Moving to Blogspot…

My blog will be moving to blogspot.  For those of you who just type in kevinmturner.com, you will go there automatically.  However, for those who made it here, you can visit my blog by going to:

1.  www.kevinmturner.com      or

2.  http://www.themagiseries.blogspot.com

The blog is exactly the same in content.  Contests will still apply.  You’ll just need to go there for details!

I loved wordpress and actually prefer it, but most of the industry I need to network with does business at blogspot, so I need to be there.

Sorry for any confusion.

Kevin

Contest #1

The other day, one of my readers suggested to have contests to keep interest in the blog.  I was immediately intrigued until I realized that I don’t have much to give away.  Oops!   I’m a new blogger with no budget.  That’s a recipe for disaster!

The only thing I really have is my book.  So here it goes:

I’m giving away an electronic copy of The Magi to one reader who comments on this message.  Your comment can be anything.  Flattery will be considered.  I will keep this post up for one week.  In order to win, you must subscribe or be subscribed to the blog (that only means giving me your email address where it says “Email Subscription” on the right hand side.  Your email will be kept private).

All those who comment will be entered into a random drawing and will be chosen one week from today (9/12).  If only one person comments, guess what?  You win!  If no one comments, then I will be very humbled.  But I’ll keep trying.

Thanks a million!

Chapter 2 is Now Up!

Go to The Magi tab at the top or to the side bar on the right and click the link.  If you haven’t read the prologue or chapter 1, it might be best to do that first since chapter 2 won’t make much sense without them.  Just a thought.

Let me know what you think!

 

 

Why the Blog? (Part 3 of 3)

As it turns out, yesterday was the day off.  So I’ll publish this today.  Tomorrow I have a modest contest (sorry I’m new, so I don’t have tons of free things to give away), so check back here for details.  Also, later on today I will release chapter 2, so check back!!! Now, on to the conclusion Why the Blog?

Publishing Option 3:  E-books

Just as I mentioned yesterday, the book industry is following the music industry when it comes to digital sales.  The Kindle and the Nook are now doing for authors what the iPod did for music.  So what are the advantages and disadvantages to authors publishing on one of those devices?

Pros:  No agents or publishing houses are needed.  It’s cheap—or at least cheaper to produce.  Authors have total control of the product since the only thing being published is the writing itself.  Since it costs little to produce, it’s cheaper to sell.  Since sales are cheaper, readers are more likely to purchase e-books therefore increasing the number of readers.

Cons:  E-books might be easier to produce, but they’re just as hard to promote.  As much as authors would love it if the words itself made readers want to pick up the book and read, the cover art and the look of a book is attractive to readers (especially young adult readers!), and e-books don’t have the same feel that a traditional book has.

My Decision:  I have to admit that publishing The Magi on electronic media is very tempting.  Just like with self-publishing, I am not in a rush to e-publish until getting a bigger reading base, but at this time, I’m leaning toward e-publishing (assuming I have enough readers to make that a worthwhile option).

If an agent or publisher doesn’t pick up The Magi, there will come a point where I will have to make a decision between self-publishing or e-publishing.  At this point, I think my decision will be based solely on my reading base.  If I have a large enough reading base, e-publishing (for Kindles and Nooks) would be the way to go.  However, if my only interested readers are my immediate family and close friends, I think the best option is self-publishing.  That is, unless I find out I have some sort of huge inheritance I never knew about and became a multi-millionaire overnight.  Then you’ll all get a free book!

How the blog can help:  Again, the key is networking and advertising.  The good news is, I have way more options now than authors did years ago.  So if there’s no interest from a major publishing house, I still have a way to get my writing out there.  The key is promotion.  So stick with me!  I’m new at this.  I’m learning, but I believe I have a book that’s entertaining, and I’d love to share it with you!

Next up:

Contest #1 (9/5)

Teaser Tuesday (9/6)

The Problem with Harry Potter (9/7)

Why the Blog? (Part 2 of 3)

Publishing Option 2:  Self-Publishing

Only about a decade ago, the music industry forever changed as recording artists began to record their own music and market it online almost as effective as a record company.  The book industry is in the process of going through that change now.  Self-publishing is now a tool that writers can use without going through agents or publishers.  They can set up their own business, publish their books from a manufacturer, and sell to those who will buy their product.

Pros:  No need for agents or publishing houses.  It’s a guarantee (although so is Shutterfly!).  The author has total control of the business and marketing, and they can choose the look of the book, the pricing (to a degree), and much more with the help of a self-publishing company.

Cons:  Most self-published books fail.  I’m no expert, but my hunch is that the reason for failure is a lack of big marketing buzz that a major publisher can create.  It’s also expensive!  A major publisher can put up lots of money upfront to get the ball rolling, so to speak.  An author has a harder time generating the money that is needed to print the books, paying the cover artist, running a marketing campaign, etc.

Decision:  I may put this on the backburner for now.  At the moment, my following is modest (but I have some wonderful promoters already…thank you!), so rushing into this option will probably not be the wisest decision now.  I want to wait until I have a larger following so if and when I do publish, word will get around quicker.

How the blog can help:  Marketing and information networking!  There may come a point when I decide that landing an agent is not going to happen.  In that case, the hope is at that time, there will be enough interested readers to make a dent in the ground attack advertising (a.k.a word of mouth).  I plan to use the blog to promote and share portions of the book to make enough buzz around it.

