It's getting crazier by the minute!
My apologies, oh patient readers, for not posting for the past month. My new cosmo career has had me working like a dog both mentally and physically - but that's been a really good thing.
But the biggest craziness has been my focus on finishing up my final draft to publishing as an eBook. All of my extra time and energy has been sitting here at my overwrought computer as I slash away unnecessary fodder and add additional hints of information to tie the loose ends of my story together. The effort is sooo going to be worth it!
Yesterday a group of about 25 of us got together to have a meeting for the Indie Writer's Alliance (see us at www.indiewritersalliance.com and www.readersmatrix.com ) to discuss the early experiences of our illustrious leader. He just started a blog tour for his recent work. Since most of us weren't familiar with such an event, he spent several hours giving us the low-down on what it is, how to organize a blog tour, and how the tour progressed at the end of the first week.
I'm exhausted twice over now just thinking of all the additional work still left to do AFTER completing the final draft.
He also informed us that eBook sales have surpassed traditional paper sales on Amazon.com - another important milestone in the rapidly changing publishing industry. Sales of Kindle for last Christmas were huge and are expected to be even bigger this season. Then with all stores closed Christmas Day, where do you think these new Kindle, etc. owners are going to look to populate their new toys?
Exactly!
So our gang is pushing hard to have our eBooks published by September. I'm still pursuing the end of July, but I still want to ensure I put out the best possible work. We'll see where things stand by the end of the month.
So just in case you don't hear from me for awhile, please know that I'm still here plugging away on my handy-dandy computer. Then look for me and my pals on www.readersmatrix.com
Your positive reviews will be most appreciated then. :-)
Showing posts with label Amazon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amazon. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Getting Off The Ground
My new career has taken off - actually both of them. :-)
The past two and ahalf weeks I have been feverishly learning everything I can about my new employer and the signature color and cut looks they offer. It has been an exhausting but rewarding experience thus far - and we haven't even had our official grand opening yet (that's tomorrow).
In the midst of all of this, I took my State Board practical exam in Topeka. Let me say, that experience was the most nerve wracking I can remember. The whole way home I second-guessed myself and ran over all of the supposed errors I thought I'd made and the things I couldn't remember if I did properly. It was a nightmare!
For three days before the exam I hardly slept. Then I took the exam and hardly slept for days thereafter. I'd run into a girl there who was retaking her exam and she had to come back and retake the critical blood spill section. Her overall score was a 92% but since she'd failed the critical portion, she failed the entire thing and had to stop work and wait two months before she could retake that section. The idea of that happening sent me into a bit of a tailspin.
So when I received my letter two days ago, I whooped and hollered so much I couldn't stand myself - passed with a 94% and 100% for the critical blood spill. My son never had any doubts (nor did Tonya, you little stinker). For the first night in more than two weeks I slept like a log.
Today is my first day off in ten days and I'm hitting the second part of my career full-force in the midst of a full-blown storm outside. I just LOVE writing amidst thunderstorms! I've been furiously working on cleaning up and perfecting my second draft for posting as an eBook on Amazon. More and more I am convinced that this window of opportunity could lead to success in this industry.
For the past several years, there have been just dramatic changes in the publishing industry that will never allow it to go back to its former days. Think of it as the i-Tunes of publishing. Online music changed that industry in many ways for the better. That is my (and many others) hope for the publishing realm.
And I want to be one of those on the ground floor to see it happen.
So soon you will see http://www.readersmatrix.com/ and http://www.indiewritersalliance.com/ on a computer screen near you.
Then shortly thereafter you'll see the first of my novels, Running into the Darkness, hit the screen.
The small screen, that is. But hey, I'll take the big screen maybe someday too. :-)
But first things first - getting off the ground with my cosmo career. Isn't life interesting these days?
That's what I thought.
The past two and ahalf weeks I have been feverishly learning everything I can about my new employer and the signature color and cut looks they offer. It has been an exhausting but rewarding experience thus far - and we haven't even had our official grand opening yet (that's tomorrow).
In the midst of all of this, I took my State Board practical exam in Topeka. Let me say, that experience was the most nerve wracking I can remember. The whole way home I second-guessed myself and ran over all of the supposed errors I thought I'd made and the things I couldn't remember if I did properly. It was a nightmare!
For three days before the exam I hardly slept. Then I took the exam and hardly slept for days thereafter. I'd run into a girl there who was retaking her exam and she had to come back and retake the critical blood spill section. Her overall score was a 92% but since she'd failed the critical portion, she failed the entire thing and had to stop work and wait two months before she could retake that section. The idea of that happening sent me into a bit of a tailspin.
So when I received my letter two days ago, I whooped and hollered so much I couldn't stand myself - passed with a 94% and 100% for the critical blood spill. My son never had any doubts (nor did Tonya, you little stinker). For the first night in more than two weeks I slept like a log.
Today is my first day off in ten days and I'm hitting the second part of my career full-force in the midst of a full-blown storm outside. I just LOVE writing amidst thunderstorms! I've been furiously working on cleaning up and perfecting my second draft for posting as an eBook on Amazon. More and more I am convinced that this window of opportunity could lead to success in this industry.
For the past several years, there have been just dramatic changes in the publishing industry that will never allow it to go back to its former days. Think of it as the i-Tunes of publishing. Online music changed that industry in many ways for the better. That is my (and many others) hope for the publishing realm.
And I want to be one of those on the ground floor to see it happen.
So soon you will see http://www.readersmatrix.com/ and http://www.indiewritersalliance.com/ on a computer screen near you.
