Very pleased to announce Spirit of Lost Angels is the latest addition to the historical fiction category of Awesome Indies, site for quality independently published fiction
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The Content Con
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize that this year's online magical marketing word is "content."
All the hustlers who were selling us "the conversation" a few years ago and "social media marketing" for the past two years have suddenly all become "content" experts. The great thing about content is, it's anything you want it to be. If you can upload it to the web, it's content.
It
Triskele Books blog
This week sees the launch of our Triskele Books blog. Jill Marsh opens with her words on what we've learned and the mistakes we've made during the first year of our authors' collective.
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Should I buy a lottery ticket?
Very excited to see Spirit of Lost Angels on two more "Best Books of 2012" lists, alongside a few Big Names! Thanks to Andrea Connell of The Queen's Quill and Darlene Elizabeth Williams
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Nice Surprise
Just happened to see that Meg from A Bookish Affair has Spirit of Lost Angels on her list of good books for 2012. Thanks, Meg, I'm very chuffed!
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Sex And Commerce
Back in high school there were people who were "heavy users" of sex. Remember them?
They often had one characteristic in common -- they were promiscuous. They didn't just have lots of sex with one person. As we used to say, they "got around."
The world of commerce is like that, too. Heavy users in a category tend to be promiscuous. They tend to try lots of different brands in the category.
Who The Hell Is "The Consumer?"
One of the things that gives me big chuckles is listening to account planners and creative directors talk about "the consumer."
"The consumer" is someone they think they know a lot about. Apparently she attends the same pilates classes as planners, and goes on mountain bike rides with creative directors.
Despite their unctuous devotion to mouthing the word, most people in advertising don't
Slaves To Trendiness
Take a look through any agency website and you're sure to read about how innovative they are. They do things differently. They have a unique perspective.
Spend time at these agencies, on the other hand, and you're sure to find out how absurdly derivative and slavishly trendy they are.
According to Ad Age, no fewer than 60 agencies have so far posted videos of their staff doing the Harlem
We are NOT getting another dog!
Our beloved family pet, Oscar the border collie passed away last September.
Oscar was lucky enough to grow up with three children, chasing balls and sticks, jumping on the trampoline with them, and instinctively trying to round them up when they got a bit too rowdy. They shoved him into princess and superman costumes, painted his toe-nails, plaited his fur and tied ribbons around his ears. He never once growled at them, and adored every minute of his busy life.
Two of the children left our home in France to move to Australia last August, and, with the passing of Oscar, it truly felt like the end of an era.
Padding around our silent, tidy house, I tried to look on the bright side. 'We'll be able to travel more easily,' I said to my husband. 'And you won't have to clean up the crap from the garden every weekend.'
'Yes,' he said, into the long silence, 'life should be a lot easier now ... but it is kind of too quiet, don't you think?'
'I know,' I said. 'But we don't want another dog, do we?'
'No ... we won't get another dog.'
A week ago, some invisible force found us at the local animal shelter, a heart-wrenching experience in the best of times. A few hours later, we headed home with Holly, the dog we were never going to get.
Meet Holly... she's a 9 month-old cross Labrador collie, and possibly something else - a crazy, exhausting, adorable, bundle of beans.
So, since we don't have a new doggy, I can get back to writing my book ...
HOLLY AND ME (DAY I)
HOLLY AND JEAN-YVES (DAY 1)
NO DOGS ON THE BEDS! (DAY 3!)
I SAID NO DOGS ON THE BEDS!
HOW'S A GIRL SUPPOSED TO WRITE, WITH THAT FACE AT THE WINDOW?
HOLLY'S FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY INVITE -with Pati
A BOY, A BED AND A HOUND
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Oscar was lucky enough to grow up with three children, chasing balls and sticks, jumping on the trampoline with them, and instinctively trying to round them up when they got a bit too rowdy. They shoved him into princess and superman costumes, painted his toe-nails, plaited his fur and tied ribbons around his ears. He never once growled at them, and adored every minute of his busy life.
Two of the children left our home in France to move to Australia last August, and, with the passing of Oscar, it truly felt like the end of an era.
