2/2020 - To fight back against spam comments, I am closing comments to all older posts. Current blog posts will still have comments open. I apologize for this inconvenience.
A press kit, aka a media kit, is a package of
promotional information about a person or company. A press kit is given to the
media to aid with interviews, product (book) releases, and news conferences.
Every author should create a press kit to make it easier
for people to get all the information about you and your published work in one
place. Plus, you can give your press kits to bloggers when you’re setting up
your blog tour.
TIP:You can also include links to article you've done or that are about you.
3. List of Published Work
4. Agent/Publisher Information (including website and
address)
5. Sample Interview Questions (optional)
6. Cover Art for Published Work
7. Book Blurbs
8. Book Information (Genre, Release Date, etc.)
9. Book Buy Links
10. Contact Information
Once you have everything configured in a document, save
it to email to bloggers and anyone else who needs it. You can then add a page
to your blog and/or website with all the same information for people who may be
searching for it. Doing this is always a good idea. You can also create a
downloadable press kit and add the link to your blog/website. I used Google Docs. But there are other websites
that you can use.
TIP:Don’t forget to update your press kit whenever you
publish a new book.
With
the start of a new school year, I thought it was the perfect time
to interview Sherry Ellis. Her blog is called Mama Diaries and all of her posts
feature cute stories about her kids. Sometimes her pets even get in on the shenanigans. Let’s chat with her! :)
1. Hi, Sherry! Can
you tell us about your blog Mama Diaries?
Mama
Diaries began in 2010. It’s pretty much a daily account of the goofy things
that happen in my life as a mom. It started as a way to capture all the
memories of my children’s childhood, so that I could share it with them when
they’re older. I also thought it might be nice for readers of my books to get
to know a little about me on a personal level. I never thought I’d get to meet
so many awesome writers and bloggers by doing it!
2.I truly enjoy your funny and often heartwarming posts. Do
your kids know you share the funny things they say and do on your blog? If so,
have they ever asked you not to share something?
Yes,
they do. And yes, there have been many times they’ve asked me not to share
things. On quite a few occasions, after something funny happens, one of the
kids will follow with, “You’d better not blog about that!” I respect their
wishes. You probably notice there are not a lot of posts about my teenaged
daughter. That’s the reason.
3.All teenaged girls like their privacy. What
was your very first blog post?
5. For
those who may not read your posts, can you tell us a little about your kids?
And your dog, Schultz, who often makes an appearance?
I
have two kids – an eleven-year old son (Bubba), and a fourteen-year-old daughter.
They are both great kids – very smart and creative. Bubba, who is the main
subject of my posts, has an amazing imagination. His way of seeing the world is
quite entertaining. Then there’s the dog – Schultz. He’s our hundred pound
German Shepherd. When he was a puppy, there were more stories about him,
because he was always in trouble. Now, not so much. But every now and then
he’ll do something crazy that I have to share. (He never objects to my posts!)
6. What
are the top 5 most-viewed posts on your blog?
A
parent-child bond is really special. I’ve been able to watch my children grow
and experience life. I’ve seen their personalities and interests unfold. I’ve
been there through their ups and downs. That bond that we share is what I like
best.
8. Share
your number one tip to bloggers just starting out.
Get
involved with the blogging community. Find bloggers and start commenting on
their blogs. Pretty soon you’ll be building relationships, and you’ll have some
terrific new friends.
Hyper Round:
1. Favorite time to
post blogs? 1:00 PM
2. Blogger or
Wordpress? Blogger
3. Do
you host guests? Yes
4. Where are you when
you’re blogging? At my home computer
BIO:
Sherry
Ellis is a freelance writer and award-winning children’s author. Her books include Ten Zany Birds, That Mama is
a Grouch, and That Baby Woke Me Up,
AGAIN!
Sherry
is also a professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano.
She has appeared as a soloist in Germany and was a semi-finalist in the 2004
International Viola Competition in Paris, France.
Sherry
lives with her husband and two children in Atlanta, Georgia.
