Archive for May, 2008
A Publishing Company Planting Trees? It Ain’t Easy Being Green
Justin here, and today I’m announcing that our partnership with Trees for the Future has resulted in more than 500 trees planted in Moja Garena, Ethiopia, an area devastated by deforestation.
As you might recall, we pledged to plant a tree for every Wordclay book published in April, and two trees for books published on Earth Day, April 22. Fortunately, we published quite a few authors last month, and we were to make good on our word.
In honor of this achievement, Wordclay and our authors (notified via e-mail) received a snazzy certificate, but the real satisfaction comes from the locations and the people these trees help. The certificate is posted here, but you can view a copy on the Wordclay Bookstore Spotlight.
Just watch Trees for the Future documentary video with founder, Dave Deppner, if you’re curious about the settings your publication indirectly helped by our donation.
Truth be told, it’s difficult to conceive of an environmentally friendly publishing company without imagining a futuristic coffeehouse, where are the students are reading from their handheld digital books, paper now obsolete. You can definitely see movement toward these paperless technologies with print-on-demand virtual inventories and Amazon’s new wireless reading device Kindle, but we can hardly deny the substantial paper consumption by publishing and printing companies alike.
Wordclay understands its paper consumption and carbon emission shortcomings, but we also want to ensure the future of our planet’s health as well as the future of book publishing. (more…)
Add comment May 30, 2008
Which is best? Reading the book, before the film, or after?
With the continuing trend of turning bestselling books (even not-so-bestselling) into movies, is it still better to read the book before seeing the film, or should you wait to read the book until after seeing Hollywood’s adaptation (great movie, by the way!)?
I’ve always been the traditionalist, refusing to see a movie till after I’ve read the book. For the most part, I think this has served me well. True, I do get disappointed a fair amount of the time when favorite bits from a novel aren’t included in the screen narrative, but I also get to enjoy having some amazing prose brought to life, visually.
I’m not just talking the characters, either. I’m talking the lyricism of an author’s particular style of writing being faithfully and beautifully adapted to the screen. The example that springs to mind most easily is Michael Ondaatje’s English Patient, lovingly put on celluloid by Anthony Minghella. There were lots of instances where the two narratives didn’t match up, but it was like I was watching the language of the book translated into light.
But then, you’ve got series of books—Harry Potter, for example—where you read the first four volumes, as soon as they come out, go and see the first film when it premieres (which was much too juvenile a reflection of the first book), and from then on out, you are forced to see these young actors as the characters in the books, when before it was left to your imagination. So, read all the books before seeing any of the films?
On the other hand, if I could have waited to read The Golden Compass until after I saw the movie, maybe I wouldn’t have been so heart-wrenchingly disappointed with the adaptation. Granted, waiting to read the book wouldn’t have made it a better film, but maybe I wouldn’t have felt so betrayed.
I haven’t read The Hobbit yet, so maybe I’ll wait to read it until after seeing Guillermo del Toro’s two-movie adaptation of the book (and whatever story is supposed to follow). I trust del Toro as a filmmaker and storyteller (how great was Pan’s Labyrinth?!), and imagine he’ll do his best to faithfully adapt the narrative and the “feel” of the book, especially with Peter Jackson producing. I guess it’s a good book/movie combination to experiment with because, honestly, I can’t think of any examples, off-hand, where I’ve seen the movie first and read the book later. Unless I didn’t know there was a book to begin with …
So, what y’all think? Which is better? Read the book first, or see the movie first?
-Jenn
Add comment May 29, 2008
Wordbot Reports: AuthorTreeHouse Book Marketing Community Is No Hoax!
Greetings, Earthlings,
Wordbot here, and today I’m visiting AuthorTreeHouse, the book marketing company blog upgrade by AuthorTree. For those of you newcomers who haven’t updated your data logs or RSS feeds, here’s some input about AuthorTree, an organization designed specifically to help authors promote their publications.
Got AuthorTree?
