What is My Favorite Bit?
It’s a guest post in which authors discuss their favorite bit of their latest book or short story. Occasionally, we’ll also hear from artists or game designers. These will appear on Tuesdays. Usually.
What does participating in My Favorite Bit require?
a. A short (400 to 1,000 word) essay on your favorite bit of your new work. This can be a scene, a sentence, a character, or a bit of world-building. It can even be a piece of research that never made it on the page. The key is that it’s something that you love LOVE sooooo much. This is your chance to be enthusiastic and geek out over that favorite thing you wrote but don’t expect anyone else to notice.
b. A cover jpg, or screenshot, of the work in question.
c. A short bio, maximum 150 words.
d. Social media or other hyperlinks that you’d like to include.
e. A universal book link, so people can read more and purchase a copy.
How do I sign up for a slot with My Favorite Bit?
Ripping off guidelines directly from John Scalzi’s The Big Idea…
a) No earlier than two months from the book’s official publication date and no later than one month from that date, send me an e-mail at favorite@maryrobinettekowal.com, with an e-mail header formatted like so: “MY FAVORITE BIT QUERY: [Author] [Book Title] [Release Date]“. In the body of the e-mail please briefly describe the book and include an eARC (preferably in PDF form but EPUB will also work).
b) I’ll try to get back to you within the week regarding availability; if you don’t hear back within 10 working days, you can ping again.
c) If I have a slot for you, I’ll give you the date scheduled for the piece; please send the piece a week before the run date to favorite@maryrobinettekowal.com, with an e-mail header formatted like so: “MY FAVORITE BIT ENTRY: [Author][Book Title][Scheduled Run Date].”
Are you open to things other than novels?
Yes, in fact I am. I’m using the word “author” to mean a published creator. If you are a game designer, short story writer, or artist, and have something that you would like to promote then by all means query me.
What if two people want the same date?
I assign dates using this criteria:
a) authors who have not written a piece before;
b) authors whose books are coming out in the week a slot is open;
c) authors who actually follow the directions.
Beyond that, I’m fairly flexible with the hope that I’ll be able to share an interesting mix of authors, fiction, and other creations.