In an effort to streamline all these different websites, blogs, Facebooks, Twitterers, etc. I will no longer be posting on this blog. I’m moving here and will stay there. I imported everything from this blog so all of the content is still intact, but I may need to re-follow your blog. Just send me a message if anything goes wonky, and pardon the dust as I make the change.
Simmi_Behal/Flickr
I don’t know how some people do it. There’s Facebook, Twitter, Pin It, Stumble this, Digg that. I get dizzy just thinking about all the different platforms people use to connect with others. Then there are programs to help deal with them, but even that looks confusing. I can’t imagine logging into every single one, every single day, and being a productive contact. I do keep up with Facebook and Twitter a few times per day, but even that is plagued with confusion.
Take today for example. I read an article that suggested you follow all of your followers while building your contacts as a sign of good manners. So I head on over to Twitter, click on my followers, and what do you know — there’s a ton of them I’m not following. So I go through the list and click them all, only to return to the home page and find that Twitter has automatically made me unfollow people. Then I find out there is a limit to how many people you can follow and unfollow in a day. How am I supposed to keep all of this straight? What if I just followed the person that will inform me of the start of the zombie apocalypse, and Twitter takes them away!??!
I’m not computer-challenged by any means, but this many rules, guidelines, and websites can make a person dizzy. I feel like I need an assistant for my assistant just to deal with social media.
How do you manage your social media?
One of my works in progress just finalized its front cover. So far it’s getting really positive feedback, but I wanted to know what you think. It’s a great story about a dog getting a second chance at life, and the cover (I feel) symbolizes the heartbeat of the book. The crate background represents what the dog was confined to while he was neglected and almost left to die, and the hug he gives his rescuer symbolizes the relationship they formed after he was rehabilitated. The intent was to keep the story and emotion center stage and the title and details miniscule.
protoflux/Flickr
Openings are available on the Test Team for the next children’s book.
View the details here.
I received an email today from Amazon. They wanted to inform me that two of my digital books were also found on Barnes & Noble and needed to be removed. I knew they were there and had read the KDP Select information when it first came out, but I didn’t pay much mind to it. It seems they are cracking down on this and contacting authors to enforce it.
Absolutely. Amazon has been my main source of sales, publicity, and promotion, and the B&N guys just aren’t as popular. Even my own readers report they either have Kindles or use Amazon’s software compatible offerings, and most say they prefer Amazon for a majority of all of their purchases (of any kind — not just books). So with all of this in mind, it makes sense to remain exclusively on Amazon. Their free promotions alone got three of my books in front of over 700 readers, and that’s something difficult to do on my own.
I found out about free eBook promotions when I noticed a friend did it with one of her books. It seemed like a great way to get your books into people’s hands (well, digital devices), so I decided to rotate three of my books into promotions. After 30 days and a lot of social media plugging along the way, here are the results.
The Adventures of Aiden: Outer Space (5 day promotion)
US Downloads: 492
UK Downloads: 19
IT Downloads: 01 (Italy)
DE Downloads: 01 (Germany)
Total downloads: 513
The Journeys of Juliette: Disco Dilemma (5 day promotion)
US Downloads: 113
UK Downloads: 18
DE Downloads: 01 (Germany)
Total downloads: 132
Muse (1 day promotion)
US Downloads: 51
UK Downloads: 5
Total downloads: 56
So what do all of these numbers mean, and why do the free promotions? I used social media to get the word out, and the books enjoyed some great top 10 spots (and a few #1 and #2’s) in the Kindle Free store. I was able to reach 701 people who normally would have never seen or heard about any of my books. Now they are reading them, unless they were one of my friends or family that hit the download button out of obligation. I also made some great connections through Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and quite a few more media outlets I hadn’t used before.
Another great benefit was being able to gauge which book was more appealing. Aiden’s book received the highest downloads, and I was given some great feedback on how to improve Juliette’s cover. Muse was only free for one day due to some digital hiccup on Amazon, but the numbers achieved for one day still look good. It’s not as easy to find poetry lovers, or I’m just looking in the wrong place.
Would I do it again? Of course, and I’m already planning the next promotions while working on two other books. I only wish I could write faster, but those pesky real life responsibilities keep getting in the way.
Have you ever used free promotions for your digital books? How was your experience?
Photo credit: bhamgal/Flickr
Muse is free as a digital download through Amazon today. I love their additional programs that allow users to buy and read ebooks without having to own a Kindle, and the free promotion gets more people reading my books. This is the 3rd free promotion I have done so far, and I plan on going through the statistics to see where more interest lies. I’ll share the results here when it’s over, of course.
Have you used the free promotion for Kindle yet? How was your experience?
I’m starting on the 2nd book in the Aiden series, and it’s going to be an underwater, treasure-hunting adventure! There will be magical characters – some helpful, some scary – in Aiden’s quest to find buried treasure. I’m really excited about releasing another children’s book. These, by far, are my favorite types of books to write.
I also always consult my test team! I have a small group of friends with children aged 1.5-11 who test all my books before they are published. This turned out to be a really good thing for the first Aiden book; the alien was too scary and the “test team” said he needed to look more friendly. Who is going to argue with kids, eh? So the alien got a friendlier look and smile, and the toddlers rejoiced.
This book didn’t get nearly as many downloads as Aiden’s series, so that makes me wonder. Do children’s books aimed at boys get better results right now?
Masta4650: Dreamstime.com
I think by now most of us are accustomed to the automated telephone services we get when calling a customer service line. Very few and far between do we reach a live person, and if we do it is only through a series of button presses that might as well be morse code. Or quantum physics. Whatever it is, I don’t like it.
Last week I had a deposit that was supposed to happen automatically. It did not arrive. I am assigned a representative just for this purpose. I call her; no answer. I email her; no answer. I repeat this for three days while being as polite and patient as I can be (and those who know me know this is almost impossible). The weekend comes and still nothing.
By the time Monday rolls around, I am irritated. I call the main number and ask to speak to someone in the department. They offer to transfer me to my rep. Nice try, I know that ring-around-the-rep trick. They put me on hold then I disconnect. So now the flames of a dragon are spewing out of my ears as I dial the number again. I finally reach someone who is willing to help. She looks up my account, finds the problem, and sends in a request to have it fixed. She also explains the delay and assures me it will be applied on November 1st.
All is well, yes? Nope. The 1st arrives and nothing happens. Even more insulting, the “rep” finally responds to my email asking if there is anything she can help with. I reply that she could have helped last week by responding to my requests. She sends this back: “I wanted to make sure that all of your questions were answered. Please feel free to let me know if you have any further questions. Have an amazing week!” So not only is it okay to completely ignore someone who makes you tens of thousands per year, it is also acceptable to avoid apologizing or admitting laziness. I put her on the list of people not to be told about how to defend themselves from the zombie apocalypse.
So another day past the 1st and here I am again. I reply to her previous message asking where the funds are now and if she will bother replying before a week passes. I will have to wait and see if and when a reply comes. I could also call and get a random person, but that’s not the point people. She is my rep. She is supposed to reply. I’m just glad she’s not my zombie apocalypse rep. I’d be the first one to go.
One Day at a Time 