Monday, February 27, 2012

A dual personality

It is scarily easy to create an imaginary persona.


Especially for someone like me who has a slight tendency to live in her own world. I could disappear there altogether ...


No, no, pull yourself together, woman. The reason you're doing this is to promote your book. You are not really Aliss. Even though sometimes she bears a remarkable similarity to you, she is a figment of your imagination. She is not real; you are not her.


So, ahum, Alison, the heroine of my ebook (out shortly), now has her own blog and her own Facebook page, as well as an email address. I owe big thanks to Katney for all her help in getting the little tweaks sorted. If only it were as easy to sort out my brain ...


I want to get all the promotion and advertising in place before publishing, just like they do with the films, build up the hype and excitement. I can tell you're dribbling in anticipation already.


Stu mentioned that it sounds autobiographical but I can assure you that it's not. Not in the least. I am much wiser and generally more adept than Aliss. Just because one or two of the incidents that happen to her happened to me first should not be seen as a sign that it's about me. My children will tell you: their mother is always sensible.


Now if I could just work out how to find friends on Facebook for Aliss ...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Liz,

You might want to consider creating a 'Page' on Facebook for the book (type in 'Facebook Pages' into Facebook's search bar). That way, you have a hub for the book that people can 'Like' and share with your friends in a way that a personal Facebook page can't.

As for marketing, try thinking 'outside the box'. How about a YouTube video that is not necessarily directly about the book, but would appeal to the people who would like reading it? Point them to your website/buying page, and tag the video appropriately so that it can be found in search.

In real life, print out pieces of paper with a message and a weblink (shorten it at tinyurl.com for easy remembering) and dot them around and about on tables and benches and your car window, and wherever else you might think someone will look. Who knows who might see them?

Good luck!

Furtheron said...

So are the friends of Aliss to be fictional or real? Now that is when the blurring between reality and fantasy start to blur...

Liz Hinds said...

Hi, anonymous! Thank you for some great suggestions. I've created a page but can't find it again at this precise moment!

Furtheron, real I hope otherwise i will have to start creating more fake people ... and my life is confusing enough as it is.

Katney said...

Liz, I think I found the page trying to find Aliss as a friend. I will try to find it again and send you the link.

Katney said...

Aliss's FB page

Hope it links.

Anonymous said...

@Furtheron,
the words you are avoiding are 'Libel Action' :-(

I think Liz is clever enough to have avoided that trap. She's good with imaginary friends (churchgoer ;-)

Liz Hinds said...

Thanks, Katney.

I have far more imaginary friends than you would imagine, stu!