Posts tagged ‘free’
Free Writing Contest at WritingRoom.com: Enter to Win Publication, Marketing and Cash Prizes
Remember WritingRoom.com’s 2009 Author’s Choice Contest is approaching its deadline, and all you need to enter is a manuscript. Register for free, upload your manuscript, shoot them an email with your entry, and mail three copies of your book to their screeners. Then you’re entered for a chance to win publication, marketing and some serious cash — it’s that simple!
The contest is designed especially to help aspiring novelists achieve their goals of success. The top 10 winners will receive help from acclaimed bestselling author Jon Land (The Seven Sins, one of the Library Journal’s Top Five Thrillers of 2008)to improve their manuscripts.
The top three winners will have their manuscripts published, marketed and promoted. In addition, one Grand-Prize winner will have their book read and considered by one of the top New York literary agents, Loretta Barrett and a traditional New York publisher.
It’s free to enter, and the only cost involved is that you have to foot the bill to order and ship three copies of your book for the judges’ review. Below are a few of the details concerning the contest, but you can read all the details about how to enter the writing contest on PublishingRoom.com.
2009 WritingRoom Author Choice Contest:
- Contest Start Date: Feb. 1, 2009
- Submission Deadline: May 18, 2009
Publishing, Marketing and Cash Prizes:
- Top 10 finalists will receive advice, help, and guidance from the judges to help improve quality and overall marketability of their books to a wide audience. The judges that will provide the advice know a thing or two about writing: 1) guest judge Jon Land, and 2) Lindsay Preston, CEO of WritingRoom.com.
- Third Place and Runner-Up Winners receive Publishing Packages valued at $600 (Third Place) and more than $1,000 (Runner-up), in addition to the book marketing campaign from WritingRoom.com, including a regionally-distributed press release and local media coverage. Let’s not forget the cash prizes either: $100 for Third Place and $250 for the Runner-up.
- Grand-Prize Winner receives: (1) Publishing Package with PublishingRoom.com valued at more than $1,000, (2) book marketing efforts by WritingRoom.com including a nationally-distributed press release, local media coverage and video interview with WritingRoom.com, (3) cash prize of $500, (4) read and considered by a top New York literary agent, Loretta Barrett, and last but not least (5) read by top editor Eric Rabb of Tor/Forge books.
Don’t let the WritingRoom.com contest pass you up without first submitting your book. Read the official contest rules and guidelines, and then enter for a chance to get read, get your book recognized by the press and win some extra money.
Shvoong.com: Write Book Reviews & Summaries for Extra Money
Surfing the Internet this week, I discover this great site where you can post brief reviews on anything interesting and earn money while you write. How many of you are currently using Shvoong? Because if you’re not and you like to share your opinion with others, you should, and here’s why:
- Registration is free to everyone.
- You write and post about anything you want.
- You can write as many or as few reviews as you want.
- Millions of visitors can read your stuff.
- Shvoong is available in 34 different languages.
- Writers from all over the world join.
- Shvoong pays 10% of its advertising revenues to the writers.
- The more your review is read, the more you earn!
It’s a straightforward concept, don’t you think? Join, write, promote your content using social networks, bookmarking or Yahoo! Answers, and then earn some extra dough in the meantime.
Not unlike Helium.com when it comes to the approach to articles, where Shvoong.com differs is the variety. You don’t post facts, you post your opinions, you use your own voice, and the more compelling your tone and articulate your opinions, the more money you earn from the visitors who read your reviews.
Definitely check out Shvoong.com, and hone your writing as well as your reviewing skills. Plus, you may want to direct your own readers to the site in order to post a review of your own book, getting you a little more visibility and keywords on the Internet.
Join Shvoong.com and start writing>>
Learn more about earning money with Shvoong.com>>
More About Shvoong.com
Shvoong is a global web 2.0 knowledge sharing platform that provides readers Short and Instant Knowledge, via Summaries and Short Reviews on a variety of subjects. Available in 34 languages and attracting millions of visitors and writers from over 160 countries, anyone can join Shvoong, write about books, movies, websites, and academic topics, and earn royalties.
Reminder: Post Feedback on Wordclay Titles by April 30th for a Chance to Win Free Books
Really, the blog challenge is that simple. It’s free to submit your review, and you have the potential to win a printed copy of your favorite Wordclay self-published book. Simply post a comment to this blog that details the author and title of your favorite Wordclay publication, along with a brief (100 words) explanation of why you made your choice.
