Category Archives: Reading

Selling Out: How Presales Can Make Your Book a Hit

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To whom it may someday concern, in a minor way

Dear Author Arbitrageur

Who: The Shebeen Club presents author, speaker, and sales trainer Shane Gibson

What: Selling Out: How Presales Can Make Your Book a Hit

When: 7-9pm Monday, October 25th (one week later than our usual date)

Where: A private dining room upstairs at Revel Room, 238 Abbott Street just off Gastown, near the Woodward’s Building

Why: Because Shane’s latest book sold out its entire first printing before it was officially available for sale. We want to know how, and so do you!

How (much): $20 early-bird tickets/$25 at the door includes dinner and a glass of wine or beer

I worked as Shane’s editorial assistant on his latest book, Guerrilla Social Media Marketing (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson, the Guerrilla Marketing Guru) and while I was typing it up, I kept thinking what a great book it was. This is by way of disclosure, not puffery. Seems thousands of others feel the same way: the book officially sold out its first printing on September 30th; it wasn’t actually in stores until October 3rd.

That is what you call a successful book launch.

Shane is here to tell us how he and Jay did that, and teach us techniques that we can use on our own book launches, whether we’re publishers, editors, or authors. I only know one tip: 85% of life is showing up, so show up on October 25th and prepare to learn powerful tools for marketing your book from an author who’s not afraid of success! At this point, it just might be scared of him!

Shane Gibson

Shane Gibson

Shane Gibson is an international speaker and author who has addressed over 100,000 people over the past sixteen years on stages in North America, Southern Africa and South America.

Shane’s books include Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside Down, Closing Bigger: the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals, and his new book published by Entrepreneur Press (McGraw Hill) called Guerrilla Social Media Marketing, co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson.

Blogging since 2002, and podcasting since 2004 Shane drives the majority of his business from social media, and social networks. He has been published in numerous publications as an authority on the topics of leadership, marketing, social media, and sales performance. Some of these publications include CMA Magazine, the Financial Post, the Globe and Mail and Profit Magazine.

7-7:30 Meet & Mingle

7:30-8 Listen and Learn

8-9 Grinning maniacally while counting on your fingers and phoning your accountant

Tony Blair, criminal mind?

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Tony Blair

Tony Blair, crime fiction author?

There’s a new  and amusing Facebook Group in town: Put One of Tony Blair’s Books in the Crime Section of Your Bookshop, and there’s some new evidence that they should at least be in Fiction generally.

The Torygraph (via Gawker) reports that contained within my Secret Boyfriend‘s autobiography is a passage cribbed, apparently, from the movie The Queen, and completely, utterly made up.

In A Journey, Blair claims that the Queen said to him: “You are my 10th prime minister. The first was Winston. That was before you were born.” In [screenwriter Peter] Morgan’s script to the 2006 film The Queen, Mirren, in the title role, tells Michael Sheen’s Blair: “You are my 10th prime minister, Mr Blair. My first was Winston Churchill.”

As a longtime reader of Majesty Magazine, I can tell you that there is very, very little likelihood that the first quotation is correct. The Queen just does not express herself this way in a formal and historically loaded context. She would surely have said “Churchill” or “Winston Churchill” if she said anything. And the screenwriter is adamant that he didn’t base it on any facts, just made it up entirely. So, when you do your substitution at the bookstore, you’d best put his book with Crime Fiction rather than True Crime!

and while you’re at it, get me Michael Lewis’ phone number

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No, I’m serious: Get me Michael Lewis‘ phone number!

If you ask me (and I don’t believe you did, but you might and I’m servicey like that, so here’s your answer in advance) not enough writers are the object of gratuitous sexual objectification, and here I speak, of course, not only of myself but of others as well.

Harold Bloom, for instance.

But one man, it seems, has achieved this dream, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer sci-fi-er: Ray Bradbury is the subject of this lusty, Silvermanesque ditty, unambiguously entitled “Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury.”

And the lyrics of the tune every high school book club is going to want to perform at the Assembly:

Steve called me up and said: “Wanna hang out tonight?”

We could see an indie film or just grab a bite

I said: “Oh, Steve, YOU’RE cute, but a MOVIE’S not what I need. No offense, BUT I’d rather stay home and read.”

