Crypticon Seattle 2015

by Jennifer 26. May 2015 14:08

Jennifer was at Crypticon Seattle, manning the Apocalypse Ink Productions booth, shared with the ever awesome Evil Girlfriend Media publishing house. It was a new audience for AIP books and they sold well.


This handsome gargoyle watched over the AIP table the entire weekend.

AIP plans to return to Crypticon Seattle in 2016.

Tags:

Author Etiquette: How to Promote Yourself May 2015

by Jennifer 19. May 2015 10:21

Welcome again to another edition of Author Etiquette. Apocalypse Ink Production started our segment on a few months ago and so far it’s been a great success. AIP loves authors. We wouldn’t be in this business if we didn’t; but we have seen situations blow up that could have been prevented with just a little bit of patience, communication and common sense.  Whether you are a new author or a pro, it’s sometimes handy to have a small reminder on how to handle a situation before it it gets ugly.

 

“Hello, thanks for following/friending/liking me. Please purchase my newest novel available at (website).”

 

“Great post. Like by (author/artist) at website (website). See my new stories!”

 

“Dear Author,

If you liked (Insert popular novel) you’ll enjoy my newest book (title).

Thanks

(author)”

 

I get messages like this at least once a week, mainly from authors and artists who don’t understand the basics of promotion. It’s annoying for more than one reason and I generally delete the message or post and block the offender. But, sometimes, I take pity on a newer author and try to at least explain why this is spam and annoys everyone who receives such messages.

 

Promotion is the act of bringing interest to a product, service or individual. It is often used in a marketing plan to increase demand. Whether you promote yourself or have others promote you, it’s important to understand a few basic rules.

Be yourself

When you look at (insert famous author) facebook page or twitter stream it won’t be filled with pleas to buy the next book--unless it’s a release week. Instead, most pages are filled with posts that make that author a person. Common posts could include photos of friends and family, recipies, posts on pets and other conversations about the things that matter to the author.

 

What attracts people to your books may not be the story you tell but the person that others see. Being yourself will attract those who read what you like to write. It’s okay to talk about your work, just make sure that you talk about other things too.  Writers talk about needing more rounded characters; make sure you have a well rounded author as well.

It’s not supposed to be easy

Promotions, especially online through social media, blog posts and email can seem like a quick and easy way to contact a lot of people. It can be if you have permission to contact them via a newsletter, long standing friendship, or in a group that allows promotional posts. But, if you don’t have permission, don’t know the person or are in a group that doesn’t allow promotions, then there’s a good chance your posts could be deleted or you could be blocked.

 

Building your promotional platform will take time. By being yourself, you build friendships and those friendships are key to promotion. As anyone knows, those friendships take time to build. Time and effort is needed. And yes it is work.

It’s not always about you

One of the biggest mistake some authors make is to focus solely on their own work. But there are many other stories out that that probably appeal to you. So why not help promote them too?

 

Much of the promotions for small press and newer writers is accomplished by volunteers or people who have enjoyed their work. It’s a very much a “if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” situation. Most of the time, if you help promote a story, the favor will be returned later.

Quality not quantity

All authors understand the excitement of a new story or book being out. It’s easy to get caught up wanting to tell everyone about your new publication, but not everyone wants to hear it 24/7.

You are more likely to get click throughs from a few, very well thought out and worded post than the same post every half hour. Sure you might be reaching more people, but the constant promotion is annoying, not intriguing.  Craft your promotional posts carefully. Tease out a few details, encourage them to read or even purchase, but don’t spam your fan base.

When you are starting out in any sort of creative venture it’s very important to get your name and your work out there and it’s easy to justify shortcuts. But when it comes to promoting, the best option isn’t to post the same thing over and over and message everyone on your friend, follower or email list. You won’t make any headway and in many instances will find yourself blocked from other interactions. Be yourself and help other authors out--most of the time they will happily exchange the favor. Most of all be polite and friendly--it will take you further than you think.

 

Thank you for reading and we hope this post helps you understand a little more about promotions.
~The Shadow Minion

Tags: ,

THE TORN SOUL Has Been Released!

by Jennifer 15. May 2015 11:45

The Torn Soul
Sheynan Trilogy #3
This is the final book in the series.
Apocalypse Ink Productions | Amazon
DriveThruFiction | Barnes & Noble

Time is running out for Darien.

It has been nearly a year since the battle in Texas, where Darien learned of the curse that accompanies his powers as Sheynan. He is afraid to leave the safe haven of Susan’s family cabin in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, despite Richard’s growing impatience.

When the Arm of Gaia and the Shadows catch up to them, Darien is unprepared for the consequences, and only the intervention of a secretive government agency saves their lives. Who and what is this agency? How do they know so much about Shifters? Is their offer of help really what it appears to be? Or, is it something more nefarious?

As new players and new dangers enter the scene, Darien must confront his past, and convince the Arm and the Shadows to work together against a new enemy—before his mind is lost to the Sheynan’s curse.

Tags: , ,

Apocalypse Ink Productions

A small press publication house specializing in dark speculative fiction.

Latest Releases

http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/pix/5MinFrontCover200.jpg
Five Minute Stories Podcast
Buy Now. More Information.

http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/pix/Aisforapexcover200x200.jpg
A is for Apex
ABC book
Buy Now. More Information.

http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/pix/PrinceOfArtemisV200.jpg
The Prince of Artemis V
comic book
Buy Now. More Information.


Karen Wilson Chronicles
Omnibus

Buy now.
More Information

http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/pix/IndustryTalks200.jpg
Industry Talk

More InformationBuy Now.