Midnight Sisters Shops Local!

I know you've heard it. Print books are dying out.

It's not encouraging to those of us who want to sell books to hear that buyers aren't buying. Or if they are buying, they're buying eBooks for under $1.

My crazy family. I can't take them anywhere...

Well, my dears, here's the truth. My author events in bookstores have always been successful. I don't make enough to move out of my two-bedroom condo or quit my day job, but I do make enough to keep writing. 

And occasionally pay for a pedicure. Or a green polka dot dress.

When your book launch is at a retro dress shop...

I've had a blast promoting my books in local shops this year. Friends, family, and perfect strangers strolled in and snatched up copies of my newest release, Midnight Sisters. And many of them snagged Becoming Beauty as well.

Crazy friends. Oh how I love them.

How does that happen if print books are a dying breed? Here's what I've seen:

• Local shops run by individuals who understand local culture and stock their shelves accordingly will be successful.
• Authors who carefully plan public events, put in the leg work (i.e. traditional and online promotion), and genuinely connect with potential readers will also be successful.

Trust me, simply showing up with a smile and 900 copies of your newest novel will not be enough. There needs to be a solid plan in place. Chat with shop owners and librarians, build good rapport, borrow tips and techniques from other writers, and get busy promoting on your end.

And yes, please take your smile and pile of books. You're going to need those.

Like any author, I've had several nominally successful author events too. Instead of becoming discouraged, I choose to learn from those experiences.

• Did I fail to promoted the event sufficiently? 
• Did I fail to include effective strategies that have worked before?
• Is my sales pitch (i.e. book blurb) enough to hook potential readers?
• Did I make some valuable connections that I can use later on?
• Did I leave a good impression with my host?

As a second-time author, I've been much better at playing to my strengths this time around. For me, that includes playing to the local crowd and being warm, friendly, and visible. Let me tell you, it's exhausting, but so much fun!

That's what we do, isn't it? Take the awesome, learn from the not-so-awesome, and keep on improving. So writerly and non-writerly friends, go forth and conquer!

Then come back and tell me how it went.

Indie (Hybrid) Writerville

When my plans for world domination failed, I decided to take the self-publishing path for Midnight Sisters.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

I'm grateful every day that Cedar Fort took a chance on me and Becoming Beauty. Traditional publishing taught me about editing, storytelling, and character arcs. I also learned that traditionally published authors have no time to sit back and eat bon-bons. Nope. Cedar Fort managed book distribution and formatting while I set up my blog tour, book launch, arranged for signings, and scheduled author visits to schools and libraries.

Fast forward two years. As a Indie Author, I had complete control over everything including the things I had no idea how to do. Luckily, I had an amazing team behind me who was willing to pick up the slack.

Editing: My fabulous editor friend Margaret Zerkle got to the root of all my book issues. Meg asked the hard questions and didn't care if it made me cry or throw things. (I didn't actually cry or throw things. But I appreciate that honesty.) It made my story clearer and my characters more interesting.

Cover Art: My official graphic designer, Cindy, created everything from my coverart to bookmarks and other promotional materials for Midnight Sisters' Blog Tour and Launch Party. The experience of shooting the cover with Cindy convinced me that this indie author thing was definitely for me. Collaborating with someone to bring your vision to life is intoxicating.

Formatting: Hybrid author Jo Ann Schneider and her hubby Jon came to my rescue on book formatting. I am less than computer saavy, people. But with my crash course on formatting, I'm much more comfortable with the process. (But yes, Jo, sometimes I still need you to hold my hand!)

Marketing: For Midnight Sister's release, I contacted everyone I knew in the writing world and politely asked for their help. Because Becoming Beauty's Blog Tour went so well, many people came on board immediately and several more continued to ask me to guest post, send them a copy of Midnight Sisters to review, sell my book in their bookshops, and host author events at their venue. These are the amazing people who share you with their readers and fans. Why go to all the effort of setting up blog tours, book launches, and giveaways? The reality is that running blog tours, giveaways, and other promotional events makes your book more visible to a wider audience and grows your following on social media. And in case you haven't been paying attention, that's what really sells your books. 

At this point you may be wondering how to build a team of awesome individuals like mine. Here's how:

Be kind.
Be respectful.
Work your butt off.

