Getting ready for my huge winter promotional blitz of five
of my books.
Today my sci-fi novel The End Time is being featured on
Bargain Booksy – circulation 115,000 readers. Nice!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Nearly a year already!
I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since I wrote ‘the
end’ on a new novel. When I finished my last book, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, I
decided to heed my own advice from the book and spend more time enjoying life
and the outdoors and less time isolated from the world, writing. As the theme
of the book states, “enjoy each day to its fullest”.
I knew starting a new book would consume me, and since I
finished AS IT IS IN HEAVEN at the beginning of spring, I didn’t want to lose a
summer. But still, the obsession to write was a constant, nagging, thorn in my
mind.
To ease the roar-rumble in my head, I decided to re-read my
entire collection of books, update and strengthen the plots, and just give them
all a fresh perspective after 25+ years of writing experience. Doing this
post-years’ editing revealed many areas where I needed to strengthen
story-lines and add powerful descriptions where it was lacking. Though I did
spend several hours a day on this project, it still beat the 10 – 12 hours I
sometimes spend in the throes of a fresh, new draft.
I spent nine months solid on this task, somewhat neglecting
my previous marketing and promoting fervor, and nearly disappearing from my
online writer’s group Enovel Authors At Work. My Facebook page and social
networks also suffered, and I neglected my blog like an alcoholic father. But
in the end it was worth it. Now that I’ve had beta readers, and content
editors, and years of honing my skills, I can finally say that I am proud,
confident, and excited to re-release my books to the world! I hope you check
them out. Thanks.
To learn more about
me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING.
Thank you.
Friday, October 16, 2015
The Phoenix Rises!
It’s been a while
since I posted on this blog. Like many writers often do, I decided to take a
break from marketing and social networking and concentrate on editing and revising
my books. For the last three months, I have done nothing but re-read and tweak
my stories until every single page entices the reader to want more.
I finished the
revisions, let them stew and mature for a while, and then read them again, just
to be certain they are ready for the world market. I believe they are! I am
planning a massive marketing campaign in the near future that will feature all
eleven of my books simultaneously. Genres ranging from contemporary fiction, to
thriller, to middle-grade sci-fi, to Dystopia, to paranormal adventure; every
single title will get promoted in the coming months. Only then, will my
ambition be satisfied and I can go back to being the creative introvert tapping
away at the keyboard.
To all the
readers, the books are ready.
To those who have read them. Thanks for the new reviews
since DROP OUT hit the top 5! Check them out!
DROP OUT
By louise
zaccagnino on October 15, 2015
One of the few
books that made me emotional, and had to wipe tears from my eyes while reading
like this one did, esp at the end. Did have a happy ending tho. One of the best
reads.
By Amazon
Customer on October 13, 2015
Very good story
from beginning to end.
By Francis
X. O'Connor on September 28, 2015
A quick read that
was good on detail
By B.
Marcus on September 17, 2015
This book was so
well written. I could not put it down and neglected my to do list until it was
finished. I actually felt like I was in the twin towers on 9/11. I did think
the end was a bit of a let down, but that was because I wanted the story to
continue. One of the reviews criticized one scene as too much sex. I strongly
disagree with that statement. There was no graphic sex, it was actually a
beautiful scene of caring, compassion, and a turning point for Nathan.
Monday, August 24, 2015
New review!
Simple and to the point. I like that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 ***** Five Stars
By Mary Pruetton
August 21, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition - Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed this book.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 ***** Five Stars
By Mary Pruetton
August 21, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition - Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed this book.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Never give up the dream!
It was very exciting last week when my contemporary suspense
novel, DROP OUT hit #5 on the paid Amazon best seller list. I was thrilled to
have Nicholas Sparks as my #4 competitor. How I got to this list is no secret.
I booked promotional spots on high-traffic websites and spent the days leading
up to the spots marketing and promoting my a*s off. I stayed at that #5 position
for an entire 36 hours before slowly slipping back into the 100’s; about where
I am now.
Did I ever in my dreams imagine that as an independent
writer I would ever achieve such heights… honestly, never. My point is, that
every writer has an equal chance of hitting the list. Sure, you have to write a
great book, have a great cover, and an even greater blurb, but it is possible.
I am living proof.
I’ve chronicle the last five years of my journey as an
independent writer on this blog. There have been many dizzying
highs and terrifying lows along my journey to get my books read, but with
perseverance and a never-give-up attitude, I feel as if I’ve finally “made it”
and all the lonesome hours writing and all the sacrifices have now been worth
the struggle. There is no greater feeling then having dozens of friends and fans
messaging me their congratulations at hitting the top 5. It is a high better
than any ingestibale substance on Earth.
If you’re a writer and can’t understand why no one is buying
your book it may not be that the book is not good, it may be you just don’t
know how to market and promote the story. My advice is to check out the Alexa
ranking of any site you’re interested in advertising on before you invest your
cold, hard cash. Join Facebook groups, join online writer’s and reader’s clubs,
post discussions, anything to get your name out there and get your book
noticed.
Getting your book on the best seller list can happen but it
won’t happen without effort. I hated the hours upon hours of promoting along
with most writers, but as with any art form it is necessary to achieve
recognition. Check out my blog for the list of sites that helped me achieve #5
in the country. And never give up the dream!!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
#5 in the country!
Okay,
here's how I did it step by step. 3 weeks ago I got a promo on ENT so I
knew I wanted to do a big blitz and I had plenty of time to book spots.
ENT was on Aug. 11th, so I also booked FKBT, Bargain Booksy, and
Digital Book Today. On the 12th I booked
Choosy Bookworm, Ereader cafe, and Kindle Nation Daily. In addition, I
did heavy promotion on Facebook groups, Google+, and my Blog. I think a
big word-of-mouth, and shares by my readers also helped a bit. Now, I'm
just waiting for new reviews and movie offers (LOL). I'm planning
another blitz for my sci-fi books next month. Will use the same strategy
and see how it works a second time.
Soooo close!
So as my promotional blitz winds down and sales are beginning to slow to normal, I got all the way to #5 paid in the country right behind #4 Nicholas Sparks. Not bad.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
More Promo!
In my quest to have the #1 downloaded
paid book in America, Day 2 of my two day promotional blitz for my previous
bestseller DROP OUT finds me on these major ebook sites.
Choosy Bookworm - http://www.choosybookworm.com
Kindle Nation Daily - http://bit.ly/1J3HOgn
Ereader caf̩ (Deal of the day) Рhttp://theereadercafe.com/
Book Gorilla – a subscription based
book mailing list.
** Thank you all for your support and shares. I’m close to hitting it!
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