In yesterday’s post, Scott Burtness, author of Wisconsin Vamp (2014), referred to an “embarrassingly bad YouTube video” he made to promote his Vampire Books for Blood event, where authors donate a portion of their net royalties earned during October, to the American Red Cross.
Burtness didn’t include a link to the video in the article draft he sent me, so I combed through his event’s Facebook page to find the video, just to see how embarrassing it really was—and found it on a post dated Sept. 23, 2014: “C’mon, authors! Add your support to Vampire Books for Blood! Share your book details, post a video, Tweet with the hashtag #VampBooks4Blood!”
The link lead to Burtness’ “Vampire Books for Blood!” YouTube video, posted on Sept. 22, 2014. If anything, I was disappointed. After a brief title screen, the video began with Burtness saying “Do you know the American Red Cross is facing a blood shortage?” and gets better from there. I don’t think it’s embarassing at all: I think it’s a good little video, clear, to-the-point and is an excellent rallying cry for a good cause. Here it is:
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS-rD3cLtBE” width=”800″]
Vampire Books for Blood is actually in its second year; last year, the event was supported by writers like award winning fantasy author K. N. Lee, who promoted it through her blog: “[Burtness] will donate 100% of his net royalties from October sales of ‘Wisconsin Vamp’ to the Red Cross North Central Blood Services. This donation will help support their blood drives, meet supply needs, deliver blood 24/7, and stay at the top in blood testing in research.”
This year, Burtness will be pledging a little less than last time, but with good reason: “I’m pledging 50% of my Oct net royalties this year. Growing the event means additional costs. Since I’m doing all of this out-of-pocket, I can’t afford to be quite as generous as last year”. So, if you’re an author, consider giving Scott a helping hand—participate or promote. It’s up to you.
Notes
- yesterday’s post: Scott Burtness, “Vampire Books for Blood: Authors Pledge to Support American Red Cross,” Vamped, Aug. 26, 2015, accessed Aug. 26. 2015, http://vamped.org/2015/08/26/vampire-books-for-blood/.
- a posted dated Sept. 23, 2014: Vampire Books for Blood [Scott Burtness], post to Vampire Books for Blood Facebook page, Sept. 23, 2014 at 1:37 p.m., accessed Aug. 26, 2015, https://www.facebook.com/VampBooks4Blood/posts/452691118202502. Dates and times at GMT +10.
- “Vampire Books for Blood!”: Scott Burtness, “Vampire Books for Blood!” YouTube video, 1:24, posted Sept. 22, 2014, accessed Aug. 26, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS-rD3cLtBE.
- promoted it through her blog: K Nycole Lee, “Vampire Books for Blood **Charity Feature & Book Blast**,” Write Like a Wizard (blog), Oct. 5, 2014, accessed Aug. 26, 2015, http://writelikeawizard.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/vampire-books-for-blood-charity-feature.html.
- with good reason: Scott Burtness, response to author on Scott Burtness – Author Facebook page, Aug. 27, 2015 at 4:57 a.m., accessed Aug. 27, 2015, https://www.facebook.com/SWBAuthor/posts/1031375123560762?comment_id=1033816903316584&offset=0&total_comments=2&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D.
If you’re interested in participating or promoting the event, contact Scott Burtness for details through Facebook or Twitter and check out the event’s website: http://www.vampirebooksforblood.org/.
Update
Aug. 28, 2015: I mistakenly referred to Scott Burtness as “Scott Burness” within this article, the article’s excerpt, meta description, on Facebook and (sigh) even the author’s profile. My bad. The article, its excerpt, meta description and user profile have all been corrected accordingly.