Growing from a conceptual seed for the past three year, AuthorTree has become an innovative marketing tool for authors of all walks. Now, with AuthorTree, you can register at no cost and build your free author Web site, where you can upload images, post relevant publishing blogs, showcase interesting reviews about your book, announce your upcoming signing or reading events and maximize your search engine optimization (SEO) by populating your site with thematic keywords.
Got AuthorTreeHouse?
AuthorTreeHouse is the skyward hangout for authors who have questions or general curiosities about online book marketing as well as the traditional methods of promoting titles. Employing a team of publicity professionals, including an elderly owl name Professor Willard Wisely and a skeptical woodpecker named Doubting Thomas, AuthorTreeHouse has answers for devoted authors and readers alike.
In addition to the upcoming articles on topics ranging from search engine optimization (SEO) to book trailers to syndicated radio interviews, their marketing bloggers manage a marketing forum called AuthorNest, where anyone can post questions about book promotion strategies and techniques. They also manage “spolight contests” for authors to showcase their AuthorTree Web sites. Plus, every week, on the AuthorTreeHouse tree trunk (the blog sidebar), the bloggers post basic marketing tips about blogging, images, social networking, hyperlinks, book reviews, placing advertisements, all which can be employed on any author’s free AuthorTree Web page.
But that’s not all. Every month, you can submit marketing resources of your own, which AuthorTreeHouse will link from the trunk. You can also enter your personal AuthorTree author site in the spotlight competition, which can earn you a presence on the blog for more than a month.
What is AuthorTreeHouse, really?
Being a robot and an artificial life form, my central processor skipped a few beats as I climbed the ladder leading to AuthorTreeHouse, where I assumed the promotion gurus and native marketing birds would shun me immediately. (more…)
Add comment May 27, 2008
First a Free Poetry Contest, Now Short Stories: Are Wordclay’s Contests Scams?
The short answer, NO!
Wordclay’s contests are completely legit.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Of course a Wordclay employee would say that the contest isn’t a scam … why should we believe you?!”
Well, I’d like to present some evidence that proves Wordclay’s Writing Contests are not scams.
Exhibit A: Look at our first contests, the Poetry Contests, as an example. The Single Poem and Book of Poetry contests were both completely free to enter, and the results are readily available. We’ve made massive amounts of information available to you on the winners at Wordclay’s Contest Connection as well was the this blog. Extensive follow-up rarely occurs with scams.
Exhibit B: Our very own blog contributor, Justin, posted interviews he conducted with both Grand Prize winners Brenda Mirsky and Jamie Crawford. As you read the interviews, you can even see comments from Mirsky’s family members. You’ll see that we never tried to “pull a fast one” on the participants. The prizes were given (more…)
1 comment May 22, 2008
Benefits of Book Reviews: Choosing Periodicals That Target Your Audience
Book Reviews could be one of the most useful promotion techniques an author has at their disposal. Not only might you achieve a good rating by insightful professionals, but if your review is posted within an online periodical, you also gain SEO keywords for your Internet searchable book as well as thousands of possible readers who trust the periodical that’s featuring your book review.
Only thing is book reviews can be scary and risky. What if you get a bad review? A few words said by one respected reviewer can definitely affect the tide of your book sales. The better the words about your book, the more likely your book will sell to the masses. But the deeper a reviewer’s words cut into your book’s reputation, the more likely your book sales will suffer as a result. What’s an author to do with their writing future hanging in the balance?
Consider the Alternative:
Don’t be shy! Without a book review, your book will require a different means of standing out among other titles, perhaps a marketing plan that features readings and book signings for which you might not have the time.
Don’t hide either! A book review, especially by reviewers for magazines and journals that interested readers frequent, either online or in print, can only help reader understand your work. People will talk about your book nonetheless, so it’s definitely better to have the comments out in the open, for all to see.
Accept criticism! Readers are intelligent people, too. If claims by a reviewer are unfair or unjustified, you’ll definitely see a response by readers. And if the criticism is founded on fact, you’ll have some good insight into your own writing, comments that you can use when drafting your next publication. And remember, even a bad review can help get the word out about you!
