School Book Fairs and School Visits

Recently I've been gathering information for the SC Author Connection to make connections with schools and do various book fairs across the state. With three authors in Charleston and able to pretty much cover the lower region of the state, it is easy to get them scheduled. I'm by myself for now in the upper part of the state and some of the counties that are pretty close to me have many schools (one county has 103 schools) to include primary/elementary, middle and high schools. I'm hoping to recruit some more folks from this area who will be able to take some of the burden off me and help out.

What are the criteria of becoming a member of the SC Author Connection?
1. You must be an author who currently resides in South Carolina.
2. You must be a children's, middle grade or young adult author.
3. You must be able to participate in the books fairs scheduled close to where you are living or that you can easily travel to.
4. You should promote all members' books at any event you participate in representing the SC Author Connection, not just your own.

While doing the book fairs, we authors can also provide a reading, a workshop or something for the students and parents at these schools. While visiting Donna McDine's posting about "Teacher's Guides" on the Writers on the Move blog the other day, one of the comments was from a lady who is in the UK. Paraphrasing her comment, authors are practically discouraged from making school visits. She mentioned the schools with their policing and what not and that visitors to schools are not welcomed. My question is this, knowing that most authors, especially if you are self-pubbed or with a small publishing house, are not going to make a lot of money from their books. So how are authors supposed to eek out a living in the UK if they aren't given the opportunity to do school visits or be brought in as a guest speaker? Here in the USA, most authors supplement their royalties by charging for school visits and other speaking engagements and schools welcome authors with open arms. Usually the media specialist or the PTA will host a guest speaker and they are glad to pay these folks for their time. Grant it, not all schools can afford authors or guest speakers, but there are ways around that.

If you are an author and making mega royalties and are happy with not doing guest speaking engagements or presenting to a body of students or you are making enough on your royalties, I would love to be you for a short bit of time. Most everything I make from sales (I really don't make royalties any more from my sales since I'm now self-pubbed) goes right back into my books, and most of the time, what I do make doesn't cover my costs for the event or whatever, not always but most of the time I end up in the hole. I've not broken even on any event yet.

So how do you compensate yourself as an author in situations like this? How do you turn the minimal royalties you make as an author from just book sales into a living or career? You need the guest speaking engagements to supplement the income and build your career.

Do you do school visits? Do you charge for your school visits? If not, are you making enough from your royalties to make a living as an author? I can't imagine living in a country or place that discourages authors from making school visits. What are you thoughts on the topic?

The A-Z Challenge features me

I'm featured on Priscilla the Great's blog, Prissy Fit. She is featuring authors who fit the challenge from A to Z.

Some folks are featuring books that fit the challenge and some are going another way. If you want a fun way to follow the A-Z Challenge, stop over at Susanne Drazic's blog, Putting Words Down on Paper, and leave a comment. Susanne is a true follower and leaves comments all the time. I wish more folks would leave comments but I'll take what I can get for now.

There are many more folks participating in the challenge, so have fun and follow several of them for something new and different.

See you all in the postings - E :)

Paypal Here

A month or so ago, I posted about the Square card reader. I was supposed to do an event in Columbia in February and be able to use my card reader then but I had to cancel doing that event. I did, however, get to use my Square at the SCASL a couple of weeks ago - more or less. I had daughter's phone but we couldn't get the wifi to work on her phone so Sybil put all of us on her phone (we each had to sign in on our own accounts) and she was nice enough to let us use her phone to scan credit cards for purchases. I had one sale via credit card.

This morning I accidentally opened paypal (was trying to go to a different website but clicked on paypal instead) and there on the front page before signing in is a big advertisement for Paypal Here card reader. It isn't available yet but you sign up and as soon as it is available, you will be notified how to acquire your reader and how to download the app. Both are free and they are pretty much in line with Square's fees (2.75% per swipe or 3.75% + 0.15 for manual transactions). The only difference is that it looks like the Paypal Here reader accepts American Express where the Square does not and your funds are transferred immediately into your paypal account. Since I'm upgrading my phone in April (gettin a Samsung Precedent which is android based and will allow me to download apps), I figure it can't hurt to sign up for another card reader. I will have both on my phone for the SC Book Festival in case Sarah doesn't have her tablet by then in order to take credit cards and will let her do the same thing as Sybil did - sign in and swipe the cards to her account. I'll use whichever works for me (if the Paypal Here is available by then). More than likely, the Square will just stay connected to the phone for both of us to use.

I also checked the FAQ on the Paypal Here page and it seems that the device will be available in Canada, Australia and Hong Kong (which several people have complained that the Square was not available to them), so really it sounds like Paypal Here will be available to more people and I hope they will take advantage of signing up so that as soon as the device is available, they will be able to start taking credit cards, especially authors who do live events where they are selling their own books.

I love the convenience of being able to take credit cards now and the quick payout (Square pays out the next day and Paypal Here will pay the same day of transaction). I can't wait to upgrade my phone and not have to borrow my daughter's phone for events now - lol. See you all in the postings - E :)

This and That

Since the KDP reports for the week ending don't show up before I shut down, I'll have to do my this and that report on Sundays - lol. Not that I think it makes much difference to my readers - but just saying.

Anyway, For the week ending 02/25 - I had 3 sales of "Bride-and-Seek" in the USA and 1 sale of the same title in the UK. No other sales to report. Not stellar numbers but at least I have a few trickling in. I'd love to see more but time will tell. I think the biggest thing hurting me is the lack of reviews on my stories overall. So, if you are reading my blog and have downloaded any of my stories and would like to share your review of them, I'd really, really appreciate it.

