Vote for it: Would You Buy it? The pitch for “Symbiosis” is ready for slaughter…


Care to take a stab? Votes are anonymous and there’s no requirement to comment. 

We’re beginning something new this week! After you read the 25 words and before you vote, listen to the 30 second audio pitch. Do you think the spoken pitch is compelling enough to sway your vote? Any feedback will be appreciated!

What we are measuring in this experiment is reader interpretation. What does someone think of your book when they read this short blurb? Does it make them want to buy it or at least read further? Editors and publishers may look at these blurbs differently, but ultimately, they’re readers too.

So this is how it works. Read and listen to the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: Symbiosis Author: Madison Woods

Genre: Fantasy

The Tree of Life needs souls from willing human sacrifices. For 4500 years Ki evaded the Tree’s calling to serve as priestess. Her time’s up.
 
.


.
***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

I’m also taking 30-second audio pitches. If you’ve already sent your written pitch and want to also send an audio, just email it to me and remind me your 25 word pitch is already here.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too. (I said this last time, too, haha.)

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down, the canaries at The Canary Review are as good as it gets. Canarythefirst *helped* me once a while back when I was working on my longer pitch here on my own blog. I need to read this post every once in a while for a refresher. You should read it too. It’s pretty funny!

Here’s what Canarythefirst had to say about my recent 25-word pitch: http://thecanaryreview.com/2012/06/01/pitch-slapped-you-only-get-three-seconds-to-make-a-first-impression/

Also, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Mission Statement for the Friday Fictioneers


***

First of all, participating in the Friday Fictioneers story shares here on my blog is totally FREE. There is absolutely no obligation whatsoever to buy anything at all from me now or in the future. Ever.

***

Networking with the Fictioneers

The Friday Fictioneers is a community I started for the purpose of building a network. It is intended to drive traffic to your blogs to read your stories and provide feedback on your writing in a flash Friday campaign. It is NOT intended as a business venture for me other than in the sense that it is building my network. It’s building your network, too. By participating each Friday or as often as you like, you will grow a healthy stash of 100-word stories for your portfolio. This is an asset to you. It’s one of the perks of participation, aside from the feedback and traffic and fellowship.

Motive

Yes. I do hope that by having developed a network, I have success in future endeavors. That doesn’t mean I expect anyone in my network to buy anything of mine, but I do hope it opens channels across the globe that will connect me to others who DO want to buy my books (whenever I have one to sell). When I have articles or stories published, I hope it leads to readers – if not directly then indirectly. That is what networking is. If you are in business, you should want to do this too. I invite you to take advantage of the things I’m learning and sharing as I figure out my own way in this world of business in the technical age. If I rise to higher levels, everyone in my network will benefit. If you are in my network and you rise to higher levels, I benefit. That is how networking works and there’s nothing dishonest or shameful about it.

Terms of Use for Photos

The photos I post as prompts were never intended to be part of anyone else’s portfolio. The photos I post are for sale but no one is required or encouraged or in any way made to feel they have to buy them ever. I have in the past let you know they are for sale. It is an aspect of the business I do here on my blog. On my side-bar I’ve posted that the photos are free to use on your blogs if you provide a link back to me. (It’s also okay if your blog posts through to Twitter and Facebook.)

If you want to collect the photos with your stories on your blogs, that’s perfectly permissible. Just link back to this blog. If you want to print your stories with the prompts for your personal use at home or to give to family and friends, that’s fine too.

However. If you intend to compile your stories with the photos in a collection to offer on a public forum (whether you’re selling them or giving them away free)  like Amazon, or Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords, or any other outlet for distribution of media other than your blog  – that is different. The pictures are for sale if you want to do that. But some of them have already been purchased by others who want to do that. So you can only buy the ones that are still available.

If you have a question about whether you can use a photo, feel free to ask. If the answer is “no” or if you’re not happy with the terms, please be civilized in your response.

***

( This note is to those of you who were here when this document first became a necessity – Thanks for the support and feedback and the disagreement because it helped me to develop this mission statement. )

Vote for it: Would You Buy it? The pitch for “Blue and Grey” is ready for slaughter…


Care to take a stab?

