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Big, superhairy deadline in 26 days, and I’ll be spending 8 of those on the road, and 5 of those are Sundays and I don’t work on Sundays, so really I have no business being on this blog now or starting a Twitter account last weekend or playing on Facebook or reading other YA author’s [...]

FADE came in at #7 on the NYTimes bestseller list this week! Which means one thing: only one more week on the list separates me from adopting a tiny, adorable kitteh who needs a home.

Save a kitteh -- tell your friends to buy a copy of FADE today!

You guys amaze me. You're astounding. Fabulous. Unstoppable. (And extremely good looking.)

Thank you for buying my books and for telling your friends!! FADE hit the NYT bestseller list with its first week's sales. That so totally rocks.

Let's keep it going! If you have a chance in the next few days, please tell a new friend or two about the WAKE series.

Love and hugs,

Lisa

Blogger of the Week:
Lisa McMann


I discovered YA author Lisa McMann when I began following her on Twitter. But when I read her author bio on Simon & Schuster's website and discovered we share a tremendous love for peanut butter (the world's awesomest food) that made me visit her website. And read her blog. And ask her to be my Blogger of the Week. Below she talks about her books and blogging.

For anyone not familiar with your work, tell us about it.

The Wake trilogy is paranormal YA from Simon Pulse. The first book, Wake, came out last year and it's about a 17-year-old girl named Janie who gets sucked into other people's dreams, and how Janie learns to deal with her emerging powers with a little help from a mysterious, geeky-hot guy named Cabel who has creepy nightmares. Book 2, Fade, comes out February 10, and it continues the story of Janie and Cabe in their second semester of senior year.

The third book, Gone, is scheduled for spring of 2010.

When and why did you start blogging? What did you hope to accomplish?

I originally started blogging about four years ago, while I was still trying to write a novel that wasn't crap. At that time the blog's purpose was purely to entertain the small group of readers/friends I had. That blog has since disappeared, although I've kept some of the posts just in case I ever write a memoir. Heh.

My current blog began after I got my agent, Michael Bourret--a fabulous guy as you well know. This blog is purely to inform people about my books, contests, awards, etc. I still like to play and entertain, but I do that on Twitter and Facebook now, rather than on my blog.

Do contest work well for you promotion-wise? Any tips for other blogger on offering contests?

I do contests for two reasons. One, because I love to give stuff away. It's hella fun, and I feel like it's a way to say thanks to the readers who have supported me by buying Wake and making it a NYT bestseller. And two, because contests remind readers that my books exist and brings in new potential readers.

A word about promo: Back in my early days of selling real estate, my broker sent out newsletters every other month to his past clients. I suggested to him that maybe that was a waste of money--after all, who has time or inclination to read junk mail? They just throw it out. He said, "I don't care that they throw it away. The sole reason for sending newsletters to clients is for them to read my name or see my photo and remember that connection we had for a split second before they trash it. Because you never know when they're ready to buy another house. I want to make it easy for their brains to pull up my name again when it happens." That concept stuck with me.

As authors, we know we have limited time to make an impression. And promo gets old, fast. It's tiring, it's awkward--we'd rather write, not shill. There's a reason we hide out in our caves, writing, and that's because we are (typically) introverted. We don't do sales. Contests are a great way to keep the buzz going for your book without it feeling like it's in-your-face marketing.

To do a proper contest, you need to know who some of the book bloggers are. Get to know them--they rock. Many teen book bloggers do weekly roundups where they inform their readers about current contests. These bloggers are wonderful--they willingly help spread the word for you. Cynthia Leitich Smith also often posts contests on her amazing blog. Many book bloggers would love it if you send them a copy of your book. They'll review it and maybe give it away, or point people in the direction of your contest.

What other kinds of posts can visitors expect when they visit your blog?

Besides contests, I post news about my books, like any awards or nominations Wake has received (Cybils, Borders Original Voices, BN.com Best of 2008, BBYA, etc). I'll offer links to sites where readers can find widgets and screen savers and countdown clocks with a Wake theme. And I'll also post about other books I've read that have really touched me. Too, I have my Twitter widget on my blog so people can easily see what off-topic things I'm talking about elsewhere that day as well.

Could you offer any advice to authors new to the blogosphere?

