Derek Blass's Blog, page 5
October 4, 2011
Let's Get this Straight, There is a Problem with Some Cops
We are facing a situation in Aurora, Colorado where there have been six fatal shootings by police officers in 2011 alone. Here is an article describing all of the shootings, as well as the locations of the shootings: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/09/six_fatal_shootings_aurora_police_google_maps.php
One of my recommendations, which I recently made to the Mayor of Denver and the incoming Manager of Safety for Denver, is regular and rigorous psychological testing of police officers. Entry examinations are not enough. We can possibly alleviate these escalated situations if officers are tested for their mental status at regular intervals. This isn't about anything else than re-establishing community/police department trust. We can do it.
See an article quoting my comments here: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_19034139
September 29, 2011
Amazon for Dummies (Like Me)–Liking and Tagging
You've got your killer read on Amazon, but what can you do to keep your momentum in sales and exposure up? Two ways…tagging and liking. Brief descriptions and pointers for each:
TAGGING
Tags are those words or phrases that are about halfway down your book's Amazon page. You want tags that pertain to your book, so when people search for, say, "romance," your romance novel pops up as an option in that category. Naturally, the more people you have agreeing with your tags, the higher likelihood your book will pop up when the tags are searched!
Pointer #1
You can tag your own book–15 times. Absolutely do this. Plus, the tags you chose are likely to be the first tags visible, without clicking on the "See all ____ tags" link. Thus, they will be your most important tags, as they will get the most votes.
Pointer #2
When you're helping other authors out, click on the "See all ____ tags" link to vote on all tags.
Pointer #3
Same as with liking, voting on tags for a paperback version of a book does not transfer over to votes on tags for the kindle version of the book. Gotta take the time to write tags for both, and vote on both!
LIKING
We all know what liking is (thank you very much Facebook!) There are a few places to look for liking on Amazon, and one thing you can't do, as far as I know!
Pointer #1
If you only have a US Amazon account, as far as I know, you can't like books in UK or other regions. Vice versa.
Pointer #2
If there are paperback and kindle versions of the same book, liking one does not mean you like the other. In other words, you have to go to the webpage for each version, and click the like button.
Pointer #3
You can like the author's Amazon page! Just click on the link to the page, and then the like button is in the top right area of that page.
These are just some quick thoughts/pointers regarding liking and tagging on Amazon, and are especially meant to help as the #AmazonLikes hashtag on Twitter continues to grow in usage. If YOU have any of your own pointers, let me know and I'll add them here while giving you credit. Take care and best of luck with your book!
September 17, 2011
"California Cop Placed on Leave in Wake of Third Brutality Allegation"
New Writing/Posting Topic, "Incidents of Police Brutality"
First book was loosely based on various incidents of police brutality. I've gotten the question a few times, "Do these things actually happen?" And, even declarations that these incidents don't happen. While we could wish the latter were true, it isn't reality. I'm consistently tuned into or referred to stories about incidents of police brutality. Gonna start posting links to them on this blog, under the topic "Police Brutality."
September 14, 2011
"7 Proven Techniques for Promoting Fiction"
Very helpful article by Sandra Beckwith on PR for your work of fiction. Naturally, they will work for non-fiction as well 
September 13, 2011
August 30, 2011
"The Death of Books has been Greatly Exaggerated"
Interesting empirical data regarding book sales over the last 10 years or so in this article.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/30/death-books-exaggerated
How to Maximize the Benefits of Signings, and What Not to Leave at Home
You can do a ton of online marketing, but in my mind, nothing substitutes for meeting a person face-to-face, discussing what they want to discuss, and selling 'em a book. Obviously, you can't do one to the complete detriment of the other, but it seems that in this age of a trillion online marketing prospects, we need to highlight the benefit of in-person events. With that context in mind, I've just had successful signings for my new book, Enemy in Blue, and wanted to share some of the keys that made them work out for me.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE AT A BOOKSTORE
I will admit, I fell into this trap. And, I consistently hear of other authors falling into this trap as well. Somehow (at least in my mind) having the signing/event at a bookstore gilded the entire thing with more prestige, more glamor. That's the same rationale that drives so many of us to pursue traditional publishing, and is similarly faulty. Here are some "negatives" I found with trying to hold my events at a bookstore:
Bookstores ain't gonna serve food or booze: I don't know about the circles you run in, but in my circles, lubing the wheels of conversation with some alcohol is always welcomed. Add to that, the events I had were shortly after a 9-5 workday ended, so people were hungry. These two facts meant a bookstore would actually have been a terrible fit for me. I would have had to pay for both food and booze–not a cheap venture. Plus, end of the day, our goal here is to make money and increase exposure. At a minimum, breaking even so that we don't have to pay for that exposure, other than with time. So, consider other locations, where you don't have to pay for space, food, or booze, and you could end up maximizing your profits while creating a fun environment for your potential readers.
