Butler PA is an old steel town. We’re about 45 minutes away from Pittsburgh, the best freaking city on the planet. There are more churches than literally anything, most of them some sort of Catholic. Roman Catholic is pretty big. We’ve got a decent population of people from places like Hungary, where my family is from originally. This is my home town, where I’ve lived the vast majority of my life.

Every job I’ve ever had has been here. My daughters were born here. My husband and I got married in Diamond Park, right in front of our historical court house that is still in use. I walk through my memories every day, glimpsing ghosts of the girl and woman I’ve been. I could write a book, and might someday, just of the memories that come back to me when walking Main Street.

Here’s just one of them.

I was walking to the coffee shop one day when a woman walked towards me. She looked pretty hung over, not walking a straight line by any means. She stopped me, and to this day I have no idea why. Maybe because I was a friendly face, or maybe she just needed another woman to be honest with her right then. Maybe she thought I was someone she knew. I don’t think I’d ever seen her before. But she stopped me, and said, “Can I ask you a question? Does my makeup look alright?”

I looked at her, wanting to give her an honest answer. “Yeah, it looks fine,” I finally said.

“Good, because I am so hung over and I’ve got to go to work,” she said, and continued on.

I think it’s fair to say that I have an interesting relationship with my hometown. On the one hand, I really hate it. I’m a liberal, this place runs red. It’s a small town run mostly by small minded people.

But that doesn’t take into consideration the people who live here.

I love my hometown, too. It’s steeped in history, as well it should be. We have one of the oldest theaters in America, Butler Little Theater. My kids and I go see plays there. We have a Main Street full of indie restaurants and coffee shops. I’ve posted pictures of Cummings in my Instagram feed a lot, because it’s such a great looking old building.

There’s a great sense of art here. The symphony does well, there are three music shops, one of the oldest book stores in the state and a great museum of Japanese and Chinese art. (The Maridon. If you’re coming into town, check it out.)

Here’s the best thing about this town, though. It loves the people who live here. When I do a book signing, people ask me where I’m from. I tell them, “I’m from right here in Butler.” And they love that. They love that a girl from Butler is doing something with herself.

As much as I would love to live in Pittsburgh, and someday I will, I don’t know that I could ever really pull away from my love of this place. I’m from here, and that’s never going to change.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out Days and Other Stories. It’s my first short story collection, and it’s totally free. Get it here, on Gumroad.

I did two book signings in February and one last week. I was, to put it mildly, extremely nervous about this. I’m an introvert that doesn’t like meeting new people face to face. I don’t like pitching things to people after years of retail having to do just that. I really don’t like pitching my own book. It makes me anxious as hell.

And yet I did hold two successful signings. They weren’t successful in that I sold a lot of books. They were successful because I met a lot of people and generated some excitement.

I feel like when I schedule signings for Station 86, Volume one, I’ll be in a better position now that I kind of know what I’m doing. I’m hoping that the lesson’s I’ve learned will help me with my upcoming con as well.

If you, like me, are planning a signing and don’t particularly like meeting people, here are some things to keep in mind.

Start somewhere comfortable.

Every signing I’ve done has been in places I am familiar with, enjoy going to and know the staff of. I went to my two favorite coffee shops and my local bookstore. These are places that I am nearly as comfortable in as my own house.

I may have had a panic attack if I’d tried to go somewhere unfamiliar, and I’m not being dramatic. Now that I’ve done this a few times, I feel better about going somewhere less familiar, but I had to start somewhere I know.

Make plans in advance.

Most introverts know that a trip into the outside world is easier with a plan. I require a plan for going to run errands, because knowing exactly what I’m doing and exactly where I’m going makes me feel better.

Use this for your book signing, too. You need to have a conversation with the people hosting your event. You need to know when you’re going to be there, for how long, what the foot traffic is likely to be like, where you’ll be setting up. Surprises or unexpected circumstances can make for a stressful day.

Take your needs into consideration first.

While you’re making these plans, be sure to make your needs a priority. Remember, while you are a guest in this establishment, it is to their benefit if you’re a customer draw for them. They should want you to do well. So don’t be afraid to schedule your signing for a time you’re likely to be high energy and not get overstimulated. I scheduled for days when I knew that I could go home and rest after the signing, because I knew it was going to take something out of me.

If you’re going to be anxious with high foot traffic that’s not there for you, ask your host when a less busy time for them is. Consider what you can and cannot tolerate.

Ask the location what they’d like for you to provide, and what they would like to provide.

Here are some things that I feel like I should have thought of before my signing, but didn’t even think of until one of my hosts asked me about it. A table and chair. Two places I did a signing at wanted me to bring those in. So ask about that kind of thing.

