Results of Promo - AweSome!

Okay, as many of you already know, I recently had three free days for my first book of shorts in my WWIV series. Immediately below is the graphic I used, and next to that were my predictions for this giveaway.

It ran Friday, Saturday, and Sunday two weeks ago. From the research I performed, and based on all my other giveaways, I came up with these goals:

Friday Goal - 100 units

Saturday Goal - 75 units

Sunday Goal - 50 units

Total for all days - 225 units.

Promo Time

I placed several small ads on the days above. Let's say six; why "let's say"? Well, I'm not sure all of the ads ran. I was busy with my wife's family that weekend, so I didn't have the time needed to check on all of them.

Also, I placed it in FaceBook on my author page and my personal page. Several friends shared the promo with their followings, and for that I thank them! I further used my blog to promo the giveaway and Twitter (and we all know how well that platform works for things such as this).

And the Results are in

Friday Dec 19th - 236 units (goal was 100)

Saturday Goal - 231 units (75)

Sunday Goal - 95 units (50)

Total for all days - 563 units.

Happy, Blessed, and Thrilled - all in one

Perhaps I'm just goofy. But hey, I more than doubled my goal. And this means that 563 new readers have been introduced to my writing. That's the thrilling part. Even if all of them aren't new readers of my series, the majority most likely are (darn Amazon is so stingy with details like this).

And here's the best part

WWIV - Darkness Descends cracked the top 600 in Free Kindle Books during this period. Actually, it crawled a little higher at one point, somewhere near number 500. But of course, I was busy and couldn't take a screenshot at that time.

Yes, I could have done better with a little better planning, finding a few more places to promote the giveaway, spending a little more money (my budget = $50), and getting the word out to even more of my family and friends.

But with a little bit of planning, it was still a great promotion (at least in my mind). If you'd like more details, drop me a line. I'll be happy to share what I can.

If you would like to know when my next free offer comes, join my readers group here. You will also information soon about discounted pre-release pricing for my soon to be released book  WWIV - Basin of Secrets.

Happy New Year Everyone,

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)

                           

Marketing for Writing Dummies

After more than a year of being a published author, I feel like I've learned some lessons along the way. Dare I say, I'm beginning to feel like an expert in some areas of the independent author game. Remember how Twain defined an Expert: Anyone more than 20 miles from their hometown, carrying a briefcase. In truth, I may not be an expert, but I have learned a little about this book marketing game.

Step One: It Takes Money to Succeed

This may seem obvious, but trust me when I tell you it's not. And any sliver of success in marketing is always based on trial and error.

We all know the story of Hugh Howey, right? Hugh wrote the Wool series and has sold approximately a gazillion books over the past six years or so. Everyone I know likes to point to Hugh's huge following like it can happen to all. When Hugh published the first version of Wool, more of a short story than a novella he admits, the title took off like it was on fire. The secret to his success? Well, it wasn't a big marketing budget because Hugh admits he didn't spend a dime on marketing his first book.

Here's a hard truth for the rest of us: We ain't Hugh Howey. It may happen to the occasional author, but it has about the same odds as winning the lottery this week.

Most of us are going to have to spend some of our otherwise hard-earned money if we expect to see any traction for our titles. But what's the right amount, people ask? Truth be told, no one seems to know. But, dare I say, it's more than zero.

I have several writing friends whom I share ideas with from time to time. One person asked me a while back, how book one in my WWIV series did so well. They were comparing our debut novels; I'd sold about 2,000 copies, they - about 20. When I asked how much they'd spent on marketing, the answer shocked me. Zero, nothing, zilch. That, my friends, is not the correct answer in this case.


Step Two: Spend Your Money Wisely

Let's just get right to the point on this step; I have no idea where you need to invest your cash. I know where I've spent cash in the past, and I can sure tell you (in a general tone) what has and hasn't worked.

One great idea - Sign up for a Book Blog Tour. I spent about $150 one a twelve stop tour about three weeks after the release of my first book. I experienced immediate results in my sales numbers as the tour progressed. In a very unscientific study, I figured I sold approximately $345 in books as a direct effect of the tour. If I could triple my money on every investment, this would be an easy game.

