Last Day Of My Blog Tour!

It's the final day of my blog tour and it's ending with a nice review of BAND GEEK up at Sweet Southern Home. Thank you, Carrie, for hosting me! Readers, be sure to comment on her post so you can have a chance to win a prize of a CD and earrings!

To be honest, this all-review book tour has had mixed results for me. On the one hand, it's been GREAT because BAND GEEK has gotten so many wonderful reviews and I've enjoyed getting that feedback. I now have more reviews up on Amazon and Goodreads, which will only help me in the longrun, and the positive comments have bolstered my confidence in my writing. I truly, truly appreciate these bloggers for taking the time to read and then write about my book (some even posted reviews on multiple sites for me). Indie authors need all the help they can get when it comes to marketing and I think it's great that these bloggers are doing so much to help writers. At the end of this post I'll again link to all of the sites that hosted me; I encourage all of my readers to check out these blogs because they're written by some very thoughtful and intelligent people. A BIG THANKS once again to Goddess Fish and everyone involved!!!

Unfortunately, sales of my book are still slow. I've blogged about it, posted links on Twitter and Facebook, and have even included links on sites like Stumbleupon. And yet it's been kind of dead this month and I'm not sure why. I'm wondering if perhaps I needed to offer a different kind of prize in my blog tour, maybe something other than a CD and earrings? I thought that my gift is cool -- something handmade and different, but I see that a lot of other authors on blog tours are offering things like Amazon gift cards. Perhaps the next time I should follow the pack a bit more and do something that will encourage more people to check in and comment on the blog posts -- even if I am using some bribery, LOL. Oh well, live and learn, I guess. What do you guys think? What sort of author "prize" makes you want to participate in a tour?

The good news is that these bloggers' reviews will be up on their sites and Amazon for the longhaul so this can only help my book. It's helping me as a writer, too, because I've gotten many different perspectives on BAND GEEK. It sort of felt as if we were part of a round-table discussion! So while an all-review blog tour may not guarantee sales for an author, it certainly offers many other positives.

Once again, here's a list of the blogs who participated in my tour:

YA Book Addict

Unabridged Andra

Andi's Young Adult Books

My Neurotic Book Affair

Buried In Books

Musings From An Addicted Reader

Sweet Southern Home

Long And Short Reviews

Rogue's Angels

The Life (and lies) Of An Inanimate Flying Object

Paranormal Book Club

Please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD, 4.6 stars on Amazon!

Publishing On Kindle: Finding Inspiration

Well, this is it, folks. Today is technically the last day of my virtual blog tour. Tonight, I have a radio interview with the Angels And Warriors show at 9 ET/6 PT in the US, so feel free to call in with questions about BAND GEEK or my writing career.

Meanwhile, I'm continuing to work on Novel No. 2, though I haven't had much time to write this week with Thanksgiving. Not that this was a bad thing since I've spent the past few days with family and friends. I love working from home, but I have a bad habit of working from sunrise until sundown. I need to take more days where I just put work aside and have fun.

My mind is always going, though, so my books were never far from my thoughts. On Wednesday, I went to the city with my friend who is doing a chapter-by-chapter read on my second novel. I know that I'm at least on the right track with my story because he told me that he's really getting into it. Then when I started to share the details of upcoming chapters, he was like, "No, don't tell me. You'll ruin it." This made me feel really good because it said that he was invested enougb in the story that he cares and wants to have something to look forward to.

I also got some more inspiration for my main male character over the weekend. In my story, that character has to make some tough decisions when he goes against his parents' beliefs. I met someone who's had to do this in real life and it was interesting to hear about what he had to go through for real. I'm impressed with his courage and hope that a similar kind of bravery shines through in my character.

It got me thinking that perhaps I should write my book from two points of view. Right now the female is the narrator, as is the case in BAND GEEK, but I'm wondering if I should switch POVs each chapter? I'm not yet sure... but it might be fun to play with that concept. I've read other novels that use that technique, some which work very well and others not so much.

