The Insecure Writer's Support Group and Otter Tales

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.


December 6 question - As you look back on 2017, with all its successes/failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently?

LOL! That would be quite the list.

There are a lot of things I would do differently with Dancing Lemur Press. Part of that would include adjusting my time to include more of my own writing. I got a Rocketbook Notebook for Christmas last year and sadly I’ve still not filled it. (When I do, I get to nuke it in the microwave and clear it out for another use.)

2018 will include more writing time for me!


One thing I wouldn’t do differently is the annual anthology I do with middle school kids. It’s a joy to visit the schools and walk the kids through creating their very own character. The result is the best stories created with those characters end up in the anthology - a middle grade book written by middle graders.

And this year’s anthology just came out:

Otter Tales
Edited by Michelle Rutledge & Shanna Williams
Print ISBN 9781939844415
EBook ISBN 9781939844422

Ride along for some otter good fun!

From the worlds of fantasy and science fiction to kids fighting real life battles, you’ll speed along from one adventure to the next.

Written by youth, these stories will amaze you with their creativity, thoughtfulness, and delightful spirit.

Journey in search of dragons. Fight along superheroes. And face the bullies head on!

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

What would you do differently?

This will be my last post until January 3rd and I'll be mostly offline for the rest of December. Everyone have a wonderful, Minion Christmas!

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

Have you waited until the last minute? Afraid of being trampled in holiday crowds? Then these gift ideas are for YOU.

Not everyone reads, but everyone SHOULD. Some people just need the right book. Some need to be mobile and would benefit from an ebook or an audio book. Some are young people who need an adult in their lives who values reading.

As an author, you’ll want to give your own book as often as possible. But if you’ve gifted to everyone you know or it’s not the right genre for someone, considering giving a book by another author. This community is all about support and purchasing and giving books is one way to do it.
Here are some suggestions:

Cling to God by Lynda R. Young

This devotional is a wonderful gift for a Christian or someone who needs a little faith in his or her life.

Print ISBN 9781939844279 / eBook ISBN 9781939844286

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo

Mâtowak: Woman Who Cries by Joylene Nowell Butler

A follow up to her IPPY award-winning book, this is the perfect book for the psychological thriller-mystery fan who doesn’t like things too graphic.

Print ISBN 9781939844231 / eBook ISBN 9781939844248 / audio book

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Audible

CassaStar by Alex J. Cavanaugh

For the fan of science fiction and space opera, this best-selling book kicks off a great trilogy.

Print ISBN 9780981621067 / eBook ISBN 9780982713938 / audio book

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Audible

He Gave Me Barn Cats by Maria Santomasso-Hyde

An inspirational story based on true events, this is the perfect book for someone struggling with grief. Or who just loves cats!

Print ISBN 9781939844217 / eBook ISBN 9781939844224 / audio book

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Audible

Under a Purple Moon by Beverly Stowe McClure

For the teenager or just those young at heart, this sweet story tackles some tough issues with love.

Print ISBN 9781939844132 / eBook ISBN 9781939844149 / audio book

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Audible






For more gift ideas, visit Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.


See a book someone might like? What book do you recommend as a gift and why?

Remakes Blogest, Instagram, SoundCloud, DLP Swag, and the Holly Jolly Holiday Show

Hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh and Heather M. Gardner.

Remakes – most of them suck. Now and then, one comes along that is as good as, if not better, than the original. And after all of the bad ones we’ve endured, we want to know about some good ones.

On November 13, 2017, blog about your favorite remake: movie (or television show into movie and vice versa), song, or book – or all three! Post a YouTube video and links where we can find these treasures. Tell us why THIS remake doesn’t suck!

I knew instantly what I would pick!

The first band I ever fell in love with was Electric Light Orchestra. A good friend gave me a 45 record of their hit Turn to Stone for my 12th birthday and I was hooked. I immediately began buying all of their older albums, including their very first, No Answer.

I immediately latched onto the one hit from that album - 10538 Overture.

Over the years, it remained my most favorite ELO song and one of my top ten favorite songs of all time.

