My buddy Wayne’s new book is out! And I’m asking all those of the Hopper Fan Tribe (I know, just made it up; whatever) to help support him! Please read up on Sword in the Stars and tell all your peeps so we can blitz Amazon! ch:
The Skin Map: Can You Find It?
1 Nov ’10 By 7 Comments
My CSFF review copy of The Skin Map (A Bright Empires Novel) arrived only 4 days ago. While there are plenty of crazed maniacs who read in 4 hours what it took me 4 months (+) to create, I am not one of them. And although they claim it’s a compliment when they consume a book at that rate, I still find it quite depressing. It’s like inhaling a fine steak, or a platter full of fresh sushi. No time to savor. No time to enjoy. Nothing good can come of it. (But thanks).
So I’m literally holding The Skin Map in my hand, knowing it’s taunting me. Gorgeous cover, great reviews, and gripping title. Yet I have not cracked it. So while I won’t review it’s contents, I can at least attest to it’s author…and the amazing pre-release promotion it underwent.
I must have posted a few bazillion (real number) times already that Lawhead is the man that inspired me to write. Aside from a few Skype calls, emails, and the fact that he claims to likes my music, I have never met the man. As many do, I hope to shake his hand one day and tell him what an inspiration he has been.
Given that fact that everything he writes is something I must read–and that he’s never disappointed me–I can only presume that The Skin Map is, likewise, brilliant. Go buy it.
As for his marketing, the C. Grant & Company has been incredible. They dreamed up a multi-state hunt reminiscent of Derek Webb‘s Stockholm Syndrome release that combined obscure clues with geocaching. While I was out of state for my own signings the weekend that the NY clue was revealed (and so close to my neck of the woods, too!), I followed the amazing promotional campaign that brought a few thousand fans onto his FaceBook page and got them all excited over the new book.
And the winners?
Congratulations to Stephanie Daugherty for winning the grand prize to the ultimate treasure hunt for Stephen R. Lawhead’s “The Skin Map.” You have won a customized “The Skin Map” iPad preloaded with an electronic copy of Stephen R. Lawahead’s “The Skin Map.”
Congratulations to David Kouts for winning the hidden website contest. You have won an original painting by Stephen R. Lawhead and a personal phone call with the author.
Yeah. Wish I had won.
The Skin Map. You’ll love it. But you don’t have to take my word for it. (Thank you LeVar Burton). Here’s what everyone else is saying… ch:
CSFF Blog Tour NOV 20TEN
Angela, Brandon Barr, Keanan Brand, Amy Browning, Beckie Burnham, Morgan L. Busse, Melissa Carswell, Jeff Chapman, Valerie Comer, Amy Cruson, CSFF Blog Tour, D. G. D. Davidson, April Erwin, Tori Greene, Ryan Heart, Bruce Hennigan, Timothy Hicks, Becky Jesse, Cris Jesse, Jason Joyner, Julie, Carol Keen, Krystine Kercher, Dawn King, Leighton, Rebecca LuElla Miller, John W. Otte, Donita K. Paul, Chawna Schroeder, Tammy Shelnut, James Somers, Kathleen Smith, Rachel Starr Thomson, Robert Treskillard, Steve Trower, Fred Warren, Jason Waguespac, Dona Watson, Phyllis Wheeler, Jill Williamson
Book Signings in Champaign, IL
13 Oct ’10 By 11 Comments
This weekend I’m flying out to Illinois to meet up with the infamous Sir Wayne Thomas Batson for some sword-swinging frivolity, jovial antics, miscellaneous musicality, and general book-signing merriment. And all this for anyone willing to venture out to the Borders on West Town Blvd. in Champaign IL, Saturday, Oct. 16th, 2pm-5pm. For those that can’t make it, we’ll be streaming live here.
Earlier in the day we’ll be hosting a private party for the Nightwing Tribe, winners of our epic Tribebuilding contest held for Curse of the Spider King (and ongoing for Venom and Song). Can’t wait to spend some time with these awesome Elves! ch:
CSFF Blog Tour Features VAS
27 Sep ’10 By 8 Comments
Venom and Song is being featured by 30 bloggers as part of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour today thru Wednesday. I’ve been a long time fan (and participant) of CSFF, though the last year has seen more of my absence than not.
For all those readers dropping by from the tour, welcome! And thanks for looking around. Sir Wayne and I very much appreciate your patronage and trust of the CSFF community. For those wanting to read what the tour participants are posting, I’ve placed their blog links below.
