Book Launch

Book Blog Tours Are Us! (+ new year writing exercise)

January 3, 2016 by Danika 1 Comment

Hey . . . stuff!

Quick post to announce my official Narine of Noe blog tour kicks off this week and will run through February. I will post more dates/locations as they are announced. Please check out the blogs of these lovely book tour hosts. All of them are writers themselves who work hard and deserve recognition.

During the tour there will be multiple chances to win prizes (copies of Book Four or the Omnibus, other books and gift certificates. yay.).

Enter to win a copy of Narine of Noe on GoodReads (deadline Jan 10).

Enter to win various books by posting reviews (deadline Jan 31).

2016 Blog Tour Stops

Thursday, Jan 7
Guest post (and giveaway) on Smack Dab in the Middle

Tuesday, Jan 12
Guest post on Roger Eschbacher Books

Monday, Jan 18
Interview (and giveaway) on Kate Johnston’s 4 AM Writer

Thursday, Jan 21
Guest post on Laurisa White Reyes

Tuesday, Jan 26
Interview / Review on Everett Maroon’s Trans/plant/portation

Thursday, Feb 4
Interview / Book Exerpt on Kim Aippersbach’s Dead Houseplants

MORE TBA…

YOUR WORKOUT

If you’re anything like me, both the end of a long writing project and the end of a long year mark a slow down in writing time. Put those two things together and I’ve got an ennui sandwich. Downtime is perfectly understandable, so is taking time to enjoy the holidays. However, my spirit knows it’s time to start writing again, but my mind and body are sluggish in post holiday indulgence haze.

When I get like this I know that ANY writing is good. I know that if I carve out some time and get my pen to a notebook that the ideas, inspiration, motivation, and joy of writing will all come back to me. I know because I’ve been here before many times.

That’s when I pull out my timer and use a tried and true invention of two of my favourite writing mentors Jack Remick and Bob Ray: The story I want to write is about…

Today, though, I thought I’d add a little twist, which I brought to the exercise during one of my Surrey Writers’ Conference workshops.

1) Set your timer for 5-7 minutes. Using the start line below, write without stopping and without editing. If you get stuck, just write about being stuck (gosh, I’m stuck, my mind feels like a piece of cheese…) OR just keep writing the start line over with a different response each time.

Start line: The story that wants to be written is about . . .

2) Set your timer for 5-7 minutes. Using one of the start lines below, write without stopping and without editing.

Start line: I often get in my own way (of being the writer/person/friend I want to be) by . . .

Start line: My protagonist often gets in his/her own way by . . .

3) Set your timer for 7-10 minutes. Using one of the start lines below, write without stopping and without editing.

Start line: Breaking open my cage of limitations would look like . . .

Start line: Breaking open my protagonist’s cage of limitations would look like . . .

Happy writing and Happy New Year!

And we’re off . . . like a herd of turtles!

December 10, 2015 by Danika 2 Comments

Launching a book from a cell phone isn’t easy! Trust me on that one. My computer went into the shop 4 days before my launch and won’t be ready until next week! Doh!

I’m keeping this short and sweet until I can get my magic box back.

Let’s call this the softest book launch in White Forest history!

Ladies and gentleman, small and large humans, Narine of Noe is officially available TODAY!

In celebration, the publisher has listed the ebook price at $4.99 (regularly $6.99) through the weekend. As well, BOOK ONE is on sale for .99 through the weekend.

All official book launch events and parties will be in the New Year. We needed to get the book out before the end of the year, though. So… looking for a holiday gift for a 10 year old or a 10 year old at heart? (nudge-nudge, hint-hint)

Thank you Tony Ollivier, Kate Fink-Jensen, Kelly and Karyn Hoskins, Kristi FitzGerald, and Yvette Dudley-Neuman for being my early readers! THANK YOU to Jennifer Munro – who may just be the best copy editor ever. Thank you Julie Fain and Chris Fink-Jensen for the lovely cover. And last, but not least, THANK YOU Tod McCoy for being such an awesomey publisher.

Narine’s Amazon Page

Narine’s GoodReads Page

Win a signed copy on the GoodReads GIVEAWAY

Trusting the Process

November 20, 2015 by Danika 2 Comments

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I haven’t posted in over four months. That’s the longest break I’ve taken since I started blogging ten years ago. And it’s not for lack of wanting to, it’s because life happened (moving, working, family stuff, etc) and I was in the middle of a crisis of faith with Faerie Tales from the White Forest Book Four.

