Donald J. Bingle Special Blog Tour Edition |
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I promised in my regular July 10 newsletter that I would add a link to the ongoing blog tour and contest for my Dick Thornby Thrillers, so here's the link. Since I've also picked up some new subscribers since then, I figured that rather than just give you the link, I'd also leave in the text of that newsletter so the newbies can get a feel for what my newsletters are like and anyone who missed it in July can take a look. Next issue will be coming out August 10. |
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Publishing can be like a vortex. Once you've finished a book and are getting ready to publish, there is a rush of activity. Beta readers, revisions, copyediting, revisions, asking for early reviews and blurbs, writing a dedication, writing acknowledgments, writing advertising copy or adding an excerpt from another book at the end for promotional purposes, converting the plain text of the book to multiple ebook formats, getting a cover made, commenting on the cover, setting up the files for formatting the book for print, checking the galleys, sending it in for approval and paging, getting a print spine made of the appropriate width for the page count, writing back cover copy, attaching an ISBN, getting ARCs (advance review copies) picking a launch date, sending out ARCs for review, setting up a blog tour, maybe creating a video book trailer, keeping fans informed via regular blog and social media posts, writing blogs and answering Q&As for your blog tour, writing and sending out press releases, and compulsively checking your sales to see if anyone ... anyone is buying the book and if you're lucky enough that anyone is reviewing the book. Because, you see, publishing a book is also like a funnel. You post and tour and advertise and prod thousands and thousands of people in the hopes that thousands (or, more likely, hundreds) of people will buy or download your book. Of those, only a smaller percentage than you'd like will actually read the book. And, of those, only an tiny, tiny fraction will review your book. And, of course, retailers like Amazon not only base their rankings and promotion of books by sales but by the number and quality and timeliness of reviews. I've just weathered the storm for the release of Flash Drive and now I'm picking through the rubble of online book selling sites hoping to find some reviews out there before the next storm comes in a few months with the re-release of The Love-Haight Case Files, Book 1 (Seeking Supernatural Justice) and the release of The Love-Haight Case Files, Book 2 (Fighting for Other-Than-Human Rights) the the next couple of months. This is my convoluted way of saying tht I'd love it if you not only buy my books (old, new, or re-released), then read my books, and hopefully review my books. Thoughtful reviews are always appreciated. |
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| | What's a Blog Tour (An Update of a 2018 Blog Post) Writers not only need to write their books, they need to promote their books. Sure, letting the world know of a new book through your social media connections is a start--you can post about a new release on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, SnapChat, Instagram, Goodreads, your personal blog, and more, but even people who are way more active on social media than I am only have a personal social media presence that reaches so far. And while it is great if your family, friends, acquaintances, and even friends of friends get your new book or at least help promote it with a like, a share (SHARES are much more helpful than likes, by the way), or a retweet, you really want to reach strangers, hopefully without spending big bucks for advertising. Enter the blog tour. What's that? Blog tours are the social media equivalent of the old-fashioned book tour, where you and your latest book are promoted at a variety of sites over a limited amount of time. But, instead of traveling around the country doing readings and answering questions at bookstores (older readers may still remember those quaint places), a group of bloggers post interviews, Q & As, excerpts, and reviews about you and your latest book in rapid succession (generally one a day) over a period of several weeks, introducing their blog readership (which may overlap, but is NOT the same as your social media reach) to you and your book, with links to your website and book sales locations. The bloggers may be fellow authors, book review sites, FB sites about the genre of writing that matches up to your latest release, or whatever. Thus, the social media reach of information about you and your book expands dramatically. Not only that, but the focus of the post can be tailored to the individual blog's focus. Local interest, a specific type of adventure, the tech involved in the plot, the writing habits which helped you produce the book, the locations which appear in the book, or whatever. You see, each blog post is different. The blogger conducts their own interview, the excerpts from the promoted book vary, and the reviews are unique. One key to making a blog tour successful in boosting your sales is that they occur in rapid succession, so buyers from all of these different social media pools go to the book sales sites and buy your book in rapid succession, rather that having the sales spread out over months. The algorithms for Amazon and other sellers key off of rapid (or at least regular) sales over a short period of time. That can boost your sales rank, which can mean that your book gets listed higher on bestseller compilations or is picked by the mysterious workings of the algorithm to be promoted by the book seller to people completely unconnected to you, your blog, or any of the blogs on the blog tour. That lets you reach strangers who are looking for the type of book you have written. So, how do you arrange a blog tour? If you are well-connected with other blogs or authors (maybe you've hosted other authors on your own blog), you might be able to put something together yourself, but many, many blog tours are put together by people who do that as a business. To do a blog tour for my Dick Thornby Thrillers, I turned to Silver Dagger Tours. Why? Well, they specifically mentioned that they like to do tours for series, they offer larger, longer tours than some others, and they don't require a hefty up-front payment like some. Time will tell how effective the tour is, but so far Maia at Silver Dagger has been very helpful and responsive, which is a good sign. The tour officially begins on July 14 and, if you have a blog or review site, you can go here to sign-up to be part of the tour. Once the schedule is finalized and the tour has commenced, I'll send a follow-up email to my entire newsletter list with a link to the various blogs and review sites participating, so everyone should watch for that in a few days. Blog tours also often have small contests connected