News
One of the toughest things I have found as a new novelist is finding objective reviews. It seems that most friends and family members, as truthful as they may be, have insider information that makes it difficult to be unbiased. While I have received a few great reviews from people I did not know, I haven't received a large amount of bad ones. Which might be good, but then again, who wants to review a bad book?
I have a new outlet for my writings to appear, yet I'm curious if the words will be larger, since everything is bigger in Texas.
The newest publication to pick up my columns is Near Northwest Houston, which I would gather is near northwest Houston. The monthly print edition circulates in the area and is available on the website. In September's edition, there's a column I had previously written, as well as information about my book, "The Developers."
I just wanted to give a shout out to all of the people who stopped by the Inner Harbor Barnes & Noble in Baltimore on Sept. 1. The rain started Friday morning and didn't stop until sometime Saturday, producing more than 4 inches in the city. Instead of drowning, however, I sold a couple of books and met people from all over the country, and a few from distant lands.
I'm taking a little vacation this weekend, but I won't be stopping the book tour just yet. I'll be at the Barnes & Noble in Baltimore's Inner Harbor 3-5 p.m. Sept. 1 for a little book signing and discussion about "The Developers."
I was going to be in the area because I'm going up there to see my beautiful girlfriend. So I figured, well, I might as well try to sell some books while she's finishing up with her kindergarten class for the day.
I'll be heading back to familiar territory this weekend as I host a book talk in Crawfordsville, Ind., at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Crawfordsville Public Library. A little later in the day (3 p.m. CST), I'll be at the Champaign, Ill., Borders.
I lived in Crawfordsville in 1998-99, working at the Journal Review during my time there. I will be discussing writing and publishing at the library, as well as explaining the process of putting together my novel, The Developers.
I just wanted to thank everyone who stopped by during my weekend Borders book tour. I was really encouraged by the turnout in Columbus, especially considering I know few people up that way.
I will be at Borders locations in Columbus, Cincinnati and Crestview Hills, Ky., this weekend to discuss and sign "The Developers." Here are the specifics:
2 p.m. August 12
Borders, 4545 Kenny Road, Columbus, Ohio
7 p.m. August 12
Borders, Princeton Plaza Shopping Center, Cincinnati
2 p.m. August 13
Borders, 2785 Dixie Highway, Crestview Hills, Ky.
While there are many things to consider when writing, one of the most important items has to be the audience. If I write the greatest story in the history of literature, and it's a war story, there's a good chance that people who aren't interested in war won't like it.
"The Developers" isn't about war, and it's not the greatest story in the history of literature. Maybe the top 10, but not the greatest. Ha! Even when you anticipate that you know your audience, there's still something that just doesn't fit.
Authors who are either self-published or with small publishers have an extremely difficult time getting the word out about their novels. Most large publishing houses have money devoted to advertising, and well-known authors usually have their own publicists to handle marketing.
To preview today's book signing, The News-Enterprise ran an article in Thursday's Pulse, its entertainment guide. The article is just a brief overview, but it is an article nevertheless. Here's the text of the preview:
Humor and technology collide in 'Developers' (08/03/06)
Louisville author coming to E'town for book signing
By The NE Staff
ELIZABETHTOWN - Purdue graduate and Louisville resident Ben Woods will be in Hardin County to sign his new book "The Developers" from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at Waldenbooks in Towne Mall in Elizabethtown.