Andrew Buckley's Blog, page 10

Scribe Publicity – Connecting Authors to their Readers

The literary landscape exists in a constant state of flux. Emerging technologies and web based services make publishing easier than ever. But just because you publish a book it doesn’t necessarily mean that people are going to read it, or even find out about it.  So outside of pelting people in the head with your book as they cross the street and very nearly causing several fatal traffic incidents, how do you connect your book with your audience?

We have the solution!  Actually we have several...

As of Monday, July 15th Scribe Publicity will officially open its metaphorical doors and begin offering Literary Publicity and Services to self-published and indie authors across the globe.

We soft-launched the Scribe Publicity website a few weeks ago and immediately started to receive inquiries from authors across North America and signed our first clients before the official launch. This wasn’t our intention but there is a definite and obvious need for effective literary promotion in the current generation of publishing. Social media constantly changes, new platforms pop up every month, Amazon keeps changing their rules, readers want to find their next book quicker than ever, and you’re now competing with more new authors than ever before.

At Scribe Publicity we have a simple goal: We want to connect you to your audience. By utilizing an ever expanding professional creative team we’re able to offer a number of literary services that can help support promotions and publicity for your book.

Will we make you a bestselling author? No, probably not. Bestseller status doesn’t happen overnight and for most authors it doesn’t happen for years. But we can get you started on that path AND we can help you find your audience. You can stop pelting people in the head with your book. We’ve got your back.

Here are just a few of the services we'll be providing: Strategic planning, promotions, marketing, social media coaching and management, editing, audio book production, book trailer production, media kits, signing and Q&A event planning and booking, blog tours, creative services (synopsis writing, etc.), and much more!

There will be great discounts on services and publicity packages from July - September and we'll always do our best to work within your budget.  Contact us for a full list of services and pricing and find out how we can help you connect to your readers.

http://www.scribepublicity.com

The Dreaded Andrew Buckley Blooper Reel

A few months ago I created a marketing campaign for my debut novel 'Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish.' With help from filmmaker Ivan Sampson, the Pulp Fiction Coffeehouse in Kelowna, BC, my lovely wife, and the desecration of the blue chair in my living room I created the 'Naked Reading Campaign'. First we launched a fake news story stating that 'sensitive' footage had been stolen from my computer. Then we leaked the actual video. In less than two months the video gained over 1000 views and boosted book sales. As a thank you for everyone's support, please enjoy the blooper reel...
Original Fake News Story
http://youtu.be/1x9hdxEbWeY

Naked Reading Video Links
http://youtu.be/CGPfxMLagY8
http://youtu.be/X_yyHazeBHU

Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish
http://amzn.to/YdbdN6

Podcastination - Part 1

Do you podcastinate? If you don't, you should. It's about as far from a filthy habit as you can get. Podcasts are like personalized radio stations that allow you to pick and choose shows and episodes that interest you. They cover everything! Literally everything! Like movies? Tons of podcasts for that. Gossip? Got that too. Want to listen to someone talk about a platypus? Sadly, someone does that as well.


You can easily download them and listen on your smart phone, iPod, MP3 player, computer, tablet, wherever. I've found iTunes to be the best service provider for podcasts but other sites such as Stitcher also do an awesome job. 

