Publication - Blog Tours

17 January 2012, Publication - Blog Tours

Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, go to my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

Here is the list of ideas for advertising--there are more and I'll add to the list as we go along.  I'm certainly not an expert in all these, but I've dabbled in all of them.  I'll try to relate my experience and the degree of that experience to you.

1.  Have a website for your novel.
2.  Write a blog.
3.  Advertise.
4.  Literary awards.
5.  Book cards.
6.  Contests.
7.  Interviews.
8.  Blog tours.
9.  Press releases.
10.  Speaking and teaching.
11.  e-mailing.
12.  Gifts.
13.  Book signings.
14.  Book trailers
15.  ...

Just what is a blog tour?  A blog tour is where you provide an Internet introduction for a blog site and then make yourself available for comments and to answer questions.  To advertise for a blog tour you announce on multiple blogs and in multiple venues (email, social media, etc.) that you will accomplish a blog tour in a day, a week, a month, or however long.  Since people are likely more interested in a topic rather than your novel, the most successful blog tours are on a topic rather than on a book.

The cool stuff about a blog tour is that you can accomplish it in a day.   That is, you don't go from blog site to blog site over time.  You rather set up the blog tour with a handful of blogs, and you accomplish it all at once.  You send the introduction to all the sites at the beginning of the first day and then you check out the blogs every hour or so for the entire period of the tour.

I recommend that you accomplish a week long blog tour.  Put up your introduction on the first day of the tour and just keep tabs on the sites for the rest of the week.  You can add information to the sites each day or every other day--whatever the blog owner wants and that way keep your tour fresh. 

We'll look at press releases tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.

Publication - Blog Interviews

9 January 2012, Publication - Blog Interviews
Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, go to my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

Here is the list of ideas for advertising--there are more and I'll add to the list as we go along.  I'm certainly not an expert in all these, but I've dabbled in all of them.  I'll try to relate my experience and the degree of that experience to you.

1.  Have a website for your novel.
2.  Write a blog.
3.  Advertise.
4.  Literary awards.
5.  Book cards.
6.  Contests.
7.  Interviews.
8.  Blog tours.
9.  Press releases.
10.  Speaking and teaching.
11.  e-mailing.
12.  Gifts.
13.  Book signings.
14.  Book trailers
15.  ...

You can be interviewed for print media, for radio, for TV, on blogs, Internet general, character interviews, trailers just to name a few. 

With blog interviews we are moving to a more controllable media (by the author).  In general, many blogs wish to interview authors--the opportunities are almost endless.  To get together with those opportunities, you need to connect with blogs on books and writing.  You also can usually find authors with your publisher who want to do blog interviews.  These work one of two ways.  The easiest is that the blogger simply asks you to answer a very simple question (or two).  Usually the questions are: describe why you wrote your novel and how did it get published.  These are the most common types of questions.  I did a blog interview like this about a year ago on my novel Centurion for Lynnette Bonner.  You can see it at http://lynnettebonner.blogspot.com/2010/08/lionel-alford-talks-about-his-book.html.  I should do many more of these, but I just haven't taken the time.

The other type of blog interview is where the interviewer gives you a list of questions to answer for the blog post.  This is simple too, just answer the questions.  In each case, the less structured or the more structured interview, just answer the questions and send them back to the blogger.  You might want to send some pictures illustrating your novel and your picture.  If you don't, the blogger will usually get your picture and novel cover picture from one of your sites (or amazon).

Let's move on to the content of blog interviews, tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.

Publication - Advertising Ideas, Blogging Reasons

18 December 2011, Publication - Advertising Ideas, Blogging Reasons

Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, go to my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

Here is the list of ideas for advertising--there are more and I'll add to the list as we go along.  I'm certainly not an expert in all these, but I've dabbled in all of them.  I'll try to relate my experience and the degree of that experience to you.

1.  Have a website for your novel.
2.  Write a blog.
3.  Advertise.
4.  Literary awards.
5.  Book cards.
6.  Contests.
7.  Interviews.
8.  Blog tours.
9.  Press releases.
10.  Speaking and teaching.
11.  e-mailing.
12.  ...

