Fran Friel's Blog, page 2
June 22, 2017
The Moon Goes Postal
Man, Oh Man, am I a geek or what? I think this is pretty wonderful.
Click the Image and Visit the AP for the Full Story
The US Postal Service has gone postal, in a good way. They're celebrating the dark side of the moon (well, the front side in this case, but it will be dark).
This stamp transforms (eclipses) when you touch it! Ooooo....Ahhhh...!
For more information about the total solar eclipse and the stamp, go to AP NEWS!
Enjoy!
Wickedly Yours,
C lick Here to Share and Comment...and thank you!
June 13, 2017
Adventure on the High Seas...Well, the Beach [Readers, Fans]
Sometimes you just need to get out in the sun and the air for a little adventuring. And where better to do it than Santa Cruz on the beautiful Central Coast of California!
Wish you were here! ❤️
Wickedly Yours,
PS - If you haven't joined the VIP Horde for a FREE eBook and Other Groovy Stuff - CLICK the LINK: https://www.franfriel.com/VIP
June 11, 2017
Tool Time! [Writers, Readers, Marketers]
I've been testing some tools for quick videos, ads and slideshows for social media. I have to be careful because i can spend endless time playing with these shiny things, but it's so much fun!
Many are in phone/iPad app versions so they can be done on the fly:
Animoto
Ripl
WordSwag
PicMonkey
Canva
So far, I've found Animoto (app) easy for a quick slideshow. Ripl (app) is less intuitive but more professional looking. WordSwag (app) is lightning fast for a quick pic with text ads. But for me, Canva and PicMonkey have been excellent. I mostly use them on my laptop, but they also have app versions. They're easy to use with a short learning curve and well worth the reasonable charge for the paid versions. Here's a quick ad I did on Canva this morning. It's not fancy or slick, but it gets the job done (list building). Bing. Bang. Boom.
Enjoy! And let me know what you're using for social media, ads, vids, etc!
Wickedly Yours,
May 26, 2017
Today's Tool Looksee - SAMCART [Writers/Marketers]
Today's Tool Looksee - SamCart
I recently attended an excellent ConvertKit webinar with the Co-Founder of SamCart, Scott Moran. He shared several excellent marketing suggestions. Great takeaways from the webinar were some hugely helpful modifications to your shopping check-out pages that will make them convert sales more effectively...up to 4X more effectively.
According to Scott, SamCart's own research has proven that these additions to your checkout page can increase conversion by 4X.
From SamCart's own research, Scott recommends adding some or all of the following to your sales cart/check-out page for increased sales:
1. Add a Money Back Guarantee Banner/Image directly on the Checkout page.
2. Add a Progress Bar to the Checkout Page.
3. Add a Product Image to your Checkout Page.
4. Include your LOGO on the Checkout Page
5. Add Bullet Points of the Benefits of your product or What You're Getting with this product.
6. Include a Testimonial of two to the Check-Out Page - "What Customers Are Saying!"
7. Add Security Badges/Images to prove your site is safe for shopping.
8. Add Multiple Credit Card Payment options, and include a PayPal option.
9. Reduce the Form Fields for checking out. If you don't need the Shipping Address, don't ask for it. Less is more when someone is ready to buy.
10. Include your Contact Info in case a customer needs help. Seeing it on the page adds an element confidence in your business. ie. For Help, please contact: support@happycustomer.com; Or your phone helpline.
Why?You may ask why add this extra work for a checkout page. They're already buying!
Well, of course, there's SamCart's research that has independently proven that adding these elements increases sales significantly.
And then there's empirical knowledge. For example, I've gone to checkout pages and then started to get cold feet about my purchase.
"Do I really want this thing after all ?"
If the product image is there with testimonials, benefits of the product, a money back guarantee, and elements that make me see this is a trustworthy, professional site, I will be far more likely to go ahead with my purchase.
I believe anything that helps a customer have a great buying experience and helps them feel confident in their purchase and your company, is a big win for everyone. AND they'll be far more likely to return for more!
Here's the link to the webinar. It's only good for today, but it may still give you options beyond the expiration date. It's definitely worth a look if you're interested in effective selling:
https://samcartwebclass.com/convertkit-replay
And incidentally, the SamCart product looks fantastic, and it has great integrations with a number of email automation/conversion programs like ConvertKit, MailChimp, Drip, etc. SamCart also adds many of the elements I mentioned above to your Checkout page with a simple click. I'm going to be trying it out myself.
Thanks so much for joining me today. If you found this article helpful, please let me know in comments or shoot me an email at: fran@franfriel.com
Hugs from The Darker Side of Fiction,
Your Faithful Author - Fran Friel
PS - If you'd like to receive a FREE VIP Membership to Fran Friel's Darker Side of Fiction - CLICK HERE!
