tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33536361488408149352024-03-18T09:16:24.380+00:00Kindle AuthorsEncouragement, practical 'how to' advice, and support for all aspiring and established Kindle authors.Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-37381554267003258142018-10-20T11:50:00.001+01:002018-10-20T11:50:29.173+01:00Child's Play Maths <a href="https://www.trepstar.com/purchase.asp?idprod=248930&mode=itemlist" target="_purchase"><img alt="Click here to buy now!" border="0" src="https://www.trepstar.com/i/BuyNowBlue1-100.gif" title="Click here to buy now!" /></a>
Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-19645051065722571282015-12-08T23:32:00.002+00:002015-12-08T23:37:18.156+00:00My Festive Gift To You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3uRb-RToeE/VmdiGhNObiI/AAAAAAAACgc/u_AePzmM0jc/s1600/a%2Bnew%2Btwist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3uRb-RToeE/VmdiGhNObiI/AAAAAAAACgc/u_AePzmM0jc/s640/a%2Bnew%2Btwist.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Apologies </b>for being away so long. I hope to get back refreshed in the new year to provide a showcase for Indie Authors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>In the meantime</b> please accept my Christmas gift, hopefully you will find it an uplifting message for these troubled times in which we live.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://tiny.cc/chriscarol" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Here's</b> what others said:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>“A remarkable modern adaptation” </i>Frances
Scanlon – Entertainment Sec, New York City Bar Entertainment Committee, Manhattan December 2012 </span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><i>“What a wonderful message to remind ourselves
of,” </i>Michelle Vrabel (US). </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“I loved it!!!” Paivi Lokard (</span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Sweden</span></st1:place></st1:country-region></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><i>)</i></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><i>“Some great imagery. . . I loved it!” – </i>Nigel
Crowle (Author </span><st1:stockticker style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">BBC</span></st1:stockticker><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
Wales)</span><i> </i></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>“If you loved #Charles Dickens you’ll love this
book,” KnownAsJane (US)</i></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lO_wRn7BbKM/VmdngFLgUVI/AAAAAAAACgs/usUKfSYSpGk/s1600/john%2Bw%2Bcassell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lO_wRn7BbKM/VmdngFLgUVI/AAAAAAAACgs/usUKfSYSpGk/s640/john%2Bw%2Bcassell.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"> "God Bless Us All This Christmas"</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-37533861361261709482015-05-13T12:51:00.000+01:002016-01-01T10:10:12.946+00:00Stories Create Characters - Characters Create Stories.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ddGo6F5MeLA/VVCJ8rBddII/AAAAAAAACUg/NG3vtR2oBi8/s1600/ScreenHunter_1633%2BMay.%2B11%2B11.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ddGo6F5MeLA/VVCJ8rBddII/AAAAAAAACUg/NG3vtR2oBi8/s400/ScreenHunter_1633%2BMay.%2B11%2B11.52.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Time to give you a verdict </b>on the experiment I began in my last post:<br />
<b><i>"Can we use our characters to promote our books and create more content at the same time?"</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>To recap:</b> The figure in the dock is Vernon Lewis a character from my recent book<b><a href="http://www.talesfromwales.net/" target="_blank"> 'Jack's High'</a></b>.<br />
His remit was to write a blog that purported to provide expert lawn bowls tips. Vernon's somewhat unusual and unique approach to bowls was documented in his ebook "7 Tips for Top Skips" . <b>Tip Number 7,</b> for example, was entitled: <b>"Avoid Elderly Female Bowlers and Transvestites."</b><br />
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<a href="http://vernonstoptips.gr8.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1imaply1mFY/VVCRUnPKmqI/AAAAAAAACUw/JJpTbslzltQ/s200/toptipsCS.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<b>The book is freely available</b> to download from the blog via autoresponder -<br />
I use <a href="http://www.getresponse.com/index/philrow" target="_blank">GetResponse</a> (<i>Click the link and try it free for yourself for thirty days)</i>.<br />
Its purpose is twofold:<br />
i) to attract subscribers<br />
ii) to get examples of my work in front of potential readers.<br />
<br />
<b>To date I have 21 subscribers.</b> Not a massive total but the blog does not currently have a large circulation so that is a reasonable initial response. As yet I have not used my main Twitter account, which has over 4,000 Followers, to promote the blog so hopefully when I do there should be a corresponding increase in circulation and subscriptions.<br />
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Having established the blog - <b><a href="http://verns-lawn-bowls-tips.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Vern's Lawn Bowls Tips</a></b> - I needed to promote it.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EYxC7RIA83s/VVCaZN-5MmI/AAAAAAAACVA/QWtG3cudQ_k/s1600/blogheader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EYxC7RIA83s/VVCaZN-5MmI/AAAAAAAACVA/QWtG3cudQ_k/s400/blogheader.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Twitter </b>was an obvious place but I have hung fire for the time being. Because my book was based around the exploits of members of a lawn bowls club there was obviously a potential niche market - lawn bowls clubs!<br />
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<b>TIP: Try an identify an aspect of your book</b> that might appeal to a niche market or readership.<br />
I simply used <b>Google</b> to search for as many lawn bowls clubs as possible. Many had the contact details of secretaries and I politely emailed them and asked if they would circulate their members. Most were happy to do so. I also attached a flyer that gave information about the book for them to use at their discretion.<br />
<b>This resulted in sales!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Blogs are an effective way of promoting your book.</b><br />
Bloggers like me are always looking for content. What do you have to offer?<br />
One blog I came across was the biggest lawn bowls blog in Australia. It was the perfect home for Vern's blog. The only drawback is I can't post my GetResponse opt in forms. As a matter of interest <b><a href="http://www.getresponse.com/index/philrow" target="_blank">GetResponse</a></b> have a free comprehensive <b>90 Day Video List Building Plan </b>for members<b> </b>that explains in detail how to promote your work through guest blogging and a whole host of other useful information.<br />
To date my posts on <a href="http://bowlsworld.com.au/">BowlsWorld.com.au</a> have garnered over 20,000 page views and because I have an incentive to write I am continually creating new content.<br />
<br />
<b>One of the great things</b> about this kind of promotion is that you meet real people such as Bev Yeates of <a href="http://www.bairnsdalegolfclub.com.au/" target="_blank">Bairnsdale Golf and Bowls Club</a>. Bev posted positive comments and encouragement from the off and has since included extracts from Vern's blog in the <b>Hot Shots</b> newsletter she circulates to members via Bowls link on the website menu bar. She also kindly includes links to my book on Amazon.<br />
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<b>Here are the blog posts Vernon's written so far</b>:<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-udSy7DaSnPc/VVDJ51JpSOI/AAAAAAAACVQ/QPZfNlDnKCE/s1600/ScreenHunter_1635%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-udSy7DaSnPc/VVDJ51JpSOI/AAAAAAAACVQ/QPZfNlDnKCE/s320/ScreenHunter_1635%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.22.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<i>Vern comes to terms with blogging - eventually and discusses fitness and chapped legs.</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IkYql52Xwr4/VVDKJ4QeGSI/AAAAAAAACVY/SuEN0KrWvv0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1636%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IkYql52Xwr4/VVDKJ4QeGSI/AAAAAAAACVY/SuEN0KrWvv0/s320/ScreenHunter_1636%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IkYql52Xwr4/VVDKJ4QeGSI/AAAAAAAACVY/SuEN0KrWvv0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1636%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.22.jpg" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><span style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i>Vernon is exposed to the 'dark side' of bowls.</i></span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><a href="http://verns-lawn-bowls-tips.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/fifty-shades-of-rhondda-grey.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSrIG8zIP1g/VVDeE_SgcVI/AAAAAAAACV0/GC9NVofgncg/s320/ScreenHunter_1637%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.23.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></div>
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<i>When Raymond tells Vern he must 'ride the wave' Vernon gets on the wrong one.</i></div>
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<i>Plus the tragic story of young Simon.</i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVbpzkcCasQ/VVDeEyvXwQI/AAAAAAAACVo/ibYGv_zvTJ0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1638%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVbpzkcCasQ/VVDeEyvXwQI/AAAAAAAACVo/ibYGv_zvTJ0/s320/ScreenHunter_1638%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The truth about what happened to Uncle Ivor.</i><br />
<i>How to get cheap bowls clobber and comfort grieving widows.</i><br />
<i>Horizontal Herbie's shameful exploits.</i><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZJag13huTY/VVDeFA9OmeI/AAAAAAAACVs/mWKCvwnw9ZE/s1600/ScreenHunter_1639%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZJag13huTY/VVDeFA9OmeI/AAAAAAAACVs/mWKCvwnw9ZE/s320/ScreenHunter_1639%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.24.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i>Bowler's and amateur operatics don't mix - a salutary tale.</i></span><span style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i>When Sitting Bull met Mog - carnage on the green!</i></span><span style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uhtfZ3B4lss/VVDeFhLZsfI/AAAAAAAACV8/SY65U88HHFE/s1600/ScreenHunter_1640%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><i><img border="0" height="149" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uhtfZ3B4lss/VVDeFhLZsfI/AAAAAAAACV8/SY65U88HHFE/s320/ScreenHunter_1640%2BMay.%2B11%2B16.24.jpg" width="320" /></i></a><br />
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<i>Vernon decides Twitter and seances are definitely not for him.</i><br />
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<b>VERDICT: This kind of promotion</b> is long term but worthwhile and it will provide you with material for another book. What are you waiting for?<br />
<br />
<b>In the next post </b>I'll show you how to create your own cartoons.<br />
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<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-44233907822437331822015-02-04T10:01:00.000+00:002015-02-04T10:01:01.674+00:00Get Your Characters To Market Your Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HIb0sm8pCoc/VNCaj6rT07I/AAAAAAAACIM/82V9NAEN-Tg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1319%2BFeb.%2B03%2B09.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HIb0sm8pCoc/VNCaj6rT07I/AAAAAAAACIM/82V9NAEN-Tg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1319%2BFeb.%2B03%2B09.04.jpg" height="400" width="272" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Apart from </b>writing one of my great passions is lawn bowls. I suppose it was inevitable that eventually I would combine the two and write a fictional novel about the game I love. The result was 'Jack's High'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacks-High-Tales-From-Wales-ebook/dp/B00QRZYOUY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1" target="_blank">'Jack's High'</a></i> was</b> first conceived as a six part comedy drama centred around the hapless exploits of a Welsh Valleys' fictional lawn bowls club called Penypont. The <b>BBC</b> liked what they read but were not convinced that lawn bowls was a compelling enough vehicle for comedy and asked me to write about something else. I declined.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Some of you</b> reading this will probably think me mad. The truth is I have always believed in staying true to what you believe in and I believed in the characters I had created. They were real to me and I was not prepared to abandon them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How real are your</b> characters to you? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Seth Solmes</b> recently posted on a <b>Google+</b> forum:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Is it possible to be afraid of your own characters?"</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Seth is writing </b>a novel about a particularly dark serial killer. It seems to me Seth is on the right track because his character has come alive to such a degree he actually gives Seth the shivers! More about this later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>To some extent</b> the <b>BBC</b> was right. Bowls is not viewed as a 'sexy' sport even though it is played globally by large numbers of people like myself. Humour on the other hand is universal but how could I convince the general public at large that a novel about bowls could be both sexy and funny? Step forward Vernon Algernon Lewis.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qrxFxVjHhKg/VNCkQByA_DI/AAAAAAAACIc/nfE43_YpL3o/s1600/vernon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qrxFxVjHhKg/VNCkQByA_DI/AAAAAAAACIc/nfE43_YpL3o/s1600/vernon.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Vernon is one</b> of the characters from <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacks-High-Tales-From-Wales-ebook/dp/B00QRZYOUY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1" target="_blank">'Jack's High'</a></i></b>. His uniquely insensitive and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">uncompromising attitude to life can frequently be described as outrageous. He is one of those people the '<i>politically correct brigade'</i> would love to clap in irons. The point is Vernon can speak and behave in a way that would get 'real' people ostracised or worse!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It seemed a 'no brainer'</b> to appoint the unsuspecting Vernon to the position of marketing director. One of the most effective marketing ploys is to give something away for free although we authors possibly flog this tactic to death when we keep giving away books that we have slaved over for months if not years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The presumed logic</b> is that somehow this will result in more sales. Instead why not provide teaser material that increases interest and a desire to find out more by actually buying your book? <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacks-High-Tales-From-Wales-ebook/dp/B00QRZYOUY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1" target="_blank">'Jack's High'</a></i></b> is a 346 page novel set around a bowls club. It is highly unlikely anyone is going to rush out to buy it unless they can be persuaded it actually may be quite fun. Which brings me back to Seth's very dark serial killer.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IptnSbSofjs/VNDKxGYX_DI/AAAAAAAACIs/Za-5F5op9FQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_1320%2BFeb.%2B03%2B13.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IptnSbSofjs/VNDKxGYX_DI/AAAAAAAACIs/Za-5F5op9FQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_1320%2BFeb.%2B03%2B13.18.jpg" height="211" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Why not get this warped individual</b> to write a short eBook describing <b>'My Top 3 Favourite Kills' </b>from his own perspective. A bit grisly and probably in bad taste (apologies Leslie Jasper) but you get the idea. The eBook becomes the hook that catches you readers without having to give the book you slaved over away for free. Does this make sense? But be warned, your character can begin to take over your life!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Vernon has stepped out of </b></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacks-High-Tales-From-Wales-ebook/dp/B00QRZYOUY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1" target="_blank">'Jack's High'</a></b></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to write something of his own. A much shorter and more specific eBook entitled:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>"7 Top Tips for Top Skips"</i></b>. This is the '<b>lead magnet</b>' that will be made available to potential readers. If they like it you are well on the way to selling another copy of your novel. If they don't then what have you lost? The importance of providing quality material cannot be overstressed. It must also stand on its own merits. A sloppily written '<b>lead magnet</b>' will do infinitely more harm than good!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vernon now features on:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/TopSkip_Vernon" target="_blank"><b>Twitter </b></a></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C285GFqNyyE" target="_blank"><b>YouTube</b></a></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacks-High/1493085017631489" target="_blank"><b>Facebook</b></a></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://verns-lawn-bowls-tips.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><b>Blogger</b></a></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">WARNING! </span></b>This only works if you are writing about something you feel passionate about and enjoy doing for its own sake regardless of the positives that will flow from it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The call to action</b> on Vernon's blog has already begun to attract subscribers who are more likely to turn into fans prepared to purchase<i> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacks-High-Tales-From-Wales-ebook/dp/B00QRZYOUY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1" target="_blank">'Jack's High'</a></b></i> because they have begun to 'bond' with Vernon.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://vernonstoptips.gr8.com/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to visit </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vernon's Landing Page</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and see what you think?</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isn't it time</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> you got your characters working for you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-33064453407286380012014-12-31T14:50:00.001+00:002014-12-31T16:58:58.613+00:00Tales From Wales - Define Your Audience.A Happy New Year to everyone. I am conscious I haven't blogged for while but I needed to get my book finished and published before Christmas. Which brings me to the subject of this post - how do you define your audience?<br />
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I'm not going to talk about the obvious demographics or genres etc. Sometimes when defining out audience we need to look a little closer to home. The question is are we ignoring our local roots?<br />
We all live somewhere. I am Welsh. Wales is a small country. Washington State is almost nine times larger in terms of land mass. The Welsh Valleys where I live is almost a small country within a country.<br />
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People are proud of where they live and will most often want to support local writers and artists. Local newspapers have frequently run stories and featured my latest books or venture. This is invaluable free publicity. My local library is also very supportive and happily displayed posters I ran off my printer publicising my books. My latest novel 'Jack's High' is set around a bowls club. I play bowls myself and the local indoor bowls club also allowed me to display posters on their notice boards. I also created a website called Tales From Wales to emphasize the Welsh dimension.<br />
See <a href="http://www.talesfromwales.net/">www.talesfromwales.net</a><br />
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Radio stations are another potential outlet. Maybe some actually run features on books and are actively looking for local authors. This happened to me. I simply emailed a local radio station and ended up spending an hour on national radio talking about my books to a national celebrity. If you don't ask you don't get.<br />
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Is there a niche embraced by your book that you could target? This can be an effective way of getting your book 'out there'. The obvious route for me was to target bowls clubs around the world by email and alert them to the fact that a new book related to bowls is available. This can be time consuming but worthwhile. You only need to create a generic message and simply change the name of the person or club you send it too. This once led to one of my books being given a staged reading in Manhattan during Christmas 2012. Google is an invaluable search tool!<br />
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Hopefully I have given you a few useful tips to kick start your book promotion.<br />
