I got a message from someone today, who friended me on Facebook, saying that they found my website via Twitter and that they decided to buy a copy of The Magic of Eyri (through Amazon) after reading about it. Neat, huh? I can confirm that someone did buy a copy on Amazon today because my ranking dropped from 2 million something all the way down to 200 thousand something.

They went on to say that they like supporting "mid-western creative types" such as myself. Very cool.  This is part of the reason I started using Twitter in the first place: cross promotion and free adversiting.  You just never know and I figure it can't hurt any.

In other writing news, I mailed out one of my short stories once again.  I'm giving Slow and Steady, my steam punk retelling of the Tortise and the Hare, another chance.  i sent it to one of the bigger story magazines--let's hope they like this one.  They didn't accept the last story I sent them, but that was over 10,000 words and I think that didn't help any ( I have been told, the shorter the better).  This one is barely 3,800 words so it is not only considerably shorter but it'd be cheaper for them to buy (if they took it, I'd maybe get something around 5 or 6 cents a word).

I've also started doing research for the novel I want to write next month for National Novel Writing Month. I'm taking a break from the world of Eyri and doing something different.  Yeah, I still need to finish the second Magic of Eyri book but I'd like to have something different to send out to agents (something that I haven't self-published).  All I'll say about this next book is that it mixes detective stuff with monsters with a sort of urban fantasy/qusi-steam punk setting (along with my usual sense of humor).  Say that five times fast.

Anyway, I've been doing research on vampires, werewolves and other neato stuff. Did you know that there is an old myth that a dead werewolf would come back as a vampire? Crazy.

And to get an idea of what others have done with this genre, I checked out Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking from the library. I met Kim at ConClave last year when were on panels together, she's a very nice person.  I asked around at this year's ConClave about how people do research and I was told that reading what others have done is a good idea, not to copy it but to see what they do with things such as vampires, zombies, etc.  This is also why I ordered Hardboiled Cthulhu from Elder Signs Press (and why I'll reread all my Hellboy books again).

I'm still figuring things out though, for example today I made a list of what kind of technology I want my 'world' to have.  World building can be fun--but it can also be a big headache.  But it is mostly fun.  Mostly.

The rest of the Con went really well. I sold one book on Saturday and three more on Sunday (thus selling all of my copies, as few as they were). The panels went pretty well on Saturday for the most part, although the panel on Evil went into areas that I had not anticipated. I went in expecting to just talk about the roles of 'baddies' in literature and other media or why people like evil characters (like Darth Vader for example). Instead, those in the audience directed it more towards defining what is and isn't evil in real life, and should people be blamed for 'evil' things or not even if their 'evil' traits are the result of a chemical imbalance or other disability.  Yeah, not what was I expecting.   Shrug.

Thankfully, the panel on Humor in Sci Fi and Fantasy that followed right after was a hoot. I had a great time on that one.  Each of us was asked to read a sample of our humor writing and I read a very brief scene of mine that is a favorite.   And thankfully, the audience laughed. Phew. Personally, I think jimhines had the best bit, from his book Goblin War (I think it was that one). I'm a sucker for jokes about someone getting kicked in the groin.  The Online Publishing and Where Do You Get Your Ideas panels were equally fun. 

Sunday I had the Cover Art panel at 11 AM and unfortunatly it wasn't well attended (we had only a couple people) -- However this did not stop all of us from having a fun time chatting about our own experiences with cover art. I was in the unique position of being (I think ) the only one on the panel to have the most control over my cover, the result of my book being self published.  It was interesting to learn how things worked with the big publishing houses, that the author rarely had any say on what was on the cover and that it was up to the marketing department (there were exceptions though).  Very interesting stuff.

That panel ended early and I hopped over to the Dealer's Room to try and sell the rest of my books.  I had fun hanging out with Deb (and William) from Elder Signs Press.  I actually just ordered one of their books tonight when I got home (Hardboiled Cthulu) because I was silly and forgot to buy it there (I need it for research for my Novel Writing Month project).  At least I bought it through their site and not Amazon ;) I'm sure they'll appreciate that. I was able to chat with other writers and fans while in the Dealer's Room, and did my part to help sell books by other independent or small press writers (including M. Keaton's newest release, Calamity's Child. Firefly fans, check it out).  And better still, I sold the rest of my copies.  It is always nice not having to take any books home.  Yes, I only brought four copies but as I've said before, I'm trying to cut down on my expenses and get out of writing related debt by the end of the year.  Besides, four is around my average for con sales anyway (which in itself is still pretty good).  That puts me at 138 copies (that I know of) sold.