Or really, I should say a crisis of trust.

Faith and trust are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Faith is known as the “substance of hope.” It’s very nature is that it requires no evidence, one just believes. Trust is based largely on evidence from previous knowledge/experience. For example, you might trust someone because they’ve never given you a reason to do otherwise. You generally trust your friends not to stab you in the back.

I did not like book four while I was writing it. I honestly thought it was a hot mess. At one point I called it the “suckiest piece of suck that ever sucked.” Half-way through my first rewrite I nearly called my publisher to tell him I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t finish the book, I couldn’t figure out how to deliver it from hot messness.

Instead, I called one of my author friends, the one I always call on because she entered the world of children’s literature a few years before I did, and she always tells me the thing I need to hear. She told me: Danika, you know how to do this. Trust the process.

Trust the process.

This is what I always tell my students. I proclaim to them that “creation is messy!” I’m a process junkie. I’m all about the journey. I usually find editing the most inspiring part of writing, my editing skills applied like wielding a wand. But this story was being a difficult child. It was too confusing, too convoluted, too complicated. There were too many continuity issues between Book 4 and the rest of the series, and I thought I could never address them all. I was totally overwhelmed.

I took a break from my rewrite and read the first three books over again. I took copious notes on continuity issues and typed them up. Every time I started a new chapter I read over those notes and pulled out the ones that applied to that section.

And one by one, each note was addressed (or dismissed) and crossed off. It took months. When I got the first draft to the copy editor, it didn’t feel real. And the day I reached the last sentence on the last draft before it went to the publisher, I burst into tears.

Somewhere during my final rewrite, I realized what the story was about. It was a story about trust. I was in my kitchen when I realized it and I stood there for a full minute reveling in the irony. The idea of trust appears over and over again throughout the story. Imagine that.

Launch date for Narine of Noe is Dec 5th.

Send a note to info@danikadinsmore.com if you’d like an ebook review copy. Please specify pdf, mobi, or epub format.

YOUR WORKOUT

Where is the moment in your story where your character loses trust in themselves or someone/something else? Is it a cheating lover? A friend who steals? A failed attempt at something? A writer who has written five novels who suddenly can’t see her way through her latest manuscript? Is the trust lost for irrational reasons? Over a misunderstanding? Over prejudice?

Set your timer for 5 -10 minutes per start line

When timer starts: write, don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t cross out.
(just do it!)*

Start lines:

1) My character has a hard time trusting (in general, self, or specific person) because . . .

2) My character’s trust is broken when . . .

3) The cage my character creates for her/himself due to his/her lack of trust looks like . . .

3) My character doesn’t/can’t learn to trust again until . . .

Now write your next scene . . .

*If you want to try various ways of writing try short sentences, long sentence release (no punctuation, just connect everything by conjunctions), or listing.

Omnibus Release Week! Drawings and Freebies!

September 21, 2014 by Danika 14 Comments

This week marked the release of the print version of the Faerie Tales from the White Forest Omnibus. (*See how you can get a free ebook version of Book One at the bottom of the post)

The ebook version of the Omnibus contains all the same goodies as the print version, but for those of you who have a romantic relationship with print books, the print version really is beautiful. And thick! It’s a book AND a doorstop. And possibly a weapon.

In honour of the launch, I am giving away a $25 Amazon gift card through midnight 9/25.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you win, there is no obligation to buy the book. (Really!) If you would like to purchase a copy outright, however, you can order one from any bookstore or locate on Amazon:

OMNIBUS EBOOK ($7.99) OMNIBUS PRINT BOOK ($24.95)

You can also take your chances and win a copy of the Omnibus. The publisher is giving away two copies through a GoodReads giveaway, which runs until the end of October.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Faerie Tales from the White Forest Omnibus

by Danika Dinsmore

Giveaway ends October 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

*Not sure you want to invest in the entire series? Interested in reviewing Book One (Brigitta of the White Forest)? Contact me HERE and I will send you a copy. I have epub, mobi, and pdf versions.

If you’ve already read any of the books in the White Forest series, reviews are always appreciated. Reviews are one of the best gifts you can give a writer. We depend upon them to spread the word. 🙂

Retreatment

August 19, 2014 by Danika 7 Comments

Before I launch into my blog post, I wanted to let you know of a release I have not had time to promote (see blog post).

Just yesterday, Hydra House launched the ebook version of the Faerie Tales from the White Forest Omnibus (Vol 1). It features the first 3 books in my White Forest series in one collection.

