Showing posts with label It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered. Show all posts
Showing posts with label It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered. Show all posts

Friday, October 8, 2010

For those following along...

Really, I have to get better at posting! Just a quick update this time though...

I have started working again! Since late July actually, but not with Wal-Mart. I am working with Lifetouch again and I am really enjoying it. It's a full-time schedule that unfortunately runs over a split shift. This does tend to eat into personal time, which in turn eats into writing time, but my next project is moving forward. Seriously...

As for past projects, I have received some good suggestions, so thank you to those of you who have written and offered them to me. One method I may be trying is a book purchase exchange. It will be on a trial basis because financially I can't keep doing it but in a nutshell it's like a "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" type of thing.

Here's how it works: If you buy my book through Lulu.com, you will receive an automated thank you note from me. Cheesy yes, but what the hey. If you are an author with Lulu, simply reply to my automated email with the following information:
  • Tell me which of my books you bought
  • Tell me if it was a print version or download
  • Provide a link to your Lulu storefront page.
I promise to visit your storefront and consider making a comparable purchase from you, depending on the prices of your books (and the subject matter too, of course). This will obviously cost me more than the royalties I make from selling, but it may help get word of mouth out about my books. In fact, I will take this a step further - I will make at least 3 reciprocal purchases from those authors who purchase one of my books AND I will report back here in this blog which purchases I made and give a brief review. Not a bad deal in exchange for purchasing just one of my 3 works...

That's all I have time for today. In the immortal spirit of Heroes, Save the Authors, Save the World.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

So....How ya been?

Forgive me if it seems like I'm whining a little bit today. I certainly don't mean to. But sometimes people just piss me off.

Point 1: Nearly 3 weeks ago, I interviewed with and received a job offer from WalMart. I went and peed in a cup for them and was told I would be contacted soon regarding a start date. A week went by, nothing. I called them and was told they were waiting on my background check to come in. OK, fine. Another week goes by and nothing. Same story. Now it's nearly 3 weeks later and still nothing. I mean, how long should this take? Meanwhile unemployment benefits have run out as congress continues to twiddle their collective thumbs up their asses (or each others, I don't know) and I sit here broke. I interviewed with another company earlier this week and they are doing the background check before sending out for my urine. Let's hope they can move a little faster, shall we?

Point 2: No one is buying my book. GASP! OK, I don't have a professional agent and not a lot of marketing dollars, so there really is no advertising budget. Advertising on this page (below) is just one of the few easier ways I can afford (and now available on Amazon.com as well!). But it is a good story and those who have read it (during the proofreading and editing process) agree with me. But with a facebook fan page of over 80 people not to mention a similar number of friends on facebook, one would think that a few of those people would show some interest in at least reading it via a downloaded copy. I hear from some people "I'm broke, I can't afford to go buy your book right now." Well, I can appreciate being broke, but it's not like I'm asking anyone to fork over a ton of money. Plus broke people buy cd's, dvd's, and books all the time. So what's the difference? Honestly, I'm just trying to use my creative abilities to maintain an income, legally, without scamming anybody so I can try to stay off the welfare system. Take your pick - you can support me by ordering my books and get something in return, or you can support me with your tax money on welfare. It's up to you, America.

Point 3: I have a retirement account from my days at the University of Missouri. When you stop working for them, and if you've been there enough years to be vested in a retiremenbt plan, they tell you how much you have in your retirement account and then give you options of receiving it in a lump sum payout, leaving it invested with them until you are ready to retire, or roll it over into another IRA of some sort. Oh, but you can only receive the lump sum payout IF the amount is below a certain dollar amount. For once in my life, I actually have too much money and as a result, I can't touch it (Cue MC Hammer). At least not until I turn 55 at the earliest. Still exploring other options involving rollovers though.

OK, that's enough of that. I haven't been able to afford my diabetes meds for a few months now, and I seriously think it's starting to have an effect on my eyes, so I may need to rest them. It sucks when collecting unemployment puts you over the income requirements to qualify for medicaid but barely gives you enough to live on. But now that unemployment benefits are exhausted I might have better luck. We'll see...

