Angela B. Macala-Guajardo's Blog, page 6
September 29, 2013
A Taste of Success
I’ve hardly slept in the past week because I’ve been too excited. My KDP five-day free eBook promo went far better than both I and my publisher had hoped. Here is the final tally:
USA: 12, 733
UK: 441
France: 155
Italy: 2
Japan: 2
India: 13
Canada: 73
Brazil: 3
Mexico: 1
Grand Total: 13, 423 (feel free to check my math; writers generally suck at math)
I was hoping for around 5,000 copies downloaded. When I hit that goal in about two days, I was stunned. I couldn’t stop saying thank you in my head over and over. I was quite honestly at the end of my rope motivation-wise. After all these years, I just plain couldn’t write for myself and a mere few others anymore. What’s the point if I couldn’t find a way to share my books with as many people as possible? I’d written all of two chapters so far in September, and almost nothing in August. This book promo came at the right time.
On the morning of the second day, I gaped at my computer screen as the amazon.com ranking read “101.” I couldn’t possibly get any closer to the top 100 in all of the Free in Kindle store without making it. Would I make it as the day progressed?
At lunch time I hit 104, then a few hours 106, then 109 around dinner. Aw, I’d peaked already. So close, so incredibly close, but no cigar. My publisher shared my “aww” moment, yet we were both thrilled to see my book even get that high up. The top 100 get special attention. I’d gotten one place away from such awesomeness. I was pretty darn happy how the promo was faring, but still, it’s natural to want to keep reaching higher.
A few hours later, I get a FB message, my Publisher saying, “You’re number 45!!”
Me, aloud: Whaaaaaat?!
Cue bringing up the amazon page and more gaping that followed. I couldn’t believe it. I really was #45 in the entire gosh darn Free in Kindle store. I’d made it into the top 100. After seen 101, I’d hoped for just 99 or 100. I would’ve been perfectly happy with that. Getting all the way to 45? Way more than I could’ve hoped for. My publisher typed *squeal* to me via FB and I gave my screen a flat look. “Men don’t squeal.”
“Well I just did. I’m so excited!”
“Okay, then. I stand corrected.”
Around 4:30 the next morning, shortly after I’d finally managed to fall asleep, this glowing thing enters my room and I roll over in bed. My roommate is standing there with his cell phone shining down on me. Did his alarm not go off this morning or something?
Him: Angie, I didn’t know whether or not I should wake you, but I figured you’d want to know. You’re #22 on amazon!
Me: Whaaaaaat?! *Jumps out of bed, wide awake again*
Sure enough, this is what I saw:
I snuck all the way up to #20 before bouncing between 30 and 60 for the rest of the promo. I was so thrilled, so thankful. Thousands of people now had a copy of one of my books in their hands, and were even starting to grab book 2 in the trilogy. They were liking it. If you’re not a writer, the sheer joy I felt is hard to understand. Essentially, it’s that great feeling we all strive experience day in and day out. Seeing proof that people enjoy my books gives me that.
Regular sales have begun. So far it looks promising. I’m already almost selling enough on a daily basis to make a modest living off of my writing. However, I’m not all goggly-eyed yet. 13,423 readers is not a grand number in a global population of over 7 billion. I believe this promo will get the ball rolling, but my writing career still needs several more good pushes if I’m going to safely assume this will be my day job. There’s lots of exciting marketing stuff coming this fall, so I’m hopeful. I’m finally hopeful.
Even though I’m not goggly-eyed, I’m still daydreaming. I’m hoping to make it big so I can pay off my college loans and my car, and some medical bills. In addition, I’d love to be able to pay off my mother’s and brother’s college loans, along with give my youngest brother some funds for when he starts college. I’d love to treat my family to all sorts of enjoyable things, even if it’s something as simple as taking them out to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Just to be able to do something as simple as that after all the help they’ve given me would bring me such joy. I want to be able make other people’s lives easier and be enjoyable company, inspire others to be happy and live in the moment. I’ve spent far too many years being depressed and unhappy. I don’t want others to feel that way. It’s not fun at all. Hopefully my readership will continue to grow and I can spread the joy.
