Help Me Take On Amazon!

Happy Friday all! Apologies to those who follow my Talli Roland blog, but I wanted to spread the word on this blog as well!

On December 1, The Hating Game will be released as an e-book, ahead of its UK hard-copy launch in early 2011. I can't wait! I'm excited because anyone, anywhere in the world can buy a copy of the e-book version on Amazon. You don't even need to have a Kindle to read it -- you can download the Kindle software to your computer and read it that way. Plus, it will be very reasonably priced (likely well under a fiver in the US and the UK).

Here's where you come in. It's amazing how few copies it takes to rocket your sales rank on Amazon. Wouldn't it be incredible if people bought copies of The Hating Game ebook -- all on Dec 1 --- and brought it up the charts? If for one brief moment in time (or maybe more), The Hating Game was an Amazon Kindle bestseller?

So on December 1, I'm hoping you can all join me in a Blogsplash to help spread the word. If you sign up, all I ask is that on Dec 1 you post a short paragraph about what I'm trying to accomplish and The Hating Game blurb. I'll send you all the content so you just have to cut and paste! I am aiming to have one thousand bloggers take part (I know, I know -- but it might happen! I'm thinking big!) so anything you can do to spread the word would be FANTASTIC.

Please leave a comment with your email or just email me at: marshawrites@gmail.com to take part.

And... of course if you could purchase a copy of the book on December 1, that would be fab as well. The closer together in time the sales are, the higher the book climbs in the ranking. I understand not everyone may be able to so no worries if not! There will be prizes for those who take part in the Blogsplash, there will be more prizes for those who buy, and there will be even more prizes for anyone who writes a review! I should clarify this is just for the ebook launch; the hard-copy launch will be coming in the New Year (you'll be sick of me, I'm sure).

Thank you all for reading this and for all the wonderful help and support you've given me so far! You rock!

Getting Published

Just a quick one today to say that my publisher Prospera Publishing has launched a new blog which will host the content for its ongoing newsletter, Getting Published. You can read there or sign up to receive the instalments via email!

Happy Thursday!

Blog Interview!

I recently did an interview over at the lovely blog Define Fabulous. Click here to find out about my very exciting days and what I find most difficult about the writing life.

I'll be missing in action the next few days as family visit from Egypt via Paris, but I'll be back early next week. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Don't Catch the Bug!

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your writing book recommendations!

Still on the theme of improving your writing craft (for those who hang out here for London-based stuff, there's a post coming up soon -- promise!), I came across this today on Lynn Viehl's Paperback Writer blog. It made me laugh several times (in recognition of things I'd done), so I thought I'd share it!


Ten Things You Might Catch from Other Writers' Books

Dragonorrhea: the prevalence of countless, beautifully colored, magically-endowed, bejewel-eyed dragons in a story when said dragons are not logical to the world-building, have no lives, apparently have nothing better to do than suck up to puny mortals, and (no matter how enormous or powerful they are) usually behave like fanged, flying, fire-breathing bunnies.

Good Girlitis: A serious and often grotesque inflammation of the heroine's moral pulchritude, which results in her utter inability to acquire flaws, make bad decisions or otherwise mess up like the rest of the ordinary mortals on the planet.

InfoMumps: Swollen, boring and largely unattractive monologues offered by dull characters who seem to serve no other purpose except to be on hand to confirm what Bob already knows.

HEAlzheimers: no matter how emotionally screwed up one or more main characters were during the first nineteen chapters of the novel, in the twentieth they forget all their troubles, commit to a serious relationship for which they were always incapable of trying much less sustaining in the past, and otherwise present a permanently welded-on mask of unnatural, lobotomized bliss.

Projectile Dysfunction: the unreasonable, unrealistic but steadily persistent eruption of guns, knives, swords and other phallic symbols wielded by the hero to underscore or serve as visual substitute for his masculinity, heterosexuality, virility, or any other manly man attribute.

Pseudo-BadBoydom: a surface condition which presents the hero as a nasty dirty lowdown mean leather-wearing foul-mouthed ingrate who should be publicly flogged for his innumerable sins and yet mysteriously and instantly vanishes whenever the heroine confesses her love, self-doubts, troubles or any situation in which a real bad boy would actually come in rather handy.

For more, click here.

Coming Down the Mountain

Now that I've calmed down a bit, I can tell you that I'm over at Karen Gowen's blog Coming Down the Mountain, talking about my new favourite subject: promotion. Karen and I crossed paths when she won a copy of my book through Nicola Morgan's awesome blog, and Karen graciously offered to interview me for her site.

Thanks, Karen!

The Horror!

I'm at India Drummond's blog today, talking about the joys of self promotion. India's a Twitter friend whose witty commentary quickly became an important part of my writing life. Thanks, India!

A Year of Bloggery

I've been blogging for almost a year now. I can't believe it hasn't been longer. Blogging - and reading blogs - is such a routine part of my life now that I can't imagine how I slogged through my day without it! I've met writers from all over the world and read a lot of great information about the publishing industry I wouldn't have come across otherwise.

I have learned one very critical lesson when it comes to blogging, which is this: be careful, be very careful, what you put out there. Because even if you think it's private; that your blog doesn't have any readers; or that no-one will ever find your rants or scribbles... you can depend on this: someone, somewhere, will. And it will be the person you least want to! Yes, that all sounds very sinister and cloak-and-dagger. But I can assure you it's true.