Welcome to my blog’s Thursday feature where we share and vote on our 25 word blurbs – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

What we are measuring in this experiment is reader interpretation. What does someone think of your book when they read this short blurb? Does it make them want to buy it or at least read further? Editors and publishers may look at these blurbs differently, but ultimately, they’re readers too.

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: Blue and Grey    Author: KC Sloan & co.

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Blue, an unwilling cat shapeshifter, and Grey, a master burglar and shapeshifting fox, form an uneasy alliance in a post-apocalyptic city.


***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

I’m also taking 30-second audio pitches if you’d rather send one of those. We’ll start them as soon as we’ve run through the stockpile of 25-word pitches, possibly beginning around mid-July.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down, the canaries at The Canary Review are as good as it gets. Canarythefirst *helped* me once a while back when I was working on my longer pitch here on my own blog. I need to read this post every once in a while for a refresher. You should read it too. It’s pretty funny!

Here’s what Canarythefirst had to say about my recent 25-word pitch: http://thecanaryreview.com/2012/06/01/pitch-slapped-you-only-get-three-seconds-to-make-a-first-impression/

Also, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Vote for it: Would You Buy it? The pitch for “Garden of Dreams” by J. Strands is ready for slaughter…


Care to take a stab?

Welcome to my blog’s Thursday feature where we share and vote on our 25 word blurbs – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

What we are measuring in this experiment is reader interpretation. What does someone think of your book when they read this short blurb? Does it make them want to buy it or at least read further? Editors and publishers may look at these blurbs differently, but ultimately, they’re readers too.

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: Garden of Dreams (Available on Amazon)     Author: J. Strand

Genre: Inspirational Fiction

Timeless tale of scientific magic, universal power, untold wisdom and lost secrets. Or a trick? To intrigue / guide you into a hidden world of wonder. 


***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

I’m also taking 30-second audio pitches if you’d rather send one of those. We’ll start them as soon as we’ve run through the stockpile of 25-word pitches, possibly beginning around mid-July.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down, the canaries at The Canary Review are as good as it gets. Canarythefirst *helped* me once a while back when I was working on my longer pitch here on my own blog. I need to read this post every once in a while for a refresher. You should read it too. It’s pretty funny!

Also, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Vote for it: Would You Buy it? The pitch for Rich Voza’s (@voza_says) “The Curse” is ready for slaughter…


Care to take a stab?

Welcome to my blog’s Thursday feature where we share and vote on our 25 word blurbs – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

What we are measuring in this experiment is reader interpretation. What does someone think of your book when they read this short blurb? Does it make them want to buy it or at least read further? Editors and publishers may look at these blurbs differently, but ultimately, they’re readers too.

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: The Curse     Author: Richard Voza

Genre: Horror

Slave owner casts curse, traps undead souls of runaways and sons on farm. Curse backfires.  Owner and son trapped undead until descendant son kills father.



***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down, the canaries at The Canary Review are as good as it gets. Canarythefirst *helped* me once a while back when I was working on my longer pitch here on my own blog. I need to read this post every once in a while for a refresher. You should read it too. It’s pretty funny!

Also, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Vote for it: Would You Buy it? The pitch for The Cordello Questis ready for slaughter…


Care to take a stab?

Welcome to my blog’s Thursday feature where we share and vote on our 25 word blurbs – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

What we are measuring in this experiment is reader interpretation. What does someone think of your book when they read this short blurb? Does it make them want to buy it or at least read further? Editors and publishers may look at these blurbs differently, but ultimately, they’re readers too.

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: The Cordello Quest     Author: Joanna Gawn & Ron Dickerson

Genre: Fantasy-with-a-spiritual-theme

What would you do if you found yourself in another 
world, and were told that you were part of their legend? Who would you 
trust?


***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

I’m also taking 30-second audio pitches if you’d rather send one of those. We’ll start them as soon as we’ve run through the stockpile of 25-word pitches, possibly beginning around mid-July.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down, the canaries at The Canary Review are as good as it gets. Canarythefirst *helped* me once a while back when I was working on my longer pitch here on my own blog. I need to read this post every once in a while for a refresher. You should read it too. It’s pretty funny!

