Can Anybody Here Help An Old Author-Guy With Twitter?

[DavidM]

Midnighter responded to my thread about my historical novel with a really good suggestion--which would be even better if I tweeted. I don't--yet. Here's the relevant posts:

DavidM said: ↑
My historical novel Eadric And The Wolves in eBook form is going to be free to download from Amazon all day Saturday and Sunday. Assuming any of you have a Kindle or similar device and haven't gotten my novel yet, here's a great no-lose opportunity. It’s simple: if you download it and either forget about it or start reading it and don't like it, you've lost nothing. However, if you read it and like it, I'd be grateful if you'd at least mention it to somebody else--and maybe even consider doing a short review yourself. Help spread the word about an author who is a Penn State alum.

The initial reviews have been great, and you might be surprised that events and characters from so long ago can remain as compelling as this, even for people who aren’t into historical novels.

Are you on twitter? Maybe send NeilGaiman (@neilhimself) a tweet to see if he'll re-tweet for his followers. Neil's newest book, 'Norse Mythology', is an Amazon bestseller and he's got a cable TV show hit on his hands with Starz' 'American Gods' adaptation. His readers would probably dig this (and, it's free!). Couldn't hurt...

Can anybody help with this? It might be the difference between a dead-on-arrival novel and something much more appealing!

 

[ClarkstonMark]

Twitter is not that hard.
If you can sign up for and post on BWI you can figure it out.

 

[ChiTownLion]

Worth a shot.

 

[artsandletters]

Midnighter responded to my thread about my historical novel with a really good suggestion--which would be even better if I tweeted. I don't--yet. Here's the relevant posts:

DavidM said: ↑
My historical novel Eadric And The Wolves in eBook form is going to be free to download from Amazon all day Saturday and Sunday. Assuming any of you have a Kindle or similar device and haven't gotten my novel yet, here's a great no-lose opportunity. It’s simple: if you download it and either forget about it or start reading it and don't like it, you've lost nothing. However, if you read it and like it, I'd be grateful if you'd at least mention it to somebody else--and maybe even consider doing a short review yourself. Help spread the word about an author who is a Penn State alum.

The initial reviews have been great, and you might be surprised that events and characters from so long ago can remain as compelling as this, even for people who aren’t into historical novels.

Are you on twitter? Maybe send NeilGaiman (@neilhimself) a tweet to see if he'll re-tweet for his followers. Neil's newest book, 'Norse Mythology', is an Amazon bestseller and he's got a cable TV show hit on his hands with Starz' 'American Gods' adaptation. His readers would probably dig this (and, it's free!). Couldn't hurt...

Can anybody help with this? It might be the difference between a dead-on-arrival novel and something much more appealing!

If you see the word 'edit' in the twit world, know that it doesn't mean what it has for centuries. 'Edit', the noun, in that world means a graphic image, so I suppose 'edit', the verb, means creating one. I didn't know that and kept asking where was the 'edit', meaning correction or change, they were talking about. I was told I should take a break from the Internet and watch reruns of 'Two and a Half Men'. Since you are an author and have taught creative writing I thought you should know; save you from being insulted.

My point is that the twitters have made up their own language by borrowing English words and giving them new and different meanings (see 'edit'). And these twitters are impatient with those who aren't hip to their patois. It's as if they've never asked for help with a foreign language.

Good luck with your efforts.

 

[DavidM]

Well--that's kinda bizarre. Thank you for the insight. Frankly, I'm not delighted with the idea of trying to communicate in x amount of spaces/symbols unless I absolutely have to--but then I may absolutely have to in our new social media realm. "O brave new world..."

 

[moose121]

Guys I just finished this book. Great read...I highly recommend it.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Worth a shot.

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Nice job CTL! I would have tried to squeeze in that it's available as a free digital download but am aware of twitter's character limitations. As an aside, Neil seems to be a bit busy this week - a movie based on one of his short stories, 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties', premiered at Cannes to really, really good reviews (stars Elle Fanning, directed by John Cameron Mitchell). But, Neil is known for being fan friendly and almost always up for a re-tweet for fans with a cause. I'll keep an eye on his feed to see if anything pops up.