(Continue below to read about Word of Mouth Marketing…) (more…)
2 comments May 20, 2008
Where’s Your Best Reading Spot? Where’s Your Favorite Writing Retreat?
Are the places we enjoy reading also the places we enjoy writing? I have this idyllic image in my head, of a young woman in a long skirt, sitting beneath a green, leafy tree, legs pulled up beneath her, reading a book resting in her lap. There’s a hill of green rising up behind her, white clouds floating across a blue sky (in no particular hurry) and sheep grazing on the hill. Yep – I’ve read/seen too many Jane Austen stories.
But could you write in this idealized space? Probably. As long as the bugs didn’t annoy you too much, the sheep didn’t attempt to eat your paper, and the clouds didn’t turn angry. But who actually “writes” anymore, scribbling words across the page, the pen making that distinct scratching sound? That seems as much of an anachronism as the young lady in the long skirt. Would your laptop work in the green hills?
Where is the best place to read or write? A nice, comfy chair might be just the ticket for a couple of hours of reading, but the same chair, when attempting to write the next great American novel, can lead to extensive yawning and a quick nap to refresh one’s perspective.
I can’t read in moving vehicles, except planes, so I’m pretty sure I couldn’t write, either – I’ve never really tried, though. Writing on planes seems like it would be easy, but a car or bus? Yeah, I’m going to dismiss these locations out-of-hand – not appealing in any way.
Nostalgia of high school and college brings to mind the diners in which we’d set up shop for the night – books, and notebooks, and endless glasses of iced tea and, later, cups of coffee. Old, overstuffed booths with the stuffing creeping from rips in the vinyl and tables 
sticky from the rag used to “clean” them. And pie. Isolated, kinda, but you can hear the surrounding people, maybe incorporate snippets of random conversation into the story you’re attempting to finish…or start. Too many cigarettes while reading or talking about the line or paragraph you’ve just read. Yeah, I like the diner scene.
Where else can writing and reading be enjoyed equally? Are there books or magazines out there that address the idea of creating spaces specifically for these pursuits? You’ve got libraries and you’ve got offices, but someone, somewhere has to want to reinvent these spaces – right?
-Jenn
1 comment May 15, 2008
Wordclay Short Story Contests: Three Weeks and Counting Down
Greetings, Earthlings,
Wordbot here, and I wanted to remind all those surfing the tsunami waves of the Internet that you only have t-minus three weeks and counting to submit to the Wordclay Single Short Story Contest and Short Story Collection Contest.
In other words, it’s not too late to e-mail your cover letters and stellar pieces to contests@wordclay.com as Microsoft Word attachments. Please double space all your entries, too. This robot’s fiber-optic implants aren’t what they used to be, and they don’t make reading glasses for androids without noses yet. So help a robot out and make your entries clear, so the judges and I can enjoy your prose.
Visit the Wordclay Contest Connection page for the complete guidelines and submission instructions.
Single Short Story Contest Deadline: May 31, 2008, 11:59 p.m. EST
Short Story Collection Contest Deadline: May 31, 2008, 11:59 p.m. EST
As the entries mount and I run submissions through my publishing-feed processor, my aluminum knees are knocking with excitement. This is your chance to register with Wordclay for free, and submit up to three stories for a chance to appear in Wordclay’s new anthology series, Best Modern Voices.
To review winning entries from the previous poetry contest, check out Volume 1: A Poetry Anthology, available in the Wordclay Bookstore.
Wordbot upload complete. Transmission ended.
Add comment May 13, 2008
Learn to Market Yourself: How to Write an “About the Author” for Your Book
It’s a widespread area of uncertainty for up and coming authors: the blurb about the author. “Should I include it? What do I write?!” Often times, authors don’t even consider including one until it’s time to publish their book.
While there is no rule that all books must have text about the author, it’s actually common and a good marketing idea for a couple of reasons:
1. Seize the opportunity to connect with your readers before they read the book, while they’re still deciding ift hey should read your words.
2. Solidify the bond with your reader after they’ve spent time reading your book.
For most people, the about the author might not have a huge influence on whether or not someone buys a book (unless the author is famous or well-known). But the second point is extremely valuable to building a loyal fan base, piquing curiosity and helping to further define the picture readers have of you in their mind.
