I Believe in Advertising is featuring very unique and intriguing poster ads for Penguin Audio today. Beautifully illustrated classics, in an ear canal- simple yet gets the point across.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Penguin audio book ads- well done
I Believe in Advertising is featuring very unique and intriguing poster ads for Penguin Audio today. Beautifully illustrated classics, in an ear canal- simple yet gets the point across.
10 awesome literary Tumblrs
Check out:
1.) http://iheartclassics.tumblr.com/
written by Sterling Publishing- They curate the classics so you don’t have to…mixing modern culture and classic lit. The classics are more relevant than you think!
2.) http://irisblasi.tumblr.com/
written by Iris Blasi- Coordinator of Digital Media for literary public relations firm Hilsinger-Mendelson East. Formerly an editor. Forever a reader.
3.) http://literarynerd.tumblr.com/
written by Kylie- Literature. Reading. Writing. Films. Craft. Design. Fashion. Travel. Adventure. Joy. Life.
4.) http://vintageanchor.tumblr.com/
written by Vintage/Anchor (Knopf Doubleday)- From Classic to Contemporary—The Best Books in Paperback.
5.) http://bookmania.tumblr.com/
written by Archie- Book Mania is an inspirational blog celebrating the amazing power of reading. It mainly features books & excerpts of various masterpieces published around the world. Aside from those, it likewise posts images of the world’s most beautiful premiere libraries, bookshelves, bookshops & cool book stuff.
6.) http://prettybooks.tumblr.com/
written by Stacey- The Pretty Books blog mainly involves sharing photos of beautiful books but I also frequently post book reviews, quotations, recommendations, discussions, and articles.
7.) http://bookshelfporn.com/
written by Anthony Dever- Porn for book lovers. A photo blog collection of all the best bookshelf photos from around the world for people who *heart* bookshelves.
8.) http://cinderellainrubbershoes.tumblr.com/ (Love the background and all the added features- good use of "ask me anything" and she connects her other sites, goodreads, etc to her page) written by just another girl who successfully wriggles out of the rabbit hole of college and is now trekking the Wonderland of literature and journalism.
9.) http://www.somewhereoverthesun.com/ (Good use of tabs at the top linking to places to purchase the book, and includes some customer reviews as posts)
written by Adi Alsaid- Thoughts about writing.
10.) http://betterbooktitles.com/
written by Dan Wilbur- This blog is for people who do not have thousands of hours to read book reviews or blurbs or first sentences. I will cut through all the cryptic crap, and give you the meat of the story in one condensed image. Now you can read the greatest literary works of all time in mere seconds!
What's your favorite author, book, or literature related Tumblr?
1.) http://iheartclassics.tumblr.com/
written by Sterling Publishing- They curate the classics so you don’t have to…mixing modern culture and classic lit. The classics are more relevant than you think!
2.) http://irisblasi.tumblr.com/
written by Iris Blasi- Coordinator of Digital Media for literary public relations firm Hilsinger-Mendelson East. Formerly an editor. Forever a reader.
3.) http://literarynerd.tumblr.com/
written by Kylie- Literature. Reading. Writing. Films. Craft. Design. Fashion. Travel. Adventure. Joy. Life.
4.) http://vintageanchor.tumblr.com/
written by Vintage/Anchor (Knopf Doubleday)- From Classic to Contemporary—The Best Books in Paperback.
5.) http://bookmania.tumblr.com/
written by Archie- Book Mania is an inspirational blog celebrating the amazing power of reading. It mainly features books & excerpts of various masterpieces published around the world. Aside from those, it likewise posts images of the world’s most beautiful premiere libraries, bookshelves, bookshops & cool book stuff.
6.) http://prettybooks.tumblr.com/
written by Stacey- The Pretty Books blog mainly involves sharing photos of beautiful books but I also frequently post book reviews, quotations, recommendations, discussions, and articles.
7.) http://bookshelfporn.com/
written by Anthony Dever- Porn for book lovers. A photo blog collection of all the best bookshelf photos from around the world for people who *heart* bookshelves.
8.) http://cinderellainrubbershoes.tumblr.com/ (Love the background and all the added features- good use of "ask me anything" and she connects her other sites, goodreads, etc to her page) written by just another girl who successfully wriggles out of the rabbit hole of college and is now trekking the Wonderland of literature and journalism.
9.) http://www.somewhereoverthesun.com/ (Good use of tabs at the top linking to places to purchase the book, and includes some customer reviews as posts)
written by Adi Alsaid- Thoughts about writing.
10.) http://betterbooktitles.com/
written by Dan Wilbur- This blog is for people who do not have thousands of hours to read book reviews or blurbs or first sentences. I will cut through all the cryptic crap, and give you the meat of the story in one condensed image. Now you can read the greatest literary works of all time in mere seconds!
What's your favorite author, book, or literature related Tumblr?
10 ways authors should use Tumblr
Why use Tumblr as an author?