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Over the next few weeks we will continue to explore how to create a Facebook Page for your books and make it somewhere potential readers will want to return to.<br />
I created one for Jack's High. Take a look and if you like it then please LIKE it.<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacks-High/1493085017631489" target="_blank">Jack's High Facebook Page</a><br />
We will consider the use of videos on your Facebook Pages in future posts.<br />
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Here are the posts so far:<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3353636148840814935#editor/target=post;postID=3969992718194907670;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=4;src=postname" target="_blank">How and Why Authors Should Create a Facebook Fan Page</a><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3353636148840814935#editor/target=post;postID=6655601577320390269;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=5;src=postname" target="_blank">Authors - Are You Unleashing The Amazing Pulling Power of Facebook Pages?</a><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3353636148840814935#editor/target=post;postID=1713185265006861369;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=2;src=postname" target="_blank">How To Add Custom Content To Your Facebook Fan Pages</a><br />
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<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-31181350639026298812014-08-26T14:15:00.002+01:002014-09-04T08:03:09.752+01:00ETO - A Platform For Aspiring Authors.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To quote our mission statement:</div>
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"<strong style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; text-align: justify;">ETO</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"> seeks to embrace writers who are Welsh, based in Wales, have Welsh roots or simply harbour a love of Wales and all things Welsh."</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">Do you qualify? If so we would love to hear from you. Our aim is to give new authors as much exposure as possible. Our partner sites AmeriCymru and KindleAuthors have a combined following of almost 10,000.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">To ensure that your work is seen by as many people as possible we offer our digital copies as free downloads not only to our followers but to the public in general.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">Why not take a look for yourself and maybe we will see you inside the next issue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #4d4d4f;">Here is the link to the ETO 1 & 2 download </span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #4d4d4f;">page:</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: red; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://americymru.net/group/eto" style="background-color: yellow;" target="_blank">GET ETO 1& 2 NOW</a></span></span></h2>
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<a href="http://americymru.net/group/eto" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.welsh-american-bookstore.com/images/etobuynow.png" height="53" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">ETO JUST FEATURED ON WALES ONLINE:</span></h3>
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<b><a href="http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/spotlight-shines-rhondda-authors-magazine-7704790" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">CLICK HERE</span><span style="color: blue;"> TO READ THE ARTICLE.</span></a></b></div>
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I am currently running a series of posts aiming to help authors create an authors' <span style="color: blue;">Facebook Page</span> that will attract and retain potential readers.<br /><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://kindleauthors.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/authors-are-you-unleashing-amazing.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></span> to read the first post: <i><span style="color: red;">authors-are-you-unleashing-amazing-pulling-power-of-Facebook-pages?</span></i></h3>
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<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-17131852650068613692014-08-04T12:59:00.000+01:002014-08-11T14:40:04.003+01:00How To Add Custom Content To Your Facebook Fan Pages <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YnrD5rSGTiQ/U9iw_nArPFI/AAAAAAAACDs/blJ5A7S8nEo/s1600/843x403_stretch_pitwheelsunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YnrD5rSGTiQ/U9iw_nArPFI/AAAAAAAACDs/blJ5A7S8nEo/s1600/843x403_stretch_pitwheelsunset.jpg" height="304" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last week we looked at<a href="http://kindleauthors.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/adding-tabs-to-facebook-pages-your.html" target="_blank"> creating custom Page Tabs for your Facebook Fan Page</a>. Now its time to learn how to add custom content to your Facebook Fan Page.<br />
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I know many authors will have an issue with spending time promoting rather than writing. It's a valid point - or is it? Why should you waste your time learning how to add custom content to your Facebook Fan Page?<br />
Well let me be blunt.<br />
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Very few of us will catch the attention of mainstream publishers simply because they aren't looking our way any more. Their focus is almost predominantly on established authors. Unless you promote your work no-one else will. Many authors, myself included, have taken to social media sites like Twitter. I use it myself regularly but not like these authors from my Twitter Feed who are probably doing themselves more harm than good.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjvFP_ouAjY/U9i2cGZDYCI/AAAAAAAACD8/rhaHHslu-ZI/s1600/ScreenHunter_1201+Jul.+30+10.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjvFP_ouAjY/U9i2cGZDYCI/AAAAAAAACD8/rhaHHslu-ZI/s1600/ScreenHunter_1201+Jul.+30+10.07.jpg" height="67" width="400" /></a></div>
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Their books may be absolutely terrific but the fact is most people are turned off by this blatant 'in your face' kind of promotion. If your book is as good as theirs then doesn't it deserve some tender loving care in promoting it effectively? So let's start by adding content to your custom fan pages.<br />
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-url="http://kindleauthors.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-to-add-custom-content-to-your.html" data-via="Phil_Rowlands" href="https://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><br />
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This video will get us started with our old friend STATIC HTML:<br />
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Hope you found this post helpful and are now able to add custom content to your Facebook Fan Pages at will! There is a lot more to come.<br />
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-size="large" data-url="http://kindleauthors.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-to-add-custom-content-to-your.html" data-via="Phil_Rowlands" href="https://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a>
<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script>Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-23378247820190756662014-07-25T09:50:00.003+01:002014-07-31T17:00:25.690+01:00Adding Tabs To Facebook Pages - Your Book's Shop Window<a class="twitter-share-button" data-size="large" data-url="http://kindleauthors.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/adding-tabs-to-facebook-pages-your.html" data-via="Phil_Rowlands" href="https://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cvc24b2-LWw/U8_TTzjXGsI/AAAAAAAACCc/lDEeSYnpR1k/s1600/ScreenHunter_1196+Jul.+23+16.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cvc24b2-LWw/U8_TTzjXGsI/AAAAAAAACCc/lDEeSYnpR1k/s1600/ScreenHunter_1196+Jul.+23+16.23.jpg" height="299" width="640" /></a></div>
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This week we look at Tabs and how we can set them up to engage your visitors so that hopefully they will become fans. I decided to create a new page for two reasons:<br />
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<li>We can go through the process together.</li>
<li>This page is about a specific book I am in the process of writing. So no worries about me trying to badger other authors into buying it!</li>
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The time to start looking for an audience is not after you've written your book and maybe published it but while you are still toiling away writing it. You may be thinking:<br />
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"Is this guy really a writer? Doesn't he know I don't have enough time to write the damn thing without wasting my energy trying to promote it."</blockquote>
It's not really about time, it's about motivation. Think how much more motivated you would be if you knew there were already fans waiting to read the finished article.<br />
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Enough of the motivational stuff, let's get down to business. The next thing we want to do is add a tab to our Facebook Fan Page.<br />
This short video will show you how to set up your first Facebook Fan Page Tab:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/FjPcYij0dtM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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If you need to then watch this video a few times until you are comfortable with how to add a tab to your Facebook page. Hardly <i>'Gone With The Wind'</i> but it should get you there. It's possible to add up to 12 tabs to your Facebook Page but I'm guessing many of you will require less.<br />
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Scroll down your page and you should now be able to see your Welcome Tab:<br />
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What we are going to do now is add more Facebook Page Tabs. </div>
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First watch this brief video then click on the link below and try it for yourself. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/REknzW2jd1w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Add as many Tabs as you want as you can always delete or change them later. </div>
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Click on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=207382782627172" target="_blank">ADD TABS</a> to start adding tabs to your Facebook Fan page. </div>
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The next thing we can do is change the tab image so it reflects our brand, book or genre. Because Billy and the Pit of Shadows is the first in a series I want to create an image that people will identify with. To do this we use one of the free tools we looked at last week - <a href="http://www.superresize.me/" target="_blank">SuperResizeMe</a></div>
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We need to create an image that is exactly the same size as the Facebook Page Tab image. The dimensions need to be 111 x 74.</div>
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Follow the steps outlined in the <a href="http://kindleauthors.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/authors-are-you-unleashing-amazing.html" target="_blank">first post</a> of this series only this time choose 111 x 74. </div>
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Once your image is ready save it your Desktop or the file you have prepared.</div>
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This is what mine will look like:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PiiUVyqV2YA/U9EYw-h5X-I/AAAAAAAACC8/uEDLM5yEgzE/s1600/tabgraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PiiUVyqV2YA/U9EYw-h5X-I/AAAAAAAACC8/uEDLM5yEgzE/s1600/tabgraphic.jpg" /></a></div>
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As you can see I've simply resized my profile picture. Now just follow the steps in this next video to change the Tab name and image.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HT3ZWOGJvg0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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If you have the old Facebook Page layout then <a href="http://ustandout.com/facebook/how-to-change-facebook-fan-page-tab-image" target="_blank">watch this video.</a></div>
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You have now begun to brand yourself just by using the tabs.</div>
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In the next post we'll look at what content we can add to the tabs using Static HTML.</div>
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See you then.</div>
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<a class="twitter-share-button" data-size="large" data-url="http://kindleauthors.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/adding-tabs-to-facebook-pages-your.html" data-via="Phil_Rowlands" href="https://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a>
<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script>Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-39699927181949076702014-07-18T13:38:00.000+01:002014-07-18T14:00:58.927+01:00How and Why Authors Should Create A Facebook Fan Page<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzE13COtxzE/U8Zoczwof-I/AAAAAAAACBg/Tafdd8dnxOw/s1600/ScreenHunter_53+Jul.+16+12.56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzE13COtxzE/U8Zoczwof-I/AAAAAAAACBg/Tafdd8dnxOw/s1600/ScreenHunter_53+Jul.+16+12.56.png" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In last week's <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1592839589"></span>post</a> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I began by showing you how to create a profile picture for your blog using three free tools. A friend pointed out that some people might not know how to set up a Facebook Fan Page in the first place! So slightly red-faced apologies to everyone who got a little left behind last week and also to those who were expecting to learn about Page TABS and STATIC HTML this week. I promise we'll get to STATIC HTML next week but for now <b>let's make sure everyone knows how and why we set up a Facebook Fan Page.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's consider <b>WHY </b>you need to create a Facebook Fan Page in the first place.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ANYBODY can view a Facebook Fan Page. You are not limited to just 5,000 friends. As of October 2013 there were over 500 million users. You do the math!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You don't have to be a Facebook member to view a Facebook Fan Page. This extends your Facebook Fan Page reach beyond Facebook's 500 million users.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facebook Fan pages are search engine friendly and free!</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You also get to use all the great features available through STATIC HTML and more that are not available to you on your personal Facebook page.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally your Facebook Fan Page is totally focused. With the help I intend offering you later on this means you can laser target your potential readers and turn them into fans.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, first off you need to be a member of Facebook so if you are not already then why wait? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Simply type Facebook in your browser search box and this will appear at the top of the search results:</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WBBnYktyjps/U8Z-R2OcmzI/AAAAAAAACB4/XHLxseXplsY/s1600/ScreenHunter_55+Jul.+16+14.29.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WBBnYktyjps/U8Z-R2OcmzI/AAAAAAAACB4/XHLxseXplsY/s1600/ScreenHunter_55+Jul.+16+14.29.png" height="59" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click on it and you will be taken to this screen:</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pFO2eijMEWc/U8Z-RxLxZOI/AAAAAAAACB8/-NWAgGfAcqc/s1600/ScreenHunter_54+Jul.+16+14.24.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pFO2eijMEWc/U8Z-RxLxZOI/AAAAAAAACB8/-NWAgGfAcqc/s1600/ScreenHunter_54+Jul.+16+14.24.png" height="325" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fill in your details and Facebook will welcome you aboard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You will now have your own Home page that looks something like mine:</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nLM7kUn_r64/U8aBWe73nQI/AAAAAAAACCE/_QgA-_AO8HQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_56+Jul.+16+14.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nLM7kUn_r64/U8aBWe73nQI/AAAAAAAACCE/_QgA-_AO8HQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_56+Jul.+16+14.42.png" height="324" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nice pictures by the way Rob!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the left hand side you will see a list of pages. The page I created to show you how to go about making a Facebook Fan Page is called <b>Help Your Child Succeed </b>and hasn't been published yet. I now need to create a new Facebook Fan Page to show you the process of setting it up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first thing you need do is click the CREATE PAGE link under PAGES.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once you've done that just follow the steps in this video:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0VhP5i45blQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We should now be ready to start making our Facebook Fan Page stand out from the crowd. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Next week</b> we really will take a look at STATIC HTML and begin to explore the possibilities it offers us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apologies once again to everyone who was expecting that to happen this week. Don't worry it should be worth the wait!</span></div>
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<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-66556015773203902692014-07-10T11:17:00.000+01:002014-07-10T11:17:03.046+01:00Authors - Are You Unleashing The Amazing Pulling Power of Facebook Pages?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4kvdtoyjRM/U7aCFsffpXI/AAAAAAAAB84/BEOmTly5Pes/s1600/ScreenHunter_1152+Jun.+10+10.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4kvdtoyjRM/U7aCFsffpXI/AAAAAAAAB84/BEOmTly5Pes/s1600/ScreenHunter_1152+Jun.+10+10.27.jpg" /></a></div>
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If you answered no, or if you feel your Facebook page isn't having any impact this post might just be the kick start you need. Over the next couple of weeks I'll show you how I set up my new Facebook page using free tools to spice up the content and persuade visitors to hang around a little longer and eventually become fans. Let's face it the internet has reduced most of us to 'browsing butterflies'. Unless we find something to immediately attract our increasingly limited attention span we flutter off to the next website. </div>
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<b>The Vital First Step:</b> </div>
<ul>
<li><b>Your header must have visual impact.</b></li>
<li>It must make clear what your Page is about - what niche your books are in. It's vital you identify your niche in order to effectively target the reading audience you want to reach.</li>
<li>If possible include a brand logo of some kind.</li>
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To create a visually striking header I used three 'tools':</div>
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<a href="http://goanimate.com/">GoAnimate.com</a> </div>
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You can join for free. It's great fun and has enormous potential for authors. I have a GoPlus account which at $6 per month is great value. <a href="http://www.goanimate.com/" target="_blank">GoAnimate</a> simplifies the process of creating animations making it is easy to create your own characters. My header picture features characters from two distinct groups of play scripts for children. One set of characters was created for the <i><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4483789">Chronicles of Bumblebania</a></i>, a series of plays about an imaginary dysfunctional royal family. The other characters were Sherlock Ohms and Dr Watts-On who appear in the Science Drama series under the title <i><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4410534">Sherlock Ohms and the Mystery of Magnet Manor</a></i>. They were all created using GoAnimate and are unique to me.<br />
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GoAnimate has multiple uses for promoting your books and you as an author. We'll take a look at other potential uses in later posts but for now let's just stick with creating the header. Once you open a free GoAnimate account you will find yourself on a page with this button:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bGyX_O6QrUk/U7q6nMQcTcI/AAAAAAAAB9I/iJBmUPhZpko/s1600/ScreenHunter_1162+Jul.+07+13.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bGyX_O6QrUk/U7q6nMQcTcI/AAAAAAAAB9I/iJBmUPhZpko/s1600/ScreenHunter_1162+Jul.+07+13.25.jpg" /></a></div>
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Click on it. This page will appear:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pg4qWk_aBhA/U7q65SVjldI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/DxIauvEY6J0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1163+Jul.+07+13.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pg4qWk_aBhA/U7q65SVjldI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/DxIauvEY6J0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1163+Jul.+07+13.27.jpg" height="390" width="400" /></a></div>
