tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40091961648285387492024-02-19T07:58:07.812+00:00Blog of WhispersIndie-author, Einar Olgeirsson, shares his experiences of self-publishing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-63212087707052977242018-04-04T15:20:00.000+01:002018-04-04T15:20:15.904+01:00Twitter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You can now follow me on Twitter <complete id="goog_160552805">@ETOlgeirsson</complete></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-74361872004830602122018-03-29T10:43:00.000+01:002018-03-29T10:43:25.655+01:00The Tomorrow Child - Easter Offer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Download the Kindle edition of THE TOMORROW CHILD for free between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.<br />
<br /><br />
Wishing you a Happy Easter and a Good Read!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-60634453575352996282018-03-27T20:00:00.000+01:002018-03-27T20:00:19.933+01:00Six Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, Hemingway's in this bar, or maybe it's a restaurant, or a cafe - you've all heard the story - and he bets his writer friends ten pounds each that he can write a story in six words that will reduce them to tears. They all take the bet. He scribbles a few lines on a napkin and tosses it into the middle of the table for them to read. It goes like this:<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.<br />
<br /><br />
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
His friends duly paid up. Did they cry? We'll never know. But Hemingway considered this his best work. It has beginning, middle and end. It's tragic. Every word is truth. No speculation, no introspection (at least on the part of the author), no fat.<br />
<br /><br />
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
Of course, the provenance of this story is open to challenge. Was Hemingway the first to write it? Had he seen an advertisement like it in the back of a newspaper? I imagine there are thousands of unintentional short stories crammed into the back pages of papers on a daily basis. Tragic, romantic, amusing, dark. Every snatch of prose tells a story.<br />
<br /><br />
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
Here's my own take on a six-word novel, in the footsteps of Hemingway.<br />
<br /><br />
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For sale: Ring. One careless owner.<br />
<br /><br />
<div align="left">
And a play in six words, too.</div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'Hello.' </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'I do.' </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'Push!' </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'Don't cry-</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-77517269030827830792018-03-10T12:08:00.001+00:002018-03-10T12:08:53.071+00:00A Review of The Tomorrow Child<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Head over to Gallifreyan Buccaneer to read the first review of THE TOMORROW CHILD.<br />
<br /><br />
<a href="https://gallifreyanbuccaneer905439277.wordpress.com/">Review</a><br />
<br /><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-12955360993375062462018-03-04T11:26:00.002+00:002018-03-04T11:26:51.940+00:00The New Cover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm thrilled to reveal the new cover for THE TOMORROW CHILD.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwVf4Q3mSxVr2DT8atCD4bRzL51RqCxGZmiWWe1qlfSacA3syi0QAqKT8jpOm7fUjTB9P0Q-RPN4g_oV88ZLUDvVJVBsn986qFf71hK-4tVmHtUMbuHYpbrvTuDABgv5SnZNjiFODFLMI/s1600/TTC+Cover+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1006" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwVf4Q3mSxVr2DT8atCD4bRzL51RqCxGZmiWWe1qlfSacA3syi0QAqKT8jpOm7fUjTB9P0Q-RPN4g_oV88ZLUDvVJVBsn986qFf71hK-4tVmHtUMbuHYpbrvTuDABgv5SnZNjiFODFLMI/s400/TTC+Cover+full.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
More on the competition to follow . . .</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtRhvKUIJJlbRKiF62Z7Tqkqe5LMuZwJCuNaU7c9Li_nPQsTEM9H-PKJ9Clziicgt_mQGiAzuTRpUgLEwLxcjHTNt8-CWldYC8mfryrJ9Z_D665MKrSVbUC5Hl0oeHj19CO2VNtR5YdM-/s1600/TTC+Cover+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-34798057016160089132018-02-18T13:20:00.001+00:002018-02-18T13:20:37.610+00:00Design a Cover Competition Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Less than two days to go!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-34678510607812691202018-02-18T13:09:00.000+00:002018-02-18T13:09:15.272+00:00Marketing Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I believe it was Gary Strang in an episode of Men Behaving Badly who said, <em>If you throw enough balls at enough coconuts, eventually you win a fish.</em><br />
