Category: Guest Posts

Book Signings R Fun! by Nicole Storey

Author Nicole Storey

[This is a golden oldie—it ran on Indies Unlimited back in October 2011.] “How did you go about setting up the book signing?” “Weren’t you nervous?” “What would you have done if no one had shown up?” These are the common questions I have been asked since my book signing event. The answer to the second question; YES, I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs! However, I also want people to read my book. Let’s face it, even in today’s time; many people just don’t love the internet as much as we do. Heck, even if they are the type that spend 23 hours a day on the net, there is still a huge chance that they will never come across my Facebook page, website, or blog. I had to find another way to advertise; a more personal way. To answer the third question; if no one had shown up, I would have come back home with a box full of books, but at least I would have the satisfaction of knowing that I tried. Continue reading “Book Signings R Fun! by Nicole Storey”

Power-Publish by Daniel L. Carter

Author Daniel L. Carter

My journey through the publishing grinder is not much different than many other authors. I started out with learning the demands of the publishing community. That road took me from March of 2006 to October of 2007 where I went through 4 rewrites of my first book The Unwanted.

My goal, was to land an agent and publisher for my book. I thought my prayers had been answered when a small publisher picked me up in April of 2008 and I signed a contract. Great, now my books would get out into the public and I could work on book 2 in my G6 Chronicles series. How naive I was. The book took two years to get published. The Unwanted finally came out in May of 2010. So I thought now I could relax and finish my series, but that was not the case. Continue reading “Power-Publish by Daniel L. Carter”

May I have your card? by Elena DeRosa

Author Elena DeRosa

Before I published my first eBook, Fractured Façade I pondered the best/cheapest way to get the word out on a local level. I no longer lived in Brooklyn, so hawking it on the subway was out, as was selling eBooks from an open car trunk. I could don two sandwich boards — the book cover on my chest, and the website on my back — troll the streets of Roanoke, ring a bell and wail, “Bring out your dead! I mean…Buy my book!” Nah. Too much work. Besides, I’m looking to cut my interaction with the public, not increase it.

The best marketing/promotion style for me would be a passive/aggressive approach using a “leave behind.” One where I could deal with people if I chose to, but my preference would be a quick hit and run, leaving my calling card which somebody would stumble upon and find intriguing enough to take. That’s what I went with. And, it’s been working pretty well. Continue reading “May I have your card? by Elena DeRosa”

Knowing your competition… by Ken La Salle

Author Ken La Salle
Author and Playwright Ken La Salle

There’s an ironic exchange in the great film, My Dinner with Andre, in which Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn talk about the demise of theater. I say it’s ironic because this movie was made more than 30 years ago and if they thought live theater was in the crapper back then, well… they had no idea what they were talking about!

Any playwright worth their salt is probably aware of a theater that is going through hard times or one that shut down because it couldn’t raise money. And yet, year after year, I run into playwrights who act as though it has nothing to do with them.

I believe they think they are somehow removed from the economic reality of theater, which is simply not true. I believe they do this because they simply do not understand who their competition is, who they’re playing against. It would be like an NBA player, LeBron James let’s say, feeling he was doing a fine job if he could beat the kids at the local elementary school. Continue reading “Knowing your competition… by Ken La Salle”