with them in order to encourage bloggers and readers to promote the blog they've read on their own social media and to tune in to the rest of the blogs on the tour--hopefully increasing the chances that they or others will buy the promoted title(s). There are typically also price promotions associated with a tour and I've accordingly dropped the prices on all three books a bit for the duration of the tour. And, of course, I put together this blog about blog tours to not only educate my fellow writers about what they are, but to promote the blog tour and my latest book. What's the blog tour all about? It's about my Dick Thornby spy thriller series, beginning with Net Impact, then moving along to Wet Work, and the recent release of the third book in that series, Flash Drive. But then, if you regularly read my blog, you probably already know that. And, you probably already know that reviews are not just welcomed, but encouraged. If you have questions or comments about blog tours or my experience with them, you can leave a comment here or contact me through my website at www.donaldjbingle.com or at orphyte@aol.com. Hope you enjoy the tour! | | |
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| | It Blows Up Real Good (A blog by Jean Rabe from July 27, 2018, during my blog tour for Wet Work) I’ve read all of Donald J. Bingle’s novels, and a great many of his short stories. He keeps getting better … and the explosions and threats get bigger. Wet Work grabbed me from the first page. Contemporary, and exciting. And Dick Thornby intrigues me. I know a lot about Don, we’ve been friends for a couple of decades. But Dick? I’d like to get to know him a little better. So he obliged me and agreed to a Q&A. You’re an Everyman, the good neighbor, the father, the husband with a sometimes-rocky marriage … the international spy. I’ve read about your exploits in Net Impact and Wet Work, and so I’ve some questions for you. Of all the careers you could have chosen, why the spy-biz? What about it lured you? And what about it has caused you to stay with it rather than pursue a normal 9-5 that would give you more family time? There are 9 to 5 jobs? Not that I can tell. Teachers bring tests home to grade, workers are on call around the clock, real estate brokers always have to answer the phone, everyone from salesmen to executives is constantly responding to texts and emails. Let’s face it. All jobs suck, so you might as well do something you’re good at that makes a difference in the world. None of my jobs have been 9 to 5. Army, Chicago Police Department, Catalyst Crisis Consultant (spy for the Subsidiary). This last job is better than the first couple–more freedom to do what needs to be done and less politics. Bombs. Pyrotechnics. You seem to be an expert, or at least a fan. What’s the appeal? What are your go-to explosive devices and why? What’s the biggest thing you’ve blown up? And what movie would you recommend that “blows up real good?” Are you trying to get me in trouble with my boss, Dee Tammany? She was pissed off about my use of explosives before my last couple of missions, so asking me questions about favorite explosives like I’m some kind of pyromaniacal firebug doesn’t do my career prospects any favors. Let’s just say it’s always good to have a few flares in the truck–good warning devices if you break down and they burn hot enough you can light anything that needs lighting in a hurry, even during a storm. Don’t watch many movies, but Mad Max: Fury Road was nifty on the big screen. That gal can drive and shoot. The Subsidiary. Tell us a secret about it. Something not revealed in either of your novels. Not sure I really feel comfortable about this question. Talking about your employer is not something spies do. But Pyotr Nerevsky said to cooperate with this interview and he can be … irksome … when crossed, so here goes. The word is that, sure, the various countries behind the Subsidiary kick in funds to help finance it, but not the kind of money that lets it have the operational freedom and scope it does. There’s an individual behind it with more money than anybody should have. I’m not going to name names, not without some bamboo shoots under my fingernails, but you’d know the name and you’d agree he has money to burn. Glad to see he’s burning it for a good cause. Globe-hopping—you do it a lot. Of all the places you’ve been, do you have a favorite? And why? Home sweet home. Traveling is a drag, especially undercover. The better part of being a spy is waiting around for something to happen. If you’ve seen one seedy warehouse district in one third-world country, you’ve seen ’em all. Given the current political climate … regarding the world, the White House, and the intelligence community … how has the spy-game changed? The Subsidiary was created to keep politics and national rivalries from hindering the missions that need to occur for the good of mankind. When I start a mission, I do what needs to be done and I don’t stop until I accomplish my mission no matter what. Where are you going next? I heard that your next appearance will be in a novel called Flash Drive. Give us a hint where you’re going and what your adventure might entail … nothing to spoil the story, just something to pique our curiosity. You know that Australia has almost nothing in the center of the continent–everybody and everything is clustered around the coast. Well, a lot … a lot … can happen in the middle of a great big bunch of nothing. Stuff that would scare you to death, if the critters out back don’t get you first. Some danger is even stranger than the bizarre stuff you can find on the internet. Thanks for chatting, Mr. Thornby. I wish you well in your future incendiary adventures. | | |
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Donald J. Bingle is the author of seven books and more than sixty shorter works in the horror, thriller, science fiction, mystery, fantasy, steampunk, romance, comedy, and memoir genres. His books include Forced Conversion (near future military scifi), GREENSWORD (darkly comedic eco-thriller), Frame Shop (murder in a suburban writers' group), and the Dick Thornby spy thriller series (Net Impact, Wet Work, and Flash Drive). He also co-authored (with Jean Rabe) The Love-Haight Case Files (a three-time Silver Falchion winning paranormal urban fantasy about two lawyers who represent the legal rights of supernatural creatures in a magic-filled San Francisco; sequel is in the works). Don also edited Familiar Spirits (an anthology of ghost stories). Many of Don's shorter works can be found in his Writer on Demand TM collections. Get the audiobook version of Net Impact at Audible.com, Amazon, and iTunes and the audiobook version of Wet Work at Audible.com, Amazon, and iTunes. Full disclosure: Various links in my newsletter or on my website may include Amazon Affiliate coding, which gets me a small referral fee (at no cost to you) if you purchase after clicking through. |
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