Julianne Moore Wins Golden Globe for STILL ALICE

Posted by Jocelyn on January 12th, 2015


Last night was a big night for Kelley & Hall client, Lisa Genova. Julianne Moore won a Best Actress Golden Globe for her portrayal of Alice in STILL ALICE.

MV5BMjIzNzAxNjY1Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDg4ODQxMzE@._V1_SX214_AL_

Here is what Lisa Genova had to say about her self-publishing journey and joining forces with Kelley & Hall:

“In the summer of 2007, I began selling copies of Still Alice from the trunk of my car—usually 2-3 at a time.  Some independent bookstores would carry it, others wouldn’t.  None of the major chains like Barnes & Noble would touch it.  And since Still Alice was not going to be carried in physical bookstores outside my local area, it was crucial to have it available for purchase online. 

I created a website, www.StillAlice.com. You could buy it at Amazon.com and BN.com. I started making friends at MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, Shelfari, AuthorsDen, Flickr, EBlogger, etc. In each of these profiles, I shared my book cover, my bio, an excerpt, praise, reviews, an author Q&A, a video, my blog.  I’ve made the most amazing, influential, and important contacts through these websites. 
Social networking works. I tell authors now–Be everywhere you can be. And be as professional looking as possible everywhere you are. The more you look like a “real” author with a “real” book, the better your chances are of getting some real attention.
 
By seven months, after I’d started getting some significant feedback and press, I could sense the beginnings of a buzz. Then I read about [Kelley & Hall client] Brunonia Barry who originally self-published The Lace Reader and went on to get a HUGE book deal.  Here was a concrete example of not only success, but HUGE success.  My dream was gaining more confidence.  I then hired Kelley & Hall Book Publicity out of Marblehead, MA to join me in my efforts. In the three months that I worked with Kelley & Hall, STILL ALICE was featured on television and radio. It was reviewed in newspapers, blogs, and at amazon.com. It was chosen for book clubs, as a staff pick at bookstores, and as a Finalist in General Fiction in the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. And it won the 2008 Bronte Prize for best love story in North America.
 
In the eighth month, the miracle happened.  Kelley & Hall got my book into the hands of Beverly Beckham at the Boston Globe.  She read my book and wrote the best review any author, self-published or not, could hope for in the Boston Sunday Globe.  Now you could hear the BUZZ.  As if her column wasn’t a big enough gift, Beverly then introduced me to a local author Julia Fox Garrison, who originally self-published her book, Don’t Leave Me This Way, about surviving a brain hemorrhage and then went on to get a book deal.  Julia then introduced me to her agent.  And her agent became my agent.
Jocelyn Kelley was fantastic in working as a publicist for me when Still Alice was self-published, and her tenacious/smart efforts led directly to press that led me to an agent and then a publisher.  She was completely worth the investment.”

Starred Publishers Weekly Review for JJ Partridge’s SCRATCHED

Posted by Jocelyn on September 29th, 2014


Congratulations to our client, JJ Partridge, for receiving a STARRED REVIEW in Publishers Weekly! SCRATCHED hits bookstores in November. 9781940192727_FCIn Partridge’s excellent third Algy Temple mystery (after 2008’s Straight Pool), the Providence, R.I., attorney, who’s in-house counsel for Carter University on College Hill, has too much on his plate. Academics opposed to Christopher Columbus are agitating to change the name of the holiday honoring him, a sure-fire recipe for conflict in the heavily Italian-American city. Providence’s reform-minded mayor has just named Temple to a commission overseeing a pool tournament. A Madoff-like scam artist’s Ponzi scheme has jeopardized the investment account of the trust that helps fund the university’s Institute for Italian Studies—whose director emeritus, Italo Palagi, has just been found dead of an accidental overdose of oxycodone. Temple, who suspects Palagi’s death and the institute’s financial troubles are related, sets out to unravel the truth. Partridge adroitly weaves together the different plot points of this witty and well-written whodunit. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Services. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/26/2014

 

Giving Your All

Posted by Jocelyn on October 15th, 2013


Giving your all, striving to be the “best”, can sometimes lead to burnout. I love this piece from Chela Davison at The Daily Love exploring the idea that sometimes we need to save something for ourselves.