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Various options appear for making a video.</div>
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Try them out at your leisure. </div>
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Most of my videos have been made in <b>Comedy World</b>. When you hover over the Comedy World image a <b>Make a Video </b>button will appear. The first time you click it this option will appear:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h11PBPqnn3Y/U7q9Va4Zk1I/AAAAAAAAB9c/WD6YcWGHStQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_1164+Jul.+07+14.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h11PBPqnn3Y/U7q9Va4Zk1I/AAAAAAAAB9c/WD6YcWGHStQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_1164+Jul.+07+14.34.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's worth taking time to get to know the features available to you.</div>
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After watching the tutorial or if you decide to skip you will be taken to the <b>videomaker</b> screen.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8LZA1lbvUk/U7q-Z_Sk4LI/AAAAAAAAB9o/IsM8a6qzjbs/s1600/ScreenHunter_1165+Jul.+07+14.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8LZA1lbvUk/U7q-Z_Sk4LI/AAAAAAAAB9o/IsM8a6qzjbs/s1600/ScreenHunter_1165+Jul.+07+14.35.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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On the left hand side are a selection of <b>background images</b>. Scroll down and see if any are suitable. Once you have chosen a background simply click on it and it will replace the background already there.</div>
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You can also upload your own background from your computer.</div>
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There are various icons on the menu bar top left of the videomaker area. Click them to access different elements. Try clicking the orange image of a man. A selection of characters will appear:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mwlqHlY9zBU/U7rDYdiRdHI/AAAAAAAAB94/gRzCQvKqVxc/s1600/ScreenHunter_1166+Jul.+07+14.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mwlqHlY9zBU/U7rDYdiRdHI/AAAAAAAAB94/gRzCQvKqVxc/s1600/ScreenHunter_1166+Jul.+07+14.37.jpg" height="292" width="400" /></a></div>
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The characters that appear above are those I have already created in Comedy World and are now available in My Library.<br />
Before I chose the characters I need to change my background. The Facebook page I am creating is to promote my <b><i><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4297811">Child's Play Maths</a></i></b> program and children's play scripts. My background should project this and have visual impact. The background I choose is a screenshot of a starship created on the interactive software that supplements the math program.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B48Ic5cezbs/U7rHdygpJDI/AAAAAAAAB-E/_QjDnnCmJHg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1168+Jul.+07+14.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B48Ic5cezbs/U7rHdygpJDI/AAAAAAAAB-E/_QjDnnCmJHg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1168+Jul.+07+14.44.jpg" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next I click on the character logo and choose two characters.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Y_eK_UJYkI/U7rIQVMHGcI/AAAAAAAAB-M/KMVTMvFn0Hw/s1600/ScreenHunter_1170+Jul.+07+14.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Y_eK_UJYkI/U7rIQVMHGcI/AAAAAAAAB-M/KMVTMvFn0Hw/s1600/ScreenHunter_1170+Jul.+07+14.48.jpg" height="87" width="400" /></a></div>
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They now appear on the videomaker screen.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CX7QXWKAtcw/U7rI9DIlhkI/AAAAAAAAB-U/uKw2zIw7rdQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_1169+Jul.+07+14.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CX7QXWKAtcw/U7rI9DIlhkI/AAAAAAAAB-U/uKw2zIw7rdQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_1169+Jul.+07+14.48.jpg" height="275" width="400" /></a></div>
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When you first click on one of your characters you are given a choice of what <b>Action</b> and <b>Emotion </b>you want your character to display. We can ignore the <b>Voice</b> feature for now as we are simply using GoAnimate as a graphic creation tool to create our Facebook page header.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXWa0EzNj1Y/U7rK3tY2bcI/AAAAAAAAB-g/-ANABN29CFc/s1600/ScreenHunter_1174+Jul.+07+17.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OXWa0EzNj1Y/U7rK3tY2bcI/AAAAAAAAB-g/-ANABN29CFc/s1600/ScreenHunter_1174+Jul.+07+17.26.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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I decide to make one of the characters behave in a disrespectful way to the Spock character. I also need to make this character smaller. To achieve this simply click on the character and he will be enclosed by a box above which appear a series of options. By moving the arrows on the rectangle you can resize and/or rotate your character. The options above allow you to flip left or right, move him to the background or foreground or delete him altogether. In this case I have made him smaller so he can sit on the spaceship and provide a little perspective.</div>
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Now we need some text. Click on the text icon (T) and this menu appears:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mW1HhmHJZ9c/U7rOFG_H6AI/AAAAAAAAB-0/W4HKEA-zrik/s1600/ScreenHunter_1171+Jul.+07+14.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mW1HhmHJZ9c/U7rOFG_H6AI/AAAAAAAAB-0/W4HKEA-zrik/s1600/ScreenHunter_1171+Jul.+07+14.49.jpg" height="320" width="272" /></a></div>
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I want to create a speech bubble for Spock so I simply click on one I like. You may have noticed that I also changed the action of the character so he is now speaking into a communication device. Double click on the bubble and you can input text with the font of your choice.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1qOi_Sddmo/U7rN9cclNqI/AAAAAAAAB-s/E8bWKbbLVP4/s1600/ScreenHunter_1172+Jul.+07+16.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j1qOi_Sddmo/U7rN9cclNqI/AAAAAAAAB-s/E8bWKbbLVP4/s1600/ScreenHunter_1172+Jul.+07+16.13.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hopefully some people will recognise the Cuisenaire Rods and most will recognise Spock. This still does not explain what my page/book is about. Some people may think it is to do with Science Fiction. When we consider how to reach our target market through Facebook in later posts it is important we are clear just who we are aiming to reach. In this case it may or may not be Trekkies but it is definitely parents and educators interested in making math a fun experience for their children.</div>
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I think I need to add more text!</div>
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This time I click on one of the fonts. A text box will appear on screen.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WPuhvcDpWK4/U7rSUSTPNrI/AAAAAAAAB_A/pdE6tEYRQ1s/s1600/ScreenHunter_1176+Jul.+07+18.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WPuhvcDpWK4/U7rSUSTPNrI/AAAAAAAAB_A/pdE6tEYRQ1s/s1600/ScreenHunter_1176+Jul.+07+18.00.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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Type in the text. From the menu on the left hand side you can choose various options:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3nGT_J9JVPE/U7rS6B_s8lI/AAAAAAAAB_I/kTGbOczdEDg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1177+Jul.+07+18.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3nGT_J9JVPE/U7rS6B_s8lI/AAAAAAAAB_I/kTGbOczdEDg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1177+Jul.+07+18.03.jpg" height="400" width="316" /></a></div>
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Play around with the settings until you are satisfied you have the right Font Size, Style, Color and Background. </div>
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My screen now looks like this:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0maFKq9cEfA/U7rTdeJnROI/AAAAAAAAB_U/r8isxoeRWI8/s1600/ScreenHunter_1173+Jul.+07+16.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0maFKq9cEfA/U7rTdeJnROI/AAAAAAAAB_U/r8isxoeRWI8/s1600/ScreenHunter_1173+Jul.+07+16.17.jpg" height="386" width="640" /></a></div>
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It should now be pretty clear what the page or book is all about.</div>
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So how do we transform our GoAnimate scene into a graphic image?</div>
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We use a free screen capture software called <b>Screenhunter</b>,</div>
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You can download it <a href="http://www.wisdom-soft.com/products/screenhunter_free.htm">here.</a></div>
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Once you have downloaded your Screenhunter software a desktop link should be created that looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcROe_E7uu1JBnYMLAgBymTFBABA8Xafe2TyW4Fohcbg6IpvbH_x" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcROe_E7uu1JBnYMLAgBymTFBABA8Xafe2TyW4Fohcbg6IpvbH_x" /></a></div>
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I think it might be easier to watch this brief video:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PMXFrvcsM3Y?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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There is <b>one final step</b>. Facebook page headers have to be uploaded with a minimum size of 720 pixels wide. However, the optimum size is 851 x 315. Don't panic because there is a super free online tool that will resize your picture for you. Introducing <a href="http://www.superresize.me/"><b>SuperResizeMe</b></a> - click on the link to visit the website. You will reach this page:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zppQrpGxwLU/U7wUYi6tEzI/AAAAAAAAB_0/924OcmBfti0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1180+Jul.+08+16.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zppQrpGxwLU/U7wUYi6tEzI/AAAAAAAAB_0/924OcmBfti0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1180+Jul.+08+16.53.jpg" height="409" width="640" /></a></div>
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Click <b>Select image</b>.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QRgmxufqFIU/U7wUjaq6PII/AAAAAAAAB_8/XZTTA2KeEeE/s1600/ScreenHunter_1181+Jul.+08+16.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QRgmxufqFIU/U7wUjaq6PII/AAAAAAAAB_8/XZTTA2KeEeE/s1600/ScreenHunter_1181+Jul.+08+16.54.jpg" height="640" width="562" /></a></div>
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Navigate to the image on your computer. Select it and click <b>Open</b>. </div>
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The image you have chosen will now appear in the box.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-orI3SHk-2W8/U7wUjVoDIwI/AAAAAAAACAI/ldLXSN53TN0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1182+Jul.+08+16.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-orI3SHk-2W8/U7wUjVoDIwI/AAAAAAAACAI/ldLXSN53TN0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1182+Jul.+08+16.54.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now scroll down the sizes and select <b>851 x 315</b>.</div>
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Make sure you select the <b>Stretch/Squeeze</b> button as you do not want to crop your image, simply resize it.</div>
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You must remember to click the blue <b>Add to list </b>button. When you do your selection will appear in another blue button on the right. It says: <b>851 x 315, stretch, Same</b>. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KY2K45VXYbg/U7wWPHNPyhI/AAAAAAAACAU/_poUpLSWj4Y/s1600/ScreenHunter_1184+Jul.+08+16.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KY2K45VXYbg/U7wWPHNPyhI/AAAAAAAACAU/_poUpLSWj4Y/s1600/ScreenHunter_1184+Jul.+08+16.58.jpg" height="290" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you want to change the format of your image then you must click and open the <b>menu </b>directly below <b>Stretch/Squeeze</b>.<br />
This list will appear:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3GmjAJgUOOI/U7wcSklCVZI/AAAAAAAACBA/gY86lpAxO3E/s1600/ScreenHunter_1187+Jul.+08+17.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3GmjAJgUOOI/U7wcSklCVZI/AAAAAAAACBA/gY86lpAxO3E/s1600/ScreenHunter_1187+Jul.+08+17.15.jpg" /></a></div>
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I usually choose jpg or png. Png is probably best for computer based images.<br />
Now you can click the blue <b>Add to list</b> button.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ef4ooGwe3Fk/U7wudLRUvxI/AAAAAAAACBQ/JILCugyVAWA/s1600/ScreenHunter_1188+Jul.+08+17.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ef4ooGwe3Fk/U7wudLRUvxI/AAAAAAAACBQ/JILCugyVAWA/s1600/ScreenHunter_1188+Jul.+08+17.38.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>PNG</b> will now replace the word <b>Same</b>.<br />
Once you are satisfied you have chosen all the right options and added them to the list you proceed to <b>Step 3:</b><br />
Simply fill in the correct answer in the box and press<b> Return.</b><br />
If you answer correctly the text in the blue button will change to <b>Uploading Image</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JrLv5m5Vu3A/U7wWPKcUz_I/AAAAAAAACAw/lpPCcQdGIYs/s1600/ScreenHunter_1185+Jul.+08+16.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JrLv5m5Vu3A/U7wWPKcUz_I/AAAAAAAACAw/lpPCcQdGIYs/s1600/ScreenHunter_1185+Jul.+08+16.59.jpg" height="184" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once the process has been completed this will appear on your screen:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-776Rxr38HpU/U7wWP2NAKxI/AAAAAAAACAc/FapA_IDSV_0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1186+Jul.+08+17.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-776Rxr38HpU/U7wWP2NAKxI/AAAAAAAACAc/FapA_IDSV_0/s1600/ScreenHunter_1186+Jul.+08+17.00.jpg" height="344" width="640" /></a><br />
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To access your image click on the <b>Success Link</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrje_4W2HwM/U7wWP3R_hAI/AAAAAAAACAg/KgZAncMCtdQ/s1600/stretch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrje_4W2HwM/U7wWP3R_hAI/AAAAAAAACAg/KgZAncMCtdQ/s1600/stretch.jpg" height="240" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>SuperResizeMe</b> can also be used to create the small profile inset picture in the header. You may have a logo or simply want to include a photo of yourself. The dimensions are 180 x 180 and the process is exactly the same except you choose 180 x 180 not 851 x 315 - duh!</div>
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When I eventually launch my Facebook page, <b>Help Your Child Succeed</b>, at the end of August I shall be giving away copies of the software featured in the page header. Although it does not directly relate to you as an author if you have children or nephews or friends with children please let them know. Children love using it and it is a completely stand alone app although it was created to supplement <b><i><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4297811" target="_blank">Child's Play Maths</a></i></b>.</div>
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<b>Next week </b>we look at <b>setting up Tabs for your Facebook page</b> using <b>Static HTML</b>. It may sound 'too techie' but it's not really. There are lots of cool ways you can utilise these tabs to promote yourself and your book.</div>
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<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-29364223623965383802014-03-31T10:38:00.000+01:002014-03-31T10:38:35.910+01:00Calling Aspiring Science Fiction Writers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2DcDlNIPFxg/Uzk2sUeiiTI/AAAAAAAAB6c/mJD31wHf8xo/s1600/orson-welles-radio.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2DcDlNIPFxg/Uzk2sUeiiTI/AAAAAAAAB6c/mJD31wHf8xo/s1600/orson-welles-radio.png" height="243" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who doesn't love the story of Orson Welles radio production of War of the Worlds which caused many listeners to head for the hills - literally. Deliberately introducing the play as a news broadcast proved too realistic especially when one of the actors described the emergence of an alien from its spacecraft:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> "Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake," he said, in an appropriately dramatic tone of voice. "Now it's another one, and another. They look like tentacles to me. There, I can see the thing's body. It's large as a bear and it glistens like wet leather. But that face. It...it's indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate....The thing is raising up. The crowd falls back. They've seen enough. This is the most extraordinary experience. I can't find words. I'm pulling this microphone with me as I talk. I'll have to stop the description until I've taken a new position. Hold on, will you please, I'll be back in a minute."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many people didn't bother to hang around as panic began to grip the population. Instead of suppressing a superior snigger at all those naive folks perhaps we shouldn't be too quick to cast the first stone of ridicule. Technology is moving so fast the lines between science and fiction are becoming increasingly blurred. Perhaps there never has been such a great time to be an aspiring writer of science fiction which brings me to the point of this post. If anyone would like to provide a paragraph from their work, unfinished or published, I will feature it on this blog next week along with a link to whatever you provide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To kick us off I'll include a few paragraphs from my own project that I will have to finish one day soon! It is set in a post apocalyptic world where some of the survivors live within vast cellular domes protecting themselves from the anarchic wasteland beyond. Genetic technology has been developed to such an extent that it is now possible to identify deviant genes that give rise to anti-social behaviour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was little traffic on the auto link. Occasionally they would speed past huge land transporters ferrying goods from zone to zone. Once, the monstrous bulk of an interstate freighter moved deferentially to one side in acknowledgement of the distinctive markings displayed on the sleek black limo. Only essential personnel owned petrol powered vehicles. Most drove solar powered transporters that were by law restricted to zonal sectors only. The advances in cellular construction which had made possible the development of the vast 'zonal domes' also concentrated the suns energy providing all necessary power. The domes also protected the inhabitants from harmful effects of solar radiation that so easily penetrated the impoverished atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At least traffic jams were a thing of the past. Chief Inspector Dale had read of this late twenty first century phenomenon with amused fascination. He afforded himself a wry smile. The problem appeared insoluble to scientists and politicians alike as the multiplying mass of humanity threatened to exhaust rapidly decreasing global resources. Pollution, the suppurating wounds of industrialised society, festered openly. A disease many believed incurable. Overshadowing these horrors hung the threat of the nuclear holocaust.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oblivion.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When the end came no one even recognised its coming. The collapse of the Western monetary system proved disastrous. Economies disintegrated. Inflation soared. Nations plunged into a world wide depression deeper than an ocean trench. Swept away by the tidal wave of events governments lay stranded and helpless like beached whales. Anarchy prevailed. Continents became one vast battle ground. Wars raged within and between nations. Nuclear weapons of unimaginable destructive power were unleashed and a second Dark Age enshrouded mankind. Famine, the camp follower of war, carried her children, disease and misery, at her breast. The human race teetered on the brink of destruction.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Out of chaos arose a saviour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But salvation carried a price. Theirs had been Jonathon.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The car sped through the nightmare landscape. Beyond the elevated auto pass security patrols wailed as they passed along the restricted area that marked the boundary of the Outworld. The occasional staccato roar of a helipatrol thundered a primal challenge across the reddening sky as it swept over the wasteland in scything arcs. A vivid sunset seeped through the heavens bloodying the scarred earth. Against the skyline the wreckage of a lost world cast its grotesque silhouette like the exposed bones of an ancient beast time has long since devoured. Camp fires flickered amidst the sepulchres of dead cities. Still the car sped on.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dale glanced at the window and saw his face reflected against the desolation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kay still believed he was out there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In exile.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Punished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She must never know the truth. No one must."</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> That's my contribution folks the rest is up to you. If you are interested please contact me at philiprowlands@ymail.com.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* * * *</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may or may not know that I also write educational programs for children. If you have a young child I am currently giving away free copies of an app that simulates Cuisenaire Rods. My grandson, who's seven, loves using it. If you would like a free copy follow this link <a href="http://tiny.cc/hlmccx" target="_blank">FREE APP</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjG99ivD-LY/Uzk18CKTrmI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/TZBJEtoc4F0/s1600/dinosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjG99ivD-LY/Uzk18CKTrmI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/TZBJEtoc4F0/s1600/dinosaur.jpg" height="188" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-37882874926299809072014-03-15T11:00:00.000+00:002014-03-15T16:59:28.363+00:00Horror - Back To Basics.<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the main reasons I set up Kindle Authors was to try
