Benjamin Jones's Blog - Posts Tagged "self-publishing"
A Writer's Website & Why You Need an Online Store
For an independent/self publishing, author having a website is akin to having a drivers license – everybody should have one. Believe it or not, there are some of us who haven’t taken that necessary step and setup their own website so, if you’re one of those, stop reading this post and head over to www.weebly.com, www.webs.com or any of the other sites where you can setup your own site for free. We’ll give you a minute to do that before proceeding…..
Alright, now that that’s taken care of (and all joking aside), one of the first things I did when I seriously started pursuing this writing career of mine was to start my website and begin building my “brand” as your website becomes the main way that people really begin to notice you and your work and becomes a “one stop shop”, serving as nucleus of your writing world on the web. Something I have found useful (which I didn’t think of when I first got my website) was the ability to cross promote with other authors. I have linked up with fellow authors on Twitter and have put either a banner ad or a link to their book on my page in exchange for them doing the same thing for me on their site. It’s not only a good way to build publicity for your site but also a good way to link up/network with other authors.
There are many things that people put on their websites but I find these to be the core pages that every writer should have:
•Contact page – it’s imperative that people be able to contact you, be it via email, Twitter, Facebook, etc… It allows you a chance to interact and build a fan base, especially via social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
•Reviews page – if you have gotten any reviews on your work then you need to show them off (even put a few on the front/home page of your site to entice potential readers/customers to keep reading). I don’t know about you but, if I read/see that someone likes something, then I’m going to be more inclined to check it out for myself. Be sure to provide a link to the original source of the review so that people don’t think you made it up. Also, you can use this page to provide little snippets/excerpts of your work to entice people to buy (or create a whole new page for this purpose). Give the reader a little bit to get them interested so they’ll want to buy the rest.
•A page for updates – as you continue to build your fan base you will want to let your fans/readers know what’s going on with you and your work so update your site often to keep them coming back.
Besides the above things the other necessity is an online store which I feel is important enough to warrant it’s own separate paragraph. When I first decided on setting up an online store for my site I thought that it was going to be hard but it is/was surprisingly easy. After setting up my site I then headed over to Paypal where I already had an account due to my eBay usage and clicked on their “Merchant Services” link and from there it was setting up descriptions and prices for my items, copying the HTML code for the checkout button onto my site and then voila – my store was up and running! As a note: I’m sure there are other sites that will let you setup an online store through them but Paypal is the one I use and the only one I’m really familiar with.
Why would I need an online store you maybe asking? The real question is why wouldn’t you want an online store? Yes you can have your books on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, etc… w/out having them listed on your site but let’s take a look at the benefits of having your own online store:
•If people are already on your site then they are more willing to buy if the link/page is right there as opposed to having to go to a different page and find it. You can always post links to the other places where your book is located on your online store page but have the focus be on your site first because….
•You keep more of the money! Amazon and Barnes & Noble (and the rest) can get your book in front of more eyes but they’re going to keep more of YOUR money for that service. Using Paypal I get to keep about 95% of the sale price where some places the royalty rate is anywhere from 35 to 70%.
•You can sell stuff other than books. You can have posters, magnets, calendars, t-shirts or any other number of things to go along with your book and any extra income is good income.
These are just a few of the reasons why you should have an online store on your site.
In conclusion, if you don’t have a website, GET ONE! If you have a website make sure that you have an online store where you can sell your books (and merchandise). Remember that your website is an extension of you and should be looked at as a part of your “brand”. Make it accessible to the readers, keep it updated regularly and let the reader know about the author as well as the books you’re writing.
Good luck and happy writing!
Ben Jones.
Alright, now that that’s taken care of (and all joking aside), one of the first things I did when I seriously started pursuing this writing career of mine was to start my website and begin building my “brand” as your website becomes the main way that people really begin to notice you and your work and becomes a “one stop shop”, serving as nucleus of your writing world on the web. Something I have found useful (which I didn’t think of when I first got my website) was the ability to cross promote with other authors. I have linked up with fellow authors on Twitter and have put either a banner ad or a link to their book on my page in exchange for them doing the same thing for me on their site. It’s not only a good way to build publicity for your site but also a good way to link up/network with other authors.
There are many things that people put on their websites but I find these to be the core pages that every writer should have:
•Contact page – it’s imperative that people be able to contact you, be it via email, Twitter, Facebook, etc… It allows you a chance to interact and build a fan base, especially via social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
•Reviews page – if you have gotten any reviews on your work then you need to show them off (even put a few on the front/home page of your site to entice potential readers/customers to keep reading). I don’t know about you but, if I read/see that someone likes something, then I’m going to be more inclined to check it out for myself. Be sure to provide a link to the original source of the review so that people don’t think you made it up. Also, you can use this page to provide little snippets/excerpts of your work to entice people to buy (or create a whole new page for this purpose). Give the reader a little bit to get them interested so they’ll want to buy the rest.
