Thursday, July 25, 2013

KC & A are off to the Mystery Writers Conference!



















Kimberley and Liz will be attending the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference this weekend. They will be on a panel tomorrow at 11:15 am and will be doing consultations with scheduled writers regarding their work. To finish it off, Kimberley will be hosting the faculty after party. Look for KC & A at the conference!

Pooja and Ethan are in Seattle for the PNWA!

KC & A agents are traveling the country this week! Pooja and Ethan are attending the Pacific Northwest Writers Association conference in Seattle, Washington this weekend. They will be doing one on one writer consultations and Pooja will be sitting on a panel.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Midwest Book Review raves about Yesterday's Echo!


Yesterday's Echo is a terrific thriller starring a protagonist who understands first hand deja vu. Rick's options are surrender, die or find the killer as his ex-peers salivate with a second chance to destroy him; the woman he loves he distrusts; and clues lead him to people who wants secrets kept buried along with him. Readers will enjoy Rick's investigation that also takes him back eight years. 

Run to Ground gets 5 stars from Tome Tender Book Blog!


I was hooked on this thrill ride from page one with its modern day grit, wicked-fast pace and web of subplots to get tangled up in! - Tome Tender Book Blog

Read the review here.


Elements of a Successful Book Trailer


My client, Joe Clifford, put together a guest post for Chuck Sambuchino's blog on Writer's Digest called "Elements of a Successful Book Trailer."

I've seen a few book trailers as an agent, but never one so well orchestrated as Joe's. A book trailer is another way you can draw interest in your projects; however, it's worth taking the time to do it well.

I always suggest that my authors "friend" Joe on Facebook. In terms of self-promotion and marketing, Joe is the best; he's an agents dream, and not just because he's terribly handsome (that's for you, Joe).

Joe believes in his work and it shows, which is very attractive to agents and editors.

Take a look at Joe's article on Writer's Digest by clicking here.  And don't forget to watch the book trailer and friend Joe on Facebook!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Elizabeth Kracht Interview On Writing/Publishing


I did an interview on writing and publishing with my client Peter Hogenkamp for his blog.  I'm currently shopping Peter's thriller manuscript ABSOLUTION.


When I signed Peter it was with the understanding that we had to get a website up and social media humming. Peter wasted no time and now actively networks to draw support for his work(s). 

Many writers aren't sure how to maintain a blog or social media, though they understand it's necessary in today's publishing climate. My interview with Peter is one idea for how you can draw interest to your blog. But small, daily contributions to Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets works just as well. 

To see my interview with Peter Hogenkamp on writing and publishing, click here.  

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Add Gunn's highly anticipated Transcendental on Goodreads!

Click here to add James Gunn's newest release, Transcendental to your to-be-read pile on Goodreads.

Transcendental, an epic, high-concept space opera, is a Canterbury Tales of the far future in which beings from many planets hurtle across the universe to uncover the secrets of the legend of Transcendentalism. Riley, a veteran of interstellar war,  however, is not journeying to achieve transcendence, a vague mystical concept that has drawn everyone else on the ship to this journey into the unknown at the far edge of the galaxy. His mission is to find and kill the prophet who is reputed to help others transcend. As the ship speeds through space, the voyage is marred by violence and betrayal, making it clear that Riley is not the only one of the ship’s passengers who is not the spiritual seeker they all claim to be.

As tensions rise, Riley realizes that the ship’s journey is less like the Canterbury Tales and more like a harrowing, deadly voyage on a ship of fools. Looking for allies, he becomes friendly with a mysterious passenger named Asha, who, like so many others on the ship, is more than she appears. But while she professes to be just another pilgrim, he comes to realize that like him, she is keeping secrets could be the key to Riley’s assignment, or might make him question everything he thought he knew about Transcendentalism and his mission to stop it.

This long-awaited novel is a grand space adventure of exploration, intrigue, redemption, and the universal spirit that unites all beings.  This is a real departure for Gunn, a novel of grand scope and high concept, a capstone to the career of this Grand Master of science fiction.


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Enthusiastic Review of SAVING LAURA!

Thriller writer Jim Satterfield



















Jim Satterfield's SAVING LAURA has received an enthusiastic review by thriller writer Peter Hogenkamp.

Hogenkamp says of Satterfield's thriller: If you are, like me, on the lookout for a fresh voice in the thriller genre, clear out your schedule for a few days and pick up a copy of Jim Satterfield's Saving Laura.

To read, Peter Hogenkamp's full review of Saving Laura, click here. 

To read more about Jim Satterfield and his work, click here.
Peter Hogenkamp holds a copy of Saving Laura.

