Wednesday, March 19, 2014

An interesting couple of days!

Paula reflects on a series of (almost) unrelated events.
 
Last month, I was invited by an indie publisher in Ireland to take part (as one of the hosts) in a St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza on Facebook, as she knew I had recently had an Irish romance novel published. That was amazingly generous of her, as I’m not one of her authors, so many thanks to Kemberlee for inviting me!

Also, my own publisher (at my request) put ‘Irish Inheritance’ on sale at 99 cents (or 77 pence in the UK) on Amazon for the St Patrick’s Day weekend.

I spent most of Monday at the computer i.e. over 12 hours barring a couple of short breaks (I did have to eat at some point!)

I hasten to add that I wasn’t advertising my book non-stop, although I did post one cliff-hanger excerpt and, from time-to-time, posted the Amazon link about the special St. Patrick’s Day offer for my book.

The rest of the time I spent uploading photos, sometimes to illustrate the beautiful Irish scenery, especially in Connemara, sometimes with quiz questions attached (e.g. which American’s ancestral home was this?), and sometimes with a bit of information attached (e.g. about the Christopher Columbus memorial in Galway). All that actually took far more time than promoting my own book. 

I also responded to many of the other participants and visitors (over 200 in total) to the event, including spending an inordinate amount of time trying to guess where someone’s photo had been taken in Ireland!

Okay, I had a blast – and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

The results? Well, quite a few downloads. Not enough to take me into the higher echelons of Amazon rankings, but hey, that’s just a dream, isn’t it? Certainly more than I’ve sold before in one weekend (although that’s not really saying much!)

More importantly, I’ve already heard from a couple of people who downloaded the book saying how much they are enjoying it, and how they find it intriguing. One person ‘complained’ she couldn’t put it down even though she had jobs to do!

Today I posted a thank you (on FB) to those who had bought it, and was delighted when about a dozen people shared this on their own FB pages (thank you, Jen!)

One of the messages I received was from a FB acquaintance who lives in the Lake District. Never one to miss a chance(!), I told her about ‘Fragrance of Violets’ (which is set in the Lake District), and I think she may buy it too.

Another contact I made as a result of the event was a friend of a friend, who lives in Dublin, and who has said she will ask around in Dublin and also in Galway (where she has some family/friends) about possible book signing opportunities. Actually the best book signing would be in the bookstore in Dalkey (near Dublin) as my hero and heroine go into that shop in the story! Whether any Irish book signing opportunity will arise is in the lap of the gods, of course (or maybe in the lap of the ‘little people’!) but I can hope.

So, all in all, Monday was a good day! Obviously, I couldn't spend each day doing this kind of networking/promotion of myself or one of my books, otherwise I wouldn’t have time to do any of my own writing, but once in a while it is real fun to do.

Today, as a footnote to all that, I had a phone call from a friend who has bought all the paperbacks of my novel, saying that her daughter wanted to buy all the paperbacks too. The daughter has read all my books on her Kindle, so I was quite surprised. But when I emailed the daughter to thank her, she said she wanted the signed copies on her book shelf –so she can show off to her friends that she has books signed by the author!

Oh, and another friend who has recently bought ‘Her Only Option’ sent me a message saying, “One night I am happily cruising the Nile and then BANG all hell breaks loose, and I don't know who the baddy(ies) is/ are. My poor old brain is suspecting nearly everyone!”

I think my main feeling today is, ‘At least some people are reading my books!’ It's a good feeling. J

13 comments:

  1. Or sell on ebay.... ha ha no I wouldn't. Love them too much. Del xx

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  2. That's what your mum and I joked about,Del! But thanks again for all your support, and I'm so pleased you enjoyed all my books :-)

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  3. It's always nice when you get good feedback and see results, isn't it?

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  4. Fingers crossed for the signing opportunities. If you need someone to carry your books and someone to hold the pens (you'll need more than one), Awen and I will volunteer.

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  5. Jen, many readers don't realise how feedback can be so heartwarming for an author!

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  6. 'Unknown' i.e. Carol - if I ever got a book singing in Ireland, you and Awen would be more than welcome to come with me :-)

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  7. Paula...It's so awesome to have those kinds of successful days.

    And it's so good to 'hear' you sounding so cheerful! I know you were really discouraged for a while.

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  8. Thanks, Debra :-) I haven't sold millions or even hundreds, but definitely more than the average weekend LOL!!
    More than the sales, though, it's been the feedback that has been so positive and therefore so encouraging.

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  9. Yay! I'm so glad this has been a good event for you!

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  10. Thanks, Ana. At least a few more people are reading my books now :-)

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  11. Just had this comment from a new reader:
    "I just finished your book. I love love love love it. Fabulous writing, great plot twists .... I fell in love with Jenna and Guy."
    Comments like that make it all worthwhile,, don't they?

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  12. That's a very successful couple of days, Paula! This sort of event is much better at bringing attention to books, I think. It's on my kindle but waiting to be read!

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  13. Hey, Paula. I'm glad you had such a successful day on so many levels. We'll have to find a reason to do it again soon :-)

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