Tag: self-publishing

Check Those Details

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Last week was…interesting.

Mostly due to the exorbitant amounts of slobber, and the unintentional slip-n-slide we had going in the kitchen. But I like to think that kept us on our toes. And maybe…in some weird way…mopping the tile floor as well? No? Guess I still have to do that, then.

Appa went to the neurologist on Wednesday. According to the doctor, he didn’t see signs that pointed to anything “nefarious” (actually used the word nefarious) so I’m taking that as a win. He’s still having trouble closing his mouth, but we’re giving him anti-inflammatory medicine to combat that, so he doesn’t continue through life as a slack-jaw motherfuker. It seems to be getting a little better, but he’s still follows me around like a canine Darth Vadar, reminding me of his medical issues. At least he’s not one with the dark-side, unless you count his flatulence, which kills us all daily.

Our washing machine is still broken. The attendant came out—tried to schedule the legit same time as Appa’s appointment, so that was fun—and when he finally did arrive, he wasn’t able to fix it. He was missing a part and it would have to be this week. So…we still have giant piles of absolutely everything needing to be cleaned since, again, I made the intelligent, executive decision to put it all off until the last moment last weekend. This is the kind of CEO brain working behind writing and selling books, guys. MUAHAHA. Welcome to the funny farm, bitches.

That brings us to the writing updates—and the mistake I made because I didn’t check the details. (Guys—check the details. Just do it. It may take only a moment but it’s worth it. Trust me.) So, what didn’t I check the details on and basically, created a huge clusterfuck for myself? It was my last scheduled advertising for In The Moment Before—a paid, promotional newsletter that went out on Sunday. How did I screw it up? Well…without getting too into it, there are two basic ways to sell books:

  1. Through Amazon ONLY. You enroll in KU (Kindle Unlimited) which is a program that readers pay to be a part of, and they get every book in the program. Kind of like signing up for a streaming service.
  2. Through Amazon AND OTHER RETAILERS. This is called going “wide.” Readers are able to buy through Amazon (but must pay) and they can also buy through other retailers as well like Barnes & Noble, Apple, Google Play, ect.

Because I want absolutely anyone able to read my stuff (and I don’t believe in putting all my eggs in one basket) I’m a WIDE author. However, someone forgot to check her details and the promo listed In The Moment Before available as being in KU (it’s not.) Why is this such a big deal/goof up:

  1. I paid $115. You have to spend money to make money, right? (If you find a way around this, please tell me)
  2. All readers in KU who went looking for ITMB probably got pissed that it’s actually 2.99
  3. All WIDE readers saw it was in KU and probably didn’t think about it again.

This is what we call an *epic fail*. But we also call it—and repeat after me—a learning experience. Check those details. They could be really frigging important.

I also discovered that my scheduled blog posts aren’t posting as should be (hence the last two weeks they’ve gone up in the afternoon when I discovered they never posted in the morning). I contacted their help service who advised my website theme/appearance has been retired. Of course it has. Now that I’m working on my website and got it to the way I like. Of course.

All I can say is I’m tired, but at least these are champagne problems. Everyone is still here, healthy, and happy. That’s literally the only thing that matters.

I have another promotion running this Friday (the 13th – MUAHAHAHA!) for Escape from Harrizel, and you best believe me I’m checking the details. Last month I featured my BTT series and put it on sale. This month I’m focusing on promoting Arizal Wars, so…let’s see how this goes.

One last thing…it dawned on me that this is my tenth year of publishing. Yeah. I officially published Escape from Harrizel in 2013…a whole decade ago. Clearly, I’ve barely made any progress, but I wouldn’t change a thing. This is my journey, and I may be taking the real business steps a decade later, but I’m doing it. And I’m proud of myself for not quitting. And I’m proud of you too.

Okay, that’s all I got. I hope you have a fabulous week and weekend. First official 2023 Newsletter is going out on Sunday to the VIPers 😊

~ LC

Competition With Myself

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I left the house on Sunday to do some errands. I’m not a fan of mirrors because they’re creepy and I heard something about a spirit living in them. I don’t know. Either way, I typically glance at myself on the way out of the house to make sure I’m like, decent. Nothing on my face. Shirt is on correctly. Everything in its place.

