Jamie Sheffield's Blog, page 18

Reading and Writing as Spring Comes to the Mountains

Spring comes slowly to the Adirondacks, but eventually it comes. 

We still have frosts every night, but sometimes we can see the sun. 

I'm still burning wood to heat my home, but daylight lasts until after seven in the evening, and I don't have to drive to and from work in the dark.

I've been reading a lot lately...homework.  Parker books, Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, Lawrence Block.  I've also been trying out some location-specific fiction writers, trying to get a feel for how good writers make a sense of place pervade their story (in the hope that I can do the same in my work).  In addition, as a result of lurking in the Amazon bestsellers lists watching an eBook of mine climb the charts during a KDP giveaway, I've downloaded and have been reading a lot of what might be called 'the competition'...lots of good crime and mystery writing out there in the self-pub world.

I just published a not-so-short story, "Mickey Slips" which throws Tyler Cunningham into a messy situation that he is uniquely qualified to handle.  I'm happy with the way that the story turned out, and am looking forward to the next writing projects (both literally and figuratively).

My editor took a first look at the next story, tentatively titled "240 Minutes", and we both have some shared reservations...it's a story designed around a time limit, and the pacing is a problem at the moment.  Yesterday afternoon, I had some ideas about how to move things around and streamline the narrative a bit, and I'm hoping to start that process this afternoon.

I've also been playing with the idea of a story that takes a look at Tyler's first 'case' .  I had the characters and setting and feel of the story worked out a month ago, but when I started writing, the conflict rang false to me, so I put it away, hoping it would fix itself somewhere in the backrooms of my brain; it did, last night.  I feel that once I can shuffle the parts of '240' around satisfactorily, I'll be able to write this introduction to Tyler as a detective/expeditor pretty quickly.

I've also been getting more and more of a feel for the novel that I'll be writing this summer.  I can picture the general shape of the story, and am getting to know some of the characters.  I've taken to carrying around a steno pad, which I use to jot notes and ideas about details that come to me during work or while driving or cooking.  Before starting "Here Be Monsters", I had a similar steno pad with 50-60 pages filled with scribbles, and each morning before I sat down to write, I'd enjoy a cup of coffee while reading through it to remind myself of things I'd liked enough to make note of...

Besides working on stories, I'm also interested in this kind of writing...working on my blog, and hopefully the blogs of other writers and artists.  I'm hoping in the next month or two to feature some interesting people on my blog, and in return to visit their blogs via interviews and guest posts and the like...we'll see how it works.

Thanks,

Jamie

KDP Select Giveaway of "Mickey Slips" eBook

I published my eBook "Mickey Slips" less than two weeks ago, and it has already been downloaded more than 800 times.



That's the good news.  The other news (it's not bad news, but more on that later on) is that 98% of those downloads were for free (not the $2.99 that my new eBook normally costs).

Why on Earth would I want to give away nearly $2,500 worth of my writing?

Kindle Desktop Publishing (KDP) has a program that allows authors to schedule free giveaways of their books for promotional purposes, and that's what I did...the 'why' is a little trickier, and only time will tell if it was a sensible or foolish move on my part.

The idea behind the giveaway is that in the sea of self-published books, it's nearly impossible for any single new author to stand out.  Promoting your book by giving it away for free does (in theory) a number of things...all of them good for fledgling authors:
it gets your book in front of lots of readers' eyes, and if they like what they read they may buy the other books that you have for sale...within 4 hours of the giveaway ending, I had sold 3 additional copies of my novel "Here Be Monsters".it pushes your book up the charts on Amazon...by the end of the sale, "Mickey Slips" was the #3 crime bestselling book on Amazon's free list, and the #30 mystery book.it may end up yielding some reviews for "Mickey Slips" which would be good...although apparently people don't tend to write reviews for books they've gotten for free, I'm hoping that some of the 800+ will write a review if they liked the book...(I've already gotten a couple of nice new ones on GoodReads)while $2,500 sounds like a lot of money to give away (and it is...don't get me wrong...I can picture myself taking a money-bath in the money from those missed sales) it was never in, and thus never came out of, my pocket...there are millions of people who read the kind of stuff that I write, so if giving my writing to a minute portion of them for free allows me to reach more of them in the end, it's worth itan unanticipated bump came in the form of more traffic being driven to my blog and FB and Twitter pages, likely from the links on the Amazon page for "Mickey Slips"
Time will tell whether or not the strategy worked for me, but it seems to make sense, and I did enjoy seeing my eBook climbing the bestsellers charts on Amazon over the last few days.

