C.R. Richards's Blog, page 22

It’s Coming!

Denver ComicCon is a few weeks away. This will be my first time attending and I cannot wait!

Check out the Guest list! Cary Elwes, Karl Urban, Kevin Hearne, Clark Gregg, Stan Lee…deep breaths. I’m cool.

Join me on Saturday, June 18th for our panel – Self-Publishing: Is It For You? at 1:30pm

I’ll be signing my books, The Lords of Valdeon and Pariah, in Author’s Alley (Booth PP15) on Friday, June 17th from 11:45 am to 1:50 pm. Just look for the giant lion and the hot looking elf!

 

Want more info? Check out my interview on Groovey.TV

BookCons – Should You Participate If You Can’t Attend?

BookExpo America and New Title Showcase seemed like a huge success last week in Chicago. I’m making assumptions based off the Twitter feeds and FB posts. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there. My book, however, was on the shelf to greet potential readers.

Why participate when you can’t be there to meet and greet readers? Full disclosure: My books sales didn’t noticeably increase last week, but I did see other benefits.

According to my analytic tools:

My website visitors increased last week by +220 percent
New visitors increased by +250 percent
My average visitor stayed on my site for 2 minutes and 10 seconds for an increase of +2516 percent
I also saw a +241.5 percent increase of visitors to my Facebook Page
My Twitter followers increased and my posts experienced a nice hike in activity and impressions

A virtual presence can be useful at these events. Don’t shy away from the opportunity to engage with new followers.

The biggest reminder we have from these results? Take the time to product a high quality book. More times than not it has to stand on its own merit. You won’t be there to praise your book baby’s finer points.

My Kind Of Town

This is my kind of town, Chicago is

My kind of town…

I’ll spare you the rest of my really bad impersonation of Sinatra! Can’t promise I won’t be whistling the tune as I head out the door. The Lords of Valdeon is headed for BookExpo America in Chicago this week.

BEA and New Title Showcase

Road Trip Project Manager Style

First – I want to wish you a Happy Belated Project Management Day in Denver. It was on April 29th. That’s okay. I didn’t get you anything either.

I spent our special day at the Denver Convention Center (home of the Big Blue Bear) attending the 18th Annual Rocky Mountain Project Management Symposium along with 1500 + of my fellow Project Managers. Big Kudos and a Thank You to PMI Mile Hi Chapter for doing a phenomenal job putting this symposium together!

A special note to my fellow authors and other creative folks who are wondering what possible benefit they could glean from this post. Substitute the term “Team” or “Team Mate” with “Reader”, “Film Enthusiast”, “Patron of the Arts” or “Customer.”

Each time I attend a conference or symposium, I discover a common theme(s) I’m supposed to take away from the event. I’d like to share two of these themes or lessons with you, because I believe they impact all of us.

Theme the First: Observing my reactions to interactions with team mates and preparing for the next generation entering the workforce

Our morning keynote speaker, the very funny Connie Podesta, kicked things off with an enlightening session about personality types. She was spot on in my case. I’m one of those “heads down” and “get it done” type folks who absolutely hates small talk. Thinking about the interactions I’ve had with my own team, I realize we have each personality type she defined. It is my responsibility, as the Lead Project Manager on our program, to build a cohesive team structure. Sometimes you just have to look up from your work and interact with people (groan). Note: For more information about Connie Podesta, check out her website.

Building and maintaining team relationships can be difficult. One of the key challenges for a Project Manager is communicating effectively with a multi-generational team. Baby Boomers think differently than Gen Xers (my generation). Gen Yers or Millennials come from a different digital world. Now Gen Zers are about to enter the workforce. In her workshop “Gen Z and Beyond: The Trends that Will Shape the Workforce of Tomorrow”, Aileen Ellis from AME Group Inc. explains this generation is made up of the first true Digital Natives. Communicating and engaging them in our mission goals will require a different approach. Don’t worry. You can do it! Start by having a conversation with your new Gen Zer team mate.

Theme the Second: Seeing Myself as a Service Product

Imagine the anthem “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf booms out of the conference room speakers. The unmistakable roar of a Harley Davidson Motorcycle thunders against the walls as the door flies open. Riding on a beautiful motorcycle is our keynote speaker, Clyde Fessler. Recognize the name? If you’re a Harley fan you do. He is one of the marketing gurus behind the dramatic turnaround of Harley Davidson. It was fascinating to listen how his creative thinking helped this beloved brand not only survive, but thrive. NOTE: Check out Clyde Fessler’s website and drool over the Harleys a bit.

Considering the ways Mr. Fessler made the Harley brand an endearing and enduring part of American culture, I began to realize the importance of branding my product: Project Management and Leadership. What do I stand for? Quality. Professional Ethics. Strong Leadership. Creative Thinking.

