#AtoZChallenge 2015 - Was it Worth It?

We have reached the end. It has been almost a week since I completed the April A-Z Blogging Challenge for my third year running. I initially found the blog hop during my desperate and naive attempts to sell my newly published novels across social media platforms. As a young, inexperienced, ill-advised and yet very talented author, I am struggling to gain a foothold in the industry. I want to be an internationally famous bestselling author. I know that I have the skill with words, I have the talent to write, and I have the determination. What I don’t have is a marketing budget, the expertise on turning my work into a sustainable business, and the right contacts in the right places that can get me started.

Nevertheless, I blithely threw myself into the #AtoZChallenge, telling myself that it was a good way to build followers, raise awareness of my books, and who knows, maybe even sell a few to my blog readers. It has not yet reaped the rewards I might have expected. Most of my blog visitors are fellow authors in the same situation. We all have stories to tell, books to sell, and no means by which to break in to an industry dominated by stalwarts and professionals who have been working at it for longer than I have been on this planet. We have no chance. The big publishers will not give us the time of day. The agents are far too busy plowing through their slush piles, and will generally only take on TV celebrities or people that they are certain will sell because they are famous for other pursuits (I’m talking sports personalities and the like).

Anyway, in terms of selling books and growing my author platform, the #AtoZChallenge was, once again, a massive fail. And yet, I don’t feel like a failure. I feel very proud of myself. I took on the challenge to write a blog post every day for a whole month (with Sundays off), and I did it. My fiction writing has stalled a lot lately, because I decided to have children before my biological clock exploded. Writing for blogs has given me an outlet to rant, to let off steam, and even to play around with new ideas about my work. And actually I did make quite a big decision about my career direction while I was doing this year’s challenge. All for the better. So you see, it was worth it. It was a success. And I will do it again. See you soon!

The Role of the 21st Century Author

To be an author today is not enough to earn a living wage. It is almost impossible in fact. It is not totally unattainable, but to really earn enough money just from the books you sell, you have to spend time, be patient, and work hard in the background to get yourself seen, heard, and, more importantly, read by the people that matter. That is, your audience. Your fan base. The people who enjoy your stories, who want to know more about your characters, where they come from, what they do, how you met them. The readers want to know about you, the author. You are a brand.

It has taken me a few years to learn this. Back when I finally started to write my novel, got some short stories published, and decided that actually, I am quite good at this, I thought I was made. I could have my first novel published and I would be up there with all the greats, earning my millions and churning out more books for my adoring fans. It didn't quite happen like that. I'm still waiting for it. I am still seeking those adoring fans. I know they are out there (maybe you are one of them, please say hello, it would really make my day!)

The truth is that the role of the 21st century author is not just to write stories. That is only the beginning process of our job. Most of us publish our stories because they simply have to be told. My fellow writers will understand that nagging urge, that commanding voice as the characters take physical form and force themselves through your hand and onto the page. You have to write. It is as essential as eating. We feed the force within that requires nourishment, or we face the prospect of withering away to a mere empty shell of a human. Yes, being a writer is that important to me.

So we write. We publish. It is easier to do that these days, what with modern technology and eBooks and all the rest of it. But therein lies the problem. Our books are published, and they are subsequently submerged in a sea of other books, other stories, other authors. Some of these authors give all of their time to social networking in order to sell their books, and it works for them. Some prefer to pay others for the service of marketing and promotion. I would choose this option if I had the finances in place, and maybe I will in the future. For now I have to establish how to use what little spare time I have to the most effective outcome.

It is a tough learning curve. I am finally beginning to make sense of all those wonderful platforms available to us. I currently favour Twitter, Facebook and Google+, but I don't spend anywhere near enough time on them doing anything really productive in terms of book marketing. I am still learning. I am studying. If you are in the same situation, please share your experiences, advice, and anything else you can contribute to the conundrum of our generation. I look forward to hearing from you!

My novels are adult paranormal with equal amounts of dark romance and contemporary English Gothic. Sign up now for special offers and book release news.

Feeding Your Imagination on Instagram

This year I plan to take a more focused route when it comes to social media networking. For the past three years I have concentrated my efforts on Twitter and Facebook, which in the beginning seemed a good idea. I tried a little paid advertising, but with a reduced budget I had to pause that for a while. I joined several Facebook groups for authors who post re-tweets on Twitter for each other as a way of cross-promoting. This also worked for a while, until late last year I realised that I spent a large portion of my week posting tweets for other people and I was simply not seeing any benefit for myself. So I stopped.