My current plan is to run a similar giveaway on each of my future short works, and to leave the novels as a straight-up 'for-sale' item.

Thanks,

Jamie

7 Great Reasons to Download My eBook for FREE!

I've been reading and thinking a lot about giving my work away for free (through the KDP Select program) since my first book went up for sale in January, and this blog post is the product of my research and thought.

 My new eBook "Mickey Slips" will be available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on Monday, April 15, 2013, and Tuesday, April 16, 2013.



You would have to be a muttonhead not to download it and/or tell all of your friends to do the same (and I'm going to tell you why in the next 838 words).

I wrote "Mickey Slips" for all of the usual reasons that writers write:
I love letting stories out of my headI wanted to explore a few of the characters from my novel "Here Be Monsters" a bit more closelyShort stories are fun to write (although "Mickey Slips" is a long-ish short story at 15K words)I wanted another chance to get my writing in front of readers Amazon's Kindle Desktop Publishing Select (KDP Select) has a program that allows me to give my eBooks away for free, and I've been curious about it ever since signing up.

It seems counter-intuitive on the surface, to give away something that I would just as soon sell, but there are seven great reasons for both me and you that explain giving my book away to hundreds (or dare I hope...thousands!) of people.

ONE: It's FREE!!!
Admittedly, this is the biggie.  People like free stuff, and you are people, so you should like this free stuff.  "Mickey Slips" is a great short read of about 60 pages, and for free, it's maybe even a little better.  The "It's FREE!!!" reason is entirely for readers like you.

TWO: More readers is More Better!!!
I wrote my novel and this shorter piece (and the others like it that are on deck, or still in production) for people to read and enjoy.  I love hearing from people who had a good time reading the stories that I write...LOVE IT!

THREE: Getting a book for free on April 15th is like an ANTI-TAX!!!
I picked April 15th for a reason...because people all across America are most aware of taxation on this day.  I figured that getting something for nothing is a nice way to fight feelings of powerlessness and poverty than many people get on the day that US taxes come due.

FOUR: Reviews are Always Good!!!
I want people to read the stories that I write, and I want people to review/rate them.  If they thought the story was awesome, great...tell me what you loved.  If the story could have been better, great...tell me how I can make the next one better for you.

More people reading my stories means more people telling me how to improve my writing.

FIVE: Free Stuff Makes You Cool!!!
 Letting somebody (or lots of somebodies) know about an awesome free eBook is cool.  I'm cool for telling you about it, and you will be super-cool for telling your friends about it.

"Mickey Slips" is crime fiction that I would give a PG-13-ish rating, with a hint of violence, a pinch of sex, some fun tech-weenie stuff, a quirky protagonist who will stop at nothing to help his friends, and some interesting moral questions...if that sounds like something you would enjoy, please download it...and tell your friends to do the same...COOL!

SIX: People Might Like the Freebie and Read My Other Writing!!!
 There's a not-so-tricky trick hidden within the giveaway idea, but since I'm telling you about it, I ruined it (but maybe not).  The trick is my hope that people will like "Mickey Slips" enough to find out about my other stories, and maybe buy them.  Now that you have peeked behind the curtain, the trick may not work on you, but I hope that it still will.

My hope is that even knowing that I'm trying no-so-subtly to trick you, that you will like the story enough to remember it, find your way to my page on Amazon sometime when you need something to read, and buy something else of mine.


SEVEN: If Giving "Mickey Slips" Away Works, I'll do it again!!!
I'm excited about the idea of this giveaway.  Knowing that hundreds, or even thousands, of people will have an opportunity to read my book is awesome.  Everyone who downloads "Mickey Slips" provides me with feedback in one form or another:
in theory, I could become a "top-seller" for an hour, or even a day just from the number of downloads, and get broader exposurepeople who might not otherwise hear about me, or be willing to take a chance on my writing, may read my story, with smiles or thoughtfulness ensuingI could get some useful or beneficial reviews from people who read the story, and improve my writing in the futurereaders could decide that they liked the free story enough to try some of my other writing, buying enough books to let me retire to the Amalfi Coast (or at least enough to stop eating PB&Js for lunch every dayJeff Bezos and/or Bill Gates might read my FREE story and decide to gift me with a million dollars to support my writingIf any (or all) of the five things above happen, I will certainly be giving more of my writing away in the future.

After the giveaway, I'll report back with numbers and an explanation of how, and what, I did to manage the giveaway and (hopefully) maximize the impact.

