When The Darkness falls the only hope for mortal men and women are the Neteru warriors and the Neteru Guardian Team.
Catch The Vampire Huntress Legends series at www.vampire-huntress.com — a twelve book series created by: L.A. Banks for St. Martin’s Press/Griffin.
Learn more about the author here.
Cue the James Bond music and call the Geek Squad! If you like your espionage with thrills, romance and a touch of humor look no further! Lucy Monroe, internationally best selling author, brings us sensuality and sass with her new high-tech action romance called “Deal With This”.
It’s lights, camera, action as this novel brings the reader inside the Vancouver film industry. It’s a fun look at the industry itself while taking you through a rollercoaster ride of spy action and hot romance. The book is lighthearted but intensely researched for believability. There’s no doubt that the romance and sass will satisfy as much as the action and technology.
Michelle Buonfiglio of Lifetime TV’s Romance: B(u)y the Book says Monroe “excels at creating alpha bad boys and authentic erotic romance.” The love scenes sizzle and the characters are the highlight of every scene. Her “alpha bad boy” Alan goes undercover to find out who is trying to auction off international secrets and finds himself on the set of scifi TV show with the star of the show, Jillian, set to help him whether he likes it or not!
Monroe is especially pleased with this novel because of the character development of both the hero and heroine. The hero isn’t a typical “alpha male”, but he has layers of complexity to him that allows him to appreciate the heroine’s independence and accept himself without having to be in charge all the time. The heroine is strong, sassy, fun and loveable. She isn’t going to faint at the sight of a gun and she doesn’t mind talking about sex, needs and what she really wants.
Throw in a scifi TV show, producers, spies, anti-gravity planes, costumes and great love scenes and you’ve got a formula for a best selling novel! Deal With This comes out November 27th!
Francis Ray’s “African-American” and “American-Indian” Contemporary Romantic Book shows a Headstrong and beautiful “Heroine” named Sierra Grayson a high-end real estate mogul who is positive that she won’t succumb to her mother’s matchmaking schemes the way her four older brothers have until a chance meeting with the dangerously handsome real estate mogul Blade Navarone.
Learn more about the author here.
In this riveting, emotionally-charged and endearing true story of four generations of mothers and daughters, L.Y. Marlow brilliantly unfolds the vicious cycle of abuse that has plagued her family for over sixty years. Both shocking and uplifting, inspiring and thought-provoking, the award-winning Color Me Butterfly is a compelling page-turner that will leave readers applauding this family for their courage, hope and transformation.
Learn more about the author here.
If you’ve been following the COS MySpace blogs you won’t be shocked by any of this. Internet is THE place to be if you’re advertising. More and more people are turning to the internet for news, weather, sports and entertainment than ever before.
In this article on Media Daily News they discuss the statistics and reasons behind the phenomenon that isn’t just revolutionizing communication and entertainment delivery systems, but establishing it as the newly accepted “norm”. Media Daily News also reported that Newspapers have gotten the “Red Alert” with realizations that, “”the proliferation of emerging media” is giving “advertisers many new alternatives for reaching their fragmenting audience bases.”
Is TV next to feel the bite of a very hungry internet appetite? According to a recent study done by IBM the answer is yes. Another recent article looks closely into the trend and talks about exactly who is or isn’t watching TV now . This article asked a very interesting question about whether or not traditional TV viewers are really your target audience. Therein lies the part of the reason that eventually internet will become more popular than TV for advertisers. People may still watch TV, but you don’t know who is watching. The measurements are hard, or perhaps faulty, in gleaning a real life look at who is watching. But, with internet you can be more target specific and you can interact with the audience, thus giving you more insight to not only the “who” but the “why” someone is interested in a subject, show or game online.
Reader’s Entertainment TV is a perfect example of target-specific audience. Because the site specializes in books, authors, literacy, reading and shows that include those themes, you can bet that people who purchase books go there. So, why aren’t more authors or publishers rushing to purchase ad space there? Why is it that more non-industry companies are interested in this site?
