Ariel Publicity

Cyber PR announces the exciting addition of Cyber PR Books, a new division for authors and book-lovers stocked with free chapters, book trailers, podcasts of authors reading their work, advance review copies, and much much more!

If you are interested in reviewing or being notified of any books that will be available through Cyber PR Books please sign up here: http://www.cyberprbooks.com/blogger

Our two inaugural presentations are fast, thrilling, and deliciously spine-chilling:

JACK WAKES UP

In the three years since Jack Palms left Hollywood and kicked his drug habit, he’s added 14 pounds of muscle, read 83 books, and played it as straight as anyone could reasonably expect. But the residual checks are drying up and the ascetic lifestyle is starting to wear thin, so Jack’s happy to cash in on his former celebrity by showing some out-of-town high rollers around San Francisco’s club scene.

But when people start turning up dead, Jack realizes he’s been playing tour guide to a pack of former KGB agents turned coke dealers. Soon he’s got too many gunmen after him to count – including a South American drug cartel, a mountain-sized Samoan enforcer, and a mobbed-up strip club owner with an army of thugs. Not to mention his gorgeous new girlfriend who may be planning on shooting him in the back… and the homicide cop who’s just given Jack 24 hours to bring down the Bay Area’s biggest drug dealer.

But the thing that scares Jack the most? He’s starting to have fun.

Visit CyberPR to listen to the first episode!

“If Chandler had been tapped to write the first DIE HARD, and somewhere along the way Tarantino had been called in for rewrites à la TRUE ROMANCE, the result would have been a JACK PALMS tale. Hook-a-minute hardboiled dialogue and relentless action”

Seth Harwood became an online publishing sensation when he created the Jack Palms Crime Podcase Series in July 2006. His podcast audience grew into a size-able world-wide following, gaining the attention of the San Francisco Chronicle and other media outlets.

In March 2008, Breakneck Books published JACK WAKES UP and Seth’s online audience (the Palms Daddies and Palms Mommas) jumped all over Amazon.com and bought enough copies to raise the book to #1 in Crime/Mystery and #45 overall in books. JACK WAKES UP was subsequently purchased by THREE RIVERS PRESS (Random House) and will be re-released in May 2009.

Seth’s other jobs have included commodities floor trading clerk, bartender, copy-editor for Avon Products, rare book cataloger, librarian, English teacher, and freelance journalist. He lives in Berkeley, CA with his wife Joelle and their dog.

DARK WORLDS TRILOGY
BOOK 1: PROJECT 31

Careview seems like such nice place to live. With its small town feel and family owned diners, visitors easily describe it as quaint and charming while passing through.

But those that stay long enough begin to hear the whispers in the dark, the rustling in the closets, the murmuring under the beds…and maybe notice the strange way bodies disappear from the morgue, and serial killers seem to be too frequently on the loose.

There is a darkness in Careview. It lies in the shadows, waiting.

Moving back and forth between 1977 and 2008, PROJECT 31 interweaves the stories of four Careview residents…a diner waitress with exotic looks, a doctor with a traumatic past, a plainspeaking handyman who knows everyones secrets, and a bratty teenager determined to get exactly what she wants. Together they must brave a storm that has been brewing for nearly thirty-one years, but trusting each other might be more than half the problem.

From the mind of Zack Daggy comes the first installment of The Dark Worlds Trilogy, a breathless, page-turning, light-speed read that hooks you in and doesn’t let go. An original horror series that’s sure to remind you why you should fear the dark.

“Zack Daggy’s work achieves what ever writer aims for: it sounds effortless, as if he got it right on the first try. His stories remind me of folk tales told in gravelly voices under low theater lighting–the kind you still hear in your memory after you turn out the lights at home.”
— Christine Taylor, co-author of The Rosewood House

“Dark Worlds is a trip through the twilight of everyone’s nightmare’s…and a few new ones.”
— C.J. McKee, Author of Dragon Sage

Visit Cyber PR to listen to a podcast!

Zack “The Mothman” Daggy is is an Internet DJ and new media entrepreneur of wide acclaim and a cult fan base. A self-professed workaholic, Zack is the host and creator of a number of original programs including The Mothpod, The Shameless Plugcast, To The Flame, and producer of The Pod 5.

Born in 1985 with a rare genetic disorder, Zack’s boundless energy and irrepressible imagination lead him to create fantastic worlds of suspense and horror, always shot through with humor. He wrote his first story at age seven, and has been nominated for The People’s Choice Podcast Awards. Zack lives in Indianapolis and can be visited at www.zackdaggy.com.

