Dear writer:
I don't just run the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop,
I'm also an attendee. I learn an amazing amount through attending sessions and networking with other writers.
Technology was a big
focus at the 2008 workshop.
There were several sessions
about online video given
by Steve O'Keefe and
John Kremer. Steve
taught how to easily
create a book trailer -- a
short video that
promotes your book in
the same way a movie
trailer promotes a film.
Steve motivated me to
create a book trailer for
my self-help parody, GUIDE TO PIRATE PARENTING.
John taught about using a video to drive people to your Web site. You can watch my two-minute video here, as well as at YouTube, AOL Video, Yahoo Video, Google Video, MSN Video, Blip.tv, MySpace Video, Amazon.com, Book Marketing Network and Pump Up Your Book Promotion. More than 600 people have watch it already, and I haven't even promoted it much yet.
One of the greatest benefits of a
book trailer is that it's an ad for
your book people can watch
before ever getting to your Web
site. I even added my book
trailer to my Facebook profile.
Another big benefit is search
engine listings. As soon as I
posted my video at the sites
listed above (all of which are
free), I had three of them listed
in the top-10 results in a
Google search for "pirate
parenting." Sites such as
YouTube and AOL Video are
so large, they improve your search rankings almost overnight.
When I posted my video on John Kremer's Book Marketing Network, I got an e-mail from Dorothy Thompson, who I knew from the Bombeck Online Discussion Group. Dorothy runs a service called Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations firm specializing in online book promotion. She creates book trailers and also manages blog tours for authors. I just hired her to run a blog tour for GUIDE TO PIRATE PARENTING starting on July 7. (If you'd like to be a stop on my blog tour, drop me an e-mail.) Dorothy's prices are some of the most reasonable I've seen and her work is a fantastic value. I'll let you know how the tour went in the next issue of this newsletter.
Dorothy is a great example of how networking pays off. GUIDE TO PIRATE PARENTING wouldn't have been published if not for networking. Three Bombeck Workshop attendees helped me turn my idea into a book. Joanne Brokaw, who I first met at a Bombeck Workshop years ago, helped me fine-tune the tone and approach for the book. She provided an honest
opinion when I needed it most. Matt Dewald edited GUIDE TO PIRATE PARENTING. Matt's an editor in UD's Office of University Communications, occasional English dept. instructor, and freelance writer and editor. If you're looking for a book editor, I'd highly recommend him.
You can contact Matt at dewald@gmail.com.
Finally, Peter Honsberger, who published my book, was at the workshop along with Rachel Fichter. Peter is president of Cold Tree Press, a POD publisher that recently changed into an independent, traditional, trade paperback press. Rachel is Cold Tree's Senior Editor.
They're a great group to work with and really know their stuff. They're responsible for the fantastic design of my book, both inside and out.
If you've created a video trailer for your humor book, let me know. I might include it in a future newsletter.
There's plenty more information below to help inspire you and jumpstart your writing career. So keep reading... and keep writing!
Tim Bete
author of Guide to Pirate Parenting
director, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, University of Dayton
Latest news...
WATCH GARRISON
KEILLOR'S
OPENING SPEECH
Watch portions of
Garrison Keillor's opening
speech at the 2008 Erma
Bombeck Writers'
Workshop.
Garrison talks about...
Cappy Hall Rearick sent in this
Garrison Keillor quote:
"When some people sit down to write humor, they adopt a giddy tone of voice, a whooping or comic warble, so that the reader will know it’s funny. It’s the writing equivalent of a clown suit. This does not wear well. Humor needs to come in under cover of darkness, in disguise, and surprise people. You don’t want to get that gdoing , gdoing , gdoing sound in your writing. It makes the reader feel sorry for you."
BOMBECK WORKSHOP ATTENDEE
STAND-UP COMEDY VIDEO
Watch ten minutes of great stand-up by attendees of the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshiop. Watch it now.
GETTING PUMPED UP
The Hair Theater Cheer Chicks got workshop attendees going through their unique brand of pep rally. Watch it now.
NATIONAL LAMPOON TAKES A "FRAT CHANCE"
National Lampoon, Inc., the most widely recognized brand in comedy, has acquired the college comedy script “Frat Chance” from the founder/creator of DrunkUniversity.com, Read more.
WRITER'S DIGEST EDITOR
REPORTS ON IAN FRAZIER
"[Humor] is something that you really can’t hit by aiming at it. It’s not like you can go out and get the facts and report them and now here’s a humor piece with the facts." Read more.
BEING AN AUTHOR IN HOLLYWOOD
Trying to make a living writing books is difficult, so a word of advice to anyone who’s planning a move to Los Angeles: Stay right where you are. Read more.
See news archive
Markets, contests and more
SEEKING HUMOR WRITERS: New Christian Voices is a new non-denominational Christian humor and lifestyle Web site looking for humor writers. Read more.
TRAVEL HUMOR CONTEST: Inkwater Press, in conjunction with Dave Fox, author of Getting Lost: Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad and Globejotting: How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals (and still have time to enjoy your trip), is looking for your most terrible travel tales. Read more.
WHAT'S COOKING: Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for stories about: cancer, cats, Christmas, dog, endurance sports, getting into college, high school, middle school, resolutions, seniors and retirement, stay at home moms and twins -- but not all in the same story. (Although that would be impressive.) Read more.
MONTHLY HUMOR CONTEST: HumorPress.com holds monthly humor writing contests with cash prizes. Read more.
PUNCHLINE MAGAZINE: Everything stand-up. Read more.
CARTOON CAPTION CONTEST: New contest every month. Read more.
FUNNY HEADLINE CONTEST: Can you write a hilarious headline? Read more.
Copyright 2008, University of Dayton
