Shawndra Russell's Blog, page 3

When to Shift from Promoting One Book to the Next

Avoiding Tug of War Between Two Book Campaigns

On Friday, November 30 from 5-7pm at the Rail Pub, I’ll be doing a book signing and passing out paperbacks to my Kickstarter backers (plus have some extras on hand for anyone interested in purchasing a signed copy). We’re also going to recreate the pub crawl(s) that the characters go on, dropping off books to the restaurants and bars mentioned along the way before returning to The Rail for end-of-night shenanigans.

This belated book launch party is bittersweet because it marks the end of the “big push” for Couple Friends. I’ll be shifting my focus to my next book in December. While I won’t ever abandon Couple Friends entirely, it will no longer be my primary focus. The hope, of course, is that as I’m spreading the word about my next book, people will go check out my previous work and Couple Friends will receive some love that way. Yet, my next book is going to be a nonfiction title about social media, so it will not be attracting the same target audience (of course, I’ll have my fingers crossed for overlap!). Plus, I’ll be editing away at Keepsakes (another women’s fiction title) and hope to have it out in early 2013.

I’ve basically been promoting this book since May 1 when I launched my Kickstarter campaign and had to send out nearly daily messages through one channel or another to ensure I reached my funding goal. Six months of promotion has taught me A LOT, and I am ready to fix some of the mistakes I made during my next book’s campaign. Biggest one? Having testimonials and reviews available to the public BEFORE publishing.

It’s actually pretty fitting that November 30 is the last day of my “official” promotion period for Couple Friends because I wrote the novel version during last year’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month held worldwide every November). It’s been a CRAZY year in mostly good ways, and I am excited to work on novel #3 during this year’s NaNoWriMo. (Anyone else joining along?).

While I wish I could continue to shout from the rooftops about my first book, it’s time to let go a little and let it fly, much like a mother has to stop hovering when their teenager reaches a certain age. You have to trust that you’ve built a strong enough foundation that they’ll make you proud.

First Book Club for Couple Friends!

Thank you wonderful readers!

On Friday, the book club I’ve been a part of for nearly three years read MY lil’ ol novel. I’ll admit, I was nervous. I had my husband come to take a few pictures and for moral support, and on our 15 minute walk to the venue, I had him ask me the meanest questions he could think of (we’d done this “exercise” before, but I wanted new, harder questions). We also arrived early so I could have an adult beverage before everyone arrived and make sure to grab us a good table.

We had a good-sized group, including several first timers, many who are also friends that I hope will continue to come. And I worried for nothing because everyone was very kind, asking thoughtful questions and bringing up great topics and issues that we could all discuss. I’ve always been a book nerd and my favorite college English courses were those where we just sat around wondering what the author’s intent was, how we related to the characters, what lessons we were supposed to learn…and we did all this and more during book club. Instead of feeling like I was on display or in the spotlight, I just felt like another reader, talking about the choices the characters made, what we would do differently in our own lives, and basically analyzing the behavior and mistakes.

I would go to a new book club every week if I could afford to drive all over the country and found enough book clubs willing to do so However, I AM going to focus on trying to connect with book clubs that might be interested in video chatting with me or that are in a reasonable driving distance.

Authors, if you have been hesitant to go to book clubs, I highly recommend trying to get one scheduled in your city or surrounding area with a local group. Out of everything I have done to help spread the word about this novel, having Couple Friends be the book of the month has been the most legitimizing thing so far.

Thanks for having me Bound to Please!

Kickstarter Panel This Thursday in Savannah!

Do you have an idea that you would love to pursue, but need cash to do it? Your idea could practically be anything: a gadget, product, restaurant, bar, retail store, film, or book, which is what I used Kickstarter for in May to publish my first novel, Couple Friends. The event is being hosted by the Savannah Chapter of Startup Chicks, a support system and educational network for entrepreneurial, creative and/or business-minded women, and I’ll be joining Dare Dukes (musician/writer/speaker), Kelly Spivey of The Chocolate Lab who is in the middle of her Kickstarter (please click on the link, she only has 10 days left of her campaign and still needs 50% to reach her target or she won’t receive any of the funds!), Kay Wolfsperger of The Maker Collective, and potentially a couple of other Savannah creatives.

