Monstrous Monday Blogfest

Today is the Monstrous Monday Blogfest, hosted by Tim Brannan.

My favorite monster actually ties in very well with my blog’s theme, because it’s the result of one author’s attention to detail, world building, and quality writing.

My favorite monster is Cthulhu, along with all of the other creations from the mind of author H. P. Lovecraft.

Back in the 20’s and 30’s, Lovecraft wrote over a hundred short stories and a few novelettes. He was the master world builder, creating new realms in our world, the Dreamlands, and in our past and future. Most were tied together by a common thread - the Mythos. This was a major undertaking, especially during Lovecraft’s time. But between the worlds, the Mythos, the unique monsters, and vivid imagery, the author created stories that were creepy and frightening on a whole new level.

Lovecraft’s books have inspired others for decades. August Derleth has continued Lovecraft’s work, producing more tales of terror and compiling the master’s works into numerous volumes. A RPG game was created, Call of Cthulhu. (Yes, I was the Keeper when we played.) Countless bad movies have been made and Lovecraft’s work has inspired artists. Cthulhu appears on t-shirts and slippers - even as stuffed toys. (I have one of those, too!)

My thanks to the master of horror for creating the Mythos and Cthulhu!

Visit others participating in this blogfest:



What is your favorite monster?

Industry News, Beyond the Book, and Friday Inspirational Photo

Industry News:

Brian Jud posted 30 Ways to Get Free Advertising for books.

Pin Pads at 63 Barnes and Noble stores were hacked, prompting the company to stop using Pin Pads in all 700 of its stores. Online and Nook purchases were not affected. Read full article at Publishers Weekly.


From my upcoming How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now - Beyond the Book:

You should also think beyond the initial manuscript. That one book could contain countless possibilities. Publishers are always looking at other options, as evidenced by the rights they wish to keep in the contract, and you should be, too. (Especially if you self-publish.)

• Foreign rights: Your book translated into another language.
• Audio books: Downloadable MP3 files or CD recordings of a professional reading your book.
• Book clubs: Book of the Month and similar clubs that offer books to members. Often this entails the creation of a smaller, hardback version of the book, which is sent for consideration six months or more before its release. Book clubs don’t return books — a big plus for you and/or your publisher.
• Magazine excerpts: Short excerpts of your book.
• Movie or TV rights: Your book becomes a studio release, TV movie, or TV series.
• Book series: Your book develops into a series and spawns sequels.
• Additional material: Your book is sold in a bundle with a CD, activity kit, toy, etc.
• Aftermarket merchandise: Your book has become a franchise, resulting in the sale of related items.

And your Friday inspirational photo:

Go for a ride!

Blog Widgets and Marketing Materials for Authors

Blog Widgets

Most of us use standard widgets for our blog - widgets for following, blogrolls, archives, Twitter, etc.

But if you’re looking for some really unique widgets, visit Mashable’s 50 Great Widgets for Your Blog.

To give you a sample:
LinkedInABox – show off your LinkedIn profile. Perfect for personal blogs.
WikiSeek – search Wikipedia with this simple widget.
Now Playing – if you got to share your current playlist contents with the world, Sigamp will do the trick. Works with most popular music players, including Foobar, Winamp, iTunes and others.
3Jam – lets your visitors send messages to your mobile phone, without them knowing your phone number.
iBegin Weather Widget – Display weather information in your sidebar. Just like with Price of Gas, works great with travel-related blogs.

You can also visit sites such as Widgetbox and custom create your own widgets.

Any fun widgets outside of the standards you’d recommend?


Marketing Materials

Even though most of our promotions are online now, there are still tangible items that can help us promote our books:

Bookmarks - essential for any author

Business cards - also essential - you are a professional now

Postcards - mail to libraries, bookstores, target lists, fan clubs

Brochures - highlight your book titles, your speaking topics, etc.

Sell sheets & flyers - for the media, bookstores, and libraries

Press kit - your website should have a ‘media room,’ but it’s a good idea to have a physical press kit just in case

List of emails & addresses - can’t send out news of your next book without these

Posters & display items - for physical appearances

Giveaway items - pens, mugs, totes, etc.

Additional materials sold with your book - packaged with a CDRom, stuffed toy, etc.

Any other promotional materials you’d recommend?

Publishing Industry News and Friday Inspirational Photo

News around the industry…

From the The New York Times:

“The Harper imprint of HarperCollins Publishers said on Tuesday that it was creating a new list of books, called Infinitum Nihil, that will publish titles reflecting Mr. Depp’s eclectic tastes and interests.”

(Yes, that is THE Johnny Depp.)


According to The Next Web:

“Haynes Publishing is launching its first range of eBooks, and interestingly is bypassing the ‘traditional’ means of selling them such as Amazon and Kobo, opting to sell them independently through its own website…
“Now, the company will be coming into the 21st century with a range of titles published in the open eBook standard ePub format, and will see the books landing on iPads, Sony e-readers, Android and other compatible devices.”


And from Publishers Weekly:

“Pop culture fans jammed the aisles of the Javits Center for all four days of the New York Comic Con, held this past weekend. Attendance was estimated as 116,000 by show runner and ReedPop v-p Lance Fensterman, making it the second largest comics and pop culture show in North America.”


And your Friday inspirational photo: