Goodreads Sci-Fi/Fantasy Authors discussion
Self Promotions
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Shameless Self-Promotion
Hi Tom!I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as you are (more or less), and am still trying to get the hang of shamelessly promoting myself. It feels odd, let me tell you!
I've started a blog (http://smcarriere.blogspot.com). It seems fairly routine that one. If you already have one, you can go to the thread that allows members to post their blogs and post it there.
I'm certainly not a seasoned self-marketer, so I just wanted to wish you good luck.
I'm thinking that I might do some interviews on my blog - most of them will be authors - while I'm waiting for an answer from a publisher. I don't have many followers on my blog, but if you like I can interview you to try and help you get the word out.
Do let me know.
Though my first publishing endeavor wasn't an eBook, it was nonetheless a book now nearly 2 years on the market. I'm unable to pound the pavement so to speak to sell my book but lately, I've found several people willing to read and post review. I hope to create my own web page someday but until then, I have this long list of readers I'm slowly working my way through. I've gotten 2 awesome reviews on Amazon already.
Hey Anna,What kind of book have you published?
I've advertised it as Young Adult but I'm reconsidering. Most of my readers so far have been the average adult and they all like it, those that I know of anyway. I also know of a couple young teens who've read it and liked it. It's titled KING BY RIGHT OF BLOOD AND MIGHT. Fiction all the way through. That's all I write because research is pretty hard for me to do, or at least it was while I was writing all the stories I have so far.
Where to start. Though my first book came out this week (10:15, Eternal Press, September 7), I have been working on websites and trying to draw traffic to sites for years. E-mail signatures work, especially if you talk on group chats such as yahoo. I've been promoting endlessly for the past three months and have noticed more and more of my visits are coming from referal traffic rather than direct so it does show results. After that it's more a word of mouth situation. Also work on the social networks such as Facebook and Ning. I've noticed the more I post on those the better the traffic return is. For examples of both sites, go to my homepage at http://www.trentkinsey.com and click on "world wide woods" at the top.
I'll add more and think of more but I'm at work (civilian web manager for the USMC reserve headquarters) and need to continue to draw taffic to that site too :D
I went there, Trent. Nice site - simple and quick - I like that. I couldn't figure out how to add anything there but I wasn't there all that long. Congrats on the book. I hope it goes well for you. And congrats on the decision to quit smoking. I hope that goes well for you too. I never started but my husband has been smoking for way too long. He's been trying to quit for years now and the effort is really hard on him. I hope he'll be able to make it someday. The things are just way too expensive any more (but that's not the only reason to quit by far.I found your fan page. I'll join you there. I have one too.
Very cool Anna. I quite cause I just couldn't take it anymore and yes it was such an awefull week at first! I still have some memories and little memory induced cravings, but I really don't have the NEED that I had before.
I really wanted to point out the various profiles I keep on NING sites like Dark Fiction Guild and so forth. They're free to join and what I do is keep a faviorites folder labeled "profiles" and when I have an update, I just go down the list and copy and paste the same message to all the profiles. some times I ad a tagline/signature. For example, my current email signature is as follows:
Respectfully,
Trent Kinsey
http://www.TrentKinsey.com
Have you read 10:15? Please leave comments at Shelfari or Goodreads!
I have a hyperlink to my story title going to my site and a link to Shelfari and Goodreads going to my book on those sites.
Another note to all...have you tried Google Analytics on your site? If you haven't and don't know about it, at least check it out and see if it might work "http://www.google.com/analytics" It helps wonders in finding out where you traffic is coming from.
Hey, that's awesome Trent! A huge congrats on getting your book published.I haven't yet... though I am blogging about it at http://smcarriere.blogspot.com.
I'm very excited for you. What's it like being in print? The book looks really interesting.
I sent you a friend request via facebook, you don't have to accept, of course.
Anna, I tried to find you via facebook, but couldn't trace you. You are welcome to add me if you like. Search for S.M.Carriere. Is your book available via major book stores?
On quitting-- and this isn't easy, none of it is -- he needs to build himself up for it, like "Monday, I won't have to do this crap anymore!"Another thing that helped me is to quit on a Monday. It allowed me to go to work (Mon-Fri) and focus on work, work, work. Then I would come home and only have a couple of hours before bed and that allowed me to combat the boredom cravings.
I suggest to do it on the morning of the beginning of the work week so you have at least 5 days of work-related quitting under your belt so that the weekend will be that much easier. The boredom cravings are the worst!
Smoke an A%%load the night before to help make you sick of it and on the morning of day one, don't touch it and fight fight fight. Another step is to eliminate everying smoking related, ashtrays, butts, lighters from you car and home. Wear clean clothes (I know that sounds strange lol) so you don't smell it on yourself.
Theres more but I can't think of it right now.
Hello Sonia,Thanks for the response. I checked out your blog and will do so in more detail when time permits. I have been interviewed and reviewed (all favorable thank goodness) several times already, but always happy to do more. Presently, my blog is accessible through my website. I'm reading lots of internet marketing stuff and trying to do the linkage thing. After many years of working on publishers, editors, etc., I decided selling my stuff on my own was the way to go. I have one book out by a POD (ROLLING THUNDER), but have made minimal money. Doing the eBook thing allows me complete control.
