MELBOURNE, FL— COVID-19 has everyone worries. With cases on the rise, and the economic impacts felt around the globe, many people are struggling to meet basic needs. Disposable income has become a luxury many simply do not enjoy in 2020.
G.W. Pomichter, an author and the host of the Internet talk show series the Hangin With Web Show, announced today, that to do his part in this time of need, he would be lowering the price of his books as much as he was able.
The independent author said that means for Apple iOS and iBook readers as well as Barnes and Noble Nook readers all of his titles will be FREE of charge.
For Amazon Kindle readers, who shop for books on the wildly popular amazon online platform or on their portable Kindle devices, the electronic copies of his books would be less than $1.
“The lowest price afforded to me as an amazon author is $0.99,” said Pomichter. “So, that is what I have done. I have lowered the price to under $1 for Kindle readers.”
Since Amazon’s website does at times guarantee price matches for books, Pomichter says he encourages Amazon shoppers to mention the Nook and Apple Deals.
Pomichter said that he hopes that the deals will encourage readers to download his work and enjoy an evening or two of reading adventures.
“It is in tough times that we all need an escape,” he said. “These are the times when our heroes and our villains provide the much needed catharsis from daily life..”
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have been self-isolating at home, some have been out of work and still others practicing as mush smart social distancing as possible. For many independent authors, this has meant that conferences, conventions and other places where book sales occur have been cancelled or postponed. While the economic impacts of these events is still unclear, and for many could be devastating, Pomichter sees another impact as well.
“If we can’t table and sell books,” he said, “that means that readers can’t find and buy them. The impacts are doubled. It’s important that we do what we can to help ease minds and entertain audiences, much the same way film companies have through streaming.”
To that end, Pomichter made the descision to lower the cost of his works for a limited time, but has said he has not determined the time limit as yet.
“I’ll make these prices available as long as it feels right,” he said. “I already told these stories. They are already on the page. They aren’t any good to anyone sitting on a server or in a shelf. These stories want to be read. They want to be told. They long to be enjoyed. I hope that’s what will happen.”
There is little doubt that streaming content over the
internet has changed the face of media, in fact of all the arts and
entertainment community, drastically, intuitively and forever.Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu,
Amazon Video, as well as broadcast and content sharing platforms such YouTube
and Vimeo, have altered not only the way media is distributed, but how and by
whom it is produced.
With almost every cable network or broadcaster having
a significant presence on one or more of these services, as well as the trend
toward creating individual streaming or web casting apps, there can be no doubt
that the Internet is the broadcast media of today and tomorrow.
Combined with the way more consumers are watching
media, listening to music and even purchasing goods and services, it would seem
that web streaming is going to revolutionize the arts and entertainment
industry in ways yet to be discovered.
But, it is sustainable?That is a question that is being asked more
today than ever in the early days of this digital content revolution.
Even as media giant and entertainment mega-corporation
Walt Disney set to jump on board the digital streaming band wagon, the relative
lackluster performance of services such as CBS All Access and the DC Universe
streaming app, as well as the notable losses that individual apps are already
causing in streaming giants such as Netflix, it would seem that the question of
long term stability and sustainability is the most important question, if the
technology and its applications are to be mainstays of the industry someday.
What do the losses and trends say about this?Well, it would seem that we must look to the
entirety of this century-plus- old industry to learn what will be needed to
carry the streaming content craze to its next phase.
First, we must examine some ideas that are long known
and little studied, such as the most unreliable source of revenue for media
producers and distributors, which has always been that from the media consumer
individually.Media consumption patterns
do not consistently match consumer spending patterns or economic health.In fact, it is arguable that downturns in
economic health often create a greater demand for media content, which, due to
the circumstances, cannot be afforded by media consumers.Because specific general health, staple and
lifestyle are prioritized by the mass of consumers, these often become the most
reliable and long tern providers of revenues.Soap and food products have been the longest and most stable sources of
funding for media producers and distributors.
The only successful content media delivery and content
production service to rely directly on media consumers has been the Cable TV industry,
which in no small part is due to streaming and Internet content providers
failing through attrition.While this
industry flourished in its early days due in large part due to its ability to
deliver greater quantities of varied content directly and reliably to
consumers, it’s reliance on these consumers for revenue has led to greater
competition and the reliability of the Internet has become more
sustainable.It has also seen greater
competition from within its ranks as many Cable TV stations and Channels are
jumping headlong into the streaming game, and some streaming services have
consolidated their services and agreements with content producers to form ad hoc
cable services such as the Hulu Live Streaming Service, which is arguably a
direct challenge to cable TV providers.
