ISSN: 1554-0804

Issue 211

January 29, 2009

Featured Product

Arts & Crafts Journal
$12.00

In This Issue:

This Week
Fabulist Flash Recommends
7 Great Ideas For Your Next Ezine Article
Submission Call
18Q
Upcoming Events
The Death of Bookmarks
About the Editor
About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

This has been a quiet week. I've taken advantage of the lull to clean my office. File folders and paper with notes seem to have taken over. It's been an exciting time for the cats because they've been able to get into some new spaces.

The requests have been strong to return to the original format of the Fabulist Flash, so that's what I've done.

Keep Moving Forward,

Gregory
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2. Fabulist Flash Recommends

Advertising Opportunity

Fabulist Flash Publishing is sponsoring an exhibitor booth at the Clark County Fair & Rodeo (April 9-12). Published authors can have their books displayed, be included in a digital catalog that will be given away to fair-goers, plus have an advertising page on the Association of Local Authors website for the next year. If you're interested in participating visit AssociationofLocalAuthors.com
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3. 7 Great Ideas For Your Next Ezine Article

7 Great Ideas For Your Next Ezine Article
by Jimmy D. Brown

Writing ezine articles is one of the best business-building activities you'll ever invest time in on the Internet. They can be used in dozens of different ways to generate web site traffic, build lists, brand your name, earn affiliate commissions and produce sales of your products and services.

They are, unquestionably, a vital part of any successful Internet marketing campaign.

By now - if you've read anything in the member's area - you know I'm a big believer in writing ezine articles. And you know that I've devoted many of the lessons in the member's area toward teaching you how to write, distribute and market with them.

Yet there still remains a lingering question -

WHAT should I write about in my ezine articles?

I want to share with you some brainstorming ideas that will allow you to easily come up with a couple dozen (or more) hot ideas for your upcoming ezine articles. I'm going to briefly share seven (7) fill-in-the-blank article starters along with a brief explanation to help you get started writing attention-grabbing content.

When you're ready to write your next ezine article, consider one of these not-yet-overused formulas...

What To Do When [Enter Problem Here]. The idea with this article is to offer a solution to an existing problem by matter-of-factly addressing the issue being discussed in the article. "What To Do When You Need To Lose That Last 5 Pounds" points out a problem many dieters face and hints that the article will reveal a method for overcoming this barrier. This article's pointed style makes it a sure read.
Can [Enter Solution Here] Help [Enter Problem Here]? Similar to number one above, this article poses a question while emphasizing both the problem and potential solution. What really works here is to ask a "curiosity-building" question by providing a solution that doesn't seem to fit with the problem. For example: If you're trying to re-grow hair on your balding head, could you resist reading, "Can Cheerios Help Thicken Your Hair?" I don't think so.
Should You [Enter Activity Here]? (Take This Quiz). People love quizzes. They especially love to see how they measure up in some area that they are particularly interested in. That combination makes this another ezine article that gets a lot of views. "Should You Quit Your Job And Start An Internet Business? Take This Quiz!" is going to attract every dissatisfied, looking-for-greener-pastures, internet marketing wannabe on the block.
7 "Must Ask Questions" for [Enter Activity Here]. This is a perfect article for the entry-level beginner in any particular field. "7 'Must-Ask' Questions for First-Time Homeschoolers' When Choosing Curriculum" is just about a guaranteed read for all new homeschooling moms and dads who don't want to blow it for their kids. (Note: The "number" of must-ask questions can be whatever you choose.)
3 [Enter Topical Adjective Here] Lessons from [Enter Pop Culture Reference]. By using references to popular culture events, characters, television shows, news stories and trends, you'll be able to get some cheap mileage from existing "hot buttons" of the general public. I recentl wrote an article entitled, "3 Word-Of-Mouth Marketing Lessons From the Academy Awards" that garnered a lot of interest. Guess when I released it? Yep, a week before the big awards show.
Mastering [Enter Topic Here]: How to [Enter Tutorial Statement Here] Part 1. This is a superb article idea for a series of related tutorials. The word "master" is a bit overused at times in marketing circles, but it means to "become an expert" at something or to "achieve dominance" over something. Who wouldn't want to "master" their activity of interest? That's why "Mastering Weight Loss: How To Shed 12-15 Pounds in 30 Days, Part 1" and other articles in its mold make for much-read content.
What Kind of [Enter Desirable Object Here] Is Best For YOU? We all want what's "best" for us, don't we? "What Kind Of Internet Business Is Best For You?" indicates there is something revealed in the article that will allow me to determine which of the options available to me is best suited for me. This is a really solid article to point others towards additional resources (such as special reports, mini-courses, etc.) where they can get specific information about which of the "options" mentioned in the article is most interesting and compatible with them.