<br /><br />
Albeit an analogy for getting Dorothy pregnant, it could also apply to my approach to marketing and promoting <strong>The Tomorrow Child.</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
Am I casting my net too wide? Do I need to narrow my focus? Probably. I currently have adverts running on Facebook and Amazon. I'm generating thousands of placements, and getting around 1% converted to clicks. What I'm not seeing is those clicks converted to sales. <br />
<br /><br />
I'm also enrolled in amazon KDP Select, which means <strong>The Tomorrow Child</strong> is part of the Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners' Lending Library scheme. I've just started to see some data from this in terms of pages read, so it could be that the adverts are driving sales through this channel.<br />
<br /><br />
I hope so.<br />
<br /><br />
Then there's the Writer's Online Subscriber's Showcase. <strong>The Tomorrow Child</strong> will feature on the website, free, for up to two months. It's good exposure as the site has thousands of visitors daily.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-65160859143182021512018-02-18T12:42:00.002+00:002018-02-18T12:42:19.086+00:00Subscribe to Blog of Whispers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You can now subscribe to Blog of Whispers to keep up to date with the latest blogs, comments and activity. I've also added a search function.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-58335153328063839742018-02-13T12:48:00.001+00:002018-02-13T12:48:53.135+00:00The Tomorrow Child on Writers Online<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>The Tomorrow Child</strong> is currently featured on the Writer's Online Subscriber Showcase. Click the link below to view.<br />
<br /><br />
<a href="https://www.writers-online.co.uk/reviews/subscribers-showcase/">Subscriber Showcase</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-12659670877577261292018-02-13T12:39:00.000+00:002018-02-13T12:39:19.672+00:00Design a Cover Competition Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
7 days to go, and no entries received as of yet. Maybe this is your opportunity!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-80149281668947134322018-02-11T12:48:00.002+00:002018-02-11T12:48:32.529+00:00Evolution of a Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Tomorrow Child grew out of another story that I started writing in 2002. Back then, I had just read the first couple of Harry Potter books, and convinced myself that I could easily write something as good as that.<br />
<br /><br />
'Hello, Mr Bloomsbury, I'll take my six figure advance now, if it's all the same with you.'<br />
<br /><br />
I started writing a story called Jason Price and the Guardians of Time (so original!) that had an enigmatic supply teacher who would enter the teacher's smoking room (yes, this was back in the day when you could still smoke inside) and disappear to a dimension that existed 0.168 seconds in the future (don't ask why, I can't remember).<br />
<br /><br />
It was terrible. Well, let's say it had plenty of good ideas, but they were underdeveloped and never really held together as a story. There was no narrative drive, just lots of exciting events that sounded great in isolation, but didn't add up to anything. And the dialogue, well, damn!<br />
<br /><br />
I sent this to a small publisher, full of hope and dripping with naivety. It was a first draft. I don't think I even proof read it. I had some expectation, that anxious what if buzz. What if somehow all the mistakes were overlooked and the potential of the story shone through?<br />
<br /><br />
Not a chance. It came back with some brief notes, a pat on the back for imagination, and that was it. No publishing contract, no advance, simple rejection.<br />
<br /><br />
I came back to it in 2012, after some success - a short story published in a Doctor Who anthology, another in Writing Magazine, and another which was sold to an anthology that never made it to print - and started to redraft. The teacher went, along with the first hundred pages of kids creeping around a school to find out what he was up to. The future dimension changed to a world of dark matter where memories are collected and archived.<br />
<br /><br />