In this way, streaming underdog Hulu, through this
latest Hulu Live venture, may be ahead of the curve.This lead can only remain or become a viable
avenue for other services if content producers and broadcast distributors
remain committed to such a radically “mundane” model.While prudence might dictate this, it
requires a commitment to the tenants that have made media casting successful for
a century, and in acceptance that it is counter intuitive to dry up the
individual financial wells of consumers.
Because Cable TV was in and of itself a single service
based industry, it is easily the first target in the streaming wars of this
decade.
To produce a multi-tiered and sustainable content
creation and delivery mechanism using the internet, it is necessary to look to
the earliest models of broadcast and content production to recreate the fervor
that has been longest sustained through Depression, Recovery, Recession, and
Prosperity in full measure.
Understanding that the media consumer is the least
reliable revenue source, and that staple providers and other commercial
entities are the most stable and sustainable sources of revenue, they are a
mainstay of the industry that has long withstood the changing
technologies.These advantages are
already, in fact, built into the Internet and its wide range of services.Youtubers, for example, rely heavily on ad
revenue to produce content and to distribute it.
Hulu, hase even its paid Hulu Live service, which relies
heavily on ad based revenue to off-set the need for higher rates that would
force it to compete directly with long established cable TV providers.
Even cable TV providers knew that this kind of revenue
was needed if long term stability was going to be created, thus as cable prices
often fluctuated in their 50 year run as the top of the entertainment
distribution food chain, advertising revenues remained a staple of
stability.
To see streaming and Internet delivery and production
succeed in the long term, it is going to be necessary to reduce the costs to
media consumers while increasing the revenues collected to both create and distribute
media, and for more than a century, manufacturing, retail and production
companies have been the single most sustainable source of funding.
The answer may be simple, but hard to hear for millennial media execs. Stop trying to sell already financially strapped
consumers, already established as the least viable revenue sources, new media services which promise only to take content away from one
service to redistribute them through another, when the answer to the question
of long term sustainability is answerable by studying the history of the industry
more closely and seeing what has been plain for a century:Sell advertising to those whose products,
services and creations are viewed as necessary and whose sales are inevitable,
whose concerns are not for survival of a product but for achievement of greater
market shares.
This is the way from which new media content can be
best produced, distributed and profited.It is the way to a sustainable streaming and webcasting industry that
will last as long as the top 3 true broadcasting companies, ABC, CBS and
NBC.It has been their market strategy
from inception and even amidst cable TV intrusion, it sustained the industry.
Just an observation from a guy not any brighter than
you!
Written and Directed by James Pomichter
Executive Producer: Samtiamo Desilva
Produced by Veronica Barriga and James Pomichter
Starring: Aiden Simko, James Pomichter, Rami Paulus, Laura Liguori, Lindsey Grubbs, Diana Hopper, John Bain
With the hottest happy hour in town, The Builtman Hotel sets the stage for raw tales about love. And for playboy bartender, Harry, it can't get much hotter than hooking up with his sexy bar manager, Anna. After nearly getting caught, Harry returns to the bar on this night to meet a young, newly engaged couple, Carter and Ryleigh. Both a bit tipsy and carefree, they lure Harry into their debate about what our most primal needs are as human beings. Machismo Carter sets the tone for this indie drama, proclaiming, "everyone wants to be seduced, it's our most basic necessity", and poses the notion that, while society has indeed evolved, our primal needs will forever remain the same. "Love, Lust, & A Room Key" allows us to peel the roof back and a take a peek into the lives of eight sets of characters and their issues of intimacy and seduction, loneliness and infidelity, passion and sex, and the need for love. Meanwhile, Harry's perspective is challenged as Anna threatens to break off their romantic encounters unless he can see that there is more to life than "spreading his seed". Passion has it limits, love has none, and for Ryleigh, a heart wrenching realization turns her world upside down, as Carter may not be as perfect as he seems.
Starring: Aiden Simko, James Pomichter, Rami Paulus, Laura Liguori, Lindsey Grubbs, Diana Hopper, John Bain
With the hottest happy hour in town, The Builtman Hotel sets the stage for raw tales about love. And for playboy bartender, Harry, it can't get much hotter than hooking up with his sexy bar manager, Anna. After nearly getting caught, Harry returns to the bar on this night to meet a young, newly engaged couple, Carter and Ryleigh. Both a bit tipsy and carefree, they lure Harry into their debate about what our most primal needs are as human beings. Machismo Carter sets the tone for this indie drama, proclaiming, "everyone wants to be seduced, it's our most basic necessity", and poses the notion that, while society has indeed evolved, our primal needs will forever remain the same. "Love, Lust, & A Room Key" allows us to peel the roof back and a take a peek into the lives of eight sets of characters and their issues of intimacy and seduction, loneliness and infidelity, passion and sex, and the need for love. Meanwhile, Harry's perspective is challenged as Anna threatens to break off their romantic encounters unless he can see that there is more to life than "spreading his seed". Passion has it limits, love has none, and for Ryleigh, a heart wrenching realization turns her world upside down, as Carter may not be as perfect as he seems.
