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deleted01

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  1. Mind if I piggyback off this and post your interview? https://dracarya.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/ask-the-author-zoe-sumra/
  2. If any British authors (or those willing to travel) are free on 7th March, there's a literary festival in Tamworth that's looking for authors. No payment can be offered, but there is the possibility for funds to be found for travel (to an extent) and accommodation.
  3. I'll certainly check those out, thanks Myrddin. We're in the middle of a few things at the moment, but definitely focusing on agents at this time. I've sent a few friendly emails to publishers I know through my interviews, just to test the "who you know" theory. Worth a shot I guess. But yes, contacting publishers directly will wait. The author did manage to get a publishing deal before on her own, but she settled for a poor deal because she was new to it, and without representation. It's all a learning curve, I guess. We're also talking about extending our services to authors and making a business of it. With the interviews, experience in marketing, PR work, social media management and lists of contacts between us, I'd go so far as to say we have a decent shot at making it work. To the authors (published or aspiring) here, what do you think is a reasonable amount to pay for promotional work and marketing on your behalf? There are some companies that charge an extortionate amount for not very much work.
  4. We'll more than likely be going down the traditional route, unless it goes tits up. I know the drawbacks of self-publishing all to well, though there will be promoting going on regardless. We've applied to multiple agents, just playing the waiting game at the moment. Ideally, we'll find a great agent, who will find us a great publisher, and do all the legwork while the royalties roll in. But that rarely happens. I'd settle for a decent publisher who actually knows what they're doing this time. Thanks, I've never heard of Prometheus before, I'll check them out.
  5. An author I'm working with is in need of an agent and a new publisher. We're working hard together, sending out query letters to agents, but if anyone has any advice on the subject I'd greatly appreciate it.
  6. When looking for reviewers one day, I simply Googled "top book reviewers". People make lists of everything. There are also some big sites for fantasy in particular - Fantasy Faction to name one, and a couple of people review books on here I believe.
  7. I know this thread has momentarily died, but here's my interview with TrackerNeil. Buy his books, you ruffians!
  8. deleted01