Guest Blog: 'A Social Media Primer for Writers' by Peter Hogenkamp


A Social Media Primer for Writers


I heard the collective groan when you all read the title: 'Ugghhhhh, not social media.' But that’s okay, I understand that reaction, because it was the same reaction I had several years ago when I realized I was going to have to crawl deep into the belly of the social media beast. But I am here to tell you that—now that I’ve tunneled my way inside—it ain’t half bad. That is not to say that I didn’t have the occasional bump in the road, which is why I decided to dedicate this blog post to the issue to keep you tweeting smoothly.

But before we get to the how, let’s discuss the why. Why is it necessary to become a social mediaphile? Or, perhaps, before that: Is it necessary to become a social mediaphile? The answer is, of course, yes—unless you are Hillary Clinton or some other household name. (And you are not, because you are reading this blog—Hillary avoids it like the plague.) Okay, then, now that we have firmly established the need, let’s explain why. And the why is.... 1) no one knows who the heck you are, other than you’re mother, and she is expecting a free advanced review copy of your book; 2) social media feeds you a host of resources that will make you a better writer and help you find an agent and/or publisher; 3) the publishing companies expect you to do more and more (and more) of that promoting thing (you know, that thing many writers hate).

Okay, the long awaited how. Very simple. Create Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts if you don’t have them, and start a blog by typing Blogger into your browser and following the simple instructions. There are many other ways to utilize the Internet in general and social media in particular, but these four are plenty to get you going, and, if used well, they may be all you ever need.

1) Facebook:  Let’s start with the original, and still the best, in my opinion. Consider Facebook to be free advertising, because that’s what it is. Facebook allows you to reach hundreds—even thousands—of people at no cost. That’s free advertising. Even better, it’s free, targeted advertising because you select the people you reach, and they all have a vested interest in you because of your already established relationship with them. For example, many of your high school friends would love to buy your book, if they only knew about it. Facebook lets them know about your book, your blog, your website, and your upcoming appearance on the David Letterman Show (you know you want to!). As this is a primer, I will leave it at that, but suffice it to say that you can do a lot more with Facebook once you have learned the basics, and the best way to learn the basics is by Facebooking—yes, that is a verb.

2) Twitter: What the heck is a Tweet, anyway? A Tweet is short message (140 characters or less) that you send to your followers on Twitter. I know, I know, it sounds a lot like a Facebook post. But there is a fundamental difference, and it relates to the people who receive the message. A Tweet is seen by all of your followers, who, unlike Friends on Facebook, don’t need to be people you know. The advantage is that you can have many, many followers—tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands—who will receive any and all messages you send them, such as announcements about the release of your second book, an attached blog post featuring your new short story, or a picture of your daughter. Twitter is a great way to keep your fans connected to you between releases of your books, as well as a way to build up a loyal following before your first book is released.

3) LinkedIn is a network of professionals, and is quite different from Facebook and Twitter. I have had much success with LinkedIn as a consequence of the fact that many publishing professionals (agents, editors, publishers, reviewers, book publicists etc.) use it as means of networking. In addition, you can join large groups of like-minded professionals (such as The Fiction Writers Guild) and share your news, blog, stories, comments, etc., with the other 18,000 members, who, by virtue of their membership in the group, you can be sure are interested in fiction writing. I belong to an ebook group that has over 60K members, many of whom are very knowledgeable and willing to share what they know, so you can learn as well as get your stuff out there.

4) Blogger is a free blog creation and publication site, and is a must for the aspiring writer. (WordPress is another choice.) If you plan on being published in any venue, traditional or otherwise, you have to have a blog. But you shouldn’t be looking at it that way in any event. You should want to blog! If you have previously conceived notions about blogging, discard them and look at the discipline again. Blogging is a great venue to promote your writing, but it can be much more, such as a way to network with other writers and readers, a media to experiment with different genres and writing styles (I use a much lighter and hopefully more humorous tone in my blogs), and a great way to build your audience and readership.

In a future post (on http://www.phogenkampvt.blogspot.com) I will discuss more advanced uses of social media to include reach amplification sites that can get your work seen by many eyeballs, but first things first. And remember that the best way to build a platform is through good content, not widgets or gimmickry. I will end here and hope I leave you wanting more (and I need to weed my asparagus bed). Thanks for your attention; please check out my author website at http://www.peterhogenkamp.com. And thanks again to my fantastic agent Liz Kracht for giving me this opportunity. If you are interested in learning more about Liz (and you should be) watch my blog for a soon to be published interview with Liz. Ciao.