Launching WEBWATCH, a regular review of our members’ blogs
Welcome to WEBWATCH, the first of a regular surf through the websites of our members. We have three choice blogs to tell you about in this, the inaugural feature:
THE SUPERSPUD ADVENTURES at www.superspudtrilogy.blogspot.co.uk
Michael Diack, is the author of The Superspud Trilogy, which was reviewed by us a while back, and can be seen on INDIETRIBE’s Book Reviews page.
His blog is designed to engender and retain interest in Superspuds and attract more and more loyal fans to what is already a cult following.
Michael’s latest post links an actual news item, covered by the BBC, to a short tale, created by him to ‘reveal the real story of what happened when a hedgehog was trapped in a crisp packet in Weston Super Mare’. And an exciting little story it is too.
His blog also carries competitions and prizes based around the original concept of the Superspud and he successfully uses the whole thing as a vehicle to ensure more and more of us are hooked into the on-going series. Michael is even devising an App, which will enable us to play a Superspud game.
Clearly not one to sit back and wait for sales, Michael Diack, through this blog, provides an object lesson to us on how to market a novel. Well done, Sir!
SARA SHRIEVES at www.sarashrieves.com
Sara has chosen to use her website to promote her book, Who is Audrey Wickersham? and reveals the whole of Chapter One for our delectation. It is set out beautifully, in the same style you would expect to read on eBook readers and does actually leave you wanting more. A simple click through allows you to get more by transporting you through to Amazon.
On the Who is Audrey Wickersham? page, Sara treats us to a delightful monotone photo of the Magick Eye Bookshop, cleverly adapted to click you through to twitter, facebook or amazon. The Magick Eye Bookshop is very much part of Sara’s novel and is based on a real shop, Psychic Eye, in Orange County, which she frequents regularly.
I’ll reveal details of the book in a future book review, but for now, I recommend you visit Sara’s very well designed website, and read the first chapter to whet your appetite.
DIEM BURDEN at www.diemburden.com
Diem Burden has got a pretty firm grasp on the realities of self-publishing and, sensibly, views his future as a novelist as a long term project. His theory on this subject and the way he plans out his stategy on his website, makes it compulsive viewing for self-published authors.
Diem, by his own admission is on a steep learning curve, and I think he is climbing the mountain admirably. What I really respect is the selfless manner in which he willingly shares everything he has learned so far. The guy is refreshingly transparent, and there is all manner of stuff to be learned from visiting his site. Once you click on it, you’ll stay there a good while, and you’ll return – often.
He willingly shares information on the things he has painstakingly learned: how to create your own newsletter; how to get to grips with Scriviner, the advantages of Dropbox and Mailchimp; why to give your first book away and much, much more.
A lot of inexperienced writers would pay good money for the things to be gleaned from Diem Burden’s website, and I feel privileged to be able to point INDIETRIBE members in his direction, because to do so is to provide them with a service.
A Five Star Website to inspire fellow writers if ever there was one.
I hope our INDIETRIBE members find this new feature useful. It will become a regular series, just as the Book Reviews page has. For those of you still waiting for book reviews, and now Blog reviews, please continue to be patient. I will get around to you all, but I’m currently working my way through a rather large pile.
And I’m loving it!
Happy Reading and Writing
Charlie
