"Why Choose A Small Press?" with Daven Anderson

Daven Anderson will be presenting "Why Choose A Small Press?" at this years Promo Day event on Saturday 31st May.

What will be covered:

The Author's Three Choices:

Self-Publishing

Major New York Publishers

Small Press Traditional Publishers

How Your Choice Affects Your Creative Path:

The DIY Jungle - What Are The Costs Of Freedom?

The NY Streets - Did You Write The Golden Ticket?

The Small Press Forest - Can Artistic Vision And Commerce Co-Exist?

Judging Books By Their Covers - The Issue Of Quality:

DIY - Are You Really DIY If You Have To Hire A Cover Designer?

NY - Do The Big Five Still Set The Standard For Quality?

Small Press- Can The Small Press Rise To The Quality Challenge?

The Editorial Process:

DIY: Are You Really DIY If You Have To Hire An Editor?

NY: Can Your Creative Vision Survive The Formulas?

Small Press: Can Editing Enhance The Author's Creative Vision?

Marketing And Promotion:

DIY: Are You Prepared To Find Out What "Do It Yourself" REALLY Means?

NY: Are The Big Five What They Used To Be?

Small Press: Can Small Presses' Marketing Compete With New York?

The Three Boxes:

DIY: Thinking Outside The Box

NY: Thinking About The Big Box

Small Press: Building A New Box

The Author's Ideal:

DIY: A Platform Where Any Type Of Book Can Succeed

NY: If You Can Make It Here, You Can Make It Everywhere

Small Press: Where Vetting And Authors' Visions Can Live As One

About Daven:

Daven grew up reading Dr. Seuss, the Encyclopædia Brittanica and dinosaur books, never suspecting that one day all of those books would play crucial parts as inspiration for the Vampire Syndrome saga. The simple yet infallible wisdom of Theodore Geisel serving as the model for protagonist Jack Wendell. Encyclopædia research inspired Daven to craft unparalleled levels of back story detail, reconciling science and folklore in ways no "vampire novel" has ever done before. And if that large meteor had not impacted the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago, reptiles could easily have evolved into a humanoid form that would bear resemblance to the alien Pure Vampires of Daven's saga.  

Daven accepted the challenge to craft a saga featuring a brave, wise, dignified hero with special needs, which would reach an audience that would never dream of reading a novel like “Forrest Gump.” Like "Gump", a story where a hero with special needs proves that quick wit and cunning do not equal wisdom. Unlike "Gump", a story where danger stalks the hero from beginning to end, from Jack's well-meaning but devious human Vampire compatriots, to the carnivorous alien Pure Vampires that strike fear in the hearts of all human Vampires. Jack struggles to survive and find acceptance in a world where the "human" and the "monster" are one and the same.

http://vampiresyndrome.me

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavenAnderson

Follow Daven on Twitter @DavenAnderson

http://viewbook.at/B00AMRGKZU

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#PD14 Sponsor: BookGoodies Network

Sponsor: BookGoodies Network

BookGoodies.net was started by Deborah Carney in 2004 as a site for people to find books.  It was a simple directory site with links to book sellers and places to get other “book goodies” like lamps and things.  Over the years it evolved and finally when the Kindle hit and my friends started publishing books, as did I, I wanted to create a site where people could find books published by the “little guy”.  I was also involved in podcasting and decided to start interviewing authors.  So BookGoodies.com was born in 2010.  Over the past 4 years we have published over 20,000 free book announcements, have over 10,000 book posts and over 2,000 author interviews.  We also have over 150 podcasts with authors and a few book services.

In 2013 we added the BookGoodies Connect forum ( http://bookgoodies.com/bgconnect ) with hopes of building a community where readers, authors and bloggers can meet and discuss all things book related.  On the heals of authors needing even more ways to be discovered we have launched in 2014 several genre focused websites.  You can find the current list at BookGoodies.net.