The setting will be informal and give attendees plenty of time to ask questions about tips and tricks for using crowdfunding platforms (click the link to read about the top 10), why we each decided to use these avenues to reach our goals, and what we loved/hated about the before, during, and after. Please join us at Thinc Savannah located at 33 Barnard Street on the third floor. If you have any questions, contact me at shawndrarussell@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

New Moves With the Business!

Expand your reach and reach your goals!

So this week marked a BIG milestone in my business. After more than a year of doing social media, writing feverishly, and publishing my first novel, my husband is joining forces with me so we can build this business even BIGGER and BETTER to help more businesses reach their goals!

If you are feeling overwhelmed by social media and the warp speed that it changes, we can help you get on the right track or boost your current efforts so you can stop spinning your wheels and wondering why you aren’t getting more out of social media. The big thing to remember is that it’s supposed to be fun, so if it’s not, we can help. There are so many shortcuts, tricks and tips that can make social media work for you, not against you.

Email me at shawndrarussell@gmail.com so we can get started and simplify your business AND your life.

Links to Join the Online Book Launch Party and Conversations Today!

Three ways to win a copy of Couple Friends!

I thought about how I wanted to celebrate this career milestone, and I thought it would be fun to have an all day online question-fest, sort of like a giant online book club. Because the truth is, even when I have a real, physical launch party (coming soon!), there are tons of people that I will never get to share this with face to face, like former teachers and professors, colleagues, students…people that have made an impact on my life in some way.

So, ask away! Anything…about writing a novel, using Kickstarter to fund your dream, my novel itself, freelance writing, social media, Savannah…

Ask in the comments, or come and visit over on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter…

https://www.facebook.com/events/131472016999376/

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1017883-ask-me-anything#comment_number_2

http://twitter.com/ShawndraRussell, use hashtag #CoupleFriends

Already some fun conversations going on, come join the party! Also, there are THREE ways you can win a free copy:

http://www.tastesavannah.com/1/post/2012/09/bonus-local-author-ebook-giveaway.html

http://singlemindedwomen.com/women-relationships/couple-friends-free-book-giveaway

AND by commenting here!

 

8 Out of 10 Books Don’t Sell More than 100 Copies

Just hit “enter” after you read a book and write that review!

Hope Clark wrote a post titled “When You Go to Amazon, Don’t Just Buy a Book” last Friday, and I have been thinking about it all week. The stat that really struck me was that “8 out of 10 books sell less than 100 copies on Amazon.” Maybe it’s because I HAVE a book for sale on Amazon, Couple Friends, that has yet to break this 100 books sold mark, but this post just made me sad. Think about all those authors that feel like a failure because they haven’t sold over 100 copies. In reality, even 100 copies doesn’t seem like much, but you can bet your ass I am now on a mission to hit that mark as soon as possible so I can rise above this grim reality.

How does this number make you feel? Does it bother you? Does it make you want to go out and buy more books? Do you suddenly want to show support to the authors that you love more now? I know I am biased because I am now an author as well as an avid reader, but I have a day marked off on my calendar next week to go through and leave reviews for every book I have ever loved (even if that book is already popular, but ESPECIALLY if it’s not) because I know firsthand that writing a novel is an excruciating experience, and these authors have worked damn hard to get their book out into the world.

If you’ve ever written an email, letter, or even a Facebook post that was of extreme importance, you already know what I mean. Heck, even if you’ve ever had an important conversation (who hasn’t?!) like the birds and the bees talk with your kids or the don’t do drugs speech, having to break up with someone, or even put in your two weeks’ notice at work, you know how painful it can be putting together the right words to say what you mean to say. Words can bring us joy, but they just as surely can bring pain. And trying to make sure you don’t have any mistakes, keep people interested, and tell a meaningful story that will actually make a difference in peoples’ lives by getting them to think about their own decisions and actions? It’s A LOT of pressure.