I spent a couple of years drafting and redrafting before finally stumbling on the heart of the story, the thing that would drive the narrative forward (hopefully). It came to me one evening when I was out jogging. <em>What if the main character was actually . . .</em><br />
<em><br /></em><br />
So, if your stuck in a rut with your writing, go out for a jog, or a walk, or maybe even a bike ride or a swim.<br />
<br /><br />
I can't tell you if The Tomorrow Child is any good, but it's evolved into something a million times better than it's predecessor. And while self-publishing might not be the fulfilment of the dream that I set out to achieve as a writer, it perhaps marks an evolution in my attitude towards writing and selling a novel. It gives me a marketplace to test my book and my marketing skills, and it doesn't stop me from seeking the traditional publishing route with my next novel.<br />
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigykW0VZYVdu-CK2by2VquTYhZCEI18vUVA8JQyWHnUPhYAmDbi1zqFEg4CA2GH0CoabIwICsmOOvnCoS4adbV_PloAx1uFYbNt8MHr8uX0JHteZdAFIXZ-ibhjum0VF8xEknN6LkCN8XW/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigykW0VZYVdu-CK2by2VquTYhZCEI18vUVA8JQyWHnUPhYAmDbi1zqFEg4CA2GH0CoabIwICsmOOvnCoS4adbV_PloAx1uFYbNt8MHr8uX0JHteZdAFIXZ-ibhjum0VF8xEknN6LkCN8XW/s320/IMG_0132.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<br /></div>
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<div style="border-image: none;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-29262382857031224012018-02-04T14:45:00.002+00:002018-02-04T14:45:44.304+00:00Competition Countdown!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
16 days to go until the Design a Cover competition closes. Make sure you get your entries in by 23:59 on the 20th Feb.<br />
<br /><br />
Don't miss out on a great opportunity to have your work showcased!<br />
<br /><br />
What have you got to lose?<br />
<br /><br />
Surely you can do better than this . . . <br />
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolM-5A-EKq_M4v1Wjrbk-vCfo3nHtF9GZuV2cqlK-GQategNQyxWp-4qO8B2jCs0V2bG4MwN8ndHFH3mh9OjhwRWHFn7Sw6D6V1Pq1NBXkW-48lod-Wzr8hl2grAVmcCYrHUURQPEoPXp/s1600/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolM-5A-EKq_M4v1Wjrbk-vCfo3nHtF9GZuV2cqlK-GQategNQyxWp-4qO8B2jCs0V2bG4MwN8ndHFH3mh9OjhwRWHFn7Sw6D6V1Pq1NBXkW-48lod-Wzr8hl2grAVmcCYrHUURQPEoPXp/s1600/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-17327571444748676682018-01-21T10:51:00.003+00:002018-01-21T10:53:36.206+00:00Competition - Design a cover for The Tomorrow Child<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Every book deserves a great cover, so I’m offering the
chance to design a cover for <strong>The Tomorrow Child</strong>. Can you capture the essence of a story in a single image?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The competition is open to all. The only stipulation is that
you have read the book, so I have dropped the e-book price to 99p. <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077YVHN1W">Click here</a> to purchase.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The winning design will be applied to the e-book and the
paperback edition, and the winning entrant will receive a free copy of the
paperback edition of the Tomorrow Child, as well as a credit on the title page
of the book, and first refusal on providing cover designs for future books.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Five runners-up will also receive a free copy of the
paperback edition, and be named on the blog of whispers and The Tomorrow Child
Facebook page.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">An album of all entries will feature on the blog of whispers
and The Tomorrow Child Facebook page. </span></div>
<strong>
</strong><strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The competition is for a front cover design, which must include your design, the book title – THE TOMORROW CHILD, and my name, E T Olgeirsson. Do not include any straplines or additional text.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Closing date for
entries is 20<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> February 2018. Entries received after this date will
not be considered.</span></b></span></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Please send your
entry as a pdf to: </span></b><a href="mailto:tomorrowchildcomp@gmail.com"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "calibri";">tomorrowchildcomp@gmail.com</span></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Include your name,
contact e-mail address and a brief covering letter telling me a bit about you.