I got a lovely surprise this morning: 
Unfortunately, amazon.com doesn’t tell people when an author they’ve read before publishes a new book. I don’t get why they’d skip this. B&N does. Poor, failing, B&N. I’d do marketing through them, too, if they offered what amazon does, but sadly they don’t. I wish the two companies would collaborate or something. This world will be a darker place without bookstores to walk into.
I’m working hard on finishing Aigis 3. I’m trying to get it out before Christmas, but no promises. I want to deliver a quality story with a satisfying ending. I’ve been frustrated with books that feel a little thin because the authors were rushed into releasing the next installment so people could make more money sooner. I refuse to do that. I feel an obligation to my readers, my characters, and myself to write the story that needs to be told. I can’t in good conscience do it for greed.
Thank you, everyone, who made my free eBook promo an phenomenal success! I cannot become great, unless society chooses to lift me up on their shoulders. I am no one, unless people want me to be someone.
September 24, 2013
Made it into the Kindle Top 100!
I’m speechless. I’m in this state of awe where I keep saying thank you in my head. So thank you everyone who’s made this possible. I was hoping for only #99 or 100. This is… wow. Please help me keep this going by helping spread the word and, if you read fantasy, downloading your own free copy. Here is the synopsis:
When gods are confronted by problems they can’t solve alone, they call upon mortals with supernatural abilities, called Aigis, to step in.
Seventeen-year-old Roxie Lohr has always wondered why her eyes glow different colors whenever she feels intense emotion. Aerigo, a captivating Aigis, not only gives her the answer but also whisks her away into a host of new problems. Suddenly, Roxie finds herself thrust into exotic worlds, an unexpected romance, and a conflict between gods in which only they can decide the outcome…
Strength (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1)
September 23, 2013
September 16, 2013
September 7, 2013
September 6, 2013
August 29, 2013
Breaking Past Being a No-Name Author: Second Book Syndrome
Yeah. That thing–or perhaps you’ve never heard of it. Well then Google it. Actually do just that even if you have. There’s some amusing stuff out there.
Anyway, with the release of the second book in my fantasy trilogy sometime in the next week, I’m both excited and nervous. When I wrote the first book, I was this ignorant eighteen-year-old who didn’t know how to write or tell stories, freshly bitten by the writer’s bug, and who wanted to share her imagination with the whole world. Had that whole googly-eyed passion for what I was doing/creating. I was completely oblivious to how merciless and harsh the literary industry is. How I sometimes wish I could go back to that naive happiness… Well, life goes on and you work with what you have, what you know, and even with what you don’t know. The key is to never assume anything, especially that what you want to achieve is impossible.
I’m excited for the release of Courage because this book has been waiting forever for its turn. Readers will get to see my learning curve in action: tighter writing, richer characters, more creativity, stronger story, things like that. I’m really passionate about this trilogy, so much that I’ll finish it even if no one reads it. Yes, it’d hurt my heart to have no one to share it with, but I’m writing this story for so many reasons, some I understand, and some I can’t explain. Not sure how to explain it. It’s gotta be a writer thing. I don’t think it can be understood in words; just feelings.
I’m scared about the book’s release not exactly because of second book syndrome, but rather because it is the second book. Fantasy trilogies follow a certain structure with minor variations. The first books is all introductions and setting the stage, and preparing for the story to take off. Book two kicks into high gear. It’s a bridge between one and three. Backstory is unveiled here, since there wasn’t room for it in the first one. There’s less explaining and more doing, and the story makes leaps and bounds. The third tome focuses all energy on drawing everything to a satisfying conclusion. There’s little room for backstory. It’s all about what the characters want and how they’re gonna get it, now that all relevant information is in place for the story to drive home. Loose ends are tied up, or maybe the author purposely leaves a few threads untouched to make way for a sequel. That’s dangerous, though. It’s harder to write a series than it is a trilogy. There’s only one series so far that I’ve read that done a spectacular job of structuring a story to stretch to four-plus books.
