Category: Marketing & Promotion

Today, Charactered Pieces officially goes on sale after an absolutely amazing pre-sale period. I can’t thank enough the many people who have traded their hard-earned cash for these bound words of mine. Due to such generosity, I have decided not to use the money to purchase a new Lay-Z-Boy for the PETA compound. They will get a used chair instead. The remaining money goes toward R&D for more painful ways to stub toes. It’s a cause that is close to my heart.

Charactered Pieces is available to purchase in two formats:
1) a perfect bound print version: $7.00 US
2) a .pdf eBook version: $2 US

Either of which can be purchased by visiting the Outsider Writers Collective purchase page.

Now starts the real struggle: getting as many eyes as possible on those pages. I’m truly, honestly, non-fakingly proud of every word in this collection. For that reason, I want to reach as many people as possible (I assure you, I make next to no money on these books, so my motivations lie solely with readers, not sales).

After reading the collection, should you be so kind as to post a review or even a few comments, somewhere (your person blog, a lit mag site, GoodReads.com, your MySpace or Facebook page, or Amazon.com – where the book should be available in the coming weeks) send me a link to the review (or, in the case of a print periodical, a note about your review’s publication) and I’ll respond with an embarrassing picture of myself. I am aware that that pictures of me are among the least desirable images in the history of photography, but come on. Alright. Come on.

You could get:

• Dressed as a Ninja (in high school)
• White body, kinda skinny on the beach
• Still white body, but kinda chubby on the beach
• Dreadlocks afraid of the camera
• In junior high, doing the splits in crazy short shorts
• or one of many more…

The pictures are yours to do with what you wish. I only ask that should you post them publicly, you do so with an as funny caption as possible. Or if not funny, just make fun of me.

Finally, should you be interested, check out my few words on the cover design, over at ArtJerk.net. Here’s what ArtJerk is all about:

Art is not art without an audience. Our goal: to wax some visual intrigue and give it (or promote its already established) audience.

We are a small group of friends with a passion for dissecting and understand our surrounding visual accoutrement. We may pull pieces from local galleries, art shows, the internet, and perhaps a few nooks and crannies, too.

A few of you know how unbelievably happy I am to say this. The rest of you will likely get tired of me saying this: my story chapbook is now officially available for preorder! Books will ship around November 16th.

All preorders will receive a copy of the book, along with the following:

• A (very) personal inscription. Note the specific name you would like the inscription made out to in the PayPal comments area. Also, note my use of the word “very;” I warn you: you may be disturbed by what I write. If you would rather a flat-signed, or “clean” copy, note that in the PayPal comments area as well.
• A picture of me signing the book (so there are no Antiques Roadshow conflicts 90 years from now)
• As part of the made up LUNGS FOR READERS program, each preorder will smell of delicious ACID cigars. Trust me, even if you don’t like cigars, you’d love the smell of ACIDs. Imagine if cinnamon and Italian food had a veal baby*. Think of this, too: OW Press is mailing these out in the middle of Winter (where I am, anyway), meaning that I have to sit outside, freezing, to bring you the smell of these cigars. My pain, your gain.
• Whatever other fun stuff I can find to cram between the book’s pages

That’s all the bulleted aspects above and 63 pages of some quite fantastic writing. How much? you ask. $7. Seriously, OW Press and I don’t make any profit on this (unless hundreds of copies find their way into the world). You are buying love. Money goes back into making more books.

Preorder now. I only get to touch the books once, so I can’t personally inscribe after the initial round of inscriptions. Unless we meet awkwardly in public somewhere. Hint: I’m the guy in the trench-coat…

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS Feed. I don’t only whore myself, as you’ve seen here. Check my archives; I post interesting stuff too.

*Drew Estates (the makers of ACID cigars) don’t endorse me in any way. They goddamn can if they want to, though. This is an official offer: I will become (continue to be?) a Drew Estates whore if I get some free cigars.

Coming soon(ish): CHARACTERED PIECES by Caleb J Ross. Neat!

I’ve done a lot of work for Outsider Writers Collective over the past year, so I can vouch for all of the energy that goes into their chapbooks. Well, into their first chapbook, anyway (CHARACTERED PIECES is only the second OW Press book). I did some editing and the cover design for the first book, ANTISOCIAL by David Blaine. Now, it’s my name on the cover.

A chapbook, for all who may not know, is the e.p album of the writing world, acting as a taste medium of things to come. CHARACTERED PIECES will consist of eight stories, four of which have been previously published (in print journals, so not many people have read them).

More than most things in my life, I am damn proud of this collection.

The print-run will be small (likely, beginning with 100 copies). I beg you to buy a copy, not only to satiate my ego, but to help ensure OW Press is able to produce more chapbooks. OW Press operates on a zero profit model for the time being, putting all book sales monies back into the press. I state this to assure you that nobody at OW Press lights twenty-dollar Davidoffs with your money.

More to come, including pre-order information, the final cover design, and probably a few giveaways. If you haven’t yet subscribed via RSS or signed up for my newsletter, now is a great time to do so. I’m not exactly sure what is to come, but I know it will be great.

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