My Sunday presentation at SFContario, Self-Planning for Self-Promotion, went well. The audience gave great feedback and seemed to get a lot out of the material. They also had several good questions and comments around topics such as users of the Create Space platform being able to get into book stores to do readings, the uses of video, and timing for back list versus upcoming releases. I'll be expanding the slide deck and adding more detail, and in the new year I plan to do a webinar for which I'll charge a small fee. I may even do an in-person class locally, but that will depend on several factors.
In any case, thanks again to everyone who came out, and thanks also to the people who expressed interest in my doing the course in the future. Your support is deeply appreciated.
I enjoyed my other panels, too, even the ones in which I may not have been a good fit. People had a lot of good things to say, and I had great company up at those front tables! I had fun being in the audience, too, such as when author GoH Seanan McGuire (a.k.a. Mira Grant) spoke passionately about epidemiology on the same zombie panel that also featured my husband, James Bambury, and one of my favourite local authors, David Nickle. I even got treated to a fantastic politics and science panel with the highly knowledgeable Hayden Trenholm, Derek Künsken, Lorne Kates, and David Stephenson.
I had a good time at the convention, though there were some organization issues and it appeared to be a little more sparse on attendance than last time. Hopefully things will bounce back for next year.
Later this week are "Review Copies, Ebooks, and Pirating: Book Marketing without B.S. #5" and "Calls for Submission #2". Don't forget to sign up for email delivery of blog posts by filling out this easy form: http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=BeverlyBamburyPublicity. See you soon!
A book publicist specializing in science fiction, fantasy, crime, mystery weird, horror, comics and other creative pursuits.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
My SFContario 4 Schedule, Including Free, Open to the Public Workshop
Book Marketing without B.S. is taking a week off for U.S. Thanksgiving. Check back next week for #5. In the meantime, I will be at SFContario 4 this weekend (as will my husband. As you can see below, I am not the only Bambury out there!). Saturday is a busy day of panels for me, and Sunday I am running a free, open to the public workshop that will help you create a marketing and publicity plan for your creative work.
Take a look, and if you see me, please say hello! I promise I don't bite. Talk a lot, maybe, but no biting.
Finally, don't forget to check out my recent guest post by Effie Seiberg, all about doing conventions on the cheap.
A Hard Hobbit to Break, Ballroom BC, Sat. 9:00 AM
James Bambury (M), Colleen Hillerup, Beverly Bambury
Three movies? Does Peter Jackson's approach work? Many fans were disappointed in the first film. Will they continue to watch? What was successful, and what failed, in Peter Jackson’s treatment? What are you looking forward to (and what do you fear) in part two, coming out next month? Come out for a lively discussion of all things Hobbit.
SFContario Idol, Courtyard, Sat. 5:00 PM
Debra Yeung, Sandra Kasturi, Hayden Trenholm, Beverly Bambury
Attendees bring in the first page of their manuscript. A presenter from SFContario will read out the manuscript (anonymously) until a majority of our panel of judges ‘buzz’ the story to a stop. Discussion ensues on why they stopped it, what didn’t work, and what did work. A great exercise in story openings that will provide immediate valuable feedback to the writers.
New Philosophies for Science Fiction, Solarium, Sat. 8:00 PM
Karl Schroeder (M), Tamara Vardomskaya, Beverly Bambury
Looking at the values of the past, it is unrealistic to think that people in the future would think the same way we do and hold our values, yet looking at old SF it's exactly what you do see. How do we get beyond that and come up with new ways for people to think about their new worlds?
Don't Blink, Solarium, Sat. 9:00 PM
James Bambury (M), Debra Yeung, Colleen Hillerup, Beverly Bambury
Do Daleks keep you up at night, checking under the bed? Do the Weeping Angels haunt your dreams? Or are you more likely to cower from The Silence or Cybermen? Are you my mummy? Our panelists discuss which of the Doctor’s monsters or arch-enemies scare them the most.
WORKSHOP- Self-Planning for Self-Promotion, Solarium, Sun. 1:00 PM (90 minutes)
Beverly Bambury
Are you a published author being left adrift by your publisher? Are you a self-published author with only yourself to rely on? A plan will help you decide timelines and create an automatic list of things to do and when to do them. In this interactive lecture you will learn how to create a plan for promoting your book, and learn some research tips and tricks to help you along the way. By the end of the program participants will have initial concepts for their marketing plans as well as an outline of what to do next.This workshop is open to the public!