•A page for updates – as you continue to build your fan base you will want to let your fans/readers know what’s going on with you and your work so update your site often to keep them coming back.
Besides the above things the other necessity is an online store which I feel is important enough to warrant it’s own separate paragraph. When I first decided on setting up an online store for my site I thought that it was going to be hard but it is/was surprisingly easy. After setting up my site I then headed over to Paypal where I already had an account due to my eBay usage and clicked on their “Merchant Services” link and from there it was setting up descriptions and prices for my items, copying the HTML code for the checkout button onto my site and then voila – my store was up and running! As a note: I’m sure there are other sites that will let you setup an online store through them but Paypal is the one I use and the only one I’m really familiar with.
Why would I need an online store you maybe asking? The real question is why wouldn’t you want an online store? Yes you can have your books on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, etc… w/out having them listed on your site but let’s take a look at the benefits of having your own online store:
•If people are already on your site then they are more willing to buy if the link/page is right there as opposed to having to go to a different page and find it. You can always post links to the other places where your book is located on your online store page but have the focus be on your site first because….
•You keep more of the money! Amazon and Barnes & Noble (and the rest) can get your book in front of more eyes but they’re going to keep more of YOUR money for that service. Using Paypal I get to keep about 95% of the sale price where some places the royalty rate is anywhere from 35 to 70%.
•You can sell stuff other than books. You can have posters, magnets, calendars, t-shirts or any other number of things to go along with your book and any extra income is good income.
These are just a few of the reasons why you should have an online store on your site.
In conclusion, if you don’t have a website, GET ONE! If you have a website make sure that you have an online store where you can sell your books (and merchandise). Remember that your website is an extension of you and should be looked at as a part of your “brand”. Make it accessible to the readers, keep it updated regularly and let the reader know about the author as well as the books you’re writing.
Good luck and happy writing!
Ben Jones.
January 25, 2011
Morning/afternoon all and thanks for stopping by once again!
Have seen a nice uptick in sales so far this month, especially on the Amazon Kindle. Have had 9 sales this month so far with 6 days left to go and that's pretty big for me. Get your copy of HUB Volume 1 & 2 Collection on the Amazon Kindle by visiting http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00492CQ9S
You can also visit Smashwords and get your copy by clicking http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
Okay, now that the promotion is out of the way, steadily working to get copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 printed up in time for the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 5th. I'm confident that everything will work out. The person that I'm going to be dealing with is a good fellow by the name of Chris Leepow who is also the designer of the cover for the e-book version of HUB Volume 2: Blowback. If all goes as planned I will FINALLY have printed up copies for sale within the next month and that is very exciting to me.
HUB Volume 3 is now officially on the second draft. Identified what new chapters I wanted to add and where I want to put them and now, starting today at lunch, I will start the re-writing process to get it up to par and make it bigger and better than the previous two volumes.
Haven't had a lot of query responses lately from the agents I submitted query letters to which leaves a lot of emails and letters to be responded to. I know that the response from some of them was that the volumes seemed too short but, maybe if I was to combine 3 volumes at a time, they would be more inclined to represent it; something to think about.
More later. By the way, be sure to visit www.whatishub.net! You know you want to!!
Have seen a nice uptick in sales so far this month, especially on the Amazon Kindle. Have had 9 sales this month so far with 6 days left to go and that's pretty big for me. Get your copy of HUB Volume 1 & 2 Collection on the Amazon Kindle by visiting http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00492CQ9S
You can also visit Smashwords and get your copy by clicking http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
Okay, now that the promotion is out of the way, steadily working to get copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 printed up in time for the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 5th. I'm confident that everything will work out. The person that I'm going to be dealing with is a good fellow by the name of Chris Leepow who is also the designer of the cover for the e-book version of HUB Volume 2: Blowback. If all goes as planned I will FINALLY have printed up copies for sale within the next month and that is very exciting to me.
HUB Volume 3 is now officially on the second draft. Identified what new chapters I wanted to add and where I want to put them and now, starting today at lunch, I will start the re-writing process to get it up to par and make it bigger and better than the previous two volumes.
Haven't had a lot of query responses lately from the agents I submitted query letters to which leaves a lot of emails and letters to be responded to. I know that the response from some of them was that the volumes seemed too short but, maybe if I was to combine 3 volumes at a time, they would be more inclined to represent it; something to think about.
More later. By the way, be sure to visit www.whatishub.net! You know you want to!!
January 27, 2011
Welcome back!
Where to begin.... The majority of my time is spent working on the second draft of H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point whether it be during my lunch hour at work or working on it while watching TV at home.
Haven't received any query responses from agents in a while and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing per se.
My head feels like CRAP right now - think I'm coming down with some kind of head cold or something. Not sure what that's about because I felt fine this morning but, oh well, what can you do?