In the process of blogging, I don't have anything to prove, and I don't have anyone to impress.  I'd like to simply communicate and share ideas on writing.  In general, I haven't found blogging to be much of a give and take process.  I wish it were more like that, but I don't mind.  I'm certain there are many smart people and ideas out there, but I think they are all blogging too.  That is, those with competing ideas are all involved with providing those ideas through their blogs, or they are selling them.  I suppose I could write another book and sell it, but I'm more interested in writing fiction.  I'm also more interested in helping authors improve their writing.

Let's face facts, we all can improve our writing skills, and I don't mean spelling and grammar--I mean the true skills that make terrific writing.  I'm happy that I can use this blog to improve my own skills and the skills of others. 

Let's go a little further, any author who doesn't realize their writing can be improved is a fool.  This is simply the demarcation between a professional and an amateur.  The amateur is not confident in his own writing and is afraid and unwilling to have another criticize it.  The professional begs for feedback.  The professional desires criticism and sees all of it as constructive.  Again, I'm not talking about grammar and spelling.  Grammar and spelling are skills that writers must have as a basic skill--these are the simple problems that editors and editing can easily repair.  The skills that authors really need are those that come long after basic grammar and spelling have been conquered.  Those skills are the development of a good theme, plot, and storyline.  Further, the development of a world that entrances your readers is the extended skill of a great writer.  This is truly what we, as writers, should all aspire to.

I'll write more about blogging tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.

Publication - Advertising Ideas, Blogging Topics

16 December 2011, Publication - Advertising Ideas, Blogging Topics

Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, go to my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

Here is the list of ideas for advertising--there are more and I'll add to the list as we go along.  I'm certainly not an expert in all these, but I've dabbled in all of them.  I'll try to relate my experience and the degree of that experience to you.

1.  Have a website for your novel.
2.  Write a blog.
3.  Advertise.
4.  Literary awards.
5.  Book cards.
6.  Contests.
7.  Interviews.
8.  Blog tours.
9.  Press releases.
10.  Speaking and teaching.
11.  e-mailing.
12.  ...

Blogging is a great exercise in writing as well as a great means to communicate your ideas to the world.  The problem with any exercise or responsibility you take on is you need to continue what you start.  So, if you want to blog, be ready to blog for a long time.  If you think of it as an exercise in writing (that was my point before) then blogging becomes a method for self improvement as well as a means of communication (point two).

The biggest problem for many bloggers is subject matter--you gotta have something to write about every day.  To me, this is part of the exercise.  I really don't have much difficulty coming up with something to write about every day.  I do try to be cohesive and keep to a theme--perhaps that is why finding subject matter isn't so difficult. 

To be cohesive and to produce good topics to write about, keep some kind of theme going.  The blog won't blog itself, but it will be much easier than something entirely new and unconnected everyday.
I'll write more about blogging tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.

Publication - Advertising Ideas, more Blogging

15 December 2011, Publication - Advertising Ideas, more Blogging

Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, go to my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

Here is the list of ideas for advertising--there are more and I'll add to the list as we go along.  I'm certainly not an expert in all these, but I've dabbled in all of them.  I'll try to relate my experience and the degree of that experience to you.

1.  Have a website for your novel.
2.  Write a blog.
3.  Advertise.
4.  Literary awards.
5.  Book cards.
6.  Contests.
7.  Interviews.
8.  Blog tours.
9.  Press releases.
10.  Speaking and teaching.
11.  e-mailing.
12.  ...

The more you blog, the more potential attention you will receive for your blogs.  One a day seems to be a reasonable maximum.  One a week seems to be a reasonable minimum.  Most readers are looking for continuity in ideas, familiar concepts, and reliable delivery.  It's kind of like your newspaper--when you can't find it on your driveway in the morning, you get irritated.  Or, for the non-newspaper crowd, it's like your favorite Internet news site--you expect new news every day.  When you don't get the new news every day, you are unhappy.