BTW, I practiced and taught Moo Duk Kwan for many years. Glad to see anybody studying the arts.
Good luck to you and stay in touch.
Tom
I took Tie Kwan Do (I think I spelled that wrong) when I was in collage and loved it. I probably learned just enough to get myself killed. I had a great teacher but never found another one that compared.I'm looking into the eBook thing myself. It sounds like the way to go these days. I've put together quite a few stories that just don't fit the parameters everyone else wants. "It's too long" or "It's too short" All binding issues I'm sure - eBooks address that just fine.
Trent wrote: "Where to start. Though my first book came out this week (10:15, Eternal Press, September 7), I have been working on websites and trying to draw traffic to sites for years. E-mail signatures work, e..."Thanks, Trent. I visited your site and will do so again. I typically stay away from Facebook, et al, but I can see where any network is a good network. Good luck to you.
Thanks Tom. When I designed mine I went to other established author pages to see what they did and designed mine on what I like as a webmaster and what seemed to work/what I like of their's. It' a start.Oh yeah, don't forget the meta tags in the head, they help more than anyone would know lol!
Hi Tom,Thanks very much. Is there a way I can email my questions to you? If you have a facebook account, I can add you there and simply send you the questions via fb email. That way you don't have to share your personal email with the rest of the world!
Never mind... you just said to Trent you don't. lol. Not being able to read is a very bad sign....
Sonia wrote: "Hi Tom,Thanks very much. Is there a way I can email my questions to you? If you have a facebook account, I can add you there and simply send you the questions via fb email. That way you don't ..."
Sonia, you can find my email posted on mywebsite.
Sonia wrote: "Hey, that's awesome Trent! A huge congrats on getting your book published.I haven't yet... though I am blogging about it at http://smcarriere.blogspot.com.
I'm very excited for you. What's it ..."
It was my first goal to see my name in print and I got lucky because not only did I get that, but I also got to see my first book published too. Though it is a novelette and I didn't expect it to have a paperback done, I found out that all of Eternal Press' releases go to print via Amazon's prit on demand feature. So I'm excited about that as well.
That's really awesome! Clearly I'm far too excitable.
Sonia wrote: "Hey, that's awesome Trent! A huge congrats on getting your book published.I haven't yet... though I am blogging about it at http://smcarriere.blogspot.com.
I'm very excited for you. What's it ..."
I couldn't find you either, Sonia. Here's my facebook link - http://profile.to/annawalls/ I'd love to see you there.
And my book can be ordered from most any major bookstore, I believe but I haven't been able to get it on the shelves yet.
Trent wrote: "On quitting-- and this isn't easy, none of it is -- he needs to build himself up for it, like "Monday, I won't have to do this crap anymore!"Another thing that helped me is to quit on a Monday...."
Thanks for the advice. I already thought about the smell. My husband has a far better nose than I do. Last time he tried to quit I started to clean the whole house - wash the walls and all. Sadly, I only made it half way around the place before he started again. I also ran out of cleaner. I'm prepared this time. Much more cleaner available and the tobacco has run out. The boat is pulled and the store is miles and miles away. If he wants tobacco this time of year - it's an air-drop. The dog loves those, though. She loves it when a plain flies over and we all jump up to go spot what drops. She's usually there first. I'm glad we don't hunt birds. Any bird would most certainly be dead before she brought it back to us. No soft mouth on her.
ROFL! That's great. Let him know it's not impossible and there are others out there like him that has his back.
I came across a way for all us neglected authors to get noticed and do something noble at the same time. You donate on of your books to Operation Desert Swap and the book goes to a US military outfit overseas. Of course, you've got to agree to be a pen pal for up to 12 months, but that should be no problem utilizing email. If anybody else is interested, go to the website listed below for details. Operation Desert Swap
http://operationdesertswap.webs.com
What a neat idea Tom! Thanks for the tip!
That's so cool. Thanks, Tom, for the link. I can't send them a book by the deadline though :( so I sent them a message asking if there's a later shipment. I hope so. I've also posted this link on Facebook. Such a fabulous idea - thanks again.
I'm reading through my current project and I kind of like this scene. I thought I'd share it with all of you. I hope you like it too.The moon was still several spans above the western horizon when Derrick got slowly to his feet. As he approached the fire, the people parted for him. He walked past their ranks as if he was alone with the fire and the moon. Doing things that caused Anya to hold her breath to see, Derrick danced around the fire. He bent and swayed like a tree in a high wind, he turned and stepped like a dust devil in the desert, then he was a blade of tall grass, stepping and flexing with a hand leading a hip first to the right then to the left. Bonelessly, he brought the four winds inside his skin, and inside his skin, the winds whirled. Gravitational forces and seasonal shifts were all there in the placement of his feet or the turn of his head. The entire display took place in silence; Derrick uttered no sound, and wearing no boots, his feet whispered over the grass around the fire. By the time he was done, there was no doubt that the winds screamed fiercely or breezed gently at the whim and spin of the earth and moon. When he was done, he strode back to his place and lay down again, curling up in his cloak as if nothing had happened.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooh! Such a tease! I like the imagery.