A final reminder: today is the last day that you can sign up for my giveaway of a book, CD and pair of earrings so check into my virtual book tour to do so. And don't forget to read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD!

Publishing A Novel: The Thrill Of Doing Promotional Interviews

The latest stop on my Virtual Book Tour is my interview with Lisa Haselton on her blog Reviews And Interviews.

I've done a few interviews for this book tour and did a couple back when I was promoting my CD, but the process still feels a little surreal to me. I don't mind being asked questions; in fact, it's kind of fun and flattering to have such an interest taken in me, but for most of my life as a writer, I've een the one who's asked the questions! It's weird to be on the other side of things and to be the subject for a change.

I don't mind talking about myself, but I am grateful that so far, the questions haven't been too personal. I loved interviewing actors, but had to ask some very personal things at times, and for me, that was always awkward. I always felt uncomfortable when I questioned a star about his or her love life, his or her recent arrest or drug problem, or whether said actor ever planned to have children. These are questions that I'd never ask a mere acquaintance in my non-work life and I often had to push against a lot of personal fears to get the job done.

The good news is that most of the actors with whom I spoke were quite open about their lives -- sometimes to the point where they'd overshare and tell me stuff about their love life or bodily functions that I just didn't want to hear about. I always tried to be respectful and steer them back to the topic at hand; I also always made sure that everything said was on the record. I was never the type of journalist who was out to "get" a subject. I just wanted to share their story. Perhaps I would've moved through the ranks more quickly had I had that hunger, but I had no interest in humiliating a person just to get a scoop.

As for how I conducted my interviews, I tried to make them feel like regular conversations. I never fired off a list of questions for the actor to answer; we'd make small talk, chat about their kids, politics... and while we were talking, we'd eventually get to the topic at hand. I found that this method worked well and got good results because I made the actor feel comfortable. One actress once told me that talking to me felt as if she were chatting with an old friend, which I took as a huge compliment.

Sometimes actors would note that certain questions were hard, especially when I'd ask them something random, i.e. "If you could be any animal, what would you be?" for one of our fun columns. I'd laugh about this, but you know what? A lot of those questions were difficult to answer -- and answering interview questions so that you come out sounding good in print or on radio is a skill! It took me a long time to answer those questions for Lisa's blog; a lot of thought was put into them.

I've always respected the actors whom I dealt with, but now I have a much better understanding of what it was like to be questioned about your work. And if anyone asks me what kind of tree I'd want to be, I'll have my response ready!

Please read and review my novel REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Publishing On Kindle: BAND GEEK Review

Early this morning, I had two big things on my mind: the Presidential election results and the release of my first professional book review as part of my ongoing Virtual Blog Tour.

I'm pleased -- and relieved -- that Chrys, author of the book review blog Oh, Chrys enjoyed my novel so much. It's always nice to have your work complimented, but what I really appreciate is that she took the time to write such a thorough and thoughtful review. She didn't think that BAND GEEK was pefect and had some valid criticisms, but I feel as if she really "got" the story. She also noted how much time I'd obviously spent when it came to crafting realistic, relatable characters, and I'm ecstatic that my efforts were noticed.

When I ask friends -- or my blog readers -- for reviews, I'm not fishing for compliments. I'm not expecting anyone to gush over my work. I'm looking for reviews that are honest and detailed, that explain exactly WHY my book made an impression (good or bad). Not everyone is going to react to a book or movie, or some other subjective piece of art or literature, the same way, and I'd like to get my readers' unique takes on BAND GEEK.

For any writers who are reading this blog, I do suggest getting a couple of professional reviewers to critique your work. Writing a review that truly explains what makes a book tick is difficult and a skill unto itself. Chrys's piece has given me some stuff to think about when I work on my next novel -- which is what a good critique should do.

And Chrys, if you're reading this, I truly believe that you have a bright future in publishing, either as an editor or a literary agent. I'm not just saying that because you liked my book!

Please read AND review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD, just 99 cents on Kindle!

