Rarity from the Hollow -- fun novel prevents child abuse

[robert eggleton]

I'm a therapist in a children's mental health program in West Virginia -- the state with the highest rate of child maltreatment deaths in the country. Author proceeds from the sale of my first science fiction novel are donated to prevent child abuse. I can't afford to advertise, but I have had some success through pro bono contributions, including two book reviews. Please see the following links. Thank you and I hope that this post is acceptable.

Robert Eggleton

www.fatcatpress.com - the publisher, click on the book cover for a sample and to order

www.wingspanquarterly.com -- a satirical essay about its promotion, click on the cover, then my name

www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/BookDetails.asp?BookID=30929 -- $2 more here, but different electronic formats, such as to take on the trail or to the beach

www.okalrel.org/lynda_reads/2006/11/rarity-from-hollow-by-robert-eggleton.html --
Most recent mention

www.specficworld.com/books/index.html -- a site that gave me free advertising for a year

www.baryon-online.com/baryon103/rarho.html -- 1st professional review, by a famous science fiction reviewer

http://www.missourireview.com/tmr-blog/?p=310 -- most recent review by the editor of a major book review firm

http://katlynstewart.com/author.htm -- 1st free advertising on a child abuse survivor site

There have been other contributors that were not mentioned above so as to eliminate redundancy of the content of this post. At the same time, there have been mods who have objected to me telling readers about my own novel. Thanks.

[kah]

I think what you are doing is a good thing. However, we have a little bit of an issue here with spammers. If you want to be a part of our community and talk about your work, that's fine. If you're using us to sell your book, that's another thing entirely. I'm not a mod, so I have no say in what happens, but your book sounds really interesting and I hope you stick around.

That said... Welcome to the community! Don't forget your hand sanitizer- you're going to need it.

[neglet]

Like Kah says, if you plan to stick around this site and contribute to various discussions, I don't have a problem with you telling us about your work.

It's when you spammers post us and then leave, with no fare-thee-well, that we get all bitter. That's when I'll move this post into the "SPAM" thread.

[robert eggleton]

Thanks for the welcome and I'll do my best to contribute to discussions. However, please put yourself in my place. Every day at work, I'm strung out by a kid that has been horribly abused, my program has such little funding that it can't help much, and then I come home compelled to raise money. Plus, I'm 55 and that makes me hurry up and help because who knows how much time.... I haven't taken a vacation for six years. I know this all sounds compulsive, but if you'd heard what daddy did every time mommy went shopping as many times as me, well, you might get compulsive too. Honestly, I'm doing the best I can.

It seems like everyplace wants warm and cozy -- be a member, contribute -- I've posted so many places that I'm totally confused -- all manual. I used a hand-written log for a while until it was a burden and it didn't work. I need help. Please. I've been banned from a few scifi sites. If you like Rarity from the Hollow, please tear them up.

Maybe this post will be deleted too. Following are some contributor, including the link latest review of my novel -- totally positive. Feel free to email me: robert_t@charter.net

www.fatcatpress.com - the publisher, click on the book cover for a sample and to order

www.wingspanquarterly.com -- a satirical essay about its promotion, click on the cover, then my name

www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/BookDetails.asp?BookID=30929 -- $2 more here, but different electronic formats, such as to take on the trail or to the beach

www.okalrel.org/lynda_reads/2006/11/rarity-from-hollow-by-robert-eggleton.html --
Most recent mention

www.specficworld.com/books/index.html -- a site that gave me free advertising for a year

www.baryon-online.com/baryon103/rarho.html -- 1st professional review, by a famous science fiction reviewer

http://www.missourireview.com/tmr-blog/?p=310 -- most recent review by the editor of a major book review firm

http://katlynstewart.com/author.htm -- 1st free advertising on a child abuse survivor site

Note: There have been several other contributors to this project that were not mentioned above so as to eliminate redundancy of content. If you are one, please don't feel slighted. I appreciate each generous contribution and so do maltreated children.

[kah]

Hey, we are a pretty understanding group, and not without empathy. If you are looking for free/cheap ways to market your book, then I could suggest a few things.

1. Is your book appropriate for teenagers? Send copies to high school english teachers.
2. Send a copy to Oprah. She is a book fan, and is all about preventing child abuse of any form.
3. Rosie O'Donnel is also a book fan, and she has a pretty big audience as well. She is also the mother of 4 children.
4. Are there any GenCon type of events happening in your area? From the reviews, one of your characters is favorably linked to one of Adams' characters, which bodes well for an unknown author. Just setting up a stand with a big cardboard sign that says, "If Marvin the Android wanted to read a book about a colleague who'd risen to the top of their profession, Rarity from the Hollow would be it," would draw people in.

