Gillian Hamer talks about Triskele Books in this post on the Alliance of Independent Authors Advice Blog
Sidewalk Psychology And The Z-Man
There was an interesting piece in Ad Age the other day about people exhausting their ability to pay attention to all the nonsense on Facebook.
Zuckerberg predicted a few years ago that each year the amount of stuff each of us would post on line would double. Apparently this is called Zuckerberg's Law. The writer believes that in this prediction lies the downfall of the Facebook empire. He
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Zuckerberg predicted a few years ago that each year the amount of stuff each of us would post on line would double. Apparently this is called Zuckerberg's Law. The writer believes that in this prediction lies the downfall of the Facebook empire. He
Behavior Blindness
For years I've been writing about the weakness of the web as an advertising medium.
Throughout this period there have been intelligent, successful people who have disagreed with me vehemently. In fact, almost the entire advertising and marketing industry seems to disagree.*
It has been very confusing for me trying to understand why otherwise intelligent, perceptive people don't see what I see.
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Throughout this period there have been intelligent, successful people who have disagreed with me vehemently. In fact, almost the entire advertising and marketing industry seems to disagree.*
It has been very confusing for me trying to understand why otherwise intelligent, perceptive people don't see what I see.
So You Wanna Run An Ad Agency
If you're the typical wildly demented ad professional, you probably think that some day you'd like to run your own agency. Since I've been doing that for several centuries I thought I'd give you a few tips.
Managing an ad agency is like delivering a baby. It seems pleasant enough in theory. But until you've actually done it you have no idea how messy it is.
Forget everything you've ever
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Managing an ad agency is like delivering a baby. It seems pleasant enough in theory. But until you've actually done it you have no idea how messy it is.
Forget everything you've ever
Very interesting general fiction article from one of my favourite authors and editors, Barbara Scott-Emmett
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Advertising's 5 Biggest Lies
Among our fellow citizens, it is commonly believed that we ad hacks get paid to lie. While I am not prepared to stipulate, I do concede that sometimes we don't quite tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
So when you set out to write a piece entitled Advertising's 5 Biggest Lies, you are begging for trouble. It's like writing Las Vegas's 5 Worst Buffet Dinners or Pepsi's 5
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So when you set out to write a piece entitled Advertising's 5 Biggest Lies, you are begging for trouble. It's like writing Las Vegas's 5 Worst Buffet Dinners or Pepsi's 5
Cheers to the power of three!
Many thanks to Sue Howe for letting us have a rant on her blog!
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Content Is The New Magic
Recently I praised Fast Company for publishing a very good piece about the dream world marketers are living in in which they think Facebook members give a shit about their brands.
Well, it didn't take long for Fast Company to revert to form. Last week they published a self-promotion piece disguised as an article called Why You Should Buy Facebook (And Sell GM). It was written by a "content"
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Well, it didn't take long for Fast Company to revert to form. Last week they published a self-promotion piece disguised as an article called Why You Should Buy Facebook (And Sell GM). It was written by a "content"
Bookoccino Independent bookshop review
Thanks to Gwen Lansbury, loyal patron of Bookoccino, for this information.
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Nobody Ever Clicked On The Mona Lisa
Earlier this week, in a post entitled Why Clicks Matter, I expressed the opinion that the only sensible expectation for online display advertising is that it will generate clicks.
Now that the dirty little secret that almost no one clicks on display ads is out, one of the arguments that apologists, sales hustlers, and people who don't understand advertising drag out is "oh yeah, well nobody ever
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Now that the dirty little secret that almost no one clicks on display ads is out, one of the arguments that apologists, sales hustlers, and people who don't understand advertising drag out is "oh yeah, well nobody ever
Inspiration, or merely fleeting excitement?
You think you’ve got it, THE fabulous idea for the next novel! There’s nothing quite like inspiration – the exhilaration that sets the fingers itching, trembling even, over the keyboard. The urge to drop everything and set off immediately into a new and exciting adventure; a magnetic pull into the clutches of this undiscovered, invented world. In that instant, it seems perfect, a sure-winner.
But, on reflection, is the idea really so great?
The first photo my friend showed me was of a wooden bench seat, the chipped paint and worn slats gleaming in the angle of morning sun. Splotches of rust trace the spirals of the iron arm rests. She said her great-grandfather proposed to his future wife on that seat.
The next photo was of the family home they were being forced to sell: an Australian federation-style house with the usual jacaranda, magnolia and fruit tree blossoms. In the backyard, a dilapidated chook-run leant to one side, and the thunderbox had lost its roof.
As we laughed, recalling those outside toilets, crawling with spiders, bats and mice, I felt it coming on like a hot flush –– the ticking mind, the quickening heartbeat, the thrill pulsing through my veins. Flashes of characters, dialogue, exotic settings. My mind’s eye visualized the story behind these photographs: the Australian convict settlement, the gold rush, fierce bushrangers galloping off into the hills.
It took hold. I flung my arms about, stuttering out ideas, quirky characters and dreamy scenes. Then the dust settled, and I recalled the excellent award-winning books I’d read about this period such as: Kate Grenville’s The Secret River and Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang. I realized it had been done before, and far better than I could hope for. Besides, I no longer lived in Australia, which made me feel even more distant from this project.
I sadly put the Aussie saga idea to bed … for the moment.Shortly after this revelation, on a Sunday afternoon walk in the rural village of Messimy, France, where I now live, I was following the pathway of the nineteen crosses. On the banks of the Garon River, I reached cross number fifteen –– a small granite cross named croix à gros ventre (cross with a big belly). Engraved with two entwined tibias and a heart shape, it is dated 1717, and commemorates two children who drowned in the Garon River.
