Saturday, June 15, 2013

Want to Guest Post on Konrath's Blog?

Tess Gerritsen is a damn good thriller writer. I remember reading The Surgeon when it jumped onto the bestseller lists, and being blown away by the deep characterization, the intricate plotting, and most of all the eponymous serial killer villain.

A few years later I meekly approached Tess, asking for a blurb for Rusty Nail, and she generously responded. That lead to a friendly online correspondence where we occasionally commented on each other's blogs. Eventually I got to meet her in person at a writing conference, and was every bit as impressed by her in person as I was with her writing and her Internet persona. She's a really nice person.

I asked Tess for another favor when Shaken came out in 2010; a celebrity review. Again she was gracious enough to help me out.

But Tess never asked for my help for anything. And she didn't ask for my help this time, even though what she's doing now is more noble than any of my pursuits.

This is from her recent press release:

Tess Gerritsen – the mind behind the bestselling crime novel series-turned-hit-TV-drama Rizzoli & Isles — has declared War on Alzheimer’s with a new online fundraising campaign in memory of her father, who died of the disease.

Gerritsen believes that this war can be won, and that our fiercest warriors are our scientists, so proceeds will go directly to The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) to support its Alzheimer’s research. Each $5 donation enters the donor’s name in a prize raffle (i.e. a $25 donation is equivalent to five entries).

Two grand prize winners will get to name one character each in the next Rizzoli & Isles novel, coming out in 2014! (The named character’s role in the story is up to the discretion of the author). Three runners-up will win prize packages that include a signed copy of Gerritsen’s most recent hardcover, Last to Die, a “Rizzoli & Isles” baseball cap, tee shirt and surgical scrub top, and handcuff earnings. Gerritsen has also pledged to match every dollar raised, up to $25,000.

Learn more about Gerritsen’s inspiration for the campaign here.

WHEN: NOW through midnight EST,
Tuesday, July 23

Joe sez: My wife and I just donated $1000. Now I'm asking readers of my blog to donate as well.

Every dollar helps, and Tess's contest is a good one with some fun prizes. But I'll throw in a bit of incentive as well.

If you donate $100 or more, you can write a guest blog for A Newbie's Guide to Publishing.

This blog gets anywhere from 4k to 30k hits per day. I will also tweet your blog post to my 11,000 Twitter followers.

Just forward me your donation email with the subject GUEST BLOG FOR TESS and we'll set up a date to run your blog post.

I know $100 is a lot of money. But it's tax deductible, for a great cause, and might help your name and books reach a lot of new people. I say "might" because there are no guarantees. Some guest bloggers, using this platform in conjunction with a marketing push, have sold in big numbers. Some have sold very few. My blog, like any other kind of promotion, is a crapshoot. And remember it is geared toward writers, not readers.

That said, many people seem to believe my blog has promotional value, and I'm happy to give them space for a modest donation to a great cause. If $100 is too much, get in touch with your writing buddy, each of you put in $50, and interview each other on my blog and split the cost and the promo offer. (just forward me the $100 donation email and tell me it's from two people)

This offer is only good through July 23. And your blog has to be writing or publishing related, as this is writing and publishing blog. I reserve the right to put an addendum on any guest blog, adding my comments.

If this blog has ever been helpful to you, this is your chance to pay it forward and help a worthy cause. Even a $5 donation will help reach Tess's goal.

And if you hate my guts, for $100 you can use my own platform against me and tell the world what a tool I am. 

So what are you waiting for? Go donate!

61 comments:

Andrea said...

I wouldn't do it for the sales, I'd do it for name recognition and to support an excellent and worthy cause.

My grandpa died from Alzheimer's, so this is near and dear to my heart.

Thanks for supporting Gerritsen.

Picks by Pat said...

Great idea! Help a worthy cause and rub elbows with Joe's blog! Been reading this column for many years and been a devoted fan (as my wife will tell you, I'm banned from blabbering about Joe around the house, so I have to do it online). LOL

Jude Hardin said...

