A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #31 Finale

Well, this is it. The last day of the JA Konrath/Jack Kilborn blog tour.

I'm sad to see it end.

If you're just tuning in, I visited a different blog every day in March. I also gave away many copies of my new horror novel, Afraid by Jack Kilborn, to bloggers and asked them to post reviews.

The response has been overwhelming.

First I visit JD Rhoades, where I explain how we can save the economy:

THE. BEST. BOOK. CONTEST. EVER.

Then I visit one of my favorite authors for some Q & A:

Interview with Tess Gerritsen

Next, it's a treat for Jack Daniels fans. I collaborated on an original Jack Daniels story with my friend, author Tom Schreck, who writes the Duffy Mysteries. Tom's books are a combination of action and jokes, just like mine, so it was a lot of fun to bring our main characters together.

You can download the 6400 word story for free (it is printable, Kindle compatible, and can be read on your computer or a variety of 3G cell phones) and read our intentionally hostile interview, here:

Interview with Tom Schreck + Free Jack Daniels Story

Here's a great Afraid review at I Would Rather Be Reading:

Afraid Review by Bryan Sims

Finally, if you haven't read my Amazon blog, please check it out. Afraid is officially released today, so if you've reviewed me elsewhere on the Internet, you can now post your review on Amazon.com as well.

Joe's Amazon Blog

I want to thank everyone who hosted me on this blog tour. I appeared on well over a hundred blogs in thirty-one days, and I'm humbled and grateful for all the support the blogging community has given me and my little horror novel.

It been a long, strange trip, and it's also been a lot of fun. I'm also not quite done yet--a few other blogs will be featuring me in the upcoming month of April.

I'll blog about the results of this tour next week. But in the meantime, I've got to start hitting some bookstores for some real-world promotion. My first official signing for Afraid is on Saturday, April 4, 2pm-4pm, at the Waldenbooks in Peru, IL. Keep an eye on my website for other appearances.

If you haven't followed the tour from the beginning, here are all the places where I appeared (with the many duplicate posts removed.)

See you on the road...

Monday, March 30, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #30

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm shaving my head and tattooing the book cover on my scalp. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

Today I kick things off with James Rollins:

http://www.jamesrollins.com/blog_posts/view/79

Then I talk about effectively using setting at RJ Mangahas's blog:

http://outinwritefield.blogspot.com/2009/03/location-location-location_30.html

I'm interviewed by Karin Gillespie:

http://southernauthors.blogspot.com/2009/03/author-spotlight-j.html

I do an irreverent Q & A over at Maidenfine's Musings. Irreverent because the Q & A is with myself:

http://maidenfine.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/to-read-afraid-by-jack-kilborn/

Finally, a few more Afraid reviews:

http://www.bestsellersworld.com/reviews/kilborn-afraid.htm

http://condascreativecenter.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-review-and-afraid-of-changing.html

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-by-jack-kilborn-reviewed-by.html

Tomorrow, Afraid is officially released. But many stores are now carrying it. If you've been following this blog tour, and haven't bought or ordered Afraid yet, I'm cutting you out of the will. You were going to get a lot, too.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #29

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm uploading my eight second Beautiful Agony video. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

At One Writer's Journey, I talk about low cost and free marketing techniques:

http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger-jack-kilborn-marketing.html

I'm giving away books at Alison Kent's blog, if you reveal the scariest thing you ever read:

http://www.alisonkent.com/blog/archives/2841

Then I stop by Amy Alessio's blog and post a recipe. Yep, my favorite desert recipe. Hell yeah I can bake:

http://vintagecookbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/gooey-butter-cake-from-ja-konrath.html

Jude Hardin reviews Afraid:

http://judehardin.blogspot.com/2009_03_29_archive.html

Only two days left for the blog tour, but there are still a few fun surprises left. Stay tuned.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #28

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm eating a live moose. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

Many stops on the tour today. Let's start with something unusual.

If you haven't joined www.Goodreads.com yet, you should. It's a great place to write reviews, get book recommendations, and network with fellow readers.

