Locked Away
And speaking of Zaki Gordon Institute and what their students can accomplish …
This odd exercise in paranoia starred little ol’ me and was directed by Abby Kwiatkowski, ZGI graduate. It was a Remi Winner at the 45th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
So You Wrote It… Now What? Turn Books Into Business
Horror novelist / media pro demonstrates business model for self-published authors.
BROOKINGS, SD – Horror author Serenity J. Banks is writing a book about selling books, and she’s proving it while she writes it.
On February 1, 2012, Banks launched So You Wrote It… Now What? Everything I Know About How You Can Sell Your Books at www.RedheadedStepchildBooks.
What’s more: she’s using her own day-to-day experience in promoting the book she’s writing as a real-time demonstration of the principles she’s sharing.
This isn’t just another how-to book about self-publishing, marketing, and sales strategies for authors. Banks is writing a book about how authenticity, vision, and living on purpose, combined with practical know-how about self-publishing, marketing, and sales strategies, can result in a fulfilling, self-supporting business model for authors who want to make it a way of life.
“My core message isn’t about making money from book sales,” Banks says. “My message to authors is about believing in yourself, being true to yourself, and living on faith to activate the vision inside you. If you’re doing the right things at the right times for the right reasons, the book sales will follow. I’m just providing the tools I’ve used to take my destiny as an author into my own hands; it’s up to each individual author to decide how far he or she is willing to take it.”
In coming months, Banks will take authors step by step through the processes of building a promotional platform, developing a social media presence, launching a public relations campaign, designing a Web marketing strategy, producing and publishing a book in print and e-book formats, and selling a self-published book. Meanwhile, she will demonstrate her strategies and principles in real-time as she builds buzz for the upcoming release of So You Wrote It… Now What? Everything I Know About How You Can Sell Your Books.
With real-world know-how from “both sides of the desk,” Banks draws on a decade of experience as an editor, designer, and marketer in the newspaper, magazine, and digital media fields. She is the author of The Left Hand, a literary/religious horror novel set primarily in Western South Dakota, and she is also a co-founder of Dark Continents Publishing, Inc., based in Brookings County. Operating as Redheaded Stepchild Author Liaisons, Banks provides media and marketing services for self-published authors.
To learn more and follow along from start to finish, visit www.RedheadedStepchildBooks.
For images, interviews, reprint requests, or other media inquiries, contact liaisons@
An Act of Violence by Brendan Mays
Brendan Mays is a journalist and author, and An Act of Violence is his first novel. It has been written and stylised especially for smartphones and the e-format.
According to Amazon.com, ebooks now outsell print books in the online store, not including free copies which would further separate the market. In the UK, Kindle books outsell hardcover books two to one.
“Ebooks are suited to the modern reader. It’s not always comfortable for me to carry a book through the week, but I like to read on the train and bus. I wanted something quick and easy to read on my phone, which was one of the reasons for writing my current work,” says Brendan Mays. You can read the book on your phone using the free Amazon Kindle app.
There are several other major benefits to the e-format, especially as we approach Christmas. Typically a time where wallets are stretched, ebooks are a cheap alternative to other gifts. Many major titles now retail from only a few dollars, which makes new books more accessible than ever.
Ebooks also save on waste, sparing hundreds of millions of trees across the globe, not including packaging and other emissions involved in production and transportation. This makes ebooks the green alternative, and another reason why conscientious buyers are continuing to warm to the e-format.
“If you look at growth online, it’s clear the e-format will gradually become the dominant force in the publishing industry. I think it is great to be able to pull out your phone or an ebook reader for five minutes here and there, and be able to jump into a story. With a good book, that’s all you need, and it‘s something I‘ve strived to achieve.”
5 Quick Reasons To Try Ebooks
1. They are customisable.
2. They are better for the environment.
3. They are cheap.
4.They are good for readers and authors.
5, They save space and make reading easy.
Ebook Description
Richard Resner recently asked the love of his life to marry him. He was happy, normal – complete. Then she disappeared without a trace.
What followed began a twisted spiral of events that would lead them both down a dark and violent path. Worst of all, they had invited it to happen. With their bodies, minds and souls facing the greatest of peril, the fight of their lives began.
Excerpt
Moving down the alley was a blur as she tripped and stumbled, and the further she walked, the longer away the seat became. Elysia struggled to put one foot after the other, and holding her stomach with her hand, she had the sudden urge to vomit.
In an instant, a renewed clarity dawned upon her as she realised things were far from right. She felt like she had been drugged and fear penetrated her skin like short sharp fangs were injecting it directly into her bloodstream. She pulled out her phone and called Richard, realising she could no longer tell where she was.
The ringtone sounded a few times, but before anyone answered, the phone was snatched from her hand and promptly crushed. Pieces of electronic circuitry twisted and trailed wisps of smoke as they fell down to the street, and horrified, she looked up at a broad, dark silhouette.
There was not much to see except a heavy black trench coat and hat. It was as if a mix of light and dark colours obscured her view. She tried to scream, but the air in her lungs would not push her voice on. Everything was frozen.
Elysia fell to her knees and heard a snarling, slobbering voice whisper her name. She started to sob, but in a flash, the daylight and the world around her lifted away with an uncontrollable pull. It was as if an invisible magnet was sucking her down, and then, all the colours swirled into their simple primary forms before dissolving completely into black and white.
The world disappeared.
