Friday, April 29, 2011

MGOC Contributor News: Michael A. Arnzen Honored with Professor of the Year at Seton Hill University

Many Genres editor Michael A. Arnzen was chosen as the 2011 Professor of the Year at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Michael Arnzen (Ph.D., U Oregon) is an English professor by day and a horror/suspense writer by night. He holds four Bram Stoker Awards for his often funny, always disturbing fiction. His courses in the English program at Seton Hill run the gamut from expository and creative writing to literary criticism and film history, and he is an active teacher in the first year Seminar in Thinking and Writing. He has mentored novelists and led graduate writing workshops in SHU's unique MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction since 1999. He advised the campus literary magazine, Eye Contact, from 1999-2009.

Dr. Arnzen began serving as Humanities Division Chair at Seton Hill in Fall 2009.

posted by heidi

Thursday, April 28, 2011

MGOC Contributor: Adrea L. Peters


ADREA L. PETERS
photo by Moss Media 2007


EXCERPT from "Making Revising Work for You, Not Against You" by Adrea L. Peters in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

Many how-to books and articles lead the writer through the first draft, but neglect to offer a method for accomplishing the subsequent drafts that lead you to a polished, sellable manuscript. The result: a writer who doesn't understand why his stuff won't sell, or how to fix what he's written. This article will offer a path for the writer, while hoping that each writer uses each manuscript and its necessary revisions as a way to perpetually evolve his style and craft. I know for this writer, each novel makes me more of the writer I want to be, and I attribute that to revising with a clear and specific intent for each draft.

The generous thing about writer's workshops and college programs like Seton Hill's MFA in Writing Popular Fiction is that they don't impose a methodology on writers. However, the working and/or student writer on a deadline works best when he or she develops a plan, or borrows one from a more experienced writer. Following a process will allow you the freedom to make your stories readable and original quickly. That's what sells books and lands contracts.
--

Adrea L. Peters graduated valedictorian from the School of Journalism at the University of Colorado with a B.S. in Editorial Writing and was awarded her M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in June 2008. She published an online magazine, Artists Looking Ahead, from 2004-2009 where she shared her passions for photography, health and writers, interviewing best-selling authors such as Tess Gerritsen, Dan Pink and Jodi Picoult. She and fellow Seton Hill graduate, Teffanie White, recently launched an e-publishing company, Pictureless Books (http://picturelessbooks.blogspot.com), specializing in inspirational alphabets for the Kindle and other e-readers. Ms. Peters lives in Vermont and has just completed the first book in a children's science fiction series.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Many Genres One Craft Virtual Book Tour (VBT)


Our recent VBT stops for Many Genres, One Craft are:

Stop: Damsels in Regress
Jennifer, Emilie, and Tricia met while they were graduate students in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program. They bonded over their love for children's and young adult fiction, especially all types of historical fiction, and their desire to see their books in print.
Host: Patricia B. Tighe
Tricia is currently writing the sequel to a young adult historical fantasy set in 1890s Belgium. In An Inherited Evil, 18-year-old Mathieu Korsten must discover the secrets of his grandmother’s past to end a curse that could take his life.
Event: Book Review

Stop: Free Cotton
Providing discussion, tips, and marketing for education on all levels.
Host: Teffanie Thompson White
Teffanie Thompson White played with pen in hand. When pen was absent, she scratched words on ashen legs. She either taught class or wrote books, which she still does. Her picture book manuscripts, Bug Talk and For Tents and Ribbons, have been adapted into onstage ballets. Teffanie co-authors and co-publishes pictureless books.
Event: Educational Tips
Contributor: Michael A. Arnzen

Stop: Lighthouse Mysteries
All about lighthouses, mysteries, popular fiction and art, and Meg Mims!
Host: Meg Mims
Meg Mims is a writer, artist and photographer, RWA contest winner and multiple finalist. She earned an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University and is a staff writer for RE/MAX Platinum Online in Brighton, Michigan, and for Lake Effect Living, an online magazine.
Event: Wednesday Spotlight
Contributors: Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller

For upcoming stops, visit our VBT page: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/p/virtual-book-tour.html

There's still time to be a host. Email Heidi Ruby Miller at heidirubymiller@gmail.com for details!

