My friends Stephen and Janet Bly have come up with a fun way to promote Stephen's new book. Check this out . . .
AUTHOR TAKES ON CHARACTER’S QUEST
Stephen Bly of Winchester, Idaho, award winning author of 100 books, has so gotten into his newest character’s life, that he’s caught up in the search to find Juanita, the girl of rodeo cowboy Hap Bowman’s dreams.
“An idiot obsession,” Hap’s roping partner, Laramie, chides. But Hap and Steve keep looking anyway. And so does Bly’s family, friends and fans. He’s listed her description on the home page of http://www.onestepovertheborder.com/: raven dark hair, dark eyes, has a petite birthmark the shape of a horse’s head under her right ear. She lived in sight of the Rio Grande and spent time with 12-year-old Hap Bowman in Central Wyoming, summer of 1988 and is 31 years old now.
Bly’s hoping to see “Have you seen my Juanita?” signs pop up everywhere—on websites and message boards, in waiting rooms and bulletin boards, on car bumpers and t-shirts, at rest stops and stuck to magnetic surfaces. “Maybe we really will find her,” Bly says, “If so, she’ll be featured on our website for sure.”
One Step Over the Border is a romp, a road adventure. It's CowboyLit that has inspired a blog by Hap Bowman, a Juanita Sightings page, and an audio poetry reading. Bly’s three sons are working on a video for the site and they’ve gotten the whole family involved in the production. There’s even a free “Have You Seen My Juanita?” Search Kit ready to send to those who e-mail cowboy Hap at HapBowman@yahoo.com with their snail mail address.
Bly’s no stranger to getting heavily involved into his characters. In Paperback Writer a distracted detective rides along with his author, serving as alter ego and companion in troubles on the road. “Life imitates art, they say,” Bly muses. “I care so much for my characters I find it hard to let them go. But also my desire is for the reader to find their own real life discoveries, to be encouraged in their own struggles, by the vicarious ‘entering into’ the quests of my fictional characters.”
The story of Hap’s search to find his Juanita, in the book One Step Over the Border, releases June 2007, by Center Street/Hachette Book Group, USA. Pre-orders are now available through http://www.blybooks.com/ and soon will be via
http://www.amazon.com/ or your favorite online bookstore.
Okay . . . now for my (Tricia's) comments on the above marketing idea.
I love it!
Personally, this is how it affected me.
1. It caught my interest.
2. It pleased me that as a blogger--and friend who thinks this is a fun idea--they made it easy for me to help. The Blys provided the press release (text above), jpeg photos, website, etc. All I had to do is cut and paste what I needed. (The media loves this too--anything to make their job easy.)
3. The more I read, the more my interest was piqued. And, in fact, I found myself disappointed that this novel wasn't going to be out until June 2007. Which means that if next year at this time I just happened to be in a bookstore, I would remember their marketing materials, pick up the book, and start skimming through it. Then, I'd want to know more about this Juanita, and I would most likely buy it . . . which is what any author wants.
4. The Bly's marketing materials also reminded me of a book I read called, "The Tipping Point." The point I walked away with from that book is the importance of finding key people to help you spread the word about your product, thus building a demand. Of course, there is more to The Tipping Point than just this. If you're interested, you can find more information here.
Thanks Stephen and Janet for letting me comment on your marketing materials. I pray that God blesses your efforts!
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