It’s hard out there for us creative types. Getting the word out is tricky business.
So, let’s open the comments below for you to get out word about [Insert Your Project Name Here]. In lieu of an interview today pimping a particular author, you should feel free to pimp yourself. Why pimp here, you ask? Well, this month I’m averaging 11-12k readers a day. Hopefully, you’ll reach new audience?
Fingers crossed.
But but but. There’s a catch.
Here’s how this works:
You can, as noted, pimp your work.
Anything at all.
Novel. Blog. Comic. Movie. Napkin with a drawing of your penis on it. WHATEVER.
Ah, but —
You must also pimp something else by someone else.
Alternately, you can of course just be a pop culture altruist and recommend something to us without pimping any of your own work. Which would be lovely of you, you lovely human.
So, hop to it. Strap on a corset and some garters and shake that moneymaker.
Which was originally typed as “monkeymaker.”
I think I like that better, actually.
Anyway. Do your thing.
Oh! And do peruse the comments. Might find something you like, after all.
Avri Burger says:
First, the pimpage. Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) is a good friend of mine from long ago. It’s because of him that I am now on Twitter. Hillel loves tech and gadgets, and has parleyed blogging about them into a nice living. His personal blog, http://technmarketing.com/, doesn’t get updated much these days because he writes for so many other sites. He now writes regularly for appboy (http://blog.appboy.com/) and inneractive (http://blog.inner-active.com/). I always find his posts to be informative, but, more importantly, he’s a really nice guy. If you’re interested in the tech world, follow/chat with him on Twitter. I promise you won’t regret it.
Now for me. What can I say? When it comes to writing, I’m lazy and I let life get in the way. Case in point: I’ve been developing a trilogy since my last year in college (1997). However, I’ve recently started following writers like Chuck on Twitter, and it’s been a real positive influence on me. I don’t have much on my blog now, but I’m trying to write more regularly. Chuck’s Fast Fiction challenges are definitely helping, I hope to finally get my project off the ground soon as well. My blog site is http://avriburgerwithfries.wordpress.com. Also, feel free to chat with me on Twitter: @ABurgerADay. My tweets tend to be on the humorous side of things, but I also enjoy a good conversation.
Thanks for the opportunity, Chuck!
March 29, 2012 — 8:10 PM
kat says:
My project is Sunset Grill, a webcomic about a bar on the wrong side of town in a corrupt futuristic city. I think it’s pretty awesome, but then again my eleven-month-old is simultaneously teething and trying to set records for World’s Fastest Crawler and I am still updating goddammit, so my standards may be warped.
Other people’s stuff! The first thing that comes to mind in comics is Cetiya, a marvelously weird mix of magic and cyberpunk, and Unsounded, the touching story of a little girl and her erudite killer attack zombie. Book-wise, I really want to recommend the Kickstarter project Tales of the Emerald Serpent. It’s a shared-world project a la Thieves, World, for those of you who remember that series fondly, and the table of contents is just killer — Lynn Flewelling, Harry Connolly, Julie Czernada, and Martha Wells, just to name a few. Seriously, tab over to the updates and read a few of the story snippets. You will be hooked.
March 29, 2012 — 8:48 PM
Ms T. Garden says:
Thank you for the opportunity to share my emotionally complex BDSM tale of one woman’s journey through life. http://bit.ly/H0qzZO
I can’t say enough good things about http://www.bannedwriters.com. These folks care about the freedom to write for everyone. Every author that is a member has something remarkable to say.
March 29, 2012 — 8:56 PM
R. A. Dunn says:
I write smut. Oh hey, that’s also my twitter name when you run it together, iwritesmut. Aren’t I clever?
I have a book out. It’s called Messiah of Monsters. Because cannibals are the new black. Because cannibals are vampires with more bite. Cannibals are vampires that don’t sparkle…but I digress.
There’s filth, of the whoring, drug-induced, gay variety. Also, there are circus freaks. Suspensions. A hermaphrodite.
Did I mention cannibalism?
The link for the Kindle ed is here: http://www.amazon.com/Messiah-of-Monsters-ebook/dp/B007E64G9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333070204&sr=8-1
It’s FREE for Prime members. There is also a fabulous paperback.
