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Post by Teskas on Sept 13, 2007 14:09:12 GMT -5
There are a lot of good places on the Internet to advertise.
1. I'd make sure your coding for MLP is top notch to attract the spiders and get to the top of the Google search engine for the genre. There are ways--both overt and hidden--for doing this. Your techie adviser can probably discuss it with you.
2. I'd be inclined to open up a dedicated collaborative fiction forum which could piggy-back other collaborative/RPG sites. All the sci-fi TV series (Stargate/Star Trek/Babylon5/Firefly, etc., are filled with sci-fi addicts). Lure them in, so to speak. I monitor the boards out there in secular fiction. Everybody is hungry for something new and different. Get permission from the Admins of these sites to have a banner link.
I hate to admit it, but I didn't even know there was a specific sci-fi genre out there known as Christian Speculative Fiction. I'll bet there are a lot of other people like me, too! Here I am reading the stuff and don't even know what I'm looking at!
3. Entrepreneur magazine writes frequent articles about Internet marketing for small businesses. Most large communities run a small business advisory center which can put you in touch with free counseling about marketing techniques, and also have dedicated libraries of books and magazines. So can the local chamber of commerce. You might find someone in your church is also a member of the chamber and can help you access some resources there.
Just some ideas.
Teskas
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Post by jeffisontheroad on Sept 13, 2007 22:40:16 GMT -5
Great ideas, Teskas; thank you.
You know, there are things I do really well and things I stink at. Sometimes there are disadvantages to being a one-man show. Mainly that the things I stink at either don't get done or don't get done well.
Jeff
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Post by Teskas on Sept 14, 2007 9:19:46 GMT -5
Well as G. K. Chesterton said, "...if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly." You may want some help for the MLP project, though. I keep you in my prayers. Teskas
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Post by Teskas on Sept 19, 2007 10:55:11 GMT -5
With reference to the recent newsletter request for brainstorming ideas, what about giving away some nice bookplates with the launch?
Bookplates are not expensive, but book lovers enjoy them. Use some interesting element from the MLP logo or banner and incorporate it into an attractive design. I'm not suggesting this as an advertising avenue, so the design shouldn't seem in any way a commercial or product placement wheeze.
Also consider pens, post-it notes, bookmarkers, small notebooks. Many serious authors like to have small notebooks on them so they can scribble down a detail they see as potential for incorporating into a story.
Just an idea.
Teskas
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Post by Jeff Gerke on Sept 20, 2007 7:56:24 GMT -5
Good ideas, Teskas; thank you.
I'm getting some great ideas from folks like you in response to that message. Everything from T-shirts to wooden shields emblazoned with an original coat of arms. Awesome.
Jeff
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Post by pixydust on Sept 29, 2007 12:20:00 GMT -5
I'm still praying!!!
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Post by Teskas on Oct 1, 2007 21:40:26 GMT -5
Judging by Jeff's newsletter today, prayer has top priority. All those weird little, and not so little, events of the last month in the run-up to the MLP launch mere coincidences? I doubt it.
Last night, I ordered a copy of Jeff's The Bundle to develop characterization skills. As soon as I had downloaded one file, the window shut. I contacted Jeff who immediately helped me to get another crack at the full download.
Only in retrospect do I realize it was one more little niggle just hours before he was due to take MLP live. I'm sorry, Jeff. If I had known, you wouldn't have heard a peep from me.
I'll definitely be praying for your new venture. You must be doing something right to be taking so much hassle.
Teskas.
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Post by Jeff Gerke on Oct 3, 2007 14:40:07 GMT -5
Thank you, Teskas! So...that was you, eh. Now I know your secret identity. Bwahahaha!
It's funny, but as soon as I did manage to take the Marcher Lord Press website live, all the little harassments vanished. Bizarre.
Jeff
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Post by Teskas on Oct 3, 2007 20:35:28 GMT -5
Thank you, Teskas! So...that was you, eh. Now I know your secret identity. Bwahahaha! Drat! Sounds par for the course to me. I'd say it's essential to keep up the prayers for MLP, you, and your family. The Enemy is a sore loser.
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Post by pixydust on Oct 4, 2007 13:06:18 GMT -5
Typical. I'm still gonna keep praying, though. We never know what's arond the corner.
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Post by Kristen on Oct 8, 2007 18:47:51 GMT -5
OK, normally I go straight for the "skip this animation button," but you got me. The opening animation on www.MarcherLordPress.com, and it gave me the shivers. Honestly! Great stuff.
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Post by Jeff Gerke on Oct 9, 2007 9:58:52 GMT -5
Thanks, Kristen!
I've had people tell me to take the animation down ASAP. I even had one person tell me that Web businesses that fail have intro animations and those that succeed do not.
But I've had many more people tell me they love it, so it's staying. It perfectly captures the mood of what I'm trying to do with Marcher Lord Press. Besides, what's the point of having your own business if you can't do things the way YOU think they should be done?
Jeff
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Post by Teskas on Oct 9, 2007 21:05:05 GMT -5
Well, for what it's worth, here's my two cents worth about the MLP website....
The rule that a Flash intro to a website is to be avoided is only a general one. Uusually it applies in Internet retail sites, and some types of services. Creative sites--like MLP--can get away with Flash.
The animation on the site is in synch with the unusual type of product MLP is offering. It is a good animation, and I concur--it was a thrilling presentation. Graphics were great. Voice over a big surprise--no naff 'Valley' accents. (Where did you find a Welshman in Colorado?) Loved the script! (Gee, I wonder who wrote that?!)
All in all, a good marketing tool. I don't think it will be an obstacle to sales.
Question: Why are we in business? Answer: For fun and profit!
Most business people forget the fun part and focus solely on profit. Jeff is remembering the fun part of making money. Power on!
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Post by Jeff Gerke on Oct 10, 2007 14:08:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the good review and the tips, Teskas.
Jeff
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Post by scholar on Oct 10, 2007 18:49:51 GMT -5
Jeff, I like that animation. It would be a great trailer for a movie in my head "The Tale of the Marcher Lord." I think that it captures the concept of "where the map ends"; the furthest stronghold of civilization, pushing into new frontiers, into the unknown. It's great. My only problem was that I'm on dial-up. I had to wait for it to play through once with all the stops and pauses for buffering). But just a click to play it again, and, man, wow!! I played it several times just to appreciate it. The images, the narration. All good in my book. So I say: "Good job." I like the MLP website, too, by the way. It's easy to navigate, crisp, clean and uncluttered. Also good in my book. Jeff, may God go with you on this endeavor. May He guide you in your role as a Marcher Lord for Christian speculative fiction. (I think you are such, with the creation of Where the Map Ends, the Anamoly, and MLP, you are stepping out into that new frontier, offering a guiding hand, and blazing the way, for those who come after.) Have fun!
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