Erica’s Comments (group member since Jan 10, 2017)

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

I think I am all caught up. I like you articles, D.J. (that feels strange to type lol) and Dale. Excellent advice in your recent Writing Cooperative article, Dale!

I completely understand that feeling, lol. Let us know if you have any other questions. :)

I also find that after the first one or two, they get easier. You can see what type of posts had the most interaction and reuse posts, or slightly tweaked posts, in future takeovers. I usually try to leave at least one giveaway open past my takeover time so that people who join later can still participate.

I have had mixed results with takeovers and release parties. However, I can say that some of my most active fans and followers have found me this way.

Most the time they are genre specific and put on by genre specific Facebook groups or individual authors who seek out other authors with similar books. We will be doing some for this group and the Indie Authors Monthly magazine group that are for everyone. Here is the thread with more info on a couple coming up in a few weeks: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

This is a great idea for a thread and the maps look awesome! I have not personally made maps, but was just talking to an author who is starting the process for one of his upcoming books. I will be sure to mention this discussion and your links above. Thanks!

That is a good question, Dale. Yes, they are separate events. Navigating Indieworld is May 3 and IAM is May 10. We are asking everyone to just pick one for now. If there are still spots open after everyone has a chance to sign up, we will open it up for people who have already claimed a spot. The way it is looking, you will be able to sign up for both but just pick one for now. I will post here when you can sign up for the other.

Sure. You will pick a 30 minute slot. Say you pick 1:30. Sign into Facebook and get on the Navigating Indieworld or IAM Facebook page at least 10-15 minutes before then to make sure you are logged in and ready to go. When it is 1:30, the takeover will be passed to you. From 1:30-2:00, you will have control over what happens on the page. Use that time to talk about your books and yourself. Most authors will do some form of a giveaway for the people that comment to encourage participation.

Sample posts may be:
1. Hi, my name is _____ and I am the author of _________. I am excited to be here today. To start it off, I would like to get to know you better. Comment with the most exciting place you have ever visited. Everyone who comments will be entered into a drawing for a kindle copy of my book __________.

2. I am currently in the process of releasing a new novel about _____. Something interesting about this book is __________. Please follow my Facebook page to learn more. Once you have followed me, comment "followed" on this post and you will be entered into a giveaway for ___________.

3. Outside of writing, I enjoy ___________.

4. Some form of a game post. You can find all types of ideas for games by searching social media games.

It is up to you how many posts you want to do and whether or not you want to do a giveaway with each one. It is also up to you how long you want your giveaways to be open for entries. They can end when your 30 minutes is up, or you can leave them open for another day or two so that people who join later can still have a chance to enter. Just be sure to state when they will close for entries.

Most authors will do a post every 5-10 minutes to give people a chance to respond. I find 3-4 posts are about right. I also pre-type them in a word document so I can simply copy and past. Including pictures with each post is also a good idea. They can be pictures of your books, you, or really anything you want that is related to your post.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can clarify anything further. :)

Thanks, Carole!

Sorry to hear about your illness. I hope you get to feeling better soon, Dale.

We still need more participants for the Facebook takeovers. These are a lot of fun and a great way to reach new readers. If you are considering joining us, but have questions, please feel free to ask. :)

I had fun with this one. :) https://medium.com/@egraham040/i-am-t...

Have you tried downloading the app, Carole?

I really enjoyed your article, Sam. Lots of claps!

What are you using. I prefer to do them on my PC. There are more formatting options. There is a draft section for stories you are working on and a published section. They ahould auto save so you can come back and look at it again later if you need to.

I was really scared to post my first couple articles too, Sam. Now I can't stop. Haha. I look forward to reading your article once it is up. :)

Clapped!

I have played around with different times and days and it doesn't seem to matter when you post. What does seem to help is using the same tags as some of the top stories if you can.

I am going to drop this link here too. We are going to be doing author takeovers on the Navigating Indieworld and Indie Authors Monthly Magazine Facebook pages. Here is the thread with more info: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thought some of you might be interested. Especially those of you looking for unique marketing opportunities. :)

And best of luck, Nancy and Margaret! Very exciting!