’ve gone the ‘no string’ route for now. If it’s a reader magnet, they people will have to sign up for the newsletter to get the story, so there’s no point in making them sign up again. BookFunnel will let you make separate landing pages, so you could have one that requires a newsletter signup as well.

What about you? What marketing techniques beyond taking out ads have your found effective?

How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?

Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands.
Available for preorder now.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Head Shots

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Terry Odell

Head Shots
Terry Odell

Never mind that we’re a group focused on writing mysteries, which many people assume will be murder mysteries. This isn’t a post about snipers or ways to take out a bad guy.

A few years back, a writing buddy and I attended a conference headlined by a best-selling mystery author. When she took her place behind the lectern to deliver her speech, my friend and I exchanged dumbfounded glances. No way was this the person whose picture adorned the program.

But yes, it was. At least ten years and twice as many pounds ago.

If you’re going to be making public appearances, be they at conferences, book signings, zoom meetings, webinars, etc.—you should be recognizable. You’re your brand. Nothing like sitting at a table and having people walk on by because they’re looking for the person they’ve seen on your book covers or your Facebook page, website, or wherever.

Now, if your publisher puts your picture on your book jacket, you’re going to be stuck with that image for years to come. No getting around it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your website and your social media presence current. If you’re an indie author, you can change the author photos in books without much trouble, especially for ebooks.

What goes into getting a decent head shot?

When I had my first contract (for “Words”, a short story then with The Wild Rose Press,) they told me I needed a blog and a website. Which meant I needed a picture of myself. I had the Hubster take one.This was back in 2006, I think. We sent it to my photographer son, and he pointed out (vocally) the mistakes. And, because he knows his way around post-processing software, he fixed them. Those software programs have come a long way since 2006, and are easier for the lay person to use. If you’re going the DIY route, you should consider learning to use one, at least to do things like resizing for site specifications.

My son’s a nature/travel photographer by choice, but because I’m The Mom, he makes an exception now and does my portraits. Another perk is that he gives me a selection of poses which I can use in different places, or change them out from time to time, which is something you should try to get, too. These are examples of shots he’s done over the years.

Facebook has separate sites for profiles (my personal stuff) and pages (my Author stuff), it’s nice—for me at least—to glance at my picture and know which site I’m on. Also, I can use candid shots on my profile, which I change out more often.

Where does/should your image show up? Your website, of course. Your social media pages. And yes, it can be different depending on your audience. There’s your Gravatar, which will show up when you comment on WordPress sites. There’s probably a way to add an image to other blog sites, but I haven’t run into enough of them to dig into where to set it. What about your book pages at sales channels? Amazon/Author Central includes your photo. So does Books2Read. When was the last time you checked your pages?

Things to consider when setting up a shooting session.

Keep clothing simple. No wild patterns, no flashy jewelry.

Likewise, no distracting backgrounds. For my most recent session, my son had moved to a new home and no longer had studio space. No more different colored backdrops. No more studio lighting. So, he came up to my place in the mountains. We had nice weather, and the lighting was good on the deck, so we shot some out there and some in my office with my bookshelves in the background.

Be aware that the background should be In The Background, and not call attention away from you. Your photographer should know how to deal with this. Had the leaves been in focus, they’d have created a busy image. Same with the books.

Your head shot should say “I’m an author.” If possible, it should reflect your genre, your books, or something about you. If you write in multiple genres, consider different looks for each.

Bottom line. Your author photos should look like YOU. And they should look like you NOW. Is your hair totally different? Length, color, style? Do you still have hair? What about facial hair? Did you add/subtract a trademark mustache? I avoided redoing head shots when I was going through a royal blue hair phase because I knew it was for fun, and wouldn’t last.

I got into this writing gig about 20 years ago. Much as it pains me to see that older person looking out from the screen, that’s who I am. Might as well embrace it.

How do you handle your online image?
Any authors who do it well? How?

Available Now
Deadly Relations.
Nothing Ever Happens in Mapleton … Until it Does
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton, Colorado’s Police Chief, is called away from a quiet Sunday with his wife to an emergency situation at the home he’s planning to sell. A man has chained himself to the front porch, threatening to set off an explosive.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Publishing Without Writing A Book

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Terry Odell

Publishing Without Writing A Book
Terry Odell

First – for those who wanted to see Craig Johnson’s presentation at the Mountain of Authors day at the Pikes Peak Library, you can find it here. The original post, also updated, is here.

Not all of us are as prolific as others in being able to produce a story monthly, weekly, or daily. I’m a one-at-a-time writer and don’t have three concurrent projects going. Or two. The closest I come is to start a new book while my editor has my completed manuscript. Even then, when I get my edits back, I turn the burner off under the new one and devote all my time and energy getting the completed one ready for release.

What if you really want something new out there. Sales might be slumping. One option is to package your backlist titles—the ones you’ve already completed—and bundle them together. Whether you call it a box set or a book bundle, you have a “new” product to market.

It’s not hard, and you can probably put one together in less than a day.