To pre-order a copy of Many Genres, One Craft, visit:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Books A Million
and other fine book sellers!

posted by heidi

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

MGOC Contributor News: Susan Mallery's Already Home

Many Genres, One Craft contributor and New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Mallery's latest release is Already Home.

After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.

Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But just as she's gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect with their firstborn.

Now Jenna must figure out how to reconcile the free-spirited Serenity and Tom with her traditional parents, deal with her feelings for a new love interest and decide what to do about her ex's latest outrageous request. In the end, Jenna will find that there is no perfect family, only the people we love….

posted by heidi

Monday, April 25, 2011

MGOC Contributor: Lee Allen Howard


LEE ALLEN HOWARD


EXCERPT from "Your Very First Editor" by Lee Allen Howard in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

If writing a manuscript is like building a house, then revision is renovation -- modifying the existing structure, such as putting up or taking down walls. Revision starts with the rough work of reorganizing the big pieces, and takes you from the first draft to the second. Self-editing takes you from the last draft to the final version you submit to an agent or publisher. This means you should complete your revision before you fine-tune your prose. In other words, don't paint the drywall before you cut it, nail it to the studs, and patch the seams.

Revision is remodeling; self-editing is detailing -- when every sentence and each word count.
--

Lee Allen Howard has been a professional writer in the software industry since 1985. Besides editing fiction and nonfiction, he does editing and layout for health and fitness professionals. Lee writes horror, erotic horror, dark fantasy, and crime. His publication credits include The Sixth Seed, Severed Relations, the Cemetery Sonata anthology, Out newspaper, the Thou Shalt Not... anthology, and Amber Quill Press. Lee also writes about metaphysical and consciousness issues on his blog at http://buildingthebridge.wordpress.com.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Many Genres One Craft Virtual Book Tour


Our recent VBT stops for Many Genres, One Craft are:

Stop: Free Cotton
Providing discussion, tips, and marketing for education on all levels.
Host: Teffanie Thompson White
Teffanie Thompson White played with pen in hand. When pen was absent, she scratched words on ashen legs. She either taught class or wrote books, which she still does. Her picture book manuscripts, Bug Talk and For Tents and Ribbons, have been adapted into onstage ballets. Teffanie co-authors and co-publishes pictureless books.
Event: Educational Tips
Contributor: Sally Bosco

Stop: Seton Hill Writers
Three graduates of the Seton Hill University MFA program (Lesley L. Smith, Ann Laurel Kopchik, and Rodney Robbins discuss genre issues, give writing tips, and review books at their group blog Seton Hill Writers.
Host: Lesley L. Smith
Lesley writes SF and talks about the genre at conferences and conventions. Her latest novel is Multiple Possibilities.
Event: N is for Networking
Contributor: Michael A. Arnzen

For upcoming stops, including more from Free Cotton and Seton Hill Writers, visit our VBT page: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/p/virtual-book-tour.html

There's still time to be a host. Email Heidi Ruby Miller at heidirubymiller@gmail.com for details!

To pre-order a copy of Many Genres, One Craft, visit:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Books A Million
and other fine book sellers!

posted by heidi

Friday, April 22, 2011

MGOC Contributor: Matt Duvall


MATT DUVALL
photo by Natalie Duvall


EXCERPT from "Powerman Writes Women's Fiction: On Writing What You Know" by Matt Duvall in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

When I tell people I'm completing my MFA in writing popular fiction, they're generally impressed. Then they ask, "What do you write?" That's the question I dread. I try to be clever, saying something like, "grocery lists," but this is usually met with blank stares. So then I respond, with a mumble or a cough, "Women's Fiction." This response gets laughs. But why? Is there a reason I shouldn't write Women's Fiction?

