A Visit with Susan Santangelo

An early member of the Baby Boomer generation, Susan Santangelo has been a feature writer, drama critic and editor for daily and weekly newspapers in the New York metropolitan area, including a stint at Cosmopolitan magazine. A seasoned public relations and marketing professional, she has designed and managed not-for-profit events and programs for over 25 years, and was principal of her own public relations firm, Events Unlimited, in Princeton NJ for ten years. She also served as Director of Special Events and Volunteers for Carnegie Hall during the Hall's 1990-1991 Centennial season.

Susan, what prompted your decision to become an indie writer?

I queried several top agents in New York with my first Baby Boomer mystery, Retirement Can Be Murder. Three of them absolutely loved it, but were unsure as to whether there was a market for it. As one of the 78.2 million Baby Boomers myself, I knew there was a market. So I decided to heed the advice of the Books Editor of our daily paper -- if you're a new author, relatively unknown, take the leap of faith and do it yourself. I am blessed to live on Cape Cod, which has a wealth of talented artists and writers. Some of these folks and I now collaborate as Baby Boomer Mysteries Press. It's a win-win for all of us.

Why Boomer books?

It seemed to me that major attention was being paid to the Boomer generation, particularly to the financial piece of hitting retirement age and beyond. Protecting/growing a nestegg, how to save for retirement, etc. But no one seemed to be addressing the emotional impact of growing older as a Boomer. For instance, what happens when a husband (or a wife), who's been out of the house for years at A Very Important Job, suddenly is at home, all the time. How does a couple deal with this re-defining of roles? I decided to tackle these issues from the point of view of someone who's actually living it, using the cozy mystery format.

Tell us about your writing background.

I've written all my life. In my college years, I wrote a column for my school newspaper. Then I went to NYC and was lucky enough to land a job as editorial assistant to Victor Riesel, the labor columnist who was blinded by acid in the 1950s. What an experience. I learned so much about writing form him. From there, I went to Cosmopolitan Magazine (in the Helen Gurley Brown years) as a copy editor, then did freelance writing for years for newspapers and magazines while my children were growing up. I've also had my own public relations firm, and done my share of press releases and marketing materials. For the past 12 years, I've been in the non-profit world with the Breast Cancer Survival Center, and written all their press materials and quarterly newsletters. I've never stopped writing, no matter what the genre.

How have you utilized your public relations background in selling books?

I'm lucky to have made many media contacts over the years, all of whom I've called upon when the first Baby Boomer mystery came out. (Part of the proceeds from the books benefits the Breast Cancer Survival Center.) I've had to speak in public many times over the years, either for clients or for the cancer program, so I'm comfortable with that aspect of PR. I just think of myself as my own client now. But with the Internet, it's a whole new learning curve that I find very exciting. I'm not afraid to try something new. One of the things I leaned in PR was the value of a give-away. With my first book, I had custom-designed socks made that I sent out with review copies. The socks had the title of the book on the cuff and the web site on the instep. It made an impression

Which types of promotions have been the most successful?

Here on Cape Cod, I'm involved with many other local authors, and we do a lot of joint signings and marketing. We have fun together. I love giving out my bookmarks, which highlight the covers of each of the books. People comment on the wonderful design, and frequently one of the artists who's done the design is there. Folks are thrilled to meet her too. I love one-on-one with readers. In the summer, here on Cape Cod, there are so many opportunities for getting out and doing signings that you could do one or two every day.

Do you prefer online promotions or those in person? Which have been the most successful?

I love the in-person talks. The subhead of each of the books is "Every wife has a story." And the stories I hear from other wives are often funnier than anything I've written in the books. I need to do more on-line marketing. That's on my fall To-Do list! One of my most successful promotions has been collaborating with retirement financial planners here on Cape Cod for presentations. One major financial company hired me as their dinner speaker for the major clients, and purchased a large supply of books to give out as premiums at the event, as well as to future clients. I've already been invited back to their dinner next year, to talk about the next book. I also sell a lot of books at dog shows. My books feature two English cocker spaniels, Lucy and Ethel, and I'm invited to shows all over the country to sell books. I have to be selective about where I go, as my travel budget is pretty limited. But dog shows are so much fun.

What ratio of ebooks have you sold to print books?

We are currently in our fourth printing for the first Baby Boomer mystery, Retirement Can Be Murder. The book was first released in traditional format in April 2009. The second book was just released on May 1. The first mystery went on Kindle at the end of January. The second one went on at the end of May. I was resistant to the whole e-book phenomenon at first. But we topped 10,000 e-book sales in 6 months, which is twice as many as the traditional sales. I never expected that. They are both selling like crazy, and one book is definitely helping the other book sales-wise. Many people are buying both.

Tell us about your series.

The Baby Boomer mysteries (there are 7 planned in the series) follow the lives of typical Boomers Carol Andrews and her husband, Jim, as they navigate the rocky road toward their twilight years. The first book dealt with Jim's impending retirement and Carol's reaction to it. The second, Moving Can Be Murder, deals with downsizing and selling the family home. The third one, which I'm currently working on, is called Marriage Can Be Murder, and will feature a destination wedding on Nantucket. Each of the books also has a quiz in the back, to give readers something to think about. The first one had a retirement quiz. The second one has a moving quiz. The idea of them is to start conversation with your partner to find out what's really important to both of you, to be sure you both want the same things. Communication, and compromise, are key.

What advice do you give to other writers contemplating independent publishing?

Publishing is in such a state of flux these days. Years ago, indie authors like myself werre really looked down on by the industry. But now, the stigma is no longer there. The trick is to write the very best book you can, and have a professional editor involved in the process. And be prepared to market the heck out of it. That's often harder than writing the book in the first place.

Thanks, Susan, for sharing your expertise.

You can visit Susan on Facebook and Twitter. Her e-mail address is in the back of her books and on all the promotioinal material. She answer every e-mail as fast as she can and says, "I get them from all over the country. Two weeks ago, I got one from India. I couldn't believe it."