ISSN: 1554-0804
Issue 213
February 19, 2009Featured Product
Creating Your Online Media Kit
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In This Issue:
- This Week
- Fabulist Flash Recommends
- How to Write Great Blog Posts
- Submission Call
- 18Q
- Upcoming Events
- Opportunities
- About the Editor
- About The Fabulist Flash
1. This Week
The big news this week: My poem, The Weaver, was selected for publication in a literary journal. I enjoy writing poetry and since co-founding a small poetry workshop, I've had several poems published. It's a good feeling.
This week also included several trips to the post office; more books are out in the world and that feels good. I also got a little praise from one my aunts for Patchwork Path: Grandma's Choice. While all praise feels good, that from those we love seems to matter the most.
Many local media outlets are now twittering. Be sure to send them tweets when promoting your local book signing and speaking events.
Keep Expanding,
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, 2009). 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
UPDATE...Digital catalogs from the CC Fair will also be distributed at the LA Times Festival of Books!
Registration Deadline: February 28, 2009
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3. Ten Ways to Write Great Blog Posts That Get Attention
by Courtland L. Bovee
Millions of blogs fight for readership online (over 75 million by some counts), with thousands more being created every day. Making yours stand above the rest may seem like a daunting task, but here are ten suggestions for making your blog posts stand out from the crowd.
1. Write each post title so it grabs the reader's attention. It is the first thing someone reads, and it should get your reader's attention right away. Your title should both pique the reader's interest and be informative. Do not write "Business Writing Advice"; instead, say "The Best-Kept Secret to Reducing Your Business Writing Worries." Longer titles have the advantage of describing in detail what your post is about; 8-12 words are a good range.
2. Keep sentences short and clear. A little goes a long way. Readers are busy people and they will not spend hours detangling complex syntax or sifting through blocks of text. Also, use strong language. Start a new paragraph every few sentences, and limit each post to 250 words, if possible. If you cannot write it in under 250 words, split it into two entries.
3. Break up the text. Use numbered lists, bullet points, and subheadings to make your posts easy to scan. Lots of white space on the page is a good thing-it allows your reader to take mental breaks and let the knowledge soak in. In addition, with the inevitable clutter of banner ads and side text, this technique puts some distance between your writing and all those distractions.
4. Keep current. No one wants to read old news. Your job is to stay up-to-date so your readers do not have to themselves. Read newspapers. Scour the web for references. For example, if you write a blog about business communication, subscribe to Google News Alerts using keywords related to the field, such as blogs, podcasting, instant messaging, business letters, memos, and business reports, so you will always be well informed. Posting items from last month or last year will lose your reader's interest faster than you can say "Enron."
5. Be bold. Timidity is an easy path to anonymity. Do not be afraid to create and state your opinions. Of course, there are some situations in which objectivity rules-but you have to give people a reason to read this blog by you and not by the person next door.
6. Be accurate. If you make a statement, be prepared to back it up. Know what your sources are and quote them accurately. Misinformation spreads like wildfire online; do not be the spark that sets it off or the wind that fans it.
7. Contribute to the conversation. Links are great-but then what? Do not just post links to the same tired sites, offer your reader something new. Contribute to the conversation. Your goal is to be the site to which everyone else is linking-so you had better have something worth writing about.
8. Stay focused. Once you have defined the theme of your blog, stick to it. A blog about piggy banks has no business posting about the latest innovation in alternative energy. Such a deviance will only confuse your reader and chip away at your virtual authority.
9. Use key words liberally. Keywords are, well, key. Harness your blog's search engine potential by dousing your title and post with effective keywords that will help interested parties find your page in the vast, muddled blogosphere. This is one of the most important elements of getting your blog read-go at it with gusto.
10. Be consistent. Keep a schedule and stick to it. Post frequently-at least several times per week if you want to increase your potential of attracting new readers. Let your blog languish for weeks without updates and your audience will move on to fresher ground.
Maintaining an informative blog that people want to read takes hard work and good writing skills. Find what makes your writing unique-and flaunt it for all it is worth.
About The Author
Courtland L. Bovee, one of America's leading instructors in clear and effective communication, co-authors several leading college-level texts with John V. Thill, a prominent communications consultant and current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Global Communication Strategies. Their website, Business Communication Headline News, the #1 business communication site on the web, is at http://www.businesscommunicationheadlinenews.com
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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. 18Q
Gene Ballou takes the Eighteen Questions
1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
Is it all right if I say “both”? I’ve been a voracious reader since the age of six, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to me to try and imitate what I read.
2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
I have an associate degree in General Education with a Computer Science major. I never got past algebra! Looking back now, I realize I should have majored in either music or literature. Those are my first loves. Since I left college, I’ve done whatever it took to pay the bills, including retail stocking, floor maintenance, house cleaning, and fast food. My most recent job was as a receptionist in the security office of a telemarketing firm. Currently, my wife and I own/operate a Home-based Child Daycare. It’s the best job in the world!
