Printed Book Now On Createspace Store!!

So my book – The Secret World of Dragons – is now available to buy in print on Createspace! Very exciting! It will out on amazon within 5-7 days. The link to createspace is : https://www.createspace.com/3768977

Also, I’ve been working more on my website. It looks all right. Nothing too fancy. Website design wasn’t my best course in college. I prefer Photoshop to Dreamweaver. Anyway here it is:

Talkin’ bout Marketin’

Hiya all! I’m now at 30 posts! Yay~!

In other news, my book is now available to purchase at amazon or smashwords for $0.99! This is pre-print price, and it will go up a few dollars after the printed copies come out next week. So grab a copy while it’s cheap!

Anyway… let’s talk marketing. I’ve received my super awesome posters today (keeping two to hang up and sticking the rest up around the city. The only question is, where exactly can I place these? There are common places I know of, like university, colleges, downtown, etc., but there must be more clever places to put up posters.

So readers, do you have any ideas? I would love to hear what you have to say.

I’ve also thought about sticking one or two up around my apartment building, but I’m sure management be like, “RAWR! Blah-de-blah, take down posters!” So I’m not going to risk it.

Also, does anyone know of any good blogs/forums where there are avid readers who like fiction/adventure and the whole like?

I’ve gotten a few good ideas from the pros over at http://thebookmarketingnetwork.com/. Things like putting posters up in your car, creating facebook & Twitter profiles for your book characters, staying in touch with top bloggers, and great stuff like that.

The problem with marketing is a budget. I have very limited funds right now, so something like http://www.iuniverse.com/ would be very, very expensive for me. The cheapest package is around $600 (and doesn’t include much at all), while the best package is $4000 and contains quite a few interesting things. But it’s $4000.

So… manual and free advertising is the only way to go right now. I’ve been thinking about designing my own business cards as well, depending on how much it would cost to print said cards.

Anyhow, marketing is quite the tricky and difficult endeavour. It requires a lot of hard work, especially when you’re doing it on your own. i.e. without a large publisher behind you.

Anyway, let me know what kind of marketing strategies you guys have, what worked and didn’t work, and all your crazy stories of being a published writer.

~ Sandra

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming, Swimming …

Hey November! Yeah, you! I don’t really think it was the best time to schedule NaNoWriMo. Do you think you could possibly change it to some other month? … No? … What if I gave you a cookie? … No? … Okay, fine. I guess I’ll suck it up.

I’m on 3,000 words so far, which isn’t bad, I guess. But I know I’m going to fall behind. I can feel it coming! I have loads of work on my hands with little time for writing. My work term is time consuming, unfortunately.

So what’s my solution, you may ask?

Well, running off to some quiet, remote location to write isn’t really the answer, so plan B … which is finding time to write.

Yes, we all have those moments in the day when we’re tired and worn out from work/school, etc., and those other times when you just don’t have the motivation to write. That’s fine. Take that time to relax. But don’t sit there all day watching TV reruns, being unproductive while your computer is making sad faces at you because you won’t spend some quality time with it.

I know I have several procrastinating problems. One is watching my favourite TV show until I reach the end of the season. Another would be social media sites, such as facebook. Even game shortcuts on my desktop are distracting.

 

Here’s some helpful advice for the struggling writer:

- Hide your TV remote and stay away from that evil box!

- Remove all game shortcuts from your desktop

- Try to stay away from media sites such as facebook, twitter, etc.

- Don’t put it off. Schedule a certain time/date to write and stick to it!

- Reward yourself for completing a page. “Here, Sandra. Have a cookie!” (remember to bake cookies beforehand)

- Music can be distracting, but it can also help depending on the writer. Choose songs that fit your story

- Take a break from time to time. Not a long one, but long enough to grab a snack or a relaxing bath

- Ask someone about your progress. A bit of encouragement goes a long way!

- Walks are good for collecting thoughts and clearing your mind of all negativity

- Finally, talk with other writers and share opinions. You’ll feel more motivated when you are surrounded by others with the same passion for writing!

 

This is going to be a hectic ride, but I’m strapped in and ready to go! Good luck to everyone competing and remember, as Dory says, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, swimming …”

~ Sandra