Preparing for a New Release--the work of promotion!

A new release is a great deal of work. Unless you are writing for a major publisher, much of the generation of promotion ideas and materials comes from the author. It can seem like as much work as writing the book, and there is a sigh of relief, as well as one of pleasure, when the book is finally launched.

One of the first requirements for promotion materials is for a tagline--a very short sentence or two describing the book, in this case my June 15 release, The Earl's Peculiar Burden.

Ysmay of Scarsfield is determined her unlikely arrival from the past will not add to the Earl of Therneforde's burdens, and she will not allow a growing attachment to alter her plans.

Then the author must provide a blurb, a longer version of the tagline--something suitable for a back cover.

Garret Kenning, the Earl of Therneforde, strives daily to conceal the strange secret that had plagued his family for generations. His home, Kenning Old Manor, is dominated by the last remnant of Kenning Castle--the Red Tower. Ysmay of Scarsfield's medieval world changes with a single step across the threshold of the Red Tower. It takes her to a new life, a new family and a new future in a world that is eerily familiar yet distressingly alien. Reconciling the past and the present and confronting the future present huge challenges to both Ysmay and Garret. But when the opportunity arises to undo the changes wrought by the Tower's strange power, there is no clear path to happiness.

For a press release or a review or interview request, something longer yet again is required. (And yes, it helps if the author requests reviews as well as the publisher. But sometimes nothing can get a review from overburdened reviewers.)

Garret Kenning, the Earl of Therneforde, strives daily to conceal the strange secret that had plagued his family for generations. His home, Kenning Old Manor, is dominated by the last remnant of Kenning Castle--the Red Tower. The Tower has the strange capacity to transport people across time, and the constant possibility of peculiar arrivals encroaches on his freedom and his choices. Despite this worry, his life is ordered in comfortable lines with his aunt Lady Margery Kenning as his housekeeper, and his good friend and steward John Debray to support him.

As Therneforde begins to plan his future around marriage to a suitable spinster of his village, the arrival of a traveller from a distant past upsets all his arrangements. He is required, in the following weeks, to reexamine all his beliefs from his opinions of women to his life's most important choices.

Ysmay of Scarsfield's medieval world has changed with a single step. That one stride across the threshold of the Red Tower takes her to a new life, a new family and a new future in a world that is eerily familiar yet distressingly alien. New freedoms beckon, and she is reprieved from a difficult destiny. However, the challenges of adjustment may be too great and her hard-won peace is threatened by a suspicious newcomer to the village.

Reconciling the past and the present and confronting the future present huge obstacles to both Ysmay and Garret. As their world, and the people around them change, they will both require courage and tolerance, and their strength may lie in unity. But when the opportunity arises to undo the changes wrought by the Tower's strange power, there is no clear path to happiness.

The all powerful first sentence is always in the author's mind as she prepares promotion material. Is it strong enough? Does it grab the reader? Will it encourage them to purchase?

Ysmay burst through the west door of the Red Tower, and darted a last glance over her left shoulder into the glowering evening.

And finally the author has to choose an excerpt--something that perfectly illustrates the tone and tension of the book, displays the characters in their best light, something that attracts the reader and will convince them to buy the book. The excerpt for The Earl's Peculiar Burden is here.

The release date for The Earl's Peculiar Burden is one week from today, June 15, and I'd like to offer you a contest. If you would care to leave a comment on this blog, I will select a winner at 10:00 pm CST next Friday. The winner will receive a PDF copy of my new release and, by snail mail, a little package of Regency treasures including a fan, a silhouette, and other surprises.

'Til next time,

Lesley-Anne