I was intrigued. Who were these children? How old were they? How had they drowned, and where are they buried?
I hiked up to the local historical organization and learned the children were four and five years old, and are buried in the cemetery of a neighbouring village. I felt the urge to give these lost little ones a family, a village, an identity. This was the story I had to write.
Based on Messimy, the village of Lucie-sur-Vionne was born, the Vionne River and the family farm –– L’Auberge des Anges (The Inn of Angels). The first in the series that follows the Charpentier family across the centuries –– Spirit of Lost Angels –– has just been published under the Triskele Books label: www.triskelebooks.com. The second book, Wolfsangel, will be finished shortly.
It’s not to say I’ll never write that Australian saga. Perhaps I will one day, but today is not the right moment. Living in France, it seems far more fitting to begin my foray into the fictional world through historical France, rather than historical Australia.
The novel-journey is long, arduous and dizzying, and does not end after the weekend, or maybe even after a whole year. You have to really want to be there, to reach the finish line. So, when those sparks of inspiration ignite, perhaps think twice. In hindsight, that original flash of inspiration might not be so fabulous after all.
The Google Bamboozle
An interesting article this weekend in the San Francisco Chronicle had me thinking that Google may be heading toward a greed tipping point. They are getting too big and too piggish.
Google makes its money, first and foremost, by misdirection. You type in a word and they serve you listings from people who have bought the right to that word.
Yes, they also serve you "natural" listings, but they
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Google makes its money, first and foremost, by misdirection. You type in a word and they serve you listings from people who have bought the right to that word.
Yes, they also serve you "natural" listings, but they
Boobs In Adland
A few weeks ago, in the wake of a controversial Time magazine cover featuring a breastfeeding woman, Adweek asked me to comment on the use and effectiveness of women's breasts in advertising. They didn't use my comments, so I'll reproduce them here.
On May 15th, The New York Times reported that researchers had found the “oldest evidence of any kind of graphic imagery” -- 37,000-year-old
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On May 15th, The New York Times reported that researchers had found the “oldest evidence of any kind of graphic imagery” -- 37,000-year-old
Why Clicks Matter
I used to be creative director on the Blue Cross account. We did some very nice advertising for Blue Cross. We even won some Clios (no thanks to me, I had great people working for me) -- back when Clios were worth something.
The primary objective of the advertising was simple -- to get people to apply for a Blue Cross policy.
The way we did it was to put 800 numbers in our TV spots and coupons
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The primary objective of the advertising was simple -- to get people to apply for a Blue Cross policy.
The way we did it was to put 800 numbers in our TV spots and coupons
A few words on Triskele Books
This appeared, last week, on self-published award winner, Dan Holloway's new blog!
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Businesses Clueless About Social Media
Over the years, some of the dumbest articles I've ever read about advertising and marketing have been published by Fast Company (examples: here, here, and here.) But this week I read a good one. It's called "Facebook Is About People, Not Brands--So What Is Your Company Doing?"
The article makes several important points about the cluelessness of businesses regarding social media:
According to a
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The article makes several important points about the cluelessness of businesses regarding social media:
According to a
The Itch To Pitch
My unrelenting commitment to bringing you the finest in firmly-held, ill-informed opinions has lead me down a dangerous path. I have forced myself to watch 3 episodes of The Pitch.
The things I do for you people...
Even though I have a very high opinion of the power of TV advertising, the truth is I almost never watch TV. (And even though I have a very low opinion of the power of web
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The things I do for you people...
Even though I have a very high opinion of the power of TV advertising, the truth is I almost never watch TV. (And even though I have a very low opinion of the power of web
The Facebook Massacre
I am mildly surprised that Facebook has dropped so far so fast.
Although I thought the Facebook IPO valuation was a cruel and stupid joke, and I predicted that it would dive, I really didn't think it would happen this quickly or dramatically.
As I write this, the value of Facebook shares has dropped almost 30% in two weeks. At a putative value of $100 billion, that's a loss of $30 billion in
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Although I thought the Facebook IPO valuation was a cruel and stupid joke, and I predicted that it would dive, I really didn't think it would happen this quickly or dramatically.
As I write this, the value of Facebook shares has dropped almost 30% in two weeks. At a putative value of $100 billion, that's a loss of $30 billion in
Book Launch
I'd been anticipating this "event" for months, and now it's suddenly over. Triskele Books and Spirit of Lost Angels have embarked on the stormy seas of self-publication.
It all feels a bit like... what now? Of course, the answer to that is easy: get the hell on with writing the next book!
Just back from four days in rainy, noisy, crowded, Jubilee-crazy London, where the launch was held. It was wonderful to finally meet (for real) all the girls from my online writing group: Writing Asylum. They were all as lovely as I'd imagined.
If I'd ever had doubts about this self-publishing business, I'm sure now, whether the book swims or sinks, that I made the right decision.
To be involved in such close team-work, with all the mutual support and encouragement, is fantastic. To start with nothing but the simple notion of publishing quality books, and now, to see the months of sweat, frustration and angst finally come to fruition is very satisfying.
Thanks to all for their support and "Vive Triskele Books"!
TV Getting Ready To Die Again
After 10 years of injudiciously predicting the death of television, you'd think the advertising and marketing press would exhibit a little self-control on this subject. No such luck.
A new study was released recently and it was accompanied by headlines like these:
"Don't Mean To Be Alarmist, But The TV Business May Be Starting To Collapse" "UH OH: This Nielsen Data Suggests People Aren't
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A new study was released recently and it was accompanied by headlines like these:
"Don't Mean To Be Alarmist, But The TV Business May Be Starting To Collapse" "UH OH: This Nielsen Data Suggests People Aren't
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