I forgot the customary check before I left on Sunday. I only went to the grocery store but when I got back in my car, I realized what I forgot to do—which was brush the other side of my head. You see, I brushed the right side of my hair but got distracted with the dogs (or something) and neglected to do the same thing on the left side. No look in the mirror to confirm tgat I was good to go—I just left.

Y’all – I walked around Walmart with the right side of my hair brushed and the left side in clumpy, post-shower waves. No idea. When I got back to the car to check my eye (as it had been bothering me) I lowered the visor to check and that’s when I discovered it (along with the sty in my eye…). I must’ve looked like some weird wild banshee with my faded Beatles sweatshirt and stained leggings. You know, how people typically look this time of year.

Other than that, I think I’m doing pretty well! Clothes are on, hair is washed and ALL brushed, and I’ve got a new release on Friday. Am I nervous about it? Hell yeah, but I’m also not. I know I’ve messed up some things. I know I should’ve done this or done that and definitely some of this over here, but you know what? It’s okay. I’ll learn with each release and implement new strategies as I go. I read a meme that said something like “I’m not in competition with others. I’m in competition with myself.”

I love that. Because I’m proud of myself. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes and while past Caitlin did the same with simply writing the books, present Caitlin is now implementing the business side of things and working even harder. I’m in competition with who I was last year and the year before that. I just got to keep kicking my old ass. 😉

 I’ll probably bounce back on here and shout again on Friday since it’s the official release.

*screams in excitement*

Also – did I mention we’re going to the Columbia for this release? I could only score us a lunch reservation since it’s December and people beat me to the dinner spots, but it’s all good. Celebrating in St. Augustine with Batman over a new book release? Life is good.

Until Friday…

~LC

I Wrote Something New

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I wrote something new. It’s newer than ARPIP and the first draft of AROG (which I still need to finish…) but I took a break and wrote a short story (novella?) specific to a serial platform and—probably what’s most important—to market. What does that mean? It means I’m experimenting.

Since I’m a genre-hopper and can’t pinpoint who my audience is (other than people who love great stories with a lot of adventure, laughter, and romance) I’m writing a highly marketable enemies-to-lovers high-school drama with all the juiciness. Unlike my other books, I’ll slap on a cover with actual people (not space or guitar images) to see if that helps. I know I had a bit of interest on Better Than This before it got booted for violating Radish’s policy (boo!) so I know some of my readers are on there. The plan is to write something for them (within policy) and hopefully gain a following/some fans who I can maybe convert into fans/sales of ARPIP when I publish that…possibly next year.

There is some definite strategic planning going on in the background, and while I still feeling like I’m failing in multiple ways (no advertising, dropping the ball with the newsletter, updating my books) I’m creating content. At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing because with no content…no business. Right?

On the flip side, content with no marketing—aka people don’t know I/my books exist—doesn’t do me any good either. So, in order to combat this completely combative process, I’m going to make myself accountable. I’m going to do something EVERY DAY marketing-wise (although the majority of it is probably research for now) in addition to content-creation. I need to hold myself accountable for both aspects of this business, and even though I’m cringing as I type this, I need to. It’s part of it. And no one is going to stop me—not even I.

Marketing Stuff I’ve done so far:

I’ve signed up for TikTok. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but a LOT of indie authors are finding success on this site. Why? It’s zero paid advertising (which definitely helps profits) and, apparently, readers are on the platform. Next thing to do is study the platform, what other authors are doing, and then actually play around with the tools and create some badass videos.

Signed up for 1:1 Consult with Successful Indie Author. Seems silly to spend money on a one-hour consult with a fellow indie author…until you realize she started after you and has been successfully paying her bills with writing for four plus years. Yeah. Time to bite the bullet, admit defeat, and invest in myself. If I can drop money on a purple, velvet couch on Wayfair, I can spend money on this.

