4/19/2011 Need a shirt?Did I mention before that there is a fan site for purchasing shirts and other accessories? Visit today http://deadandrising.spreadshirt.com/ or click the image below and make your own!
4/18/2011 Ode to the Book Signing GodsHow do I put into words what it meant to fulfill my first signed contract for a book signing. The day started by me gathering up all the supplies for the trip. Books, pens, bag to carry supplies into the store, and an array of plate stands to set my book up on. After that, I still had to get myself ready mentally and physically for the main event. Once prepared for my little adventure there was still an hour drive before setting foot on the holy ground - a major book retailer's carpet. As I made my way through the doors I thought trumpets sounded in the distance of my arrival, but of course that was the theme music playing in my head. The other authors had shown up earlier than I had with half of them all ready, books erect in little stands of their own. I should have gotten there a little sooner to mingle amongst the gathered writing gods. Yes, I said gods. Isn't an author considered a god when the words they write down create a whole new world? Well, that's my thought and I'm sticking to it. The group was a diverse one with all of literature's genres crammed onto tables in the shape of a horseshoe. People came in and browsed our wares, picked up a business card or flyer, skimmed one of the books, and some even walked away with said book in hand. Two hours of chatting up the authors on either side of me and talking at length about my novel to prospective customers made the time fly. In the end, we all had a good time, sharing tips each author learned in preparing and selling their manuscripts. Valuable things were taken home that day. Our books in customers hands for one, and information shared between like minded people. May they all pay tribute to the literary gods for many more book signings and prosperous days to come. 4/6/2011 Indie Authors Find A VoiceI hope to join the ranks of these other indie start-ups sharing their individual projects collectively through a site called KickStarter. This website offers a chance to make dreams come true for those that have a vision. To share what my vision is visit my Temperature Series Project for more information.
I worked hard to self publish my first novel and promote it. I used every bit of cash I had (even scrounged between the cushions) to get the money up without asking a soul to help. Now I hope to find generous people out in the world to support me in my endeavors this time. Check out my project, moreover, please take a look at some of the other up-and-coming talent who’ve posted their wares for all to see. KickStarter is trying to help us all and I am thankful for their own vision to help others fulfill a dream. If my goal isn’t reached I will not see a dime. That is the long and short of it for any of us trying to find backers. I am willing to drop my standards of getting a better novel out than my last one (mainly because I could only afford one copyediting service) if I can’t pull off this project. I am not a pessimist in thinking I might not get the funds to produce a second published novel – I just have a backup plan if this doesn’t pan out. As far as self publishing goes, I will choose a different publisher with e-book services and possibly audio book formats. My first self publisher, CreateSpace, is a good company to go through and have nothing to complain about. I would like more for my money though. Lightning Source has a list of self publishers to consider if you are in the market to publish your own manuscript. Beyond that, I have nothing to offer when it comes to marketing anything. Best of luck to anyone reading this. As I fumble through typing of my first draft thoughts of helping others distracted me. That is really an easy thing to do. Sitting here writing a blog instead of working on the manuscript should make just that point. The picture below is just some of the notes I have compiled for my second go at publishing a novel.
Back to the calling of other authors. If you have published a book (paperback or ebook) and would like to display it on my site please follow this link to learn how. That's it for now. Please visit the fan page and 'like' it for me. 3/25/2011 Opening to 2nd novel (sort of).The opening paragraph for the second novel is (and could very well change at any time):
'Hell will have a hard time finding them when I catch up', Bocnic fumed with fire in his eyes with that thought pounding in his skull; the song ‘Wars’ from Hurt still rebounding in his mind. It might not have been one of Sally’s premonitions speaking to him, but it fit all too well for him to ignore it. I have a lot more typed up, but wanted to give a taste of what's coming. 3/23/2011 Need to figure out how to post.Until I figure out how to link all the places I have a blog at this will have to do. Please check out this link:
http://adam-santo.blogspot.com/ Thanks for your support. 3/20/2011 First Big Book Signing!April 16th is the day! For me, this is a big day. The first, and hopefully not the last, book signing at a major retailer. Barnes & Noble has asked me to join their annual book signing event and currently 16 others are coming to autograph their latest novels too. (Let me know if you are coming by clicking the 'attending' button for the event at Dead Right Fan Page listed there).
