Maybe people have been telling you that a blog tour (or virtual blog tour, or VBT, not to be confused with VPL, an affliction from the ‘70s solved by some very clever but uncomfortable pantyhose) is great way to launch your book. Some would be glad to arrange one for you and charge you for the privilege. But is the marketing budget for your book release a little…what, you don’t have a marketing budget? You spent your marketing budget at the actual market, buying food and uncomfortable pantyhose? No problem. You can pull together a whiz-bang blogging adventure for next to nothing and get yourself a lot of eyeballs and buzz. I did it for my first book. I didn’t rack up gangbuster sales, but I got my name out and met some great people who were happy to help when the next book came out. All it took was a little time and effort. You have some of that, right? Okay, pour yourself a cup of coffee and let’s go. Continue reading “Hit the Road, Jack: How to Plan and Execute a Blog Tour”
Video Trailer: The Disappearing Man
The Disappearing Man
by Doug Peterson
In 1849, Henry Brown mailed himself to freedom.
With the help of two friends, this Virginia slave was sealed inside a wooden box and shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia, a harrowing 27-hour ordeal at the mercy of cargo handlers and rogues of all sorts. The Disappearing Man is based on a true story—one of the most incredible escape attempts in the history of the Underground Railroad. It was the ultimate disappearing act.
The Disappearing Man is available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble and Apple iTunes.
An Elegant Solution to Murder
“Murder is my favorite crime. I write about it regularly.” –
Waldo Lydecker, Laura
“I shall never forget the weekend Laura died. A silver sun burned through the sky like a huge magnifying glass. It was the hottest Sunday in my recollection.” This is how my favorite movie begins. These succinct words, spoken by Clifton Webb who portrays the charismatic writer Waldo Lydecker, are the tasty tease that draws us into an American film noir of cult status. On Sunday, Laura will be screened at The Tampa Theatre, a 1926 jewel that has been lovingly preserved by a dedicated group of local individuals. It is a rare treat to see a movie of this caliber screened in such a venue, a “movie palace”. The screening will be preceded by a performance on the refurbished Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, which rises and descends through a trap door in the stage floor. The movie will be followed by a question and answer session with a local professor and film buff. To say that I’m excited is a huge understatement – I’ve been waiting six months for this event. Continue reading “An Elegant Solution to Murder”
Learning the Ropes by Jen Smith
Learning the ropes as a new Indie author is not easy. There is endless information on the web to sort through and countless people and companies offering a wide variety of services for a broad range of prices. I feel compelled to tell folks about an unpleasant experience (to say the least) I had with a company that I overpaid to format my book for Kindle, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble in hopes to save someone from making the same mistake I did. After the blood sweat and tears of actually completing my book and the good fortune of having a close friend that is an amazing editor I made the soul searching decision to publish independently. I’m pretty tech savvy and thought that I might be able to figure out the formatting myself but wanted to make sure it was done correctly so I hired a company out west. The women that ran this company did speaking engagements about the ebook industry and had written a few books herself about writing books to develop your brand. Her website was equally impressive. I went ahead and paid her what I know now is way beyond the going rate for formatting. Continue reading “Learning the Ropes by Jen Smith”