Tudor Robins's Blog, page 25
July 7, 2014
I Support This
I just signed this petition explaining the current kerfuffle between Amazon and Hachette.
If you’re a reader, you may be interested in this, or you may not. That’s OK. My firm belief, and experience, is that not many readers care WHO publishes the books they read. They really just want well-edited books that are easy to buy, and reasonably priced. If this is you, and you don’t want to read a long letter, by all means just go read a book instead!
If you’re a writer - especially one at any sort of crossroads in your writing career – I would recommend you read this and at least add it into the information in your brain you’re using to make future decisions.
Nothing is simple. Nothing is one-sided. Nobody else is in your exact shoes. You are the best person to decide, for yourself, how your career should progress.
Being informed helps.
As always, I’m happy to share my personal experiences from my still-rather-short (but, so far, quite fun!) publishing journey.
July 5, 2014
Free APS eBook Download!
Today and tomorrow only the Kindle version of APS is free to download from Amazon.
Please feel free to pass this offer onto as many people as you’d like!
You’ll be doing me a favour – really – I promise …
July 4, 2014
First Royalties
They’ve started coming in this week. My first earnings as a self-published writer.
Are they significant?
No.
Are they only a small fraction of what I put into producing the book?
Yes.
Could I live on them?
No.
But they’re mine. All mine. Free and clear.
I know where they came from. I know when I earned them.
Would I do it again?
Yes.
In fact, I will do it again. Watch this space …
July 3, 2014
Surfacing – After the Launch – Self-Publishing (7)
Whew! That’s me taking a deep breath.
The launch was fantastic. Just like my OIM launch, I was busy the whole time – talking to readers, signing books, SELLING books – it was great.
I sold quite a few copies of OIM, as well, which reinforces what everybody says; writing a new book is the best way to promote your existing book(s).
There have been lots of things I’ve wanted to write about, but I’ve just been up to here (mimes hand way over head) and haven’t gotten around to it.
Today we were supposed to go to a friend’s cottage in Quebec but rain, a twelve-degree overnight drop in temperature, and a sinkhole on the highway, have conspired to keep us home so I’m going to write a blog post! Finally …
One thing I didn’t anticipate was how much new technology / new services I’d try out and use as part of launching APS. I’ve been really impressed and amazed by what’s out there so, over time, I’ll share with you.
I’m going to talk first about the one that’s probably the most relevant to anyone doing any kind of writing and / or self-employment. An email list service.
Newsletters are really important. Anyone’s who’s been on any social platform for any length of time (FB, LinkedIn, etc.) will have seen changes in terms / conditions of use from time-to-time, and will have heard corresponding complaints from users about how these changes impede their ability to reach customers, etc.
The simple fact is, you don’t own FB, you don’t own LinkedIn, you don’t own Pinterest, and so if they want to change those sites, and how they work, you have no say in it. This is why having your own newsletter list, that you control, is really important.
I had a newsletter list, but I decided it was time to take it up a notch and go really pro so I signed up for MailChimp.
I LOVE MAILCHIMP.
MAILCHIMP IS FREE (up to 2,000 subscribers and, if I hit 2,000 subscribers, I’ll happily start paying for it).
If you haven’t already rushed off to open a MailChimp account, here are some points you might be interested in:
(1) MailChimp has a nice interface. It was very intuitive to me. I really had no problem navigating / understanding it.
(2) MailChimp may, or may not, allow you to smoothly import contacts. I had to do mine manually. A bit of a pain, but it forced me to contemplate each person on my mailing list. I removed some names myself during this process.
(3) MailChimp is big into compliance / anti-spam. They manage the unsubscribe process for you. There’s a link on every message you send out, and they make sure the names get removed from your list, and aren’t mistakenly put back on. They also have a double opt-in system for people who sign up. Essentially, if you use MailChimp, only people who definitely want to be on your list should be there.
(4) You can make amazing looking templates! They have a drag and drop capability that lets you include images, blocks of text, etc. Your emails will look great!