Stalk FB Groups. Doesn’t sound important, but it’s a wealth of information. It’s also how I decided to do the consult. Before I walk with marketing, I need to crawl, and that means hours of reading and research and learning. I could go in blind, but I’m trying to do it smarter this way since doing the dumb way has kept me sad and poor.

A few small steps in the right direction, but they’re steps. I’m not standing-still, which is what I’ve been doing for a while. So, I’m proud of myself. I’m getting out of my comfort zone to be all uncomfy to hopefully do this thing right. And “right” to me is the ability to write full time, however that comes to fruition.

Alright, enough jabbering with you. I need to do more research.

And coffee. I’ll definitely need more coffee for this.

~Lady Caitlin

A Lot of Content

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I’m keeping this one short because 1) I lost track of time again (yes with a three-day weekend, but I was busy and working on other stuff. Shut up) and 2) not a lot of updates with writing or life (also hence my absence last week).

Writing-wise, this is what I’m thinking:

Finish AT LEAST the first draft of book 2 before I start advertising/choose a release date for book 1.

Eh?

Good plan? Bad plan?

I hear a lot of arguments for both sides, but I feel like the more I write before I release book 1—the better. I wrote and published all three of the Better Than This series in 2018 and it was AWFUL. My job at the time didn’t help, but it was just too much going on at once (not to mention financially) and I don’t want to go through that again, which is why I’m considering having the second book written while I market and release the first. Maybe even have the third one written? I don’t know. But, just know I’m working on a lot of content coming your way!

Non-writing-wise, everything is pretty much the same. I haven’t won the lottery, I haven’t bumped into Chris Pratt (boo!) and I haven’t become the best-selling author you and I both know I will one day be. But it takes time with these things, you know? Until then, I’m being patient. Growing out my silver-unicorn hair and taking it one day at a time, like we’re supposed to.

Hopefully, I’ll spring back to life for next week’s post, but, that’s like seven days away, so who knows.

Guess we’ll see.

Let the suspense commence…

~

Lady Caitlin

All The Things

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All good things come to an end. At least, on one platform.

Those 8,900 views ended up reaching close to 12,500 (I think?) before the platform, Radish, removed my story for violating policy.

  1. HAHA still a rebel. Defying policies and fighting authority since birth (and emphasized during the Great Condom Heist in college).
  2. BOOOOO for removing content that wasn’t checked beforehand. Plus, they spotlighted my book for a promotion so it’s really on them.
  3. The violation was due to explicit scenes with minors. They were 17. Grow up.

I was making a few bucks daily on this site and thought…okay…there might be something here. And then today, I got the email about the audit and them plucking my story from their platform. Goodbye 59 subscribers and daily profits. This blows. Bright side? I gained a little traction, so those 59 subscribers at least heard of me and it boosted my sales on Amazon for a few days, so not all a loss.

Does suck though. But, as I’ve learned over and over (and over and over…) everything happens for a reason. Everything. Even if it’s a closed door/window/opportunity, it was closed for a reason. That’s not the direction to look or go anymore; now it’s been shifted to something else. So, I took a minute to be sad about Radish’s stupid BS, and now I’m over it. Maybe I was on there long enough to serve my purpose which was gaining a new Patreon subscriber! Woo-hoo! Now I need to remember to be working on that again as well!

All the things.

Also, I missed sending out my May newsletter. I know, I know. Normally, it covers the same information in my blog with a little treat, like a snippet from an upcoming release, and I failed in sending it out this month because:

  1. I mismanaged my time and the 15th has come and gone…
  2. Nothing big to report, except that I’m not releasing APIP next month as planned. But anybody who cares about that already knows.

I thought about sending out a newsletter later this month but think I’m just going to roll to June 15th. Any info you need to know will be in my blog, or, you can ask.

NO, I don’t know when I’m releasing APIP but I’m hoping for November/December. Not sure it’s a good time to release something because everyone is preoccupied with the holidsays. Right? Do you ignore treats for yourself (like reading) around the holidays BECAUSE you have so much going on – or – do you indulge yourself with treats (like reading) around the holidays BECAUSE you need that escape?

*taps fingers expectantly waiting for answers*

Actually curious because this may affect the release date…

~ Lady Caitlin