So, there you have some great ideas to get you started on your next ezine article.

You know you're going to write ezine articles, so would you like to get a LOT of completely free traffic with them? Check out "How To Get Free Traffic With Ezine Articles" by clicking here. You'll learn a powerful (but easy) way to get a lot of visitors to your website by using your ezine articles in a special way ... all at no cost to you.
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4. Submissions

Patchwork Path: Friendship Star
Choice Publishing Group is seeking stories and essays about friends and friendship.
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2009.
Submission Guidelines: PatchworkPath.com

Patchwork Path: Wedding Bouquet
Choice Publishing Group is seeking stories and essays about weddings.
Submission Deadline: August 31, 2009.
Submission Guidelines: PatchworkPath.com

Presenters & Programs 2010
Advertise to 30,000 meeting and event planners in this full-color, glossy catalog from Fabulist Flash Publishing and Turning Point International.
Deadline: October 31, 2009
Details: PresentersandPrograms.com
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5. Destiny Blane takes the Eighteen Questions

Destiny's 18Q

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
I chose to write because my muse refused to go and knock on someone else’s door. Either that or maybe I was just the most creative one on the block (in a three-house subdivision) or at least I like to think so! I’ve always wanted to write and I count myself among the lucky ones. I can do what I love and even keep my hand near the coffee pot all day long not to mention chocolate! It makes for a terrific comfort food if I’m in the middle of a tearful scene!

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
I attended Stephens College in Columbia , Missouri and East Tennessee State University . My writing background includes various works as a ghost writer as well as various freelance writing credits

3. When did you ‘know’ you were a writer?
From the time I was in the second or third grade. Still, I did not begin writing full-time until the fall of 2005.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
Fickle. Seriously fickle. I like to write a little bit of everything and for everyone. By everyone I mean I still do some ghost work because it keeps life interesting and I jump on the chance to write gambling articles for magazines. Still, I remain incredibly loyal to my publishers but I am fickle in what I write for them.

5. What is your writing process?
I wish I could say I have one. I write all over the place from legal pads to the notebook computer and scattered notes leave a trail of a writer’s mind (mine, specifically) that refuses to sleep!

6. What was your path to publication?
I really can’t say for sure. I guess I would describe it as a bumpy road with a lot of curves until one day; I finally made it to the interstate and just knew I had a driven purpose and a specific direction to head so I went for it!

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
Myspace! I love it!

8. What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered as a writer?
I’m amazed at how many books, really good books, can be bought in e-book formats now.

9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity?
Look around at the world and a writer can find plenty of inspiration everywhere. It’s where I find mine.

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
Every single time a letter of acceptance comes in, I’m proud.

11. What’s the best advice you were given about writing?
Write every day.

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
Too many to list because I have a foot-in-mouth syndrome and when it flares up, it usually causes for a quick diagnosis…..quiet writing time.

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
Time management is one of the biggest challenges. I think in today’s world, authors must be able to juggle a full schedule and do it well. We have to promote ourselves, answer e-mails, promote our books, answer more e-mails, write our next manuscript, research…and the list goes on!

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
“I’d rather find a reader-friend than a reader-fan. Then, I can reach them with my words again and again while they touch my life with theirs as well.”

15. When you’re not writing what do you do for fun?
Watch all sports or gamble. Of course, I read and spend a lot of time with my children.

16. Who do you like to read?
Too many titles to list.

17. What’s your advice for new writers?
Make sure your manuscript is completed before you pitch it or else pitch it as a proposal. You never know when your story will be accepted and someone will want it “right now” so be honest. If you are pitching it and it isn’t completed—let the editor know or only query those agents or publishers willing to look at a proposal.

18. What are you currently working on?
Sometimes, I think it would be easier to tell what I’m not working on. As of this moment, I’m not working on a historical but I’m beginning to think about it! Check out my website for a listing of works-in-progress. Bibliography

Novel
My Summer Neighbor

Short Stories and Novellas
The Seductive Mistress Series:
Becoming a Mistress
Labeled a Mistress
Betrayal of a Mistress
Taming a Mistress
The Tellers: Triangles of Deception:
A Christmas to Remember
Lust, Love, and Scandal in NFL Football

Single Titles
Murder by Numbers
March Madness
Casino Player
Happy Anniversary
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6. Upcoming Events

February 25
Writer's Pen & Grill
A social evening for writers in Las Vegas, NV

April 9-12
Clark County Fair & Rodeo
Fabulist Flash Publishing hosts an exhibitor's booth for published authors. Details

April 16-18
Las Vegas Writer’s Conference
Gregory will present Internet ACE: Online Self Promotion

April 29
Meet the Authors
(Clark County Library, NV)
Gregory, and members of Laudably Tarnished: A Poetry Workshop, host a Q&A panel on poetry.