Someone posted a poll about the scariest book of all time, and Afraid is on the ballot. Check it out at:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/492.SCARIEST_BOOK_I_EVER_READ

I've talked a lot about good self-promotion techniques. But how about bad ones? At Michelle Muto's blog, I present eight things you should NEVER do when promoting your book:

http://michellemuto.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/jack-kilborns-top-eight-bad-self-promotion-tips/

What are the three greatest horror novels of all time? I tell all at Heather Wardall's blog:

http://heatherwardell.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger-ja-konrathjack-kilborn.html

To call Alex Sokoloff a good writing teacher is like calling Houdini a good magician. She's the best, and a damn fine writer as well. Her blog, where she carefully breaks down narratives and explicates why they work, is a must-read for newbie writers. I've tried to use her approach on a scary scene from Afraid, explaining the writerly choices I made, point by point. It's sort of like a DVD director commentary. Check it out here:

http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-guest-blogger-jack-kilborn.html

Finally, a smattering of good reviews:

http://danys-san.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-by-jack-kilborn.html

http://home.earthlink.net/~harryfnhate/

http://thescifigenrereview.blogspot.com/2009/03/be-afraidthen-read-afraid.html

The question now isn't whether I'll break 100.The question is what number above 100 will I stop at.

I'd like to effusively thank the folks who are posting their reviews everywhere they can. Many reviewers are reviewing on Goodreads, and in the Amazon.com discussions (because it's too early to put the review up on Afraid's Amazon.com listing, as the book doesn't come out for a few more days), and many other places. Some have reached well above a dozen different spots.

I'm humbled and excited by your efforts. If Afraid catches on, it's because of you, and I'm not the type of person who forgets the people who helped him out.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #27

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm tattooing the release date on my son's forehead. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

First I explain how to get results while marketing, over at Karen Syed's blog:

http://karensyed.blogspot.com/2009/03/ja-konrathtada.html

Then I bounce over to Kaye Manro's blog, where I once again talk about writing sex scenes, and the sex in my new Jack Daniels novel. But this time, the sex is in the villain's point of view. Graphic excerpt included:

http://kayemanro.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post.html

Over at Write First, Clean Later, I visit LJ Sellers and talk about the effectiveness of blog touring. If you're thinking about trying it, take note:

http://ljraves.blogspot.com/2009/03/blogathon-be-afraid.html

I visit Sean Markey and answer some questions about writing Afraid. There's also a chance to get Afraid for free:

http://semarkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/special-ja-konrath-interview-and-free.html

There's a nice review of Afraid at The Farm Report. Scroll down to read it. I have to quote part of it, because I liked it so much:

"SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING . . . DO NOT READ AT NIGHT: I’m a pretty fearless guy. My immediate reaction on hearing something go bump in the night is to move toward that sound, unarmed, but ready to kick some ass.

I may have to change my method after reading Afraid (Grand Central, $6.99) by Jack Kilborn. This may be the scariest book I have ever read. It makes the most twisted Stephen King novel read like He’s Just Not That Into You."

You can read the whole review here:

http://www.thefarmreport.williammckeen.com/?p=120

Incidentally, I thank Stephen King and Dean Koontz in the acknowledgments of Afraid, because I'm indebted to their work in the genre. I wonder if they'll ever read it. How cool would that be?

If you missed my page 69 and 99 tests, there's a recap, along with an excerpt from an interview, over at Author Interviews:

http://writerinterviews.blogspot.com/2009/03/jack-kilborn-aka-ja-konrath.html

That brings the blog tour total up to 87 locations. Will I hit the elusive 100? Has any fiction writer ever been on a hundred blogs in a single month? Will I get some kind of award if I do?

Don't change that channel, and stay tuned...

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #26

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm sacrificing a goat a day to the Hawaiian shark god, Apukohai. Ha! Kidding! I'm appearing on different blogs every day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons. Commenting on the guest posts at the blogs I visit is a classy touch, too.

At Rowena Cherry's blog, I talk about the cumulative effect of marketing:

http://rowenacherry.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blog-cumulative-effect.html

I hang out in with Basil Sands and talk about opera:

http://basilsands.blogspot.com/2009/03/writer-interview-ja-konrath.html

I get goofy over at Read, Write, Knit, Panic:

http://readwriteknitpanic.blogspot.com/2009/03/jajoejack-reads-writes-and-doesnt-panic.html

Afraid review by Dana Strotheide:

http://thebookbook.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-jack-kilborn.html

Afraid review by Journey of a Bookseller:

http://bkfaerie.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-by-jack-kilborn.html

So far in March, I've appeared on 81 different blogs, not counting the posts I've made here on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing. If all works out as planned, I can hit 100 by the end of the month...