Ask what you are and are not allowed to do.

Can you take pictures and put them up on social media? Can you take pictures of the staff? Can you talk to people as they come on, or would your host prefer that they approach you? Basically anything you intend to do besides sitting at your table and signing copies of your book, ask first. The book store wanted to run my books through their register. I was totally okay with this. I also made sure to tell them I was going to give away a free copy, so they were ready for that.

Make yourself feel good about how you look, but put comfort first.

I do love my makeup, and I love an excuse to get dolled up. But for my signing I stuck with simple things that I knew would look okay and be wearable.

Your book signing is not the time for new clothes that might itch, new shoes that might kill you if you wear them too long, or new makeup routines that might mess up your day.

Here’s the thing to remember. This is your book signing. You aren’t going to a job. This is your scene, and you can wear whatever you want. If you want to wear jeans and a t-shirt, go for it. If you want to dress up like your character, who am I to judge? So long as everything is clean and in good condition you’re good.

Invite people you love.

My best friend in the whole world came to my first signing. She just chatted with me in between talking to people, and helped me chat up my book. I couldn’t thank her enough.

If you have someone you love who’s prepared to be excited about your book, by all means invite them to come.

Have an elevator pitch prepared.

The number one question I got was, “What’s the book about?” Well, of course, that’s what you’re there to do. So have a quick explanation ready. You don’t have a lot of time for this. In my case, most people were in there to get a cup of coffee and leave. So they really were just killing time until their coffee was ready.

So I had just enough time to give them a quick explanation and give them a business card. That was it. So have something quick and short ready.

Start local.

People love a local girl. At least, people in my hometown do. I had one guy buy a book just because I was a local girl. So it doesn’t make a bit of sense to travel way out of your way to do a signing when you’re more likely to be successful close to home.

Have business cards to hand out.

I’m sorry to tell you this, but most people who come to see you are not going to buy your book that day.

But if you can give them a little something to remember them by they may buy it later. (No, I’m not suggesting prostitution.)

This is especially useful if you have books that are free or cheaper than the book you’re signing that day. Or, if you have your own fiction up on the site. Get some business cards made up with your website, the title of your book and whatever email address you want the general public to have. I used Vistaprint, and was very happy with what I got.

I also suggest only having printing on one side of your card and leave the other side blank. I talked to a reader who wasn’t all about fantasy, but loved her a good mystery novel. So I wrote down some of my favorite mystery writers, including some indie writers she hadn’t heard of before. It never hurts to have some writing space.

Understand that walk ins aren’t necessarily prepared to buy your book right then.

Your signing is in a public place. Somewhere people go to on a regular basis. Along with the people who show up just to see you, there will be people who show up just to buy coffee.

Don’t take that personal. You’re an unexpected element to these people. It could be that, if they had known you would be there, they would have been delighted and prepared to buy a book. It could be that they don’t give a damn that you’re there and they just want to do whatever they’re there to do and leave.

You cannot control this, and you’ll upset people if you try. Unless you’re holding a closed event, invite only, walk ins are happening.

Understand that, at first, most of the people attending will be walk ins.

In fact, walk ins are probably going to be most of what you get, just starting out. Look, I’m going to share something kind of silly with you all. Before my signings, I stand in front of my bathroom mirror and tell myself this.

“I am a published writer, part of the entertainment industry. I am going to this thing as the talent. People are coming to see me, to talk to me. People are going to be excited to get my autograph.”

This little pep talk is super, helps me get out the door, and is kind of not true. My hosts treat me like the talent. The people in their stores do not. I am not a big name pull just yet. I do not yet have fans losing their minds to meet me.

That day may come, but it’s not today.

Embrace it. Make new fans.

Try to give away a book if you can.

Everyone loves something free, but I actually have another reason for suggesting this. I had a woman come to one of my signings with her daughter. She actually didn’t know I was going to be there. Her daughter picked out a few books from a 50 cent rack. The mom was literally counting dimes for those books.

Do I need to tell you that I’ve been there? I’ve stood in a store, surrounded by expensive, lovely books that I wanted so bad it ached and counted out the small bits of money I had to buy a clearance book for my daughter. My heart ached for this woman, and the woman I had been.

I was so excited to give that woman a copy of my book. And man, did it make her day. I was able to do that because I had already accounted for that loss.

Make it fun.

It should be fun. You worked hard to make it this far, Baby! You wrote that book, you got it published one way or another. You poured your sweat, blood and tears into this book. This is your day to finally stand up and tell the whole world, or at least the whole coffee shop, “Look what I did!”

So have fun with it. You deserve it.