On my way out I chatted one last time with author Guest of Honor Michelle Sagara.  We were on at least three panels together and she had a lot of great information about the industry--not only as a writer but as someone who works at a bookstore too.  Before I left, she asked me if I have writing samples on my website.  I estatic (and probably sounded like a moron when I offered to just send her a copy of my book), but quickly told her that the first four chapters of The Magic of Eyri are online.  Later on I thought that maybe I should have a Writing Samples page on my websites and perhaps throw something else up there, or at least a scene or two from my short stories.  I am considering making the sample of the book four chapters from different parts of the book, as I think the later stuff is much stronger.

So to sum up, ConClave was a blast and I hope to do it again :)

I attended the "Go Local" event at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial yesterday to sell/sign copies of The Magic of Eyri--and I sold all my copies!

I brought six copies with me and thankfully I didn't have to take any of them home.  I usually only bring around five copies to something like that (selling around five copies tends to be my average, which is pretty good actually), but I'm glad I had the number of copies I did--one very nice lady bought four copies at once (for grandkids and such), which was amazing.

I could have brought four additional copies, but I wanted to keep those in reserve to sell at ConClave next month. As part of my Get Out of Book-Related Debt By The End of the Year Plan, I'm trying not to have to order any new books before ConClave.  I also won't be ordering the ever popular mini-pins again any time soon. I know four copies may not seem like a lot, but as I said I usually only sell around five copies and I'll be on a bunch of panels, so I don't know how much time I'll have for selling anyway.  And I'm not staying at the hotel (another cost saving measure), so I'll have to carry stuff with me at all times and I won't be there all day and night.

We'll see. This could change and I'll end up getting a couple more copies, but we'll see.

In other good news, it looks like I sold another copy of The Magic of Eyri on Lulu.com last week (give or take).  So I've sold seven copies in the past few weeks.  That's pretty great.  As of today I've sold 134 copies of the book and have 217 copies in print ( includes freebies and donations).

Now the bad news--I got a pair of rejections last week for my short stories Slow and Steady and A Queen's Tale.  Oh well.  I'll dig through my copy of Writer's Market '07 and find new places to try.  Slow and Steady will be a bit easier because it is shorter (under 4,000 words I think), I'll have a hard time finding a magazine willing to take the 10,000+ word A Queen's Tale. I'll get back on the horse and try again.

I went to go get a coffee this morning (at Decker's Coffee in downtown Lansing, check 'em out) and I ran into a friend while in line. He used to do a local access show here in Lansing, called Time Slot--I was even a guest on it a few months ago. Anyway, he asked how things were and I told him about Tuesdays Self-Publishing event at the Delta Township District Library. He then reminded me that he worked at library downtown (I kept forgetting) and asked if I had any copies of The Magic of Eyri with me, because he'd buy one and take it back to work to show those in charge.

Thankfully, I had copies in my car leftover from Tuesday. Coffees in hand, we trekked to my car and he bought a copy. He shot me an email awhile later telling me that the book was in the hands of the young adult books (I think) person at the library. We'll see what happens, hopefuly they'll order a copy or two.

But it goes to show you how having copies in my car pays off more often than not. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. I try to keep copies on hand, but stuff comes up and I forgot.

National Novel Writing Month News: I emailed the folks at the Delta Township District Library to thank them for letting me a part of their event on Tuesday and I also pitched an idea for another event. I suggested having an event at the end of October with me talking about National Novel Writing Month: what it is, how to survive it, my experiences, etc. But that's not all--we're going to do weekly Write-Ins every Monday in November at the Library, with yours truly on hand. I'm excited.

Mark Your Calendars!
All About NaNoWriMo: Monday, October 27th at 6:30
NaNoWriMo Write-Ins: Every Monday in November starting at 6:30

Being at the Write-Ins means I'll have to take part in NaNoWriMo once again this year. I need to get back to work on Magic of Eyri Book 2 ("Them Bones") but I think technically I'm not s'pose to work on something I've already started for NaNoWriMo. I dunno, I'll check the rules again. If I gotta do something new, I will. I have ideas.

On and Everybody Reads Bookstore has two new signed copies of The Magic of Eyri. I dropped them off last night after enjoying a tasty "raw" vegan dinner at Magdalena's Tea House. It was very, very tasty. A five course raw dinner for $20/person (includes drinks too). I'm not vegan but I like trying new foods and I've heard good things about this dinner. It is worth it.

Yesterday was fun:
Found out two copies of The Magic of Eyri were sold. This puts me at 123 sold with 205 copies in print (includes freebies, donations, copies I ain't sold -- don't worry, I don't have 80 copies in my closet, I think only about 5). I've sold six copies online since April (so since my stint at Penguicon), not too shabby. I may not sell a bunch of copies at once, but sales have been pretty steady. I'm still hovering around my ten copies a month average.

I think these two copies were bought on Amazon, because I noticed my ranking changing a bit here and there over the past couple weeks. I really wish Lulu specified who was buying copies from where. Sales that are through non-Lulu channels are all lumped together, be it Amazon, Barnes & Noble or a store buying copies for their shelves through a distributor. I'd really like to know how people are buying copies, especially if a store is buying copies to sell.