This will be used as biog to run alongside the winning entry.</span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Terms and
conditions:</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<ol style="direction: ltr; list-style-type: decimal;">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">All
entries must be the original and unpublished work of the entrant.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">All
entries must be in PDF format</span></div>
</li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">Judge’s
decision is final with no correspondence being entered into.</span></div>
</li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">Winner
and runners-up will be notified within one month of the closing date of 20<sup>th</sup>
February 2018</span></div>
</li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;">The
winning entry may not be published, promoted or reproduced anywhere without the
prior permission of E T Olgeirsson.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Good luck, have fun!</span></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-32743301594923948912018-01-14T13:43:00.001+00:002018-01-14T13:43:06.980+00:00Marketing Strategy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's all about traffic and driving audience to your website / blog / Amazon page. It's a wonder how indie authors mange to get any writing done! Marketing a book is a full time job in itself.<br />
<br /><br />
My Amazon ad is running until early February, and thus far it has generated a few impressions, but no link clicks (the all important bit), but that means it hasn't cost me anything yet. On the other hand, my Facebook ad has been seen by almost 3,000 people and has generated over 30 link clicks.<br />
<br /><br />
Clearly this will shape my strategy going forward. Perhaps I will switch to a Product Display ad on Amazon, and increase my Facebook daily budget to maximise the number of link clicks.<br />
<br /><br />
Then comes the hard part - turning those link clicks into sales. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. However, you can have a jolly good go at trying to convince it. To that end, I have changed my blurb to give it a strong hook. Let's see how it goes!<br />
<br /><br />
Elsewhere, I've started a page for <strong>The Tomorrow Child</strong> on Facebook. You can visit it here - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/etolgeirsson">www.facebook.com/etolgeirsson</a><br />
<br /><br />
Fell free to give it a 'like.'<br />
<br /><br />
Oh, and somehow I've managed to find a little bit of time to write. One brick at a time!<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-41413879987813370552018-01-06T13:57:00.000+00:002018-01-06T13:57:43.086+00:00Five-Star Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, the first review for The Tomorrow Child is in, and it's 5 Stars. A massive thank you to the reviewer for starting me off on such a positive note.<br />
<br /><br />
As I said in an earlier post, it will be interesting to see if and how a review affects sales.<br />
<br /><br />
In the meantime, I have decided to set a small advertising budget and use Amazon Marketing Services to run a thirty day advertising campaign. This will be a Sponsored product ad, which will in theory increase search visibility by using keywords to target customers.<br />
<br /><br />
Not sure what the success rate will be, given my budget, but it will be an interesting exercise, and AMS provide a detailed breakdown of the number of clicks my ad receives during its run, alongside estimated total sales as a result of customers clicking the ad, and also an advertising cost of sales.<br />
<br /><br />
The chances are I won't see any real benefit from this and will have to consider increasing my budget, but who knows. Anyway, here goes . . .<br />
<br /><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-32076767664832025442017-12-31T16:34:00.001+00:002017-12-31T16:34:42.087+00:00Happy New Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
All the best for your writing endeavours in 2018!<br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy02cjd2cGQGY_5qrhMoNW6_vHpEY9WtIUn4y-nr7f-GvJUTa_5ezo4LiyXonib6IAehklTZgSqddsUhWQ2ShOju8LC2_wLfJ3w-GhG36S_h7ypXjdiBOpGO8dBM_mQk1jMQRBhIZyLx7/s1600/IMG_E0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy02cjd2cGQGY_5qrhMoNW6_vHpEY9WtIUn4y-nr7f-GvJUTa_5ezo4LiyXonib6IAehklTZgSqddsUhWQ2ShOju8LC2_wLfJ3w-GhG36S_h7ypXjdiBOpGO8dBM_mQk1jMQRBhIZyLx7/s320/IMG_E0093.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
