Blogertize For Success — Low to No Cost (Free) Online Marketing Proven to Help You Succeed with Products, Books, Publishing, Any Service — or WHY ADVERTISING IS DEAD

Use Persona's 20 Years of Marketing and PR Expertise to Power Your Blog Success

PersonaPrinciple — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:19:33 +0000

Blogertize — The Latest Blog Marketing Strategies and Secrets

Derek Armstrong is widely acknowledged as a thought-leader in marketing, inventor of Image-Marketing in 1988, developer of CogniMATRIX, Credibility Index and a dozen other methods in wide use today. The principal strategist for Persona Corp, Derek again leads with new, proven methods for online marketing, blog marketing, viral PR, web social marketing and podcasting.

Derek Armstrong (visual pun intended) is the strong arm force in Blogging and Blog Marketing today — "savvy and sophisticated," writes Profit. He has worked with over 300 companies, from IBM to Nestlé, and has coached start-up companies. To contact Derek Armstrong, email him here. To read his latest how-tos, visit this page. To read blogs on blogging, visit ARM-STRONG's Blogertizing blog here.

Blog Marketing is now the most effective — and cost-effective — form of active advertising and public relationsions available. We can show you how to do it right. And for daily tips and how-tos "brain brunch" tips, visit our Brain Blunch daily blog.

Staggering Statistics in Book Publishing can Read Like a Stephen King Horror Novel. Is There Any Hope for Authors and Publishers?

PersonaPrinciple — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:24:46 +0000

Staggering Statistics in Book Publishing can Read Like a Stephen King Horror Novel. Is There Any Hope for Authors and Publishers?

By Derek Armstrong

Author of Blogertize — A Leading Expert Shows How Your Blog Can Be a Money-Making Machine,
The Persona Principle, The Game, MADicine, The Last Troubadour, The Last Quest

Warning — May Cause Nightmares.

Book industry numbers are cold-sweat terrifying for publishers and authors alike. According to Nielsen Bookscan, 3,000 books are published per day in the United States alone (as reported on www.deadlyprose.com ). ForeWord can review at most a few thousand per year. Publishers report an average of 2,100 submissions per year, totaling 132 million submissions. Just under one percent are accepted for publication.

In the face of these staggering odds, is there any hope for authors and publishers?

The Majority of Books Sell Fewer than 99 Copies
Of the 1.2 million titles tracked by Bookscan in 2006, only 2.1% sold more than 5,000 books, 16.6% sold fewer than 1,000, and a terrifying 79.6% sold fewer than 99 copies. The 99 copies are no doubt the reason only one percent of authors’ submissions make it through the arduous publisher-review process.

This is all the stuff of wake-in-a-sweat nightmares: 63,000 publishers vie for readers with their wonderful author lists (according to Dan Poynter’s ParaPublishing.com).

The terror is no less for authors: only six conglomerate publishers publish fewer and fewer debut authors and less and less fiction. Then the real horror story commences as a book makes it into distribution. The bestseller dreams of authors and publishers are splashed with the cold water of real numbers.

Negative or Naïve?
Am I being negative or naïve? Perhaps both. The naïve part of the equation is my firm belief there are ways to break through these barriers to success. Kunati was founded with this goal in mind, and has proven it can work.

Heather Shaw touched on one important element of the success formula in her insightful Blog on book covers. When competing with 1.2 million titles, first impressions (impact) and credibility are vital. These are the twin functions of a cover.

What Works for Selling Books?
Websites, book videos and novel trailers, author critique groups, social marketing, author Blog tours, old-fashioned but still-important book signings, and publicity are the proven methods for marketing. I hope to focus on these in future Publisher Insider Blogs in a more how-to format.

Innovation begins with a study of what works. Read every Blog in the ForeWord archive and every article in the magazine. Visit the sites of successful publishers—the innovative publishers who lead with new ideas such as novel trailers, Blog touring, online publicity. (hint, hint, Kunati). Read every page on sites from innovative publishers.

Getting Noticed is the Primary Goal
My message is simple. With these horrifying numbers, being noticed is almost the only thing that matters—for both authors and publishers. Many authors are creative, even brilliant, yet if they can’t market their “author brand” no publisher is interested.

The publisher faces an epic battle analogous to a Tolkien quest to get attention in the marketplace. The publisher must build the authors’ brands, edit the manuscripts for the market, arrange distribution, obtain reviews from magazines (which choose from millions), then sell to wholesalers, retailers and finally readers.

The Retailer
How does a retailer choose which titles to carry? The average retailer chooses to stock a few thousand copies per year, far less than 1% of the titles available—similar in numbers to the reviews published annually by ForeWord. That’s not a coincidence.