Take a look, and if you see me, please say hello! I promise I don't bite. Talk a lot, maybe, but no biting.
Finally, don't forget to check out my recent guest post by Effie Seiberg, all about doing conventions on the cheap.
A Hard Hobbit to Break, Ballroom BC, Sat. 9:00 AM
James Bambury (M), Colleen Hillerup, Beverly Bambury
Three movies? Does Peter Jackson's approach work? Many fans were disappointed in the first film. Will they continue to watch? What was successful, and what failed, in Peter Jackson’s treatment? What are you looking forward to (and what do you fear) in part two, coming out next month? Come out for a lively discussion of all things Hobbit.
SFContario Idol, Courtyard, Sat. 5:00 PM
Debra Yeung, Sandra Kasturi, Hayden Trenholm, Beverly Bambury
Attendees bring in the first page of their manuscript. A presenter from SFContario will read out the manuscript (anonymously) until a majority of our panel of judges ‘buzz’ the story to a stop. Discussion ensues on why they stopped it, what didn’t work, and what did work. A great exercise in story openings that will provide immediate valuable feedback to the writers.
New Philosophies for Science Fiction, Solarium, Sat. 8:00 PM
Karl Schroeder (M), Tamara Vardomskaya, Beverly Bambury
Looking at the values of the past, it is unrealistic to think that people in the future would think the same way we do and hold our values, yet looking at old SF it's exactly what you do see. How do we get beyond that and come up with new ways for people to think about their new worlds?
Don't Blink, Solarium, Sat. 9:00 PM
James Bambury (M), Debra Yeung, Colleen Hillerup, Beverly Bambury
Do Daleks keep you up at night, checking under the bed? Do the Weeping Angels haunt your dreams? Or are you more likely to cower from The Silence or Cybermen? Are you my mummy? Our panelists discuss which of the Doctor’s monsters or arch-enemies scare them the most.
WORKSHOP- Self-Planning for Self-Promotion, Solarium, Sun. 1:00 PM (90 minutes)
Beverly Bambury
Are you a published author being left adrift by your publisher? Are you a self-published author with only yourself to rely on? A plan will help you decide timelines and create an automatic list of things to do and when to do them. In this interactive lecture you will learn how to create a plan for promoting your book, and learn some research tips and tricks to help you along the way. By the end of the program participants will have initial concepts for their marketing plans as well as an outline of what to do next.This workshop is open to the public!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Calls for Submission #1
Figuring out where to submit your short stories and novels? This is the first of a reoccurring column by Selene MacLeod, who administers Facebook groups Call for Submissions: Poetry, Fiction, Art and Open Call: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Pulp. Sign up to receive this blog's posts by email; make sure you don't miss useful stuff in the social media shuffle!
Today's post is an introduction as well as a listing. With that, I'll leave the rest to Selene.
Today's post is an introduction as well as a listing. With that, I'll leave the rest to Selene.
Greetings to Beverly's readers! Whenever I see Beverly's name, I always think of that nursery rhyme "with bells on her fingers and bells on her toes." Kind of hard to type that way, but it's a pretty picture.
As promised, I will be giving you a taste of some of the listings that pop up on groups I administer. Aside from the groups mentioned in the intro, I'm also one of the more active members on the groups Open Call: Horror Markets, Open Call: For the Love of Horror, and Open Call: Crime, Thriller and Mystery Markets. I actually "met" Beverly over on Ravelry, so I feel I should also point out that I'm one of the admins on the Poets and Writers who Knit group there. In fact, I'd probably write a lot more if I spent as much time writing as I do researching markets!
Why do it, if it takes so much time? Well, it started when Duotrope started charging fees. I understand why they do, and it's a very reasonable fee ($5 a month) I don't mind paying, although the debate rages on about markets that charge fees to cover reading costs, and For the Love (FTL)/unpaid markets, and a whole lot of bickering among writers. You can read my blog about FTL markets here, if you like.
I'm hoping to avoid too much debate here. Instead, I will always try to list markets that pay at least royalties, and stick to speculative fiction (which includes horror, science fiction, fantasy, magical realism/slipstream/weird western, and so on). I will also note if they're paying professional rates ($0.05 per word or more), token-paying, royalty split, etc. If I list a FTL market, rest assured it will be because I think the market is unassailably cool. Likewise, there is the sticky matter of fee-charging markets. I only post if the fee is $5 or less, or if it's a contest where there's a giant prize at stake. Cool factor also applies.