What about you? What is your professional brand?

Challenging The Question

I ran across a social media conversation by an author pondering the question we all fantasize about: “Should I quit my day job and write full time?”

I’m not going to blog about the obvious risks or make comments about the realities of economics. What I am going to do is challenge the question.

Who started spreading the demoralizing rumor each of us only gets the one dream? Ms. Jones is a writer. She can’t have any other aspirations. Mr. Dupree is an artist. That’s it. The end. Newsflash: You can’t fit people in a little box and store them on a shelf. We are more than what we do. We are also more than our dreams. Each of us have been gifted with special talents. We’re meant to use every last one of them for the betterment of the world. Yep. The world needs your skills.

I love being a storyteller. Sharing tales to inspire and encourage readers is an amazing experience. There is, however, more to me and my stories. I’m a project manager/ innovator. I use my gift of bringing people and ideas together to achieve a common goal. Storyteller. Innovator. Both are incredibly rewarding. I am 100% invested in both dreams. I’ve been doing both for over five years. My head hasn’t exploded yet.

Right now on this blog post, I’m giving you permission to have and fulfill more than one dream. I think you’ll find (as I have), they actually complement each other. Don’t waste one minute of your day being miserable in a job you hate! Find new and creative ways to use your gift in the job you have or find another career.

And the Let’s Get Silly Quiz Continues:

Xavier, bearer of the Wolf Ring, leads the Sacred Guard as they try to find the Lion Ring and keep Valdeon from civil war.

Here is Week #2’s Quiz Question:

What Mel Brooks movie is this famous scene from?

Exterior: Creepy forest at night. A wolf howls in the distance.

Teri Garr: Werewolf!

Gene Wilder: Werewolf?

Marty Feldman: There wolf.

Gene Wilder: What?

Marty Feldman: There wolf. There castle.

Gene Wilder: Why are you talking that way?

Marty Feldman: I thought you wanted to.

Gene Wilder: No. I don’t want to.

Marty Feldman: Suit yourself. I’m easy.

Reminder: Answer the question in the DTJ Blog Comments Section (not on Twitter or FB). Winners will be provided with a coupon for the book. Downloading from Smashwords is easy. Select which format you want (MOBI for Kindle, pdf, etc.) enter the coupon when you check out and follow the instructions for downloading to your device.

Do You Know Your A-wimoweh?

The Lion Ring, symbol of the god-like Jalora’s covenant with the King of Valdeon, is lost when its bearer mysteriously disappears. Valdeon grows closer to civil war as the Jalora’s protective power fades from the land.

Here is Week #1’s Quiz Question: We all know the first verse of The Tokens “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” song:

In the jungle

The mighty jungle

The Lion sleeps tonight

In the jungle

The quiet jungle

The lion sleeps tonight

A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh…

What are the first six words of the next verse (after all the A-wimowehs)?

Enter your answer in the blog comments. The first person to answer correctly wins a free ecopy of The Lords of Valdeon.

Reminder: You must answer the question in the DTJ Blog Comments Section (not on Twitter or FB). Winners will be provided with a coupon for the book. Downloading from Smashwords is easy: Select which format you want (MOBI for Kindle, pdf, etc.) enter the coupon when you check out and follow the instructions for downloading to your device.

Let’s Get Silly

Last week I delivered some serious data and observations on my first experience using KDP Select. Then I skipped on over to Smashwords and published The Lords Of Valdeon. My ebook has been distributed to Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks, Kobo and several other ebook traders for sample downloads and purchase.  Don’t worry. It’s still available on Amazon.

Reason enough to celebrate right? Well, there’s more. The Lords of Valdeon is headed to Book Expo America and New Title Showcase in Chicago (May 11 – 13). It’s on display in print copy and via a very cool ebook presentation. Thousands of readers will walk through the shelves of new titles, hoping to find a book that catches their eyes. Kind of sounds like speed dating. Shudder.

What better way to celebrate both then a “Let’s Get Silly” contest. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be posting ridiculously easy quiz questions. The first person to answer correctly in the comments wins a free ecopy of The Lords of Valdeon downloadable from Smashwords.

Rules: You must answer the question in the DTJ Blog Comments Section (not on Twitter or FB). Winners will be provided with a coupon for the book. Downloading from Smashwords is easy: Select which format you want (MOBI for Kindle, pdf, etc.) enter the coupon when you check out and follow the instructions for downloading to your device.

Quiz begins on April 20th. See you next week!

