The Confession No Author Likes to Make

Texas author Robert Flynn once said to me that having a book out of print is like having a child that you never see (this was long before digital publishing kept books in print forever). I think that’s sort of how many authors feel about their books—they’re children we’ve sent out in the world to make their way, with our help via marketing.. And when they don’t find success, you grieve for them.

My latest novel, Pigface and the Perfect Dog, isn’t finding the love that I thought it would. I worked really hard to promote this book in advance—guest blogs all over the place, a Facebook campaign, etc. Big launch party, which was lots of fun and accounted for a good portion of the sales to date. It’s been out two months and has one review each on Amazon and Goodreads. Its sales are nothing to brag about, although people who’ve read it tell me they really enjoyed it. No, I’m not whining, nor am I asking you to rush out, read it, and review. I’m trying to analyze why it isn’t doing as well as some of my other books.

Pigface is second in a series, so it’s not the difficulty of engaging readers in a new series. The first book, The Perfect Coed, did quite well, thank you. And I really like the cover of Pigface, especially the display type. It has a cute puppy on the cover, and animals supposedly always attract readers. So there’s a double boost—a dog in the title and a dog on the cover.

I’ve concluded the title is misleading. If I had to categorize Pigface, I’d call it a dark cozy. It still fits the cozy genre pretty much, though one review pointed out that the language is a tad stronger than most cozies. There’s no gruesome violence, though there is an on-scene non-fatal shooting, and there are one or two quick glimpses into a personal relationship before the bedroom door closes. Still, it’s much more cozy than thriller.

I thought the title was so clever when it came to me one day like a bolt out of the blue. One of the bad guys, unknown to him, earns the nickname Pigface, and dogs, two of them, are prominent in the story. The title also fit in with the use of the word “perfect,” established in the first book, so it gave the series some continuity. But I fear that people think it’s a kid’s book. The Pigface term is misleading and may conjure up everything from Animal Farm to Babe. It apparently doesn’t conjure up visions of a mystery about open-carry protestors and darker matters. My bad.

Titles are hard. I’ve always thought they came to you, as this one did, unexpectedly, sort of an instinct thing, and then you better, by gosh, stick with it. Apparently, I need more research. There are several online sites with good, solid advice on picking a title, with many warning it’s the most important marketing decision you make. Oh gosh! It’s too late to change the title, although I did read about an author whose book title was Astro-Logical Love; she did a bit of editing and changed the title to How to Satisfy a Woman Every Time. Sales tripled. I think this is a case where I say, “Oh well,” and plow ahead, marketing as I can. Next time I’ll be more thoughtful about a title.

No more shaggy

You know how good you feel when you get a fresh haircut? It makes you suddenly realize how shaggy you looked before. That’s what happened at the Alter/Burton compound today. We got the trees trimmed—and there are a lot of trees on the property, including some magnificent oaks, one that I’ve watched grow into maturity since I moved here. We also have a black walnut (that’s what I was told), a hackberry that probably isn’t long for this world, a big old elm out front that anchors the house and I worry and pray about a lot, and lots of trees that started life as bushes and, before my day, grew into trees.

After the trimming, light filtered down onto the driveway through the open trees. Jacob said it looked “weird,” but I thought it looked wonderful. Our neighbors, Jim and Katey Carmical, will be glad that now their crape myrtles will get enough sun that they might bloom next spring. Our neighbor on the other side had a specific limb he wanted trimmed off a tree that obviously started life as a volunteer—it’s in a strange place for a tree—and that’s done. The tree men even rescued the football that’s been on the roof, in the gutter, for two or three years.

The crew was polite, careful, and meticulous about cleaning up. A good experience all around. Maybe tomorrow in the daylight I’ll get some pictures.

Today I also finished the major revision of my new mystery, tentatively titled “Murder at the Bus Depot.” I really like “Dealing with Delia”—fits the story but not the pattern of titles for my Blue Plate Café mysteries. I’ll send it to my beta reader in a day or two and see how he votes on the titles. After his suggestions—he always has wonderful ones—I’ll go back and do another revision read-through. Amazing the typos you find each time. The book will be out sometime in the spring.

You may think if I just finished it, it should be out sooner, but there’s so much to be done between “The End” and publication—beta readers, editor, formatting, advance copies, guest blog posts, etc. If I were smart, I’d plan an entire marketing campaign, but I don’t seem to be good at that. I went all out with Pigface and the Perfect Dog—publicist, guest blogs and radio spots, advance copies, big signing party, etc., and it’s disappointed me. Only one review on Amazon, slow sales, though those who’ve read it assure me they liked it a lot. If you’ve read it, I’d be grateful for an Amazon review—two sentences is plenty (I think Amazon wants twenty words). Okay, enough whining.

Nice lunch today with my beta reader (and friend and advisor of over forty years plus—he shepherded me through graduate school), his wife, and a friend we only recently found we shared. Lunch at our favorite deli, good conversation a little about writing and a lot about travel. I am not an easy nor avid traveler, but I do have a bucket list. More about that another time.