I think bookstores, simply because they are in the industry of "no response," take the same course as some editors, publishers, agents, etc. If you aren't Patterson or Grisham, there's no impetus to get back to you. And, when you're trying to schedule something with some semblance of a deadline, no responses or delayed responses are going to throw a wrench in your plans. On the other hand, I have found that industries which recognize they can make money from your event, and that you won't cost them anything (i.e. restaurants, restaurants/bars, art galleries) are responsive to the possibility of someone bringing them income, especially on slower nights.
Bookstores aren't that much fun or lively. People are compelled to keep the noise down, even if a bookstore has a separate event room. I believe fun attracts more participation/attendance, and more participation/attendance leads to more book sales.
Space. This entirely depends on the bookstore, but some are small and/or laid out in a limiting fashion. I want my attendees to be able to interact with myself and other people, and a cramped space does not promote that interaction.
DAY AND TIME MATTER, A BUNCH
Choose your date/time wisely. For signings in the summer–don't do 'em on weekends. No one is around. Probably, don't even do them on Fridays. Wednesday and Thursday have worked out well for me so far. Wednesday is "hump day," and people are looking for an excuse, any excuse, to get out. Now, people are probably more inclined to do some drinking on a Thursday, which lends itself to a more lively environment, in my opinion. And, by lively, I mean a more open wallet and conversation.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THESE THINGS
You organize a signing, and a day before it you're racing to get everything together in preparation for the event. Don't forget these things:
Make sure you have enough books in advance. If you are a POD author, priority mailing your books costs a fortune. Plan to order books 3-4 weeks in advance for the event.
Sharpies for signatures. Pens.
If you're doing an outdoor signing, like a booth at a festival, bring things to weigh down your materials.
If you have reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, etc., create a one-page sheet of excerpts from your best reviews. It goes a lot further to have recommendations from people other than yourself. Make it easier for potential readers to see what other people have said about your book.
Have flyers for your book that include a summary of your book, your author bio, and how to buy your book. You aren't going to convert every "up" or contact to a sale. Make sure they can leave with something in their hands to read, and to hopefully buy the book later.
A sign up sheet, or a nice journal people can sign. Get email addresses and mailing addresses. Use this to start building a mailing list of your fans.
Consider giving something away for free in exchange for people signing up to be on your mailing list. It's kind of amazing what people will do to get something for free, regardless of how mundane the free item is. Giveaway a few books, an iPod, or something relatively slight in cost, and you'll get a significant amount of interaction.
Bring change. Most people aren't going to pay in checks. I have made many trips to the bank to get $100 in one dollar bills. They look at me weird, and have even said, "Gonna be a fun night for you!" Fughetaboudit. I ask them to buy a book.
If you have a business established, but don't have a business bank account, don't let people write checks to your business. You can't cash them without the business account.
Bring a camera, and someone to take pictures. It's great to have pictures with your readers for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which is to update on your Facebook fan page. Check out my fan page for examples of photos from signings: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rogue-Books/189351461083083 People love them, and you can tag them, which brings people back to your page.
Have a blowup of your cover made to use as a poster. First, it's cool, and you'll feel like a stud or studette because you essentially have a movie poster of your book. Second, it makes you look professional to have something like this at your event. Of course, don't forget to bring an easel to display it.
I'm sure there are many more suggestions some seasoned authors can offer. If you want to add to the list, send me an email or comment on the post. Finally, have fun!
August 22, 2011
"The Single Best Way for Writers to Become a Brand"
Here's a great blog post on marketing/branding, and why it's so important. Consider it an upper level marketing class! http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/the-single-best-way-for-writers-to-become-a-brand/ Kristen Lamb was the author, give her props!
August 18, 2011
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Eh-hem…do I have license to swear on here? Well, just in case I don't, this book was effin amazing! That's my technical analysis. To put it another way, just as delicate and carefully reasoned, this book made me say "Oh, shit" about my own writing.
The story follows two improbable friends, one a scrawny Russian Jew and the other a specimen of a Cossack Russian, through a journey to get twelve eggs. Why they need the twelve eggs, who asked them to get the eggs, etc. etc., is up to you to find out. I won't do with spoiling any of this story. The story is set in Piter, Russia, during the seige of Leningrad by the Germans in WWII. The squalor and terror of that existence, if it could be called that, was something Benioff did a masterful job of capturing. Not having lived in a eastern European country through WWII, I absolutely felt like I tasted a bit of that experience. At the same time, Benioff portrayed the human will to survive, regardless of the circumstances, with a half-submerged beauty. What I mean by that is you have to look really, really hard, past the layer of dust, death and darkness that exists on everything and everyone in the story.
There is not a single hiccup in this book. There is not a single moment where every ounce of your body fails to strain for Lev and Kolya's success in their journey. And there is not a single molecule in your body that will fail to well up with emotion at the end of the story. Simply put, a magical book. Masterful. If you don't read this by the time you die, you will not have lived as you should have.
A+