I think this is a great idea, Joe. I didn't see a lot of sales from my guest post, but I've sent out quite a few review copies to your readers and that's going to help me a great deal when it comes to advertising opportunities. If anyone is on the fence about this, I strongly urge you to pony up the $100 for charity. It's a great opportunity, and one you're not likely to see again

I met Tess at a signing a few years ago. Great writer, great person. And she was generous enough (as were you) to read POCKET-47 and give me a blurb for it. Off to make my donation now. Best of luck with the fund drive!

Joshua James said...

Tess is truly a wonderful, open person... she's responded to many an email from me as well, even before I began writing professionally...

I will donate asap just on that merit alone, but I'm also pleased that you tossed in a guest post... thanks Joe!

Iain Rob Wright said...

Hi, Joe. I am happy to donate $250 in exchange for a guest blog (and of course to help a very worthwhile cause). One of my favourite authors in my home country of the UK, Terry Pratchett, has early onset Alzheimers and it's a tragedy that his productive life will be cut so short. Once I make a donation how do I get in touch with you in regards to a guest post?

Iain Rob Wright

Joshua James said...

DONE!

And I will also spread the word on this... Tess is a wonderful person and this is definitely a worthy cause... thanks again for highlighting this.

JA Konrath said...

Email me joekonrath(at)comcast(dot)net with GUEST BLOG FOR TESS in the heading.

Iain Rob Wright said...

Just made a donation. Will contact you shortly.

JA Konrath said...

Thanks to all who donated so far, and please keep them coming.

Again, it doesn't have to be $100. Every five dollars helps.

Michael Alan Peck said...

$20, and happy to do it. (The additional $15 is props for a guy with the backbone to invite others to tell everyone what a tool he is ... on his own blog.)

A good cause indeed.

JA Konrath said...

The additional $15 is props for a guy with the backbone to invite others to tell everyone what a tool he is ... on his own blog.

That guy sounds like a tool. ;)

Thanks for the donation, Michael!

Shantnu said...

Just made the donation. Thanks for letting us know about this campaign.

Joe Flynn said...

Just donated $100. My wife does graphic design for an international symposium on advances in treatment for Alzheimer's disease. That's been an education in how awful this illness is. Happy to help. Thanks for providing the opportunity. Look forward to doing a guest blog.

Brandon Crose said...

Hey Joe, this is a great cause and a very generous offer on your end. Quick question: I see that the promotion ends July 23rd, but will the guest posts also be scheduled to run by then, or could they run at any mutually decided upon point in the future? Thanks!

JA Konrath said...

Guest posts can run whenever. Once you donate, I'll save you a slot.

Hillary Rettig said...

What email address should we send the receipt to?

JA Konrath said...

Email me joekonrath(at)comcast(dot)net with GUEST BLOG FOR TESS in the heading.

Jill James said...

I donated. My husband's grandpa died of Alzheimer's.

Michelle said...

Donated as well. My father-in-law died from Alzheimer's last year, and my dad has problems with his lungs which restrict his oxygen and is robbing him of short-term memory as well.

billie said...

Great cause and great op for guest posting! Thanks Tess and Joe. I'm in and looking forward to it!

Meena said...

Hello, you seem very knowledgable about Amazon.

A quick question of help if you don't mind.

How does one put a vote on a book on Amazon?

I was able to write a review but am confounded on
the voting.

Thanks in advance,

Tim Myers said...

What a great cause! I was happy to donate $100, and I'm looking forward to the bonus of guest blogging. Thanks for bringing this fundraising effort to our attention!

Birgit said...

Great idea for good cause! I am happy to donate and hope that it helps!

JA Konrath said...

Twenty-seven guest posts and counting. Readers of this blog have raised about $4000 in less than 24 hours.

Keep up the donations everyone!

Richard Schiver said...

Just donated, couldn't swing a hundred bucks right now, but I gave what I could afford to a worthy cause.

Nikki said...

As a therapist who worked at hospice, I've seen the wear and tear this disease causes on the caregiver and the individual. Kudos to you for using your influence to help improve the lives of so many suffering people.

Joel Goldman said...

I'm glad to join in this effort. Both of my parents had Alzheimer's so I know first hand how important this is.