One not so great idea - Make a trailer and do literally nothing with it, except publish it to YouTube. Next, if you really want to watch you cash dissolve, promote it on said channel. Be, sure like me, to direct the watchers of your trailer absolutely nowhere when they finish. Don't send them to your web page, don't bother creating a landing page, and have absolutely no call to action when they are done viewing the video.

Book trailers can be a great marketing plan. Promoting them on YouTube is a sound idea. Just learn from my mistakes and have a slightly better plan going into the promotion. (In my defense, I had no idea what I was doing. But I still managed to spend several hundreds of dollars and received almost 6,000 views. I don't think any of this sold a single book, but I sure liked watching the counter go higher and higher each day).

Step Three: Be Patient and Don't Give Up

Try something, give marketing a shot. Tell yourself you're willing to spend $250 this quarter in marketing. Do some research and find out what's worked for others. Two things will happen: 1) it will force you to actually speak with (or email) other authors - people in the same boat as yourself, and, 2) you may find something that works for you. You never know until you actually try.

But a word for the wise, other people's results may not be the experience you achieve. For example, if I ask my friend the romance writer what she does for marketing, I may get a different result than her from my post-apocalyptic novel. You may have to try and find success more than once. That's usually the way this works.

Do your research, do it well. One common phrase you will hear when it comes to marketing and success is this: There is no one secret formula. Every writer's experience is different. Be ready for that going in. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

I'm sorry I couldn't divulge any great marketing secrets for you. There just aren't any. So get out there, spend a few bucks, and find something that works for you. If you're not in the mood to spend money, research free book marketing and see what you can come up with. Or, try to become the next Hugh Howey - good luck one that one!


Thanks for reading this post, and have a great week!


e a lake

My Books:

                        

Time to Put an End to Bullying

That's a pretty aggressive statement, I know. But haven't we had just about enough of this to last a lifetime? Isn't it time for all of us to work collectively at getting rid of bullying?

First a little history lesson.

Bullying has been going on FOREVER!
If not a little longer. 

Once upon a time, bullies would call others out for a duel (or visa-versa). If their shooting prowess was at least a little better than their opponents, the bully prevailed. If not, end of that bully. Seemed simple enough. Dangerous, and lethal, but much more direct than we see nowadays.

In this world we find emotional bullies, physical bullies, physiological bullies, and cyber bullies. That's quite a variety, but make no mistake - a bully is a bully is a bully.

To me (and many, many others) all bullying is wrong. If I search my mind, I can't come up with a single instance where bullying is an appropriate action.

Let me first address any bullies that may be reading:

Stop it, Stop it right NOW!

You think you're cute, you think you're clever, you think you are innocently hurting no-one? WRONG! You are not cute, or clever, or innocent - you are hurtful, spiteful, mean and ignorant.

Chances are, if you are a bully, you've been bullied somewhere in your past. Or you may be in a relationship right now where you are the victim of this awful scourge. Humans as a whole are not wired to be mean to others. It's more of a learned behavior. Want to stop the vicious cycle? Keep Reading.

You want to meet someone's who really cute and clever and a whole lot tougher than you? Then I recommend joining the United States Marines. They have these folks called SDI (Senior Drill Instructors) who will show you a whole new level of cute and clever thoughts, and toughness. I guarantee that once you get through basic training, you'll never bully again.

Are you being Bullied at this Time?

Here's the best pieces of advice I can give to you if you are being bullied by someone.

First, remove yourself from the situation. Some big kid wants to take your lunch money? Avoid him or her. Someone wants to insult you and say hateful things to you? Turn away and don't give them a chance. Stand up for yourself. Leave the situation and even remind them that you are not going to waste your time listening to someone who has nothing nice to say. And then LEAVE!

Maybe it's a "friend" who's attacking you. Take my advice; you need (and deserve) better friends. Drop that person like a bad habit and never go back to them. You (all of us actually) deserve to be happy. Take charge of your personal happiness. You don't need friends that are not as nice to you as you are to them.

