Writtenwyrdd

When is a contest not a contest?

Ran across something that made me stop to ponder this morning.  Skullvines Press, a small horror press, is hosting a blog 'contest' and it bothered me.  Thought I'd ask your collective opinion on the structure of said 'contest' as it consistes of requiring you to purchase a book from Skullvine Press, then review it on your blog or website before you can enter. 

Now, isn't that unpaid advertising, really?  I might give you something but first you must invest in my company?  Or maybe it's closer to a pyramid scheme...

What do you guys think about this set up?  The publisher, from what I can tell, does PODs and sells via online stores and via the website.  Some of the titles look interesting, and they love dark humor which is right up my reading alley, too. 

How to do an end-run around people's will to ignore you without really trying

"These days we live in an age of information overload on steroids. There are a zillion blogs, Web sites, Facebook posts, tweets, articles to read, let alone the books clamoring for our limited time. How in the word do we stand out? How do we get noticed as authors? How can we get ourselves to the pre-frontal cortex? Surprise Broca."  Jim Rubart, guest posting at Rachell Gardner's blog, Rants & Ramblings: On Life As A Literary Agent

An excellent article on marketing and how to be memorable: surprize the Broca area of your brain.  It hates to be bored.  Glazes over on material it's seen before.

Thanks to jjdebenedictus for the link.

An easy how-to for self promoting book tours

Blood Red Pencil--one of my favorite informative blogs--has a great couple of articles on self-promotion.  They are  particularly good because the information is framed in such a way that it doesn't look too daunting for someone who hadn't had to do self-promotion before!  The first article is here.

From the most recent article:

First, make a list of all media outlets in a 40 mile radius of the area where you will be speaking or signing. Call local libraries to find the local papers, use the Internet.

Call each outlet and ask for the name of the Features Editor. Hopefully, they will put you on the line with that person. If not, ask if Community News has a FAX number or email where they would like to receive announcements. If you send a FAX, have letterhead stationary. The library letterhead I use always gets a positive response.

When you send a FAX, never let it fall into the hands of whoever goes by the FAX machine. It can wind up in the general file or the trash. Always put the name of someone on staff so they will receive the paperwork. It may get lost on their desk, but at least it will make it there. Make the effort to change the name on each FAX you send. No generic “Features Editor” in the routing.

Want a bit more exposure?

Sure, you want some exposure.  John Ottinger at Grasping For The Wind blog is compiling a list of speculative fiction writers.  Just drop by here and fill out an online form. The only criteria is that you are published in some form (except self-published.)  So I'm in.  How about you?

I plan on adding a link to his authors list when he posts the complete one.  It'll be with the rest of my links in the sidebar.  Writer references.

Some writer's groups

Deadline Dames has a post chock-full of writing group information.  Thought you might like to both check out this cool site (haunted by some great spec fic and paranormal romance writers) and check out some writers' groups.  (I also have links in the sidebar in the writing resources page.)

Building Platform

Liana Brooks has a great article link in a post about building platform. Do read that article by Michael Hyatt and consider if you might benefit from starting a Facebook, Twitter, and blog account, too.  (Most of you do have blogs, though, I know; it's how we found each other, right?) 

There is, of course, the downside of blogging and twittering and facebooking:  Blogging can be a time suck, potentially scratching the writing urge itch* and ruining your production.  But it can also be a valuable means of building readership.   

Also, a great article, The Beginner's Guide to Twitter, and this is a site with many cool apps listed which you can use to have twitter post links to blog entries, so you can follow twitter tweets on mobile phones, you desktop or whatnot.

*itch reference via Josephine Damien's blog post about a conversation with Donald Maas. Various and sundry related ones here.

The Legion of Online Superheros

Legion of Online Superheroes.  Bevie James is the ringleader of a brand new blog where a handful of writers are posting 500 word installments relaying the ongoing adventures of our very own superhero alter egos.  (Thank you, Bevie.)  Below is my character, a feisty gal who may be more of an anti-hero or a force of nature than a genuine hero.

*

Once the daughter of a wealthy magnate Martimus Catallan, Boetha got sick of the party circuit and joined the Intergalactic Rangers.  There she found her true calling as a soldier.  But when a clash with the alien Slykkernay leaves her near death and missing most of the parts the gods gave her, she opts for the ultimate Special Forces--The Cybercorps--and an eternal undeath of kicking ass and taking names. But when the loyalty chip malfunctions, what's a freewheeling undead sociopath to do?  Why, go into business for herself!

Now, no one orders Boetha around.  She's got her trust fund and the keys to her daddy's research labs.  

The thing to know about Boetha?  She is not a Nice Girl.  She likes crushing skulls and kicking puppies.  But when the plasma bolts are flying and the enemy's space navy is bearing down, you can rely on her EMP bolts and nasty temper to see you through. Because PMS has nothing on Boetha, the Electric Zombie.

(And that's her trusty robot factotum, Zap, floating with her.)

FYI, I've set this character up in the first millenium of the Zahoran Empire, which is a universe I've been creating for a while.  I haven't gotten any stories from it published as of it, but I do have one in the works for "present day" Zahoran Imperial time--about 2,500 years later.

*My new superhero identity, courtesy of my imagination and Hero Machine 2.5, which is a dreadfully amusing time waster.  Visit site at your own peril, kiddies.

And Episode One of "Boetha and the Phantom Poet" begins today.  Or whenever Bevie posts it.  I will link when it's up.

Book Promotion

Backspace offers up some book promotion opportunities to its members by "scouring the web" for interesting possibilities at this site. 

In other news, back to work this morning.  I think my friendly virus is finally gone.  Mostly so, anyhow.  And I have ticked three big projects off the summer to-do list.  Now I just have to paint the porch railings and stain the deck, finish pruning the overgrown 1/2 acre yard, dig the flagstone walk out back, paint the kitchen ceiling and walls, clear out the junk from the junk room, organize the sheds, paint the sheds, finish weeding and edging the flower beds, and shampoo the carpet.  Seriously.  Only about 3 more weeks of solid work.