And then in 2006, Def Leppard released an album called YEAH! On it, they covered some of the songs and bands who had influenced them over the years.

Now, I am a HUGE Def Leppard fan. I’ve seen them five times in concert and Bringin’ On The Heartbreak is one of my most favorite songs. When I realized one of the songs they covered was 10538 Overture, I was ecstatic. One of my favorite bands covering one of my most favorite songs - it doesn’t get any better than that!

Most of you know the song from the movie American Hustle. They played it every time the movie won an Oscar, which just delighted me to no end.

I’m going to give you three versions of the song.

The first is the original recording remastered:

This is the 2000 performance, which sticks closely to the original, plus it has the lyrics:

And this is Def Leppard’s rendition: 

ELO is a band that resonates with me on many levels. I discovered them the year after my father died. So this song holds a lot of magic for me. And Def Leppard’s remake honors those memories.

What remakes matter to you?

Dancing Lemur Press on the move!

Dancing Lemur Press will be at the Holly Jolly Holiday Show in Kinston, NC:

Friday, November 17th, 10 am - 6 pm

Saturday, November 18th, 10 am - 4 pm

Woodmen Community Center

2602 W. Vernon Avenue

Kinston, NC 28504

It’s a great opportunity to buy unique and special Christmas gifts.

Dancing Lemur Press recently updated its merchandise page with new products and an easier flow -

 DLP Merchandise

Playing cards, mugs, and t-shirts - with Christmas coming up, these items would make great gifts. 

They are also perfect for events or as giveaway swag.

Dancing Lemur Press recently ventured onto Instagram. 

In addition to book-related images, I’ll be posting other fun and inspiring photos. (If you are on Instagram, please follow me!)

We’ve also added samples of all of our audio books to SoundCloud. 

If you want to listen to a sample before buying, this is a great place to do it. 

If you are on SoundCloud, please follow us.

Who’s ready for some Christmas shopping?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group, Tips for Writers & Others, Giveaway

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

November 1 question - Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?

I have never participated. Especially in the past 4-5 years, November has been crunch time for a lot of projects. We’ve also spent a couple Thanksgivings with my husband’s parents. Toss in the fact that I don’t have time to work on my own stuff now, let alone set aside 2-3 hours a day. Business to run, freelance work to do, and clients who need me! Maybe someday.


The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology Contest ends today. Be sure to send your entry by midnight tonight.

* * *

I’d like to share some things from the perspective of a publisher that might help some of you.

Sometimes a manuscript isn’t quite up to where it should be and the publisher asks for revisions. Once a revised manuscript is sent, unless the publisher says otherwise, that was it. If version 2.0 didn’t entice them, don’t keep revising and resending or pestering them. Submit to someone else or start a new project.

Most authors don’t have much say in their cover. With the big five, an author might be shown two concepts, and even when he/she picks example A, the publisher still might run with example B. Smaller publishers are more likely to work with an author on concepts and design, but the final say in the cover art always resides with the publisher. They call the shots since it’s their money being invested.

Don’t send the same query twice to a publisher. They keep records and will know if it’s a repeat submission. Repeat submissions when it’s not a requested revision will get you blacklisted. Same goes for mass emails.

It’s polite to respond to emails. Some publishers - and most book reviewers - don’t, and it’s unprofessional. DLP responds to every single query, no matter how bad. (Even though we state that if queries lack what we request, we won’t respond.) “We get a lot of inquiries and will only respond if we’re interested” - lazy! Between my personal email and DLP, I get 100-300 emails a day, and I still respond to inquiries. So to other publishers and book reviewers, I say suck it up, show some manners, and respond to emails.

* * *

I’d also like to share a giveaway:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Revolution 2050

by Jay Chalk

Giveaway ends November 08, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Is NaNo a big win for you?

Do you reply to emails?

If you missed it, I posted my Recommend Frightful Good Reads at The Circle of Friends on Monday.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Writing for Profit Book, IWSG Show Your Insecurity Contest, and Buy One Get One Free Audio Books October Special

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.


