If you don’t follow @LorcaDamon, go right now. She’s extremely witty, original, and above all, a talented author. Her blog is consistently outstanding, so make sure you follow her there as well. Lorca is also one of the strongest women I know. The author of Autism by Hand and It Was Like That When I Found It, Lorca is that rare combination of heartbreakingly real and hysterically funny. Not an easy feat to pull off.
What Happens When You Walk Through The Fire
KINDERGARTEN NONSENSE: by guest Casey Ryan aka @CuttingRoomMRB
Sometimes you meet someone who just has that exterior that’s one way but you know underneath, there’s a sly, terrifically funny guy sitting on the side just waiting to be handed the mike. Casey Ryan is that guy.
I met Casey through fabulous author @EdenBaylee when I was promoting A Walk In The Snark, and she was kind enough to score me an interview. Casey then returned the favor and came on the radio show I did over at the Indie Book Collective where we had to behave (I’m no longer affiliated with the IBC). It was on that show that the topic of ‘kindergarten nonsense’ first arose in our G-rated voices.
I followed up with Casey and told him to come on over to my blog and let loose, baby. Say what he really meant that day!
So here it is.
Kindergarten Nonsense: by: Casey Ryan
FIRST I EXPOSED MEN. NOW I’M SELLING THEM. SAY WHAT?
Why is today different than any other day?
WHY THE BOYS RUN: ONE INTIMATE ANSWER guest post by @JustinBog
My guest today is writer Justin Bogdanovitch. His writing is seamless, skilled, heartbreaking. I hope you enjoy this powerful piece about his past where he discusses the burden of secrets.
LONGING: THE DEFINITION OF ANGST
LONGING: THE DEFINITION OF ANGST 
SNARKALICIOUS COMMUNICATION: THE 4 STYLES
I’m Bossy. So?
INTERVIEW with POET JESS KRISTIE
I’m beyond thrilled to present talented poet Jess Kristie to you today. We’ve known each other on Twitter and Facebook for over a year now and have supported each other all along. (Even though she tweets with hearts and flowers, I still adore her).
Her book of poetry about relationships, love, and sex touches my heart like no other. I hope you’ll agree.
Learn more about her here. Thanks so much, Jess for your time and all the fun!
Jessica Kristie Interview for Rachel Thompson
1) Please tell us how you came to publish your beautiful book of poetry Dreaming In Darkness and a bit about your background as a writer.
Around this time last year I was approached by a small publisher as I was getting my manuscript together. Although their submissions were closed, I was given a special invite to submit. I worked with an amazing editor and we got my book out there on eBook. They struggled to get my book out on paperback so I found a new publisher just recently who has obtained the rights and re-released my eBook with a new look and five new pieces as well as finally releasing the book on paperback. I am really happy with how it looks and proud of this collection of work.
I have been writing poetry since I was ten but have only taken writing up as a career the last several years. In addition, I focus on graphic design, business, marketing, editing and project management. I just recently finished a wonderful project: Inspiration Speaks, through ArtPlatform.org. You can order your copy at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Purchases benefit ColaLife.org.
RESOLUTIONS ARE STUPID
Resolute.
Resolutions.
Stupid.
I think resolutions are stupid.
There. I said it.
It’s not that I think I’m perfect. Noooo.
It’s just that, you know how you get to a certain age and think…aw, fuck it…?
Well, yea. That’s where I am. I’m forty-eight on Monday. Yup. And it’s cool.
I didn’t write this post so y’all would tell me happy birthday (though feel free).
I can be a bitch (especially pre-coffee). I curse too much. I spend way too much time on the computer (at least it’s a Mac) and iPhone. I need to exercise more. Do more laundry. Remember to eat.
But here’s the deal: I love my life. Though my drama tween and Tasmanian devil boy drive me occasionally insane, they’re beautiful and we’re raising them with strong morals and values. They have good, loving hearts. I would never, ever change the fact that I brought them into this world. I’m honored to be their mother.
Except maybe when the six-year-old is screaming at the top of his lungs. Then I tell my husband, “That’s YOUR son, you know.” I gave him his eyelashes.
Contrary to popular belief, I’m not just the humor-writing, snarkalicious funny chick with her head stuck in Pradaland.
I’m not blind to the difficulties going on the world. We’ve certainly been affected financially. My guy owns his own business and has taken a hit. So I’m doing something about it! I’ve taken what I’ve learned these past three years in social media, blogging, and writing (plus my fifteen years in sales and marketing) and am now helping clients of my own (in addition to the free volunteer work I do as a cofounder of the Indie Book Collective).
There’s always something new around the corner in this crazy publishing business and I’m excited about what 2012 will bring in the eBook industry. I see more changes in social media and I’m already looking at new opportunities.
So, here’s how I look at resolutions….
I don’t. (I think I’ve made that clear). New Year’s is a day that leads to another month where the year changes and when you write checks you forget and get annoyed. Monday is another day. Carry on.
If you insist on making a huge deal out of it, feel free.
I’ll be drinking my coffee and working on my next book.
Keep moving forward.*
You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my two books A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed on Amazon (no Kindle required — free apps for all smartphones, computers, tablets, and clouds). Any questions RE: my consulting, please email me at [email protected].