I'll be busy writing a sequel to The Tomorrow Child (in fact I've already started!).<br />
<br /><br />
Have a good one!!<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-16458001158838718612017-12-23T14:36:00.001+00:002017-12-23T14:36:37.736+00:00Humble Beginnings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, it's been two weeks since I released The Tomorrow Child on Amazon Kindle, and in that time I've sold 18 copies.<br />
<br /><br />
It's a slow start, as anticipated. Most of the sales came in the last week when the Kindle edition was available for free. Albeit small-scale, it shows that promotional activity will have an impact on sales. It was enough to elevate The Tomorrow Child to #1 in the free e-book chart for a couple of hours!<br />
<br /><br />
So far I've only marketed The Tomorrow Child through this blog, Facebook, and a link on Twitter. The next step will be to post about it on Linked-In. I also need to find the right channels to reach the book's intended audience - the teen market.<br />
<br /><br />
I am encouraged. I thought I would be sat here with zero sales. For now, I wait in anticipation of The Tomorrow Child's first review on Amazon. If and when it appears, and if it is positive, it will be interesting to see what impact it has on sales.<br />
<br /><br />
In the meantime, if anybody has any advice that they'd like to share in the comments section, please do.<br />
<br /><br />
Merry Christmas<br />
Einar<br />
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf4Oa6AfVwCT8dJg6K9fzd9X7tbLcgcspAgFUNJOFghTisj0C6iDHzY3LYYTAnKS1v8zOe5rUwQ1ynmCrvred3EsOHELbzz4VPDGkxsjhw3H9MF-8PprJBopwJCymZtV73-NvnY901bId/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAl4Xe0I1-ILFpiuf3yEzggLVaBC8fWwIL411qeFyKcpSsZs9yW9UOUjInpXqOv2SOGw13YbZgNeL5rs9ytVdfTzUP3P8PbRtw8kgIU5Z-9H4hUP2y7qPGFVrSvfPLP0CBH3HXKrBCLJOb/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSgJeL-vvc-aD4GRzZyZ24XdSZR6RDVXdHMblh7ERXs3dRZtnE02_iqWSY4zEzca-eERSKNIgPXRewcQ287zx_ZoqzZM-myNGNdRxqIgrp5pPBx3skLnd2iXzuI7ocUM5GA3rQcDM1DCP/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSgJeL-vvc-aD4GRzZyZ24XdSZR6RDVXdHMblh7ERXs3dRZtnE02_iqWSY4zEzca-eERSKNIgPXRewcQ287zx_ZoqzZM-myNGNdRxqIgrp5pPBx3skLnd2iXzuI7ocUM5GA3rQcDM1DCP/s320/IMG_0081.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-91169649292066410332017-12-18T13:08:00.000+00:002017-12-18T13:12:47.565+00:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">The Tomorrow Child - Paperback Edition</span><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOhNongdSZ2u00buC9436mpHii8qEX76l0EpiIFTcIB5MpljwCVBrS9cDTKfaJ9i-HGsVd8Am5Zzvx0r0g041cL_0SGUal8ieti6VzdvLeRgfHPWAMkZW7zO5eobBWBWcs4D8-1ZVK-fX/s1600/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOhNongdSZ2u00buC9436mpHii8qEX76l0EpiIFTcIB5MpljwCVBrS9cDTKfaJ9i-HGsVd8Am5Zzvx0r0g041cL_0SGUal8ieti6VzdvLeRgfHPWAMkZW7zO5eobBWBWcs4D8-1ZVK-fX/s1600/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong><br /></strong>The Tomorrow Child is now available in paperback format from the Kindle store.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1973504723">The Tomorrow Child (UK)</a> £7.80<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1973504723">The Tomorrow Child (US)</a> $10.40<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And between now and Friday 22nd December, the e-book version is available for FREE!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-37237346499208814222017-12-10T12:07:00.000+00:002017-12-10T12:07:31.800+00:00Sorry, it's been ages . . . <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm going to start with some statistics:<br />
<br /><br />
No. of submissions made: 18<br />
No. of rejections: 18<br />
<br /><br />
I've got a little black book (<a href="http://www.moleskine.com/">www.moleskine.com</a>) and the first three pages are filled with names of Agencies, dates of submission and the word 'rejected' next to each one. I have eighteen emails telling me not to give up, that this wasn't quite what they were looking for, that they no longer represent Young Adult fiction (do your research!); all very kind, all very encouraging, all very disappointing.<br />
<br /><br />
So, there's reality. What do you do? You carry on!<br />
<br /><br />
