I thought like you did, but Tha Shiv at Crown Publishing set me straight. The pre-Christmas marketing in bookstores is brutal. Everyone is trying to get their big hitters up and running for Christmas: Stephen King, JK Rowling, the Sookie Stackhouse boxed set, the Twilight boxed set, etc. No way is Crown going  to pay to put me up against those guys. Front-of-store displays are paid for by the publisher. That's advertising budget.

So the hope is the big hitters blow their marketing wad in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Then, the week after Christmas, we sneak in like a Ninja. Now our marketing dollars have less competition, because all the major authors spent theirs to fight for the XMas dolla. That gets us:
a) A bigger presence in bookstores at a lower cost
b) Less big-name competition for the bestseller lists

So, based on the fact that we should have been on the list for INFECTED, and based on the fact that book sales are dopping everywhere, but mine are staying level (thanks to Junkies), and based on the timing of Dec. 30, we gots a real good shot at hitting the list.

Nate Dogg... The only signature I need is my fist.

to being somewhat saddened that our FDO is not yet recognized as a 'big hitter.' Don't these numnuts know talent when they see it? Oh well, I'm guessing if you go back and look at Stephen King's first book or two he had to serve time in the trenches too. So we will perservere until the masses recognize the greatness that is you ;)

"They say it's better the second time; they say you get to do the weird stuff."  -Captain Hammer

Those are the big ones, and that's online advertising. Then some audio on EscapePod and PseudoPod.  Some kind of group online ad buy for sites that blanket tech, horror, scifi, pop culture and books (some kind of packaged ad deal). Then some in the Prima newsletter, and looks like on the Primagames.com site, and those ads are already running.

 Scott has devoted all of our ad slots over there to promoting Contagious until the end of February. And then we've got wicked amounts of self aggrandizement in the main feed as well ;) Plus anything the junkies come up with on their own.

"They say it's better the second time; they say you get to do the weird stuff."  -Captain Hammer

G-Man

Are that you singing???

  They've podfaded badly. Looking back, the last full length episode Escape Pod was released on November 9th, 2008. Rachel picked up some of the slack and posted some flash pieces, but I suspect their audience may have plummeted in recent weeks.

  I'd noticed the production quality going downhill, and the episodes had gotten a little intermittent, but I never expected Steve to let it go this long without a full length episode. If he lets Escape Pod die, it will be a sad day for podcasting :( Hopefully that doesn't happen.

"They say it's better the second time; they say you get to do the weird stuff."  -Captain Hammer

Does that mean they spent their money on larger-than-life Sigler foam cutouts that will stand beside the displays yelling, "Buy me! You know you want to!!" 

————
We are the Herne. You will be assimilated.

and make sure the dreaded Julie Andrews doesn't have something sinister planned for that day
#2
http://www.pgholyfield.com/maah/

You So Sneaky!!!

SynapticJam on Toast - hhhmmm... tastes like chicken (aka PUVJK) #3 in crack hits (Special?  Ain't I just)

S.H.I.T. Award Recipient and all around uberjunkie! 

 Be on guard at all times against the White Queen's evil temptations. It may not even be concealed in sweets this time. The ninjas can only do so much so you must be ever vigilant!

"They say it's better the second time; they say you get to do the weird stuff."  -Captain Hammer