If you are interested in reviewing or being notified of any books that will be available through Cyber PR Books please sign up here: http://www.cyberprbooks.com/blogger

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I am delighted to announce our Twitter Pitch Contest! Send me your perfect pitch and qualify to win a complimentary PR campaign. Details http://cyberpr.squarespace.com/

Mobile post sent by ArielCyberPR using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3

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Sound Advice TV with Derek Sivers - youtube.com/ArielPublicity

Derek Sivers is a dear friend of mine and has long been a beacon of light for most of us in the music industry. To celebrate the launch of my new Sound Advice Video Series featuring Derek as my premiere guest, I wanted to share some of his marketing basics.  These are highlights from a talk he gave at Bob Baker’s Indie Buzz Bootcamp.

I constantly like to return to the lessons that Derek teaches. I have heard him speak many times and I always walk away feeling inspired. I am delighted that he is my first guest on Sound Advice TV.

Derek Sivers 7 Critical Marketing Basics Every Musicians Should Know

Here are 7 wonderful lessons, which are great to revisit no matter how strong your marketing muscles are.

But before I dive in I want to start with how Derek got his own music career off of the ground. This speaks volumes about how he achieved his CD Baby success later in his career.  There is a huge marketing lesson in this story…

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Site: www.dailyvault.com
Blog: dailyvault.blogspot.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/dailyvault
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Daily-Vault/13940029846?ref=mf
 

Q: What is your favorite Genre to play?
 

A: All of ‘em. No, really. On any given day my listening habit might include power-pop, progressive rock, jazz, alt-country, soul, classical, blues, folk and the list goes on. The Daily Vault contains over 5,400 reviews of over 2,600 artists and one of the things I love best about the site is that within the universe of music, it acknowledges no boundaries. We’ve done features on punk and Broadway soundtracks, hip-hop and Jethro Tull. We’ve reviewed Japanese New Age artists and Swedish death metal bands and African folk singers. And our writers, past and present, hail from all over the globe — Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Norway, the Philippines, South Korea, and half the states in the USA. I personally listen to a lot of “guitar music,” but for me that extends from Yes to Fountains of Wayne to Montrose to James Taylor to Switchfoot and back. Even so, I find myself frequently using our “Randomizer” button (the Pandora of music reviews) to get inspired to try something I haven’t listened to in a while.
 

Q: What do you like to see in a CD that you review?
 

A: There has to be a spark. No matter what genre you’re working in, there has to be something — a line, a riff, an arrangement, an honesty in the vocals — that reaches through my speakers and grabs me. If I had one bit of advice to offer — and really, you shouldn’t listen to me because I can’t play a note! — it would be to make sure that you’re making music that you are completely excited about and committed to. If you over think it or spend your time trying to be “the next” anyone else, your end product is almost guaranteed to come out beneath your potential. Figure out what it is you want to say with your music, and commit to that 110 percent. The more of yourself you can give to the music, the more interesting and different it’s going to be. Spark and commitment, that’s what reaches me.
 

Q: In your long history of reviewing CDs, what is your opinion on what makes a good CD great?
 

A: It all comes back to that spark. Albums that I love — Born To Run (Springsteen), Who’s Next (The Who), Innervisions (Stevie Wonder), Close To The Edge (Yes), August & Everything After (Counting Crows) — are albums in which talented artists reached back for that something extra and blew past the highest expectations anyone had of them at the time. They’re albums that speak boldly and with an almost complete lack of self-consciousness, and that take personal experiences and transform them into universal truths. There is so much artificiality in the world. Any album that breaks through the everyday facade and speaks deeper truths — and does it in an engaging and entertaining way — has a shot at greatness in my book.
 

Q: How long have you been broadcasting, and what made you start?
 

A: I’ve actually only been editor of the site since January 2003, less than half its existence. Christopher Thelen launched the Daily Vault in January 1997 and ran it for the first six years. In the first year he brought on a group of staff writers that included me and a couple of other folks who have stuck around all this time. The reasons why are simple — we love music, we love writing, and we want to help artists and listeners to connect with one another. I personally can’t count the number of artists I first learned about from other Daily Vault writers and who have subsequently become favorites of mine. Plus, I’ve made a lot of friends among our writing staff, our readers and even among the artists we cover. When you’re as passionate about something as we all are about music, starting a conversation is never an issue…
 

Q: What do you think is the biggest pitfall for artists to overcome?
 

A: Despite all the changes we’ve seen recently in how music is delivered to market, I think the core problem artists have to solve is still the same as it has always been: how do you find an audience without compromising your art? Art that compromises isn’t really art anymore, it’s shtick — imitation and gimmickry. And art that’s true and meaningful and resonant will always find an audience, even if it’s only a small, devoted one. Don’t get me wrong — I love a good pop tune and as hard as it is out there, I sympathize with bands who end up making compromises in order to make a living playing music. It’s a dream no one would ever want to give up. But with that said, my entertainment dollar is more likely to go to artists who make the sometimes-difficult choice to stay true to their own voice and let the chips fall where they may. People who make that choice have my complete respect.