• Have a theme in mind when you start your blog.
• Post on others' blogs a lot and get to know other the bloggers you enjoy reading, and those whose blogs are like yours.
• It takes time to build a readership--work diligently on that by posting about interesting topics (think about what people might google that you happen to know a lot about) every other day or a few times a week.
• Let people know on your fave message boards, your MySpace or Facebook, etc. that you are now blogging and invite them to come check out your contest. If you don't have books of your own to give away, offer somebody else's book as a prize. Or, do like Heather Brewer does for her vampire series--offer Vlad-themed hoodies. Or like A.S. King does for her awesome debut--offer very quick contests that are tons of fun and give away V.O.G.s (very odd gifts).
• Be quirky and clever and word will spread. Also, you should definitely follow my blog, not only because I have two awesome contests going on right now, but because I just started that "follow me" feature and I want more followers than Alice Pope. ;-)

Finally, right? Now you can get your very own copy of WAKE for under ten bucks! And with FADE coming Feb 10, now's a great time to start your WAKE trilogy collection. Plus, you're going to need something to read over winter break.

Now...the WAKE paperback's official release date is December 23, but you can often find books sooner than their official date. I have seen it in stock and shipping already at a couple of well-known online bookstore websites. So it's out there, people! It.is.out there.

But some people don't buy books online, AND more importantly, I like it when you buy your books locally if you can.

So here's what you do: call or go to your local bookstore and ask for WAKE in paperback at the info desk. If they don't have it in yet, ask them to please *please pretty please* order it for you and call you as soon as it is in.

Isn't that easy?

Happy holidays to all, and thank you for spreading the word about WAKE.

xox
Lisa

I'll be at Books of Wonder. Please come! I'll be reading from FADE, woo hoo!
18 W 18th Street
New York, NY 10020

Here's the info from Books of Wonder's website:

LISA McMANN, LINDA GERBER, MELISSA WALKER, CLAIRE MYSKO, KATIE DAVIS,
and JENNY DAVIDSON


Please join us on Wednesday, August 6, as we host 6 talented authors for teen who will present some of the newest in scintillating teen fiction and non-fiction. Come meet author and scholar JENNY DAVIDSON, whose debut teen novel The Explosionist, set in Scotland in the 1930's, introduces us to sixteen-year-old Sophie, her friend Mikael, and her great-aunt Tabitha as they are caught up in a murder mystery involving terrorists and suicide bombers whose plans have world-shaping consequences; best-selling author KATIE DAVIS, whose latest novel, The Curse of Addy McMahon, is a comic look at the titular hero's attempts to get down to the bottom of a purported family curse even as she tries to repair the fallout after her entire school gets a look at one of the comics from her private journal; LINDA GERBER, whose Death by Bikini introduces us to Aphra Behn Connolly, a lonely girl living on her family's island resort and forced to turn sleuth when a shocking murder and the sudden arrival of smoldering Seth's family seem just a bit too coincidental; LISA McMANN, author of Wake, a spellbinding novel in which seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagan learns she has the supernatural ability to enter into other people's dreams and influence those dreams; CLAIRE MYSKO, author of You're Amazing!: A No-Pressure Guide to Being Your Best Self, a fun-packed advice book that tackles the pressures faced by today's teens by offering inspired wisdom and guidance from older teens, female role models, and activities from Girls Inc., a non-profit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold; Violet series writer MELISSA WALKER, author of Violet in Private, Violet by Design, and Violet on the Runway, which explore the travails of Violet Greenfield, wallflower turned catwalker turned college student, as she encounters romance, the pitfalls of celebrity, and those everyday insecurities of teenage girls; and CHLOE WALSH, author of The Interns:Fashionistas and The Interns: Truth or Fashion, which presents the glamorous yet nerve-wracking world of the four summer interns at Couture magazine--aspiring designer Callie; party-girl photographer Nadine; accommodating Ava, who's about to learn you don't get what you want by standing back and waiting for it to happen; and Aynsley, sexy socialite with an attitude to match. Don't miss your chance to meet these cutting-edge teen fiction and non-fiction authors and get your books signed by them! 6:00-7:30pm. Ages 12 and up.


This event is free and open to all. Please note that you are welcome to bring one book from home to be signed for each book you purchase on the day of the event. If you have any questions, call us at (212) 989-3270.

Today I received my rejection letter from zuda comics regarding my webcomic submission. It was your basic "thanks for submitting" sort of thing. If I hadn't already received about ten million of them in my somewhat short illustration career I would be upset, luckily at this point in my career rejection letters are about as "fresh and new" as the high top fade.

Because I am completely incapable of simply leaving the story hanging I've decided to go ahead and update it and continue the story when I get the time.

Click the link above if you're interested or possibly just bored and give it a read.

Steve!

The image I uploaded earlier wouldn't show up for viewers, so I reloaded with a different icon to make sure it could be seen. Sorry for any trouble anyone may have had in viewing.