Finally got Juno on DVD from Netflix. My only real complaint about Netflix is the difficulty in getting popular new releases right when they come out. Juno has been out on DVD for at least a couple months (or close to it) and it has been at the top of my queue since before its street date. Oh well, regardless I'm excited to watch it.

Oh, and the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. Now it is time for my obligatory "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"-and I didn't even have to use my AK."

Motor City Comic Con was a successful adventure for me. I got to see some old friends I haven't seen in long while, sold 3 books, traded 2 and made some great contacts. Oh and Erik Estrada winked at me.

I was upset because my order of 500 promo cards did not arrive from Lulu.com by the time I left for the con, and they still haven't come yet! Looks like I'm gonna have to do something about this...Anyway, picked up Lovely Assistant Thursday night and headed down to Novi Friday morning. We grabbed a quick lunch at Twelve Oaks Mall before heading over to the Con to set up. Checking in was a breeze, thankfully. However, locating my table was a bit of a challenge. Lovely Assistant and I spent ten minutes walking around trying to find it before another artist said "You look like me ten minutes ago!" he then quickly pointed out that our table numbers were written in chalk on the floor under our table. D'oh.

Lovely Assistant and I at my table.

We set up the table and got to work trying to sell books. Thankfully we were across from the guys and girls of Comics Obscura, an indie comic done right here in Lansing. I had requested to be by them in my table form/contract and thankfully they were able to make that happen. Woo hoo! And to my right was artist/writer William Messner-Loebs, who I didn't know much about until Jay from Comics Obscura told me he worked on The Maxx--which I didn't really read, but I watched the cartoon of it on MTV religiously. After learning that, I chatted with Bill about it and sure enough he worked on cartoon a bit. Neat!

The Comics Obscura booth.

Didn't sell any copies on Friday, but Saturday I sold two (joking over dinner that my sales increased by "200%") and I sold one on Sunday. But I traded a couple of copies--I gave one to Tom Sullivan, the special effects genius behind Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2--too of my favorite films. I went up to him and said that I was a fan of his work and wanted to give him a copy of my book. He gladly accepted it and the people in line behind me were amused to see Tom getting an autograph for a change as I signed the book. I wanted to buy one of his prints (see photo) but he wouldn't have it: "No,no--it is my gift to you!" He's a very nice guy and is very appreciative of fans. I just think it is really cool that someone who worked on the Evil Dead series has a copy of my book.

My autographed Tom Sullivan print--I gave him a copy of The Magic of Eyri, so he gave me this.

My other trade was to Star Wars artist/Michigan native, Katie Cook (aka smarbaby ) We've talked a bit online prior to the Con and I told (warned) her I would stop by her table on Saturday. During one of my other visits to her table I asked her if she'd trade a sketch for a copy of the Magic of Eyri, and she had no problem with that. She did a great sketch of Boba Fett for me (see photo) and an amazing little sketch card drawing of Godzilla for Lovely Assistant (and she let me take one of her pre-made sketch cards too!). I am in awe of her skill, especially when I watched her do the sketch card of Godzilla and how it only took her a few seconds. Amazing. She had a big weekend herself, when she stopped by my table she told me that the 501st made her an honorary member. Very cool (I told her how jealous I was).

The sketch I got from Katie Cook in exchange for a copy of The Magic of Eyri. Neato!


The sketch card Katie Cook whipped up for Lovely Assistant. Awesome!


Another sketch card that Katie Cook let me have because she's super-cool.

Getting my book in the hands of people like Katie and Tom is a good thing and that is why I don't mind trading with them (or even just giving it to them--the trade part was a bonus). I should have given one to Bill as well or even Guy Davis (another comic book artist/Michigan native). Next time. But the mini-pins were a success, I only have 3 (out of 40) left. Not bad. And if I had put the rest on the massive freebie table at the front of the con, they would be gone. I got a lot of people to come up to my table and to talk to me because I had a sign that said "Free Buttons and Candy" (I gave out Air Heads, which I had Lovely Assistant cross out Air and write Eyr on each of 'em).

And my other bit of guerrilla marketing was that I had a couple proof copies of t-shirts with the cover art (and the website on the back) that I don't really wear, so I threw those on the freebie table as well. They were gone moments later. Bingo bango. All in all, it was a fun weekend. I sold books, which was nice considering I wasn't on panels or anything like that. I don't know yet if I'd do this again, because I had more than a few people look at my book and say 'OH! It's a novel...?" and were surprised I was there promoting it. Oh well. It certainly didn't hurt any to be there.

Bonus Pictures!


Cloud from Final Fantasy VII


Joey Pants left early on Saturday and didn't stick around all weekend :(




This Jawa costume was pretty great.


Vader telling me to stay off his lawn.