People sense when you've put forth your best effort. They respond when you come through for them. Connect with them. Be available. And when they ask for your help, say yes! Just ask Ms. Etiquette, it works.

The Indie Author life isn't a cake walk, but with a whole lot of work, you can pull it off. But what do I know? I'm still learning! But yes, I will share what I learn along the way.

The Power of The Share II

A while back, I waxed poetic on the topic of sharing. (Imagine a kindergarten teacher who encourages people to share. Why yes, I am a walking cliche.)

A few years ago, I realized that everything in life revolves around connecting with others. Being there for them, doing your best to understand, carrying part of the burden they feel, and striving to not check out on a relationship. Lessons for life, right? Working for a purpose and all that.

It wasn't until I entered the big, bad world of publishing and marketing that I had another epiphany. Business is all about connecting.

Of course it is!

In the business world everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. And SURPRISE, they don't only want to feel heard during the sales pitch. They want to feel as if you are making an effort the entire time.

What does this have to do with the Power of the Share? The gist of that previous post was that sharing others (their content and what they do) lifts us as well. Have you ever had a truly horrible day and instead of cocooning yourself at home with the remote and a pint of Ben & Jerry's, you reached out to someone else and lifted them instead? Same basic principle.

In lifting others, we lift ourselves.

Each month the Humor & Inspiration posts ran, the following occurred:

• Increased page views. The degree of increase depended on the featured author and their popularity, how well written the post was, and how well the authors and I promoted the post on social media. Officially, the highest viewed posts to date are Humor & Inspiration featured authors, Terry Tyler and Carol J. Hedges. (Follow the links if you haven't already. Such funny gals!) Additionally, my posts written during the same period received move views than those of last fall. And that's just awesome.
• Better overall engagement. Post comments, and sharing and commenting via social media has more than tripled over last fall. Yes, tripled! That's pretty amazing. Drawing people to your website is one thing, but having them interact is another step entirely. It's that heightened interaction that makes me really excited.

I think the reason for these trends is fresh content and writers promoting within their circles to engage new readers. I noted the same phenomenon in working with the Cedar Fort team to edit my first book, Becoming Beauty. The quality of the work increased as skilled writers collaborated and offered the best they could to the project. 

And for this reason, I'll continue to invite authors to collaborate here in Twisted Fairytaleland, to share their stories, tips, and unique perspectives. Because, in addition to the increased engagement and page views, I always learn something from them. And I love that best.

* * *

The Humor & Inspiration Features are at an end, but if you're interesting in being a future guest or you have an absolutely smashing idea for a new feature, please leave me a comment.

Lydia Thomas: No, I Won't Write Your Memoirs 

Prairie Wife in Heels: The Idyllic Country Life 

Anne Goodwin: When Words Behave Like Toddlers 

Terry Tyler: Art Inspires Life

Kaley Tallman: Abandoning the Comfort Zone

Heidi Doxey: British Book Invasion

Carol J. Hedges: So You've Published a Book...

Allison Maruska: Four Steps Away From the Cliff

Colleen M. Story: Writers with Personality

Tamara Copley: The Magic of Humor
Sarah E. Boucher: Beating the Blaaaahs
Jenniffer Wardell: All the Best Jokes

Also, I'd love to hear how collaboration has helped you in your writerly endeavors. Tell me what you've learned on your journey!

Crafting Your Craft

Just like cheese, wine, and crazy friends who encourage you to act like an idiot, writing gets better with time. 

Perusing my website's stats revealed that my most viewed posts were published in 2015. Weird, right? In 2014, I worried about proving myself as a writer and making a splash when my book was released in November. Conversely, in 2015 I had to relax and accept my limits as a writer, blogger, and author because I began teaching at a new school and had to blog less frequently.

That's right. Less. 

I'd just released a book. On top of online marketing, I had to do the traditional high-heels-hit-the-pavement variety of marketing too. (Don't judge. I like to be pretty when I hit the pavement.) And stress hit an all-time high when I moved from the elementary school I'd been teaching at for 8 years to a charter school. 

The only plausible reason I could find for those pesky numbers was this: 

Practice Makes Perfect. 

(Or in my case, practice makes better.) 