BookGoodies.com has a mission of helping authors get found by readers and bloggers, plus educating authors on best practices for publishing and marketing.  In addition to the forum we have an author’s only Facebook group where participants have actively produced anthologies with the proceeds going towards literary charities.  The genre sites will be totally reader focused. See that list at http://bookgoodies.net

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#PD14 Sponsor: Don’t Serve Shrimp at Fantasy Author’s Funeral

#PD14 is proudly sponsored by Sandy Lender Ink, Inc. 

Guest post by Sandy Lender.

#PD14 Sponsor Sandy Lender

I’d like to encourage you in your brand-building and platform marketing to the point that even family and friends can sing your company jingle or chant your slogan on command. When someone receives an email from you, he or she doesn’t need—and honestly isn’t going to read—a 12-line signature paragraph with quotes and live links and a phone number and a variety of book titles and reviewer names. What you want instead is something quick and easy that becomes an earworm.

Emails from Fantasy Author Sandy Lender have, for the past eight years, included the phrase “Some days, you just want the dragon to win” in the signature line. That phrase appears on the home page of my website. When I started blogging, I incorporated it in my main blog’s name/URL.

I’m certainly not advocating that you leave live links out of your signature line, but I want to encourage all authors to remember that our marketing needs to be pleasing. Your audience members will be more likely to take the time to read and remember a simpler, shorter message. You will also be able to market and spread a simpler, shorter message more easily than a block of complex text.

Let me give an example that gets beyond the signature line.

I love sea turtles. From the first weekend in May until the last weekend in October (or until the last nest has hatched), I walk a specific set of zones along a specific beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida on Saturday mornings at dawn cataloging new sea turtle nests from the night prior, checking the area around the nests for problems and reporting hatches, etc. One of the many threats to sea turtles is the shrimping industry and the insane use of trawling nets. Even the Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) for nets go unused or sabotaged far too often in the few marine areas where they’re mandated. For this reason, I won’t eat shrimp. When I sit down at a restaurant with a friend, that friend knows I’m not going to order shrimp and that friend knows why because I’m vocal about my indignation with the commercial shrimping industry. I don’t get up on a high horse about it at the table; I think that would get old fast for my friends. But folks know my “platform.” When I finally kick the bucket, no one’s going to accidentally put shrimp on the buffet line in the church fellowship hall.

I imagine the reception after my funeral will include a DJ spinning tunes from Duran Duran, Barry Manilow and The Newsboys while people compare their costumes of characters from my Choices Meant for Gods fantasy novels and munch on chocolate desserts. At some point, a dragon will crash the party.

Now think about the slogan or catch phrase you use in your marketing. Can your family members and friends recite it from memory? Could one of them introduce you at a conference with not just your name and the name of your latest novel, but also with your marketing catch phrase? It’s the kind of thing that helps catch new audience members so you want everyone saying it. I encourage you to work on your quick and easy slogan and then try using the slogan in your marketing in place of large blocks of complex text.

Also, don’t eat shrimp.

www.SandyLenderInk.com

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Jo Linsdell to present "How to be Twittertastic"

Twitter is possibly the most misunderstood but most powerful of the social media giants. Join me on Saturday 31st May for my presentation where I'll be sharing with you tips for "How to be Twittertastic". 

Twitter is undergoing a HUGE makeover at the moment. Be one of the first to learn about the new design and features, and pick up some tips and strategies to help you leverage your Twitter presence.

Trailer: How to be Twittertastic Webinar #PD14 from Jo Linsdell

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FAQ's about Promo Day

When is Promo Day?

This year Promo Day takes place on Saturday 31st May.

Where does the conference take place?

Right here at www.PromoDay.info. The event is completely online with most of the action happening in the onsite forums. Throughout the day there will also be opportunities to join in promotional activities via social media e.g. G+ hangouts, Live Twitter chats, Facebook wall chats, etc... 

Is it really free?

Yes. Attending the event is completely free and open to everyone. All you need to do is register via the website and you'll have access to the forums.

How do I register for the event?

Just click on the "Register Now" tab (you'll find it located on the navigation bar at the top of the page) and fill out the quick online form. Once you've registered you'll have access to the forums and be able to set up your profile (upload an avatar, add a signature to show on all your posts, etc...).