Celebrating and a Dream

I’m proud as punch of the picture above. The lady is Jude Walsh, another internet friend I’ve never met. We belong, with Pat Bean of last night’s blog, to a small writing group within the larger umbrella of Story Circle Network. And three of us published books this month. Jude found a way to celebrate all three in one picture. Yay! The other two are Pat Bean's wonderful Travels with Maggie, reviewed yesterday in my blog, and Linda Marshall's memoir, A Long Awakening to Grace, next on my reading list.

And that of course segues easily into my excitement for tomorrow night’s signing. I hope it’s on your calendar and in your plans. 5-7 at the Wine Haus, 1628 Park Place. Cash bar with snacks provided. I so hope you can come join the fun. I may even have a special costume for the event.

Pigface and the Perfect Dog is the second of my Oak Grove Mysteries, following The Perfect Coed. You may remember Susan Hogan—she is associate professor of English at Oak Grove (Texas) University; her partner, Jake, is Chief of Campus Security. Aunt Jenny, the maiden lady who raised Jenny, came to Oak Grove to help Susan, who was accused of murdering a coed in The Perfect Coed. How much help Jenny was is debatable, but she made a fast friend in Judge John Jackson and stayed in Oak Grove.

This time around, Susan thinks she’s about to meet her maker when she confronts a rifle-carrying man, who looks like a pig, in a grocery store. Jake investigates the body of a young college student, shot in the back and found in an empty pasture. Aunt Jenny showers love on the new puppy a young man from the grocery gave her but she must get rid of that heavy collar.

Before it’s all over, there’s a shooting, breaking and entering, threats and an attempted kidnapping, a clandestine trip to the woods late at night. Will Susan land in trouble…or the hospital…again? Will Susan and Jake survive this as a couple? Susan is still prickly but she learns some lessons about life, love, and herself. And which dog is the perfect dog? You’ll have to decide for yourself.

Writers lives may be solitary, but they are never dull. I had the craziest dream last night. It had to do with a crime that could only be solved by a horse. If the horse was scared when left alone with a certain person, then everyone knew that person was the villain. In my dream, I read that final scene in a book—a real cliffhanger, and the scene only came at the last two pages. In a semi-awake stage, I tried to remember what book it was because I wanted to go back and re-read it. But then it dawned on me that it was not in someone else’s book—I wrote it. For much of the night, asleep I’m sure, I wrote and rewrote that scene And then it grew into a story that branched off from the first scene, although I don’t remember much of the story.

Strange for me, a committed dog person who’s more than a bit uncertain around horses, to have that dream. Perhaps it will show up again tonight, and I can figure it out.

Hope to see lots of you tomorrow at the Pigface celebration.

Launch day for Pigface and the Perfect Dog

Launch day for Pigface and the Perfect Dog

There’s something unsettling about launching a new book. It’s both satisfying and anticlimactic. It is, after all, the culmination of all your work for at least a year, often much longer. At last you can present that perfect (well, maybe close) baby to the world, and we all hope to do so with pride. I am indeed proud of Pigface. It’s the first full novel since my hip surgery, although I had written close to half of it before I gave up writing due to pain and confusion, months before the surgery. It was a joy, during recovery, to go back read what I’d written, and think, “Hey! This isn’t half bad.” At that point, the final half seemed to come easily. So this book is special in a way some others of mine aren’t.

But launch day is also anticlimactic. The universe appears unchanged by the big event in my own personal universe. I’ve been sharing the cover, writing advance guest blog posts, doing the things you’re supposed to do to announce your book. So what is different today, except that folks can now go online to order the book? I am not one of those authors who checks sales or author rank or any of that stuff hourly or daily, but I do hope for some sales.

And speaking of online sales, if you live in the Fort Worth area you might want to hold off. There will be a launch party, celebration, signing, whatever you want to call it—on September 21, from 5-7 p.m., at the Wine Haus, 1628 Park Place Avenue. There will be a cash bar, but snacks will be served, and I expect a lot of hilarity. Nope, no giveaways, no cutesy contest, no gimmicks—just come celebrate with me, enjoy a glass of wine, and snack on some great hummus and pita. Mark your calendar, though you can rest assured that I’ll remind you.

Launch day brought out a funny story. A friend has just published a terrific memoir, Travels with Maggie, about her six-month odyssey in a RV with her dog. She knows it’s there, but she can’t find it on Amazon. Several of us suggested she add her name when she searches, and lo! There it was. I remember having that problem with The Gilded Cage, because, alas, there are several books with that title. Not to worry, there is not another book title beginning with the word “Pigface,” though the first few times I searched for it, Amazon offered to sell me a pigface T-shirt. I thought it might be funny to wear to the signing, but it was pretty ugly. I’m still thinking about that. I can always use another T-shirt to sleep in.

So there you have it—the book is out in the world and will now have to pretty much make its own way. I’ve done the best I can, and now it’s time for me to turn to the Blue Plate Café Mystery I’m working on, halfway through. As with Pigface, I put it aside for almost two weeks now, and I’m hoping inspiration will strike when I go back to it.

One small request: if you read Pigface and the Perfect Dog and like it, please leave a review on the Amazon page. Two sentences will do, anything, whatever you want to write. It is an enormous help to me. If you didn’t like it, I can only say I’m sorry. You don’t need to tell Amazon.