*Know who said this? Tell me below…
THE LITTLE SNARK BOOK THAT DID
Christmas has come and gone.
The clean-up fairy is hungover from partying with the elves.
Slut.
The stuff that was hung by the chimney with care is now strewn about the living room no matter how much I try to clean it up by wiggling my nose.
I’m under deadline and have a migraine.
The boy needs a bath and the tween is sick — again.
My poor husband is drowning in Legos and even his old man glasses aren’t helping.
I’d kill for a double martini about now. Or a double caffeine shot. Hmmm…
I think I’ve watched too much That 70s Show. I’m this close to finding out where Fez is from, dammit.
The good news?
My first book, A Walk In The Snark is actually ranked higher on the Amazon charts than Shit My Dad Says AND Go The Fuck To Sleep.
Me. My little Snark book. Say What…The Fuck? Or is it holy shit? #teehee
(That’s just so much fun to say.)
Me: Babe, my book is ranked higher than the Shit and Fuck books. Hus: Haven’t we discussed cursing in front of the children?
Sigh.
How did I get here? Through my unnonsupermodel good looks? No. Because I’m a marketing genius? Well, maybe. Naw, kidding.
But I do work with smart people. And okay, I do know a few things.
I hear from authors all the time they’re disappointed a particular promotion didn’t work, or that after a few weeks of tweeting, they’re upset they haven’t sold more books. Some discuss poor Amazon sales but have no reviews up…um, what?
Snap out of it!
When you’re an indie author, it’s on you to make all that stuff work. So make it work! Don’t blame others if you’re books aren’t selling. DO SOMETHING about it.
There are tons of resources out there to help you: there’s me, the IBC, John Locke’s book, the book I cowrote w/ Carolyn & Amber called Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide to Self-Publishing Success (it’s a buck, people); webinars, novel publicity firms, google, Kindle boards, Twitter #hashtags like #amwriting and #pubwrite discussions, Facebook groups, and more.
I do tons of stuff, all the time, every day, across many platforms. Lots of different promos. Google ad words. Have an active, consistent social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, and I pretend to do stuff on Goodreads. 🙂 I have mentors (Carolyn McCray, Amber Scott, Jessica Swift, Sean Gardner, and a few others) who teach me all kinds of great stuff. My friends and fans are supportive and amazing. Book bloggers and reviewers have been critically important.
All those factors have gelled over this past year to make Snark a hit. Which still kind of boggles my mind. But the main thing…the thing that really helped me?
KDP Select. Yup. Evil Amazon and their new evil program, if you listen to the naysayers.
Listen, it was an easy choice for me. 93% of my profits this year from Snark came from Amazon, so the choice was easy for me to sign up my two books. I picked the five days before Christmas to have Snark go free. (Thanks for the advice, Carolyn).
Why Snark and not my latest release, The Manode: Exposed? Easy. I had history already. It had the better ranking. It had visibility. It had the most reviews, likes, and tags. It had already reached #1 on the Motherhood list fifteen times. I was already entrenched in Amazon’s recommendation queue.
My point: go in smart. Don’t expect miracles.
So what happened? I had over 10,000 free downloads. Decent, right? I thought so. For me. Lots of people have gone free and had ten times that many. Other people have gone free and had a few hundred. So I’m pretty happy with it.
The bigger deal is Snark ended up #1 on a bunch o’ lists: Motherhood, Family Relationships, Parenting and Family, Top Rated, and in the Top 5 or 10 or Advice/How-To, Humor, Non-Fiction, etc. etc.
So do the downloads make a difference? I’m not paid on them. How does it work after the free part is over?
When you port back over to paid, you hopefully take the rankings with you. So…did I?
Not initially. I went back over around #4900 overall; however, I took the listings with me…after a day or two. I was #1 across the board in three categories and listed on about ten lists. But as of this writing, I’m around 400! Funny, I don’t feel that old. Bah, dum, bum.
As for sales, I’m averaging about forty sales of Snark/day now. Way more than ever before, when my average was ten. This has carried over to Mancode; where I was selling maybe four/day, I’m now selling about eight.
Lending has also increased. My total lends goes up hourly it seems. I haven’t broken 500 yet, but it won’t be long. Not huge numbers, but again, it’s all about the rankings.
Bottom line: great experience. The exposure has been amazing. Sure, if exposure paid my rent, I’d be thrilled but it doesn’t. But it leads to great things. Think about it: 10,000 downloads. If even 10% of those people left reviews for me…#whoa. Even 1%!
If you’re in this whole thing to make a ton of money, find a day job. Despite numbers like these, it’s not enough to make a living…yet. I also only have two books out (plus the one I’ve cowritten and the two anthologies I’ve contributed to…but still…). I’m now working on my third.
In the meantime, I help other authors with their social media campaigns. That’s how I make a bit more money. If you want personalized, customized advice, let me know (email me at [email protected]) and I’ll give you my rate and more specifics of what I can do for you.
I also teach free webinars for the Indie Book Collective each month — first Tuesday of every Monday at 5:45pm PST via webinar. Next week it’s on Tuesday, 1/3. Sign up at [email protected]
So has it been worth it?
Ya think?
(This is only my experience. Yours could have been/may be entirely different. Would love to hear your thoughts below.)
You know where to find me and all that stuff, right?