Eric said...

Hi Joe. I read your blog, but I also have a blog of my own on blogspot, and today I noticed that you have a nicer commenting system and wondered if you would be willing to share how you set yours up?

Thanks, Eric

Daniel said...

Joe, thanks for putting your name/blog behind this worthy cause. I sent in my donation and hope many hundreds more do so as well.

The guest post was a brilliant strategy. $100 will be money well spent for getting the exposure your blog might bring. And it will be a wonderful challenge for everyone who participates to come up with a post that people really want to read.

Sincerely,
Daniel Berenson
Freaky Dude Books

Traci Hohenstein said...

A wonderful idea. This is also a cause that is close to my heart. Happy to donate and hope lots of money is raised!

Patrice Fitzgerald said...

A grand opportunity. Thank you. I'm in.

I've just emailed a fellow indie author you all will have heard of to see if he'll grant me an interview to use as a guest post here. Either way, my contribution is on its way.

You're a good guy, Joe. I don't care what they say. :-P

Unknown said...

Thanks for the heads up Joe. I'm in.

My mom was a victim of this nasty disease.

The money, the visibility and education is great.

JA Konrath said...

I'm going to have to change the name of this blog to "The Guest Bloggers Guide to Publishing"

Since posting this entry, over thirty guest bloggers have donated $100 or more, and over $6000 has been raised by you generous folks.

Thanks! And if you haven't donated yet, there are still plenty of guest blog spots to fill.

William J. Thomas said...

You donated enough cash Joe...you should have your secret pseudonym do a guest blog!

Mark Terry said...

I was going to donate anyway - both my mother and mother-in-law died from Alzheimer's - but you gave me some extra incentive. Thanks, Joe. And thanks, Tess. She gave me a kind blurb on one of my books as well.

A. J. Abbiati said...

Just donated $100 as well. Great cause, great opportunity, and it's greatly appreciated!

--Jim

Mark Edward Hall said...

Just donated $100.00 As far as I know there’s no history of Alzheimer’s in my family. Lucky me. However, too many families have to deal with this terrible disease.
Thanks, Joe. Your blog helped to get my latest novel, Apocalypse Island, into the Amazon Kindle top twenty last month. Just paying it forward.
No hurry on the guest post. I know you have a bunch ahead of me. I have some new promos coming late in the summer. Perhaps we could schedule something around one of those.

JA Konrath said...

42 guest blogs so far!

Incredible. I'm in awe so many of you have donated. Thanks!

Looking forward to all of your guest blogs. Obviously this is going to take more scheduling time and thought than I'd anticipated, but I'll make sure I get everyone's post up, and I'll keep those posts up for a few days so no one is shorted exposure.

I will blog soon about slotting times.

In the meantime, if you haven't donated yet, you should. There is going to be a lot of publishing wisdom in these guest blogs--insights we can all learn from.


Tracy Sharp - Author of the Leah Ryan Series said...

Just donated. Sent you an email, Joe. What a great idea!

Tess gerritsen said...

Joe, I am deeply touched by all you're doing to help! One of the best things about the writing business is the friendships with amazing human beings like you, people who reach out to help for the simple reason that they WANT to.

I've watched our country spend billions of dollars on wars against enemies who kill only a fraction of the numbers that Alzheimer's kills. Yet we devote a pittance on research against an enemy that threatens not just our lives, but our economy. I want to fund the scientists who are on the front lines in basic science research -- and that is exactly where the money will go.

It's a challenge to evaluate the worthiness of a charity, to be certain that precious dollars don't get sucked into overhead and administrative costs. One has to be cautious, and I've chosen a research institute that I know we can trust..

What a wonderful community you have here, Joe! I am traveling now and trying to stay in touch with my balky wi fi, but i will be blogging about you when i get home!

Marta Szemik said...

My grandmother lived in Canada for 20 years and once in a while traveled back to Poland to visit. When she left for her trip four years ago, we didn't expect she'd stay there. Alzheimer's attacked her so fast within a month she couldn't remember she lived in Canada at all. She's still alive, but can't recognize most of her family.

