Marketing & Promotion Archives » Page 22 of 27

Nothing for Money OR How to Diminish a Prize’s Power

September 29, 2009

After Blake Butler, editor of the print lit journal NO COLONY, posted an aside about publishing and Pushcart-nominating anyone willing to pay $650, Shya Scanlon called his bluff, and quickly rallied 65 people, each willing to fork over $10, to put together a composite of 150 word prose chunks. That’s 9,750 words by 65 authors, each with claim to 1/65th of a Puschart nomination. The entire point of Butler’s original offer, I think, was to comment on how easy it is to manipulate these sorts of literary prizes. In truth, anyone with anything published can be nominated for a Pushcart. All it takes is an editor willing to write your name on a piece of paper. And in a world of zero-overhead POD printing, anyone can be an editor. I hope that those in charge of choosing the Pushcart winner know how to filter out stuff like this NO COLONY…

Orange Alert! Caleb talks!

September 17, 2009

Blogs have two major purposes: 1) to serve their ego-maniacal masters (hopefully not my site), and 2) to alert the somewhat socially inept to trends befitting their interests (am I’m closer to this one). A couple years ago, Tim Hall directed me to What to Wear During an Orange Alert, which has consistently fallen into the latter category (wow, two uses of the word “latter” in consecutive blog posts. Pompous, I may be). When it comes to music, art, and literature, Jason Behrend’s Orange Alert delivers beautifully. So, in a weird mix of the aforementioned purposes, I’m here to tell you that Orange Alert has posted a new interview with yours truly (***creepy picture warning***). Among topics discussed: The Process for getting my work in front of faces (re: stalking) What kinds of books should be reviewed (re: hocking) Some of the music I’ve been listening to lately (re: rocking)…

Fans of Sideshow Fables

August 22, 2009

When Sideshow Fables creator Paul Eckert approached a group of writers (to which Paul and I belong) about creating a magazine of circus themed tales, I said a silent thank you on the behalf of all readers. He’s got it right, I think. Going about fanbase-building and marketing in the way that independent record companies have been doing for years is a wise move when falling publisher profits has become too common a story. It was at last year’s AWP Conference in Chicago when I heard a panel of small press publishers (I can’t remember any of them, I apologize) where one of the editors made mention of the indie record label model. The publishing logic having always been, we will make readers fans of authors. But, said the editor, why not make readers fans of the publishers? It seems obvious. And to do that, readers have to be able…

Charactered and Vain make for great reading

August 17, 2009

Vain Magazine could claim more ancestral lit zine origins than most. They have the staple bound cover of an indie mashup, the forward thinking mindset of an east coast glossy, the strong literary content of small press chap network, and the design sensibilities of art school college grad with trust fund comfort to keep his ideals high and his being higher. Writer, editor, designer, and 1000 more -ers, Richard Thomas, turned me on to Vain Magazine last year when his story, "Underground Wonderbound" graced its pages. I was impressed, not only with his story, but with the overall aesthetic appeal of the magazine. Too often, hand-stapled, small print magazines get the scoff. This one deserves some praise. Now, after all that build up, I'm here to let the ego shine. My story, "Charactered Pieces," appears in the new issue, #7, right now. I wrote the original version of this story…

Colored Chalk #9 now live. Heaven or Hell? We’re taking a vote.

August 2, 2009

Hard to believe we are already at issue #9. And the stories just keep getting better. This new issue is all about Heaven and Hell. From Richard Thomas, #9’s editor, and Colored Chalk staple: IS IT YOUR IDEAL HEAVEN OR UNBEARABLE HELL? One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor. One man’s trappings are another man’s freedom. What is heaven and hell to you? Is it brimstone and hooves opposing angels floating on ethereal clouds? Is it merely the eternal battle of dark vs. light, good vs. evil, right vs. wrong? Is it pushing a boulder up a hill day after day to no avail or having your liver eaten for eternity, each new dawn awakening to this horrible echo? Is it just a quiet moment of peace, that subtle bliss as you fall asleep or waking next to those you love? The writers in this issue of Colored Chalk all…

“A Trench…” now available (again) in the new issue of Cause & Effect

June 27, 2009

Last year I spit out a filthy little story called “A Trench is No Place for God,” reappropriated, for a good cause, from one of my novels-in-progress. The cause: the 2008 Nefarious Muse short fiction contest. And although this heavy little taste of that novel did not win, I am proud to say the good folks over at Cause & Effect recognized something redeeming and accepted it for their issue 12. Author’s note: This story fits snugly in a war-themed novel that I am working on, inspired by the Tom Waits song “Hoist that Rag.” During a 2007 writing intensive with the brilliant Craig Clevenger (The Contortionist’s Handbook, Dermaphoria, and upcoming-not-soon-enough, Saint Heretic) I reached back into this novel for a chuck I could modify as a stand-alone story. “A Trench…” was that chunk. The best part, Clevenger had some positive things to say (“I love the exchange, a "priest"…

New story up at Full of Crow

June 15, 2009

I have known Lynn Alexander and Aleathia Drehmer for a few months, just long enough to realize how much they truly care about art in all its forms. Both women have been past editors over at Outsider Writers Collective (where I met them), but have moved over to head the online lit zine, Full of Crow. My story, “Globe Valve,” is now live as part of their Summer 2009 flash fiction supplement, MiCrow (get it? Micro…). When Lynn approached me about submitting a story, I jumped at the chance. I have rarely worked with a more passionate editor. Author’s Note: I wrote this story specifically for Full of Crow, but intend to leverage it for an upcoming project (more on that in the coming months). On the surface, “Globe Valve,” seems a straightforward vignette involving two people who witness a jumper suicide from the balcony of a downtown condo. But…