It is a 2 hour time frame that makes me think right away about speed-dating. Make it short and do it fast. Maybe I should buy a stamp for my signature to keep writer's cramp at bay? I will admit I am not as nervous as I was when the "Meet and Greet" happened a few weeks ago. It could be because this style of book signing is much more informal and a little more one-on-one between reader and writer. I was asked to bring a minimum of 10 books to sign during the 2 hours we are given. Wonder how many people will be there for such an occasion? I bought 40 books just in case. This is also my first contract, in hand, that I have signed to preform as a bona fide author. The feeling it gives me is accomplished. Accomplished in something I have wanted to become, but never thought I would do in this lifetime. I know writing books isn't a sure fire way to make the rent. If that were the case I might have started long ago if it were what drove me to publish. Really, I published the book for self-gratification with the hope of others liking it along the way. I think it is a great story to be shared and want others to know about it, but I am not going to sit and wait for that big paycheck to fall from the sky and set me up for the rest of my life. I am satisfied with keeping writing as a hobby until that day comes; turning my current 9 to 5 job's earning into extra cash for playtime activities. While I wait for that day to come, I will enjoy life with my family and continuing to pound the pavement for my current job. Spreading the word of a new novel when I finish one to give a little enjoyment for a short time to those that love to read. Somehow I ended up rambling and getting off topic. I will learn how to blog someday. There are plenty of days left in me to learn I suppose. Back to what I started to say. Come join the festivities at Barnes & Noble in Tallahassee if you are in the area and say hi if nothing else. I won't require you to buy a book just to chat, so come by and spend a little time getting to know myself and the other authors! I know I will be meeting new faces during that time. Looking forward to seeing you there. Me (in white shirt), Son (in camo), Fan (in middle) What a day! For my first trick I will attempt to speak to a crowd ... and it worked. I forgot about telling people what a great book I put together and instead talked with the crowd about what it meant to write it. Seems pretty simple, right? Kind of. Sort of. Well, some how it worked. For being my first time sitting in front of a group, I shook from nerves and ran back t the house a few times for things I had left behind. Was there a chance I would even make it to my own engagement? I thought to myself. Time would only tell if I could pull it off. I even had the intentions to leave early just in case something happened; and it seems it did. Once at the library and running out of time I forgot to concentrate on the speech and more about getting in my seat before it started. By that time things moved fast as I set up my novels on the table and arranged everything just right. The announcer introduced us (there would be two authors speaking in the hour timeframe) as some of the stragglers left outside shuffled in. What I didn't expect was for him to have me speak first. In the back of my head hopes of hearing the veteran author of us two speak might help me understand what it was I might say. No luck. Needless to say, I started a little shaky and built up momentum with my short lived speech. Then I opened it up to questions. Some asked if it was like other like-styled authors and one question that I didn't expect. It was the second time I have been asked this question which for some reason still baffles me. Ready for it? "Is this book based on a true story or is it something you made up in your mind?" Now, before this was asked I had already explained the book is about undead (a type of zombie but reimagined) with vampires and werewolves. To be asked this questions after giving out some of the details of my novel took be off guard a little. I blurted of, "I really hope so!" without thinking of the answer first. This did get a chuckle from the crowd and set my nerves straight. The rest of the night would work out just fine. Overall, I ended up selling to 1/3 of the crowd and that is saying something. Best of luck to any new authors out there reading this and having the same jitters about speaking as I did. It all comes out in the wash, so don't beat yourself up worrying about what hasn't happened yet. You only fail at something if it is what you believe will happen, not what is to come. I didn't make it passed the pitch stage of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, but that doesn't mean I am out of the running. This is just the start of the year and so many more contests are on the horizon. Temperature: Dead and Rising is not out of steam yet.
I dropped my novel in the mail to the IPPY Awards and the 19th annual Writer's Digest Competition where the book is the only thing that counts. The experience gained from entering these competitions far outweighs any disappointment from losing. One of the contests will send back commentary about why the book didn't make it to the next stage and this is worth the price of failure. Don't take me wrong, I believe in my novel and expect it to rise to the top. What else comes from entering competitions is notice. My novel will be seen by the judges and anyone following these contests. If nothing else I get exposure. Isn't that a goal of every author? More exposure? Of course it is. Everyone that has written something wants to see it in a reader's hand. The problem is how the reader will ever learn the novel is out there to read. I hope the efforts I am making brings the knowledge of my book to the reader. In the end, I am glad to put my typed words where my mouth is. Challenge myself by betting my manuscript is better than anyone else. It is the nature of the beast. Enter a contest and the others will hope they have a better one than you. Honestly, I hope it is a tough choice for the judges to pick the best, but someone must win. Good luck to those entering these with me. 2/20/2011 Novel in it's first competition!This is an exciting time for me. My first novel is published, which is a big accomplishment all by itself for me. Now I have entered it into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards competition! Right now we are traversing round one that ends Feb. 24, which will narrow down the 5000 entries to 1000. I will keep updates running as best I can about the results of this competition.
While I wait for the results the second novel is in the works with hundreds of scrap pieces of paper filled with notes all over the table. Ideas keep coming and it is getting harder to find a place for them all. Might just have to save some of them for another book... Well, I am going to spend some quality time with my family (the new job I have limits me from being with them all the time - when they are not working or out of school). Be back soon to write more blogs and update my competition status. Until then - Best wishes to you all and good luck to those I am in the running with. |
About the Author
Adam Santo is a SciFi/Fantasy writer who enjoys the quiet moments to write stories. His debut novel, Temperature: Dead and Rising, took the world for a ride they would soon not forget. Santo began plotting out the second paperback novel, Temperature: Bitter Cold, before the ink dried on his first book. Santo continues to write nonstop because he knows there is always a story waiting to get out. Archives
April 2014
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