"Mickey Slips" for FREE on 4/15 & 4/16

Thanks,

Jamie

9 Marketing Tips From A Writer Who Hates Marketing!

You've labored to write and edit and self-publish your novel...now what?

There was a time, not so long ago, when I thought that getting the book in print (and formatted for ereaders) was the end... and that from there, I could move on to the next writing project. 


Of course I could do just that... my book, Here Be Monsters, sold a few hundred copies.  Why bother with marketing?  I hate selling stuff, especially my own work, my words.... I could leave well enough alone, and just move on to the next writing project.

To some degree that is exactly what I did do... my nascent marketing efforts are nothing compared to what many (most?) self-published authors go through to promote their work.

I decided, however, that I wanted more eyes to see my books, so I do a little marketing.  The things that I do are relatively simple, cheap, and have a minimal impact on my writing time.  I could do much more, and I could do significantly less; this balance works for me.


When it comes to marketing, I let frustration be my guide.  If I start to feel out of control and helpless, then I back away and do some writing for a while.  If one avenue/flavor/type of marketing has that effect on me repeatedly, then I cease my efforts in that vein, and find other ways to try and promote my book.

I have tried lots of different ways to market my writing, and am certain to have missed just as many (or more) viable ones.  More important than any particular method is to find the marketing approaches that you are comfortable with, and also to talk with other writers to find out what they are trying (and how it is working for them).


What Has Worked For Me...So Far

Before my book was done being edited, I had bought the domain www.JamieSheffield.com , and was using Blogger's software to build a website and a blog on which I regularly post.  Read the last sentence again, to make sure that you got the critical information contained within:
before the book was finisheddomain with my namesimple website/blog softwareregular postsThose four factors are critical to the success of your blog and website (which certainly can be separate entities, I simply found it easier to have it all in one place).  Your blog and website should have information about you and your writing, samples, reviews, and links to online sellers.  You should post fairly regularly, but not more than daily.  I'm still exploring my use of the blog and website, but more on that later.... Your blog/website should link to, and be linked  to, by all of the social media outlets that you participate in and use.



Again, before the book is even finished, you can (and should) set up an author's page on Facebook.  It's easy and free, and has the potential to reach gazillions of people.  Ask your FB friends to join, and seek out writers and groups with similar writing profiles to yours, and 'like' their pages.  I have run a few right-column advertisements on FB, and feel that I've gotten reasonable bang for the buck from them.  Make sure to post regularly on your FB page as well, and to link it (either directly or in the 'about" section) to your twitter page.  HERE is a cheatsheet for using FB more effectively to communicate/promote.

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I was leery of Twitter for a while because I doubted my ability to express myself in 140 characters or less.  The good news is that it just takes some getting used to, and then you'll be fine.  I have my FB author's page set to dump my posts from there into my Twitter account, and as such, try to limit myself to short posts for both.  Using hashtags is vital in effectively communicating with your followers (and those they may retweet you towards), HERE is a cheatsheet  to help you navigating the world of tweets.  I try to post on Twitter everyday, sometime multiple times per day (as your post can get buried more easily than on FB, it pays to target/plan your posting times... morning/evening). Assuming that you are selling your book on Amazon, you should set up an author's page at Amazon Author Central, link it to the sites I've listed above, and keep your data current.  I have not explored everything available to authors on Author Central, but it's on my list... like it or not, Amazon is the 400 pound gorilla in the self-publishing and online sales world these days.

GoodReads has recently been acquired by Amazon, so there is no way of knowing what the future holds for this site, but they have millions of members, all of whom love to read.  You should become a member of their Author Program, and make sure that your book is listed with them, linked to your author page, and that all of the other connectivity options are in place.  I've joined a number of communities at GR, and have added my book to multiple lists/groups, but am not fully sure of how to fully immerse myself in their system profitably (to date it feels to me as though lots of people are talking, and nobody is listening).
 I eagerly joined GooglePlus when it was first rolled out, and then left it alone when it was initially an empty warehouse space on the WWW.  I revisited it about a month ago, and have joined some communities (mostly for writing, some that cater to other interests of mine).  My experience has been very positive so far; although there is a learning curve involved in communicating between and among different levels of the public, friends, family, circles, hangouts, and communities.  I have added, and been added by, hundreds of people, and am continually amazed at the depth and breadth of useful information that comes my way every day.  I'm sure that there are "God is Great" posters and funny cat pictures on G+, but they don't seem to fill my screen with the rapidity that it happens on FB.
Things On My Radar To Try I want to get a better handle on GoodReads and G+, but feel as though I have a solid (if simple) base with all of the site/services listed above.  In the "What's Next?" category for my marketing plan, I have three main areas of focus at present (again, more may surface later today, but for now... these three).
A virtual book tour seems like a natural and easy way to spread the word about my book and writing.  I know, and am in contact with lots of writers and readers with blogs and websites, and getting my name out into their circles of readers is a good way to promote my writing.  Giving interviews, writing articles and guest-posting on their blogs/websites seems a relatively easy thing to do (and in turn, I'll host them on mine if they would like).

