Rampant Sales Whore
"Aches with humour" - Helen Walsh.
OK. I wouldn't normally do this. I'm not really a marketing whore, honest. It's just...
Right. Start from the beginning.
It's a sad tale really. Diva Books were a brilliant little publishing imprint. Their aim was to publish books of interest to lesbians and bi women, and their interpretation of that remit was wonderfully broad. What they specialised in was finding quirky well-written literary fiction that wouldn't have been taken up by the big guys. I was surprised when they published me, because my book isn't obviously "lesbian fiction" - it just happens to have a bisexual protagonist. But the last thing Diva were about was pigeonholing.
Still, their parent company (Millivres Prowler) were used to making big bucks in gay magazines, porn and sex toys. They couldn't get their heads around the idea of a loss-making enterprise. Even though the losses were small, and getting smaller. Even though Diva kept winning awards. It didn't make them money, and that was the bottom line.
Now they've pulled the plug, and Diva Books has ceased to be. Leaving 642 unsold copies of The Dying of Delight. Three hundred of which I have now bought.
"Pulses with guts, energy and wit" - Julia Darling
So, here's the pitch: Buy my book. Buy it from me. Tell other people to buy it, too. Shout about it. Tons of people have enjoyed it, and said so publicly. It got great reviews. It's a page-turner which pulls you in quickly, but it's also deep and thoughtful and clever. It's about two women, linked by one traumatic event which happens during the solar eclipse of 1999. Somebody is dead, but you don't know who. These women are edgy, mysterious, slightly insane. It's sometimes dark, sometimes funny, always compelling. Canongate described it as "intriguing and uncommonly engaging." Gordon said it was "exciting, funny and above all very well written." It's good. Buy it.
And why should you help me sell these books? Because otherwise they'll sit silent under eaves and never experience a rapt face or an impatient finger turning a page. Yes, I'll make a bit of money. Which is important, because I want to do more of this novel-writing lark, and I have to fund it somehow. But it's not just a financial thing. Books exist to be read. They shouldn't lie hidden in dusty attic boxes.
But people can buy my book, now, from me, for the bargain price of £8.99 (including postage). All copies are signed (unless requested not to), and I make a point of writing personalised messages where possible. All currencies are accepted - with postage costs adjusted as appropriate.
Publish this link. Buy it for your friends. Recommend it to people. People won't buy it just cos you tell them to, but they just might if you tell them how much you enjoyed it when you read it.
You can also buy Va Va Voom, a collection of lesbian erotica containing a story by me. And some of the other authors left in the lurch have books to sell - follow this link, which will be updated as more Diva writers start flogging their own wares.
I'm not a natural saleswoman. This blog isn't going to turn into a hard-sell market stall. It's a one-off.
Some quotes:
"A beautifully crafted debut" - Helen Walsh
"An excellent modern novel" - Yclepta
"Fantastically weird." - Clair
And of course it'll never be reprinted now, so when I'm rich and famous, these rare signed first editions will be worth, oooh, millions.
Buy my book.
OK. I wouldn't normally do this. I'm not really a marketing whore, honest. It's just...
Right. Start from the beginning.
It's a sad tale really. Diva Books were a brilliant little publishing imprint. Their aim was to publish books of interest to lesbians and bi women, and their interpretation of that remit was wonderfully broad. What they specialised in was finding quirky well-written literary fiction that wouldn't have been taken up by the big guys. I was surprised when they published me, because my book isn't obviously "lesbian fiction" - it just happens to have a bisexual protagonist. But the last thing Diva were about was pigeonholing.
Still, their parent company (Millivres Prowler) were used to making big bucks in gay magazines, porn and sex toys. They couldn't get their heads around the idea of a loss-making enterprise. Even though the losses were small, and getting smaller. Even though Diva kept winning awards. It didn't make them money, and that was the bottom line.
Now they've pulled the plug, and Diva Books has ceased to be. Leaving 642 unsold copies of The Dying of Delight. Three hundred of which I have now bought.
"Pulses with guts, energy and wit" - Julia Darling
So, here's the pitch: Buy my book. Buy it from me. Tell other people to buy it, too. Shout about it. Tons of people have enjoyed it, and said so publicly. It got great reviews. It's a page-turner which pulls you in quickly, but it's also deep and thoughtful and clever. It's about two women, linked by one traumatic event which happens during the solar eclipse of 1999. Somebody is dead, but you don't know who. These women are edgy, mysterious, slightly insane. It's sometimes dark, sometimes funny, always compelling. Canongate described it as "intriguing and uncommonly engaging." Gordon said it was "exciting, funny and above all very well written." It's good. Buy it.
And why should you help me sell these books? Because otherwise they'll sit silent under eaves and never experience a rapt face or an impatient finger turning a page. Yes, I'll make a bit of money. Which is important, because I want to do more of this novel-writing lark, and I have to fund it somehow. But it's not just a financial thing. Books exist to be read. They shouldn't lie hidden in dusty attic boxes.
But people can buy my book, now, from me, for the bargain price of £8.99 (including postage). All copies are signed (unless requested not to), and I make a point of writing personalised messages where possible. All currencies are accepted - with postage costs adjusted as appropriate.
Publish this link. Buy it for your friends. Recommend it to people. People won't buy it just cos you tell them to, but they just might if you tell them how much you enjoyed it when you read it.
You can also buy Va Va Voom, a collection of lesbian erotica containing a story by me. And some of the other authors left in the lurch have books to sell - follow this link, which will be updated as more Diva writers start flogging their own wares.
I'm not a natural saleswoman. This blog isn't going to turn into a hard-sell market stall. It's a one-off.
Some quotes:
"A beautifully crafted debut" - Helen Walsh
"An excellent modern novel" - Yclepta
"Fantastically weird." - Clair
And of course it'll never be reprinted now, so when I'm rich and famous, these rare signed first editions will be worth, oooh, millions.
Buy my book.
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