I’m a Slacker

It’s true. I thought I was doing pretty well until the other day when I uncovered my baby book in a box in the attic. I’d been looking for some research materials for an action-adventure novel I’m percolating in my head. Instead, I found this ancient archive of my childhood.

Brooks' Early Edition Books
K. S. Brooks’ Early Works

As I gingerly moved it out of the box, some papers fell from it. These weren’t just ANY papers. They were all cut the same size, and bound together with a plastic-coated twist-tie. They were BOOKS. On them, my mother had written lightly in pencil “5 years old.”

Not only were they books, they were books I’d made – by hand. I’d illustrated them, and they rhymed. How in hell had I managed such a thing at five years of age? Granted, there were spelling errors, but those should have been caught by my editor. And for crying out loud, I was FIVE. Continue reading “I’m a Slacker”

Dear Santa: Christmas Fallout

Listen up Fat Boy:

Yeah, you got me.  I did it all:  sat on your lap, wrote you a letter, left you homemade cookies (HOMEMADE!! I don’t even bake!) and even farm fresh milk.  Yeah, I sold out.  I did it all so my Christmas wishes would come true.

Christmas morning, I ran down my stairs like a kid.  I jetted to my laptop, powered it on, and….  What?!  No, it couldn’t be!  Not even one new review on Amazon.com.  Santa, you had eight books to choose from and you couldn’t even get me one bloody review?  So I started thinking, well, this is because I’m Jewish.  Santa’s obviously a racist.  Then I calmed myself down and checked the Amazon.com pages of my fellow Indie Authors.  No new reviews for them either.  Hmmm.  Maybe Santa didn’t dislike Jews.  Maybe he disliked Indie Authors.

That’s okay, I thought, but not really.  My mind was too busy scheming my retaliation.  I would win one for Indie Authors.  Damn right I would. Continue reading “Dear Santa: Christmas Fallout”

Dear Santa: My Indie Author Wish List

Dear Santa:

K. S. Brooks with Santa
Photo Credit: EPS, Lowell, MA

Pay no attention to that menorah behind me. It’s nothing more than a fancy candelabra. Honest.

I’ve been a good girl. Hmmm. Can you be more specific as to the parameters you use to base your “naughty or nice” evaluation? I’m a little sketchy on that.

In any case, I’ve worked really hard this year. I managed to turn out 4 published titles, and all the marketing/publicity work that goes with them. That’s why I’ve finally given in to writing you this letter. I’m a little tired at this point. So I’m hoping you will be a stand-up kind of jolly dude and bring me what I want for Hanu…kuh…ristmas. Yeah, I meant Christmas. I noticed I’m developing a stutter…I think it’s all the stress. Continue reading “Dear Santa: My Indie Author Wish List”

Wanted: Celebrity Endorsement

Tom JonesYesterday I got an email from my publisher letting me know they had accepted my latest work for publication. Awesome. Now that made my day, week, month and maybe even year.

But it also posed a conundrum. I’ve been taking online seminars and reading reports about marketing your wares. It seems if you have a celebrity endorsement you are golden: magazines are more inclined to review or feature your product, and of course the press is more likely to give you coverage. So it makes sense to find a celebrity to review the book, and get it on the back cover before it goes to print.

How exactly does one go about this finding of a celebrity to endorse one’s book? It seems to me you would have to know someone who knows someone…but as far as I know I don’t know anyone who knows anyone. This was going to take some thought, some strategizing and even more networking. I put out the word. Continue reading “Wanted: Celebrity Endorsement”