A video teaser or commercial for my book or writing or website seems as though it is within my skill-set, and could have a different reach than other avenues of promotion that I have explored so far.

Again, this is a different approach, and as such could be useful in reaching a broader and/or new audience for my writing.  I have the materials needed to do this, it would seem to be just a matter of trial and error and practice and learning to get everything working as it should.

Please feel free to get in touch with me at jsheffield@gmail.com is you have any questions or comments about this article.

Thanks,

Jamie

"Mickey Slips", a new Tyler Cunningham story, is now available!

In lieu of visiting some tropical location for my Spring Break from LPCSD, I stayed at home and worked on writing and editing...and editing...and editing.

The good news is that I got to spend some quality time with my laptop, my dogs, and my editor.  I  polished a longish short story (15K+ words), wrote another short piece, planned a third, and did some planning for this summer's novel project.

"Mickey Slips" made it onto Amazon's website last night, and should be a fun read for people who enjoyed the adventures of Tyler Cunningham in "Here Be Monsters", as well as those who haven't made his acquaintance yet.

You can buy the book HERE, or 'borrow' it for free if you're an Amazon Prime member.  In either case, I'd appreciate a review after you've read it (if you've got the time).

There should be more shorts coming out every few weeks through the spring and summer, and I'm hoping to release the next novel in January of 2014.

Thanks,

Jamie

New Tyler Cunningham Story for Release Next Week!

I've been enjoying myself during my two week vacation from my day-job, keeping busy with writing (and the obligatory marketing that comes with self-publishing).  I've finished two stories, totaling roughly 20,000 words, have another short piece mostly worked out, and have been doing some prep work for the second novel (which will be written this summer).


My current plan is to release the first, as yet unnamed, short story next week.  I will be working with my editor to clean up the second story, hopefully for publication in early May.  I plan to write the next short over the intervening weeks (it may end up being novella-length as it follows Tyler's first "case"), for a planned release in June.

The months of July and August will largely be spent (from a writing point of view) planning and writing the second full-length Tyler Cunningham novel, which has a working title of "Enigma".

Thanks,

Jamie

Easter Weekend Writing Projects and Stuff...

Happy Easter Everyone!

I'm spending the weekend at home with family, and doing some small writing projects to keep things moving forward during my Spring Break laid-back work-a-thon.

I took the staff of SmartPig out to dinner last night at the phenomenal local eatery, "Liquids and Solids"... we had a super time with the inspired cuisine and cocktails, talking about Tyler and Amazon's takeover of GoodReads and the continuing snow and wonderful dogs.

We worked yesterday and this morning to make some minor changes to the text of HBM... nothing major, a few typos and such, and one name change.

I've been working on various web-stuff: my website, my Amazon author page, my GoodReads author page, and my Shelfari author page...given recent events, it may be that all three of these will be smooshed together to some degree in the coming weeks and months, but I'll worry about that when it happens.

My content editor is working on an, as yet unnamed, novelette that explores the Tyler and Mickey dynamic hinted at in HBM.

I'm nearing completion of another short Tyler Cunningham piece that take place early next summer over the span of 240 nerve-wracking minutes on a Wednesday afternoon.

As soon as that short piece is completed, I'm hoping to get to work on another short piece that details one of the Tyler's first 'cases', and set seven years before HBM took place.

I've been in contact with a few more potential narrators for a possible HBM audiobook, but haven't heard the right voice yet.

I'm trying to set up a round-robin of author interviews and articles with other blogging indie-authors I've been meeting online, to spread the word about what we're writing, doing, thinking, etc.

That makes it sounds as though I've been tremendously busy, but I've also spent lots of the last week reading and cooking and walking the dogs and watching some Netflix.

