Publishing

Does networking make you want to vomit? I have the solution…

by Marian Schembari on November 10, 2010

For those of you who don’t wait for each tweet with bated breath, you probably don’t know what’s happening ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. And you should… Because it’s gonna be awesome….

Ready?

You sure?

Networking for word nerds!!!

Oh. Yuck…

Networking.

I’m with you. I hate everything about networking: I hate crowds, I rarely drink alcohol, I’m awkward at the best of times and I’m completely horrible at introducing myself to real people.

Online, I can network my little face off and have made so many wonderful and supportive friends by tweeting, blogging, Facebooking and, um, LinkedIning?

Anyway, online I never get awkward, or embarrassed. Online is my ‘hood. But, and I’ll be the first to admit this, there is no substitute for meeting someone in person. NONE. Thing is, unless I’m the speaker (I guess I just like telling people what to do), I won’t go to big events because I just can’t. I hide in the corner and pretend I’m texting, or will root around in my purse looking for something I don’t need. I drink gallons of water just so I have something to do with my hands, and on the rare occasions that I actually drink? Well, it’s not pretty.

The Creation of Word Nerd Networking

A little over a month ago I tweeted about this problem of mine. Only a few minutes after said tweet I got an email from one of my favorite online people, Steph Auteri. The email subject line was called “The Convergence of Awesome” and was a brilliant idea of hosting not just a networking event, but a speed-networking event so people are basically forced to talk to each other without feeling like they’re butting into a conversation. But it gets even better…

It’s specifically for people in the publishing industry – writers, editors, career changers, freelancers, you name it! We’re calling it Word Nerd Networking and I’m actually excited about it. Because – wait! – there’s more:

This speed networking is going to give you the chance to meet some incredibly awesome people. People you might not have met otherwise because you were standing in the corner texting. People who have been generous enough to give some of their time and expertise to sit on one side of the table, brains just waiting to be picked.

You will not get the chance to be in a room so full of Awesome again.

Who’s Gonna Be There

I’m so excited to meet Steph’s half of the group and apparently Steph has wet herself with my half. Ready for the reveal?

Marie Forleo. Yes, that Marie Forleo.

Sam Apple. Uh huh. Editor in Chief of The Faster Times, anyone?

We’ve got authors: Michael Elsberg, Dave White, Jeff Wilser, Jason Pinter…

We’ve got literary agents: Jason Allen Ashlock, Kate Garrick, Leah Spiro…

We’ve got editors: Iris Blasi, Amelia McDonell-Parry, Charlotte Roh and Genevieve Lill...

There’s more, but I’m running out of space and you can click here to see the whole lineup with their bios. In total we’ve got 24 people from all corners of the publishing industry. Just look at their pretty faces:

In New York? Get Over Here.

So if you’re in New York next Wednesday, November 17th I will be horrified if I don’t see you there. Horrified. This is an amazing opportunity to soak up the delicious knowledge of so many experienced publishing folk all in one place! Here are the specifics:

Date and Time: Wednesday, November 17, 7 – 10 p.m.
Location: Galway Hooker, 7 East 36th Street, b/w 5th Ave. & Madison Ave.

Tickets are also only $5. Which is, like, free.

Thing is, we’re hosting this in a bar and our 24 experts are gonna need some time to breathe. Maybe use the bathroom. This means spots are limited, so if you want in, you need to book asap.

So buy your tickets NOW. Click here to go over to the event page and reserve your spot (or click the pretty ticket button below).

Not in New York? Poop. Still, would you mind tweeting this out so your tweeps in NYC can have the opportunity to meet some bona fide publishing celebrities? Click here to tweet.

{ 37 comments }

Contest! Win a copy of Petty Magic by Camille DeAngelis

by Marian Schembari on October 13, 2010

I don’t do enough contests here, I know, so I figured it was high time to rectify the situation. I get so hopped up on social media that I often forget to blog about other things that make me happy. Like music and cupcakes and books.

Enter Camille DeAngelis.

Camille is one of my authors, but that doesn’t make me love her latest book any less. The woman writes stories I want to crawl up and live in – think Neil Gaiman but slightly more ladylike and lots more outspoken. Basically, Camille is the kind of author that reminds me why I’m in publishing.

I’ve already given away my copy of her latest, Petty Magic, because it’s so good I needed a friend to read it, so Camille has graciously agreed to give away a copy and one of the fabulous t-shirts she’s created at CafePress. Big prizes!

