Topsy Turvy Week
May. 29th, 2015 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatI leave this week confused. Although no longer frustrated. So progress?
It's been a rather chaotic work week. And a topsy turvy one emotionally speaking, regarding my book aka the little novel that could. For those of you who haven't been following along? I wrote a book, ten years ago, revised it about 10 times (because you sort of have to), and finally found the courage to send it out into the universe. It's entitled "Doing Time on Planet Earth" (see nifty icon) and is available at the following outlets:
* Amazon.com
* Barnes and Noble
* Kindle (also Amazon) - it is exclusive to Kindle (electronically), but you can get in paperback virtually everywhere else.
Oh, and I got my first responses.
Two people rated it between 4-5 stars.
I don't know one of them and they gave no review, just a rating. The other was my co-worker, who I will get to later.
A third person, a internet blogger/social media pal, provided a brief two sentence blurb. I'm not sure if they liked it or not. They gave a sort of left-handed compliment, which I was tempted to snark at, but brutally restrained myself. (Never respond to reviews. Bad Mojo. Well, unless you are Anne Rice or Joss Whedon, but even then... pretend you didn't read them.) Feeling a ripe hypocrite in the process. Because hello? I've given similar reviews. But it frigging hurts all the same. (It's silly but for some reason I want everybody to love what I create, even though that is blatantly impossible.) Oh well, at least they didn't do it on Good Reads, Amazon or Barnes and Noble -- where it would do serious damage. Part of putting yourself out there is dealing with negative responses and criticism. Let's face it, not everyone will grok what you created. We think differently after all.
Right after that, the very next morning, co-worker aka Reader at Large surprised me by loving my book. I wasn't sure he would. Actually, I was sort of afraid he'd hate it. (It's one thing if a social media buddy or blogger doesn't like it, it's another if it is a co-worker, who you sort of have to deal with on a daily basis.) He's picky. But he also loves noir, literary stories, and edgy urban stories - so fits the demographic. (In some ways he was a test subject -- if he hated it, I'd have a problem.) "Breaking Bad", for example, is co-worker's favorite television series. And he adores David Fincher and Christopher Nolan's films. (Also, apparently artsy, gruesome, sadistic, independent horror flicks, which we won't mention.) At any rate, he surprised me Thursday with a glowing review on not one but two bookselling sites, and he never writes reviews. This is the first book review he's written. Wow. But he understood why my little book desperately needed them. (Like me, he chooses books based on reviews.) He also rec'd my novel to everyone he knew, except, unfortunately, most of the people he knows - don't actually read. (A lot of men don't. The men in my life do - my brother reads, my father reads, my paternal grandfather read, and most of my male friends read. But there are a lot who don't.)
Will state - that I'm not sure my book will appeal to anyone who doesn't like contemporary fiction (particularly edgy, dark humor), prefers a formalistic or academic writing style, and is not a fan of slang or snark. Dorothy Dunnett fans...may be disappointed. In short, if you don't like how I write in my live journal, you probably won't enjoy my book. But that sort of goes without saying? Doesn't it? I'm pretty upfront regarding what my book is about. Even the title is a twist on urban slang. It's a play on words or an ironic metaphor. I think in metaphors - so basically my book is 90% metaphor, if you are a literal thinker, not sure it will work for you? It might. I don't know. One never does.
My little book is now being promoted via various and sundry independent publishing web sites and zines. I have joined the independent publishing community full throttle. (They are all following me on Twitter.)
Am taking the virtual book tour on hiatus soon. Co-worker suggested I let it be for a bit. No more promoting. No more expending. If nothing happens in a month, then maybe do another huge virtual promotional boost. But let it lie for a while. Give people a chance to read it and review it. He's curious to see how it does...but doesn't expect it to do all that well. No one does. (Shrugs). And for Ghod's Sake, don't give up your day job! (Like I ever would? Having been unemployed for twenty-three months has taught me never to take the day job for granted. But I can dream, right? No harm in dreaming.) Co-worker is echoing my father - who continuously warns me that I could end up spending a mint on book marketing/promotion if I'm not careful.
He agreed with me regarding the whole book signing bit. Is anyone asking you to do it?
(Uh no.) Then don't. That's a lot of hand-to-hand selling, and unless you have the time, energy and personality for it --which I really don't, don't do it.
My father is reading my book right now - and likes it quite a bit this go around. He didn't in 2008, which means the revisions worked or he just changed his tastes. One or the other. I'm somewhat the same way, a book I did not like five years ago, I may adore today. Meanwhile, my mother has asked the leader of one of her book groups if it would be weird to recommend that their book club read my little novel next? And she'd like to lead the discussion. MD is going to recommend it to hers. If I can get people to recommend it to their book clubs -- it could take off. Book clubs are the secret to success. Unfortunately, I'm not in one at the moment and lost touch with mine ages ago.
Meanwhile Daredevil Secretary has recommended my book to her friend in China.
