David Gaughran's Blog, page 33
May 13, 2011
The Never-Ending Blog Tour?
After that monster marketing post yesterday, I have a bit of a writing emergency on my hands and can only post a short blog today with some news and links.
Upcoming Releases
I am a little behind on my writing targets. Transfection is nearing release. I might be able to upload after the weekend, and then launch it during the week when it goes live. You can look forward to a sneak preview of the cover, an excerpt, and another competition in due course.
However, the problem is with the next story, ...
May 12, 2011
Indie Publishing For International Writers, Step 6: Market Your Story Part 2, Social Media
This is the sixth post in my continuing series INDIE PUBLISHING FOR INTERNATIONAL WRITERS, a step-by-step guide to getting your stories into (digital) print. I'll be doing each step with you, learning as you do, because I've never done this before either.
Step 6: Market Your Story Part 2, Social Media
Last time we covered the importance of having a website or blog, and talked about the difference between a static page and an interactive page, and why the latter is better. Today we are going to ...
May 11, 2011
Top UK Agent Announces Publishing Imprint
There was some interesting news in The Bookseller yesterday. Ed Victor, one of the top UK agents, has announced he is setting up his own publishing division – Bedford Square Books.
We have talked on this blog before about The Digital Revolution and what the future will hold for agents. I predicted a split in the agent community as some morph into publishers and others re-focus into being authors' advocates. I also talked about how there was some tension already.
Andrew Wylie made waves last...
May 10, 2011
Some Other Stuff You Should Be Reading
Today's is a short post as I have urgent work on a new release to complete. It's the Golden Rule: writing always comes first, remember?
I'll make it up with a monster post on marketing and social media later in the week, the next step in my INDIE PUBLISHING FOR INTERNATIONAL WRITERS series.
I just want to put you on to some interesting stuff going on that you might have missed.
Joe Konrath's blog is a must for anyone considering self-publishing. He shares all his figures, down to the last cent, ...
May 9, 2011
Why I Decided To Self-Publish
I've been scribbling something or other since I could first hold a pen, but I have been writing seriously for about five years.
It all started with a trip to South America where I heard a story from the Independence Wars that hooked me. I started researching the background to it – just curious – and before I knew it, I was writing a historical novel.
It was a monster and took me over three years to write, but it gave me an excuse to go back to South America for another nine months. When I was...
May 8, 2011
Sample Sunday – "If You Go Into The Woods" by David Gaughran
For those of you who don't know what Sample Sunday is, it's a relatively new Twitter hashtag to promote a free sample of your writing. There is a fuller explanation here.
I'm taking part for the first time today, and I have copied the first few pages of my new e-book If You Go Into The Woods below. If you like this sample and want to buy the rest, it's available from Amazon, Amazon UK, and Smashwords.
The e-book also contains a bonus story The Reset Button. It has had some excellent reviews...
Why The Rise of Self-Publishing Is Good For All Writers
In the last couple of months, self-publishing has really broken out into the mainstream.
It's not unusual now to see a television news report or an article in the Financial Times on an indie bestseller who has just snagged an agent or signed a trade deal, or coverage of the self-publishing scene in general.
Even so, some self-publishers complain that they don't get respect from the trade publishing community, that they are treated with disdain or condescension.
Many self-publishers tried for...
May 7, 2011
Blog Anniversary & Competition Winners
To celebrate the one month anniversary of this blog, I'm taking a day off today. I have a friend visiting from Ireland and I promised to take him to see some baby wolves. And maybe go to the pub.
It's been a great month, over 4,200 views, hitting over 200 a day regularly now (and sometimes lots more). I have posted over 30,000 words, but what has been really gratifying has been the amount of comments – almost 500 now – with great discussions going on every post.
For those that are new to the...
May 6, 2011
Free Kindle E-book Competition Giveaway
You guys all like free stuff, right?
Today I am giving away 25 free copies of my new e-book IF YOU GO INTO THE WOODS.
The rules are simple. All you have to do is tweet the following phrase, or put it as your Facebook status.
I want a #free #kindle copy of IF YOU GO INTO THE WOODS by David Gaughran so bad that it hurts http://amzn.to/mE7iRW
Easy, isn't it?
You must include the link to the Amazon page for your entry to count (try and include hashtags if on Twitter).
Once you are done, come back here ...
May 5, 2011
My Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Sales, Bestseller Charts & Mistakes
Yesterday I officially launched my first e-book: If You Go Into The Woods. If you haven't heard already, you can read more about that here.
Sales
First off, I want to thank everyone that bought a copy. Sales were brisk throughout the day (and I even sold a few while I was asleep – can't do that in a bookstore!). I have access to hourly updates on sales, and it was very exciting to watch my little book struggle out of the self-publishing soup and race up the charts.
I'll reveal exact figures at t...