Are you being bullied in CyberSpace? Cut it off! I mean it. You don't like what people are saying about you on FaceBook? Delete your FB page. Twitter getting you down? Cut that one into cyber-pieces as well. You don't have to go out on the web and be attacked. Even though it's wrong of others to disparage you on the web, you don't need to take part. Again, take charge of your life and your personal happiness.

Tell adults and all your friends about your bullies

This is my second piece of advice for you - tell others. I know, you think this is embarrassing and personal, but it doesn't need to be. Your parents, teachers, and friends can (and WILL) help you. These people love and care about you. Really, they do. But they have to know what's wrong before they can help.

If it takes changing schools, so be it. Trust me; it's not the end of the world. Perhaps you'll have to make new friends. Hey, there are better ones out there. But you'll never know about these people until you actively seek them out.

But here's the bottom line: It's never worth hurting yourself over. NEVER! There are other (much better) alternatives. There are people who care about you very much and are waiting to help you. You deserve these people. So never be too ashamed or hurt or humiliated to seek them out.

Many, may people are on your side. You just can't see them right now through all the hurt and pain. I'm on your side. That's why I am dedicating myself, my blog and my writing to help put an end to this tragic problem. NEVER give up on yourself. NEVER stop trying.

In two weeks, I'll be making a special announcement regarding this subject. And it will be me in a VideoBlog, not just me writing all these words that at times may not be enough. Watch for my July 30th post!


Until next week (when we talk about Our Troops), make this a special day in your life!


lake

When do you want your world to end?

Not often is a person given a choice like I am offering above. But that's today's question: Do you want your personal SHTF event in the summer or in the winter? Either way, I'll give the perspective as we find it here in the Upper-Midwest of the U.S.

Your first choice is Summer.

What a great time of year to live in Minnesota, or Wisconsin, or North Dakota – right? The summer days are long; typically June and July have more than 15 hours of real daylight this time of year. And that doesn't include the hour or two before sunrise and after sunset. So much daylight will make your travels easier if your cars don't run, and you're stuck on foot or bike or horseback. You can see any form of trouble for almost 18 hours a day. Cool!

But, there's a downside to all that sunshine. Remember, I'm taking away ALL power. That includes your electricity. Gone is your refrigeration you depend on to keep your limited amount of fresh food fresh. Some of the smells you'll have to deal with as the temperature rises will be unimaginable. Have you ever smelled warm rancid bacon? How about spoiled fruit when the maggots have arrived? Yeah, these smells are going to be prevalent during the summer.

There's another catch in choosing the warm sunny months to start your dystopian adventure. July and August can get hot...and with the heat comes humidity. Have you ever tried to sleep in a hot box with no air moving through? The sweat builds on your abdomen and slides down your ribs. And there is just no way to get comfortable. What little clothing you will wear, will stick to you like glued on sheets of soggy paper. And you'll always be hot and sweaty and uncomfortable. At least until winter arrives.

Thus, your second choice: Winter.

Last winter we endured about 50 days where the air temperature fell below zero sometime during the day. Personally I witnessed a -35 degree morning. At least ten days last winter the temp never rose above 0. When it wasn't bitterly cold, it snowed. And it snowed a lot! I mean a whole bunch. If I remember correctly we had almost six feet of snow. The season's total was right around 70 inches. Almost a foot and a half more than normal. So when it wasn't cold, it was snowing.

And let's not forget about wind chills in the winter. There were numerous days where it was considered down right dangerous to be outside this past season. Actually, that happens every year up here. A point where exposed flesh can freeze in as little as ten minutes (five in extreme cases). That's going to cut down on your ability to travel and forage for food during those periods.

Perhaps you'll make a nice fire and sit quietly inside most of the white months. That's a good idea. Who doesn't like a nice warm fire? Again, there is another downside waiting for your sanity. It's called cabin fever. Maybe you know it as stir crazy. No matter what the name, it's awful. Slowly, a little bit each day, your sanity erodes. To the point where you don't know what day, or season, or even year it may be any more. Better hope you have friends holed up with you. Otherwise you're going to be having a nice long conversation with yourself.

