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.
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.”