Screenshot from www.PromoDay.info

Can I invite other guests to the event?

Yes. The more, the merrier! Everyone is welcome at Promo Day. 

Who takes part in Promo Day?

Writers, Authors, Publishers, Editors, Freelance Writers, Illustrators, Book Cover Designers, Virtual book Tour Companies, Virtual Assistants, Avid Readers and anyone else interested in the publishing industry and/or marketing.

How can we become an event sponsor?

Go to http://www.promoday.info/p/sponsor-pd14.html  Once payment has been made you can email your materials.

Have other questions? Email Jo at PromoDay@ymail.com 

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Write book. Self-publish book. Promote book. Write screenplay. Make film. ALL WITHOUT AGENT

Gregor Collins will be presenting at Promo Day on Saturday 31st May. "Write book. Self-publish book. Promote book. Write screenplay. Make film. ALL WITHOUT AGENT." Register now to learn how to adapt your book into a screenplay!

What will be covered:

Since its publishing in August of 2012, Gregor's memoir The Accidental Caregiver has taken him on an incredible, unexpected journey around the world. Starting with a chance meeting in 2008 with a Holocaust refugee in a Beverly Hills kitchen, he is now adapting the book into a feature film, and he's done it all without an agent. Through persistence, networking, fearlessness - and having a quality product - Gregor wants to impart to you how he's done it "his way" and how you can do it "your way."

Bio:

Gregor is an actor, author, screenwriter, and film and television producer living in Los Angeles. After graduating from Florida State University in 2000 with a BA degree in Communication, he began working as a production assistant for a start-up TV show calledBlind Date. He has since produced an array of reality television shows and independent films, and performed critically acclaimed lead acting roles in the features Night Before the Wedding and Goodbye Promise. With two feature film scripts in pre-production - one an "assisted suicide comedy" and the other a screen adaptation of his bestselling memoir The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann - Gregor also teaches an online class on Udemy about how he's used social media to successfully promote his projects, and regularly contributes to various publications like Filmmaking Stuff, Bliss Magazine, and Cinema Editor Magazine.

Gregor loves connecting with new creative minds all over the world and encourages you to add/contact him via Facebook/Twitter, and/or gregorcollins@gmail.com.

Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092GS96K

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gregorcollins?ref=tn_tnmn

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregorcollins

All presentations at Promo Day are completely FREE and registration is open to all. Once you've signed up you'll have access to all the presentations, the live pitch sessions, and all the promotional and networking opportunities.

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How Authors Can "Kick it" with Crowdfunding with Julie Hedlund

Julie Hedlund will be presenting at Promo Day on Saturday 31st May. Register now (it's FREE!) to take part in her webinar How Authors Can "Kick it" with Crowdfunding. Top 10 Steps to a Successful Campaign.

Webinar will cover:

• What is crowdfunding?
• Why consider crowdfunding your book?
• What platforms are available?
• Ten steps you MUST take to run a successful campaign

Bio:

Julie Hedlund is a Children’s author. She’s had two books published as interactive storybook apps for the iPad by Little Bahalia Publishing -- A TROOP IS A GROUP OF MONKEYS and A SHIVER OF SHARKS. A print version of TROOP was released in fall 2013. Her next book, MY LOVE FOR YOU IS THE SUN, will release from Little Bahalia in Fall 2014.

Julie is the creator of Julie Hedlund’s Template for Storybook App Proposals and the founder and host of the 12 x 12 picture book writing challenge, with more than 500 members. She is a monthly contributor on Katie Davis’ Brain Burps About Books children’s literature podcast, a PAL member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and a contributing editor on the subject of 21^st Century Publishing for Children’s Book Insider (CBI). She has been a speaker at SCBWI, O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing, and other industry events.

Links:

Website: http://www.juliehedlund.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieFHedlund

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieFHedlund

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/JulieHedlund

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/juliehedlund/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top

Kickstarter campaign page for MY LOVE FOR YOU IS THE SUN: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/juliehedlund/my-love-for-you-is-the-sun-a-picture-book

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