You want to make your readers happy (that's one of my rules for writing--entertain your readers).  The same is true for a blog.  I'll admit, I don't do as good a job as I should--I could do better.  I could put in pictures to illustrate my points and give links all over the place.  The problem is that I don't have time.  If I didn't work a job full time, and I wasn't trying to write novel number 22, and I wasn't a businessman with business and life to take care of, I could give more to this blog and to you.  As it is, I come home very late some days, relax for about 15 minutes, get a glass of wine, then produce three blogs.  This is the first--its focus is mainly on the elements of publishing and marketing.  The second is a repost that still requires reformatting and editing http://www.ldalford.wordpress.com/.  The third is another blog on writing that tackles specifics of the skill of writing novels in scenes http://www.novelscene.wordpress.com/.  I try to make it short and sweet.

I'll write more about blogging tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.

Publication - Advertising Ideas, Blogging

14 December 2011, Publication - Advertising Ideas, Blogging

Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, go to my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

Here is the list of ideas for advertising--there are more and I'll add to the list as we go along.  I'm certainly not an expert in all these, but I've dabbled in all of them.  I'll try to relate my experience and the degree of that experience to you.

1.  Have a website for your novel.
2.  Write a blog.
3.  Advertise.
4.  Literary awards.
5.  Book cards.
6.  Contests.
7.  Interviews.
8.  Blog tours.
9.  Press releases.
10.  Speaking and teaching.
11.  e-mailing.
12.  ...

My publisher recommended to all their authors to blog.  So, I blog.  I would blog anyway.  I already did blog before my publisher asked all their writers to blog.  My aviation blog can be found on my author http://www.ldalford.com/ and professional http://www.lionelalford.com/ websites and you can also get to it from http://www.wingsoverkansas.com/.  I also blogged on writing.  You can find that on my writing secrets page at my author website.

I blog about writing.  I guess I know something about writing.  I have 21 written novels and 6 published novels.  I have over 40 professional technical articles in in international press.   I write professionally for my work and professionally about my novels.  I know something about writing, so I blog about writing.  I hope my blogging can help you become a better writer.  At least I can help you make fewer mistakes than I have.

I'll write more about blogging tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.

More on Inspiration

I wrote before, that to be inspired, I write http://www.ldalford.com/.  But you knew there had to be more to it than that--didn't you?  There is.  I'm not sure exactly what inspiration is.  I just get ideas.  When I get an idea, I write it down.  Some are mundane.  Some are more than mundane.  I turn them all into writing.  The point is, when I get an idea, I write it down.  That way I won't loose it.  I keep a couple of idea books around.  One I carry everywhere, and the other one is by my bed.  If I get an idea in the middle of the night, I write it down.  I have a list of Military Aviation Adventures I will write about.  The list comes from my experiences in military aviation.  When I remember an experience, I add it to the list.  The list is about 200 ideas long--enough for 200 short pieces (3000 to 6000 words).  When I read the paper, if I get worked up about some item of news, I don't seethe about it--I write it down in an essay or opinion piece.  Many of these pieces are never published, but I write them anyway.  The point is to be inspired by life and the record that inspiration.  Imagine your life as exciting and inspiring.  Imagine your characters and your writing as exciting and inspiring.  This is how you develop ideas and get them on to paper.

Another point that likely requires an even longer post: I don't write about myself.  Even when I am the main character in a Military Aviation Adventure http://www.wingsoverkansas.com/, I don't write about myself.  I'm not living vicariously through my own writing.  I don't try to make myself the hero of my fiction.  This is something many authors don't seem to understand.  They are all about turning their mundane persons into an exciting fictional character.  If they do, their characters aren't real and everyone can tell.  That's why blog writers and writers who convey themselves with all their faults are more popular than those who don't.  Of course some blog writers and self aggrandisers make up the stuff to sound more pathetic.  They should stick to fiction.  This is why I say--don't write about yourself.  My old self who lived those Military Aviation Adventures is much different than the self I am today.  I don't write about myself.  More than that, though my opinions and ideas surely come through in my writing, that is not wholly my intent.  My intent is only to get the theme through to the reader in an entertaining fashion.  I don't really want to put up a soapbox and have my characters pontificate on my opinions.  I put words in the mouths of my characters that I don't agree with.  I don't like some of my characters.  I don't like some of the characteristics of my heros and heroines.  I don't write about myself; I give life to characters who are entertaining and who appear real.  They are separate and different from me or they wouldn't be real--they would just be clones of me.  Maybe I should develop this point in more depth tomorrow.