[robert eggleton]

1. Is your book appropriate for teenagers? Send copies to high school english teachers.

Answer: That's a really hard question. All of my prior published works was nonfiction in my field (child welfare). As I wrote Rarity from the Hollow, I had a South Park audience in mind. On his review, however, Piers Anthony told me that I'd never get an editor to touch my novel because it includes the word "dildo" in a scene. I was ill prepared for such a conservative position held by the mainstream fiction marketplace. I work with kids daily, and by that standard the language and content is mild. On the other hand, apparently there are different standards applied to written vs. TV audiences. For example, does anybody remember the South Park episode during which the homosexual sub teacher allows a gerbil to climb up his rectum... Well, my novel is not anywhere close to that! But, there are mild sexual references here and there (no sex scenes), including an adroid coming of age. I think English teachers might be politically afraid to present a novel that uses realistic adolescent thinking, but I could be wrong.

2. Send a copy to Oprah. She is a book fan, and is all about preventing child abuse of any form.

I tried through her contact form, but got no reply. If you have a better address, thanks.

3. Rosie O'Donnel is also a book fan, and she has a pretty big audience as well. She is also the mother of 4 children.

Good Idea! Thanks.

4. Are there any GenCon type of events happening in your area? From the reviews, one of your characters is favorably linked to one of Adams' characters, which bodes well for an unknown author. Just setting up a stand with a big cardboard sign that says, "If Marvin the Android wanted to read a book about a colleague who'd risen to the top of their profession, Rarity from the Hollow would be it," would draw people in.[/QUOTE]

I live in West Virginia. Enough said?

Robert Eggleton

[kah]

Well, since my old high school was one of the ones that tried to ban The Joy Luck Club and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I'd say you couldn't get it by their censors, but not all schools are the same. Your best bet would be to attend a PTA meeting if you can, discuss the subject matter with the local parents and teachers and get their feedback. It might prove to be a dead-end, but then at least you can cross that off your list. You never know. Another option along the parent route would be to drop by the parenting websites and explain what you're doing and why.

As far as the Oprah thing goes.. try her online contact form for upcoming shows here (https://www.oprah.com/plugger/templates/BeOnTheShow.jhtml?action=respond&plugId=226400002). You've probably already done this, but I think your story deserves to be on her show. The one hurdle may be that you've chosen to write fiction as opposed to non-fiction, but your cause is the driving factor behind the book, so that should be the story. The book is a bonus that it would be great for Oprah to help you sell.

This (http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/fostercare.html)is about Rosie's foster kids foundation. I think she could be a great resource.

I've never been to West Virginia. How is the sci-fi scene around those parts?

I hope I've helped you at least a little. :)

[neglet]

1. Is your book appropriate for teenagers? Send copies to high school english teachers.

Answer: That's a really hard question. All of my prior published works was nonfiction in my field (child welfare). As I wrote Rarity from the Hollow, I had a South Park audience in mind. On his review, however, Piers Anthony told me that I'd never get an editor to touch my novel because it includes the word "dildo" in a scene. I was ill prepared for such a conservative position held by the mainstream fiction marketplace.

Well, I'd agree with that if you're working with a publisher who considers the school market a major component of their strategy. Words like that will raise the ire of parents, and potentially limit sales into schools. So I don't know that marketing directly to high schools is a good idea.

Some publishers, however, are willing to stretch the boundaries of "Young Adult" fiction. Strong language and sexual situations aren't necessarily a bar to getting published. The boundaries are changing all the time. People outside the industry might consider "young adult" to mean sixteen and up, but I think in reality when they market to that age they're really thinking twelve/thirteen or so. There's a big difference between 12 and 16, so what do you do with these "older" skewing works? I was at a conference in New York last winter, and some publishers said that they foresee a niche targeted to college-age kids becoming the next big thing.

Unfortunately, I don't write for that audience, so I couldn't tell you offhand which publishers or editors are open to that kind of work. If you're serious about finding a wider audience, you need to do what any aspiring writer does: research existing works to see who's publishing what. Ask your local librarian about any boundary-bending YA books out there. Check them out, investigate the editor or publishers. Many editors have blogs, you can find out more about their tastes that way.

I know this sounds like a lot of work. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to publishing success. (Unless you are already a celebrity, but don't get me started on that.) Either you do lots of homework and hope to find the right editor, or you go the self-publishing route and promote, promote, promote (a la Christopher Paolini and Eragon, his family did tons of promotion locally before getting picked up by Knopf and a nationwide audience).