*Reach a new demographic and interest them with your material: In the U.S. Tumblr's audience tends to be younger — 56% of the service’s 25.2 million monthly visitors are under 34, and users skew slightly more male (52%). If that sounds like your average reader, you may want to give it a go!
*Tumblr has built-in networking elements that lets you tap into its community.
*It is very fast and easy to get short-form content onto your Tumblelog including video, images, quotes, etc. You can use bookmarklets, mobile apps, phone posting, IM submissions and other tools to post content.
*You can use Tumblr as your main blog, or use it to lead traffic to your real blog.
A few pointers for setting up your Tumblr:
*Use detailed description text for your profile information- make it consistent with your other online profiles
*Spend time selecting a "theme" that meshes well with your internet presence (use the same logo across everything / develop a color palette)
*Cross pollinate – list or link to your blog, Twitter, and Facebook profile urls
10 things you should do on Tumblr:
1.) Make sure you use “tags." When you put together a post, type in a few tags in the "tag" box on the right (these are similar to Twitter's hashtags; you're just indicating what topics your post involves so people can more easily find it)
2.) Find and follow topics and other blogs you enjoy by going to “explore tumblr” or typing a word into the search box on the right (from your dashboard). A good channel to follow is: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/lit
3.) Favorite other people’s posts (by clicking on the heart icon on the post). The blogger who made the post will get a notification that you indicated their post as a favorite and may start following your blog.
4.) Reblog other people's posts that are relevant to you and your fans. This will help keep your content exciting and these folks will get a notification that you reblogged their post and may start following your blog.
5.) Post only truncated/short posts, or posts that slightly differ from your main site's content.
6.) Tumblr is a very visual network, try to use attractive images that capture attention and will stand out from other posts.
7.) Keep it fun- share cool bookmarks you've found, book tshirts you like, the latest book you enjoyed reading, an article about publishing you can relate to, etc.
8.) Include the "ask" feature on your page, and engage folks with questions in your posts.
9.) Post a contest, which can easily be reblogged.
10.) Include an "about" page where readers can learn more about you, and your books.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Book "Marks"
Haha check out these great book “Marks” (including Mark Wahlberg, Mark Zukerberg, Karl Marx, Mark Twain, Mark Anthony and Mark Hamill) via The Cheeky
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Kindle Million Club gets a new member
Today, Amazon announced that self-published author John Locke, has sold over 1 million books using Kindle Direct Publishing becoming the first independently published author inducted into the “Kindle Million club.” Current members of the "club" include authors like Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, Suzanne Collins and Michael Connelly.
Locke, the international best-selling author of seven Donovan Creed novels, all of which have made the Amazon/Kindle Top 20 Best Seller's List, has published nine total works including: “Vegas Moon,” “Wish List,” “A Girl Like You,” and “Saving Rachel.”
Tech Crunch sums up the situation well, "Taking a look at Locke’s works (i.e. Now & Then, which pictures a half-naked woman on the cover), it looks like he may not be in line for a Pulitzer, but the milestone is impressive for an independent author."
Awesome takeover for Bloodmoney
I love these high impact units- they don't obstruct anything on the site from readers' view, yet there's still no way to miss them. W.W.Norton & Company, Inc just ran a really cool skin and banner ads on Powerline for Bloodmoney with us (blogads) on Friday. From the author of the best-selling Body of Lies and The Increment: in a tragedy of revenge, the CIA falls victim to its own daring operation in the Middle East. Check out the book and contact us to learn more about how you can run a skin!
Friday, June 10, 2011
10 ways authors should use their Facebook fanpage
1.) Draw your blog's RSS feed into your fanpage with apps like Social RSS2.) Show off your book trailer videos or live interviews with the Youtube app
3.) Update with tour info, like location and dates by creating an event. After the event, post your photos in an album on the page.
4.) Expand your network by inviting friends to become fans with a note explaining what value the page will provide, and a link to it.
5.) Encourage folks who land on the page to like it, by creating and implementing a specific landing page, asking them to do so, and giving them something (like a free book chap
ter) in return. Check out Facebook for Business's fanpage for an example.6.) "Like" other pages to help build your community.
7.) Hold contests and giveaways.
8.) Include links in the "about" box to places where your books can be purchased.
9.) Respond fast to comments folks leave. When fans are engaging you, it's a good sign!
10.) Ask questions, start discussions and create
polls (ex. asking your fans to vote on a topic they'll care about).
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
10 ways authors can treat their Twitter followers well
1.) Give your followers a shout out by recommending them on #followfriday and #writerwednesday (if they too are authors). And retweet their updates any day, if you relate.
2.) Teach your followers something. Explain the best way to start an outline, to query an agent, how to advertise your book, how to price your ebook, etc.
3.) Give away free books or bookmarks.
4.) Make them laugh. People are on Twitter to be entertained. Nothing captures attention, like something humorous.