Thanks Sonia. When I do something like that - I like it but does it seem the same to someone else? I'm glad you like it too.
My name is Tod Langley and I just joined goodreads as an author! My first fantasy fiction novel, Prince Kristian's Honor was just released in August and is available through Amazon and other online booksellers.I'm originally from Indiana and served over 15 years in the military - including two combat tours in Iraq. I've used many of the things I've seen and experienced from all of my travels to help me describe scenes within my book.
If you're interested in learning more about me or the book, I'd ask you to check out www.TodLangley.com. There are new writer blogs, reviews, artwork, and more. Prince Kristian's Honor is NOT your typical fantasy story - I think it's much more than that (and hope you will check it out for yourself)!
Looking forward to meeting many other new writers!
Thanks, Tod
Even though this isn't my string, welcome to the chaos. Congrats on your book. I'll have to check it out. You can check mine out too. KING BY RIGHT OF BLOOD AND MIGHT There's some pages to read on Google Books and a look inside feature on Amazon. And of course you can always ask me most anything you want to know.
Thanks, Anna. I love your cover art and the premise for the book. The first two reviews were also very well written. This may be one that I have to pick up for my own shelf!Good Luck.
Hi Tod!I just might interview you, since I'm waiting on a reply from a publisher before anything else exciting happens on my blog (http://smcarriere.blogspot.com).... If you'll let me interview you that is!
Anna, your book is published right? May I interview you too?
I don't have a lot of followers on my blog. Hopefully more will come, so you won't be reaching a very large audience, but I figure every little bit counts, right?
I'm being interviewed today onhttp://cc-chronicles.blogspot.com/200...
Stop by and make a comment. Win a signed copy of my book.
Sonia, I'm finding this to be a lot of fun and very exciting. Of course I'll let you interview me. Any audience is likely more than I have right now.
M-U-S-T G-A-T-H-E-R F-O-L-L-O-W-E-R-S
Is that Frankenstein enough for you? One of those necessities behind being successful.
lol. Thanks Anna. I have put myself as a follower of your blog. I'll see if I can't stop by the blog and take part in the interview. I'm very excited for you! A huge congrats on this monumental step forward!
Thanks Sonia. You are my very first follower. There are first just dripping all over the place.
lol. I noticed that. Your blog is also on the "must reads" section of my blog, so hopefully more followers will trickle over.
Oh cool. Maybe you can give me some blogging lessons, not the least of which, how to work the site. Now I need to figure out where the 'must reads' section is.
lol. You can create one in your blog layout (from your dashboard/home there should be a "layout" tab. You can add all sorts of little things like htmls, links to blogs you are following, pictures etc).I created my "Must Reads" as a small way to try and get traffic filtering to other struggling artists!
OK thanks. I'll have to check it out. Html? I think I know what that is but I also think it's greek to me.
Sonia wrote: "Hi Tod!I just might interview you, since I'm waiting on a reply from a publisher before anything else exciting happens on my blog (http://smcarriere.blogspot.com).... If you'll let me interview y..."
That's a very kind offer, Sonnia. I'd be more than happy (and actually appreciative) for that opportunity.
If you haven't had the chance...you can learn a little more about me and the book at www.TodLangley.com
Hopefully, that will start to put a few things together before an interview.
Regards,
Tod
And I even spelled your name wrong! Sorry, Sonia
That's OK. If my fingers can have dyslexia, yours can stutter. (lol)
And by the way, Tod, I'm reading the hero's journey. I stumbled upon many of the elements you've mentioned and even avoided some of the worst ones. Totally by accident since I didn't really know all this before I started to write. All I wanted to do was tell a story.
No worries, Tod! I'm not easily offended!
I even have an article on monomyth - the Hero's Journey, from Campbell's perspective here for my lunch time reading! Now that MIGHT be considered pathetic or passionate or even desperate!There is another article I'd recommend for new fantasy writers...something about the cliched plot lines (do's and don'ts). If anyone's interested, I'll see if I can get permission to repost or direct everyone to it.
Tod
Sure, I'd like to see how badly I screwed up.
Anna,I'm waiting on approval to repost, but you can check out a thread on the issues at www.terrybrooks.net/forums/the craft of writing/The Wannabee Fantasy Novellists Exam.
It's humorous, but a good look at the fantasy cliches that are biting us in the butt (as a group).
vr,
Tod
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One of my goals here is to ask how to drive traffic to the website. Of course, I want people who like science fiction and don't mind reading eBooks. I've been looking at internet marketing materials so I'm not completely mystified by the process but I'm still looking for any tips.
A little background on me: English and writing teacher, tech writer, web developer, and currently unemployed (laid off 2 years ago as IT Director at a local hospital). I've always wanted to be a successful writer, write what I want, and follow what I love to do. As I discovered many years ago, becoming a successful novelist is like making it big in show business -- it's really tough.
Anyway, I'm happy to be here and I'd appreciate any tips about selling my eBooks online. Oh, my website is www.thomascstone.com.