What websites, journals etc are good places to reach fantasy fans?

[Mary Hoffman]

This is a request for help to all you knowledgeable Chrons!

My new Stravaganza novel, City of Secrets, is coming out on July 7th and will be coupled with a re-launch of the sequence, lovely new jackets etc.

My publishers, Bloomsbury, who are very good at reaching the YA audience, are keen to get the books better known among general speculative fiction readers and I'm all in favour of that. They have taken out an ad in SFX and always send review copies to Locus.

I have had some advice from other people but I wondered if any of you can suggest:

* Magazines
* Websites
* Specialist bookshops
* Bloggers
* Other mavens
* Upcoming conventions
• Any other outlet

I'd be very grateful. Mary

 

[speakmoretti]

The whole book-marketing thing confuses me a little bit, to be honest.

Somewhere like Livejournal would work well - a lot of users syndicate blogs on their friends list - I think the best way to have get through to bloggers would be for Bloomsbury to set up a YA specific blog that promotes work as it's being published... with like reviews and extracts and pictures and stuff that people can read without going to the extra effort of going to another website. Once a blog like that is set up, then it'd just need people to spread it through word-of-mouth - there are enough communties out there with YA books as a specific interest, and plenty of people would be willing to spread the word.
There is a Stravaganza community already on Livejournal, but it's not used that much. But the layout I did for it looks pretty
In all seriousness... I don't know how Bloomsbury have marketed stuff before - I only read City of Masks because my dad picked it up in a bookshop and thought I'd like it, but I'd never heard of it before that.

The thing about using the internet though is that it can create huge and scary fandoms, and as a writer you may want to duck and cover from some of that. A lot of people are... well, obsessive and don't get out enough, especially where certain genres of book are concerned - I've wandered around the whole internet fandom thing and it terrified me in the end. I guess it depends how brave you're feeling

I'm not sure any of that is helpful. I think I talked a lot but said not much

 

[Mary Hoffman]

Yes, that has been very helpful. I knew about Live Journal - thank you for your design.

I know what you mean about scary fandom, as opposed to sane, balanced appreciation, such as you get on Chrons. But that's a risk I have to take I suppose.

I would not want the burdens of JKRowling or Terry Pratchett but without exposure, as you say, no-one knows what books are there. And all I want is for people to read the books; what happens after that is up to fate.

Thanks again

Mary

 

[Lexell_Cassini]

DeviantArt, I think... there are a lot of artist of fantasy.

 

[Lexell_Cassini]

(hello, I'm back... after a looong time)

If you are still searching, what about Gaiaonline?