Also, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Vote for it: Would You Buy it? @KathleenPatel1′s pitch is on the altar this week…


Care to take a stab?

Welcome to my blog’s Thursday feature where we share and vote on our 25 word blurbs – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

What we are measuring in this experiment is reader interpretation. What does someone think of your book when they read this short blurb? Does it make them want to buy it or at least read further? Editors and publishers may look at these blurbs differently, but ultimately, they’re readers too.

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: The Dolls Author: Kathleen Patel

Genre: Horror/Paranormal

They didn’t realize that they had been lured into an evil trap. Who could have imagined what their hosts had in store? 


***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down, the canaries at The Canary Review are as good as it gets. Canarythefirst *helped* me once a while back when I was working on my longer pitch here on my own blog. I need to read this post every once in a while for a refresher. You should read it too. It’s pretty funny!

Also, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Vote for it: Would You Buy it?


Welcome to my blog’s sacrificial altar Thursday feature where we ruthlessly slaughter share and vote on our 25 word blurbs – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

Care to take a stab?

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book if those 25 words were all you had to go on. In reality, as a reader, you’d look at the cover art and browse through the pages before deciding, but for the purpose of this exercise, the decision (or non-decision) has to be based on these 25 words.

If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: Jack Be Nimble Author: Dee Lanna

Genre: Urban Fantasy

A supernatural cleaner finds one big mess when the cops and the mob battle over one lone wolf. Who’s actually dirty? That’s anyone’s bet.



***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.  Did that. It was shameful. But I learned a lot and I’m going to try it again after every one has had time to forget how awful the first one was. If you’ve made changes to yours, you’re welcome to run yours through again too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down to 25 words, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Vote for it: Would You Buy it? With only 25 words to entice you to buy this urban fantasy, the author wants to know… Does it work for you?


Welcome to the Thursday feature where we will share and vote on our 25 word blurbs – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: DUALITY Author: T. E. Schoenborn

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Jess’s parents were murdered, she’s a suspect and now she hears voices. The good news? The meds help. The bad news? Pill-napping Brits suck.
***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down to 25 words, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.

Vote for it: Would You Buy it? (Would these 25 words of distilled hope compel you to pick up the book?)


Elevator Pitches are being honed here! 

Welcome to our Thursday feature where we share our impressions and suggestions, and vote on one brave author’s 25 word blurb – those words that we hope will prompt the editor or agent to ask for a partial.

So this is how it works. Read the pitch/blurb below and then vote as to whether you’d buy the book and tell your friends about it. If you have constructive crit to offer, do so in the comment section.

A caveat.

Don’t vote ‘No’ because you don’t read or want to read the genre. If the genre is a negative bias for you, please refrain from voting unless you are able to be objective about the quality of the blurb.

***

Vote for it:

Title: Fly into the Dark   Author: Rainy Kaye

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

A young man must risk his life–and the rest of his world–to save a woman from the apocalypse his mother created. 
***
***

What about you?

If you want to put your 25 words to the test, email me your pitch/blurb (25 words or less) at the addy over there on my right hand side-bar.

Be forewarned. 25 word summaries are difficult! I struggled with mine for days. Okay. I’ll be honest. I’ve struggled with mine for a while now…months, even. But I think I finally have one that’ll work and when there’s a lull in the pitches I’ll throw mine out there to be slaughtered, too.

You’ll be welcome to run yours again later when everyone in queue is done, and you’ll especially want to do this if you’ve made changes. Plus, as the campaign runs for while, word will spread and we’ll get more views and votes.

At the end of the week I’ll email you with the results.

The poll will stay active indefinitely, so if you want to direct people to your link to cast their votes, you’re free to do so.

If you need some ideas on how to distill your large blurb down to 25 words, here’s a great link from David B. Coe (fantasy author published by Tor): http://www.magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/on-writing-and-publishing-refining-your-elevator-pitch/ He took pitches one day and gave feedback to a bunch of us.