Ok, I'm a man. I can prove it if I have to. I'm around six feet tall, weigh about 215 pounds, eat chicken wings, drink beer, and watch cage fighting. I train in martial arts, run half marathons, and used to be a pro wrestler. So why is it so funny for me to say, "I write Women's Fiction"? Is there some reason I shouldn't?
--

Matt Duvall was a professional wrestler who appeared on national TV shows and was included in Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine's Top 500 wrestlers for 1996. He completed his MFA at Seton Hill University, which is also where he met his wife, Natalie. His short fiction has been published in a number of venues, including Chizine, The Ultimate Unknown, and Eye Contact. When he's not teaching high school students, Matt practices Krav Maga, runs half marathons, and tries to avoid mowing the yard.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

MGOC Contributor News: Lee Allen Howard's SEVERED RELATIONS and THE SIXTH SEED

Many Genres, One Craft contributor Lee Allen Howard has two new releases.

Severed Relations is a duo of deadly stories that brings you the best in matrimonial butchery. Everyone has experienced a choppy relationship. But just wait until you read these two tales of horror...

In "The Butcher's Reunion," a cuckolded butcher slaughters his wife and seeks her lover only to find he cannot escape dire prophetic justice. WHAM!

Equally dark and suspenseful, in "Almost Betrothed," a timid woman unlucky with love finds the courage to break what her daddy thinks is a promising engagement and discovers her boyfriend is Mr. Wrong. Dead wrong.

The Sixth Seedis a dark paranormal fantasy fraught with suburban Pittsburgh horror.

Believing a vasectomy will prevent another unplanned pregnancy, 34-year-old Tom Furst--Melanie’s loving husband and the father of their five children--wants more than anything to dig himself out of the fiscal hole he’s mired in and become financially secure. However, during the procedure, mysterious Dr. Prindar Krakhil secretly implants a worm-like alien seed in Tom’s vas deferens that not only ensures that Melanie gets pregnant, but plants in her womb a child half alien.

Their children are abducted. Melanie becomes gravely ill. When Tom loses his job, their home, and the sixth seed is born, will he be able to accept the child for what it really is--and conquer the temptation to exchange it for the money Krakhil offers?

posted by heidi

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

MGOC Contributor: Maria V. Snyder


MARIA V. SNYDER


EXCERPT from "Dumping the Info Dump" by Maria V. Snyder in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

Imagine with me… You're curled up on the couch in front of a roaring fireplace with your favorite beverage within easy reach. Sleet is clinking on the windows while you're reading. The story draws you in, the real world disappears, your beverage cools, and…..WHAM! You hit an information dump and are either rudely ejected from the story world or become mired in paragraph after paragraph of dull explanation.

An information dump -- also known as the "info dump" -- is just that. A large chunk of exposition used by writers to explain backstory, technology, characters, etc… Basically a huge pothole in the middle of the story, bringing the story's action to a screeching halt. Many readers will not recover and will seek another book to read in their cozy living rooms.
--

Maria V. Snyder changed careers from meteorologist to novelist when her first novel, Poison Study, was published in October 2005. Poison Study won the 2006 Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel, the Salt Lake Co. Library's Reader's Choice award, was a 2005 Booksense pick, and received a Starred Review from Publisher's Weekly. Her second book Magic Study was a 2006 Booksense pick and a RITA Award Finalist. Her third "Study" book, Fire Study, earned her a place on the New York Times Bestseller list. She also completed a three book "Glass" series set in the same world and a YA science fiction thriller titled Inside Out. Maria received her M.A. from the Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction program where she is now a mentor. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania. Visit her at www.mariavsnyder.com.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

MGOC Contributor: Timons Esaias

TIMONS ESAIAS
photo by Mark W. Tiedemann


EXCERPT from "Don't Be a Bobble-Head and Other Bits of Guidance" by Timons Esaias in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

I am fighting a personal war against this word, and am the author of “Esaias’s First Oration against Grimace” and “Esaias’s Second Oration against Grimace". This is a really lazy word that has little precise meaning. X grimaced is the equivalent of writing The character had a facial expression, and not much more, though there is a suggestion that it expresses a negative emotion or experience. It also tends to come up in a POV violation. I generally find that it gets used because the writer couldn’t think of a way to be precise.

