Tag Archives: giveaways

by | August 28, 2017 · 7:30 am

The Dog Days of Podcasting 2017: When Self-Promotion Goes Awry

Special thanks to Corbin J Drake for the photo.

This Dog Days of Podcasting covers that often-discussed topic amongst authors: Self-promotion. Tee-shirts, sticky notes, stylus-pen hybrids, and USB drives — the business of swag is a big one, but is it worth it? Will free stuff bring you new and loyal readers, or will you be known for the author giving away the best, coolest stuff? How would you prefer to be remembered?

Remember — it’s not about the swag.

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Find Tee on Twitter here,
leave a voicemail or questions for the Dog Days of Podcasting at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
I’ll talk about it!

And remember, you can find this show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

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by | July 17, 2013 · 3:11 am

Episode #23: A Writer’s Kit and Giveaway Swag

TSD-what

Newly acquired drop-in’s. A flashback to the days of The Survival Guide. A movie review, and Pip’s bunk moment with Idris Elba. Get ready for another episode of The Shared Desk where Tee and Pip go into convention and book signing preparation. What do you carry with you from appearance to appearance?

00:00 — Introduction

  • Holy Moses, two episodes in one month?!
  • Pip’s having a ‘Driis Moment….
  • Three weeks have gone by…
    • Katie and Heather have come and gone…
    • Pip’s on a blog tour…
    • Book release on book release from Fort Kickass!
    • Tee’s switching gears with Kindle Worlds and writing for Bloodshot.
    • Kickstarter anthology is now in layout phase…
    • …and we’d better get the look of the eBook right, otherwise we bring the wrath of Lou Anders!
  • Busy, busy three weeks!

8:20 — The Writer’s Kit and Freebies for Fans

  • Stepping back into the (too-loud) T.A.R.D.I.S. to journey back to the days of The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy
  • How do we pack for a trip? (Following the advice of Chuck Wendig…)
  • A quick tangent for Johnny Depp and his focused crazy in Bat Country.
  • What are you keeping your kit in? Here’s ours…
    photo
  • What is in our Kit?
    • The Square (Oh how Tee loves the Square…)
    • Starting cash and change (roughly $30)
    • Pens, pens, and pens…and a Sharpie.
    • A stylus for the Square
    • Lucky Charms (not the cereal, but the mascots that travel with you…)
    • Lanyard 101
    • Hand sanitizer
    • Carmex. Best — lip balm — EVAR!
    • Wisps. Just in case you indulge in the garlic hummus in the Green Room right before your signing…
  • What’s your giveaway swag?
    • Your swag may vary, but put some thought into your giveaway items.
    • Book cover buttons
    • Bookmarks
    • Business cards, and making the most of the design
    • Post It notes
    • Postcards for friends of the Ministry
  • Where and when do you take your kit?
  • Prioritizing your freebies (with approval from the kitteh) — What do you get first, and how much do you invest?
  • Clever swag vs. bad swag vs. “You spent how much on that?!”

31:44 — Writers Off the Clock

  • Pip needs to remember what our bumpers sound like…
  • Here comes the spoilers and the geekgasm that is…
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  • Tee demanded giant robots kicking the crap out of robots, and del Toro delivers.
  • Kick back for some love from us for the ‘Dris.
  • Why IMAX 3-D really works for Pacific Rim
  • The plot summary…
  • PIP RAGE: Mako is a STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER…and enjoying a memory of ‘Dris.
  • Chuck Wendig’s review of Pacific Rim — a nice sum-up.
  • Comparing Armageddon and the redeux of Godzilla against Pacific Rim
  • Applying attention to the details
  • del Toro made this film a fun homage to Godzilla and anime.
  • Jack Mangan: Best Pacific Rim review EVAR!

46:22 — The Wrap-Up

RELATED LINKS
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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or question for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

 

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by | March 27, 2013 · 2:39 am

Episode #21: Giving the Fiction Away for Free

TSD-what

And finally, we sit behind the mics and fire up the wayback machine and the cart software for a new episode of The Shared Desk. We’re staying topical with talking about the change of heart podcasters are experiencing — reassessing the model of free. Once upon a time, we were all about making our fiction free in this new, daring audio medium that was podcasting. Here were are, eight years later, and oh how the times, they are a-changing….

00:00 — Introduction

  • Look at us! We’re back!
  • Oh Key & Peele — how we <3 you!
  • Possibly the shortest introduction section ever!
  • We’re looking back in this episode….

1:30 — Giving the Fiction Away for Free

  • What happens when you decide “I don’t want to give it away.” when you have been doing fiction for free?
  • The big question: Why did you give it away?
  • Tee looks back to 2004 and 2005 when Tee made the call to podcast MOREVI
  • Looking back eight years, and now considering podcasting in 2013
    • The playing field in 2005.
    • Since our friend and podcasting juggernaut Scott Sigler, we have not seen a new “breakout” artist.
    • It’s no longer a “community” but a “market” and few of the OP’s (Original Podcasters) are featured or even listed prominently.
    • An honest assessment of the path of podcasting
  • Why did Pip make the big jump into the podiosphere?
  • Tee and Pip podcast because we love it, not because we’re planning to overthrow “traditional media” with this platform.
  • Quick shout-out to The League of STEAM!
  • Pip asks Tee the tough question: Is Tee disappointed in the evolution of podcasting fiction?
  • The ROI of Podcasting
  • Not only is the playing field changed, so has the audience.
  • Giving your work away for free is not a contract with your audience. It’s a giveaway.
  • The Market of Giving the Fiction Away for Free still works, if you approach it properly.
  • Yes, it has worked for Scott, for Cory Doctorow, for John Scalzi…but…….
  • Would I advise a new author if they want to give it away for free? (Tee might surprise you…)

29:05 — Seriously?! Seriously.

38:29 — The Wrap-Up

  • Still getting back into the swing of things…
  • …and Tee needs to remember what drop in’s he has on call.
  • Looking forward to the next show
  • Dawn’s Early Light — it’s coming in 2013! In December! November!
  • What happened recently? Tee’s a free agent again…so take a look at what he offers at Imagine That! Studios.
  • And we are writing, writing, writing…and Darkwater is now out in the wild, along with Pip’s new proposal!
  • Foreword Literary — our new agency!
  • The Diamond Conspiracy (Book Four of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences) is also underway…
  • Next event in May — Up in the Æther
  • Ending with a belated holiday wish….from Lauren “Scribe” Harris and Crazy Uncle Charlie.
RELATED LINKS
[display_podcast]
Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or question for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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