Turning That Frown Upside Down!

As I mentioned in my previous update I've been tackling my anxieties by doing more book related promotion etc. If you haven’t read it, in short, I was selling copies of my book down at Gloucester Docks, known as the Quays. This was terrifying each time but built my confidence as people actually came and talked to me about the book, and some people were so kind and actually purchased a copy from me. It was so good for my confidence. Especially as on the 8/7/15 I woke up and just felt overwhelmingly anxious and fearful. There was no reason why, it was just the chemicals of fight and flight had been triggered for some reason. So I forced myself to go to the Quays and try to sell some books. Just being out, doing my drawing and inviting anyone who looked interested over to see the book, helped me be distracted and let the anxieties phase out.

It took so much effort but by doing this I know I was reprogramming a lot of my fears and using something negative as a motivation to do something positive i.e when the fears try and win- go to the docks and do something to fight it and replace it with positive experiences.

However, disaster struck today (09/07/15). I was sitting with my little set up and a security guard told me what I was doing was illegal. I asked him how that could be and he said I need a licence from the council (I hate red tape, the establishment and the government claiming to support business and entrepreneurship, yet, they squash the little guy who is just trying to do something positive for himself). I could have a massive rant about this but I’ll refrain. After a genuinely nice and polite chat with the security guard (it wasn’t his fault he was just doing his job) I went to the council building to look into getting a licence. £20 POUND A DAY!!! F!T!S! There’s no way I could pay that! I nearly burst into tears as I just wanted to do something that was helping me with my mental health. I was scared about what I could do now to help me in a way that was so good for my confidence. I went into town feeling very dis-hearted and angry and worried. I controlled these emotions though and didn’t let them win. There had to be a way to still do what I was doing, or do something similar!

After some time I thought, ‘Screw it! I was selling copies! Surely Waterstones would stock it. Let’s give it another go and worse case I have to try and figure something else out.’ So fulled by my anger at the situation I went into Waterstones and explained what I had been doing, that I was selling copies, and what had happened to stop me. The manager I spoke to was very nice, looked at the book, and said they’d stock one copy and ordered it. Words cannot describe my shock. I thanked him and left a bit dazed. It isn’t until now as I write this late on the evening of this happening that I’m nearly crying with how happy I am that something positive came from this situation. I can now still market and do things in a way that isn’t going to cripple me through my anxieties or fatigue, but still fight against them and not let them win. I can feel productive and not completely useless which is what happens when I’m trying to figure out how to make my life have meaning. And today I nearly lost that feeling but thankfully still have it and in a more positive way than before. Waterstones are stocking a copy of my book! (Does happy dance)

The next update should be soon and very positive too as there’s more cool stuff in the works. I’ll write about them when they happen. I’m just going to try and enjoy this positive experience that has evolved from a negative- life can be strange like that, as often it happens that way, although requires us to also make the positive from the negative too. Anyway, that’s enough philosophising. Until next time!

Getting Motivation Back!

If you’ve read my other blog you’ll know some of what’s been going on over the last few months, but if you haven’t here’s a quick overview- I ended up in a mental health hospital for the last two months. I have a number of physical and mental health struggles and they all just flared up really bad and I had to be looked after for a bit. I was looked after incredibly well and now live in supported living and I’m getting my life in order. Before being in hospital I was really struggling with motivation to do book marketing and felt like I was getting nowhere. Everything I tried just felt like a dead end.

Being in hospital has been an unexpected catalyst for me getting my motivation back. After the first couple of weeks I was healthy enough to do more than just lay in my bed most of the time. At this point people from the occupational therapy department visited to try and get me out and about. They helped motivate me into joining in with activities and doing things I enjoyed. When talking to one of the workers I mentioned I enjoyed writing and that I had written a book. He said he’d take a look but I thought he was just being nice. The next day he mentioned that he downloaded a copy and I was very grateful for his kindness. He then continued to update me on how much he read and this started to give me some faith in myself and my book again. Word spread to other staff and I handed a few business card out to those who wanted them. I then started thinking of ways to do some marketing again.

