Danny in a Newfangled World

My Last Book Signing Event for 2010

// December 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // Books

Tonight I will be selling signed copies of Danny in a Newfangled World at a cool new Oakville hang-out called eSpot.  Normally a hot spot for entrepeneurs and small business owners, it is open to all from 4 to 8pm today.  The event will showcase other local authors and fantastic vendors selling unique gifts for Christmas. 

It is located above Artisano Cafe on Iroquois Shore Road and entrance is free.  Even better – refreshments will be served as guests shop and chat. 

While signing and selling my books has been a fantastic new experience for me, I’m looking forward to spending some extra time on prepping the family for the big holiday.  Christmas is the favourite day of the year in my household of three boys and preparing for it is no simple task!  I’m almost finished buying their gifts and I’m happy to admit that I’ve balanced video games with good old fashioned books.  I hope every parent makes that effort. 

According to the latest research in Christmas purchases, lots of kids are asking for tech “toys” this year.  If an iPad, iPhone, or iPod is on the list, consider downloading some ebooks to add to the digital offerings of each device.  Danny in a Newfangled World is available as an ebook on Amazon.com, and will soon be offered on iTunes as well (just working out some technical glitches!)  They’re on sale for a fantastically low price during the holiday season. 

Danny in a Newfangled World is a particularly great starter ebook for young eyes getting used to electronic reading because it’s not too long (about 100 pages) and is interspersed with some fun illustrations to give those eyes a break.  Even better – it’s about a boy who gets sucked inside his computer, making it especially relevant for digital-loving kids.

Write Book, Market Book, Sell Book, TWEET Book?

// November 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // Books

A year ago, I was happy as a robin in springtime to be parked in front of my laptop writing short stories, books, articles, blog posts… Whatever!  As long as I could sit contentedly at my desk, alone and surrounded by silence, working on whatever piece that drove my passion to write, I wanted nothing else.  The last thing I wanted to do was go out and meet people, “brand” myself, or pick up the phone to talk to someone.  Writers, like me, have come to understand that the publishing industry doesn’t want to “hear” from us.  Just email or mail us, they say.  Don’t call us, we’ll call you.  (Although their part of the deal is optional.)  I was okay with that.  I got used to waiting.  And waiting.

However, that bubble of serenity popped the minute I decided to forge ahead with publishing Danny in a Newfangled World.  In the past few months, I’ve been spending as much time talking, marketing, and selling as I used to spend typing in solitude.  There’s nothing like being pushed outside of one’s comfort zone! 

Now, thanks to the innovative advice provided by some serious experts in social media, I’m finding myself back on my butt in front my laptop.  Part of the reason I’m back is that I have begun to write the second instalment of Danny in a Newfangled World, but I’ve also bought into the power of Twitter.  Marketing, it turns out, can be done without getting off your rear end (literally.)  I still need to make those face-to-face meetings with book sellers, distributors, and customers, but thanks to social networking, I can help build my book’s market through the relationships I build online.

My social media strategy now includes tweeting.  A lot.  Over the next 30 days, I plan to tweet 1000 times.  As with just about everything I’ve done with this book, it’s an experiment.  I look forward to seeing how it all transpires, not so keen on turning into a tweetaholic but I’ll worry about that on January 1st – when it’s time to make resolutions.  So if you’re not following me yet, now is as good a time as any!  And if you’re not on Twitter, well what are you waiting for?