I'm sure if you're reading Beverly's blog, you're familiar with the submissions process, but I will remind you to follow guidelines carefully for every publisher, especially document formatting (William Shunn has the best tips and resources on his page), and to read some samples from the market before you submit.
Now, on to the good stuff. November and December are going to be GREAT months for submitting work.
Pro Markets Accepting Submissions:
- Apex Publications. War Stories: New Military Science Fiction. Max 7500 words, pays $0.05 per word. Deadline November 30, 2013. http://warstoriesanthology.com/submissions/
- Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse. Deadline November 30, 2013. Canadian writers only. http://silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/2013/07/fractured-tales-of-the-canadian-post-apocalypse/
- Shock Totem. Pays $0.05 per word, maximum $250 (5,000 words maximum). Looking for dark fantasy, horror, suspense, etc. Deadline November 30, 2013. http://www.shocktotem.com/guidelines/
- Musa Publishing: Penumbra. Bi-monthly, themed magazine. Be sure to only submit work during open period for the theme. Pays $0.05 per word, max 3500 words. Upcoming themes: Egyptian Mythology (ends December 1, 2013), A Night at the Villa Diodati (ends January 1, 2014). http://penumbraezine.blogspot.ca/p/submissions.html
- Crossed Genres Magazine. Sci-fi/fantasy. Monthly, themed. Pays $0.05 per word, 1000-6000 words (firm). Upcoming themes: Conspiracy (November 1-30, 2013), Runaway (December 1-31, 2013). http://crossedgenres.com/submissions/magazine/
- Kaleidoscope Anthology. Looking for YA (so teen protagonists) sci-fi and fantasy stories. Must feature diverse main characters (read guidelines for a full description). $0.05 per word, 2500-10,000 words. Deadline December 31, 2013. http://kaleidoscope.twelfthplanetpress.com/?page_id=42
Token and Royalty-Paying Markets Accepting Submissions:
- Mammoth Book of SF Stories By Women. Reprint market only (must be previously published). Max 10,000 words. Pays $0.02 per word plus a contributor copy. Deadline November 30, 2013. (Note, I find it hilarious that the subject line has to be "MAMMOTH WOMEN.") http://www.alexdallymacfarlane.com/2013/10/call-for-reprint-submissions-mammoth-book-of-sf-stories-by-women/
- Imaginarium 2014: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing. Reprint market. Looking for work published in 2013. Canadian speculative fiction authors only. Deadline January 31, 2014. http://www.chizine.com/content/imaginarium-2014-open-submissions
- Scheherezade's Bequest. Updated fairy tales, themed issue. From the Sea: Something Rich and Strange. Deadline December 31, 2013. $30 for fiction, $15 for poetry. Max 4000 words. http://www.cabinetdesfees.com/2013/scheherezades-bequest-updated-guidelines/
- World Weaver Press. Krampus Anthology. Looking for dark fantasy and horror stories about Krampus (sort of the anti-Santa Claus). Max 10, 000 words. Pays $10 and a copy of the anthology. Deadline November 30, 2013. (Note: They have enough Santa as serial killer and gore stories, looking for psychological horror). The publisher also has an open call for their upcoming Fae Anthology. Pay rates, deadline, and word count are the same. Looking for dark fantasy takes on the Fae (urban fairies, goblins, pixies, etc.). http://worldweaverpress.com/submissions/calls-for-anthologies/
- Solarywyrm Press. Asia-Pacific Speculative Fiction. Looking for speculative fiction set in the real world, Asia-Pacific region. Read guidelines for specifics. 1000-8000 words. Pays half a cent a word, max $40. Deadline November 30, 2013. http://solarwyrm.com/
- Lectores Coffee. Literary market, but slipstream/magical realism would work. Looking for short fiction (no more than 500 words), creative non-fiction, and poetry. Must be short, as the entire piece has to fit on a coffee label. $1.50 submission fee (or $6 with a coffee sample). Pays $25 and a bag of coffee. http://www.lectorescoffee.com/pages/submit
- Chupa Cabra House. Primarily a horror market, has several anthologies open. Stories should be 3,500-9,000 words. Pays royalties, although some anthologies also offer a token payment (check guidelines). Upcoming: Small Town Futures (apocalyptic stories set in small towns, deadline April 1, 2014). New Whakazoid Circus (Circuspunk, which encompasses horror, bizarro/slipstream, must be a circus/freak show/carnival setting, deadline January 31, 2014). Weird Westerns, deadline February 1, 2014. http://www.chupacabrahouse.com/search/label/submissions
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)