October 4 question - Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

I’ve slipped in general things. One character moves to New Mexico and I lived in Albuquerque for 4 years. One character struggled with self-image and parental issues, as did I.

There is a scene in one of my books where the characters are playing miniature golf. They start to move around the barriers and bricks and behind them, others start playing as if those were part of the real course. Yes, my husband, his cousins, best friend, and I did just that many years ago! Shh, don’t tell anyone - I bet some people are still trying to putt around those bricks.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Writing for Profit - Available Now

From writing to publishing to marketing, the Insecure Writer's Support Group members provide tips on making money as a writer. This guide represents the spirit of the IWSG - to encourage and support writers everywhere! It is our hope that this book will benefit you as a writer, no matter where you are in the journey.

ISBN: 9781939844453
Free!
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology Contest ends November 1st.

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Mystery/Crime/Thriller

Theme: Tick Tock

Don’t miss this great opportunity to be in a royalty-paying anthology.

Show Us Your Writer Insecurity!

Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us!

On Wednesday, October 4 (today), post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.)

The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:

Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.

Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBooks of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.

Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers.

We have some great IWSG swag – notebooks, pens, mugs, tote bags, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site.

Dancing Lemur Press, LLC October Special

Buy one audio book, get one free!

Buy any of the eleven Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. audio books in October 2017 from either iTunes, Amazon, or Audible.
Send a copy of your receipt (less any payment info) along with your 1st and 2nd choice of free audio book to inquiries AT dancinglemurpressllc.com.

You will receive a code for a free audio book download.

Choose your free book from these ten titles:

He Gave Me Barn Cats by Maria Santomasso-Hyde
The Remnant by William Michael Davidson
Tornado Warning by Tamara Hart Heiner
CassaStar by Alex J. Cavanaugh
CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh
CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh
Bloodwalker by L.X. Cain
Matowak: Woman Who Cries by Joylene Nowell Butler
Under a Purple Moon by Beverly Stowe McClure
Dragon of the Stars by Alex J. Cavanaugh

(CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh available as audio book but not available as free audio selection.)

Visit Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and select your audio books today.

It’s Halloween!

Time to read a good scare

What books chill you?

October 30-31, 2017

Who else is an insecure writer and proud of it?

A Disease Free Society - Real Vs. Fiction

Hi, Diane. Thanks for having me over on the release day for my book. It's about a disease-free society, and I'd like to share with your readers a post about what that might look like in reality.

*

My book, Black & White, looks at a society in which all disease has been eradicated. Of course, the caveat to this is that all dirt and illness has been transferred to a neighbouring country, whose residents exist in a primitive state with none of the refined privileges enjoyed by the citizens of Harmonia. But let’s pull it back for a minute and imagine a world in which all disease really had been eliminated. What would that look like and is it really something we would want?

Well, on the surface this looks like a no-brainer. Of course we’d love to banish cancer, dementia, AIDS and all the other pernicious conditions that steal our loved ones from us. On the other hand, there’s something to the idea that we need to get a little bit ill to stay healthy.

What? Well, we’ve all heard that we shouldn’t bombard our children with medications for a common cold every time they get a bit of a sniffle. It stops them from building up an immune system that would help them deal with anything more serious. OK, so those more serious things may have been eliminated, but imagine if some hitherto unknown, devastating disease was unleashed – perhaps as a weapon of war, developed and stockpiled by an unscrupulous government, or even carried here on a meteorite from outer space. We’d be utterly defenceless and the population would be decimated.

There’s also the question of the social impact and the resources available to go around. People are already living longer, and in our ideal world, everyone would live to a ripe old age, usually into their nineties or over a hundred. How to keep these old timers sustained without draining the Earth’s resources?

Here’s where things could get interesting. With the entire medical profession becoming something of a redundancy, those who previously worked in healthcare could channel their energies into other areas of science, and we could see sweeping changes and innovations brought by the availability of so much manpower. In Harmonia, all food is artificially produced and dispensed at the touch of a button. That means we wouldn’t be worrying about resources, but on the other hand the entire service sector – grocers, restaurants – would find itself out of business.