You
can learn more about Sherry Ellis on her website, www.sherryellis.org.
My first ever author newsletter went out yesterday! YAY!!! I was thrilled about the number of people who signed up and the response I got, including how many people opened it.
THANK YOU!
Next month's newsletter is going to be EVEN BETTER! ;)
***
I love to do nature projects with my nephews. A while ago
we made pine cone bird feeders. It was really fun and easy. And it’s perfect for
the summer when birds are everywhere.
Need:
Pine Cones
Peanut butter
Bird seed
Paper plates
Plastic knives
String
Scissors
Instructions:
1. Go for a walk or hunt through the woods with your kids/grandkids
for pine cones, but be careful because some pine cones can be sharp!
2. Cut about 4-5 inches of string. Tie it to the top
spike on the pine cones. Keep the two ends untied for hanging.
3. Scoop out some peanut butter into a bowl.
4. Give the kids a plastic knife, place a paper plate in
front of them, and have them spread peanut butter over the pine cones. My
youngest nephew had fun putting peanut butter deep into the cones.
TIP: Closed pine cones are easier to smear peanut butter
over.
My youngest nephew was very focused.
5. Once all the pine cones are coated, pour an inch or so
of bird seed in a paper plate and have the kids roll their pine cones over it
until all the peanut butter is hidden by seeds.
TIP: Give them a spoon to help them get seeds into all
the nooks and cranies.
6. Bring the kids outside and have the pick out branches
they want to hand their pine cone bird feeders from. If the branches are low
enough, they can tie them on themselves or you might have to tie them on.
My oldest nephew liked finding spots for them to hang.
7. Sit back, be quiet, and watch for birds.
After my nephews and I put all the pine cones up, a Red
Cardinal was already inspecting one.
TIP: If you sit long enough and get a lot of bird
visitors, you can have the kids look them up in a bird book or online (Google
birds native to your area, find a website with a lot of pictures, and have the
kids point out the birds they saw.)
The next day, our pinecone birdfeeders were picked clean.
One word…squirrels.
Those dudes are sneaky and clever! If you have a lot of
squirrels in your area, they may devour the goodies before the birds can. I’m
not sure how you can keep them away from these pine cone bird feeders, but they
have to eat too, don’t they?
We saw one Red Cardinal creeping up.
QUESTION: Have you ever done this project with your kids,
or when you were a kid? I remember doing it in kindergarten or first grade.
*********************************
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Sometimes our characters need to go somewhere farther
than work and the grocery store. Sometimes they need to go out of state. You
could skip the plane ride, but I’m one of those writers who believe in writing
everything to make the story realistic. You don’t have to, though. You can
start a chapter with your character(s) in the airport after their flight, or
you can write out everything but skip the flight. It’s up to you, so take a
look at my 4 steps below and pick which phases you want to write about.
1. Airport
People:If you’ve ever been in an airport, you know
how chaotic it can be. People traveling for business hurry past with their
suitcase in one hand and a briefcase in the other. Families traveling for a
vacation crowd together, loud and loaded down with luggage. Tourists, whom we
get a lot of in the Orlando International Airport, clutter in packs and often
speak a foreign language. Then there are the watchful security guards and
pilots walking by in their crisp uniforms.
Size:Airports are normally huge and you often
have to go from one section/floor to another to get to your gate. I once got
lost trying to find my luggage! So make sure to mention the size and even let
your frazzled character get lost, too.
Waiting: And then there’s the waiting, which is what
everyone does in the airport. Show your characters impatience and what he/she
does to consume the time.
2.Take Off
The take off is actually the most exciting part of a
plane ride (unless, of course, it crashes). The plane moves onto the runway
with a gentle gliding motion. When it picks up speed, the plane will bump and
rattle you around, and when it lifts up, you’ll get pushed back into your seat.
After a few minutes, the plane levels out. You can describe the shrinking
roads, cars, and houses as the plane rises, and the look of the clouds from the
window.
