Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Write Club Deadline and Upcoming Release Our Beautiful Child



I’m still on hiatus, but I needed to announce two upcoming events, one with a looming deadline.


First off, I’d like to thank Diane for the opportunity to talk to you today about something near and dear to my heart…WRiTE CLUB. My modest writing contest has proven so popular that the DFW Writers Conference is now considering incorporating it into their agenda for 2015. 

For the newbies out there, let me explain what WRiTE CLUB is? It’s a modest writing competition whose inspiration was derived from the movie FIGHT CLUB. There are numerous versions of this concept around the internet, but nothing like we do it. Its essence embodies simple, good-natured competition, with lots and lots of fun sprinkled on top. 

Over the course of eight weeks I hold twice-weekly bouts in which the winners advance to the play-offs, which will ultimately lead to a single champion. Bouts between who…or what…you ask? Anonymous 500 word writing samples, submitted under a pen name by anyone who wishes to take part, that’s who. The writing can be any genre, any style (even poetry) with the word count being the only restriction. It’s a way to get your writing in front of a lot of readers, without having to suffer the agony of exposure. 

And the winners are determined by WRiTE CLUB readers!

To find out how to become part of the fun just head on over to
DLHammons.com and click on the WRiTE CLUB tab. 

Submissions are open until May 31st. After that date a panel of a dozen judges will read all of the entries we received and pre-select 32 of the best writing samples to climb into the ring. Those 32 participants will then be randomly matched to compete over the next eight weeks, each of them hoping to make it into the play-off rounds and moving towards the ultimate goal – WRiTE CLUB Champion. No one (other than my wife)…not even the judges being used to pre-select the 32 contestants, will see the true identity of any sample. Unless you win, of course.

Again this year, the most exciting part is the winner of the final round will be chosen by a panel of publishing industry professionals! Judges include New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author Jonathan Maberry, Agents Katie Grim of Don Congdon Associates, Margaret Bail of the Andrea Hurst Agency, Sarah Negovetich of the Corvisiero Literary Agency, Brittany Booker of The Booker Albert Literary Agency. Also included is Candace Havens, Editorial Director of Entangled Publishing Covet line, Authors Les Edgerton and Lydia Kang, and previous WRiTE CLUB winners Tiana Smith (2011), Mark Hough (2012) and Tex Thompson (2013).

Are you willing to WRiTE for what you want? Then crack those knuckles and get ready to flex that imagination. And whatever you do, tell your friends!

WRiTE CLUB – The contest where the audience gets clobbered!

 * * * * * 

Title: Our Beautiful Child
Author: Annalisa Crawford
Release date: 10th June 2014
Publisher: Battered Suitcase Press

“The Boathouse collects misfits. Strange solitary creatures that yearn for contact with the outside world, but not too much. They sit, glass in hand, either staring at the table in front of them, or at some distant point on the horizon.”
… so says the narrator of Our Beautiful Child. And he’s been around long enough to know.
People end up in this town almost by accident. Ella is running away from her nightmares, Sally is running away from the memories of previous boyfriends and Rona is running away from university. Each of them seek sanctuary in the 18th century pub, The Boathouse; but in fact, that’s where their troubles begin.
Ella finds love, a moment too late; Rona discovers a beautiful ability which needs refining before she gets hurt; and Sally meets the captivating Murray, who threatens to ruin everything.
Three women. Three stories. One pub.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I live in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep to keep me inspired. I live with my husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.
Despite my location, I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along a deserted beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!

Links:


Monday, May 19, 2014

Re-Evaluating Goals and a Hodgepodge of Updates

I’ve been enjoying my in-law’s visit, including a side trip with them to Myrtle Beach. We don’t get away often (just because I’m always busy) but it was really needed.

One thing that struck me this past week is the need to re-evaluate my goals and priorities. I’m self-employed (have been for 15 years - boo-yah!) and I have some business decisions to make, too.