Publisher and author success relies on buzz, which is a combination of review exposure, social networking, book cover designs, author activities such as Blogs and signings (the two types of touring, virtual and tangible). The last part of the equation is wonderful content.

Innovative Authors Look Beyond Good Prose
With the knowledge that more than 80% of books published are going to fail, how can a publisher risk taking on new, unproven property? How can an author convince a publisher to take them on?

There are certain musts in an author presentation, and in our evaluation of the author:
• Is the query well-written? An author who doesn’t polish a query until it becomes the choicest morsel of prose ever written has no chance at all.
• Is the idea compelling? Yes, tell us the comparables (claims of being the next Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter are overused though!), but what’s the UNIQUE aspect—the high concept. No matter how small, there must be one.
• The sample chapters? Same story. If those three chapters aren’t pure masterpiece, the editor will tend to move on.
• Did they read the submission guidelines on the website? One mistake here disqualifies most authors. Take the time to study your prospective publisher.

Innovative Publishers Look Beyond Agents
Unlike many publishers, Kunati accepts un-agented submissions by email. How can we do this, given the awful odds against a new author’s success?

We certainly acquire agented manuscripts, but the creative-process required for an author to pitch a manuscript is clearest sign of ambition, drive and creativity. We believe in the un-agented submission. It allows the author to prove they can develop their author “brand.” Other things we look for:
• Is the author realistic about his/her prospects?
• Is the author able to work with the publisher at making the book as marketable as possible? Considering the numbers, this might be the most important of all.
• These days, we also look for authors who are savvy about online marketing, blogging, MySpace and social marketing, and who are not shy about public appearances. Some writers are notoriously shy, preferring to hide behind their keyboard.

Successfully Marketing Books Require a Publisher-Author Partnership.
The truth is, only bestselling authors receive major publishing support in marketing. A publisher’s first duty is to market to the trade. That’s a big job. Stores stock thousands out of the millions of titles. Just getting the books into distribution is monumental. Trade ads, reviews, advance reading copies, publicity, great book covers, strong web presence, book trailers—these all help. Even the big conglomerate publishers typically stop there. There’s not much in the way of marketing dollars left for end-reader marketing for 90% of authors. Hand-selling from retailers and buzz becomes the key to success.

Hand-selling and Buzz
Book selling is still very much a word-of-mouth business. Readers don’t always respond to what we think they will. Social marketing, in all its aspects, it the true secret of any book’s success. Books can become bestsellers when just one influential person finds it and starts buzzing (Oprah will do.) Social marketing involves building a broad network of friends.

Ultimately, the true secret to publishing success is a strong partnership between authors and publishers, working together to create buzz. This is a big topic, and the subject of next week’s Blog.

What do librarians, book publishers, O.J. Simpson, Steve Jobs and Amazon have in common?

PersonaPrinciple — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:01:08 +0000

This week, a “close friend” of O.J. Simpson offered Kunati—a publisher focused on “controversial and provocative books”—a tell-all book project: “O.J. told me that I was the only man he was comfortable enough to talk openly with. Web of Controversy will remove the public facade of O.J. Simpson.” Nice friend. More O.J. controversy. Will it sell? Almost certainly.

Condemning Controversy?

Why are readers receptive to controversy? Judging from a report I received this week—the Library Open Access report “Tracking Challenges in Libraries: 2007 Results”—the opposite is true. Patrons are vocal in condemning anything notorious or contentious. It seems that some library patrons would bring back book-burning. So, why do Kunati’s provocative books sell so well? Why do controversial books such as The Da Vinci Code become bestsellers? How is it that publishers can turn controversy into bestsellers and provocation into opportunity when some readers seem vocally in favor of censorship?

Violence, Racism and Promoting Witchcraft

The easy answer seems to be the power of the silent majority—enlightened readers—voting for freedom and fun with their wallets. Librarians, publishers and booksellers continue to offer these books despite a vocal minority. Among the condemned titles from library patrons in the “Challenges” report were: Oliver Twist (for violence), Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby Girl (for racism), and—of course—Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass for religious viewpoints. I recall Harry Potter being on a previous list for “promoting witchcraft.” The list of 36 “patron condemned” books in the 2007 list included my favorite classics, making me wonder if this is indeed a 2007 report. Fortunately, the librarians—stewards of free thought—denied all requests to “burn” or remove books.

What’s so Controversial?