3. When did you ‘know’ you were a writer?
My writing skills really began to shape themselves once I got on the Internet in 1995. I began making long-distance friends and writing to them, and within a year or so I was being told, “You should be a writer!” In 1998 I began my first effort at a book, writing between phone calls at a Telemarketing firm. That book was a learning experience, not a publishable work. But it convinced me that I could do this!
4. How would you describe your style of writing?
I like to think it’s classical with a flair for modernism. I try really hard to follow the examples set by the great descriptive writers such as Jack London, but I also realize that a story has to keep up the pace in order to keep a reader’s attention.
5. What is your writing process?
It usually begins with a mental picture. I can sense a story coming out of that picture, and when I sit down to write, if it’s meant to be, it flows naturally. As the story develops, I sometimes feel a need to stop and write an outline, if for nothing else but to maintain continuity.
6. What was your path to publication?
I have self-published my own works, including two instructional e-books, one fictional e-book, several articles, and dozens of commentaries and devotionals. I have yet to even submit my work to a publisher!
7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
A website! If you can draw visitors to a website, it’s only a matter of time before the right people contact you.
8. What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered as a writer?
Discovering how difficult it can be to get past a block.
9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity?
I’m most often inspired by the books I read. I love a book that describes so vividly that you forget you’re reading, not experiencing, the story. My best creative sources are my dreams, my own fertile imagination, and my past experiences.
10. What is your proudest writer moment?
When a good friend of mine, a published writer, wrote to me and said, “This is wonderful! It should be published!”
11. What’s the best advice you were given about writing?
Pay attention to the speaking styles of your characters. How they speak is not necessarily how you write! There should be a difference.
12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
Realizing that I had written a commentary based on glaring inaccuracies.
13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
How to turn my passion into payments. I still haven’t managed it!
14. What is your writer life philosophy?
Write what you love, love what you write. Be honest, and give your very best effort. And NEVER GIVE UP!
15. When you’re not writing what do you do for fun?
I surf the Internet, watch YouTube, tweak my MySpace. And I write - yes, for fun! One of my favorite things to do is filling out questionaires like this one.
16. Who do you like to read?
Right now I’m finishing up the Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert. He’s not my favorite author, though. My favorites include Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, Louise L’Amour, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Stephen King.
17. What’s your advice for new writers?
First, find a mentor. Make friends with an experienced writer who can coach you and help you through the growing years. Second, don’t do it for money, do it for love! If you love what you do, you’ll never regret the time you spend, even if you never get published. Third, don’t give up, no matter what. If you love writing, then keep writing, and keep submitting and keep pushing to get published. DON’T GIVE UP!
18. What are you currently working on?
I have started two different projects that have unfortunately come to a stand-still. One was a continuation of my fictional book, “Out of the Desert.” The other was an experimental work entitled, “Umpteenth Freddy, The Nightmare Continues,” and was a take-off of the popular “Nightmare on Elm Street” storyline, but from a Christian perspective.
Bibliography
Internet Marketing In A Nutshell (2002)
Out of the Desert (2003)
Home Recording Basics (2006)
Read more 18Q interviews
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6. Upcoming Events
February 25
Writer's Pen & Grill
A social evening for writers in Las Vegas, NV
March 3
Gregory presents "Write Tight" for DaVita at the Hard Rock Hotel
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. Opportunities
Publishmydamnbook.com
Charlene S. Engeron has a page on her Website for authors seeking exposure for their unpublished works. If you're seeking exposure and representation, Charlene will place your book on her Author Showcase page with 1) a graphic 2) a project description 3) a link for each author who has a manuscript they would like an agent, publisher or other entity to see.
This is something she's doing for FREE because "a rising tide raises all boats." You can view her site at www.publishmydamnbook.com
FREE Audio Replay of Peter "The Reinvention Guy" Fogel's "The Truth About Making Money With Teleseminars" (Value $75)
The call was full, if you couldn't get on it, now's your chance to listen to or downloiad the teleconference again. Lots of useful info on it. Fact: If you're a speaker, author, entrepenuer then you NEED to use the power of the phone to create additional revenue streams in this uncertain economy. Now, you will! After listening to conference call, go to: www.budurl.com/47q9
UPDATE: Peter is also compiling an e-book "World Best Public Speaking Secrets"
All contributors will get a copy of the e-book, plus an opportunity to market it if they like and get a handsome 50% commission on all sales. For more info on our fellow NSA speaker, or what his needs are for the book, please contact him directly at speakingebook@yahoo.com This e-book is great promotional tool to getting new subscribers and exposure for your business.
Have an opportunity to share? Email Gregory: Gregory@Kompes.com
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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
The Fabulist Flash is dedicated to helping writers find resources and inspiration.
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Contact The Fabulist Flash:
Online
www.FabulistFlash.com
Editor@FabulistFlash.com
Snail Mail
Gregory A. Kompes, editor
The Fabulist Flash
PO Box 570368
Las Vegas, NV 89157
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