Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday ROW80 rock and roll . . .

Just a short check-in. The week has gone by in a blur of final editing and formatting for Standing Stones. First with CreateSpace, then Smashwords. To do this myself has been a challenging, step-by-step process, worse than teaching myself to knit, with book in lap, yarn knotted, and painfully slow progress.

But, you are the first to know. Smashwords took my Standing Stones file on the first upload. CreateSpace should deliver its final review this week.

Release date: January 31, 2014.

A word about pricing. This 300-page historical fiction novel took me three years to write. I know. Some writers work faster; others more slowly. But when I uploaded the doc to CreateSpace, their automated menu informed me their minimum price was $13.99 for a paperback. That baseline price would generate two cents of royalty from some distribution channels and about $2.80 from Amazon.

Since I can still remember when a loaf of bread was 99 cents and not $5.00, and a cup of coffee was well under the primo price of $3.50 and up, this baseline price and the return to the writer still shocks me.

I'm setting the e-book price at $4.99 and the paperback at $14.99. Does this seem reasonable to you? I would really appreciate your comments.

Now, moving away from the publishing side, I wanted to give you an update on marketing strategies. A few months ago, someone here on ROW80 mentioned how helpful Rick Hanson's "Just One Thing" approach was in minimizing stress. I now subscribe to his newsletter and enjoy his meditative approach, though I haven't graduated to full lotus.

This week, I tried "just one thing" for marketing. I don't know if Rick Hanson would approve, but not only do I have a smaller to-do list, but progress is being made. Every day. Just one marketing thing.

ROW80 progress and goals for the coming week:

  • WRITING. Back to work on Rivers of Stone (read Pathfinder). Write micro-scenes every day. OK 5 out of 7 days. Use 750words.com to move past writer's block. Send out Years of Stone to 2 beta readers, preferably Australian. Write 2 other blog posts (other than ROW80).
  • COMMUNITY: Write one review a week for current reading on GoodReads (just downloaded Olivia, Mourning by Yael Politis, a 5-star historical fiction with 28 reviews and free through Monday). Keep up with reading ROW80 posts/sponsorship (just made it this week). Attend writers' groups here in Spokane. Participate in WEDS WIPpet.
  • MARKETING: Practice "just one thing" daily to include contacting local book stores, potential reviewers, and book clubs. Complete author interview on Smashwords. Prepare press release.
  • OTHER: Keep my commitment to family and self through healthy cooking and exercise 3x a week. Quilt if I can and Super Bowl on Sunday. 
May your writing week go well!





4 comments:

  1. Beth,

    Your pricing sounds very reasonable, to me. =)

    You've had some great progress this week! I'm glad you mentioned Just One Thing; I will be looking into that (I'm not ready to market anything yet, but the day will come, and it's nice to be able to see what's waiting a few switchbacks ahead...

    I can't believe it's Super Bowl time already! I mean, I knew but I didn't, if you know what I mean. I'm not a big football fan, but I have spent some time quilting, and hope to get back to it again in the coming years...

    May your week be cozy and exciting! =D

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  2. I'd also say your pricing sounds reasonable.
    You're making great progress, and I really like your idea to do 1 marketing task each day. It makes it seem less overwhelming but is a great way to make sure that continuous progress is being made.
    Good luck!

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  3. Congratulations on your upcoming release, Beth. And I truly enjoyed your post on wabi-sabi over at the A Round of Words in 80 Days blog.

    How did you teach yourself how to knit? I ask because I've tried and I haven't been able to make it very far. My husband keeps asking when I'm going to knit him a pair of gloves. I told him I couldn't make a potholder yet. ;)

    Good luck with your ROW80 goals!

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  4. I agree with others: the pricing sounds reasonable for a 300-pg historical fiction novel. And most importantly, CONGRATULATIONS!! Woo hoo! You hit the button! =*D

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