(5) The reporting is pretty cool. In fact, it’s a little scary. They tell you how many people opened your message, compare it to the industry average, and tell you who opened your message, when, how many times, and where. They analyze click-through rates, etc. It’s information I never dreamed I’d have.
There are some additional features that come with the paid edition that I think I’d use. One is the ability to optimize your open rates by accounting for time zones, and sending messages when people are most likely online to open them. I don’t want this functionality enough to pay for it now, but if I ever got to the stage where I was paying anyway this, and other features, are ones I’d probably use.
MailChimp is just one stop on my learning curve – there are many other services / technologies I’ve used that I’ll be telling you more about as I have time. For now, just let me know if you have any questions!
July 1, 2014
June 26, 2014
Sample Appaloosa Summer Pages – Free Download
If you’re thinking of buying APS, and you want a little teaser first, just click below to read the first two pages!
Then, buy in Canada, the US, the UK, or on Amazon wherever you are.
Also, sign up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date on new releases and to read more free samples.
June 24, 2014
Book Recommendation – “Your First 1000 Copies” – now on Noisetrade
For anyone out there thinking of self / e-publishing, I recommend this book by Tim Grahl. It’s available right now on Noisetrade for free, or a tip of your choosing.
I bought, and read, this book a couple of weeks ago and it was a quick, straightforward, helpful read.
June 23, 2014
“I Love Horses” Writing Contest Winners and First Story
I’m excited to announce the winners of the “I Love Horses” Ottawa Horse Day Writing Contest!
They are:
(1) Short Story – Kassandra Martin. Kassandra wrote a wonderful, sincere and straightforward tribute to her appaloosa, Joker.
(2) Poetry – Liam and Sarah Downes: a joint prize for siblings who both sent me horsey poems!
I will be contacting the above about getting their prizes, and to see if I can publish their writing on my blog.
In the meantime, I have a special story to post here. Alyssa Schiller is a young rider I first met through my THJA writing contest. She’s not only a talented rider, but also a talented writer. When her mom asked if she could send me an entry for this contest despite not being in Ottawa, I really wanted to see what Alyssa would write, so I said yes.
Once I read it, there was no way I could ignore it, so I added my own “Out of Ottawa” special mention category, and I’m posting Alyssa’s story below. Enjoy!
WHY I LOVE HORSES
by Alyssa Schiller
The stable. I lead him to the wash stall. The sound of his hooves echo on the barn floor. I love that sound. I scrub at the stains marking his legs. He bends his head towards mine. I can feel the warmth of his breath on my neck. He watches me curiously. Anxiety, excitement, adrenaline, anticipation.
4 am. All wrapped and ready, I lead him outside. The trailer is waiting in the cool, misty morning. His soft, furry muzzle tickles my cheek. I love that feeling. It’s time to load! Anxiety, excitement, adrenaline, anticipation.
The show ring. I take one deep breath and then another. I squeeze him forward and off we go! Entering the ring, we pick up a trot. We head to the bottom of the ring and I ask him again. We step into a canter. Around the corners we find our pace and set a rhythm. I close my inside hand and squeeze with my outside leg. He listens. He glides around the corner. We straighten the approach to our first fence. I can feel his excitement building with each stride. I measure the distance and we hit the mark. He launches with his knees tucked up tight beneath him. We are airborne! I love that feeling of freedom. Anxiety, excitement, adrenaline, anticipation.
Ringside. We wait for the jog. Anxiety, excitement, adrenaline, anticipation. Our number is called………FIRST!!!!! I love that feeling of accomplishment.
Back at the barn. A long day comes to an end. I thank him for taking care of me on our way back to the field. I hug him, give him a treat and let him go. I love our special bond. I love that feeling of happiness and warmth. I love my pony!
June 17, 2014
Appaloosa Summer eBook Released – Sample Pages
It’s here!
Today the e-book is available on the Kindle store, priced at $2.99.