I've not been idle since making that first submission. I've written and edited a second Young Adult novel, not a follow-on from <strong>The Tomorrow Child</strong> (though there is going to be one), but a brand new story that is now ready to send out to Agents. What will I do differently this time?<br />
<br /><br />
<ol>
<li><strong>Be more targeted</strong>. I think last time around I felt I had to get my manuscript in front of everybody and anybody in the hope that someone would pick it up and say yes. A bit like closing your eyes and throwing a dart in the hope that you hit the bull's eye.</li>
<li><strong>Really nail the synopsis</strong>. I found this difficult - what to put in, what to leave out. Do you give away the twists? Do you name check every character? I also found that each Agency I submitted to would have slightly different expectations of a synopsis, especially in terms of length.</li>
<li><strong>Read more of the Agent's blogs</strong>. These give a good insight into what an Agent is really looking for, what they are promoting, who they represent and how that author is performing. This, I hope, will help with point 1. </li>
</ol>
<br /><br />
As you will have seen from my previous blog, I have self-published <strong>The Tomorrow Child</strong> through Kindle Direct Publishing. I'll be blogging about the experience as I have a crack at marketing the book, and I'll also be looking into the option of publishing it as a print-on-demand paperback.<br />
<br /><br />
<strong>The Tomorrow Child </strong>went live yesterday, and it has already sold several copies. If that was you, thank you!<br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-3741389815929238632017-12-09T17:23:00.000+00:002017-12-09T17:23:06.412+00:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut4AGa4v_WBV3bfFsImwkk8Pfkedgkhwzb2HB5H-pO1mg1SMQGy8MWrIqsq-JD6z7OtQdh3UlgI4zViwW0L2hfJvgHg4ZtRL00S46t08eq0voMYHLMgLYR0G2Mv-ONR5QRdsi7huBXnTA/s1600/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut4AGa4v_WBV3bfFsImwkk8Pfkedgkhwzb2HB5H-pO1mg1SMQGy8MWrIqsq-JD6z7OtQdh3UlgI4zViwW0L2hfJvgHg4ZtRL00S46t08eq0voMYHLMgLYR0G2Mv-ONR5QRdsi7huBXnTA/s1600/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong>The Tomorrow Child, </strong>my Young Adult Fantasy novel, is now available for Kindle, Mobile and Tablet from Amazon. Please follow the links below.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077YVHN1W">The Tomorrow Child (UK)</a> £2.22</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077YVHN1W">The Tomorrow Child (US)</a> $2.99</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is a place beyond our knowledge, a place no Human can exist.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Until now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thirteen-year-old Jason tumbles into Chronos with no memory of how he got there.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is a world obsessed with time; a world of peculiar heartbeats; a world under siege from a dark enemy called Extractors.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The safest place for Jason is the Academy, where the children of Chronos are sent to be moulded into soldiers.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But why are the Extractors so determined to kill him? What is a Flotsam reader? And who can he really trust?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These are not the only questions Jason will face as he tries to piece together his memories and find a way home.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Tomorrow Child is a tale of dark matter, of family, and of finding an identity in a foreign land, where nothing is quite as it seems, and memory is the ultimate truth.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You can take a sneak peek at the first three chapters by following the links above. Should you purchase the full book, I'd really appreciate a review.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-10321979045016498672014-09-28T20:43:00.001+01:002014-09-28T20:43:31.018+01:00Submission Update<p dir="ltr">Okay, so...slight delay in sending out the manuscript. Got bogged down in obsessively rewriting the opening paragraph. Letting go is so hard!  Anyway, job done, it has finally gone. No turning back now!</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-79947862703499107412014-08-27T10:59:00.002+01:002014-08-27T10:59:40.239+01:00Ready for Rejection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Completed, polished manuscript. Check.<br />