This is a great cause. Glad to help.

James said...

My grandmother died of Alzheimer's. This is a great way to raise money and awareness. Awesome!

Lisa Alber said...

Hello Joe,

I'm a sporadic lurker at your blog. A friend of mine sent me the link to this post because my mom suffers from dementia (possibly Alzheimer's? unsure) and my cousin who is only in her early 50s is already debilitated by Alzheimer's.

I'll gladly donate $150.

What a lovely thing to do, both you and Tess Gerritsen.

Cheers, Lisa

Jude Hardin said...

I posted a link on KBoards a while ago, and several authors from there have already come to donate and sign up for a guest post. Someone said you have 70 so far. The response has been just remarkable!

Cherise Kelley said...

Done!

Thanks for making me donate to Alzheimer's research. I just lost my dad to the disease last November.

Gennita Low said...

Done.

A worthy cause indeed. and thank you.

$100.00

A copy has been emailed to you

June 17, 2013
From: Gennita Low
Email: Jenn@Gennita-Low.com

To: Tess Gerritsen
For: Tess' War on Alzheimer's
Link: http://www.gofundme.com/War-on-Alzheimers

A.C. James said...

I'm going to have to reblog this tomorrow on poemswithheart.blogspot.com. This is a cause that hits really close to home.

R.M. Prioleau said...

Hi, Joe! I donated. I think this is a wonderful idea and a great initiative to get people to donate to a worthy cause. Thank you for all that you do, Joe!

JA Konrath said...

Over 90 guest posts so far.

Incredible.

You folks have raised over $10,000 in three days.

Anonymous said...

It's a great cause...

Dale T. Phillips said...

Will be sending my $100 donation in tonight, and would love a guest post in the Fall with another writer friend of mine. Thanks for helping out in so many ways. Love the new world of opportunity to make things better!

Chris Everheart said...

Wow, great idea! I'm in. Grandpa had dementia last couple years of his life and my kindly neighbor was just diagnosed last week. I'm a little choked up thinking about it. Thanks for this opportunity, Joe.

Lisa Grace said...

I donated $100 yesterday. My hubby and I watched an immmediate family member deteriorate day by day. It's agony on the survivors, too.

On a happier note, I'm looking forward to blogging about my experiences with a movie option that has been exercised and moved into development.
Thanks for your generous offer to us in the self publishing community.

Karen Mueller Bryson said...

I just made my contribution. Thanks so much for the opportunity to do a guest blog. That's extremely generous!

Anonymous said...

Great initiative! What are the specs on the blog post? How many words do you prefer, min/max? Thanks!!

Lisa Alber said...

Hi Joe,

Quick question: Should we wait for you to contact us when you're ready to schedule folks for guest posts?

Thanks once again for spreading the word about Tess' fundraiser and for offering up such a generous incentive.

Thanks, Lisa

Anonymous said...

I just jumped in, donated & forwarded the e-mail as instructed.

I think we just passed the $19,000 mark!

Lois Lavrisa said...

This is wonderful and for a great cause. It seems that Alzheimer's has in some way touched each of us. My great aunt who I s 93 years old, has been struggling with Alzheimer's for over a decade. Thank you Joe for making Tess's cause front and center on your blog. I just donated $100:)

G. E. Nolly said...

What a great idea! Thank you Tess and Joe! I just donated $100 also. (Still trying to figure out where to send the receipt to Joe).

Nick Kristof said...

I'm wondering if you'd be willing to host four guest posts (over a fairly long period of time) for a $1000 donation.

I know first hand the effects of Alzheimer's. My grandmother stopped being my grandmother (or a mother, aunt, or sister) long before she passed away.

I am also an aspiring author who thinks that some exposure could help sell some books.

My first novel isn't quite finished yet. I think that several posts over a year (or more) could tell the story of my success/failure in real time as it happens.

What do you think?

Kate George said...

Hey Joe, I donated to Tess back on June 15 and forwarded you the receipt. I've been waiting patiently, but now I'm wondering if maybe I went to spam, or some such thing.

Could you send me a quick note?
kate AT kategeorge DOT com

Thanks