In return, I want to pimp three people in lightening hot fashion. One, my cover artist, cause that girl owns: https://m.facebook.com/therealsilhouettestudios?v=info She’s amazing, and very willing to work with writers. Also, she will make your book cover look like a trophy wife instead of a two-bit hooker on crack.
Also, check out this guy: http://www.queeryoungcowboys.com/ – there’s some molten gay smut for you. I just found his link above and have been contemplating it for a little bit now. You know you should, too.
Finally, there’s this lady who runs some fun flash fiction on Tuesday nights. It will only take 15 mins from your schedule and god knows you have plenty of time, you procrastinating writer you. Hell, you read down this list all the way to me. That says something. Go to http://nicolewolverton.com/ any given Tuesday night and rock us with your bad fiction self.
March 29, 2012 — 9:24 PM
Mike Manz says:
I’ll step up and suggest a blog I consistently enjoy; The Chubby Chatterbox. It’s written by Stephen Hayes and is a memoir/slice-of-life style blog. Think “This American Life” or Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” but with more of a PG13 rating from time to time. You can find him at
http://thechubbychatterbox.blogspot.com/
I don’t have anything of my own to pimp yet, but my blog is at
http://lived-inlife.blogspot.com/
if you want to take a look. I write about living in China, writing, music and technology. I’m currently working on writing to a schedule and have had mixed results so far.
March 30, 2012 — 2:29 AM
David Grigg says:
Wow, this is going to be a long run of comments before you’re done!
I’m trying to promote my web site The Narratorium (http://narratorium.com) where I’m trying the experiment of giving a lot of short stories away for free. Why? Because more than anything I’m looking to earn readers. That’s right, readers, not money. One of these days I might sell a book or two, but for the near term future that’s all I’m interested in.
And pimp someone/thing else? Well, I should promote the writing of my good friend Ian Buchanan, who has a terrific novel out for teens called The Jetty Journals : see http://www.thejettyjournals.com/ or Smashwords.
March 30, 2012 — 5:25 AM
Christopher Meyer says:
(A bit late, but I thought I’d hop on it anyway)
First I would like to turn everyone’s attention to a really great independent novel, Gabriel’s Redemption by Steve Umstead: http://www.amazon.com/Gabriels-Redemption-Gabriel-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004LZ5686/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333117967&sr=8-1
I’m only a short way in and it’s already turning out to be a very interesting, very fast past sci-fi novel. I already love it, and I can’t wait to read more!
As for me: My self-published novel, Der Sternvolker (German; The Star Folk; -er at the end denotes the masculine) has been on the market since August.
http://www.renegadedatacore.com/home/products/der-sternvolker
Synopsis:
It’s the year 2305. Earth is gone. Humanity is scattered throughout the solar system. Space is unforgiving, and life is cheap. Peter Drexel is the untried Captain of the Loki. Broke and with an under strength crew he attempts to find a little work to make an honest living. But soon he finds himself in over his head as he fights off Martian Technocrats, city-state militias, privateers, and madmen. In the midst of it all Peter will discover a dark secret about the demons of ancient Earth that will shatter his world. . .
Der Sternvolker is available as both an eBook and in trade paperback, and has been entered into the Writer’s Digest 2012 Self-Published Book Awards Competition (http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/selfpublished).
March 30, 2012 — 10:40 AM
Mike Zimmerman says:
If you like crime fiction, check out my novel WHERE THE SUN DON’T SHINE, available anywhere eBooks are sold. Search Mike Zimmerman on any of the usual retail sites and you’ll see a bunch of stories and mini-collections available. But WHERE THE SUN DON’T SHINE is my pimp of the day.
It’s a coming of age revenge novel set in a dying town. It has guns, booze, angry people, and a deep, dark humor streak you couldn’t remove with acid and a toilet brush. If you like violent, sardonic, dark crime fiction, you’ll like this. But don’t take my word for it…
“There’s great poetry in slow decay, and Zimmerman’s eye for texture finds fertile ground in the crumbling, anthracite coal underbelly of this fictional PA town. In a world of pre-fab reality TV shows and silicone everything, the characters in Where the Sun Don’t Shine remind the reader that there’s a real world out there, warts, sinkholes, sawed-off shotguns, and all. Go ahead, pull up a stool. You’ll like what he’s pouring.”