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http://mikeshotdish.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikeshotdish
 

Are you sick of hearing the same songs day in and day out on the radio? Do you find yourself listening more and more to your existing music collection? Do you wonder where you can find more great music like what’s already in your music collection? There are literally hundreds of independent bands that you have never heard of that would drastically expand your music collection, and Mike’s Hotdish is here to help. Mike looks for music from the hottest heavy metal to the mild (but flavorful) rock and pop. Each show will bring you something new that you can add to your music collection. The best part is, if you loved the song, you can rewind and listen again. If you hate the song, fast forward to the next song. You control what you hear and you can tell us what you like.
 

Q: What is your favorite band and why?
 

A: While grew up with mostly country music, I always liked the music that was a bit heavier. Garth Brooks really filled that ticket real well. Now after listening to all of the independent music I play on my show, I can’t just really pick one. It really depends on my mood. Matthew Ebel is one that really enjoy listening to. His music allows my mind to wander and build my own story with his lyrics. On the hard rock side, I have been enjoying Nick Black and Clawfinger lately.
 

Q: What do you think artists can do to prevent themselves from becoming ‘One-hit-wonders.’
 

A: Don’t release all of your music at once and don’t focus solely on the single, a well done album could be full of great singles. You need to stay in touch with your fans and those that play your music and inform them of your new single. Maybe create a new song that isn’t on any album or send a station ID to shows that have played your music in the past and introduce a new single. Nothing is cooler than a band sending a station ID to a show without having to ask for one.
 

Q: Is there a reason why you tried to incorporate the idea of food with your blog and podcast? If so why?
 

A: I first started out with a different show. Being inexperienced at the time, I branched that show off so quickly that I didn’t have time to focus on them all. I threw that whole concept out the window. When coming up with a new name, I wanted something that reflected the variety of different things that I would have in the show and have a simple name so it would be easy to remember. But I also wanted something fun and something that would make a person do a double take and came up with the name “Mike’s Hotdish”. Hot dish is a term in the Upper Midwest for a dish that contains some sort of combination of meat, sauce, noodles, vegetables, and cheese. I believe it is also known as casserole in some areas. That really fits my show. It is a combination of various types of music and other things. Whatever appeals to my “taste buds” for that show is what you get. To add to the fun factor, I like to make use of the many puns available to me.
 

Q: What inspired you to become a music critic?
 

A :I don’t think I am much of a critic. I usually play only what I like to listen to. I have little musical background but have always loved music. I usually don’t pay much attention to the details of the band or who is in what band. If I like their music, I listen to it and play it on my show.
 

Q: What do you think is the number one mistake artists make?
 

A: Marketing. Either they are doing it the wrong way, or they aren’t doing it at all. Many times I have had a band just send a message saying something like “Hi, could you play my music?” They don’t make any sort of effort to make it look personalized, even if it is a mass mailing. More often than not, those emails get deleted because I have access to so much music and get so many emails that I don’t have the time to play it all or listen to it all. Make your email catch my eye somehow and I’ll definitely look more into your band. Many times that includes mentioning my show by name or my name. Another part of that is if all they have is a MySpace page, what will happen when MySpace closes up shop? They need their own website with some way to reach out to their fans and it needs to be something they have more control over. I don’t think the band has to have a degree in marketing by any means, but they should invest at least some time in learning some of the methods that work or find some people or fans willing to help them out.

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A few weeks ago I spoke at Bob Baker’s Indie Buzz Bootcamp with 5 other music industry vets: Derek Sivers, Nancy Moran, Bob Baker, Tom Jackson and John Taglieri. We all delivered same message: Make great music that is a full expression of your creative self, then go out and connect your expression to people using technology and with a little learned marketing knowledge and discipline you will earn money. John Taglieri delivered an inspiring talk about what he did to go from full time day job to full time musician
 

As a social networking cheerleader who works full-time creating exposure for artists online I often find myself asking in my head: Why all of my artists be more like John? John Taglieri is a rare breed of musician: A natural sales person who understands the importance of working just as hard on his musical craft as he does on his marketing and sales and for him it comes naturally.
 

I know that this is not the case for a lot of artists who can get fully frustrated with the idea of sales and marketing and they “just want to play.” I’ve heard it thousands of times: “I just want to play, I hate doing that online stuff,” if you hold on to this attitude you will be left behind in the dust.
 

