It's been a while

It's been a while sine my last post and many things have happened. My least favorite on that list is that my day job has taken up way too much of my time. It's seems like I can't catch a break in that department. While I am incredibly blessed to have a job in this economy, I wish I had more time to focus on writing and reading and selling my book. Oh well c'est la vie. In other news I was able to travel some recently. I made a week long work trip to Doha, Qatar into a mini break vacation. I will post some photos next time I am on my computer (rather than my iPad). It was an amazing trip. Made me remember that people in the Middle East are still people, and most are not terrorists. Doha is an interesting place because it has grown into a big city in about a decade. The Museum of Islamic Art and the Souq Waquif were my favorite parts of the trip. I think my husband particularly liked the desert safari. As far as writing goes, that seems to be on the back burner. I have a new idea and have written the first chapter. I really like where it is headed, but I am trying to jot down notes since I can't find the time to write much. My fingers are crossed that things may change soon. :)

New interview

In my ongoing attempt to get the word out about my book I have a new author interview out. You can check it out at:

http://onlytruemagic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/author-interview-jennifer-walker.html

Book review

My first review came out about a week ago ( man how time flies). It was a bit stressful leading up to it - I kept thinking I hope she likes it, I hope it's a good review. It wasn't the first time some else had read my book but it was the first outside person to really review it. Luckily she liked it - yeah! Check out the review at:

http://everyfreechancebookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/ending-dark-by-jen-walker.html

Interview

So this is a few days out of date but on April 4th my first interview was published. You can find it at http://www.jenniferlynnalvarez.com/2012/04/day-87-author-interview-with-jen-walker.html

Thanks Jennifer for the interview!

Sales and marketing

So The Ending Dark has been available on amazon.com for about two weeks now. It's pretty exciting, particularly when last week I noticed I had actually sold a book! It was a pretty awesome feeling. So now my goal is to write more and sell more.

How will I do that...that's a very good question. Here are some things I am going to try (I will try to provide updates on how this goes):

-twitter: I joined twitter (@jenwalkerwrites). I have found some authors to follow and have about 20 people following me. I like it because it has allowed me to make some connections and also through the people I follow I have gained a whole lot of advice on writing, publishing, and marketing.

-interview: I have done a few author interviews that will be published on other blogs. My hope is that they will drive interest to my book and perhaps this blog.

-reviews: this is perhaps the most important thing I am trying to do and the most nerve wracking. From what I had read on other blog sites reviews (good reviews) are important to selling more books. So the more good reviews I get the better my book will sell. The nerve wracking part is that I don't know what people will think - honesty is important but I really hope people like the book.

I will let you know if I come up with some other marketing ideas...plus it would be good to get other's thoughts, so leave a comment if you have any ideas.

Book publication

It's finally official! Last week I published my first book The Ending Dark on amazon. You can find my author page at www.amazon.com/author/jenwalker. It's very exciting, but as I am quickly finding out now comes a whole lot more work promoting the book. In a lot of ways I have a feeling at promoting the book is going to be more work than actually writing it.

You have to find ways to get your name out into the world but not push your book all the time. I think one of the keys to doing that is to think like the audience. I know it annoys me when people only want to talk about their product/book. So I have to remember that when I do the same thing others will also find it annoying.

One thing I do wish is that I had started earlier with some if the ideas I am trying to implement. Part of the reason it's so overwhelming now is that I should have been doing a lot of these promotion things weeks/months ago. So my goals right now are to keep up with twitter (@jenwalkerwrites), write more frequent blog posts, comment on discussion boards, and somehow find the time to write another book. Wish me luck!

The end of bookstores?

So this past weekend I had a mixed experience, part sad and part happy. You see, I went to a Borders store. It seems they are the latest victim to the economic trouble or perhaps the latest victim to the rise of the online reality. If you haven't heard Borders bookstores are closing.

So the sad is because I love bookstores. Big giant mega stores like Barnes and Noble (where as a kid I though it would be the most awesome job to work at Barnes and Noble - around all those books every day). I also love quaint street corner local bookstores (where I have met favorite authors, got great recommendations from the staff, and felt at home enough to pull up a chair and browse a potential purchase).

I love the stores and I love actual books. I love the feel of the paper, the sight of the large daunting stack of things to read by my bed. I have read books on an electronic reader, and there is a thrill of being able to carry something so little with some many stories - and being about the purchase a new title without leaving the house. But I have to wonder ... is this the demise of the paper page?

The happy part of me was elated at the thought of being able to purchase tons of new reading possibilities for cheap. Not that I don't already have a stack of at least ten plus books already lined up to read...no seriously, I need to start making some headway on that. My stack keeps growing with new purchases but it doesn't shrink quite as fast.

My favorite Borders was in Norman, Oklahoma. It had the perfect mix of selection, seating, music, and an awesome staff and cafe. Still to this day (although I guess no more) when we are in Norman we swing by Borders to browse and usually make a purchase.

So Borders this toast is for you! And Borders staff thank you so much for the memories.