Part of it has to do with the fact that the publishing industry is notoriously slow in responding to new trends and technology. Instead of getting in on the ground floor to help grow a site that brings book buyers to one place, publishers sit back and watch to see if enough people will come on their own and make it worth their while to be there. It’s this kind of passive non-support that is hurting the overall industry. Unless someone in the industry steps up to the plate, the site will start to show ads for cold cream and sanitary napkins since the site is primarily visited by women. And a chance to promote to book buyers will go to other types of products.
Some publishers are trying to start their own version of REC TV. They then play videos and discuss books that are specific to their company. It gives them control of the content. But, because it is the company’s products, it comes across as very commercial and people know they’re being sold something. People aren’t going to go there for entertainment when it is really just cleverly disguised ads.
REC TV promotes itself as an entertainment portal. Like MTV, you’re given video meant to entertain that also happens to help sell books. But, it’s the original shows that are brining in viewers that aren’t traditionally readers. These are the people the book industry should be romancing. These are potential readers who are looking at books in a new light. REC TVs The Lonesome Losers has been hot on the internet. It has been featured on major social sites, comedy sites and featured in talk shows. Yet, publishers aren’t interested in sponsoring the show and REC TV producers are now turning to non-industry companies to get the $5000 it will take to make the next season of The Lonesome Losers. And with equally popular online original shows raking in more than $50,000 for sponsorship, there’s no doubt that The Lonesome Losers will get picked up. It’s just a shame that the publishing industry isn’t willing to support shows that bring in new readers.
Where The Lonesome Losers are bringing in a younger crowd due to its SNL-like brand of humor as well as bringing in men ages 18-34, the book trailers and author interviews appeal more to women of all ages. The site is primed to show people that reading is an exciting form of entertainment, but the support from the industry is sad to say the least.
New shows and new sponsor opportunities are coming to REC TV, but whether or not the publishing industry will support it is yet to be seen.
Without a doubt Circle of Seven Productions is the trend setter for book video creation and marketing. COS has been making book trailers since 2002, but started to revolutionize the trend in 2004 when they made a deal with a major movie theater chain and started showing book video in movie theaters.
A year later Harlequin decided to give it a try with a video by Heather Graham. And, today HarperCollins is determined to see if they can utilize movie theaters with the same effectiveness COS has experieneced. You can see the video HarperCollins made – HERE.
The COS Newsletter has many publishers, booksellers and competitors subscribed to it. Often, information newly released by COS is found later in blogs, competitor newsletters or as publisher’s press releases as they utilize COS marketing ideas.
So, the question is – What’s next?
After COS announced an online tv station for readers last year others found the idea to have merit. Simon and Schuster announced recently that they have started their own online site for book video called bookvideos.tv.
Not only have publishers found book videos to be a great way to engage readers and entice them to buy, but booksellers have embraced the new age of video with Borders now offering book video in their newsletters, on their main Borders Media site and a special page just for romance. Barnes and Noble have their Meet The Writers program and are also taking book trailers to enhance their reader’s buying experince as seen on these pages-
Safe Harbor
Lord of the Fading Lands
And many, many more.
Authors are creating their own tv players for their site like Douglas Clegg and Cheryl Holt
Reader’s Entertainment TV has lead the way into a new trend to bring readers more dynamic material online. But, there’s more!
In 2006 COS worked with author Christine Feehan to start offering online games associated with books. The FOG (Feehan Online Game) attracted over 10,000 people who played the video game all the way through and received a screensaver as a prize!
The future of online marketing both with video and with other opportunities continues to be a main focus for COS Productions. Leading an industry into a new era of opportunity using video and online endeavors, new ideas and creative media is a staple for COS, and having industry giants follow that lead is a sure sign of success.
Come join the fun! REC Tv on MySpace! Find out what new shows we have, what the schedules are for author interviews and read some exclusive interviews on the REC Tv MySpace Blog!
New shows include the My Word! Show that currently has interviews with Robin Schone, Kayla Perrin, Michele Scott, Stuart Ellison and Renee Bernard!
The new show – Off The Shelf – is currently showing the annual Heather Graham’s Vampire Ball play, exclusively on REC Tv!
New Book Trailers and other fun stuff for readers is available at REC Tv!
We have seen an increase in viewership since advertising in USA Today online and there are plans to advertise in the RWR magazine and other exciting sites or print magazines.
The station was set up to capture the attention of readers and POTENTIAL readers by show how exciting books can be!
What do they all have in common? Reader’s Entertainment TV!
Two weeks ago REC Tv’s hit original comedy show, The Lonesome Losers was featured on Funny or Die! Last week The Lonesome Losers was featured on MySpace! This week we found the guys featured on AtomFilms! And, Veoh featured Circle of Seven Productions, parent company of REC Tv and where REC Tv videos live!
With all of this online exposure REC Tv is reaching readers, finding fans and making history with online reader’s entertainment!
We were very excited when the director of The Lonesome Losers was contacted and asked to have the show entered into a contest where the winner has a chance for a deal with Comedy Central!
The online hit show VIRAL caught up with our Lonesome Losers a couple of weeks ago and interviewed them for the show. We are currently featuring the VIRAL episode on REC Tv on the main player after The Lonesome Losers episode of the week!
Book videos are winning top awards! A month ago we found out that Christine Feehan’s Dark Demon won a top Telly Award along with Must Love Dragons and now three more videos have been added! New Moon, a book by Rebecca York and Susan Kearney won with two videos; Island Heat and The Quest!
Book videos have become so entertaining that the movie-trailer-like videos now have their own online TV here at Reader’s Entertainment!
To see more you can go to www.cosproductions.com or if you’re on MySpace drop by and see the newest videos there and blog about which ones you really love at www.myspace.com/cosbooktrailers.
Congrats to Susan and to Rebecca!!
The Quest by Susan Kearney
Add to My Profile | More Videos
New Moon
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Island Heat
What will come of books in the future? Will they all go to electronic format? Will people be able to access books for free? Let’s take a look at some things I found at BEA that could stir up a buzz of a different nature between authors and readers.
Wowio is an online site that gives books away for free! Yep, you heard it. Free books. I recognized some of the books and wondered, “Wow! Can they do that?” But, apparently they are doing it. http://www.wowio.com/about.asp
I went over to register to check it out. Wowio doesn’t allow non-anonymous email addresses, such as Yahoo or Gmail, so that is very annoying. I signed up with my COS account and then was told that the domain had to be checked first. Finally, I got my authorization and go in to set up my account. They ask a lot of personal information so I’m a bit concerned with that. Why do they need my age and race to give me free books? They don’t trust me to say who I am (won’t take Yahoo accounts), but they trust be to give my REAL age?! Ha! They don’t know me very well do they?! I can see where my entertainment preferences are important though.
At Wowio they say you can download up to 5 ebooks per day. And, if you get 10 friends to join they will give you a free iPod Shuffle! I can see where they want to authenticate email addresses, but really, if you’re smart enough you can get around this too.
I have to say that there really are a lot of books here. And, if you like the classics, this is the place for you! Or, if you’re a college student on a budget, this is a good resource.
I searched “Romance” and up came some Jane Austen books (good sign!) and Edgar Allen Poe (bad sign). Did Edgar Allen Poe write romance and I just missed that fact?
They have a feature “Readers of this book also downloaded” that I thought was useful. I found a book I was actually VERY interested in – Branwell: A Novel of the Bronte Brother. I ordered the book and was told that a confirmation email would be sent telling me how I can download the book. The email came in and I now have the book. But, what I found interesting is that they note how much the book is actually worth ($14) and that it is brought to you by Verizon Wireless! So, they have companies who sponsor a book! All very interesting. And, other than the fact that I didn’t like to give out so much information on myself and that they don’t allow non-authenticating email addresses (which will cost them in the long run) this is a very cool site with wonderful benefits!