Centurion will be featured on another blog

Next week, Monday 16 August, Centurion http://www.centurionnovel.com/ will be featured on Lynnette Bonner's blog at http://www.lynnettebonner.blogspot.com/ Lynnette is an OakTara author and wrote Rocky Mountain Oasis. She has another similar western work on contract with OakTara called High Desert Haven. I read her first novel and thought it was a great read. Lynnette asked me to write about the development of the novel, Centurion and about its publication. That's what I provided for her blog. There will be some great writing secrets in the blog, and I will answer questions about the novel and its publication.

After the Monday blog, I'll publish the information on Centurion here and on my website at www.ldalford.com. Here is a synopsis of Centurion:
Who was the man ordered to crucify Christ?

What did he witness that led him to proclaim, “This was surely the Son of God?”

Traditionally, we named him, the Centurion Abenadar, and we know almost nothing about him. The novel, Centurion, gives life to Centurion Abenadar.

Abenadar’s life is based on primary source documents about the Roman Legion. Abenadar was close enough to the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, that Pilate trusted him with the responsibility of the controversial and potentially explosive crucifixion of Christ. At the same time, Abenadar was a man to whom Pilate effortlessly gave the dirty work of the crucifixion, the execution for which Pilate himself would not take responsibility.
Centurion casts Abenadar as the bastard child of the Roman ambassador to the court of Herod the Great. Abenadar’s mother was a Judean girl, the Roman ambassador’s concubine. When the ambassador returned to Rome, he left her pregnant, and in disgrace. The girl returned to her home in Nazareth of Galilee. She named her son, Abenadar, after his father.

Abenadar’s father did not leave him with nothing—he granted his son Roman citizenship. When Abenadar accepted his legacy, he also discovered a place in the Roman Legion stationed in Galilee. Abenadar found in the legion and Roman citizenship a boon and a curse. From his mother’s training in Herod’s court, Abenadar spoke and read Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and from the taint of his father’s legacy and his hard childhood, Abenadar learned to be a cunning fighter. The legion honed these skills. Centurion maps the rise of Abenadar through the ranks and units in Palestine until he is a chief advisor and one of the lead Centurions in Jerusalem. In this capacity, he both advised Pilate and became the vehicle to enact Pilate’s decree.

Abenadar was more than a Centurion; he was also half Judean. His abilities derived from his understanding and communication with the people of Judea. But Abenadar was a man, not a piece of cardboard—all the forces in his life shaped and formed him. He fervently trusted in God—and in the legion. When he accidentally rescued a prostitute, Ruth, in the streets of Jerusalem, he redeemed her—for himself. Ruth was a destitute girl; the death of her parents forced her into her past life. After Abenadar took her in, she lived a semblance of the life she was raised to lead. Life with Ruth changed Abenadar. He returned to the Judean practice of his youth, and through Ruth’s faith, Abenadar’s life became connected to the new prophet—Jesus.

Abenadar experienced the events in the city of Jerusalem from inside the court of Pilate and from the city streets. When Jesus was brought before Pilate, Abenadar became his interpreter and translator. When Pilate gave Jesus over to the Priests, he instructed Abenadar to crucify Jesus.

Through Abenadar’s eyes, Centurion reveals the crucifixion and the resurrection. Abenadar’s greatest fear was that he would lose Ruth, for she believed the message of the prophet he must execute. But Abenadar misjudged Ruth’s love and her faith. And he misjudged how his experience of the Christ would change him.