Ann Benjamin's Blog, page 300

Thanks, Universe!

“I am just astounded that [my actual name redacted] is this good. I’m really enjoying it!!!”

Thanks to insomnia (and some pretty snarky remarks on one of my other works) I had another terrible night’s sleep and went to a bad place of ‘what’s the point/no one’s reading my stuff/why do I even bother writing at all?’  I was therefore very happy to wake up and find a friend of my mom’s had read Room 702 and enjoyed it!

Additionally, the dip I had in Saturday’s free downloads on iTunes proved a fluke and I was 9 shy of 500 downloads yesterday.  Still no reviews.  My running total is closing in on 1500.

Approaching 800.

So, the free thing is working out.  I think.  Each day there are more free downloads than the day before.  As of July 25th, according to iTunes connect, 769 copies of Room 702 have been downloaded.  I’m trying not to focus on the fact that if these were ‘real sales’ I would probably clear a little over $1 a book which would have netted me a pretty decent profit for a few days work.  I initially decided to run the ‘deal’ from July 21 – July 31, so I’m curious to see where this will go and if Amazon will match the price as they did with my previous book.

Anyway, the missing element so far is the lack of reviews.  While I, of course, want positive ratings and lots of stars, I’m also insanely curious what these people think about the book.  Do they love it?  Did they enjoy it?  Do they, gulp, hate it?  I’m kind of desperate for any sort of reaction.

 

One day these will be real sales, right?

 

0 to 74 in just one day.

Well, the ‘giving away things for free’ technique is working.  74 copies of Room 702 flew off the virtual shelves yesterday on iTunes – heading for not only the US, but also the UK, Ireland, Brazil and Austria.

I guess this makes me happy.

I’m still struggling with the fact that I thought I would be further along the process by now – more reviews, more traction, but I’ll have to take interest in my book wherever I can, right?  Also, these are people who probably would’ve never paid for my book in the first place, so there is no loss of revenue.  The optimist in me also wants to hope that somehow, somewhere, at least one of them will leave a positive review.

No, the 74 do not count towards my goal of 10,000.

Book Club questions for Room 702.

This seems a bit preemptive because no one has read the book but I read it on a suggestion for free things an author can do to help their book and it sounded like fun and a good way to procrastinate from writing. Also, I should probably do this for a few of my YA books.

So, here are some suggested questions that I, as the author of Room 702, would put forward.

1.  How did you experience the book? Were you drawn in immediately, or did it take you a while to get into it?

2.  Of the many chapters, who were your favorites guests (or employees) at the Winchester?

3.  Given the structure Room 702 is a bit gimicky, why might the author have chosen to tell the story the way she did—and what difference does it make in the way you read or understand it?

4.  What passages strike you as insightful? Is there a bit of dialog that’s funny or poignant or that encapsulates a character?

5.  Describe your dream hotel room.  Does the hotel suite described in Room 702 sound like a place you would want to stay in?

6.  Do you have any memorable stories from a hotel room?

7.  How do you think the book ended?  Were there any stories or characters you wanted more resolve with?

8.  If you could ask the author any question, what would you ask?

9.  For the person who chose the book, what made you want to read it?  Are you glad you suggested it?  Would you want to read more from the author?  Yes.

10.  What were some of the major themes of the book?  Do any of the themes resonate with you?

11.  Did any of the characters remind you of someone you know?  How?

If you’ve read the book, please feel free to chime in with your own – or answer above!

Pennies from Heaven.

How my brain works.

Current WIP is approximately 11,992 words.

Ann’s thought: “When this book is a runaway success, I will totally get myself one of these.”  Never mind ‘this’ is a super rare almost $4500 coin, that the book isn’t complete or that any of my other works have achieved any levels of success.

Filed under fascinating.

Sometimes research leads me to strange and interesting places.

Lincoln wheat pennies were first minted 1909 to commemorate the 100th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln. The wheat penny was the first penny design to incorporate the image of Abraham Lincoln, who still appears on the coin today. Before the Lincoln cent, no actual person’s face had been depicted on a regularly circulated United States coin. Durum wheat stalks appear on the reverse side of the coin, which is why it is distinguished with the name “wheat penny.” The Lincoln penny is the longest-running design of any coin in Mint history. The wheat penny design was minted until 1958, when the image of the stalks of wheat was changed to the image of the Lincoln Memorial.

As with any coin in a collection, it is important to understand a little about the history of a wheat penny, including its origins and how to distinguish rare pieces from more common coins, before making any purchases.

More here.

I can’t be the only person that finds this stuff interesting, right?

Changing things up.

With my 30 or so copies sold, it seems a change is needed in how I approach marketing Room 702.  None of the 20 or so free copies I’ve sent out to industry professionals have hit or been reviewed anywhere, leaving me in a very non-publicized place.  This morning I decided to make the book free on iTunes (sorry for those of you have supported me so far – please know your purchases mean the world to me!).  I’m hoping for some reviews, some energy – something.  Additionally, making the book free on iTunes should force Amazon to match the price (without opting the book into Kindle Select).  Giving away the book is not really what I had in mind, but I need to gain an audience somehow.

I’m also debating putting together a marketing campaign for Labor Day (US), but am not sure I’m ready for failure if it inevitably happens.

In the meantime, I’ve started a new book and am 11,000 words in.  #luckypenny

In which Ann learns a new word.

Yes, it’s been awhile.

Stuff happened and now it’s time to get back to writing and promoting this book of mine which refuses to gain any traction whatsoever.

Anyway…while I was gone I thought of a new idea for a novel.  Enter Pen Pals (terrible working title) based on a true story that was told to me while home.  And here is something for you to learn (or maybe you already knew).  An epistolary novel tells its story through correspondence, letters, telegrams, and the like.  And now I should stop procrastinating and start writing.

3 star review on Goodreads…

…with no description why.

Ann, get over it.  Not everyone is going to like your book.

A day in the life.

I’m 185 pages into editing my current WIP.  I won’t go into too many details of the ever changing plot, but it involves Atlantis and some of the gods in the Greek pantheon.  I was researching Poseidon’s trident (an item that features prominently) and in the Google images search, found this gem (from Rap Genius – apparently!):

So, there’s that…

OK.

Stepping back.

Moving on.