Alexis’s Comments (group member since Jan 04, 2017)

Alexis’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

I have an idea/ suggestion. Lately, I've read a lot of posts about members that would like to do some advertising but state that advertising is not on their list of financial priorities. So, I was thinking. How about sharing the cost of advertising with a fellow writer or two? Let me give you an example: I write multicultural romance novels. So do two author members of this group: Aislinn and R.L.

I know of a website that offers a 600x400 space for 45 dollars a month, which is very affordable. However it becomes even more affordable when you split that by 3.

The best thing? The website allows you to upload a gif so you could feature one book by each author and then one final image that leads to a (free) wordpress site on which you will add amazon links and blurbs for the books featured in the gif.

For example:


(P.S. This is a gif I made in 5 seconds using a free app. It moves way too fast and the quality is extremely sucky. It's just an example!)

Concluding, lol. I guess that's my idea. Find an author or two that write the same genre as you do, get a free Paypal account and a free wordpress website and your little group can tackle advertising opportunities together!

Amy wrote: "I dunno, like I said, blurb writing is not my forte. I know it's not long, but it feels a bit long (oh the innuendo...)

"Idiot! Now it’s spread all over the base. Tall, handsome and out of his dep..."

I have trouble with the first paragraph. It just doesn't flow for me. The rest of the blurb is very good though.

You've been busy, Groovy, thank you! I will be promoting yours starting this Wednesday since I'm focusing on R.L's today and tomorrow.

Groovy wrote: "Here are the Facebook links to Amy and Alexis' interview. For some reason, Amy's book will not post, but it does on the blog:

https://www.facebook.com/Groovy-lee-2...

Here are the blo..."

Thanks Groovy!

Justin, I will send you my answer later today. I forgot. =/

Ember wrote: "Congrats on that Alexis! I'm excited that I reached 70! Lol!!!"

You were my 90th! :D Thank you. :)

Good @ Carole!

Well, I put in the work to reach my goals and I gained 7 followers on Facebook already. I just need one more like to reach 90 and I have 7 days left. I might just bump it up to 95. :D

Twitter is much harder so I've decided to hold a giveaway. I've posted about it on Facebook and Goodreads. I hope it yields results.

:)

Carole wrote: "Alexis wrote: "Erica wrote: "Alexis wrote: "

The purpose of this thread is pretty simple. In it, those that choose to participate will state a certain goal they wish to achieve over the next week ..."

I am about to expose my own Nerdiness. But have you seen the Lord of the Rings, Carole? You, Swag Bag creator and just general kind human, are like the world-saving hobbits as in:


:p

My starting number for Facebook today was # 82 likes #19 for Twitter followers. I am excited to get to work to reach 90 resp. 25. :D

R.L. wrote: "Alexis wrote: "Erica wrote: "Alexis wrote: "

The purpose of this thread is pretty simple. In it, those that choose to participate will state a certain goal they wish to achieve over the next week ..."

Trouble eh?
Well, I live on the edge.
< img src=" the link to the gif image ">
No spaces except between "img" and "src".:)

Erica wrote: "Alexis wrote: "

The purpose of this thread is pretty simple. In it, those that choose to participate will state a certain goal they wish to achieve over the next week and do everything in their po..."

I always have the best threads, Erica. Always.


Lmao. Thanks. :D

Ooh great tips everyone. Please keep them coming.

Thanks for participating guys! :D
Carole, gulp. That's one heck of a list. Goodluck!
Looking forward to the blog posts @ Alex.

The purpose of this thread is pretty simple. In it, those that choose to participate will state a certain goal they wish to achieve over the next week and do everything in their power to do so. I think that the key to be successful at anything in life is to be proactive. It's almost impossible to be a successful author if you're not spending a couple of minutes or hours a day building a platform, editing your book or doing something else that a) broadens your audience or b) makes you a better writer.

So, what are the daily steps you've taken to arrive at your final destination? Nothing? Are you intimidated by how DAUNTING it all seems? That's fine - we're going to break that BIG goal into bite-sized chunks.

Personally: I want to expand my social media presence to 200 followers on Twitter and Facebook combined by the end of March.

This week's goal:
Reach 90 followers on Facebook.
Reach 25 followers on Twitter.
What about you?
What's your goal in your pursuit of (writer) happiness? :)
Writing 2500 words this week maybe?

Just keep three little groundrules in mind.
Be realistic.
Commit to yourself.
There's no crying in baseball.
Lol, just kidding.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Good luck!

Oh no, I'm not despairing. I'm a planner! Just getting my game plan ready. :D

R.L. wrote: "That's actually something to think about too cause Lord knows competing with the big houses is kinda impossible, then you have the really well known indies to contend with too...lots of strategies ..."

Yeah, exactly. And people have a "x" amount to spend on books. I, a new indie author, is not going to be on their to-buy list lol.

Yes, I have to echo R.L. Great insight as always Carole. I noticed that a lot of romance novels do get published in Jan/Feb and June. But I don't know if it would be better to follow the lead of big publishers and release a book in those months as well, or to kind of fill in the new release "void" in the other months.

Justin wrote: "I'm writing out my questions to Alexis now..going over her site for some ideas of what to ask...oh my goodness!"
Come on, you write horror. You can handle a little leg. :p

Groovy, see I got you a potential buyer. Score.

This article gives this little schedule but offers no proof to support their conclusion.


Best Timing by Genre

Mood and market reception are really important. Certain books work better at various times of the year.

January – April: Romance, Self-help, Business books, Cookery
May – August: Adventure, Fantasy, Travel
Sept – Nov: Academic, Horror, Paranormal
Dec – Jan: Children, Cookery, Illustrated, Quiz, Dictionaries and quirky fun books.

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/timin...

Ah. I found something.

January

Post holiday: Prime time for diet books, celebrity exercise books, and how-to books, including self-education, home repair, adventure travel planning, languages, and self-help books about finding a new relationship, renewing a marriage, or becoming a more effective parent.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: For inspirational books about African American history, civil rights, peace and freedom.

February

Valentine’s Day: For loving gifts of books with hidden agendas, including collections of lyric poetry, romance novels, dreamy photos of romantic foreign cities like Paris or Prague.

End of the month: Books related to Major League Baseball’s spring training, with celebratory biographies, compilations of new statistical records, glossy picture books, and metaphorically inclined literary novels, all in place for the sport’s big opening day in April.

March

International Women’s Day: Books on the latest topical or historic issues around women’s health, reproductive rights, freedom from oppression and exploitation in hostile cultures, personal memoir, biography, quality fiction.

Easter: Books about Christ, biblical exegesis, inspirational, archeological, and illustrated children’s books about the resurrection and other relevant topics.


Read more: http://alanrinzler.com/2012/11/timing...

But it still doesn't answer my main question: