What comes next for Jig?
Jim: Well, GOBLIN HERO just came out, and explores what happens to a goblin who actually survives an adventure. (Hint: it's not all parties and sunshine.)
I'm currently waiting on revision suggestions from my editor on the third goblin book, GOBLIN WAR. That will be the last goblin book, at least for a while. Jig is a wonderful character, but after three books and four short stories, I'm feeling a little burnt out on the goblins. I also want to make sure the series doesn't go stale, recycling the same stories and jokes again and again.
GOBLIN WAR provides closure to the series, and it leaves Jig and company in a new place. So if I do decide to come back to them in a few years, there should be some very interesting new stories to tell.
Where can readers who want more of Jig find your short stories featuring him?
Jim: There are currently four goblin stories, though only three of them include Jig.
"Goblin Lullaby" was published in the anthology FANTASY GONE WRONG, and features Jig as a baby. That story also introduces a few of the characters from GOBLIN HERO.
For anyone curious about how Jig met his pet fire-spider Smudge, you'll want to read the short story "Goblin Hero" which should be out any day now in BASH DOWN THE DOOR AND SLICE OPEN THE BADGUY.
"The Haunting of Jig's Ear" is . . . well, it's exactly what it sounds like, and it will appear in a future issue of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.
Finally, if you want to know what happens to Veka after the events of GOBLIN HERO, pick up the Wizards of the Coast anthology MAGIC IN THE MIRRORSTONE, which should be out in 2008 and includes my story "School Spirit".
What sort of promotional strategies have you been trying for the books?
Jim: A little of this, a little of that. I don't want to be obnoxious about it -- I've seen too many authors who never turn off the self-promotion. "What's that? You like ice cream? Hey, the protagonist of my novel MARY SUE GOES TO MARS likes ice cream too! Here's an Amazon link, and a blurb from my mother saying how great it is." I really don't want to be that guy.
At the same time, I'm a new author, and I want the books to succeed. So I've set up signings and other events around mid-Michigan, which have drawn decent crowds. I've been running a few contests on my web site to try to get some word of mouth. I've gone to a few conventions, though I don't have the budget to get to as many as I'd like.
I've also worked with some bookstores, sending out autographed bookplates, bookmarks, and temporary goblin tattoos. I'm told those have helped sales a bit.
Whether or not it's cost-effective is a huge question. Realistically, it's probably not, at least in the short-term. But I'm hoping the people who find an autographed book or pick up a tattoo at a convention will not only grab a copy of the book, but that some of them will talk about the book and remember it when the next one comes out.
I keep looking for new ideas, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. My online contests don't usually get much of a result. On the other hand, my "Save Jig from the Strippers" campaign spread surprisingly well.
My favorite idea so far is for THE STEPSISTER SCHEME. I've made a bet with my agent that if the book makes it onto the bestseller lists, he has to spend a day at a convention in full princess costume. I'm planning to publicize that bet when the book comes out, in the hope that my readers will help get my poor agent into a nice, sparkly dress.
