I know! I have been away for a very long time. I have been laid-off, on unemployment, now it's over, so now, after twenty-six years, I am on my own. Jobless, looking for a remote job, and I am learning new things. Things which I will be sharing in the coming weeks. I have been and still am taking courses. Attending webinars. This week I will be launching a Pinterest business page.
It is past midnight now, and it seems all I am is busy, busy, busy! I will be back this week to let you know what am I up to, but until then, Goodnight!
I hope all of you, your familes and friends are safe and healthy during this strange time. I live with my mom and sister and we are all okay.... BUT the day job I had for years is now gone. I was working at home for two weeks and two days, in March, then I was called and told I had zero hours. Now, I have always wanted to quit my day job. I have a college degree from Syracuse University, and have been accepting a low salary for years ( under $10K) because I could find nothing better. I had watched several employees-some just new hires, get promotions in a few months time, while I who had tried many times got nothing. I won't go through all I had experienced there, that is not the point I want to make here today.
I had no way of getting anything better in my city, so along comes COVID-19 and now I am at home. Am I going stir crazy? No! I love being at home with my family, and now have the time to get all those time consuming jobs and projects around the house and in the yard done. Most importantly, I have the time to make the life of my dreams come true....to be a successfully published writer. I have sold ebooks, yes, but not successfully. So now I have all the time in the world, and I am going to focus on one thing at a time, and get the job done!
While I wait for my first unemployment payment (you can guess how crazy that is..*eye roll*) I will be focusing on becomiing better and marketing my books.. I am so bad on keeping up with this blog but, I will post at least once a month to keep you posted.
Take care, Stay home as much as you can and remember to wash your hands.
Sorry I have not written in a very long time. Selling ebooks is not as easy as a lot of people write about. I sell a few books and ebooks here and there, but nothing life chaniging YET. I am still working on it, and when I have succeeded will definitely write case studies here. So check in at least once a month, and I PROMISE I will post updates to what I am doing.
Okay! Unfortunately getting into the Apex Authors was no go. A friend showed tried to help me get some people to sign up. ($1. trial. That's all) Only a few people looked, but didn't sign up. I guesseveryone is making major book sales then since they didn't need them, right? I did need them, but since I couldn't stay a member because of no sign ups, I had to move on.
What I need is something that will sell that will take a day to do, or fun to create. In other words, short and Easy. SO...I have done 12 books that was hardly any work to put together, but now I have to start promoting, because no one will know they are there unless they accidentally happen to see it.
Part two, which I am starting this week, is to work on the 'fun' books and then I will have to start promoting them. The whole purpose of doing said books is to generate an income that comes in easily to give me oceans of time to work on my novels.
In the meantime, I have an Editor working on an old book, and I am working on new fiction books to publish to Kindle and later on, CreateSpace, etc. I am getting to the point that I need a change. Tired of the dayjob, want to wake up every morning and do what I want to do so I am actively pursuing what I have to do to get what I want in 2016.
What are these books that are fun and easy to publish? I will tell you(yes, I promise I will get back to you before next year, LoL.)I have promised a case study, so I will be publishing as each project is completed.
I am done trying to figure out how to be successful at marketing. I have found a great author's group that will help you learn everything from formatting your ebook, creating great covers to getting reviews. It's a great community. There is training, Question and answer sessions. I really believe that there is no stone un turned when it comes to this website. Right now there is a trial membership that you really should take advantage of. I am, because I need, and want to desperately work from home.
Last year was a mixture of good and bad. I was physically unable to do any work for several weeks. Of the dozen or more books I have in Kindle, I should have been making at least four figures a month, but I didn't. I couldn't work, and with my job- you don't work, you don't get paid! Well, Fast forward to 2016. I am feeling better, and am determined to make more from my writing. This group is the answer. Sign up today, and take a trial membership. Find out if it can (and it will) help you succeed in selling your books.
So, after I digest some of this information, I am going to re-do all of my Kindle books, and expand my horizons. Do you have your books on multiple websites? If not, you should. I will be posting in three months(I hope less than that) the best websites to upload your books to get multiple sales, and I am going back to my book reviews and post a link from every book that I have read, so expect more of that in 2016! I don't know how long this trial is going to last, so make sure that you sign up today and get more from your writing!
