Word Witch Wednesday - the final ad's results

I'm throwing them right out there, so I can scream cry discuss my promoting experiment.

This final ad was with Bargain Booksy. It was my most expensive one at $70. I sold 7 books that day.

Here's what I learned from using book ads:

- They are unlikely to have a great affect on sales unless you're offering your book for free. There is so much free content out there right now, and good free content, readers won't even consider dropping 99c for an author new to them.

- They may have a decent affect on sales if you're offering a novel for over 75% off its normal price. This won't attract any attention if it's a short work. Novels do sell better.

- Ads work best for books that are part of a series. If readers pick up something and they like it, they will want more.

From my experience, I can conclude:
a) Readers who might enjoy my books don't read ads, or don't subscribe to those venues I had ads with.
b) The indie publishing world is going through a major slump.
c) My cover and/or blurb aren't strong enough to draw readers in.
OR
d) I suck.

Some days, I just want to quit. I'm not a marketing-minded person. I'm a writer. That's all I want to do! But authors have several hats they must wear these days, and it's depressing at times.

Don't worry. I won't give up. I'll keep on trying new things, and maybe one day, I'll find out what works for me. (What I think would really work is if Joss Whedon made my books into a TV series!)

Have you tried anything new with promotions recently?

Effigy Blog Tour - guest post by M.J. Fifield

Joss Is Boss

This post will contain spoilers.

There's a little known fact about me that I am completely and irrevocably obsessed with writer/director/demi-god Joss Whedon.

I first became aware of His Glorious Magnificence back in 1998 when I tuned in to my very first episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It was the season three premiere, Anne. That's the one where Buffy has run away from Sunnydale and is waiting tables in Los Angeles. There's a scene toward the end of the episode (written and directed by Joss Whedon) where Buffy battling a seemingly endless onslaught of goons pauses on a platform, weapon in hand, and glances behind her to her left. (It's the shot that closes out the opening credits through season six.) It looked so bad ass that I was immediately in love with both the show and its creator.

I haven't looked back since.

I love what Joss does with character. There's always a lot of talk about the strong, female characters he creates Buffy, Willow, Echo, Fred, Kaylee, River, Zoe, just to name a few and all of it is well-deserved, but the bottom line is that he creates amazing characters period, regardless of gender. We love Mal and Giles, Xander, Topher and the man they call Jayne. Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog saw audiences rooting for a character named Dr. Horrible whose ambition is to join the Evil League of Evil.

I also adore what Joss does with story. I love how in a 43-minute span, he can make you laugh and then cry all the tears in all the world. He will go for the jugular, and you still will beg him to hurt you just a little bit more (Name! That! Reference!). 

Look at "A Hole In The World," a fifth season episode of Angel also written and directed by Joss. The episode starts off with a funny debate over who would win in a fight - astronauts or cavemen - that continues to pop up at random moments during the episode, but before you know it, Joss has ripped out your heart and stomped on it right in front of you when he kills Winifred 'Fred' Burkle. The last line of the debate? A dying Fred saying, "Cavemen win. Of course the cavemen win."

There's also Wash and Book from Firefly, Phil Coulson in The Avengers, and Penny from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. People make a lot of jokes about Joss killing off characters, but what it all comes down to is that Joss will always do what needs to be done for the best interests of the story, and that is exactly the philosophy I want to employ in my writing.

Thank you all for stopping by, and thank you, Christine, for hosting me today!

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coile?in, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband's cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kindgom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people's rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price?even if it means her life.

Available at Amazon~Amazon UK~CreateSpace

Add it on Goodreads

About the Author:

Armed with a lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn't writing, she's on the hunt for oversizedbaked goods or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures - mostly pets - in New Hampshire. Visit her online at mjfifield.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Day five of The Ghost blog tour and Taking Time excerpt and giveaway

Thank you for joining me on day five of my tour.
 Don't forget to answer the poll I posted last week on my blog.
Whose origin short story would you like to see in the 13th Floor collection?