F-ck Me, Ray Bradbury

The greatest Sci-Fi writer in history

Oh F-ck Me, Ray Bradbury

Since I was twelve I’ve been your number one fan

“Kiss me, you ILLUSTRATED MAN.”

I’ll feed you grapes and Dandelion Wine

And we’ll read a little Fahrenheit 69

You’re a Prolific Author, Ray Bradbury

Come on baby, I’m down on one knee

I carved our names on a Halloween tree

You write about earthlings going to Mars

And I write about blowin you in my car

You won an Emmy AWARD for the screen play adaptation of Halloween Tree

F-ck Me, Ray Bradbury

The greatest Sci-Fi writer in history

Oh F-ck Me, F-ck Me Ray Bradbury

S is for space

L is for love

S is for space

L is for loveee

S is for space

L is for love

S is for space

L is for loveeeeeeeee

Houston we have a throb-blem

F-ck Me, Ray Bradbury

The greatest Sci-Fi writer in history

Oh F-ck Me, (F-ck Me) Ray Bradbury

Oh oh oh

F-ck Me, Ray Bradbury (f-ck me)

The greatest Sci-Fi writer in history

Cause when you f-ck me

Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Will Come

Something Wicked This Way Will Come

Something Wicked This Way Will Come

Something Wicked This Way Will Come

And by come, I mean ejaculate on a book.

Philosopher’s Cafe May 31:Should literature be judged on its moral content?

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Immoral Books

Literary congress OH MY!

I got this in an email from Zahid Makdoom, the organizer of the Philosopher’s cafes. It starts at 7:30pm:

Many thinkers and writers have been persecuted for, or at least judged adversely, on the content of their reflections and writings and not on the beauty or strength of their craft. Are these judgments necessary to ensure social solidarity or are they corrosive to creative endeavors?

(Theresa’s, a worker-owned/operated eatery is very popular with weekend brunchers. It’s small oasis of peace and good food on the Commercial Drive. Although, Theresa’s is not open for dinner on Mondays and Tuesday but our ever-so-accommodating host Jeff has consented to open it tomorrow and he would serve his culinary delights prepared with organic ingredients. Please bring in cash in case you want to eat there, owned/operated by its workers Theresa’s dies not have ability to accept credit/debit cards. Theresa’s 1260 Commercial Drive, Vancouver BC V5L 3X4. It’s across from the Grandview Park between Williams and Charles Streets on eastside of the street, ample meter parking and some time limited free parking spots on the side streets).

As always, I am hopeful our engagement would reflect the fundamental creed of our Café: any idea worthy of conception, is worthy of reflection, of examination, of analysis, of critique (and of even being laughed at, poked at or mocked provided of course if we can manage to do it respectfully or as deliciously as the late George Carlin would do.)

Many thanks. See you tomorrow evening at the Theresa’s.

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Zombie Literature Appreciation Day Party: our May monthly meeting!

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Welcome to the zombie party!

Welcome to the zombie party!

In honour of Zombie Awareness Month, we will be hosting a discussion of the literature of the reanimated as our May event. What better way to celebrate the ripening Summer than to feast our minds on the ravening necronauts which have brought us so much pleasure over the aeons?

Attendees are invited to bring their favorite piece of zombie literature for reading: poems, screenplays (not the WHOLE thing, though!), short stories, short-short stories, and particularly haikus in the original Japanese are all welcome.

Zombie Literature Appreciation Day Party

7-9pm Monday, May 17
The Shebeen, 212 Carrall Street behind the Irish Heather (go right through and to the back; we will be lurking in the back corner)
$20 buys you dinner and a drink; it’s the best deal in town!
Note that salt-free menu options are available for the zombies in attendance.

Dress: Zombie or victim. Please, let’s keep it pure: no bloody vampires, for once!

Please check your weapons with the hostess.

In the event that ninjas materialize, there will be a rumble between ninjas and zombies to settle that question once and for all. Five bucks on the zombies.

See you then! Or not, if you’re ninjas.

You can join our Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=50587958868&ref=ts
You can respond to this event on Facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=116900301680148&ref=ts

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