Friday, September 16, 2011

Starting My Author Career, I Need Help

My debut novel has been out for two days. I have 3 sales on Smashwords, and 3 sales on Amazon. This release is a bit haphazard. I planned a week for formatting, and it took me an hour with Jutoh. I built that all important platform before I published; I have 50 subscribers of this blog and over 500 Twitter followers.

I have a few marketing efforts in the works, but I didn't organize a blog tour because well, I wasn't 110% sure I'd ever publish. I had the publishing date of 9/22/2011, and I beat it by 8 days, but with the move, the start of school, potty training my toddler, and living a month and half without my husband, there were doubts. The last thing I wanted to do was organize this big blog tour and have no book to deliver. Now that the book is out, it's a relief. I know it will get some good reviews, and some disappointing ones, but that's okay. I need the experience and it's my first book.

I'm working a little on my next novel, and for this project I am using Writer's Cafe. I like how it has all of the tools I need. I even wrote down my dream last night in the Journal because it was interesting.

So far my marketing efforts are:
* My book is in the hands of Theresa at the League of Extraordinary Women. I'm hoping she likes it enough to give it a review on thelxl.com.
* I've given out a handful of free copies, and I hope I can get my first review soon.
* I made my first personal post on my reader site, The Great Banana Bread Disaster, in an effort to let readers get to know me.

If anyone has room for a guest blogger, I would love to tell the story of publishing my book in the middle of a move, or talk about how I'm taking advantage of the technology available to serve my readers with my reader site. I would also be happy to return the favor once the reader site is getting decent traffic.

I know I can't do this alone, and hope I don't have to. :) A huge thank you to every one of my writer friends who encouraged me and helped me along the way. I hope some are willing to help me a little more.

Always Smiling,
Elizabeth Ann West

A robotics engineer asks his business partner to marry him, but a previous one-night stand is having his baby. CANCELLED is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

5 comments:

  1. It's not too late to do a blog tour and you're welcome to come visit my blog :)

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  2. Oh I know it's not too late, that's what I'm asking my friends for help with! :) Can't expect them to read my mind...LOL.

    I love your blog! I would love to write a piece about balancing my family's needs with the publishing the last few weeks. My kids and I moved from SC to CT and literally edited driving in a car, sitting on a hardwood floor because we had no furniture, in between movers bringing in boxes after 10 days of no stuff.... If you have something tough to do, just ask a Mom! :)

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  3. Feel free! I would love to have you :) would next Thursday work for you?

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  4. Having just self-published something myself, I know how it is. I'd be happy to host you on my blog. Have a look around by blog and see if it would be a good fit for you. If it is, let me know how October 12, 19 or 26 sound to you.

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  5. J.A. Bennett, next Thursday is perfect! Can you drop me an email at eawestwrites@gmail.com so we can work there?

    J.L. I WANT that couch! LOL. I have a great idea for your blog that I think your readers will love. Could you also email me? eawestwrites@gmail.com I don't want the cat to be out of the bag...

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