A quick analysis of this most entertaining report from librarians shows the most common reasons for requests to “pull” books off library shelves, in order of prominence, were: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit language, violence, offensive language. Thank goodness for librarians, otherwise all of my own novels would be burned:

The Game: let’s see, explicit violence, offensive language—it is a thriller, after all
The Last Troubadour: ah, religious viewpoint for its portrayal of the Cathars as heroes and the Inquisition as evil?
MADicine: oh, probably everything on the no-no list.

I suppose I’d be in good company with nearly all of Kunati’s popular books—including a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a NY Times bestseller. Not to mention the rest of the “challenges” list: Exit to Eden, The Monkey King, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Rainbow Boys, Fly on the Wall, and the entire religion-based bestselling Left Behind series.

Steve Jobs says, “No One Reads Anymore.”

It seems that Apple’s Steve Jobs believes “people don’t read anymore.” The computer guru declared in his keynote at MacWorld 2007 that Amazon’s new e-ink reader was “dead on arrival” with a sweeping, and inaccurate, statistic: “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.” Good to know, Steve. I guess Job’s forty percent only read controversial books?

According to a landmark study of 10,800 Americans by Persona Corp in 2007: 30.6% “Can’t live without books”; 23.4% “LOVE books”; 20.9% “Read regularly”—totaling 74.9% of all Americans. I guess it depends on whether you make phone gadgets or publish books which survey you trust, although a quick look at actual book sales indicates Persona’s study is closer to the right number.

Book Sales Over 36 Billion Net in 2007

Net revenues on book sales, according to The Book Standard, were up another billion dollars to $35.69 billion net sales in 2006 and another 1% up in 2007. After removing the 162 million in sales, which are exports, this translates into approximately billions of books sold in a nation of three hundred million. Even a rough averaging works out as every man woman and child in America reading at least 12 books each. Clearly, Steve Jobs has some research to do. And Amazon’s out to prove Steve wrong, putting all their sizable marketing muscle behind the Kindle, a device that, by all accounts, might become the iPod of e-books.

Librarians and Publishers Do It For Love

Contrary to the doom and gloom scenarios often painted in the trade news, books are not only alive and well and flourishing (sales continue to go up, and contrary to Steve Jobs, we’re reading books) but the trade remains an important champion of free thought and free will. Is there anything more important to a free nation of free people? I don’t think so.

So next time you visit your public library, don’t forget to shake your librarian’s hand and say “thank you.” Independent booksellers and small press publishers—who publish and sell books for love, not profit—equally deserve the support of free-thinkers everywhere. I’ll go one step further, at risk of offending my beloved indy booksellers—bravo to Amazon, for ignoring the e-book’s checkered history and coming out with the Kindle. We may be a fragmented industry, but we come together for freedom—and we do it for love.

Posted by: Derek Armstrong

Originally written for ForeWord Magazine by Derek Armstrong, for Publisher Insider.

Blogertize, Armstrong's breakthrough How-To on Blog Marketing and Blogging, Among New Titles from Kunati Books in 2008

PersonaPrinciple — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:06:37 +0000

31 Authors - Pulitzer Prize-Winner - NY Times Bestselling Author - Sequels from Hit Authors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Kunati Books, "a publisher to watch" according to ALA's Booklist, promises a big year in 2008 with the addition of twenty-two titles, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a soon-to-be-a-motion-picture novel release.

"This year we're particularly excited to announce so many hot titles and authors," publisher Derek Armstrong said. "Pulitzer Prize winning NY Times bestseller John E. Mack joins our list with a commemorative illustrated edition of his Passport to the Cosmos. Joshua Corin is a most welcome addition, especially now that his amazing novel Nuclear Winter Wonderland is to be a major 2009 motion picture. Booksellers and reviewers really paid attention in 2007. But this year, Kunati's definitely the name to watch."

Spring 2008 has already seen strong advance orders for a critically-acclaimed list of unique fiction, including MADicine, the second Alban Bane thriller by satirical thriller novelist Derek Armstrong, and Hunting the King by Peter Clenott—already being favorably compared by reviewers to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code.

Libraries and chains have particularly responded to early buzz about Bathtub Admirals, a "true story" satirical novel of naval and political incompetence from retired US Navy Commander Jeff Huber. Returning from a great 2007 performance with Rabid, T K Kenyon's Callous is also hot on advance orders. Dan Ronco's UnHoly Domain has been compared by reviewers to Phillip K. Dick and earned praise from many bestselling authors.