and help other Indie authors in any way I could. That’s why occasionally I come
up with ideas like the Authors Lottery that hasn’t received much support (IT
BOMBED!!!). So let’s get back to basics. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who loves a good horror story? If I could see you I imagine
a whole lot of hands would be raised in the air. That analogy sort of gives
away my teaching background doesn’t it? As a retired teacher it’s great to meet
former pupils who still want to talk to you. It’s even more rewarding when one
of them proves to be a very talented young writer of Gothic horror stories.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Paul Worthington’s</b> short story entitled <b>‘Six for Supper’</b>
is shortly to be included in <b>Issue 2</b> of<b> <a href="http://www.etomagazine.com/" target="_blank">Eto</a></b>. I was thrilled when I read it and
feel sure that if the <b>Pan Book of Horror Stories</b> was still going strong ‘<b>Six
for Supper</b>’ would be included. Here’s a brief extract: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The bodies lay about fifty metres apart in a ditch that ran
alongside a country lane. A man and a woman both in their early twenties
probably a couple, their lives brutally and prematurely ended. The ferocity of
the attack was evident due to the victims torn clothes and the several deep
gaping wounds present on each corpse. The chalky white gravel that lined the
ditch had splatters of blood all over it; the blood had an eerie glow under the
moonlight. It was <st1:time hour="19" minute="25">7.25pm</st1:time> on <st1:date day="10" month="2" year="1928">the 10<sup>th</sup> of February 1928</st1:date>
and on this secluded path that linked two tiny peaceful villages lay the fourth
and fifth victims of what could only be a madman. The local constabulary had no
suspects and no clues. . . “</blockquote>
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There are lots of talented writers working within the horror
genre waiting to be discovered.</div>
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Two of them are featured below:</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="http://adrianlilly.com/" target="_blank">Adrian Lilly</a></h3>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lv1A3XBnfLU/UyGGVnQOYwI/AAAAAAAAB5M/q62X-MXDGyg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1122+Mar.+13+10.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lv1A3XBnfLU/UyGGVnQOYwI/AAAAAAAAB5M/q62X-MXDGyg/s1600/ScreenHunter_1122+Mar.+13+10.09.jpg" height="281" width="640" /></a></div>
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<o:p> Below is an extract from<b>'Th</b></o:p><b> e Arrangement</b>' a free fiction story you can read from <a href="http://adrianlilly.com/category/serial-addiction-your-weekly-read/" target="_blank">Adrian's blog</a>.</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Lucy did not need to remember the full moons and the monster
they made her; the mornings after, and the looks on their faces told her
everything. And each time she changed, the walls of the vault became more
gouged and pummelled so that she doubted Jared’s assertion that they “could use
it until we find a cure.” Lucy feared that one day the door would rip from its
hinges and she would awake with them dead, and no memory, just a new morning of
regret.”</blockquote>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qRN_3eb7YwI/UyGIa8yjpXI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/S1wPM7g8Peo/s1600/novel_pageTWAHD+cover_DISCOUNT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qRN_3eb7YwI/UyGIa8yjpXI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/S1wPM7g8Peo/s1600/novel_pageTWAHD+cover_DISCOUNT.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></div>
<b>The Wolf in His Arms</b> is Adrian'a latest novel and available at these stores:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Wolf-Door-Runes-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00DR4H7QG" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wolf-at-his-door-adrian-lilly/1116068410" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/332148" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Wolf-Door-Runes-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00DR4H7QG" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a><br />
<br />
<span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1394704954056_3358" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Werewolves are forming the ultimate pack—and only one family can stop them. </span><span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1394704954056_2558" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The Wolf at His Door: Book One</b> of The Runes Trilogy is a <span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1394704954056_2683">“multi-layered and unpredictable” novel that “oozes brilliance” and builds to “an absolutely epic ending.”</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can also find Adrian on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/adrianwlilly" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<a href="http://www.michael-yowell-horror-stories.com/" target="_blank">Mike Yowell</a></h3>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C5FC3b7bQaQ/UyGOYWhlUGI/AAAAAAAAB5o/Dtv1rOaCY94/s1600/ScreenHunter_1123+Mar.+13+10.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C5FC3b7bQaQ/UyGOYWhlUGI/AAAAAAAAB5o/Dtv1rOaCY94/s1600/ScreenHunter_1123+Mar.+13+10.44.jpg" height="289" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Excerpt from <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dogcatcher-Chupacabras-Yowell-Michael-ebook/dp/B00HXJNMCY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1390154242&sr=8-10&keywords=michael+yowell" target="_blank">The Dogcatcher</a>:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This time the bullet hit its mark. Clearing
the half-open window, the slug buried itself into the neck of the werewolf,
knocking the beast to the ground. The purity of the silver instantly
attacked the monster’s vile, diseased blood, and spread quickly throughout its
body. Fuelled by the successful shot, Slant kicked the door open and
leaped from the vehicle. He stood over the creature, watching while
it growled and writhed in pain, confused as to why it was dying."</blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dogcatcher-Chupacabras-Yowell-Michael-ebook/dp/B00HXJNMCY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1390154242&sr=8-10&keywords=michael+yowell" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-svfAVjMSkVk/UyGQUmRyd6I/AAAAAAAAB50/ezerz6E3TVc/s1600/mike+yowell.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dogcatcher-Chupacabras-Yowell-Michael-ebook/dp/B00HXJNMCY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1390154242&sr=8-10&keywords=michael+yowell" target="_blank">The Dogcatcher 2</a></b> is Mike's latest novel currently available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dogcatcher-Chupacabras-Yowell-Michael-ebook/dp/B00HXJNMCY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1390154242&sr=8-10&keywords=michael+yowell" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.<br />
Below are some more of Mike's novels:<br />
<br />
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<td width="15%"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com\Kindle\dogcatcher.jpg" width="140" /></td>
<td width="15%"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com\Kindle\devilhouse.jpg" width="140" /></td>
<td width="15%"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com\Kindle\fragments and shards.jpg" width="140" /></td>
<td width="15%"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com\Kindle\red pines.jpg" width="140" /></td>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dogcatcher-Michael-Yowell/dp/1490541675/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394709049&sr=1-3&keywords=michael+yowell">The Dogcatcher</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devilhouse-Michael-Yowell/dp/1482083892/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394709952&sr=1-4&keywords=michael+yowell">Devilhouse</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fragments-Shards-Collection-Michael-Yowell/dp/1491256087/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394709952&sr=1-5&keywords=michael+yowell">Fragments and Shards</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Pines-Michael-Yowell/dp/1490441689/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394709952&sr=1-6&keywords=michael+yowell">Red Pines</a></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't completely given up on the <b>Author's Lottery</b>. I still think it could give authors a boost at no cost to themselves. There is no obligation if you subscribe to the free <b>Twitter Author's Marketing Course</b> (top right) - just very useful information.</span><br />
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</html>Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com130tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-13746112900093894562014-02-28T11:33:00.003+00:002014-02-28T11:38:42.951+00:00The Authors Lottery UPDATE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-amdmri6wOCc/Uw5toTsSyCI/AAAAAAAAB4w/2s20Rx2aP84/s1600/ScreenHunter_1117+Feb.+26+21.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-amdmri6wOCc/Uw5toTsSyCI/AAAAAAAAB4w/2s20Rx2aP84/s1600/ScreenHunter_1117+Feb.+26+21.48.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
The concept of an Author's Lottery doesn't seem to have grasped the imagination and that's putting the best possible spin on it! (If you missed last week's post and want to know more then simply click on the Authors Lottery Tab above).<br />
<br />
I'm going to give it one more try simply because I think it could benefit lots of us. First let me be clear, <b>there is no financial outlay required or demanded of any one at any time</b>. Our commitment would be to download the winning Author's ebook each week. What we do with it is up to us. Should the winning author decide to charge a small fee then he/she runs the risk of less people downloading his/her book. Authors who publish on Amazon Kindle may want to may use of their new <b>Kindle Countdown</b> feature for example.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0G3M7Bw9wUU/UxBw0bV9ehI/AAAAAAAAB48/ZwS6RBEEoiE/s1600/ScreenHunter_1118+Feb.+28+11.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0G3M7Bw9wUU/UxBw0bV9ehI/AAAAAAAAB48/ZwS6RBEEoiE/s1600/ScreenHunter_1118+Feb.+28+11.03.jpg" height="88" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The underpinning principle is one of support and trust. Personally I am willing to set aside $4 a month to support other authors. What's more I'm happy to forgo my own inclusion in the lottery itself. <b>This blog is dedicated to supporting indie authors in practical ways</b>. I don't know about you but I'm fed up of all the offers to attend events for this or that promotion that drop into my inbox. A lot of time and effort goes into these promotions but there are just too many to respond to everyone. Please Tweet this blog post or let others know about it on your blog.<br />
<br />
<b>Everyone who subscribes to the Authors Lottery</b> - and all that means is that your name and number go into each weekly draw- <b>will receive genuinely useful information on how to promote your books via email on a regular basis.</b> Just provide your name and email in the TWITTER AUTHORS MARKETING COURSE subscription box and you'll receive a five part information course on how to use Twitter to effectively market your books. There will be other courses to follow. <b>Here is PART ONE of the TWITTER AUTHORS MARKETING COURSE to give you an idea of what to expect in the future.</b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">In this first
lesson let's talk a little about how you can start building a large network of
friends, potential readers, associates, and customers using the social
networking website Twitter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Many new users of
Twitter are constantly asking how they can use the site more effectively for
their business and since the site has grown into an Internet mega monster that
is globally known and talked about, they are right to ask. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The fact is
Twitter is a fantastic tool for authors who want to build a fan base within a
particular genre. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Jonathon Gunson is
an author who specializes in helping aspiring and established authors amass a
readership via Twitter. You can read his guest blog post here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Internet
relationships are very different from actual personal relationships. They are
based primarily on like, know, and trust. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Many people are
reaching out to others through social network websites like Twitter, Facebook
and many others.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you are new to
Twitter you may not realize that you can create your personal brand and
virtually dominate your genre, simply by building a list of followers. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Let's talk about
some of the ways you can you achieve this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Once you've set up
your Twitter account you will want to work on your profile. This way you can
quickly customize the look and feel of your page to reflect your particular
genre. This is something I have attempted to do. You can check my website at <a href="http://www.psrowlands.com/">http://www.psrowlands.com</a> You will want
to pay close attention to your one line bio. Because this is what people will
read before they decide whether or not they want to follow you. You will only
have 160 characters to describe who you are and what you do, so you have to
make it good!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The next thing you
will want to do is get ‘followers’. If you have any contacts that are already
using Twitter, invite them to follow you. Put link's in your emails, on your
websites and blogs asking people to follow you. You could even put your Twitter
url on your business card, so that you can gather followers offline as well.
- Yes, authors should have business
cards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Don't be shy tell
everyone you meet about your Twitter page. Make it sound exciting and let them know that you will
be sharing important updates about your books, extracts and information with them
if they follow you. You may be surprised to find out that almost everyone will click
the follow button just to see what you're up too!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Another thing that
I feel that is important especially for authors using Twitter is to seek out
and follow the ‘big names’ in your particular genre who are on Twitter. J.K.
Rowling immediately springs to mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">This will benefit
you in more than one way. It will give you a bird’s eye view of what they’re
doing on Twitter, so you can learn how to improve your own results and it will
also put you in front of all the people they are in contact with.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Curiosity, you
can't fight it, so you may as well take advantage of it. People are curious by
nature! They like to see who is following who, so often they will click on the
links and check out the followers of people they know and follow them as well
and by following the genre leaders, so to speak you may naturally end up will
new followers as well. Just try and keep your readership in mind when you choose
‘best selling authors’ to follow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Now let's talk
about meeting even more people and making hundreds of new friends by using
'retweet’s’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">With this method,
you take the original twitter message someone else has posted, and rebroadcast
that same message to your followers. When broadcasting the message, you should
definitely give credit to the original poster.
I know at first it may sound like this will only be good for the
original tweeter, but retweeting can actually benefit you just as much if not
more because:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">1. It provides more value to your followers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">When you provide
value to your followers, you make them happy!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">You are also more
likely to attract followers. Providing quality content is always a great way to
build your list of potential readers no matter what platform you use.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">2. It will benefit
your brand especially if you are writing a series within a specific genre.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you point a
reader to a source of good information that is truly relevant and beneficial to
them, the amount of trust that they have in you will increase.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">3. It will help
you build relationships with the original posters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Retweeting someone
else’s content is an act of kindness, and for the most part bloggers like to
return the favour. You shouldn't expect someone to retweet your content just
because you retweet theirs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Just keep in mind
that your chance of being on the other end of a retweet increases as you
retweet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Retweeting is all
about providing value to your followers so if you want others to retweet your
post then you want to make sure that you are providing them with quality
content worth tweeting about.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The bottom line is
retweeting is a great way to add quality and value to your Twitter page. If
done right, retweeting can help you educate your followers, build your personal
brand, increase future traffic, and connect you to other great people in your genre
or niche.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Just be careful if
you use it incorrectly, retweeting can actually hurt your personal brand and
future traffic. You want to treat your followers like gold. Don't ever send
them to inappropriate websites or spam them with one sales pitch after another.
I mistake I made once when enthusiastically over promoting my book!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Remember you want
them to like what you have to say, so they will follow your lead. Then when you
do recommend something to them you will get the results you are looking for
every time!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">That's it for
today's lesson. Now go to Twitter and start building your followers by
providing them with great content that they will love you for!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">We have a lot to
go over in the next few days if you want to learn more about how to use Twitter
as an author make sure you look for your next lesson tomorrow. I will be
talking about some tools that you can use to make your Twitter page more
interactive and successful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">I hope this has whetted you appetite! As I see it if we are not prepared to help each other in as many ways as possible we make life that much harder for ourselves.</span></div>
Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-79829088305877057352014-02-20T11:10:00.000+00:002014-02-20T11:10:12.494+00:00Amazon - Knight In Shining Armour or Emisssary of the Dark Side<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxPdJWzas8g/Uvn_GZiTIPI/AAAAAAAAB4c/caVbBVRGvAI/s1600/ScreenHunter_1113+Feb.+11+10.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxPdJWzas8g/Uvn_GZiTIPI/AAAAAAAAB4c/caVbBVRGvAI/s1600/ScreenHunter_1113+Feb.+11+10.41.jpg" height="326" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Okay so I‘m not the greatest author in the world. Maybe I
will never make the best seller lists but that’s no excuse for ripping me off. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Indie authors we know how difficult and time consuming it
can be promoting our books. Sometimes I feel like Hansel lost in a forest of
social media never able to find my way out with new trees being planted around
me all the time. HELP!!! Then one day I discovered a clearing in the wood. It
wasn’t a house made of candy but an enormous edifice called Amazon - pretty appropriate
for an empire in the forest!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was enticed inside with the promise of self publishing on
Amazon’s incredible electronic device called the Kindle. Amazon dangled before
my eyes a dazzling array of world wide distribution rights and sales channels.