The print version will be released Sept 15. It’s really beautiful, too, and I’m so grateful to HH for putting it together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RETREAT

: movement away from a place or situation especially because it is dangerous, unpleasant, etc.

: a place of privacy or safety : refuge

: a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director

I just got off the phone with my mom discussing some painful digestion issues I’ve been dealing with. After giving her the update on my whereabouts and activities for the past several months she says, It’s no wonder you aren’t digesting properly. And I know she’s right.

For many years I felt a sense of panic about making my writing career happen, and it was never happening fast enough. Why wasn’t I selling more books? Why wasn’t I making a living at it yet? How come this is taking so long?

I pushed myself to write as much as possible, read as much as possible, market as much as possible, send proposals to conferences, granting organization, festivals, and schools, go on books tours, develop curriculum, travel back and forth to Seattle to meet with my publisher and attend said conferences. I spent weekends in booths, on panels, in writing group, and rewriting if my current job contract was eating up my week.

I’ve always been driven, but I’ve also always known that there’s no THERE, there. The journey is all there is. I had just forgotten, and that took its toll.

It’s not that I wasn’t having fun. All the things I was doing were engaging and interesting and things I wanted to do. It’s just that I had tipped way out of balance because I had piled on too much. I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t sleeping enough, I wasn’t getting enough exercise.

My body has always been wiser than I am, but I don’t always listen to it. Sometimes it has to force me to stop in order to get my attention.

When I got back from my most recent out-of-town adventure, I collapsed. I could not move for two days. Everything I ate made me bloated and sick. I was told I was borderline anemic. Emotionally, I couldn’t pull myself together. I knew it wasn’t a full blown depression, just plain old exhaustion. My emotions were so close that small things set me off. I couldn’t even look at my office without bursting into tears.

4ae59a5bbef2d_medium — by Michael V. Manalo

I emailed anyone I had a commitment or responsibility to and told them I was out until further notice. I went on an extreme elimination diet, stopped setting my alarm clock, and slowly began to get my energy back.

I’m not telling you this to gain pity. I needed to take better care of myself. I needed to slow down. I needed to listen. For the first time in a long time I stopped without any sense of guilt. And, actually, I felt a new sense of freedom, because I was reminded about that journey part via two lessons.

1. We’re all in the same boat.

Something finally hit me about a month ago. It hit me after numerous conversations over the years with fellow writers. Every conversation at every conference or festival or writing event I attended always brought us to the same place: every published writer struggles no matter how successful they appear.

They struggle with writing and rewriting; with self-confidence, impatience, and doubt; with social media and marketing and promotion; with querying and publishing. They struggle every step of the way.

And they certainly struggle financially.

Very few writers I know are actually making a living just off of their writing. Why did I think it would be any easier for me? And why was I going to allow this to make me stressed and unhappy?

2. What if this is it?

An actor friend of mine was recently asked by her mentor, “What if this is as good as it gets?” Meaning, what if for the remainder of her life she didn’t score any larger roles than she already had? What if she never made a living off her acting, never got any more awards or accolades, never got that role as a series regular? Would she still continue to act if she knew there was nothing more to aspire to?

That’s a really tough question if you face it honestly, but I know the answer for me in terms of writing is YES. I can’t not write. I would be more unhappy not writing, even if it meant my career went no further than it has.

I recall one of my most prolific times in my early 30’s. I was single, living alone in a 400 sf apartment, with a very low-maintenance lifestyle and working part time. What I loved the most? All the time I had to write freely with no agenda. I was inspired.

I know if I continue in the direction I’m going, I’m bound to get somewhere else. It’s just that “somewhere else” can’t be my obsession. I’m much better off if I simply focus on my creative projects and the joy that brings. If I slow down, balance my life with things that I love and the people I love to do them with, I will be healthier and happier in the long run.

YOUR WORKOUT

For once I’m not giving you a writing workout. I want you to do something RETREAT like for yourself. Something along the lines of:

If something is unpleasant and distressful for you right now, back away.
Find a safe and quiet place to be alone and read, draw, collage, or journal (FREE of electronic equipment), but DON’T make whatever you’re doing mean anything or have to be anything. Make it just for fun.
Meditate for 20-30 minutes in a quiet and peaceful place. Or, if you prefer, simply sit with yourself for 20 minutes not controlling or judging your thoughts, just notice what comes up for you and breathe.

And if you want to share what retreat methods you use, I’d love to hear.

LAUNCH PARTY! Come on in!