Writing: In 2015, I went from crafting one-point-to-be-made posts to integrating other's posts, websites, books, themes, and links into my own posts. And I began to write about writing. I tackled topics like Indie vs Traditional Publishing and full-time vs part-time writing, the Waiting Game of writers and publishers, dealing with deadlines, the importance of keeping promises we make to readers, the ins and outs of world building, and how to break writing rules effectively. 

Connection: In 2015, I learned the value of connecting with other authors and writers as well as readers both online and in real life. I found a commonality with them and began discussing the struggles all writers face. I posted about other authors and their books more than ever before.  Also, I cracked the code on Twitter. Seriously. And finally, I understood the Power of the Share, which is something I plan to harness more in 2016. (If you want to be part of that process and be featured on my website, please leave me a comment below.)

Promotion: In 2015, I took advantage of #MondayBlogs and #ArchiveDay regularly, which boosted my readership drastically. Also, I learned to play the numbers game and promote my posts on all forums (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) in their own unique way and repeatedly post (not spam) for higher interaction. And I learned a bit more about marketing and online etiquette. (Because let's be honest, what does a kindergarten teacher know about marketing? Unlike buyers, the kids come to you! But hey, we know plenty about the pleases and thank yous of etiquette.)

Like years of piano lessons that refine musical ability, I refined my writing and consequently my website through weekly practice. I'm still not there yet. But I'm much closer than I was in 2014 and today I'm more excited than I was 2015.

Tally ho! Onward and upward in 2016, my friends!

* * *

I'd love to hear about your 2015 discoveries and how they effect your perception of the future. Leave me a comment below!

The Unforgivable

Becoming acquainted with some seriously cool people has been a perk of establishing an online presence. However, for as many cool people as I've found, there have been a number of creeps, trolls, and truly clueless individuals. I get requests from them all the time. But there are people I can't, won't, and/or have no interest in following online and/or befriending in real life. For your entertainment and edification, I've described them below:

Look at me! Look at ME! LOOK AT ME! Did you miss the SOCIAL part of social media? When all you talk about is yourself, how do you expect anyone else to engage in the conversation? Maybe you just wanted a one-side conversation anyway. If so, then carry on, my dear! (By the way, If you haven't learned, let me spell it out for you: You are NOT the center of the universe.)

Buy my stuff! That's right, we're all on the internet with the express purpose of buying your book, acquiring your useless crap, and/or learning about your life-changing philosophy. Oh wait...that's the purpose of Google, Amazon, and Etsy. I must have confused social media with one of those online merchants. My bad. 

Celebs (or those that think they're celebs) Here's a hint my darlings: If you think you're too good for me, I have no problem agreeing with you. Moving along! Personally, I follow few celebrities online. Those I do follow have something to offer, usually in fabulous fan interaction. There are plenty of individuals on social media who act like celebrities and would love the hero worship dealt to celebrities. Good luck with that.

Ms. Cranky Pants (Also Mr. Whiny Pants) Did you just flip out, throw a hissy fit, and/or climb up on your high horse? Well, you just made yourself look like an idiot now, didn't you? (I might add that all of this judgment is coming from the girl who wears Doctor Who socks. So that should make you feel worse.) It's a public forum, sweetie. If you thought small towns were gossipy, just you wait.

We all have our moments when we act like divas and peddle our wares like a big-mouthed car salesman. It happens. But when our wits are about us, we ought to realize that all of life, including our online life is about CONNECTING. Meet, greet, chat, and be polite. When you begin to feel offended, take a deep breath. There's no reason to fly off the handle. If someone else is acting like a moron, there's no need to join the party. It's not as if you're face to face. After you've chewed on your words for a good while, consider sending them in a private message instead of a public post. Or unfollow, block, mute, or report the other party as inappropriate. Any of those actions mark you as a professional.

Need more online or etiquette tips? Try Socially Approved Stalking: The Ins & Outs of Followers, Ms. Etiquette Makes an Appearance, Marketing for One, Please, or Hiyeee! Buy My Stuff.

Hiyeeee! Buy my Stuff.

Is it just me, or is this approach some people have? Because pretended friendliness paired with the cold sell is super effective...

