An Open Book

Photo by Henry Diltz

Welcome Readers!

Until February 2008 I had never marketed my business. As a professional psychic all of my clients were referral only. As Clinical Hypnotherapist I to relied on refferals to build my client base, the most marketing I ever did was in creating www.lifefirst.com and nurturing it to over 3 million hits a month with little effort on my part. I simple provided a great layout and easy navigation (via a brilliant Web Guru) and give people what they wanted tons for free content and not a lot of sale pushes. Word of mouth, client to client is still the best way to get business by far.

But as a published author I need to learn all the ways I can tell people that my book is out and available, hopefully by not being obnoxious. Because I dislike shameful promotion I try not to go there and am very aware that there is the backlash effect that can occur if you try and ram your stuff at people. And to be honest completely, the here’s what I think about me, what do you think about me thing is boring and seems narcissistic to me.

The thing I want to do is have fun with my writing, publishing and marketing things I do. Here are a few things I have done in the past few months to market my book that were fun for me.

1. I started social networking big time on the web.
2. I started writing blogs in a very consistent way.
3. I have started a contest for the book which kicks off tonight on www.themarkofdruid.com
4. I teamed up with other writers who are either podcasting and/or publishing. (the ideas these folks have are amazing)
5. I have done and agreed to do several interviews on blogtalkradio and other internet podcasts which can just be a blast.
6. I have met and made friends with all kinds of podcasting folks who are more than willing to play a promo read a chapter of my work, add me as a contributor to their site, read a story so far for their podcasts.

The action of trying to make the marketing fun has been very successful. I love getting up in the morning and twittering from the Vortex, there is a new The Mark of a Druid group on facebook and while myspace is not my favorite I am still trying it out. So I invite you to join me in the marketing party. If you have a book, podcast, blogtalkradio show or a Ustream show or other media event send me a promo and a short one line elevator pitch with a picture of cover if you like and let me help you get the word out! Send your email request to info@rhondacarpenter.com.

I am looking forward to sharing a prolific year with all of you. Please keep the comments coming and the reviews and ratings on Amazon, iTunes and podiobooks they really help!

Remember to check out the contest announcement for the first giveaway at http://www.themarkofadruid.com under the contest 2009 page.

Happy 2009 lets have a fabulous year together!

Rhonda R. Carpenter

Photo by Henry Diltz

Welcome Readers!

A whole new year of writing to look forward to. And I so am looking forward to writing new and fun projects in 2009. Believe it or not I do have a plan for two new books. The first is a family story a Murder mystery, called Truth Slithers and the sequel to The Mark of a Druid called When Ethers Descend.

Marketing is top priority in 2009 as well expect to hear all about the kickoff of the contest of the Mark of a Druid to be announced this week and the first of many book signings to be announced after the first as well. The blog you have come to read this year will continue and I plan on maintaining the same schedule of 3 blogs cranked out for Monday morning reading. There is also going to be some fun things coming up to bring authors and readers closer together. And maybe a monthly blog talk radio show about what is new in pod booking. Interested? Let me know I would be interesting in your thoughts on what you would like to know about pod-booking in 2009. And lets not forget the wind up of The Mark of a Druid on Podiobooks which should be done by March and completely out there in audio form.

Personally we will be putting our house on the market in January. The kids are moving out and healing up… so time to downsize. I want to spend more time writing and less time cleaning. LOL ! We are even considering moving out of California. Nothing set in stone yet. It will depend on the market and how fast this huge house sells. If we do move out of state we are looking in Arkansas, but I sure will miss this mountain and all the great people we have met here. But we shall see what the universe holds in store for the family. Lets face it last year was cool for me but there were more injuries and healing done in my house than anywhere I know of.

I am looking forward to a prolific year and please keep the comments coming and the reviews on Amazon and podiobooks they really help!

oh for all of you who follow me on twitter you may have seen that I rescued two kittens from a wet cardboard box last week. We are keeping one and the other has gone to his new home as of a few hours ago. Ladies and Gentleman meet the latest writing Kitty C II. Who looks just like Cosmo the cat that pasted away about 2 years ago fighting a raccoon at 16 years old. This one seems to have the same personality. Welcome C II to our home!

C II

Photo by Henry Diltz

Welcome Readers!

1. Never ever tell your computer person that you may be interested in doing some quality video in the near future, because inevitably that will lead to a new this or a better that for your computer. Not that upgrading is a bad thing. Just don’t do it in the middle of a podcast.

2. Never change up your equipment in the middle of the podcast. If your settings are good then stick with it. And if you must do #1 above… Write your setting down!

3. Never loose that editing groove. I’ve found while podcasting The Mark of a Druid that I do much better cranking out a couple of episodes a week. But with the holidays and work demands it is not always easy to do. And because #1 and #2 above happened… I found I had a hard time finding my groove-thing with the editing.

4. Never assume that since the microphone hasn’t changed that it will sound the same after an upgrade. I ran headlong without doing one darn sound check and recorded 4 chapters only to have a hideous buzz that I could not get out… And because #1, #2, #3 above happened… I lost two full nights of recording and it was all my fault.

5. Never give up. Listen, if I can do this podcasting thing and do it from my office and turn out good quality listening, have fun in the process, learn as much as I can every day—then you can do it too.

Bonus #6 On the never do this when you are podcasting list is: Never tell your audience that you will be on time and then be late. Have a reserve. Don’t give away everything all at once unless you can release the whole book in one shot. And yes, I have heard of that being done from a few authors on podiobooks.com. The idea of a serialized podcasted novel is to let the listener listen at their conveyance either as it comes out or to wait and listen when the entire book has been released. But as a listener here and I listen a lot. I tend to get discouraged when a book is rolling along and I am ready for my weekly fix only to find the author didn’t upload it. Now I know life happens. Heck it happens to us all, but if there is a reserve then the reader doesn’t feel that sense of being forgotten.

In short never ask for more until you are ready and then you will not have to hassle the change until you are ready. That being said I love the new system and the sound is wonderful.

Last announcement! Thanks Gary and Ruth of Celtic Myth Podshow for playing the promo and all your kind words about the book in Episode 18. Love your show!
You can hear it too at http://celticmythpodshow.com/ Subscribe by RSS, Zune, iTunes or listen on their site!

Keep Writing! I Know I Will!

Rhonda R. Carpenter