I should be placing the order for the printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 early next week and I'm excited about that. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when I get those 100 books and to be able to feel the weight of it in my hands and see my picture on the back and know that this is MY book. I know that it's going to be amazing. I'm hoping that the paperbacks will open up more doors for me as not everyone is on the e-book bandwagon yet. I can't really blame them - if I had the choice I would want paperback as well.
Words of wisdom to my fellow writers out there - don't ever let a lack of sales or a negative review lead you to believe that you don't have talent because you do. Everything isn't for everybody and it only takes one person to recognize your talent and that one person can completely change your life. I remember getting my first review for HUB and it made me so happy because it reinforced to me that I wasn't putting all this hard work into this project in vain. I know it's going to grow and I know that people are going to love it.
KEEP THE FAITH!
Where to begin.... The majority of my time is spent working on the second draft of H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point whether it be during my lunch hour at work or working on it while watching TV at home.
Haven't received any query responses from agents in a while and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing per se.
My head feels like CRAP right now - think I'm coming down with some kind of head cold or something. Not sure what that's about because I felt fine this morning but, oh well, what can you do?
I should be placing the order for the printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 early next week and I'm excited about that. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when I get those 100 books and to be able to feel the weight of it in my hands and see my picture on the back and know that this is MY book. I know that it's going to be amazing. I'm hoping that the paperbacks will open up more doors for me as not everyone is on the e-book bandwagon yet. I can't really blame them - if I had the choice I would want paperback as well.
Words of wisdom to my fellow writers out there - don't ever let a lack of sales or a negative review lead you to believe that you don't have talent because you do. Everything isn't for everybody and it only takes one person to recognize your talent and that one person can completely change your life. I remember getting my first review for HUB and it made me so happy because it reinforced to me that I wasn't putting all this hard work into this project in vain. I know it's going to grow and I know that people are going to love it.
KEEP THE FAITH!
February 11, 2011
Back from hiatus - was on a cruise and, now that I have my land legs back, I'm ready to get back on my bloggin' thing.
While on my cruise to Cozumel and Progresso I had anticipated being able to get some writing done in my free time but, alas, I had underestimated just how much drinking I was going to be doing so I only got about 2 paragraphs of writing done on HUB Volume 3 so I have a LOT to catch up on now that I'm back home. Though I didn't get a lot on paper I did get a lot of "mental writing" done, especially for a chapter that's new to the 2nd draft of HUB 3. It's gonna be a real surprise to all who have read the first two chapters.
I was supposed to go pick up my printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 today but my contact isn't going to be in the office today so it has to be delayed until Monday. I technically could pick them up today but I prefer to deal with the person I've been dealing with from the start. Plus he's going to give me a tour of the printing facility when I pick up my books and I'm looking forward to that.
Had a Facebook message from my cousin's boyfriend telling me that he liked HUB Volume 1 and was looking forward to reading Volume 2 and that made me feel real good because I didn't even know that he had even read it. So, shout out to Dale Nabors! Much appreciated!
Underground Horror Fest 2 is less than a month away and I'm trying to get everything situated right in my mind. I need to get some shirts printed up so that my wife and I will be able to sport those (gonna make hers a little low cut in the hopes that she will draw a crowd to the booth - yes it's shameless, I know!).
Did have 2 booksales from my UK Kindle shoppers - thanks a ton! Visit www.whatishub.net for your copy (and also for links to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc...)
Peace....
While on my cruise to Cozumel and Progresso I had anticipated being able to get some writing done in my free time but, alas, I had underestimated just how much drinking I was going to be doing so I only got about 2 paragraphs of writing done on HUB Volume 3 so I have a LOT to catch up on now that I'm back home. Though I didn't get a lot on paper I did get a lot of "mental writing" done, especially for a chapter that's new to the 2nd draft of HUB 3. It's gonna be a real surprise to all who have read the first two chapters.
I was supposed to go pick up my printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 today but my contact isn't going to be in the office today so it has to be delayed until Monday. I technically could pick them up today but I prefer to deal with the person I've been dealing with from the start. Plus he's going to give me a tour of the printing facility when I pick up my books and I'm looking forward to that.
Had a Facebook message from my cousin's boyfriend telling me that he liked HUB Volume 1 and was looking forward to reading Volume 2 and that made me feel real good because I didn't even know that he had even read it. So, shout out to Dale Nabors! Much appreciated!
Underground Horror Fest 2 is less than a month away and I'm trying to get everything situated right in my mind. I need to get some shirts printed up so that my wife and I will be able to sport those (gonna make hers a little low cut in the hopes that she will draw a crowd to the booth - yes it's shameless, I know!).
Did have 2 booksales from my UK Kindle shoppers - thanks a ton! Visit www.whatishub.net for your copy (and also for links to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc...)
Peace....
February 15, 2011
Hello everyone and welcome back. Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day started off a little "off" for me. I had gotten my wife a box of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume (or what I thought was perfume) but, as her happy and lovely face began spraying it on, it was quickly realized that I had actually gotten the MENS fragrance by mistake. But, I was able to return the bottle and my wife ended up getting the correct thing by the time we went out for dinner that night so all's well that ends well.
