Pam Perry's Candid Chat on Social MediaMarketing

Dee Stewart and PR Pr Pam Perry chat about eblast services for authors, Book marketing via twitter, author marketing swaps, Twitter, the Christian Book Expo, techniques, why sharing matters & much more

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Pam Perry's Candid Chat on Social MediaMarketing

Dee Stewart and PR Pr Pam Perry chat about eblast services for authors, Book marketing via twitter, author marketing swaps, Twitter, the Christian Book Expo, techniques, why sharing matters & much more

Mobile post sent by deegospel using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3

Christy Awards Finalists Annnounced

Zora & Nicky Finaled

From what I read the CBE missed its mark, but let's be fair, this is its first year. At least my galpal Claudia Burney, finaled in the Christys. Yeah, girl!!!

Christy Award Nominees:

Romance: Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group); Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers); and Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney (David C. Cook).

Contemporary (Series, Sequels and Novellas): Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group); Summer Snow by Nicole Baart (Tyndale House); and You Had Me at Good-bye by Tracey Bateman (FaithWords).

Contemporary (Stand-alone): Dogwood by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House); Embrace Me by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson); and Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas (Moody Publishers).

First Novel: Blue Hole Back Home by Joy Jordan Lake (David C. Cook), Rain Song by Alice Wisler (Bethany House Publishers); and Safe at Home by Richard Doster (David C. Cook).

Historical: Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing Group); Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin (Bethany House); and Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser (Bethany House).

Historical Romance: Calico Canyon by Mary Connealy (Barbour Publishers); From a Distance by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House); and The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen (B&H Publishing Group).

Suspense: By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer (Tyndale House); The Rook by Steven James (Revell/Baker Publishing Group); and Winter Haven by Athol Dickson (Bethany House Publishers).

Visionary: The Battle for Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka (Harvest House Publishers); Shade by John B. Olson (B&H Publishing Group); and Vanish by Tom Pawlik (Tyndale House).

Young Adult: The Fruit of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina (FaithWords); I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke (Moody Publishers); and On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (WaterBrook Press).

Winners will be announced at ICRS in July

Gospel Dream 2009 Auditions ANnouncement: Christian Fiction Blog

Gospel Dream Is Back! Auditions This April and May

Auditions To Be Held in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Oakland, Orlando & Seattle

Season Premiere Set For June 6

ATLANTA (March 17, 2009) – Gospel Music Channel announced today it will once again invite performers to audition to compete for the chance to win a record & music video deal, among other prizes, in nine audition cities, for a fourth season of Gospel Dream.

The cities and dates scheduled for Gospel Dream auditions are:

Seattle – Northwest University Chapel – 5520 108th Ave. NE Kirkland, WA 98033	April 1
Minneapolis – 3 Degrees – 113 N. 5th St Minneapolis, MN 55403	April 8
Dallas – Open Door City Church – 8421 Boulevard 26 N. Richland Hills, TX 76180	April 10
Los Angeles – Dream Center Angeles Temple – 1100 Glendale Blvd L.A. CA 90026	April 14
Oakland – Shiloh Church – 3295 School St. Oakland, CA 90026	April 15
Nashville – Marathon Village – 1305 Clinton St. Nashville TN 37203	April 25
Orlando – Northland Church – 530 Dog Track Road Longwood, FL 32750	May 1
Atlanta – Wagon Works – 1514 East Cleveland Ave., 2nd Floor, East Point, GA 30344	May 2
Detroit – Wayne State University Student Center Room 29 – 5221 Gullen Mall Detroit MI 48202	May 4
Locate accommodation options near audition events

Specific times, locations, and official rules and required forms for the auditions will be provided shortly. Stay tuned to gospelmusicchannel.com/gospeldream for the latest information.

Singers from all Gospel/Christian styles, including traditional, rock, pop, country and soul are invited to audition for Gospel Dream 2009. Solo artists age 16 to 40 are eligible. Between 30 and 35 contestants from the audition cities will be selected to compete for the crown in Nashville.