I wish you luck--it is a long journey to get published on a nationwide scale, but you just have to take it a step at a time.

[robert eggleton]

I had a great editor. She's also the Acquisition's Editor for the University of Michigan's Ancient History Library. She's got a wealth of experience in publishing. The editing process took over a year, with paper and email going back and forth. But, Fat Cat Press is a small ebook publisher and promotion is mostly up to me. I'm hoping that it leads to a little name recognition that can be used to market to a traditional publisher for the sequel. The only agent I got a bite from wanted me to turn it into YA by editing out anything controversial. He said that he had gotten a good hit on it from a traditional house, but I decided to stick with the ebook -- a matter of principle that I may regret.

Thanks everybody. It's only $6.95 on disk or for a reader if you're interested. Bob

[kah]

I'm telling you this as a personal preference: I don't read books on the computer. It kills my eyes, and I like having a book in my hands that I can fold pages and make notes in. I'm not speaking for anyone else, because I don't do the whole technology thing much. I'm sure kids/teens are much more likely to read it in the ebook format, but the question remains- how to get the book in their hands? I don't want you to think that because I am taking a while to respond that I've forgotten. I'm just really wracking my brain for solutions. :)

[robert eggleton]

Thanks. I like the flexibility of ebook readers. I hike some, and one can take a library that weighs less than a couple of paperbacks. They are also great while on the bus or waiting somewhere, like an airport. Plus, a disk can be taken to work with less notice for, if so inclined, an extended lunch break at the office.

I agree about eyesight, however. I wear bifocals now. For me, it's easier to read on a monitor when I take them off than put up with my glasses rubbing my nose and ears all the time.

I make a low salary as a therapist in a publicly-funded mental health center for kids. After I wrote Rarity from the Hollow, I read a lot of very discouraging stuff about slush piles of traditional publishers. I also considered the low probability of any first-time author getting picked up because of the economies related to diminishing book sales. I added up the costs of copying and mailing my manuscript to potential houses or agents (over $40), and decided to only send it electronically. I never mailed a query. Call me cheap! Factually, I barely pay my bills, so there was no other option if I didn't want my electricity cut off. Sure, I could have ignored my heatfelt commitment to my kids and have found a better-paying job, but I didn't feel that getting a novel published was worth those bad vibes. (I'm an old hippie.)

The editor of Fat Cat Press, a new ebook publisher, courted me a little, and I fell in love. Don't misunderstand. She is very professional, to the point, and a hard-core experienced professional. My pro bono attorney inserted an exit proviso in the contract in the event that I get an offer from a traditonal house, such as Tor. I turned down representation by an agent, and went where I went. I'm hoping that the ebook does well enough to interest both agents and publishers in this project.

I work on promotion every evening after I get home from work. Since author proceeds are donated to a child abuse prevention program (Children's Home Society of West Virginia), my motivation remains high. However, I would sure rather be working on the sequel within the Lacy Dawn Adventures series.

I appreciate your interest and recommendations. Thank you. Robert

[kah]

I know we've mentioned a few of these, but here's a quick list I found.


10 Ways to Promote a First Book

By Aaron ShepardFirst published in SCBWI Bulletin, June-July 1994.

Your first book may be a masterpiece, but first books have a nasty way of getting ignored. Bookstores may not bother to order it. If they do carry it, store personnel may not know it's on the shelf. Another problem is that, if your book appeals to special audiences, your publisher may not know how to reach them.

My own first picture book was Savitri: A Tale of Ancient India (Whitman, 1992), a retold 3,000-year-old story of a princess who outwits the god of death to save her husband's life. Here are 10 methods I used to boost recognition of the book.

1. Throw a book party.
I mailed out 200 invitations to friends, booksellers, librarians, reviewers, and everyone else in my community I wanted to let know about Savitri. I didn't expect them all to come, but I at least made them aware of the book. The party cost me nothing, because I held it at my home, asked friends to bring potluck desserts or beverages, and sold books during the party.

2. Visit local bookstores and libraries.
I showed the book to local booksellers and librarians and encouraged them to order it. From this came several invitations for storytelling/signings, plus a bookstore offer to host receptions for future books.

3. Compile a list of reviewers.
Usually your publisher asks you for a list of periodicals that would be especially interested in your book. If the book appeals to one or more specialized audiences, this is particularly important. From standard library references such as The Encyclopedia of Associations and Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory, I made a list of Hindu, yoga, and Indo-American publications, including newsletters of major organizations. Having been a professional storyteller, I also listed storytelling publications and children's radio shows.