Selling A Book On Kindle: What's Working For Me So Far

It's been less than a month since my ebook BAND GEEK became available for purchase on Kindle, but I'm gradually learning what works -- and what doesn't -- when it comes to making sales. I haven't been selling a ton of books, but I've been happy with my results so far. I figure that as my name gets out there and I get better at marketing myself, I'll make more sales. But here's what I've learned so far...

Twitter is way more useful than I'd previously thought. I'm not a huge fan of Twitter. Keeping up with everyone's tweets is exhausting and I only have so many hours in the day. But it HAS helped with sales. Every time I tweet about my book, at least one person buys a copy. Facebook has helped, as well, but mainly as a way to get friends of friends and old classmates to buy. Not bad for a skeptic!

Reviews are an absolute necessity. I now have five reviews on Amazon and a few on Goodreads... and my sales have gone up. At first, I sold a lot of copies because friends and family members were getting my book, but I'm past that point. Now it's strangers buying BAND GEEK. I'd still like to get more reviews, but I'm being patient. I'm thinking of signing up for an all-review blog tour, where I can get some professional reviews. Seems like a good idea.

Blogging is a great way to get fans and readers. I'm sure that this blog has gotten me some sales, as well. The trick is to blog often and keep it interesting. I'm trying to do that! I like to think of this blog as my book's "companion." If people like my writing here, they'll want to check out my book. Make sure to post your blog's entries on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Goodreads is a great resource and a great way to connect with potential fans and readers. I'm not the best at social networking, but I try to at least rate books and connect a little with my Goodreads friends. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people have BAND GEEK marked off as "plan to read." This is a site for avid readers so take advantage of that.

THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON THESE THINGS...

I signed up for publicity and advertising campaigns with several sites. One forgot to post my book and ended up giving me two bonus days. We'll see how it goes. With another, I signed up for a three-month publicity blitz. My page is up, but so far, it hasn't seemed to improve sales. Maybe that will take time. My Virtual Book Tour is happening right now. I can't judge that yet because I've only been featured on two blogs to date, but I really enjoyed writing guest blog posts -- so either way, I'm happy I signed up for it!

KDP Select Free Promotion -- I tried this once and sold hundreds of books. It definitely boosted my ranking and made more people aware of my book. But it hasn't brought too many reviews, at least not yet. I know that I need to be patient. I read very quickly and it's not fair to expect that of everyone else. I'll definitely try another promotion to see how that goes. The trick is to plan for it ahead of time and promote it like crazy.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK (AT LEAST FOR ME)

There are several "How To Get Rick On Kindle"-type books out there -- and I've found that they haven't been useful. One claimed that you don't need to social network and suggested some shady practices to get sales. I tried one of the less-offensive practices -- writing a review of another book and linking to mine ... and Amazon didn't like this. It removed my review soon after. Plus, I felt kind of icky doing that. For me, social networking HAS worked and I'm confident that my sales will pick up speed in time. The problem with books like this is that everyone's experiences are different. Marketing for a young adult book is much different than marketing, say, erotica. There are basic things that everyone can do to boost sales, but it's not one size fits all.

THE BIG PICTURE

Overall, marketing BAND GEEK is proving to be a full-time job. It is A LOT of work and I ain't getting' rich. One of my writer friends thought that Amazon does the marketing work for you and was shocked when I explained how much I'm doing on my own. But I am selling books and love that people are reading my work. That's ultimately what I wanr -- to have my writing seen and for readers to hopefully enjoy it! If I have to tweet my brains out to get that, so be it.

Please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Next Stop On My Blog Tour

First things first: I am now back in New York City and am happy and grateful to report that we have power, food, WiFi, heat and water in our home. A lot are less fortunate and believe me, I don't take this for granted. I love my city and it hurts my heart to see it in such bad shape.

Still, we're slowly coming back to life. We managed to get a direct flight to JFK today and I was surprised by how, well, normal everything was. We landed on time. The runways were dry and not flooded at all. I expected chaos when we left, but there were plenty of taxis. Someone -- city workers and whomever else -- really did a great job in getting our area of Queens in shape. Now if we can start to rebuild those areas hardest hit...