Check out the Trailer BELOW: and find the movie on Amazon and steaming Amazon Prime Video!
In this collection of shorts, author Gary Roen demonstrates a keen imagination, economic use of the English language and a mastery of his skills as a story teller, and all while gaining and keeping the attention of the reader.
Journey is a collection of short stories sure to engage and entertain any reader. The first set of stories focus on the adventures of Slotski Bear, a somewhat endearing if not at all typical teddy bear. Described by the author as “hideous” in appearance, and oft found atop a trash bin, Slotski does get around in the series of odd adventures, which typically deliver him right back to his trash bin.
The other stories throughout Journey are a “mash-up” of different science fiction tales and tech drawn from the fertile and somewhat quirky imagination of author Gary Roen. Many of these tales are inspired by Roen’s own journey returning to academia. This collection of short stories makes for a delightful afternoon of reading. The “journey” wraps on 3 fascinatingly short, almost poetic tales, each written with an nearly Haiku precision, and managing to capture there subjects and paint their characters in as few words as possible. The varied tales, the demonstrations of wit and precision use of the English language make Journey a fantastic read. Even the economy of words in the final stories, of which I am typically not enamored, were delivered in such a sharp and stark contrast to their topics as to really capture my attention and leave the reader in bemusement and even deep thought.
What are the elements of a great fantasy adventure story? Gargoyles are always a great start. Fantastical settings are a must. Dynamic action and compelling characters are always an essential ingredient. Now, with Reaping the Harvest, author Robbie Cox is certainly a great beginning.
This a straight-forward and easy to read urban-fantasy that is certain to delight readers and immerse them in a gripping good against evil story without confusing ambiguity.
Cox’s writing has always focused on the interpersonal dynamics of real characters to tell terrific stories, and as tempting as it is to many writers to get caught up in a terrific fantasy setting, Cox is able to hit his mark and keep the action grounded in his characters. Weighing in at 200 pages, this is a short and face-paced tale with an innovative and original style that will keep readers pinned to the page until the very end.
Murder. Mayhem. Intrigue. Racial tensions. When a charred body is discovered in the ashes of the Phoenix Hotel, all of these things are ignited and author Gwen Mayo pulls readers into a complex and well-crafted world of mystery and melodrama.
Mayo’s former Pinkerton Agent turned detective, Nessa Donnelly, is a character that readers won’t soon forget. She left an impoverished past behind to become one of Kentucky's most prominent detectives. Mayo’s thorough exploration of the character makes her all the more sympathetic and is bound to tether readers to the adventure.
This is a story that centers around a murder, but it is easy to suspend disbelief, as Mayo’s reach extends beyond the crime scene into the community and the interconnected lives of its residents.
Mayo writes,”Rival forces are threatening to pull the city apart as the murder ignites old hatreds. Klansmen attack a local police sergeant with family ties to O'Brien.”
This is story strikes a contemporary nerve and is more than a simple murder mystery as it delves into the complex dynamics of racial relations, small town interconnectivity, and human deceits.
Concealed in Ash is a slam dunk and a story that I found both compelling and entertaining!
Zero Hour + 01:03:00; 4:00 p.m. EST; University of North Florida, Jacksonville Florida; the Apartment of Terry and Sabrina Wagner
Terry Wagner was a newlywed husband and a student at the University of North Florida. He was just 24-years-old, but as his 6-foot frame filled half of the window, he stared out of his second-floor apartment at the increasingly chaotic streets of Jacksonville, he knew that he and his wife couldn’t stay in the city. The night before he had heard the deafening sounds of breaking glass, and what he could only presume was gunfire in the distance as he held his wife, Sabrina, and tried to sleep.
Until yesterday, Sabrina, a graduate of UNF herself, had been the contented 23-year-old bride setting up housekeeping for her and her husband in their first apartment. Life was largely divided between working her first job at the art gallery and choosing inexpensive and still quaintly charming furnishings for their fresh home. That all changed when the lights went out.