Brief synopsis. Check.<br />
Covering letter. Check.<br />
<br /><br />
Ready for Rejection? Um...<br />
<br /><br />
Here goes then. It's time to release my manuscript into the wild. Too long has it spent in captivity, nurtured by my gentle hand...Oh get on with it! <br />
<br /><br />
So, I have selected an Agent and I will send my covering letter, synopsis and first three chapters, and then sit back and wait. I've grown my fingernails long in preparation. They will be nibbled to the quick in no time. Will the six weeks response time drag, or will it fly by? <br />
<br /><br />
Over the coming weeks and months I will keep a (b)log of the developments as my manuscript finally fends for itself in the big, wide world...<br />
<br /><br />
Fingers crossed!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-34002087732519403352014-04-28T10:12:00.000+01:002014-04-28T10:12:12.076+01:00A Change is coming...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-89135160420873090082013-04-23T19:05:00.001+01:002013-04-23T19:05:24.599+01:00Editing Tools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLmYcm5DQqJ-vZu1S3nKx0MFJmGTYlbhE26S2t1dAOW5mRUN8lRgEi9lUKu3GqePmiHQoe81hymq2kGkDwkiztAWwroYNjGK2qrCgM6n9AEkGszT_wP7Mpmt-3kADdjM_6Ugqi-bAwnGr/s1600/Editing+tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLmYcm5DQqJ-vZu1S3nKx0MFJmGTYlbhE26S2t1dAOW5mRUN8lRgEi9lUKu3GqePmiHQoe81hymq2kGkDwkiztAWwroYNjGK2qrCgM6n9AEkGszT_wP7Mpmt-3kADdjM_6Ugqi-bAwnGr/s320/Editing+tools.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Here are ten things you need when editing (this is not an exhaustive list!):<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>A nice pen - mine's a Sheaffer - for making notes.</li>
<li>A red pen - Bic medium - for marking changes.</li>
<li>Post-it notes for marking places in the manuscript / annotations.</li>
<li>Index cards for chapter synopses / plot points. These can be easily shuffled for better flow of story.</li>
<li>A small leather journal for capturing editing ideas on the move. Best used with Sheaffer pen.</li>
<li>Glasses - if you need them!</li>
<li>Time. Plenty of protected time away from any distractions e.g. Blogs!</li>
<li>Water. I keep mine chilled in a little fridge under my desk.</li>
<li>Tea and Coffee. I tend to alternate depending on mood or desired outcome. Coffee for a serious burst of writing. Tea for slower contemplation.</li>
<li>Dictionary / Thesaurus / Spell check (3 for the price of 1!)</li>
<li>A Brucie bonus for when you get to the end - the very end, mind - a Schimmelpennick cigar. Smoke it or simply hold it in your mouth. Whatever you go for, know that you deserve it.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4009196164828538749.post-69328031144029789792013-04-20T17:02:00.000+01:002013-04-20T17:02:08.707+01:00The Editing Begins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_mTXzmCx5FLWfYt7oD2lwPtpJLi1u6lc4QED3TWe5G-Dw71fTmw99eyQWpgKstCd83HP1hG6QirBL0d1TNs82MbsAe6aoFbNViwFtXQLCxENnVxyzPEd_CYOjX3EF9MCvMkWT1KFLkyU/s1600/First+Draft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_mTXzmCx5FLWfYt7oD2lwPtpJLi1u6lc4QED3TWe5G-Dw71fTmw99eyQWpgKstCd83HP1hG6QirBL0d1TNs82MbsAe6aoFbNViwFtXQLCxENnVxyzPEd_CYOjX3EF9MCvMkWT1KFLkyU/s320/First+Draft.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
So here it is. A completed first draft. A thing of beauty and weight. A tangible slab of effort and evenings and week-ends, formed from layers of crisp white paper and black ink. Ninety-thousand words sweated through pores, wrung from brain cells, forcibly extracted...okay so sounds like it was a real hardship, but on reflection, well...yeah, it was a hardship. But it's done. And boy does it feel great to hold. The difference between something on screen and something in your hand, the virtual and the real, is exciting. My work has three dimensions (physically - let's hope it has three dimensions emotionally!)<br />
<br />
The Editing begins. I've had an initial read through and I still feel positive. Over the next few days or weeks, or however long it takes I'll start to edit for plot and consistency and make sure that the story is in the right order and that it makes good sense. That's my first target. Here goes...<br />
<div align="justify">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172565098176930274noreply@blogger.com2