I thought about door to door sales again, but I know this really effects my anxieties and I just can’t do it, especially as it feels too pushy to me. From thinking about this I came up with an idea to perhaps do some market research about the book and at the end of it ask if they would like a copy of the book. I actually managed to build up the courage to try this but realised it’s still too stressful on me. My anxieties just kick into overdrive and after doing it for only ten mins my heart felt like it was going to explode. I was annoyed this hadn’t worked, but the same night I came up with another plan.

I realised the only way it was going to work was to let people come to me. I decided to get a white board and take copies of my book to a bench down in Gloucester by the docks where a lot of people walk. I wrote on the white board that the book was for sale, the price, and to please come say hello if interested.

It was still extremely nerve wracking (Tight chest, fast heart rate, struggling to breathe at times, head hurting and the feeling of intense fear), but I set up and sat with a drawing while people walked by, doing my best to ignore my anxieties. As I sat there I realised people would look, read it, then keep on walking. So I tried to be more welcoming and smile at them when they had finished reading, or say hello to them. This seemed to help and I made a sale! I can’t express how happy I was. It boosted my confidence and self esteem. The person was so nice and I’m thankful for them willing to give my book a try.

After this I also realised I needed to actually invite people over when they read it so pushed the anxieties aside as much as I could. This lead to another person coming over and talking to me and we chatted for a little bit about the book and life, and she decided to buy a copy. It was so kind of her to do so. A few more people took business cards and I decided I had done really well and to quit while I was ahead. I also met a lovely lady who is having an arts and crafts fair in august and she said I’d be welcome to have a stall, which is another wonderful opportunity. This whole experience gave me some confidence and belief, and to have an experience of success, where my anxieties didn’t lead to me freaking out and running from a situation, was exactly what I needed.

In hospital more people found out about the book and it was talked about here and there. It’s a difficult thing for me because part of me didn’t want the book stuff to take over or even be known. I get a bit embarrassed by it as people are always so nice and encouraging, and I don’t feel deserving of such kindness. I also worry that their faith is miss-placed and they won’t even like the story. Then the other side of me is thankful and happy that people are buying it and reading the story, especially when so much work has gone into it. So it’s a difficult thing for me sometimes. However, I made sure I stayed focused on being thankful and happy that people were being so kind. It’s very humbling.

An interesting situation did happen in regards to the book towards the end of my stay in hospital. I had been selling the paperbacks for £9.99 as they always had been. However, apparently Amazon had been selling the paperback for as little as £1.24 to clear some of the copies they had. I had no idea and felt terrible for having sold it for £9.99 when people could have brought it for such a low price. I’m not even sure how Amazon could sell it for that price as printing costs alone are a lot more. I don’t know who takes the loss where that’s concerned. I guess I'll find out at some point. Anyway, I’ve managed to resolve the guilt as best I can, and the price is back up to £9.99 on Amazon. Anyone that did get it for so cheap, you're very lucky lol.

Well, that’s the tale of how I’ve got some of my motivation back. The plan is to keep trying to sell books in the same place without letting my anxieties win, and to think of other marketing ideas. I guess I’ll see how it all goes and write posts as and when interesting things occur.

One thing to add- if anyone reading this has read the book and not posted a review on Amazon it would be so helpful if you did- thank you for all the continued support.

P.S. I’m posting this the day after writing it and today I went back to the same spot and sold two more copies and handed out a few business cards. As before, it was terrifying, but I know the more I do it the easier it will become. It also helps when everyone I speak to is so nice, kind and pleasant. I also find it fascinating that one of the main reasons I’m doing this is to fight against my anxieties to try and make them go away, so in a way it’s because of my anxieties that I’m having a bit of success.

Neglecting This Blog

I've been neglecting this blog due to the lack of news. Not much is going on with the book side of my life which is my own fault. The whole marketing side of this is very hard and I'm trying to find ways to get my book out there but it's proving very difficult. I do have a few ideas but need to put them into practice.
   My main focus has been my health related things and writing my other blog all about that. Writing this new blog has been fun as it's discussion points on Mental and Physical Health and related topics. With a lot of what I've experienced I feel it's beneficial to be writing about it all. I'm not sure how it will be beneficial but I'm doing post once a week for as long as I have things to write about.
   In regards to my stories, I've also struggled to start any new ones because I've finished all the ongoing projects that have overlapped over the years. I've finished the sequel to the Book of Prophecy and the publishers have that so fingers crossed they like it. I've also finished a couple of novella's and I'm giving away for free on my website. I could start another novella or the third book in the Chronicles of Elementary series but I don't think I have the energy at this point. I've worked so hard over the years and I feel I need to focus on other things or just the marketing. There's little point in continually writing if I don't actually do any marketing so I need to do better at that.
   So, that's really it at the moment but if any news does happen I'll update this blog, but for now things will probably continue to be quiet.  

