Posts by Writer Unboxed
This is pretty cool. Seeing as Writer Unboxed readers are keen to learn more about the the book publicity space, we thought you might be interested in a homegrown, zero-budget, author-fueled project that WU contributor J.C. Hutchins recently coordinated. It was a cross-promotion that was so savory, it snagged the participation of several New York Times bestselling authors.
J.C. concocted the idea of a free “holiday sampler” PDF that would feature excerpts from great 2009 fiction and nonfiction books. The concept: Designed to expose these books to new readers, the PDF would roll out on participating authors’ sites. This multi-site distribution ensured that all author excerpts would be seen by engaged fans beyond the author’s individual sphere of influence, and generate interest and sales from these newcomers.
Purchasing opportunities were easy via in-PDF links to online retailers, and a printable order form that customers could present in brick-and-mortar bookstores.
The best part: The PDF was created at no cost to the participating authors or their publishers. With a concept that benefitted everyone involved (and some teamwork and “zero-budget” elbow grease), J.C. snagged the participation of bestselling writers…
• Laurell K. Hamilton — Divine Misdemeanors
• Seth Godin — Tribes
• Joseph Finder — Vanished
• Cory Doctorow — Makers
• Chris Brogan & Julien Smith — Trust Agents
• Robert J. Sawyer — Wake
• Cherie Priest — Boneshaker
• Scott Sigler — The Rookie
…and others. The PDF is now live on these author sites and beyond (other blogs posted the PDF as noteworthy news items), and within hours of its release, generated thousands of downloads, which will result in increased exposure and books sales for all authors.
Read MoreFrom Daily Finance:
Nielsen Business Media announced on Thursday it will shut down two venerable trade magazines: Editor & Publisher, which has covered the newspaper industry since the turn of the 20th century, and Kirkus Reviews, the 76-year-old trade publication for the book industry.
No word yet on whether Kirkus will be sold or what will happen to their archives. Stay tuned.
Read MoreRecently, we received an e-mail from a reader who wrote the following:
I received a note from an agent today saying: ‘…Nor do I think harking back to one of the oldest fairytales of all time . . . is right for contemporary fantasy readers.’ To give this comment context, one of my characters escaped with the help of a genie. Just like Aladdin. The genie had a direct context within the novel and returns in a further novel. I am surprised at this agent’s belief, because I can think of some of my favourite fantasy writers who use fairytale, sometimes directly, sometimes with a slant. It is perhaps as logical as it can be. Was not literature in the first instance legend, then fairytale and then by extension fantasy? I was wondering if you were interested in opening this up for a discussion in the future with some of your excellent published writers.
It was a great question, and deserved a great answer. Or two. So we asked our resident fantasy authors Sophie Masson and Juliet Marillier to share their perspectives — and they had a lot to say about it! Below is Sophie’s response. We’ll have Juliet weigh in at a later post. Enjoy!
Fairytales, from European, Asian and Arabic traditions, have always been a rich source of inspiration for me, and those of my books for young people that are based on fairytale elements seem to have struck the strongest chord with readers. And that includes books which have been set in contemporary times!
Read MoreSome of you may have already learned that valued contributor Rosina Lippi is bending her life in a new direction. As she wrote in her weblog:
“The reason for this sudden departure is fairly straight-forward: I’m stepping away from writing for the foreseeable future.”
It’s never easy when a fellow writer leaves the profession, and we feel much sadness over the news. Rosina, we loved having you as part of the WU family. We wish you well on your endeavors, and a speedy return to writing.
Read MoreGet the rib tape out, because your sides will be in stitches after reading the entries for WU’s insane analogies contest. We received over 100 entries and they were inspired and oftentimes breathtaking in elegance and lunacy. Therese and I had such a hard time whittling the list down to the last 25. Then we agonized over getting it down to the top 10, so much so that we went with a top 11. Honestly, all the entries were so fantastic. Thank you all for participating.