My thoughts:

I like bundles of three novels. I did this for my Blackthorne, Inc. series, which comprises ten novels. The first nine are “older”, with #10 being the most recently released in the series, and #11 is in the editing process. Another consideration is pricing, since Amazon still sits in the dark ages with it’s 70% royalty limit plunging to 35% for books priced over $9.99. I can price my bundles inside their ceiling, offer the bundle price at a substantial discount to buying the books individually, and not feel that I’m giving them away.

First step, as with any book you’re creating, is to open a new document, and set up the basics. Most channels like 1-inch margins, TNR, 12 point. (The end user has control of these elements, so no point in getting ‘fancy’ with anything here.)

If you’ve been consistent with your formatting (which may not be the case for older books), all you have to do is piggyback them into one new file. Strip out the typical “more by the author,” “a note from the author,” etc., back matter, leaving only the acknowledgements and dedication pages for each file. My preference for acknowledgments is at the end of each book, but some like to put that up front. Your call, but if you’re writing for “me”, then I want to get to the story as soon as possible, and won’t wade through pages of who you’re thanking first. Same goes for reviews of other books. I’m not reading those; I want to read this one.

Create a new title page for the bundle. I simple called mine “The Blackthorne, Inc. Novels, Volume 1, 2, and 3,” respectively. For my copyright page, I gave the date the bundle was released, with the copyright dates of each book beneath:

I followed with the usual copyright verbiage.

Then, add your books. You can copy and paste, or you can use the Insert tab. It’s Insert>Text>Text From File. Click that and choose your book file. (Click the image to enlarge.)

Once I had all three books in the master doc, I tweaked the Table of Contents.

My main Table of Contents was set up with only the three books hyperlinked to the title page of each one, which was the only ‘new’ formatting I needed. Word creates hyperlinks in a few keystrokes. I’m sure other software does it, too. It’s under the “Insert” tab: Insert>Link>Insert Link>Place in This Document. (Click the image to enlarge.)From there, each individual book already had the heading style, so the chapters met the demands of the sales channels. Rinse and repeat for each book you’re bundling. At the end of the last book, reinsert the normal back matter. I use Draft2Digital for converting my Word file to epub, so getting all the back matter is nothing more than a click for each item. Plus, they automatically update the ‘more by the author’ section to the most recent releases.

Then, you need a cover. I hired my cover artist to do mine. She’s got the skills and while I could probably create one, I prefer to hire out things that will take time and inevitably, frustration.

A caveat. Apple does NOT like 3-D in any iteration. My original bundle covers were flat, but they showed the books they contained in 3-D. It’s a common enough ‘problem’ that D2D has an “Apple Cover” option so you can use a separate one for only that channel. This is relatively new, I think, as my first 2 Blackthorne bundles had no issues–either that or Apple operates on the “whim” system, but the cover for #3 was rejected. My cover artist had never heard of the practice, but she did the ‘all flat’ Apple cover for me.

One ‘negative’ to book bundles of backlist titles is that the sales channels don’t all regard a bundle of existing books as a ‘new’ release, so they don’t send out the announcements to followers. You still have to do the marketing.

My most recent release was Volume 3, which brought the bundled books up to 9 of the 10 novels. I did this because at the time, I was working on Book 11 and wanted to see if I could spur more interest in the series prior to Cruising Undercover coming out.

A quick mention of audio. I had all the audio files. There was no recording time involved other than a new opening and closing. Bundles sell well on audio subscription services, since listeners want to get the most book for their monthly credit. I haven’t done my Blackthornes in audio, because by the time the format was open to indie authors, I had 8 books in the series, and the cost was prohibitive. I have 11 now, so it’s even more costly, and my ROI wouldn’t justify the expense.

What’s your take on bundles/box sets? Like them as a way to get more books for your bucks? Have you created any? Were you satisfied with the results?

Now Available for Pre-Order: Cruising Undercover.

Not accepting the assignment could cost him his job. Accepting it could cost him his life.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Another Take on Book Trailers

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Terry Odell

Another Take on Book Trailers
Terry Odell

On Monday, Kay did an excellent how-to on creating book trailers. She definitely did her homework. Since I’d already written this post, and it gives another method, I decided to go ahead with it. Rarely is there only one way to do things, and opinions always vary.

It’s hard for me to remember my own preferences and prejudices when it comes to marketing (among other things) don’t necessarily represent those of many others. For example, I’ve never seen the draw for book trailers. Books are written words. Trailers are moving pictures. They don’t connect for me, as evidenced by the fact that even though I’ve written more than 30 books and novellas, I’ve never done a trailer. But I’m not everybody, and there are plenty of people who seem to like them. Who knows? They might even be drawn to further investigation of the book in question, and from there, some might go on to buy it.

Thus, as I’m in the “let the book marinate” phase, and it’s not due to my editor for a couple of weeks, I decided to see if creating a trailer for the current manuscript was something I might be able to handle. After all, they wouldn’t still be around if people didn’t like them.

I looked at a few trailers and decided which elements worked for me. Some of them didn’t suck. So, I hunted around for some tutorials. I found a very helpful one, and I’ll provide a link at the end of this post.

