Check out the new book reviews. Nicole O’Dell’s Girl Talk: 180 Q&A (co-written with her two oldest daughters) and Zoe Mack and the Secret of the Love Letters by K. Dawn Byrd.
Thanks to co-author, Lisa Lickel, we also have new discussion questions to share for A Summer in Oakville. You can find them here.
Stop by and comment for a chance to win an e-copy of The Wishing Ring on Penny Zeller‘s blog and while you’re at it, give yourself permission to dream.
Finally, stop by NextGenWriters.com if you’re a writer under twenty and are interested in joining a critique group designed with you in mind.
As an author, marketing has become a large portion of my day-to-day routine. That used to mean blogging, online interviews, social media networking, with a few road trips to the brick and mortar stores nearby. With my latest release, The Wishing Ring, I’ve had to do a little regrouping. Rethink the traditional marketing realm and get creative. Still working on that part. Gives me a headache at least once a week. (Or once a day, depending on the day).
One would think marketing is marketing. Get your name out there, brand yourself, grab those followers…That’s all well and good, but with a tween novella, like The Wishing Ring, the audience begins to alter the landscape a bit. Here, let me show you. Up until now, I’ve written young adult (Driven) or contributed the young adult pieces to contemporary stories (A Summer in Oakville, co-written with Lisa Lickel). Blog interviews and social networks are key avenues to marketing both of those. With teens avidly participating on social sites and adults perusing the blogosphere such tactics makes sense.
However, The Wishing Ring is a tween novella. In other words it’s storyline is geared for readers ages 8 – 14. Facebook limits its users to those 13 and older. Makes hitting my readership tough. I could go for their parents, but unless it’s Christmas or their lovelies’ birthdays, parents are generally not as eager to thumb through tween fiction titles or reviews. (I know I don’t…speaking as the mother of tweens:). Twitter is just now capturing the teen market (according to USAToday.com). Until that audience ratchets down from the 12 – 16 to the 8 – 14, I’m still sunk.
So where do tweens hear about their favorite reads? Here’s what I’ve discovered (oh, and the results are in no special order)…
- Word of mouth–always the best advertisement. If one tween (make that one popular tween and you’ve got it m
Whoo-hoo! The Wishing Ring officially releases today. Check out our two new portals to coincide with the new tween fantasy, The Wishing Ring. For teachers, the teacher resource page contains pdf worksheets and activities while the adventurers’ page has games and puzzles for the readers. Check them out (right after you get your copy of The Wishing Ring 
).
Feel free to visit the portals anytime. Just click the Adventures of Ally and Cory tab above.
**Whoo-hoo, it’s release day!!**
What’s not new should be the question. We’re off to Ohio next month so life in these parts is nuts. That’s not to say there aren’t important things happening in this writer’s world. Let’s check a couple things out.
Well there’s the NextGenWriter’s Conference. That starts on Tuesday, August 2 at 10am CDT. If you’re under twenty and are just thinking about a career in writing, you’ll want to check out that free, online conference. Registration is a must, so check it out today.
Two new books to be looking for…The Wishing Ring (an exciting adventure across dangerous lands in search of a magical ring left by the Creator). Won’t want to miss that one. It was co-written by my kiddos, Ali (age 10) and Cory (age 12), so you know there’s all kinds of wild loops and unexpected creatures. The first chapter will be posted soon, so keep an eye out for that one. The Wishing Ring will release in February of 2012. (Cover pictures coming soon)
The second new release is entitled A Summer in Oakville, co-written with Lisa Lickel. It’s a romance. Oh yes, I went there. Granted my additions to the novella collection are the teen and early twenty’s sections, but still. You’ll have to read it to believe it. If you’d like to know more about A Summer in Oakville, join our Facebook page.
In the meantime, thank you for being patient. I know I promised more in the Blinded series, but that has been on the back-burner where it will have to remain until September. Don’t worry, our friends are safe…for now.
So what are your August plans?
I see them wandering the streets after school lets out for the day. Stand at the front of the school and hand out bookmarks? Of course, you might get arrested, but the writer’s life is a hard one.
I’d market my fantasies as YA, but the kids aren’t having palpitations over each other, not swearing, not having sex, and don’t have access to cell phones. Okay, one SatPhone in the cupboard in the Witches’ Council Room.
Kids must have twitter accounts otherwise, how do they do all that cyber bullying? Try to find tweets with lots of OMGs and LOLs and you might home in on the demographic.
I’ll be interested in hearing answers from tween writers who know something about it.
LOL, Marva. Yeah, I’m thinking I’ll hold off on the arresting part:). Although that would be a great way to reach the kids. Wonder if the schools would be willing to send bookmarks home in their weekly folders, hmm….
You know, when I researched the twitter thing, everything I found said teens had twitter accounts, but weren’t using them. Until recently. It is slowly gaining speed with them. (Something about it being taken over by the older generations:D). Guess we’ll be watching. It’s big with the 20-somethings, tho:)