Then shortly thereafter you'll see the first of my novels, Running into the Darkness, hit the screen.
The small screen, that is. But hey, I'll take the big screen maybe someday too. :-)
But first things first - getting off the ground with my cosmo career. Isn't life interesting these days?
That's what I thought.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Publishing Potential
The last few days have been quite interesting.
Last night was our writer's group night, and we had alot of fodder to discuss. At the recent OWFI conference in Oklahoma City, the group attendees found out some great information on self-publishing and promoting Ebooks through Amazon.
Didn't know this, but for about a year now Amazon has been allowing any and all indie authors to self-publish free of charge under their Kindle site. This is quite the breakthrough needed for many first-time hopefuls.
So now our little group is attempting to learn more about this avenue and how we can collectively promote our own work as well as one another's. At the conference, a little old lady mentioned how she'd posted her work for Kindle and how with a little self-promotion, her sales grew to 1,300 in one month.
Now that may not sound like alot to you, but for a never before published author that is heaven!
So the one who attended this workshop has had one of his novels available for Kindle purchase on Amazon for several months. He's done no publicity thus far, had it priced on the upper end of the Ebook spectrum, and has sold seven copies. After attending this workshop, he's now lowered his price substantially and plans to start promoting it next month. He's also working on a collective website where indie authors can promote their work.
This has the potential to be a real opportunity for our writer's group. I've already gone online and created a posting page. Now I just need to finish more of my novels-in-progress. Think I'm going to try and make it a priority these next severals weeks until my return to the workforce. After that, my time is not my own.
But it has the potential to be...
Last night was our writer's group night, and we had alot of fodder to discuss. At the recent OWFI conference in Oklahoma City, the group attendees found out some great information on self-publishing and promoting Ebooks through Amazon.
Didn't know this, but for about a year now Amazon has been allowing any and all indie authors to self-publish free of charge under their Kindle site. This is quite the breakthrough needed for many first-time hopefuls.
So now our little group is attempting to learn more about this avenue and how we can collectively promote our own work as well as one another's. At the conference, a little old lady mentioned how she'd posted her work for Kindle and how with a little self-promotion, her sales grew to 1,300 in one month.
Now that may not sound like alot to you, but for a never before published author that is heaven!
So the one who attended this workshop has had one of his novels available for Kindle purchase on Amazon for several months. He's done no publicity thus far, had it priced on the upper end of the Ebook spectrum, and has sold seven copies. After attending this workshop, he's now lowered his price substantially and plans to start promoting it next month. He's also working on a collective website where indie authors can promote their work.
This has the potential to be a real opportunity for our writer's group. I've already gone online and created a posting page. Now I just need to finish more of my novels-in-progress. Think I'm going to try and make it a priority these next severals weeks until my return to the workforce. After that, my time is not my own.
But it has the potential to be...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Shopping, Soundtracks, and Sixty-six
Christmas shopping has begun enormously, extremely, and terribly late this year in our little household. But because of the tardiness of my annual trek, I've been looking at Amazon for some ideas. I found something absolutely amazing.
The soundtrack to Band of Brothers.
Read the book - watched the HBO series on DVD that a friend of mine had. The one thing about the series that haunted me every time we watched an episode was the music. Incredible!
So call me stunned when I came across it on Amazon. It now sits comfortably on my wish list just waiting for Santa to bring it to me (okay, okay - so I'm Santa - I'm still getting it in my stocking!).
Looks like alot of my Christmas shopping will be through Amazon this year. At the moment, I barely have time to breathe, much less shop. Friday I had neither breakfast nor lunch and squeezed in a little dinner on my way home from work by going through a drive-thru (my son left on a weekend camping trip).
You'd think I'd be losing some weight with all the meals I've missed in the new job - but I digress.
So I've told my sisters (hint, hint AGAIN if you're reading this) that I'll be doing CD's and DVD's for the nieces and nephews this year. Really anything that I can find through Amazon because I don't see myself getting out into the stores anytime soon. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Just think of all the dollars I'll be saving by not driving around and burning up gasoline. Plus on Amazon you get free shipping.
What more could a girl ask for - ah, one of my two favorite four-letter words - FREE!
Anything right now to make the shopping process a little easier. Now if only I could get my son to start making his list and checking it twice. Sixty-six more shopping days left!
How's your Christmas list?
The soundtrack to Band of Brothers.
Read the book - watched the HBO series on DVD that a friend of mine had. The one thing about the series that haunted me every time we watched an episode was the music. Incredible!
So call me stunned when I came across it on Amazon. It now sits comfortably on my wish list just waiting for Santa to bring it to me (okay, okay - so I'm Santa - I'm still getting it in my stocking!).
Looks like alot of my Christmas shopping will be through Amazon this year. At the moment, I barely have time to breathe, much less shop. Friday I had neither breakfast nor lunch and squeezed in a little dinner on my way home from work by going through a drive-thru (my son left on a weekend camping trip).
You'd think I'd be losing some weight with all the meals I've missed in the new job - but I digress.
So I've told my sisters (hint, hint AGAIN if you're reading this) that I'll be doing CD's and DVD's for the nieces and nephews this year. Really anything that I can find through Amazon because I don't see myself getting out into the stores anytime soon. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Just think of all the dollars I'll be saving by not driving around and burning up gasoline. Plus on Amazon you get free shipping.
What more could a girl ask for - ah, one of my two favorite four-letter words - FREE!
Anything right now to make the shopping process a little easier. Now if only I could get my son to start making his list and checking it twice. Sixty-six more shopping days left!
How's your Christmas list?
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