Writing is a weird career for a number of reasons, but probably the strangest aspect is that you have to get other people to root for you publicly in order to be a success. I guess every job has a measure of this because you will not advance if your boss and coworkers don’t like you and you don’t work hard. However, there are probably just a handful of individuals that you have to impress and get on your side in order to be a success in most industries. With writing books, you have to get hundreds (and of course, ideally thousands or even millions) of people to fall in love with your work and help spread the word about it in order to make a living from writing. There are no guarantees, no steady paychecks, no healthcare or retirement benefits (not that every job has these anymore, of course).

Clark’s post made me realize how authors really depend on us (and how I know this to be painfully true because I am living it with my book debuting two weeks ago). Isn’t helping spread the word about work we love (including art, photography, great food, and other creations) a small gesture we can all do more to help make a BIG impact on the life of the person who created it?

Are there some authors that you love that you could go leave a review on Amazon for today? Please leave a recommendation in the comments below of an author or book we should check out, and then click over to Amazon and leave some reviews. You WILL make an impact on that author’s life and livelihood

 

Couple Friends Day Three: My Definition of Success

What Are the Moves That Will Lead to Success?

What Will Success Look Like to Me?

So, I’ve had a few people ask about my goals regarding Couple Friends. I’ve always been a dreamer and overly optimistic at times, so of course, success at the highest level for me is that this book does so well and gains enough attention that I can pretty much become a full-time author a la Nicholas Sparks, Emily Giffin, Claire Cook, Nora Ephron…

But at the very least, I hope that this book raises enough money so that I can publish my second novel, Keepsakes, before the end of 2012. I know that is really not that far away, but it’s still my goal. Publishing this first novel was such an amazing learning experience that I truly believe the second time around will be faster and easier (in theory).

By the Numbers

Yet, this is not the only measurement of success for me. I’ve established some numbers after a lot of thought, research, and guesstimates about what it will take to raise enough money to publish novel #2 as well as for me to feel like my debut novel was not a failure:

1. 100 Amazon reviews. This is the most important number because this will absolutely make or break my book. Since I had nearly this many Kickstarter backers, I feel solid that this can actually happen with all of your help.

2. 1000 “Virtual Launch Party” invites sent out. This might sound ambitious, but again, this is just a quick click on Facebook that says, “Yes, I am going to buy this novel or at the very least support my friend or friend’s friend or family member’s friend.” I’ve already invited nearly 350 people, so that means that if at least each of my Facebook friends and/or Kickstarter backers invite just 10 of their Facebook friends (that are NOT mutual friends), this is a super-easy goal.

3. 300 Facebook Likes on my Writer Page. I struggled with this number because as I mentioned, I have over 300 Facebook friends on my personal page, which in theory means that they should all be willing to click “like” on my professional page. So, I wanted to go much higher with this number. Yet, I have had the page for almost a year and haven’t cracked 100 yet, so I tried to keep it realistic

But What About Sales?

I’m not even going to go into sales and all that because I am confident that if these three things I listed above happen, the book sales and exposure will follow, and novel #2 will be able to be published in 2012.

What does success look like for you in your profession? Please share in the comments!

 

 

 

 

Day Two of Being Published

So today was the first day I was “out in the world” after my first novel, Couple Friends, released yesterday. Since I work from home as a freelance writer, the only person I see daily is my husband Gary. Tonight, I went to a networking event called cSpot in Savannah for one of my clients, HipCalendar, which is a super cool events calendar that I really think could be a huge hit because it fills a void in calendars.

