has gone through 3 or 4 of my own edits already, so it is in pretty good shape (although novels can always be better, which is why I'm giving myself another 4 months of heavy editing to get it ready for publication). I will get to the cover design soon (I love running design contests through www.99designs.com). I got this beautiful cover (Provoke Not The Children) for $299. In the meantime, I am continuing with the second book in the trilogy, The Civil Society, and am about halfway through the first draft (~45,000 words).
For marketing, I have reached the point where my website/blog www.fidgitydigits.com is about where I want it and is attracting a fair number of readers. Right now, I am focusing on identifying and connecting with readers in target demographics. For instance, I didn't have an email list in July. As of today (August 12) I have 115 people subscribing to my monthly newsletter. I sent out my first newsletter on August 1st and it was really well received (70% click through rate, which is high). There are certain authors that I'm reaching out to, to pick their brains about things they do very successfully. And I've been reading just about every marketing book that I can get my hands on (Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant's Write. Publish. Repeat. Joanna Penn's How to Market a Book, and my favorite, First 1000 Copies, by Tim Grahl are all must-reads).
So things have been busy. Writing has to be the first priority. I write in the mornings and if I have the energy, in the evenings after the kids and my wife go to bed. If I don't have energy late at night, I try to get to the marketing. Sometimes I just crash, though, and tell myself tomorrow is another opportunity!
Last question. Do you have any advice for other writers?
Writing, publishing and selling (it's a package deal these days) is a long and difficult process. Many times, it will feel like you aren't accomplishing much for the effort exerted. In order to avoid getting frustrated, try to be as intentional as possible. Sit down and write every day, even if you only get a few words typed. Try to reach a certain number of words typed each day (at least for your first draft). Take the time to plan a marketing strategy and do it consistently. This is advice I tell myself every few weeks and it keeps me going when I get weary.
GUEST INTERVIEW IWACA
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