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

New Promo and Upcoming Books

Yesterday, after some frustrating mishaps with various software applications, I produced my first video promotion for the book It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered.

You can view it here:



Yesterday, a thought came to me of the video I want to create to promote the erotic anthology My Lust for Anna and Other Erotic Tales. Imagine the look on the faces of my girlfriend and my 17 year old son when I announced to them that I needed a webcam to create the video. Don't worry, it won't be too graphic. It has to be clean enough for YouTube, right?

Now I just have to get myself switched back into writing gear so I can get my next book a little further off the ground. It's already been started, so at least the framework is in order for it. And I've got the next one after that in development, so as long as I can stay focused I will have what I think will be two very good reads out and on the market within the next year.

Book number 1 has a working title: Anatomy of a Divorce. It's about a couple with a seemingly perfect marriage until several little things snowball into several big things and before the couple knows it, the proverbial rug has been pulled out from beneath their feet.

Book number 2 has no working title as of yet, but it deals with a woman who endured years of sexual abuse in her childhood and the effects such abuse has had on her life.

If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to visit lulu.com by clicking on one of the book images at the bottom of this blog page and ordering a copy of any of my books. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks!

Monday, May 24, 2010

So Now What?

Well, today the proof copies of my 3 books arrived for my approval. They look great, and I wasted no time getting online into my lulu account to approve them.

So...where do I go from here? I've fulfilled my dream of publishing a book. 3 books, really, with 2 more in progress. But what does it mean if I can't share that dream with the world? How do I go about marketing my books in a way that does not seem intrusive? Well, advertising is an intrusive business. We are bombarded with advertisements every day - on television, the radio, in the newspaper, and on the internet. How many pop-up ads have you seen today?

As for me, I have a few vehicles for getting the word out. I have this site here at blogger. I have my facebook profile as well as a fan page also set up at facebook for the book It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered. I have a myspace profile, and I have set up a promotional site at webs.com for all of my published books.

My dilemma is not so much driving traffic to my websites, but the quality of traffic to those sites. There are plenty of traffic exchange services around the internet that will get people to my pages, but I've found in the past that the traffic it generates is not the kind that translates into sales. I've tried pay per click services in the past with zero results. So perhaps the problem lies in the way my material is presented?

I am open to suggestions regarding changes to the material and finding affordable ways to make my books appeal to those who come to check it out. Perhaps creating a video advertisement for YouTube would help? But how do you create a commercial for a book? Read a passage? Find some actors and actresses to act out a scene?

Seriously, if anyone has any suggestions, I'm listening...and may I suggest reading the book might help spur the thought process? Just sayin.... :-)

Thursday, May 20, 2010

It's Out!

I've done it...

I have finally released my project of nearly 30 years in the making. After a brief debate over the title of the book, I give you....



...now available on Lulu.com and coming soon to Amazon!

Of course, once I figured out how to navigate Lulu's system, I figured why stop there. I have also re-released... Click here for the book page




and....announcing for the first time anywhere....my erotic anthology!





All three of the above books are available in paperback and download. Just visit Lulu.com!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Ummm...Hi. Remember Me?

Yeah, it's been awhile. But November?? Has it really been that long since my last post?

Wow. Sorry about that. My bad.

So what's new?


On my end, I have finally completed the coursework for my AAB degree with University of Phoenix. Applied for the diploma today and graduation will be in late June.



And my writing career is being resumed....

What, no pic? I thought we had a pic...oh well...

My latest book is soon to be released. It's a smart-ass comedy/romance/murder mystery of sorts called It's All Fun and Games Until Somebody Gets Murdered. It's currently awaiting processing with the publisher, but if you'd like a sneak peak, just visit my author's page. You'll find info there on both books I've written -- Erotic Adventures of Steve and Brooke and the murder mystery.

Meanwhile though I continue to search for work. I was laid off from my last job in December and have been unemployed ever since. The time was spent wisely, as I was able to concentrate on my schoolwork and various book projects.

So that's what's going on in my world. What's going on in yours?