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Archive for October, 2017

Taking it to the Streets: Countdown to THE NINE’s Release

I recently posted on both Facebook and Twitter, encouraging folks to sign up for my newsletter (see that lovely box at the top of the page, just waiting for your email address… come on, you know you want to try it) and offering a chance to be part of my street team for The Nine’s release.

Okay.

Well.

So… what’s a street team?

The short version is that a street team is a group of fans who work with an author to help promote her work in simple, sustainable ways. Street team members share information about an author and her work on social media, encourage area stores and libraries to carry her work, suggest her work to friends and family, post reviews online, and help create a positive atmosphere around an author and her work. Generally, street teams form in the weeks and months before a book releases and continue after to keep momentum going. Street team members are compensated in the ways fans generally like best. They’re sent special emails with information and sneak peeks of content other readers can’t get, get announcements in advance of the general public, and often get fun swag and freebies for their efforts, too. They also get the eternal, undying gratitude of the author they advocate for.

That’s me. And, that would be you, too. YOU could be part of my street team.

If you’d like to join, add yourself to my mailing list (again, top of the page, then follow the instructions that pop up after you submit your email). I’ll be sending out one email a week until the end of December. After that point, we’ll taper back to one or two emails a month, mostly focused on rewarding you with Good Stuff.

The emails will combine requests for action from you — for example, in a given week after release, I might ask everyone to snap a picture of The Nine in the wild (at a bookstore, a con, a library, or even your own home) and share it via social media — and a treat from me.

Starting next week, the street team’s reward will be part of a deleted scene from The Nine. After that, the rewards will vary, but I promise they’ll always be cool and worth the couple of minutes I’ll ask of you in return.

THIS week, to get warmed up, here’s your first Street Team directive (to be duplicated later in an email to the mailing list):

  • Go to Goodreads.com and (if you don’t already have one) make a profile. Add The Nine to your To Be Read list, if it’s not already there, and follow my author page. 
  • Then, go to your friend list on Goodreads (if you already have one) and recommend The Nine to at least two other friends — of course, I wouldn’t complain if you chose to do more than two!

And that’s it! That’s all you need to do! Remember, the goal of the street team is to spread awareness about the book and create excitement so more people discover and share it. Every thing you do toward that goal is a gift to me.

 

Fountaindale Library’s Indie Author Day 2017

There’s nothing particularly unique in an author talking about her love of libraries. It makes sense. Why wouldn’t someone who loves books enough to go to the trouble of making them love a place full of free books? In my case, I love libraries for all the usual reasons, plus one: it was where I met some of my best friends.

Whether it was a one-off tabletop RPG gathering or a regular writing workshop, I met and bonded with a lot of people over the years through attending library programs. That’s why giving back to my childhood library’s program providers by appearing at the Fountaindale Public Library’s Indie Author Day on October 14 is a huge personal achievement.

If you live in the Chicago suburbs and are interested in learning more about the publishing process, whether self-pub, small press, or larger traditional publishing, the Indie Author Day will have something for you. With authors writing everything from children’s books to erotica, you can get advice about taking a project in its infancy to completion, about promoting and publishing your work independently, about building outreach through social media, and about revising your work in the traditional publishing pipeline. If that’s not enough, there will be giveaways for all attendees.

In my case, in addition to giveaways for all attendees, I’ll be raffling off two Thieves of Fate Fan Packs, which include:

  • a snazzy tote bag with original The Nine-themed art designed by my colleague, teacher and comics artist Mike Dean
  • a complete set of The Nine character-themed teas, with six blends designed to capture the essence of Rowena, the Alchemist, Anselm, the Reverend Doctor Phillip Chalmers, Rare, and Inspector Gammon
  • your own “little black notebook” and pen set, with the cover of The Nine decorating it (art by the amazing Adam S. Doyle)
  • and, of course, a copy of The Nine in ARC (advance reader copy) form

Indie Author Day is set to be a big program with a lot of information and opportunities for the attendees, running from 1-5:30 PM, and entirely open to the public — no fees or pre-registration required.

I hope to see you there!