I’ve been mulling over ways to promote Mother Go, my first novel in more than twenty years, which has just been published as an audiobook original by Audible. At the moment, the audio version is the only version and it needs all the help that I can give it. Which is why I'm contemplating an experiment; I’m thinking of reviving Strangeways, the little JPK magazine that I self-published a few years, only in a different incarnation. The new Strangeways will be free and come as an email attachment to your inbox. It will have all the usual author propaganda like reviews and interviews, as well as news about Mother Go and insider stuff about the new stories I have coming out in the fall. But I’m not kidding myself that anyone will flock to sign up for a promotional newsletter, if that’s all it is.
So, content.
Strangeways will feature links to some of my not-yet-published print work as well as to exclusive original audio narrated by me. I’ll do some of my own stories and some of my favorite stories that are in the public domain. I’ll also be doing twitter-sized reviews (140 characters, natch) of books I’ve read recently. And for the writer (aspiring and otherwise) demographic, I’m thinking of including links for a limited number of what I’m calling “Flash 250s.” The idea here is that you send me the first 250 words of a work in progress and I will send you back a flash (ie. short) critique of your opening. How many of these will I do? Dunno. Depends on demand. Strangeways will be a very occasional publication, quarterly tops. If this sounds interesting, sign up. below. I’ve opened an account on Mailchimp and am told that’s the proper way to create a mailing list. One more thing: like I said, this is an experiment. Issue One will drop just as soon as my mailing list hits two hundred. You should know that I already have seventy-three, so maybe you – and I -- won’t have too long a wait.