Another great thing that happened on Valentine's Day was that I PICKED UP MY FIRST PRINTED UP COPIES OF H.U.B. VOLUME 1 AND 2! I wish you all could've seen the look on my face and felt how I felt when I looked at those books, seeing my picture on the back of them, and realizing that these books are MY books - I wrote them! I'm sure some of you who have books available in paperback have felt that feeling before - man, it sure is glorious! When I picked them up I was given a tour of the printing facility and it was really cool to actually see how they put the books together and all that good stuff.
Autographed paperback copies of H.U.B. Volume 1 and 2 are available for purchase at http://www.whatishub.net/hub-online-s... for only $10.00 which INCLUDES shipping. You can also enter the contest on the site to win yourself a FREE autographed copy (visit http://www.whatishub.net/contests.html to enter). Tell all your friends. Contest ends at 11:59 PM on March 14th!
Tonight I plan to continue work on H.U.B. Volume 3 so that I can keep hitting you guys with the dope vampire fiction.
More later. Back to looking at myself on the back cover of my book....
Valentine's Day started off a little "off" for me. I had gotten my wife a box of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume (or what I thought was perfume) but, as her happy and lovely face began spraying it on, it was quickly realized that I had actually gotten the MENS fragrance by mistake. But, I was able to return the bottle and my wife ended up getting the correct thing by the time we went out for dinner that night so all's well that ends well.
Another great thing that happened on Valentine's Day was that I PICKED UP MY FIRST PRINTED UP COPIES OF H.U.B. VOLUME 1 AND 2! I wish you all could've seen the look on my face and felt how I felt when I looked at those books, seeing my picture on the back of them, and realizing that these books are MY books - I wrote them! I'm sure some of you who have books available in paperback have felt that feeling before - man, it sure is glorious! When I picked them up I was given a tour of the printing facility and it was really cool to actually see how they put the books together and all that good stuff.
Autographed paperback copies of H.U.B. Volume 1 and 2 are available for purchase at http://www.whatishub.net/hub-online-s... for only $10.00 which INCLUDES shipping. You can also enter the contest on the site to win yourself a FREE autographed copy (visit http://www.whatishub.net/contests.html to enter). Tell all your friends. Contest ends at 11:59 PM on March 14th!
Tonight I plan to continue work on H.U.B. Volume 3 so that I can keep hitting you guys with the dope vampire fiction.
More later. Back to looking at myself on the back cover of my book....
Frustration/Excitement Cocktail
Guess who's back....
I write this post with a mixture of frustration and excitement in me and I don't know which one I have more of. I'm beginning to get very frustrated with the progress (or seeming lack of) that I've tended to be making recently. I know and completely understand that it takes the average writer a LONG time to make it (assuming they even do) so I'm all prepared for that but, at the same time, I look at my book sales which have been sluggish (at best) lately and I'm thinking "Damn, why isn't anyone taking a chance on this series?" I've put so much effort and energy and time into making it the best thing I can but I can't get ANYONE to take a chance on it.
I think more of my frustration comes from my family, friends and co-workers than anything. I can count on one hand how many people out of those three groups have actually put their money where their mouth is and actually purchased the book. When I send out an email to everyone letting them know that the paperback book was now available for HUB Volumes 1 and 2 I got one response back - ONE measly response. So I'm like what the f**k?!?!
*exhales*
Transitioning from frustration to excitement, I KNOW that my time is coming, be it with or without the support of family, friends and co-workers. My work continues on making volume 3 better than volumes 1 and 2 and I still have the drive/hunger to keep doing this - it's never going to change. I have the Underground Horror Fest 2 coming up (moved from March 5th to March 12th) and that is going to be a KEY date for me and this series this year. There I will be able to connect with my core audience and hopefully sell all the books that I have available in paperback and be able to make some new fans and connections with people.
In the meantime, my plans after HUB Volume 3 is complete and before starting on HUB Volume 4, I'm going to work on getting my romance novel, Head Above Water, completed and out there. I know that the romance genre is a much bigger market with a wider audience than horror so I'm going to attempt to get myself out as a brand through that avenue as well. This summer I will be putting out both the ebook and paperback versions of Head Above Water so be on the look out for that.
I'm excited about the prospects for Head Above Water and also about the HUB series. I know in my heart that both are good (and the reviews for HUB dictate that others think it was worthwhile instead) and that's the fuel that keeps me going. I try to look at it like baseball - even the best baseball players in the world fail 7 times out of 10.
HUB Volume 1 and 2 available in ebook and now in PAPERBACK at www.whatishub.net
I write this post with a mixture of frustration and excitement in me and I don't know which one I have more of. I'm beginning to get very frustrated with the progress (or seeming lack of) that I've tended to be making recently. I know and completely understand that it takes the average writer a LONG time to make it (assuming they even do) so I'm all prepared for that but, at the same time, I look at my book sales which have been sluggish (at best) lately and I'm thinking "Damn, why isn't anyone taking a chance on this series?" I've put so much effort and energy and time into making it the best thing I can but I can't get ANYONE to take a chance on it.
