Celebrating Memorial Day

By Kristina McMorris

Anyone who knows me well is fully aware how much I love celebrations! In my pre-author life, I was

KRISTINA MCMORRIS

actually the owner of a wedding and event planning company. Having helped coordinate up to fourteen weddings a summer, I’m pretty sure I’ve witnessed enough YMCA and chicken-dance performances to last a lifetime. In other words, it would be safe to say I’m an “expert” at celebrating. The cake, the toasts, the dancing, the joyful smiles. Who doesn’t enjoy an evening of those?

This past weekend, however, was a celebration of another kind. At the mention of Memorial Day, many people today think of barbecues, parades, no work, no school, and travel. All of these are wonderful things, no doubt about it. But of course, the most important purpose of this particular holiday is to properly honor our military servicemen and –women.  

I’m proud to say that our two young sons, as part of the Cub Scout tradition, participate each year in an activity that does precisely that. On the Thursday before Memorial Day, they join hundreds of other Scouts at a national cemetery to pay tribute to those whose bravery helped secure the freedom we all enjoy today.  

In the inevitable downpour, the Scouts grab their allotted stick flags and one by one place them at the grave markers of American veterans. As if this alone isn’t enough to touch my heart, the kids also salute those veterans individually and thank each one aloud by name. Within an hour, 150,000 flags were standing at attention and waving for veteranS whose service hasn’t been forgotten.  

All that said, I think it’s also important for us to remember that honoring our military men and women should occur on more than one day of the year.

 

My own grandfather’s WWII letters actually inspired me to write my first novel, and I have since tried my best to spotlight the sacrifice of WWII veterans in all of my books. Last year, I had the opportunity to take our kids to visit the

gravesite of that same grandfather, and the boys spent at least fifteen minutes arranging the flowers they brought to look “just right.” We’ve also thoroughly enjoyed sponsoring a soldier serving in Afghanistan by sending letters and care packages with goodies and essentials from home.

In other words, there’s much we can all do in both small and large ways – starting with a simple yet heartfelt “Thank you.”

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www.KristinaMcMorris.com

Now available: Letters From Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves,

The Christmas Collector (novella in A Winter Wonderland anthology)

New York Times and USA Today bestseller!

Creative, Cost-effective Promotion by Kristina McMorris

Inspired by my grandparents' wartime courtship, I penned my first novel, LETTERS FROM HOME, blissfully ignorant of the marketplace. You see, the story features an infantryman during WWII who falls deeply in love through a yearlong letter exchange, unaware the girl he's writing to isn't the one replying. Little did I know that WWII settings, not to mention books about letters, were considered a no-no at the time in both women's fiction and romance. Fortunately, it was too late to turn back. The manuscript was done, and I wasn't about to give up without a fight.


And so, when I was (more than once) told my precious labor-of-love story would "never" sell, I used that discouragement to fuel my persistence and creative, dollar-stretching strategy. First, I built a unique website, entered national literary contests to gain some accolades, and gathered endorsement quotes from unbelievably merciful best-selling authors (indeed, even before I sold the book), and when it did sell, I incorporated all of this into a full marketing plan that I presented to my in-house publicity and marketing team. I then created a media kit to accompany my ARCs, tri-fold color brochures with an excerpt (instead of bookmarks), and an interview-style video (vs. a standard trailer) that could help in pitching regional television shows.


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Fiction is notoriously known as a hard sell in the media world. Knowing this, I included 1940s recipes in the back of my novel to aid my TV show efforts, as well as discussion questions for reading group appeal. I actively scheduled book club visits (in person and via Skype), spoke at conferences and festivals and schools, established a social networking presence (including WWII sites), cross-promoted with authors of similar books, ran contests with the help of related Facebook groups and penpal/letter-writing blogs, donated nostalgic memory boxes to fundraising events, secured at least fifty reviews on well-suited blogs, and coordinated a large book launch party with B&N (where I read from my grandfather's WWII letters).


Other tactics included a fifteen-stop blog tour, on which I gave away free copies, same as on GoodReads. I ran inexpensive ads on GoodReads and Facebook, plus a few other popular reader sites that do direct e-blasts or e-newsletters. When I ran print ads, I made sure the circulation was high and the ad was visible (I submitted articles to offset the cost). And when it came to national media, although I knew it was a long shot, I sent press kits to fifty targeted editors or producers. I figured if even one of them took the bait, the effort would pay off. I lucked out; Woman's Day graciously gave my novel a third-page endorsement (and my grandmother much-deserved bragging rights!).


Now, for the usual question: Did any of this translate directly to sales? Some of it, sure. For the most part, I'll never know. What I do know is that my publishing house took notice. They slated my book as a featured title, allowed me a generous supply of ARCs and finished copies, volunteered some nice marketing efforts, and (perhaps a related result) gifted me with beautiful packaging and amazing co-op placement.


And…the more important question: Do you feel the campaign was a success? Given the number of times I consistently heard the fantabulous phrase "I've seen your book everywhere," my answer is a resounding yes. As authors, we can't control how much people will enjoy our stories (goodness knows, I wish we could!), nor the amount of support we'll receive from our publishers or the media. But where we can contribute is in brand awareness, doing our darndest to make sure readers know our books exist. Then, we simply cross our fingers and move on to write the next labor of love.


For more about Kristina and her novels, visit www.KristinaMcMorris.com


Do you have any unique promo ideas that you either would or wouldn't recommend to others?