In May, we debuted Five-Minute Feedback, which could become a regular part of our meetings, if members choose to take advantage of the opportunity.
For those of you who weren’t here in May, I was the guinea pig for that first go-around. I shared five different cover redesigns of my first novel, Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher. The feedback and the poll were very useful for me, and I heard from others that the discussion was stimulating.
We had someone lined up for the June meeting, but it fell through. Thanks to Tom Ucko, who was struggling with a title for his book, we came up with one on the fly, and it helped him decide on the title Born While Fleeing: How My Parents’ Escape from the Holocaust Shaped My Life. (You can see the draft cover design on the right. )
We have a slot available at the August 7 meeting as well as future meetings. Contact me at [email protected] if you’re interested.
Maybe you’re trying to decide between three book titles, or you’re struggling with your elevator pitch and need some suggestions. Could be a book blurb you need help with. You can get feedback at the meeting and we can also follow it up with a post here in the blog.
To get you in the mood, I’m going to insert myself into the process again and share some Amazon ad copy with you.
I recently almost completed the free Bryan Collins Amazon Ad School Five Day Challenge and one of the important elements is coming up with the best 149-character hook for your ad. Here’s one ad I launched.
Here are five hooks, variations on a theme.
- When I Killed My Father is a “page-turner with a conscience” about a therapist trapped between what is compassionate and what is legal.
- What if your ailing father asked you to kill him? Then, from the pulpit of the church at your father’s memorial, your sister accused you of murder?
- A family thriller about a therapist squeezed between a compassionate promise to his ailing father and his sister’s public accusation of murder.
- A “page-turner with a conscience” about a distraught therapist who fulfills his promise to his ailing father, but tears his family apart.
- When I Killed My Father is an “assisted-suicide family thriller” about a psychologist trapped between what is compassionate and what is murder.
We’re not going to solicit feedback on this at the meeting — I had my turn already — but I’d love to hear which hook you think is strongest in the comments.