I am writing, writing and writing. I am also still reading. My goal of 500 books for this year has not changed. I will still put up the case studies after my next books are published. I currently have 13 books published at Amazon. Each of them are selling, but not as well as I want them to. So I am going to publish more books and by July 2015, if all goes well, I can finally post the case studies.
Well, I must get back to work. I will try to post once a month, but I am juggling so many things, it's very hard right now. So look for books, books and case studies in a couple of months.
Thanks for everyone who has ever posted a comment. I just got around to them tonight. I am really, really behind on my work. Life keeps throwing me this way and that, and I gotta get back on track. Having said that, I will be publishing fiction as well as reviews-when I get around to reading something. I have TONS of books to read!
I have a writing goal set in mind so I will not be around much until it's completed. I already deleted a few books on Kindle that were not selling, so I got to work on adding more that do sell. So, I gotta split. Hope to post the next Kindle article at the end of the month. It will be all about lists. Do you have one? Until next time....
I guess I've got too many irons in the fire. I can't work on my books, blog, work on projects and deal with my daily life without being overwhelmed. I'm neglecting to deliver those reviews like I promised. I have read thirteen books none of them have been reviewed yet. So here's what I'll do, to save time I will post a link to either my Goodreads or Amazon page so you can keep reading book reviews. Around September-October I'll be doing articles about Kindle, and reveal what works and what doesn't when selling books.
I have read A LOT of Kindle ebooks and courses over the past few months, and attended many webinars with some great information about marketing books. This will be the last time I will write a review on my blog. I just need more time to focus on my own books.
Autumn's Awakening by Irene Brand
Autumn Weaver comes home after eight years hoping to heal old family wounds. She never expected to see the one man she's always loved and hurt. She wasn't sure if Nathan Holland would ever forgive her...
I truly enjoyed this book. I think a majority of the Love Inspired books I have read and really liked were published ten years or more. The quality has gotten lame since then, however I liked the heroine and the hero they were real to me, and the storyline very good. The heroine was kind of a rebel, going against her parents to live how she wanted to live, that struck a chord with me. The hero was interesting as well. I wish I could say more but I read this months ago, but I did enjoy it very much. A good read if you can happen to get your hands on it.
Review thirteen completed. Twelve more books coming your way next Friday on Goodreads!
The next Reviews will be on Friday of this week and I'm going to start numbering them to keep track of my goal to list one hundred books. A few of them are going to be non-fiction books. There won't be many. I do have a page with reviews as you can see, but those are older. Feel free to check those out at anytime. Here's what you can expect on Friday.
#3 Heaven Sent by Jillian Hart #4 Instant Mom by Nia Vardalos
The PaperBag Princess by Robert Munsch I often read children's books, because some of them are just plain fun! I was looking forward to a great story, but what I got was just....*sigh*. Okay, I thought this would be a traditional kid fairy story, I was wrong. It was modern. That wasn't the problem that I had with it, though. I think this would have been a better story had the writer taken the time to think out the character's lines and the story so that it was more cohesive. I feel if he had taken more time and chose his words more carefully, it would have been a really cute book. Over all, the story on a scale from one to ten was an eight, it could have went to ten if the story was molded a bit more in a traditional storytelling way.
If you have a child that has lost their way, this is the book to read. The book is divided into thirteen weeks and each week has seven days that starts with Day 1 and ends on the 90th day. Week one's section is titled Don't Cry. Some prayers apply to sons, others daughters. Weeks I consider the best are week two, The Power of A Parent's Prayers, Week 6 Just Say The Word and Week 12 Everything Is Possible. Another thing I liked about this book were the stories sprinkled throughout. The conclusion of the book was the most miraculous of all! This was a well organized and thought out book. I am sure that it will help those in need.
I've decided to sign up for the Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Challenge that is hosted by Book Chick City. I am going to choose level One:
One Howl: Read 12 UF/PNR Books in 2013
I wanted to read more, but I have a book to be released this year and two next year, so I've got a lot of editing to do! If you would like to be a part of the Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Challenge, you can sign up at the link below. Urban Fantasy Challenge
I'll put up a list of what I intend to read(which may change) after I post the long awaited book reviews I have promised.
