Dana Sitar's Blog, page 29

This Week in Words | Moving Forward

It's been a week of  productivity and planning for the future. I've taken on new projects, negotiated with new clients, planned for the month ahead — and, of course, promoted the heck out of The Hart Compound!

If you haven't heard them already, be sure to check out my radio appearances on Edge of Insanity (along with Stefan Davis) and Fundamental Pete's Ass-Jammery. Both shows are huge supporters of emerging artists, and I was happy to join them and get a turn at the mic. I'm honing my...

Inside The Hart Compound: Comedy and Culture in the Bible Belt

April 2011 – They told me before we left that Atlanta is a shitty city. But, I'd never been "down South" before, so I was excited for the week nonetheless. The trip would be filled with business and pleasure, with stops in Atlanta, Buford, and Roswell, Georgia; and Spartanburg and Charleston, South Carolina. I could check another major U.S. city off of my list, see the open ocean for the first time in my life, and enjoy a week of what I expected to be quality comedy.

Despite its reputation...

The #1 Site Every Blogger Should Subscribe To

What are you reading in your RSS feed? In your email? Which websites do you visit daily? Which links do you click on in Twitter? If you're a blogger, and this one isn't on your list, I advise you to add it immediately:

Your blog.

That's so narcissistic, isn't it? Like checking yourself in every mirror and window you pass by. Maybe a little. But it's also necessary to ensuring that you're putting out the best product possible for all of your readers.

I have readers subscribed via RSS and email

Another April Fool's Day Milestone

Announcing: The Hart Compound Release!

Buy  The Hart Compound ebook for Kindle, Nook, or iTunes today!

The paperback edition will be available soon, and it will come with a free copy of the Welcome to the Shit Show ebook. Join my mailing list to stay up-to-date.

April 1, the second volume of This Artists' Life was officially released for Kindle, Nook, and iTunes. Through short stories and feature articles, The Hart Compound covers my experiences on and off the campaign trail with the Nick Hart ...

Dating a Comedian on April Fool's Day

…is like being Mrs. Claus on Christmas morning, as Santa sits back and relishes in the joy that he's just added to the world. No kidding. Stefan woke me this morning like it was Christmas morning, his wide eyes close to my face, asking,

"Are you awake?"

My eyes popped open, confused and surprised. He's never awake before I am. I stared at him like that for a minute, while he waited for my answer.

"Oh, well," he said before I could, "I guess you are now? Sorry."

I nodded sleepily as he turned to h...

This Week in Words | …Coming Down

I have indeed settled down from a three-week writing/career/project/comedy high, finally getting much-needed rest and seclusion around Wednesday or Thursday. We're right back to it, of course, with the release of The Hart Compound tomorrow! I'm happy for it; although being busy is quite exhausting, it also means I'm making progress and getting work done. That satisfaction, in a way, is enough relief to trump any lack of rest.

Don't miss these awesome things I have coming up!

This Sunday, April...

Publicity Checklist for the Itty Bitty Indie Author

Subscribe to the by.dana.sitar Newsletter to receive your copy of the comprehensive and manageable Publicity Checklist for the Itty Bitty Indie Author, plus tons of other great tips, resources, and tools for writing, publishing, and freelancing!

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The Hart Compound comes out in just two days! That means another Launch Week is ahead of me, with another long to-do list of self-promotion.

Publicity is a tough task. Doing it alone on top of writing a book on top of freelance work makes ...

How to Find the Best Stories in Real Life

This piece was originally part of a piece published at the blog of author Ritesh Kala for The Hart Compound Blog Tour.

There is no better inspiration for art than the weird stuff that happens around us every day. But, in order to see it, you have to be ready for it. You have to know where to look to find the story.

Food and culture photographer Penny de los Santos offered this brilliantly simple advice for capturing a great photograph on TWiT Photo:

"Sit across from the most interesting person...

Coree Spencer: In It To Win It

Local Comedian Will Debut New Webseries in Portland This Friday

If you're going to be near Portland, Oregon this Friday,  you have to stop by the Curious Comedy Theater for the premier screening of the new sketch comedy webseries In It to Win It, created by Portland's own Coree Spencer.

The show's description:

"In It to Win It is the story of an awkward, clueless girl named Coree who wins a generous settlement from her employer decides to pursue acting, and quickly becomes a regular at local...

Announcements to Kick Off the Week

I've got to add a brief extra post today to share a few bits of news — I'll post this week's Feature story this afternoon :)

1. Less than ONE WEEK until The Hart Compound is released! Tell your friends, and keep an eye out for it this Sunday, April 1. Go to http://danasitar.com/books for the most up-to-date links to find the book.

2. My guest post for OnText was posted yesterday. And, here are more Blog Tour stops I don't want you to miss.

3. Next Wednesday (April 4), I'll return to Fundamental...