One fairly new social network caught my attention in 2013; Pinterest. It was originally suggested by a friend who uses it to research recipes and home décor ideas for her family. I explored it one afternoon and quickly became hooked. I now have a whole collection of boards where I pin photos, links to blogs, ideas for stories and all sorts of random fun and quirky aspects of my personality. If you don't already know it, take a look, but be warned, it is highly addictive! If you are already a seasoned Pinterest follower, join me if you like...

Finally, I was introduced to another popular new social network; Instagram. A friend uses it to feed her addiction to knitting crafts, home cooking and general pretty pictures, and now she has drawn me into the fold so to speak. Indeed, when I upgraded my mobile phone last summer I was determined to switch from Blackberry to Android so that I could specifically download the Instagram app and get started. And I am so glad I did! I find photographs, quotes and infographs very useful for fuelling my imagination when I need a little help.

How about you? Do you use Instagram or Pinterest? Are there any other social networks I need to explore? I am always open to suggestions...

Should an Author become a Twitter Fiend?

This is an interesting question. Technology has advanced to such an extent that our lives now appear to be dominated, and in some cases even ruled, by social networking. There are tales of families who sit in a line on the sofa at home, each person glued to a different device. One might be using Facebook on a tablet computer. Another might be playing social games on an Ipod. A third sibling will be on Twitter or a social messenger app on their mobile phone. Crazy times!

Personally I consider myself fairly well versed in social networks. Yes, I am still only familiar with the most popular ones, namely Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest. I haven’t found the time to explore all the other networks, what with raising a young family, writing my novels, and maintaining two blogs alongside any freelance non-fiction work projects I pick up. But as an Indie author, I have been schooled in the necessity for social networking to sell my books. I have no budget for marketing. I cannot currently afford to pay a publicist to do everything for me. It is down to me, all by myself, to tell people about my books and encourage them to buy.

There is the challenge! I spent a lot of time in 2012 studying Twitter, reading a series of helpful blogs written by social media experts, and learning the techniques for using hash tags and keywords effectively. I modified my profile information across all my networks every time I learned something new. I changed my profile photograph and made them all the same, so that my image might better show up in search engines. And then I got into the Hootsuite revolution. I had toyed with Tweetdeck for a while, having had it recommended by some fellow authors. I just don’t get along very well with this application. It doesn’t seem to do what I want, and is often more cumbersome than helpful.

Hootsuite, on the other hand, has become an addiction. I’m not sure that I should be admitting to this, or even if I should perhaps be taking a break. But there we are. I decided to join Hootsuite and try it out as a method for scheduling tweets about my books and those of my fellow Indie authors. According to the advice I have gleaned from my online studies, an author should adopt an 80/20 ratio of promotion. This means that we should use 80% of our social network feeds to promote other authors, books and related activities, and we should use 20% of our feed to promote our own books. The idea is that we join social groups where authors do the work for each other. We share our details across several accounts, therefore giving us the best possible exposure.

But is it too much? I have recently become involved with another author group via Facebook, where we tweet for each other. Some of the authors are very aggressive in their tweeting tactics, and it does seem to work for them. Others are a little more hesitant, and perhaps struggle to fit it all in. I suppose I might better fit the ‘aggressive Tweeter’ label. I’m not sure I am comfortable with that, but there it is. I have found that when I don’t partake in the group tweets for a day or two, my book sales do slump. But I also haven’t yet hit the bestseller lists as a result of my efforts. Perhaps I need to give it more time. Perhaps I need another marketing plan.

What advice can you give to this confused and frustrated author? All comments and personal experiences welcome…

*Images courtesy of Pinterest; Frustrated Author and Social Networker

7 Lines from the 7th Page

I was recently tagged on Facebook by author Ciaran Dwynvil to play the 7 lines game.

