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Crime Beat Confidential Returns on thatchannel.com

PI Dana Bowman doing her thing on Crime Beat Confidential.

Crime Beat Confidential, the TV interview show I host on thatchannel.com has returned after a few months. Well, actually it is co-hosted by my main Beyond mystery series book character, the mouthy private investigator, Dana Bowman. The current show features our guest Marian Misters, who co-owns the Sleuth of Baker Street Bookstore.

Marian Misters in her bookstore

Despite the store’s name it is not located in London, England (or London, Ontario either) but in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. And it is full of mystery books, a mystery reader’s haven. There are even shelves of books in the basement although it is the main floor’s selection that are for sale. The space is small, but Marian has managed to fit in a lot of books including newly published books..

Bookstores are important for authors, even with e-books. And especially a genre-specific store because…

If you think that all bookstores do is sell books, think again. Books are written by authors and readers want to meet their authors and vice-versa. And for some reason we (hey, I am also a big book reader, particularly mystery and memoir) like going to book launches – and not just our own. And it is not the wine and food, although that helps.

What better place for book launches or readings and the like than a bookstore? Not noisy and dark like a pub. I’ve had book launches in a pub when I could use a flashlight to see people and once on stage to present, the light are so bright when I peer into the audience I don’t see much – because it is dark there. The most embarrassing moment was when I re-connected with an old friend and I couldn’t make out his face so he had to introduce himself. I knew he was coming to the launch and I knew what he looked like now. Bad lighting.

And bookstore owners are very knowledgeable about their books and their authors. Readers can go in and browse to find something they want to read or have a specific book (or books) they want to get. Or ask the owner questions. Should a bookstore not have the book in they usually can order it in.

You can also order books online from Sleuth of Baker Street.  And if you want to know what’s going on with them and their authors you can get their free monthly e-newsletter called The Merchant of Menace.

Not sure if Sherlock Holmes visits Sleuth of Baker Street, but I bet his spirit hovers in the bookstore.

For info on Sleuth of Baker Street and the Merchant of Menace go to their website.

Or for the visual, watch that episode of Crime Beat Confidential here.

And let me know what you think.

Note: This post is a few days late as I was in meetings and working on editing client manuscripts late last week. But, after this post I will get back to  my every-other-week postings on Thursdays/Fridays.

Cheers.

Sharon A. Crawford

 

Sharon hosting Crime Beat Confidential

Two of Sharon’s Beyond mystery books

 

 

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On the road again with my Beyond mystery books

Beyond book No. 3

I’m taking my Beyond books on one last in-person promo for this year and then taking a break until into the New Year. Will still be doing social media. It’s just that I don’t like going out and about much in winter weather. And there is a high risk of having to cancel ane event or going to it because of a blizzard, sub-zero temperatures or some other awful winter stuff. I am not a fan of winter – in fact if it would disappear permanently into a black hole I would be the first to cheer.

And I need the time to continue writing my new Beyond mystery novel, which despite all the house issues, sagas and other problems being shoved at me, I am actually back to working on that novel.

So, I’ll put some brief details of the last of the 2018 Beyond events. But first I want to mention some of the unique ways I get these promos.

I have to be thankful that many come to me from outside and I am grateful for them.

There is my Crime Beat Confidential Show that I host bi-monthly on thatchannel.com. The station’s show producer approached me – probably because i had made some appearances as a guest on their Liquid Lunch Show. I get a lot of fun, learning and meeting interesting people who guest on my show. My book character PI Dana Bowman appears at the beginning of each show. And in the one just taped this week, she does the second half of the show interviewing the guest – a private investigator. The show is not taped live and some editing is done, so when it’s up I’ll post the link. Meantime you can watch the other two on thatchannel. com under “Shows” or Google “Crime Beat Confidential and Youtube” and see it posted by the station on Youtube.

As a member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and the Toronto Heliconian Club, I get a chance to take part in their author readings, book signings at bookstores, libraries, conventions, writers festivals, artistic shows and sales. They send out emails on this looking for us author members to participate and we  have to get back. Now, for some there is a limit of how many participants, but I have been lucky to get in on those – even some out of town. And there it is other members participating in the same event who give me a lift there – sometimes we have a car load of authors heading ouit of town and it is so much fun.

Those are just some examples. My point, beside being grateful, is authors – whether self-published or published by a trade publisher, can benefit by joining an organization that has some literature and/or writer component to help promote their books. And it’s not all  one-sided as by participating you sometimes get the chance to organize the event. And you meet interesting authors and readers. And sell some books. Don’t be all social media and no in-person promo. Sometimes readers like to see the real person and not just see what thay look like, but how they act, how theiy interact,,how they come across in their knowledge about writing, and in my case, just dressing up like my main character and letting her take over.

Beyond Book No. 2

And on that note, I’ll just list the last two events for 2018 and hope those in the Greater Toronto area in Ontario, Canada can make one of these events.

GIFTS FROM THE MUSES-

Saturday, Nov. 24, 11 am to 4 pm.

Toronto Heliconian Club

35 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

All my Beyond books – Beyond the Tripping Point, Beyond Blood and Beyond Faith will be on display and for sale at the annual Club show and sale “Gifts from the Muses”  which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 24. There will also be a wall of paintings and photographs, all selling for $100 or less. In addition, members from all sections will sell hand-made products such as unframed art works, cards, books, CDs, jewelry, jams, baked goods, etc. Along with the sale, members of the Music Section will entertain with short musical interludes each hour. This is one of the best multi-disciplinary events in the Club and is so much fun to attend! It is a great opportunity to purchase outstanding gifts for family and friends!
More info on The Toronto Heliconian Club, including a map for their location here

Also at The Heliconian Club

An Evening of Readings of Literature Section Members
·
Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at 6:30 PM – 9 PM

Sharon A. Crawford will read excerpts from her Beyond Mystery series novels: Beyond Blood and the latest, Beyond Faith. She is joined by two other Heliconian Club Literature group authors: Ann Elizabeth Carson and Isabel Berchem for this Evening of Readings. Hosted by Christine Arthurs. Refreshments and a cash bar.

