tips for Publishing

Selasa, 31 Maret 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #31 Finale

Well, this is it. The last day of the JA Konrath/Jack Kilborn blog tour.

I'm sad to see it end.

If you're just tuning in, I visited a different blog every day in March. I also gave away many copies of my new horror novel, Afraid by Jack Kilborn, to bloggers and asked them to post reviews.

The response has been overwhelming.

First I visit JD Rhoades, where I explain how we can save the economy:

THE. BEST. BOOK. CONTEST. EVER.

Then I visit one of my favorite authors for some Q & A:

Interview with Tess Gerritsen

Next, it's a treat for Jack Daniels fans. I collaborated on an original Jack Daniels story with my friend, author Tom Schreck, who writes the Duffy Mysteries. Tom's books are a combination of action and jokes, just like mine, so it was a lot of fun to bring our main characters together.

You can download the 6400 word story for free (it is printable, Kindle compatible, and can be read on your computer or a variety of 3G cell phones) and read our intentionally hostile interview, here:

Interview with Tom Schreck + Free Jack Daniels Story

Here's a great Afraid review at I Would Rather Be Reading:

Afraid Review by Bryan Sims

Finally, if you haven't read my Amazon blog, please check it out. Afraid is officially released today, so if you've reviewed me elsewhere on the Internet, you can now post your review on Amazon.com as well.

Joe's Amazon Blog

I want to thank everyone who hosted me on this blog tour. I appeared on well over a hundred blogs in thirty-one days, and I'm humbled and grateful for all the support the blogging community has given me and my little horror novel.

It been a long, strange trip, and it's also been a lot of fun. I'm also not quite done yet--a few other blogs will be featuring me in the upcoming month of April.

I'll blog about the results of this tour next week. But in the meantime, I've got to start hitting some bookstores for some real-world promotion. My first official signing for Afraid is on Saturday, April 4, 2pm-4pm, at the Waldenbooks in Peru, IL. Keep an eye on my website for other appearances.

If you haven't followed the tour from the beginning, here are all the places where I appeared (with the many duplicate posts removed.)

See you on the road...

BOOK LAUNCH TRUTHS

All of you unpublished authors out there are dreaming of your launch party - I know you are. And my expert contact at Publishing Scotland, who has clearly been to a few launches too many, suggested that I should do a blog piece about launches. I think he is hoping that publishers will take note of Rule 3 below and DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE IT. They won't, because they think that you are there for

Senin, 30 Maret 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #30

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm shaving my head and tattooing the book cover on my scalp. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

Today I kick things off with James Rollins:

http://www.jamesrollins.com/blog_posts/view/79

Then I talk about effectively using setting at RJ Mangahas's blog:

http://outinwritefield.blogspot.com/2009/03/location-location-location_30.html

I'm interviewed by Karin Gillespie:

http://southernauthors.blogspot.com/2009/03/author-spotlight-j.html

I do an irreverent Q & A over at Maidenfine's Musings. Irreverent because the Q & A is with myself:

http://maidenfine.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/to-read-afraid-by-jack-kilborn/

Finally, a few more Afraid reviews:

http://www.bestsellersworld.com/reviews/kilborn-afraid.htm

http://condascreativecenter.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-review-and-afraid-of-changing.html

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-by-jack-kilborn-reviewed-by.html

Tomorrow, Afraid is officially released. But many stores are now carrying it. If you've been following this blog tour, and haven't bought or ordered Afraid yet, I'm cutting you out of the will. You were going to get a lot, too.

Minggu, 29 Maret 2009

PS re SYNOPSES

Two PSs, actually, because I can never do one of a thing if two are available.Or maybe even three, because I am, if nothing else, intemperate and unrestrained. I blame my fantasising about those chocolate martinis that Lynn Price goes on about, even though I still don't quite believe in them, Britishy person that I am. I need to see them and the whites of their eyes.Anyway, yes, as Mary says,

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #29

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm uploading my eight second Beautiful Agony video. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

At One Writer's Journey, I talk about low cost and free marketing techniques:

http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger-jack-kilborn-marketing.html

I'm giving away books at Alison Kent's blog, if you reveal the scariest thing you ever read:

http://www.alisonkent.com/blog/archives/2841

Then I stop by Amy Alessio's blog and post a recipe. Yep, my favorite desert recipe. Hell yeah I can bake:

http://vintagecookbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/gooey-butter-cake-from-ja-konrath.html

Jude Hardin reviews Afraid:

http://judehardin.blogspot.com/2009_03_29_archive.html

Only two days left for the blog tour, but there are still a few fun surprises left. Stay tuned.

WRITING A SYNOPSIS

I hate writing synopses. There are two types of synopsis, or reasons you might write one - let's call them Synopsis Situations - and I hate both. Equally. To be honest, I hate them so much that I've even postponed writing this blog post about them. But eventually, we authors have to get tough with ourselves.Talking about getting tough, someone has told me I go on about chocolate too much. So

Sabtu, 28 Maret 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #28

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm eating a live moose. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

Many stops on the tour today. Let's start with something unusual.

If you haven't joined www.Goodreads.com yet, you should. It's a great place to write reviews, get book recommendations, and network with fellow readers.

Someone posted a poll about the scariest book of all time, and Afraid is on the ballot. Check it out at:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/492.SCARIEST_BOOK_I_EVER_READ

I've talked a lot about good self-promotion techniques. But how about bad ones? At Michelle Muto's blog, I present eight things you should NEVER do when promoting your book:

http://michellemuto.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/jack-kilborns-top-eight-bad-self-promotion-tips/

What are the three greatest horror novels of all time? I tell all at Heather Wardall's blog:

http://heatherwardell.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger-ja-konrathjack-kilborn.html

To call Alex Sokoloff a good writing teacher is like calling Houdini a good magician. She's the best, and a damn fine writer as well. Her blog, where she carefully breaks down narratives and explicates why they work, is a must-read for newbie writers. I've tried to use her approach on a scary scene from Afraid, explaining the writerly choices I made, point by point. It's sort of like a DVD director commentary. Check it out here:

http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-guest-blogger-jack-kilborn.html

Finally, a smattering of good reviews:

http://danys-san.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-by-jack-kilborn.html

http://home.earthlink.net/~harryfnhate/

http://thescifigenrereview.blogspot.com/2009/03/be-afraidthen-read-afraid.html

The question now isn't whether I'll break 100.The question is what number above 100 will I stop at.

I'd like to effusively thank the folks who are posting their reviews everywhere they can. Many reviewers are reviewing on Goodreads, and in the Amazon.com discussions (because it's too early to put the review up on Afraid's Amazon.com listing, as the book doesn't come out for a few more days), and many other places. Some have reached well above a dozen different spots.

I'm humbled and excited by your efforts. If Afraid catches on, it's because of you, and I'm not the type of person who forgets the people who helped him out.