It's a big day today with three fabulous hosts.

Join me at Cherie Reich's blog for Chiharo and Jeremy's first kiss.

Heather M. Gardner has written her own post about the 13th Floor novellas. Find out what a reader thinks about the series.

My ultimate dream is to have Joss Whedon make my series into a TV show. I've shared a few casting ideas with you at M.J. Fifield's.

Today's tidbit: I dedicated the book to Cherie's mom. When I was discussing the concept of the series with Cherie, I had the six tenants already planned out. Cherie mentioned my idea to her mom, and her mom said the series needed a ghost. She was absolutely right. THE GHOST wouldn't have been written without her suggestion

 

 

Book blurb:

Science fiction stories of time and space...

The future of humanity must be decided in Next Phase. Winning the Planetary Lottery is not as lucky as it first seems in Schrodinger's Gamble. An apocalypse and its aftermath threaten to tear one couple apart in Daiker's Children. In Life As I Know It a reclusive man finds both his heart and home invaded during an alien harvest. In Taking Time a demon seeking shelter on a distant planet finds himself facing a very different kind of demon, after answering a frontier settlement's plea for help.

Stories range from flash fiction to novelette in length.

Excerpt from Daiker’s Children

I picked up the heavy bundle of survival rations left for me in the exit corridor, took one last look at the door to The Facility through which one kind of future was offered, and then walked out into the yellow-tinged atmosphere of Southern England. The aliens’ offer of a safe living environment and human facsimiles stopped being an option the moment I learnt Jen had not made it to their facility. I had to find her even if it cost my life. She was my world, and a world without her was not one I wanted to live in.

During the days of alien-enforced quarantine–I have no idea how long it lasted because there were no clocks to tell the time or date–I forgot just how acrid Earth’s atmosphere had become. The toxic air outside the facility scratched my lungs like cats clawing sharp talons down my windpipe. My breathing slowed and became more laboured. I could hear myself starting to wheeze. As my eyes burned and watered and my vision deteriorated, I dropped my heavy backpack on the ground and pulled out the gasmask they gave me. A few fumbling seconds later, the clear plastic mask covered my nose and mouth, and cool, clean air refreshed me. Within seconds, my breathing returned to normal though the mask could not remove my memory of devastation’s stink–the sweet scent of burned bodies and a burnt-out civilisation.

I found it hard to believe there was ever a world, a safe world, as I gazed in horror at the toxic wasteland before me. A sea of atomic destruction blinked back. Nothing remained standing or intact except for the ruins of Exeter in the distance. I’d allowed myself to bask in a happy kind of naivety, ignorant of the destructive power our governments and military harboured. Now I faced the consequences. I vowed never to be so naive or stupid again. To find her meant questioning everything. 

BUY TAKING TIME NOW AT AMAZON AND AMAZON UK

Author bio: A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre was published in March 2013 and contains nine previously published stories. Taking Time and Other Science Fiction Stories is her second short story collection. 

Great stalking places:

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Ellie's having a fantastic giveaway! Win one of two $25.00 (£15) Amazon gift cards and a character named after you in an upcoming novella. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Liebster Award

The lovely and most generous Tara Tyler has passed on this award to me. Thank you so much!

I'm counting the days until her new book POP TRAVEL comes out.

I must answer 11 questions. Here we go!

1. What's your nickname? (make one up if you don't have one) C. Yes, I know, so boring. It's simple to write C online. Many of my online friends just call me C, even when I've chatted to them on the phone.

2. What genre do you read most? Paranormal romance. That wasn't a surprise, was it?!

 

3. What celebrity would you love to meet? Joss Whedon.
 

4. What is your favorite age? Does this mean for me or in general? For me, I'm happy with my age right now. I get happier the older I get. I'd never want to be a teen or young adult again.
 