Kunati's intelligent choices of unique voices has led to movie-option negotiations, development deals, a flurry of interest in translation rights, and:
· 31 authors
· Kunati's first Tarot deck/book set, a very unique set that combines Quantum physics and Tarot imagery in the Quantum Tarot
· Six acclaimed new thrillers, including MADicine, sequel to the 2007 hit The Game.
· Several non-fiction titles, including the much-anticipated Hide & Seek: How I Laughed at Depression, Conquered My Fears and Found Happiness, by sitcom writer Wendy Aron
· Blogertize, a breakout "How-to Make Money" book on blogging with secrets of a twenty-year expert marketer
· The return of Armstrong's hugely popular historical-fantasy-tarot trilogy in The Last Quest, book two after last year's hit The Last Troubadour.
· An inspirational book of hope for those who have suffered sexual abuse, Courage in Patience, from Beth Fehlbaum
· Breakthrough fiction, including: The Master Planets from Donald Gallinger; A Decent Ransom, A Story of Kidnapping Gone Right from Ivana Hruba; a twice-dead crime-solver in the sensational Miracle Myx from Dave Diotalevi; a legal thriller ripped right from the headlines in Janeology by Karen Harrington; Heart of Diamonds from journalist Dave Donelson an international adventure set in the darkest Congo; and Belly of the Whale, a powerful and poignant story of a woman battling cancer who finds the will to live after confronting a murderer.

"We're fortunate to have so many fine authors to choose from," Armstrong explained. "Our authors-first philosophy led to over 8500 submissions last year. Our 2007 cloth editions were so popular, most of them are releasing in trade paper in fall of this year."

Kunati's many titles in 2007 are still selling well in cloth, including unique titles:

· Mothering Mother, the family caregiving masterpiece from Carol D. O'Dell, a popular guest on TV, with appearances on CNN and FOX TV
· The Game, Alban Bane's first thriller from Derek Armstrong, a critically acclaimed jab at reality TV
· Rabid, from T K Kenyon, described as "impressive" by Publishers Weekly and landing to strong sales and starred reviews
· Popular post-Civil War historical Women of Magdalene from Rosemary Poole-Carter
· The Last Troubadour, which caught the imagination of historical fans and Tarot fans alike
· Truth or Bare, a stylish character-driven crime thriller from Richard Cahill
· On Ice from beloved humorist Red Evans
· bang Bang: How Paula Sherman Took On the Gun Lobby and Changed America, a literary masterpiece by Lynn Hoffman
· Whale Song from Canadian Cheryl Kaye Tardif, "already a hit" according to Booklist
· Golf slapstick with Todd Sentell's Toonamint of Champions
· UK humor from Andy Tilley's sensational Recycling Jimmy
· A journey back to the hip sixties in Shadow of Innocence from Ric Wasley
· Young adult adventure in Art Tirrell's popular The Secret Ever Keeps.

About Kunati

Kunati Books has been described as "a publisher to watch" from ALA's Booklist and "what a publisher looks like if the marketing department runs things" by Quill and Quire. With thirty-one authors, a Pulitzer Prize- winner, and movie deals for books, Kunati is a major force in independent publishing.

Kunati became an instant hit with its "authors-first approach." Founded by published authors, Kunati became an immediate focus for authors, with thousands of submissions per year. Careful selection led to critical acclaim for all published titles. Distributed internationally through Independent Publishers Group, Canadian Manda and other groups, and through all major wholesalers, Kunati quickly became popular with booksellers, and in particular the independents.

Kunati is also very loyal to its libarian friends.

Fresh, acclaimed fiction and non-fiction also makes Kunati a major target of movie-rights buyers. Nuclear Winter Wonderland, a Kunati title from Joshua Corin, is soon to be a major movie. Other titles are optioned or in negotiation.

About Kunati's Publisher
Best known for historical thrillers and mystery thrillers, Derek Armstrong is also a screenwriter, publisher and well-known marketing guru. His defining signature style was described by Booklist as "brilliance in which Armstrong blends comedy, parody, and adventure in genuinely innovative ways." Armstrong is the creator of Alban Bane, featured in the Alban Bane thrillers The Game and MADicine, a character affectionately compared by critics to House M.D., the TV character. He is the author of the popular Song of Montségurhistorical trilogy, including The Last Troubadour and The Last Quest. He is also author of two non-fiction titles: Blogertize-A Leading Expert Shows How Your Blog Can Be A Money-Making Machine and The Persona Principle: How to Succeed in Business with Image-Marketing. Forthcoming in 2009 is a breakthrough Harry Potter competitor: Magick Inc.

Derek Armstrong has won many awards for advertising copywriting internationally and wrote The Persona Principle (Simon & Schuster) with co-author Kam Wai Yu, now translated to five languages.

Armstrong's Blogertize, Secrets of Blogging Success, among 2008 Release from Kunati

PersonaPrinciple — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:41:42 +0000

THREE Armstrong Titles in 2008 — Blogertize, MADicine and The Last Quest!