Also, not sure, but if you begin a tweet with '@', only people who follow you and the '@' will see your tweet. So, better to begin with '.@', so anyone who follows you will see it (not just those who also follow Neil). Not trying to nag, because I think this could help David if Neil is receptive; just trying to help (and I don't tweet - just follow). Also maybe add 'would appreciate a RT!'......

EDIT: Just saw that the free download was only through Sunday - bummer!

 

[DavidM]

moose121: Great! Could I talk you into doing a quick review or even just a single comment with a five-star rating on Amazon? The more really positive reactions there are, the likelier that somebody stumbling on the novel will take it seriously. However, thanks for the nice comments, whatever else you do!

Midnighter: The good news is that full price for the eBook version is $2.99. Frankly, I think the cover is great, so having a good-looking book on your desk or book shelf is a positive, but the book is $11.99.

 

[moose121]

moose121: Great! Could I talk you into doing a quick review or even just a single comment with a five-star rating on Amazon? The more really positive reactions there are, the likelier that somebody stumbling on the novel will take it seriously. However, thanks for the nice comments, whatever else you do!

Midnighter: The good news is that full price for the eBook version is $2.99. Frankly, I think the cover is great, so having a good-looking book on your desk or book shelf is a positive, but the book is $11.99.

Absolutely. I will be happy to do a review. I couldn't put the book down. Hoping for a sequel.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

moose121: Great! Could I talk you into doing a quick review or even just a single comment with a five-star rating on Amazon? The more really positive reactions there are, the likelier that somebody stumbling on the novel will take it seriously. However, thanks for the nice comments, whatever else you do!

Midnighter: The good news is that full price for the eBook version is $2.99. Frankly, I think the cover is great, so having a good-looking book on your desk or book shelf is a positive, but the book is $11.99.

Nice - I missed out on the free download but will pick up for $2.99 (this works on iPad's, right?). Anyway, I started watching Gaiman's 'American Gods' last night (read the novel back in the early 00's) and the first scene is about a group of vikings who land in North America only to be, um, 'greeted', with some hostility (see below!). The rest of the sequence is about the vikings trying to please Odin so he will drum up a nice breeze they can use to sail the hell out of there. Funny, and brutal, stuff - made me think of your book.

 

[DavidM]

moose121: Outstanding! If the book ultimately does pretty well, I'm thinking of doing something with Thorkell the Tall. The guy was an interesting survivor. However, don't tell anybody else about this, ok?

 

[DavidM]

Midnighter: I'm pretty sure it works on iPads--although you might need an app. Lemme know if there's a problem.

 

[ChiTownLion]

Nice - I missed out on the free download but will pick up for $2.99 (this works on iPad's, right?). Anyway, I started watching Gaiman's 'American Gods' last night (read the novel back in the early 00's) and the first scene is about a group of vikings who land in North America only to be, um, 'greeted', with some hostility (see below!). The rest of the sequence is about the vikings trying to please Odin so he will drum up a nice breeze they can use to sail the hell out of there. Funny, and brutal, stuff - made me think of your book.

Sounds great. Netflix, or... ?

Looking forward to the day when our school books recognize the year 1000 AD as Europe's first discovery of North America.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Sounds great. Netflix, or... ?

Looking forward to the day when our school books recognize the year 1000 AD as Europe's first discovery of North America.

STARZ....

 

[DavidM]

Midnighter: There is a free Kindle app that allows you to read the eBook on any device, so you're good.

 

[DavidM]

Hey Midnighter: I found Neil Gaiman's Facebook page, and I posted a message to him about my novel with a link. About 30 minutes ago I was notified that a Neil Gaiman put a "like" on my message. I followed up with another message suggesting that he might enjoy reading the novel--and a tweet to his followers afterwards would be like manna from heaven. Who knows? Obviously, something like that would be huge. Can I be that lucky? Inquiring minds want to know...