I think more of my frustration comes from my family, friends and co-workers than anything. I can count on one hand how many people out of those three groups have actually put their money where their mouth is and actually purchased the book. When I send out an email to everyone letting them know that the paperback book was now available for HUB Volumes 1 and 2 I got one response back - ONE measly response. So I'm like what the f**k?!?!
*exhales*
Transitioning from frustration to excitement, I KNOW that my time is coming, be it with or without the support of family, friends and co-workers. My work continues on making volume 3 better than volumes 1 and 2 and I still have the drive/hunger to keep doing this - it's never going to change. I have the Underground Horror Fest 2 coming up (moved from March 5th to March 12th) and that is going to be a KEY date for me and this series this year. There I will be able to connect with my core audience and hopefully sell all the books that I have available in paperback and be able to make some new fans and connections with people.
In the meantime, my plans after HUB Volume 3 is complete and before starting on HUB Volume 4, I'm going to work on getting my romance novel, Head Above Water, completed and out there. I know that the romance genre is a much bigger market with a wider audience than horror so I'm going to attempt to get myself out as a brand through that avenue as well. This summer I will be putting out both the ebook and paperback versions of Head Above Water so be on the look out for that.
I'm excited about the prospects for Head Above Water and also about the HUB series. I know in my heart that both are good (and the reviews for HUB dictate that others think it was worthwhile instead) and that's the fuel that keeps me going. I try to look at it like baseball - even the best baseball players in the world fail 7 times out of 10.
HUB Volume 1 and 2 available in ebook and now in PAPERBACK at www.whatishub.net
New Month = New Excitement
Morning/afternoon my lovely readers.
March is here and, as winter begins to give way to spring, I come into this month with a newfound excitement. Why you ask? Let me tell ya. This morning I received word that my bookmarks and table top stand that I will be taking to the HUB booth at the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa, OK next Saturday (3.12.11) will be in at the end of this week. My designer, Chris Leepow (email him at chrislee1(at)yahoo.com for everything from book printing to cover design to posters, bookmarks, etc.. all at a very reasonable price) sent me the proofs and they look f**king awesome! Thanks, Chris!
Really looking forward to the festival next Saturday. It will be my first festival showcasing my work and I'm hoping that I will be able to move all the copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 that I have and will be able to make a lot of new fans/friends in the process. I feel this festival will open up a LOT of doors for me and my writing. I'm glad that my wife will be there to assist me at the booth - thanks, honey! If you happen to be/live in the Tulsa area please show up. The event is at the Rose Bowl in Tulsa, OK (can find information on the festival at http://www.undergroundhorrorfest.webs... ).
I did have another book sale over the last few days and I appreciate every single sale that I have. One sale means another person has taken a chance on me. There are a billion books out there to read and to think that someone is reading MY book is a great feeling. Thanks to all of you that have bought/supported what I'm doing. I appreciate it immensely.
Work on the second draft of HUB Volume 3: The Tipping Point is almost done. I put in a LOT of work on it over the last few days and it has really felt great to see how it's progressing. Fans of HUB Volume 1 and 2 will be really surprised with where Volume 3 takes you. One non-HUB development is that, once I complete work on Volume 3 I will be finishing up and putting out my romance novel "Head Above Water" which is a traditional romance novel that has been gestating for the last decade or so. So, be on the lookout this summer for that in both ebook and paperback format. You can find more info on it at www.whatishub.net.
One final thing, big THANK YOU to my writer friends/peers on Facebook and Twitter. I love all you guys and am inspired by all of you.
Become a fan of HUB on Facebook by visiting http://on.fb.me/gDMhmz
One more final thing, any authors out there looking to do some cross promotion or some business/writing together then let me know. I'm always looking to link up with writers who are serious about their craft. Holla at me. You can contact me at ben(at)whatishub.net.
March is here and, as winter begins to give way to spring, I come into this month with a newfound excitement. Why you ask? Let me tell ya. This morning I received word that my bookmarks and table top stand that I will be taking to the HUB booth at the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa, OK next Saturday (3.12.11) will be in at the end of this week. My designer, Chris Leepow (email him at chrislee1(at)yahoo.com for everything from book printing to cover design to posters, bookmarks, etc.. all at a very reasonable price) sent me the proofs and they look f**king awesome! Thanks, Chris!
Really looking forward to the festival next Saturday. It will be my first festival showcasing my work and I'm hoping that I will be able to move all the copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 that I have and will be able to make a lot of new fans/friends in the process. I feel this festival will open up a LOT of doors for me and my writing. I'm glad that my wife will be there to assist me at the booth - thanks, honey! If you happen to be/live in the Tulsa area please show up. The event is at the Rose Bowl in Tulsa, OK (can find information on the festival at http://www.undergroundhorrorfest.webs... ).
