Julie and Julia

Dear Reader,

I don't have much to update other than that I've been proofing my books. Again. I don't believe that you can proof something too much (although I hate doing it). There's always a typo that will become glaringly obvious as soon as it is in print. (Or posted on a blog site, hee hee.)

So that isn't very exciting to share. Necessary (sigh) but not very exciting.

The only other thing appropriate to share with you because it's related to books and publishing and blogging is that my mother and I went to see Julie and Julia.

We enjoyed it but I was also so completely filled with jealousy that I could barely stand it!

Spoiler alert: if you have seen it (or read Julie's book or (even) read her original blog -- I'm sure it's in those because it is the thing that every aspiring author would give everything in the world to hear), there's a scene where she comes home from work after an article about her and her blog appears in the New York Times. Her husband says that there are (I think) 54 or 63 messages on the answering machine. When she starts playing them, they are messages from editors at publishing houses and literary agents. Wow!

I got goosebumps -- I can't imagine how the real Julie felt. (The Amy Adams Julie was sure excited!) Oh, to get just one of those calls!

End of spoiler alert.

Then, the other thing I thought was, how did she get her audience? Now, the blogosphere is much more crowded than it was back in 2001 when she started. But I am posting and linking out the you-know-what -- with just a handful of loyal followers (and a few random hits now and then).

I haven't read the book yet (although I was tempted to buy it when I was in Barnes & Noble today, or at least page through it) but I did a Google search trying to see if she talked about it anywhere. (In the movie it seemed that she didn't do anything -- the followers just came.)

It's important I figure out how to get the exposure because a big part of my marketing strategy for the Good Manners Kids Stuff Press and books is via the web and I am in the process of building an infrastructure of websites and blogs to support it.

And no visitors means no book purchases!

So ... until I find out the magic answer, it's back to the e-drawing board and some more hit and miss attempts at traffic building and exposure.

If any of you have any advice, I hope you'll share. I'll be eternally grateful!

In the meantime, I'll try to find something else more interesting to blog about than my proofing!

Until then,

Leslie
P.S. I'm looking forward to seeing The Time Traveler's Wife next week as I continue my chic flick movie viewing.
P.P.S. Haven't had my Missing Moments Harry Potter Fan Fiction reviewed yet over at Checkmated.com. What's up with that? Seems my publishing career is on hold in every direction!