I had another blog I started a year ago, mainly as a reaction to a part-time job I had to make some money while writing. The job was OK -- but what really irked me was how I was treated by some of the clients. So I started an anonymous blog. (You can see where this is going...). Someone stumbled across it, put two and two together and let's just say I didn't work there much longer!

Naively, I'd stuck my head in the sand, thinking no-one would ever run across it and hey, if someone did, it was anonymous anyway! It was a great outlet for me to get my own back, and I didn't think through the what ifs properly.

So, on the anniversary of my entry into the blogosphere, I urge my fellow bloggers to be cautious about their public writings - or, at least, be prepared for the consequences!

When a Little Means a Lot

So many times in the publishing world, it's easy to wonder if your email is working. You send out queries -- nothing. You wait. And wait. Still nothing. You get a book deal, you write the book, then you send it out for review... and still, you wait. Granted, the book's not due out until the end of October, but you hope that someone might respond. This book is the best thing since sliced bread. Or: The writing is reminiscent of a young Hemingway.

And yesterday, someone did respond! The inimitable Scott Pack, no less, former head buyer at Waterstone's and currently a publisher at The Friday Project. Scott writes the blog Me and My Big Mouth, a mixture of book reviews, opinions, and all in all, a very interesting read (wow, lot of commas in that sentence!). If you haven't come across it, I'd highly recommend taking a look.

I'd sent him a PDF of my book, along with some cover art, thinking I probably wouldn't hear back. I was shocked when I saw his email address in my Inbox, along with some nice words about the book's concept and an offer to mention it on his blog -- along with running it in a giveaway contest!

Yippee! I thought as I typed a response. His next email knocked me back though: he didn't think the cover was strong enough to reflect the contents. A few more cover designs later along with some very helpful additional input from Scott, and we've come up with one that looks professional, eye-catching, and that we think will sell.

So... a giant thank-you to all those out there who extend a hand to new writers struggling in the shark-like world of publishing! Seriously, a little can really mean a lot.

Last Time, I Swear!

This is the third and final time I will mention this -- I got fired for blogging.

Since then, others have posted their tales of woe, too. And just yesterday, George Snell wrote about my firing on his website from a social-media perspective.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the issue! I promise never to mention it again. For now.

The Power of Words: How My Blog Got Me Fired

I started writing this post several times, but I always stopped before finishing it. I still felt too paranoid about the events of the past month. But they say writing is cathartic, so I'll give it a go now!

Before carrying on, I want to add a disclaimer that this post is in no way meant to offend, slander or libel anyone. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

There. Now that we got that out of the way, I can continue.

About a year ago, I quit my full-time corporate job to focus on my writing. I wasn't ready to give up the working world completely, though. I decided to get a job that wouldn't involve too much mental energy, but would still let me interact with people and earn a little bit of money to help out with my household expenses (i.e., shopping and haircuts). I came across an advert for a part-time receptionist at a health spa. Everything about it seemed perfect, so I applied and got the job.

It was a good job, I have to say. The environment was relaxing, my coworkers and managers were nice and all was great -- except for one thing. The clients. Botox-starved, rail thin, neurotic... I can think of a thousand cliched adjectives to describe them. Throughout my time there, I was called stupid. I was told to shut up. I was even described as 'a clever girl' because I managed to spell a surname correctly. That surname was 'W-H-I-T-E.' I kid you not.

After nine months of this and countless hours telling tales to my friends and family, I decided to start blogging about my experiences, mainly as an outlet for my frustration at being treated like a peon by women who probably hadn't even finished their A Levels. The blog would be completely anonymous, a way for me to get my own back.

I never thought anyone connected with the spa would ever stumble across it, let alone connect it to me. But unfortunately, that's just what happened. One morning, my manager asked me to come to her office. I left the reception desk and trotted over, wondering what was up. As I entered, I saw my blog up on her computer screen. And her business partner was there as well, likely to provide back-up in case I flared up. (They had nothing to worry about - I'd never 'flared up' in my life.)

That's me done, I thought as my heart pounded in my chest. Quickly I scanned through in my mind everything I'd written. Thank God I'd never mentioned her or any of my co-workers. The blog was anonymous, so I guess I could have denied it. But as time went on, I had revealed a few too many details about myself and it was pretty obvious it was me.

After informing me that my blog was 'silly', she fired me. In retrospect, I don't blame her. Although I never thought of it that way, by bad-mouthing the clients, I was jeopardizing her business. She was a good manager, and I do feel bad at causing her upset. In my defense, however, I'd never mentioned the name of the spa; any of our clients' names; or anyone who worked there.

I'm not sure how I feel about what happened next. Before I left, they told me I had to delete my blog. In front of them, right that instant. I felt so bad about my manager's reaction to my blog, I didn't even protest. Under their gaze, my fingers were shaking so much it took several attempts to even log in to my account, prolonging the agony. Finally, I hit 'Delete' and my blog vanished from the blogosphere. I was gutted. I had what I thought were some pretty good pieces of writing on there. And now they were gone.

At home, after a few drinks and some reflection, I was angry. I'd never blogged at work or even thought about using their computers (they were antiquated, anyway). Did they even have the right to practically force me to delete my blog? What would -- could -- they have done if I said no? They'd already fired me, after all.

I could have put up a fight; resurrected the blog; but it's just not worth it for me. Freedom of speech and all that, sure, but I don't need any added complications or paranoia.

The chapter was fully closed when a week after my firing I got a letter from the spa. Nervously I opened it, skimming the contents with disbelief. I'd been banned from the premises, like a common criminal!

If ever I needed confirmation of the power of words, here it was.