I’m not a great writer.
And you know what… that’s okay. Because I know people who are! And together, we can make magic happen.
When I began the journey of creating a novel, it was going to be just that. A story in my head that had its genesis a decade earlier, brought to life on the page. Where it would go from there… it was impossible to tell. But it might be the only time I ever got the opportunity, and I was going to do things that had never been done!
So while my partner did the heavy lifting on the keyboard, I got to creating beyond it. I was going to create a magical experience like no other for this book. Maybe I would be the only one on Earth who truly appreciated it. If so, that was going to be fine. I would be able to look back 10, 20, 30 years later and say, “I did that”.
The MC in the novel is a boy who is fascinated by a cartoon and toy line. So I spent thousands of dollars to bring that cartoon and those toys to life in the real world. I would use them to help promote the story. Even giving away hundreds of them at my favorite convention.
And then I wrote a mini comic like that which would be included with the toys in the novel. And then I licensed music to create a soundtrack to accompany the story. And then I had music specifically created for that soundtrack (with the theme written and performed by the legendary Stan Bush). Then I placed all that beautiful music on 100 USB drives disguised as cassette tapes. And then I had ViewMasters produced with character images on the reel. And then I reached out to some ‘80s celebs to read and provide video reviews for the book. Corey Feldman, Anthony Michael Hall (whom I got to speak with for hours on the phone!), Nicole Eggert, and Joey Lawrence.
And when all of that was done, it felt amazing. It’s an experience I will never forget.
My question to you is have you ever done something out-of-the box… something unique or unusual… to promote yourself or your work? Share it please!
P.S.- Last year at that same convention, Stan Bush performed in concert, and sang that song for me… dedicating it to me. I still get goosebumps remembering that.
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Mark Deuce The results of it all were fairly modest in terms of increasing sales. It was most effective at making those who did engage feel more invested in the story and characters. It gave readers something to touch, read, and listen to - bringing the world of the novel to life. That was good enough for me.
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That's incredible out-of-the box thinking, Anthony Grate! I use catchy subject lines for my emails, play around with formatting in my query letters, and post scenes from my scripts/pages from my pitch decks on social media. I'm always trying to think of out-of-the box ideas.
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Maurice Vaughan Thank you sharing that. Do you take inspiration from something when deciding ideas to use?
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I started a website for actors back in 2010 called Audition Update. There was a big open call for the American Idiot National Tour that I knew would be a zoo. So I went to Costco and bought ten 24-packs of water. I then pulled up to the audition and, as expected, the line was around the block. I handed out water for free with a card for the business and just engaged with everyone about the website and what I was doing. People still bring it up to me to this day.
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Very cool. I bet they all appreciated the hydration too!
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You're welcome, Anthony Grate. I get inspiration from photos and videos sometimes.