Aimee McNeil's Blog, page 14

First Interview!

Today was my first interview in regards to my writing! It was with a local reporter, Pat Healey, for the Laker in Fall River  http://www.thelaker.ca/  which will be found in the July edition!

Though my blog focuses on my journey as an author, what takes center stage in my life is my family. I am a wife and a mother before all else. And as a mother my attention and conversations usually revolve around my children, so it was strange today to have the focus on me.

This may seem like a strange thing to say but I am definitely getting to know myself better on this journey.

Reviews!

I really enjoy getting feedback from readers.  
I wrote Alluring Song in hopes that it might appeal to others. Discovering how others perceive it is amazing.  Everyone is different in how they comprehend a story because their own imaginations and emotions come into play. Though I only have a handful of reviews so far I love all of them even when they are critical. Of course if is always nice when someone truly enjoys your book because it validates all the work you put into it. The reviews that have been done are by people that I do not know personally so their points of view are not bias and based strictly on what that come away with from the story. Though, I probably should get people I know to review it for me, more review especially great ones, convinces more people to take a chance and read it J haha

I could write about anything at all and it could be perceived differently by everyone. For example if I wrote about a purple flower, describing the beautiful detail of the petals, and the aroma.
Some may love the description and rave about being able to visualize the flower in perfect claritySome may say that all the detail wasn’t necessarySome may question why the flower was purple and not another colorSome may have negative emotions tied with the color purple or flowers and automatically dislike itSome may just think it is beautiful ...

But regardless I love the fact that they took a chance in reading my story. I love to push boundaries in my writing. I may push things further than necessary but I like to evoke emotion in the readers, whether it is good or bad depends on the person J
You can find reviews posted for Alluring Song at:Goodreads.comAmazon.com

Being A New Self-published Author Is ...

Difficult, discouraging, and expensive! Wow!

Being a new self-published author with no prior marketing experience leaves me with a huge disadvantage. I would love to be able to hire someone with the know-how to market for me but at this point I have invested so much into my book already I have to draw the line somewhere.

There is no guarantee that I will even make back what I have spent, this does not even begin to consider the amount of time I have put into it. So this leaves me to my own sad abilities to let the world know I am here.

The wonderful feedback from the few people that have read my book and my love of writing keeps me motivated to push forward despite all the hurdles in my path. I might have to write a survival guide if I figure this all out.

I  need to find the answers to the following questions if I am going to have a chance at success "How do I make my book stand out?" and "How do I get people to buy it?" I really really wish I knew!! My fingers are crossed that I figure it out!

My daughter (who is 18) jokingly told me that I need to post naked pictures of myself holding my book if I want to get noticed!! ... I really hope it doesn't come to that. Joking!! :)

Signed Paperback Giveaway!

My Happy Place!

I retitled my blog "My trials and tribulations of being a newly published indie author." since I have officially crossed into the world of publishing.

Today I have dove back into my happy place and did some serious brainstorming for my next book! I am surrounded by notes in my kitchen and trying to translate all my thoughts into the developing plot. Love it!

I have been so distracted lately with trying to figure out how to promote Alluring Song and feeling like I was making no progress. It is exhausting and draining. Hopefully with all my clueless wandering I will stumble upon some good luck.

Today I needed a break! So I'm recharging with some word therapy. Feels nice just to write again :)

I'm Officially A Published Author!

Now that my book, Alluring Song, is published, I face the challenge of being a new and unknown author. This part of the process takes persistence and patience because I am just one of many authors trying to get noticed.

This stage takes me far out of my comfort zone. I must now focus on marketing my book. I need people to know it is out there! I by no means have an aggressive personality which would be really helpful when it comes to marketing. I am passive and have tended to avoid attention most of my life so I definitely have a steep climb to make to find success.

My son found a four leaf clover on my release day last week. He put it in my proof copy of my book for good luck!! I have so much wonderful support. It helps me get through even when it feels like I am fumbling in the dark!

Alluring Song Is Now Available!

Click on the following links to find the format you are looking for!
Amazon.com (US) (For Kindle and Paperback)

Amazon.ca (Canada) (For Kindle)

Amazon.co.uk (UK) (For Kindle and Paperback)

Smashwords.com (All Ebook Formats)
(Smashwords also distributes to Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, OverDrive, Flipkart, Oyster, Scribd,  Baker & Taylor's Blio and Axis360 and more)

UPDATE: in regards to the paperback on amazon.ca. I have discovered the mystery of why amazon.ca does not give the option of purchasing paperback and that is because Createspace.com who distributes the paperback does not currently distribute to amazon.ca. I was not aware of this beforehand. Though it might be available on amazon.ca in a few months time through a different distribution channel. If you would like a paperback copy and reside in Canada the only option at this time is to order through Amazon.com. Sorry for the inconvenience!

So close!

On the Eve of the release of my first book I can honestly say I am overwhelmed with a lot of different emotions. This has been a "someday" dream for so long that now it is almost here it is surreal! I carry around my proof copy everywhere to remind myself this is really happening. Wow!

I have no idea what will follow with the launch of my book tomorrow, my dream was always to publish a book without much thought to what follows. I hope to find success, I hope that people will love it as much as I do, and I am excited to find out.

Though I am really nervous! I had a dream last night that I received bad reviews! Doubt is a nasty thing and always tries to get in the way. I do not expect all the reviews to be positive. Everyone will have their own opinion and I respect that. I know I will not be able to please everyone. So am prepared for good and bad. I cannot help but feel vulnerable because I am putting a big piece of myself out into the world!

I keep telling myself there has to be a reason why I have wanted this so much and why now all the pieces are finally coming together. I know I have surprised a lot of people when I started this blog because I have always been private and did not even have a presence on social media until this year when I started this process. I came to a place when I realized I need this, I wanted to make it happen, and so here I am!

1 More Day To Go!

Wow! Today was definitely challenging!
Once I had received my paperback proof of my book I had read through it again to make sure it was in perfect condition and ready to sell. Even though I had done this process on my computer before I had a printed copy I found a few lingering things that I wanted to tidy up. So today was about trying to make those changes to all the different formats and re-upload to the different sites. When it comes to computers things never seem to work the way they should for me. I think they secretly hate me ... Needless to say I didn't have a smile on my face for the majority of the day and right about now I would really like to open a bottle of wine ... but I managed to get it done!
I also should mention that my editor, Allister Thompson, was a huge help today. He was amazingly helpful with my endless questions :)
The process of self-publishing is definitely not an easy one but it has been such a rewarding experience!
I am so close to publishing! 1 more day to go!