Wayne Franklin's Blog - Posts Tagged "mousefirst"

As you may know, Midlife Mouse has been on sale for only $1.99 for the last week at Amazon's Kindle Store. As happens with these types of promotions, we had a good surge of activity for the first few days, the result of which was that the book reached as high as the top-10 of Amazon's bestsellers list for satire, surrounded by names like Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. It has also been listed as a "Hot New Release" in satire for most of the week, alongside Carl Hiaasen and Helen Fielding.

The $1.99 sale will end this Thursday, June 13, but we want to go out with a bang. Our goal is to make Midlife Mouse #1 in satire for that day. That's where you come in.

We're creating a day-long, online event during which fans of Midlife Mouse and author Wayne Franklin can help us get the word out about the last day of the sale. We're calling it MouseFirst Thursday.

How You Can Help:

1. If you haven't already, buy a Kindle copy of Midlife Mouse this Thursday. (If you already own a copy or don't use the Kindle format, move on to step 2.)

2. Promote MouseFirst to your friends on Facebook. We've found the book has appeal to far more than just Disney fans. Here are some sample status updates you can use, depending on where you live or what your interests are:

If you're a Disney fan or a fan of good fiction, help make Midlife Mouse the #1 Kindle title in satire. Only $1.99 today! http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16

Help Mobile native Wayne Franklin take his novel, Midlife Mouse, to #1 of Kindle's bestsellers in satire. Only $1.99 today!
http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16

Help Birmingham's own Wayne Franklin reach #1 on the Kindle bestseller list for satire with his novel, Midlife Mouse. Only $1.99 today!
http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16

Help make Midlife Mouse #1 in satire. Reviewers call it "Magical!" "part Big Fish, part Disney lore and all heart" and "filled to the brim with charm and graceful humor." Only $1.99 today!
http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16

3. Tweet about it. Be sure to include the permalink: http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16
You can also include the twitter handles @MidlifeMouse and @AmazonKindle, and hashtags like #MouseFirst, #indiepublishing and #Disney.

Example:

Support #indiepublishing. Make @MidlifeMouse #1 in satire for @AmazonKindle. Only $1.99 today! #MouseFirst #Disney http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16

Or you can appeal to fans of Wayne's alma mater:

Help Bama grad @wannabef get his novel, @MidlifeMouse, to #1 in satire! Only $1.99 today! #rolltide #rtr #Disney http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16

Or for the Disney fans:

Help make the novel that name-checks Hench, Crump, Blair, Wells, the Nine Old Men and Roy E. the #1 title in satire! http://amzn.com/B00CWSHY16

4. Post about Midlife Mouse on your blog. Let's get the word out to as many folks as possible.

5. Review or rate the book. Positive reviews and ratings on Amazon help us in Amazon's ranking system and cause the book to show up as a recommendation to more readers. Reviews and ratings on Goodreads are helpful, too.

6. Give Midlife Mouse on Kindle as a gift. It's only two bucks. Just click the "Give as a Gift" button on the right side of the Kindle listing.

Why You Should Help:

1. You love an underdog. Midlife Mouse, an indie published title, is going toe-to-toe with big names from big publishing houses. Let's send a message: indie authors have as much right to be on bestseller lists as the big boys.

2. You love the book. Midlife Mouse currently enjoys five-star ratings on both Amazon and Goodreads. And reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. The book resonates with readers. If you're one of them, let everyone know!

3. You love a good summer read. Several reviewers have pointed out that Midlife Mouse, with its quick pace, chapter-ending cliffhangers and wry wit, is the perfect beach or poolside read.

4. You love Disney. Yes, there's no getting around it. This book is awash in Disney geekdom. Reviewers have mentioned how much they enjoyed the interweaving of real Disney history with the book's invented mythology. And they've said that, in reading the book, you can almost imagine you're at Walt Disney World, walking right alongside Bill Durmer and the motley cast of characters.

5. You love the South. As much as Midlife Mouse is about Disney, it's also steeped in Southern culture. Even our friends from up north have praised the charming portrait of Southern life the book paints. Readers have made comparisons to works by Daniel Wallace, Fannie Flagg, Mark Childress and Winston Groom.

6. You love kittens. Seriously, Wayne has a couple of kittens left for which he needs to find homes. Help us out, and one of those could be yours!

That's it. That's the plan for MouseFirst Thursday. Join us, and win one for the little guy. (In this case, a really little guy. Not Wayne, the mouse.)