Let me start out by saying that FYI always sounds mean. It always sounds like it’s going to precede something bitchy. I mean, have you ever heard someone say, “FYI, I left a plate of cookies in the dining room, help yourself.” No, it’s always something like, “FYI, your dog is not allowed in my yard, Marcus!”

I think I’ve mentioned this once or twice (or a freaking million times) that my first novel came out in December. I also self published three other books. Two are free, yeah, but the third one does cost some money.

That’s right, my life goal has been achieved by 30! (Thank you, Jenny Breeden of Devil’s Panties.)

With my book on the market, I have some shocking news for you.

I’m not rich! In fact, I haven’t even broken even yet. I still have my day job and I’m sure that I will for several years.

With that shocking wake up call in mind, here are some really unfortunate facts.

Making actual money as a writer is freaking hard. I make a percentage of what the publisher sells. For my indie book, I get the majority of the sales, but Amazon does take a percentage. I’m not going to go into details, but let me assure you that it’s not covering a cup of coffee right now.

The market is really saturated. I’m not kidding. There are thousands upon thousands of books, with new ones coming out every day. I love that as a reader, because I’ve got a never ending list of books to read. As a writer competing for attention, it’s challenging. Not bad, but challenging.

People are for the most part broke, and large price tags upset them. For real, my favorite writer’s recent book was almost $30. I’m going to buy it, but it will probably be the only book I buy that month. I buy one book, and thousands are coming out.

Getting your name out is difficult and expensive. It really is. That $30 book I bought was by a household name author. Philippa Gregory, if you want to know. I am not a house hold name author. Most people on a budget (all of us) are only going to buy one or two books a month, if that. It’s probably going to be someone you really like. I hope that’s me. But I’m probably not going to be.

Yet.

And that yet is kind of important.

I didn’t say all of that to discourage you, or make you give up on your writing dreams. I told you all that for two reasons. 1. It’s all true and we just need to accept the reality of it. 2. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m doing better than I am and comparing themselves to me.

Here’s the good news.

Looking at what I haven’t done yet and don’t have is always going to be depressing. But hell, looking back at where I’ve come from is pretty amazing. The same is probably true of you, my friend.

I didn’t quit writing my book. I finished the damn thing. If you can do that, you’re in better shape than the vast majority of people who want to write.

I didn’t quit looking for a publisher until I found one. If you can do that, you’re in better shape than most people who have finished their books. If you’ve decided to self publish, you are also doing better than most. That’s an intense amount of work and commitment.

Now people can find my book online and read it. People are reading my book!

Here’s something else to keep in mind. Elizabeth Gilbert, writer of Big Magic, had a full time job until Eat, Pray, Love made it big.

Here’s something else. If we compare being a successful author to running a small business (and there are a lot of similarities) then I should be feeling pretty optimistic. Most small businesses lose money for the first five years. Let me say it again for the people in the back Most small businesses lose money for the first five years! I even wrote this in the back of my YBY planner. I am on year two.

Year two, that’s it. I am probably going to lose money this year, next year and the year after that.

So no, I’m not rich. I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon. But I do love my life, and I’m so grateful for what I have.

My newest book, Spook, is available now. It includes twelve short horror stories. Meet a dog that won’t stop barking, a man who just wanted some Chinese food, and a little girl who just can’t stop her bad luck. Get it now for free.

 

 

 

Now that your author’s website is set up and you’re writing consistent content you need to work on your fan base.

I’m going to be straight with you, as someone who has been blogging for over two years. It takes time, and there are no short cuts to a solid fan base. These are not quick fixes, these are not going to give you a hundred followers in a day. I’m going to be honest, I only now have 100 followers to this blog. While this number might seem small to the bloggers who get hundreds of page views a day, it was a mighty number for me to reach. I’m humbled by it, and kind of blown away that 100 people care enough about what I have to say to subscribe, you know?

I can assure you that all of these fan base building techniques are ones that I’ve used myself over the years.

Give people something they can use.

I don’t read blogs because I want to support the writer. I don’t have that kind of time, not gonna lie. If I’m reading a blog I’m getting something from it. Either I’m reading because it’s entertaining or because I’m learning something from it. The second one is more likely to get me than the first, because I feel guilty indulging in simple entertainment. (This is an issue, and I’m working on it.)

The point is, give people some reason to come to your author’s website. There are any number of ways to do this.

• Post fiction.
• Tell entertaining and inspirational personal stories.
• Post reviews of movies, tv shows and books.
• Give useful tips about something you know about.
• Or do all of the above.

Social media, right and wrong.

I am on a lot of social media, and I wrote a whole lot of posts about using them for writing. Here they are. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Since I really don’t want to rewrite all of that, let me boil it down for you. Talk about interesting things on social media, don’t flood your posts with ads for your book and try to avoid too much political talk and you’ll be fine.

