In case you missed it, zombies descended upon San Luis Obispo, California in horde-like numbers.
I was taken aback by all the new people in INFECTED t-shirts, one of whom sold the shirt off his back to some tourists–I’m so proud….
What a great way to celebrate my one-year anniversary(ish) as a published author!
Now, without further ado, here are the shots from the event:
Don’t forget to check our Events page for future shenanigans.
Look out, internet. The world’s first cat font (umm, where the letters are… cats) is now unleashed upon you. As reported by Brian Ahscraft of Kotaku.com:
…the upper and lower case characters are called “Neko Font” (ねこフォント), which is Japanese for “Cat Font”. The two cats that appear in Cat Font are named “Raizou” and “Mondo”. They are adorable. The font is created from photos of these two furry friends.”
So, in order to increase the popularity of my books, the next one will be written in cat. Or maybe I should just release a cat version of INFECTED?
Want to write your own cat novel? Get started here: http://nekofont.upat.jp/index.html
But as long as we’re using the power of cats, here are the top 10 zombie kitten memes (yes, I know I should be working). Enjoy!
Is that ten? I don’t know. I’m too overwhelmed by adorable to count.
If you’re on facebook and love zombie fiction, today’s your lucky day.
Check out Zombie Fest Free ebook Bonanza, a facebook event open to the public and supported by numerous zombie writers, artists, and fanatics.
I’m giving away a few copies of INFECTED to lucky raffle winners, and countless others are doing the same. There’s even a free ebook you can download the day of the event (an anthology of short stories) to which I’ve submitted “Corporate Zombie“.
So, click the link, head on over to facebook, get some free gear, and meet some talented artists!
And while you’re there, give a LIKE to Click Your Poison Books! 😉
I’ve been following the progress of Deadly Walkers for a while now, ever since game developer Francesco Calvi contacted me to see if I’d be interested in some cross promotion.
Specifically, he asked if I’d be willing to create a series of ‘newspapers’ for the game detailing how a zombie outbreak might progress in London. It seemed like a neat project, and I’ve always wanted to work in video games, so I accepted.
The first two newspapers are out now:
You can read the full story as it’s released (there should be a new edition today) by clicking HERE.
And now YOU can support indie gaming too. They just started their kickstarter campaign this week, and for only $10 you’ll get a full copy of the finished product. Check out their full list of pledge incentives at the Deadly Walkers Kickstarter.
Support indie artists!
If you follow me on twitter, goodreads, facebook, or have checked out my “events” tab in the last month, you probably know I went to Ft Hood, TX for a book signing (Or, to be more accurate, I went to Texas for my sister’s wedding and scheduled a book signing around the same time. Congrats Melissa and Craig!). Well, for a self-published author, this was a big week.
Knowing it would be a 3-day signing event, but not knowing what to expect, I ordered 3 boxes of books (24 each) and brought the 10 I had sitting at home, just because I was feeling optimistic. So, with 82 books, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to leave too many at my parents’ house.
First stop was to our hometown newspaper, where I was interviewed. I’m still new enough to the game where little things like this are novel and exciting. If you like, you can read the article here.
Next stop? I’d heard that Hastings has a “local author” section, so I decided to give it a try and see if I could leave a few copies there. Much to my surprise, not only was I accepted at Hastings in Killeen, but I was placed on the “zombie” shelf right up front as well as out in the general “horror” section. Whoa! That in itself was a huge life event–my first brick-and-mortar store.
Then there was the signing. My sister Alison had the idea to dress up like a zombie on Saturday, and my other sisters soon caved to the peer pressure. After all, I offered a free t-shirt and a professional makeup job. I’d play Friday straight, have my zombies with me on Saturday, then offer a sale on Sunday in hopes of reducing my inventory. I needed to leave some books behind for Hastings, but not too many…
Friday, day 1: People were very receptive to INFECTED! In fact, I sold 21 books–almost a full box. Not bad, maybe I could sell the same on Sunday and try for a full 30 on Saturday when my zombies were with me. That would leave 10 books for Hastings. My nervous fears that I’d be ignored for three days were proving to be unfounded. I even met some very nice people who were excited for me to sign a book for either themselves or a zombie fan in their family. At lunch, my fortune cookie sagely reminded me:
Whoever wants to reach a distant goal must take small steps.”
Saturday, day 2: Thanks so much to my sisters–love you guys! The book sold like hotcakes. There was often a queue at my signing table, zombie fans eager for a book and a photograph with our crazy family. I sold 47 books. I had to tell my family members not to buy any for themselves, otherwise I’d be in danger of selling out. I had already dropped off 9 at Hastings, so I was left with only 5 left for Sunday… gulp.
Sunday, day 3: I sold out in about an hour. Boy, did I underestimate. I should’ve brought two more boxes at least. I think I could’ve hit Friday’s numbers at least, then I would’ve had some left over for Hastings after I left. Instead, I had to direct disappointed would-be customers to either this store or amazon.com. After checking with Hastings, turns out they sold out of my book as well–making it their #1 book for the week. Even beating out “50 Shades of Grey”! Granted, E.L. James wasn’t in Killeen promoting like I was, but it still felt like victory.
