Some day things are going to be easier...someday things will be brighter...

🎶

That is my mantra these days of attempting to frickin' give away my book and not having any takers!!! Where are my readers? Not on FB apparently--but--I have a plan and that plan's name is Kathaleen Coyle.

Kathaleen lives in Tucson close to where I live, and her enthusiasm is infectious, her ways of marketing different enough to be intriguing--like--maybe they will work?  She suggested re-doing my website which was a hokey one on Go-Daddy site. I chose it because I could navigate it somewhat, but it tended to lock up and the text and pictures moved around and didn't lock into place..In any case I now have a site on WIX that is much more professional and also easy to navigate. Lots of options with that one. Kathaleen is working on it as we speak! (My vision tends to be more for artists, hers is to lure in readers)

We have discussed numerous things in the few weeks I've known her, on the phone and in person. Her prices are very reasonable. I have put all my fiddle faddle aside (amazon ads and other marketing schemes that haven't been working) while she's investigating my books and coming up with a real plan instead of my knee jerk reactions and flailing attempts to get my books selling. First and foremost I have to know where my readers hang out, second of all I need an e-mail list. When these two things are in place perhaps my readers will be able to find me? What will I do if I really begin to sell? No more crying into my beer and feeling sorry for myself. But all levity aside, I am so very glad to have found Kathaleen Coyle and hope any of you having marketing woes will contact her. She isn't just about book marketing.

And so while she's hard at work at a real and cohesive PLAN, I am working on my second witch book, The Moon in Her Eyes, as well as the new Summer McCloud, Akumal Alibi. I still tend to check on my KDP site too often, appalled by how few books I've sold, but mostly I'm trying very hard to be patient. Rome was not built in a day.

I will keep you posted as we progress and hope I have good news to share. Click on her name for more info!

And thanks for reading! 🙏

Working writer

What does 'working writer' really mean? Many feel that if you aren't working 24/7 you can't call yourself 'writer'. But to me it means always having my work in the back of  my mind and knowing without a doubt that I will get back to it, even if I'm taking a few days off. When I first started this process back in early 2000's I wasn't so sure about this and wondered if my enthusiasm for what I was doing would wane and suddenly be gone. Scary, huh? It was to me.

So, back to 'working writer'. Nowadays this term can mean a dozen different things, from marketer, to editor, to author, to presenter--the list goes on. If, like me, you are gearing most of what you do to the e-book market your job takes place mostly at your desk. This is the way I like it. You can enlist help from many, weed through and see what works and repeat the things that have brought you success. There is information galore out there, from podcasts to webinars to a zillion different free marketing sites, to--you name it. And there are also paid sites that people swear by. I only wish I were more organized and could remember from one day to the next what I've done? When there's no paper trail it all gets a bit more complicated. My paypal account is the only thing I can refer back to to see what recurring $4 payments I'm making where! How do you manage it all? I'm sure most are way more organized than I am.*sigh*.

Now if the paperback market is your main goal you are probably an extrovert. (does this sound like the 'you are most likely a redneck' comedy skit?) Since I am an introvert I tend to shy away from book fairs and signings. I am fine one on one with a customer, but try and get me to call out and pull a customer in? Not happening. Consequently I don't do well in these settings and am jealous of those who do. A friend recently suggested I go to Toastmasters--are you kidding? No, no, a thousand times no! But why not? You'd learn how to get up in front of people and tout your books--it's a win win! This encouragement nearly always comes from extroverts--and if you are an introvert you understand, like I do, that extroverts don't get us. period. exclamation point.

Don't get me wrong here. I am envious of extroverts and wish I had more of their gregariousness, it would certainly help when it comes to selling. But, I have to go with who I am and what I have going for me, which is amazing concentration and doggedness in my work. When I was younger I used to bemoan all my 'faults', with the idea that I could overcome them. Not anymore. I would rather expand on what I do best and hire help in the areas where I don't shine.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? How do you handle these issues in your writing life?

Thanks for reading!

Winter Solstice and a new attitude

Tonight we celebrate the return of the sun with a fire in our firepit and a libation to honor the gods and goddesses and the earth from which we come and to which we will return. The days will be growing longer for now on--it seems almost too quick! 

Yesterday my book signing went well--I met and spoke with interesting people and sold some books! I'm going to try and do more of these in 2015 along with having a more positive attitude. I will visualize my books with wings and I won't check constantly to see how many I've sold. What I realized yesterday was that selling is not why I write. I've said this before but it's coming around again. I want people to READ my books--the money is not important when it really comes down to it. And to give a bit of advice here, I think it's important for all of us as writers to know why we are doing what we're doing. Once we figure that out we can let go of what doesn't fit for us. In other words don't let yourself get caught up in a marketing frenzy when what you really want to be doing is writing! I know, I know, marketing is important and part of our job as indies, but we need to decide when to write and when to market. And we can attempt to think outside the box. If everyone is doing one thing, think of something else to do--something off the wall like plastering your car with an image of one of your book covers. ( I saw this done and it was pretty cool). 

I've spent a lot of money this year on all sorts of PR, telling myself that you have to spend money to make money. Well, I'm not so sure anymore. I've had ads in the local newspaper for several months and have not noticed a pick-up in sales. And no one came to my signing who had either read my newsletter or noticed the ad.  I'll continue for a few more months and see how it goes. 

But here I go talking about selling again...

I'lll be joining a writing group in mid-January--instead of being a critique group it is more of a support group for writers, which sounds good to me. I'm not generally a joiner but this one sounds different. We'll see. (always leave a way out is my motto)

I guess this is as close to New Year's resolutions as I'll get--I've never been one to do those since to me it's just a set-up for failure...Instead I like to form vague notions about how I want things to change--nebulous and ethereal--the way I write and the way I live. You won't find me with a list of do's and don'ts on my wall! 

How do you deal with these sorts of issues? Do you write out lists or do you leave it to chance? Do you make New Year's resolutions?

Thank you for reading and have a very Happy New Year!!!

Book festival results...

Before I get into my ramblings about it all, I will tell you that I sold 6 books. (Thank you friends!) For $35 it was worth sharing a space with nine other authors for two hours! Several people stopped by and picked up my card so that they could buy kindle versions.

Disclaimer: One of the problems I faced was a master seller right next to me. She had more than eight published books and almost leaned out to grab people by their lapels, reeling them in like fish... "What do you like to read?" I can hear her voice in my ears as I write this. She was on my left, the direction most people were coming from, so that by the time they reached me they had either bought one of her books or just wanted to get the hell away from us. I thought her strategy inspiring, but I couldn't exactly call out the same question now could I? The other thing I noticed was that two thirds of the people who came by answered 'mystery' as their main genre. I could call mine paranormal mysteries, I suppose.

Another problem is what I refer to as 'the talking non-buyer', a person who comes by just to chat, basically keeping possible buyers away. Nothing to do about this without being massively rude.

Several authors in my pavilion brought huge posters along to place next to their books, a cover from one of their books that could be seen from 100 feet away. Great idea that I will implement next year.

What I brought away from it all: next year I will try and schedule my two hours on Saturday when the most people are wandering through. Apparently 100,000 people were expected and next year it should be even bigger. I will attempt to be more engaging with passers-by...maybe ask them what they like to read? (ha) or possibly some other quip unique to my genre--have to think on that. Poster. I also hope to have two more books out by next year-- the sequel to Gypsy's Quest and another paranormal story that takes place in the Tucson desert. The more books I have, the better the chances. Right now I guess I should get back to writing--have a lot to accomplish in the upcoming months!

Any of you authors go to book Festivals? what has been your experience?

Thanks for reading.