Last Friday, my blog entry was a question for James Brausch, an extremely well known internet marketer. I asked what is the optimal length of time for a special offer. (Brausch often uses a 24-Hour Special, and I have emulated him in using 24-Hour Specials for several of my own products.)
On his blog today, James not only answered my question (check it out–his answer may surprise you), but he also named me the winner of his “best question” contest! I don’t know the exact content of the prize, but since it has a retail value of several thousand dollars, I expect it will contain a number of his products. I’ve bought several of his products over the last year or so, and I’ve found them Xtremely useful, so I’ll be jazzed to get whatever he sends me. Thanks, James!
I know that many of you are interested in marketing your fiction more effectively, and I think you’ll find James’s blog very interesting. I have had a look at the work of quite a number of internet marketers, and Brausch is one of the three folks whose advice has been the most practical to me.
In particular, his Glyphius software has been very helpful in writing effective ad copy, and his RaSof tool has helped me make my pages search-engine friendly without any need for dirty tricks. (If you Google “fiction writing blog”, you’ll see that my blog ranks 5th. If you Google “fiction writing ezine”, the top TWO results are on my site.)
I’m looking at the comments you all left for my post yesterday, and it appears that there is continuing interest in talking about how to write male characters for your fiction. I’ll continue tomorrow on the topic of How Guys Think. RelevantGirl posted a sample from her work in progress which I will critique to see if her character is truly a “Manly Guy.” See ya then!
Congratulations on winning!! But we’ve all known you’re a winner even before James declared it.
I’m looking forward to more on male POV. You’d think being married to a manly kinda guy would make it easier, but I still miss the mark. Thanks for all your help.
Well done! I’m still heavy into snowflakes and pesky little things but I hope that the day when marketing will become more of a priority is not to far away.
Thanks again for all your help.
Great news, Randy. I’ve been away for 10 days – mostly at Conflux 4 in Canberra and have a lot to catch up with both on this blog and with my own writing.
The way men think, huh. Now that’s a challenge. 🙂 But then I like a challenge.
Congratulations Randy! I will definitely check out his blog. It sounds great.
Enjoy your cool new stuff!
Jeanette
Congratulations, Randy. I clicked on your link to read James Braush’s blog post. Got halfway through it — and now have this similar question for you: What do you think is the optimal length for a blog entry?
I found James’ entry to be too long. It also was a complicated read (not that I couldn’t decifer it–I just lost interest in what he was saying). I’m a fast reader and tend to skim things unless it really catches my attention. If it seems to run on, I give it up. His entry was too long for me.
Now yours, on the other hand, are just right. And they’re always interesting. I assume, as a writer, you are aware of entry length. Would like your comments on this. Thanks!
Congrats Randy! I’m heading over to check out his blog.
Sounds like there should be a party.
I didn’t know if you were still looking @ samples, but I suppose it couldn’t hurt to throw one in (and I’d love thoughts from the rest of you, too).
The thought sickened him for a second. He hadn’t seen the executions of the West sect, but he heard the stories. Brutal. Maybe since these were the last of the Potogs, Klaro wouldn’t have to send such a message. Doubtful. But it was his duty to turn them in. They were corrupting his home with their lies and laws, and he had to protect it. He hoped he would return to it soon. He missed the town square already.
Congrats! You deserved it!
Is it too late to post an entry about the male POV? I’m writing my WIP from the heroine’s POV and trying to capture the male POV in letters. Below are snipets from a letter the heroine received from her fiance just after he intered the Army in 1941.
“My dearest Jo,
Life is so different here. I miss all the familiar places we used to go–the spot by the river where we rode our bikes for a cookout and I forgot the salt, the desert north of you Uncle Clint’s place where we went horseback riding. Most of all, I miss the girl who had made them special…
“Gues what. On the train to Boise,I met T.J. Holcome. He says you have a temper. I told him we grew up together so I know all about your temper.
“At the reception center, they swore us in and fingerprinted us. I’m embarrassed to tell you this next part. We had to take off all our clothes and stand in line for our phsicals. A kid up ahead of me passed out when medics came at him from both sides with hypodermic needles…
“We had to go to bed in the semi-darkness. I didn’t even have a chance to read my Bible. I just spread a blanket on the cot, pulled off my army boots, and tried to go to sleep with all these men snoring in different keys. I didn’t get much sleep that night. I thought I’d rather be sleeping in the cow barn back home…”
Hi Lizzy
I don’t see anything “unmanly” about your character. I don’t say this as a freshman writer but as a man who over the past 32 years read at least 300 novels.