PUYB Virtual Book Club Chats with 'Dead Cold' Jennifer Chase

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning crime fiction author and consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master's degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

Her latest book is the crime thriller, Dead Cold.

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Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself?

I have an academic background in criminology and police forensics, which is a great foundation for my crime fiction books. Even though I’m familiar and understand procedures such as police investigations, behavioral science, and standard forensics, I still spend time researching certain aspects that pertain to the storyline. I outline all my stories, which includes making a list of things I have to research. For example in Dead Cold, I needed to understand what happens to the human body, internal organs, and cells when they become frozen for a certain length of time. I conduct my

research three-fold: reference books, experts in a particular field, and articles on a specific subject from several reputable sources.

Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?

To be honest, I wasn’t willing to wait months to hear from publishers. I had experienced what it was like to solicit agents and production companies with my screenplays and I didn’t want to wait. I did my research and decided to test the waters with my first book Compulsion in 2008. It’s taken a while to see results that I was looking for, but I’m enjoying the self-pub process. In the future with other books on the upcoming schedule, I wouldn’t be opposed to checking out publishers and seeing what they would have to offer.

If self-published, did you hire someone to format the ebook version for you or did you do it yourself?  Can you tell us what that was like?

I format my ebooks myself—it’s easy. I had a few errors with formatting in the beginning and of course, there’s always a learning curve. There are free sites on the web that will format your book, as well as editing services that will do this for a reasonable fee. You have to decide if you want to spend the time or have the budget to pay someone else.

If self-published, how did you determine the price?

Pricing is tricky and often debatable. Authors have different opinions of the subject—some price their books at .99 cents while others choose higher prices, such as $4.99 to $7.99. I feel that you have to think about how much exposure you have and how many new readers are willing to pay $7.99 for an unknown author. I price my books at $3.99 after all the new release promotions are completed, and keep the first book in the series at .99 cents. This has worked well for my crime fiction novels.

How did you choose your cover?

For the Emily Stone Series, I use two photographs for the cover. Every cover has a face or close up of eyes with another photo depicting the theme of the book.

Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?

I generally write the book, but there are times I revise as I go. My first draft seems more like a second or third draft because of quick revisions.

Did you consider making or hiring someone to make a book trailer for your book?  If so, what’s the link?

Yes, I’ve created my own book trailers for my books with exception of my latest Dead Cold. There was a book trailer done by the host of Pump Up Your Book: https://youtu.be/Sj6sC4vYRgk

I had a professional film company, Petri Entertainment, shoot a five-minute book series trailer: https://youtu.be/OCbpk4jwtZY  We are also in talks about shooting a film based on one of the Emily Stone books, Dark Mind.

What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your other books?

I think having a giveaway to gain notice for other books can be beneficial. For example, when you release a new book or the first in the series. I’ve learned from other authors that what has been extremely effective may or may not work for everyone. You have to constantly be aware of the market, your reading audience, and your level of promotion.

What are three of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?

Plan a budget (be sure to take everything into consideration), work out a professional timeline, and decide how much you can do yourself or hire outside professionals.

What are three of the most important things you believe an author should do after their book is released?

Plan for marketing time and stick to it every day, keep writing on your next project(s), and continue with promotion. 

What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book?

I want to say thank you so much for supporting my books—it wouldn’t be possible for me to do with I do without awesome readers/fans like you. I’m truly humbled and honored every time someone purchases my book. Keep the emails and questions coming, I would love to hear from you.