5. Facebook or Twitter? Twitter. Only because I'm much more efficient with Twitter. FB can be distracting.
 

6. What awesome thing will you do when your book is published? Arrange a book tour for as far as my budget will allow. I love to travel.
 

7. What book would you like to see turned into a movie? The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.
 

8. Where were you born? In a hospital in southern Ontario.
 

9. Name a place you'd like to visit some day. England.
 

10. Are you a Summer, Winter, Fall, or Spring? Fall.
 

11. Any regrets? Yes. I try not to hang on to regrets, but sometimes I get in a self pitying mood.

 

Now 11 questions from me:

1. What is the last dream you remember?

2. What shares a bed with you at night? (other than a person!)

3. Kindle, Nook, or print?

4. Pen or pencil?

5. What planet or moon in our solar system would you live on if you could?

6. What are you wearing on your feet right now?

7. What's your favorite thing to do while procrastinating about writing?

8. Do you use coupons when shopping?

9. The world ends with an asteroid strike, alien invasion, or zombie apocalypse?

10. What title would you give to a story written about all the things in the last question?

11. Socks with sandals: yuck or cool?

I know the rules for the award state I must name some worthy bloggers and pass it on, but I'm short on time these days. Anyone who comments is deserving of this award. Please take it if you wish and display it, because you are awesome!

Be Inspired

Thank you very much to the generous L.G. Keltner for passing this on to me. It's a great way to promote your stories. To complete this meme, I must answer the following questions.

1) What is the name of your book? FEARLESS.

2) Where did the idea of your book come from? From my son. He mentioned a monster under his bed, but it was a friendly one. It made me think of all the kids afraid of the monsters under their beds or in their closets. No one ever believes them. But what if they're real? Who would protect the kids? That's where my protagonist Abby White comes in.

3) In what genre would you classify your book? Paranormal romance.

4) If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition who would you choose? Ooh, this is a hard one. I've never been good at casting. Abby is a brunette is more on the cuter side than drop-dead gorgeous. A face that children would trust. An in shape fighting body. Maybe Michelle Monaghan. For Demetirus, he's broad and muscled with dark hair. A younger David Boreanaz built like Alexander Skarsgard. Mmm, if I could combine those two men! It would be cool to have Gina Torres be the voice of Tawa.

5) Give use a one sentence synopsis of your book. Abby White kills monsters spawned by the imaginations of children, but can she be fearless when it comes to love?

6) How long did it take to write your book? Three weeks.

7) What other books within your genre would you compare it to? Or readers of which books would enjoy yours? This is on the lighter side of paranormal romance. A bit like Richelle Mead's succubus series.

8) Which authors inspired you to write this book? Joss Whedon was one of the biggest inspirations for this story. It's much like the TV shows Buffy and Angel.

9) Tell us anything that might pique our interest in your book. Monsters spawned by children's imaginations. A hot wild fae with a big piece of wood. A snarky stuffed hippo.

I'm tagging YOU! Yes, you! Give us some tidbits on your most recent book or what you're working on now.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - day 17

Word count: 39480

It's not actually day 17 yet. I'm scheduling this post to appear tomorrow morning.

Things are going well. Another critical moment and a big reveal about the protagonist's past. Highly emotional. It's hard to find different words for sorrow. I'm thankful for my thesaurus. I also used the word "Brobdingnagian." Such an awesome word. If one word alone could make a great manuscript, that word would be it.

I'm getting ready to kill off more characters. I feel like Joss Whedon. If only I were that witty and clever!

I had intended this to be a paranormal romance, but I'm almost at 40000 words and there's only been a few kisses. It's more a dark urban fantasy with an element of romance. I'm not complaining, it just surprises me with the novels I've written in the past few years. Hey, it's a good thing to surprise yourself in such a way, right?

I'll be losing some writing time on Saturday with my monthly writers' group. I sent in the first chapter of Sorrow Phage for them to critique. I'm nervous about it. It hasn't been edited at all.