TIP #1:If you want to write about a plane crash,
read reports, books, and watch as many movies/documentaries as you can to
understand what would happen.
TIP #2:Consider whether or not your character is
afraid of flying. If so, show his/her fear by having him/her clench the
armrests, take Valium, pray and/or jump at every little thing.
3. Flight
What does your character do during the flight? Sleep,
read, or watch a movie? You don’t have to detail every minute of the flight,
but mentioning what your character does is a nice touch. You can also describe
the turbulence that bounces your characters and their belongings.
4.Landing
Usually the landing is smooth but it can also be bumpy.
After the landing, follow your character through the airport. Once he/she is
outside, you can begin the rest of your story and the purpose for the trip.
QUESTIONS:Are you afraid of flying? Have you ever
traveled by plane? Where did you go?
I’ve only been to Michigan, but I traveled there by
myself from Florida when I was seventeen and it was my first time ever on a
plane. I’m usually afraid of heights, but I did good!
I suggest planning your blog tour the moment you know the
release date for your book. Heck, start planning it when you’re editing with
your editor. You can’t really start too soon, and the sooner you start, the
less you’ll have to do and worry about later.
You can sign up with a blog tour for a price, but if you
can’t afford that, you can do it yourself. This post is full of advice for
authors wanting to do their own blog tour.
First, you’ll need to find blogs in your niche to
contact. You can find these blogs in a few ways:
1.Look at the blogs you already follow.
Chances are many of them host authors and accept guest posts. Find an email address and send the blogger a kind inquiry about being a guest.
2. You can check out the top 50 ranking book
blogs here:Blog Metrics
3. Check out this website: Book Blogger Directory
for another list of book blogs. You can even search under specific categories.
4.Pay attention to other author blog tours.
Sometimes there are lists of blogs the author will be going to next. Check them
out to see if the audience is right for your book.
5.Set up a sign up form with Google Formand
make an announcement on your blog politely asking if bloggers would like to
help you out with your blog tour.
I did this for the first time with 30 Seconds and I got a great response. I got an even better
response for my double duty tour for Ghost
of Death and Witch of Death. (Thanks
again to those who signed up!)
As you look at blogs, make sure you check a couple of
things:
1.Is the blog current? If the blogger hasn’t
posted in a year that blog will not be worth contacting.
2. Check the number of followers. The more
followers they have, the more chances you have of your book being seen. But
that doesn’t mean a blog with 100-200 followers isn’t worthy. I have about 260
followers and my guests always get a nice amount of attention. (Thanks for that
everyone!)
3.Do the guest posts receive comments and
shares on Google +, Facebook, and Twitter? If there isn’t so much as one
comment or share, it’s not worth it. 5-10 comments and shares (or more) is a
good sign.
Once you find potential blogs, make a list of the blog’s
name, URL, the blogger’s email address, and what type of guest posts they
accept.
About two months before your release date start emailing
them. When they reply back and agree to host you, schedule a date for when you
can appear on their blog and establish which type of guest post they want
(author interview, etc.).
TIP #1:Make each post unique. Don’t just have
everyone post the blurb and excerpt. Add a Tens List or a small paragraph on a
subject that relates to you, your writing, your book, or your characters.
Create your posts/complete the interviews, and send them
to the bloggers with your author photo, cover art, and media kit 1-3 weeks
ahead of time.
TIP #2: I like to include HTML codes of a complete
post so the blogger doesn’t have to do extra work.
HMTL:
Set up your guest post on your blog with the
pictures and links you want used. Then get the HTML code. If you use Blogger,
just click “HTML” above your post. Then copy the entire code and paste it in
the file you will be sending to the bloggers hosting you.
TIP #3:
Make sure to get the new code for every guest post you create.
Many bloggers don’t know what to do with the
HTML code, but it’s easy. Again, if you’re using Blogger there are two buttons
at the top of a new post. These buttons are “Compose” and “HTML.” Click “HTML”,
paste in the code, and then click “compose” to make sure everything looks okay.
Then schedule the post as you normally would.
