Tag: TANKBORN

Promo Efforts–What Really Works?

Just a quick post today. I’m under deadline on the follow-up book to Clean Burn (buy it here), the second in the Janelle Watkins Private Investigation series from Exhibit A. I really need to be working on Janelle’s latest case (tentatively titled Hangtown Fry) instead of the innumerable other tasks I like to use for procrastination purposes.

But I am a bit preoccupied by the fact that I’ve got an ad running today. This time my new box set, Unsuitably Yours (buy it here), is in BookGorilla’s daily email today, under the category “bestseller.” Just for giggles, I threw in a Facebook “promote post” as well to see if that would improve things even more.

The Facebook ad was probably a waste of money. Because if you define “effective promotion” as an effort which increases sales, then the Facebook boosts and page promotes are decidedly ineffective. They do work as promised. “Page promotes” boost my likes at about the rate Facebook suggests they will at each price level. And boosted posts always “reach” at least the number (usually more) that Facebook says it will for the number of dollars I spend.

However, best as I can tell, sales do not increase one whit with Facebook promotions. Those who “like” my page or are “reached” by my boosted post do not actually click through to buy my books.

Perhaps these efforts are more effective with other products, or with more well-known authors. But for moi, it’s a waste of my shekels.

Awakening (buy it here)

Also ineffective is any scheme where my book is featured on a website somewhere. That presupposes a reader is going to go to that website in the first place, always a dicey proposition. Even if they go to that site via an email they’ve subscribed to, if the link in the email goes to a poorly-designed site where the reader has to click yet another link before getting to the buy page, they are unlikely to click and then later buy.

The cream of the crop for book promotion is BookBub. For those who have never heard of BookBub, it is a daily email that shares with their subscribers bargains on books in the subscribers’ interest areas. It’s fairly exclusive from the author’s perspective–BookBub picks and chooses which books they advertise, and the end result is an email with maybe 4-10 books (dependent on how many categories the subscriber has selected). There are “buy links” for each book that takes the reader directly to the Kindle/Nook/Apple page. One more click and you own the book. I’ve bought plenty of books through BookBub. I and the other two authors whose books comprise the box set Unsuitably Perfect (buy it here), ran a BookBub ad a few months ago that made that book a huge bestseller. So BookBub works.

BookGorilla has a similar model as BookBub (a daily email), although it advertises Kindle books only and is much less exclusive. They feature between 12 and 25 books. Good for authors who have been turned down by BookBub, and BookGorilla’s more affordable price makes it a much better deal. But we’ll have to see just how effective a promotion it is–i.e., does it lead to increased sales?

I’ll update this post later with my results.

Addendum: My BookGorilla ad ran 10-10-13. My sales did increase that day and overnight, but the increased royalties during the ad period totaled a little less than half of what I paid for the ad. I saw almost no carryover in sales of my other books, and sales of the advertised book seem to have stalled. If I see a significant change over the next couple days, I’ll add another addendum.

October 10, 2013
Horse Trading, and Is Your Writing Really Ready?

Back in July, I blogged about how I was shopping for a new horse. I compared the process to figuring out which of the multitude of writing projects you might want to work on next. Then a few weeks later, I whined about my broken ankle and how difficult it is to wait–for an ankle to heal or for a writing career to get up and running.

Well, my ankle is now ready for prime time (or horseback riding), but my search for a new riding partner has thus far not borne fruit. It’s not for lack of trying. It turns out to be harder than I thought to find a horse in my price range with the kind of training I’m looking for. To find one that’s not too young and not too old. To find one that’s been actually ridden and worked recently rather than hanging around getting fat out in a pasture.

So far, I’ve seriously considered more than a dozen horses. Sometimes I never even went to ride them because my trainer and I looked at video and saw they wouldn’t work for me. Others we rejected because the owners refused to send us recent video. If horse is a couple hours drive away, I want to see video first. I’d hate to drive all that way to see a horse and have it turn out be a waste of time, time I could have saved if I’d seen the way the horse moves.

While there were a few I’ve gone to look at which were nice, but I just didn’t click with, there have also been several with peculiar stories:

•   There was the 8-year-old that I’d thought was trained, but had barely had a few months under saddle
•   There was the 11-year-old that hadn’t been ridden in four years. I wouldn’t have even visited this horse, except every time I asked the owner about how much work the horse had done, the story changed until I finally found out the truth when I went to see it.
•   There were two with unusual medical problems—no fault of the horses, or the owners (they were honest), but it sure explained how cheap they were.
•    My favorite was the “imaginary” horse. I responded to an ad and the seller sent video of a wonderful mare. But when my trainer and I tried to make plans to go see the mare in person and ride her, we were told someone else was buying the horse. The seller said if I sent half-payment, she would cancel the other deal and put the mare on a horse trailer for me. Sight unseen. Um, no.
•   There was the lovely gelding that the seller insisted on full price for, which I reluctantly agreed to, then she refused to take a cashier’s check as payment. Cash only, she said, because she didn’t have a bank account (!). I said no thanks.
•   There was the seller who had sent pictures of her gelding including closeups of the horse’s feet (the condition of the hooves is a very important consideration). The pictures she herself had sent showed chips, cracks, and nail holes from previous shoeings, yet the seller said the horse had great feet that never chipped, cracked, or needed shoes. My farrier gave that one a thumbs down.

I always like to turn my personal stories into object lessons for writers. In this case, I can see a bit of an analogy between the various horse traders and writers I’ve known who have finished a manuscript. They think they’ve got a wonderful, polished piece of work. They’re absolutely certain their manuscript is in fantastic shape, ready to hit the marketplace. They’re anticipating a huge advance for a book as great as theirs is. They’re also sure they won’t have the least problem selling it.