Here is a list of all my free books on Kindle Today. Please spread the word and share. I'll have more free books next weekend, but I cannot guarantee all of these books will be free next time.
If you like my books, please give a review. I prefer constructive criticism, over bad reviews. If you really don't like them please don't review.
Excuse me if I don't post for awhile. My first book is being edited and while I wait for my editor to get back to me, I have to finish and go over the second one. I'm also working on Kindle titles. I'm trying various promotion tips to see where it gets me and I will be posting my success with it in May, so be sure to tune in for that. I'll also be posting new book reviews-yes, I have been reading as well, whenever time permits, hopefully by the weekend.
As you can see I have gotten with the program and added pages so it will be easier to find what you are looking for when you visit. I'll be doing a different header, also, and will be listing my books starting this month and forever more on the books page.
I've just added a new article, in case you want to see it, so come back often, as I plan to do a lot for this blog!
I did not promote the contest as I
Should have, so I will do it again
later this month. But for now, here
are the latest books that will be
selling this month as of January 6,
2010.
*Note: These are very, very brief
descriptions. Just so you can see
what the books are about.
Publish Yourself
How to write faster, and sell more
books without a whole lot of work.
Free Cash On The Internet
Over 100 places online where you can
make money free.
More books will be listed at the end
of the month. You will be able to find
them On Kindle, Lulu, and beyond.
More details later this week.
From November 12th to December 1st 2009, two people who can send me the most traffic to my web page will win a free copy of my ebook, along with a bonus report.
What It Is Will Work For Cash is an 11 page report listing several ways for a person to make money online doing various tasks. If you know of anyone who is out of a job, or wants to make extra money, please refer them to this ebook.
If you go to my previous post, "First Report For Sale", you can see a sample of what types of websites are in the report. There is also a bonus report with 49 more websites.
*___________ has given me $1944.52 so far *At_____________ you can earn up to $2,500 for designing a t-shirt *_____________ gives you $2,000 for a short film *Refer a friend to___________and if they get a job through them, you get paid $1,000
What This Ebook Isn't Sorry, this is no get rich quick report. It you need bus fare, taxi money,to pay bills, pay off a credit card or two, get groceries then, this is just the report you need.
How To Enter 1. Follow this blog 2. Sign Up at the form below
4.Important: Comment on the articles. It doesn't have to be a paragraph, but a sentence or two is required.
5. Give the names of the articles you have read and commented on, and articles that people you have referred my web page to have read.
6.Winners will be chosen by the number of people that they have referred to my web page.
7. Winners Will be Announced On December 2nd on this blog and will be given the Will Work For Cash ebook, and the bonus ebookwith 49 more websites.
*IMPORTANT* I hate Spam.Your name and email are safe with me. It will not be shared, rented or sold.
If you want to win you must: sign up, read and comment and refer otherpeople to read. If you find it easier, choose an article for people to read andlet me know by email which one it is so I can track the page.
Any questions? Just comment on this post and I will answer back with another post.
Right now I can happily say that I have completed my very first novel(romance), and two children's manuscripts. One is poetry and the other a picture book. :) I do not know which way I am going to go with it. I don't know whether to try a major publisher or a small publisher. Still, I want to have someone look at the novel to see if it's saleable.
Currently, though, I am working on three different books for online publishers. I feel that I can get my books published much faster this way. I have read several books in my genre and have a feel for what the audience likes. One author who's book that I purchased, was in print form. I was really shocked. There was no editing done in the book.
There was so many typos that it would make your head spin! The story itself was good, but it could have been much better had the author taken the time to develop it more. Having said that, that book sold many copies. I'm like, 'Hello'. If someone could have a book like that in print and ebook form and still have it sell....I could publish my books too and do a much better job!
I know I have talked about a much faster way to sell books, and I was working on a case study, but I hit a snag. In order to sell more books the better way, I need a printing service, and I can't find one locally. I tried searching online, but so far, did not find one to suit my needs, so I'm putting that on the back burner for awhile.
So there you have it. I will have a good freebie for you the next time!
