Hook, Line and Sinker....

In our digital world, the concept of perusing bookshelves has taken on a whole new dimension. While brick and mortar bookshops still exist, they are closing at a rate faster than real estate agents can post their For Lease signs. These days the majority of readers surf the web and online bookstores for new releases and old favorites, a place where they can 'take a look inside' at the teasers and sample chapters authors have posted, and have email reminders sent with new releases and promotions.

Yet, however much the physical act of perusing bookshelves has changed, the process readers employ in deciding on which books they'll spend their hard earned money has intrinsically stayed the same. With the exception of Amazon's free reads program that is all the rage now, for the most part, books are still picked up, flipped through and examined before being purchased.

So what lures a reader in? What is it that entices them to pick up your book and scan it? In the world of publishing, there are varying answers, in varying order...a provocative cover, endorsements from other well-known authors, glowing reviews, marketing, social networking, price... But I would be my next royalty check, editors abound who would all agree it's the hook. That more than anything else, it's those first few beginning paragraphs/pages and intriguing back cover blurb that seal the deal.

Since "Beginnings" is our topic for the month of March, I thought it apropos to talk about how one crafts the beginning of a story. Of course, it all starts with an idea. Some inspiring thought, dream or experience that takes root in our fertile imagination and grows from there. But that's not the beginning I'm talking about. I mean, once the idea for a story has formed, and you're sitting with your hands poised over your keyboard, how do you get from staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page to those first all important words?

I have to chuckle, because the first thought that popped into my mind as I asked the question was the phrase, lather, rinse and repeat. I don't mean I suds it up before I sit down to write, but I will invariably write, read, delete and then repeat the process until the words in front of me not only sound right, but feel right. Most authors I know, write from their gut. Their stories, like mine, aren't formulaic. They have a life of their own, as do their characters, and when you live a character's life through your words, you have to feel the truth of it...viscerally. To sane people, that sounds more than a little crazy. But to writers (and artists of any kind) it makes perfect sense.

How many of us get to the end of our stories, type the coveted words The End, and then go back and reread the opening few paragraphs of Chapter One and tweak them? I know I do.

But what's the best way to write a good hook? Should you begin with dialogue, plunging your reader straight into the mix? What about prologues full of description and back story? Are you a fan of starting your hook in that way? I think there are as many right answers as there are different authors. It all has to do with style and voice. I myself have done it with dialogue, and I've also done it with full bodied description, pages before I got into any real dialogue...both equally successful and both putting the reader right into the story. So, what's your style? How do you hook your readers into wanting to hear your voice tell your story?

I'd love to know...

Marianne Morea

When Is Self-Promotion too, too blatant?

As authors in this e-friendly world, we all think we have to promote ourselves and our books, and I fully believe this is true. If I didn't believe it, why would I keep spending an hour or more each day on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets?

What bothers me--and I assume makes others' heads sizzle with annoyance--is authors "preaching to the choir". By this I mean posting every review, every release, every guest blogging date, ad nauseum, on sites and lists which are frequented only by their fellow authors as well as on all the social media sites.

Yes, I frequently read other authors' books. I think almost every author does. I make it a point, though, not to buy the books of authors who keep my email boxes stuffed with blatant self-promotion I've already seen on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Because I feel this way, I've begun to wonder whether pure readers I try to reach in social media also get testy when they see too many promo posts from one author.

Just how much promo is too much?

Readers need to know about new releases--once or twice, just before and on the release date. I question whether they also need to know when (a few days after the release at the publisher site) the same book is released at Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, etc.

I usually link to one or two favorable reviews for a book--not every review, and certainly not less than flattering ones. It's also been my practice to post new cover art on Facebook which also slides over to Twitter. In between, I try to find interesting pieces that aren't related to my books and post them on my FB page so it won't seem to be nothing but blatant self-promotion.

Does this amount to overkill?

I'm in a quandary. Sometimes I think I'm a mean curmudgeon for seething at the sight of the third or fourth announcement of the same self-promo information from a fellow author. Other times I wonder if I'm not irritating potential readers by tooting my own horn too loudly.

What do you think? At what point does useful promotion slip over into the nuisance category? I imagine there are a lot of authors who really want to know!