In my debut novel, WWIV - In The Beginning, our end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it event occurs in August.  So for that novel, I chose summer. Book two (Kids at War) takes place almost six years later, beginning in late April/early May. Book three (title yet undecided) will take place in fall, some 12 years after the event. The options are limitless for me. I can take anyone and place them anywhere I choose, during any season of the year. And all they have to do is try and survive.

As time moves forward, everything will become more difficult for my characters. At first, there will still be a little gas and some running cars. Six years after, not so much. Sixteen years after whatever happened, happened, none will exist. Food will diminish almost daily too. Eventually, in the not so distant future, if you want to eat you'll either have to kill it or grow it...or both.

Seasons will be important during these dark times. It may be the difference between life and death.


Reminder: Beginning next time (for at least the summer months) I will be posting once a week. Look for a new subject every Tuesday beginning June 3rd.



lake

5 Fun Facts About Me: e a lake

I'm doing something different in today's blog. I'm giving other writers, and any readers that follow this blog, a chance to know a little bit more about me. So, here goes.

1. I came late to the writing party

What I mean by this is I was 50+ before I ever gave serious consideration to writing a novel. And then it took another three years to start. I had a great idea from a series of dreams I had seven or eight years ago. Still, I didn't know anything about the author game. I'm an accountant; be serious I thought. But after a few years of chewing on the dreams, I gave it a go. And I couldn't be any happier with my decision.

Book one of the WWIV series (In The Beginning) is doing so much better than I ever dreamt it would. For that, I am truly thankful. I'm also fortunate because people are beginning to ask when book two (Kids at War) will be ready. Some indie authors never get this far. So for all the success I have experienced, I thank my readers.

2. I hunt...A LOT

I mostly bow hunt, and mostly white-tailed deer. There's just something about a midwest fall afternoon in the woods. I wouldn't trade it for anything. My hunting mostly consists of sitting and taking in everything interesting around me. Watching squirrels play, hawks floating on thermal currents, the occasional raccoon or turkey. It's just the way I prefer to spend my falls. If I'm lucky, I even get some venison for the freezer every third year or so.

I drive my oldest son absolute bonkers because I rarely have a tale of game taken or a dramatically missed shot. Mostly, I say something like "Well, I saw a nice buck, but he wasn't in my comfort zone." Or, "I had a nice doe wander by, but I never got a clean look at her."

3. I am NOT a Prepper

This may shock some of you. One would naturally assume that a person who writes novels about the end of the world as we know it would be a prepper. But I'm not. That doesn't mean I'm ignorant to intelligent preparedness. My wife and I have a bug-out plan. We just hope what happens in the WWIV series isn't what hits this great land of ours. Sure, we could bike or walk to our preplanned destination, but we'd much prefer to take a vehicle. Remember, I'm almost 55...I'm old (not really).

Trust me, I believe some level of preparedness is necessary. Just how much? Well, I can't really say because I am not an expert. My novels in the WWIV series deal more with common people than actual real life preppers. If you at least have a plan in case something happens, that's probably better than 90% of the folks in the world right now.

4. I have a heart, I just can't write like it

Want to know who makes the most money in this biz? It's those romance novelists. That's where the big bucks are in this biz. But, and this is a big qualifier, it's a hard genre to break into and rise in. Romance is where you find a lot of authors and a lot of heady competition.

And then there's the other thing: the mush factor. I can be as romantic as the next guy...sometimes. I'm just not overly romantic. As such, I'd have a hard time writing about people's feelings of love (and lust) and all that kissing and hugging that goes along with such romance. Somewhere buried in my first Smith book, one person expresses their love to another. You want romance? From me? That's all you're going to get; that's all I'm capable of.


5. I plan on writing a large number of books

I am not a one and done author. I have plans; big plans. I have one published novel and four completed manuscripts in various stages of editing and rewrites. There are eight titles planned for my WWIV series and six for the Smith Chronicles. I also have plans for two or three stand alone titles at the point in my new journey. That makes at least sixteen or seventeen novel I plan to produce over the next three of four years. And that's just to start. Who really knows where this will all lead.