July 29
Meet the Authors
(Clark County Library, NV)
Gregory and the production/publishing team for the Patchwork Path anthology series host a Q&A panel on getting publishing in anthologies
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7. The Death of Bookmarks

The Death of Bookmarks
by Gregory A. Kompes

Now, I admit, I like bookmarks. I pick them up when offered. I use them when I read a book. And, I like to give them away. It turns out that I may be one of the last remaining readers that use them. Sadly, the day of bookmarks being the perfect promotion for authors seems to have passed.

I'm not the only one who is noticing this trend. Regina Paul, in her article "6 Free Book Marketing Techniques Guaranteed to Get You Book Sales," also comments on this shift in book self promotion after seeing bookmarks on the floor and in the trash at a writer's conference.

Bookmarks are relatively expensive. They run about $0.07-0.25 each when professionally printed. All of those cuts the printer has to make take time and that's expensive.

Yet, give-away items remain popular. We all love getting gifts. If bookmarks are expensive to produce and not an effective sales tool for authors, what's a better choice for authors?

Here are a few promotion give-away ideas:

During my live seminars I give out promotional pens. I have them printed in bulk with my company name and Web address (URL). The nice thing about pens is that people hold on to them and use them. I've ordered from National Pen (http://www.pens.com), who always has a special going, and 4Imprint (http://www.4imprint.com). If you do a little research, expect to spend between $0.08-0.50. Or, roughly the same cost as bookmarks.

While speaking at the National Speakers Association in Las Vegas, Burt Durbin, a speaking coach, handed out laminated business cards. One side had his contact information. The opposite side had ten tips for speakers. He said these cost him about a dime apiece, because of the laminating, but that speakers contacted him again and again over the years to get replacement cards from him. That's a nice way to stay in your audience's mind. He recommended not putting a calendar on the backside of your card because when the calendar year is up, your card will be tossed.

Living in Vegas, casino chips and wooden nickels (about a nickel each in bulk) remain popular giveaways. At a recent book release, our local paper, the Las Vegas Review Journal, had included casino chip magnets in our "goody bags." I don't know what the staying power of these are, I suspect the novelty wears off and these end up in a junk drawer over time. But, they end up in a drawer, hanging around, rather than in the trash.

Is there a theme to your book? Extend it to your promo items. Does your book have a chocoholic character? Give away foil wrapped candy with your book title and Website. Is there a blizzard in your prose? Give away ice scrapers. Is your main character a carpenter? Why not give away a tape measure. Do you write about technology? Give away a USB hub (I got one of these last year and I use it daily; that company's name and logo remain with me all the time.)
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8. About the Editor

Gregory A. Kompes

Gregory A. Kompes (www.kompes.com), The Writerpreneur, is the author of the bestselling 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, and the Writer’s Series that includes Endorsement Quest, Your Online Media Kit and Should You Write an eBook. He is also a contributor to The Complete Writer’s Journal, Writer’s Bloc I, Writer’s Bloc II, Chopped Liver for the Gentle Spirit, and Chopped Liver for the Kindred Spirit. Gregory speaks frequently on internet marketing and publishing at writer and speaker events and conferences. He also teaches an interactive, ten-week, online course: Internet ACE: Online Self Promotion. The author is a monthly columnist for Writers on the Rise, Production Director for Presenters & Programs, and editor of The Fabulist Flash, an informative newsletter for writers, and the award winning Eighteen Questions, a Q&A series that collects and shares the experiences of published authors. Gregory is co-founder of the Patchwork Path anthology series, Presenters & Programs (the Premier Catalog of Speakers), and the Writer’s Pen & Grill, a writer’s social evening held monthly in Las Vegas, NV. Gregory holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Columbia University, New York, a Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning, and a Masters of Science in Education from California State University, East Bay.
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9. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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Contact The Fabulist Flash:

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Email
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Snail Mail
Gregory A. Kompes, editor
The Fabulist Flash
PO Box 570368
Las Vegas, NV 89157

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