Patricia Hamill's Blog: I read too much! - Posts Tagged "progress"
Here's to progress.
My plans for attracting an author include: 1) writing more books, 2) getting those books published, 3) gaining followers, and 4) writing a blog.
I can say I have made quite a bit of progress since I first thought up my plan to attract an agent.
I've completed one book, drafted another and am working on the draft for a third. All these in addition to The Golden Ship, the book that first made me consider getting an agent. Shadows of Valor is, of course, already published and I've mentioned it in a few posts already. The Zombie Logs is a draft ready for editing and revision. Finally, the as of yet unnamed Shadows of Valor #2 is in progress, perhaps about 80% complete (give or take depending on where the story takes me). So, that's one.
Two, I finally went with self-publishing on Amazon, to which I will probably devote more time in future posts. You can find my books there and read the first few chapters or pages of each. My next foray into self-publishing will be to look into other distribution paths for The Golden Ship. We'll see how that goes.
Three, gaining followers is a work in progress as well. So far I've got about five fans on Facebook (look for Patricia Hamill (author) to join their ranks) and two on Goodreads. I've also managed to earn at least one fan at work and another through her. I don't know whether I should name names, but I want to say that it is absolutely awesome when someone reads your work and tells you how much they enjoy it. It's also a great feeling as a writer when they describe how the story made them feel and what they hoped would happen as they progress through the story. I'm incredibly thankful to everyone who takes the time to give my stories a chance.
Four, writing a blog, well, that's what this is isn't it? I'm enjoying posting my thoughts and am hoping those of you who find this are enjoying them as well. I'm trying to post every four to five days with reviews sprinkled in here and there for good measure. Blogging may also help with number three, but even if it doesn't, it is worth it.
As I work towards completing all four of my goals, I realize that I'll probably never really be done with any of them. Another story will always be waiting to be written. Those that turn out good, I'll get published. As I get better at writing, publishing, and marketing, more people will discover my work (and hopefully become fans), and as that happens more of those may discover my blog.
So here's to progress. Hey, I might even send out a few more query letters.
I can say I have made quite a bit of progress since I first thought up my plan to attract an agent.
I've completed one book, drafted another and am working on the draft for a third. All these in addition to The Golden Ship, the book that first made me consider getting an agent. Shadows of Valor is, of course, already published and I've mentioned it in a few posts already. The Zombie Logs is a draft ready for editing and revision. Finally, the as of yet unnamed Shadows of Valor #2 is in progress, perhaps about 80% complete (give or take depending on where the story takes me). So, that's one.
Two, I finally went with self-publishing on Amazon, to which I will probably devote more time in future posts. You can find my books there and read the first few chapters or pages of each. My next foray into self-publishing will be to look into other distribution paths for The Golden Ship. We'll see how that goes.
Three, gaining followers is a work in progress as well. So far I've got about five fans on Facebook (look for Patricia Hamill (author) to join their ranks) and two on Goodreads. I've also managed to earn at least one fan at work and another through her. I don't know whether I should name names, but I want to say that it is absolutely awesome when someone reads your work and tells you how much they enjoy it. It's also a great feeling as a writer when they describe how the story made them feel and what they hoped would happen as they progress through the story. I'm incredibly thankful to everyone who takes the time to give my stories a chance.
Four, writing a blog, well, that's what this is isn't it? I'm enjoying posting my thoughts and am hoping those of you who find this are enjoying them as well. I'm trying to post every four to five days with reviews sprinkled in here and there for good measure. Blogging may also help with number three, but even if it doesn't, it is worth it.
As I work towards completing all four of my goals, I realize that I'll probably never really be done with any of them. Another story will always be waiting to be written. Those that turn out good, I'll get published. As I get better at writing, publishing, and marketing, more people will discover my work (and hopefully become fans), and as that happens more of those may discover my blog.
So here's to progress. Hey, I might even send out a few more query letters.
Progress!
Since my last non-review blog post, I focused on 1) breaking through my writer's block and 2)expanding the reach of Shadows of Valor. I'm happy to report success on both counts.
As for the writer's block, I've written two and a half new chapters (on notebook paper) and annotated 16 pages of my Zombie book. Now, all I have is about 3-4 more chapters for SOV's sequel (maybe a few more for good measure) and 12 more pages of annotations for the Zombie book. I'd say that means my writer's block is officially over.
My original goal for both books was to publish them in April, which would mean skimping on the editing and proofreading based on where they are right now. The new plan is to aim for Summer. I don't want to put any sub par books out there, so it's better to push out the date a bit.
As for Shadows of Valor, I've put it up on Smashwords.com so that it can be distributed to the major ebook retailers and on smashwords in all the popular formats.
Last Sunday I took about four hours to read and then to follow the Smashwords Style Guide, an excellent guide on how to strip unnecessary formating from your Word file so that your book acts right in ebook format. I must have done it right because the autovetter took it on the first try and the human review for Premium Catalog status gave it a go. Yay!
In celebration, Shadows of Valor is on sale in all popular formats on Smashwords.com!
That's it for this week. Wish me luck on my goal for two more chapters by next Sunday!
Follow me on Facebook: Patricia Hamill
*Post updated 03/13/13 to correct coupon amount.
As for the writer's block, I've written two and a half new chapters (on notebook paper) and annotated 16 pages of my Zombie book. Now, all I have is about 3-4 more chapters for SOV's sequel (maybe a few more for good measure) and 12 more pages of annotations for the Zombie book. I'd say that means my writer's block is officially over.
My original goal for both books was to publish them in April, which would mean skimping on the editing and proofreading based on where they are right now. The new plan is to aim for Summer. I don't want to put any sub par books out there, so it's better to push out the date a bit.
As for Shadows of Valor, I've put it up on Smashwords.com so that it can be distributed to the major ebook retailers and on smashwords in all the popular formats.
Last Sunday I took about four hours to read and then to follow the Smashwords Style Guide, an excellent guide on how to strip unnecessary formating from your Word file so that your book acts right in ebook format. I must have done it right because the autovetter took it on the first try and the human review for Premium Catalog status gave it a go. Yay!
In celebration, Shadows of Valor is on sale in all popular formats on Smashwords.com!
Smashwords Coupon for 1.99* (regular 2.99): GS47R
Find it here! Good until 03/21/13.
That's it for this week. Wish me luck on my goal for two more chapters by next Sunday!
Follow me on Facebook: Patricia Hamill
*Post updated 03/13/13 to correct coupon amount.
