365 Days of Writing, Marketing & E-Publishing: September 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Day 65...I'm All In...Are You?

Welcome to Day 65...

So here it is...Our 30 Day Writing Kick-Off Eve...

I'm ready to dig in tomorrow and I hope you are too. Before we get started, I wanted to share some ideas with you today...

Back in Day 57 I talked about starting this writing challenge for the month of October. My whole thought was about taking things up a notch...meeting a challenge head on. I wanted to stop wondering and start doing. And stop being afraid of failure.

The way I look at all this is that the only failure is not trying. Even if I don't finish my book by the first week in November, 31 days from now I'll have still dedicated a whole month to getting there and I'll be that much closer.

That's a win anyway you look at it.

But that's not all...I'll have some writing tip and prompts to share with you along the way.

And... I thought why not challenge ourselves in other ways too? Like with some get healthy and fit tips.

Look, I sit at a desk all day for my day job and I'm back at a desk sitting and typing when I'm writing so...I'll be sharing to ways to stay fit and flexible. (Don't forget to check with your doctor before starting any exercise plan)

Here's one 30 day challenge...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_RYVmpWDq4 How to do a proper lunge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXJrBgI2RxA How to do a proper squat

BTW...I never liked the the idea of a start date hanging over you. That's a lot of pressure so...I got in some writing and editing TODAY!

See I'm already well on my way - I bet you are too. Why not take a half hour and get some writing in tonight. You'll already be well on your way too.

Here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"Do One Thing Everyday That Scares You..." Eleanor Roosevelt

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ~~10 11~~ 12 13 14 15 ~~16 17 18~~ 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 ~~42 43~~ 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 100 101 102 102 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365

Monday, September 29, 2014

Day 64...Are You Up for This?

Welcome to Day 64...

I have a huge project for work due by Wed, so I'm lightening on my to do schedule for the early part of the week.

As for Wed, the day starts a new month and... I'm opening myself up to a new challenge, one I hope you'll join me in.

The Challenge? Commit to writing 750-1500 words on EVERY odd day and on EVERY even day, complete 2 hours of editing.

The goal? For me it's to have my book ready to go to the editors by the second week in November.

So let's make October All About the Writing and let's make this happen...

Here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"The Bigger The Challenge, The Bigger The Opportunity..."

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Day 63...If Not Now, Then When?

Welcome to Day 63...

So I had a real Deja vu moment this morning. I was in the parking lot of my son's high school waiting for his football practice to end.

The school was also hosting some type of field day for the local CCD (Catholic religious ed) programs and there were scores of young kids with their families there. As I sat in my car waiting for my sixteen year old, 6'3 son, I watched young parents walking with their kids and pushing strollers and I had the overwhelming thought...that was us 10 years ago.

Where did the time go?

The thing is I usually don't get so retrospective. I mean life is so busy, some weeks I can barely catch my breath. I know time is forging on and the kids are getting big and gaining more independence, but there was something jarring about sitting there seeing a life play out that I lived almost a decade ago.

So I get it. Life moves. Fast.

Interestingly enough, there was something else that happened this morning and I'm still trying to figure out if there is some cosmic tie in.

I woke up early, just after 4am and my brain was flooded with some branding ideas. They were a bit off-the-beaten-track for an author who writes romantic suspense. It was all about a springboard to launch me out there a bit - which would hopefully give me a platform to get my books out to a larger audience. I don't want to reveal too much about it yet, because while the idea is definitely intriguing, it'll involve a lot of work so I need to see how it all fits with finishing my current book - Never Let Me Go and the marketing path/ideas I've had up until now.

But here's the thing about all this...I do recognize that sometimes your Super Brain and your intuition will take you where you never expected to go and when this concept came to me, it was so flushed out and specific, it 's now actually hard to ignore it. Not to mention the impact of my flashback this morning.

Anyway I'm going to let it settle in for a few days. Maybe you have an idea you've been toying with as well. A big idea...so big, it's scary and thrilling at the same time.

Well for both of us then, I'm sharing Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"If Not Now. Then When?"

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Day 62...Be a More A Productive Writer By Doing This...

Welcome to Day 62...

I talked a lot about routines in Day 4

Well not too long ago I had a bunch of crazy work days which wasn't helped by the fact that I also wasn't sleeping well. Then the whole bad sleep thing morphed into not working out.

Call it a routine...a routine of not exercising...which led to a routine of not drinking enough water...and a routine of not eating as well.

