Well, it's been a year since I published The Blackout! I can't believe how well it's done. Over 7,500 sales world wide, and it's still going. I think I'll celebrate by publishing The Cure this week! How do you feel about that? ;-)
Ok, so I promised I'd be better about blogging and so far nothing, but I'm working on it! :-) How about a cover reveal next week for The Cure? Sound good? Meet me here, or on Facebook! Can't wait to show everyone!
It's been awhile! I'm trying to get better about blogging I swear! I've been working hard on finishing the first draft of The Cure, and last night I sent it off to the editor! Everything is on schedule for a November release!! I am so excited and proud of myself! I hit my goal!
Next up: Finalize the cover, create a marketing campaign, do a cover reveal, promote, promote, promote, and release!! Today I'm testing a Facebook ad campaign for The Blackout. If it does well, I'll do it again during the release of The Cure. Finger's crossed! I signed up for a guest blog post with Kim Scott and I have no idea what to write about. I'm feeling a little frantic about it because the baby is sleeping RIGHT NOW and my brain is screaming at me to be productive and I've got nothing! I want it to be general enough that her readers will relate, but specific enough that it will entice them to buy my book...
I could write about how I came up with the idea for The Blackout. I'd like to do a marketing series for this blog, so I don't want to use that idea for a guest blog. I really liked my blog about cutting content. But it might feel random and out of context. Anyway, now I'm just babbling. In other news, I've had the best sales week in quite a long time this week. I'm really hoping that trend continues. My blog tour is scheduled Alright, I'm looking into doing a blog tour with The Blackout. Sales have been horrible in the last week or so, and I need to refocus and make a change! I've been looking into a couple of companies who would do all the leg work that were recommended by an awesome author who had some experiences with them before, so wish me luck!
What's a blog tour? So, a blog tour is where The Blackout is promoted on several different blogs in the form of guest posts (written by me), interviews, and reviews of the book. All this does is get more visibility for my book, and ultimately more sales! All signs point to this being a positive experience! Lets hope it is!! Well, Grace will be 6 weeks old this week, and I'm still not back to my routines! Maybe I never will be. But it's maybe that's not the point. The point is developing new routines. New ways that will accomplish my goals.
Everyone says, if writing is your priority, you'll get it done. And I suppose that's true. If I was to just put Grace in the swing and ignore her all day, I'd get more done. But that's not me. I'll be honest, I judge you a little (maybe a lot) if you put writing above your children. Yes, you got it done, and yes you probably have more books out than I do. But I love my little girl more than I thought possible, and I've only known her for 6 weeks. I would never shirk her to write. And right now, she's very demanding. Hopefully though, as she gets older she'll settle into a routine and I can carve out a little more time for myself. Until then, I write when I have time - which is about 30 min. a week. Just enough to do this blog basically. And I consider that a win. Read, then write So, how do I get myself inspired to write again after a long break like I've had? I start reading. For me, when I'm not writing, I'm not reading either. Some people will tell you not to read when you're writing because it's too easy to take ideas from someone bla bla bla. I disagree with this school of thought whole heartedly. In fact, I think it's ignorant, and a good way to lead you away from any potential success you may reach. If you want to write, read. It's as simple as that. Learn what makes other writers in your genre successful, and what doesn't. Integrate the styles you like into your work, and stay away from ones you don't until you have something that's uniquely you! For example, I read Pure by Julianna Baggott recently. It was so original I couldn't get over it! Now, there were enough grammatical mistakes and difficulties with tenses that I didn't put the book on my top ten list or anything, but that's what I mean. I learned a great deal about being imaginative, and the importance of tense consistency and hiring a good editor. So, I think for now, my first task is to start reading again. And more than just Peter Rabbit... After over a month without a blog, here I am! We are so blessed with a happy and healthy baby girl! Grace Elizabeth was born 6 lbs. 14 ounces on March 13, 2013. She's up to 7 lbs. 8 oz now, and is 20 inches long. She's smiling and just now starting to coo a little bit. Basically we're loving life.
But, all that means I've had zero time for anything else! I missed my writing goal on The Cure by a long shot, and am debating writing a new story as well, in all my spare time (HA!). So, I think my next blog will be about how I go about getting back in the groove, with some tweaks, since I'm also learning how to juggle a new person in our house! For now, the latest update with my book is that sales have been really slow. I'm not overly surprised, since I haven't had time to promote it, but it would be nice if it would sustain for a little bit. So, to counteract that I'm trying to get better about writing the blog, promoting on Twitter and updating on Facebook. Hopefully that'll help. Also, The Blackout is involved in a huge giveaway hosted by Kim Scott. Check it out, enter, and read read read! http://www.kimscottbooks.com/spring-giveaway I'm planning to run a sale on the book as well, I just haven't decided when! I'll let you know! Until next time, happy reading! HA! I'm doing this one on time this week! Sales have been slow again this week, but no worse than last week, so I consider that a win. Not much progress on The Cure, and with the baby's debut so close, I'm not sure how much more I'm gonna accomplish. I'm about done working at my other jobs, and if I haven't had the baby by Tuesday, we're looking at induction next week! I can't believe it! Wish us luck on this new endeavor
"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." - W. Somerset Maugham Boy, ain't that the truth? Something that worked for one person might not work for you, and something that didn't work for someone else, might be your key to success. The important thing when you're writing a novel is to just write it. Try not to get too bogged down with thinking about everything that needs to be done, whether or not the story is good enough, keeping up with the Jones', or whatever else might be blocking you. Just write. You can always go back and edit. I think that's the only rule everyone can relate to. Write!
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