I was tempted. Well more than tempted actually. I didn’t think twice. No more
submitting work to publishing houses who just weren’t interested or agents who
were even less so. The publishing dragon had been slain, or so I thought.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the moment I am wondering if Amazon is my Knight In
Shining Armour or an Emissary of the Dark Side.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WHY the sudden change of heart? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s all down to personal experience. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first published book on Amazon’s Kindle was a novella
entitled ‘A Christmas Carol Revisited’. It had received an excellent review on <st1:stockticker>BBC</st1:stockticker>
Radio Wales and in December 2012 the New York City Bar Association adapted it
for a concert in the <st1:place><st1:placetype>City</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>Bar</st1:placetype>
<st1:placetype>Building</st1:placetype></st1:place> in <st1:city>Manhattan</st1:city>
that proved a great success. I duly got some sales on Amazon. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So far so good, with Christmas fast approaching I bombarded
my Twitter (4,000+) account with promotional tweets courtesy of Social Oomph. APOLOGIES TO ALL MY TWITTER FOLLOWERS I BOMBARDED!!!! Guest bloggers promoted it on their sites and my Google+ groups also got the
full treatment! While I wasn’t expecting to top the best seller list I was
expecting some sales. Some hope, NADA, NOTHING, NOWT!!! Not one measly sale
showed up in my reports for November or December. I had more sales on Create Space and I hadn't done any promotion for any of them.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Okay, you’re probably thinking this is the case of another
deluded would be writer with no talent and less hope having a gripe. You may be
right but unfortunately my experience is not unique. John R Clark, Managing Editor at Age View
Press wrote on this very issue under the title:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://jeanettevaughan.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/do-amazon-and-createspace-rip-off-indie-publishers-with-failure-to-correctly-report-sales/" target="_blank"><b>DO AMAZON AND CREATESPACE RIP OFF INDIE PUBLISHERS WITH FAILURE TO CORRECTLY REPORT SALES?</b></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alright! Seems like there might just be a wicked witch
lurking in them thar woods. So, what to do?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I see it we can sit back and hope things improve OR do
something about it ourselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BUT WHAT </b>- How can we possible influence the LEVIATHAN that
AMAZON has become?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have an idea. Take a look at the<a href="http://www.use4.com/lottowidget.html" target="_blank"> lottery widget</a> on the right
sidebar.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I propose is that we set up our own <b>AUTHOR’S LOTTERY</b>
using the free widget (see sidebar).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of winning money everybody who opts in would have to
agree to buy or download the winning author’s book (reasonably priced or free!)
either from Amazon or from the Author’s website. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>At least this way the winner each week would know for
certain that their book had been downloaded x number of times and could check
with their Amazon Sales Reports.</b> It would also give most Author’s a much needed
boost as well as a little income. Everything would of course be based on <b>TRUST.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>HOW IT WOULD <st1:stockticker>WORK</st1:stockticker></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every Friday at 11.00 <st1:stockticker>GMT</st1:stockticker>
I would click the ‘Pick a new Lotto Number’ button on this blog. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The author whose number was drawn would be notified. His/her
name and details of where to download his/her book would be publicized on this
blog.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>TO MAKE IT WORTHWHILE WE WOULD ONLY START ONCE WE HAVE 50
AUTHORS SUBSCRIBED.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To show your commitment all you need do is <b>enter your email
address and name in the subscription box</b>. Once you have done this I will
allocate a number. Mine for example is 1. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will set up another page on the blog with each other’s
name next to their allocated number.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am using a free version of <st1:stockticker>GET</st1:stockticker>
RESPONSE software for the simple reason if not enough interest is shown after
posting this blog I will abandon the idea. I don’t intend wasting money
pointlessly also. . . </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
AS A WRITER YOU <st1:stockticker>ALL</st1:stockticker> KNOW
HOW PRECIOUS TIME IS! None of us can afford to waste it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hopefully enough of us will grasp the potential of what
authors can do if we decide to stand together and help each other.<br />
<br />
To make it worth your while subscribing I plan to run a number of courses designed to help you promote your books using social media. These will be delivered by email and the first course focuses on Twitter. It's called <b>The Twitter Authors Marketing Crash Course.</b> Some of the things you will learn about include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The man who has made it his business to help authors build their readership on Twitter.</li>
<li>Free tools that will make your Twitter marketing extremely effective.</li>
<li>Integrating Twitter tools in Wordpress.</li>
<li>How to chat in 'real time' with your followers.</li>
<li>How to schedule regular postings using free or paid tools.</li>
<li>The basic rule you MUST follow.</li>
<li>Mistakes to avoid at all cost.</li>
</ul>
Please email me if you have any thoughts or suggestions at
philiprowlands@ymail.com<br />
WARNING: I am a married man and therefore impervious to abuse.</div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think its's time for us Kindle authors to circle the wagons! What about you?<br />
<br />
<b>Next Week</b><br />
Expand Your Literary Horizons.<br />
Also - update on the Author's Lottery.</div>
Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-29742767574491905212014-01-03T19:37:00.000+00:002014-01-03T19:37:25.904+00:00Mister Author, why are you Blogging so much when you ‘should’ be Writing?...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U-73_dSYc5k/Usaj1qNZd-I/AAAAAAAAB38/GTupFcG4CpI/s1600/profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U-73_dSYc5k/Usaj1qNZd-I/AAAAAAAAB38/GTupFcG4CpI/s320/profile.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
What better way to start the New Year than with a post from a Scotsman.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="" name="_GoBack"><span lang="EN-US">Seumas Gallacher was born
in the cradle of the Govan shipyards in Glasgow in the so-called ‘bad old
days’, which Seumas considers were really the greatest of days, where everybody was a true
character of note.</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">An early
career as a trainee banker led to a spell in London, where his pretence to be a
missionary converting the English fell on deaf ears. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Escape
to the Far East in 1980 opened up access to cultures and societies on a global
scale, eventually bringing the realisation that the world is simply one large,
extended village.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The
lifelong desire to write resulted in <b>THE
VIOLIN MAN’S LEGACY,</b> the first in a planned series. Seumas’ sequel novel, <b>VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK</b> was launched in
early July 2012. The third, <b>SAVAGE
PAYBACK,</b> was released in late 2013 with at least two other books to follow
in the same vein. Ebook downloads on his novels exceed 70,000 to date.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Seumas
lives in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Seumas is a committed blogger and in his guest post he explains why. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">"</span><b><u><span lang="EN-US">…Mister Author, why are you Blogging
so much when you ‘should’ be Writing?...</span></u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">…there’s a teasing wee topic headline for
yeez, eh?... I don’t expect to split the literary <b>WURLD</b> opinion down the
middle with it… nor create too much disharmony in the Quill-Scrapers Society…
however, let me ‘fess up… I have a kinda <b>LUV/LUV</b> relationship with the
whole nine yards of the writing <b><i>‘business’</i></b>… like most of us, its
genesis is in the thought process prior to even scribbling or laptop-tapping a
single<b> WURD </b>of the masterpiece all the way through the tracking of <b>Amazon
Kindle</b> sales figures after the baby’s launched… in between, yeez have the
actual writing, the editing, the more editing, the proof reading, the
creating-the-cover-art bit, the boxing into Kindle format or whatever your
publishing channel poison of choice may be, and <b><i>over-arching all of that
is the marketing and publicity effort, which is constant</i></b>… yeez are
almost mandated these days as a self-publisher to immerse yerselves in the <b>SOSYAL
NETWURKIN</b> whirl… yeez <b>Tweet</b> and <b>ReTweet</b> until yer fingers are
falling off… yeez share like billy-o on <b>Facebook</b>, trying all the while
to avoid <b>Master Zuckerburg’s Jail</b> sentences for being too friendly with
yer kindred Webbies… yeez build up trillions of <b>Goodreads</b> Brownie Points
for indulgence in myriad <b><i>‘readers interest groups’</i></b>… and with
whatever’s left of yer brain time, yeez sprinkle around in other assorted
linkages… <b><i>presence</i></b>, Mabel… it’s about <b><i>presence</i></b>…
this is where the <b>Blogging</b> becomes the master-key… the elusive missing
bit of the jigsaw… this ol’ Jurassic happens to use <b>Wordpress</b> to host
the blogging website… and it must be said, at first it was because <b>Wordpress</b>
is <b><i>free</i></b>… and being a true-tartan-bloodied Scot, the
not-having-to-pay-element was a prime attraction… then, as time wore on, lo and
behold, I was able automatically to connect every blog post to all my major <b>SOSYAL
NETWURKS</b>… from <b><i>direct</i></b> contacts of a mere 200 souls two and a
half years ago, the <b><i>direct</i></b> base has grown to 14,500+… not a bad
reason to Blog… and the more yeez Blog, the more ye’re reaching out to yer
global markets… but, wait… there’s more to it than that… reaching out is one
thing, but aren’t yeez supposed to be <b><i>writing?</i></b>... well, yes… in
the interim I’ve produced three crime thrillers and two Blog Post
anthologies/collections… and so far Amazon downloads exceed 70,000 to date… not
much wrong with these numbers… the attractions in producing the Blog continue…
the crime thriller scribbling can be quite intense… the little grey cells get
hammered incessantly… the attempted humour in the Blog is a healthy distaff to
that… and what’s developed?... the novels contain my <b>‘Author’s Voice’</b>…
but the Blog carries my <b>‘Author’s Brand’</b>… and finally, don’t let emb’dy
ever tell yeez that Blogging isn’t <b><i>writing</i></b>… condensing yer
thoughts into a limited amount of <b>WURDS</b> is great practice… go try it…<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a> yeez’ll <b>LUV IT!</b>…"</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I am in the process of preparing a post on the subject of blogging and mutual self help for next week so, many thanks to Seumas. Great post and a great start to the New Year. Here's some links to Seumas and his books.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oLXSMWoRGgo/Usam-g7XMMI/AAAAAAAAB4I/D8RR2t9YIKk/s1600/Savage03-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oLXSMWoRGgo/Usam-g7XMMI/AAAAAAAAB4I/D8RR2t9YIKk/s320/Savage03-1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://amzn.to/1gTgJh0" target="_blank">Click Here</a> for Amazon U.K.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://amzn.to/16hKHci" target="_blank">Click Here</a> for Amazon U.S.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Blog :
seumasgallacher.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Twitter :
@seumasgallacher<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook : </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/seumasgallacher">http://www.facebook.com/seumasgallacher</a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Email :
seumasgallacher@yahoo.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If anyone would like to feature on this blog as a guest writer please email me at philiprowlands@ymail.com</span></span></div>
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Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-85710908827558492312013-11-22T14:45:00.000+00:002013-11-22T14:45:24.368+00:00Flirting At Whose Funeral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EL5nDqZVrKw/Uo9Ui1BrBFI/AAAAAAAAB3M/-fh-J6MfeQ8/s1600/ScreenHunter_1104+Nov.+22+12.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EL5nDqZVrKw/Uo9Ui1BrBFI/AAAAAAAAB3M/-fh-J6MfeQ8/s1600/ScreenHunter_1104+Nov.+22+12.56.jpg" /></a></div>
Seeing new places and meeting new people has to be one of the most rewarding aspects of travel. The picture opposite combines both. The cool guy in the leather jacket and shades is author Chris Keil whom I had the pleasure of meeting while in Portland. If you are wondering, the magnificent river in the background is the Columbia which flows through the heart of Portland itself.<br />
<br />
Chris is the author of 'Flirting at The Funeral.' The title refers to a hit song one of the main characters in the book once had. I enjoyed Chris' company so much I bought a copy even though it meant my wife would have to forgo a gift (only kidding). I really didn't know what to expect but I was determined to read it through to the end.<br />
<br />
The thing I demand most of any work of fiction is a compelling story. Regardless of how the book is constructed that has to be the bottom line. Chris did not disappoint but 'Flirting At The Funeral' is much more than that. Characterization is also key for me. Chris has created a diverse and vibrant cast of characters. Such is their vibrancy that you feel you know or recognise them in a very personal sense. This is quite an achievement because at another level each can be seen as representative either of a section of society or of specific beliefs and philosophies. Set against the uncertainties of a world peering uncertainly into the abyss of financial collapse 'Flirting At The Funeral' becomes almost a parable of our times.<br />
<br />
Matty James, who for me was the focal point of the novel, can appear at first glance to represent all that is superficial and facile in our society. Forever 'pursuing her star' in seeming disregard of the consequences to herself and others, she personifies the desperate desire to achieve celebrity status we witness on our television screens every week. Mammon rules and before we point a finger how many of us bought a lottery ticket this week? Yet Chris' characters refuse to be judged at a superficial level. Like all really good works of fiction uncomfortable questions are continually asked of the reader. There is one scene that epitomizes this.<br />
<br />
Matty and her friend Howard are engaged in a conversation. They stand in the ruins of an ancient building that in a distant past had been as imposing as the modern citadel built by the super rich Dr Arno Bendt. Howard attempts to persuade Matty to leave Dr Bendt and to return to London to be with her lover Morgan. Her response is pragmatic and in one sense profound:<br />
<br />
"I have to follow my star." She took a breath."At any rate I have to make the best of it. I have to keep flirting at the funeral, like the song says."<br />
<br />
Flirting At the Funeral is beautifully crafted and infused with sumptuous imagery. It is a book I wish I had written.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0957315503/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0957315503&linkCode=as2&tag=helpy07-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0957315503&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=helpy07-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=helpy07-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0957315503" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<br />
To misquote another once famous song, <i>"It's my blog and I'll do what I wanna, do what I wanna. . ."</i><br />
Which is a pretty tacky way of announcing some blatant self promotion. Well it is nearly Christmas and the book I'm attempting to promote is a reworking of Dickens classic. I promise to get back to featuring more Indie Authors in the New Year!<br />
<br />
It's contemporary New York City and Clinton Ebenezer Scrooge III shares his thoughts on Christmas.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US">"Scrooge gazed out of the window. Somewhere
below, the river flowed blacker than the </span><st1:place><span lang="EN-US">Styx</span></st1:place><span lang="EN-US"> through the city’s dark heart into the eternal depths of the
poisoned oceans. But Scrooge’s eyes were fixed upon another river. The
unceasing flow of humanity condemned as surely to follow the course of
existence to its inevitable conclusion as the river was compelled to flow into
the embrace of the blind and restless sea.</span><span lang="EN-US">Christmas held out hope that the journey
was not in vain. That was one of the reasons he despised it. Christmas was for
the weak, for sentimental fools who had never grasped that salvation in this
world was something to be wrung forcefully from life’s unwilling grip. Once the
presents had been opened and the parties were over what was left apart from
hangovers and a bigger overdraft? He smiled. He was above that now, had been
for years. Just as detached and aloof as the gigantic reflection of himself
superimposed on the vista upon which he cast such a scornful eye."</span></blockquote>
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<img border="0" height="167" src="http://www.lovealaugh.net/Ewan/CCposter2 (2).jpg" width="609" /><br /> <img alt="christmas01.gif" border="0" height="42" src="http://www.lovealaugh.net/Ewan/ScreenHunter_1103 Nov. 18 12.39.jpg" width="507" /><br /> <br /> <img border="0" height="119" src="http://www.lovealaugh.net/Ewan/CCposter3.jpg" width="602" /><br /> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><b><img alt="christmas01.gif" border="0" height="42" src="http://www.lovealaugh.net/Ewan/ScreenHunter_1103 Nov. 18 12.39.jpg" width="507" /></b></span></span><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: AR CENA;"><br /></span></span></b><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: AR CENA;">'A Christmas Carol Revisited' is a great way to enter into the Festive Spirit and it's available NOW on Amazon in Print or Kindle format.</span><span style="color: #339900; font-family: AR CENA;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /> Prefer PRINT? Prefer KINDLE? Just click on the thumbnail of choice.<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480075582/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1480075582&linkCode=as2&tag=helpy07-20"> <img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1480075582&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=helpy07-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=helpy07-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1480075582" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</span></span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LLIYLQ/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004LLIYLQ&linkCode=as2&tag=helpy07-20"><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004LLIYLQ&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=helpy07-20" /></span></a></span><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /> <a href="http://tiny.cc/cfit6w">CLICK HERE</a> to listen to a brief audio excerpt.</span></span><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /><a href="http://tiny.cc/whit6w">CLICK HERE</a> to download an extract in pdf format.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 24pt;">"View the Video Trailer . . . "<br /> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: AR CENA;"> Have a Wonderful Christmas and may 'God Bless Us All."</span></span><br />
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Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-62543809595902549742013-11-15T13:03:00.001+00:002013-11-16T17:41:20.897+00:00WORDSTOCK: Close Encounters of the Cultural Kind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uMhQYrL8Hac/UoSwy_o0oJI/AAAAAAAAB3A/4DtFnHOHvoI/s1600/ScreenHunter_1100+Nov.+14+11.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uMhQYrL8Hac/UoSwy_o0oJI/AAAAAAAAB3A/4DtFnHOHvoI/s1600/ScreenHunter_1100+Nov.+14+11.15.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Portland</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Oregon</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> is the home of the
'Wordstock' festival that describes its primary aim as:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">". . .
dedicated to providing the public with unprecedented access to artistic
excellence and instilling a lifelong love of reading in our community."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">It is an unlikely
place to meet an American author with a love of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Wales</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> and all things Welsh.
