Drew Faraday's Blog - Posts Tagged "update"

"If anything's too damn easy to do, there's more than likely no fun in doing it."

Nothing like having snippets of my gram's philosophy swimming around in my head.

Of course she would've been right when it comes to my independent author journey. Every step of the way the decisions to make could be mind-boggling, the hoops to jump formidable, & the workarounds time consuming like no other.

But the process could also be electric at times--even if those moments were fleeting.

You might've guessed this is one such moment for me. I mean, here I am actually posting on a website I made that people are visiting & liking, discussing my novel I spent years writing that some people are reading & responding to, setting up ads & free promos, & soaking it up all the while.

Thanks for joining the ride.

Till next time,

Drew
Website

Nothing makes me smile like seeing a little kid dance with complete abandon, arms & legs flailing, no music playing. That brief expression of pure joy always touches my heart.

Well, I was that little kid all weekend. OK, that's how I felt as the results of my two-day free book promo were coming in--website visits & likes, BookBub ad results, "sales" numbers, & even best sellers rank.

Yeah, I know full well those fleeting #1, #3, & #12 rankings in different categories were on the free book lists in the Kindle Store, but that didn't stop me from kicking up my heels each time. Lean or dance into the moment, as the case may be.

Anyway, thanks to all who've already downloaded Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown & to those who've rated/reviewed it. Thanks in advance to any & all who choose to do so in the future.

By the way, I've decided to keep with the $0.99 price for the time being just 'cause. Also, I set up a Bookfunnel bundle link below for anybody interested in checking out the free companion chapters.

Thanks again,

Drew

Author Website
Free Companion Chapters

Maybe if I'd followed my own advice in my last post about relaxing a few days before I actually did so, I might've avoided this head cold that feels like somebody's pumping bilge water into my sinuses. You know it's bad when you lean forward to get a closer look at your laptop screen but throw yourself back just in time to keep a long, ropy drip of snot from dousing your keyboard.

That's me for going on two days in a row now. Don't even remember the last time I felt lousy enough to flop on the couch in the middle of the day & try to get myself to do something other than drift off to sleep every other minute.

Guess that calls for coining a new portmanteau:

Etymology

Definition of bilgecation
noun
bilge·​ca·​tion ˈbilj-ˈkā-shən
: a vacation spent at home with bilge water pouring out of one's nostrils
bilgecationer
ˈbilj-ˈkā-sh(ə-)nər
noun

Here's hoping I can post this before falling asleep again & changing my mind.

Till next time,

Drew
Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown

After a week playing host to some sort of virus or other, I woke yesterday morning & noticed my clarity index was picking itself up off the floor. I'm happy to report that as of this morning that trend continues.

I like to think I've been fairly accepting of the usual dinginess that accompanies being sick like putting a milk jug in a cabinet instead of the fridge or wondering if I actually took that last round of vitamins before gargling.

After all, putting in some quality time contemplating my next moves in this indie author endeavor was worthwhile—who says sprawling on the couch staring out the window after too much screen time is such a bad thing?

But now that my clarity index is gaining a foothold, I find myself questioning a few of those strategies. Given that my re-enrollment in KDP Select is coming up soon, I have the usual decisions to make about promotions & whatnot. If nothing else, this whole publishing journey does provide ample opportunity for guessing & gambling—I mean, conjecturing & speculating.

Fortunately, those hours on the couch also gave me time to add more ideas to my lists & let some new & old scenarios dawdle on the back of my eyelids to their hearts' content.

Till my next musing,
Drew

Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown

As I started writing this post, I realized how childlike I can be at times like this—downright giddy—while of course, maintaining my adult sense of calm & clearheaded perspective on my self-publishing journey. (Cue the laugh track.)

Yes, dear reader, another milestone approaches. This one has to do with navigating the marketing shoals looming ahead.

For any first-time visitors to my website, a little background might be helpful. Last summer after publishing my novel Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown through Draft2Digital, I ran a couple promos, then moved over to Kindle Direct Publishing in the fall and ran a Free Book Promotion at the end of January with some Amazon & BookBub ads, as well as a Goodreads Giveaway.

Apparently I decided that all wasn't enough because now I'm going for a concentrated layered approach with some promo stacking for the Kindle Countdown Deal that starts next week.

In case you're as unfamiliar with the concept of promo stacking as I was until a month or so ago, here's a definition:

...refers to the marketing practice of running multiple coordinated marketing campaigns within a set time frame with the goal of increasing the sales and rank of a specific title or series (Written Word Media).

My plan is fairly simple: lower the ebook price from $2.99 to $0.99 for a week starting April 5th & see what happens. (The paperback price will remain the same & the Kindle Unlimited price will stay at $0.00, as always.)

So, if you’d like to give some feedback about any of my ads you happen to see or think they popped up one too many times for your liking, please feel free to let me know through the Contact page. I'll also put the main graphic/creative image (dare I say brand?) on the next post that will announce the official start of this venture.