KDP Select: Experiment Results Are In

The results are in! My first experience with KDP Select wraps up today. Let’s establish some baseline data:

Pariah

Standalone Urban Fantasy released in 2014
Published on Amazon and Smashwords at the same time
Hired a virtual book tour company for a one month tour


The Lords of Valdeon

Book One in an Epic Fantasy Series released in 2015 and ebook in 2016
Published on Amazon KDP Select in January and signed up for Kindle Unlimited
Hired publicist for a three month marketing campaign

Let’s Talk Sales

Looking at sales over the first three months of both books, the results are very clear. The Lords of Valdeon outsold Pariah by a significant amount. Was it KDP Select or the stellar efforts of my publicist? Let’s take a closer look:

Foreign sales for The Lords of Valdeon outpaced the non-existent sales for Pariah in the overseas market. Thank you France and Denmark! (One point for KDP Select)
Domestic sales are a little more unclear. The Lords of Valdeon did pretty well in its first three months, but sales for Pariah shot right up there too during this time period. I believe this is the result of my publicist’s promotion of all of my books during the campaign. (Point goes to Sami at Roger Charlie)

Special Features

Let’s review the compelling reasons most people try KDP Select:

Kindle Unlimited – I know there’s controversy about how authors are paid for signing their books up for this lending library. However – enrolling my book resulted in a shocking number (in a good way) of daily pages read. The Lords of Valdeon is the first book in a series. Kindle Unlimited helped me to build up readership.
Promotional Deals – Countdown Deals and free promotions are critical to getting your book noticed in the Amazon universe. BUT – you have to be signed up for Kindle Select to play.

Bottom Line

I will definitely sign my next book up for one 90 day term in KDP Select. Why am I not signing up for another 90 days this time around? Reader interest for my book in Kindle Unlimited dwindled drastically after a few months as the virtual shelves made way for new releases. It might be worth remaining in the KDP Select program if you are writing a series and are able to publish the next book within say six months of the last one. The promotional programs would be a big help to you. I, unfortunately, am not able to release more than a book a year at this stage of my life.

Mobile Is The New Black

The publishing industry is constantly changing on new waves of technology. Mobile has evolved from “the new curiosity” to “the standard necessity.” Ride the fast moving wave or perish beneath its icy fingers.

Websites

Is your website mobile-friendly? It needs to be. Some search engines like Google have adopted “Mobile Friendliness” as a ranking signal. In other words, when folks search for my name or books, my mobile-friendly website gets a higher place in the results.  See Google’s AdSense help for optimization tips and tests.

Book Covers and Text

Board a plane and you’ll see a cabin full of readers with their eyes glued to their tablets. As an Indie Author, the sight always gives me a warm fuzzy. A few folks (Obviously with younger and better vision than mine) do their reading on their smart phones. Do they also purchase their ebooks on these tiny little powerhouses? I want to make sure my ebook covers grab a potential reader’s eye whether they shop on a laptop or a tiny mobile device.

What about after they’ve purchased the book? Indie Authors have the opportunity to use all sorts of funky text within the book. Style may be fun, but readability is critical. Make certain your text is easily viewable on a mobile device.

Audio

This is my next adventure and I believe, the new “necessity” moving forward.

Imagine A World Without Cubicles

Most of us start our Monday mornings drudging into the office gulping down our stale cup of coffee within the confines of a bland cubicle. Though we are surrounded by other inmates, our interactions are limited to emails. Lots and lots of emails. We’re too bogged down to even think of collaborating with each other.

What if things could be different?

Imagine starting your day on a mobile device while you sip coffee at an outdoor breakfast nook. You open your social collaboration app on your phone and see a customer has a question. Darn it. You don’t know the answer, so you reach out to your online social communities. In minutes, colleagues from around the globe start a discussion and help you come up with a great strategy to resolve the issue. No emails were exchanged. The problem was solved quickly.

Impossible? Not anymore. I’ve seen the future. It’s pretty awesome. JiveWorld brings innovators from around the world to share their stories of collaboration and innovation. Global companies have been adopting collaborative platforms for several years. It was interesting to see how these massive organizations communicate across time zones and oceans to serve their customers.

Hints of a change in workforce management caught my imagination during one session. One CEO is experimenting with what he calls a “Contingent Workforce.” Resources come in. Do what is needed and then head for the next project. Result: a reduction in overhead costs. I know. This sounds like the “hire a contractor” model. BUT – here’s what my day dream for the future would look like from a worker’s point of view:

Imagine wrapping up a job. You check your social collaboration app on your mobile device. There are two companies who’d like you to spend the next six months with them working on a project. You check the calendar. It’s almost June. You decide you’d like to take a month long vacation. Why not? You don’t have to ask anyone, because you are your own boss. In fact. All contingency workers are their own bosses. You change your status as “unavailable” until July. One of the companies agrees to the new start date. And there it is. All you need to do now is plan your vacation. A job will be waiting for you when you get back.

Sounds pretty sweet to me. I’d love to see this happen in my life time. Fingers crossed!