writer

What to do with that pesky author’s blog.

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You have to build a platform. You have  to have a way of reaching your readership. It’s a line out of almost every self-publishing guide out there. Utilize your social media. Twitter. Facebook. Start. A. Blog.

Sounds easy enough, sign me up. In fact, that was my first step before even publishing anything: get my platforms up and running. This site was easy. It’s basically a running dialogue of how I spend my days (which if you were wondering is almost entirely researching, writing, and distracting myself from researching and writing). This blog practically writes itself and that’s fantastic. It really is.

On top of this site, I opened up the famous dedicated “author’s site.” You know, the one that’s a .com version of your name and everyone should flood to once you things start taking off (amberfeldkamp.com – in case you were excessively curious). I even spent $18 on a visually pleasing theme. And then I sat down to write a blog post. And… nothing.

I’ve managed to kick out two measly posts in a week and half: a little reflection on the beauty of my last name and the cover reveal for Samara’s Song (coming to an Amazon store near you on August 1st). Since then, I’ve started maybe six different posts that have wound up in the vast wasteland of draftdom. I just can’t figure out what to write, and surprise, surprise, the following has suffered for it. It’s the same issue I run into with Twitter (follow me anyway). What do you say to make people like you? (That sounds pathetic, but it’s basically the game we’re playing here.)

No. But seriously.

So of course, I went back to researching. The common suggestion? Write about what you would want to read about. I want to read about self-publishing. I want to know everything I can about it. And I plan on doing quite a bit of writing about it on this blog. Not my author blog. Besides, I don’t think that’s a subject my readership is particularly interested in anyway (not that I’m counting you guys out, you’re more than welcome to read my work. Seriously. Samara’s Song. August 1st. Amazon.).

As much as I like to think I’m a superbly interesting individual with a lot to say, apparently I’m actually not. In actuality I’m a superbly introverted individual who’s almost 8 months pregnant and living in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country without a car while her husband works 12-15 hours a day (that’s not an invitation to come rob me – I have a dog and a gun and a lot of neighbors who like to check in on the pregnant lady). Basically I do a lot of sitting. Sitting is prime right now. Occasionally walking, but mostly just sitting. And writing. And researching.

In the midst of all this exhausting sitting, I came up with an idea. Or stole an idea. Whichever works for you.

Disclaimer: I’ve done absolutely zero research on the viability of this option. Zilch. Which is uncommon for me and will be corrected the moment I finish this blog. But, hey, I got excited.

I’ve noticed a lot of recent popular works releasing companion material – Veronica Roth’s Four, Kiera Cass’ The Prince, even J.K. Rowling released a fun  new “article” for the World Cup.

I’m writing 1st person POV novellas with limited vision into this giant dystopian world. Why not fill my blog with free companion material, 1-2k stand alone shorts from other character’s perspectives? Personally, sounds like a fantastic idea to me. So that’s my current game plan. And after a reasonable collection of shorts have been posted to the blog, I’ll wrap them up and publish them in ebook format as a free anthology in the hopes of driving up sales.

 

So tell me, what do you generally post about on your author’s blog? What garners the most feedback for you?

 

 

(Side note: A heart felt thank you to Robert and Angela for the supportive emails, and to the 20 new followers. I couldn’t believe 2 people had any interest in what I had to share, let alone 26. You are a huge motivating factor in this thing and have my sincerest appreciation.)

Self Publishing – Show me the numbers!

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A quick google search will reveal a plethora of articles claiming that self-publishing is the route for struggling authors to take in the new age. Just look at H.M. Ward who turned down millions of dollars in advances in favor of self-publishing. Or the million other success stories that seem to be cropping up all over the web.

Clearly those of us who are not yet millionaires are doing something wrong. Right? Well, that’s if the all the hype is to be believed. The honest truth is that these success stories do not account for the masses, and the majority of self-published titles are swept away and buried beneath an ocean of rubbish. Not to mention how rare it is for “successful” self-publishers to share their actual figures.

Okay, so maybe demanding to know someone’s income is not exactly tactful. But I’m not exactly the queen of tactfulness, so I will cross that line. We simply can’t ignore that this information is relevant. The few transparent blogs/threads I could find of self-publishers boldly exposing their entire process, expenses, and profits I absolutely devoured. And then I retreated to my corner in bitter disappointment when they stopped updating, returning to live vicariously through the google success stories overflowing on the web.

After months of wading waist-deep in that optimistic muck, I’ve decided it’s about time to get my hands dirty and figure out this whole process for myself. And I’d like to invite you along for the ride. You, the indie author who’s wondering what happens when an untested manuscript hits the kindle market. You who’s unsure where to even start when it comes to marketing and promotion. You, the skeptic who doesn’t buy into the hype. I am right there with you.

My name is Amber Feldkamp and I am an untried author with great ambition and probably a little to much optimism. This blog denotes the start of my self-publishing journey. I have a plan, a platform, a plot, and a promise: complete transparency. I offer up my successes and failures without complaint or censor. If everything goes to hell in a hand basket, you will be the first to know – well, after I cry into my husband’s shoulder for an hour or two.

Hopefully together we can learn what works and what doesn’t and if self-publishing really is a viable career path for the modern writer.