Garasamo Maccagnone studied creative writing and literature under noted American writers Sam Astrachan and Stuart Dybek at Wayne State University and Western Michigan University. In the mid 90’s Maccagnone decided to fulfill the promise of his writing career, by first penning the children’s book, The Suburban Dragon and then following up with a collection of short stories and poetry entitled, The Affliction of Dreams. His literary novel, St. John of the Midfield was published in 2007, followed by his For the Love of St. Nick, which was released in 2008.
Maccagnone expanded the original version of For the Love of St. Nick and had the book illustrated for a new release in June 2009. My Dog Tim and Other Stories is a literary anthology of the author’s best work.
Garasamo “Gary” Maccagnone lives today in Shelby Township, Michigan, with his wife Vicki and three children. At this time, he is researching the location for his second novel, tentatively titled, He Lay Low.
You can visit Gary online at www.garasamomaccagnone.com.
Welcome to Book Marketing Buzz, Gary. Can we begin by having you tell us a little about your book?
My Dog Tim: and other stories is a collection of short stories and one novel. The anchor story, which is the novel, is entitled, St. John of the Midfield. It tells the story of Bobo Stoikov, a youth soccer coach who was once one of the world’s greatest soccer players. He escaped communist Bulgaria to live the American dream. Once he arrived, he had no idea what was in store for him.
Some make the mistake believing this is a typical adolescent sport’s novel. It begins that way, but then takes an unexpected turn.
What is the first thing you did to promote your book once your publisher accepted your manuscript?
I contacted Cheryl over at Pump up your Book. She’s my guiding hand.
If you had to pick just one book marketing tool that you’ve used to promote your book, which would you say has been the most effective?
In the case of my novel, St. John of the Midfield, I marketed heavily on a major soccer site called topdrawersoccer.com. Besides having a two or three banner ads on their site, they distributed marketing e-mails to their contacts of over twenty thousand people.
Do you do more promoting online or offline and which do you prefer?
I like on-line marketing. I’m introverted. I’m not the type to show up for a reading.
Do you use social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to promote your books and have you had any success with it?
Currently, I’m on Facebook. It’s been a nice tool, though I make sure I don’t overuse it.
Do you own a blog and how often do you update it? Did you set up your blog solely to promote your book and what is its effectiveness?
I don’t blog. I have a web site that is maintained by a friend of mine. She keeps the front page fresh by updating on a bi-weekly basis.
Do you recommend authors getting publicists to help them promote their books? Do you have one?
I don’t have a publicist. I suppose you have to earn that, or pay for it. I tend to invest mainly in my content, which, I believe, will stand the test of time.
If an author prefers to do it alone rather than hire a publicist, where should they start?
Call Cheryl at Pump up Your Book. If you want viral notoriety, she’s a great person to work with.
Thank you for coming, Gary We wish you much success!
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