I've created and hosted several podcasts to aid in marketing my website, my writing, and to just have some plain good ol' fun! So what should YOU be listening to? In Part 1 I'll be recommending indie podcasts, in part 2 I'll be looking at the celebrity based shows. Let's get started with the indies:
It'd just be plain silly if I didn't start with my own podcasts. I currently host/co-host and produce two different shows. The first of which is the Trilogy podcast. Originally my co-host, Chris Morris, and I covered Film, TV, and Comic Book news and reviews in an hour and a half format. In late 2012 we switched to weekly 20 minute spoiler episodes of TV shows and movies and Trilogy Spoilers was born. If you like sci-fi/fantasy/superhero TV shows and movies then this is your podcast. Recently we've covered Walking Dead, Doctor Who, Arrow, True Blood, and Game of Thrones. Write Out Loud is my second podcast and is an interview-based format show that I host solo. The goal of Write Out Loud was to interview authors and writers in all walks of life and at various points in their careers. So far the high profile guests have included bestselling authors Michael J Sullivan, Jack Whyte, Christopher Golden, and Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins UK, Jane Johnson. This podcast is ideal for writers, authors (new and old), readers, and anyone else of the literary persuasion. The After Movie Diner is probably one of the most entertaining film-orientated podcasts I listen to. Hosted by the multi-talented Jon Cross, the Diner is an entertainment smorgasbord full of movie reviews (past and present), interviews, music, and comedic skits that dare you not to laugh out loud. You can find the Diner on iTunes, Stitcher, and TalkShoe. TC says it best on their site: "We are watchers of the rejects, the hated, and the god awful terrible. We proudly wear our b-movie badge and are pleased to warp your minds with these train wrecks." The Traumatic Cinematic grabs B-Movies by the balls and drags you along for the ride. Listen as the Trio of non-Hollywood film loving nerds talk about the best and worst of Hollywood's bargain bin fair. Created and hosted by Audrey Kearns and Brian Bradley, the 5 Truths and a Lie Podcast takes storytelling to a new level. This show is performed and recorded in front of a live audience and was a big hit for the last two years at the Orlando Fringe Festival. There are 6 guest, each telling a personal story centered around a specific theme. 5 of the stories are true, one of them is a lie and the audience has to guess which one's the liar. Guests have included Rob Delaney, and Community TV show creator, Dan Harmon. Dr Action (Paul Crowson) and the Kick Ass Kid (Jon Cross) Commentaries are about as much fun as you can have with your pants on. In fact, pants are completely optional. If you love JCVD, Statham, Stallone, Seagal, etc. then this podcast will entertain you to no end. Each podcast accompanies a different action movie and should be listened to while you watch the movie for maximum effect!  Podcastination Part 2...coming soon!

Writing, Marketing, Ninjas, and Nudity

BWAHAHAHA! (all blog posts should start with mischievous laughter) 

Writing a book is like starting a journey. Finishing one is like fighting an uphill battle through a 100 ninjas who are all on fire. And when you emerge victorious at the top of the hill with a completed, slightly charred, manuscript clutched to your naked chest (having lost most of your clothing to flaming ninjas) you can breathe a momentary sigh of relief. 

I say momentary because after that you have to get it published which is like realizing that you're at the top of the wrong hill and you need to actually climb that cliff over there. Yes, the one covered with ice, lots of jagged bits, and, if you can believe it, another 100 ninjas, also on fire. If you make it to the top of that particular cliff, your manuscript now soggy thanks to the melting effect that a fiery ninja has upon ice, you scream 'I've made it!'

No, no you haven't. Because after all that you still have to make people read it. That is the trick. You may be sitting on the best piece of literary gold the world has ever seen but unless you're willing to put yourself out there they're never actually going to see it. How do you make people read your work?

It's called Marketing. And it's a pain in the ass. The reason for the pain is the absolute consistency you must maintain. You have to be on social media, everyone's on social media, so if you're not on it then you can barely be classed as human. Get yourself a Facebook account, a Twitter account, get on Google+ , join Goodreads (and try not to be insulted when someone gives you only 1 star for no reason) figure out
So what's my point here? My point is, you have to try. You never know until you try and if you don't try then fighting all those ninjas was pointless. I recently interviewed best selling fantasy author, Michael J. Sullivan, and his advice was simple yet effective. Take it one book at a time (or something like that). So get yourself down off that cliff (careful not to trip on the dead smoldering ninjas) and start selling your book to the people. It's not going to sell itself. . .  

. . . you have to make your own magic. 

Speaking of which...abracadabra!

There's Good News, and then there's Bad News...

I suppose I shouldn't complain. I am in the news after all...

Books You Should Be Reading - Redeye by Michael Shean

And no, it's not just a sexy cover. Last Friday Michael Shean released book 2 in The Wonderland Cycle: REDEYE. What's it about? Glad you asked...


Two years have passed since Agent Thomas Walken and Bobbi January found themselves at the heart of a conspiracy of unimaginable greed and cruelty. The Genefex Corporation remains shrouded in mystery, and Bobbi faces a life of unanswered questions and mounting disillusionment to look forward to. But when she receives a mysterious message from one of Walken’s former comrades, she is drawn back onto the trail. Now, Bobbi will find herself newly equipped to discover the truth – about Walken, about Genefex and the Yathi race – and the key to unlocking those secrets rests in the hands of a cyborg terrorist known only as Redeye.