Courage has a lot of back story but it’s all there for a reason. There are also a few new characters who take turns steering the POV, something I will never do again. I think there’s a healthy limit to a number of characters controlling the POV of the story. Despite George R.R. Martin’s success, I skip whole chapters of certain characters because I’ve simply reached my saturation point. Still, one beauty of fiction is being able to write a story from multiple POVs. I’ll find something that works for me.
Out of ten test readers for Courage, I’ve had an 80% approval rating. The book is divided into thirds and part one was difficult for two of them to get through, but the rest of the book got better and better. I’ve considered shuffling content around and even cutting things, but I wholeheartedly believe that the story will feel like it’s missing something if I make some cuts. My gut says I’ve got the story right. Maybe there’s a more skillful way to execute it, but in all honesty, no author is every going to get a 100% approval rating. I’m saving myself the frustration of vainly trying for 100% and sticking with the story I’m happy with.
And with the release of Courage there will be a five-day free book promo. So, if you’re not sure about trying a new author, I welcome you to take advantage of the promo. I will announce when it’ll take place once my ePublisher lets me know. For now, here is the lovely cover art and book two’s synopsis:
With the last two Aigis out of the way, Nexus’s war can begin.
Aerigo’s entire life has been building towards a confrontation with Nexus, and he’s managed to avoid it, until now. If he’s to stand a chance, he must face the demons of his past and unlock the power that can defeat a god. While he battles with himself, Roxie fights for her life against an enemy attacking her mind and body, a fight she must win alone.
Baku’s divine family is in ruins. His wife is lost to him and his son has become a monster. It’s uncertain if Nexus can be saved, or if he’s been tainted beyond redemption by an outside source. As the armies of hundreds of gods gather on Nexus’s realm, time is running out.
And stay tuned. There will be a bonus chapter that I’ll publish via my blog. It’s one I had to cut since it didn’t support the central plot in any way, but it was too enjoyable to shred.
August 22, 2013
When You’re the Slightly Insane, Clinically Depressed, Very Passionate Creative Type
You’ve heard that stigma, right? The one that labels creative types the emotional roller coaster, mentally unstable–let’s call it “never a dull moment”–yet are so full of creativity that they leave other in awe of their art. Yeah, that… that’s me, almost in a nutshell. I still need more practice with leaving people in awe of my art, my writing. I’m still a no-name author who’s trying to be someone. I’ve got two books out there, a third soon to follow, and a definite fourth I want to have out by Christmas, but January will probably be more realistic. It’s a start. I’m getting something done.
Still, with all these good things happening, I find myself struggling to feel proud or happy. Someone on Facebook linked a speech Niel Gaiman gave to a bunch of graduates years ago. For me, it was a good reality check. Here are his six nuggets of advice/wisdom, along with a few quotes that struck a chord, reminding me that I’m in the right place, even though things feel so hopeless as of late. To get the full effect, I highly recommend allotting 20 minutes of your time to listen to the full speech. He has a voice you could listen to all day.
1. When you start out on a career in the arts, you have no idea what you’re doing.
“The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who have not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can. If you don’t know it’s impossible, it’s easier to do. And because no one’s done it before, they haven’t made up rules to stop people doing that particular thing again.”
2. If you have an idea of what you’re on this earth to do, then go and do it.
3. You have do deal with the problems of failure…
“I decided that I’d do my best in the future to not write books just for the money. If you didn’t get the money, then you didn’t have anything. And if I did work I was proud of, and I didn’t get the money, at least I’d have the work. [...] It’s true that nothing I do, when the only reason I do it, is the money was ever worth it, except this bitter experience. Usually I didn’t wind up getting the money either. The things I did because I was excited, or wanted to see exist in reality never let me down, and I never regretted the time I spent on any of it.”