I strongly suggest that you just never, ever use this word, except when describing gargoyles.

("Don’t Be a Bobble-Head, and Other Bits of Guidance" by Timons Esaias. Revised version of an essay first appearing in Fantastical Visions Volume II (Fantasist Enterprises, 2003).)
--

EXCERPT from "A Helpful Tactic: The Template Text" by Timons Esaias in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

When working on your first short stories or novels, I strongly suggest picking a Template Text to use as a reality check. It is best if the text chosen is a work of fiction that fits the following criteria:
1. A writer you wish to emulate
2. In the POV you intend to use
3. In the style you hope to acquire
4. With the same attitude toward the main character as you intend for your own piece.
--

Timons Esaias is a satirist, poet and short fiction writer, living in Pittsburgh.  His fiction has appeared in fourteen languages, and his poetry has been translated into Spanish, Swedish and Chinese.  His poetry chapbook The Influence of Pigeons on Architecture is in its second edition.  He has also been a finalist for the British Science Fiction Award, and won the Asimov's Readers Award.  He is Adjunct Faculty at Seton Hill University.  His website is www.timonsesaias.com.

Friday, April 15, 2011

MGOC Contributor: Gary A. Braunbeck


GARY A. BRAUNBECK
Photo by Lucy A. Snyder


EXCERPT from "You Have to Start with Something So It Might As Well Be Something Like This" by Gary A. Braunbeck in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

Opening lines.

I have grown to hate them.

One of the unpleasant realities we have to face as writers today is that we have, on average, about 500 words in which to grab and hold a reader's interest when writing a short story, twenty-five to fifty pages if it's a novel. I, for one, think this unfair, but I also voted for Al Gore, so what the hell do I know? Yes, it would be nice, be wonderful, be just oh-so-peachy if we lived in a world where readers had the patience and the time to be eased into a narrative, to be seduced by the ebb and flow of the language, the musical composition of sentences, the overall rhythm and atmosphere filtered by writers through their own sensibilities and re-interpreted for readers on the printed page as a magnificent feast of words.
--

Gary A. Braunbeck is a prolific author who writes mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mainstream literature. The author of 19 books and 200 short stories, his fiction has been translated into Japanese, French, Italian, Russian and German and has received several awards, including five Bram Stoker Awards, one for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction in 2003 for "Duty" and in 2005 for "We Now Pause for Station Identification"; his collection Destinations Unknown won a Stoker in 2006. His novella "Kiss of the Mudman" received the International Horror Guild Award for Long Fiction in 2005.

He also served a term as president of the Horror Writers Association. He was born in Newark, Ohio; this city that serves as the model for the fictitious Cedar Hill in many of his stories. The Cedar Hill stories are collected in Graveyard People and Home Before Dark. He is married to Lucy Snyder, a science fiction/fantasy writer, and they reside together in Columbus, Ohio. His nonfiction writing book Fear In A Handful Of Dust: Horror As A Way Of Life has been used as a text by several college writing classes. Gary is an adjunct professor at Seton Hill University. Find Gary online at http://www.garybraunbeck.com.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

MGOC Contributor and Editor: Michael A. Arnzen


MICHAEL A. ARNZEN
photo by Renate Muller


EXCERPT from "Putting Our Heads Together" by Michael A. Arnzen in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

As you'll see, there is a rich diversity to this collection, and this is intentional: we feel that writers of all genres benefit from studying all elements of the craft, even in genres that they might not normally read. Indeed, in our program at Seton Hill University, "inter-genre" learning is one of the unexpected benefits that students often discover. A vampire novelist might learn a great deal from a category romance writer if, for example, their neck-biter happens to be a seductress. Likewise, if a romance writer's alpha male lead character is a firefighter, she might pick up some great tips for depicting a suspenseful firefight scene from a writer of action thrillers. And if you are a writer interested in writing "hybrid" or "cross-genre" fiction like paranormal romance, then you've found a handy resource in this anthology, which combines such a rich spectrum of genre advice between its covers.
--

EXCERPT from "Tuning Up Your Writing" by Michael A. Arnzen in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

Writers are wordsmiths, crafting meaning out of language, giving shape to sense
by organizing ideas into logical or dramatic forms. The text is both our talent and our temple. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this—a piece of writing about writers for writers in a writer’s instructional guide. The written word is the place we go to generate and regenerate, even when it only points back to itself.