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #25

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

It's a busy blog tour day, and I have over twenty more blogs I'll be appearing on in the upcoming week.

First, I'm over at April Henry's blog, So Many Books, So Little Time:

http://aprilhenry.livejournal.com/501434.html

Then I'm visiting the Women of Mystery, answering questions I've never been asked before:

http://www.womenofmystery.net/2009/03/joe-konrathsjack-kilborns-fraidy-blog.html

I pop over to Wayne Thomas Batson's blog, talking about suspense writing:

http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/2009/03/interview-with-author-ja-konrath.html

Then I hang out with my buddies over at The Outfit, where I provide one of my trademark JA Konrath rants. This one involves me giving you free copies of Afraid:

http://www.theoutfitcollective.blogspot.com/#485390803877591566

Finally, I talk about being a SAHD over at Dawn Meehan's blog, Because I Said So:

http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/2009/03/meet-joe.html

If you've wanted to host me on my blog tour, but haven't heard back, shoot me another email. I'm probably in the process of writing one for you, but it doesn't hurt to give me another reminder. In fact, bugging me will help ensure I get it done.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #24

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Yesterday, Barry Eisler and I signed books at 15 bookstores, and though Afraid has a street date of March 31, three of the stores we visited already had copies on the shelf. So if you need a copy, right now, perhaps giving your local bookstore a call can confirm if copies are available.

Today I visit Nick Kelly over at his blog, and reveal my iPod playlist:

http://nickkelly.com/?p=32

Playlists are cool. Be sure to stop by and list your playlist on Nick's blog...

Monday, March 23, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #23

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Today I'm going to be in Milwaukee, from 7pm-8pm at Mystery One Books, signing with Barry Eisler. Hope to see some of you there.

It's a busy day on the blog tour. First I talk about writing techniques with Elizabeth Craig:

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger-jack-kilborn-aka-ja.html

Then I hang out with Simon Haynes and discuss illegal downloads and what publishing needs to do (but won't do) to compete:

http://halspacejock.livejournal.com/118884.html

I visit Susie Hawes and talk about the differences between small presses and large presses. Should you even bother submitting to small presses?

http://ghostposts.blogspot.com/2009/03/ja-konrath.html

Peg Brantly reviews Afraid:

http://suspensenovelist.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-review-afraid-by-jack-kilborn.html

I answer some questions from Sybil Baker's college writing students:

http://sybilbaker.blogspot.com/2009/03/q-with-author-joe-konrath.html

Finally, Horrorview does an interview with Jack Kilborn:

http://www.horrorview.com/Interview%20Files/Kilborninterview.htm

Today, Barry and I are indulging in a mutual passion: drop in signings. If anyone is curious how to do successful booksignings, I direct you to an old post of mine, Booksignings: Everything You Need To Know.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #22

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Today I visit Marci Catania at Travels of a Bookworm:

http://travelsofthebookworm.blogspot.com/2009/03/interview-with-jack-kilborn-aka-ja.html

Marci was also kind enough to review Afraid:

http://travelsofthebookworm.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-jack-kilborn-review-interview.html

Rowena Cherry also kindly reviewed Afraid:

http://rowenacherry.blogspot.com/2009/03/afraid-by-jack-kilborn-interim-report.html

If you've been promised a review copy of Afraid, but haven't received it yet, email me and we'll sort things out.

For those who have received it and are wondering where to post your reviews, here are some options:

Am I missing any review sites? If so, please list them in the comments and I'll add them to the list.

Twitter doesn't allow enough space to review books, but it's great way to link to your review elsewhere on the net.

Amazon.com doesn't allow reviews until Afraid's release date on March 31, though you can review it now on Amazon.co.uk. A work around is to start a new discussion, or add to an existing one, in Amazon Customer Communities:

http://www.amazon.com/tag/horror/ref=tag_tdt_jt_ijmp_redir

Speaking of Amazon, did you know that authors can blog there?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK1WV1HKI7FLZTH

As always, thanks for tuning in...