    Board Issues 4

    Oh, FB, how many times have we told you that Internet Explorer is a bad, bad idea? Chrome works for me. Am I the only one getting error 503 when I try to send a PM?
  9. It's definitely a "who you know" thing. Having contacts in the publishing world and within the press, and knowing book reviewers and other authors, can be a fantastic way of opening doors. Since doing this PR work, I've noticed that, while having a publisher can be a great thing, it certainly isn't always. Some publishers (no names, no pack-drill) are utterly useless, and do sod all to promote their books or authors. So establishing your own contacts can be the way to go. I was invited to the PPC (Publisher's Publicity Circle) Christmas party tonight, simply because I interviewed Patrick Rothfuss in August, and am now acquainted with the publicity manager at Gollancz. (Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the party, but you win some, you lose some.) Anyway, sometimes it's a case of putting yourself out there. I'm by no means successful, in that I'm still bloody unpaid for everything, but I've found that through talking to one person, you can meet another and another that can drastically change things. Lovereading.co.uk is a fantastic website, I have to say. Prior to publication, they send out a copy of a book to their panel of reviewers, of which I'm a member. I already have it set up so Julia's second book is on the list, as she missed out with the first. I'm not sure if they take self-published books - I'll have to check. If they do, they're a fantastic first step.
  10. As above - Facebook if you have it, or send me a PM if it will let you. I keep getting error 503. I recently rented a market stall to sell Julia's books, and it was a bloody disaster. I didn't have enough time to generate interest, and I'm not the author, so nobody cares about me being there :p Lesson learnt. Eta: Goodreads is a great place to start. I love it. It might also be worth chatting to established authors who do a lot of their own promotion - Mark Lawrence is one that springs to mind. Despite being with a pretty big publisher, he communicates with fans on Facebook and Goodreads a lot, as well as promoting his books.
  11. Ah, agents, they can be a blessing or a curse. Best of luck. If I can help further, feel free to give me a shout.
  12. I've learnt a lot about marketing over the past few months. If anyone's interested, here's my advice. The most obvious thing is to go with a decent publisher who will push the hell out of your book. If you're going down the self-published route, the best advice is to start early, and be prepared to work damn hard. - Build a fanbase and mailing list, preferably before the book comes out. I've spent time contacting the top book reviewers, which is a good place to start imo, plus the press and other authors. - Do interviews. Lots and lots of interviews. Papers, magazines, TV, radio, blog tours... I interview authors regularly, and my offer to interview anyone here is an open one. I don't charge - be wary of anyone who does. - Attend events. If your publisher or an agent can set up a book tour, fabulous. There are companies that do it for you, but again, be wary of costs. You can set them up yourself, really, but it can be time-consuming. Also book fairs, school events, etc, are great. - Offer preview copies, rather than the whole book. Proper reviewers should get a full version of course, but people you connect with on social media or whatever can make do with a teaser copy. You don't want to give it away for free too much. - If you're doing self-promotion, social media is your best friend. Become acquainted with it. I had to learn how to utilise Twitter lately, and it is a brilliant tool. Most of the above may be common knowledge, so sorry if I've insulted anyone's intelligence. :)
  13. Not an author myself, but I'm currently doing work experience for Julia Suzuki, a children's fantasy author. Any sales will make me look good, and may help me get an actual paid job (!), and she's a really nice woman, so she deserves your hard-earned cash. Her first book, The Land of Dragor Book 1: The Gift of Charms, is recommended for children aged 8+. It's got great reviews already, and is a lovely story for young readers. Available in paperback & ebook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1782199241/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1417120676&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
  14. I have to agree with pretty much everything in the 'Reviewing The Climb' article (?). A few main points: Olenna could have taken the opportunity to mention Aerys naming Jaime to the Kingsguard as a kind of punishment for Tywin, when Tywin threatened to name Loras. It would have been a great opportunity to learn more about the history, like they did with Arya and Tywin at Harrenhal. Theon.. I don't know, to be honest. I mean, it's done well by both actors and it's sufficiently horrifying, but I'm not convinced it's necessary. It is definitely getting annoying, waiting to see where they're going with it. Theon can't just be tortured for a few seasons, surely. Melisandre speaking to Arya. Could she mean Arya's fate A change I'm unsure about. It could work, if they do it right. Oh and Jon and Ygritte on top of the Wall. How corny was that?! Overall, while I don't think this episode was anywhere near as bad as any episode was in season 2 (bar Blackwater, which was awesome), I definitely think it was the worst episode so far. Looking forward to next week's episode.
  15. I don't recall the last time I gave an episode a 10, but this most definitely deserved it. They have really turned things around for season 3. That final Dany scene was amazing, absolutely fantastic, and the scene at Craster's was done equally well. Everything about this season seems extremely strong, including the deviations, and the episodes just keep getting better and better. Brilliant, I'm very pleasantly surprised.
  16. Now I'm a bit more coherent, I'll give more of my thoughts: - Like I said, very happy that Ramsay was mentioned. He's an evil bastard but necessary to the story, IMHO. - I loved how Bran looked at Theon when he first said he'd taken Winterfell. Kinda like 'bitch, please' :lol: All the scenes there were amazing, despite some tiny changes. Osha was brilliant, and when they sneaked out at the end I was like 'don't forget the wolves!'. Thankfully they were behind them. - Theon killing Ser Rodrik was awful, but such a good scene. Very powerful. - Dany's storyline has changed quite a lot, but someone stealing her dragons (and, IMO, taking them to the HotU) isn't a change I have much of a problem with. I like how everything that happens to her is undermining her, making her prove herself - the spice lord was so condescending towards her, I think it shows that yeah, she might have dragons, but she's still a young girl, and she has to earn what she wants. Much more believable, I like it. Not sure why Irri was killed though - her khalasar is shrinking to nothing. I wonder if Doreah as in on the theft of the dragons.. interesting. - Talisa is one change I don't like. If they end up making her a Lannister spy and it comes out that she's Jeyne Westerling, well, I don't know how that would work. Robb would never marry her after that, so maybe they do the deed, get married, and then it comes out, but she's fallen in love with him during that time? I'm waiting to see on that one, but so far, I'm unimpressed. The best thing about that scene was the looks Catelyn was giving her. - Arya and Tywin were great, despite the deviation from the books. Charles Dance just nails it, so I can't complain too much. I liked the Amory Lorch scene, it showed the same kind of mindset that Arya had in the book - kill those who are immediately threatening her. All in all, best episode so far. As an adaptation, it's getting worse, but I'm trying to save myself some disappointment by just watching the show as it's own thing, like I did with Dexter. I hope they don't deviate as far as Dexter did, but most of what they're doing differently works.
  17. Such a strong episode. I held my breath while Roose was talking - finally, a mention of Ramsay! This makes me happier than I would have imagined :laugh:
  18. I don't know what to think of them changing Jojen's greendreams over to Bran. I'm not sure how that will work out, but I must say my initial reaction was "What the actual fuck?!". Qarth was disappointing. I was happy to see Qaithe though, despite the changes. Pyat Pree was so creepy! Loved all of Arya's scenes, though the one with Tywin was a bit weird. Does he know who she is? I hope he doesn't, that would change quite a lot I think. Anyway, I don't much care that the Tickler died now instead of later, I'm sure we'll see Arya kicking some arse at some point in the future. Jaqen is amazing, and half-naked Gendry? Sorry, but us ladies have had nothing so far, so this episode was a treat! I really like TV-Cat, so her scenes with Brienne were enjoyable for me. I definitely felt Renly's death was underwhelming though, such a shame. But I guess the aftermath is what's more important. Tyrion owns, as usual. That man is simply a genius. I can't say much more on him - he's just perfect. Trying to separate the books from the TV show is tough, because I keep catching myself nitpicking and I don't want to do that, I want to enjoy the show. I just hope they don't deviate too much, like Dexter and True Blood have done.
  19. Why is everyone on my arse about this? It's just my opinion. I just think the changes they're making to the story are unnecessary, and are slightly ruining it for me. Once again, the show in itself is amazing, but as an adaptation of these books, I'm disappointed. And proper expectations? Please, you don't even know what my expectations were, so leave it out. Everyone on here is so argumentative. Ridiculous :rofl:
  20. Loras and Renly wasn't very obvious to me at all in the books, I only knew because I saw season 1 first. I like the show, but I don't like the changes they're making from the books. Certain characters are being changed for reasons beyond me, there is too much sex, and I think the icing on the cake was Arya instantly trusting Gendry. Fuck me with a bloody spear, I didn't realise having a mixed opinion was a problem.
  21. Like I said - taking it as a separate entity. 9/10 as a show, pretty damn crap as an adaptation of these excellent books.
  22. I gave it a 9 - I'm trying to take the show as a separate entity to the books now, else I'd lose my mind. We don't see Stannis and Melisandre having sex in the books, so it's no surprise that people are shocked when it happens so blatantly on our screens. He has been changed - "a son?" was just cringe-worthy. Too many brothel scenes too - makes me feel slightly ill. No need to see all of that. Very close to giving up watching too, but seeing it as a new TV show rather than an adaptation of these books makes it a bit better. I thoroughly enjoyed season 1, probably because I watched it before reading. I highly doubt we'll get all the seasons needed to cover all of the books anyway.
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