David Myles Robinson has always had a passion for writing. During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, while in college, Robinson worked as a free-lance writer for several magazines and was a staff writer for a weekly minority newspaper in Pasadena, California, called The Pasadena Eagle. However, as he himself admits, upon graduating from San Francisco State University, he decided against the ‘starving writer’ route and went to law school, at the University of San Francisco School of Law. It was there that he met his wife, Marcia Waldorf. After graduating from law school in 1975, the two moved to Honolulu, Hawaii and began practicing law. Robinson became a trial lawyer, specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation law. Waldorf eventually became a District Court and ultimately a Circuit Court judge.
Upon retiring in 2010, Robinson completed his first novel, Unplayable Lie, which was published by BluewaterPress LLC, in 2010. He has since published five more novels, three of which are legal thrillers set in Honolulu: Tropical Lies, Tropical Judgments, Tropical Doubts, and Tropical Deception. His other three novels are The Pinochet Plot, Son of Saigon, and Words Kill. Robinson has also published a book of short travel stories, Conga Line on the Amazon.
Robinson and Waldorf divided their time between Honolulu and their second home in Taos, NM for seven years before finally deciding to see what it’s like to be full-time mainlanders again. They now live in Taos, where Robinson can pursue his non-writing passions of golf, ski, and travel.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: davidmylesrobinson.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DMRobinsonWrite
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DavidMylesRobinson
Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/davidmylesrobinson
Title: WORDS KILL
Author: David Myles Robinson
Publisher: Terra Nova Books
Pages: 250
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
BOOK BLURB:
Famed reporter Russell Blaze is dead. It appears to be an accident, but after Russ’s funeral, his son, Cody, finds a letter in which his father explains that the death may have been murder. It directs Cody to Russ’s unfinished memoir for clues as to what may have happened. The opening words are: On the night of October 16, 1968, I uttered a sentence that would haunt me for the rest of my life. The sentence was, “Someone should kill that motherfucker.”
As Cody delves into the memoir, a window opens into a tragic past and thrusts the still-burning embers of another time’s radical violence into the political reality of the present. History that once seemed far away becomes a deeply personal immersion for Cody into the storied heyday of the Haight: drugs, sex, war protesters, right-wing militias, ground-breaking journalism—and the mysterious Gloria, who wanders into his father’s pad one day to just “crash here for a while until things calm down.”
Cody discovers aspects of his father’s life he never knew, and slowly begins to understand the significance of those words his father spoke in 1968.
Words Kill is a story of loss, violence, and racism; love, hate, and discovery. It is a story of then … and now.
ORDER YOUR COPY
Amazon → https://amzn.to/3Bqov0c
After your book was released, what was the first thing you did when getting ready for your book launch?
I worked on trying to get some reviews. The eBook version came out after the paperback, so I worked with my publisher to make sure some Editorial Reviews were posted and that the purchase sites (Amazon, etc.) looked good.
After that, what was your next step?
I’m new to Instagram and Twitter, so I tried to gain some “followers” and I’m working with a few book influencers to see how that goes.
Did you do anything different to spice up your website in lieu of your upcoming book release?
Not too much. I added Words Kill, of course, as being available for purchase.
Did you ever consider using a PR agency to help you promote your book or did you prefer the DIY route?
Yes. I have used some marketing people in the past with minimal success and a lot of expenditure. I gained some knowledge about social media and I still buy some assistance on a per item basis rather than expensive packages that fall short of promises.
Were finding reviews a top priority for you and, if yes, how did you approach that?
Reviews are always a priority. I did expend some money for commercial reviews, with good success. I think a lot of people look at the Editorial Review sections when they are considering buying a book. Trying to get people to post reviews is always problematic. I was warned about that early in my writing career. That’s one reason I am looking to Instagram “influencers.”
What are your views on social media for marketing your book?
Essential, but very time consuming. Also, for those of us who aren’t veteran Instagrammers and Twitterers, there is a learning curve.
What social media has worked best for you?
The Facebook ads are probably the best bang for the buck (at least as far as I’ve experienced so far). I’m not thrilled with Facebook, but it seems to be a necessary evil at this point.
Did you write a press release and do you think it worked for you?
My publisher sends out a press release with every new release. Unfortunately, except in unusual circumstances, the big players get so many that it doesn’t seem to have an impact.
Did you revamp your author’s page at Amazon in any way to prepare for the launch (https://authorcentral.amazon.com/)?
My publisher and distributor are in charge of getting the book live on Amazon and B&N, etc. For Words Kill we had a number of issues with Amazon getting things up and running. Unfortunately, like FB, we are pretty much powerless to do much other than wait for issues to be resolved.
Did you have other books you offered for free in order to help sell your present book?
No, although in the past I have reduced the price of some books in order to sell on Book Bub.
Did you set up booksignings and, if so, how did that work for you?
I have in the past, and I have been invited to speak and sign books at my local bookstore’s mystery book club, but none of that is happening for this book due to COVID..
Did you time your book launch around a certain holiday?
No. The launch timing was up to the publisher.
What was the best money you ever spent on your book launch?
For this particular book, I really don’t know yet. I’ve yet
to determine if the Instagram influencers, etc. will pay off. So far, in the
past, Facebook seemed to be the best bang for the buck.
Unless you’re being published by a major publishing house
that has committed to spending money on marketing, the choices are essentially
to spend a lot of money on reviews and ads and PR people or devoting enormous
amounts of time and energy in DIY marketing.
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