gal-friday publicity welcomes Author Linda Bodo

I would like to welcome author Linda Bodo to gal-friday publicity. Linda has two published books and a third ready to come out. She is the consummate upscale DIY diva when it comes to recycling your household wares into works of art.
Her first book "Enjoy the outside" contained 15 DIY Al Fresco Encounters and was published by Holes Publishing in Edmonton. Her second book is titled "The ART of Upcycle- Repurpose, Reclaim & Redifine Leisure Time." It is also distributed by Holes Publishing.

Linda's books are available at all Chapters/Indigo as well as online, and she has been on many television shows, and she is a regular columnist for several magazines.

I'm looking forward to working with her for publicity for her great books. For those of you residing in Edmonton, you may recognize her unique leopard camper and her 100 designer rubber boots!

Check out Linda's books at http://www.absolutebodo.com/

Ottawa Author Brenda Chapman plays Bad Girl for Bloody Words X

Ottawa, ON- For those interested in murder, thrillers, bad girls, and yes, even forensic dentistry, the Bloody Words X Mystery Conference will be just their cup of tea. Canadian and U.S Mystery authors are converging on Toronto to celebrate 10 years of top notch mystery books and their authors.

 The conference, being held May 28-30 at the Hilton in downtown Toronto, has attracted special guests Giles Blunt, Deon Mayer and the Master of Ceremonies, Lynwood Barclay. Ottawa author Brenda Chapman will be sitting on the Bad Girls panel to discuss the characters in her new book In Winter’s Grip.

 “The character of my book, Maja, is a female protagonist who really pushes boundaries. That’s why I was thrilled to be asked to be part of the Bad Girl panel. It’s a chance to talk about what really makes women tick and how their roles in mysteries are gaining strength in the genre,” says Chapman, whose mystery In Winter’s Grip from RendezVous Crime is due out this September.

Brenda is no stranger to mystery conferences, and attends at least a few each year both in Canada and the U.S. She is the author of four books in the Jennifer Bannon mystery series for children. In Winter’s Grip is her first adult mystery and is already garnering accolades from other authors in her genre.

 “It is exciting to be part of the Canadian mystery writing scene during a period when our work is gaining national and international prominence,” says Chapman.

For more information about Brenda and her books visit: www.brendachapman.ca
For more information on the Bloody Words Conference X visit: http://www.bloodywords2010.com/

-30-

To book an interview please contact:
Rachel Sentes -Publicist
 780-270-1211   rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com                                 

Do you have a Publicity Platform?

I recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, to meet with people in my industry. It was an eye-opening and inspiring trip, and I am very glad that I was able to connect with key players in the Canadian publishing industry. My associate Brian Wood was gracious enough to invite me along on several meetings with editors at the major publishing houses, including McLelland & Stewart, Doubleday, and John Wiley, to name a few. And I also met with a few clients and freelance sub-contractors.

One of the common themes I heard about on my trip was the vital need for authors to have a publicity platform. If you want to play with the big kids, they need to know your name. When you submit to an agent or publisher, you need to have some media backing to boost your creditability. If you say you are an expert in the field, but you have nothing to show for it, why are they going to publish your book?

This is especially relevant in non-fiction. It's not just about the words anymore. It's about name recognition. Build your brand, publish the book. The two go hand in hand.

I receive many inquiries about proposals and query letters that are being sent to agents and publishers. Many of the notes I receive mention that they have been rejected anywhere from 20 to 200 times with little or no feedback on why they aren't getting anywhere.

One of the reasons I started my business was to make sure that writers had a place to go to have their questions answered when they submit their work. There is nothing more frustrating for a writer when after months or years of writing and submitting, you get rejection after rejection with no reason why.

Most literary agents and publishers simply don't have time to comment on any queries that are sent to them. Some agents only deal with A-list writers ( those that are in the media all the time), and publishers are limited on the number of new first-time authors that they can take on.

It's important to note that when you are putting a query letter and proposal together that it is not just about the book. It's about SELLING your book. You need to talk about all your media appearances, include links to your publications, MP3's, and PDF files so that the agent or publisher can get a clear picture of your work, and how much work you are willing to put into selling your publication. 

A Publicity Platform includes all the blog sites, websites, print media, and target markets that you have either appeared on/in, or that you plan to include when your book is published. Publishers aren't able to give every new author a publicist to get them started, so either it's up to you to do all the marketing, or you can hire a publicist.

Either way, you won't sell books if no one knows who you are or where your book is selling.

If you have a question about your proposal, I would be happy to give you some tips. If you are interested in putting a publicity platform together, consider hiring gal-friday publicity to get one done for you.

Feel free to email me at rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com

gal-friday publicity welcomes Author and Illustrator Mike Boldt

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to new client, author and illustrator Mike Boldt. Mike is very active as an illustrator of children's books, and his latest is titled The Gophers in Farmer Burrows' Field. He has plans for a second book and are excited to be working on this project!
Check out his work at http://www.boldtmanstudios.com/