Gospel Dream will been seen Saturday nights at 9 PM ET on Gospel Music Channel beginning June 6, culminating with the grand finale coronation of the new Gospel Dream winner on July 11.

“Gospel Dream is the original music reality competition on television that celebrates aspiring artists who desire to inspire, as well as to entertain,” commented Charles Humbard, founder and president, Gospel Music Channel. “The show connected with our viewers in the first three seasons and season four competition promises to be even more compelling and will be seen by even more viewers thanks to our tremendous growth in distribution.”

Elvin Ross is the creator, executive producer and musical director of the Gospel Dream series.

Gospel Music Channel is the fastest-growing network in television and can be seen in more than 42 million homes on various cable systems around the country and on DIRECTV on channel 338.

Entry Process (Two Steps)

1) Read rules & complete online form
2) Download, print, and fill out entry and release documents.

1. Gospel Dream Registration Entry & Rules
2. Release Form*

* You must bring the Gospel Dream Registration & Rules and the Release Form with you to your audition

Tips to Get the Best ROI on your Book Event

Join me as I answer your questions about pr and publicity. Today's question is: How can you get the best ROI of out of your book event, expo or conference?

If you have a question you would like me to answer on Media Candy's MidWeek Midday Chat leave me a comment here.

5 Christian Book Expo No No I want Go Gos

More than 200 Christian authors will come together and meet their readership at the first annual Christian Book Expo in Dallas Texas this week. As I said before when I read the through the list of panel discussion, workshops, & book signing opps, I didn't see anything that would make me want to fly out there and come (outside of attending the Christy Book Awards. You know why.)

There is an African American pavilion that I hope I don't offend anyone, but it shouldn't be there.

I believe I received a tweet a month ago from someone working behind the scenes at CBE, who wanted to know why am I not pleased with the lineup at the show and asked for any suggestions. I tried to tweet him back, but can't find the DM. Sorry. He seems nice. Anyway...this is my reason why I have a challenge.

1. The lineup is scant and without reason to be.

Dallas has a nice-size African American Christian population, but only six AA authors available for the four-day event. There's no[one] Christian fiction novelist on the panel(Michelle McKinney Hammond.) However, in Texas three novelists who have very large readerships weren't invited for the forum. Moreover, Sharon Ewell Foster the godmother of African american Christian fiction, who has won Christy Award, Rita Awards and some is not on the panel. Moreover, Bishop TD Jakes who's Potters House Church is in Dallas is not in the place at all. Are you kidding me?

2. Christianity is color blind, so why is CBE.

I strongly don't believe that the Christian marketplace should mirror the secular world as close as it does. On the part of race as a divider, it shouldn't be there. Granted we are culturally different, our stories should become a part of the Christian world conversation not as separate, but equal(obviously not equal in this case,) but as conclusive and representing Lydia Maria Child and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's concept of the Beloved Community.

But perhaps this demarcation is a tell-tell that racism is still an issue in American Christianity.

3. The CBE has a limited invitation for African American readers to enjoy the party.

For the same price as a non AA reader, AA readers have the six hours who have sporadic intervals to see, so where do they go then? Are they welcomed inside?

This may be a weird question to ask, but what's the purpose of the AA pavilion if not to establish a boundary for AA readers. Sure we know the spiel that all are welcome to the other panels, but gosh what are you saying when you set us apart?

5. This expo is like a body that refuses to use a limb.

To me it seems that CBE would rather cut off a link and run without all working members and joints in sync than be whole.

There are little panels with AA authors on them, even the AA pavilion doesn't have enough people to have a decent workshop panel. This looks shady at best.

Tomorrow I want to talk about this topic a little deeper as I get to my sixth issue with the CBE. It's inability to reach out to authors and readers who seek Christian messages but not through CBA publishers anymore.

Now comment, rant or do what ever. Holla,

Dee

Weekend Chat: Is your Publisher a Scam?