Also, in case you're interested, I recently started embedding my posts into my new Facebook Author Page & new Twitter account.

Till next time,

Drew
Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown

Take a deep breath . . . one . . . two . . . three . . .

Gotta say, I'm relishing this extra slow morning even if I did intentionally schedule it instead of just let it happen as if I were truly living in the moment. Considering the pace I've been subjecting myself to these past few months, I think it's one of my better moves. Some people crave getting away to clear their minds & nervous systems, but just let me sip my morning coffee on the back porch for a while & I can reset & reframe in no time. Fresh air and steam rising from a hot cup of medium roast are respite for my soul.

Anyway, my latest ad campaign for Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown came to a close earlier this morning. Usually whenever I go through any kind of debriefing process after a significant push even approaching the magnitude of my foray into promo stacking, I generate various lists of what to do & what not to do next time, which detours & sandpits to avoid, that kind of thing.

This time, however, I'm pausing to acknowledge what might be my favorite part in this whole phase of my self-publishing adventure start to finish—the concept of an indie author community. It might sound like a cliché, but time & again I've seen the notion borne out on various platforms & threads. Granted, separating the genuine comradery from posing can be challenging, but when the former does shine through it's pure joy.

Take Lee Hall, for example. Last October he opted to review what was then my new release from the current pool of hopefuls on Reedsy Discovery, then posted his response on Goodreads & Amazon as well. I was not only grateful for that gesture but also for his articulate & insightful perspective that I'm sure would've served me well during an early stage of content editing.

As I mentioned in previous posts, I fully realize my novel is not the easiest of reads for some. Maybe it's because of the narrator's mishmash of regional slang or the lack of backstory in a sidebar fashion. But for me, the focus of Pearl's feisty first person narration never strayed from her central goal of her persuading the judge, aka the reader, not to sentence her to be hanged for the gunrunning part of her river merchant business, as well as confronting her own personal share of responsibility in the chaos along the way.

Not only did Lee Hall understand the setup & direction of the story, but he appreciated the nuances enough to overlook an aspect of the plot that he mentioned he'd have preferred be more developed. No small task for an experienced reviewer & independent author like him, I'm sure.

And then the other day while doing an advanced search on Twitter for my novel title, I was surprised to see two separate tweets by him—one from last October & the other from earlier this month—recommending Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown as part of his series of tweets about some of the indie novels he's reviewed over the years.

And therein lies my favorite part of this unwieldy promotion process I've been immersed in—the inclusive attitude he & others consistently demonstrate toward the independent author community at large. Seeing everything from tweets & retweets of recommended books to shared titles to podcast suggestions to hashtag examples warms my heart, especially at a time when I'm decompressing from this particular leg of my long, somewhat grueling journey.

And of course, that warmth is only enhanced by the openness & humor so many show in the crazy world of self-publishing some of us willingly choose to inhabit.

To all of you, I lift a glass in celebration.

Till next time,

Drew
Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown

Today after wrapping up the initial stage of serializing my unpublished novel set in the same fictional world as Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown—a prequel of sorts—I decided to dedicate any available focus time over the next few weeks to the rewriting/revising stage of the process.

Even though I thoroughly enjoy posting twice a week, in all honesty, given time limitations & my unrelenting drive to finish the serialization process I recently started, I'm convinced it's my best course of action.

I'll resume posting sometime in June on what will be an updated/redesigned site with an announcement about the title of my serialized novel & how to get free access to the first three episodes on Kindle Vella in case you're not familiar with the setup.

However, if you prefer reading at your own pace instead of waiting a few days for the next episode to be released, you'll have the option of waiting till all of them are available or holding off another month after that to get the entire ebook on Amazon or Kindle Unlimited (just following the rules, you know).

Anyway, thanks for the visits over these past few months. I'll keep you posted as this newest phase of my self-publishing adventure unfolds.

Till next time,

Drew
Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown

Previously I shared my decision to take a month off from posting in order to focus on serializing my unpublished novel set in the same fictional world as Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown.

That turned out to be a productive strategy even though I could easily fall into grumbling about only truly accomplishing one of my three goals—updating this site with a new theme. But why waste time & energy complaining about batting .333, right?

I may not be able to check off the other two listed below, but I'm actually pleased with the progress I've made in such a short time given everything else going on in my life.

Title Choice: I've narrowed the options to three, which means one more no vote allows me to flip a coin between the last two when the time comes.

Launch Date on Kindle Vella: Given my comfort level with the current draft & my desire to finish still in overdrive, August seems like a safe bet.

I'll keep you posted.

Drew
Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown

Just posted the 7th and final episode of a novel summary for Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown on my website.

It's been an excellent trial run for serializing a companion novel that will soon be available on Kindle Vella.

I'll keep you posted.

Drew


http://drewfaraday.com

Drew Faraday

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Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown