Still in the month of madness here, and I'm actually doing really well. I just don't have enough brain power to come up with blog posts yet. So...
I'm finishing up some work on Kiss of Life right now, and wrapping myself up in the awesome of Remy. For those who don't know, Adam Lambert is my character model for Remy, and this song always makes me think of the character in all his fantabulous glory...
Talk to you next week... or maybe just share more music next week. We'll see :)
Showing posts with label Adam Lambert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam Lambert. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Humility Is Important
I was asked today how I felt about authors who do things like announce their standings on best seller lists. It was an interesting question because this is something that I think can be done really well. And it can be done in a way that is arrogant and off-putting. You see, most readers don't care (in theory) how well your book is selling--they care about the product. So how is an author to do this well and how can they screw it up?
Examples of the former:
An author friend's book was on sale at Amazon for like 99 cents. During the time it was on sale, she ran a contest on her blog. Basically, you told her on the blog that you bought her book and you were entered to win, but... the giveaway was tethered to the book's Amazon ranking (brilliant contest). If it hit the top... 100 (I think), she would give away a $10 gift card. If it stayed there for a week, she'd up it to $25. If it made the top 10, I think she was upping it to $50. I saw her tweet and facebook her standing a couple times--along with links to the contest. Anyone who was in the contest would be vested in those numbers as well, so it was less bragging and more sharing.
In other situations, I've seen authors hit the top 100 somewhere and post it with something like "OMG, you guys, "Book Title" just hit #87 on the B&N best seller list. To everyone who bought it or helped promote it, THANK YOU!" In this case, it's less bragging and more appreciative. (Also, the other author I mentioned? More often than not, she said thank you in her tweets/posts too.)
And that's the key. If you're going to throw that stuff out there (as anything more than a "Whatever bestseller" with the cover on your website), you need to make it about the reader. Be excited, but remember to be humble too.
As for how to do it wrong, I'm going to tear into someone who isn't an author, but is a recording artist whose work I love--Adam Lambert. I read an interview with him where he basically went off about fans who yell things to him like "I voted for you!" He comes across as believing that they didn't do anything, he made his career all on his own. Ummm... well, yes and no. Had people not voted for him on American Idol, he may not have stayed on the show very long and could have ended up back where he started--still on the road to stardom, but walking the long way instead of taking the shortcut provided by AI. Saying that is not to dismiss his talent at all. The guy is a brilliant vocalist (IMO) and deserves to be where he is, but he wouldn't be there yet if it weren't for people voting for him and buying his album and buying tickets to his performances.
Artists (of any sort) live and die by their fans. If no one cares about you or buys your work, it doesn't matter how brilliant you are.
So tweets and posts that just say "Woot! "Book Title" just hit #_____ on the bestseller list!" and nothing else? I get the excitement behind them, but as a reader, I ignore them because they don't mean anything to me. Connecting with fans even via adding a "Thank you" to those posts would make me more likely to sit up and take notice though because I'd see the author as one who cares about his or her fans. When people buy an artist's work, they are choosing to spend their hard earned money on what that person created. A little appreciation and humility goes a long way--and might even make someone new to their work take a second look.
Examples of the former:
An author friend's book was on sale at Amazon for like 99 cents. During the time it was on sale, she ran a contest on her blog. Basically, you told her on the blog that you bought her book and you were entered to win, but... the giveaway was tethered to the book's Amazon ranking (brilliant contest). If it hit the top... 100 (I think), she would give away a $10 gift card. If it stayed there for a week, she'd up it to $25. If it made the top 10, I think she was upping it to $50. I saw her tweet and facebook her standing a couple times--along with links to the contest. Anyone who was in the contest would be vested in those numbers as well, so it was less bragging and more sharing.
In other situations, I've seen authors hit the top 100 somewhere and post it with something like "OMG, you guys, "Book Title" just hit #87 on the B&N best seller list. To everyone who bought it or helped promote it, THANK YOU!" In this case, it's less bragging and more appreciative. (Also, the other author I mentioned? More often than not, she said thank you in her tweets/posts too.)
And that's the key. If you're going to throw that stuff out there (as anything more than a "Whatever bestseller" with the cover on your website), you need to make it about the reader. Be excited, but remember to be humble too.
As for how to do it wrong, I'm going to tear into someone who isn't an author, but is a recording artist whose work I love--Adam Lambert. I read an interview with him where he basically went off about fans who yell things to him like "I voted for you!" He comes across as believing that they didn't do anything, he made his career all on his own. Ummm... well, yes and no. Had people not voted for him on American Idol, he may not have stayed on the show very long and could have ended up back where he started--still on the road to stardom, but walking the long way instead of taking the shortcut provided by AI. Saying that is not to dismiss his talent at all. The guy is a brilliant vocalist (IMO) and deserves to be where he is, but he wouldn't be there yet if it weren't for people voting for him and buying his album and buying tickets to his performances.
Artists (of any sort) live and die by their fans. If no one cares about you or buys your work, it doesn't matter how brilliant you are.
So tweets and posts that just say "Woot! "Book Title" just hit #_____ on the bestseller list!" and nothing else? I get the excitement behind them, but as a reader, I ignore them because they don't mean anything to me. Connecting with fans even via adding a "Thank you" to those posts would make me more likely to sit up and take notice though because I'd see the author as one who cares about his or her fans. When people buy an artist's work, they are choosing to spend their hard earned money on what that person created. A little appreciation and humility goes a long way--and might even make someone new to their work take a second look.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Censor This
Next week is the ALA's annual Banned Books Week, where we celebrate (or is it mourn) the books that have been deemed a risk to children or society at large. Yep, because books cause ideas, and ideas are dangerous.
Like Animal Farm which might cause people to rise up against the government. Or Lord of the Rings which might, I don't know, make us all crave precious shiny things.
I'm sorry. I tend to get a little irritated by the idea of censorship. It strikes a nerve inside me that screams until my head wants to explode. And Banned Book Week is just the start of it.
Earlier this week, a guest spot with Katy Perry on Sesame Street was pulled because some people thought Katy showed too much cleavage. Yep, too much cleavage on a show watched primarily by children barely out of the breast-feeding stage. I get the concern. What makes it funnier to me is I show that much cleavage on a daily basis (granted, I have much bigger boobs than Katy Perry, but that's not the point). Kids see cleavage all the time, and if Sesame Street really had an issue with her outfit, it should have been dealt with prior to filming. Once it's done, it's done. I've watched the video (you can still see it here), and there's nothing risque about it. They are just boobs, people, get over it.
And then there was the big kerfluffle over Adam Lambert's performance on the AMAs last year.
Okay, was it the best thing to ever go on national TV? Maybe not, but for me, that's mainly because at least in this recording, his voice isn't as good as it normally is. So he kissed a guy. So, there were some simulated sex acts. For the most part, it's been done before. Only this time? It was a gay guy doing it. The horror. The travesty. But, in the aftermath, interviews and performances were cancelled.
Quite frankly, it's sad and pathetic, and pisses me off. Censorship doesn't help anyone. It doesn't protect them.
The only upside to any of it is that challenges tend to drive sales. Hell, I'm debating buying a Katy Perry album over the Sesame Street thing, and my five year old LOVES Adam Lambert's music.
And I am excited beyond belief at the fact that my son is now old enough that I can start handing him challenged books.
My children will be free thinkers and they will not be shackled by the whims of a few people who think they know what's best for us all.
It's banned book week. What are you reading?
Like Animal Farm which might cause people to rise up against the government. Or Lord of the Rings which might, I don't know, make us all crave precious shiny things.
I'm sorry. I tend to get a little irritated by the idea of censorship. It strikes a nerve inside me that screams until my head wants to explode. And Banned Book Week is just the start of it.
Earlier this week, a guest spot with Katy Perry on Sesame Street was pulled because some people thought Katy showed too much cleavage. Yep, too much cleavage on a show watched primarily by children barely out of the breast-feeding stage. I get the concern. What makes it funnier to me is I show that much cleavage on a daily basis (granted, I have much bigger boobs than Katy Perry, but that's not the point). Kids see cleavage all the time, and if Sesame Street really had an issue with her outfit, it should have been dealt with prior to filming. Once it's done, it's done. I've watched the video (you can still see it here), and there's nothing risque about it. They are just boobs, people, get over it.
And then there was the big kerfluffle over Adam Lambert's performance on the AMAs last year.
Okay, was it the best thing to ever go on national TV? Maybe not, but for me, that's mainly because at least in this recording, his voice isn't as good as it normally is. So he kissed a guy. So, there were some simulated sex acts. For the most part, it's been done before. Only this time? It was a gay guy doing it. The horror. The travesty. But, in the aftermath, interviews and performances were cancelled.
Quite frankly, it's sad and pathetic, and pisses me off. Censorship doesn't help anyone. It doesn't protect them.
The only upside to any of it is that challenges tend to drive sales. Hell, I'm debating buying a Katy Perry album over the Sesame Street thing, and my five year old LOVES Adam Lambert's music.
And I am excited beyond belief at the fact that my son is now old enough that I can start handing him challenged books.
My children will be free thinkers and they will not be shackled by the whims of a few people who think they know what's best for us all.
It's banned book week. What are you reading?
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