“They couldn’t envisage a world where they did what they always wanted to do anymore because now they had to earn a certain amount every month, just to keep where they were. They couldn’t do the things that mattered, and they really wanted to do, and that seemed as big a tragedy as any problem of failure.”
4. If you make mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something.
“And when things get tough, this is what you should do: Make. Good. Art.”
5. Make your art. Do the stuff only you can do.
“Most of us only find out own voices after we sound like a lot of other people.”
6. Enjoy it.
“Best advice I ever got that I ignored. Instead, I worried about it. I worried about the next deadline, the next idea, the next story. [...] There wasn’t a moment for the next fourteen or fifteen years that I wasn’t writing something in my head or wondering about it, and I didn’t stop and look around and go, ‘This is really fun.’ [...] There were parts that I missed because I was too worried about things going wrong, what came next, that I didn’t enjoy the bit I was on.”
Here is the full video:
Once again, we have the theme that life is about the journey, not the destination. These words haunt me; however, I’ve had to admit that my desperation to see my writing do well, to live off my own words independently, to have all my happiness riding on my amazon.com ranking has been nothing short of miserable. I’ve been constantly asking myself “Why am I alive? Why am I alive if my writing is going to fail, too?” I’ve been driving myself into the ground with an internal dialogue–yes, dialogue–convincing myself that my life is a waste, when it’s not.
I’m in a stage in my life where I need to learn some things before I can go forward. The latest lesson being to enjoy my writing, instead of doing it only for the money.
I honest to goodness do get immeasurable enjoyment out of the process of writing. Drafting, plotting, outlining, editing, revising, sending it off to test readers, getting feedback and discussing critiques. All of it. But then that enjoyment goes poof so easily, thanks to my mental demons. I’ve struggled with depression since age 14. I don’t readily admit it because if you’ve never experienced it, you won’t understand it. My roommate doesn’t understand it.
But any, I’m always looking for new ways to combat my depression. Neil Gaiman proved to be the messenger I needed to deliver the message I’ve heard countless times before. This was confirmed by another dream I had the following night. Ridicule me all you want, but I’m a firm believer that our dreams reflect who we are and where we’re going internally. They can serve as warnings and draw attention to areas of your life that are most important. This particular dream stated that I’ve finally taken another step forward in my personal journey.
I’m in the audience in a taping of Ellen when I’m called down to be a guest. Vin Diesel’s onstage with Ellen and I’m so thrilled and nervous to meet them both. But I’m in the middle of eating glazed walnuts and struggled to chew them fast enough. A lady behind the camera gets annoyed and tells me to hurry up, so I sprint down the stairs and leap across this gap to the stage, and take a seat. The leap’s impressive. I try to get a reaction of Vin but he doesn’t care. He’s very aloof. The next bit gets fuzzy, then I remember asking Ellen why did she ask me to be on the show. Next thing I know, I suddenly remember I want to hug them both, so I get up and hug Ellen, then Vin gets up and hugs me, but I’m barely taller than his waist. My eyes are level with his stomach. I’m confused because I know in reality I’m maybe an inch shorter than him. He starts to leave yet gives me this expectant look. I finally blurt some words out, asking him to take a look at my writing. He stops, takes out a piece of lined paper, and writes something on the back of the page, and tells me he will.
Vin symbolizes everything I wish to be and have. He’s highly successful, well loved, does what he loves as a day job, and is really happy. In past dreams he’s always been aloof, I’ve always struggled to get his attention, and can never seem to say the right thing. Me finally saying something directly to him and him taking note is a huge step–well small, but it’s a big deal. It gives me hope. No, I’m gonna literally meet those two, nor am I suddenly going to get tons of attention, hence Vin scribbling something down on the back of the page, but I’m finally moving forward.
August 20, 2013
Neil Gaiman’s “Make Good Art” Speech
This is for anyone who’s struggling, or knows someone who’s struggling to find happiness and joy in their lives. Consider it a reality check and motivation to keep at what often feels like an impossible goal/dream. The video is worth the 20 minutes.