Available to Order Now

Alphabetical by Title with "loglines." Click cover to learn more.

In Lynn Hoffman’s "brilliant" novel, a singing vigilante waitress crime-victim takes on America’s obsession with guns and transforms herself in the process. Read More... View the trailer!

"Thoroughly charming and sure to enrage the NRA" Kirkus Reviews

"Starred Review. Brilliant." BookList Magazine

Hudson Catalina has given up on life, having lost both breasts to cancer, until the wrecked-by-life young Buddy Baker arrives, bent on murder. Linda Merlino’s harrowing, touching story of despair, abuse, murder and survival leaves you enriched by the experience. Read more...

Are the armed forces of the world’s only superpower really run by self-serving "Bathtub Admirals" and unscrupulous back-stabbers? In the brilliant tradition of Heller and Vonnegut, Bathtub Admirals is retired commander Jeff Huber's tragicomic take on America’s rise to global dominance. Read more...

"Populated by outrageous characters and fueled with pompous outrage, Huber’s irreverent broadside will pummel the funny bone of anyone who’s served." Publishers Weekly

In typical TK Kenyon genre-bending style, Callous is Our Town meets The Crucible in a paranoia-fest as neighbor suspects neighbor of being a murderer, a serial killer, or worse, and relationships spin out of control. Read more...

"Impressive." Publishers Weekly, review of TK Kenyon's Rabid

A "delightfully sarcastic" and "House-M.D-like"* detective takes on "creepy" reality television. In this darkly humorous thriller, reality television becomes too real when a killer with a message preys on the contestants of America's number one TV show. Read more...view the trailer!

"Armstrong is an author to watch." Booklist
"Dark tongue-in-cheek thriller" Library Journal
"Suspenseful and rich with dark humor" Foreword Reviews

On the evening of the American invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, an international cast of schemers, spies, churchmen and scientists race to claim the greatest prize the world has ever seen. Read more...

"A stunning debut thriller. More convincing than DaVinci Code." Films & Books Magazine

Tom is certain he is living the American dream. With twins and lovely wife Jane, and a house on the beach, life couldn't be better. Until one day in June, the police tell him the unthinkable—his wife has drowned their toddler son, while his daughter clings to life in the hospital. Read more...

"This affecting story, with its brilliant array of genial, selfish, troubled, and plucky characters, accomplishes a wonderful feat by revealing specific and universal truths within all families." Donald Phillips, bestselling author

In this historical thriller set against the rich background of the 13th century Inquisition, the last living troubadour, condemned by the church as a heretic, must rescue a holy Christian relic from a crusading king. Read more...view the trailer

"Brilliance....genuinely innovative" Booklist

"Amusing and entertaining... recommended for all." Library Journal

"Action-packed novel." Publishers Weekly

What happens when an engineered virus, meant to virally "cure" psychopathically violent patients, is let loose by accident on the world? And what chance does the world have when a rescue organization named WART (World Advance Response Taskforce) is our only hope? Read more...

"In his follow-up to the excellent The Game (2007), Armstrong takes on a whole new set of challenges....Armstrong blends comedy, parody, and adventure in genuinely innovative ways" Booklist

Nothing escapes Myx. And he isn't the kind of kid to let murders go unsolved. Two times dead left his mind wired like no other, and he knows how to use it. Read more...

"What a treat it is to be in the mind of Myx Amens, the clever, capable, twice-dead, protagonist of a story that surprises and satisfies throughout. A mystery told with wry, intelligent humor. More Myx, Mr. Diotalevi, and soon." Robert Fate, Author, Baby Shark series, Academy Award Winner.

An authentic in-the-room view of a daughter's struggle to care for an aging parent with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, a memoir told with humor and heart-breaking frankness, both inspirational and helpful. Read more...view the trailer!

Don't miss Carol O'Dell on CNN and FOX TV.

"Beautiful. Told with humor, and much love." Booklist

What do you get when you mix a corpse "on ice" in a kiddie pool in the back of a pick up truck, a wide-eyed farm boy and a flatulent dog? Don't miss this utterly charming road trip story. Read more...view the trailer!

"Evans uses offbeat humor to both entertain and move his readers." Booklist.

An outrageous romp into "suicide for profit" and the darkest aspects of human nature, told with brilliant black humor and a zest for life. Read more...View the trailer!

"Recycling Jimmy is energetic, imaginative, relentlessly and unabashedly vulgar, and at times, funny enough to make a cranky reviewer laugh out loud." Booklist

"Darkly comic story unwinds with plenty of surprises." ForeWord Reviews

A sexy, savvy, darkly funny tale of ambition, scandal, forbidden love and murder, science and religion collide with far reaching consequences. Nothing is sacred. Read more...View the trailer!