TIP #4:Giveaways attract more people. You can
create a Rafflecopter giveaway with
some swag. Try not to offer a free copy of your book though, because during
your blog tour you want sales.
TIP #5:
Add your blog tour links to StumbleUpon under the “Books” Category and share
them on social media. But don’t bombard your followers. Share only the best
posts (character interviews and things you think readers will find especially
interesting).
Please welcome the wonderful Elizabeth Varadan! She is
answering questions about Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls,
a Middle Grade book featuring Sherlock Holmes!
Please tell
us about your current release.
Ten-year-old Imogene, the daughter of a banker, harbors a
secret desire to become a detective – an unseemly notion for a Victorian girl.
A day after her obnoxious step-cousins pay a visit, her mother's pearls go
missing. When Sherlock Holmes is called in, Imogene sees her chance to learn
from the great Mr. Holmes. She hangs around asking questions until Holmes
decides to make her his assistant, telling her to list things that seem
suspicious.
Rusty, a mudlark and Mr. Holmes’s messenger, brings a
message from Mr. Holmes’s message to the kitchen doorway. Rusty and Imogene
become friends, teaming up as sleuths to find the missing pearls. But Imogene
is headstrong. When she takes matters into her own hands, soon her life is in
danger.
My husband and I are both fans of the Sherlock Holmes
stories and novels. I’ve also enjoyed several of the “pastiches” that abound,
mysteries that use the characters of Holmes and Watson, and even Mrs. Hudson,
the housekeeper. When I had a chance to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum in
London a few years back, it occurred to me that it would be fun to write a
story of my own about Sherlock. I didn’t think much about it after that, as I
had other works in progress. But then it occurred to me it would be fun to
write a story about a young Victorian girl becoming friends with Mr. Holmes.
After that, the idea just grew into a mystery – I suppose because any story
involving Sherlock would have to be a mystery. So then it became a matter of
what kind of mystery? It would have to be an inside job, as Victorian girls
weren’t allowed to go anywhere on their own to explore anything without a
chaperone. Once I had that rough setting, it was a matter of researching the
era and having fun with the plot and characters.
2. I love that your young character learns from Sherlock Holmes. Is this book part of a series?
I do have at least two sequels planned.
3.That's great! Did you do special research for Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls?
Oh, for sure. Tons of research. I visited sites, wrote
letters, studied train timetables of the year in question, perused maps. But I
love research, so it was part of the enjoyment of writing this book. And now I
have all that information for the sequels.
4.How
did you come up with the names for your characters?
Well, Imogene came from my own ten-year-old yearnings to
be Nancy Drew and the name I picked for my fantasized detective self. Rusty’s
name seemed a natural, once I had described him as “ginger haired” (the British
description of red hair).
5.
What is Imogene's biggest weakness?
She’s pretty headstrong, once she gets
an idea into her head. And Sherlock also has to remind her that a good
detective never lets emotion cloud judgment.
6. What are a few things we would find in or on
your desk?
You’d be lucky to find anything in my desk. It’s usually a real mess
of dictionaries, pens, post-it notes stuck all along the edge of the shelf,
cards, stacks of notebooks. But – I know where everything is.
7.Sounds like a writer's desk. ;) Can you tell us about your journey to
publication?
I did self-publish
an earlier book, a middle grade fantasy called, The Fourth Wish. But I wanted a traditional publisher for this one.
And, in the United States, you have to get permission from the Doyle Estate to
use the characters of Holmes and Watson, as the copyright hasn’t run out in
America. The lawyer for the estate in America is Jon Lellenberg, and he was
very helpful at every turn. He actually suggested MX Publisher, as they focus
on Sherlock Holmes related books.
8.That was very nice of Jon! What is the silliest thing you ever did
while writing a story?
I was writing a mystery for adults that involved a woman
being kidnapped and held hostage in a cabin in the mountains. To figure out how
to describe her escape via a window, I climbed out of the window of a duplex my
husband and I were living in at the time – several times! We were new in the
neighborhood, and I was thankful that everyone in that little cul-de-sac seemed
to work during the day so that no one could report me to the police.