What was the last book you read that was recommended by a CSFF blogger? ch:
Angela, Brandon Barr, Keanan Brand, Amy Browning, Beckie Burnham, Morgan L. Busse, Melissa Carswell, Jeff Chapman, Valerie Comer, Amy Cruson, CSFF Blog Tour, D. G. D. Davidson, April Erwin, Tori Greene, Ryan Heart, Bruce Hennigan, Timothy Hicks, Becky Jesse, Cris Jesse, Jason Joyner, Julie, Carol Keen, Krystine Kercher, Dawn King, Leighton, Rebecca LuElla Miller, John W. Otte, Donita K. Paul, Chawna Schroeder, Tammy Shelnut, James Somers, Kathleen Smith, Rachel Starr Thomson, Robert Treskillard, Steve Trower, Fred Warren, Jason Waguespac, Dona Watson, Phyllis Wheeler, Jill Williamson
Flying with an ARC
21 Jul ’10 By 5 Comments
I’m sitting on a plane bound for BRU with good company: my Daddy Hopper, Peter, and an Advance Reader Copy of Bryan Davis’ new book 1 from his forthcoming Tales of Starlight Series, Masters & Slayers.
Davis fans everywhere, eat your heart out. (Sorry, how often do I get to do that?).
Needless to say, I’m honored to even be asked to give this book an endorsement; it’ll be two thumbs way up, for those interested.
So why the flight to Europe? Well, you’ll just have to stay tuned right here for more updates, and jump on my Twitter and FaceBook streams for tid-bits.
Or you could just look at my Dates page. ch:
Storm Amazon.com With Us!
11 Jun ’10 By 13 Comments
Mark Your Calendars! Light the torches and gather the pitchforks!
Tuesday, June 22nd at 7pm, EST we will storm the Cybergates of Amazon.com and seek to propel Venom and Song to great heights on the Amazon Bestseller Chart!
Last year, we Blitzed for Curse of the Spider King, and the ranking went from 73,000th to 365th in one 24 hour period! And that thanks only to my generous readers, their friends and family.
This year, we are defining and actual time to shoot for. This will concentrate the effect of book purchases and hopefully launch Venom and Song into the top 100 or even better!
If you are planning to purchase Venom & Song anyway, would you please consider purchasing it from Amazon.com. It’s very important to have the purchases fall between 7-8pm on Tuesday, June 22nd. This maximizes the jump up on the Bestseller list.
Why do this?
Books that hit high on Amazon’s bestseller list get seen by a LOT more people. That exposure tends to generate LOTS more sales, which of course, starts a wonderful cycle. High purchases in the first week of release also tells Amazon that this is a book to push, so Amazon tends to include it in their eMailings, etc. And better still, the opening sales tells the publisher to plug in more marketing muscle to a book that is succeeding. So please consider joining us on June 22nd for the 2nd Annual Amazon BLITZ.
Kindle eBook for 99 cents. No catch.
25 Mar ’10 By 24 Comments
Many of you will remember L.B. Graham for the 2008 Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour as one of the Enigmatic Eight. (He’s also the one that introduced me to Jack In The Box, and I to him, In-N-Out). L.B. emailed me today to let me know about a huge special his publisher is offering, and I couldn’t help at marvel about the timing, given our discussion last week about eBooks versus traditional publishing. And because I’m such a magnanimous blogger–ever looking for ways to bless my faithful readership, who are themselves, the magnanimouserest–I’m passing it on to you.
“Beyond the Summerland,” Book 1 in the Binding of the Blade series, is now available for just 99 cents! Granted, you’ll need a Kindle, or a conversion app for the iPhone, but at this price, you can’t beat it. He’s even offering it for free if you read further down on his site. Yeah. For free.
Now back to the discussion: Would more books offered at 99 cents entice you to by a Kindle or iPad? If so, how many would you need to see at such prices, and how long before you’d buy a device? And even more importantly, which is superior: Jack In The Box or In-N-Out? ch:
Book War
18 Mar ’10 By 23 Comments
There has been a lot of talk as of late about the book publishing industry as a whole, and where it’s headed. Certainly newspapers are in decline, but I would also argue that the conservative right is fed up with liberal reporting, having a significant affect on those numbers. And the music business is still reeling from the advent of digital downloading.
But as with all industry that has any longevity, it’s those who think outside the box–and think ahead–that stay in the game, and end up inventing new ways to do business. Some might call it the American way. I call it hard work, divine inspiration, and creativity. News companies started websites; musicians started recording, publishing, and distributing their own work; and publishers? That remains to be seen.
Is it dead? Will eBooks kill paper books? What do you think?
I was inspired by a video post Michael Hyatt put up today on his blog. Granted, he is the CEO of Thomas Nelson, so there is, without a doubt, some personal preference in his opinions. As there is in mine, as I’m a novelist who–by gum–likes to see his name on the spine of a physical book. But the more I got to thinking, the more a different vision of the future presented itself. Well, not different, just more clear than I had seen it before. Here is the comment I left on his site:
I’m a youth pastor. I’m with hundreds of teens every week. The future consumer. The present consumer.
