What's on your mind?

[Swagnarok]

What does one have to do to promote a book? I assume reality differs slightly from how Slider imagines it.

It's advertising, basically.

Before the book ever published, I posted about the book constantly, letting people know what my progress was, for example:
https://academy.realelvish.net/2017/03/ ... -complete/
https://academy.realelvish.net/2017/04/ ... cover-art/

I also posted on Facebook about it with my dreamingfifi page:
https://www.facebook.com/dreamingfifi/p ... =3&theater

Now that phase is over, and I'm doing things like this:
https://www.facebook.com/dreamingfifi/p ... 9892729363
I messaged the admins of a bunch of Tolkien-related Facebook groups to see if they would be willing to let me promote my book on their page, and all of them agreed. So, I wrote elevator pitches for my book and posted them on the groups.

I've also e-mailed a few nerd-news websites about my book, but I haven't heard back from them yet.

Yesterday I went to the local table-top gaming/comic books store and they agreed to buy one book to see if it would sell. When I receive a few more copies of the book I'll take them to local bookstores and see if they'd be interested in selling one.

After that, I'm going to start going to sci-fi conventions as a speaker and vendor, selling my book and doing short transcriptions with calligraphy pens.

One shot in the dark thing I'm going to do is send a copy of the book to Stephen Colbert, famously a rabid LotR fan, signed with a note saying "To a fellow fan, The Neo-Sindarin word for 'truthiness' is *Thannassuias." If I'm super lucky, he'll make a one off mention of it in one of his shows. At the very least, I'll amuse an intern sorting through fanmail.

Another thing I'm going to do is start posting more poetry in Sindarin on fanfiction websites and include "Wanna learn how to do this? Buy my book!" I'll also review fanfics with advice about Elvish usage and send people to my website, where they will be able to buy my book, as well as make use of the thousands of names and phrases.

Another thing I'll be doing is making a series of short videos on youtube about the meanings and pronunciations of various names from Tolkien's books and include little ads about my book.

So, basically, "promotion" is just making sure lots of people know that something exists, so that the few who are interested in it will seek it out and buy it.

Will you be attending DragonCon 2017 to set up a booth and promote your book? Because I plan on going in September and it'd be cool to meet another DCTP forums user in person.

[Shiromi]

What does one have to do to promote a book? I assume reality differs slightly from how Slider imagines it.

It's advertising, basically.

Before the book ever published, I posted about the book constantly, letting people know what my progress was, for example:
https://academy.realelvish.net/2017/03/ ... -complete/
https://academy.realelvish.net/2017/04/ ... cover-art/

I also posted on Facebook about it with my dreamingfifi page:
https://www.facebook.com/dreamingfifi/p ... =3&theater

Now that phase is over, and I'm doing things like this:
https://www.facebook.com/dreamingfifi/p ... 9892729363
I messaged the admins of a bunch of Tolkien-related Facebook groups to see if they would be willing to let me promote my book on their page, and all of them agreed. So, I wrote elevator pitches for my book and posted them on the groups.

I've also e-mailed a few nerd-news websites about my book, but I haven't heard back from them yet.

Yesterday I went to the local table-top gaming/comic books store and they agreed to buy one book to see if it would sell. When I receive a few more copies of the book I'll take them to local bookstores and see if they'd be interested in selling one.

After that, I'm going to start going to sci-fi conventions as a speaker and vendor, selling my book and doing short transcriptions with calligraphy pens.

One shot in the dark thing I'm going to do is send a copy of the book to Stephen Colbert, famously a rabid LotR fan, signed with a note saying "To a fellow fan, The Neo-Sindarin word for 'truthiness' is *Thannassuias." If I'm super lucky, he'll make a one off mention of it in one of his shows. At the very least, I'll amuse an intern sorting through fanmail.

Another thing I'm going to do is start posting more poetry in Sindarin on fanfiction websites and include "Wanna learn how to do this? Buy my book!" I'll also review fanfics with advice about Elvish usage and send people to my website, where they will be able to buy my book, as well as make use of the thousands of names and phrases.