Spare five minutes to write your blurb about a Wordclay book, and next month you could have a copy of a great title for free (standard shipping and handling is included), so don’t be shy. Post your review or thoughts on one of our titles before April 30th (deadline has been extended) for a chance to win a printed book that you’ll be proud to feature on your coffee table or bookshelf.
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CONTEST DETAILS
Start: March 20, 2009, 12:01 a.m. EST
Deadline: April 30, 2009, 11:59 p.m. EST
Prize: Single printed book copy of your selection
Submission: Post the full title, author name and your personalized blurb of the book you’re nominating for serious consideration by the judges. Blurbs should not contain special formatting and can be no longer than 100 words.
Contact Info: After submitting, send a copy of your submission as well as your full name, e-mail address and mailing address (no PO Boxes) via e-mail to blog@wordclay.com.
Notification: The winner will be notified via e-mail the week after the contest ends, at which point the book selection will be printed and mailed to you with standard shipping immediately.
Shipping: Winning book will be send using standard shipping methods, whose cost will be covered by Wordclay for the purposes of this contest.
Conditions: Nominations must have Wordclay as the publisher without exception. Authors cannot nominate their own books, and any individual suspected of favoritism beyond the content and quality of a book will be immediately disqualified. Only the first nomination per participant will be considered, and all other nominations will be dismissed. One person may nominate more than one book, but each nomination must be submitted as a separate blog comments and entry for consideration.
Contest Terms: Wordclay will judge the contest solely at our discretion, and we reserve the right to disqualify suspect entries at any time. Each entry will be judged fairly based on sound argumentation, testimonials, personal experience, truth of statement, writing quality and passion for the nomination in question.
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Seriously, there’s no risk, and five minutes of your time could win you a book to share with friends or read again and again over the years, so submit your nomination for a chance, let our authors know what you think and win a free book in the meantime.
Wordclay Blog Contest: Post Feedback for a Chance to Win a Free Book
This month’s blog challenge is simple, free and has the potential to win you a printed copy of your favorite Wordclay self-published book. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to post a comment to this blog that details the author and title of your favorite Wordclay publication, along with a brief (100 words) explanation of why you made your choice.
Entering is just that easy. Spare five minutes to write your blurb about a Wordclay book, and next month you could have a copy of a great title for free (standard shipping and handling is included), so don’t be shy. Post your review or thoughts on one of our titles before April 20th for a chance to win a printed book that you’ll be proud to feature on your coffee table or bookshelf.
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CONTEST DETAILS
Start: March 20, 2009, 12:01 a.m. EST
Deadline: April 20, 2009, 11:59 p.m. EST
Prize: Single printed book copy of your selection
Submission: Post the full title, author name and your personalized blurb of the book you’re nominating for serious consideration by the judges. Blurbs should not contain special formatting and can be no longer than 100 words.
Contact Info: After submitting, send a copy of your submission as well as your full name, e-mail address and mailing address (no PO Boxes) via email to blog@wordclay.com.
Notification: The winner will be notified via e-mail the week after the contest ends, at which point the book selection will be printed and mailed with standard shipping immediately.
Shipping: Winning book will be send using standard shipping methods, whose cost will be covered by Wordclay for the purposes of this contest.
Conditions: Nominations must have Wordclay as the publisher without exception. Authors cannot nominate their own books, and any individual suspected of favoritism beyond the content and quality of a book will be immediate disqualified. Only the first nomination per participant will be considered, and all other nominations will be dismissed.
Contest Terms: Wordclay will judge the contest solely at our discretion, and we reserve the right to disqualify suspect entries at any time. Each entry will be judged fairly based on sound argumentation, testimonials, personal experience, truth of statement, writing quality and passion for the nomination in question.
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Seriously, there’s no risk, and five minutes of your time could win you a book to share with friends or read again and again over the years, submit your nomination for a chance let our authors know what you think and win a free book in the meantime.
Self Publishing Blog 2.0: We’re Back & Better than Ever…
Loyal subscribers and readers, as you may have noticed, our self-publishing blog dropped off the radar for a week or so during our redesign, but we’re here to announce the launch of our newly designed writing blog: freeselfpublishingblog.com.
Of course, our bloggers will continue to post the latest publishing news as well as information that may be of interest to authors and emerging writers within the publishing industry, but we also wanted to update you on our newest development.
