First, the free weekend starts next Saturday. Just to clear up any confusion right away. I’m going to be having Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero will be free from February 22-24 to celebrate its first birthday. I thought it was the 24th, but apparently it was the 27th. That entire 3 day period was a blur for various reasons.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any free sites that could help promote this within the week. This way I can get a little more out there than my blog, FB, and Twitter. I’ll be using all of those to promote this while trying to plan for the Family of the Tri-Rune Hype Week.
I don’t know exactly when this will occur because I don’t have the cover art. I do have a Google Form ready to go to get people to sign up for the Cover Reveal AND the month-long Blog Tour. I’m going to try to put the posts together as an HTML file this time, so I hope that works. Anyway, the Hype Week for Allure of the Gypsies kind of bombed after the cover reveal. The interviews were barely touched, so they’re out this time around. Still going to try for the Twubs Chat, but it might be me answering questions instead of the characters. My question here is:
ANY SUGGESTIONS? Hype Week is to bring in interest and give my audience stuff that they want. What would people want to see in the week building up to the newest Legends of Windemere release.
Finally, an issue with writing a series is that I can’t post great scenes that I write in the later books. They’re too spoiler heavy. I should have an easier time once the fourth book is out as long as I avoid a few pieces of information and one of the newer villains. I’m writing a scene that depicts the Great Cataclysm, which is going to be awesome. It’s only that it reveals a future villain, two future heroes, and a big Luke-based storyline if I post it. Dang it.
Legends of Windemere 
You know I’m one of your biggest fans. But I don’t read the long blog posts because of time constraints. If rather wait until a new book is out to read it. I know I’m not most people though. Maybe just teaser blurbs about characters.
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I’ll admit that teaser blurbs might be tough to do on this one. Also, I’m not really sure how to do them without it being vague and dull. I’m trying to keep the 5th hero a bit of a secret here.
Since length is an issue, what about one of the hype days being a set of poems that goes over a few things? Maybe even chopping the first part of the prologue up into 3 posts like I did last time. Spread it out over the day, so it doesn’t look that big.
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Actually, since you’ve read the other books, is there any topic/character/theme that you would want to see get a post that I’ve never talked about?
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I guess I’m weird. I don’t think beyond the books. Lack of imagination on my part I guess.
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That’s not always a bad thing. Means you’re focused.
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Well I’m always on to the next book/characters.
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Good luck with this, Charles! Great seeing good work promoted in a good way. I hope the winter blues has left you!
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They’re hanging on with the help of more snow and stress. I’m just hoping to get a big grouping of volunteers for the Cover Reveal and Blog Tour.
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For your free days ads – http://www.freebookdude.com/p/list-your-free-book.html
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Thanks. I’ll fill it out right away.
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Pleasure Charles. I get their freebie mail every day & have gotten some great books that way – Crouch & Kilborne put theirs there too sometimes. They’re keen on author guest posts too.
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Thanks. Maybe I’ll try for that too if I can sort my time around this week.
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I happened by your book today, and it looked like the review selection was better than previously. To me, a series seems to be an advantage in many ways, but the big issue looks like commitment. I’ve spent a few years writing just a few chapters and sketching out a juvenile sci-fi story. As much time as I’m taking, I can’t imagine committing to a series up front. 🙂 When an author begins a new series, we ought to throw a bachelor party or something…
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Good idea. Everyone can donate a pen to the author for good luck. Which book did you look at? I haven’t seen much of a change with the reviews on them for a while now.
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Book one. The selection of review quotes was a little better than when you posted earlier in the month. At least, the bad quote this time was pretty meaningless. .
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That was actually the bad quote I was talking about. I don’t understand how that one got there since it came from only one review. Typically, those quotes are things stated in multiple reviews, so that one seems really out of place.
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I thought I saw a different line from that review quoted previously. The others have like 12 similar remarks, so it’s crazy to pick one that’s rare..
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They did something similar months ago on the first book. I really don’t get what they’re up to here.
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Hope most readers will ignore that one.
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Me too. Though the sales have been scarce lately.
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Maybe some March madness will spread with your new release.
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I hope so. Still waiting on the cover art, but I might not do a full week of Hype this time. Just a few days this time.
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My reading is behind and I don’t read much about future books for risk of messing up what is already in my mind about the first ones. I’ll get there eventually. I do go back into author’s blog archives after I have read a book to see what they were mulling away when they wrote it though. Maybe I am just a strange sort of writer nerd that way.
As to free sites, I had a long, long list of such when I was contemplating setting my book out for free, but I put it away someplace and I can’t find it. If I do I will email it to you.
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Thanks. I had one too and I lost it on my old laptop.
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I’ve been meaning to interview you on the blog. I’ll email you today.
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I don’t know of any free sites, but I’d be glad to participate in the cover reveal and blog tour.
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Thanks. I’ll be posting about it once I get the cover art and dates. I figured out the Google Docs thing (I think), so I’ll be using that this time around. Should make things neater.
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Yeah, I love the way Sarah Cradit sends her info in html. Makes it so easy for us. Have you looked at Indies Unlimited for book promo stuff?
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Not yet. I also have to figure out how to do the HTML thing. I think I set it up in WordPress and copy/paste it to a Word file.
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I think you’re right. You just copy the HTML code from the text tab. Hopefully it’s that easy 🙂
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Fingers crossed.
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