I did have another book sale over the last few days and I appreciate every single sale that I have. One sale means another person has taken a chance on me. There are a billion books out there to read and to think that someone is reading MY book is a great feeling. Thanks to all of you that have bought/supported what I'm doing. I appreciate it immensely.
Work on the second draft of HUB Volume 3: The Tipping Point is almost done. I put in a LOT of work on it over the last few days and it has really felt great to see how it's progressing. Fans of HUB Volume 1 and 2 will be really surprised with where Volume 3 takes you. One non-HUB development is that, once I complete work on Volume 3 I will be finishing up and putting out my romance novel "Head Above Water" which is a traditional romance novel that has been gestating for the last decade or so. So, be on the lookout this summer for that in both ebook and paperback format. You can find more info on it at www.whatishub.net.
One final thing, big THANK YOU to my writer friends/peers on Facebook and Twitter. I love all you guys and am inspired by all of you.
Become a fan of HUB on Facebook by visiting http://on.fb.me/gDMhmz
One more final thing, any authors out there looking to do some cross promotion or some business/writing together then let me know. I'm always looking to link up with writers who are serious about their craft. Holla at me. You can contact me at ben(at)whatishub.net.
March 7, 2011
Morning/afternoon/night y'all (yes I can be country - I do live in Texas).
Got a lot of good things to talk about today. First of all, I found two nice little stands to put my book on at the Underground Horror Fest 2 this Saturday in Tulsa, OK. I was able to find two small easels that were only $2.97 each so I scooped those bad boys up. I was expecting to pay a lot more but caught a break when I spotted them.
I had my daughter over the weekend so I wasn't able to get much writing done on HUB Volume 3 but I did manage to get a little bit done. I should be able to finish this latest draft tonight at which point I can type it up and give it one more edit and be done with it. After that I will be focusing on Head Above Water.
There's a new contest at hellnotes.com for an autographed copy of the paperback version of HUB Volume 1 and 2. Visit http://hellnotes.com/win-a-signed-cop... and leave a comment explaining what your favorite and worst vampire books or movies is and why to win! Best two responses win. Thanks to Dave at Hellnotes for allowing me to put the contest together on his site - much appreciated, Dave!
Leaving in about 45 minutes to go pick up my bookmarks and table top stand for the festival on Saturday. I also printed out a TON of little forms to sign up people for the HUB Monthly Newsletter that I'm going to begin sending out. If you want to be a part of that then visit http://www.whatishub.net/newsletter.html and fill out the form!
Currently reading The Reunion by Jeff Bennington and it's pretty good. I should have a review posted for it at the end of March to coincide with it's release on ereaders on 4.1.11 and in print on 5.1.11. Here's all the info on the book:
Title: REUNION
Release Date: May 1, 2011
Author: Jeff Bennington
Published by: nexGate Press
ISBN-13: 978-0-615-45086-5
Pages: 334
Genre: Suspense/Paranormal
Cost: $12.95 (print) $2.99 (digital formats)
Availability: Available to bookstores everywhere, and most online book retailers.
Okay, will be updating more later. Stay tuned.....
Jeff Bennington
Got a lot of good things to talk about today. First of all, I found two nice little stands to put my book on at the Underground Horror Fest 2 this Saturday in Tulsa, OK. I was able to find two small easels that were only $2.97 each so I scooped those bad boys up. I was expecting to pay a lot more but caught a break when I spotted them.
I had my daughter over the weekend so I wasn't able to get much writing done on HUB Volume 3 but I did manage to get a little bit done. I should be able to finish this latest draft tonight at which point I can type it up and give it one more edit and be done with it. After that I will be focusing on Head Above Water.
There's a new contest at hellnotes.com for an autographed copy of the paperback version of HUB Volume 1 and 2. Visit http://hellnotes.com/win-a-signed-cop... and leave a comment explaining what your favorite and worst vampire books or movies is and why to win! Best two responses win. Thanks to Dave at Hellnotes for allowing me to put the contest together on his site - much appreciated, Dave!
Leaving in about 45 minutes to go pick up my bookmarks and table top stand for the festival on Saturday. I also printed out a TON of little forms to sign up people for the HUB Monthly Newsletter that I'm going to begin sending out. If you want to be a part of that then visit http://www.whatishub.net/newsletter.html and fill out the form!
Currently reading The Reunion by Jeff Bennington and it's pretty good. I should have a review posted for it at the end of March to coincide with it's release on ereaders on 4.1.11 and in print on 5.1.11. Here's all the info on the book:
Title: REUNION
Release Date: May 1, 2011
Author: Jeff Bennington
Published by: nexGate Press
ISBN-13: 978-0-615-45086-5
Pages: 334
Genre: Suspense/Paranormal
Cost: $12.95 (print) $2.99 (digital formats)
Availability: Available to bookstores everywhere, and most online book retailers.
Okay, will be updating more later. Stay tuned.....