April 15, 2014 by Danika 44 Comments

Thanks for stopping by. There’s so much I want to share, I don’t even know where to start! So, before we get to the food and entertainment and party games, how about I start with what we’re celebrating?

First off, we are celebrating the official launch of Ondelle of Grioth, the third book in my Faerie Tales from the White Forest series, which Cassandra Rose Clarke called “A charming, magical journey.” (check out her books if you haven’t already, because she is all kinds of fun.)

You may buy copies HERE (or order through your Local Indie Bookstore)

Second, the launch of this site. I’m still getting used to the new digs, working out kinks, etc, but it’s growing on me. And I like that it’s uniquely mine. Many thanks to Kelsye Nelson for branding me (ouch!).

Next, I’d like to thank the TEAM behind the book, for without them there would be a lot less awesome in the world. (a few of them have even added to the giveaway pile today).

Big, Mushy Thanks to:

Tod Tod McCoy
(editor and publisher) – Oh, look, he’s already got a drink.

Shannon Page
(copy editor – and obviously Super Hero)

Chris Fink-Jensen (cover typography)

Photo on 2-12-2014 at 10.08 PM #2

Julie Fain (cover art)

Alison Woodward (maps and inner graphics)

GIVEAWAYS – w00t! w00t!

Okay, I know this is why you’re REALLY here. And we have some super giveaways for you, including:

$25 Amazon Gift Certificate
A copy of Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
A copy of Witches, Stitches, and Bitches (donated by Shannon)
A copy of Telling Tales (donated by Tod)

In order to win, I’m not going to tell you to like me on Facebook or follow me Twitter (or even this blog) to score points. Of course, if you want to do those things, I’m happy and grateful. I really and truly am. Feel free to follow me anywhere (well, um, almost anywhere).

Instead, here’s how you can earn points. For each one of these you get your name in a draw:

1 entry for simply attending and commenting
1 entry for each form of social media (twitter, Facebook, google + etc) you use to invite others to the party. (just tell me in the comment section that you did so, I believe you)
1 entry for posting a recipe (or link to one) you can make in 15 minutes or less (food or beverage as long as it’s YUMMY – and calories be damned)
1 entry for adding to the ambiance with a song or a joke (PG-13 please)
2 entries for playing the party game below

(giveaway goes until 5 pm TOMORROW, April 16
for those who like to be fashionably late or are finishing their taxes)

AND, if you’re interested in winning a signed print copy of Ondelle of Grioth, you have until Friday, April 18 over at 4 AM Writer. (and follow her blog because Kate is lovely)

PARTY GAME!

I created a little party game just for the fun of it, and when it’s all put together, it forms a bit of a poem (it IS National Poetry Month after all).

Tell us these four things and feel free to be creative):

Your Element
Your Super Power
Your Magical Name/Title
The last line you wrote
(if you are a writer, if not a writer, the last line you read)

HERE’s MINE:

Seawater
finds lost things
Tree Whisperer
I didn’t know which scared me more:
that I’d wake up the next day and she’d still be there,
or that I’d wake up and she’d be gone.

And now it’s time to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

FIVE MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
(works just fine with gluten free flour and less sugar)

FIVE MINUTE ICE CREAM
(can add yoghurt, too, and skip sugar)

And Shannon sent us a drink:

Kir Royale
2TBS creme de cassis
1 glass champagne or prosecco
pour cassis into glass of champagne.
Enjoy!

Weekly Writing Workout: Three Ring Circus Part Two – NEED

February 3, 2014 by openchannel 2 Comments

Quick post today because I have a FULL week ahead. As a matter of fact… I have a full few months ahead of me as I make my way toward the launch of BOOK THREE of my Faerie Tales from the White Forest series on April 15. Can I get a squee?

And from today until April 3, you can enter to win your very own print copy. CLICK the IMAGE below for the GoodReads Book Three Givaway Page:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Last week I talked about the three ring circus that is my head and gave a character exercise around WANT. Want is pretty easy to figure out because it’s the exterior goal. He wants the girl (or boy), she wants the grail (or tiara), the Detective wants to solve the murder, the Clown wants to perform for Cirque du Soleil.

Want marks the plot of the story, the trajectory the protag (or other character) takes to get this thing. But NEED marks the inner journey. It’s what the protagonist has to realize or face in order to become a better person, to become the person he or she is meant to be. And generally, we want our protags to emerge as better people (or faeries or dragons or giants)

In the movie Gattaca, a character driven near-future sic fi with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, Hawke’s character is a “genetically inferior man” who assumes the identity of a superior one (Jude Law) in order to pursue his childhood dream of going into space. That’s what he wants… but what he really NEEDS, what has been eating at him his entire life, is to confront his older brother and prove to himself that he is not inferior. It’s a great story about perseverance, about not letting other people’s views of who you are get in your way.