Of course, there are other types of resources to worry about as well, including fuel. It’s likely we would become entirely reliant on sustainable forms of energy, or we could see a return to smaller families of just one or two children. In Harmonia, the government has officially sanctioned only one child per family. It would be impossible to have more – the sexual act has been erased from our biology and this one government-approved child is created in a lab. Probably not an outcome anyone wants to see. It was claimed that this would make things fairer by discouraging competitiveness at an early age, but actually caused many of these children to become overly selfish and entitled.

So there’s lots of possibilities and outcomes to think about here, not all of them entirely positive. What about you? Would you want a world that was completely free of germs and disease?

Title: Black & White

Author: Nick Wilford

Genre: YA dystopian Series #: 1 of 3

Release date: 18th September 2017

Publisher: Superstar Peanut Publishing

Blurb:

What is the price paid for the creation of a perfect society?

In Whitopolis, a gleamingly white city of the future where illness has been eradicated, shock waves run through the populace when a bedraggled, dirt-stricken boy materialises in the main street. Led by government propaganda, most citizens shun him as a demon, except for Wellesbury Noon – a high school student the same age as the boy.

Upon befriending the boy, Wellesbury feels a connection that he can’t explain – as well as discovering that his new friend comes from a land that is stricken by disease and only has two weeks to live. Why do he and a girl named Ezmerelda Dontible appear to be the only ones who want to help?

As they dig deeper, everything they know is turned on its head – and a race to save one boy becomes a struggle to redeem humanity.

Purchase Links:

Buy links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

Add it on Goodreads

Meet the author:

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at his blog or connect with him on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook or Amazon.

Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of my collection A Change of Mind and Other Stories or a $10 giftcard! a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’d like to mention two other giveaways:

The Kindle Book Review Meet & Greet, featuring Dragon of the Stars by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Prizes include a Kindle Fire.
Tweet:
Dragon of the Stars by @alexjcavanaugh featured in @Kindlbookreview’s massive #giveaway https://www.thekindlebookreview.net/september-meet-greet/ Win a Kindle Fire

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Corners

by Corrina Austin

Giveaway ends September 25, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

The Insecure Writer's Support Group Anthology Contest

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.


September’s optional question - Have you ever surprised yourself with your writing? For example, by trying a new genre you didn't think you'd be comfortable in?

I actually started writing my YA/NA series, The Circle of Friends, first, but from writing my two non-fiction books, I’ve discovered I’m better with non-fiction. (Must be the professional speaker in me!)

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology Contest

Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free.

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Mystery/Crime/Thriller

Theme: Tick Tock. The story revolves around a clock, is time sensitive, or has something about a specific time. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines. No erotica, R-rated language, or graphic violence.

Story deadline: November 1st 2017

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted, previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging or Facebook IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges:

Elizabeth S. Craig writes cozy mystery series for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. She curates links on Twitter as @elizabethscraig that are later shared in the free search engine Writers Knowledge Base.

Anne Hawkins is a partner in John Hawkins & Associates, Inc., New York. Founded in 1893 by Paul R. Reynolds, it is the oldest literary agency in the country. She works with mainstream literary and commercial fiction, including mystery, suspense, and thrillers and a wide variety of serious non-fiction, particularly history, politics, biography, science, and natural history. A number of her books have gained distinction through award nominations, book-to-film contracts, significant foreign rights sales, major book club selections, or placement on the New York Times bestseller list. Anne Hawkins is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives.

Candace Havens is the Editorial Director of Covet has written multiple novels for Berkley, Entangled and Harlequin. Her books have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion and Write Touch Reader Awards. She is one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists, runs a free online writing workshop, and teaches comprehensive writing class.

Author, Public Speaker, and Executive Producer, Lynn Tincher was born just outside of Louisville, Kentucky in the beautiful city of La Grange. She has written four books, with the fifth one currently in the making. Her first book, Afterthoughts was optioned for movie production by Kilted Pictures and Dancing Forward Productions in Los Angeles. It is currently in pre-production with plans to shoot in Louisville, Kentucky very soon.