But the road to truth will be a dangerous one, from the glamour of Seattle’s ultramodern core to the sprawling wastelands of the Old City and beyond. Alongside a band of lethal comrades, Bobbi will face death and worse amidst urban rot, abandoned subway tunnels, and ultimately the nightmarish halls of the Yathi themselves in a race to stave off what may prove to be the death of humanity itself. Drenched in blood and neon, Redeye is a tale of humanity on the edge of a new and terrible reality. 


If you've never heard of Michael Shean then you've obviously never lived and need to start looking for purpose in your life. Michael is a Cyberpunk/Sci-fi author with a twist (a dark twist). He's the author of Bone Wires and Shadow of a Dead Star (Book 1 in the Wonderland Cycle) and lives on the east coast where he continually fights the forces of evil (or dances with them, it varies).

You can find more about Michael and his work at http://michael-shean.com/ 

You can purchase his books on Amazon:
Bone Wires
Shadow of a Dead Star
Redeye Two short months ago I had the opportunity to interview Michael about his work, his writing style, likes, dislikes, and his journey to publication. You can find his interview on the Write Out Loud podcast page here on Planet Kibi. Right click HERE and select 'save target as', or some other such nonsense, to download the episode directly or listen in the player below.

This week only! Buy my book for just 99 cents and become a character...

My wonderful publisher, Curiosity Quills Press, is running a promotion this week for a selection of the CQ catalogue.  You can get a number of awesome books for just 99 cents from Amazon for the Kindle app unitl March 23rd!

Included in that esteemed list is my satirical/british humor/urban fantasy/adventure debut novel Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish.

As a special deal for anyone that purchases between now (right now) and the end of the promotion I'll add you to the sequel to Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish as a brand new character. If you've read the book you'll know that I like an impossibly massive cast of characters. Maybe you'll be a mythical creature, possibly a bird, an aztec warrior/lawyter, maybe the focus of an anecdotal aside...who knows?! 

So, want to become a character in the tentatively titled The Search for the Sacred Goldfish? Go to Amazon right now and buy the book for just 99 cents and then leave a comment below. It's that simple.

Happy reading!

Introducing 'The Prince of Earth', the latest novel from Mike Robinson

Once again Mike Robinson brings the chills with his latest entry into the literary world, The Prince of Earth. Lovers of a good supernatural thriller and anyone that enjoyed Mike's first novel, The Green Eyed Monster , should check this out. So, what's it all about? Let me tell you:


In 1988, young American traveler Quincy Redding is trekking across the misty terrain of the Scottish Highlands. She is destined for the infamous peak Ben MacDui, the summit of which soon finds her inexplicably debilitated and at the mercy of a malevolent entity.

The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life – phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.

As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived temporality or reality of each period.

You can purchase The Prince of Earth on Amazon in E-Book and Paperback formats. You can even read an excerpt before buying over at the Curiosity Quills Press website .

You can read more of Mike's work in his first novel Skunk Ape Semester and over at his Blog.

Not enough?! Alright, how about this kick-ass trailer for The Prince of Earth! What are you waiting for? Go and buy The Prince of Earth immediately... failure to do so will result in me sending a malevolent Scottish entity after you... you've been warned.

Listen to Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish Today!

It's finally here! The audio book for Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish voiced by the multi-talented and creepily British, Jon Cross ! Jon adds a completely different level to my quirky little novel by giving the characters not only a voice but an amazing personality that resonates throughout the entire story.  

You can buy the audio book on Audible.com and iTunes today and on Amazon later this week!

Now go forth and tickle your inner ear canal!

Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish Book Trailer #2

And here it is! Book trailer #2 for Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish. This one was created by filmmaker Ivan Sampson and it's almost entirely animated using the book cover art that was designed and created by Ricky Gunawan !  Apparently he had a helluva time making the goldfish wiggle his tail :)  If you haven't seen trailer #1 yet you can find it right HERE .