Now, only a day since the power went out, already the city streets just a short walk from campus were beginning to echo scenes from a Hollywood movie about urban unrest. The couple knew that in a few days, they wouldn’t be safe there.
“Bri, honey,” Terry said to his wife as her tiny 5-foot-5-inch body stealthily passed behind him walking toward their bedroom. “We have to leave. We can’t stay here. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I am sure it’s making people a little crazy.”
Sabrina agreed as she stopped only for a moment to run her fingers through his cropped blonde hair. She had already packed some clothes into an old hiking backpack that Terry kept in the closet. She never really understood why he had it. He wasn’t an outdoorsman of any kind and preferred to hunt goblins in video games to the prospect of hunting for a meal or fishing for any reason other than recreation.
“I’ve already packed a few things,” she told him as she passed from sight. Through the walls, he could hear her continue her thoughts out loud. “We just need to pack up some food and water and such. Then, we can get going. Where should we go?”
Terry thought of his mother in Melbourne, just about a 3-hour drive south from him. But without a working car even that seemed a daunting journey.
“I’m not sure, but we have to at least get out of the city and away from people,” he told her.
As Sabrina rifled through the closet to search for anything useful or meaningful as the pair prepared to leave, she found an old hand cranked emergency weather radio.
“Where on earth did you get this?” she asked. “You’re just full of surprises.”
Terry smiled. He had long forgotten the radio existed. He recalled now that his mother had given it to him when he first left for college. Florida was prone to hurricanes, and she told him she wanted to make sure he had it in case of an emergency. She had also told him to always make sure he had plenty of fresh bottled drinking water on hand and clean underwear — two pieces of advice he now wished he had heeded more readily.
“Well, mom was right,” he conceded as he took the small black radio from his wife’s hand and began to crank the plastic handle.
They heard the revving sound of the crank meant to power the radio as it whined with each turn.
“Do you think it works?” Sabrina asked.
“I’m not sure, but with a few more turns we might know what’s going on,” he replied.
Terry cranked the handle faster and harder until he saw the small red LED light atop the box glowing. He then turned the radio facing himself and began to turn the dial to find any signal. As the dial passed over station frequencies he knew were local news and music stations, the couple heard nothing but static. He slowly continued to turn the dial further and further up the range of radio frequencies until he heard the annoying high pitched tones of an emergency broadcast signal.
“This must be it,” he said hopefully. “It sounds like one of those tests on TV.”
Sabrina took her husband’s hand and turned her head to listen while her short, straight. brown hair brushed against his shoulder. She rested her head on the spot and listened as the message played.
“This is an Emergency Transmission. This is not a test. The Eastern Coastal area of the United States is experiencing massive power outages. Authorities believe that this is the result of a terrorist attack on the nation’s power grid infrastructure. Government officials have declared a state of emergency along the eastern Seaboard that extends as far westward as the Mississippi River. Residents are urged to shelter in place until emergency services are restored. Anyone compelled to travel, or traveling en route to the Western United States is urged to travel cautiously and avoid major population centers. Officials urge residents to remain calm. Roads and bridges may be severely congested. Reports indicate that most vehicles are inoperable at this time as are most cellular phones and other electronic devices. There will be updates every 60 minutes on this frequency and this national emergency broadcast will repeat during that period. Thank you and remain calm. This is an Emergency Transmission. This is not a test. The Eastern Coastal area …”
Sabrina clutched Terry’s hand and held it tightly pulling it to her chest. The couple seemed to gasp at the terrible news in unison.
“You’re right, Terry. We need to get away from the city,” she said frantically. In the past 27 hours she had not felt as helpless or desperate as she did now.
“Keep packing,” Terry told her. “We shouldn’t go to mom. She’s not any better off than we are if this is right. She’s likely with Robert and safe, at least as far as we know. We should head west.”
“Are you sure?” Sabrina asked concerned at the prospect of leaving their families behind.
“I’m as sure as I can be,” he responded attentively. “The recording said that out west was better. At least it’s supposed to be better away from the coast. So, we hike out along I-10 until we reach an area that isn’t blacked out. It might take a few days or maybe a week, but it’s the best plan we have. Once we can get a phone or something, my sister, Emily, is stationed out west. We can call her, and maybe she’ll know what’s going on.”
CRASH! TING! SPLASH!
The startled couple leaped frightfully together as the sound of a nearby window breaking shattered their collective calm and rational thought.
“The sooner the better,” Sabrina replied as she jumped slightly following the noise.