Though Sandy is on my mind, I'm determined to get on with my life. So the next leg of my blog tour is at A BOOK SO FATHOMLESS. My post is about the challenges that come with writing teen characters when an author, like me, is pushing 40. Be sure to check it out and see how you can qualify for my special giveaway!

Meantime, please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Last Day In Los Angeles

Well, today is our (hopefully) last day in L.A. I've had a great time here, but I'm anxious about home. Part of me wants to flee to Hawaii so I can avoid seeing New York City in ruins, but I also want to get home to my friends, family, cat, apartment and my real life.

We made the most of today by visiting museums in the L.A. area. We first stopped by the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum. It's tiny, but houses some beautiful work and also has a great sculpture garden. We hung out there for a while and it was very peaceful. We then went to the California Science Center to see the new Endeavor shuttle exhibit. That was cool! We got to ride in a space simulator and enjoyed a 3D IMAX movie about the Hubble Telescope.

Still, as much fun as I've had here and despite my mixed feelings about returning home to a disaster zone, I am looking forward to my next projects. My Virtual Book Tour kicked off today; head over there to get your chance to win some cool prizes. Meanwhile, my interview at YA Promo Central goes live tomorrow! And I, of course, want to get going on my next book.

So wish me luck as we attempt to fly from L.A. to Philly, and then drive to NYC. And don't forget to read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Join Me On My Virtual Book Tour!

It's the first day of my book tour for REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD! Sorry I haven't posted as much as I'd promised; Hurricane Sandy did some damage on my family's home and we're still in California due to canceled flights. Needless to say, my mind has been elsewhere. But I'm trying to get back into gear (especially since I'm not sure if I'll have Internet or power when we return to New York)so let's get this thing started!

Today, my tour begins at the prime hosting site Virtual Book Cafe. Head over to this link and you can sign up to win that grand prize giveaway that I previously wrote about: one winner selected will get a free copy of BAND GEEK, a free autographed FLUTE PATH CD and a free pair of handmade G clef music earrings. Meanwhile, I'll also be giving away more free copies of my book. So head over there or to their Facebook page and sign up. All you need to do is click and add your name; it's that easy.

Tomorrow, my tour heads to Cindy Vine's Blog, where I'll be writing a guest post. Make sure you follow me there and check it out!

Meanwhile, please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD, now only 99 cents!

Free Kindle Books! Special Giveaway!

Just two more days until my Virtual Book Tour for BAND GEEK takes off! As I said earlier, I will be doing interviews and guest blog posts. I'll also be offering some exciting giveaways and freebies for readers!

In addition to giving away several free copies of my Kindle book, one GRAND PRIZE winner from the tour will get a very special triple treat: a FREE book, a FREE pair of handmade earrings and a FREE autographed copy of my jazz flute CD! Here is some more information on each prize.

A FREE copy of REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD (sent by me as a Kindle gift)

My ebook follows the story of Melinda, a shy high school flute player who loses her seat in band to popular girl Kathy. Mel teams up with cute trumpet player Josh and they plot to take down Kathy. Along the way, Mel and Josh fall in love, but Melinda begins to question Josh's behavior -- and is forced to grow up as she deals with some tough decisions.

So far, BAND GEEK is getting rave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads! Many are saying that though it's a high school story, readers of all ages will enjoy it. I describe it as a dark comedy, a la Heathers or Welcome To The Dollhouse or Election. There's drama, friendship, romance, suspense; all in all, it's a very fast-paced read. This will be a chance to get a copy for FREE!

My jazz CD FLUTE PATH

In my book, Melinda loves to play the flute. I also play in real life and this is an example of my work. This CD was a true challenge for me to put together. I composed all of the songs, taking inspiration from jazz greats like Dave Brubeck. I then played both the flute AND piano parts (I hired a drummer and guitarist). Many ask how I played both and the answer is simple: I first recorded the piano section and then played flute over it. I didn't play both instruments at the same time! Still, piano is not my best instrument; I describe myself as being conversational on piano and fluent on flute. So it was interesting to get my piano playing up to a level where it sounded good enough to record.