And as an audience, I don’t think we’d be completely satisfied without that moment. It’s a fist pump “yeah!” moment.

YOUR WORKOUT

1) SET YOUR TIMER for 7-10 minutes.

Start with the line: The inner block my character has, that is getting in his way of being all he can be, is …

Write without stopping, crossing out, rereading, or editing.

2) SET YOUR TIMER for 10-12 minutes.

Start with the line: If he confronted/faced/addressed this block then…

3) SET YOUR TIMER for 12-15 minutes.

There should be a moment where what your character wants is in conflict with what he needs. Perhaps addressing this need will get him into trouble. In Gattaca it’s when the MC challenges his brother to a swim in the ocean. He could die, they could both die, but he’s going to friggin’ prove himself.

Start with the line: The moment when my character reaches a threshold, on the other side of which his better self lies, happens when…

Write without stopping, crossing out, rereading, or editing.

And have a great week!

* * *

If you are a blogger who would like to post your own weekly workout exercise with me every Monday, please write to info (at) danikadinsmore.com

Free Days Are Here Again

July 6, 2012 by openchannel 4 Comments

A few months ago we did some experimentation with Amazon’s free ebook program. After some research and speaking to those who have gone before us, my publisher and I decided to try it again, this time for two days.

When you sign up for the KDP program, you can have up to 5 free days in a 90 day period. During that time, your ebook is exclusively on Amazon.

Now that everyone seems to be jumping on the free ebook promo bandwagon (on Amazon and elsewhere), the interweb seems awash in free ebookness. It makes me wonder if the market will get oversaturated and the free campaigns will cease to have the same affect. Hmmm.

How many free ebooks do you actually download? Of those, how many do you read? I may not be the best person to contemplate this, as I’m still primarily a hard copy reader.

I will post more hoohah and stats after we complete this second free campaign.

In the meantime, please pass the word!

The Ruins of Noe ebook will be free for TWO DAYS on Amazon.

Starting 12:00 AM PST Friday, July 6 (approximately)
and running through 11:59 PM Saturday, July 7

You can download your free ebook version from Amazon HERE.

Don’t have a kindle you say? Neither do I. You can still read download and the book. There are several free kindle apps you can use for iphone, ipad, android, blackberry, internet browser, windows, mac. I’ve read books off my iphone, in the cloud, and on my computer.

New Ruins of Noe Promo Video

June 7, 2012 by openchannel 6 Comments

As much as I love our Book One trailer, there was no way we could pull off another live book trailer. Just didn’t have the time or resources and if you’ve read the second book, the world is SO different it would have been quite the SFX challenge.

So, my filmmaker friend Mauri came up with a different idea, which is what you see below. Not quite as exciting as a live action version, but it does the trick. 🙂

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUlvIUMWDXA]

KDP and Book Launch Social Media Campaign Hoohah

May 8, 2012 by openchannel 7 Comments

A few of you asked if I would post about what I did to promote my free ebook campaign, which I thought was pretty successful. It exceeded my expectations, to say the least. There were a total of 2,848 downloads and we hit #1 in free fantasy ebooks that day.

It was done through Amazon’s KDP program. I’m not entirely sure how it all works as I did not set this up, my publisher did (if you want to know about THAT process, I could probably get him or author Jennifer Munro to do a guest post about it).

I know KDP / Amazon wants exclusive ebook distribution for 3 months. I know you can get up to 5 free days in those 3 months. We had some technical difficulties the week our book was uploaded, so figure this out early if you’re set on a specific free day.

I think a lot of factors go into the success of your campaign, from what day of the week you schedule your freebie to the genre of your book. I would not have gotten the same response if I had done this at the launch of my first book. I didn’t know as much about the industry, I didn’t have as much internet presence back then, didn’t have as many fans or as many FB followers . . . you get the picture. So be patient and let your presence grow. (BE the sunflower)

Here are some advantages you can give yourself
leading UP to your freebie day.

