10 Things An Author Shouldn't Do

From Guest Blogger David J. Montgomery who  writes about authors and books for
several of the country's largest newspapers. He blogs at Crime Fiction Dossier.

1) Never complain publicly about a bad review. Despite
all the evidence to the contrary, reviewers are
people, too. Sometimes they even have feelings. They
definitely have egos. If an author complains loudly
about something the reviewer has written, one of two
things is likely to happen: the reviewer will never
write about that author again; or the reviewer will
really stick it to that author the next time. So don't
do it. Be the bigger person. Complain to your spouse
or your dog. But don't go public. There's no upside to
it.

2) Never rely on your publisher to do it all. Your
publicist is working on a gazillion other books
simultaneously, and there's always a chance yours will
fall through the cracks. Be a tireless advocate for
your work. Be on top of things. Always inform yourself
as to what is going on. Remember: it's your career,
not theirs.

3) Never assume reviewers got a copy of your book.
Sure, it seems natural that a critic who reviewed your
last book would get a copy of the new one. But that
doesn't mean it happened. Find out who the important
reviewers in your genre are. Make sure they get the
book. Send it yourself, if necessary.

4) Never pass up an easy promotional opportunity. Make
sure you have a website. Include your URL on
everything. Hand out business cards. Offer to
contribute to a popular blog as a Guest Blogger. Write
a short story, article or review. Donate a book for a
contest.

5) Never miss the chance to invest in yourself. If
your publisher doesn't print enough ARCs, consider
printing some of your own. If you're not scheduled to
go on tour, consider making your own mini-tour. If
you're invited to speak at a writers conference or
literary festival, consider making the trip. You can't
take advantage of every opportunity that comes your
way, but you also shouldn't immediately decline them
just because they'll cost you some money.

6) Never go too long without attending a fan/reader
conference. The mystery world has Bouchercon.
Thrillers have ThrillerFest. Science Fiction has
WorldCon. Whatever your field, there are places where
writers and readers come together. You need to be at
those places. Pick and choose the ones that work best
for you, but attendance at some of them is a must. Out
of sight is too often out of mind.

9) Never take your career for granted. All of us know
a great writer who was dropped by his or her publisher
because the sales of the last book were soft. Each
contract could be the last. Work hard. Work smart. And
take advantage of your opportunity while it lasts.

10) Never forget why you got into this in the first
place. That initial drive, that passion, love and
devotion that sustained you before you ever published
a word or made a dime -- that is ultimately what makes
this worthwhile. The publishing business is just too
damn hard if you lose sight of that.

Comments

[Jim Winter]

"If your publisher doesn't print enough ARCs, consider
printing some of your own."

Let me add to this. Never pay the publisher to do it for you. (Well, never pay the publisher for anything.) Always have a third party do it. That way, if problems arise, it's between you and someone else, not you and your publisher.

And its a business expense.

So are writer's conferences.

[Dave Zeltserman]

A hypothetical question--let's say you're a newer writer without much of a track record yet and you're getting strong trade reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, etc. Would it help or hurt to forward those reviews to newspaper reviewers you've sent ARCs to?

[David J. Montgomery]

I swear, they're used to be a #7 & #8, but I'm damned if I know what happened to them.

Dave, publicists do this all the time, send emails and press releases that include blurbs from reviews. If a book gets a particularly enthusiastic reviews, sometimes the publicist will send out an email specifically trumpeting that fact.

I don't know if these influence other people, but I don't pay any attention to them. If anything, I think it can be counterproductive. If a book gets a big write-up in the New York Times, I'm not exactly motivated to write about it myself.

So for me, I'd say it's not helpful.

[PJ Parrish]

Good advice, David.

Especially the one about treating reviewers as human beings. A couple years back, a syndicated crime fiction reviewer I know did a good, measured review of a debut thriller. After the column appeared, the writer was so incensed he demanded the newspaper print a retraction giving him equal time. He then proceeded to bad-mouth the reviewer whenever he could. I know because I shared a panel with this maroon once at the Miami Book Fair. We all get our reviewing lumps. You gotta take em as they come. Sometimes, you might even learn something from them.

Come to think of it, I haven't heard of this guy putting out any books since.

[Joe Wikert]

Good stuff...but I'd like to see items 7 and 8!...

[David J. Montgomery]

Joe, I looked through my messages and the copy I sent MJ didn't have those items. I searched in vain for the original on my computer, but couldn't find it. I'm starting to think I may never have written them.

I suppose I could add:

#7 -- Make sure your Top 10 lists have 10 items.

[Joe Wikert]

No problem David. Your 8 items were as good as most top 10 lists (if not better!).

[Deborah]

#8 -- Proofread everything?

:-)

(I'm allowed to razz Dave...he's my big brother...)

[Jennifer]

I hear you on #1. I run a book review site and one author just got very upset at what I said about her lead character. Oy. I'm sorry you disagree with that, but... oy.

Speaking as a reviewer, I have debated whether or not to read something else by her to give it another chance, or to just avoid the impending trainwreck if I do read it and don't like it either. God, I hate Google. So far, not being able to find book #2 has pretty much decided this question for me, though.

[David J. Montgomery]

Just to follow-up on that comment... What I had in mind is a legitimate, professional review that is negative -- not a person attack or anything similar masquerading as a review. (And I have read a few of those over the years.) In cases like that, I think it might be appropriate, even necessary, for the author to respond publicly.

In today's world of shrinking review space, any review, even a negative one, is a coup.

[Jolie du Pre]

Based on your top ten, I guess I'm on the right track with my book Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica, published this month by Alyson Books.

A word about book reviews:

I read them, but since they are based on the reviewers opinion and are therefore subjective, they have little affect on whether or not I'll buy a book. For example, critics panned Michelle Tea's Valencia, but I bought it anyway - and I loved it.