9. Your advice to new writers?
There is no
substitute for the magic of rewriting,
rewriting, and rewriting. A knack for storytelling is just the beginning. You
have to keep polishing and refining your work until you get it right.
10.Rewriting is necessary and important. Tell us about your writing process.
Hmm.
It’s really a hodge-podge. Sometimes I’m a panster; sometimes I outline, but
that’s often after the book has been written and I’m re-writing. Then I outline
what happened the first time around to see where the holes are; sometimes I
just scribble down ideas and then put them in a file to look at later.
BIO:
Elizabeth Varadan is a former elementary school teacher.
She taught most elementary grades, but her favorites were the middle grades,
and she now writes middle grade fiction. She and her husband live in Midtown
Sacramento, California, a beautiful tree-lined neighborhood with bookshops and
art stores nearby. Her children’s fiction and poetry have appeared in Ladybug, Friends,
and Skipping Stones Magazine. Her adult flash fiction has appeared in
several online and print magazines, and her poetry has been anthologized in Vine
Leaves Journal and The Stray Branch.
Charm climbed out the shattered
window. Shards of glass stuck up out of the dirt like weeds. She carefully set
her feet on the ground then took off running. Behind her, she could hear her
stepfather’s screams. The rickety door to their falling down house flew open,
banged against the wall, and clattered back against the doorframe. He was
coming after her with a gun in his hand, the same gun he used to kill her
mother with moments before. He hadn’t known she was there, standing in the
hallway as they fought.
Her stepfather was mad-drunk at
three in the afternoon. When that happened, her mother usually got bruises
blooming purples and yellows on her body. This fight started when her mother
bravely announced she was leaving him. Her bravery got her killed. Now Charm
had to fend for herself.
Her small feet carried her though
the woods as she cried for her mother. Sticks stabbed her heels and
pine cones pricked her toes, drawing blood. She threw her petite body into palm bushes,
their teeth ripped at her arms and legs, but her fright was so strong it hid
the pain. She followed a skinny path covered with pine needles through the
Florida wilderness.
“Get back here, you little bitch,”
her stepfather hollered. The sound of his large, beer-padded body sounded like
a giant T-Rex. His shouts and curses followed Charm deeper and deeper.
She came out of the woods into a
clearing for the Anderson home. Charm knew they were gone for the summer. She
snatched the rusted key out from under the welcome mat and locked herself
inside. She didn’t even allow herself to take a breath. She ran into the
kitchen to find a weapon. If her stepfather was as dumb as a tapeworm, he would
stumble on by the Anderson home, but she didn’t take much stock in that
luxurious thought.
The Anderson kitchen had ancient
linoleum on the floor, sickly-yellow counters, and a scratched table that still
had pieces of the Andersons’ last meal there. It was a definite step up from
her home.
She tugged open a kitchen drawer. Cockroaches
scattered. She grabbed the biggest knife and hurried into the bedroom where she
slid under the bed to join a horde of dust bunnies. Hitchhikers clung to her
dress and poked her skin. She clutched the butcher knife to her chest.
Size eleven boots staggered up the
front steps of the Anderson home. The sound of the door breaking open made her
jump. “I know you’re in here! I’m going to kill you like I killed your mother.”
Chills danced along Charm’s spine.
Her stepfather’s footsteps moved through the cabin to her hiding place. She
couldn’t see him, but she knew he was in the room with her. She held her
breath. Large hands roped around her ankles. She let out a scream as he yanked
her out from under the bed. He pulled her between his legs and fumbled with the
gun. She didn’t think twice when she plunged the knife into his chest. When he
fell to the ground, she was cemented to the floor, panting for breath fear kept
stealing from her lungs.
You can also invite someone to sign up for my newsletter
to get extra points. You can do this once a day to the end of the giveaway, but
I will be checking to make sure your friend really did sign up.
*Make sure to check for the confirmation email! :)
