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  • You Asked For It…

      0 comments
      14th Aug 09
      M. R. Sellars

    Evil Kat says, "Come here so I can beat you..."
    Yeah… That’s usually what E K says right about the time she is stomping on my head, or slapping me around with a frying pan. It usually comes on the heels of her saying, “You’re really ASKING for it!” Next thing I know I’m on the floor, flat on my back, with her standing on my chest screaming, yeah, you guessed it, “You ASKED for it!”

    (In all honesty I probably did, but that’s not the point…)

    However, let’s get back to this asking thing, because this time “You Asked For It” isn’t all about a beatdown from The Redhead. In this case it actually pertains to a goodly number of you folks who are regular readers of Brainpan Leakage. You see, over the years I have engaged in that widely used guerrilla marketing tactic known as “branded swag”… You know, logoed / embossed apparel, coffee mugs, etc, just like you get from corporate vendors every Christmas. Yeah, that sort of stuff. Only mine is way cooler than the stuff you get from some random widget company…

    MUG FREEFELICITY

    So, anyway, throughout the years folks have been pretty excited about such things as the Miranda and Free Felicity Tee-Shirts, Coffee Mugs with various quotes from the RGI characters, and other such sundries. However, for the past year or so I haven’t been putting any of that stuff out there. Apparently this has been an issue for quite a few folks, because in recent months not only have I been receiving a major load of email asking where and/or when such items as listed above can be obtained, but there have been a ton of requests for Brainpan Leakage Swag… Most notably Evil Kat Brainpan Leakage Swag. It seems a lot of you ladies seriously identify with her and some of you men want to… well… let me just say, “Back off, dudes. She’s mine.” (Well…actually, I’m hers, but that’s just a matter of semantics… Don’t tell her I said that, okay?)…

    Besides, she will hurt you… Like blow your deductible out of the water hurt you… I mean it… We’re seriously talking you’d better have AFLAC kind of hurt you…

    Of course, if you want a Tee-Shirt with The Evil Redhead on it, I can live with that. (And, so can you because you will still be able to function in daily life without the aid of medical equipment and round the clock care.)

    MIRANDA
    PROPERTYOFEVILKAT

    But seriously… I really and truly have had a ton of requests for more Swag and especially E K Swag.

    ITTAKESAWITCH So, since many of you asked for it, I worked out a deal with On The Edge Graphics, the crew that creates the killer posters and advertising stuff for my books, and the folks responsible for some of the artwork on the early RGI Swag. Between my own limited artistic ability and their superior talent, some new Swag has been born and they have set up an official web store. Since demand doesn’t always translate into sales, this is being done through Cafepress much like I used to do it, however the markups are minimal. Basically, just enough to cover expenses AND allow a charitable donation to a wildlife / conservation organization of E Kay’s choice from a portion of the proceeds on anything bearing her signature or caricatured likeness. NOFLYZONE

    As of this writing, the store is still being set up, “stocked”, and all that jazz, however, it is officially open. More Swag is coming, and some of the old classics are going to be revamped and re-issued.

    So, there you go:

    On The Edge Graphics Cafepress Store

    …You asked for it, you got it… (Why do I feel like I should be ending that ditty with “Toy-oh-tah!”?)

    More to come…

    Murv

      Author Silliness, Blogging, Humor, Internet, Life, Marketing, Silliness, Writing
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  • Slow Pitch, Or Fast Pitch?

      0 comments
      2nd Aug 09
      M. R. Sellars

    Way back in the archives of Brainpan Leakage – and I do mean way back, because the entry I am about to reference was originally written when BL was still hosted over on my Myspank page – I had myself one of those Andy Rooney moments about “catch phrases” on the FoodNetwork shows.  You know, Emeril’s “Bam”, Tyler Florence’s “Flavorful”, and Guy Fieri’s “Off The Hook”… Not that “branding” is a bad thing. Truth is, branding is important. E K does it to all of her possessions, which is why I am sitting on a pillow right now.

    Okay, okay… So, E K doesn’t really do that. (She uses a Sharpie)… But, what would a Brainpan Leakage blog entry be without an E K reference, correct?

    So, back to this branding thing. I get it. I understand it. Hell, the RGI series even has a catch phrase – “Sometimes it takes more than a cop to stop a killer. It takes a Witch.”

    My dear friend Dorothy Morrison and I have toured together so much and done so many workshops together that we have been branded with the tag, “Wingnuts” all because of a story we tell about a crazy person who hi-jacked one of my seminars at the RWB many years ago.

    So yes… I definitely get it. However, another Andy Rooney moment happened upon me very recently, and it had everything to do with the proverbial “catch phrase”.

    Ahemm…hmmm…ahem… So, did’jya ever notice…

    Okay, so I won’t kype Andy’s catch phrase this time. However, I will tell you about the latest “phrase craze” that is making my brain hurt –

    “Pitch Me”

    Now, I don’t know how many of you out there have heard this one. All I can say is that I hear it constantly. Because of my profession I do quite a few interviews, podcasts, etc. It’s all part of the game. Truth is, the saying among authors is that once you finish the manuscript, that’s when the real work begins.

    Fortunately, I like doing podcasts, radio, print interviews, and chats. I think it’s fun. I get to meet new people and talk about all kinds of cool stuff, myself included – not that I think I’m all that cool, but on occasion other folks think I am and that’s a nice boost when my ego sags, which it can tend to do at times. We all have those moments, except E K, of course. (Two E K refs! WooHoo, I’m on a roll!)

    So anyway, this “Pitch Me” thing. I receive email on a fairly regular basis from magazines, newspapers, podcasts, etc, which are asking me if I’d be willing to do an interview. Sometimes I, or one of my publicists, will contact a particular venue and wave my flag to let them know I’m available and would love to do their show or what have you. Lately, however, the response from these folks – whether they are making first contact or I am – is, “Pitch Me”…

    Now, I want to point out, not ALL of them are doing this, but the vast majority seem to be…

    Honestly, I know exactly what they mean. They want me, or my publicists, to tell them why I would be a good interview for their show or publication. That makes perfect sense, so I’m not complaining there – although, if they are soliciting me I would think they would already know whether or not I fit their format, but that’s just a personal observation.

    And, to be sure, the first couple of times I heard “Pitch Me” it wasn’t a big deal. I wasn’t fazed at all. However, much like “bam”, “flavorful”, “off the hook”, “roast off”, and all the FoodNetwork overused catch phrases, “Pitch Me” has become so overused that it is painful to both my eyes and ears.

    So, for all of the “Pitch Me’s” out there, I have decided I need an appropriate catch phrase response as well:

    “Catch Me”

    I guess it’s a good thing I have publicists to handle that stuff, eh? Hell,  for all I know they probably say “Pitch Me” too…

    😉

    More to come…

    Murv

      Humor, Life, Rant, Writing
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