On Sunday the 18th The No-Campfire Girls is going up for the day on The Fussy Librarian, an e-book website that can be found here:

 

https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/

 

Like many small businesses (I'm a writer, but let's face it--I'm also a small business), I do more advertising this time of year because people are shopping for the holidays. Also, if you're anything like me, you're looking for something to do that involves not being outside. So, hey--books.


The No-Campfire Girls is listed as YA adventure, although I think it can be a lot of fun for adult readers too. Also, it's got firefighters, so there's that. It's just 99 cents on Kindle and $5 in paperback:

 

 

And of course it's on our website at www.markrhunter.com, just like all of our other books. Unless they're sold out, print copies are at the Noble Art Gallery in downtown Albion. I hope you'll consider supporting local businesses--and local authors--in your shopping this year. Unless you don't live near here, in which case I hope you support another locale's authors.

 

 

Fifteen year old Beth Hamlin is horrified to discover her beloved summer camp must go without campfires this year, due to the fire hazard from a drought. But Beth isn't one to just sit (or swim, or boat, or horseback) around. When her new cabinmate, Cassidy, claims a local Cherokee can do a rain dance, she jumps into action.

All they have to do is trick the Camp Director into letting Running Creek do the dance, avoid the local bully and a flying arrow or two, and keep from getting caught plotting with Cassidy’s firefighter father on a forbidden cell phone. With luck southern Indiana will get a nice, soaking rain, and Camp Inipi can have proper campfires again.


But when things go horribly wrong, the whole area is endangered by a double disaster. Now Beth and her unit may be the only people who can save not only their camp, but everyone in it.

 

 

*A portion of the proceeds of this book benefits Friends of Latonka, an organization made to save the Girl Scout summer camp at Wappapello, Missouri.

 

Image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


I can't say we did all that well at our most recent author appearance ... in fact, we took a loss, because I bought some stuff myself. My theory is that we went to the well too often: All three of this year's book signings happened within six months, and within less than a mile of each other. In addition, it was our third trip to the Noble Art Gallery, which is still the only business that sells signed copies of all our print books. (Including Hoosier Hysterical.)

 

But that's the way it goes, and sometimes the connections and promotion work has more down-the-road benefits than the appearances themselves. Besides, now I can use this to guilt people into buying our books, which (by the way) make great Christmas gifts.

 

Besides, Dan Gagen had some Albion related books out on display, and a collection of old issues from The Noble County American, the Albion newspaper his father ran for something like a billion years, so I spent my time in historical hog heaven. I even found a thirty-five year old photo of myself, which I may or may not someday show people. And the view from his front window is something else:

 

If you look closely, you'll see members of the Albion Lions Club selling citrus on the Noble County Courthouse Square. I sneaked over and got my orange/grapefruit mix box.

 

The view looking inside ain't so bad, either. See anything you're interested in?

 

You want art? 100 E. Main Street, Albion. You're welcome.

 

Note the table made of books. I have several towers of books stacked around my house, but they weren't intended as furniture.

 

It’s the last book signing of the year! And a cover reveal! And the day before the snowstorm, so don’t you want to get out for awhile?

Okay, with only a few weeks left in the year that first part’s not so remarkable—but still. Hope to see you all between 1-5 p.m. today at the Noble Art Gallery in downtown Albion—and while you’re there, head across to the courthouse square and get some oranges and grapefruit from the Lions Club. Pick me up a mix box, would you?

Remember, every time you miss an author appearance a snowman melts. Save Frosty.

Just as a reminder, the Noble Art Gallery in Albion is the only place where you can go in person to buy all the books we have out in print, whether we’re there or not. Well, the only one I know of. Add that to all the other artists who have their work up for sale there, and you can see why it’s an important business to support—just like we should be supporting all local businesses.
Snow willing, Emily and I will be there tomorrow from 1-5 p.m., to sign books, say hello, and show off the new book cover. Please stop by and see us at the old Black Building, 100 E. Main Street. Remember, every time you skip an author appearance, an artist paints a mime. If you think white mimes are scary, wait until you see a painted one.

 

 

In this photo, police block main roads and crowds begin to line up days in advance of Mark R Hunter’s author appearance at the Noble Art Gallery. The first person in line told reporters, “I’m actually just here to ask his wife Emily how she puts up with his genius eccentricities.” Several thousand people were expected …

 

 

Okay, not really; the photo is from the Albion Christmas parade. But that is where we’ll be this coming Saturday, from 1-5 p.m.—the old Black Building at 100 E. Main Street, now the Noble Art Gallery.

We’ll have all our books, including the latest one, Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving At All. Also, we just finished printing out the front and back covers of our newest book, so you can get a look at it far ahead of the scheduled March 7th release date. No police line required.