I’m also a published novelist. While I adore physical books, I create them on my iMac, and never end up reading the physical copy.
My favorite books seem immortal, and therefore must be obtained for my library “in the flesh.” I suspect that view is shared by many. As a result, particular works will always have a viable clientele. But more informational-based reading–particularly that which I gather–is expendable, at least with regard to it’s transfer vehicle. The inconvenience of a hard copy is annoying.
So I argue that the question is not the generation, so much as it is the content. Give my epic fantasy that immerses in another realm, and I’ll pay the price to keep it beside my bed; but tell my the 10 steps to managing people and I’ll bookmark your website for free.
Do you agree or disagree? Are you excited about the advent of eBooks? Are are you dreading the day your favorite work goes out of print…forever? ch:
CotSK Amazon Blitz Today!
7 Oct ’09 By 6 Comments
Hey gang! Today, October 7th, is our “let’s blitz Amazon” day. We’re asking all of our friends to rally behind us and pre-order Curse of The Spider King, helping shoot the book up on the national ranking. For anyone that purchases the book today, please email me a digital copy of your receipt (ie. forward the receipt email), and Wayne and I will send you an autographed book plate to stick on the inside of your edition. Thanks again for jumping into the fray with us! ch:
Tips for Aspiring Authors
21 Sep ’09 By 6 Comments
I love email. And I hate it. It ultimately saves me hundreds of phone calls a week. But becoming a master over it–rather than having it master you–can be a full-time job. (For some incredible tips on this, please visit this fantastic post by Michael Hyatt, which have helped me a great deal). I receive about 200 “legit” emails a day (after spam), and of those, one of the most commonly asked questions I answer is, “What advice do you have for writers just starting out?” Seeing as how just replying to those mails alone could take the better part of any morning, I’ve put together this post (also found permanently on my “Novels” page), which I pretty much ripped entirely from my friend Lisa T. Bergren’s website. A few of my own comments have been put in.
1) Read! Read! Read!
The best thing you can do as an aspiring writer is to read, read, read, especially the kind of books you’d like to write. Study your favorite books—how characters and plot and subplots develop, chapter by chapter, what principle action takes place…if you take the time to outline your favorite book, it might look a lot like what the author began with himself/herself! Likewise, be careful of reading bad literature; ingesting bad style will lead to outputting bad style.
2) Subscribe to Your Craft!
Subscribe to Writer’s Digest. It is a monthly magazine that helps aspiring writers of any genre with some craft basics. From it, I learned enough to write my first novel! You can too!
3) Study the Market!
Study the market. It is difficult for an unpublished writer to get published, so you have to work every angle you can. What does that mean?
(a) Target ONLY publishers who publish the kind of books you like to write!
(b) Study their current line of books—see if you can spot any trends, preferences. Again, make sure your project fits with their direction.
(c) Not sure where to start? Go to Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Market Guide for a complete listing of publishers and their publishing needs.
4) Invest in Conferences!
The Christian Writer’s Market Guide is also an excellent place to find out about writer’s conferences near you. The four best Christian writer’s conferences that I know of are held every year at: Sandy Cove, PA; Estes Park, CO; Glorietta, NM; and Mt. Hermon, CA. Keep in mind that you can apply what you learn from a secular writer’s conference too…but one of the major benefits of attending a Christian writer’s conference is that you have access to editors and agents! If you spend the money to attend one of these conferences, you should plan on either (a) relaxing and just absorbing all the information/schooling you can as a beginning author; (b) go ready to learn at an intermediate level AND pitch your project. Sometimes it’s great to go two years in a row specifically to follow this plan. Be prepared…publishing is NOT a fast process!
5) Join a Group…Start a Group!
See if there’s a critique group in your area that you can join. The key is that you have to respect the author writers in your group AND their opinions. Don’t have one? I started one of my own with a few writing friends, called The Ink Blots. We meet one Monday a month at a pub or restaurant of our choosing and share our work samples.
Two things all writers have to work hard to define when starting:
SASE: Self-addressed, stamped envelope.
UNSOLICITED: Without an agent, or an accepted query, a publisher will not look at these proposals. Some won’t even look at queries! See the Christian Writer’s Market Guide for information on how to get in with a publisher.
*I’m sorry, but I cannot read your manuscripts—even a portion. While I’d love to help, I must dedicate any spare moments to family! But I do wish you every good thing as you pursue this passion we share! ch:
Wrong
5 Sep ’09 By 28 Comments
Curse of the Spider King Promo Video
4 Sep ’09 By 2 Comments
The new promo video for Curse of the Spider King is now live on both YouTube and Vimeo. Thanks to all our fans out there who are already pumping this books to their friends and pre-ordering their copies. Wayne and I so appreciate you! If you haven’t checked out our new website, please do. ch:
