Tee Morris

Writer, podcaster. and streamer

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The Best “Thank You” to an Author

The final adventure of Books & Braun — OPERATION: ENDGAME — is now live on all digital platforms. (Audio and print coming in January.) Both Pip and I are hoping this final chapter will offer up a finale that leaves you wanting more.

But when you are done with the read, I got a favor to ask…

Why I Hope You Don’t Pirate My Book

Chuck Wendig, author

Today — February 6th — was dubbed by Chuck Wendig (or I like to call him, TMB or That Magnificent Bastard) as International Please Don’t Pirate My Book Day. He has put out a call for creatives of all types to head to their blogs, their podcasts, and their various social media networks to share their thoughts about piracy. This, as inspired by that TMB, is my own entry. If you join in, give Chuck a shout.

 

tee-mixer-waveformStep in your wayback machines to 2005. A short eternity in Interweb years, but barely eight years ago a young whelp of an author launched a rather daunting project: a podcast novel. Following in the footsteps of people like John Scalzi, Cory Doctorow, and others, I stepped up with my epic fantasy MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana to give it away as a podcast. Throughout the journey I was an advocate for this new model of promotion and marketing. Interviews with me at that time were reminiscent of a Red Hot Chili Peppers diddy…

No, not “Catholic School Girls Rule.” This one. [Read more…] about Why I Hope You Don’t Pirate My Book

Hot August Nights: Another Tour de Force from Tee Morris

Anybody remember May?

I do. Barely.

It was a full-on month, the 2012 edition of the lusty month of May, and when it was done, I figured “Yeah, the rough part of this summer is done. i can now kick back and coast until Dragon*Con (which Pip and I had already committed to last year). Nothing to worry about.”

I really have to learn to not say things like that. As August looms ahead, I’m now looking at the unintentional tour schedule Pip and I have cobbled together between June and now.

Mark your calendars…because we sure have!

August 8-12, New Orleans, Louisiana

Watch the Skies

August 25, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

alongside the steampunk talents of…

Dragon*Con

August 31- September 3, Atlanta, Georgia

  • The Retro-Cast: Steampunk Podcasting & More – Fri. 8:30pm in Westin Int’l BC (Main Room)
  • The World Is Bigger Than England: Multi-Culturalism in the Alternate History Environment — Saturday 2:30pm in Westin Int’l A (Roundtable Room)
  • The Parsec Awards — Saturday, 4:30pm in the Regency V Ballroom — Hyatt
  • The Tech Stuff (hosted by Steve Riekeberg) — Saturday, 8pm in Hilton 204
  • Steampunk Author Roundtable (Part 1) – Sunday 1oam in Westin Int’l A (Roundtable Room)
  • Book Signing, The Missing Volume, Sunday 1:30-2:30 in Marriott Booth 614
  • Social Steam: Steampunk, Social Media, and Making It Work – Monday 10am in Westin Int’l A (Roundtable Room)
  • Steampunk 101 — Monday, 11:30 a.m. at Hyatt Embassy D-F
  • How Do You Take Your Steampunk — Light or Dark? – Monday 1pm in Westin Int’l A (Roundtable Room)

Write by the Rails (at Trinity Church, Manassas, VA)

8 September

Baltimore Book Festival

28-30 September

No, I didn’t plan the end of my summer to be as full-on as the opening of it, but for those of you who have been following my works over the years, you know what I’m going to do — lock my feet under the car’s inside lip, raise my hands up, and enjoy the ride!

See you all in the dog days of summer.

Being Kenneth Branagh: 11 Tips on Filming a Book Trailer (Part Four)

And here we are — the final part of the mini-series blogpost! (See? Aren’t you glad I broke this up into segments?)

Now as I mentioned, I have saved the best tip for last; but before getting to what I believe is the most imperative thing you can do in planning out a book trailer, let’s quickly recap those previous 10 tips from Parts 1-4:

  • Know what you’re shooting. You’re shooting a book trailer, the emphasis on trailer. Not book.
  • You don’t have to understand the process, but take time to understand the process. A book trailer doesn’t just happen in your basement one weekend afternoon. There’s steps to follow and processes to adhere to.
  • For your first book trailer, keep it simple. You might want to go full-on epic for your first book trailer. Don’t. This is your first step. Think smart.
  • Set up a budget. Best way to avoid going broke.
  • Figure out ways to stretch the budget. Did I mention “avoid going broke” earlier? Yeah. I did.
  • When the trailer needs artwork, imagery, or music, make a financial investment. When it is time to spend money on your trailer, particularly in stock audio and video, do’t flinch or take shortcuts. Do it.
  • Be patient and understanding with your talent. Cast and crew. Especially if they are giving of their time and talents, roll with the challenges and make things work to the best of their abilities.
  • Make sure your cast and crew understand their responsibilities. Remember though that your trailer is the top priority, not hanging out or chilling out. That happens after the work is done.
  • Trust your editor, especially if he or she has a track record. Sometimes the toughest thing is to surrender your work to an objective party, but it also the best thing you can do in order to make it shine.
  • Never forget: It’s YOUR trailer. Don’t let others render your vision so blurry that it’s no longer yours. It’s your book’s first impression. You make the final call.

It’s all been leading up to this one key piece of advice I’ve been sitting on since Part One. You all have been patient and (for this, I am really thrilled!) attentive on what makes a good book trailer happen. Now comes the most essential thing you need to know before making that jump from the printed word to a visual medium in order to help your book sales reach a wider audience.

Are you ready? [Read more…] about Being Kenneth Branagh: 11 Tips on Filming a Book Trailer (Part Four)

Being Kenneth Branagh: 11 Tips on Filming A Book Trailer (Part Three)

So, two weeks ago, I started this mini-series of a blogpost. Honestly, I thought I could encapsulate everything I wanted to say about this experience in about 1000 words, maybe 2000 if I was feeling eloquent.

Yeah…um…Part Four will drop next week and wrap everything up. I promise.

No. Seriously.

Stop laughing.

The thing is this blogpost is a lot like the book trailer itself (which, if you look up in the right-hand corner of the blog, you will see it there…). This is the biggest blogpost I think I’ve done since ending my two-year job hunt. This mini-series blogpost is epic…but so was the education I received on the set. There were a lot of lessons I walked away with this time, and already within the trailer’s first 24-hours on YouTube I have people asking me about what it takes to make something like it.

So, let’s continue with these 11 tips I’ve been sharing, starting off with one that I think is essential when marshaling your creative troops together to make magic happen… [Read more…] about Being Kenneth Branagh: 11 Tips on Filming A Book Trailer (Part Three)