5 Years of Story Writing, 4 Years of Blogging, 3 (free) Giveaways, 2 Novellas, 1 Continually Epic Journey.

It always amazes me how quickly time can go by. We’re into the year 2015 and my mammoth sized goal to become a successful author is still moving forward.

In my last update I talked about Goodreads and this is still going well. I had a second giveaway for the twelfth days of Christmas and had 767 people enter. All awareness is important so I hope in time I’ll see some feedback and reviews. There have been a couple and both are very positive so it’s a start. I’ve joined in on some discussion boards but I’m finding it difficult to find topics I feel I worth discussing or commenting on.

From the second Goodreads Giveway start date until mid January there was also a free giveaway of the ebook and we had about 1000 downloads over this time. I’m very happy with this and once again I hope so good feedbacks appears. The main reason I hope there is good feedback is because with a certain amount of feedback the publishing company can access certain marketing sights that will give The Book of Prophecy more exposure.

I have also been busy trying to finish my Frankenstein novella. I’m happy to report this is now done! This means I have two novellas finished and I’m glad to have them done. It also means the only outstanding piece of work at this point in time is the follow up to The Book of Prophecy. This is a daunting task as its 150,000 words of editing, and with so much else going on in my life I don’t know if I want to start going through it yet. I’ll update this in the future.

   As for the novellas I decided to send them to, Susan Armstrong, who is an agent at Conville and Walsh Literary Agency. She’s one of only two agents who spent time to communicate with me beyond the formal correspondence of rejection that most agents give, so I thought, ‘why not send them to her and see what she thinks.’

   I’m still very adverse to the agent side of things in the publishing industry as they have far too much power and subjectivity, and at times are clueless of the market and what is quality literature and not just going to make them a quick buck. I guess that’s balanced out with how successful self-publishing/other-ways can be. That said, the benefit of a good agent who is able to present my work to perhaps bigger publishers and a broader market would obviously be ideal, hence sending my work to an agent who I feel is worth contacting.   

My main writing priority right now is a new blog about Mental and Physical Health and my experiences. I’m really enjoying the topics I’ve been writing about and discussing them in a way that may one day be of benefit to others. I do want to get back to the story writing but this new blog has taken priority, maybe I’ll be able to balance it if I’m more organised.  

That’s about everything I’ve been doing in relation to writing and although not very exciting I’m learning to take on the ideology of the tortoise and not the hare. 

Goodreads

A few weeks ago I finally joined the writing and reading website Goodreads, and I really wish I had joined sooner. Goodreads is pretty much a giant online book club full of many many groups of smaller book clubs. As a reader you can join the groups that appeal to your tastes and join in the discussions on things you’ve read or are reading. It also provides a platform for authors to share their work.

It took me so long to join because at times I can be a cynical and non-progressive person and I find the bombardment of social media and social websites a struggle. With the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Snap-chat, Instergram etc etc I often wonder how anyone has time to even look out the window. I understand the appeal of these fun and creative ways of interacting, and their benefits for networking too, but from a social point of view I would rather go visit someone or just have a call than get lost in the ether of interacting through the variety of technology available. This is why I tend to stay clear of most of the above mentioned ways of interacting. I just feel if I try to keep on top of more than facebook and my bog I’ll lose myself in the internet.

This is why it has taken me a long time to join up to Goodreads, but it has proven worth wile from a social and marketing point of view. I have already made a couple of new friends on there who are like minded and this is nice. As an author it has also seemed to prove very effective, but it is still early days. On Goodreads there are a number of tools to help authors reach new readers. One of these tools is a book Giveaway. For my birthday I decided to giveaway some copies of The Book of Prophecy that I hadn’t sold yet. In about 48 hours the giveaway had 686 people enter. This is awesome considering I was worried I wouldn’t even get 1 person enter. In a simple book giveaway that’s 686 people who have now seen the cover and know the title of my book. I have sent the copies to those who won and I really hope they enjoy The Book of Prophecy. I do have an idea for a follow up giveaway and promotion and I’ll put a post up of how that goes when I’ve done it.

