Random stuff - the something good happened thread Showing 151-200 of 3,973

[Shannon]

Alex wrote: "Before I forget, I had something good happen today as well, the doctor gave me a 3-month sick note so I should be okay to get that pittance the government gives me for the next 13 weeks.
The doctor..."

Ignoring mental health seems to be a major problem these days... Good thing the world is so helpful and welcoming! Ugh.
I'm happy for you that you'll at least get to have some time off.

[Groovy]

Alex wrote: "Before I forget, I had something good happen today as well, the doctor gave me a 3-month sick note so I should be okay to get that pittance the government gives me for the next 13 weeks.
The doctor..."

I'm glad for you, Alex. I should have gone with you, he would have believed then:)

[Amy]

Glad that's sorted Alex. I recently completed a free course on futurelearn.com called Psychology and Mental Health. It didn't cure anything but it validated a lot. It was a six week course that was 2 hours a week. They have loads of different ones. Free to absolutely anyone. Last year I did two weeks on the flu! That was also interesting.

[Amy]

Smashwords is having their annual promo thingy. So I've signed my book up to be 99c for about 5 days over the weekend. I've never done one of these before. Only two people bought my book on iBooks anyway-so I guess I'll try this. I've updated the blurb to the most recent one.

In other news if she turns up, my other business has a new customer this morning.

[Eldon]

Something good happened yesterday; following a promotion on Bargain Booksy my author rank on Amazon peaked at 10,541 and gave me a little visibility :)

For all those authors out there wanting to know which promotions work and are worth the spend...Bargain Booksy was well worth it for me!

[Alexis]

Eldon wrote: "Something good happened yesterday; following a promotion on Bargain Booksy my author rank on Amazon peaked at 10,541 and gave me a little visibility :)

For all those authors out there wanting to k..."

Thanks for the tip! I checked them out and it looks really good. Of course the category I'm in is one of the more expensive ones. Just my luck lol.

[Amy]

Well done Eldon. I'm still scrabbling around trying to figure out which way to turn!

Hope you get some help Alex.

[Alexis]

Eldon wrote: "Something good happened yesterday; following a promotion on Bargain Booksy my author rank on Amazon peaked at 10,541 and gave me a little visibility :)

For all those authors out there wanting to k..."

You know Eldon.. I think your fellow authors might benefit from a short article from you on the process and your experience with Bargain Booksy. I'd love to feature you on the blog www.navigatingindieworld.com

We should tallk. :D

[Eldon]

Alexis wrote: "Eldon wrote: "Something good happened yesterday; following a promotion on Bargain Booksy my author rank on Amazon peaked at 10,541 and gave me a little visibility :)

For all those authors out ther..."

I'd love to do that Alexis!! I'll PM you later for all the details :)

[Alexis]

Eldon wrote: "Alexis wrote: "Eldon wrote: "Something good happened yesterday; following a promotion on Bargain Booksy my author rank on Amazon peaked at 10,541 and gave me a little visibility :)

For all those a..."


Thank you, Eldon.

[Alexis]

I would have to sell a lot of book to make back that 80 dollars though

[Amy]

Alexis wrote: "I would have to sell a lot of book to make back that 80 dollars though"

Ah, currently out of my price range.

[Alexis]

Alex wrote: "Alexis wrote: "I would have to sell a lot of book to make back that 80 dollars though"

Can't believe they charge more for your category than they do for mine, mystery was only $50 and it has a big..."

Just business practices, I think. They probably get more requess for ads from romance writers than mystery and adjusted their prices accordingly.

[Carole]

You can't look at the immediate return of this investment. Maybe only, I'll say five people bought it. Then those five recommend it to five more. It grows concentrically. When you do an advertisement for books, you want it to be light a campfire. You add logs and build up the fire. You want it to last for a long time. The more logs you pile on, the longer it burns. I don't think any advertising paid off directly for us, per say. It brings interest an opportunities coming constantly.

[Becky]

Carole wrote: "Hi Guys, My book- One to Ten -Squirrel's Bad was nominated as Book of the Month on The Long and Short Review

Voted!

[Carole]

You have to research what will give you the biggest bang. You have to use as many freebees as you can find. You have to be in so many places that people will say- alright, enough. I'll try you book and then. Oh, that was really good, when are you coming out with another.
You remember Seinfeld. You remember George said he gets people to remember him by being annoying , like an old Mennon commercial. At first they can't stand it, and by the fourth or fifth time, they are singling the jingle.

[Alexis]

Good points Carole/Alex. I guess I'm impatient.

[Amy]

(I don't do patience)

[R.L.]

Looks like we all suffer from that Achilles heel lol

[Eldon]

Carole is right, ads aren't about making your money back but about getting some eyes on your product. It will pay off in the long run!

[Carole]

It's an investment. You can't look at this for one or two months, or even get dismayed if you have a bad month. You only start counting at the end of the year. February I was short about 100 paperbacks for the month.. We've been averaging 500 every month for some time. This was off- so I have to up the ante and get into more blogs, more visibility- If I see a downward trend, then I have to rethink my sources and try some new solutions.

[Amy]

Tweeted. Well done. How did you get them to review it?

I need something like that, but I'm terrified of the result. (And don't know how to go about it!)

[Amy]

Oh my god. I'm not sure I could put myself through that. How do they get hold of your book-does it have to be listed as free?

