Gaelle Lehrer Kennedy worked as an actress and writer in
film and television in the United States
and Israel. Night
in Jerusalem is her debut
novel, which she has adapted to film. She lives in Ojai California
with her husband and daughter.
She writes, “I lived in Israel
in the 1960s, a naive twenty-year-old, hoping to find myself and my place in
the world. The possibility of war was remote to me. I imagined the tensions in
the region would somehow be resolved peacefully. Then, the Six Day War erupted
and I experienced it firsthand in Jerusalem.
I have drawn Night in Jerusalem
from my experiences during that time. The historical events portrayed in the
novel are accurate. The characters are based on people I knew in the city. Like
me, they were struggling to make sense of their lives, responding to inherited
challenges they could not escape that shaped their destiny in ways they and the
entire Middle East could not have imagined.
I have always been intrigued by the miraculous. How and
where the soul’s journey leads and how it reveals its destiny. How two people
who are destined, even under the threat of war and extinction, can find one
another.
Israel’s
Six Day War is not a fiction; neither was the miracle of its victory. What
better time to discover love through intrigue, passion, and the miraculous.
Writing this story was in part reliving my history in Israel,
in part a mystical adventure. I am grateful that so many who have read Night In
Jerusalem have experienced this as well.”
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
A bewitching love
story that is also an extraordinary portrait of Jerusalem, its faith, spirituality,
David Bennett is
invited to Jerusalem in 1967 by his
cousin who, to the alarm of his aristocratic British family, has embraced
Judaism. He introduces David to his mentor, Reb Eli, a revered sage in the
orthodox community. Despite his resistance to religious teaching, David becomes
enthralled by the rabbi’s wisdom and compassionate presence. When David
discloses a sexual problem, Reb Eli unwittingly sets off a chain of events that
transforms his life and the life of the mysterious prostitute, Tamar, who, in a
reprise of an ancient biblical story, leads both men to an astonishing realization.
As passions rise, the Six Day War erupts, reshaping the lives of everyone
caught up in it.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
After your book was released,
what was the first thing you did when getting ready for your book launch?
I made sure the book’s web site
and Facebook page were up to date and that my author profiles on Amazon and
Goodreads were complete. I also set up accounts so I could advertise on Amazon
and Facebook. Then I researched the best options for doing a virtual book tour.
I learned a lot from other authors I spoke to.
After
that, what was your next step?
I set
up a Twitter account and am following a group of writers and others who are
interested in the general subject area of my book. I plan to reach out to them
to see if they would be willing to review my book. Next step is to begin
posting to Twitter to join in the conversation with them, and with others
interested in the general areas my book is about (using hashtags.)
Did you do anything different
to spice up your website in lieu of your upcoming book release?
Writing
seems to be about endless revising! Yes, I reviewed the copy on the web site
and revised it. I kept a version of the basic elements – What is the book
about? Who am I? and all that good stuff, in a separate file on my computer so
that wherever it was going to appear, I had easy access to the latest and
greatest version. I find that very helpful.
Did you ever consider using a
PR agency to help you promote your book or did you prefer the DIY route?
I did not hire a PR agent. I have
not had good results from PR agents in other businesses. I know they can
sometimes have a major impact, but my experience has been that the expense is
not worth it, particularly as they will not guaranty any kind of results. I
have two friends who recently spent a decent amount on PR contracts for books
and did not get anything from it. So I prefer the DIY approach.
Were
finding reviews a top priority for you and, if yes, how did you approach that?
Reviews are really important. For
one thing, they let me know if I am on the right track! Plus they mean a lot to
people who are thinking about buying or reading my book, and, depending on where
they are published, they can generate a lot of exposure. I sent a copy of the
finished manuscript to people I know who have a reputation in their fields and
asked them if they were open to reviewing or endorsing the book. I incorporated
comments from some of them on the cover of the book, posted them to Facebook,
and put them on the web site. Getting reviews is an on-going process. It is one
of the main reasons to do a virtual book tour – and being willing to send
copies of the book to potential reviewers.
What
are your views on social media for marketing your book?
Facebook
lets you get your posts (or ads!) in front of very well-defined audiences.
Personally, I think it is well worth it.
It lets self-publishing authors get in front of different audiences for
not a lot of expense, and to see quickly who is responding and who is not. I
think Twitter is likely very helpful, too, but I am only just beginning to
engage with it.
What
social media has worked best for you?
My
experience has been confined largely to Facebook. I’ve not advertised on
Goodreads, but will experiment with it and other platforms.
Did
you write a press release and do you think it worked for you?
I did
not write a press release. I’m not sure anyone reads them. I can’t say my decision
was based on anything more than I had other things to do and it was “one more
thing” and it didn’t make the cut. I could be totally wrong about this one.
Did you revamp your author’s
page at Amazon in any way to prepare for the launch (https://authorcentral.amazon.com/)?
Yes. I
went over it completely, made sure all the content was up to date. In fact, I
have new content to add (thanks for the reminder J)
Did
you have other books you offered for free in order to help sell your present
book?
No.
This is my first novel.
Did
you set up books signings and, if so, how did that work for you?
I’ve spoken to local book clubs,
done events at the library, and have been invited to expense-paid events across
the country. They have gone very well. My book is well received and people want
to know whatever back-story I can tell them about it. I also presented at the
Jewish Book Council in New
York – not a book
signing event, but exposure that can lead to invitations to them. I have found
that book clubs and talks are more engaging and productive for me, as an
unknown author, that book signings.
Did
you time your book launch around a certain holiday?
I did not time the launch in any
way – I was not nearly that sophisticated about the business! However, Night In
Jerusalem is a love story set with the Six Day War as its backdrop, and the
book came out the year Israel is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the end
of the war and the unification of Jerusalem.
What
was the best money you ever spent on your book launch?
The
online social media, and attendance at the Jewish Book Council event in New York.
Any tips for those authors
wanting to set up a successful book launch?
When you have a small promotional
budget (who doesn’t?) it is not that effective to try and reach all of America with your message. Better to reduce the people you are
trying to reach to a manageable number and then put all your resources into
that group, and write your messages with that group in mind. Social media can
let you target audiences with great precision. And the degree of specialization
in web sites and other online publishers lets you collaborate with people who
can help you reach your readers. So my main tip is - spend the time to draw
your bullseye, and then focus everything you do on it.
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