In all this printed (and typed) matter, it’s easy to forget that language is spoken
as much as it is written, and that everything we write has the potential to be uttered aloud. “Sounding good” is fundamental to good writing, yet it is also one of the most complicated and difficult levels of writing to consciously control. Those of us who are able to craft sentences that simply—if not artfully—”ring true” in the reader’s ear are often considered “naturally gifted” or talented. But there may not be anything “natural” about it; it may be more accurate to say that these writers are “in tune” with the musicality of language ... and that any of us could benefit from tuning up our prose by raising our awareness of the way our words ring in the reader’s metaphorical ear.
--

EXCERPT from "Genre Unleashed" by Michael A. Arnzen in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

We are lucky to have genres, because they give writers an avenue toward finding an audience -- and they point readers in our direction, as well. But they can be dangerous roads, too, because once we start identifying things by their type, we begin to categorize and label them, separating one kind from another, often based on superficial judgments. If a reader doesn't like a genre, they'll pre-judge your book without even looking at the cover. This feels unfair, so some writers avoid genre altogether, hoping to maximize a potential audience and avoid the constraints of their conventions…avoiding the pigeonholes of genre, but never finding a place to roost, and fading into obscurity. Others make the opposite mistake, getting too hung up on trying to control their fate, and play it safe, follow the "rules" of their genre so closely that their work becomes indistinguishable from any other book on the shelf. Uncertain about how to "fit in," they err on the side of imitation, and produce work too derivative to excite an editor who is looking for a unique sales hook for next year's catalog.
--

EXCERPT from "The Element of Surprise: Psyching Out Readers of Horror, Mystery and Suspense" by Michael A. Arnzen in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

Surprise in fiction works best when it is a special kind of revelation: a turn of events that we should have seen coming, but somehow didn't. Surprises in which the writer out-smarted us. Genres like horror, mystery, and suspense, are almost entirely founded on provoking a reader with these unexpected revelations, where one's ability to anticipate outcomes is foiled. We respond to them like a child at an Easter Egg Hunt, stumbling onto a hidden bounty of candy. But genre fans aren't children and are very savvy readers: they're intelligent, and they've read a lot stories that have tried to "psyche them out" with different levels of success. The more they read, the better they get at spotting a cheap trick. They know that writers are going to lie to them…so every time they crack open a new book, they are thinking: "I dare you to even try to fool me!" But no matter how savvy they are, they secretly hope that the writer will succeed. Because they're addicted to that candy.
--

EXCERPT from "Making Modern Monsters" by Michael A. Arnzen in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

The creatures of horror literature have existed since Homer's Odyssey. While writers often research monstrosity and draw inspiration from other books -- from classic mythology and folklore to last year's hit vampire film -- it's always hard to come up with something new. But that's exactly what readers want: creative creatures. (The words are almost identical, after all.)

One of the primary aims of horror fiction is to disturb readers with the strange and uncanny, so the more conventional your creature, the less effective your story will be. The trick is to go over-the-top. Push your imagination. If you take the "normal" and push it to an extreme, you just might invent the next best monster
--

EXCERPT from "Working the Workshop: How to Get the Most Out of Critique Groups (Even the Bad Ones)" by Michael A. Arnzen in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

What we sometimes forget is that a writing workshop is a lot like shop class -- a place where one learns by working. It is a vocational, collaborative process -- not a lecture hall and not a book club. It's not exactly writing that's done, either, so the name is misleading. The "work" that's performed in a workshop is editorial work. We practice editing and hear how other professionals "respond" to a piece, which is what editors do for a living. Editors are first and foremost readers: they listen to their intuition when they read a story or article; they sit in the shoes of their market's audience. They represent The Reader with a capital R. And by working the workshop properly, we both internalize their voice and develop a stronger editorial ear of our own.