Terry stuffed three bottles of water into the top of his backpack and cinched the draw-string closed. He stuck another in the side pocket of the pack and pulled the cover flap over the top snapping it in place. On the small coffee table were two more bottles of water, and a cardboard box containing a six-pack ofdiet soda. He stuck one bottle in his loose pants pocket and handed the other to Sabrina.
“We’ll take this, too,” he said as he handed the box to his wife. “Put in in your school bag. “Grab some of the sandwich meats, and some of the cans of soup and stuff them in too.”
“I’ve got it,” she said. “Here’s the can opener. We’ll be okay, right?”
“We’re okay,” he answered confidently.
Terry wasn’t entirely sure of his answer. He couldn’t remember being as frightened as he was when he heard the radio broadcast. But, he knew he had to be strong. He knew he had to be confident that the couple could find a safe place. Terry knew he had to keep his wife confident of that, too.
“So, to Emily?” Sabrina nervously asked, in a mostly rhetorical voice. “Sounds good.”
With their bags packed as quickly as they could, and the small weather radio tucked under Terry’s arm, the couple headed out of their apartment door and down the stairs. Cautiously looking ahead and behind them, they crossed the street checking for any signs of trouble, they walked past a road sign that read simply:
Excerpt: In Summation (Yesterday's Tomorrow) by G.W. Pomichter and William DuPree
War loomed on the horizon. A Nation beaten into the dark of night with a single blow, roused and wakened to a fury not known in generations. The President, who rose from obscurity in the twilight hours of necessity, to lead the broken masses from the darkness into hope, had risen beyond her calling. Now, in earnest humility, she set down her burdens before the next leader chosen, as were so many before her by her countrymen, to guide, inspire and in our great and terrible hour of reckoning, to conquer in their names.
The machines of war began to clank and rumble as justice long refused by injury and loss shown ever closer. For a nation reborn from the ashes of the very adversity meant to destroy it, these days were only a beginning.
But, for two families that had once only known the delicate tethers of a modern life to hold them one to another, the trials and tragedies of darkness now brought them into new light.
Whether the taste of apples, once far from their grasp, or the smell of a three course meal cooking in the kitchen, or perhaps the feeling of a son’s hand grasped firmly inside that of his father’s grasp, or the tender kiss of a mother upon a daughter’s cheek, these were the luminous jewels left to light their way no matter their course.
Yesterday’s dull silence was now replaced with the electric hum of power lines, the resurgent grumblings of traffic on a nearby street corner or the lulling cycling of newly restored air conditioning condensers. All around them the sounds of the life they knew beckoned them back into their slumber. But for those awakened to the powerful rhythms of the tenuous threads of warmth, kindness, generosity, faith and affection, that bind family, community and nations together in the molten plasma of common cause, these once powerful siren songs held little distraction from the simplest of joys: the sounds of a child’s laughter or the melodic chant of simple, silent prayer.
Soon, they knew, the proud drums of justice would carry their sons and daughters to far off lands to rage and reign the fires of a just reckoning upon those whose hatred has scarred their land. On this day, the earnest glow of an hour, a single moment in time, not part of a tumultuous tomorrow’s yesterday, but serene and hopeful as the fulfillment of a promise, was filled with all the joy and hope of … Yesterday’s Tomorrow.
Thursday, July 14, 2016 – WordFire Press has announced a joint venture with Aradio Brothers Studios to develop their successful Colt the Outlander series for readers who enjoy adventure and excitement in their science fiction. Colt the Outlander was created by the Aradio Brothers Dominic, RC, and Dante Pacella for the pages of Heavy Metal Magazine, the world’s premiere illustrated sci-fi fantasy magazine.
Colt the Outlander is a series about a rogue bounty hunter joined by his alluring yet deadly ladies. Together, they fearlessly scour the abandoned mining wastelands of Neb-6 for fugitives and treasures in fast-paced adventures.
Colt the Outlander, an intellectual property by Aradio Brothers Studios, has ambitions to build their Colt intellectual property into a multimedia platform featuring video games, visual entertainment, comics and, of course, books. Aradio Brothers commented that, “Colt the Outlander has proven itself as great entertainment with amazing characters in a Retro Sci-Fi universe. Now is time to use that rich history and loyal fan base to reach entire new audiences that other mediums can provide. We are ecstatic to see our life’s work expanded upon by the likes of Kevin J. Anderson and the great authors at WordFire Press. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of Colt the Outlander.”
