Mira here - it's my birthday today, which being a rebellious Aussie ex-pat makes me believe that I can switch things up a little. Be prepared for one of the worst run-on sentences ever, but don't skip it - So instead of writing a post myself (seeing as I'm super busy preparing for our fabulous upcoming Self- and Indie Publishing with Crowdfunding course with Jed Alexander, creating tons of resource lists of top editors, illustrators, graphic designers, e-book converters, print on demand and traditional printers, and how to work with them and pay for them with no financial risk to make a top quality book for schools, libraries, awesome indie bookstores, Amazon etc. and how to make your writing and or illustration the best that it can be) PLUS preparing for Jed's and my FREE webinar on March 13th with registration right here on The New Publishing Paradigm: Small, Indie, Self and e-Publishing, PLUS I'm partying tonight (it's still March 1st right now), I asked my friend Jamie Engle to fill in for me. Now without further ado, let me introduce the lovely Jaimie Engle, who will give lots of helpful info on marketing, getting school visits, and her experiences of self publishing Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light. Self-Publishing: Going In Eyes Wide-Open Treating Your Book as a Business I self-published my children’s novel, Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light, in September 2013, after the small press I had been working with breached our contract. Three weeks before my slated release, my publisher bailed and left me stranded. I had no publicist, no idea what to do, and no desire to give up. I reached out to mommy bloggers, introducing myself as a mom who wrote a children’s book, and many of them agreed to a free review and giveaway. This helped bring national visibility to my book for only a few bucks per blogger, the cheapest advertising campaign I could think of. I received rave reviews and sold a hundred or so copies. Honestly, I was heart-broken that I was no longer a “published” author, but rather a “self-published” author. I lost the passion for my book and my sales slowed. I focused my attention on my editing and PR firm, A Writer For Life. I love editing and working with authors to polish their books for submission or self-publication. But I was spending all my time promoting others, while doing nothing for myself. That had to change. In December of 2014, after a year on the market, I reevaluated the three aspects of my business that I have control over to see how I could increase book sales:
My inspiration hit during his archery club lesson, when I imagined a dwarf stalking us in search of a magical arrow. This realization changed everything:
Jaimie M. Engle is an award-winning author from Melbourne, Florida. Before releasing her anti-bullying fantasy novel Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light she ran a body shop, modeled bikinis, danced in the Aloha Bowl halftime show, and managed a hip-hop band. Her young adult novella, The Dredge, placed honorable mentions in the 2013 L. Ron Hubbard’s Writer’s of the Future contest and she placed second in the 2012 Space Coast Writer’s Guild short story competition. She is represented by Pam Howell of D4EO Literary. Engle offers a coaching & editing service for aspiring writers at www.awriterforlife.com. Learn more about her books and download free stuff at www.jaimiengle.com. Thank you so much Jaimie, this was fabulous and am truly happy for your successes!!
And just a reminder, our fun contest with terrific prizes ends on Tuesday and it's not too late to play right here. The FREE webinar is Friday March13th at 5.30PM PST registration here. The deadline for our scholarships for the course have been extended until March 4th because we did a poor job getting the word out about them. These will be announced on the 6th on the scholarship page. And finally, to check out what the course is about, click here. We'd love to blow you away with what we've created and how it can transform your publishing life. Early Bird Specials end March 6th.
3 Comments
3/1/2015 10:05:39 pm
Thanks, Mira for this awesome opportunity to share my experience with other authors. You rock!!
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Rodney Taber
3/2/2015 01:31:16 am
Fantastic article, Jaimie! Thanks for the personal story and the insight!
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3/2/2015 02:32:59 pm
Great post and fantastic advice. I love the tips on how to make the book as a whole more fit for the market.
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We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our awesome bloggers!!
Here's our lineup: 1st Mondays begin with awesome Aussie debut author and former student Amanda Lieber who will be focusing on Aussie kidlit. 2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books. 3rd Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info. 4th Mondays will be a mystery for right now. And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break Archives
September 2023
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