In addition to the weekly writing tips and prompts (located on the sidebar), we’re now implementing a creative (and hopefully quite fun) weekly assignment, at which time writers and authors will be challenged to head out into the world and perform a mission.
For example, one mission for authors may be to submit a photograph of their book in a tree. One picture would then be selected and posted on the blog along with your book information and a link to order it (or to your Web site or blog). Don’t worry, it’s all good, clean fun, and you may just get a snazzy book plug out of the brief adventure.
Should you yourself have an idea for the blog or a suggestion for a future post you would like to read, feel free to leave a friendly comment below that details your proposal, and I’m sure our bloggers will be happy to implement or write on your topic of interest.
Thanks for bearing with us during this development, and we hope you’ll submit your challenges (as well as ideas for future challenges) to our bloggers in the near future!
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing out.
TheAuthorsEdge.com: Online Book Marketing Tips & Blog
Back from temporary holiday hiatus, the Wordclay team would like to inform authors of invaluable book marketing resource, TheAuthorsEdge.com, where you can learn how to effectively promote your books on the Web and earn significant royalties as sales increase.
Marketing your book online may seem like a daunting task — you may not even know what terms like SEO or Web crawling or organic traffic mean — but Chris Simeral of TheAuthorsEdge.com can definitely help you turn your published book into a success story with his straightforward, simply online marketing strategies.
For starters, his numerous free video tutorials not only explain the importance of various online marketing techniques, but also show you, the author, how to easily implement these Internet techniques. From the very basics of book promotion to seemingly more complicated publicity issues, Simeral explains all.
Find more of his tutorials on his website or YouTube.com.
But that’s not all. Simeral also provides podcast interviews with other marketers, who provide different perspectives and even more tips. Additionally, he manages an Online Book Marketing blog, which is consistently updated with a wealth of publishing news and insights that are sure to help any emerging writer sell more books.
Take five minutes, subscribe to his blog today, download one of his many informative author promotion packets for free, and enact a simple, foolproof book marketing plan that’s bound to increase your Internet visibility.
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.
Creating & Promoting Audio Books: Voices.com & Voice123
It’s no secret that audio books are a thriving business for authors, and if you’re already publishing a book, why not look into having a voice over talent record your manuscript for audio publication?
Think about it. Millions of people listen to podcasts and books on their morning commutes and even in their offices as they peck away at the keyboard. Making your audio book available can really get a great buzz going about your book. Even if one person purchases an audio copy of your title, you can bet that others will overhear, inquire about your book and perhaps even add your audio book to their online shopping cart for a listen.
Plus, with iTunes coupled with the iPod hardware so available as the modern listening technology of choice, recouping your investment can be easy with the right marketing plan.
Since Author Solutions, Inc. has yet to offer audio books, our marketing gang found two superb and trusted organizations that handles voice over talents, namely Voices.com and Voice123.
VOICE OVER TALENT AGENCIES FOR AUDIO BOOKS
Voices.com
Voices.com is a unique web service that helps you complete your voice over recording, music production and language translation projects online. It’s simple, fast, and web-based. You don’t need to download or install anything — everything happens in your web browser.
Helping more than 58,000 people, some of their clients include ABC, NBC, CBS, Dreamworks, Disney, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Bell South, Nortel Networks, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Xerox, Ford, GM, BMW, Shell, Texaco, NASA, the US Army and many more.
In addition to being fast and diplomatic, ensuring you get the best deal while connecting to the best voice over talents, their clients have said they have reduced their costs by as much as 60 percent by using their service. By working directly with professional voice talent you don’t need to book recording studios, hire an audio engineer or casting director to complete your project.
With their free Client Account you can:
- Post a job or search the database
- View voice talent profiles and listen to audio demos online
- Compare qualifications, quotes and availability of professionals
- Pay the voice talent using SurePay™ Escrow service
- Download finished work securely from Voices.com
- Satisfaction Guaranteed when you use SurePay™ Escrow!
Voice123
Voice123 is one of the biggest and most technologically advanced group of voice over talents and voice producers in the world. Whether you want a local voice talent for your next national TV commercial or a fully-produced piece of audio in Japanese for your book promotions in Japan, Voice123 can help. Voice123 allows you to hire thousands of voice over talent and voice producers from all over the world within your budge. Language, accent and geographical borders are now things of the past!