Another thing I'll be doing is making a series of short videos on youtube about the meanings and pronunciations of various names from Tolkien's books and include little ads about my book.

So, basically, "promotion" is just making sure lots of people know that something exists, so that the few who are interested in it will seek it out and buy it.

Will you be attending DragonCon 2017 to set up a booth and promote your book? Because I plan on going in September and it'd be cool to meet another DCTP forums user in person.

Georgia is really far from Montana, and they aren't accepting any more applications for vendors or panelists, it looks like. The farthest con I'm doing so far is Omentielva Otsea in San Fransisco. When applications open up for next year, I'll give DragonCon a try. It looks like a really busy one, so I don't know if I'll be able to get in. Competition for these big cons is really high.

[k11chi]

I'm reading Hate Begins at Home (translated as something like "the Seed/Harvest of Hatred") by Joan Aiken and I'm not sure if something's been lost in the translation process but it's just ridicilously hard to follow. Aiken probably was one of those writers who intentionally wrote hard-to-read literature (also, like 400 pages but only 7 chapters+the prologue.. I hate long chapters...), but some sentences seem out of place. Anyway, there are so many parts where she could have put another chapter number there for the readers but didn't. She just pressed Enter/whatever and continued on to the next part of the story, multiple times in the same chapters...

[Iwamoto Yuri]

Hope my papers aren't stuck in limbo. I've not heard anything yet...

[LadyCider]

Someone please tell me if it's ok to read Homo Deus before reading Sapiens?

[Raspbryl]

I just put out a new special. I've been told its actually kinda alright if somewhat audio drama-y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzNP8sO90oo

[Swagnarok]

Congrats to Labour in dethroning the Tories. Now if only the new government remains committed to making the Brexit happen...

[Iwamoto Yuri]

Hope my papers aren't stuck in limbo. I've not heard anything yet...

They might actually be stuck in limbo...

[Raspbryl]

Congrats to Labour in dethroning the Tories. Now if only the new government remains committed to making the Brexit happen...

I wouldn't count on it being a clean break.

[Iwamoto Yuri]

Congrats to Labour in dethroning the Tories. Now if only the new government remains committed to making the Brexit happen...

I wouldn't count on it being a clean break.

I'm hoping it's not, but if Europe continues to be a wuss it might be.

[Stopwatch]

Congrats to Labour in dethroning the Tories. Now if only the new government remains committed to making the Brexit happen...

I mean, Conservatives can't reach a majority on their own, but they're still the largest party so I'm not sure "dethroning" is the word to use here.

And the only party against Brexit (or at least for a redone referendum) is Lib Dems who only have something like 12 seats. All other parties have committed to Brexit, it's just *how* it's being done that differs. Conservatives originally wanted hard Brexit but with them losing their majority and likely being forced to ally with DUP (who want a softer Brexit to maintain at least travel rights) it seems less likely hard Brexit is the way it'll go. Of course, we'll have to see what deal the Conservatives and DUP come up with and see about a cabinet reshuffle before negotiations for article 50 open up but currently hard Brexit seems off the cards. Brexit will definitely occur in some form though.

(EDIT: And yeah, I voted Remain so I would definitely prefer the softest Brexit possible whilst still respecting the rights of those who voted to Leave.)

(Second EDIT: And DUP wants a soft Brexit because they're a Northern Irish party who obviously doesn't want to break connections with the Republic of Ireland but they campaigned to Leave the EU iirc so yeah.)

[Raspbryl]

All I want.... is a cheeseburger.... and universal healthcare.

[Iwamoto Yuri]

My papers arrived today so next week I can finally file for my visa \o/

[Swagnarok]

Man, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2 still has the magic that made the first season so epic. And now it's about to end, at half the length of the first...

[Iwamoto Yuri]

Filing for my visa tomorrow and I'm pretty nervous...

Also this:
https://youtu.be/9Wd9WxS5_nc
So epic...