Anyway, some of the people at this happy hour knew about my book and congratulated me, but hadn’t read it yet. So, I was in the position of being relaxed and giddy because they were simply praising the fact that I had a book published and did not have to talk about whether they liked it or not since they hadn’t read it yet.

This is how I envision it will go when I encounter readers that are also my friends or acquaintances (or really, just any reader I run into!):

A) They will truly enjoy the book and it will be obvious from their giddy behavior

B) They will hate the book, but will try to pretend that they like it and it will be painful.

C) They will be hurt/upset/angry/confused by some of the topics in my book

D) They will think that I am a terrible writer and perhaps a complete idiot.

E) They will feel indifferent (possibly the worst outcome–strong reactions are better than nothin;!)

So, for now, I am still in that giddy dream state where I can pretend that ever single person that buys by book will fall in love with it and that Hollywood will come knocking any minute

Did you get your copy yet? Take advantage of the introductory price of only $2.99 while it lasts! And come read my very FIRST review–it’s a 5-star!

Couple Friends on Amazon

You Can Read Ebooks on Any Device (Couple Friends novel DEBUTED TODAY!)

The FREE Kindle reader app means you can read any ebook on any device.

My book went live TODAY on Amazon, and I am of course BEYOND THRILLED. This has been a year and a half coming, and even more than that when I think about the years of observing, life experiences, and just daydreaming about the day my first novel would be published. Absolutely thrilling, and it’s fun seeing the sales inch up

But I want to clear up confusion that I’ve encountered since my novel became available: Yes, it is only available as an ebook. However, you can read it on ANY computer, smartphone, or tablet–NOT only on a Kindle device. It’s super easy and FREE to download the Kindle  app so you can enjoy ebooks like mine. Here’s the link, and it only takes TWO CLICKS and you’re done. Super duper easy.

http://www.amazon.co m/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

If you decide you’re interested in purchasing my book, please make sure you do so soon because the introductory price of $2.99 will go up in September. If you like reading women’s fiction or about marriage, love, and friendship, this is a book I think you will enjoy. Type A personality, Savannah folks, and anyone that has ever dealt with a frenemy will get a kick out of it too.

I describe it as the sequel to When Harry Met Sally…what happens AFTER we couple up.

Enjoy! And please, if you have any questions about the book, me, my writing process, or whatever, respond in the comments or find me on Twitter at @ShawndraRussell or Facebook www.facebook.com/shawndrarussell

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Enjoying the Ride to Publishing My First Novel

 

So, if all goes well, my debut novel Couple Friends will be available for purchase as an ebook Monday or Tuesday on Amazon, then Barnes & Noble and Smashwords in the coming days (they take longer to load).

For weeks (okay, months) I have been stressing out about this moment. What if everyone hates it? What if after reading it all my Kickstarter backers wish they hadn’t helped make this dream of mine come true? What if no one cares?

Then a few days ago, my wonderful friend Melissa put it all in perspective for me: “I can’t imagine how excited you must be to have your book almost out!!! Remember to try and enjoy every second of the process because you have worked hard for it!!! Can’t wait to get my copy!”

I felt like I’d been sucker-punched, and everything crystallized after reading this text. How had I forgotten this most important part and something I try to live my life by anyway–actually ENJOYING this crazy ride. I will never have a “first novel” again. I can “what if” myself to pieces and get nowhere. This baby is coming out whether I’m ready or not, so I might as well enjoy everything that comes with it: fear, happiness, joy, fear again…

No matter what happens, I am going to look back on this 18 month journey to publication and be proud and glad I went for it. I will never regret going after my dreams, even if I fall flat on my face. So for the next few days, I am going to document the highs and lows that come with this process for you but just as much for myself so I can look back at these posts and relive the memories of my very first novel debuting to the world (well, maybe only my friends and family, but I have to dream big, right?).

Thank you for being a part of my journey. What’s a risk that you’ve taken that turned out well or not-so-well? What did you learn?

Please share in the comments below. And if you have any questions about my book, writing journey, or just little ol’ me, ask away!