[Kay]

Nice review Alex! And thanks for sharing the link, I've bookmarked it for my next freebie ;)

[[deleted user]]

Less than a month ago, I had just published my first book and was chewing my nails off right up to my elbows, hoping at least one person (even if they lived in Outer Mongolia and couldn't read English) would at least click on the blurb. I now have a fledgling Goodreads Blog, 4 whole book sales (whoop, whoop), and 5 really nice reviews. I have had a crash course in the marketing process, learnt a lot about what NOT to do, and am trying out the suggestions and advice I get here from other authors. So when I'm feeling despondent that I cannot yet retire as a famous author, I remind myself that 4 is better than zero, some knowledge is better than none, and that I actually sat down with an idea, saw it through and brought it to market. So that's my good news for the day, and when I get home from my day job and check my Amazon sales stats and the feedback I have received so far, I'm going to drink a toast to trying, learning and never giving up. Have an awesome day everyone!

[Carole]

I like to think if your book entertained or affected one person, then you have success. I get letters saying, I hated history, or my kid was having a coping or bullying problem and the book helped them deal with it and then I don't care of about the numbers- some success isn't measured with sales, but impact of changing or helping another person.
Just remember, your book may take someone out of their lives to a happier place, or give them that laugh or good cry when they needed it most. That's a great ripple effect.

[Carole]

That's what I'm talking about.

[[deleted user]]

That's so very true. If my little book makes just one person think differently about themselves, or gives them the encouragement to make a positive change, then that's reward enough for me. I think that sometimes in the marketing process, when one gets bogged down in tracking sales and hits and getting exposure, it's very easy to forget the original intent. Thanks for the reminder Carole!

[Becky]

Something good happened this morning! I took advantage of the free review service from Readers' Favorite for Dr. Guinea Pig George. (I had done this previously for What's at the End of Your Nose?: A Slipperyville Tale.)

They say free reviews can take up to 3 months, IF your book gets chosen in the first place. So far this process has been extremely fast.

Then there's that moment when you click-through and hope that you have received 5 stars...oooh!

There is something so satisfying about plunking a review snippet in the Editorial Reviews space on Amazon.

[Kay]

Awesome news Becky! Congratulations :D

[Carole]

Michael's on this book site today- I'll let you kneo wif I see action.

http://booksgosocial.com/2017/03/03/w...

[Erica]

A lot has happened in the last few hours! Congrats Alex and Becky on your progress with book reviews and Ruth on your book sales. I appreciated reading all the positive encouragement too. This group rocks!

[Amy]

Carole wrote: "Michael's on this book site today- I'll let you kneo wif I see action.

http://booksgosocial.com/2017/03/03/w..."

Tweeted

[Carole]

Thanks guys!

[Carole]

Can you guys tweet this out?? Enter if you want to win a set of books. https://www.thechildrensbookreview.co...

For anyone with YA and children's books- Bianca (Children's Book Review) runs the best site- she's very pro indie and a lot of opportunities for promoting your books. She will tailor something for your budget.

[Erica]

Carole wrote: "Can you guys tweet this out?? Enter if you want to win a set of books. https://www.thechildrensbookreview.co...

For anyone with..."
Very awesome giveaway!

[Amy]

tweeted

[Carole]

Erica wrote: "Carole wrote: "Can you guys tweet this out?? Enter if you want to win a set of books. https://www.thechildrensbookreview.co...

..."

Erica, you should send her a note. Tell her about your books helping children read. She may want to do a story. That's how I started with her. Let her know we are buddies.

[Carole]

I can't find a thread to put this on. I spoke to my program director and said we needed a radio show for the adult books. She created one- with another host. So, as soon as she starts looking for guest- I'll tell you guys where to go.

[Erica]

Carole wrote: "Erica wrote: "Carole wrote: "Can you guys tweet this out?? Enter if you want to win a set of books. https://www.thechildrensbookreview.co......"
I contacted her about a month ago and she is going to do an author spotlight on me in the summer. :) I need to revisit the website though and see if there are any other opportunities I should take advantage of.

[Groovy]

Good news, everyone:)

Thanks for heads-up, Alex.

Wow, Carole, meat, cheese, and butter. Hmmm. The interview was very nice.

[Becky]

Thanks, Kay & Erica! I highly recommend them as a free service. The feel-good part is so worth it.

Carole wrote: "Can you guys tweet this out?? Enter if you want to win a set of books. https://www.thechildrensbookreview.co...

Holy cow, consider it done!

[Carole]

thanks!

[Erica]

Becky wrote: "Thanks, Kay & Erica! I highly recommend them as a free service. The feel-good part is so worth it.

Carole wrote: "Can you guys tweet this out?? Enter if you want to win a set of books. https://ww..."

Thank you for recommending them. Entry is done. :)

[Carole]

Thanks!

[Groovy]

Since we're mentioning book sites, I have one:

Eskiemama will spotlight your book for free. They have a lot of followers. I'm not sure if it's just romance or all genres, but it's worth a try. Click the link below, when you get to the home page, look to the right under the advertisement where it says, 'book your spotlight now', (or something to that effect) I'm set for April:)

https://eskiemamareads.blogspot.com/

[R.L.]

I've had several good things happen lately, just been too busy to post but today I got another five star rating on Goodreads so yay!

[Carole]

Yay Great news RL I'm happy for you!!!


I finally got a five star Foreword Clarion Review
https://www.forewordreviews.com/revie...

[Kay]

Great news guys! Congratulations :D

[Groovy]

Congratulations, R.L. and Carole.

Alex, maybe our books will be seen together--LOL!