About Book Buzz

Recently, author Rowena Cherry posted 25 ways to buzz a book. She talks about Amazon, B&N, social sites and ways to help authors stand out. It's interesting how some of these things we (writers) can do ourselves or partner with one another to accomplish. I found it very useful, especially since some of it is online.

I would also like to add that purchasing a copy of an author's book helps tremendously. You can donate it to Books For Soldiers, a homeless shelter or leave it on the bus for someone else to pick up like the folks at Book Crossing encourage. If you've got an idea to add, please comment here.

Check out Rowena's entire post at:
http://rowenacherry.blogspot.com/2009/05/twenty-five-ways-to-buzz-book.html#links

Write for the money? Ha!

This week, Hope Clark asked, Let's test your instinct to write. If you could not earn a living at it, if people would not see your work until after you died, if you could not publish, would you still do it?

My gut instinct is to say, "Of course I would." Then I realized this is exactly what most writers do. Okay, maybe some of us have delusions of making money and hang on to that with all our might. Even so, we brainstorm while driving down the road, hide manuscript notes beneath our desk calendars at work and let the laundry pile up because of the inner need to write. We text message ideas to ourselves, write poetry while waiting for the kids to be released from school and lull our spouses to sleep talking about plots and characters.

I doubt there are many who sneak these tiny moments here and there are doing it with dollar signs in their eyes. I see little flames burning in those iris'--flames of passion for this thing we call writing. We write away our fears and melancholia; expose our innermost selves in a way no reality show could hope to touch. Heck, if it were all about the money, we'd be better off dancing naked on tabletops downtown. Either they'll pay us to keep dancing or pay us to get down.

Writing is a passion akin to that of sports fans or addicts, depending upon how you want to look at it. We spend our last dollar on the paraphernalia--the pens, paper, printer ink, isp service. We give our two most precious resources to it: our time and ourselves--at times forsaking friends or the latest cool gadgets. Your not a real writer until you skip a dinner date/movie or call in sick to work on a story.

Anyone who understands the words, "I can't NOT write." knows full well it's not about the money. Here's Hope's blog where you can check out what she has to say: http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com

Do you have a genius?

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

http://www.ted.com:80/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Agent for a Day?

So you think Agents have easy jobs? Wish you could sit around and read query letters all day? Here's your chance to try it out.

Agent Nathan Bransford is having a contest. Next week, he will post 50 query letters. There will be a couple ringers, queries that have already sold. Your job is to read ALL the queries and pick the FIVE you would request. Just five, no more. You also have to take the time to write a rejection letter to the other 45 queries. (It's one day's work, but he's giving you all week to do it.)

Piece of cake? People who request the ringers will be listed, so everybody will know if you're good. Take a shot at it.

Don't want to read, but would like to be one of the query letters everybody else is reading? You can do that too! Nathan is accepting query letters to post. Your MS isn't finished? For the contest, that's fine. Send the query as if it's ready to go.

This is a great chance for some of you to get a real feel for what agents will think of your query, for FREE. Names will be removed, so you won't have to face public humiliation...on Nathan's blog, anyway.

Are you going to participate? Post here and let us know, so we can cheer for you. Query letter or agenting, we want to know!

Take a chance! http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2009/04/announcing-be-agent-for-day-contest.html

Audrey

Announcement and Call for Submissions

There's a new ebook company called Damnation Books. We launch in September 2009 with twenty five books.

We're open to submissions now and are looking for any dark fiction: horror, dark fantasy, thrillers, science fiction, paranormals and erotica (in dark fiction settings). Short stories, novellas and novel length works are wanted.

You can find the submission guidelines at www.damnationbooks.com

We hope you'll check us out.

Kim (Richards) Gilchrist

Evergreen and Always

I read a lot of online content. Unfortunately, most of it is just bland words that don't leave an impression. When I run across a story that speaks to me, I like to share it. I found one!

"Evergreen and Always" is a Christmas story. (Yes, I'm way behind in my reading.) You can read it at http://raygunrevival.com/Published/RGR_0049_2008_12.pdf . Scroll down to Page 9.

Alice M. Roelke took a story that has been done hundreds of times and populated it with interesting characters. It's only five pages long, but I'll remember it.

Oh, the rest of the mag may be good too. I only had time to read this one story. If you have more time, look around and check out the others.

Read and enjoy.

Audrey

Book Pitches

What is a book pitch? Are there different kinds? Does genre matter? What is included?

These questions come up quite often in the chatroom. Join us Wednesday night, March 4, to discuss the whys and hows of book pitches.