Point is, it's easy to fall into a pattern. Be it good or bad.

Lucky for me, I was able to break the cycle.

Though once I made the decision to get back to working out, it was actually painful to head to the basement put on my exercise tape and start moving. Not helping matters was the fact that my iPod had a dead battery. I thought to myself...isn't that a good enough reason not to exercise?

I was so close to walking away, but instead I pushed through.

And you know what? I felt better. More than better. I felt great and started drinking lots of water and since then have been eating better, sleeping better, even writing better.

When I was not working out, it took so much effort to psych myself up to start again. But when I'm in the mode of doing it, I don't even consciously think too much about the decision to exercise. I just do it.

It's almost like muscle memory - where the brain gets so locked into a pattern of movement through a regular routine or practice, that you can perform certain tasks or activities without much conscious effort.

It's like that with my writing.

If I go days without working on my book, it's so much harder for me to sit down and engage in the creative process.

But if I'm actively engaged EVERYDAY, writing becomes easier...almost effortless.

The key is to stay in that routine and strengthen it...everyday. Even if the output is simply notes for a scene, getting fifty words on the page, or editing a paragraph.

I like what writer Ben Blecha has to say about it all...

"The more you do something, the more routine established. The easier the routine becomes, the more effective the result. The more effective the result it, the greater the success becomes."

Read Ben's full article here
http://www.southplattesentinel.com/2014/06/routine-superstition-leads-success/

Read more about the health benefits of drinking water here.

And what's not to love about muscle memory? Read all about that here.

But for now...here's Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"We Are What We Repeatedly Do. Excellence, Then, Is Not An Act, But a Habit." - So says Aristotle

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

Friday, September 26, 2014

Day 61...A Sneak Preview...

Welcome to Day 61...

Today I worked on a bunch of notes for some up coming How To Blog Posts. including...

How to Develop Great Characters...

How to Get Your Big Break...

How to Make Your Book a Page Turner...

How to Design a Standout Book Cover...

So stay tuned in the coming weeks...you won't want to miss any of them.

I had a busy day at work. Crazy busy. And I need to work tomorrow too. Sometimes having a real job gets in the middle of this writing gig.

Anyway then it was on to Friday night football under the lights. We won 27-0.

So I just wanted to share something to keep you in the game...

And of course Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"With Hard Work, There Are No Limits..."

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Day 60....And The Secret to Having It All

Welcome to Day 60...

So let's start with the big question. Can you have it all?

Can you be a great mom, spouse, worker, friend, writer? Can it all jive? Can it all be great?

My answers yes...it just all comes down to timing...

Years ago when my kids were young, I was talking to their pediatrician about their development. He explained that many times when kids are going through a cognitive growth spurt, they're not growing as quickly physically. And when they're topping out on the growth chart, during that same time period, they might not be developing as fast cognitively.

"But not to worry," he said, "it'll all balance out. It always does."

He was a great doctor and a wise man. In fact I started using his logic in my own life.

There are some mornings when I'm in the writing zone and I just can't squeeze in a workout. Other days, I have a great workout and the writing...well not so great.

Then there are days when I trade off some much needed alone time, with some family obligations and activities.

In the end, it'll all balance out. I mean I wrote and e-published 4 books over the past 2 years and I'm well into writing my 5th. I've also gotten 2 promotions at work in that same time period and somehow everyone at home gets fed, gets to practice and their activities and the chores all get done.

So even if you're having an off day or week, it's a good thing to stop and take a look at the big picture.

Today I finished editing 2 scenes totaling almost 3,000 words. That's progress. And...I got a work out in early this morning.

Though you know what? There's 2 huge loads of laundry waiting to be folded.

But somehow it'll get done. It always does.

Today's Takeaway Lesson is a good reminder...

"The Secret to Having It All is Believing You Already Do..."

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Day 59...My Secret Confession...

Welcome to Day 59...Where we answer the question - Why is marketing so damn hard?

Well there are a couple of reasons...

First it's work. Hard work. Research, goal setting, setting up websites, Facebook pages, writing emails...the list is endless.

These days it's also tough trying to get customers/readers' attention when they're already bogged with thousands of marketing messages a day. You have to stand out. (Stay tuned for a future post on doing just that)

And...you also have to believe in the product your selling.

Really believe.

I had to ask check in with myself about this very idea because it gets to the heart of what I'm willing to do and how big of an investment in time and money am I willing to make to reach my books' sales goals.

So, do I believe in my product?