Actually it's an unlikely place to meet anyone who is aware that </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Wales</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> even exists.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Sarah Woodbury is an </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Oregon</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> girl extremely proud
of her Welsh ancestry and given the fact both her parents are historians it was
almost inevitable that when she eventually succumbed to the writing bug her
genre would be the historical novel. Fortunately her visit to </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Wales</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> was to prove a
catalyst in the context of her development as an author and consequently she
has written a whole series of novels set in medieval </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Wales</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
The previous day Sarah and I had been part of a panel discussion entitled
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Wars-British-Literature-Multiculturalism/dp/0786462949" target="_blank">'Culture Wars - Other Voices In British Literature' </a>jointly hosted by
AmeriCymru and the Portland Centre for Public Humanities at Portland State
University. The other members of the panel were Dr Tracy Prince, whose book
formed the basis of the discussion and Welsh authors Mike Jenkins and Chris
Keil. The discussion was animated and stimulating to say the least. If you
would like to view it in it's entirety you can view it below.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/JDi_Fbo6TJI/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/JDi_Fbo6TJI&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/JDi_Fbo6TJI&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
It was the following day at the </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Woodstock</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> festival that we got
the opportunity to talk. Sarah is one of the new breed of authors who realises
the importance of self promotion and has been extremely effective in using
social media to get her books noticed. She has sold over 150,000 copies and has
a following of loyal fans, including me! Sarah did not sit back and wait for an
agent to ride by on a white horse and wave a shiny contract in her face. Her
success has been down to hard work and a willingness to take responsibility for
her own success. Of course there is one element of the equation that always has
to be present and that is the ability to write a good story and Sarah certainly
possesses that in spades. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Naturally I would like to think that her Welsh heritage and love of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Wales</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> has inspired her to
reach the heights she has already achieved and those she is sure to reach in
the future. In all honesty she would have made a successful author whatever
genre she set her mind on I am just grateful she drew her inspiration from her
Celtic roots. Just like the character Valarie in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Carol-Revisited-Phil-Rowlands-ebook/dp/B004LLIYLQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384519078&sr=1-1&keywords=a+christmas+carol+revisited" target="_blank">'A Christmas Carol Revisited'</a> Sarah is so proud of her heritage she even persuaded her husband to give their
four children Welsh names. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">“Megan?”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Megan. It was the name Valarie had chosen in deference to her Welsh
ancestry of which she was inordinately proud. For once he let her have her way.
What did it matter anyway, the child would never be born. It had proved a
serious error of judgement for the very act of naming the child bestowed on
Valarie a moral strength he never imagined she possessed. Thereafter she
resisted him at every turn but the effort drained her vitality and she took refuge
in drink. The miscarriage had been a fortuitous consequence.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">“That’s impossible. Valarie lost our child.”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">Even now he refused to speak her name. Even now he refused to accept his
portion of blame.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">“Nothing that has ever lived is truly lost Papa."</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She looked at him and
the revelation of what he had lost swept over him, a chill wind announcing the
onset of a long and bitter winter. Images of what might have been flashed
through his mind and he tried to grasp hold of them but they evaded him like
autumn leaves scattered in a sudden storm."</span></span></blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Knowing who we are and
where we come from gives us strength. I wish Sarah every success for the future
and hopefully she will agree to an interview in the near future.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">"Iechyd da
Sarah!" </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Below are a few of Sarah's books. I am currently thoroughly enjoying 'The Good Knight'.</span></div>
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<td colspan="4" width="456"><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">The 'After Climeri' Series.</span></span></td>
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<td colspan="4" width="456"><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">The Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries</span></span></td>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: AR CENA;">"If You Haven't Got A Kindle To Enjoy This Addictive Series On Why Not Get One This Christmas?"</span></span><br />
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</body>Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-84527415540475314512013-11-08T10:46:00.003+00:002013-11-08T10:48:45.670+00:00When Our Characters Confront Us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every major city in the world is haunted by an unwanted underclass largely ignored by the rest of us like some secret shame.They are shadows in a dark room passing their days in a twilight world that exists somewhere between the living and the dead.<br />
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The great Victorian novelist Charles Dickens was one of the first authors to focus the light of his literary genius on their miserable existence. His social conscience would not allow him to pass by on the other side.<br />
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However it is one thing to wax lyrical about the homeless and destitute but quite another to be confronted with their plight first hand as I was to discover on my recent visit to Portland, Oregon. It was my first visit to America and during the drive from the airport I caught sight of an individual staggering from a store clutching a paper bag. Gaabriel, my host, explained that homelessness was a problem within most American cities and Portland was no exception. Where Portland stood in stark contrast to many others was the liberal stance it took towards this unfortunate section of society. Many States employ aggressive measures to clear their streets of the Great Unwanted and although there is no Government or State support for these individuals at least Portland has a Mission where fortunate individuals can get a bed and a roof for the night.<br />
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It is human nature to pass judgement on others. Most of us cannot help wonder how anyone gets to end up living on the streets. Hopefully very few of us hold the same views as those expressed by one of my characters, Ebenezer Clinton Scrooge III. Arriving at the steps of his Manhattan headquarters he is confronted by a less affluent member of New York City society.<br />
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"<b>Scrooge smiled, this was no hired assassin sent on a mission to destroy only a common beggar chancing his arm, or what remained of it. A diseased symptom of the times. New York was infested with such hopeless individuals seeking solace and oblivion in alcohol or drugs, authors of their own destruction, and as such deserving of no sympathy or special favours. Still they never usually surfaced in this district preferring instead to haunt the more stagnant cess-pits of the city. Perhaps the fact it was Christmas Eve had emboldened this particular specimen into venturing further afield in the false hope that honest citizens would be more inclined to lunatic displays of charity many being so imbued with festive spirits they would carelessly part with their hard earned dollars."</b> (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Carol-Revisited-Phil-Rowlands-ebook/dp/B004LLIYLQ" target="_blank">A Christmas Carol Revisited</a>).</blockquote>
This is the dark side of the American Dream. Every good Doctor Jekyll has his own Mr Hyde to some degree or another. Perhaps it is how we react to the darkness that defines us as individuals and nations. Or is it if we are even prepared to confront that darkness in our society and in our selves? The 'hopeless individual' in the story is called Stephen, the 'hopeless individual' who confronted me on the streets of Portland was called Arnold.<br />
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We were down town waiting for a bus when Arnold approached. He was obviously distressed. Apparently he had been attempting to gain access to one of the toilets in the city precincts. It was locked and from what we could understand Arnold had been forcibly removed because he kept complaining that someone had hurt his arm. I learnt later that it was common practice to lock the toilets as they were in constant danger of being commandeered by the likes of Arnold on the lookout for somewhere dry and secure to sleep. It was also obvious Arnold had significant mental health issues. He insisted we call the cops otherwise he would kill someone.<br />
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I don't think anyone felt threatened but we all felt uncomfortable. I pretended to phone the cops but Arnold wasn't fooled for a second. Eventually the bus arrived and we got on board. Arnold followed. It soon became obvious Arnold was going nowhere until someone called the cops. As he became more distressed so his threats became more extravagant to the point he was now prepared to kill everyone on the bus. People began to get off not because they felt threatened but because they realised it would probably be quicker to walk home. Throughout the whole incident the lady bus driver spoke soothingly to Arnold and even provided him with a drink. Her compassionate attitude had a marked impact upon Arnold who became an increasingly less threatening yet more tragic figure by the minute. Eventually Arnold got his wish and the cops arrived.<br />
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'Street Roots' is a paper sold by the homeless on the streets and is Portland's version of the 'Big Issue'. The lead story the week I was there was regarding the way certain States were dealing with the problem of homeless people with mental health issues. Their solution was to provide these vulnerable individuals with enough food and money for a few days and a bus ticket to some place else. There they would duly arrive with no contacts or support and whatever provision they had left. Problem solved. It staggers me that large sections of American society still oppose ObamaCare.<br />
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It was with a sense of relief that we watched Arnold being escorted away. He was obviously known to the local police who dealt with him courteously and gently. Whether he got a nice dry, warm cell for the night is another matter. My thoughts often return to Arnold and I wonder how he possibly survives life on the streets. Could I have done more to help? There is a gulf between feeling compassion at some general esoteric level and acting upon that compassion at the subjective level of reality. If I am honest, Arnold was a burden I did not want to bear. He was not my responsibility after all. Like the Pharisee I shuffled by on the other side. It is not always a comfortable experience when our characters turn up on our doorstep.<br />
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<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-6478626637234049792013-10-30T20:47:00.000+00:002013-10-31T10:44:44.336+00:00A Halloween Special.<html>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">Some time ago I wrote a blog post entitled "Need Inspiration? Dig Where You Stand." If you never left your city or town during your lifetime there would still be countless 'touchstones' to inspire your imagination. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">Every child has a unique perspective on the world. Sometimes they allow us to catch a glimpse through their eyes if only we are sensitive and attuned to the rich and fantastic worlds they inhabit. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">When I decided to write a children's fantasy novel I realised I neded to bring these two aspects together. The biggest challenge by far was attempting to once again become the child I left behind long, long ago. The child who spent a whole day collecting dinosaur bones in a sack that turned out to be those of a sheep. The child who with his friends explored the entrance to old colliery levels that pitted our encroaching mountains sides imagining them to be portals to dark mysterious worlds.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Recently we took our grandson Ewan to visit Llancaiach Fawr, an old Tudor Mansion. A talented group of actors ensure that with each visit you are transported into the past. What memories Ewan will hold of the place in future years I cannot say but such is its unique atmosphere that you are always half expecting to encounter a ghostly spectre down each dimly lit corridor.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Billy, my fictional child, is taken on a school visit to Miskin Manor which bears a striking resemblance to Llancaiach Fawr in almost every respect. Many of the children eagerly anticipate encountering ghosts. Some are not so enthusiastic but Billy knows if anyone is likely to meet a phantom presence it will be him because Billy is not like other children<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Here then is my Halloween offering:</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 28pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: AR CENA;">A 'Billy and the Pit of Shadows' Halloween Special</span></span><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><span style="font-size: 28pt;"></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 28pt;"><span style="font-family: AR CENA;">Download 'A Promise of Ghosts'.</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: AR BLANCA;"><span style="font-size: 22pt;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com/Billy/miskinmanor2.jpg" width="381" /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: AR CENA;"><b><a href="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com/Billy/Halloween%20Bily.doc.pdf">Download Here.</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: AR BLANCA;"><span style="font-size: 22pt;">Enjoy ghost stories. What about an update of Dicken's Classic Tale set in contemporary Manhattan?</span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com/Billy/posterCCR.jpg"><img border="0" height="479" src="http://www.helpyourchildsucceed.com/Billy/posterCCR.jpg" width="600" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: AR BLANCA;"><span style="font-size: 22pt;">Available on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Christmas-Carol-Revisited-ebook/dp/B004LLIYLQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368259279&sr=1-1&keywords=a+christmas+carol+revisited">Kindle</a> or in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Carol-Revisited-1/dp/1480075582/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368261505&sr=1-2&keywords=a+christmas+carol+revisited">Print</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 26pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: AR BLANCA;"><b>HAPPY HALLOWEEN</b></span></span></div>
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Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-26118490804344390312013-10-26T15:38:00.002+01:002013-10-26T21:17:19.984+01:00In The Footsteps of Meriwether and Clarke (Sort Of).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o92zuYvUuYE/UmpTe-QEDEI/AAAAAAAAB0s/pD44YTIyFVg/s1600/meriwetherclarke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o92zuYvUuYE/UmpTe-QEDEI/AAAAAAAAB0s/pD44YTIyFVg/s1600/meriwetherclarke.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be honest, I didn't literally follow in their intrepid footsteps. I caught a plane instead. Fortunately the pilot knew the way. Just as well because map reading was never my forte. Never could quite get the hang of a compass and all that Magnetic North stuff. Flying over the breathtaking beauty of the Rockies into Vancouver almost made me wish I was more of an outdoor type.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Vancouver I flew down to Portland to meet up with Gaabriel Beckett and Ceri Shaw. Gaabriel is president of the Lewis Meriwether Foundation while Ceri is founder of <a href="http://americymru.net/">AmeriCymru.net</a> a social network for expat Welsh folks living in America. Ceri created the website to help raise the profile of Wales as most Americans have never even heard of the place. The average U.S citizen probably knows far more about Hobbits than Taffs!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was part of the reason I was flying out to Portland. Not that I expected my arrival to be the catalyst for a sudden upsurge in an awareness of Wales and all things Cymru. At one point I doubted whether I'd make first base past Homeland Security. Why is it we always feel guilty and look shifty when someone in authority scrutinizes our passport? I think my attempt at an ingratiating smile almost earned me a seat on the next plane back home. It was with a mingled sense of relief and excitement I stepped onto American soil for the first time, my mission to help promote Welsh writers in my capacity as author and co-editor of <a href="http://www.etomagazine.com/" target="_blank">eto magazine</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was not my first collaboration with an American organization. Last December the New York City Bar Association Entertainment Committee performed a staged reading of my contemporary adaptation of Charles Dickens wonderful novella 'A Christmas Carol', which with staggering originality I entitled <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Carol-Revisited-Phil-Rowlands-ebook/dp/B004LLIYLQ" target="_blank">'A Christmas Carol Revisited'.</a> It was particularly exciting because not only had I set the story in Manhattan, where Ebenezer Clinton Scrooge III presided over his vast global media empire, but it was also 150 years to the day that Dickens' 'Christmas Carol' was first published. I was invited to attend but unfortunately due to prior engagements (I'm one of Father Christmas' official helpers) was unable to make it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This time I really had made it even if it was a little further west than New York. I was to meet up with two more Welsh authors, Chris Keil and Mike Jenkins. In an inspired moment Ceri Shaw dreamt up a wonderful publicity campaign involving the three of us. As I stood in line waiting to be interrogated by Security at the airport I began to wonder whether the source of Ceri's inspiration might have been a little too liquid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Chris Keil</b> has received critical acclaim for his novel <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flirting-at-Funeral-Chris-Keil/dp/0957315503" target="_blank">'Flirting at the Funeral' </a>and having read it I can fully understand why. He was due to speak at <a href="http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/events/wordstock-2013-august-2013" target="_blank">Wordstock</a> alongside local author Chelsea Cain and also run a workshop entitled 'Sex and the Serious Novel.'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mike Jenkins</b> is a very gifted poet and author from Merthyr. Mike's work is written in Valley's dialect and is quite brilliant. I wasn't sure how it would be received but everyone loved it. If you've not read any of Mike's work yet I suggest you start with his latest book, <a href="http://www.mikejenkins.net/new-book.html" target="_blank">'Barkin'</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The three of us with the Columbia River in the background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The three of us bunked down at Ceri and Gaabriel's place. They were generous hosts and we all appreciated the way the whole family allowed us to disrupt the noiseless tenor of their way (I must remember that line). One of the most pleasant discoveries, apart from the stunning snow capped Mount Hood, was the fact that Portland is home to numerous micro-breweries. I made the discovery on the way from the airport when Gaabi stopped by the local supermarket to stock up with more bottles. Mike and Chris had arrived the day before and supplies were inevitably running low.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was good to meet with my eto co-editors Ceri and Gaabi face to face as well as Chris and Mike. We celebrated with a few beers and then Ceri introduced us to something that was to become a staple diet of our visit, 'Breaking Bad', washed down with a few more bottles of beer. What a start! Wordstock, Portland State University and Mount Hood Community College lay on the horizon along with other experiences that will remain with me for as long as I live but for now I had really followed in the footsteps of Lewis and Clarke. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next: Our Mission Begins.</span><br />
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<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-69749174248143805002013-07-11T11:52:00.000+01:002013-07-11T11:52:26.600+01:00Bitten by the 'Sound Bite'.<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i>“In the context
of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism" title="Journalism">journalism</a><b>, a sound bite</b> is characterized by a
short phrase or sentence that captures the essence of what the speaker was
trying to say, and is used to summarize information and entice the reader or
viewer. . . <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Due to its brevity,
the sound bite often overshadows the broader <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_(language_use)" title="Context (language use)">context</a> in which it was spoken, and can
be misleading or inaccurate. The insertion of sound bites into news broadcasts
or documentaries is open to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_manipulation" title="Media manipulation">manipulation</a>, leading to conflict over <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalistic_ethics" title="Journalistic ethics">journalistic ethics</a>.”</i> Wikpedia.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Though not strictly about writing I am sharing this with you to demonstrate the power of the sound-bite to influence the way we think so that the real issues are overshadowed and overlooked.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For those of us involved in the fight to save <st1:place><st1:placename>Pentre</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Primary School</st1:placetype></st1:place> from closure
Wikpedia’s definition of ‘sound bite’ has a haunting resonance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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From the outset we wanted our campaign to focus on the fact
that should the proposals be ratified our children would inevitably be placed
at risk given the distance they would have to travel to their new school along
a heavily congested route. The imminent development of a Tesco store and
filling station adjacent to the route further heightened our concerns.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Another concern was that in times of economic hardship many
parents from within one of the most deprived communities in <st1:country-region>Wales</st1:country-region>
would be faced with an additional financial burden many simply cannot afford.