Social media is a curious thing, isn't it? When it works..it's lovely. But lately, I've wanted to kick it to the curb. It feels as if I'm talking to myself most of the time. And perhaps I am. The silence can be deafening. Writing is after all, a solitary sport. Hence the reason so many writers are on social media. The need to interact with other writers is addictive. You desperately want to know what they thought about this or that. But when the interaction appears to cease...you wonder what the point of it all is? It's why I've never quite been able to put up a personal blog, because...again, what if you don't get any responses? How do you know if anyone grokked what you wrote? And if they say nothing at all - did they hate it? Were they ambivalent? Most likely ambivalent. People tend to respond to things that trigger strong emotions. Ambivalence, not so much.
Topsy turvy week. I find myself second-guessing everything I've done with my book. Should I have added the bio? Was it better without it? Should I have done the Good Reads Giveaway? Did I accomplish anything from it? Should I have done it for two months instead of five days? Should I have provided 5 copies of my book instead of just 2? (I admittedly went the cheaper route). Should I have promoted the Free Kindle Promotion more? Should I have let it last longer? Should I have spent a little money on online promotional services such as Underground Book Reviews - in the hope that someone on it would review my book? (Too late already did, so restrain yourself from saying I shouldn't). Should I have made it available on Story Cartel and paid a pittance for people to review it? (Yep, did that too.) And what if the reviews are negative or more in line with the blogger and less in line with my co-worker? (Somewhat counterproductive that - which is why I absolutely refuse to pay for reviews. If they are great - you wonder if it's the bribe, if they are awful, you think - damn, I'm out $250-400 bucks. Besides I write book reviews for free, other people can too.) Did my co-worker like it more because he actually knows me? I don't know. There's no way of knowing for sure. I feel like I'm making this up as I go along. Blubbering my way through. And I'm constantly bombarded with advice, even when I'm not seeking it.
I've posted my baby, my little novel that could, practically everywhere now or everywhere I can think of - to the four winds and back again. Various places will take two-three months to let me know if I made the cut or will be promoted further. (One I joined but opted out of "Books Daily" - after realizing it would cost me $50 bucks a month for them to promote my work on what amounted to an internet listserve. The cheaper one - just $40 (Underground Book Reviews), I went with instead. And of course there was The Story Cartel, which cost $7 for a book launch token - 18 days available to reviewers.) Exposing myself on the net, in the process. Publishing a book feels a bit like paying someone to take off all your clothes and strutting naked through Times Square in broad daylight. You wait for the hecklers, even though you hope to God there aren't any.
Success, sometimes I think, is risking brutal failure. It's why I loved Wile E. Coyote. Say what you will about that guy, but at least he tried.
It's been a rather chaotic work week. And a topsy turvy one emotionally speaking, regarding my book aka the little novel that could. For those of you who haven't been following along? I wrote a book, ten years ago, revised it about 10 times (because you sort of have to), and finally found the courage to send it out into the universe. It's entitled "Doing Time on Planet Earth" (see nifty icon) and is available at the following outlets:
* Amazon.com
* Barnes and Noble
* Kindle (also Amazon) - it is exclusive to Kindle (electronically), but you can get in paperback virtually everywhere else.
Oh, and I got my first responses.
Two people rated it between 4-5 stars.
I don't know one of them and they gave no review, just a rating. The other was my co-worker, who I will get to later.
A third person, a internet blogger/social media pal, provided a brief two sentence blurb. I'm not sure if they liked it or not. They gave a sort of left-handed compliment, which I was tempted to snark at, but brutally restrained myself. (Never respond to reviews. Bad Mojo. Well, unless you are Anne Rice or Joss Whedon, but even then... pretend you didn't read them.) Feeling a ripe hypocrite in the process. Because hello? I've given similar reviews. But it frigging hurts all the same. (It's silly but for some reason I want everybody to love what I create, even though that is blatantly impossible.) Oh well, at least they didn't do it on Good Reads, Amazon or Barnes and Noble -- where it would do serious damage. Part of putting yourself out there is dealing with negative responses and criticism. Let's face it, not everyone will grok what you created. We think differently after all.
Right after that, the very next morning, co-worker aka Reader at Large surprised me by loving my book. I wasn't sure he would. Actually, I was sort of afraid he'd hate it. (It's one thing if a social media buddy or blogger doesn't like it, it's another if it is a co-worker, who you sort of have to deal with on a daily basis.) He's picky. But he also loves noir, literary stories, and edgy urban stories - so fits the demographic. (In some ways he was a test subject -- if he hated it, I'd have a problem.) "Breaking Bad", for example, is co-worker's favorite television series. And he adores David Fincher and Christopher Nolan's films. (Also, apparently artsy, gruesome, sadistic, independent horror flicks, which we won't mention.) At any rate, he surprised me Thursday with a glowing review on not one but two bookselling sites, and he never writes reviews. This is the first book review he's written. Wow. But he understood why my little book desperately needed them. (Like me, he chooses books based on reviews.) He also rec'd my novel to everyone he knew, except, unfortunately, most of the people he knows - don't actually read. (A lot of men don't. The men in my life do - my brother reads, my father reads, my paternal grandfather read, and most of my male friends read. But there are a lot who don't.)
