That Was the Year That Was

It’s not too early for a post with that title because this article won’t be the typical 2015 in review piece.  This post only covers from June-December.

When my second novel in the Murphy series, Out of Darkness, was published in June I decided to devote the remainder of the year to marketing.  I am not fond of on-line marketing although I posted a press release, posted on Good Reads, updated by bio on all of my platforms and made all my books available in e-book format along with trade paperback.  Out of Darkness received two professional reviews; one from Karen Saeman of Inkspots, Inc. and the second from Frank West of the Irish American News.  Readers have also posted a number of reviews on Amazon.  Our local newspaper, The Star, published a ¾ page interview.  Our local library selected Out of Darkness as a suggested book to read.

I prefer to market by meeting readers in whatever venue I can.  That means road trips.  I visited a number of locations including:

                                                    Oshkosh Irish Fest
                                                   Sun Prairie Public Library
                                                    Wisconsin Book Festival
                                                   Mystery to Me Bookstore
                                               Beans n Cream Coffee House
                                           Books and Beer Book Club – Columbus
                                                    Sun Prairie Literary Society
                                                   Irish Book Night – Waupaca
                                         Irish Book and Music Celebration – Chicago
                                                        Local Rotary Chapter
                                                   Colonial Club Senior Center
                                                       Madison Senior Center

My last event was held at Beans n Cream Coffee House on December 4th.  I promoted the event on both my author facebook page and my personal facebook page.  The coffee shop posted on their facebook page and displayed a poster advertising the event.

On an unseasonably warm December evening not one person came to my author event at the coffee shop.  The shop is divided into two rooms.  I set up a table near the Christmas tree.  I shared the room with five customers.  Not one of the customers showed any interest in my presence.  In fact, they aggressively ignored me – each person was absorbed in their own world.

So, my marketing venture ended with a whimper not a bang (The Hollow Men, T.S. Eliot).  For some reason having no one attend my final author event was an appropriate end.  The marketing season is done.  In 2016 I will concentrate on writing the third and final book in the Murphy Series.  I have registered for one author event in March 2016 but expect (and hope) such events will be sparse next year.