Sunday, February 23, 2014

Updates, Marketing, and Live Appearance in Athens

It's been an amazingly busy month in the real world, which means I've not had as much chance as I'd like to towards pushing the book. That being said, the end of the month is coming together quite nicely. I was featured this week on the Kindle Boards' Book Discovery Day post, and I've been interviewed by Fantascize.com, who run the popular Fantasy and Sci-Fi Rock My World Facebook page. Let us hope this attention leads to a few more sales. 

I'm also two weeks aways from my first public appearance as an author at the East Texas Book Exchange in Athens, Tx. I'll be there from 10am until at least 2pm signing books, answering questions, and enjoying some tasty refreshments. I invite you to join me there as well if you're anywhere close to the area. 

It's been a good weekend for Book 2. Several more chapters are on paper, and I've had some great ideas for moving forward. As a TV show of my younger days would say, "I love it when a plan comes together". 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Month One and Signing Event to Come

So, we're closing in on a month since Waking Up Dead went live. It's been an interesting learning curve so far. Most of what I've learned I already knew intellectually from research and discussions with other writers, but like so much of life, there is a huge difference between knowing something and experiencing it!

I'm honestly still surprised at how many people don't actually know I've got a book out. I feel sometimes like I talk about it too much (a feeling I know many other writers have mentioned), yet I still find that a large percentage of folks who personally know me have no idea. It's odd, but it reinforces one of the lessons I'd long heard about: Getting knowledge of your first book out is often just as tricky as getting your first book out.

I also understand I missed a handful of typos in Book One. Not surprising, I suppose, given how many edits I did, but as soon as I get the details of that I'll update those. Those of you with digital versions will get the updates. Those of you with physical editions will have collector's items :)

Once that is done, I plan to put a handful of targeted ads out. My budget's not that large, but I know it takes money to make money, and the more folks who know about Book One, the bigger audience I will have for Book Two. If you run a blog that does book reviews, btw, and are interested in reviewing Waking Up Dead, feel free to contact me for a review copy.

Book Two is slowly but steadily moving along. I've gotten over 45,000 words written in the current draft. Book One finished at just under 80,000 words, so I'm over the halfway point if I stay around the same size. Of course, once I get it written there will be many revisions, I'm sure, before I am willing to let it out into the wild, but know it's coming and I'll try not to make you wait too long for it ;)

Speaking of waiting! Many of you have told me you wanted to attend my previously mentioned book signing. I'm happy to announce the wait for that is not much longer. On Saturday March 8th I'll be in Athens, Tx. at the East Texas Book Exchange, which is located at  408 N. Prairieville St.

Exact time is still TBD, but I'll be there for several hours. If you're in the area, please come by and say hello.

Thanks as always to all of you who have helped support me in this endeavor. Keep spreading the word and leaving reviews, and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments!

-Zabe