Did you HEAR? Updates On My Publishing Empire!

Progress is being made - although it all feels like it's moving at a snail's pace, as far as I'm concerned.

In my last entry, I listed six tasks related to my upcoming and existing books. Most have already been accomplished, though I had a minor setback when the hard drive on my iMac died and some work was frozen. Luckily, once a new drive was installed and I restored the system, everything was there, just like I left it, and I was able to continue without backtracking.

The audiobook for "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain" is now available at Amazon.com, Audible.com, and iTunes. At around $6.00,  it's a fun, affordable way to pass a few hours on the way to grandma's for Thanksgiving!  I'll be starting work next week on the audiobook for "Own the Scrawny," which I'm hoping to have available at the same time as the book on January 1.

This week, I'll be submitting "Own the Scrawny" to begin the manufacturing process for both the paperback and ebook. Edits have been completed. We're all ready.

At the moment, I'm waiting anxiously for more of my "beta readers" to respond. So far, only one has. While I realize it takes time for people to find the time to sit down and read a book, my less logical side is driving me crazy - I'm nearly as neurotic as my main character!

One of my hopes this time around is that I can build some presence for "Own the Scrawny" even before the official publication.

If you're on Goodreads.com, I'd appreciate the favor of adding "Own the Scrawny" to your "Want to Read" list (press the green button). Between the beta readers and upcoming giveaways, I'm also hoping that there will be more than just a few reviews posted by January.

Once the manufacturing process is underway, I'm going to begin efforts to begin promoting the book, especially how it relates to the growing issue of online trolling. I'm hoping to conduct a series of interviews on the subject, so if you have a story to tell about your own experiences related to your creative work as a YouTuber, blogger or other online content creator, please let me know.

Short Story Ebook Published: Now What?

As of today, my ebook-only short story Why Do You Think They Call It a Ghost Town is available on Amazon sites worldwide (including the US, UK and Canada). It's already available from other popular ebook retailers, as well.

While this short story helps me to establish a slightly larger presence as a writer - one of my prime objectives as I continue to work toward completion of my second novel, I'm still considering how I might promote this work.

This short story is simply entertainment - it doesn't pretend to be anything else. While "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain" addresses aspects of bullying, and the second book in the series will address self-image issues, Ghost Town places Alexander in a real-life ghost town of Bodie, California for a creepy little adventure. It developed out of visits my nephew and I made to Bodie a couple of years ago.

Here are a few questions I'm pondering:

1. How can I promote short, light entertainment?
2. How can I encourage readers to port reviews for a short, light entertainment? 
3. Since my primary audience are likely to be middle-grade readers (extending to about thirteen or so), how can I reach that age group effectively - and, will they be interested in this sort of short fiction?
4. Should I consider a fully illustrated physical edition of this book, perhaps offered in time for Halloween? It might prove to be a major undertaking, but could be an attractive platform for this particular story.

Meanwhile, I continue work on my second novel, obsessively check my Amazon and Bookbaby stats, experiment with promotional tools, and contemplate my path forward as a writer.

As always, your feedback is welcome and encouraged.

Follow me on Twitter, @rickflix

Getting Real: My Protagonist Tweets!

One of the greatest challenges I have as an independent author is continuing to build word of mouth for my book.  For the first few months, the book is new and that, in itself, can be considered newsworthy.  As of this writing, it’s been nine months since the book first appeared in ebook form, and seven months since it was available in paperback. I’m currently writing a follow-up volume to “My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain,” but that won’t be ready for several months.

As we approach the end of the year, I’ll be initiating several new efforts to keep the book alive in the minds of readers - and, perhaps, reach new readers in the process.

The first step in that effort begins today, with the launch of a new Twitter account, @NoWedgiesForMe - tweeting in the voice of Alexander, the central character in the “Food Chain” books.  He’ll tweet about his day-to-day life, as many people do, but followers will also be able to follow an entirely new story as it unfolds day to day in “real time.” If followers choose, they can also interact with Alexander, and he’ll respond.  Alexander’s quirky personality and skewed observations of the world around him are a central highlight of the novel, and I believe he’s nicely suited for a life on Twitter. While related to the world portrayed in the novel, Alexander’s experiences on that platform will be original and independent of the original and upcoming novels.

I’m excited about experimenting with this new form of storytelling, and, like the entire process of writing and releasing a self-published book, I’ll be curious about how this approach might engage readers, and, perhaps, help build an audience.

I invite and hope for your involvement - follow Alexander @NoWedgiesForMe

Why We're All Like Steve Jobs

I was a bit under the weather this past week, more Vlogger Interviews  next week!

On October 3, 2011, my niece's sci-fi e-novella, "Echoes," was published on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  Obviously, I'm a proud uncle, and I'm hoping that the untold multitudes will plunk down their $2.99 to give "S.P. Blackmore's" sci-fi book a try.

I'm also happy and inspired to see the latest example of what I think is going to turn into a wave of newly-empowered entrepreneurs venturing into the world and creating futures impossible without the power of social and mobile technologies.

Just a couple of years ago, most people I knew really weren't sure what or even if online media, social media or "new" media was relevant to their own personal dreams.   Today, many of those same people are beginning to understand the potential, and are hard at work finding - or perhaps inventing - their own way through a brand new, intimately accessible business model.  Just as one can't build a house with a gift of untested tools,  most are still figuring out how to build their world - learning and improving day by day.  It's no longer a question of "if" there's a way to succeed digitally - it's a question of how. 

Success still takes talent and hard work - it's the access to opportunity that has changed. 

The passing of Steve Jobs, I think, says it all.  It's a massive passing of the torch.   His vision, innovation and enthusiasm created accessible technology that, in turn, is making it possible for a near constellation of dreamers to innovate and create as he once did - and making a living doing what they love to do.

And it's all just beginning.