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Post by veryblessedmom on May 11, 2012 20:14:50 GMT -5
I used to be self-pubed at amazon with it. When I was seeking book reviewers I found a blog for Christian and Clean Young Adult fiction. I requested she review both The Earth Painter and my Christian book. Then the blogger messaged me back that she had another blog for erotica if I wrote that too.
It seems Christian women have no trouble with written porn and the chruch hardly ever calls them on it the way it does men.
At church, I was talking about my book and a Christian lady who works with the kids told me she can't get into Christian books she's tried but she only likes books that are "dirty and trashy." and I've seen Christian women on fb suggestiing 50 Shades of Gray to each other. SMH
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Post by Kessie on May 11, 2012 21:22:33 GMT -5
Carman ranted about this back in the 80's in his song "a little bit more conviction".
"I saw three brothers go to a sexer movie show Laughing as they passed with their friends Entertainment I don't care Saints don't belong in there I'm sick and tired, somehow it's got to end I'm telling you something's wrong When the holiness don't belong In living day to day, 'cause it ain't fun I want to see me a Christian man who ain't afraid to stand For what looks right I want to see me a little bit more conviction."
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Post by newburydave on May 12, 2012 8:58:12 GMT -5
That contract is for the book you have out there now, right?
What about the other projects you have on the anvil?
dave
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Post by newburydave on May 12, 2012 9:14:54 GMT -5
Kessie;
When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
We live in a day when the visible Church's foundations are destroyed.
We Christian authors are part of the solution of rebuilding foundations; but what we need is an outpouring of the Spirit to return us to the Scriptures and true saving faith. (I was just reading Galatians in my devotions yesterday, after the catalog of the works of the flesh Paul says "If you misuse your liberty like this you won't inherit the Kingdom of God." [Inheritance is the only way we get to Heaven.])
What we need is a revival of true conversion, regardless of what theology (a human construct) may say, true saving faith doesn't act like that (acceptance of porn) according to The Book. "Will not inherit" are the apostle's words as translated by Peterson, one of the more forward thinking translators.
It would seem that we are in the very hottest part of the battle for the soul of the church here.
Write on Sis
Be the Light; Be the Salt!
SGD dave
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Post by newburydave on May 12, 2012 9:15:29 GMT -5
And where are the voices in the church calling women to repentance?
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Post by Kessie on May 12, 2012 9:35:08 GMT -5
It'll take courage to tell women to repent, because that goes against Women's Rights (TM). Although this topic does tend to be trending around the Christian writer blogosphere, so maybe it's a tiny step in the right direction.
The only woman I can affect is myself, so I'm the one God has to do housekeeping on.
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Post by newburydave on May 12, 2012 10:14:19 GMT -5
This is true my sister, but the scripture still says that we are to reprove our brother/sister in Love and not allow sin to be upon them. (reprove is akin to entreat).
As a writer you have a megaphone to reach others with the truth. I suspect that God has called us to the kingdom and put these tools in out hands for such a time as this.
We are some of those among our generation who hve inspired sight. As such we are in the line of the ancient prophets, like the watchmen on the wall we must cry out when we see the enemy attacking our Father's kingdom and children.
I read an interview with Frank Perritti in Charisma magazine last month. The reason he started writing was that he felt his entrusted message was too big to adequately fulfill the responsibility of it through pastoral preaching.
I'm thinking that when God calls someone specifically to write it is because He wants another mouthpiece with a the large reach of literature through whom to speak to this increasingly dark culture of ours.
Archbishop Fenelon of Brittany was one of the most popular writers in Europe during the generation before the great revivals started in Britian. He wrote exensively on the subject of "Perfect Love" (Agape, Christlike love) which was totally opposed to the spirit the world and church of his own day. He turned out to be a guiding light for the reformers in the French church and a leading light for the leaders of Methodist and Presbyterian revivals that raised England from Barbarism to a Christian society.
Shall we take up the challenge to see what He can do through our feeble efforts? The weapons of our warfare are powerful through Him.
Be the Light; Be the Salt; Judgement must begin with the Church, If the Righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the lot of the wicked be?
SGD dave
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Post by dragonlots on May 13, 2012 19:30:17 GMT -5
veryblessedmom,
Don't worry about what your publisher is doing and whether or not your book is selling. Most writers don't actually get discovered until their third or fourth book, or in one instance I know of her 12th.
Even I didn't discover J.K. Rowling until her third book came out. The Twilight series I hadn't even heard about until all the advertisements came out for the first movie. I bought all four books, read the first one - was unimpressed - and didn't actually read the other three until after I saw the movie. Don't be discourage.
But I do have to ask you one thing - now much marketing are you doing for your book? Did you do a launch party on Twitter? Do you have a presence on Face book? Website? Are there places you can go locally, like Science Fiction conventions, where you can appear and be on panels? Plus readings and autograph sessions.
As I'm reminded at the conferences. The genres go in circles. Just because something isn't selling right now - it always comes back.
I'm also working on a paranormal, gothic horror, urban fantasy mix myself. My publisher, who is a secular house, is waiting for it.
I too, am a Christian writing mainstream from a Christian world view. I'm fascinated by what God does with my writing and how things get snuck in that I wasn't even aware of.
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Post by dragonlots on May 13, 2012 19:33:27 GMT -5
Oh, and do you write short stories?