Child poverty is something RCT have pledged to address through the <b>Children and Young People’s Plan 2011 – 14</b>.
How could a Labour led council possibly endorse a proposal that would
exacerbate the problem in one of their most needy communities? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:place>Rhondda</st1:place> AM, Leighton Andrews, shared
our concerns but it became immediately apparent that his political opponents were
more intent on shifting the focus and hence the term ‘surplus places’ was
repeated loudly and often at every given opportunity. ‘Surplus Places’ became
the perceived rallying cry, a trigger phrase that could induce paroxysms of
frenzy among political opponents and those who oppose the ‘Surplus Places
Policy’. <st1:city>Battle</st1:city> lines were drawn
and our school became part of the collateral damage that ensued.</div>
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<br /></div>
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School closures are
inevitably emotive and sensitive issues no matter what the reason or prevailing
policy. It was not surprising that many people were angered by what they saw as
Mr Andrews trying to have his cake and eat it. However if his support for our
campaign contravened ministerial guidelines it is a matter of grave concern for
us all. In his capacity as AM he listened to our concerns but his subsequent
actions were undertaken to ensure the <st1:stockticker>LEA</st1:stockticker>
was following the procedure laid down in The School Organisation Proposals 2009
– the Surplus Places policy. In effect he was ensuring his own policy
guidelines were given due and proper regard. There was no conflict of interest
apparent or otherwise. </div>
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<br /></div>
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That did not stop the hue and cry of ‘surplus places’ as
politicians and the media smelt blood and set off in pursuit of Mr Andrews.
Misinformation regarding the school was broadcast nationally in an effort to embarrass
the Minister for Education regardless of the damage inflicted on the community
of Pentre. In his article, <i>‘Did Leanne
Spook Leighton?”(</i><a href="http://www.clickonwales.org/2013/07/did-leanne-spook-leighton/">http://www.clickonwales.org/2013/07/did-leanne-spook-leighton/</a>), John Osmond is at a loss to understand how <i>“a trivial issue”</i> was sufficient “to
occasion the first such resignation in the history of Welsh democratic
devolution.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Since when has the safety and welfare of children been “a
trivial issue?”</div>
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Parents the length and breadth of the country will be
outraged by a comment that sadly appears to reflect the opinion of the majority
of political commentators in <st1:country-region>Wales</st1:country-region>.
Does the National assembly exist to represent and promote the welfare of the people
of Wales or has it become some kind of Mount Olympus where the elected ‘gods’
of the Senedd conduct their Machiavellian business aloof from the day to day
concerns of ordinary citizens and voters?</div>
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<br /></div>
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At least the AM and MP for <st1:place>Rhondda</st1:place>
had the courage to show they shared the concerns of their constituents. Apparently
the parents and supporters of Gaer schools in <st1:city>Newport</st1:city>
were far less successful when they sought the support of their elected
representatives. </div>
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<br /></div>
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“<span style="background: white;">Rosemary Butler and Paul
Flynn both declined to even look at – let alone scrutinise – this
proposal. It is not in the best interests of the community and makes
little educational sense. Yet neither of our senior elected representatives
know this as they preferred not to hear about the proposal.</span>” (<a href="http://savegaerschools.wordpress.com/">http://savegaerschools.wordpress.com/</a>)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Unbelievable! Who are these people elected to represent? I
understand that in some cases school closure is in the best interests of
children but each case should be judged on its own merit in accordance with
ministerial guidelines. The minimum we should expect is to be heard.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">“.. . my personal
view is that Councils in some cases have used the vague cover of “surplus” as a
kind of “catch-all”, “get-out-of-jail-free” card to push through other
proposals they want to see happen, especially when they do not have the money
to accomplish them in other ways.</span>”<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10pt;"> (</span><a href="http://savegaerschools.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://savegaerschools.wordpress.com/</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This week the Rhondda Leader featured a letter from a Mr Andrew
Nutt who obviously felt qualified to offer his considered opinion despite the
fact he resides in Bargoed and has no knowledge of the local issues surrounding
the proposed closure. The sound bite has obviously worked its magic in his
case.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The <st1:stockticker>BBC</st1:stockticker> took a similar
tack when they misreported the numbers on roll in our school to the nation,
seriously compromising our campaign in the process. Why let accurate reporting
stand in the way of a good sound bite?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here are some alternative sound bites the Pentre Action
Group would like the Senedd and our local cabinet to consider. How about,</div>
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CHILD SAFETY,</div>
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CHILD POVERTY,</div>
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FINANCIAL HARDSHIP,</div>
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COMMUNITY REGENERATION,</div>
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for starters?</div>
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<br /></div>
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We can only hope that our locally elected representatives
are strong enough to ignore the ‘surplus places’ sound bite and focus on the
real issues confronting Pentre school and the wider community. When the cabinet
meet to make a final decision on the future of the school later this month they
will have had time to reflect on the objections raised by the community. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Parents deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of
their children. Parents worried sick that they will not be able to afford the
bus fare required to transport their children to school. Families facing
increased financial pressure and over reliance on elderly relatives if they are
to hold down their jobs and ensure children get to school safely.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Director of Education for Rhondda Cynon Taff stated in
his response to concerns raised by parents that children would miss out on the
free breakfasts available at Pentre school by stating:</div>
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<i> “Treorchy Primary School has a well attended
breakfast club, which will continue for the benefit of all pupils who may
attend that school”. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Director obviously does not inhabit the same world. Does
he not realise children living in Pentre will have to get up very early to be
able to access it and either walk or catch a bus in the dark during the winter
months when arguably this provision is of maximum benefit. Is this acceptable?</div>
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<br /></div>
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These are the issues that are struggling to be heard above the
sound bite ‘surplus places’. Wikpedia’s definition that, <i>“Due to its brevity, the sound bite often overshadows the broader <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_(language_use)" title="Context (language use)">context</a> in which it was spoken, and can
be misleading or inaccurate.”</i> is certainly true in the case of Pentre
Primary School.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The question is, will our ‘trvial’ issues be heard above the
ubiquitous SURPLUS PLACES sound bite?</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is it a case of, “If you tolerate this then your children
could be next?”<o:p></o:p></div>
Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-83296759268254088262013-06-07T14:38:00.000+01:002013-06-07T14:38:06.575+01:00When Life Overtakes Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CLUz39An8mA/UbGjocfgJoI/AAAAAAAABx8/LeBF5MH1JYg/s1600/ScreenHunter_951+Jun.+07+10.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CLUz39An8mA/UbGjocfgJoI/AAAAAAAABx8/LeBF5MH1JYg/s1600/ScreenHunter_951+Jun.+07+10.04.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apologies for not having posted for the past few weeks but life events have a habit of interrupting the best laid of plans. Mine were certainly knocked sideways with the news our Local Education Authority were submitting a proposal to close my old school and ship pupils a mile further up the valley. Before I knew it I was standing in the massed ranks of protesting parents plotting a counter offensive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead of writing another chapter of my book I found myself writing protest letters to local politicians and Directors of Education. The sound of ranks closing and people easing their backsides onto fences echoed around the valley. One local politician surpassed himself by posing in front of a derelict building on his party's newsletter that trumpeted the need for investment and regeneration in Pentre. Later that same day in a council meeting he seconded a proposal to close the school. So much for investment and regeneration. Honestly, you couldn't make it up!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The school in question is in the forefront of the picture. While it still retains its Victorian facade the interior is equipped to meet the needs of 21st Century students. This photo was taken when Pentre was in its prime and the civic centre of the Rhondda Valleys. The Rhondda itself is situated in South Wales and is probably the most famous of all those mining communities that fuelled the industrial revolution and helped forge an Empire. Like mining communities around the world its history often makes grim reading. Hardship and poverty were familiar companions and people learnt to embrace a black sardonic humour that reflected their daily flirtation with the Angel of Death. The name Senghenydd is synonymous with the risk miners took every day as a matter of course. In that little pit village on October 14th, one hundred years ago, 439 men lost their lives in an explosion. Nearly every family in the village was touched by the tragedy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now there are no mines left in the valleys but communities are still close-knit and resilient in the face of economic decline and hardship. Pentre has been particularly hard hit over the years and the loss of the school would inflict irreparable damage upon the village. There is a deep sense of betrayal within the community and this has been given expression through protest marches and public meetings. In the picture the school just in shot in the top right corner has been abandoned and demolished. The site is now overgrown wasteland. We are determined not to allow this to happen to Pentre Primary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been a privilege to be involved with such a passionate and dynamic group of people who reminded me of something very important. As writers we should stay close to our roots. They are what make us not just different but unique. In the children's novel I am currently writing Billy, who lives in a deprived community like Pentre, is handed the family album and for the first time reaches out to his past:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Look,” she said, pointing to a faded sepia photograph on
the first page. “I bet you can't guess who that is?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A stern gaunt individual stared at Billy from a frozen
distance in time. He wore a flat cap and crumpled baggy trousers. A long jacket
covered what appeared to be some kind of vest. His dark eyes and hooked nose
reminded Billy of a hungry watchful
sparrow-hawk. A long drooping moustache made him look miserable, as if he had
just missed a kill. He could certainly do with a good feed. Billy couldn't
imagine anybody messing around if he was headmaster. But what impressed Billy
most was the fact he was covered from head to toe in what appeared to be black
dust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“I expect he's just had a row for getting dirty,”
observed Billy knowingly, “and that's why he looks so sad.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“He's a miner,” laughed Mum, “they used to work
underground digging for coal.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Billy thought that was something he might like to do. He
couldn't believe you could actually get paid for getting dirty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“There used to be lots of coal mines but that was a long
time ago.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Billy's dream of
becoming a miner died almost before it had chance to take breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> “They say the valley is riddled with abandoned tunnels deep
underground.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Billy was alarmed. Supposing some of the tunnels
collapsed under the weight of the buildings on top of them. Suddenly the world
did not feel such a safe place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“But you still haven't said who you think is in the
photo.” Mum pressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“It's not Nan's twin sister any way.” replied Billy
confidently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mum smiled. “No its
Nan's father, your great-grandfather.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Billy stared at the photograph and the piercing dark eyes
stared straight back at him. It didn't look like his great grandfather shared
Nan's sense of humour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“What was his name?” asked Billy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Glyn. That was the last photo he ever had taken.” Mum
added mysteriously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Why? Couldn't he afford to pay?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Billy hated the days when the school photographer
visited. He always took a note asking to be excused and watched while
classmates in their best clothes were called out one by one while Billy sat at
his desk and pretended he didn't care. Mum placed an arm around his shoulders
and when she spoke her voice was deep and husky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“He went to work that afternoon and never came back. Just
disappeared. There was no explosion or roof fall. His work mates say he just
turned a corner and vanished. He became a bit of a legend. He had already
survived an explosion that killed four others just after they were first
married.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I imagine that no matter what we write we cannot escape from what we are and the influences that made us that way. My advice would be, embrace them.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-24277796423885452792013-05-10T00:41:00.000+01:002013-06-19T15:02:40.441+01:00How To Attract Readers - Expert Advice From Jonathan Gunson.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VA5DagW8tWA/UYv1ILNmrrI/AAAAAAAABxI/t9FmZ7fXWeY/s1600/jonathan-gunson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VA5DagW8tWA/UYv1ILNmrrI/AAAAAAAABxI/t9FmZ7fXWeY/s200/jonathan-gunson.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some time back I invested just over $30 in Jonathan Gunsons' 'BestSellerLabs'. It proved a sound investment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here for once was a practical approach for authors that did not involve hours of watching videos or drowning in social networks. It inspired me to:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Remember writing was my main focus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Do a little focused marketing and promoting every day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Try my and evolve my own strategies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jonathan also sends regular posts to my inbox. I have enjoyed every one and always found something helpful, encouraging or downright inspirational. I asked if I could reproduce one of his blog posts and he kindly gave me permission to post the first third. You will have to go to his blog to read the rest! Here it is:</span><br />
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<h1 class="title" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 32px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">
How To Attract Readers By Creating A ‘Lighthouse’ Author Brand</h1>
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<div class="author" style="display: inline; float: left; margin-right: 15px;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">By</span> Jonathan Gunson</div>
<div class="date" style="display: inline; float: left; margin-right: 15px;">
May 8th 2013</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 22px;">R</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">ecently I’ve been watching with increasing dismay as one of my author friends rushes around, relentlessly trying to</span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"> push</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">her books in every single social media channel on earth, while hassling book bloggers, reviewers and online media to the point of exhaustion.</span><br />
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As well as turning herself into a <a href="http://bestsellerlabs.com/social-media-train-wreck-that-authors-must-avoid/" style="color: #7f007f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">social media train wreck</a>, she also continues to ignore the most powerful selling force that’s staring her in the face.</div>
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<span id="more-11826"></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0.8667em;">
<img alt="reader3" class="alignright size-full wp-image-12533" height="237" src="http://bestsellerlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/reader3.jpg" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 15px;" width="200" />You see, hidden behind the covers of your books are features <em>unique to you</em> that can create a memorable <em><strong>Lighthouse Author Brand</strong></em>, making yours the first books that come to mind when readers decide to look for something to read.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0.8667em;">
The fact is, an author brand is built by readers, not by you. You cannot <em>push </em>it.</div>
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Instead, your brand is built by readers discovering your <span style="text-decoration: underline;">author identity</span> while reading. If your books have appeal, they’ll remember you forever, tell all their friends, and increasingly <em>want more of you</em>.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0.8667em;">
So I’m going to highlight seven tactics based on your writing to help establish a Lighthouse Brand in readers’ minds and grow your long-term readership.</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 18px 0px 13px;">
7 Winning Ways To Spotlight Your Author Brand And Grow Readership:</h3>
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<strong>1. Create an overarching <span style="text-decoration: underline;">theme-tagline</span> to wrap around your books</strong></div>
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If you write individual <em>one-off</em> novels, you’ll have discovered a downside. Without the addictive <a href="http://bestsellerlabs.com/the-hottest-tip-no-fiction-writer-can-afford-to-ignore/" style="color: #7f007f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">power of a series</a>, it can be prove difficult in the early stages of your career to persuade readers to buy another of your books – even though your author name may be prominently displayed.</div>
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What to do?</div>
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A simple way to keep your novels top of mind is to create a distinctive <strong>theme-tagline </strong>that draws your books together under a single overarching identity, giving them a memorable point of difference that enhances your Author Brand.</div>
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Racy blockbuster author Jackie Collins, for example, has a tagline that I feel is a work of pure genius because of its tongue in cheek simplicity:</div>