Okay, I know I probably didn't disclose anything too shocking here, but it's a start. Now, you know a little more about me. The writer me and the real person me. I hope you enjoy these five fun facts; it took me a long time to come up with five things I thought were worth sharing.


I'll have another post for you this coming Friday morning. The long Memorial Day weekend threw me for a loop this shortened work week. Starting this June, I will be posting in this blog once a week – every Tuesday. In July i will post weekly as well, but I'll be covering something a little different. I will be introducing you to three issues that I feel strongly about. Each week I will cover each issue in depth and let you know why it's special to me and how I plan to help out in each area.


Until next time...keep reading.


lake

The Great Time Void

***** Quick Note before beginning today: My debut novel WWIV - In The Beginning is now available for free at the review site of Story Cartel. If interested, please download a free copy and leave an honest review in exchange. Free is a hard price to beat.  Thanks! *****


I've read a lot of posts in many blogs about social media. Most, if not all, warn about one thing in common – be careful, social media is a huge time suck. I have a solution for all budding authors, editors and mere mortals for this problem.

Like anyone else, I spend a great deal of time on social media. While I try to avoid the infamous "Buy My Book" posts, I still come up with many other ideas to post hoping to entertain and enlighten my followers. However, posting isn't the problem, is it? No, you lose track of time while reading others' posts (the good, the bad, and the ugly).

Twitter is a great way to reach millions of folks with a mere 140 character entry. Well, maybe a couple thousand. But if you're lucky enough to have generous people repost (re-tweet #RT) some of your posts, your reach increases. But then you start reading other people's posts. Good posts, in my case, from fellow authors offering great advice; bad posts that promise to increase your followers by eight-billion people in mere days; and sometimes the ugly posts. You know what I'm speaking of. Either the angry person who seems to be able to use profanity as an adjective and an adverb (usually in the same sentence), or someone promoting something that will surely "change the world", or even something as simple as a cute and clever video that eats up three minutes of your valuable time.

Now Twitter is not the only place this can happen. G+ is one of my favorites and I can easily use up ten or fifteen minutes cruising through checking up on my various "friends". Or Facebook, where you typically have a personal and an author account. Or Instagram or Pinterest or any of the other dozens of social media sites that may be your favorite.

And before you know it, the hours disappear. You start with a simple post to one of the sites at lunch, and wah lah, all of a sudden it's 3:30 and the kids will be home soon. Or you sneak a quick peek at work before a meeting, and suddenly a co-worker knocks feverishly at your door telling you the group is "waiting on you." Well, the group and the boss (angry boss that is).

Here's what I do. It's not rocket science or astounding or even life changing. It's just how I handle the possible loss of valuable hours from my day.

I get up early and plan my entries for the day. No, I don't arise at 4 o'clock or anything crazy like that. Most morning's it's 6:15 or 6:30. I spend a half hour figuring out what clever thoughts I can spread throughout the day. And then I post on several outlets. (Note – not the same drivel on every outlet; that doesn't help your Google ranking one bit). Then around 11:00 I post a little more, same about 3:00 in the afternoon, and one last time when I get home after 6 o'clock.

How does that work for me? Well, time wise, pretty good. I usually only lose a few minutes roaming aimlessly through the sites (each time I log in of course). Book wise? I have no idea. I know it doesn't hurt, but it's hard to accurately measure the results. But, according to thousands (if not millions) of "experts", you have to have an online presence. Okay, I can check that off my list.

Now I know many of you will tell me all about the various sites I can use to schedule my Tweets, G+ posts, and Facebook updates. Please, save your breath. The fact that I've been able to maintain a somewhat constant presence on these sights is amazing all in itself. Trying to get me to schedule my activities will go as well as trying to get your mother to stop posting cat videos.

Remember, you really can teach an old dog new tricks ... just be sure they are easy tricks.


Have a great Easter break and find a good book to read over the weekend.


lake