("Working the Workshop" by Michael A. Arnzen. Revised version of an essay first appearing in The Handy Job Hunter for Writers (2003) and Gila Queen's Guide to Markets (2004).)
--

EXCERPT from "Persist!" by Michael A. Arnzen in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction:

Every word you write is helping you become a better writer. Everything -- from letters and email to short stories and poems. And know that it might take you a million words until you become the sort of writer that editors salivate over. You achieve mastery over time. It doesn't happen overnight. But don't let the work that lies ahead of you psyche you out. You climb the mountain one step at a time. So even if you have to write twenty drafts before you get to the ONE right draft, write the twenty drafts. You might not publish them all, but it took all those drafts to get the text published. Persistently write. Eventually, you'll get there. Make this your mantra: there are no wasted words.
--

Michael A. Arnzen is a college teacher by day and a horror writer by night. He has been educating novelists since 1999 as faculty in the Writing Popular Fiction graduate program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA, where he is currently Chair of the Humanities. Arnzen's energetic workshops on genre fiction writing have been popular at Odyssey, Alpha, World Horror Convention, Context, Pennwriters and the Horror Writers Association's annual Stoker Weekend event. His often funny, always disturbing horror stories have won four Bram Stoker Awards, an International Horror Guild award, and several "Year's Best" accolades.

The best of his short work is collected in Proverbs for Monsters, which won the Stoker award in 2007. Always exploring new media, Arnzen has experimented with flash fiction (100 Jolts), musically-enhanced readings (Audiovile), short film (Exquisite Corpse), and twitter poetry before there was a twitter (Gorelets), in addition to his horror novels (Grave Markings, Play Dead). To see what he's up to now, subscribe to The Goreletter: an award-winning newsletter of the bizarre, hilarious, and pithy -- which features creative writing prompts for other writers of the strange -- available free at http://gorelets.com.

MGOC Extra Essay: How Writers Can Use Twitter for Self-promotion by Sally Bosco

We all know that Twitter is potentially a good self-promotion tool for writers, but how can you do that without seeming obnoxious and self-obsessed? I’ve put together a few thoughts:

1. The purpose of Tweeting isn’t really to sell books, it’s to build relationships, have a dialogue with writers and readers, to pique potential readers’ curiosity about you, and to gain their interest. They’re gaining access into your secret world. Make that a place people want to visit.

2. If you’re new to Twitter, start by following your friends. They know people who know people, and this will widen your circle. Do the same for any writers your know or writers’ associations that interest you.

3. Make sure to have the URL of your web page displayed in the profile that appears when people access your account. This seems like a no-brainer, but some people forget to do it.

4. Increase your blog readership: If you used WordPress to create your blog or web page, there is a feature that will automatically publish to Facebook and Twitter a snippet and link to anything you publish on your blog. If not, you can write a quick summary of your blogpost with a link. Twitter is searchable, so if you write a review of a (for example) Stephanie Meyers book, people who are searching for Stephanie Meyers may have your blog come up in a search. Increased traffic to your blog is always a good thing. This helps you to build your brand.

5. With that in mind, you might offer a freebee on your blog like a short story or writing article and post a quick summary and link to your Twitter account.

6. Speaking of freebies, many successful authors post giveaways of their novels on Twitter. Kelly Armstrong has weekly book giveaway contests and calls them Freebie Fridays.

7. Find groups who hit your target market and friend them. Just Google "Twitter + your subject matter." You may want to do this gradually so it won’t appear that you’re spamming people.

8. Go to search.twitter.com and search for subjects that interest you.

9. Follow people and organizations who are relevant to your writing. If you are writing a novel about, oh, I don’t know, cross dressers, try to make contact with people who are interested in that subject matter. A simple Google or Twitter search will yield that info.

10. Don’t Tweet obsessively or people might delete you. (Unless you’re Kim Kardashian, then you can Tweet as much as you want.)

