Ann Benjamin's Blog, page 259

Easy listening.

A few recommendations.  While I have a pretty eclectic taste in podcasts, I’ve recently added two new ones into the mix, which I’ve been enjoying.

Dear Bitches, Smart Authors (as an author, I’ve always enjoyed the blog, and the podcast is equally as fun. It’s a goal to start listening to more author/reading type podcasts and this seems like a good place to start).
Conde Nast Traveler Travelogue (my only note would be that they seem to focus heavily on the US, but I’m hoping they go for more exotic locations in upcoming episodes)

Additionally, I would be remiss if I did not share an amazing radio station we’ve pretty much been listening to nonstop since having it recommended to us:

OFFradio – do you need chillout music?  Of course you do.  Do you need music to be the diagetic soundtrack in your life?  Yes!  Do you care if the announcers speak soft spoken Greek?  You shouldn’t!  My 70 year old father even approves.

Do you have any recommendations to add?

A Big Question.

Would you be okay if your books don’t bring in a lot of money, but you have a great time writing full-time and make lots of meaningful connections with readers?

I often chat with my friend Elena, a talented author and artist in her own right.  Last night, she posed this question and I don’t think she realized how much it stuck with me.

Given next year‘s plans, I honestly do not know what to expect.  Optimistically, I’d love to believe that commercial and critical success await. Realistically, I doubt that’s entirely possible.  To date, I’ve been fortunate to make some very meaningful connections with a variety of readers.  Would those types of relationships sustain me?  I think for awhile, it would be okay, however, in the long term, if I am staying home and concentrating on writing, I would want to have some small degree of financial success with my published works.  Was that enough commas?

What do you think, dear reader?  Is it enough to be loved by a few, or do you crave acceptance from the masses?

Sunday Sentence.

“I’m sure you’re very nice, but you’d be even nicer if you went away.”

— Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers)

I completed my term paper on the great Dumas (père) novel in my junior year of high school and it’s always held a special place for me.  While I have a long term project I’d like to (one day) complete with The Count of Monte Cristo, for today, this quote seemed like a good one to share.

Just the feedback an author wants to wake up to…

I loved the writing style and the rawness of it all! I couldn’t put it down…mostly…then there were other times, I just had to take a break from it to find tissues and blow my nose and just take a break from all the intense feelings the book evoked.

– Recent reader, feedback from Life After Joe

Honestly, receiving unsolicited (awesome) feedback is the way I want to wake up every morning.  The reader went on to say she recommended to friends and other readers.

Another successful KDP free book run.

In 2014, when I first approached the Room 702 free KDP run, I had no concept of what numbers I would accomplish.  I think in the back of my mind, my hope was to make it up to the Top 100 on Amazon.  When I peaked at #22 for all Amazon free books, it was a great feeling.  At that time, other than paying for some of the promotional websites to help market my book on my behalf, I did not: have access to BookBub (but damn if I’m not going to keep trying) or officially advertise on Twitter or Facebook (I did do posts, but did not pay for anything specific).

When I set out recently with Life After Joe, I knew I would be up against a challenge.  Although my thought process went something like this: “There will be a ton of people online for Cyber Monday, so why not offer them something for free?  Who doesn’t like free stuff?” I had two relatively large details to overcome:

Timing.  Because I had guests in town and was committed to being away from my computer, I had to really force myself to set everything up in advance.  If I had unlimited time, there are numerous other websites, groups and forums I would’ve posted about my free book.  Instead, I had to accept the results with the amount of effort I put in.  Additionally, given I was promoting a book during one of (if not the busiest) online traffic periods in the year, I was afraid (and had to accept) that my novel might get lost in the noise.
Lack of reviews.  Room 702 went further (I believe) because at the time of the free release, it had over 10 positive reviews.  In comparison, Life After Joe only had three reviews at the time of the promotion.  As an avid reader, I tend to only look at books with higher review counts and feel my book might have been overlooked with its limited reviews.

However, even with the above, I peaked at #44 and remained in the Top 100 for at least 72 hours.  I was in the Top 1 (or 3) in categories that really mattered to me (Women’s Fiction and Contemporary Fiction).  In this, I feel there is some element of understanding how the system works and proud of my little self published attempts.

On the way up to #44.

So, here is my (unsolicited) advice for the ‘process’ (if you can call it that).  Hitting the Top 50 both times is not something everyone can claim, so hopefully some of this information will be helpful to you.

A distinct cover. (Yes, this goes without saying for a number of reasons, but it needs to be said).  In all that is going on with available free books, yours has to stand out.
Some money to invest in marketing.  You don’t need to break the bank, but you also can’t be everywhere at once.  Do some research in advance of who can help get your name out the most (and no, I was not accepted to BookBub with either novel).
Realistic expectations.  Don’t set yourself up for failure.  Don’t beat yourself up if the numbers aren’t perfect.  Know yourself, your book and your genre.  Did I want to crack the Top 10 with Life After Joe?  Of course!  Was that realistic?  Nope!
Timing is everything.  I think it’s smart to start with a 3 day window (including at least one weekend day) and hold reserve days if your book starts performing.  In both of my cases, I added on extra days to maintain the high number and get my book to as many interested readers as possible.
Tell a story.  In both of the free releases, I ‘sold’ the event to my friends and family (and strangers).  With 702 it was an ‘un-birthday present’ on my birthday.  With Joe, it was a ‘treat yo self’ in the time when potential readers were shopping and spending money on others (Cyber Monday).
Some of your marketing won’t even make a dent.  Accept that.  While some of my Facebook ads do quite well, in this event, I received limited follow through (which leads me to believe I did things wrong and have more research to do here).

And what do you have to add?  Any other techniques, platforms, or tricks to try?  I’ll have another book out next year and would love to improve upon my numbers again.

Life After Joe – free to download 11/29 – 12/1!

Doing some online shopping this Cyber Monday on Amazon?  Why not download something *free* for yourself?  I hope you enjoy my book.

PS If you don’t have the Kindle app already, it’s also free to download.

Obsessing over the launch of my KDP Select free days for two of my books…

“Due to system latencies, the exact start or end of a promotion can vary by a few minutes or several hours. In some cases, this period may be longer.”

In some cases, this period may be longer.”

Trying not to freak out over here, y’all.

For anyone on the road this week…

Original here.

Book Review: Ticker

It is very rare for me to so complete dislike a book within the first few pages.  As an author, I honestly try and give the benefit of the doubt as often as possible.

Unfortunately…

Assaulted from the first chapter, the level of STEAMPUNK!!! in Ticker is altogether too overwhelming for my tastes.  While I understand world building is important, especially when establishing a new place and time, the amount of detail crammed into each sentence goes above and beyond to be unique and eclectic. This style is far too obvious and clunky for me to want to invest further time in this novel.  Furthermore, with no real connection to the protagonist (don’t get me wrong, I get and respect that she’s different), I am stopping at 13% (very rare for me).  

I think this book is a valuable lesson in the type of novel I definitely do not want to write or be compared to.  While I appreciate elements of steampunk are necessary in the genre, my alternate history is going to focus less on gadgets, gizmos and stylized naming conventions and more on the story and character development of Queen Juliette, her reign and her friends and family.

And sidebar, I will most definitely NOT be taking a page from Ms. Mantchev, and naming her Penelope (Penny f*cking) Farthing.

Brilliant cover – wish the novel lived up to it!

Am I missing something?  Have you read and enjoyed this book?  Is it worth trying to go forward?

Sunday Sentence.

This was the first chapter book I ever finished and it holds a special place for me.