“I can only healthily give something my all when my identity doesn’t gather its worth from my action. Giving has to be sourced from wholeness.”

 

Monday Motivation

Posted by Jocelyn on October 14th, 2013


All week long (and especially on the weekends) I search the internet for blog posts that inspire, intrigue and motivate. I wanted to set aside a specific weekly blog post to share all of the insight I have found. Enjoy!

26 Ways to Make Money as a Writer by phenomenal wordsmith and author Alexandra Franzen

Finding Clarity as a Writer by Jeff Goins. Goins continues to inspire me with his posts about the writing life. But you don’t have to be a writer to enjoy his explorations into the human mind.

Blending Your Personal and Professional Life by Amber Naslund. With more and more people working from home, it can be extremely hard to define the lines between work and play. Naslund makes some good points about the benefits of not creating a divide and instead letting everything flow together.

Top 5 Video Recording Tips from Amber Ludwig will give you the inspiration to stop talking about doing things and start doing them. Charge up that camera and make the bold step of putting your thoughts and advice out there.

Life Lessons from America’s Cup by Tiffany Han. You don’t have to be a fan of sailing, or any sports for that matter, to appreciate the advice Tiffany provides here. She writes about the importance of not quitting, not giving up and persevering.

6 Ways to Make Blogging Easier by Melissa at Freeing Imperfections. This personal blog offers a nice blend between professional tactics and personal details about her life.

Don’t be afraid of failure, just keep moving forward. {Tweet Monday’s Motivation.}

How to Find Your Audience

Posted by admin on August 22nd, 2013


I’m about to write something that could shock you. The actual subject matter of your book is of no interest to a reader. It’s true! They don’t care if it’s a boy meets girl story, a mystery about human cloning, a business book about marketing or a self-help book on relationships. What they do care about is how it relates to their personal or professional life. Go to any book club meeting and you will find a group of people talking briefly about the plot of a novel and then immediately delving into their own personal experiences with death, divorce, birth, or marriage. Pick up a copy of a popular business strategy book and you will see that most of the highlighted passages refer to specific action tasks that readers can implement in their own life.

It is a universal truth that people want to identify with others and find their place in society. Why do you think so many magazine headlines are geared towards helping or improving reader’s lives? 10 Ways to Improve Your Love Life, 7 Strategies for Being More Successful at Work, Five Tips to Help You Love Your Job. We are all a little self-centered…and that’s okay! We’re trying to understand our lives, improve our lives and love our lives. There is nothing wrong with that. Finding a way to let readers know how your book can help them learn something or uncover something about themselves is a great step in making your book stand out.

Have you ever read a review where the reviewer mentions a personal struggle they experienced and how much they related to the content? How it helped them through a difficult time or inspired them with a complex character? Those are often the most powerful reviews and authors should take note. What is striking a chord with readers? What is creating the most visceral, emotional reaction? This kind of reaction could be universal and it is up to you, the author, to capitalize on that.

Something motivated you to write your book and not only does this make you an expert on the subject, it is also what is going to drive others to read your book. Did writing your book improve or change your life? Did it allow you to see things differently? Did it help you heal? If so, then use that in your pitch letters and press materials. Use that when being interviewed or talking about your book to friends or strangers.

When Gretchen Rubin was promoting The Happiness Project, every interview included some version of the question “Did writing this book make your life happier?” In essence, people were asking, “will this book change my life, will it make me happier?” There are so few hours in the day and more often we find ourselves sacrificing down time. If readers are going to invest what little relaxation time they have reading your book, they want to know there is a return on investment. Give them a reason to move your book up on their “To Be Read” list, tell them what’s in it for them. Then sit back and let them fall in love with it for their own personal reasons.

Yes, I may have scared you in the beginning when I said that the subject of your book (the synopsis, the back cover copy, the summary) meant nothing to readers but I was telling the truth. However, once you get them to read it, because they related to a certain aspect or perspective, they will then trust you to take them on a journey. If the material is strong and the writing is powerful, you will have a fan for life. Just keep in mind what brought them to you in the first place and build from there.