Tall Story - by Candy Gourlay - the World Premiere!!!

Huge excitement!!! - for my lovely writer pal, Candy Gourlay! Her debut novel for teens, TALL STORY, is being released in the UK on the 27th of May and in early 2011 in the US. And to give you a teaser of what Tall Story is all about, she's had a book trailer produced to whet your appetite!

I've known Candy for about six years, we've even met a couple of times when I've been in London. She is warm, bubbly, dedicated, a bundle of energy and totally wonderful. She has done so much to help her fellow writers and frankly, how she manages to fit everything she does into a single day, is beyond me.

I couldn't be more delighted to see anyone published, and I wish Candy immeasurable heaps of good luck and loads and loads of success as her writing career takes off. And, you can take this from me - Candy Gourlay is a writer to watch. Her words and stories are exquisitely crafted, her writing sings and her stories are magical. I know, because Candy and I are in the same critique group and I get to see the wonderful things she is doing.

And yes, of course, just as soon as I've read Tall Story, which I know I'm going to love, there will be an interview with Candy Gourlay on the blog.

Meanwhile, enjoy the book trailer - and pre-order your copy now - from Amazon.co.uk or, if you're not in the UK from The Book Depository!

Vanilla's PR Agency: Supporting the Little Guys

Flowers at Pot au Fleur

I’ve discovered a new Saturday morning treat. Instead of schlepping off to the supermarket with the ravening hordes, I’ve discovered farmers’ and organic produce markets. What a treat. Gone is the sterile shopping of the dreaded overpriced and impersonal supermarket and in comes the lively and fulsome experience of trading with growers and homebakers and cheesemakers and olive growers as I trundle around with my basket, sniffing and sampling and chatting. So, so much nicer! So much more real. This morning I came home with organic cauliflowers, spinach, cabbage and potatoes, goat’s cheese cheddar, mature cheddar, free range chicken, gluten free bread, farmer’s bread and Greek pesto. Yumyumpiggysbum! There is a lot to be said for supporting the little guys.

Breads, croissants, baguettes at Crocodeli

Fresh organic produce

Which reminds me – a while I ago I promised three different and very dear people that I’d “feature” them on ye olde blogge.

The first is my incredibly wonderful and dear counseling astrologer, Shirley. I have to confess that I used to harbour a certain amount of skepticism when it came to certain astrologers and mass astrology but Shirley has changed my mind. Her readings are so spot on as to be uncanny and she is so intuitive in her own right as to make her readings incredibly perceptive. Shirley is not a predictive “you’ll meet a tall dark stranger” kind of astrologer; rather she uses her skills for healing and guidance. Her readings can provide you with a “blue print” of yourself – revealing your personal foundation, how you relate to the world, the basis of your development. Her readings also observe trends and tendencies, and provide insights into you and your life patterns which can be helpful in finding clarity and direction. I always refer to Shirley as one of my guardian angels and just love her to bits. She is a remarkable, gentle and very special woman.

The wonderful thing about Shirley is that although she is based in Cape Town, she also does distance readings – doesn’t matter where you are – you can hook up via Skype or she’ll do a digitally recorded reading for you. And in September to early October this year she’ll be having a working holiday in the UK. If any of you would like to have a reading done by Shirley – and it is truly well worth it - please contact me and I’ll let you have her email addy. You’ll find my email address on my profile page.

The other person that the Vanilla PR Agency is supporting today is a very old friend who has recently found a new creative niche in creating exquisite beaded jewelry using Swarovski crystals, semi precious gemstones and sterling silver chain maille.

Claire and I met back in 1985 when we found ourselves stuck in the daily grind of corporate life. She’s a wonderful person with a huge heart who has overcome numerous personal crises including surviving what should have been terminal cancer.

Claire now lives in Sussex in the UK and sells her work through her website, thus making it accessible to all. Do go and take a look at the magic she creates at Moonlit Night Creations.

One of Claire's turquoise and chain maille creations

And finally, there’s Carien of Shoes of Flavour. I came across Carien at one of Cape Town’s many craft markets, where she was selling the most delightful beaded flipflops (thongs) and slip ons. Carien told me she had wanted to get out of the rat race and give something back to the community. So the wonderful thing about Shoes of Flavour that it supports social upliftment, and all the beading is done by women from the impoverished black townships. The sandals are bright, lively and funky – moreover, they’re really comfortable – just great for summer when the living is easy! Yes, of course I own a pair – mine are bright red!

Free Sex! Hot Sex! Sex Sells! AKA MARKETING 101

Blogosphere Network Map (image nicked off the internet not sure who to credit for this amazing image!)

THIS MAY BE A STICKY POST... but we likes a bit of controversy, now and then...

Recently some controversy about blogging has sprung up both here and here. Words like sycophantic, egotistic, inbreeding and jeering have all been gaily bandied about. And there's nothing journalists and marketing types like more than a bit of controversy. Why? Because it sells stuff. Want to market your blog or yourself - then get controversial, make it "hot" and watch the punters roll in. Sounds sarcastic perhaps. It's not meant to be. I certainly didn't expect as many comments as rolled up to my post on why bloggers blog.