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<img alt="Jackie Collins" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12342" height="203" src="http://bestsellerlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/jackie.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 1em;" width="500" /></div>
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<em>Jackie Collins’ winning tagline: “She’ll keep you up all night”… </em></div>
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If your tagline is memorable enough, it will capture a reader’s imagination and be quoted by them, adding fuel to the ‘word-of-mouth recommendation’ wildfire. But it does need to be <span style="text-decoration: underline;">remarkable</span>, meaning it has to be different, noticeable, and causes people to <em>remark</em> on it.</div>
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<strong>Examples of places where your tagline and graphic can be featured:</strong></div>
<ul style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; margin-bottom: 0.8667em; margin-top: 0px;">
<li>Emblazoned on your book covers</li>
<li>On the title page of your books</li>
<li>In the blurbs about your other books at the end of each book</li>
<li>In your Amazon descriptions</li>
<li>As part of your Amazon author profile</li>
<li>In your blog header</li>
<li>In your Twitter background</li>
<li>In your Facebook author page header</li>
<li>As your email signature</li>
<li>On paper book-marks that you give away</li>
</ul>
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It can even be used to introduce your books when you speak – as a giant ‘slide image’ projected behind you, along with your latest book cover.</div>
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Eventually your author name itself will acquire the same meaning as the ‘tagline’. It’s all part of growing your Lighthouse Author Brand.</div>
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You can get your own copy of Jonathan's Best Seller Lab. Just <a href="http://40406awnqsiq7ocds8yc292l5t.hop.clickbank.net/" target="_top">Click Here!</a> and learn how to grow your readership on Twitter.</div>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; margin-bottom: 0.8667em;">
Jonathan is someone well worth listening to if you want start taking responsibility for promoting your book effectively.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
ETO Is Now Available In Hard Copy</h3>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/eto-Volume-One-biannual-anthology/dp/1484809068/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367856647&sr=8-1&keywords=1484809068" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZQ4xzJ-gqY/UYv2MUM2GyI/AAAAAAAABxU/NbN2EyeDRak/s320/51Oyejc0QML._.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">eto is a collaborative publication by Welsh author Phillip Stephen Rowlands and Ceri Shaw and Gaabriel Becket, the founders of the AmeriCymru Welsh-American social network and the West Coast Eisteddfod Welsh-American performing arts festival. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Volume 1 includes work by Welsh poets Mike Jenkins, Paul Steffan Jones and Saul Hughes and Welsh and Welsh-American authors Lloyd Jones, Chris Keil, Phil Rowlands, Jude Johnson, Jean Mead, Glyn Scott, Thomas Morris, Gaynor Madoc Leonard, John Good and Gaabriel Becket</span></span><br />
<br />Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-48134457122803379152013-04-18T23:45:00.000+01:002013-04-18T23:49:10.796+01:00Ooops! Billy's Been A Naughty Boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-w4jTNGwQA/UW7-Z9StzCI/AAAAAAAABvo/ynPNJ3BRFD8/s1600/ScreenHunter_886+Apr.+17+14.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-w4jTNGwQA/UW7-Z9StzCI/AAAAAAAABvo/ynPNJ3BRFD8/s640/ScreenHunter_886+Apr.+17+14.36.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong>If you’ve followed this blog</strong> for any length of time you will
know that I am a writer who:</div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Does
his best to help and support other authors.</span></li>
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<span style="color: blue;"></span> </div>
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</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Explores
ways of promoting his own books and passes that information on to fellow
writers.</span></li>
</ul>
<strong>Just recently I gave away</strong> free copies of my report The Mavis
Trott Twitter Campaign otherwise referred to as the Twitter Download Wave. It’s
a strategy I find hugely effective in getting extracts of my books into the
hands of potential readers/purchasers. If we are honest that’s the most
important goal for any writer. Stuff posterity let’s get the bread on the
table!<br />
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(Anyone interested in obtaining a copy can find out how by
reading my last two blogs).</div>
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<strong>I’m currently trialling</strong> a promotional method that has got off
to a less than auspicious start. It’s not a new approach but one I hadn’t tried
personally until now. I have to say though I loved the concept so much I
decided to give it a go. The idea is to set up a fictional account for your
character on Twitter or Facebook. In my case for Billy Jenkins the focal
character of my work in progress <strong><em>Billy and the Pit of Shadows.</em></strong> My initial
mistake was not letting people know up front that Billy was not a real person
although as most of you probably know already the characters you create become very real
indeed.</div>
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<strong>Apparently a few people reported me</strong> as a spammer and my
account was suspended. It proved only temporary as Twitter realised I was not
aggressively following other users and reinstated my account in a matter of
hours. So the first thing I learnt using this approach is to<u> ensure other
Twitter users know you are a fictional character before you start following
them</u>!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pQSxm_hWg44/UW7_OpkAA7I/AAAAAAAABvw/mbz5tRx1hO4/s1600/ScreenHunter_888+Apr.+17+19.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pQSxm_hWg44/UW7_OpkAA7I/AAAAAAAABvw/mbz5tRx1hO4/s320/ScreenHunter_888+Apr.+17+19.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>What would be a great help</strong> at this stage is for everyone
reading this blog with a Twitter account to <u>follow Billy at @billyangelis</u>. <br />
<br />
<a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false" href="https://twitter.com/BillyAngelis">Follow @BillyAngelis</a>
<br />
<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script><br />
<strong>This
is another way</strong> we could help with each others promotions. Anyone wishing to try
this for themselves simply let me know and I will post it on this blog so we can
show our support by following you. This would give us a lot more latitude with
Twitter if the number of Followers exceeded the number of Twitter users we are
following from the outset.<br />
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<strong>From a purely writing perspective</strong> creating a social media account
for your characters is also a great way of developing a deeper knowledge and
understanding of them. The more real your characters become the more persuasive
and believable your writing will be. The easier it becomes for the reader to
relate to them and to be drawn into your world.</div>
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<strong>Engagement is key.</strong> <br />
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<strong>I will keep you posted</strong> as to how effective this campaign is
but the best way to monitor my progress is to Follow at @billyangelis. Just don’t
laugh if I get sent to the Twitter naughty corner again!<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Thanks in anticipation</strong> to everyone who rallies to the call and follows Billy.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbc1DzoaUZs/UW8Cti7HXdI/AAAAAAAABv4/NRQTeBFsi0M/s1600/ScreenHunter_889+Apr.+17+21.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbc1DzoaUZs/UW8Cti7HXdI/AAAAAAAABv4/NRQTeBFsi0M/s1600/ScreenHunter_889+Apr.+17+21.13.jpg" /></a></div>
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Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3353636148840814935.post-59189232958200685682013-04-12T14:19:00.000+01:002013-04-14T10:42:57.455+01:00Google+ Events - How They Can Help Authors<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KCJ1lcq2Crg/UWe4DLQaVoI/AAAAAAAABtM/DnZHGGYemqw/s1600/ScreenHunter_882+Apr.+12+08.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KCJ1lcq2Crg/UWe4DLQaVoI/AAAAAAAABtM/DnZHGGYemqw/s640/ScreenHunter_882+Apr.+12+08.21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Most authors are familiar with Goodreads. One of Goodreads
most overused facilities is the Events feature. Once you accumulate a list of
Friends you can post them notice of a coming event and request a response. Lots
of these events tend to feature free giveaways of books. In fact so many books
are given away using this feature that you could well overload your Kindle!</div>
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The problem with Goodreads is that most of your friends are
also likely to be authors or readers saturated with offers of free books.
Google+ can actually support your Goodreads Event by reaching a wider audience
with its own Events feature. </div>
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Obviously to use this feature you are going to need a
Google+ account. If you haven’t already got one I’m giving away a copy of
Google+ eXplosion which explains exactly how to open an account plus much more.
One of the biggest benefits of Google+ Events is the fact that anyone using
Gmail or Google Calendar will easily be able to add the event right onto their
calendars. With just the click of a button, all the information and details
about that event will populate in their calendars. What a time saver!
Furthermore, <a href="http://support.google.com/calendar/answer/2619601?hl=en&ref_topic=2619599" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the event will automatically be added to the Google Calendars
of anyone who is already in the Circles you invite</span></a>.</div>
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
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<b>Step 1: Click on the 'Events' Tab<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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No matter which section of Google+ you're looking at, if
you're logged in to your account, you will see a sidebar on the left-hand side
of the page. This sidebar includes options to select <b>Home</b>, <b>Profile</b>, <b>Pages</b>, <b>Hangouts</b>, <b>Communities</b>, <b>Events</b>, <b>Photos</b>,
and <b>More</b>. In this scenario, you'll want to click on the '<b>Events</b>' tab,
which is listed as the sixth icon from the top.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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Once you've clicked on the '<b>Events</b>' tab, you'll be
directed to a page that will guide you through creating your event. The images
you see are various options for event cover images, and above these you'll see
a bold, red button that says '<b>Create Event</b>.' </div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b>Step 2: Click 'Create Event'<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Once you've clicked on the '<b>Events</b>' tab, you'll be
directed to a page that will guide you through creating your event. The images
you see are various options for event cover images, and above these you'll see
a bold, red button that says '<b>Create Event</b>.'</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MthXQGIoKqA/UWe5D33o6FI/AAAAAAAABtc/MAPNp_WiBuk/s1600/ScreenHunter_873+Apr.+09+11.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MthXQGIoKqA/UWe5D33o6FI/AAAAAAAABtc/MAPNp_WiBuk/s320/ScreenHunter_873+Apr.+09+11.05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b></b> </div>
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<b></b> </div>
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<b></b> </div>
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<b>Step 3: Fill in Your Event Information<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Once you've clicked on the red, '<b>Create Event</b>'
button, an event template will pop up where you can add your event information.
Is this event a <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33481/Smart-Business-Applications-of-Google-Hangouts-You-re-Missing-Out-On.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Google+ Hangout</span></a>? Is it a webinar? Be as specific and
explicit as possible, and make sure you fill out every form as best you
can. </div>
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<i>Tip: It's best to include both a start and end time for
your event so people using Google Calendar can add the event to their calendar
without any question about the event's end date.</i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1f8ayqONj8/UWe5tH1EnkI/AAAAAAAABtk/R41JdjxRzIQ/s1600/ScreenHunter_874+Apr.+09+11.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1f8ayqONj8/UWe5tH1EnkI/AAAAAAAABtk/R41JdjxRzIQ/s320/ScreenHunter_874+Apr.+09+11.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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In this instance I am giving away a copy of my report ‘How
To Create A Twitter Download Wave For Your Book’ which explains how I create
Twitter promotions with a small account that consistently persuaded an average
of 200+ Followers to download extracts from my book or visits to my website
each campaign, a total of 1,221 over several weeks.</div>
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This particular event will run from Saturday 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
April until Friday 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> April.</div>
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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
If you would like a copy of the 11 page report entitled ‘AUTHORS: how To Create Your Own Twitter
Download Wave’ please visit:<a href="http://tiny.cc/sbidvw" target="_blank">http://tiny.cc/sbidvw</a> </h3>
<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<b>Step 4: Customize Your Event's Cover Photo<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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To customize your event, click the transparent grey, '<b>Change
Theme</b>' button in the bottom left corner of the current cover image you see
(see image above). Once you've clicked this button, you'll be brought to a page
that shows you a variety of options for your Google+ Event's cover photo -- all
provided by Google.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQqueDd_UDQ/UWf6MNF1OTI/AAAAAAAABt0/O42laESSoFI/s1600/ScreenHunter_875+Apr.+09+22.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lQqueDd_UDQ/UWf6MNF1OTI/AAAAAAAABt0/O42laESSoFI/s320/ScreenHunter_875+Apr.+09+22.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Of course, if you're a <a href="http://offers.hubspot.com/marketers-crash-course-in-visual-content-creation?__hstc=20629287.dd935dbcaba9e3fad86cb2007e1cd5ae.1365417050780.1365497967049.1365542642685.3&__hssc=20629287.1.1365542642685" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">DIY design whiz</span></a>, you'll probably want to upload your own
cover photo. Creating a cover image that's unique to you and your specific
event or book is a great way to differentiate it from any other created by
the people you're following. To upload your own cover photo, choose '<b>Upload</b>'
from the list of theme options:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c3VbQ5Ch8T0/UWf7G5c-0qI/AAAAAAAABt8/Vd3RUJwkWRE/s1600/ScreenHunter_876+Apr.+09+22.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c3VbQ5Ch8T0/UWf7G5c-0qI/AAAAAAAABt8/Vd3RUJwkWRE/s320/ScreenHunter_876+Apr.+09+22.33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</div>
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Some social networks will allow you to choose a photo of any
size, and will resize it to fit the dimensions of the cover photo. But because
the cover photo for Google+ is so long and narrow, you're going to have a hard
time using a pre-existing image without resizing it. Your best bet is to create
a custom image that's exactly <b>940 pixels wide by 280 pixels tall</b>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once you have sizing down pat, upload your image, and test
it out. Keep in mind that you should leave some white space open in the bottom
left corner, because on the final event page, this space will be taken up by
your event's title.</div>
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If techie stuff is not your thing use Google’s templates but
just think how much better it would be if you could get an image of your book
up there.</div>
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Here's how you
event might look in edit mode up until this point:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JtDQXEDL36E/UWf8EQAtAgI/AAAAAAAABuQ/3Rsk6FlbQgM/s1600/ScreenHunter_878+Apr.+11+19.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JtDQXEDL36E/UWf8EQAtAgI/AAAAAAAABuQ/3Rsk6FlbQgM/s320/ScreenHunter_878+Apr.+11+19.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Step 5: Add More Details Via the 'Advanced' Tab<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">But wait ...
there's more! To add even more information to your event, under '<b>Event
Options</b>,' click '<b>Advanced</b>.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4A2gZ0ltQg/UWf8r6fs87I/AAAAAAAABuY/tyceN9NjCWI/s1600/ScreenHunter_879+Apr.+11+19.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4A2gZ0ltQg/UWf8r6fs87I/AAAAAAAABuY/tyceN9NjCWI/s320/ScreenHunter_879+Apr.+11+19.35.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4A2gZ0ltQg/UWf8r6fs87I/AAAAAAAABuY/tyceN9NjCWI/s1600/ScreenHunter_879+Apr.+11+19.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4A2gZ0ltQg/UWf8r6fs87I/AAAAAAAABuY/tyceN9NjCWI/s1600/ScreenHunter_879+Apr.+11+19.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U4A2gZ0ltQg/UWf8r6fs87I/AAAAAAAABuY/tyceN9NjCWI/s1600/ScreenHunter_879+Apr.+11+19.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;" unselectable="on">
</div>
</a><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">By clicking '<b>Advanced</b>,'
you'll be able to notify people that this is a Google Hangout, an on-air event,
or provide a URL where people can learn more about the event. This is
particularly important if you want people to register elsewhere or take a
specific action. In the case of my event, to join a specific community in order
to get access to the information. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">To add a URL,
click '<b>Show Additional Fields</b>.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5XXB6s3_V5w/UWf9HVkr9LI/AAAAAAAABuk/l589ZgwlZtY/s1600/ScreenHunter_880+Apr.+11+19.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5XXB6s3_V5w/UWf9HVkr9LI/AAAAAAAABuk/l589ZgwlZtY/s320/ScreenHunter_880+Apr.+11+19.37.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Here, you can add
a URL and other details for your event:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Uqg0Aibie4/UWgAivoRY6I/AAAAAAAABu0/ivtChQ7FtE4/s1600/ScreenHunter_883+Apr.+12+13.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Uqg0Aibie4/UWgAivoRY6I/AAAAAAAABu0/ivtChQ7FtE4/s320/ScreenHunter_883+Apr.+12+13.30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Step 6: Invite
Guests<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Once you're
satisfied with your event, you can start inviting guests. Depending on who the
target audience for your event is, you can add specific Circles, Communities,
email addresses, or simply make the event public on your website or blog. Once
you've added the names of the people you think would be most appropriate for
this event, click the green '<b>Invite</b>' button. Remember, the beauty of
Google+ Events are that they automatically get added to the Google Calendars of
the people in the Circles you invite.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysNGi7y6llg/UWgBg9tntVI/AAAAAAAABvA/Pzxmcpx4rEA/s1600/ScreenHunter_884+Apr.+12+13.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysNGi7y6llg/UWgBg9tntVI/AAAAAAAABvA/Pzxmcpx4rEA/s320/ScreenHunter_884+Apr.+12+13.43.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Once you've
published your event it will look something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jw5fIFg9U9g/UWgC_Whp2RI/AAAAAAAABvU/hoXZnN5uF60/s1600/ScreenHunter_881+Apr.+11+23.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jw5fIFg9U9g/UWgC_Whp2RI/AAAAAAAABvU/hoXZnN5uF60/s320/ScreenHunter_881+Apr.+11+23.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rtx_bYsFuhI/UWgB2BHaM1I/AAAAAAAABvI/dIJg2iOviVY/s1600/ScreenHunter_882+Apr.+12+08.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">That’s it! You've
successfully created an event for your book on Google+. Once the event is over,
you still have the option to communicate with folks who attended through the
Event page. This is a great place to upload photos of the event, give any
updates about next year's event, etc.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Copies of Google+ eXplosion will be made available on this blog next week. See you then!</span><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
</div>
Phil Rowlandshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08129234446760756820noreply@blogger.com0