Then reality hits when they submit their books to agents or editors. It gets rejected again and again: Not right for us or Not suitable.

It could be that your book just didn’t click with an agent, like those two horses I rode that were nice, but not for me. But it’s more likely you didn’t put in your time with that book to make it irresistible.

Sometimes buyers are glad to put in the time on an untrained horse if they see its potential. By the same token you might find an agent or editor who will see a gem in the rough with your book and be willing to help you get it polished. But just as there are far fewer buyers out there with the skill and inclination to re-make a green horse into a show-ready champion, you will be hard-pressed to find an editor/agent who’s willing to make your rough draft manuscript into a polished bestseller.

So put that training on your horse…er, polish up that manuscript. And improve your chance of finding the agent or editor of your dreams.

Buy the first two books of the Tankborn science fiction trilogy: Tankborn and Awakening. Buy Clean Burn, a crime novel featuring private investigator Janelle Watkins.

October 1, 2013
My Grand Book Tour

With the recent release of Clean Burn, I embarked on a grand, coast-to-coast book tour. I made numerous stops at Barnes and Noble locations and independent bookstores, autographing stock on hand and meeting and greeting store managers and my adoring fans. Well, maybe fans-to-be. And although I did visit both coasts, I only waved at all those folks in between as I flew over traveling to and from Washington DC.

Here I am at the Roseville CA B&N showing off a newly autographed copy of CLEAN BURN.

My numerous stops on the “Left Coast” were four Barnes and Noble stores in Northern California, plus one indie store, An Almost Perfect Bookstore, which didn’t have copies in yet. I plan to return when they get stock in. On the “Right Coast,” I visited the Bethesda MD Barnes and Noble and the marvelous DC independent, Politics & Prose (pictures below).

What made the DC-area “tour” especially fun was the addition of my grandbaby tagging along. I was on babysitting duty, and so had to bribe the munchkin with books. Of course, I delight in giving my grandbaby new books, so this wasn’t much of a burden.

Both stores had marvelous children’s sections, with much to entertain the youngsters. The B&N had a train table that kept my grandbaby well occupied. Politics & Prose had a pillow-filled nook under the stairs with a box full of well-worn books to thumb through. We ended the day with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs from B&N and Bark, George from Politics & Prose. Grandbaby adores both.

One thing I’ve got to say, booksellers are the best. Whether they work the children’s section at a chain store at B&N or in mysteries at an indie like Politics & Prose, it’s always so delightful to meet them. Thanks to all the booksellers and community relations managers who helped make my book tour grand.

Autographing CLEAN BURN in the children’s section at the Bethesda MD B&N

Showing off a freshly autographed copy of CLEAN BURN at Politics & Prose in DC.

September 21, 2013
Deadline Hell

Your regularly scheduled blog will return when The Denking Book is Done. And whoever stole my rewrite fairy wand had better return it NOW.

Meanwhile, a kitten to soothe you.

September 12, 2013
Taking Responsibility for Your Pets–Or Your Fictional Characters

Almost three-and-a-half years ago, I had to say goodbye to my orange long-haired cat, Charlie. He was a wonderful cat, and sorely missed. But after a few months, I started thinking about how much I like having three cats and decided I would be open to the possibility of adopting another kitty.

As circumstances would have it, a feral cat had kittens right outside my son and daughter-in-law’s apartment. My son and dil coordinated with a local cat rescue organization and planned to capture the kittens and bring them in. Sadly, they could only grab one before the rest of them scattered.

Still working with the rescue group, they got the little kitten fairly comfortable with humans, then arranged for me to adopt him. Rather, they arranged for me to adopt her–there was a little confusion about gender, even after the kitten arrived at my house. It took me calling the vet and confirming that yes, she did a neuter and not a spay, to establish that the new addition was Zak, not Zoey.

It had been a long time since I had adopted a kitten and a feral kitten was a…well, a cat of a different color. He lived in my office for a few weeks, and whenever something startled him (which was often), he would race into the corner under my printer, completely out of reach. He would burrow under the covers at night, keeping me awake. He would play fetch with a toy mouse. And sometimes he would hide somewhere in the house, terrifying me that he’d gotten outside and was lost.

He’s now one of the best cats I’ve ever had, although at 13+ pounds, he can be quite a lapful. He still dips a paw into his water dish to lick it off and test it before drinking. And although he doesn’t play fetch, he’ll still run around the house carrying that mouse in his jaws.

What does this have to do with fictional characters? Well, they may not be living, breathing beings, but they can be as complex and problematical as a finicky feral kitten. You have to consider characters them from every angle, and take as good care of them as you would that pet cat.

How do you “take care” of a fictional character? You get to know them inside and out. You write dialogue for them that fits them, give them actions that are realistic for their personality, write a storyline for them that allows them to achieve the goals you carefully set up for them. You make them seem as real as that wide-eyed kitten I adopted.

You don’t make them a prominent character at the beginning of the book, so your reader thinks they’re important to the story, then drop them partway through, never to be seen again. You don’t introduce them a hundred pages in, as if they’re an afterthought. If it’s a minor character that’s intended to have a small role, that’s okay. But even minor characters must be necessary to a story, and have their part to play out. They can’t just be dropped in and dropped out at a whim, any more than you would adopt a kitten for no particular reason, then return it a week later.

Okay, maybe I’m stretching the cat analogy a bit. I am this close to being a cat lady and could go on and on about felines until your eyes glaze over. But I’m also a fanatic about characters, about every one having a purpose, and each character behaving in such a way that makes sense. When a character acts out of character in a book, it spoils the story for me.

So, cats or characters, make a commitment. Take responsibility. Give them the care and feeding they both deserve.

August 17, 2013