It appears my fear of some social media needs to be worked through as there are so many opportunities because of the amazing technology we have. It’s just learning to give it a go and if it proves effective stick with it and if not to move on. 

Change

Well, big change is taking place in my life. I am leaving Scotland and moving to England. This is for a number of reasons, but mostly it's to be close to my family and to lean on them during the difficult time of being unemployed and still struggling with various health related issues. Writing has taken a backseat while I’ve tried to figure the details of moving etc, but I wanted to update briefly on a few writing related things.

The Marketing has ground to a halt as I’ve done nothing. I also did not hear back from the local newspaper. When I move I will try again with local papers down there and try to think of other things I can do. I stand by my comments about marketing and how I’ll keep trying in the hope that in time I’m able to get the exposure that allows me to find the people who will enjoy the Book of Prophecy.

I have had some lovely feedback from people I know who have read it since it was published and this is encouraging. I have also had three reviews on Amazon and I’m very thankful for those who have taken the time to leave feedback.

As for actually writing I have nearly finished a novella version of my Frankenstein story. Once it’s done the next main project will be a very different avenue of writing. I have decided to start writing a blog about some of the Mental and Physical health struggles I have. I will still continue trying to promote the Book of Prophecy and writing other fictional stories, but it feels like a change in writing will be good. I’m writing this new blog in the hope others may benefit from the experiences I’ve had and to continue the important growth of awareness that is taken place in our society. Then again maybe the blog will not help anyone in anyway, but I’m going to give it a go. This will be the priority but I have the sequel of the Book of Prophecy waiting for me to go through so I’ll dabble in this as well. There’s a lot to do but I’m trying to juggle it all as best I can. I’ll update this again when there’s news or anything significant to share that relates to my journey of writing stories.

Marketing: A Numbers Game?

The theory is that if you have something for sale i.e a book (imagine that) which has had the seal of approval from honest friends and family, been enjoyed by a few people who have no connections to you, and has had investment by those who have a high skill set in the field of whatever product is being sold, then really making sales is a numbers game, right? When I say numbers game this is what I mean: the art of getting the item for sale to be seen by as many people as possible, because amongst all those people there will be those who enjoy it. Funnily enough this is the point I’m at with my book, and obviously why I am writing about it. The question is, how to you gain sufficient exposure to find those people who will like my book?

Well, that would be marketing... ‘sigh.’ I both love and hate marketing. I think marketing can be fun, as it’s another way to be creative, but I also hate it as being an introvert those initial steps of selling yourself and the product are very difficult. I have thought about door to door sales with the book, as I think it could be pretty productive, but due to nearly giving myself a panic attack when I was about to try this I’ve had to come up with a happy medium. So thanks to the help of my good friend Vix I had some posters designed and printed; I’m no good with computer type stuff but having a friend to help to make a poster was awesome, so thank you Vix.

 

The posters were printed yesterday and I put some at the University where I studied and still have friends. Then today I asked a number shops in Stirling’s town center if they would allow me to put one in their windows. A huge thank you to all the shops that did, your support is immensely appreciated. Obviously, some of the shops I picked intentionally as they relate to the target audience of those who like reading and enjoy a fantasy story, but having posters in as many places as I can sticks to the theory this blog update addressed at the start.

I also went into the local newspaper’s offices, the Stirling Observer, to hopefully rely on their kindness and support once again. I left them a copy and my details so I’m hoping they do a review.

Now that I’ve done some marketing it is time to see if the above theory plays out or not. So I guess I’ll keep an eye on sales. If you are reading this because of the posters then thank you for taking the time to see if my story the Book of Prophecy might be something you would like to read. I hope it is and if you haven’t done so feel free to read the first three chapters via the Amazon link on my website and then clicking ‘look inside.’ If you do buy it I hope you enjoy the story and thank you very very much.

I guess the next update will probably be how well putting up posters did, and if it didn’t help what I will try next to help people know the Book of Prophecy exists for their reading delight.