Voting will be open until August 17 at 8 a.m. EST. One vote per person (we don’t want anyone stuffing the ballot so we have a cookie/IP address blocker on the poll)
To those entered, GOOD LUCK! The entries are as follows:
1. He stared at his cubicle wall, gray as an elephant’s butt and equally crushing.
2. He considered pants with the same regard that drivers on the autobahn considered brakes; they were optional.
3. Eldon’s writing was somewhat reminiscent of Chaucer’s in that it had to be read numerous times to be completely understood. One major difference: His spelling was not quite as good.
4. He turned her on like a radio, until she realized the tuner was stuck on conservative talk radio. 24/7. Without commercial interruption. Siriusly.
5. When Michael kissed her, Joanna recoiled, much the way one’s bare foot does when it encounters a fresh hairball on the carpet in the middle of the night.
6. Her attempts to help were as misguided as vending-machine sushi, and as likely to succeed as tuna marmalade.
7. I hid my shame inside my confidence, like shredded chicken inside a tamale, but then when I met Lance all my feelings were wrapped inside another layer of feeling, which was lust, so then with one stuffed inside another inside another I was more like a walking turducken, only then I’m not sure where the corn husk fits in anymore and besides, turduckens can’t walk.
8. Simone felt as useless as a Girls Gone Wild video in a gay man’s DVD collection.
9. She was beautiful and mysterious like the Mona Lisa, only she wasn’t smiling, or wearing an old fashioned dress and she had better hair.
10. Dana gazed at Mike, her eyes filling with tears as she realized their love was as doomed as a myopic possum crossing the freeway.
11. Even confession couldn’t clear her conscience. After spilling her secrets and being absolved by the parish priest, her soul still felt partially dirty, like one of those low flow toilets that doesn’t flush all the way.
So who wins? You tell us. VOTE BELOW THE CUT:
Read MoreKath here: reposting to unbury the contest. This year’s entries are EPIC!
ETA#2: There’s only 48 hours left in our hilarious analogies contest. The prize box continues to fill with great books from our contributors (and other places, shhhh). You have until Tuesday Aug. 4, 12 a.m. EST to submit your entry. Don’t delay!
Feeling creative?Witty?
Are you good with wordplay?
Last year’s contest was as fun for us as we think it was for you (memories HERE), so we’d like to try something similar this year.
Inspiration comes from a viral e-mail claiming to be the 25 Funniest Analogies Collected by High School Teachers. Some examples:
Good, right? But we know you can do better. Send us your hilarious analogies and each will be considered an entry in our contest. Though we can’t crown a winner outside of the continental US (sorry, shipping can be steep), we encourage everyone who’d like to play to play.
What will you win?
Interested? Here’s how to play:
1) Type your contest entry in the comment area of THIS post.
2) Submit repeatedly as inspiration strikes. You can continue subbing through Tuesday, Aug. 4. Again, you must use the comment area in this post or your entry will be disqualified.
3) Therese and Kath will choose the top 10 analogies. Bonus points for hilarity and elegance of prose.
4) Then YOU, our WU readers, will get to vote on the winner out of the top-ten pool. (Be advised, we know when people spam the voting block. Only one vote will be allowed per person.)
Good luck!
Photo courtesy Flickr’s ajagendorf25
Read MoreIt’s WU contributor Allison Winn Scotch’s birthday today. Wish her a happy one!
Read MoreValued contributor Sophie Masson sent us this message, introducing a site called Richard Harland’s Writing Tips:
Thought this would be of interest to readers of Writer Unboxed. Richard Harland, who compiles it, is a very good writer–and a friend of mine! It’s a great free service he’s doing..
Richard Harland: “So far, I’m a middling-successful author with 15 published books of fantasy, SF and horror, some for adults, some YA and some for younger readers. I reckon that makes me luckier than most, so this is my way of getting good karma and giving something back.”