Ion Newcombe is the editor and publisher of AntipodeanSF, Australia's longest running online speculative fiction magazine, regularly issued since January 1998. His qualifications and employment range from horticulture through electronics into literature and communications.

Patricia (Pat) Stoltey is the author of four crime fiction novels published by Five Star/Cengage including a historical mystery called Wishing Caswell Dead (https://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Caswell-Dead-Patricia-Stoltey/dp/1432834401/) (December 2017). She lives in Northern Colorado with her husband Bill, Sassy Dog, and Katie Cat. To learn more about Patricia and her books, visit her website/blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Mason Canyon had a love of books since childhood encouraged by a mother who loved to read. A 30+year career in journalism fueled her desire to know what a story is all about. Blogging at Thoughts in Progress since 2009 and operating MC Book Tours for over a year. Loves to read and share great stories with others. MC Book Tours

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word!

For those of you on NetGalley, Dancing Lemur Press’ March 2018 release, Corners by Corrina Austin, is now available for review.
If you’re not on NetGalley and are interested in reviewing this middle grade/adult-coming of age fiction story, please leave a comment or send an email to inquiries AT dancinglemurpressllc.com. There are still print copies available, too.

Plus October 4 is the Show Us Your Writer Insecurity contest.


Will you be participating in either contest? What surprised you as a writer? Want to review Corners?





Those of you who follow me on Facebook saw the new additions to our home:

This is Star and he's all boy. And a bit of a dork. His full name is Star Lord, but he's already been dubbed Star Dork.

This is Rocket and she's a sweetie who loves her furry mice. (They aren't related and she's 6 weeks younger than him)

I'd petitioned to name them Rocket and Groot (our other cats were Calvin & Hobbes and Rocko & Spunky) but my husband couldn't see himself calling for Groot. Now that we've had them over a week, I can safely say Groot would've really fit.

Audio Books are on the Rise - Are You Riding the Wave?

I am at The Insecure Writer’s Support Group today with book formatting tips.

Five-six years ago, the only book format plunging faster than audio books was the mass-market paperback.

Now, thanks to downloadable mp3s and the rise of people listening with their cell phones, audio books have made a big comeback.

While some continue to produce CDs, most publishers and authors have migrated to downloadable content. With companies such as ACX, it no longer costs a fortune to produce an audio book.

Over a year ago, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. began converting its top titles to audio. There are now eleven books/collections available:

Our latest -  He Gave Me Barn Cats

By Maria Santomasso-Hyde

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

The Remnant

By William Michael Davidson

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

Under a Purple Moon

By Beverly Stowe McClure

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

Dragon of the Stars

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

Tornado Warning

By Tamara Hart Heiner

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

Mâtowak: Woman Who Cries

By Joylene Nowell Butler

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

Bloodwalker

By L.X. Cain

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

CassaStar

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Amazon / ITunes / Audible

CassaFire

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Amazon / ITunes / Audible

CassaStorm

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Amazon / ITunes / Audible

CassaSeries

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Boxed Set

Amazon / iTunes / Audible

Are you listening to audio books? Are your books available on audio?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group, Twitter Giveaway Results, and Show us Your Writer Insecurity

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The co-hosts today are Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!

The optional August 2 question: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing?

Reading - Something I used to do a lot myself - head-hopping.
Writing - When I write a line I know is passive but my brain can’t think of anything else.
Editing - Passive words and phrases.


Audio Book Giveaway Update and Findings

From mid-May to mid-July, Dancing Lemur Press ran a weekly audio book giveaway on Twitter. Retweet the pinned tweet to enter.

While the genre of the book didn’t appear to have an impact, the author’s online social presence did. The more involved they were online, the more retweets and entries, with those possessing the largest followings garnering the most. When the author had a very small following or did not get as involved in the promotion, the retweets were very low.