Writer's Block Photo Credit Kylie2Good

Last week I received an email from a publishing company that they would be hosting a manuscript contest at one of my favorite Atlanta bookstores. But when I read the email and did a little fact checking I became pissed off(sorry, but that is the most appropriate word for how I felt.) Let me show you why?

or Listen here..

An excerpt from the email...

Want to get your book published?

2009 Author Manuscript Contest
will be at Borders Bookstore in _____, GA

Saturday, March 7th

1-3pm

Bring your manuscript to submit and receive 30% off the submission fee

for contest submission rules!

Okay. So what's the problem, Dee?

Let me count the ways:

1. This contest has a hidden agenda that doesn't involve publishing.
This sort of contest reminds me of the Zoo Press debacle back in 2004., excecpt at least Zoo Press was once reputable press with industry following. But in this case what we have is a vanity press disguised as a small press using a contest to fund the company, not the contest.

See. If this company was using the entry fees to fund the contest, meaning: contest advertisements, the publishing contract, publishing and distribution, etc, then there would be more mention of who runs this company, who are the contest judges, more acknowledgment about this contest through the bookstore that booked it, local papers within the area, and at least, at least a few reputable Atlanta news blogs. But zilch. I've found nada except a poorly constructed email campaign(that was sent to me without my agreement to opt-into their email service.) This lack of marketing, improper social media etiquette tells me that the company isn't fully solvent and this contest goal is to make them a little money.

2. The publishing company will deliver a winner...Them

This "boutique" publishing company is a vanity press. They prey on the vanity of authors, who want to see their name on a book more than taking the time to build some compelling and fit for the marketplace. Therefore, they will publish any writing for a fee. So the gauge to determine what is publishable washes out, because this company has no gauge. It publishes whoever pays their set fee. Period.

Now this contest doesn't tell us how many books will be published in the initial print run or how many pages this book is maxxed to be or how the book will be bound. I have seen these books (and I have met the brains behind this company. lol. and I can't believe they were crazy enough to add me to their mailing list. lol) and the print run could possibly 500, the books are lean under 240 pages, its Japanese bound, trade paperback, poorly constructed cover board. So I'm pretty sure i know where this book has been printed from. So my general guestimation about $2500 to print. add editing and the publisher's fee. about $5000 to the author.

So this contest fee is about $25 books (fifteen more bucks if you add another submission.) In Atlanta, during this economy I guestimate maybe 100 entries as a very weak guestimate. I can't tell you the number of people I meet weekly who want to publish their own book. Most writing contest get about 500 entries. Are you smelling my coffee yet?

It's very sour.

What you have here, basically, this company is taking enough entry fees to publish a book through a local press. The cost for that is pretty basic, too. Here's a pub calculator from Author's Lawyer

3. The company is predatory.
You cannot my fathom my disgust for predatory companies that prey off authors, musicians, actors, artists, and parents. It is a thing I need to pray about because my anger becomes a rage, a hulkish rage.

Artists create,and some wish to share their creations with their community. However, in this world and this time, there are people who don't respect the beauty in creation. Instead they see an artist wish to present their art to the world and their wonder about if their work matters to this world and stomp on it with the artist blood, sweat and dollars.

But it's only $25, Dee?

It's so much more than pocket change. You have to consider many of these victims(and I can't necessarily call them victims either) have been:

1. either rejected by a national publishing company
2. a newbie writer
3. a writer, whose works isn't fit for this current marketplace and refuses to accept that truth
4. someone who trust this company as a reputable because they haven't engaged themselves in the writing community

#4 is one of the reasons for the creation of Christian Fiction Blog. Here this is a place where writers can come and learn about the industry, comment, join a network of published writers and industry professionals for free, and get the answers they need. We post legitimate contests here. We share scam alerts here. We offer advice here. The entire community does this not just me.

So this is this weekend's chatterbox question: Is your Publisher a scam? Do you know? Do you know how to know? want to ask me a question?

Let me remind you every Wednesday at noon est. you can join me for a 30 minute chat about book publishing and promotion at Media Candy. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mediacandy