I hope that you all have a good weekend, however you spend it...we might be about to start a Charleton Heston movie marathon..."The Ten Commandments", "Ben Hur", "The Agony and the Ecstasy", and ""Planet of the Apes".

Thanks,

Jamie

Spring Break Writing Schedule

I've been driving myself nuts the last few weeks trying to become something I'm not...a marketing guru or wizard or mogul...


I woke up this morning having had an overnight epiphany... I need to focus on my writing.

That doesn't seem extraordinary to hear, in a writer's blog, from a writer... but it came as a surprise to me that my subconscious was sending me this message.

"Writers write" - we've all heard or read that quote (I don't know whose it was originally).  I love to write, always have.  I don't do it for the money, although money is nicer than no money, given the choice.

I was lucky enough to have the stars and work and family align in such a way that I was able to write my first novel last summer, with the help of Camp NaNoWriMo, and am currently working on a novelette and 2 other short pieces that are related to my novel.

Therein lies the rub... I've found myself increasingly thinking and fretting and worrying about marketing the last few weeks, and have wandered a bit off track... I have been spending more time thinking about, and trying my hand at, marketing than at writing (which is the reason I'm here).  Lots of the writer's groups that I am a part of focus too much (for me) on marketing, and not enough on writing... and I need to learn to adjust my focus more effectively in these groups, to spend more time and energy on being a writer (and learning to be a better writer), and less time and energy trying to be one of the "Mad Men" (and learning to be a better "Mad Man").

I surprised myself this summer by being able to write and publish a novel, but am apparently, and sadly, not able to become a marketing maniac with the same aplomb... I've decided not to worry about it.

 I'm going to keep writing, which I love doing, and which makes me happy, and largely ignore the marketing side of things for now (at least until I've run through the current slate of story ideas banging around in my head).

I don't want to stop my nascent marketing efforts altogether, I enjoy my blog, and interacting with people on FB and Twitter and G+.  I would even like to expand into an exchange of author interviews with other blogs and bloggers.  I just want to regain my balance and purpose in being a writer... I want primarily to write.

I'm sorry for the TL; DR, but it occurs to me that I'm likely not the only writer out there (in here?) who has stumbled across this epiphany.  I'd love to hear from others who successfully achieve a balance with their writing and marketing.

Thanks,

Jamie

"Here Be Monsters" as an Audiobook?

I found out about ACX, a new Amazon acquisition, yesterday morning.  It exists to connect writers with narrators for the purpose of making audiobooks. I'm very excited about the possibilities of getting my novel made into an audiobook.

In much the same way that CreateSpace makes brings print publishing into the realm of possibility for aspiring authors, ACX would seem to be able to bring the exciting world of audiobooks to authors. 

Without having to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars up front, ACX asks an author to provide information about their work, and presents it to potential narrators to submit "auditions".  The author can listen to the "audition" (an mp3 file download waiting for the author in your account on the ACX website), and decide if they approve the narrator or not.  If the author approves the narrator's audition, they can make arrangements to have ACX record the audiobook; if they don't approve, they author can hold out for more auditions.

Within 24 hours of setting up my account on ACX, I already have one audition for "Here Be Monsters".  The narrator's voice is wonderful... rich and expressive, but sadly a bit too old-sounding to play the role of the protagonist in my book, so I'm going to send him my thanks, and wait for other auditions.

It was incredible hearing my book being read by a talented actor, even if the voice was not exactly what I wanted, and I can't wait to hear the next audition.

Thanks,

Jamie

Spring Break Sale! "Here Be Monsters" 50% off!

Today is the last day of school for me and the kids that I work with, and to celebrate, I'm cutting the price of "Here Be Monsters" in half.


In a perfect world, you could be reading this fun, quirky, and suspenseful novel on a beach or by a pool, with hot and cold running piña coladas and nothing to do but soak in the sunshine and warmth and read a great book and enjoy your cold/tart/sweet beverage...

Even if you're staying home, languishing under a sunless sky, maybe even working, getting a great book for less money is always a good thing, so buy yours today, and tell your friends about the super deal on a super book after you read (and love) it!

I'll be keeping the book at half-price for the duration of my Spring Break (March 22 through April 8).

All I ask in return for this largesse on my part is that you spread the good news in two way:
1) Tell your friends
2) Write a review for "Here Be Monsters" on Amazon and/or Goodreads (and maybe even Shelfari, if you're living out on the cutting edge).

Enjoy the book and your Spring Break...I'm planning on getting some writing done, and look forward to sharing some new stories on Amazon early in April.

Thanks,

Jamie