I'm still looking for submissions for Time Traveling Coffers and beginning in July Different Dragons.
I might also be doing a third - I've pitched the idea - my publisher likes it particularly since I want to cross market it into romance. More on this later but watch for an announcement here on the boards because you're writing what I'm going to be looking for.
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Post by veryblessedmom on May 14, 2012 10:59:45 GMT -5
We did a twitter release party. I'm doing a 25 blog tour over the next month. I'm offering swag to book reviewers for giveaways. Offering unedited eARC's that my publisher will send to reviewers. I'm on FB, Twitter and now Pinterest. I market all the time. I've hoofed it around the town of Chesnee where my book is set and found two shops looking at carrying the paperback. I've contacted my local B&N because they have a local author section only to have them blow me off b/c my publisher uses POD for paperbacks. Which is CRAZY b/c they carry my friend's Self-pubbed paperback. I have not done any shorts yet. Some of the people with my publisher will do something like a prologue to their book for $0.99 just before a release. I'm considering doing that.
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Post by dragonlots on May 14, 2012 17:55:00 GMT -5
You're doing all the right things for marketing. If you have any local Science Fiction conventions in your area, take advantage of them and get on some panels. The more face to face time you have with potential readers, the better chance you have of selling your book.
Another question, the two bookstores interested in carrying your book, if they do - are you going to set up signings? You might not sell anything, but it will put your face before potential readers.
I also have the same problem with B&N. Since I used to work in a bkstore I understand the problem. If they can't return it, and with many PODs they can't, they won't carry it. It's just policy so don't take it personally. My guess is your friend probably has a return policy in place.
Don't get discouraged. That's the best advice I can give you. Building a readership takes time and just because readers are going on to another type of book, doesn't mean there isn't still a market for yours. You just have to wait until the readers discover you.
Again, it may take three or four books before they do. We can't all have J.K. Rowlings luck. Besides, she got 12 rejections before her first book was even accepted. Not to mention she was still working full-time as a teacher after it came out, not to mention while she wrote at least a couple more. So even she didn't make a great deal of money on her writing at first.
As for trashy novels - I for one am tired of them. I've been reading the Love Inspired line for years because they're 'clean'. I tend to write the same way.
And I do agree that churches don't go after women with the written porn the same way they do with men. I honestly don't think leadership is aware of what a problem it is or can become.
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Post by veryblessedmom on May 14, 2012 18:42:08 GMT -5
You're doing all the right things for marketing. If you have any local Science Fiction conventions in your area, take advantage of them and get on some panels. The more face to face time you have with potential readers, the better chance you have of selling your book. /quote] I write Paranormal Romance so that's not quite as welcome among Fantasy and Sci-fy fans. Paranormal fans hate us too. We don't have one here anyway. And the stores looking at carrying my book are not book stores. I set my story in my tiny hometown. They want to use it to promote the town and people in the town asked for a place to carry it b/c so many of them won't order off the internet. I have a hard time finding romances I like. Too often I don't quite feel the attraction between the characters in Christian books and I get too much information in the secular books. The Christian books I like get reviews calling them "trashy" and they have nothing bad in them.
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Post by dragonlots on May 14, 2012 23:16:19 GMT -5
Huh. We have paranormal writers here who attend the cons all the time. They're always welcomed. I'm aware of the impression most SF and such fans have of Christians. I know from experience that step on is to allow local fandom to get to know you as a person. Paul used this same technique when he spread the gospel. Remember the tent making couple? He got established in the community before he even began preaching. It's the same with us in the SF community. Several of us here are accepted in the local community because we let fandom get to know us - before we ever allowed out faith to be known. Most know and accept us because we don't preach and we don't try to convert. That doesn't mean that God doesn't open doors. It just means when He does we have to walk in wisdom and shut up when the door closes. The fact I hang around with witches, pagans, wiccans, atheists, agnostics, and other odd beliefs is a huge witness in and of itself. Who KNOWS what God is going to do in people's lives at a later date. I'd still volunteer to do a signing or at the very least a meet the author in person promotional event. I'm not sure where you live in SC but here's a link you might want to check out. www.scenic-city.com/sfrg/index.htm It contains a list of local SF, Comic, etc. conventions. I too have a hard time finding romances I like. The Love Inspired line has some issues - maybe that's why they're looking for new writers - and I'm a bit tired of the Amish and prairie stories. My advice on reviewers, and I can say this because I review books myself, is that it's all subjective and depends on what the person likes to read. If you like it - then the reviewer is wrong.
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Post by Bainespal on May 15, 2012 9:20:22 GMT -5
I write Paranormal Romance so that's not quite as welcome among Fantasy and Sci-fy fans. Paranormal fans hate us too. Maybe you should broaden the branding of your novel to encompass more of the general SF/F fandom. I don't read romance, but I read the old version of The Earth Painter because you announced it on this forum, and I found a lot of affinity with the genres that I do read. Your creation-mythology is very mythopoeic; it will appeal to the more literary side of fantasy fandom. Maybe you can sell it as "modern magic" or "magic realism" as well as paranormal romance.
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Post by veryblessedmom on May 15, 2012 9:54:07 GMT -5
On amazon, when you look up The Earth Painter, you can scroll down and add tags or agree with tags. I have mythology and some others. Clicking those helps customers searching in those genres, find my book
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