So you know those crazy kids that churches send out to proselyte? Well, I was one of those nametag-wearing, scripture-toting darlings in the late 90s. Imagine approaching a stranger about something as personal as religion. Are you hyperventilating yet? Well, we did it. And I'm going to tell you how. Please don't tell the Mormons. (Just teasing, they won't mind.)

BRT = Build Relationships of Trust When you approach someone to sell something or propose a change in lifestyle, you need them to trust you. Why? Because no one cares about what you have to say until they care about you and know you care about them. 

Build on Common Interests Find something that you both enjoy, appreciate, share, or believe in. Once you've got them chatting, eventually you will find your in. “Oh, yes, I can totally relate with that! I feel the same way when I'm writing!” You're a writer? What are you working on? Have you published anything? (It probably won't be that easy. But be patient. It'll work out.)

Build Up, Don't Tear Down Ranting, hopping on your soap box, and jumping on the offensive is the quickest way to turn potential friends (i.e. tomorrow's buyers) off. Take a deep breath and walk away rather than engaging in a negative interchange. Silence is the best way to encourage others to reconsider what they've said. And if they don't, move on. But please, do not be the reason someone hates authors, writers, or artists of any kind. At the end of the day, Ms. Etiquette reminds us to be respectful.

Personal Referrals Practically all of the people who embraced my message back in my Hermana Boucher days had friends, family and associates who were members of the LDS church. Before I entered the picture, they had positive experiences with the religion itself. If you have devoted followers and friends who will share YOU or your product with the people they know, the message is that much more powerful because it comes from someone they already trust. I've heard, “My friend [daughter, mom, neighbor] would LOVE that!” so many times. And it never fails to make me happy!

There you have it, my dears! Tips on salesmanship from an ex-missionary. And why the “Hello! Buy my stuff!” approach is destined for failure. Here's the bottom line: Focus on the Person, Not the Message. Stop sending out messages that ask strangers to buy your stuff. Don't hide who you are or what you do, but be a lovely, engaging, interesting person they will want to hang out with, chat with, and share with their friends. Because then guess what. You just did your job twice. And you have a new friend!

Thanks for stopping by, my friends! Like to read more? I'm the Queen of Advice. And I'm not shy about it...
Socially Approved Stalking: The Ins & Outs of Followers
Marketing for One, Please
Ms. Etiquette Makes an Appearance

Socially Approved Stalking: The Ins & Outs of Followers

When Becoming Beauty was picked up by Cedar Fort, the marketing rep contacted and said, “So, I've noticed you only have 17 followers on Twitter...” He then proceeded to pass on some basic tips to increase my following. Now, I'm rolling past 4000 followers and I couldn't be more grateful for his guidance. Mostly, I'm grateful for slow steady growth and the opportunity to meet some amazing people. 

Let's assume you've already set up an attractive, welcoming, and error free blog/website, and profiles on social media sites. Once that's done, how do you get people to visit it? Welcome to my tips on Socially Approved Stalking!

The numbers game: Followers vs Following and choosing active, engaging people
Follow accounts that are about equal in Followers vs Following. Generally, those who follow few and have an overwhelming number of followers aren't interested in helping others. Next, check how regularly they post and what type of content they post. I always do a quick scan to see if they retweet and/or engage with others. If they don't, they won't change their game plan, no matter how amazing, witty, thoughtful, and moving your posts are. Make sense?

How do you discover people to followers? 
Hashtag city, baby! Searching hashtags is a fabulous way to discover like minded individuals. I use the  following hashtags to find new readers and writers to follow, but I discover more all the time:

#avidreader
#booklover
#IARTG
#booknerd
#bookworm
#amreading

Searching keywords like writer, author, and indie is another great way to connect with new people. My favorite source for generous followers are the weekly hashtag parties like #MondayBlogs, #ArchiveDay, #wwwblogs, and #SundayBlogShare. Granted, you must participate by posting fresh content regularly on your website/blog, using the hashtag, and sharing others' blog post links. They take time, but hashtag parties provide great exposure.

