Category Archives: Apocalypsies

Busy-ness!

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Ever since the book trailer went up last weekend, I’ve been busy with more and more things to tend to as I move closer to the release of A Voice for Kanzas. It’s exciting…and a bit overwhelming at times.

Here are a few of the tasks I’ve been working on this week:

  1. Finishing the press kit (it’s being uploaded now)
  2. Writing discussion questions for teachers and/or book clubs to use (I’ll send these to Lynn at Kane Miller for her to post on the KM website).
  3. Requesting to have my new website (this one) posted on Missouri Writes for Kids
  4. Sending news about the book’s release to MO-SCBWI for their newsletter
  5. Preparing information for TWO bloggers who will feature me on upcoming posts
  6. Preparing for the Apocalypsies’ “blog hop/scavenger hunt” that begins tomorrow and getting all the information posted on my home page
  7. Having some wonderful journals made to use for prizes for the blog hop and for contests on my own web page
  8. PLANNING MY LAUNCH PARTY!!! I have just a few more details to confirm before I begin announcing it and sending out invitations.

On top of all this, I’ve been asked to do a school visit in a few weeks, and I’ve been asked to write an article for the MO-SCBWI newsletter!

Review copies of the book and press releases have gone out. Now I just have to avoid nail-biting as I wait for the first reviews to appear. There is still much to do, but I’m loving every minute of it!

Trailer fun!

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I’ve been trying not to be too impatient–really, I have! Ken Spurgeon and his crew took lots and lots of digital footage (if “footage” applies to digital movie-making, which it probably doesn’t). I know it was a really big job to edit it all, line up the transitions between shots, find the right music and add it in, record and then add the voice-over, etc. And it was the holidays–Thanksgiving, Christmas, and also New Year’s all fell in the weeks after the trailer shoot.  On top of all that, my editor (Kira Lynn) and the publicist (Lynn Kelley) have also been ready to begin promoting A Voice for Kanzas, and both planned to use the trailer in their efforts. We were running up against a bit of a time crunch to get it ready for an upcoming presentation Kira will do this week for Kane Miller’s sales reps, so I was thrilled when Ken let me know he had the final version ready.

After a few technical issues with the first uploaded version, Ken was able to put the finished trailer on YouTube, and we were off and running! First, I embedded the video (Really! HTML and everything!) on the home page of this website. Then I put it on my Goodreads author page. Then I added the link to my status updates on my regular Facebook page and also on my Facebook author page. A few friends reposted it. Lots of friends “liked” it. I announced it to my Apocalypsies buddies. I emailed friends who might not have seen it yet. I posted on my local writers’ list serves. Then Ken asked if he could send out a message to friends of Lone Chimney and also post it on the Lone Chimney Facebook page. I said, “Yes, please do!”

Of course, my website address is printed on my bookmarks and postcards, so that may also guide those who might be interested in the book to the trailer. And I’ll use the trailer when I do personal appearances (if it’s appropriate) and I’m sure I’ll run it at my book launch party.

And I have to express my thanks again to Ken and the Lone Chimney crew, as well as to all the wonderful actors who came out to help with the trailer.

Maybe my trailer won’t go “viral,” but it won’t be for lack of effort! If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a look–I put it right at the top of the home page!

Do you have other ideas for ways to use a book trailer? If so, please let me know!

Welcome, 2012!

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Yes, it’s finally here–my debut year! And while I’m waiting breathlessly for the book trailer to be ready (just a few more days, I’m told), I can’t help but be excited about all I have to look forward to in 2012.

Of course, these are things I’m looking forward to, but maybe some are things you will be excited about, too:

First off, that amazing book trailer! I’ve seen a rough cut, and it looks great. I’ll post it here, on Facebook, on Goodreads, and anywhere else I can think of, so stay tuned for that.

I’m expecting to find a box of brand-spanking new books on my porch one of these days. And yes, I’ll post that photo on Facebook, too!

A group of 58 Apocalypsies (including me) are planning a blog scavenger hunt in a couple of weeks. Your online clicks will take you to lots of sites to see previews of our books, and there will be prizes! The game begins on 1/16/2012, and you’ll find the details at the Apocalypsies website.