– Matt Bean, Spike TV
As for someone else’s work, I highly, highly recommend you pre-order VISIT SUNNY CHERNOBYL: AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD’S MOST POLLUTED PLACES on B&N.com or Amazon. It’s narrative nonfiction, but the author, Andrew Blackwell, visited seven of the world’s most polluted places and wrote his travelogue. It’s funny, disturbing, and fascinating. And it’s one of the best-written books I’ve read in a while. It’s out in hardcover 5/22.
Thanks, Chuck!
March 30, 2012 — 12:00 PM
Jessica says:
Fun! I don’t have another writer to pimp out, but my best friend wants to start selling her artwork. You can see some of her stuff here: http://pinterest.com/paranormalqueen/art-by-my-best-friend/
I know, I know. I’m in the process of setting up a website for her to properly display her work for the web masses. 🙂
As for me, I have a fun little paranormal blog. http://www.paranormalstoriescolorado.com/ It has some popular Colorado ghost stories, and I need to add more content.
March 30, 2012 — 1:57 PM
choccat says:
Hi,
Before I start in earnest I would like to say thank you to Chuck, firstly for this opportunity to sell my work and secondly for his advice, the huge laughs and inspiration I have had from this website. I came across it totally by accident but am so glad I did. I particularly liked “25 Lies Writers Tell (And Start to Believe), it was not only true, cutting close to the bone at times but hilarious. My jaw ached after reading it.
I do like to think of myself as a virtuous and generous person so I am going to recommend someone first before I try and persuade you to look at what I have to offer. The person I am recommending writes a blog at WordPress, his blog is a mixture of things including his journey through life. I love the way he writes, and the pictures/photos he uses to accompany his posts. He is refreshingly honest even when describing the hardships he has suffered. Find him here: http://goodmorninggratitude.com/author/chuckieb123/
Now on to me. As child I wanted to be a teacher and a writer in that order. I didn’t achieve my dreams as early in life as I wanted to, I bowed to pressure from parents, teachers and other do-gooders and became an accountant instead. After too many boring years and three children I chased the first of these dreams, but it was not to be. The rigours of practising as a modern day teacher and running a home and caring for three kids all became too much so I gave up the day job to concentrate on the second dream. I am a writer, in that I write on an almost daily basis. I have had a couple of poems published (but I don’t really count them as it was one of those publishers where you have to commit to buying a book before they will print your work.). I write mainly poetry and some short bits which I call musings and reflections, I am currently exploring the short story format, and have written one decent one (I think) so far. I don’t publish all my poetry on the web as I hope at some point in the future to publish a book so I am keeping what I consider the best bits private for now. You can find me here:http://choccat.wordpress.com
I am in the process of setting up my own website to share my poetry and other writing with the world in general. I may come back and post it when it is ready to be launched on the unsuspecting public.
I hope some of you do decide to take a look at my writing and I welcome comments even criticism if it s constructive and helps me improve my writing.
Thanks again, Chuck, for this opportunity.
March 30, 2012 — 3:17 PM
Kevin Basil says:
A great author that I just came across is James Tow. His book, The Sons of Liberty, is free at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94344 It is a great story about two brothers fighting for a world that has lost its freedom. A truly great read with drama, comedy, action, a love story, and more. Check it out!
My book, The Unlimited, can also be found at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82400 or the paperback edition on my blog: http://www.kevin-basil.com where I write about being an indie author and try to do what I can to help others. A synopsis of The Unlimited:
The date is set: December 21st, 2012.
Nick Riley’s life as a gas station owner in the suburbs of California is turned upside down when a friend on an archaeology dig in Egypt discovers an ancient text written in a mysterious language and bequeaths it to him. If its secrets are revealed, it has the power to rewrite history and destroy everything that mankind believes in. It may also hold the key to saving the human race.
But what does it mean?
