ACFW Blog

COLORADO SPRINGS, Col., March 11 — Marcher Lord Press, the premiere publisher of Christian speculative fiction, is proud to announce that two Marcher Lord Press titles are recipients of 2010 Epic Awards. Starfire, written by Stuart Vaughn Stockton, won the 2010 Epic Award in the science fiction category. Starfire tells the tale of an alien warrior named Rathe who has clawed his way out of the destiny his society would trap him in. Having gained a chance for greatness through skill, luck and deception, he is thrust into the center of a war that will decide the fate of his world. When he discovers an ancient artificial intelligence that imprints him as its protector, Rathe must discover the secrets of his race’s past and must make a choice that will determine their future. For more information, visit www.ritersbloc.com

By Darkness Hid, the first book in the Blood of Kings trilogy, a medieval fantasy trilogy by author Jill Williamson, won the 2010 Epic award in the fantasy division. The Blood of Kings series is about two people who discover their ability to bloodvoice, which is to communicate from one gifted mind to another. Achan is a slave who gets the opportunity to train to be a Kingsguard knight. Vrell is a noblewoman masquerading as a slave boy to avoid a terrible marriage. The novel alternates between their points of view until their stories collide on the battlefield. For more information about the Blood of Kings trilogy, visit www.jillwilliamson.com

“I’m so proud of Jill and Stuart’s accomplishments with these awards,” said Jeff Gerke, founder and publisher for Marcher Lord Press. “Not only did their novels beat out every other Christian science fiction or fantasy in the contest, they beat out all the science fiction and fantasy novels of all kinds. This is a terrific affirmation of Stuart’s grand, alien vision, of Jill’s masterful sense of what’s cool in fantasy, and the excellent fiction skills of both authors.”

About the EPIC Awards: EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, is a professional organization for published and contracted e-book and print authors. It was established to provide a strong voice for electronic publishing. For more information, visit www.epicauthors.com. Marcher Lord Press is the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction. Whether it’s fantasy you love, or science fiction, time travel, chillers, supernatural The small, independent press bypasses the traditional Christian publishing industry to get Christian speculative fiction directly into the hands of the fans who devour it. Visit Marcher Lord Press on the Internet at www.marcherlordpress.com.

Book Trailer:

Lena Nelson Dooley – President DFW Ready Writers – Characters Who Grip Your Heart
www.lenanelsondooley.com
http://lenanelsondooleynewsletter.blogspot.com – Monthly free book
http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com – Author interviews/Free books
www.bustlesandspurs.com – Regular Blogger
www.facebook.com/lena.nelson.dooley – www.twitter.com/lenandooley

Guest Post
By Rosey Dow

It’s the first rule of marketing that you should know your target market and direct everything to them. But unfortunately, most marketing trainers seem at a loss when it comes to explaining exactly how to do that. Most writers have a general idea of their readership, but their prospects still feel like shadowy figures.

The good news is that creating a prospect profile is easier than you might think. First of all, like the characters in our books, our prospects are people with personalities, roles, and needs. Although each one is unique yet overall personality styles do fall into patterns. The great psychologist, Carl Jung taught about personality styles and his work has been accepted as foundational for generations. For generations, fiction writer have used archetypes as standard procedure for creating characters.

Your prospects also have personality styles and roles. Once you discover their place in that archetypal system, you have the key to connection with them.

The FBI has been doing it for years. Initiated by the famous John Douglas, entire divisions of law enforcement are now dedicated to profiling unknown suspects. You can use the same approach for putting a 3D persona to your still-faceless prospect. You can know who they are to the point that you will know what kind of magazines they read and what they prefer for breakfast.

If you’ve been in the industry for some time, this is even easier. Choose your favorite 3 readers. Sit down and list their likes and dislikes and their approach to their lives. This is start of a major shift in your thinking as well as in how you communicate with everyone you come in contact with.

Are your readers outdoorsy types? Do they love to study or would they rather get the short version? Do they listen to an iPod while jogging or while at the gym? Are they hassled work-at-home moms? Make a list and think through these questions. Then think about whether they love to laugh or if they quietly smile at a joke and change the subject. Would they rather see a pie chart or scan a one-page overview?

Answer these questions and you’ll be well on the way to connecting with people you have yet to meet through your stories, email broadcasts, your web copy, your audio promotions. But once they walk in the door, you’ll know them instantly.

