July 21, 2006
Back from a mini-vacation. Wednesday we drove across Michigan to Ludington on Lake Michigan. Got to the beach at the state park by around 2:30 or 3:00. Fabulous. Not too hot, kind of cloudy, about 80+ degrees, a storm somewhere out on the water kicking up decent but no dangerous waves. It wasn't a weekend so the beach wasn't mobbed. There's 3-1/2 miles of sandy beach there anyway, but overall we had a great time. Vowed to come back and spend more time in Ludington because their beaches are so fantastic.

Thursday we went to Michigan Adventures, a water park and amusement park. Despite it having been there 50 years and my having lived in Michigan 42 years, I had never been there before and had only heard of it a few years back. The water park is fairly recent and was a lot of fun. For a family that practically goes to Disney World to go to the 2 water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, this is fairly tame, but decent. For the size of the wave pool, it was a lot of fun. The amusement park has a new roller coaster called Shivering Timbers, apparently the largest wooden coaster in the U.S. I haven't been to Cedar Point in about 14 years, but I always enjoyed The Gemini, a huge double wooden coaster, but Timbers was bigger and more intense. My oldest son, 12, wanted to ride it and I think it freaked him out. He said he wouldn't ride it again. (Ha, wait until he's 15!) My kids and wife dragged me on the Dragon Swing, despite my best efforts to avoid all circular rides inducing nausea. It's not circular, but boy did it induce nausea. I held on because it was apparent to me that if I chucked up, the vomit would either splash back in my face or go swinging downstream to the woman across from me. I made the whole trip without puking, but I couldn't wait to get off that damned ride.

Now I'm back to work, more or less. Got two mockups of a brochure for The Devil's Pitchfork that a graphic artist friend of mine put together. Now I have to decide. (Want a look? E-mail me."

And on the subject of fancy book marketing, Robert Gregory Browne has a link to a video trailer he put together. It works, but I'm ambivalent about video trailers for books. Maybe just because I don't have the technical expertise for it. I suspect it'll get the attention to your website, at least for a while (check out www.joshconviser.com and watch the flash presentation at the beginning of his website--I admit it, I'm intrigued), but I wonder if that translates to sales. I've always been fond of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's website, which as they put it, has no flash or frills, but a lot of content for readers, because that's who they're aiming at.

On the other hand, Janet Evanovich notes that she markets to TV watchers because there's more of them.

No conclusions, actually. Whatever works, I suppose. I'm working on Internet marketing and mailings this time, rather than the dubious book signings, although I plan to pay a visit to as many bookstores in the area as I can, whether my books are there or not.

Best,
Mark Terry