Kissed with curses, I sent my novel Hungry Rats — about a serial killer in Flint, Michigan — to the printer the same week that an actual serial killer struck the city. This is the sort of luck I’ve had all along: I’m invited on a podcast and the server crashes. The serial killer, it turns out, lives on the street as I did, and on which I set the novel.
Now, two months into this publishing adventure, my Google Alerts for “hungry rats” lights up like ships that would’ve carried the Bubonic Plague into Naples’ fine harbor. Has someone finally noticed my book?
As of today, my novel Hungry Rats is available for purchase! Buy your copy at a launch event (Chicago on 9/10, Flint on 9/16) for a modest discount, or order online today!
I am very excited to announce the first installment of one of the most dynamic aspects of this project. Gothic Funk Press has finished producing the first of several promotional videos for this novel. It features text from Hungry Rats, includes a new song by Richard Whaling, stars Emily Perkins-Harbin as Meredith Malady, and was shot by Forge 22 and myself.
This video is to act exactly like a movie preview: by giving viewers a compelling glimpse of the story it encourages them to take a closer look, and hopefully to order the book. The video is an example of “viral marketing.” Viral marketing is a strategy that uses new technology in combination with the oldest form of advertising: word-of-mouth. If enough people are excited about Hungry Rats, and spread the word, the project builds buzz. This can more than compensate for our limited budget, but I can’t do it without your involvement. I repeat: I can’t do it without your involvement!
Please do all or any of the following to help share Hungry Rats far and wide.
2. Use the buttons at the bottom of the YouTube screen to share the video by email, Facebook, Twitter, or other networks.
3. You can also embed the video on your blog or website by posting the “embed” code from the YouTube page.
4. Many people forward emails to friends and family, so share the Hungry Rats videos with these people!
5. Overall, these videos are of central importance to marketing the novel… They are our best chance we have to increase excitement in the novel, and so a few enthusiastic emails and postings can make just as much of a difference as a donation. If you like the video, please consider sharing it with everyone you know, and encourage recipients to pass it down the chain.
