Tim McGregor's Blog
March 26, 2015
choosing a book cover
Book Three in the Spookshow series is almost ready. Tell me which one of these covers looks better.
my link text
Thanks,
Tim
my link text
Thanks,
Tim
February 14, 2015
Happy Valentines Day!
I hope you're all drowning in chocolate and love.
The Spookshow giveaway is done and GR has just sent me the names of the winners. Thanks to everyone who entered.
If you didn't win, you can always pick up a very cheap ebook copy from all the usual places.
Thanks again! Have a happy heart day.
Tim
The Spookshow giveaway is done and GR has just sent me the names of the winners. Thanks to everyone who entered.
If you didn't win, you can always pick up a very cheap ebook copy from all the usual places.
Thanks again! Have a happy heart day.
Tim
February 7, 2015
A headstone in North CarolinaFour generations of Culpeppe...
A headstone in North Carolina
Four generations of Culpeppers, circa 1950
January 1, 2015
goodbye 2014
Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
December 12, 2014
September 11, 2014
A brief anatomy of how long it took a bestseller to land on the nightstand
The book in question is The Hunger Games. Massive bestseller, right?
I know what you're thinking. Bah, kid's stuff! That's what I thought too. I was wrong.
Setting aside the merits of the book, I wanted to track the path it took for this book to land in my hands. Briefly;
The Hunger Games comes out in 2008. Over the next year, it's in my peripheral vision. The book seems to be everywhere but the cover doesn't reveal much about the story. I dismiss it at the time as more YA lit. Harry Potter kid's stuff. Not for me.
My nephew gives me a copy for Christmas the next year. He tells me it's good. I don't even read the blurb copy, my bias is that strong. Kid's stuff. Not for me.
The movie adaptation comes out in 2012 but it still doesn't register. I do, however, have a vague idea of what the story is thanks to the movie trailer. I dismiss it as a Battle Royale knock-off. The release of the sequel the following year does nothing to sway me. Bias firmly in place.
Then a friend of mine mentions the book a number of times. Heather Jackson is a member of the Writeonsisters, an excellent blog about writing and publishing. Heather is unabashed in her love for Suzanne Collins' book, often referencing it in her posts about writing.
My ears perk up. Why? Two simple reasons; I know Heather and I respect her tastes. If she loves the book that much, then there's gotta be more to this than my bias is telling me.
The movie is on Netflix. Easy peasy. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed it, at how intelligent it is.
A week later, the sequel pops up on Netflix too. Could I be any lazier? No. I watch this one. Same reaction.
By this point, I'm curious about that first book. How did the writer establish the specific world of Panem and its thirteen districts? How was the protagonist introduced (something I'm always curious about)?
I download the sample of the Hunger Games to my Kindle, start reading.
Sold. The book is on the nightstand. I rip through it in two days.
Do I feel like a fool for unfairly dismissing the book for so long? Sure. But I was struck more by the winding path it took to get here. I bumbled along oblivious and wilfully biased through the publishing phenomenon of the entire series, a gift in my hand and two big Hollywood movies . What finally convinced me to try it? The recommendation of someone whom I know and trust. Simple as that.
So what's the take-away for authors? Advertising doesn't sell anything. Marketing, at best, builds awareness but that takes a long time and buckets of money. Even blockbuster movie adaptations only go so far. In the end, what gets a book into a reader's hands? The same method as always; word of mouth.
You can decide whether that's comforting or frightening.
I know what you're thinking. Bah, kid's stuff! That's what I thought too. I was wrong.
Setting aside the merits of the book, I wanted to track the path it took for this book to land in my hands. Briefly; The Hunger Games comes out in 2008. Over the next year, it's in my peripheral vision. The book seems to be everywhere but the cover doesn't reveal much about the story. I dismiss it at the time as more YA lit. Harry Potter kid's stuff. Not for me.
My nephew gives me a copy for Christmas the next year. He tells me it's good. I don't even read the blurb copy, my bias is that strong. Kid's stuff. Not for me.
The movie adaptation comes out in 2012 but it still doesn't register. I do, however, have a vague idea of what the story is thanks to the movie trailer. I dismiss it as a Battle Royale knock-off. The release of the sequel the following year does nothing to sway me. Bias firmly in place.
Then a friend of mine mentions the book a number of times. Heather Jackson is a member of the Writeonsisters, an excellent blog about writing and publishing. Heather is unabashed in her love for Suzanne Collins' book, often referencing it in her posts about writing.
My ears perk up. Why? Two simple reasons; I know Heather and I respect her tastes. If she loves the book that much, then there's gotta be more to this than my bias is telling me.
The movie is on Netflix. Easy peasy. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed it, at how intelligent it is.
A week later, the sequel pops up on Netflix too. Could I be any lazier? No. I watch this one. Same reaction.
By this point, I'm curious about that first book. How did the writer establish the specific world of Panem and its thirteen districts? How was the protagonist introduced (something I'm always curious about)?
I download the sample of the Hunger Games to my Kindle, start reading.
Sold. The book is on the nightstand. I rip through it in two days.
Do I feel like a fool for unfairly dismissing the book for so long? Sure. But I was struck more by the winding path it took to get here. I bumbled along oblivious and wilfully biased through the publishing phenomenon of the entire series, a gift in my hand and two big Hollywood movies . What finally convinced me to try it? The recommendation of someone whom I know and trust. Simple as that.
So what's the take-away for authors? Advertising doesn't sell anything. Marketing, at best, builds awareness but that takes a long time and buckets of money. Even blockbuster movie adaptations only go so far. In the end, what gets a book into a reader's hands? The same method as always; word of mouth.
You can decide whether that's comforting or frightening.
May 24, 2014
Publishers Weekly review...
Making it into the quarter finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards means getting a short review from Publishers Weekly. Wow, validation for my wee tome,
Old Flames, Burned Hands
. Most of it is a summary of the plot but here's the highlights...
"This solidly written horror story mixes some unusual elements with others that are tried and true to create a satisfying read."
"The heroine herself is unusual in being a middle-aged sometime musician rather than a young witless woman. Fans of vampire romances should be pleased. The author does an adequate job of marrying some new ideas to classic tropes."
Cool, huh?
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...
"This solidly written horror story mixes some unusual elements with others that are tried and true to create a satisfying read."
"The heroine herself is unusual in being a middle-aged sometime musician rather than a young witless woman. Fans of vampire romances should be pleased. The author does an adequate job of marrying some new ideas to classic tropes."
Cool, huh?
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...
May 7, 2014
Last Wolf cover reveal
Inching closer to the finish line on this one. Here's the cover for the third and final book in the Bad Wolf Chronicles.
Release date is early June.
Release date is early June.
April 15, 2014
ABNA quarter-final round
A wee bit of good news yesterday, Old Flames, Burned Hands made it to the quarter-finals in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Being the phlegmatic and superstitious cur that I am, I refuse to get too excited about this. It's a nice bit of news but any whoop-whooping from me will jinx its chances as surely as poking a sharp stick into the eye of a sleeping pit bull.
I honestly don't expect it to advance to the semis but maybe I can use this little accolade to build some awareness for the book. It's been a real uphill battle to find an audience for this book. Colour me stymied.
Still, on a day when it snows in April and I got two barfy kids to look after, it's a good reminder that maybe, just maybe, I'm not completely wasting my time here.
whoop whoop
ABNA
Wee bit of good news yesterday, Old Flames, Burned Hands, made it to the quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Nice to see but I doubt it will make it to the semifinals. That's two months away and I need to forget about it right now and push the final Bad Wolf book out the door.
