The Quest Is Dead...Sort Of...

They say a good blog can serve as a good marketing tool...

Yes, I suppose I have really messed that one up.

A great deal has stayed the same since the last Quest post, including zero book sales, little progress on the book-writing front and, of course, not many people really noticing.

So, this must be why people subject themselves to the humiliation of being rejected by dozens of literary agents and publishers. Because getting the word out is tough!

This is especially true when there are other things that are more important, like actually writing or the overbearing need to eat.

You know, trivial stuff.

And then, of course, comes the news that Lulu.com has done away with the Published By You package, where I would have been able to snap up an ISBN of my own. They've replaced it with two distribution packages that I couldn't explain if I lived to be 100.

Normally, this wouldn't have bothered me, seeing as how Stories from the Forester: Volume 1 isn't anywhere near close to publishing stage. However, this does leave Flagrant Foul in a serious state of limbo. Sure, you can still buy it at Amazon (Don't know why I pointed that out. If you haven't bought it yet, I'm doubting you're opening up the wallets now!). But it leaves far too many questions marks, namely the actual process of purchasing their GlobalReach package in the event I choose to do so (Which, after scanning through the site, I see no real help for Published by Lulu customers to do that!).

It's been a big enough pain in the ass to come up with idea for writing that clearly nobody's interested in. But to take the one thing that was quite simple and complicate it unnecessarily? Yes, this will truly inspire people to self-publish in the future.

Make no mistake, I'll never stop writing. But this Quest? It's dead.

For the two of three people who truly care, fear not. This blog may be getting dumped, but I've always got other things up my sleeve. Like a phoenix, something new shall rise from the ashes...

Or perhaps something old...

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...Lend Me a Dollar (Or A Review)!

Well, not exactly lend, but you get the point...

As I have finally made progress is completing Unwritten, so I can finally get Stories from the Forester: Volume One ready for public consumption, I've had to make some tough choices, mostly economic.

That, of course, means, the end of Dilemma being free. The PDF, like the Kindle version, is now 99 cents and in on sale at Lulu.com. That's the bad news. Then again, it may not be if you're one of the people who were good enough to download a copy.

For those people, I have another mission. Please post your reviews on the Dilemma Amazon page and the Lulu.com page. And no, I don't care if you think it was the worst piece of garbage you've ever read. As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as bad publicity!

So, go ahead. You know you could use the diversion!

An Old Friend's New Project

I known Eddy Webb since my days at the old Hawthorne Academy, the school for gifted kids in Lorain, and we were good friend over the years. He's the one who got me into role-playing games (Pre-World of Warcraft, pre-computer, actually!), and we shared a great interest in technology.

Then, like most of my childhood friendships, after I went to college, we parted ways and lost touch with each other.

However, about a year ago, I came across some offerings by White Wolf on Lulu, and sure enough, the man behind their efforts? Eddy. So, I decided to drop him a line. And since it's been a while, I had to let him know I wasn't this crazy random person.

In any event, it seems that we both share another interest - writing, though I know Eddy definitely had a head-start on me. And it shows with his newest effort, and I think it's going to be a intriguing marriage of fiction writing and social media.

The Whitechapel Project, as it's been called, is a serialized horror novella slated to begin on August 5th. Not only will it feature regular updates to the fiction text, Eddy plans to also release each episode as a podcast. What's more, he'll get public opinion on how the story should proceed.

While serialized fiction is as old as the medium itself, The Whitechapel Project is probably the most ambitious and innovative idea I've seen in quite a long time. So, with that, I wish my old friend Eddy Webb luck and will definitely be one of those tuned in for each episode!

The Kindle iPhone App - Yes, Virginia. There IS Santa Claus!

Dear Apple,

But I didn't get you anything!

Sincerely,

Bob McDonald

For some time now, I have written about the emergence of the Amazon Kindle (and now its subsequent upgrade) and how my target demographic wouldn't exactly plunk down the $359 for one when there are cooler gadgets like, say, the iPhone, for their enjoyment.

Well, apparently Christmas has come early. Amazon has released a Kindle app for the iPhone!

