There’s a person out there named R.B. (a.k.a. the Grinch) who has commented on what a terrible thing I’m doing, using my blog to talk about my own publishing efforts. You know what? I don’t care. I’ve spent a gazillion hours not only writing a novel but in doing countless other things to try to break out, things that might ultimately benefit you some day—consider it a pioneering effort. For instance:
- Designed the book and its cover (just one proof away from done)
- Set up printing and distribution with Lightning Source and Ingram
- Created free podcasts of the novel
- Created ebook versions (they are now officially published)
- Created, with a friend’s help, the video below
- Created a website, www.vampirekittycat.com
- Designed graphics for garments, mugs, water bottles, and opened a store
- Sent ARCS out for blurbs and reviews—see the peachy one from Tess Gerritsen below
- And come up with the BuzzBlast contest to make spreading the word (your part in all this) fun and prize worthy
I hope you’ll join me in challenging the status quo, the conventional wisdom that a writer can’t succeed in publishing a novel—much less write one that people like R.B. will, after looking down their noses, deem worthy of reading. Listen, the publishing world is changing, and I—and you—may be its future.
In fact, if you read on, you’ll see how this effort could possibly affect you through the new imprint I’m using for this book, Platypus. But first, some fun.
Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of Ice Cold says this about The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles,
"What a pleasure! Quirky and laugh-out-loud fun. Ray Rhamey takes the vampire novel where it's never been before, into the realm of sheer hilarity."
If you enjoyed the video and would like to use it, you can get the code for embedding it in your website or blog by right-clicking on the player image.
BuzzBlast contest starts now! It's simple, and everyone has a chance to win. Use email or Twitter to spread the word according to the contest rules here. No purchase necessary.
Folks,
for this to work, I really need your help in spreading the word. I'm
not asking (or expecting) anyone to buy the book, just let people know
about the website. They'll make their own decision. After you visit the
BuzzBlast contest page, take a look around the website—there are
podcasts, the video, a sample from the book, and reviews and
endorsements.
There are currently two contest periods, this week and next week. Read all about it here, and take a look at the fun stuff you could win.
Even if you don’t enter the contest, PLEASE consider emailing or
tweeting as many people as you can and send them to the website:
www.vampirekittycat.com. A shortened URL for tweets is
http://bit.ly/7TPGjy. That’s all
The future of publishing is us
We’re the writers who provide the fuel that powers publishing. If we can get through the barriers that face us, our work will reach an audience, and we may even make a buck or two. But I believe that there are many novels like mine that don’t fit into the status quo definitions of what is publishable that languish, unread.
So, if this effort for The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles succeeds, I’m going take what I've learned and open up my teensy publishing company to submissions from writers who want to try the indie route to breaking in. I call it Platypus.
Unbeaten paths to worthy reads
That’s the theme line for Platypus, and here’s what it’s about. The platypus breaks all the rules—it’s the only mammal that lays eggs, is venomous, has a duck bill, a beaver tail, and otter feet—and it does just fine, thank you very much.
It can be the same for novels that don’t slip tidily into genre
pigeonholes. Platypus authors take readers on unique paths to
entertainment, truth, and enjoyable reads.
I hope you’ll visit the page on the publishing website that tells you more. This is new, and will be refined and developed over the months as I wrestle with publishing my kitty-cat story.
It’s not vanity publishing, and not like the iUniverse-type operations, but a true partnership. We share the work, we share the income. We don’t expect much, either—there are no promises, no guarantees.
I'm signing off for today. Please visit vampirekittycat.com. We will resume regular flogging Wednesday, but I will still keep promotional elements up on the blog.
© 2010 Ray Rhamey
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