1) If you are working with a small press, they’re ultimately the ones who have to see the benefit of a free day. My publisher is getting to be pretty savvy in this new age of publishing – it was actually HIS idea and I was the hesitant one. So if it’s something you have to present to your publisher, do your research (Read Chris Anderson’s essay on The Economy of Free). If you’re self-publishing, then just create the best possible book you can. There’s no advantage to giving a free book out before it’s ready. You want people to say, holy cow, I just got this amazing book for free!

2) Create an online presence. If you haven’t published a book yet, you can still create a facebook page for yourself as an author. Your friends and family will like the page and you can keep them abreast of anything like conferences you attend or readings you’re doing. If the book is ready to publish, create a page for the book in advance of publication. Always be gracious and thoughtful about how many announcements your post and to whom.

If you have a blog, join a blog community. Join one of the Platform Campaigns or a review group like Middle Grade Mondays or any other friendly space. Widen your circle of blog friends.

With both FB and blogging, you need to participate in the community for your own site to grow. Throwing words up on a virtual page does nothing for anyone else. Invest time in finding like-minded bloggers, exchange experiences and advice. Be of service to each other.

3) Other sites: GoodReads, Amazon, Yahoo Groups, LinkedIn, WAE, NaNoWriMo – all these sites have forums for writers. One of my pet peeves is when people only jump in on forums to advertise their books and don’t invest in other people. Join and participate in a few forums before your books come out.

You don’t have to use them all. Join the forums that interest you so it’s fun. I use GoodReads and Yahoo Groups more than the others and am in four different Sci Fi / Fantasy forums and three children’s authors groups. I try to check in as much as possible, but it’s easy to get distracted!

In the Months before Free Day

-My publisher used Lightning Book Promotions to create a blog tour that spanned the week before and after my launch. Stormi is fairly new and very energetic about the work she does for writers. You can set up your own blog tour, of course, but I’m so glad I didn’t have to do that on top of everything else. The blog tour started the buzz going about the book.

I did add on three more bloggers of my own to the tour after Stormi had booked the first 10 or so. If there are blogs your love or frequently visit, go ahead and ask them if they’d like to be a stop on your tour. Most bloggers are looking for things to write about or for fun guests on their blogs.

-If I had my act together, I would have advertised on these sites: Pixel of Ink, Ereader News Today, and ebookswag.com (unfortunately, I learned about them too late)

5 DAYS before Free Day:

-I created an “event” on Brigitta’s FaceBook page and invited all the people I thought not only might be interested in a free ebook, but might help me pass along the message. Some people don’t realize that an “event” can be virtual. I listed my FREE EBOOK DAY EVENT with a link to the book’s Amazon page.

-I checked in with GoodReads and Amazon forums to find appropriate places to post a free ebook note. Search GoodReads groups and Amazon’s forums. There actually groups and forums that are specifically for authors to advertise their free ebooks.

-I sent an email newsletter to my teacher/librarian list telling them about the free day.

-I had a note sent to all the bloggers on my blog tour and asked if they would please post something about the free day and share the info elsewhere (some did on FB, twitter, and GoodReads)

Day Before Free Day

-I posted announcements in my regular forums in GoodReads (YA and Sci-fi / fantasy forums) that I was offering the book for free the next day. Be careful in your GoodReads forums that you post in the appropriate section or you’ll irk the moderators. Things are usually pretty well marked, but you can always ask someone.

-I posted on my own blog, my yahoo group, and my LinkedIn group about the freebie. My publisher loaned me his Twitter account and I did a #freeebook tweet.

Free Day!

-I sent personal notes to my FB friends and family asking them if they would post the free book announcement on their own pages. I told them my goal was to get in the top 100 on the Fantasy downloads. My friends are great – I’m sure a few dozen of them forwarded my announcement and several mentioned me in FB posts. My friends are awesome. We all support each other this way.

-I kept a watch on the Amazon stats… which is a little obsessive, but it’s exciting and fun. I posted updates on Brigitta’s FB page.

REMEMBER – you have to find the balance between promoting yourself and being intrusive. There’s nothing wrong with promotion. People DO want to support you. Your friends and family and colleagues want to help. Just be aware of your intentions, participate, and be inclusive.

images — from Mike Howell @ constantly risking obscurity

I think that’s it. If you have any questions I’ll try to answer them. If it sounds like a lot of work, it is. But we’ve been selling 2-3 Ruins of Noe ebooks per day since the free ebook day, so I think, in the end, it will be worth it.

Book Blog Tours Are Us! (+ new year writing exercise)

And we’re off . . . like a herd of turtles!

Trusting the Process

Omnibus Release Week! Drawings and Freebies!

Goodreads Book Giveaway