4. Compile a list of retailers.
Your publisher may also ask for a list of bookstores for special notification. Again, this is most important for a specialized book. From telephone directories at my library, I made a list of bookstores specializing in Eastern religion, along with a smattering of educational resource, feminist, New Age, and museum bookstores. Small, specialized booksellers are often overlooked by publishers' sales representatives, but can be major sales outlets if your book meets their needs.

Normally, your publisher notifies the stores on your list, but I took care of this myself, so I could add personal notes. In an age of computerized mailing, a scribbled note gets attention!

5. Offer school visits.
My first school visit came just a couple of months after publication, from someone on my review copy list. Since then, I've sent notices of my availability to a number of schools, along with information on me and my book. (The best guide to school visits is How to Capture Live Authors and Bring Them to Your Schools, by David Melton, Landmark Editions, 1420 Kansas Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64127, 816-241-4919.)

6. Produce an instructional aid.
This is something for use in the classroom in conjunction with your book. Drawing on my experience in reader's theater, I produced a script adaptation of Savitri. Of course, nearly every teacher that uses this script will want the picture book to share with students.

As it happened, Whitman's promotions director declined to use the script in their promotional efforts. But the Savitri script is included in my own collection of reader's theater adaptations, Stories on Stage (H. W. Wilson, 1993).

7. Join organizations.
In order to link up with people who buy and promote books, I've joined the Association of Booksellers for Children, the Northern California Children's Booksellers Association, the Association of Children's Librarians (for the San Francisco Bay area), the California Reading Association, and the Sacramento Area Reading Association.

The newsletters of these organizations are very informative, and the meetings are great places to get known. For instance, I arranged to read Savitri at a monthly meeting of the Northern California Children's Booksellers Association in this way reaching many of the area's children's booksellers at one time.

8. Attend events.
In the half year after Savitri's publication, I attended at my own expense the American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim, the American Library Assocation convention in San Francisco, the Celebration of Children's Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Northern California Booksellers Association convention in Oakland. At each of these events, I found many opportunities to show the book to people who could help it along. (I also made friends and had a lot of fun.)

9. Write an article.
In case you hadn't noticed, this article too is a way to promote my book along with being a means of sharing useful information.

10. Work on your next book.
There is no end to the ways you can promote a book, or to the time you can spend doing it. But the very best way is to work on your next one. Repeated publication builds your reputation and sales potential better than anything else. So, promote your work, but don't forget that your readers are waiting for more!


Aaron Shepard is the author of numerous published and forthcoming picture books from Atheneum, Scribners, Clarion, HarperCollins, Winslow, and Dial. His articles appear often in the SCBWI Bulletin. For more Bulletin articles plus other resources, visit Aaron's Kidwriter Page at www.aaronshep.com/kidwriter.

[robert eggleton]

Ebooks are especially good for travel. For examples, if one was waiting for a bus, walking a trail, or on the beach.

No offense, but paper is kinda old fashioned.

Bob

[DeschainGang]

Alastair Reynolds.

Revelation Space

First novel.

Published by small company (Victor Gollanez) in 2000. Few printings.

First printing by this small company is one of the most sought after first printings of the decade. Ace/Berkley/Penguin acquired the novel and printed their own hardcover in 2001 and a mass-market in 2002. Reynolds has gone on to publish 6 other novels.

Believe in yourself...stop the SPAM, Robbert Eggleton.

[robert eggleton]

I like reading on the computer better because I can enlarge the font. When I was younger, I always had a paperback in my hand, but my eyesight has gotten worse. I just bought a hard copy of what looks like it would be a great read -- "The J Factor" -- but the font is so tiny and the place on my nose caused by my glasses is so irritating that it will take a while to get through, and detract from the enjoyment of the novel. Plus, every time I selected something to go with me to the beach, my favorite reading spot, I always regretted not bringing something else (usually to ruin by the harsh elements). Electronic readers can hold a library and are much easier to pack.

Frankly, I'm surprised by my above comments. My youngest son is a computer genius (verified by the school testing that placed him in gifted classes) and I always depended on him with this type of stuff. He got married and moved out, now I'm without assistance on computers unless he answers the phone; and I feel like I've been left behind with respect to technology because he was always there from the time that he was four. When I finished graduate school, my thesis was written on a manual (not electric) typewriter with a two inch key drop.

I guess that it's correct -- necessity is the mother of invention and I have to become cyberspace independent. Go ebooks!