Will state - that I'm not sure my book will appeal to anyone who doesn't like contemporary fiction (particularly edgy, dark humor), prefers a formalistic or academic writing style, and is not a fan of slang or snark. Dorothy Dunnett fans...may be disappointed. In short, if you don't like how I write in my live journal, you probably won't enjoy my book. But that sort of goes without saying? Doesn't it? I'm pretty upfront regarding what my book is about. Even the title is a twist on urban slang. It's a play on words or an ironic metaphor. I think in metaphors - so basically my book is 90% metaphor, if you are a literal thinker, not sure it will work for you? It might. I don't know. One never does.
My little book is now being promoted via various and sundry independent publishing web sites and zines. I have joined the independent publishing community full throttle. (They are all following me on Twitter.)
Am taking the virtual book tour on hiatus soon. Co-worker suggested I let it be for a bit. No more promoting. No more expending. If nothing happens in a month, then maybe do another huge virtual promotional boost. But let it lie for a while. Give people a chance to read it and review it. He's curious to see how it does...but doesn't expect it to do all that well. No one does. (Shrugs). And for Ghod's Sake, don't give up your day job! (Like I ever would? Having been unemployed for twenty-three months has taught me never to take the day job for granted. But I can dream, right? No harm in dreaming.) Co-worker is echoing my father - who continuously warns me that I could end up spending a mint on book marketing/promotion if I'm not careful.
He agreed with me regarding the whole book signing bit. Is anyone asking you to do it?
(Uh no.) Then don't. That's a lot of hand-to-hand selling, and unless you have the time, energy and personality for it --which I really don't, don't do it.
My father is reading my book right now - and likes it quite a bit this go around. He didn't in 2008, which means the revisions worked or he just changed his tastes. One or the other. I'm somewhat the same way, a book I did not like five years ago, I may adore today. Meanwhile, my mother has asked the leader of one of her book groups if it would be weird to recommend that their book club read my little novel next? And she'd like to lead the discussion. MD is going to recommend it to hers. If I can get people to recommend it to their book clubs -- it could take off. Book clubs are the secret to success. Unfortunately, I'm not in one at the moment and lost touch with mine ages ago.
Meanwhile Daredevil Secretary has recommended my book to her friend in China.
Social media is a curious thing, isn't it? When it works..it's lovely. But lately, I've wanted to kick it to the curb. It feels as if I'm talking to myself most of the time. And perhaps I am. The silence can be deafening. Writing is after all, a solitary sport. Hence the reason so many writers are on social media. The need to interact with other writers is addictive. You desperately want to know what they thought about this or that. But when the interaction appears to cease...you wonder what the point of it all is? It's why I've never quite been able to put up a personal blog, because...again, what if you don't get any responses? How do you know if anyone grokked what you wrote? And if they say nothing at all - did they hate it? Were they ambivalent? Most likely ambivalent. People tend to respond to things that trigger strong emotions. Ambivalence, not so much.
Topsy turvy week. I find myself second-guessing everything I've done with my book. Should I have added the bio? Was it better without it? Should I have done the Good Reads Giveaway? Did I accomplish anything from it? Should I have done it for two months instead of five days? Should I have provided 5 copies of my book instead of just 2? (I admittedly went the cheaper route). Should I have promoted the Free Kindle Promotion more? Should I have let it last longer? Should I have spent a little money on online promotional services such as Underground Book Reviews - in the hope that someone on it would review my book? (Too late already did, so restrain yourself from saying I shouldn't). Should I have made it available on Story Cartel and paid a pittance for people to review it? (Yep, did that too.) And what if the reviews are negative or more in line with the blogger and less in line with my co-worker? (Somewhat counterproductive that - which is why I absolutely refuse to pay for reviews. If they are great - you wonder if it's the bribe, if they are awful, you think - damn, I'm out $250-400 bucks. Besides I write book reviews for free, other people can too.) Did my co-worker like it more because he actually knows me? I don't know. There's no way of knowing for sure. I feel like I'm making this up as I go along. Blubbering my way through. And I'm constantly bombarded with advice, even when I'm not seeking it.
I've posted my baby, my little novel that could, practically everywhere now or everywhere I can think of - to the four winds and back again. Various places will take two-three months to let me know if I made the cut or will be promoted further. (One I joined but opted out of "Books Daily" - after realizing it would cost me $50 bucks a month for them to promote my work on what amounted to an internet listserve. The cheaper one - just $40 (Underground Book Reviews), I went with instead. And of course there was The Story Cartel, which cost $7 for a book launch token - 18 days available to reviewers.) Exposing myself on the net, in the process. Publishing a book feels a bit like paying someone to take off all your clothes and strutting naked through Times Square in broad daylight. You wait for the hecklers, even though you hope to God there aren't any.
Success, sometimes I think, is risking brutal failure. It's why I loved Wile E. Coyote. Say what you will about that guy, but at least he tried.