So, what does that mean for the Quest? A great deal, I hope!

First of all, like the throngs of music downloads that undoubtedly populate people's iPhone, so, too perhaps, they can add some e-books, like, oh, I don't know, Dilemma, which is now on sale for 99 cents?

I have noticed that iTunes hasn't gotten to the point where they're selling e-books outright. But, of course, when they do, you know I'll be there!

Stories From the Forester - Volume 1 Drops June 20th

The Quest has begun anew...

In connection with my 1,000th update on Twitter, I thought I'd add a little spice to the occasion by throwing in this major (well, at least for me) announcement:

Stories From the Forester - Volume 1, which includes the stories Dilemma and Unwritten, will be released on June 20, 2009, first exclusively on my Web site, www.flagrantfoul.com, then to bookstores everywhere!

For those of you scoring at home, Dilemma is the first story of the series, in which Reggie McCaffrey, fresh from a full-time newspaper gig, returns to Forest State University and the school paper defeated, down-trodden, but hopeful of winning the affection of Brenda Alvarez, the Forester's News Editor. The second story, Unwritten, centers around the inevitably of graduation for Reggie and Editor-in-Chief Jim Case, and their uncertain futures.

But there's more! Because Dilemma has been finished for some time, I am giving it away as a PDF e-book absolutely FREE and as a Kindle Book for only $0.99! Apparently, Amazon doesn't want me giving stuff away, so I apologize in advance!

So, with four months until the release, there's plenty of time to get ready, as opposed to the rushed approach taken with Flagrant Foul. Maybe I can avoid repeating the same mistakes twice!

On thing's for certain, I will be doing some promotions, which I will announce in the coming weeks. Two events I know for sure will be happening, with more on the way. And the more the merrier! Advance copies of the entire book will be available in early May, so anyone interested in reviewing can go ahead and drop me a line, and I'll have you on the mailing list!

And with that, off we go!!!

Need Help? Just Ask...

Like all things, book marketing takes work, planning, and a little bit of luck doesn't hurt.

Also, relying on the kindness of your fellow writers is a good plan as well.

All you have to do is ask...

This has worked for me in a number of instances. For those Questers who have been reading for a while, you've no doubt read up on my appearance on book review sites, like Shannon Yarbrough's Lulu Book Review and Metha Metharom's Book Review site. Plus, you'll recall my appearance on Pete Klein's BlogTalkRadio show, plus my Lulu.com interview.

How did that all happen? Just by asking.

Understand, of course, that not all requests will be granted or even heard, for that matter. It's a crap-shoot, to be sure. And I've had my fair share of rejection, though, as Questers who have certainly tried to gain the attention of agents and publishers alike, you know that rejection's an occupational hazard.

But even if you don't get everyone to say yes, just a couple can go a long way for you to accomplish your goal!

And it keeps on coming.

Where the Readers Are...

Marketing books is full of all kinds of small, tactical errors, especially when doing it on your own.

This, however, may be the worst...

For months, I've been banging my head, like many Questers have undoubtedly have done. And then the lightbulb comes on.

I've been doing it all wrong! Most of the places that I've been plugging both Dilemma and Flagrant Foul are decidedly not anywhere near my demographic, and therefore probably about as likely to read these books as I am to go to a Billy Ray Cyrus concert.

So, where are these people that I seek?

Well, I found a couple of answers: Goodreads and Shelfari.

First, there's Goodreads. Not only can users come together and talk about popular books, authors can join in the conversation! All it takes to create an author account is to search for books, click on the author name and submit a form, explain which books you've written. Once you get confirmation, you're ready to go!

Shelfari, which is now owned by Amazon, has a similar set-up. The only difference, at a glance, is that Shelfari does not have the author account application that Goodreads does. No matter. As long as you have your book on Amazon, just add it to your profile and share!

That said, I'm on both, here and here. Feel free to add me as a friend. And even better, drop in some reviews!

Identity Crisis

For about the last eight months of so, I have been trying to figure out the best ways to market the Stories from the Forester, particularly the completed Flagrant Foul, online. And yet, I have come to it with very little success (i.e. Zero sales in any format).