11. Comment on other people’s postings so your Tweets don’t seem like one-sided conversations.

12. If you’re interested in certain publishers, agents or writers, follow them. Here is a link to publishers’ Twitter accounts: http://www.highspotinc.com/blog/2008/12/a-directory-of-book-trade-people-on-twitter

13. Get to know the book bloggers. They are the new powerhouses of online promo. Google terms like “litblogs” or “book reviews” + your particular genre or author who writes novels similar to yours.

14. Use hash tags in your Tweets to make them searchable in Twitter. i.e. #werecats

15. To the right of your Twitter feed are two columns. One has a listing of trends and the other has a list of recommendations of whom to follow. Consider adding some of the resulting people/profiles. Again, use caution in following too many people at once, because it can look like spamming and Twitter can kick you out for that.

16. Consider retweeting others’ posts. When you place your cursor over the person’s post, a Retweet link activates. This lets you retweet that message to your own followers.

17. Offer some of your own pearls of wisdom/writers advice. Make up some quotable quotes. One of mine is, "It takes a lot of procrastination time to be able to write for one hour."

18. Make sure to reply to posts that mention you. To find them, check the @YourName on the right side of your Twitter screen.

19. Reply to other messages of interest that are posted by other Tweeters.

20. Pimp other authors’ books, too. Many of them will reciprocate.

Remember that this is all for the purpose of entertainment. Have fun Tweeting, and your readers will catch your enthusiasm.

Check out Sally's books, blog and other writing at http://sallybosco.com and follow her tweets at http://twitter.com/SallyBosco. Watch for her young adult paranormal romance, The Werecat Chronicles, to be published in May.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Official Kick-Off of Many Genres One Craft Virtual Book Tour

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR

Today officially marks the kick-off of the Many Genres, One Craft Three Month Mega Virtual Book Tour (VBT).

Our VBT stops for today are:

Stop: Free Cotton
Providing discussion, tips, and marketing for education on all levels.
Host: Teffanie Thompson White
Teffanie Thompson White played with pen in hand. When pen was absent, she scratched words on ashen legs. She either taught class or wrote books, which she still does. Her picture book manuscripts, Bug Talk and For Tents and Ribbons, have been adapted into onstage ballets. Teffanie co-authors and co-publishes pictureless books.
Event: Educational Tips
Contributor: Matt Duvall

Stop: Seton Hill Writers
Three graduates of the Seton Hill University MFA program (Lesley L. Smith, Ann Laurel Kopchik, and Rodney Robbins discuss genre issues, give writing tips, and review books at their group blog Seton Hill Writers.
Host: Lesley L. Smith
Lesley writes SF and talks about the genre at conferences and conventions. Her latest novel is Multiple Possibilities.
Event: G is for Genre
Contributor: Jason Jack Miller

For upcoming stops, including more from Free Cotton and Seton Hill Writers, visit our VBT page: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/p/virtual-book-tour.html

There's still time to be a host. Email Heidi Ruby Miller at heidirubymiller@gmail.com for details!

To pre-order a copy of Many Genres, One Craft, visit:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Powell's Books
Books A Million
and other fine book sellers!

posted by heidi

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Many Genres One Craft Available for Pre-Order

We have a new cover for Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, and it is available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, Powell's, and other fine locations.

From the back cover:
Romance. Fantasy. Mystery. Science Fiction. Young Adult. Horror. Picture Books. Suspense.

Many Genres, One Craft brings together award-winning authors, bestselling novelists, and hot new writers from all these genres to offer an amazing novel writing workshop in a book. Modeled on Seton Hill University's acclaimed MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction—where all of its sixty contributors have taught, studied, or been a special guest—this stunningly comprehensive guide for writers offers insights into crafting effective genre fiction of any kind, and provides an array of practical advice on selling novels in today's marketplace that you simply won't find anywhere, short of enrolling in graduate school.

Learn everything from beating writer's block to building suspense, making monsters to marketing mysteries, approaching agents to writing romance…all from writers who have actually done it.
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You can read the introduction on scribd.

posted by heidi