WordFire Press, under its publishers Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta who are also internationally bestselling authors, has built an impressive stable of authors and storytellers. WordFire Press also publishes works by Frank Herbert (author of Dune), Pulitzer Prize-winning political novelist Allen Drury (Advise and Consent), New York Times bestsellers, Alan Dean Foster, Jody Lynn Nye, Robert Asprin, and Christie Golden, multiple award-winner Mike Resnick, Nebula award winner Gregory Benford, legendary comics writer Mike Baron, and Rush band member Neil Peart.
This is one of WordFire Press’s first forays into a multimedia tie-in, but with Publisher Kevin J. Anderson’s experience in tie-in properties like Star Wars, DC Comics and others, it will lead Colt the Outlander books on a clear path to success.
Kevin J. Anderson stated, “Colt the Outlander is the property that WordFire Press has been waiting for to bring in an exciting new readership. Aradio Brothers Studios have created a great world and characters for Colt the Outlander. Quincy Allen and I, along with other authors at WordFire Press, look forward to playing in that world and building upon it.”
WordFire Press and Aradio Brother Studios have jointly announced that a teaser novella written by Kevin J. Anderson will be available at the Dominic and RC Aradio’s tables in Artist Alley; AA-23 and AA-24 at the San Diego Comic Con. The first full-length Colt the Outlander novel will be written by Quincy J. Allen who has written Chemical Burn and The Blood War Chronicles. To be part of the adventure, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/colt.theoutlander
For interviews and further information contact Info@rabidfanboy.com
Contact: Alexi Vandenberg, Marketing and Promotions 862-200-5977
From Saturday, March 19, 2016 for the next 30 days, author G.W. Pomichter’s latest novel Yesterday’s Tomorrow is participating in the Kindle Scout program, competing for a publishing contract with Amazon Publishing.
Yesterday’s Tomorrow is a near future thriller about a world forever changed by a devastating terrorist attack that could either cripple the free world or pull communities together as never before.
This will be the 5th book released by author and journalist G.W. Pomichter, who is the host of the growing internet series, the Hangin’ With Web Show, on which he promotes indie authors, artists, filmmakers and other creators through fun and casual interviews. Pomichter was joined in this project by co-author William DuPree.
The pair have been friends for more than a decade, but this is the first time they have collaborated a project of this kind.
If selected for publication, Yesterday’s Tomorrow will be granted a 5-year e-book and audio publishing contract by Amazon Publishing, and DuPree and Pomichter will also be releasing the book in paperback.
“It is a great privilege to participate in the Kindle Scout program and to give readers a chance to help bring this story to life,” said DuPree.
“We have been working on this story for the past year, running various scenarios and narratives to give this world a very 3 dimensional and real-to-life feel,” Pomichter added. “It is going to be something that readers will find completely immersive.”
To help produce Yesterday’s Tomorrow, visit the Kindle Scout campaign page and nominate it for publication.
As the American Presidential primary season goes into full swing, people in early states are going to thee mail boxes and pulling out huge stacks of mail from candidates, and likely wondering, "Why?" Why are such well known people spending millions at the mailbox?
Well there is no easy answer to that question, but there are some familiar themes that voters will notice. While Television news has frantically covered the goods, bads and uglies between candidates, the war for the hearts and minds of Americans will be fought as it has been for generations at the mailbox, and below are some of the reasons why. As the author of Mapping The Road Less Traveled, I wanted to share some of these insights with you as you head to the mailbox this season.
As you sift through the piles of mail, ask yourself a few questions, and see which candidates have been successful!
Direct mail is the most targetable for of campaign advertising. For this reason it is the most used. Because this will be one of the campaign’s most critical resources it seems prudent to spend a moment examining the elements of a well though out mail plan. There are several strategies for direct mail, but all seem to consist of some basic psychological elements. Since the purpose of any advertising in the campaign is to giver voters a reason to support a candidate and to give then their vote, a mail plan must address one of, or all of the fundamental reasons people will vote: Sentiment, Commonality, or trust. A traditional mail plan consists of all three of these elements in varying degrees.
Sentiment: A traditional mail plan will include introduction and biographical material as one of the candidate’s first mail pieces. It is important that recipients of the piece get a sense of who the candidate is, and where they come from. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.
Smaller campaigns may choose to reserve their resources and introduce their candidate by telling both their personal and professional stories in a single mailer. This should include the candidate’s upbringing, education, their family life, marital status, professional resume, and personal philosophy. These are elements that help to establish a sense that the reader is getting to know your candidate, and building a slight sentimental connection to them.