Well yes...and no.

First the no...there's that little voice inside my head that questions my every move and second guesses what I do. We're human, which means it's easy to let negative thoughts run through our brains. We can all make ourselves crazy second guessing what we did or didn't do.

So to combat the "no", I decided to take myself out of the equation and look objectively at my products...my books.

First off...if I didn't write them would I talk about them, share them, recommend them?

Here's my secret confession...the answer is a resounding yes. I LOVE my stories.

And you know what? Based on the reviews I'm getting, a lot of other folks do too.

They responded really well to the characters, the plots, the romance, the pacing.

What my readers weren't loving were some roll-out issues I had with editing. And they let me know. But based on that feed back, I was able to fix the thing that wasn't working, while keeping all the things that were.

So here's the bottom line...these books are not only great products, they're worthy of my efforts - all the work, the time and the money it takes to Expand the Reach...Build the Buzz...Sell More Books...Including those things that take me out of my comfort zone...more to follow on that.

Anyway, it's good to own your success and feel good about all you do.

Here's some more on just that...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-earle-mcleod/behavior-pattern_b_2084104.html

http://psychcentral.com/lib/therapists-spill-the-moment-i-realized-i-am-enough/00013029

As for Today's Takeaway Lesson it's a quote from the very smart, very successful Estee Lauder...

"I Never Dreamed About Success, I Worked For It...'"

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Day 58...You Have to Know This Score...

Welcome to Day 58...

When it comes to achieving success, setting goals is only part of the equation.

Obviously you also have to take thoughtful and consistent action towards those goals to make your dreams become a reality.

But there's something else that can help you meet your targets...tracking your progress.

For the same reason we step on the scale every day when we're dieting or update our budgets when we're trying to save money, it's a good idea to track your marketing/sales goals for your books.

That said, I recently set up a spreadsheet to monitor my stats - (below is a snapshot).

It focuses on a a few key indicators - like activity on 365 Days, Synchronicity, Goodreads and Facebook, KDP and CreateSpace - everything from sales, to number of followers and number of views. You get the picture.

The plan is to track where I've been, and where I'm going.

But that's not all. Watching all the numbers also helps me notice the patterns. What's working and what's not. For example...

For a small advertising cost ($20-$25) I can increase my Facebook page likes by 20%.

Setting up a Goodreads giveaway (which is free by the way) gives me big exposure to fans of romantic suspense.

How my book ratings are tracking on Amazon and Goodreads.

And how some of the KDP countdown deals I ran, didn't yield the big sales spike I was hoping for...

Tracking my progress, gives me information...valuable information that help me make decisions about where to focus my time and resources.

Why not set up your own spreadsheet today?

Key Stats: Goodreads

Week Ending	9/7/2014	9/14/2014	9/21/2014	9/28/2014

Goodreads Ad DS
Amount Spent	N/A	N/A	N/A
Click Thrus	N/A	N/A	N/A


Giveaway Request DS	N/A	N/A	N/A
Giveaway Request OSC	N/A	N/A	N/A
Giveaway Request BSMB	N/A	N/A	N/A
Giveaway Request NYSM	N/A	N/A	N/A

To Read DS	490	487	487
To Read OSC	573	571	568
To Read BSMB	373	372	369
To Read NYSM	375	374	373

Fans	9	9

Total Reviews DS	10	12	12
Total Reviews OSC	17	18	18
Total Reviews BSMB	3	5	5
Total Reviews NYSM	7	8	9

Total	37	43	44

Rating DS	4.6	4.5	4.5
Rating OSC	3.82	3.89	3.89
Rating BSMB	4	4.4	4.4
Rating NYSM	4.15	4.25	4.18

Est Total Rating	4.1	4.3	4.2

Key Stats: Listopia

	9/7/2014	9/14/2014	9/21/2014	9/28/2014

Number of Voters	3	3	3
Number of Books	9	9	9

Key Stats: FB

	9/7/2014	9/14/2014	9/21/2014	9/28/2014

FB Ad BSMB
Amount Spent	N/A	N/A	N/A
FB Likes	285	285	285
# Reached

And now, Today's Takeaway Lesson...

"Small Daily Improvements, Are the Key to Staggering Long Term Results...'"

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie

Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife

Visit my website @ www.maggiecollins.net

Like me on Facebook Maggie Collins

365 Days & Counting...

My Books

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Monday, September 29, 2014

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Friday, September 26, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Tuesday, September 23, 2014