WRITE 4 KIDS BLOG POST (OCTOBER 14, 2011)

Write 4 Kids - Children's Book Insider Clubhouse

SONG AND MUSIC VIDEO PROMOTE UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

by Laura Backes

How does an author stand out from the crowd while he’s shopping his YA horror manuscript to agents? Write a song about the book’s protagonist, perform it with a famous hard rock band, get the show posted on YouTube, then make a music video. Ken Derby, author of The Top Ten Ways to Ruin the First Day of Fifth Grade (Holiday House), is an American fifth grade teacher living and working in Budapest. He performed Natasha (named after the title character of his manuscript) with the popular band Superbutt at a Hungarian music festival in July. (Click here to see unofficial fan videos. An official video is in the works.) The site also contains a book trailer, the manuscript’s first two chapters, a video of Ken being interviewed by MTV about his song and manuscript, and his insights into vampires and pop culture. With publishers putting more emphasis on authors’ social media platforms and how they’ll be able to publicize their books, thinking out of the box like this can only help in getting agents’ attention. And every time an author gets innovative, the bar is raised. So what’s your big idea?

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July 15, 2011

Efott Music Festival MTV Interview

Ken Derby is interviewed by MTV VJ, Greg Toth at the Efott Music Festival held in Szolnok, Hungary on July 14, 2011.

Greg Toth is also the vocalist for Blind Myself (a metal band).
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blindmyself
Website: http://www.blindmyself.com/