Jeff Bennington
H.U.B. News + Festival Updates
Hello all and welcome!
A lot has been going on with me over the 96 hours so I'll get right to it....
Today I knocked one of my things to do off of my "21 Month Writing Plan" and that was the acquisition of my ISBN number for the paperback version of H.U.B. 1 & 2. It felt really good to get that and knock that off my list.
Big shout out to Melissa (@mizzezmellymel on Twitter)! She is an up and coming author you need to look out for! I felt honored that she asked me for advice on publishing; it always makes me feel good to share my experiences with others. Follow her on Twitter - she's awesome: www.twitter.com/mizzezmellymel !
H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point is coming along nicely. Work continues on this latest round of editing and I'm hoping that, since I'm on my annual March Madness vacation from work, I will be able to get more work done it. We'll see how that goes. Once the editing is FINALLY done I will then pass it off to be critiqued and go from there.
Last Saturday (3.12.11) I was able to attend, with my lovely wife, the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (pics of which are posted on the "pics" page (where else would they be?)) and there were things that I liked and didn't like about it.
I felt that the promoter overstated the amount of people they were expecting to receive. I was told 1000 people so I was look "cool!" but it turned out being closer to 100 (probably closer to 60). But, out of that small number of people I did manage to sell 6 books and, probably more important than that, I gave out a LOT of business cards and bookmarks with my site and book information on it. I met a ton of nice people and got the chance to speak with a representative from Soonercon (which takes place June 3rd - 5th in Oklahoma City, OK - www.soonercon.com ) and he gave me his card and everything and, after emailing him and checking out the soonercon site, it looks like I will be attending that as well.
All in all, it was a positive experience (it was my first festival/convention/book signing) so it served as a good jumping off point to get my feet wet. In hindsight the venue was probably not the best for HUB (probably needed something more geared towards writers) but it served it's purpose. I sold enough books to cover the cost of the table I had so it's all good. As for whether or not I attend the Underground Horror Fest 3 next year, that I'm not so sure about. This has nothing to do with the festival in general as the host, Art Sunday, is a real cool and nice guy, I just don't know if it's for me.
Moving on, working with a translator to get the ebook version of HUB Volume 1 & 2 translated into different languages which will be a HUGE stepping point to get the HUB brand globally recognized. Gonna try and get it out there in as many languages as possible (Spanish, Portugese, French, Klingon, whatever) to get the book in front of as many eyes as possible.
In closing, reminder to visit www.whatishub.net to pick up your paperback copy of H.U.B. Volume 1 & 2 for the low price of $10.00 + tax (free shipping + it's autographed). Also, visit the new site for Benjamin Jones at www.benjaminjoneswrites.weebly.com .
More later....
A lot has been going on with me over the 96 hours so I'll get right to it....
Today I knocked one of my things to do off of my "21 Month Writing Plan" and that was the acquisition of my ISBN number for the paperback version of H.U.B. 1 & 2. It felt really good to get that and knock that off my list.
Big shout out to Melissa (@mizzezmellymel on Twitter)! She is an up and coming author you need to look out for! I felt honored that she asked me for advice on publishing; it always makes me feel good to share my experiences with others. Follow her on Twitter - she's awesome: www.twitter.com/mizzezmellymel !
H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point is coming along nicely. Work continues on this latest round of editing and I'm hoping that, since I'm on my annual March Madness vacation from work, I will be able to get more work done it. We'll see how that goes. Once the editing is FINALLY done I will then pass it off to be critiqued and go from there.
Last Saturday (3.12.11) I was able to attend, with my lovely wife, the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (pics of which are posted on the "pics" page (where else would they be?)) and there were things that I liked and didn't like about it.
I felt that the promoter overstated the amount of people they were expecting to receive. I was told 1000 people so I was look "cool!" but it turned out being closer to 100 (probably closer to 60). But, out of that small number of people I did manage to sell 6 books and, probably more important than that, I gave out a LOT of business cards and bookmarks with my site and book information on it. I met a ton of nice people and got the chance to speak with a representative from Soonercon (which takes place June 3rd - 5th in Oklahoma City, OK - www.soonercon.com ) and he gave me his card and everything and, after emailing him and checking out the soonercon site, it looks like I will be attending that as well.
All in all, it was a positive experience (it was my first festival/convention/book signing) so it served as a good jumping off point to get my feet wet. In hindsight the venue was probably not the best for HUB (probably needed something more geared towards writers) but it served it's purpose. I sold enough books to cover the cost of the table I had so it's all good. As for whether or not I attend the Underground Horror Fest 3 next year, that I'm not so sure about. This has nothing to do with the festival in general as the host, Art Sunday, is a real cool and nice guy, I just don't know if it's for me.
Moving on, working with a translator to get the ebook version of HUB Volume 1 & 2 translated into different languages which will be a HUGE stepping point to get the HUB brand globally recognized. Gonna try and get it out there in as many languages as possible (Spanish, Portugese, French, Klingon, whatever) to get the book in front of as many eyes as possible.