That’s something we all need to do now and then - step back and reassess our lives and where we are going. Otherwise, we just get stuck in a rut and start losing sight of our goals and dreams. I’m big on goal-setting and after doing my Overcoming Obstacles seminar recently, I was reminded that I need to set some new goals for my life.

So for the next few weeks, I’m going to pull back and do just that. I’ll be here for the next The Insecure Writer’s Support Group post on June 4.

Before I go, some news and reminders -

The Facebook IWSG hit 1000 followers last week! We are excited how fast this group has grown.

We do want to remind everyone about the guidelines though:

1. Since the focus of IWSG is support, the Facebook page should reflect this ideal.

2. You are encouraged to support your fellow IWSG'ers who share their writerly-related experiences, which include accomplishments/disappointments/challenges, with the rest of the group. Keep in mind that writers are at different points of their respective writerly journeys. Some lurk for a long time, before finding the courage to share with the rest of the group. Since the IWSG is all about community, a word of encouragement or advice may be just what somebody needs. Or even just a smiley face/thumbs up...

3. News & Promotional Saturday is your opportunity to add a link. The IWSG administrators reserve the right to remove promotional links, especially if they are posted haphazardly.

Two cover reveals -

Champion in Flight , second book in The Champion Trilogy
By Tyrean Martinson

Shadow Warrior (The Mechanica Wars #2)
By Jay Noel














And I’ll end with a few Myrtle Beach images...





When’s the last time you re-evaluated your goals?

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Enjoying Time with Family

Hi everyone!

I am taking this week off while my in-laws are visiting.

Have a great week and I will see you next Monday

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Don’t forget to check out the Facebook IWSG, too.

I’ve had some major projects this past month and behind the scenes things I’ve worked on. One thing I’ve been working on is revamping my seminars, especially my publishing and promoting ones. The industry changes so fast! If you saw my post on Monday that compared the three biggest eBook distributors, you know that new opportunities and sites appear every day.

Sometimes it’s more fun to share in the joy of other authors.

This just came out on Tuesday from Dancing Lemur Press, LLC:

Tornado Warning
The Extraordinary Women of Joplin
By Tamara Hart Heiner

The true story about seven ordinary women and one extraordinary event...

Print ISBN 978-1-939844-03-3 - Barnes & Noble Amazon Books-A-Million
EBook ISBN 978-1-939844-04-0 - Nook Kindle


This cover just debuted this week:

WHO R U REALLY?
By Margo Kelly
Merit Press -- September 18, 2014

To celebrate the cover reveal for Who R U Really? the author is giving away TWO Advance Reader Copies of the book! Visit Margo Kelly to enter by Sunday, May 11, 2014!





What authors are you happy for this week?

Monday, May 05, 2014

Which eBook Distributor is Right for You? Compare the Costs and Benefits of the Three Biggest Distributors

Smashwords


Cost - Free

Pays quarterly when balance is over $10.00, keeps small percentage of sales (varies)

File requirements - Word file formatted according to Smashwords Style Guide

Distributes to:
Apple iBookstore
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Sony
Flipkart
Oyster
Baker & Taylor

eBook Partnership

Cost -
For 1-4 titles submitted - set-up fee of $99 per title and an annual fee of $40
Can purchase a block of 5 Distribution Credits for just $199 for use later
5 or more titles - no set up fee - pay rate of $40 per title per year from the outset.

Pays monthly on balances over $30.00 and charges no commission

File requirements - ePub and Mobi

Distributes to:
Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Gardners
Google Play
Ingram
Kobo
OverDrive
Waterstones
eSentral

BookBaby

Cost:
Free Package - BookBaby retains 15% commission
Standard Package - $99.00, Includes ePub and Mobi conversion, BookBaby retains 15% commission
Premium Package - $249.00, 100% net sales paid

Pays based on a price point you set, as low as $10.00. Once that amount is hit, money is paid the following Monday

File requirements - ePub and Mobi

Distributes to:
Amazon Kindle
iBooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Copia
Gardners
Baker & Taylor
eSentral
Scribd
Flipkart
Oyster

Which one is right for you?