I’m still figuring all this stuff out and researching how I can build a solid base of interested readers, but the blog is a start.  Just a side note, now entering its second week being public, The Savenridge Academy has had more hits each day than the day before it.  Thanks to you!

Next up:

Option 3:  E-books (9/3)

Sunday’s a day off!  Sorry.

Contest #1 (9/5)

Teaser Tuesday (9/6)

The Problem with Harry Potter (9/7)  

Why the blog? (Part 1 of 3)

In the interest of shortening this entry, I will skip why I wrote The Magi.  For more detailed information, click here.

Let me answer the question of the blog purpose by outlining my publishing options.

Publishing Option 1:  The traditional route.

Traditionally, writers who want to become published send their work to agents who then sell it to a major publishing company.

Pros:  Publishers know how to get books into bookstores, and most publishers only talk to agents.  The publishers have the budget to take risks on unproven authors and understand the writing industry better than anyone.

Cons:  It’s INCREDIBLY difficult to get published this way.  Agents are extremely busy, so it’s challenging to become noticed even if the writing is great.  Timing is everything and if the timing’s not right, great work goes unread.  There are too many variables.

Odds:  Almost zero.  But not impossible.

Decision:  This is, by far, the preferred way to go.  Agents and publishers know what they’re doing, and they can get my book out there.  The problem is, it’s not up to me.

How the blog can help:  Getting an agent to immediately fall in love with the short sample they request is nearly impossible.  Many agents won’t even look at work unless they’re already interested. So how the heck do you get noticed?

Networking!  Which is what I’m trying to do.  The purpose of the blog is to build some buzz for the book.  Every little stat helps.  Posts, comments, traffic (especially on the pages with the story), and subscriber numbers can get the attention of agents and publishers.

So how can you help?  Become one of those statistics and give me feedback on what intrigues you or how I can improve the blog/story.  The success of any writer is always in the hands of readers.  Here’s to building a reading base.  That’s you!

Next up:

Option 2:  Self-publishing (9/2)

Option 3:  E-books (9/3)

The Magi Teaser

          “Once I explain to you who I am—once you are taken to Savenridge and meet the Magi, you must never speak to anyone on the outside about what you know.  You must keep our secrets forever.  What you will learn has been kept a secret for almost three thousand years.  What you will hear is powerful.  It’s history!  Before I go on, you must make that promise.”

-Quote from Chapter 6

Elijah Hawk never asked to be part of the Magi world, but it found him!  At thirteen years old, he has his own problems to deal with like impressing girls at school and desperately trying to bulk up his skinny frame.  However, after his parents are suddenly murdered and his uncle mysteriously goes missing, he can no longer ignore the signs that he is being hunted!

As Elijah searches for clues to his parents’ murders while eluding potential danger, he discovers a hidden city he never knew existed—right here on earth!  The city’s people, called Magi, have existed for thousands of years, concealing themselves in remote areas of the world.  They are simple people with a very complex secret.  They have learned to manipulate and control the four elements:  fire, water, wind, and earth.  The Magi agree to teach Elijah their secret only if he promises to use the power to protect others.

Before long, Elijah becomes consumed with training and making new friends in this Magi community—he has even caught the eye of the most beautiful girl at the training barracks.  Just when he thinks that life is stabilizing, a sudden series of attacks on the training barracks terrorizes the city.  Haunting Elijah even more is knowing that the violence is meant for him!  Whatever was hunting him before has followed him to the Magi world.  As if that wasn’t enough, he learns that the answers to his parents’ murders are connected to these attacks, but to solve the mystery, he must find a way to confront the deadly assailants.  Elijah promised to use the Magi power to protect others.  But who will protect him?

Welcome!

Welcome to Savenridge Academy!

This blog is to serve two functions.  The first is to promote my novel The Magi, which I will talk more about below.  The second is to share excerpts from The Magi and get feedback.

BACKGROUND TO THE MAGI-

In the fall of 2010, I had a professional crisis.  I have been a middle school English teacher my entire career and each year, it seems, kids want to read less and less. I would take my class to the library every other week, and every time I felt like a pinball scoring no points as I ran from student to student asking them if they found an exciting book to read.   I felt like a complete failure when the following trip to the library produced the same students returning last week’s unread book and searching for a new one.

I finally decided to change my strategy.  Instead of asking each student individually what type of book they wanted at the time, I created a survey for every student at once, listing questions about what they thought the perfect book would be like.

As you can imagine, many answers were quite diverse.  However, there were some ideas that almost every student mentioned.  Over and over I found myself reading some of the same requests.

I found myself slightly obsessed (okay, VERY obsessed) with their answers, and as I continued to pour over their surveys, a storyline began to form in my mind.  I began to think that I could write this unmade story that students this age are demanding.

For almost half a year I worked on constructing a plot that eventually became The Magi, making sure that I stuck to the requests of my students.  It’s been about a year now, and I’m finally ready to share my story.  I may have initially written it for my students, but if it’s good enough, I hope to be able to contribute something fun to read for kids everywhere.

Because I am still trying to promote the book I will only release portions of The Magi at a time .  I have placed the prologue on THE MAGI tab at the top of the page.  Once I have 10 subscribers (you can subscribe on the tab to the right), I will release the next chapter.  I welcome any and all feedback through comments or email.  Thank you for your support.

Kevin M. Turner