And now I’d like to invite you to pick up your Free Prospect Profiling Kit at http://LetsGetRealMarketing.com

With more than half a million books in print, Rosey Dow brings her talents as a Christy-award winner into her Internet marketing business to provide Prospect Profiling for magnetic marketing.

http://SurvivalCookbook.com
http://LetsGetRealMarketing.com
http://RoseyDow.com

Rosey’s Bio: Christy Award winning author, Rosey Dow has been active in the publishing industry for more than 25 years on many levels. She in an Internet marketing specialist and the CEO of Let’s Get Real Marketing, training writers and professionals to profile their prospects for maximum influence and impact. She lives in Columbia, SC.

Janice Olson
His Words, His Story, His child
Vice President, DFW Ready Writers Chapter
www.JaniceOlson.com

What’s Happening in the Publishing Industry Today?

On Saturday, March 13th, you won’t want to miss hearing Mary Hollingsworth
at DFW Ready Writers’ meeting

Mary Hollingsworth will give an overview of the changes and trends in our
industry today, including the influence of the struggling economy. She will
talk about up-and-coming publishing options, such as e-books,
print-on-demand books, and self-publishing as alternatives to traditional
publishing. Mary will also speak about branding and how to build your
writer’s “brand” (identity) and platform through Social Media Marketing.

Who is Mary Hollingsworth?

Mary Hollingsworth is the author of more than one hundred books and
products. Sales of her books now top seven million copies, and her books
have appeared on best-seller lists more than one hundred times. Mary has
been a freelance author and managing editor since 1988. During her writing
career, she has had more than ninety other works published, including
articles, poetry, plays, and songs.

Mary served as a managing production editor for Worthy Books, Word
Publishing, and Thomas Nelson, Inc., for more than fifteen years. She has
also served as production editor for a number of major publishers, such as
Guideposts Books, Integrity Publishers, WaterBrook Press, Howard Books/Simon
& Schuster and others where she supervises the editorial production team for
such well-known Christian authors as Billy Graham, Max Lucado, Charles
Swindoll, Chuck Colson, Pat Robertson, Women of Faith, Patsy Clairmont, John
MacArthur, and many others. She has also worked with Christian recording
artists such as Sandi Patty, Amy Grant, Tammy Trent, Kathy Troccoli, and
Michael W. Smith on various books and recordings. Her background in
publishing includes a wide variety of book genres and responsibilities. She
has served as proofreader, copy editor, substantive editor, rewrite editor,
co-author, general editor, managing editor, cover copywriter, and art
director, among other assignments.

Ms. Hollingsworth is currently serving as the managing director of Creative
Enterprises Studio-a writing and publishing association that assists
publishers and individuals in the writing, editorial production, printing,
and distribution of their books. You can see their work and services at
CreativeEnterprisesLtd.com .

Here’s where and when:

Date: Saturday – March 13, 2010
Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Meeting Place:
La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant
5250 Hwy 121,
Colleyville, Texas
(Restaurant sits alongside the southbound access road between Hall-Johnson
and Glade).

The Arkansas Inspy Writers will host a workshop on Saturday, March 20, 2010, at the White County Regional Library, Searcy Branch Administration Building, located at 113 E. Pleasure in Searcy.
Linda Fulkerson will be the presenter, and the topic will be “Using Free Online Tools to Promote Your Message.”

The schedule is as follows:

12:00 p.m. — Lunch. Bring a sack lunch and enjoy a time of fellowship together.
1:00 p.m. — Welcome & Announcements by Sheila Covey, ACFW Arkansas Area Coordinator
1:15 p.m. — “Making the Best Use of Social Media” presented by Linda Fulkerson
2:00 p.m. — Questions & Answers
2:15 p.m. — Break
2:30 p.m. — “The Best Free Online Marketing Tool: Your Blog” presented by Linda Fulkerson
3:30 p.m. — Questions & Answers
3:45 p.m. — Conclusion & Dismissal, Sheila Covey
Click here to download an informational flyer about this workshop that you may print and use to invite others, or refer them to our group’s website, http://arkansasinspywriters.com.
About the presenter: Linda Fulkerson is a blog coach, Internet marketing advisor, and social media enthusiast. She writes the popular instructional blog, On Blogging Well, and is the Little Rock Blogging for Business Examiner. Linda’s new eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Blogging Well, is now available for purchase.

Linda Fulkerson of On Blogging Well
Blog Coach, Internet Marketing Advisor
& Social Media Enthusiast
Just released: The Ultimate Guide to Blogging Well