Post a project and let talents or producers submit auditions or proposals. No time for auditions? Easy: get in contact with the talent or producer right away. Use Voice123′s SmartSearch feature to find the professionals you like, or simply allow SmartCast find the best voice for you.
The entire process may take a couple of hours. Most of their talents and voice producers have their own recording studio facilities, saving you time and money.
Manage all your castings quickly and free! Talents submit their audition using their state-of-the-art online auditioning system. You manage the auditions as you wish grading them, sharing them, downloading them, storing them and much more!
The Point: An investment in audio books can not only earn you money, but also become a lucrative strategy to promote your book worldwide and even break into yet another marketplace.
Free Book Promotions: Generate Book Buzz with Giveaways & Incentive Offers
Free stuff, sign me up. Truth is, everyone loves a chance to get a book for free, especially if the book in question might be one these folks actually like or use. The more honest and accessible your content, the more tempted Internet surfers will become by your book. And it don’t get much better than free!
For that matter, asking for an e-mail address to send them information or even suggesting they subscribe to your blog is usually safe. What’s the worst that could happen? They simply unsubscribe? But that won’t happen if you keep them interested with new content and previews of your book that actually keep their attention. Running promotions and distributing free copies of your book are both great strategies for luring new readers to your site and ensuring they stick around to see what you’re all about.
You can run an annual giveaway for your book, or you might want to invest time and money into a monthly contest, to cull even more readers within your target audience. The choice is yours. One things for certain, limiting the risk and investment to readers will not only keep them interested in your book, but increase the likelihood they’ll discuss the book online within forums or offline with friends.
Plus, free book giveaways are quite simple to implement. Say you maintain an author Web site, you can easily promise a free ebook or perhaps a PDF of chapter 1 to all those who subscribe to your newsletter or mailing list. Then, hold a monthly drawing, and send a free copy of your book to whomever you select from the pool of e-mails.
Even if a subscriber only gets your first chapter of your book, that may be enough to pique their interest and buy your book, or talk about the content with friend, which can only help your promotion. Once people get talking, it’s only a matter of time before your subscription base grows, and you can start sending info about discounts you’re offering on books. The possibilities are endless.
The Point: Remember, people love free stuff, and subscribers are less hesitant to invest an e-mail address for a chance to get some free, quality information. Giveaways not only keep you in touch with your target audience, but provide an opportunity to intrigue new readers and generate book buzz both online and beyond.
NaNoWriMo.org Week One: Novelist Begin 30 Day Book Writing Journey
Emerging writers from across the world have accepted the National Novel Writing Month Challenge, and they’re already on day four of what could become the first step in a lengthy writing career.
What is NaNoWriMo.com?
NaNoWriMo.org is an innovative, yet fun approach to novel writing. Anyone can register for free, and join the thousands of others in your area who want to finish a novel. All participants began writing Nov. 1, 2008, and everyone will try to write at a 50,000-word novel by midnight, Nov. 30, 2008.
Because of the limited writing window, the only thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and simply write. Reread, rewrite and revise later, but get your draft out in November.
As you spend November writing, take comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows, taking breaks and heading to work in the morning. Wrimos in your area even meet throughout the month to offer encouragement and support.
Why NaNoWriMo.org?
Especially since there isn’t a prize beyond finishing your manuscript, which you could complete any month. But that’s the point, isn’t it? Naturally, with such a lengthy endeavor as a novel, we tend to procrastinate. Now, with the support of fellow aspiring writers, you can finish the first draft of your book, revise later, and start sending pitches to publishers within a few months. Sounds like a pretty cool idea to me!
Please offer your support and encouragement to all writers in November, especially the ones who are participating in the intense NaNoWriMo writing marathon. Plus, check out their new addition WrimoRadio, where you can keep tabs on group progress from around the world.
Blerp: Start a Coversation about Books & Comics
Registration is free, and your profile takes about five minutes to complete. Then, you can start your own conversation on interesting topics or add to the blerps (or comment threads) of others. Make friends who share similar opinions, and start a conversation about whatever you want, any day you want, easy-peazy.
Really, the flexibility and interactivity of Blerp.com offers almost endless possibilities, so explore their Web site, register for free, post a few comments whenever you want and start discussing some topics about which you’re passionate. You never know who’s listening and who feels the same way.
This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.
April 9, 2009 at 11:34 am jdimos Leave a comment