Padding around our silent, tidy house, I tried to look on the bright side. 'We'll be able to travel more easily,' I said to my husband. 'And you won't have to clean up the crap from the garden every weekend.'
'Yes,' he said, into the long silence, 'life should be a lot easier now ... but it is kind of too quiet, don't you think?'
'I know,' I said. 'But we don't want another dog, do we?'
'No ... we won't get another dog.'
A week ago, some invisible force found us at the local animal shelter, a heart-wrenching experience in the best of times. A few hours later, we headed home with Holly, the dog we were never going to get.
Meet Holly... she's a 9 month-old cross Labrador collie, and possibly something else - a crazy, exhausting, adorable, bundle of beans.
So, since we don't have a new doggy, I can get back to writing my book ...
HOLLY AND ME (DAY I)
HOLLY AND JEAN-YVES (DAY 1)
NO DOGS ON THE BEDS! (DAY 3!)
I SAID NO DOGS ON THE BEDS!
HOW'S A GIRL SUPPOSED TO WRITE, WITH THAT FACE AT THE WINDOW?
HOLLY'S FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY INVITE -with Pati
A BOY, A BED AND A HOUND
Money Is Their Leverage. Media Is Their Weapon.
Of all the silly, naive marketing notions that have accompanied the growth of the Internet, the most pervasive and foolhardy is the idea that the "consumer is now in charge."
The truth is exactly the opposite. The consumer today has less control than ever.
The web has intensified and consolidated the hold that large media entities and large marketers have on our culture, our economy, and our
Rethinking Our Addictions
I have a little ritual.
Each year, I wait about 10 days after the Super Bowl and then I go back and look at the spots.
The event is still fresh but the hysteria is gone. It gives me a little perspective on what marketers did and what I can glean from it.
Advertising always tends to reflect trends in the larger culture. That's a nice way of saying we steal shamelessly from whatever is popular.
Blogger Math Takes On Facebook
I saw some numbers last week on how the top 10 retail brands are doing on Facebook.
The numbers came from the 4th quarter of 2012 -- the Christmas selling season which is by far the best season for most retailers and, presumably, the season at which Facebook activity would be highest for retailers.
The numbers are startling.
We know that ads on Facebook are alarmingly invisible, with click
Return Of The Friday Follies
Yeah, But He Read It Twice
A book entitled "Fire of Francis Xavier" was returned to the Fort Washington branch of the New York Public Library on Monday. It was 55 years overdue.
Trading Dollars For Pennies
Coca-Cola
received 910,000 votes for their online Super Bowl promotion. Sounds
like a great success until you calculate the cost -- 107,000,000 other
people had to sit through a pointless
Advertising Is Like Exercise
Here's what the ROI monkeys don't understand about advertising. They think you can advertise today and measure the results tomorrow. It doesn't work that way.
Advertising is like exercise.
If you're not used to running, and you run 5 miles today, you will not be stronger or healthier or feel better tomorrow. Or next week. As a matter of fact, you'll probably feel like crap.
But if you run 5
A big thank you to Kate Policani of Compulsively Writing Reviews for her lovely review of Spirit of Lost Angels.
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Let's Get Phygital With Connected Protagonists
We are so used to massive bullshit in the advertising business that it really takes something special to shock us.
I'm happy to say, however, that our industry is up to the challenge. You want bullshit that's something special? We got it.
Last weekend I came across a truly outstanding exercise in painful marketing drivel, and I'm proud to share it with you.
It is hard to believe that an
Special Super Bowl Edition
Okay, boys and girls, here is the obligatory Super Bowl post.
I don't know how much GoDaddy paid Bar Refaeli to kiss that guy but whatever it was, it wasn't enough.
Amy Poehler was funny. But if Best Buy's management thinks they're going to rescue
their rotten carcass by promoting their fabulous customer service they
really ought to go to one of their stores and try to buy something.
Not quite rich and famous, but it's a start!
Thanks to journalist Kate Walsh for featuring a piece on Spirit of Lost Angels in Wollongong's local newspaper: The Illawarra Mercury. For those who were at the "photo shoot", there's a far more humorous story about clambering up those rocks in the high heels and short dress.
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