Many of the authors were smart enough to pin a tweet, pointing their followers to DLP’s pinned tweet and enticing more entries. On Twitter, retweeting others often means they will come to your site and retweet something of yours - and a pinned tweet is the easiest to retweet. (If they have to search for a tweet that originated from you, then doubtful they’ll retweet anything.) However, I noticed that a large following of retweeters didn’t help, because all they did was retweet the author’s pinned tweet - they didn’t come over and tweet the DLP tweet to enter.

All in all, the audio book with the most entries had 52 and the one with the lowest only 13, and those figures directly correlate with my findings above.

So, if you’re going to do any giveaway on Twitter, have a solid, devoted following online and be prepared to get involved.

July 27 was the very first IWSG Twitter pitch party, #IWSGPit. And it was a huge success! Alex had this to say about it:

Thanks to all who participated in or promoted the #IWSGPit Twitter pitch party. It was an incredible success – there were 2300 Tweets and we were a trending topic. The IWSG team learned a lot and the next #IWSGPit in January will be even better. Now that we’ve established ourselves and the site is a Writer’s Digest Top 101 Site for Writers, there will be five times the amount of publishers and agents watching the feed. Thanks again for such a successful event! - Alex

Dancing Lemur Press has participated in a lot of pitches. While nothing compares to #PitMad’s 900 Tweets per hour, our 200 Tweets per hour was the 2nd or 3rd most I have ever seen. And we got A LOT of submissions. Boo-yah!


On August 24th at 2:00 pm EST, Chrys Fey will be participating in a LIVE YouTube interview with Evan Carmichael, an entrepreneur who she'll be interviewing about his book Your One Word and getting some great advice for IWSG members. You'll be able to watch the interview live HERE. You can set a reminder if you click on the link, or you can watch it later.The video will be uploaded in the August 30th IWSG newsletter issue.

Show Us Your Writer Insecurity!

Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us!

On Wednesday, October 4 (IWSG Day), post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.)

The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:

Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.

Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBooks of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.

Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers.

We have some great IWSG swag – notebooks, pens, mugs, tote bags, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site.

You have two months to prepare – show us your best insecurity!


What are your pet peeves?

Writing Contests, Twitter Pitches & #IWSGPit, and IWSG Writing for Profit

Want to know more about Twitter pitch parties? Visit IWSG partner Reedsy for my rundown of Twitter pitches, what to expect, and why they are important.

Want to know more about writing contests? Beverly Stowe McClure is a guest today at the IWSG website and she talks about her experiences with contests and how her books have won so many.

My next post will be on August 2nd, IWSG day, and after two months of audio book giveaways on Twitter, I’m ready to share some interesting stuff regarding books, authors, and social media.

This Thursday is #IWSGPit, our first ever Twitter pitch party. There are a lot of participating agents and publishers. See the site for details and polish your pitches.

The deadline for the IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit is July 31st. This is open to all members of our groups and can be about what works or what doesn’t work when it comes to making money as a writer. See the site for more details.

 

Since I gave you several important links to visit, comments are turned off here. I’ll see you on August 2nd.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, #IWSGPit, and #Giveaway

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The #IWSGPit Twitter pitch is July 27!

If you’ve never participated in a Twitter pitch party, this is your time to dive in. From a publisher’s perspective, I can tell you, they are inspiring and exciting. This might be YOUR time to snag the attention of a publisher or agent.

Visit the site for more information.

Today’s question: What is one valuable lesson you've learned since you started writing?

I’ve learned that promotion is everything. Great marketing can save an average book. No marketing will destroy a great book. It’s all about how much effort the author and publisher put into promoting a book that matters. Sometimes books fall through the cracks. Sometimes below average books sell like crazy. But ultimately, it is the marketing that matters.

I also learned that I’m probably a much better publisher than I am a writer. Oh well!


For the past two months, @DancingLemurPre has been hosting an audio book giveaway on Twitter.

Through today, Wednesday, the giveaway is for CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Starting July 6, it will be for Under a Purple Moon by Beverly Stowe McClure.

It’s been interesting seeing what works and what doesn’t with promoting this giveaway. I’ll post my findings very soon!




What have you learned since you started writing?