Interacting with your fans.

While we’re talking about politics, let me caution you. Don’t get into fights with people online. It’s great, in fact essential, to interact with your fans online. But don’t get into fights online. I get that you might want to talk about what’s going on in the world. I know I do. But you should do so in an adult manner, sticking to facts and not name calling. Then leave it alone. People are going to agree or disagree with you. Some will be adult about it, and some won’t. I write a book about a woman who takes down the corrupt church leaders, gets pregnant out of wedlock and is a champion of gay rights. I think you can imagine I’m not everyone’s favorite person.

Be your true self.

But I can’t lie about how I feel, and you shouldn’t either. I talk all the time about football, beer, cats, writing, tv, reading, makeup and computers. Everything I love, whether it’s popular or not. I am just me, and honest about that. I suggest that you do the same. People like real people, I promise. If you’re real, people will like you.

To be honest, that’s not terrible advice in general.

What’s your best advice for building a fan base for your author’s website?

Hey, want a free book? Get a copy of Days and Other Stories by clicking here.

It’s no secret to any of you that I love music. It’s a form of creativity that I’ve never really invested enough time in for my own happiness. Though I don’t really think there is enough time for that.

I’ve always said that art feeds art. Music and writing, in my opinion, are the best companions. You want to keep in mind that song writers are writers. Like the rest of us, they often create art about their art. About the process and the emotions that come from being a writer, an entertainer, a story teller.

Other times song inspire everyone, anyone, to be their very best. I’ve spent a lot of time creating a playlist on YouTube of both sort of songs for when I’m having trouble writing. These aren’t great for mood setting, or for while I’m actually writing. But this is the best morning playlist for a writer that I could make. Some are old, some are new. They span genres because I listen to a little bit of everything. But I defy anyone to listen to these songs and not want to be the best version of themselves.

I’m Yours, Jason Mraz

Superheros, The Script

Hall of Fame, The Script

On Top of The World, Imagine Dragons

Rabbit Run, Eminem (Do I need to give you an adult content warning here? Or do we just assume that?)

Counting Stars, One Republic

‘Till The River Runs Dry, by Garth Brooks

Fly Away, Sugarland

Baby Girl, Sugarland

What’s your favorite inspirational song? Let us know in the comments below.

Devon and Lenore live in a world where magic is as common as turning a pot or fletching an arrow. To men, magic manifests in physical arts like sword play, archery and martial arts. Women use magic with thread and yarn.

Until Devon. Weeks after his Uncle, King Issac of Septa, is killed by a rebel from the neighboring country of Montelair named Calvin Olendae, Devon finds that he can weave visions of the future. His father, who has just inherited the throne, insists that he keep this magic a secret. He has made a promise to king Omar of Calistar, that Devon will marry his daughter, Sultiana. But when Devon sees a plague in a neighboring country called Coveline, the family has no choice but to reveal the truth.

Buy it here.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to our very last Winter Blog tour visitor. Please give some love to Leah!

Hello, everyone! My name is Leah Hamrick, and I’m the author of Frost on my Pillow, numerous short stories of all genres…among other unpublished novels that I have yet to grace the world with. (He-he)

I live in Michigan with my husband, daughter, and plethora or turtles, fish, and a spoiled tree frog named Sticky.

I decided to start writing one day because I was bored… yes, I had nothing better to do than sit at the computer all day and tyw off of this nonsense that was spilling out of my little mind.

Well, I’m going to tell you about my novel, Frost on my Pillow, book one of the Fire Bringer series.

The story is about a girl named Lyla Hall,l who lives an abusive life in her home, the Summer Solstice. Everyone in her little town is blessed with the ability to use Fire.

After she gets beat for the last time by her stupid step-dad, she makes a run for it, leaving her home, the only place she has ever known, behind.

She then finds herself in the real world, Toledo Ohio.

A young man named Rylan finds her, and takes her into his home for her safety.

When she starts school, she finds a book about her kind in her new school’s library, and she steals it. When she finally gets around to reading it, she discovers that her necklace holds the power to end the world if fallen into the wrong hands.

When she meets Ethan Killman, an Ice Bringer, things are going to change… forever.

Demons start harassing them, and they will stop at nothing to get the necklace and the power it holds.

When secrets from the ones she loves comes out, nothing will ever be the same again.

I know that is a bad description, but me trying to explain something? Yeah, right. You’d get a better explanation from a dog watching you throw away that cheese wrapper… I mean, I am so bad at descriptions that it’s a struggle for me to even get a blurb put together that even tells the reader half of what they will be reading…

Okay, I’ve taken up enough of your time… maybe you will join Lyla and Ethan in their adventures…?

Thank you♥