About Petty Magic

I suck at book reviews and, since I’m not in high school, I’m allowed to steal the synopsis from elsewhere. So thanks Booklist, for this great explanation of my new favorite story:

Evelyn Harbinger is a witch, but not one of those sinister ones with gnarled fingers and warts on her nose. She uses her powers for good, healing the injured and helping people fall in love. At age 149, she has enjoyed a life span nearly twice that of mere mortals. Though her typical appearance is grandmotherly and sweet, if Evelyn is attracted to a man, she can transform herself, albeit temporarily, into a voluptuous, thirtysomething siren. That’s just what she does when she meets Justin, who works at an antique shop near her sister’s bed-and-breakfast in [New Jersey]. Bright, handsome Justin bears an eerie resemblance to Jonah, Evelyn’s partner in espionage (and romance) when the two served the Allies during WWII. Evelyn begins to wonder whether Justin may be an incarnation of her late beau, who was killed during a raid. Critics have compared novelist DeAngelis (whose works include the acclaimed Mary Modern) to a modern-day Mary Shelley…

My (Glowing) Review

I adored everything about this book and read it lightning fast because not only was it compelling, but I’m a sucker for witches. Petty Magic is beautifully written and had this bewitching, old-fashioned feel, reminding me of fairy tales I read as a child. Except this time there is a slightly darker, more adult edge, which suited me perfectly. There’s a World War II back story, marionettes that come to life, a secret city and the most incredible antiques store ever. “Enchanting” is probably the best word to describe it.

So let’s go about giving it away. One lucky reader will receive a copy of Petty Magic and a t-shirt from Camille’s Cafepress store with the “slogan” of your choice. The main character, Eve, has some fabulous lines. My favorite: “I may not be all that picky, but I draw the line at the clap.”

How to Enter

Just leave a comment with your favorite childhood fairytale. Easy peasy. If you want an extra entry just his retweet this post and be on your merry way. A name will be randomly chosen this Friday, October 15th, so make sure to get your entries in before then! You can also just buy a copy of Petty Magic here.

I’ll start us off: My favorite childhood fairytale is/was The Lady of the Linden Tree. Given to me by my mother and still one of my all-time favorite books, Linden Tree is filled with obscure fairy tales and is, sadly, out of print.

So what’s yours?

UPDATE: Entries are now closed! And the winner is… Alison!! Thanks so much y’all for entering. Who knows, might do another contest soon ;-)

{ 57 comments }

Pardon My Bitchfest: Marketers who don’t get social media should just stay away

by Marian Schembari on May 5, 2010

I was recently hired to do some social media work for an author who is already set up on Facebook and Twitter. Before agreeing to take on the project I took a look at her profiles and saw almost 2,000 Twitter followers and 400 Facebook fans (sounds better than “likers”). My job would be to maintain and grow the fan base as well as engage the already established community.

However, once I logged onto her homepage I was bombarded with spam, which was when I realized whoever she had originally hired to take care of her marketing had completely screwed her over.

How is following spam useful AT ALL? Really. Answer me! I honestly don’t understand.

First of all, the author was following 2,000 people, all of whom promise their followers they’d “get rich quick,” “lose

Ugh. *Shudder*

20lbs overnight!” or “meet a special lady tonight.” Honestly, people.

Apparently, the other company she had hired were late jumping on the social media bandwagon. They assumed the most important thing was numbers, completely disregarding that those numbers would never buy her book because they’re too busy shouting over one another. Didn’t matter that those numbers consisted of spammers and porn. Add to that the fact that many authors don’t know the first thing about Twitter, this asshole company banked on her never knowing about their little spam attack. Unfortunately for them, I took over. Muahahahahahaaa!

Seriously though, I know there are sites out there that can get you thousands of followers for a “modest sum”, but I didn’t know that legit marketing companies use these services and then charge their clients an arm and a leg.

It’s more than just annoying though. What if someone checked out this author’s followers only to find porn? Not only does that not help her marketing plan but could actually ruin her reputation. It’s disgusting and I’m angry and going to write a very angry letter to this company on behalf of (now) my author.

Then there are my issues with auto-following…

As long as I’ve been on Twitter I’ve been under the impression that it’s just good manners to follow anyone who follows you back. But that’s how spam gets in your feed and spam is (obviously – see above) one of my biggest pet peeves.

Guy Kawasaki has this to say about it: “Ignore people who tell you that it’s the quality of your followers not the quantity.” In another article he writes this charming piece of logic:

“Follow everyone who follows you. When I first started on Twitter, Robert Scoble told me to follow everyone who followed me. “But why, Robert, would I follow everyone like that?” The answer is that it’s courteous to do so and because when you do, some people will respond to you and everyone who follows them will see this—which is more exposure for you.”

Sorry Pumpkin, but I disrespectfully disagree. Mostly because your tweets are crap. You tweet way too often and I honestly can’t be bothered to weed through your crap when I’m trying to find out what significantly more interesting (and yes, seriously “less important”) people are saying.

That being said, when I taught my mom how to use the ol’ Twitter, she whined for ages saying, “What!? I have to see what other people have to say every day? Can’t I just skip over the home page?”

As rockin’ as my mommy is, she had a slow time of learning the social part of social media. I get it though; she’s a busy lady and isn’t used to this newfangled promoting-yourself-by-connecting-with-people thing…

I’m really curious what you guys think though. Does my author deserve to get her money back? Should companies that use these methods be called out on their complete and utter lack of social media know-how? What about auto-following?

{ 34 comments }