Turns out you can make a free book trailer using Canva, a service I’ve been using to create images for blogs and newsletters for some time. Free and familiar seemed like a good starting point. There was a learning curve, but I managed to create a draft trailer in a day, so not a huge time investment. Should I ever want to do another one, it’ll go much faster.

In case anyone here is as behind the times as I am, here’s a nutshell version of how to make a trailer using Canva. You’ll have to play with the elements, but this might help you find them faster than I did. I’m not going into all the image manipulation you can do with Canva. You should get familiar with the sidebar menu choices and know/learn how to do things like adjust an image size, change positions forward and backward, adjust transparency. You can do all of this in the free version to get the basics down. I’m only going into creating a book trailer here.

Note: I have the paid version of Canva, so I have access to more features, but you should be able to create a trailer using what’s available with the free version.

Most book trailers have three things: images, text, and music. That’s what I’ll focus on in this post.

Note: Clicking on the images should enlarge them so you can see more detail.

To start, open Canva and create a new project using the video template. The dimensions are already set, although I haven’t checked to see what it looks like on social media platforms. I’m not a big user of most of them, so I figured YouTube and my website would be where I’d start. You’ll get a screen that looks something like this.

Those boxes at the bottom are your slides, and hitting the plus symbol opens a new one.

Next, choose an image. It can be a simple background, a photo, or a video clip. I wasn’t ready to try a moving background, so I went with photos. There are a lot of choices under the “photos” option, but since this book is set in Croatia, I had plenty of my own images to choose from. There’s an “upload” section where you can upload your own images. Just make sure you have the rights to use them.

There’s another section where you can add your text. You have a choice of fonts, colors, and can size to fit. You can also play with effects. I like using the Shadow option, and there are further options inside that choice, such as how much to offset the shadow, which direction, and what color.

A brief digression. Way back in the day, I used to attend scientific meetings with The Hubster. Most of the time, I was out sightseeing, but occasionally, I sat in on a presentation. At the time, slides (as in 35mm camera images) were the norm. Hubster used to sit at the back of the room and see if he could read the text. He gave his grad students what-fer if they tried to put more than a few lines on a slide. Same went for graphs. Then along came PowerPoint. Wow! The things it could do. And people LOVED it. But the rule here is “Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD.” All those dancing words and spiraling transitions between slides actually detract more than enhance. The same holds true for your book trailers.

My advice: Stick with one font. If you have a ‘brand’ font (mine is Americana), use it. On my slides, I did change colors based on the background (In another post, I talked about how the human eye can’t focus on red and blue and the same time, so for my slides with a blue background, I switched away from red text–another one of my brand colors) I’d used on the others.) It’s a good idea to have your text for each slide decided in advance. That way you can copy and paste (avoiding the risk of typos!)

Another thing you can use, since this is a video presentation, is animation. You can animate the entire slide (referred to as a ‘page’ in Canva) or any other elements, such as the text. Just be sure to select which one you want from the menu bar (which I never noticed, but the Canva FAQs were helpful).

Text caveats: Don’t overload the slide with words. Sentences, not paragraphs. Use another slide or slides. The more words, the longer you should leave the slide up there, and there’s a timer setting for each slide. They default to 5 seconds each, but you can adjust as needed.

There are a couple of options for transitions between slides, but when I tried them, I didn’t like the way they looks, so I simply opted for none. Your mileage may vary.

Your final slide(s) should be your marketing pitch. The book cover, genre, announcing it’s available and where (and as I see it, there’s not much point in promoting something people can’t buy or order), review clips if you have them, and your website. If you have a lot of things to add, don’t put them all on the same slide. You can keep the same background image and add text in small portions. However, any links won’t be active, so don’t use too many. (If I’m wrong and someone knows otherwise, give a shout.)

Then there’s music. Kay’s research said most people watch with sound off, but it can’t hurt to have background music for those who enjoy or expect it. Canva has a huge library of options. I found mine by going to the audio tab in the sidebar filtering to trailer music and scrolling.

Cruising Undercover is romantic suspense, so I wanted something that reflected that mood. I also looked for clips longer than my trailer. Once you find the one you like, you add it, and then you can edit which part to use if the selection is longer than your trailer by clicking the three dots and choosing ‘adjust’ to slide the sound back and forth.

And, speaking of length. This might be one of my prejudices, but if I see a trailer video is anything over 30 seconds, I’m far less likely to watch. (You can see the times for each slide on the above image.)

My trailer is still in draft mode. I plan to release it once the book is ready for pre-order, but here’s a sneak peek for TKZers. (Please don’t share the link.)

And here’s the tutorial I found most helpful.

Not interested in video. I blogged about using Canva to create still images for marketing at my own site.

I’ve bundled books 7-9 in my Blackthorne, Inc. series, and the set is available now.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.” Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Tag Archives: Marketing

Almost Full Circle?

Adventures at Book Signings

Creating Buzz

Edits and Covers

The Latest in Marketing Ploys

Why I Suck at Marketing

Marketing Outside the Box

What have I been doing?

What do I do with them?

Publishing Without Writing A Book

Another Take on Book Trailers