To learn how it will end is to decipher how it began. Nick, along with two friends, finds himself in a race against time and a fight for his life against those who want the secrets to remain hidden. Can they connect the dots that reveal the secrets of where mankind came from and why we are here? Once explained, can we handle the truth? Our future depends on solving the mystery of…
THE UNLIMITED
I also have a book trailer you can check out at Smashwords or my blog!
March 30, 2012 — 8:06 PM
Sara Habein says:
INFINITE DISPOSABLE is a collection of flash fiction by Sara Habein (me), paired with surreal black and white film photography from Tyson Habein. Its otherworldly stories shift through loss, loneliness, and the passage of time. Each cover is handmade, and the print run is limited to 125 books. They’re about half gone already, so get in.
And now to pimp someone else’s work: LEGS GET LED ASTRAY by Chloe Caldwell is a great collection of personal essays, and it’s just out. Here’s the goodreads page.
March 30, 2012 — 9:17 PM
Mike Argento says:
I neglected to read the rules and therefore, hope I have not been thrown in pimp jail, which is no fun. Hooker jail. Now, that would be more like it…but i digress.
I neglected to pimp others. I will do so now.
Victor Gischler’s Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse — Funny, weird and, well funny story about a future where civilization revolved around strip joints.
Anthony Neil Smith”s Hogdoggin’ — Great noir, free today on Amazon Kindle.
And Greg Sisco’s One Night Stan’s — which I learned about here and picked up immediately. (Pimping works, bros.) So far, I’m really digging it. Weird and funny and profane. Reminds me of stuff I’ve written…
March 31, 2012 — 11:34 AM
Louisa Klein says:
After the great success of our last online event ‘ Lost in Romance’ (100000 unique visitors in February, how cool is that?) we are running in May ‘Lost in Young Adults’, a super exciting event about ya literature, gathering ya authors (including indies) as well as bloggers. if you are interested, just drop me an email at info@lostinfiction.co.uk, also check our website out:www.lostinfiction.co.uk. waiting eagerly for your emails, in the meantime, may the force be with you…:)
March 31, 2012 — 1:22 PM
Graveyard Greg says:
Alright. I have two projects. One is my little Kickstarter project “The Species of Blessing Avenue” http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/graveyardgreg/graveyard-greg-presents-the-species-of-blessing-av
Another is my fantasy webcomic Dungeons & Denizens (http://www.dungeond.com)
I would love to pimp my friend SYlvan Scott, who has a lot of free stories on Smashwords. https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SylvanScott
April 2, 2012 — 1:55 AM
Rafe says:
This is pretty cool. I guess I will forgive Mr. Wendig for getting the now-terrifying lyrics to “Rainbow Connection” stuck in my head forever. I guess.
Meanwhile:
1) there’s a singer songwriter named Dayna Kurtz. I learned about her a couple of weeks ago in NYC. I think her newest record drops today or this week? Anyway. Go check out her song “Venezuela,” and then the rest of her stuff. She’s terrific.
2) the novels of Connie Willis, especially To Say Nothing of the Dog, which is a Victorian time travel murder mystery war story romance road novel. Also her story “The Last of the Winnebagos.” Good stuff.
3) me! I have a short story collection eBook, The Book of Broken Hymns, which you can get through the iBookstore, Kindle, or for Nook. It may or may not still be available through Google eBooks. It’s 7 stories, mainly pretty queer and pretty literary. Thanks in advance.
April 10, 2012 — 2:12 PM
John Barnes says:
Found this site while on ego patrol. Thanks for the pimp, Rob!
Self-pimpage: tinyurl.com/RaiseGipperSample, Raise the GIpper! self-published political satire getting very nice reviews for its lighthearted take on American politics in the 2012 race, use of Zombie Ronald Reagan, evil space bats, rom-com kind of central plot, and probably the largest moose grinder in contemporary science fiction.
Some people might be troubled by David Brin’s Existence, some might be surprised at David Brin’s Existence, but I think his Existence is one very fine reading experience, and you should rush off to preorder it at http://www.amazon.com/Existence-David-Brin/dp/0765303612 before your neighbor reads it and drops a spoiler on you, and while you can still get the cool cover without all the art being hidden by the Hugo and Nebula banners. Brin at the top of his form is a real joy, and you should go have some.
June 8, 2012 — 3:27 AM