FREE pair of handmade Treble Clef earrings!

When I'm not writing or making music, I run my two jewelry businesses Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations. All of my pieces are handmade by me and these earrings are no exception. They're made from 20 gauge silver plated copper wire, which I twisted into a G-clef. On the ends hang Swarovski crystal hearts. The winner will get to choose which color heart he or she wants. I make earrings in many designs, but wanted to go with a musical theme in honor of BAND GEEK.

So there you have it. These are the three items that I'll be giving away to ONE grand prize winner on my book tour. So keep checking in on this blog for updates and that day's tour location. And make sure to read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD!

Countdown To My Virtual Book Tour!

My VBT is all set and kicks off in just a few days! It begins on October 31 and will run through November 23. During that time, I will be featured in guest blog posts, share excerpts from BAND GEEK and will be doing a few author interviews. Plus, I'm GIVING STUFF AWAY! In addition to giving away free copies of my ebook, one grand prize winner will receive my book, an autographed copy of my CD FLUTE PATH and a pair of my handmade treble clef earrings. So check in each day, download my book and leave comments, especially if you want a chance to win my grand giveaway prize.

Here are the details and dates for my tour:

October 31 - VBT Cafe' Blog

November 2 - Guest Blogging at Cindy Vine's Blog

November 2 - Guest Blogging at A Book So Fathomless

November 5 - Guest Blogging at The Official Blog-Zine of Terra Little

November 7 - Reviewed at Oh Chrys!

November 9 - Book Feature & Excerpt at Dream Big, Read Often

November 12 - Interviewed at Reviews & Interviews

November 14 - Book Feature & Excerpt at Blooding Book Reviews

November 16 - Guest Blogging at Wise Words

November 19 - Guest Blogging at Lori's Reading Corner

November 21 - Reviewed at Teena in Toronto

November 23 - Interviewed at Angels & Warriors Radio

November 23 - Book Feature & Excerpt at Library Geek Girl

Meanwhile, please read and review my novel REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD, now only 99 cents!

My Free Kindle Book Promotion Results

Well, it's the day after my free Kindle book promotion and the results are well ... mixed. On the one hand, my book rank has gone WAY up in several important categories. If you do a search on Amazon under "Young Adult Romance," BAND GEEK is now on the top of the second page! And if you click again on the link for Young Adult Romance books published in the last 30 days, I'm now No. 2! So my promotion has definitely given me a lot more visability.

Unfortunately, it didn't translate into any extra sales -- and because I've been doing this special promotion for the past two days, my overall sales rank on Amazon has dropped.

I'm not yet discouraged, though. I mean, BAND GEEK was published less than two weeks ago and already hundreds of people have downloaded it. Now I just have to hope that they actually read their free book and review it. I'm also hoping that my novel will start appearing in those "customers who bought this book also bought..." lists that appear on the Amazon pages.

I have three more free days to use before the end of the year when my 90-day contract with KDP Select expires. Next time, I intend to be more prepared. This time around, I promoted my giveaway with blog posts and Twitter blasts, but apparently there are dozens of sites that advertise free Kindle books. I came across this really useful blog by Katrina Parker Williams that lists them all. So next time, I intend to promote my book on all of these sites -- and reach that audience that's specifically looking for free ebooks.

Meanwhile, I just bought advertising space on The Kindle Book Review and will soon be doing a virtual book tour with Virtual Book Tour Cafe. Both kick off on October 31. I'm really looking forward to the tour, not only because I could make more sales, but because it'll be fun writing guest blog posts and doing radio interviews. I've never done either, so to me, that seems exciting.

I did put some money into these things, but I'm confident that it will be worth it in the end. Part of being an indie author is being a business person. It took me years to get my writing to a point where I felt comfortable enough to share it with the world. Everything else will work out in time, too.

Please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD, now only 99 cents!