Larger campaigns with greater financial resources should consider breaking this introduction into smaller parts and sending separate mailers. This is because the sentimental illusion will be stronger if the information takes more of a period of time. These mailers should begin with the personal introduction with information about the life, family and personal goals and philosophies of the candidate. This will establish a feeling of familiarity with them. The next phase of this strategy is to send the professional history of the candidate which will include a kind of professional resume, and mentions of any political experience the campaign deems relevant. By receiving these separately, voters may perceive a more lasting bond forming, and the sentiment factor on Election Day is stronger.
Commonality: A select but vital group of voters choose candidates much more carefully, based on the perception that a candidate has a common view of issues? These more informed voters want to know that a candidate is on their side. Mailers showing that your candidate’s views are important. This may also be achieved through single or multiple mail pieces.
Smaller campaigns may elect a single mail piece containing positions on multiple issues. It is strongly recommended that a mailer of this type be limited to and include three issues and your candidate’s position on each. This will not overload the reader, but will give them a well-rounded look at the top policy opinions of your candidate. Remember that most people receive dozens of mailers and have a limited amount of time to spend on your so keep it direct and short.
Larger campaigns should focus each mailer on a single issue. This will give the more studious voter a more in depth look at The candidate and the less anxious will at minimum receive The candidate ’s name to look at multiple times. When organizing these issue mailers, identify the most important three issues in an area or race and send a single mailer addressing each. Again, the long term nature of this promotes the perception of many conversations with the candidate and an impression that a voter is more informed about the candidate.
Trust: The final phase of the mail plan is to establish trust about the election with each recipient. By encouraging them to vote, you illustrate that you trust their judgment, and ask them once more for their support. This is also the phase where candidates may choose to distinguish themselves from their opponents.
Get more Insider Information about the 2016 Campaign season:
It is so touching and humbling when you know you've entertained and really connected with a reader like this. The above review was authored by fellow writer JC Brennan, who shared it with me on Twitter. JC Brennan is the author of The Ancients series which can be found on Amazon.com. I've only recently started the first book, A Fine Line, and it is wonderful journey I;m looking forward to.
G.W. Pomichter
Lot 28: http://www.amazon.com/Lot-28-Lucky-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B011PLFN6S
JC Brennan on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fine-Line-Ancients-Part-ebook/dp/B00TMMD80G
It was 7:30am on a hot August morning. The alarm clock rang out, murdering a restful night’s sleep. A knock at the door seemed to echo through his one room loft apartment and office.
Will slowly sat up from the sofa where he’d laid all night. He rotated his legs to one side as if they were weighted — first one and then the other. The rhythmic knocking continued and hastened.
“I’ll be right there!” Will said as he stood abruptly, shaking the final moments of his slumber from his muscular shoulders.
As he passed by his desk, he pulled off its top a half-full coffee cup, and smelling it first to test it, he took a sip and placed the cup on the side of a small sink that appeared to jut from wall of the room. As he turned the sink on, he reached behind him to the doorknob on the left, turned the knob and opened the door dismissively.
“Good morning, sleepy head,” said the bouncy Molly as she walked happily into the room.
Molly had been coming by each morning, almost without exception, since Lucky had left the police force and moved from his apartment into the office flat. Each day she brought Will a fresh cup of coffee and a cardboard take-out container in a plain, brown paper bag, filled with eggs and bacon from the corner drug store.
As she had done hundreds of times before, it seemed, she swept through the door while Lucky washed his hands and face, and placed the plain paper bag on the desk. She proceeded to walk to the sofa, pick up the blankets Lucky had strewn beneath, folded them and placed them gently on top of a steel filing cabinet in the corner of the room.
“How’s tricks, Will?” She asked cheerfully.
Lucky turned from the sink and passed Molly as he reached into a pile of clothes on top of an end table near the sofa and grabbed a clean shirt.
“The same as yesterday,” he said half-heartedly, holding up his shirt before he put it on. “Just doing somebody else’s laundry.”
A few months after leaving the police force, Will had applied and been granted a license as a private investigator by the city. The past several months since hadn’t been exactly the life he thought it would be.
Most of his clients were middle-aged men or women, looking for an estranged spouse or sibling that had disappeared quite intentionally. Some were jilted lovers or wives and husbands suspecting unfaithful partners. The work was more jading than adventurous.
“Nope,” said Molly. “Today is going to be the day you get a big case. I just know it! At least you’re not stuck in the basement digging up old ‘perp files for that ritzy robbery case they’ve all been figuring.”
Lucky finished dressing and searched from the coat rack to the table top for his favorite tie. Finding it rolled up on the corner of the desk, he wrapped it around his neck and began to fumble with it.