Go to either page 7 or 77 of your manuscript. Count down 7 lines, then copy the next 7 lines to your status. After that, name 7 more authors to come out and play. I tag Alex Laybourne; Rebecka Vigus; Gracie C. McKeever; T Michael McCormack; Francesca Elizabeth Miller;  Kelly DeWitt; and Clayton Bye

Here are my 7 lines, taken from my third and upcoming novel Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel):

    I blinked and shook my head, trying to rid myself of the horror of that dream.
    “You attacked Liz,” I whispered, “You and Danny.  I couldn’t stop it.”
    Jack sat back, unsure how to react.
    “I would never attack Elizabeth,” he said quietly, “She poses no threat to me or my brother.”
    I swallowed, realizing that my throat was dry from the screaming.  My body was shivering, still in panic mode from the memory of my imagination.  I coughed to clear my throat.
    “I know,” I said uncertainly, “Sorry.”

Make Time to Write your Book with NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month, affectionately known as NaNoWriMo to its regular participants. NaNoWriMo is a great idea. I joined the organisation in 2011 for my first time, and it was brilliant for me because I got the opportunity to write the sequel to my first Redcliffe novel. Up until that point I was distracted with the arrival of my first child, the upheaval of being a new parent, and the associated confusion and planning about whether or not I should return to work and how our family system should operate.

Anyway, I heard about NaNoWriMo and decided to give it a go. It is called a competition, but there are no financial prizes or rewards. It is free to join, free to attend, and all that is required is that you attempt to write 50,000 words during the month of November. 50,000 words in 30 days. Wow! It seemed like an impossible task, especially since I don’t usually find the time to write every day. In fact at the time I was lucky to write once a week. Now I realise its potential.

NaNoWriMo gave me the opportunity to test myself, and to learn that actually I can write every day when I put my mind to it. I didn’t have to stay up every night writing until the early hours (although I did on the occasions when my Muse took over), and my daughter was not neglected. I still managed to run a household and do all my usual chores and required tasks. Many people are in awe of my achievement. My fellow NaNoWriMo winners simply smile indulgently and we bask in our shared glory.

Some people might say it’s all well and good to write 50,000 words in 30 days, but where do you get your inspiration? For most natural writers, the words are already there just waiting to spill out. Once we set out a quiet time, a personal space, and an open invitation to our Muse, we can write a whole book within a short space of time.  The good people at NaNoWriMo have set up forums and chat rooms where writers can encourage each other. We can share ideas, assist with queries, and generally offer support based on our individual experiences.

There are also regional groups that physically meet up in pubs and cafes, to swap updates and continue the push to succeed in the NaNoWriMo challenge. My local group meets in Chester, and while I was unable to make any of their meetings in 2011, I might have a little more freedom this year, depending on circumstances of course. It doesn’t matter either way, because the option is still there, and we are all connected via email and forums on the website.

Are you a NaNoWriMo winner? Have you participated in the past but not quite reached the golden 50,000 word challenge? Or have you never attempted it? I suggest you go for it. Try it out. Even if you don’t complete the challenge, you will end the month with a fresh new manuscript underway, and you will be in the practice of finding time to write. It might give you the push that you need to shut out all the other hundreds of daily distractions in life, and to write your masterpiece of a bestseller. If you want to know more, their website is http://www.nanowrimo.org/. See you at NaNo!

Book Promotion and the Indie Author

I feel a little frustrated this morning. No, I feel very frustrated actually. My Redcliffe novels are not selling as well on Amazon as they were earlier in the month, and although I understand that the Author Central feature is not always completely accurate, I use it as a guide in the absence of regular sales figures. My books do sell in other formats, but Amazon is still the most popular, probably because it is the most accessible.

Like most of my fellow author friends, I simply do not have the money to pay for promotional advertisements in big publications and on popular websites. All I can do at the moment is flog my wares across the free social networks, and keep trying to build a fan base using Twitter and Facebook. It is working. My numbers have increased significantly during the last 3 months alone. But it isn't good enough. I want to be an international bestseller. That is my ultimate goal. And dammit, I will succeed!

So, what do I try next? My plan now is to do another round of letters to literary agents, and try to get my books sold to a big publishing house that can afford to promote me. I know this is a very long shot. I also know that it isn't always as straightforward as that. All I can do is try. At the very least my books will seep into the public consciousness if I keep on talking about them to anyone and everyone. Never give up. Never back down.

If anyone has suggestions on how I could promote my books more effectively, or any advice based on personal experience, please do let me know. I am eager to learn, eager to expand, and when I do finally have some spare cash, I am willing to spend it on advertising. I am also not averse to assistance with funding from a willing benefactor or organization... just saying!