5.) Hold contests- for example, literature trivia.
6.) Update with information you've not made available elsewhere- like a tour location you just booked.
7.) Connect your followers with each other- make introductions.
8.) Invite your followers to a chat/discussion around a certain topic, with a specific hashtag everyone can follow.
9.) Give your followers control, let them determine where your next reading will be, or what the name of the next chapter should be.
10.) Spice it up, include pictures (maybe use a popular service like Instagram), ask questions, let them know a personal life detail or two.
2.) Teach your followers something. Explain the best way to start an outline, to query an agent, how to advertise your book, how to price your ebook, etc.
3.) Give away free books or bookmarks.
4.) Make them laugh. People are on Twitter to be entertained. Nothing captures attention, like something humorous.
5.) Hold contests- for example, literature trivia.
6.) Update with information you've not made available elsewhere- like a tour location you just booked.
7.) Connect your followers with each other- make introductions.
8.) Invite your followers to a chat/discussion around a certain topic, with a specific hashtag everyone can follow.
9.) Give your followers control, let them determine where your next reading will be, or what the name of the next chapter should be.
10.) Spice it up, include pictures (maybe use a popular service like Instagram), ask questions, let them know a personal life detail or two.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Crowdsourced funding for books
A new UK start-up is on the publishing scene, called Unbound, and it's a model worth examining. I'm curious to see how many successful books they're able to launch, and if a singular genre ends up taking off.
Basically Unbound is a program for creating new books, where in folks can pledge money towards publishing titles they enjoy; if the goal amount is raised, the book gets made. It's sort of a combination of Threadless (i.e. focuses on only one product type- books, and only the things the crowd likes actually get made) with Kickstarter and IndieGoGo (i.e. individual people pledge funds towards making the writer's dream happen, get rewards in return, and each writer has their own book page, video, etc.).
It looks like the "rewards" for every book are exactly the same though, which is one difference from Kickstarter's platform. The rewards range from a digital copy of the book to a launch lunch party. This makes the pledging based more on individual's desire for that specific writing style/author than their interest in a unique gift offering-- allowing the authors to concentrate on their true craft- writing.
If the books don't receive enough pledges, they don't get made- the most "successful" campaign posted thus far has only reached 3% of its goal but it has 46 days left, so fear not, perhaps. I read on Adpulp that campaigns with videos raise more money, according to IndiegGoGo and so far all the books featured have made videos, a pitch, an excerpt, and bios.
A unique feature to Unbound is the promoter opportunity. Unbound will reward you with 1 credit (£1) for every supporter you have referred when the books target is met. It's their way to encourage you to do their marketing.
I'm curious what % of the total money raised Unbound receives. I think Kickstarter takes a 5% fee.
Currently Unbound is only adding projects for authors with proven track records, but it looks like they hope to expand and increase their diversity of offerings-- taking submissions from "the public at large."
So at a basic level Unbound plucked a category off of Kickstarter and had a go at it. I'd like to see a similar concept executed for records/CDs. Actually speaking of music, I'd also like to see a platform like this that allows you to basically petition your favorite band to come perform in your area. Does something like either of those already exist?
How do you think Unbound will fair?
Basically Unbound is a program for creating new books, where in folks can pledge money towards publishing titles they enjoy; if the goal amount is raised, the book gets made. It's sort of a combination of Threadless (i.e. focuses on only one product type- books, and only the things the crowd likes actually get made) with Kickstarter and IndieGoGo (i.e. individual people pledge funds towards making the writer's dream happen, get rewards in return, and each writer has their own book page, video, etc.).
It looks like the "rewards" for every book are exactly the same though, which is one difference from Kickstarter's platform. The rewards range from a digital copy of the book to a launch lunch party. This makes the pledging based more on individual's desire for that specific writing style/author than their interest in a unique gift offering-- allowing the authors to concentrate on their true craft- writing.
If the books don't receive enough pledges, they don't get made- the most "successful" campaign posted thus far has only reached 3% of its goal but it has 46 days left, so fear not, perhaps. I read on Adpulp that campaigns with videos raise more money, according to IndiegGoGo and so far all the books featured have made videos, a pitch, an excerpt, and bios.
A unique feature to Unbound is the promoter opportunity. Unbound will reward you with 1 credit (£1) for every supporter you have referred when the books target is met. It's their way to encourage you to do their marketing.
I'm curious what % of the total money raised Unbound receives. I think Kickstarter takes a 5% fee.
Currently Unbound is only adding projects for authors with proven track records, but it looks like they hope to expand and increase their diversity of offerings-- taking submissions from "the public at large."
So at a basic level Unbound plucked a category off of Kickstarter and had a go at it. I'd like to see a similar concept executed for records/CDs. Actually speaking of music, I'd also like to see a platform like this that allows you to basically petition your favorite band to come perform in your area. Does something like either of those already exist?
How do you think Unbound will fair?