Personal Preferences
There are some accounts I won't follow. This includes anyone with obscenities in their profile or anyone who claims to be a writer or author but has grammatical or spelling errors in their profile. It's unprofessional and it tells me that your book/website will also be riddled with them. I also avoid anyone selling followers (since they are only interested in interacting with my money) and any account with uninteresting or obnoxious profiles (offensive picture, no picture, no description, or a description that sounds stupid or boring to me). FYI it's okay if you don't follow everyone back, if they like you, they'll stick around and engage with you and show you that they're worth following. I was totally that girl!

How do you keep followers?
I've pulled the Ms. Etiquette card before, but here's the recap: Engage with people! Be genuine and generous. Use your manners. If you can't say it in kindergarten, maybe you shouldn't say it online. And measure twice, cut once from high school wood shop can be reinterpreted as think it through and check it twice before you post. Keep it professional.

Finding unfollowers
I allow people a decent amount of time between following them and unfollowing if they haven't responded (i.e. engaged in the ever so polite Follow Back). Unless someone posts something truly offensive or obnoxious, I don't unfollow them if we're following each other. CrowdFire helps me track unfollowers and nonfollowers on Twitter and Instagram. It's free and just had a massive update so that it now provides even more information for its users. But, if you don't love it, there are plenty of other apps that will give you the same type of information. 

Will people be offended if I unfollow them?
If they're not following you or they post uninteresting or obnoxious things, why should you care? Drop the dead weight! And please, feel free to take whatever action you feel is appropriate (blocking, etc.). I regularly go through my list of followers and weed out the those who unfollow or never followed back. It's how the system works and increases your growth.

Like everything, you get out of it what you put into it. I'm a full time teacher, so I do what I can when I can and it works! For guidelines on following, friending, and trending on Instagram and Facebook, the lovely Raylynn Sleight has agreed to do a sister post. Please feel free to leave me a comment about any tips or big no-nos you've discovered. Thanks for reading!

Marketing for One, Please

On the joys, stresses, and annoyances of marketing your own book while working full-time!

You can only do as well as you know how. I was a little better than clueless when this whole process started. However, I've been at this marketing fiasco for over a year and I'm more than happy to share what I know with you, my dears. Good luck!

Establish an online presence: Develop your message and establish a website that clearly expresses it. Then, share it. You don't need to be everywhere all the time, but commit time to sharing your message via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, or however you are comfortable on a weekly basis. (Insider tip: you can set up an account on Networked Blogs that will automatically post to chosen targets whenever you publish new content on your blog or website. It's free!) 

Connect, connect, connect: Talk with people online (and not just about yourself or your books/product). Chat about things that are important. Share things that resonate with you or might inspire, instruct, or entertain others. Above all, share things that others post that are interesting to you. I scratch your back, you scratch mine absolutely applies in marketing. (Insider tip: my favorite days to interact on Twitter are during #MondayBlogs and Saturday #ArchiveDay. These folks are there to share and be shared! And they are very generous. I've also heard great things about Wednesday #wwwblogs and #SundayBlogShare, but I did mention that I have a day job, right? Check them out and find out what works for you.)

Meet Your Public: Plan authory events where you can interact with your fans and the general public. The main purpose will be to sell your product, but if you don't take the opportunity to spread on the charm and win them over, what's the point? In all your interactions (online and in person) be positive and genuine. People will be drawn to that. (Insider tip: Like mama always said, it never hurts to ask. And it really doesn't hurt to ask in a courteous way. You can ask friends, acquaintances, church-going pals, library connections, and work colleagues if they're interested in hosting a book signing, demo, presentation, or book club. You'd be surprised how many will say yes when you ask with a smile.)

Devote time and resources: It's not necessary to spend all of your time and money sharing your message. The goal is to make a profit while still holding down a day job, going out with friends, and keeping in contact with loved ones. Be wise. Budget your time as carefully as you do your money. (Insider tip: I prefer spending my money on pretty  shoes instead of marketing. I just thought you should know that.)

There you go! Nothing deep or complicated, just a little of what my marketing guru friend Raylynn Sleight calls common sense. (Actually she calls it something involving No and Sherlock, but you get the picture.) Here's her take on marketing: Marketing Made Simple. Good luck! Feel free to leave a comment and pass along your secrets of marketing success. Thanks, my dears!

Need a little more writerly wisdom? Try Ms Etiquette Makes an Appearance, Ready or Not, Author Envy, Meet Your Adoring Public, or Panic City, Population: 1.