"Jealousy and anger erupt in murder, a tense jury trial and the discovery of a lethal, lab-cultivated aerosol rabies virus...impressive medical thriller." Publishers Weekly

An aging Godfather-like billionaire tycoon regrets a decades-long life of "shady dealings" and seeks reconciliation with a granddaughter who doesn't even know he exists. Read more...View the trailer!

"A must read." Films and Books

"Riveting, rhapsodic, accomplished." Foreword

"Romance, adventure and danger on the lake." Kirkus

The oh-so-cool crime-solving McCarthy couple delve into the dark and perverse shadows of ultra-establishment Newport against a groovy sixties backdrop. The quick-witted McCarthy family face shadowy kidnappers, protective family dynasties, and mysterious assassins. Read more...View the Trailer!

"Colorful and exciting. A lot of fun." Booklist

"Wasley brings reality to this tale." Library Journal

"A page-turner...Sit down and enjoy. You'll be glad you did." NY Times bestseller William Martin

A wickedly funny satire of the exclusive world of the private golf club tells the story of an obsessive bank teller from Mullet Luv, Georgia, and his squawking redneck fiancée achieving a lifelong dream of teeing off at the Augusta National Golf Club. Read more...View the Trailer!

"Regardless of which way your funny bone swings, Sentell’s Toonamint of Champions will give a brand new meaning to “par for the course.” ForeWord

"Over-the-top slapstick." Booklist

A literary yet humorous crime novel about a lawyer who hates lawyers moving with the ease of a shark through the dingy bars and fantasy parlors where his clients do their dangerous dance of survival on society’s underbelly. Read more...View the trailer!

"Cahill has introduced an enticing character in Speed; he’s flawed, funny, and apparently hell-bent on making sure his life never goes completely right. Let’s hope this debut novel isn’t the last we hear from him." Booklist Magazine

A fast-paced techno-thriller depicts a world of violent extremes, where religious terrorists and visionaries of technology fight for supreme power. Read more...

"Top rate adventure sparkling with ideas." NY Times bestselling author Piers Anthony

"A chilling technothriller. . . Dan Ronco is social visionary on par with William Gibson and Robert Sawyer." Scott Nicholson, author, They Hunger

Two cultures clash in a world where native tradition and modern law cannot co-exist. How can a young girl deal with the assisted suicide of her own mother? Whale Song is a haunting tale of change and choice. Read more...View the Trailer!

"Whale Song is deep and true, a compelling story of love and family and the mysteries of the human heart. Cheryl Kaye Tardif has written a beautiful, haunting novel." NY Times Bestselling novelist Luanne Rice, author of Beach Girls

"Tardif already a hit... a name to reckon with south of the border." Booklist

The women of Magdalene are dying and no one seems to care, least of all the haughty Dr. Kingston, the director of the genteel Ladies’ Lunatic Asylum. A mix of historical who-dunnit and gripping historical fiction by prolific author and playwrite Rosemary Poole-Carter. Read more...View the trailer!

"Women of Magdalene is a brilliant example of the best historical fiction can do." Featured review in ForeWord

"A fine mix of thriller, historical fiction, and Southern Gothic." Booklist

Click to View New 2008 Titles!

Blogertizing Case: Tarot Connections, a very popular high traffic blog podcasts interview with author Derek Armstrong

PersonaPrinciple — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:13:44 +0000

Pictured: Left, Derek Armstrong with his horses Skugga and Bjarta, who became Izzy and Wizzy in The Last Troubadour novel (shown right)

"You were full of juicy tarot information," said Leisa ReFalo, host of the popular podcast on tarotconnection.net and professional Tarot Reader. What fun. I chatted with Leisa for an hour about my love of Tarot, and — according to Leisa, anyway — I had "no terrible speech habits. I thought you sounded great." Okay, I feel a little better. I'm not Mr. Radio. There's a reason I became an author.

In that quick hour, Leisa squeezed in a lot of Tarot history, a reading from the novel, a bio of all the characters and how they relate to Tarot card trumps, and a whole lot of funky history. I'll just quote from her page, found at : http://tarotconnection.net/episode-59/ (I guess I'm episode 59!) —

"So, is this a clever gimmick? Just an author who thought one day, Hey, this hasn’t been done before? Does he even own a Tarot deck?I did not undertake The Last Troubadour lightly. The entire trilogy was a journey of some 18 years. Carcassonne and the south of France are my old haunts, where I explored the history in depth. An important history.
Nor is Tarot a passing fancy for me. My first deck was a Pixie, bought with part-timer earnings after school back in 1972. I’m obviously much older now, and I still have my Pixie, and some 112 other decks. Current favorites include Thoth (bought in 1974), Kat Black’s Golden, Place’s Buddha Tarot, Carol Herzer’s Illuminated, and a dozen others. I actually almost always have a deck in my pocket.