Here are some helpful hints about how to write an about the author for your book:
Use the third person
You’ve probably heard this one before, but it’s an important point. Instead of saying “I, me, my,” say “[Your name], she/he, her/his.” Even though it might feel weird and perhaps a little psychotic, that’s just how it’s done. It’s an industry standard, so play along.
If you can’t tell everyone, don’t tell anyone
This text will be available to the public. Would you be comfortable with your boss reading it? How about your father, grandmother or child? What about a complete stranger? Or that neighbor you are sure stomped your tulips? Personal information (more…)
6 comments May 8, 2008
SEO Writing: Getting Your Unique Voice, Your Literary Authority and Your Authorship Noticed on the Internet
What is SEO?
Short for Search Engine Optimization, SEO writing utilizes the keywords of your Internet articles and posts to locate your content when an individual searches on your subjects. For instance, when a person searches on “free self-publishing,” the Wordclay blog will be listed among the pages that may interest you. Similarly, when a person types “free author Web sites” into the Google field, AuthorTree will be listed as one of the sites you would want to visit.
The Next Step
Say you’ve published your book and perhaps you’ve even set up a free author Web site with AuthorTree. Now what?
In order to get as much Internet exposure as possible, you need relevant and insightful content that will not only reveal the virtues of your recent publication, but also optimize the odds that readers will stumble upon your title as they search on specific keywords and loyally read certain periodicals.
For example, your book may concern a particularly heated political issue, so your target audience may visit blogs and news feeds that examine these issues at length. Even if you’re not writing for CNN, you can still draft and submit relevant articles to other Internet corners that are related to your field of expertise. The more people read your insightful prose and hear the authority in your voice, the more they’ll trust your book is a good investment.
It doesn’t stop with articles either. There are plenty of Internet journals that allow writers to post or submit reviews. Topics of these articles are numerous, with subjects such as TV shows, movies, books, magazines, comics, art exhibits, music albums, cultural and sub-cultural events, as well as other forms of emerging multimedia platforms.
You may also want to submit more personal articles to various e-zines. If you’ve had a recent dating experience others might enjoy, check out Nerve, where you may consider submitting a piece of creative nonfiction. Or if you’re particularly interested in pop culture, maybe visit PopMatters and search out a place for your voice.
As you post these reviews and feature stories, your recognition should grow as your writing infiltrates the digital world. (more…)
4 comments May 6, 2008
How High Can You Count? An Innovative Video Experiment Calls for Submissions
Browsing one of my favorite Web sites, The Internet Movie Database, for information on Joss Whedon’s new TV series for the Fall, I stumbled upon a link at the bottom of their home page.
There’s a guy, Adam Box, takes his inspiration from Kyle MacDonald’s book, One Red Paperclip, and the non-profit organization The 1 Second Film, not to mention some random guy who collected pictures of sheep from around the world. Considering all this, Box decided to put together a film project for his family—specifically his daughter—and called for submission.
Called Counting High, numbers from 1 to 123,465 will each get their own frame in the film. And everyone who participates in the project gets their very own number to design as they please, in whatever medium they choose.
My number’s 23. Which I’m totally loving—it’s prime, figures somewhat extensively in Lost lore, it’s sort of round—it’s just a cool number.
But I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what to do with it. I could paint it, I could sculpt it, I could choose a font and have large black text on white paper…I could have my hapless co-workers form the numbers on the floor of the auditorium and take a picture. Hee, hee.
The ways in which I can use this number are endless so, I’m having trouble focusing. And, really, with 25 frames per second, the chances of anyone seeing my number and being profoundly affected by its design are pretty low. It’s not about any single number, is it? It’s about the effect of the whole, all 123, 456 numbers.
So, if you want a number, visit Count High, read the background behind the project and e-mail Adam your request for a number—I think he still has a ways to go. Maybe I’ll get “23” tattooed on me somewhere, take a picture of it and use that as my submission. Problem solved!
-Jenn
Add comment May 1, 2008
