Ann Benjamin's Blog, page 263
October 14, 2015
30 Day Art Blog Challenge, Day 19: Favorite TV Character
Well, as often as she appears on this blog, I can’t see anyone knocking Liz Lemon off her post any time soon. I can go into any place on either my work or personal computer and find multiple .gifs of this character. Well done, Tina Fey.
On so many levels this has been me this week. #donotask
October 13, 2015
30 Day Art Blog Challenge, Day 18: Favorite quote
I’ve covered this question previously, so instead I’ll leave you with an awesome recent quote from my (awesome) Dad (about my writing and upcoming hiatus).
You’ll have time to not only travel, but devote more time to your writing. I think it’s just a matter of time before you are “discovered. Your books have been very professional, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.
– My Dad (aka JT3)
I’m very lucky to have such supportive parents. They always read my books and honestly believe I am going to ‘make it’ as an author. On days where I don’t always feel like my writing is ever going to take off, it’s good to know someone has my back.
October 12, 2015
Book Review: Invasion of the Tearling
I stayed up late last night to finish novel #2 in the Tearling trilogy and am currently suffering from a major book hangover. Ms. Johansen takes the world and characters she created in the Queen of the Tearling and expands them ever so wonderfully in the Invasion of the Tearling. Delving into the mythology of how the world as Queen Kelsea and her peers came to know it, the author writes a parallel story that is well integrated into the main storyline. It’s a major risk, but, in my opinion, the gamble pays off (other readers seem to disagree, but I think it adds another great layer to the book).
Ms. Johansen continues to build a wonderfully complicated protagonist. Kelsea is impulsive (let’s just say that the scene where she ‘interacts’ with the Holy Father made me pump my fist, then run and tell my husband what happened), loyal, headstrong and…still trying to figure herself out. She has faults. She has temptations. She can be unsure of herself. However, the people in her life try to support her as best they can, while Kelsea does her best to protect her country.
Buy it!With a strongly written supporting cast, I can’t wait to see how this series resolves. The countdown to June 7, 2016 is on!
I’m not saying this is true, but…
Sincerely,
Someone who has had insomnia for years and is annoyed at nearly every single sound.
October 11, 2015
30 Day Art Challenge, Day 17: The Color Orange
Kind of whelmed by this topic, so here’s a fun .gif instead (he’s kind of orange and I need to credit this):
Facebook ads vs. Twitter vs. Amazon – and why I like Facebook best.
In the pursuit of marketing my books, let it be said, I will try anything once (sponsored tweets, sponsored Instagram, book trailers, you get the idea…). Furthermore, sometimes I feel like I’m getting the hang of social media and other times, I realize I have less than any clue. Upon the release of Life After Joe, I decided to invest some money on Facebook, Amazon and Twitter. In a snapshot below, I thought would share my results, thoughts, and explanations to date.
My main goal in each of these campaigns was to raise awareness for Life After Joe. Sure, some sales would be nice, but more than anything, I’m just trying to connect with my audience and let them know this product exists.
Pros: Easy to use, easy to update, easy to target very specific demographics and I love how low you can set the price point ($1). At my best, I was averaging about $0.08 per click – pretty good value. As a bonus, I got a lot of traffic to my Author page.
Cons: Difficult to see exactly how many sales were generated. Yes, I sent 572 to the Amazon page for Life After Joe, but how many people decided to buy?
2. Amazon
Pros: It’s Amazon. Easy to add and delete targeted items. Tons of impressions (this is ongoing as I only started the campaign last week). Easy to see if clicks are generating into sales.
Cons: The lowest opt in to spend is $100 (no bueno). Less control over specific demographics.
3. Twitter
Pros: Lots of impressions! Easy to set the price point very low.
Cons: I have no idea what I’m doing (clearly). Most expensive per unit. I had no confidence that my targeted ad was getting to who I wanted it to.
Not explored yet: Goodreads, the why-can’t-I-figure-this-shit-out of Google Ads (no seriously, I’ve lost at least two hours of my life to this thing), and BookBub (if only they would accept me). My plan for my hiatus next year is to spend some serious time REALLY understanding how and where to spend my money (Lynda.com don’t let me down!).
Overall: Going into the holiday season, I think I’m going to keep my advertising dollars with Facebook. I will probably keep my investment low, but with Facebook I feel like I’m at least doing something for my book.
What has been your experience to date? Do you have any recommendations on ‘how tos’ for better understanding these programs? Advice is appreciated!
October 10, 2015
30 Day Art Challenge, Day 16: Favorite Skyline
I’ve been fortunate to live in some great cities and visit many others – but I do love the Dubai skyline! I’ve chosen this angle because it includes the building Hubs and I lived in for years, as well as the first building I worked in (circa 2007) – the Emirates Towers (my favorite buildings). It does NOT include the Burj Khalifa, unless, y’know, you count that it was taken from the tallest building in the world…
Sunday Sentence.
“Maybe I’ll post a consumer review. “Brought product to surface of Mars. It stopped working. 0/10.”
— Andy Weir (The Martian)
Having reviewed this book already, I thought the timing was appropriate as I saw the film this weekend. As with most book adaptations, I wanted more. Matt Damon’s Mark Watney did not align with my mental Mark Watney. Visually, the movie was stunning and if you hadn’t read the book, I’m sure it would be enjoyable. Still…just read the book – Andy Weir has done a fantastic job and it’s worth the purchase.
30 Day Art Challenge, Day 15: Favorite Book
No pressure? Just one?
I’ll go with (and again, any readers of my blog won’t be surprised)… In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce. As a young woman (and to this day), there was so much to love about Alanna. A knight! A talented swords woman (in disguise)! In love – with a Prince – and they have sex (and no judging)! A goddess! A supernatural cat! I reread the book last year and it really held up. I’m so glad I discovered these books when I was younger.
Find the original here.
