The world's best promotion for any writer

Hi,

have you ever asked yourself what's possibly the best way to promote your books? The answer is simple yet complicated. Any serious writer always also is a reader or (s)he would not be so fascinated by books. So, the best kind of promotion should be the one that turns non-readers into readers.

I have always been a reader and I spend more money on books than I spend on shoes. I read many genres including (but not limited to) mysteries, thrillers, Sci-Fi and Fantasy, YA, MG and non-fiction. Even the occasional picture book can be found in my collection.

But only when I began pursuing my writing career I realized how important reading really is. Why then do we value it so little in our language? An avid reader is often referred to as a book-worm or a book-rat (book-pack-rat if (s)he keeps the books). Why can't we use more cuddly animals in the comparison? A book-squirrel or -fawn would be far more attractive. And "carried away by winged horses" is so much more poetic than "glued to the page".

I believe that we as writers will benefit immensely if we begin to show others (by living it) that reading is a wonderful skill, one that many people in other countries strive for and never will be able to get due to circumstances. Try a reading session at your next barbecue or a "guess the book"-game at your next family reunion. What's more, I'd suggest to stop using dismissive words for those that love to read. Writers need readers, so start promoting any kind of reading with all your heart. In the long run, every writer will benefit from your efforts.

Try not to limit your promotion to your own books but include those you treasured or that you think someone else might enjoy. Reach out to people who just haven't discovered what they would like to read. I have been doing that for a couple of years now and it is great fun. Also, with 1.500 books on varying genres in my attic and a good library in town that isn't too daunting a task.

Remember: If you take the scenic route you get to know the area better,
Cat

back to work

Hi,

I managed to do most of my webpages over the weekend. Now, all that I need to do is to make the new layout out of the picture I've gotten from the designer. I'll probably do that next weekend but I won't promise. After all, the kids are on holiday and they do have the right to interrupt. ;-)

As you might have noticed, I am back into writing. This morning (after finishing my bureaucracy stuff) I continued writing "Amadi" I am quite happy with what I wrote. In the next scene she will meet her adversary for the first time. So I am very much looking forward to writing that scene.

In the afternoon, I might manage to translate a bit more of "Victor's Rage" the sequel to "Ann Angel's Freedom". I am planning to get it done in time for x-mas shopping. Since it is somehow more work to translate a novel than to write it, I might take longer. But I promise that I will give my best to reach that goal.

Keep writing,
Cat

restructuring my webpage

Hi,

I did not forget to post or to write. I had been ill for a few days and then I began to restructure my website (which is taking longer than planned because I decided to include all my books - even the ones that are good enough for publication but haven't been "discovered" yet). I began to sort my books by genre - one being "Poems and Literature". Suddenly, my muse attacked and I had to write a poem for the entrance page (see below). This has happened before with surprising results. Now, all I needed to do was to translate it... and that took at least three times as long as writing it.

Once in a while, Muse grabs me good,
pulls my hair, my shirt, my foot
strangles, nips and tortures me
(I cannot stand that comfortably)
I write down all the words she speaks
on paper though my pencil squeaks.

They aren't funny and bad as well.
My Muse never rests and you can tell.
She neither stops at night nor day
until she's finished all the way.
But stunned I sometimes stare and stand
with a poem in my hand!

Katharina Gerlach, 21. Juni 2009

Enjoy,
Cat

Free weekend

Hi,

last weekend I visited a friend and together we went to a concert in Dortmund. We came back very exhausted but satisfied. It was really good to do something for myself again. I haven't been able to do that since my first daughter was born. The only drawback is that with only four hours of sleep, tiredness kept me away from the PC most of today. I hope to be back to normal tomorrow.

Soon, my website will get a new look. The layout (as a picture) is perfect but I will need some time to turn it into a website. Therefore, my writing will suffer a little. I am still aiming to get "Victor's Rage" done in time for Christmas this year and I am looking into different POD-publishers at the moment. Here is a little preview of the possible cover:



I am really looking forward to finishing the translation. It takes away so much writing time form my other project and I just love writing "Amadi". When I was a kid I enjoyed the usual fairy tales of 1001 night (like Aladin and Ali Baba). I only discovered recently that most of the stories have far more adult content. It's worth getting a copy if you don't already have one.

Enjoy your week,
Cat

Amadi and the Phoenix - part one

Hi,

The main character for my new project is Amadi. At the beginning of the story she is roughly 13 years old, stealing a flute for her foster sister - the only person who treats her nice. Of course she is caught and gets into deeper trouble from there on. ;-)

This is what she looks like:


I love having a visual at least for my main character. It keeps me focused and also reminds me that those people in my head are real (in a different sense from you and I but real nonetheless).

Have a nice Sunday,
Cat

New Release

Hi,

shortly, a new anthology will be published in Germany with my story "Wedding Nights" in it. My story was sparked by a nightmare I had and although it became a really good story I still feel uncomfortable reading it. It sends shivers down my spine (isn't that supposed to happen in a good horror story?)


Ganz schön bissig

I really enjoyed reading the other stories because they were so different from mine. Not all stories in this book are horror. Some tackle the subject with humor others with awe but all use a lookout different from Vampire clichés.

I hope this book will be a success.
Keep reading, writing and living,
Cat

I'm back

Hi,

after a long time without Internet I am now returning. I started my new project and finished the second scene. Yesterday, we celebrated the confirmation of my eldest daughter and although it was a lot of work it also was fun.

I am planning on writing roughly 1000 words of "Amadi" and two pages of the translation of "Victor's Rage" a day, excluding weekends and Tuesdays. After all, I have a family to look after. Also, my homepage will get a major site overhaul in the near future which might take away some writing time.

The first part of "Amadi" will tell the story of a foundling girl who becomes a member of the guild of thieves in a male dominated world (in a 1001 Arabian Nights Setting) to find out who killed her beloved teacher.

Also, I found two interesting quizzes on the net. With the first one you can find out what kind of reading personality you are (I am all four in equal measures but I already suspected that). In the second you find out whick book you would be if you were turned into one (I am "Timeline" by Michael Crichton: I am energetic, passionate, scientific, and very intriguing in your history (that's what the quiz-result said, not me!). I am the perfect mixture of quantum physics and European history of the High Middle Ages. My characters are thought out, dynamic, and interesting. I am thrilling.).

And last but not least, one of the five American agents I sent "Thicker Than Water" to requested a partial (I saw a statistic on some agents blog and she didn't request a single manuscript in nearly 200, so I am reasonable proud of this success).

Keep reading and/or writing and enjoy the world,
Cat