In closing, reminder to visit www.whatishub.net to pick up your paperback copy of H.U.B. Volume 1 & 2 for the low price of $10.00 + tax (free shipping + it's autographed). Also, visit the new site for Benjamin Jones at www.benjaminjoneswrites.weebly.com .
More later....
March Madness
March Madness has totally consumed my life and will continue to do so for the next two weeks, no matter that my brackets are totally screwed and I have NO chance of winning the pool we have going on at work (never mind the fact that my 10 year old daughter's bracket looks better than mine), the point of it all is that I love the tournament and all the screaming at the TV and headaches that it brings me.
Moving along.
Over the weekend while I was out with my daughter I happened to stop by a bookstore in my neck of the woods (it's actually the only bookstore around for a good 10-15 miles) that I had seen but had never stepped foot into. If you happen to be in the Little Elm, TX area it's called Camelot. Anyhoo, the store is owned by a kind fellow named Kelly McQueary and I asked him what were the chances of my book (H.U.B. Volume 1 & 2) *cough* www.whatishub.net *cough* could be placed in his shop to sell. I was pleasantly surprised when he took me up on the offer and, not only that, said that he would let me even do a signing there when I was ready. Also, he took five copies of my book and has placed them in his store and I'm going to check back with him in a couple of days to see if he had managed to move them or not. Let's hope that he did (for his sake - I would hate to go all Jack Bauer on him). I kid, I kid.
I am booked for the National Black Book Festival in Houston in June (by booked I mean that I have placed my non-refundable deposit down) but, with the way my funds are and the way gas prices are, I may end up eating that deposit and instead attending Soonercon which is June 3rd through the 5th. A table for those 3 days is only $85 compared to the $250 for the NBBF, not counting the gas prices, hotel room costs, etc... I met a man by the name of Ryan Baker who does Marketing & Publications work for soonercon when he stopped by my booth at the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa and he was very nice and gave me all the information so I'm 99.99987% sure that Soonercon will be my next festival. What do you guys think?
I'm in the process of getting my new site (www.benjaminjoneswrites.weebly.com) up and running correctly and also in the process of updating the HUB site (www.whatishub.net) to make them look better.
Work continues on H.U.B. Volume 3. I should be done typing it up shortly. At the same time I'm working on Head Above Water to try and keep myself busy and away from the Playstation 3. I have a lot of big plans and the only way I can make them happen is to keep the pen moving on the paper. I told my wife I was going to spoil her one day and I plan on doing that.
In the coming days I should be receiving the contract from the translator I'm working with to get the e-book version of H.U.B. Volume 1 & 2 translated into other languages so I'm very excited about that. Any opportunity to reach more people is a good thing.
More later... big things are on deck. Stay tuned boys and girls.
Moving along.
Over the weekend while I was out with my daughter I happened to stop by a bookstore in my neck of the woods (it's actually the only bookstore around for a good 10-15 miles) that I had seen but had never stepped foot into. If you happen to be in the Little Elm, TX area it's called Camelot. Anyhoo, the store is owned by a kind fellow named Kelly McQueary and I asked him what were the chances of my book (H.U.B. Volume 1 & 2) *cough* www.whatishub.net *cough* could be placed in his shop to sell. I was pleasantly surprised when he took me up on the offer and, not only that, said that he would let me even do a signing there when I was ready. Also, he took five copies of my book and has placed them in his store and I'm going to check back with him in a couple of days to see if he had managed to move them or not. Let's hope that he did (for his sake - I would hate to go all Jack Bauer on him). I kid, I kid.
I am booked for the National Black Book Festival in Houston in June (by booked I mean that I have placed my non-refundable deposit down) but, with the way my funds are and the way gas prices are, I may end up eating that deposit and instead attending Soonercon which is June 3rd through the 5th. A table for those 3 days is only $85 compared to the $250 for the NBBF, not counting the gas prices, hotel room costs, etc... I met a man by the name of Ryan Baker who does Marketing & Publications work for soonercon when he stopped by my booth at the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa and he was very nice and gave me all the information so I'm 99.99987% sure that Soonercon will be my next festival. What do you guys think?
I'm in the process of getting my new site (www.benjaminjoneswrites.weebly.com) up and running correctly and also in the process of updating the HUB site (www.whatishub.net) to make them look better.
Work continues on H.U.B. Volume 3. I should be done typing it up shortly. At the same time I'm working on Head Above Water to try and keep myself busy and away from the Playstation 3. I have a lot of big plans and the only way I can make them happen is to keep the pen moving on the paper. I told my wife I was going to spoil her one day and I plan on doing that.
In the coming days I should be receiving the contract from the translator I'm working with to get the e-book version of H.U.B. Volume 1 & 2 translated into other languages so I'm very excited about that. Any opportunity to reach more people is a good thing.
More later... big things are on deck. Stay tuned boys and girls.