Cost: Free for Heliconian Club members and $10. for all others.

Beyond Book No. 1 – the short story collection

Cheers.

Sharon A. Crawford

 

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More tales from the book marketing trenches

Sharon A. Crawford's latest in the Beyond series

Sharon A. Crawford’s latest in the Beyond series

I continue with marketing my mystery novel Beyond Blood into bricks and mortar bookstores. And I keep in mind the possibility of book returns and loss in royalties. So I’m not exactly bombarding bookstores. However, I am plugging along to visit the bookstores on my list. At least I’m organized – after a fashion.

Yesterday I popped into another Indigo Bookstore, this one mid-town going north in Toronto. As usual I prepared in my head what I planned to say.

It didn’t go exactly that way. But it doesn’t help if you (read me) have some health issues acting up when you are talking to the bookstore manager. Mine is an on-again off-again (mostly on it seems) sinusitis infection that sometimes goes down lower to glands. It makes me tired sometimes – I also don’t get enough sleep some evenings because late at night I suddenly decide I have a lot of house-related stuff I just have to do and get to bed late. Obviously it is important to be organized in your personal life as well.

So what did happen? First the manager thought I was trying to get the book in on consignment and said no openings for that until next April. I had managed to remember to introduce myself, my publisher and that the book is not self-published. I also mentioned what other branches in the chain it was in and BB wasn’t on consignments there and they just ordered from the distributer. Still not exactly clear because yours truly forgot one important point. Beyond Blood is for sale on line at this bookstore chain. Magic words. He was interested. I also said I do book signings, but he said that branch doesn’t do that anymore because they don’t get the people like they used to. Different demographic now. We talked about a couple of other branches, but I did agree with him. So he took my business card (with the info – including photos of the book covers and one of me – thanks to my son’s design, and web links to more). I got his contact info.

So, we shall see.

Meantime I keep watch on the other bookstores handling Beyond Blood and also book more library gigs where I can read and present and sell books directly. It is also a good way to connect with readers. I have a new one September 3 on my own at Brentwood Library branch in Toronto. Will get that one in the Gigs and Blog Tours page on this blog shortly and also my website www.samcraw.com. Also organizing one with other Crime Writers of Canada in another library branch for late next March. And there will be another bookstore CWC one outside Toronto in late November.

You have to keep plugging and don’t give up.

But get lots of sleep and scrap those late-night house chores.

 

Meantime, if you are in the Toronto area, check out the big Indigo Bookstore in the Manu-life Centre. As of yesterday there was still a copy there. Or go to their online ordering. Print copies and e-copies – Kobo – available (among other places) at https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=Beyond%20blood%20and%20Sharon%20A.%20Crawford And if you want e-copies in either Kindle or Kobo go to my publisher, Blue Denim Press, at http://bluedenim.skemantix.com/books/beyond-blood/

 

Happy reading.

 

Cheers.

Sharon A. Crawford

 

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Beyond Blood into bricks and mortars bookstores

Sharon A. Crawford's latest in the Beyond series

Sharon A. Crawford’s latest in the Beyond series

Sometimes we focus on promoting our books through social media only. Sometimes we focus on e-copies only.

Let’s not forget that many books still come in print too. Sure they are available online, but sometimes the bricks and mortars bookstores can be a selling resource too.

And it may not be as difficult to get them to carry your book. Especially if you have a distributor. Especially if you do events with writing organizations that you belong to – and those organizations are sponsoring an event in a bookstore.

Not trying to turn back the clock here. There are other instances of media that didn’t disappear just because something new didn’t come along. Think TV. Think radio. Think print newspaper and magazines. They have just all changed and expanded on how they present. But some variation of the original still exists.

Back to bookstores. First, my Beyond mysteries series are not self-published and my publisher through the distributor (Ingram for those interested) has had my books placed online at various bookstores – Barnes and Noble in the United States for example, and Indigo-Chapters in Canada. But anyone can go in any bookstore and order in a copy of Beyond Blood and/or Beyond the Tripping Point. The bookstore will just order through Ingram.

That’s not exactly in the store, though. Here’s my story on that.

I belong to Crime Writers of Canada. Every April CWC holds the Arthur Ellis Short List party at one of the main Indigo Bookstores in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As part of the celebrations, CWC published authors are invited to read. Well, not all members, but 12 to 16 or so – first to sign up, first to read. That means Indigo has to order in print copies of these authors’ books. Any not sold at the party go into the bookstore’s section. It really helped that Beyond Blood was available through Indigo Chapters online.

Indigo/Chapters is a bookstore chain in Canada and once in one bookstore (especially a big one), it helps to get the book in others. So I’m doing this now. So far I haven’t had to go into a big spiel to pitch my book – at least with this chain. With other smaller independent bookstores – chains or not – I may have to use the competition angle.

It also helps that I write in the mystery genre. Mysteries and romances are selling well, in Canada, at least.

Meantime,  you can get e-copies of Beyond Blood and Beyond the Tripping Point online at my publishers at http://bluedenim.skemantix.com/books/beyond-blood/. Print copies and e-copies – Kobo – available (among other places) at https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=Beyond%20blood%20and%20Sharon%20A.%20Crawford

Cheers.

Sharon A. Crawford

 

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