Why do I weave the mystical and legend with history? Well, why not? It’s fun, isn’t it? But more important, it’s a way of conveying important events that is entertaining and at the same time “real.” What better way for me to personally explore Tarot cards and archetypes and to convey some of what I’ve learned. The journey of the Fool is my favorite aspect of Tarot. It’s actually the plotline of all great epic fiction.

So, one day, two decades ago, I meditated on The FOOL in my very old Pixie (Rider Waite Smith) deck and he came to life. He became Ramon Troubadour. His journey became a novel-journey through the tarot major arcana. I actually named him Ramon, after researching Doctor Illuminatus, otherwise known as Ramon Lull, author of 320 books written at the time of my novel (the thirteenth century). He even had a character in his most famous book, Blanquerna, name Ramon the Fool. Wow.

All of my books have Tarot themes in them, some dark, some light. The Game, my hit thriller features a humorous “fool” character in the always-joking Alban Bane character. He was so popular, fans demanded a sequel, which comes out spring 08 as MADicine. This series is a blend of satire, comedy and thriller – bloody fun, quite literally.
The Last Troubadour and the other two books of the series, The Last Quest and The Last Stand, are “dripping with Tarot themes.” Most of the early fans are tarot-enthusiasts. Nevara, my Magician character, is my “fictional” inventor of Tarot. Each character is a major arcane archetype. And, of course, the epic journey is the archetypal journey of The Fool. To which, I added real history, substantial satire (targeting in particular the latest craze for Holy Grail themes), comedy and adventure – shaken not stirred.

Next year, with any good fortune, you’ll start to see these characters in Troubadour-style imagery as famed artist Kam Wai Yu illustrates the Troubadour Tarot, a dream of mine, to be published by Kunati. I hope you’ll take the journey with me."
Leisa explored why some characters are disfigured and had me read from the most "tarot-oriented" chapter in the book, a scene with my Magician, Nevara, reading from her invented Tarot cards and using them to help the main character Ramon with her magick. What fun.

Here's the synopsis of the book from Leisa's page:

"Ramon Troubadour returns to his devastated home city of Carcassonne to rescue the holy Dame of the Cathars from the flames of the Inquisition. His famous voice and sense of humor help him make new allies in his quest to prevent a bloody crusade.

Only the Dame knows the secret of the holy relic of Montségur. A king will go to war for the relic. A dying pope will kill for it.

Helped by a nameless one-eyed knight, a fighting damsel, a witch and a circus of colorful entertainers on dancing horses, Ramon must stand against a terrifying army led by Death incarnate, complete with archetypal scythe.
Based on the true history of the Inquisition and the legend of the Tarot, The Last Troubadour assembles a magnificent cast right out of the Tarot deck: the Fool, the Magician, The Emperor, The Pope, Death and even The Devil. Don’t miss this tale of knightly valor, Tarot symbolism, tragic history and exciting quests."

A bit of cool history on her page as well. She put up the original 1980's book trailer — the first trailer ever created, by the famous artist Kam Wai Yu — along side my publisher Kunati's latest version 2007. The original one was more Monty Python — I do so love humor — and the new one is more Tarot. I'd be interested in knowing which one people liked better (drop me an email at my website http://www.lasttroubadour.com).

Check it the podcast at http://tarotconnection.net/episode-59/

Blogertize for Success Without the Big Costs of Advertising

PersonaPrinciple — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:32:02 +0000

For two decades, Persona has led the way in marketing innovations proven to save clients valuable resources — time, money, people — while driving major advances against goals. CogniMATRIX — Finding the key opportunity. Persona Plan — building a total image. CredibilityPLUS — making sure you are believed. These innovations have also led to inventions — such as the first ever book video or novel trailer.

Now, Persona leads again. Our research indicates that traditional media are a waste of money: television, too fragmented, no longer popular; newspapers, a waning industry; magazines, too expensive. In fact, they're all too expensive.

Internet Fears

Most clients fear commiting resources to Internet marketing initiatives. Websites and banner ads on unsavory sites are the immediate "assumption.

Blogvertize is the Solution

Again, Persona Corp. pioneered the solutions. In the last ten years we've built entire companies on Internet strategies, wrapped around credibility-building media such as constructive blogging, journalistic journaling (we call this Journalsizing of course — we name everything!) and CredibilityPLUS.

