S = Simone Elkeles

First of all, blogger you suck! Of my last six scheduled posts, you've posted 1. Why am I taking the time to schedule them???

The A-Z blogging challenge is being hosted by Tossing It Out. My A-Z selections are a Beth's Pick unless otherwise noted.

Okay, so if you were around for my P & R series, you already know what I think of Simone's writing. But I had the chance to see her at a conference her voice in life is just as interesting as on paper, maybe more so. (This is admirable to me, because in person I'm shy and awkward but on paper I have a big voice). But if you're a writer, even if you don't write YA, if you EVER get the chance to go to a Simone Elkeles workshop you should do it. She talked to my group about marketing, and she's good at it.

SIMONE MADE HERSELF A BEST SELLER. It's not secret that best sellers are made not written (although, in this case I think it was both).  But when her publisher didn't give her the marketing funds she needed to make her book a best seller and didn't give her the advance she hoped for, she took out a home equity line of credit on her house, hired a PR firm and did it herself. She created a trailer and got it on You-tube. She made sure 100 bloggers had copies of her book. She created a street team that pushed her book in bookstores. The book store bit was probably easier for her, because she was with a big press, but most of these are things we can do if we're self published, or publish through a small press. And the way she was able to take control of her career is inspiring! Talk to us again, Simone!!!!