So, while I'm in back-to-the-drawing board mode. It makes sense, since the entire series is, at the present, incomplete, with the second story in Volume I, Unwritten, still in the works.

Even with that, Flagrant Foul still is available and is now on Amazon. I've given thought to abandoning the series, but that makes no sense whatsoever. The groundwork has already been laid. To quit now would be, at the least, lazy, and, at most, defeatist. And I don't like to lose.

However, the issue I have with Flagrant Foul that has dogged me since I finished it is one of identity...

What is it?

I can say for sure that Flagrant Foul is, first and foremost, NOT a sports book. However, that has not prevented a number of potential readers and even reviewers from making at assumption, and therefore not taking a look.

Thankfully, once more parts of the series are released, readers and reviewers alike will see the whole picture. Understandably, it's not helpful that I finished Flagrant Foul first. Of course, I hadn't intended for it to mutate into the series of stories as it has.

But then, I get past that, the issue of genre comes up. Who am I targetting?

In an ideal world, the obvious demographic would be the same demographic as the characters - college-aged. But does it mean these are young adult books? Looking around, the bulk of the YA titles I've seen are set in high school and seem to cater to a much younger crowd.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm clearly in need of some help. If you're someone who's written or reviewed books like this or, even better, someone who's a YA book reader, drop me a line at bobmc@togsolutions.com. No advice will be turned down!

The Book Tour - Plotting and Scheming

Now that I've finally gotten an ISBN for Flagrant Foul, I figured it would probably be the best thing to spend the six weeks that it will probably take for it to appear on online stores like Amazon (though you can buy it on flagrantfoul.com now!) drumming up some publicity...again.

I know what you're saying, fellow Questers. I already did all of this already. True, I was on Pete Klein's Adirondack Book House radio show in July and received a good review from Shannon Yarbrough, but really, was that enough?

Nope. Not even close. So, with the leaves turning and the time to promote more appropriate (Flagrant Foul, of course, takes place during basketball season), it's time to begin plotting anew, and maybe this time, someone will actually buy a copy (as opposed to the copies I've given away).

Where do I start this time around?

Good question.

First, there's the Quickest Blog Book Tour Guide Ever, a great site that details the 10 steps every Quester should take to plan and execute and effective blog book tour. So, where am I at on the list?

Let's see...

1. Start your own blog - Well, that's an obvious check.
2. RSS feed and bookmark link - Check (And while I have your attention, be sure to Digg this entry!)
   
3. Cyber-schmooze - Yep. As a matter of fact, if you're not already following me on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace, go ahead and do so!

So now, I'm at Step 4, choosing my tour hosts. Now, this has always been the stumbling block for your hero, so I'm going to have to get creative on this one.

Now, I've also posed the question, why not a Twitter Book Tour? Sure, people can throw questions at me and I can answer them. Create some publicity that way.

As you can see, I'm still thinking about that one...

The Twitterverse is Calling...

Finally, an instance where following people isn't considered stalking!

Microblogging, or micromedia (depending on you you ask) is spreading like wildfire. Forms of it have shown up on most of the social networking sites, such as MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn. In the last couple of years, though, it's taken on a life of it's own.

Welcome to the Twitterverse.

Like most Questers, I, too, have been drawn to the ability to unveil a random stream of consciousness on a regular basis. While like most social media, it's a good place to keep in touch with your friends, it's also a pretty good tool to get the word out about your book.

Plus, if you look in the right place, you'll find a few sites to help you with your Quest.

Lulu's on there - http://twitter.com/Luludotcom

And a new one I found, and an excellent source for Quester, Blog Book Tours - http://twitter.com/blogbooktours (Oddly enough, Blogger thinks they're a spam blog, to which I do not concur!)

I can be followed, too - http://twitter.com/bobmcdonald

After All That???

Now that it's the beginning of August, I must take personal stock in how the Quest is going.

Um, not so good...

Sales so far:

Flagrant Foul (from lulu.com): 0
Dilemma (from lulu.com): 0
Dilemma (from Mobipocket/Amazon): 0
Average daily hits on http://www.flagrantfoul.com/ (Main site, not the Quest): 1.17

So, I take this to mean one of three things. Either...