This was an appreciated confidence booster, and it was fun to be a minor celebrity for a weekend, but I still have lots of work to do before “Click Your Poison” is a household name. So what’s next? Of course there’s book #2 to work on, but I’ve also been invited to come back to Fort Hood any time, and I probably will. Maybe for book #2? Maybe around Halloween when the zombie craze is at its peak? In the meantime, I need to ship more books to Hastings and see about getting other stores out there to carry INFECTED. Maybe there’s a Big Week in California in my future? Who knows–but wherever life takes me, the future looks bright.
Thanks to all who attended!
Introducing the “Events” tab! See it up there? At the top; next to “Blog.” Go ahead, click it.
Now, whenever there’s a writerly event, you won’t have to miss out. Also, if you have an event and want me there, let me know. I’ll bring the party:
That’s me, with the proof of the book. INFECTED will be out in paperback just in time for Thanksgiving, and to give “Thanks!” to all my readers, I’m hosting a giveaway. And in the Holiday spirit, share share share this link: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Monday! It’s time for an important announcement. The impossible now becomes… possible–INFECTED is moving from being available only as an ebook. It’s growing up. Evolving. By the end of this month (probably right around Thanksgiving), there will be a paperback version. Just in time for Christmas shopping! Zombies… the gift that truly keeps on giving.
Granted, the ebook format lends itself to a more streamlined reading experience, and that will still be available, but there’s demand for a print edition as well. I know what some of you are thinking; it’s called Click Your Poison, what am I “clicking” in a paperback? Nothing, Captain Smartypants. The Click Your Poison brand stays, this is simply the “eAversion Version”. And as a bonus for this edition, rules for the Party Game are included along with a Reader’s Guide in the back of the book.
So stay tuned, zombie fans, because there will be a paperback giveaway for my blog followers upon release. Subscribe on the upper left and make sure you don’t miss out!
Indie writers have a bad rap. There’s a stigma that these authors couldn’t cut it in the real world of publishing, and therefore used the resources of the internet to bypass the gatekeepers of talent. Some writers, admittedly, deserve this stereotype. For your first story, you probably shouldn’t publish it. You should email it to friends and family for their enjoyment, ask for feedback from strangers online, and grow before you try to stake a professional claim.
But what about projects rejected for reasons other than talent? Those rejected because they are considered “not marketable”? Marketability is actually more important than talent to the business side of publishing. Don’t believe me? How else can you explain this? Sure, at some point, talent is marketability, but not always. You could’ve penned the best vampire novel ever written, but the odds of getting accepted by a publishing house are extremely low—the market is flooded with vampires and therefore it might be rejected based on marketability.
So they will kill your work before it’s even born, and it’s up to you to resurrect it. You have the power. It’s no longer “Can I?” but “Should I?” Short stories are a perfect example. You can’t market a single short story as a publishing house, but you sure as hell can self-publish it online as an indie author. And if it’s good enough, you should.
Which brings me to INFECTED and “Click Your Poison” books. No, it wasn’t rejected by a publishing house—it wasn’t even submitted to a publishing house—it was rejected by Hollywood. Back in 2008, INFECTED was a screenplay. It made some ripples in the pond, did well in contests, and even won me a little money. What it didn’t do was attract studio attention. Why not? It was good, I was told, but it needed to either be based on existing intellectual property or be a zombie musical rom-com. Read: Marketability. Not wanting to compromise my story, I shelved the project.
Cut to four years later and an idea to make a “Choose Your Own Adventure” series for grown-ups.* I knew right away that INFECTED needed to rise from the dead. A book where the reader can finally find out for themselves if they would survive the zombie apocalypse? Marketable! I believed this so much so, in fact, I decided not to even attempt the traditional publishing route. It’s the new Wild West in publishing, and that makes indie authors the new outlaws. But soon, very soon, “self-published” will no longer be a dirty word.
*Choose Your Own Adventure® is now a registered trademark of Chooseco, LLC, and is not associated in any way with Click Your Poison™ books.
For my own contribution, I’d like to highlight a drinking game I created for my gamebook, INFECTED. It’s Friday, it’s zombies, lets adult this thing up and make it a zombie stumble. You can play the book by yourself, seeing if you have what it takes to survive a full-on apocalypse, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun with a group too. The full rules have a permanent home on my page, but for those just visiting, the quick and dirty version is below:
1) Load INFECTED on your ipad, tablet, ereader, etc.
2) Pass the book in a circle, each person reading aloud until you reach a decision point, and decide as a group what path to take. Narrator has final say for that choice.
3) Chug every time you kill a zombie, take a shot every time you die.*
4) Try to survive.
That’s it! Enjoy. Annnnnd please be responsible.
*If you’re not of legal drinking age, chug Mountain Dew (Code Red) and take shots of hot sauce. Trust me, whoever’s parents are hosting the slumber party will love this idea.
If you’re into parties, this is a great way to start one. And what better season to give it a go than right before Halloween? Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the zombie walk!
PS — Not into parties? Take the high road here.
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