See, if you want to market yourself or your work, as some do, blogosphere cannot be the only place to do it. Skint rightly pointed out that blogosphere works really well as a marketing tool if you're already a star or have a "hot/sexy/controversial" blog. Which means either the hard work's already been done or you have a shit-hot product that many want a piece of.

Thing is, you can never rely on any one medium to do your work for you. For another thing, in blogging, what exactly are you marketing? What's your USP - in plain English, your Unique Selling Proposition? What makes you or your words stand out, far above anything else, in blogosphere - or anywhere else? Is your product i.e. your writing, even good enough to stand out? What's your brand? Do you even have a brand? How original is it? What's your identifier, your look and feel? Why should anyone read your words over and above someone else's? What are you offering that no one else is (and how are you doing it in a fresh, new way)?

The problem with blogosphere is it's very big and very full (in May 2007 Technorati was tracking more than 71 million blogs). How on earth can you be assured that you will get noticed? You can't - unless you meet the above criteria - already a star, or flogging sex or controversy. And even then, you will draw a particular market or appeal to an already existing market.

Scott Westerfield, the YA writer, used MySpace to great effect to connect with his market. (His blog is now here.) Neil Gaiman's blog also allows him to connect with an existing market. The principle in both cases is called market retention and customer relationship management - both of which of course assume you already have a market and customers... Belle du Jour has used blogosphere to great effect to sell a call girl's story. Her success rests in the fact that sex sells (yep, it does!). But these people are few and far between the masses who blog - mostly, dare I say it, for fun! It also helps, if you want to be noticed, to be well-connected - particularly to people in the media who will promote your blog in the press. (Not what you know but who you know, remember...)

I started blogging because I wanted to explore and experiment with the marketing potential of blogosphere. (I also happened to have a mad chicken living in my head who was determined to get out and cause mayhem...). And I was, to put it simply, curious about the hype and the notion of people-driven websites. What I can tell you is this, unless you want to spend hours and hours surfing blogosphere, connecting with others, commenting all over the place, linking to the world and her husband, building up a humungous network, you are not going to build yourself a market in blogosphere. The investment in building that network is, in any case, likely to prove higher than the returns. So it becomes a no-brainer. Your ROI (return on investment) simply isn't worth it.

So, those who commented on my earlier post and said they blogged for fun or to meet like-minded people, they're the ones who actually get what blogosphere is about. You see, blogosphere is a social networking tool. And yes, sure, you can build markets through networking - all marketers do - but and this is a critical point, blogging is but one tool in what should be an entire arsenal of marketing tools. The reason Facebook and MySpace have been so successful is because they allow people to connect, share ideas, opinions and hobbies. Blogger, Live Journal, Wordpress, do the same - in a less overt manner.

So, you blog for fun. You might happen to be a writer. When your book is published you can tell all your blogging buddies about it. They may buy your book (or not). They may tell their friends about it - who may, or may not buy it. But, and here's the other thing, your blogging network is most likely not that huge (we do, after all, tend to hang out in like-minded social groups in blogosphere - just as we do in real life) - hence if your ultimate goal had been to sell piles and piles of books, you'll most likely be disappointed. You will sell books, you will connect to your market - but it won't be a mass market - in the traditional sense. Blogosphere may let you connect with a niche market but it won't bring you the opportunities for sales and promotion that more conventional marketing tools will bring you. Not unless you are willing to spend hours and hours at it - networking all day, hosting blogs on all the primary blog interfaces and generally giving up your life. The sensible approach says, don't put all your eggs in one basket, spread the risk, maximize your opportunities. Go and build a brand, define your USP, build a website, host a blog on it, advertise, do book signings, get some PR going, talk on the radio, write articles, get invited to speak at conferences, dish out bookmarks promoting your book, make yourself known through as many spheres as possible.

Of course, you could always start a splog - i.e. a blog with the sole purpose of spamming...

And then there's the really crucial factor. Ultimately, whether anyone buys your book, whether through your blogging efforts or any other marketing activity, depends entirely on the quality of the product (as is the case with any product or service) i.e. is it any good and/or does it hold mass appeal? You might think so (and your mother might agree with you), but others need to think so too. So, have you created a boy wizard who's parents were killed by the evil one? Or have you written about an alternate universe that stands on the back of a giant turtle? Or have you dreamed up a funny little Belgian detective with an egg shaped head...?

If not, as my good mate Debi says, accept and enjoy the fact that the kind of blogging we do is primarily about building mutually supportive communities (which can aid us in what we do). For now* that's what blogosphere is about - a social network. And, if anyone thinks that's sycophantic - well, you know what they say, "one person's opinion is just that, an opinion".

Now, I'm off to scratch the chicken's back in the hope that she will scratch mine...



* It's interesting to note that corporates are increasingly using blogs as part of their marketing arsenal - it's a means of talking to and connecting with their existing or new customers - but it's done through the company's website, in keeping with its brand and in conjunction with other marketing tools.

© 2007 Absolute Vanilla