Research Backs It Up

Our landmark research study, with an extraordinary sample size of 10,000 in all states of the United States and provinces in Canada, proved it. Television is waning. Newspapers are less popular. Internet is addictive and growing:

TV — Only 18.4% "Can't live without TV" — 29% "LOVE TV" — 30.5% "Watch regularly totalling 77.9% but somewhat "less enthusiastic" than the book lovers
INTERNET — 36.4% "Can't live without internet" — 23.7% "LOVE Internet surfing" — 22.5% "regularly Internet surf" totalling 82.6% To see the full study as we disclose more and more results, return often to this page, the Persona Think Tank.

A Big Advantage: Low Cost

Even if the Internet as a media choice the most popular (it is!) it costs next to nothing. Once you plan around how to reach targeted audiences — easier, in fact on the Internet if you use Blogertizing methods — you'll find the costs extraordinarily low.

A Famous Case Study

Persona built entire companies on Internet marketing alone. Kunati Books s a famous example. With Blogertizing and Journalsizing, our team took Kunati from botique to Internationally recognized, with sales to match. By using all three methods — Blogertizing, Jouralsizing and CredibilityPUSH — Persona took Kunati to world recognition.

To find out more, contact us, or watch this journal for more information!

Feedback is Vital

A key principalof Blogertizing is two-way communication with clients. You know it's happening when you get fanmail. This happened to Kunati's authors, including our own Derek Armstrong. The following fan posts to Armstrong's book site all occurred within a one week period:

"I'm a big fan!" C. Gerus

"This is the best book I've read. I mean the best ever." Jenine

“I really enjoy how you used the tarot as a form of story telling and synchronistic insight. Visceral and exciting.” M Cathcart

“I absolutely can’t wait to read book two. You grabbed me. I couldn’t put it down.” J. Friday

“Very exciting. Thank you.” J. Eckrich

"I sat down to savor. I gobbled it up in one weekend. Amazing." D. Carus

"Magnificent. Wise. Bawdy. Funny. Exciting. Tarot. What more could anyone ask?" Wise Tarot Magazine

"Don't miss this book! Derek Armstrong, get writing!! I'm ready for the sequels to this book. Very well written, engrossing, and just enough humor to balance the rather graphic description of people burning at the stake. I heartily concur with the jacket: "An author to watch"... and worth waiting for, although I want them NOW!! Great history, wonderful characterizations. So, Derek, are you ready to publish the next two books yet? This avid fan is very eagerly, but not so patiently, waiting." S Otis

"Wow!" S Fastow

"My only regret, next fall is a long time to wait for the sequel! I'm telling everyone to read!" E. McGee

"My only complaint is the ending. I didn't want it to end." B Cunningham

"I can't wait for the second book." M. Ross

"The Last Troubadour was amazing!" Ana

"Life is myth and archetypes and Armstrong depicts both with brilliance." K Harrington

"I love The Last Troubadour. It's thrilling!" S. Francis

"The Inquisition, a crusade, tarot, Cathars? I'm in! As soon as I found there was a quest for a holy relic, I was hooked, and stayed hooked until the conclusion." D. Diotalevi

"I really enjoyed it! More, please." Leslie

"if you're smart you'll get it. And love it." T Sentell

"Is it historical fiction, thriller, epic, romance, adventure, biting satire? All of the above." R Carter

"All the colors of humanity into his characters, among them duty, compassion, and humor." K Harrington

"This novel is like a house on fire. This story moves!" R. Metcalf

"Intriguing!" C Hawkes

“Itching to read the rest. Loved it.” C. Bly

“Beyond fascinating. Loved it.” E. Martin

"I have just had the enormous luck of having "The Last Troubadour - Song of Montsegur", by Derek Armstrong, cross my path. The key to this book ... at least in the eyes of most Tarotists, is that Armstrong has chosen to model his major characters after Tarot archetypes. His writing is superb, and his characters full blooded people, not two dimensional works of art on paper.

The setting for the novel is 13th century Europe, in the city of Carcassonne. The plot is one of cunning and intrigue. Part humor, history, part mystery, this rowdy, bawdy book is a marvelous read! "Bonnie

Comments from one of the biggest Tarot Forums online:
"Put this on your wish list for Christmas!"
"I loved your book!"
"My favorite character is Death. It helped me visualize the card. The whole novel is like a journey through the Tarot. Thank you."
"My only criticism is your Devil character. I have to wait for book two for the Devil? I loved it."
"Reading your book helped me overcome a block in designing my own deck. Your archetypes are perfect!"