I’m still planning my book launch party, and it’s going to be lots of fun! In fact, it may be too much fun to be contained in just one launch party. More details on that soon.

I am already scheduled for some personal appearances to talk about A Voice for Kanzas, including a kids’ lit fest, a club meeting, and some school visits.

I hope you have many things that you are looking forward to in the coming year, and maybe even a few on the list above.

Here’s to 2012–cheers!

Ironing out the Press Kit

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I’ve been working on this element of my promotional package for a while now. In addition to Susan Raab’s book, a friend sent me a link to a website with instructions, so I’ve been trying to follow that as well.

The first component of the PK was images. The website advised both an author photo and cover art. It also suggested having three images sizes (large, medium, and thumbnail) of each. I’m not sure if that’s really necessary, since most people have access to software that will easily shrink larger, high-res images to smaller ones, but I did it anyway.

The second piece of the PK puzzle was my author bio. Again, the website suggested short (50 words or so), medium (approx. 150 words), and long (as long as I wanted it to be–mine is about a page, single-spaced).

Susan Raab suggests a Q&A document in the press kit. This is a kind of interview with questions like “What led you to write this book?” etc. Of course, I get questions like this from people who know me all the time. Also, author and blogger Cynthia Leitich Smith has issued a very generous invitation for the Apocalypsies to submit answers to some questions, and she will put these on her blog near the release date of our books. She gave us many questions, so that we could choose just a few to answer for her. I used some of her questions in my Q&A page, along with others of my own. The purpose of this piece is to give some information to media outlets (newspapers, radio, TV) who might be thinking of featuring me.

The other component in the PK is an actual Press Release. Raab gives a good example of one, but I think it is too early for me to really put this together. Lynn is in charge of marketing at Kane Miller, and I know she will put together a press release when we are near the book’s release date. Raab says the press release should also have some excerpts to reviews, and of course it’s still too early for that.

So most of the things I need for the PK are ready. My only hurdle is figuring out how to upload the folder to my website. Luckily, my son can help me with this part! It’s not there yet, folks, but keep watching. Soon, you’ll see another tab on my site marked Press Kit.

Plugging into Goodreads

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If you haven’t yet discovered Goodreads, you should! It’s a sort of social networking site for people who love to read. I set up an account last spring, after hearing my Apocalypsies pals gushing about it. I immediately added books to my “read,” “to read,” and “currently reading” lists. I posted ratings of some books I’ve read. I added a few reviews of books I’d read recently. Beyond that, I didn’t get too involved with it.

After I created my reader account, I noticed that many of my Apoc friends were listed as “Goodreads Author.”  Susan Raab discusses this in her book, and I wanted to also be listed that way. A few weeks ago, I was approved as a Goodreads Author. They sent me an email notification, along with a pretty exhaustive list of “dos and don’ts,” and a link to a page with suggestions and details of how to get started. I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming.

My notification also arrived the week I was heading out to Wichita to film the trailer. After that was Thanksgiving, then the end of the school term, with all the extra papers to grade. “Goodreads Author Page” has been on my to-do list now for almost a month. Now that the semester is finished, I’m finally getting around to it.

Goodreads does a great job of providing information to help authors get started. The site is pretty easy to navigate, even for me. I was a little frustrated when my photo appeared in thumbnail form, but not on my profile page, but I eventually figured that out. The thing that stumped me though was the “widget” option. I had seen the widget on Kimberly Sabatini’s blog, and I wanted one! I also wanted to add the “Add to Goodreads” button to appear next to my book cover on my site. Goodreads has all the information about how to do this, but the minute I saw HTML code that had to be uploaded I panicked. Luckily my son is fluent in HTML, so he managed to get the widgets loaded for me.

I’m excited to get more involved in Goodreads, both as a reader and as an author. I’ve been able to add a feed from my blog to my author page, and I’ll also be able to add events, contests, and reviews when those things come around. My next step is to add my Apocalypsie pals as friends and find out who else I know in the Goodreads world.