A. I'm not applying myself.
B. My books really are crap.
C. This is a tough, tough racket to break into.

For the time being, I'm going to choose Answer C, and press on. And instead of moping, I'm going to just turn it over to you guys. How has your Quest been going? What's your experience been like so far. I've got a couple of different Quest reports posted already. Come join in! I know I'm not the only one!

Putting the Q! in Quest (aka the Australia Experience)

Make a mental note - The Aussies are your friends.

During the brief time on this Quest, I have found a surprising section of folks Down Under who, like me, are fellow Questers and are willing to help out writers get the word out.

First, there's Metha Metharom. The Brisbane native and author of numerous books in his own right, has set up both an Author's Spotlight and a Book Review blog. I have been fortunate to be featured in both, though I blame myself for the 3-star review of Flagrant Foul. Rule No. 1, folks: ALWAYS give the reviewer a full copy of your book!

And from the Victoria province, there's Kevin Balshaw. Talk about someone who's been busy. For proof, just go to his Q!2write Web site. Not only are there a ton of resources for the up and coming writer, there's a showcase of books and writer bios! Plus, I've been promised that there will be more to come in the near future.

I expect plenty more from this part of the world as time progresses!

Get Back in Line!

As I'm patiently waiting for my proof copy of Dilemma to show up at my doorstep, I am often brought back to the original question of why this book got in front of the ISBN line instead of Flagrant Foul, which is the basis of the Quest. As I've posted previously, I thought it to be a test of what an ISBN could do to increase exposure (Paraphrasing, of course).

But now, maybe that's not the real reason...

While the Quest, along with every other bit of promotion (radio, reviews, etc.), is primarily dedicated to Flagrant Foul, Dilemma remains, in fact, the first story in the Forester rotation. And as such, there is ample justification as to why it is already available on Amazon as a Kindle Book, along with the aforementioned Published by Lulu venture.

Regardless, the Quest will continue, now for both books. The question that remains, of course, will be which one will come out of the gates of popularity first?

(BlogTalk) Radio Days

Long, long ago, I often wondered what it would be like to be able to put together a radio show on the Internet. Those dreams were dashed by the fact that at the time, the cost and time of putting it together, not to mention the level of technical expertise, became major deterrents.

Fast forward to 2008, and the landscape has changed considerably. And I plan on using it as part of the Quest.

BlogTalkRadio, for those of you who didn't know, allows anyone anywhere to have their own live, streaming broadcast, complete with audio archives and everything! All you need is a phone line (users call a number provided to broadcast) and you're all set!

How will this help the Quest? Do a BlogTalkRadio search for books or writers...

I've lost count on the number of shows solely dedicated to books and writing. And I fully anticipate requesting an audience with all of them. But baby steps, first.


The first appointment will be with Pete Klein on Saturday, July 12th at 6:30 pm. We'll be talking about Flagrant Foul, and, most likely, the rest of the Forester series. Be sure to listen and I'll even take some questions!

The Bowker Stamp of Approval

Shortly after my previous post, I received a message from a representative from R.R. Bowker, which is, of course, the the agency that distributes ISBNs in the U.S. In short, he provided some very useful information, including a link (Click here) of all the Bowker-authorized companies. Lulu is definitely one of them.

This, of course, tells me a couple of things. First, and most importantly, regardless of the option (in this case being selecting the Published By Lulu service), I made the right choice by sticking with Lulu. Secondly, folks are actually reading this thing!

So, thanks to Bowker for the information, and I hope to hear even more in the future!

The Turning of the Promotional Wheel

I realize that the Quest can never get off the ground if nobody on the planet knows about me or the book. And it's great advice for anyone looking to get their project off the ground. So, with that, here's some things I've come up with.

Social Networking - I have dropped my info in the following places:

LinkedIn
MySpace
Plaxo/
Gather
Facebook

You get the idea. Be everywhere, not to mention my Twitter page.

I'm confident to reach the end of my Quest soon. Give it a ahot yourselves and see what you come up with!