📖 lisa writes stuff issue 🖋️ #40 Marketing for dummies part 2
Also, this week: bookmarks, upcoming calls, and current publications
Dear Internet,
If you skipped this week’s AMUN (which is FINE), the anthology I’m in, Love on the Lakefront: Romantic Tales from the Great Lakes released yesterday! (You can find print and eBooks here! 👉🏻 https://books2read.com/loveonthelakefront. If you’re a bookseller or librarian, it’s on Ingram and Baker & Taylor.)
In the last issue of Lisa Writes Stuff, I mentioned swag to bring to the author signings primarily bookmarks. (I was also thinking stickers and magnets, but I can’t afford it right now.) I know! Bookmarks! It’s the 21st C!
Using Adobe Express (which I mention as this week’s Wonderful Thing in AMUN), I created two bookmarks; one for the book and one as a contact bookmark.
I had a lot of fun designing my personal bookmark and the bookmark was easy peasy. The QR code points to https://linktr.ee/heroineinabook so that the person can find me easily around the interwebs. I also created personal business cards with my contact info (name, email, phone) and the QR code as well. What I loved about creating my business cards in AE is that I had a lot more options than moo.com so I had a lot of fun.
The cards are fun and memorable. I was also able to order small amounts of the bookmarks (25 each) and of the business card (25) and the price was fantastic. For all three, after shipping, it was about $50. As I mentioned in AMUN, the company I used, environprint.com, is sustainable, environmentally friendly, and they plant trees. I’ll be using them going forward for printing needs.
Bookmarks made, business cards made, libraries and bookstores contacted, what else did I do? Oh! On release day I advertised across all my social media (a few thousand people) and other authors from the anthology also advertised. We’re having a book launch release party on Facebook on the Great Lakes Fiction Writers page starting at 11 a.m. EST. I’ll be answering questions and participating from 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. so come out and visit.
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Marketing is hard work. Designing is hard work. Admin stuff is hard work. So, how’s the writing going?
Well chums, not great.
I’ve become internet chums with AK Nevermore and we email at least once a day. I was bemoaning I had nearly 1000 words in my Maeve Fletcher story and nowhere to go. She gave me a lot of good ideas (which I saved, of course) and I was able to crank out another 400 the other day.
I’ve also missed the deadline for The Ekphrastic Review’s contest that ended June 30. The theme was write about a piece of art where the prominent color is pink. I loved this idea so much and I had so much time to write and time just got away from me. TER has an open calls in January, April, July, and October so I’m still going to write about a piece I picked that’s primary color is pink and submit it this month or in October.
I’ve narrowed it down to two pieces:
Pink Roses by Van Gogh (1890)
Santa Magdalena de Cristo by artist unknown (1732)
The story of Santa Magdalena de Cristo is interesting because it was a thing in Mexico and Spain for when the nun took the veil, a profession ceremony, a portrait would be painted of her wearing a crown of flowers. I fell in love with this version because of how stately and relaxed she looks.
I picked Van Gogh as well because, well, it’s Van Gogh. I have visited the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam and I’ve been to Arles many times. You could say I’m also drawn to him because of his mental illness. Like, I get it dude. I get the thunder and rain in your head and what drives you to create.
At the last in-person writer’s group, I spent the time researching both portraits and taking down notes but still nothing is sparking. I’m hoping that something will spark.
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There are a couple of calls coming up on the 14th and 15th of July. I’d like to be confident and say that I will get something in but right now, I’m not feeling it.
The final call I have on my calendar is for a queer story that’s due July 31. Other than being queer focused, the word count is 2000-6000 words. The idea I have is about a non-binary person who comes out to their boyfriend. They shave their head and wear lipstick. There is a lot to play with here so again, hoping to put together time!
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Finally, I applied to blog for International Bipolar Foundation some time ago (honestly, don’t remember when) and they accepted me! I’ll be writing a post a month and my first topic is on rage which is something I’ve written about before for Talkspace back in 2017
I’m also back writing graphic novel reviews for No Flying, No Tights. My latest piece for them is Crazy Like a Fox: Adventures in Schizophrenia. My next review, Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from my Bipolar Life gets published on NFNT on July 11.
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So, I am writing, just not writing fiction. Boo.
What Ms. Scarlet wrote about recently:
Ms. Scarlet has been busy and has not written a blog post in some time.
Submission update
78 submissions, including 63 rejections, 8 acceptances, 1 withdrawal, and 6 outstanding.
Publication
Anthology: anodyne magazine vol. 1 (“you self-medicate with cookies”)
Anthology: Love on the Lakefront: Romantic Tales from the Great Lakes (“Love in the Time of Cherry Season”)
lisa x