Apparently the interview with me ran on 93.1 WIBC: Early yesterday I received a small flurry of book orders through the website, and at the same time my Amazon author ranking suddenly jumped to higher than it’s been since February, 2014. (And no, I have no idea what happened in February, 2014.)

It just goes to show: You never know when your promotion efforts are going to pay off. And I still don’t know. When a media outlet receives a press release, is it picked up, as in this case, by someone with an interest in history, humor, and trivia? Or does my e-mail get opened the next day by someone whose girlfriend just broke up with them? Who saw the title Hoosier Hysterical just after being called “hysterical” by that very same girlfriend? Who finds subtitles offensive? Holy cow—all my non-fiction works have a subtitle! I might as well call my next book Kiss of Death: How Subtitles Ruined My Writing Career.

I can always find a way to turn good news into paralyzing fear.

That’s why I do book signings, even though the time put into planning and promotion doesn’t usually match the income: You never know what it will lead to. One person hears about it even if they don’t attend; they tell a friend who’s into that kind of writing; they buy a book, then another that they give to their friend, who just happens to be the cousin of a New York book editor; and bam! Six figure contract.

It could happen.

Plus, it’s fun to meet people, even if it’s people you already know. But that brings me full circle, because if people don’t know about the book signing … well, there you go. That’s why I say things like “Come to the Noble Art Gallery in Albion, this Saturday between 1-5 p.m.!” It’s not because I want to annoy you. It’s to open up the possibilities.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1024817860997691/

Traditionally I post my author appearance press releases here, and is this not a traditional time of the year? So here's what I sent out to various newspapers, radio stations, TV stations, and all the ships at sea, and it might even end up being used somewhere. If you want to use it--you're welcome to.

However, I would discourage you from starting up your own TV station for the sole purpose of displaying my press release on the screen. You'd be surprised at the initial investment, plus there's the whole part about actual programming.

 

 

 

 

December 11th will mark the 200th anniversary of the state of Indiana’s formation, and two Hoosier authors are celebrating a day early with an appearance in downtown Albion.

 

Mark R. Hunter’s newest book, written with his wife Emily, is all about Indiana, and created with the bicentennial in mind. Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving At All, is a tongue-in-cheek look at Hoosier History, personalities, and trivia. The Hunters spent almost two years researching and touring the state, and the book is illustrated with photos they took on their travels.

 

The Hunters already collaborated on two local history books: Images of America: Albion and Noble County, and Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So With the Albion Fire Department. In addition, Mark Hunter has five other published books, four of them fictional works set in Indiana.

 

Mark and Emily will be appearing from 1-5 p.m. December 10th at the Noble Art Gallery, 100 E. Main Street, in Albion. The gallery holds the works of artist/owner Dan Gagen, as well as over twenty other area talents, and features items ranging from wall art to jewelry and pottery. They also have the books by the Hunters, who have visited twice before.

 

In addition, the event will serve to unveil Mark Hunter’s newest novel, which is scheduled to be published March 7, 2017 by Torrid books. Hunter hasn’t announced the book’s title, but its cover has been approved and will be on display at the appearance, along with all of his previous books.

 

 

Hoosier Hysterical and all the Hunters’ books can be found at http://markrhunter.com/, and on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mark-R-Hunter/e/B0058CL6OO.

 

 

Mark R Hunter can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter/, and on Twitter at @MarkRHunter

 

 

 

 

In an earlier post I mentioned trying to come up with original ideas to promote author appearances; I’ve now done over 734 thousand of them, and have a new one coming up December 10th. My newest book, as all fourteen of my regular readers know, is Hoosier Hysterical, a humorous look at the history, people, and trivia of Indiana. The signing at the Noble Art Gallery will be the third since Hoosier Hysterical came out, and also the third appearance I’ve put in at Dan Gagen’s gallery in downtown Albion.
 
What hook could I use to get people to come? The first thing I thought of is to have the cover reveal of my new novel there, and that’s great, but I wanted something more.
 
Then I realized the bicentennial of Indiana’s official formation is December 11th—just one day after the book signing.
 
And what inspired me to write the book was the upcoming bicentennial.
 
Say it with me, now: “Duh.”
 
So, the Facebook event details are now on my FB writer’s page, along with the hooks. While you’re checking it out, please like my page!
 

 
A view from the Noble Art Gallery. Well, actually a view from the middle of the street. Boy, were the other drivers mad.
It can be hard to find new ways to promote author appearances, especially when they happen close together. In this case, that’s close together in distance—the next one’s less than a mile from the last one, and only three and a half weeks later. The advantage is that they’re in different kinds of places, moving from a library to an art gallery.
 
At the same time, I’ve been planning an announcement concerning my next writing project. Right now few people know about it, except those who subscribe to our newsletter. So I was faced with two questions: How to get people to our next book signing, and when to make the big official publishing announcement.
 
