Posts
FREE doesn't hurt.
Milo James Fowler at
In Medias Res has
created a great idea for a giveaway every Friday in December.
There are more authors giving books away than
the population of some 3rd World Nations!
And free doesn't mean bad prose.
These are all great books.
Ah, maybe not mine ... but it's worth every
penny you'll pay for it!
And free doesn't mean bad prose.
These are all great books.
Ah, maybe not mine ... but it's worth every
penny you'll pay for it!
Friday through this
weekend I am giving away
GHOST WRITERS IN THE SKY!
A ghostly writing manual!
The ghosts of the greats of literature tell you how it is done.
Which leads me into another Friday BLOGFEST:
What Works – Online Marketing
Symposium
The first ever "Online Marketing
Symposium" Monday, January 20, 2014. A blogfest with information you can
use!
Hosted by Arlee Bird, Yolanda Renee, Jeremy Hawkins, and Alex J. Cavanaugh.
Hosted by Arlee Bird, Yolanda Renee, Jeremy Hawkins, and Alex J. Cavanaugh.
Do you ever wonder why some books become bestsellers while others can barely be given away?
Why some businesses succeed and others
fail?
How does a blog post or a YouTube video manage to go viral?
Is it a matter
of luck or is there some magic formula for success?
As a preview of what to expect:
SO HOW DO YOU GET YOUR eBOOK TO GO VIRAL?
You can’t tweet or Facebook yourself into viral status. Your publisher can’t even make it happen.
It rarely happens to the common A-list author names –
they became A-listers after their viral debut – it’s usually something fresh, from a fresh face.
The criteria for putting your book into a position to go viral is almost exactly that associated with getting published in the first place.
The book has to work. Really, really well.
That said, viral books tend to do a couple of specific things really well:
1.) They are often “high concept” (rather than character-driven, even though they introduce great characters),
with exceptional execution across all the story basics.
2.) They also deliver something else, almost without exception:
they seize the inherent compelling power of underlying story physics in way that exceeds the competition.
These two realms of story –
compelling concept,
with exceptionally strong underlying essences, is what gets you into the viral game.
YAWN! Right?
Isn't that what everyone does?
Not really.
They don’t address these as goals.
Some authors just write their story, write it well, let it evolve organically, and hope somebody out there gets it.
This may get them published, but it doesn’t usually get them on Oprah Winfrey.
The viral book is driven by hero empathy,
while delivering a vicarious ride.
It isn’t the plot, and it isn’t character.
No, this is about the reader.
It’s about the reader transporting themselves into this world… going on this ride… feeling it… wanting to be the hero…
wishing it was them…
the reader completely engaging in this journey
on a personal level.
More of this a month from today ...
REMEMBER:
You can get it
FREE:
So true... what is there for us all, we have something great to offer... here is a link to an image that is what I feel represents the everything I feel for the future.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2013/10/only-on-sunday-and-message-for-my-blog.html
Some point I would like to get closer to the audience that best suits my stuff, I think sometimes I spend too much time in the wrong element. I think I go off topic too, that so much people don't get me and in the last year I opened up myself... sadly people still don't get me. My goal is to tread back to me, the things that I love and the good friends I have.
Oh, I'm excited to read this! Thanks so much for giving it away, Roland. And you can't go wrong with Simon's Cat as far as I'm concerned. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteJeremy:
ReplyDeleteHow to we touch people? Every author asks that.
Like happiness, we touch people and gain happiness when we focus on the journey not the goal ... on others and not ourselves.
John Locke writes that the audience that does not "get us" are not our target audience anyway.
All we can do is be honest with our audience about who we are and what we hold to be important -- then our target audience will find us.
Julie:
As you might expect the ghosts of Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain have several chapters. Even the ghosts of Bruce Lee, Alfred Hitchcock, and Winston Churchill are in it. The ghost of Robert E Howard and others pay a visit, too!
Isn't Simon's Cat a fun cartoon?
Merry Christmas!
Well, I messed up the high concept part...
ReplyDeleteAlex:
ReplyDeleteI think not! All three of your titles match and together, they form a life arc of epic proportions. Sounds high concept to me! Merry Christmas~!
Ghost Writers in the Sky is a humourous way to learn a few tips. Very palatable. I'm still reading my own copy then I'll review it.
ReplyDeleteI picked up a 'popular' author's book the other day in the library and read a few excerpts. Did she stick to the rules? No. Did she whet my interest in the excerpt? No. I lost interest in her characters by the third book, and there were five in this series.
Popularity doesn't always equate with excellent writing or with marketing. I'll observe the Online Marketing Symposium from the sidelines. I'm still learning about publishing, and will drop by to increase my knowledge. I can always learn something. . .
Thanks for the freebie, Roland -- and for joining the #Tismoreblessed throng. Marketing success? No clue. But I know writing more and subbing more definitely helps!
ReplyDeleteD.G.:
ReplyDeleteLike Minnie Pearl -- when it comes to online marketing, I don't know nothing -- I don't even suspect anything! :-)
Thanks for the kind words about GHOST WRITERS IN THE SKY. Look forward to the review.
Milo:
I am happy to help out though what with so many authors behind you, mine is just a tiny voice. :-)
I am clueless about marketing success, too.