May 2, 2017
April 25, 2017
Pantsing and Beating?
Are you a frustrated "pantser" - writing by the seat of your pants and getting stuck, not finishing? Then, get your Beats on...
Click Here:
http://thewritelife.com/how-to-write-a-novel-beat-writers-block/
#MonicaLeonelle #ProseOnFire #WriteBetterFaster
April 11, 2017
Vonnegut says...
Words to write by. Words to live by.
March 28, 2017
Wise Twain
Wish you were here, Mister Clemens!
March 1, 2017
Writing Advice from "Franzen, King, Hosseini, and More"
Highlights from 12 months of interviews with writers about their craft and the authors they love
WORTH SAVING
I've been saving the link to this article since December, because I wanted to be sure to share it with you (in case you missed it). I've been eager to get back to the blog, and what better way to do it than with a bang.
Joe Fassler of The Atlantic has provided a wonderful service to writers by gaining access to a magnificent gaggle of fine authors. Through his interviews with these generous folks, he collected their invaluable advice in the following article. Like I said, it's worth saving.
Of his collection of interviews, Joe Fassler says:
"
Taken together, these conversations were like attending an MFA program—I learned that much. Here are the best short pieces of writing advice I heard from writers in 2013, a whole year’s worth of wisdom."
Enjoy!
Wickedly Yours,
December 6, 2016
ASM Blog Horde Interview with Daine Severson
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS!The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with you. In this long-running series, you will have the opportunity to peek inside the minds of the ASM bloggers to to see just what makes them tick.
I hope you enjoy the series as much as I have enjoyed preparing it for you. Please feel free to ask questions, or just let the Horde know you've stopped by for a visit.
Bloggers live for comments, so keep 'em alive!
Tonight's Featured ASM Blogger:
is a professional singer and vocal teacher. She specializes in "Early Music," and freelances mostly in Medieval and Baroque music. She is also a wife and a mother, a podcaster, a narrator and blogger.
After finishing her Bachelors of Music Degree in Vocal Performance in Madison, Wisconsin, Diane moved to Germany where she lived for twenty years. She recently relocated to Paris with her family—an Italian husband, and their 3-year old linguist son.
Fran Friel for Amazing Stories: Welcome to the ASM Blog Horde Interview Series, Diane. I’m thrilled to be here with you. So, let's start with how you became interested in blogging for Amazing Stories Magazine.
DS: I saw Steve Davidson’s post calling for bloggers for Amazing Stories over on the StarShipSofa Facebook Page. Since I’ve been Science Fiction poetry’s self-appointed spokesperson for a while now, I thought blogging for ASM would be a perfect opportunity to expand that to a wider audience.
ASN: As you well know, Amazing Stories Magazine has quite a wide variety of blogging categories. In which categories will we find your blogs?
DS: I blog about Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction poetry. My main focus will be to review SF poetry – chapbooks, collections, anthologies, online poetry zines and the like. I plan to throw in the odd interview with a prominent or favorite SF poet every once in a while.
ASM: Diane, who are your favorite authors, and what keeps you coming back to their work? Any book recommendations for us?
DS: My favorite author within or outside of the genre is Ursula K. LeGuin. I haven’t read all of her work, not by a long stretch, but I’m trying to space it out, so I don’t run out of things to look forward to, if you know what I mean.
My favorite novels by UKL are The Left Hand of Darkness (SF), The Other Wind (part of the fantasy, Earthsea Cycle) and The Lathe of Heaven. Her short stories are also incredibly powerful, but there are too many which have affected me to name here. Long before I discovered SF poetry, I fell in love with UKL’s style. It’s slow and melodic and beautiful, just like poetry. I think that might be just what turns some people off of her work.
There are a number of other authors that have inspired me to read book after book:
Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury, James Tiptree, Jr., Lois McMaster Bujold, Robin Hobb, Charles DeLint, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Nicola Griffith, Marge Piercy, Anne McCaffrey, Sheri Tepper, Neil Gaiman, Philip K. Dick, Margaret Atwood,
ASM: That’s a juicy list for sure, Diane. I would happily get lost in your bookshelves. Now, how about new or lesser-known authors? Is there anyone you would suggest to our readers?
DS: I’ve been introduced to so many authors through podcasts, specifically
StarShipSofa and PodCastle, that I’m losing track of who is well known and who is not. However, I feel fairly confident that Lawrence Santoro, Matthew Sanborn Smith and Grant Stone might not be household names.
ASM: Discovering new talent is like finding buried treasure, so thanks for the recommendations. What are you reading now, and how is it so far?
Thanks for reading, gang! Please pop on over to
Amazing Stories for the rest of Diane Severson's ASM Blog Horde Interview:
Wickedly Yours,