You might already know where this is going. You might have thought of it way before I did, but when it comes to promotion I can be a little slow.
 
The cover art has already been approved for the new book, so I thought, hey – cover … art! And we’re going to an art gallery! So the official unveiling of the cover art for the book, which is titled ********, will be at the Noble Art Gallery, 100 E. Main Street in Albion from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, December 10th. And you’ll know the title then, ‘cause it’ll be on the cover. We’ll also have the back cover, so you’ll know what the book is about. And, of course, we’ll have all our already published books, including my current favorite, Hoosier Hysterical.
 
Speaking of supporting local businesses, their Facebook page is here:  https://www.facebook.com/nobleartgallery.
 
Now, let’s face it: They’ll have way better art there than what will be on the cover of my newest novel. Just the same, aren’t you just a little curious? Sure you are. If not, could you pretend to be for my sake? Thanks.
 
 

Thanks to everyone at the Noble County Public Library who made us feel at home in the main branch, in Albion. We had a great time! Some friends stopped to visit, and we sold close to two dozen books.

 

Now--get this--we're going to do the whole thing all over again. Yep, we'll be appearing December 10th at the Noble Art Gallery, also in Albion (at 100 E. Main Street). Details to follow, naturally, but they're the only place where you can regularly buy all of our books, so please support the gallery and all its wonderful art.

 

And ... we'll have something for you to see when we appear. A surprise. *evil laugh* Now, library photos:

 

Here's the table Emily set up. It was a great location!

 

Here's a look at the inside of the library. It gives you a warm feeling during the day, although when night falls it seems a little dark.
(I mean, even with the lights on.)
 
Plus a great view through that big window!

 
Here's Emily's iPad photo of how everything looked after she set it up! All I had to do was sit there and look pretty. I mean, handsome.

 

 

Apparently this is the last couple of days you can order something and still be sure to get it before Christmas, which includes my books if you don’t buy them locally. I know … usually I try to hide my sales pitches behind humor, but honestly I’m exhausted.

A few days ago Noble Art Gallery asked for more copies of Images of America: Albion and Noble County, and I’m told Albion Village Foods has sent off for additional copies three times now. I don’t know how sales are going at Doc’s Hardware, Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, or the Old Jail Museum (which isn’t open this time of year), but as soon as I get medical clearance I’m going to do my happy dance.

Meanwhile I just finished another polishing of my newest book, now with the working title of Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving at All. Emily has it for a fresh-eye review, and if we don’t get a bite from a publisher, we’ll probably self-publish in mid-Spring.

Also meanwhile, look for a free Christmas themed short story soon, as a present from us to you.

As always, check us out at www.markrhunter.com, because sometimes you just need a little book … or a big book. But most of mine skew shorter.

 

 

http://www.inkfreenews.com/2015/09/21/history-comes-alive-for-local-authors/

 

I’m not sure how many people were attracted to my book signings by anything I’ve written or posted … some. “Some” is the best most writers can do when asked how many books sold as a result of their promotion efforts.

You have to worry about oversaturation, which is why I have only one more signing planned this year in Albion … plus one in Kendallville, and my first out of the county, in Auburn. Unless I get invited to something else, I’ll stop until my next book comes out in the spring (ahem—that’s the plan).

You don’t have to sell your writing … in fact, one of the best fiction writers I know has no intention of getting it published. But if you want to be a working writer, you have to sell the soap.

It can be rough for a writer, selling the soap. A lot of people don’t like your kind of soap. Many others will only buy the brand name soap they’re familiar with. And, let’s face it, a lot of people just don’t read—I mean, use soap—at all. There you are, going door to door, hoping someone will open up long enough for you to meekly say, “I designed this soap myself … it’s full of exciting, soapy action, soap figures you’ll root for, and themes that resonate in a soapy world.”

“Sorry, but I’ve already bought Stephen King’s soap.”

Many people who’ve never actually tried to write or sell their writing say it’s easy. I’d love to wash their mouths out with soap, but then I couldn’t sell it.

For their Images of America line, Arcadia Publishing does a routine first printing of 1,200 copies. They did a good bit of promotion and distribution themselves, but still … 1,200 copies.

I have to sell enough copies of The Notorious Ian Grant to justify writing another book in the Storm Chaser series. I have to sell enough Slightly Off the Mark books to show people want more. I have to …

And so it goes, with some similar story for each of my books, and each future book. This is why I get so annoying every time a new one comes out. My message basically boils down to “let me entertain you”, and I need to deliver it in a way that’s, well … entertaining.

So if I bug you to join me at Noble Art Gallery on October 3rd, or at Joanna’s Dealicious Treats in Kendallville and the Cupbearer Café in Auburn on October 10th … and I will, probably tomorrow … go easy on me.

With that much soap, hopefully it’ll all come out in the wash.

.

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