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Thank you so much to everybody who’s been supportive, excited, and engaged throughout the process. You can help me make this book a success with:
(1) WORD OF MOUTH. Please pass on this news. It’s not my network that will sell books. It’s you lending me your network for just a little while.
(2) MOMENTUM. Sales in the next few days are especially valuable. If enough people buy the book at one time, it can make it to Amazon lists which show it to readers in far away places.
(3) THE THREE Rs. Read, Rate, Review. If you have time to leave even a few words, or a rating, after you read the book, on Amazon or Goodreads, it can help others decide to read the book too.
Sign up for my newsletter to find out when the print book publishes.
To sample the first two pages, click below:
June 13, 2014
This is Not a Learning Curve – Self-Publishing (6)
No, my friends, this is a learning cliff, which I’m trying to scale with my bare hands.
Does that sound kind of fun to you? You just might be ready to try self-publishing!
Does it sound terrifying, and impossible? You might want to take things slowly …
Some things have been easier than I thought they’d be, and some have been harder.
And, just like in traditional publishing, the hardest things are those that are out of my control. That involve me sitting, and waiting, for somebody else to do something. I. HATE. THAT.
Easier than I thought:
(1) Everything to do with the cover. Finding the image, working with the designer – not a problem.
(2) Learning the HTML necessary to format an e-book. So, no, I’m not formatting this book myself, because I don’t feel quite ready for that, but I have done a chapter (the one I’m giving away on Noisetrade), and I think I’ll do my next e-book. It’s picky, and fiddly, but not that hard.
(3) Using CreateSpace – slick, easy, intuitive, with amazing customer service and a beautiful final product. Also consistently faster than advertised (although already promises quick delivery).
(4) Finding advice, support, etc. It’s everywhere. Other self-publishers are SO generous. They provide tonnes of information FREE. If that information’s really popular, they sometimes compile it into books which are dirt cheap. They answer emails. They are generous and big-hearted. Particular shout-outs to David Gaughran whose blog I read and whose book, Let’s Get Visible, I was able to download from Noisetrade. Also, Guido Henkel, whose step-by-step e-book formatting blog posts rock, and who answered my emailed question in about twelve (overnight) hours, and who has just expanded his free blog posts into a book Zen of E-Book Formatting.
(5) Dealing with the IRS! Who knew I’d have to deal with the IRS? I didn’t … talk about intimidating. But, since CreateSpace is a U.S. company, if you’re not a U.S. citizen, they’ll automatically withhold 30 per cent of your royalties for tax purposes. That’s a big chunk of your hard-earned money! To avoid this, you need to call the IRS, and get an EIN or an ITIN – you then enter this magic number in your account information and – voila! – the withholding tax rate drops to zero! How did I ever figure this out? Well, it’s that welcoming group of self-publishers again. This post walks you through the whole thing. It took me less than fifteen minutes, including hold time, to get this sorted out. Do you think the CRA would be that fast?
Harder that I thought:
Really there’s just one thing here. And you might be surprised to hear what it is. I definitely was. It’s getting my print book available on Amazon.ca in Canada. That’s right – getting it to the U.S. is easy-peasy. The UK, instantaneous. France – all of Europe, for that matter – India, etc. no problem.
But Canada. Hmmm … now that’s tricky. Because, you see, CreateSpace (Amazon’s self-publishing arm) doesn’t actually deal directly with Amazon.ca. I know! I couldn’t believe it either. I felt stupid for not knowing this but, then again, it’s a pretty stupid state of affairs.
What this means is that the print book will launch pretty much EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD in a heartbeat, but will have to go through Ingram first, and then be picked up by Amazon.ca. Crazy.
So, whatever, like I said – this falls under the “things I can’t control” category. These things do kind of drive me crazy, but I try not to let them.
It just means the e-book will launch first, and the print book later. When Amazon.ca can manage to get it. And, in a few months, I probably won’t care at all. And the next time, I’ll be prepared. But, for this time, this has been my hardest challenge.
In the spirit of making things easier for other self-publishers, please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you might have. I really want to pay my good experiences forward …
