Showing a Bit of Ass

January 23, 2012
Showing a Bit of Ass
Nope, I'm not talking about lying on a golden quilted bedspread with your pants down to expose your buttocks for a good hard spanking before the real fun begins, I'm talking about how some authors are just a little bit too...overexposed (and not in a good way) or, if you will, show too much ass.

Let me explain.

There has been a lot of discussion about promotion and the like lately. How does an author promote without 'showing too much ass' to gain new readers? An example of showing too much ass is countless 'event' invitations sent out to all and sundry through goodreads and facebook and numerous others. I get at least 10-20 of these a day. Suffice to say, delete, delete, delete. Unless I personally know the author or have had contact with them or am already a fan of their work, why would I waste my valuable time at an event I may not have an interest in? Why? It just doesn't make sense. 

Another example is the countless showing of ass on twitter, facebook, and all the other social forums people frequent. Sure, a tweet or two, a message left to let people know you have a new book, a contest here and there, they are all good tools. But like tools, you can't overuse them. Imagine using a hammer to drive in a screw. It just ain't going to work...or not very well, or least until you've got desperate and hammered in that screw because you can't find the right size or fit screwdriver (*cough* I am guilty of that handyman mistake in my earlier days LOL).

Okay, so what works?

Well, firstly, for me (and I stress this is from my experience and others will be different) is be yourself. Let readers know who you are from your blog posts, posts in forums, and other social arenas. Don't, I repeat, don't constantly bombard people with 'buy my book' showing of ass. You're likely to get more readers if you interact. And that's the truth of the matter. Gone are the days of authors sitting in their ivory towers, looking down on their fans while they write for all hours. A good chunk of a modern authors 'writing time' should be spent interacting. And that means interacting without mentioning your work. I know it may be hard...but seriously, people will come to you and investigate what you do if they like what they read on those forums. 

My general rule of thumb for promoting a book is:

1 tweet per day to let people know I have a new release, generally for about a week after release. No more. 
1 post on facebook for the same time and frequency. 
1 post on my blog about my new release with excerpt
1 post on my blog pre-release to do a competition to win a copy of an impending release.

The rest of the time, I post other stuff on my blog, most of the time making fun of myself or about my observations in life. My most popular posts are those that have NOTHING to do with books. Tells you all something, doesn't it? I bet the majority of authors out there could say the same--unless they're very well known and no matter what they do they're going to sell squillions of books.

So there you have it, don't show too much ass--unless your partner wants you to and it will lead to the ordering of pizza ;) 
  
 

Weird Dream

January 21, 2012
I had a weird dream last night. I mean, usually I dream about science fiction stuff, new worlds, aliens, and hot men (of course) but this time I dreampt I was in the past, say something like Victorian England or thereabouts! I wasn't sure. I mean, wtf! The topic I would know very little about, yet the dream was very vivid! 

I was a lord of a manor or something and I had plenty of house boys at my very whim. Then things got dark and a murder happened and one of my twinky house boys was missing....
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My Best Friend's Friend Got Ouchie!

January 20, 2012
Okay, okay, for those of you who know me, my writing, and my beliefs, then you would know that a best friend's friend is of course a foreskin (a fabulous part of the male penis). I'm very proud of mine, even though I haven't treated it the best over the years...but there you go. That is another story...which you can get here.

Anyway, last night...well...my best friend's friend got hurt! The poor little bugger. I imagine he would have thought those days of torture for him would have been over. ...

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Something for Free!

January 18, 2012
Today I'm going to give the readers of my blog a very special offer. Shhh, this is exclusive to you, my wonderful readers, so tell everyone...all right :)

Okay, here's the deal. Buy a copy of my latest release, Sweet Science, Hard Love from here, send me the receipt here and you can choose from my back catalog a book for FREE! Yep, that's right. Any book you wish, in PDF or ePub format is yours. Simple as that.  

To get you in the buying mood, here's some more eye candy! 



Boys kissing! Whoot! 

 

...
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The Vicar of Passmore

January 17, 2012
Okay, some of you may have known, some of you may have not. But here it is for all of you to know. The Vicar of Passmore is now going to be a Mark Alders release! Yep, I decided to kill Jasmine. She was interfering with my nude writing time anyway, always complaining in the background, wanting attention, blah, blah!

So, Jasmine no longer exists. Which is probably better. I have enough on my plate without having to worry about someone else, too! So, my romantic comedy The Vicar of Passmore will...

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Excerpt: Sweet Science, Hard Love

January 16, 2012
Here is an excerpt from my latest release which you can get here

Enjoy!

  
Briant was now naked, cock springing to attention. Carlo had disrobed him and had begun masturbating his cock, retracting his foreskin so he could get at the jewel of Briant’s head, bulging and red and ready for action. Briant’s shorts were around his ankles.

He stepped out of his shorts and let Carlo lead him into the shower. Seconds later, the warm water cascaded over his tired body, soothing his muscles, while the...

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Sweet Science, Hard Love Out Now!

January 15, 2012
Today marks the release of Sweet Science, Hard Love, my latest story. Click here to grab your copy and enjoy the adventure as Briant Latten discovers the world's first nude boxing match will give him a lot more than he bargained for.

Also, the winner of a copy of Sweet Science, Hard Love is....drum roll... 
arella3173_loveless. 

Congratulations and a big thank you to all who entered! A great response from you all. Thanks! 
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The First Ever M/M Melbourne Meet: My Report

January 14, 2012
Okay, first off, lets talk about who attended. In the picture above, and from left to right, there's the adorable Byron, the salacious Sarah, me, the ever graceful Carmen, the vivacious Shaz from Sydney, and last but not least, there's the sensational Sue!

That's out of the way, let me show you this photo:

 


I haz chocolates!!!!! Yep, because it was my birthday and I was *cough, cough* 41 *cough* they all got me chocolates. What's more, the little bag you see in the pic above had two of the most...
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Win a Copy of Sweet Science, Hard Love

January 11, 2012
Want to win a copy of Sweet Science, Hard Love in shiny new PDF? Well, all you have to do is let me know what your favourite sport is :) Simple hey! 

Oh, and Sarah, your copy of the book will be ready on release day. For those of you who didn't know, Sarah came up with the title of this book for me in a competition I ran last year. She gets a free copy and her name on the dedication page. Once again, congrats, Sarah! 

Winner will be announced on release day...or after I have attended the first ...

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The First Ever Melbourne M/M Meet

January 10, 2012
This Saturday will mark the first ever Melbourne m/m meet and I will be there! The day will also be my birthday. I'll be *cough* 41 *cough, cough* We are all meeting at the Blue Train cafe, and I believe there is even one person coming all the way from Sydney to be there! Wow!  

It's going to be a busy day and I am looking forward to it. I have family and friends coming over in the evening for a BBQ my partner is organising. What's more, the 13th of Jan...that day before my birthday, Lee will ...

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About Me


Mark Alders I am Mark Alders, writer, intactivist, post office worker, and all round nice guy...except when someone steals my chocolate! I am a proud Australian, and as such use different spellings and have some weird phrases, too. Hey, perhaps that's why I write some damn weird shit! I can't change who I am. So when you read one of my books, enjoy the ride, but please don't say I can't spell. I spell how I damn well feel like it! LOL Naw seriously, I spell like an Aussie...do forgive me because we are a breed unto ourselves. Where else can a place have 11 registered public holidays and no one has any idea what they are for except to have a BBQ and down some beers! If you do find a genuine error in my work, please let me know so I can speak with my editor...also, as an addition to that, offer chocolates as well. Lots of chocolates. *hugs* Mark
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