You have to be willing to get on the court and learning to play this game takes time and energy, and the rules change quickly so you need to adapt and go with the flow and not crucify yourself when something is not working. This is where John Taglieri excels – he is open to learning new things and trying them – taking the parts that work and discarding the parts that don’t.
 

This stuff is not brain-surgery and the great news is unlike true musical talent (which, in my humble opinion is not a learned skill – it’s a gift) marketing and sales is TOTALLY LEARNABLE…. and there are thousands of gurus to learn from, endless free information to find online and plenty of people to model (yes – copy the ones that have success and watch success come to you – no need to re-invent the wheel).
 

OK – I’m getting off my soap box now and I want to share some of the best nuggets of John’s talk with you because even though I am friends with him and I work with him he shed some light on what goes on in his mind and I was delighted to get a peek into his thinking. I think you will be too…
 

The BIG Three Questions:

When John decided it was time to quit the day job and REALLY go for it in the music business he looked at himself in the mirror and he asked himself 3 key questions:
 

1. What Do You Want? (Be honest with yourself)
2. How Bad Do You Want It?
3. What Are You Willing To Give Up For It?
 

Question 1: What do you want?
He wanted to make it as a full time musician. Period. What he understood by asking himself this question was that he may not get his ultimate dream of being an international rock star and playing huge stadiums and touring the world in a private jet like Motley Crüe but that he wanted to play music full time and not hold a second job to pay for that dream and he was OK with giving up the private jet part of his dream.
 

When you can give up being totally attached to exactly what you thought it would look like miracles begin to happen and John explains that his dream was to play Giants Stadium – he ended up doing that… 10 times singing the National Anthem
 

Question 2: How bad do you want it?
John talked about his inner motto:
 

“I want what I want and you are either going to help me or get out of my way”
 

This meant that he had to disassociate from some friends that were holding him back by telling him that there was no way he could make it.
 

Question 3: What are you willing to give up for it?
Making it takes something.
If you are really not OK with working really hard to get it than this dream may not be for you… Getting there will take a lot of discipline, patience and time.
 

You may have to go out to dinner less, spend less time with your family, wake up an hour or two early to study whatever it is you need to get better at – it will force you out of your comfort zone and it will take going that extra mile.
 

Visualize what you want
Every year for 5 he wrote on his yearly goals to quit his day job – he did it after 5 years. It took strong will and getting out of his comfort zone to achieve this goal.
 

You have to be able to SEE what you want – visualize what you want to do and always focus on moving forward
John talks about a very important distinction: focus on baby steps vs. big leaps. This is not to say that you should not set a huge goal but think in baby steps while you are working for the big goal. When you achieve a small goal don’t forget to celebrate it and acknowledge that you achieved it. The music business is HARD, not easy to make progress so take the wins when you get them.
 

It may not be what you thought
Not everything you want when you get it turns out to be what you wanted when you get it. If what you get is not the right thing its OK to not keep it. Adapt to what feels right for you.
 

Face the crowd for perspective
To help visualize his dream, John would go to concerts and from the audience, he would turn around and look at the crowd burn the image of the crowd into his head and keep that visual of what a crowd of really excited fans looks like.
 

Don’t let yourself be overly structured
John’s tips:
 

- Use a calendar or outlook to make a schedule – set it and forget it
- Have goals and carry over your goals from year to your
- Contact database management
- Prioritizing daily tasks
- Be flexible for changes -things crop up
- Automate the mundane tasks
 

John presets the tasks like changing the filter in the dogs bowl – then he does not need to think about things that can suck his creative time.
 

Create multiple income streams
John has 5 streams of income that all tie together

1. Plays original gigs
2. Plays cover gigs
3. Runs a music studio out of his home
4. Handles sales & marketing for Cyber PR
5. Owns a CD duplication machine and makes CDs for people
 

Have a strong brand
Branding is key in getting people to remember who you are.
 

In this world where niche marketing is key do not be scared to have a strong brand John’s is: If Edwin McCain and Bon Jovi had a baby you would have me. He then set out to ingrain that into your head it’s on all of his sites – MySpace, Twitter, CD Baby and more.
 

Bands Are Small Companies – DELEGATE!
Do not try to do everything on your own – learn to find people who can help you who are in your league – fire people who are not working as hard as you.
 

- If you are delegating YOU are responsible for making sure the people that you delegate to are accountable – give them dates and times to achieve things and by when
- If you didn’t do it – it’s your fault
- Eliminate negative people and situations
- Stay positive
 

And Finally…Don’t Ever…

• Grow Up
• Say I Can’t
• Give Up
• Blame Others
• Whine
• Bitch
• Moan
• Complain

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