“I sure hope so,” he said, reluctantly surrendering to her optimism.
Molly stepped toward Will and finished adjusting his tie and folding down his collar. As she stepped back away, she smiled.
“I’ll see you tonight?” she queried playfully. “We’re going to dinner after I get off at the station, right?”
“Sure thing,” Lucky replied. “I can’t wait.”
He smiled back at her. He couldn’t help but remember how dismissive he had been to her when he first arrived home from the war. He wondered, now, why she was so happy to be around him after all that had happened.
“Stay out of trouble, and I’ll see ya later, handsome,” she said as she straightened her hat on her head, opened the door and left, pulling it closed behind her. The foggy grey glass window on the door made a rattling sound as the door latched.
Lucky waved as she departed and smiled as he peered at his companion through the etched letters, that from his vantage point, spelled out “Lucky Marks: Private Investigator” backward in the grey glass.
He reached behind him to the coat and hat rack, grabbed his suit jacket and slid it on confidently, then rounded the corner of the desk and sat behind it in the wheeled wooden chair. He placed his interlaced hands at the back of his head and rocked back and forth with a satisfied contentment. No longer in surrender to Molly’s morning cheer, he could feel his own sense of hope and optimism rising inside him.
“Today’s going to be a good day,” he said rhetorically.
G.W. Pomichter, a graduate of Florida Air Academy and Eastern Florida State College, has released his latest noir detective novel, “Lot 28” ($9.99, Create Space). Set in Hollywood in the summer of 1953, the story follows private eye William Lucky Marks as he investigates the murder of a famed director on the set of his blockbuster movie “Witness to the Act.” Marks must navigate the treacherous drama of Hollywood filmmaking, sort through the gossip and innuendo, and challenge his own prejudices to catch the killer before time runs out.
In a news release, Pomichter describes the book as a classic mystery. “It is always fun to write a story with such amazing roots in modern literature,” Pomichter wrote. “With ‘Lot 28,’ I really wanted to have a bit of fun with the who-done-it style familiar from ‘Clue’or ‘And Then There Were None.’” The book is available at online retailers, and more can be found at gwpomichter.wix.com.
Orlando, FL — From July 31 until
August 2, 2015 central Florida Independent authors will descend on Orlando’s
Caribe Royale Hotel for Indie BookFest 2015.
The Indie BookFest event is
designed to showcase self-published and independent authors to readers and
consumers, while providing opportunities to network with artists, cover
designers, editors, online bloggers and other professionals from the
independent publishing community.
The number of independent authors
and other professionals who are unaffiliated with traditional publishing
companies and venues has been on the rise in recent years due in no small part
to the shift in costs associated with self-publishing via the internet.Services like KDP, an Amazon direct to e-book
platform, Draft2Digital, another e-book platform and Amazon’s CreateSpace™
Publishing, a print on demand service, have introduced relatively simple, user
friendly and inexpensive ways for writers and other artists to bring their
books, music and even movies directly to consumer audiences worldwide.
“Technology in this case is setting
artists free from the constraints of the past,” said author G.W.Pomichter.“Print on Demand and e-book
formats have opened the market and given every writer access to the printing
presses that used to be controlled by a handful of business interests.It is a re-inventing of the printing press,
and it really is quite extraordinary.”
Indie BookFest is an opportunity
for these entrepreneurs to showcase their work and to meet with potential
readers as well as each other to celebrate what some like Pomichter say is a
revolution in the artistic community.
Traditional publishing paths have
customarily been difficult to break into and have been largely governed by very
strict business performance standards, giving stockholders and professional
business interests a greater influence over artistic projects.But in the Internet age, and with greater
technological access to print on demand services, new sales channels and
distribution models, and even social media platforms to build and grow
audiences, independent artists from film makers to authors are seeing a
renaissance of opportunity.
Indie Bookfest is both a
celebration of this phenomenon and an exercise in marketing these artists to
the general public.
“It is a very exciting time to be
an indie author,” said BookFest attendee and Author of the Submit to Darkness erotic thriller series, AJ Spencer.“It is a time when artists can control their
own work.It is a time when a writer has
to be more.We have to be part creator
and part marketer and part entrepreneur.”
Spencer will be joined by more than
80 other independent authors from throughout Florida and around the country,
including many first time authors.The
gathering will feature Keynote Speaker and best selling independent author,
Jana Oliver, and a number of panel discussions for both writers and
readers.
One of the most exciting portions
of the 3-day event is a FREE author book signing event hosted from 2:30 p.m.
until 5 p.m. on Saturday August 1, 2015.