Richard’s tips are fantastic! Check out them out HERE.
Thanks, Sophie!
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We’ve been fans of valued contributor Ray Rhamey long before we started WU. Please wish Ray a Happy Birthday today! Candles optional.
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UPDATE: Congratulations to Livia King, the winner of Ray’s book!
Thanks, everyone, for playing!
COMMENTING WINDOW IS OVER! STAY TUNED FOR WINNER!
Win a signed copy of Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells
Donald Maass, literary agent, says this about the book,
“Flogging the Quill is packed full of useful techniques to build a better novel.”
Ray Rhamey’s new storytelling craft book has been released and is now available at Amazon.com—but you can win a signed copy from Writer Unboxed. We’ll tell you how under the jump, but first this exclusive excerpt from the book’s first chapter to let you know why it could be a good idea to have a copy.
Today’s publishing climate is tougher than ever. To get an agent, your work has to stand out from hundreds and hundreds of submissions. For your agent to get you a book contract, your novel has to cut through hundreds more.
You only have seconds in an agent’s hands
Established authors can ease into a story with description and mood (and even they aren’t safe in the bookstore), but unpublished writers face a very different reality—agents suffering through heaps of submissions and looking for reasons to reject while at the same time hoping for a story worth reading.
Dan Conaway, literary agent at Writers House and former executive editor, says,
Read MoreAs a community of writers, we get to know and care for one another, and occasionally share the ups and downs of our personal lives. Regular contributor Juliet Marillier has posted this info on her website:
I’m sorry to have to announce some not-so-good health news which I received last week. I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. I am having surgery on March 25 and the prognosis seems pretty good. I may need some follow-up treatment. This will mean I have to slow down a bit. I am unlikely to be attending any literary events or doing much in the way of extra activities this year. I won’t be chronicling the cancer journey online, but will provide occasional updates on my website.
What you can do to help: Send good vibes, think positive thoughts. Don’t send sympathy messages or cards and don’t post sad or angry messages anywhere. I appreciate everyone’s good wishes but I will not be entering into any correspondence with readers about my illness. My energy will be going into getting well and writing the next book.
All the best
Juliet
We have our marching orders, WU readers. No sad stuff. Just lots of positive vibes. Go on and send ’em.
Read MoreI think all of Juliet Marillier’s readers will be happy to hear that there WILL be a new book in the Sevenwaters series. This was in yesterday’s Publisher’s Marketplace, and Juliet said I could pass the news along to you here.
FICTION: GENERAL/OTHER
Juliet Marillier’s SONG OF THE ISLAND, about druids and Vikings set in medieval Ireland, in the author’s “Sevenwaters” series, to Anne Sowards at Ace, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in 2011, by Russell Galen at Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency (NA).
Juliet has also sold Australian and New Zealand rights to SONG OF THE ISLAND and its sequel to Pan Macmillan.
Congratulations, Juliet, on this wonderful news!
Read MoreIt’s March, which means our first ever dedicated month of craft talk has come to a close. What did you think of plotting month? Are there any other craft or business topics you’d like to see us tackle on a larger scale like this? Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Write on.
Read MoreKath here. We’ve been waiting and waiting, and now it’s here. Valued contributor Ray Rhamey’s book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. Ray says “it should be printed and shipped within 2 or 3 weeks and early orders will be tremendously helpful.”
He’s making a FANTASTIC offer for WU readers:
In the meantime, how about a free e-book for readers of WU? In appreciation of all of the readers who visit and contribute to this blog, I’m making a free PDF copy of my book available until April 1, 2009. In return, I ask you to sign up for “NewsNotes,” a sporadic e-mail notice about workshops, appearances, and new books. I also hope you’ll post a review on Amazon.com, and spread the word to friends and fellow writers. To sign up, go to my Friends of FtQ page on the website.
I’m reprinting the press release below as it has all the details on the book’s content. For more information, go to https://www.ftqpress.com/.
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