On the JGDS side of things - the red/white/blue afghan is for all intents and purposes finished save four more rows on the border. I've gotten all the rows sewn together and have put the red border. One row plus 3 squares' worth on a short side for the second row of border took me almost 2 hours last night/early this morning and the remaining second row took me a bit of time but I also was juggling reading emails, answering plurks and whatever.

Work has been kicking my heiney but I think I'm finally back to getting in the groove. I hope.

Not much else new to report except I did start making some new bookworms and am preparing my presentation for the SCASL conference coming up March 14-16. I will presenting at 3:15 on March 15. More on that next week.

I will be featured on Darcia Helle's blog on March 8 and on Susanne Drazic's blog sometime over the next couple of months (reviews of my books).

Tomorrow my guest is Leslie Dubois, 1/3 of the SC Author Connection and Wednesday my guest will be Sarah Renee, another 1/3 of the SC Author Connection. We are sharing the cost of booths at several events over the course of the year including the SCASL conference in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to meet Sarah Renee as she is only 15. Stay tuned to learn more about these young ladies. See ya'll in the postings - E :)

Book Review Friday - Priscilla the Great series by Sybil Nelson

In this review, I'll be reviewing all three books in the Priscilla the Great series - Priscilla the Great (book 1), Priscilla the Great: The Kiss of Life (book 2) and Priscilla the Great: Too Little Too Late (book 3). Sybil is busy going through edits for the Priscilla the Great book 4, so that will be another to add to my growing list of TBR, albeit they are all on my kindle and not stacked up next to the bed.

When I read Priscilla the Great, I was thinking "interesting concept" and then when she talked about her twin brothers I totally was like "whoa, wait a minute is Priscilla the Great the same author of something I read earlier?" I had to search through my finished collection on my kindle to find the other book and sure enough, same author. I read Priscilla the Great unknowingly that I had read something else by this author. I totally enjoyed it and finding out more about Priscilla and what made her "great" was fun.

Each book is a look into how Priscilla, her family and other kids help save the world, one little corner at a time, from an evil doctor who was doing genetic experiments and created these not so much human like "people". Priscilla and her newfound friends go to different parts of the world to battle other mutants and save whatever is in need of saving. It's fun to follow the group, which includes other family members and these young people who were rescued in the first book. Sybil writes with a flare that makes you believe that you are right there with the characters.

Experience the trials and tribulations of a seemingly normal teenager who has spectular adventures. This reader is looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Priscilla the Great books are available everywhere and are available in both print and ebook format. Check out her blog for contests and giveaways galore.


Next week's review will be Leslie Dubois's Ain't No Sunshine, the beginning of the lead up to Leslie's appearance on my blog. Monday will be the beginning of a 3-part marketing plan. WWYWWQ will be an improvised posting since I don't have any questions from students. See you all in the postings - E :)

SC Author Connection

What, you may ask, is the SC Author Connection? The SC Author Connection is a group of three South Carolina authors who will participate in several events throughout the year.

Members include Sybil Nelson, whom you will meet later this month and Sarah Renee, whom you will also meet later this month. The third member is Elysabeth Eldering, whom you already know a bit since you follow this blog. I had had contact with Sybil prior to YALL fest, which I wanted to do this past year but couldn't due to finances. We had talked some about the SCASL conference and perhaps sharing an exhibitor booth. At the time, neither of us really knew if we could afford to have an exhibitor booth this year. Sybil was a participant in YALL fest in Charleston this past November and then because of me letting her know about Savannah turned around the next weekend and participated there. After she did YALL fest, Sybil emailed me stating that we could go ahead and be an exhibitor at the SCASL, she had found another author to go in with us.

A few emails with info were exchanged with both Sybil and Sarah as well as Heather Loy, the now exhibitor coordinator and the SC Author Connection was born.

The plans for the year are to participate in the SCASL conference, the SC Book Festival, and hopefully Decatur Book Festival, and probably a couple of other big events where we can share tables. We will get a banner through vistaprint and have something that highlights all of us and our books. Stay tuned to find out more about the SC Author Connection. - E :)

Book Review Friday - Twin Shorts by Sybil Nelson

Twin Shorts is a collection of short tales and preceeds the Priscilla the Great series. This is where we meet Priscilla who will become Priscilla the Great the next time we see her.

Shortly after I received my Kindle, I searched for low cost books or freebies. "Twin Shorts" is one such find that I read in bits. This was read before I realized that the same author of the Priscilla the Great series had written this book.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON): Hey I’m Priscilla, a.k.a Priscilla the Great. Usually, I like to talk about how my life got a little crazy after I learned about my special powers. Okay, it got a lot crazy. I mean, you try going through middle school with fire shooting out of your fingers. Awkward. But this time, it’s not about me. Twin Shorts is all about my little brothers, Charlie and Chester, a.k.a The Devil Twins.

I would read a few of the short stories when taking a break or while not at my computer and just needing to get away from the screen. The stories in this book are written from Priscilla's perspective about her 5-year-old twin brothers, who, by her account, are out to ruin her life. Each story is written like a homework assignment or an essay recollecting whatever "adventure" occurred at the time. I tended to feel sorry for Priscilla being the only girl in the household and having twin brothers who seemed to get away with everything. I almost wanted to jump in the stories and be mommy and discipline the boys and set them on the right track. Many funny stories watching the twins, Priscilla and their older brother take on every day life.

If you are looking for a quick read and some humor, "Twin Shorts" is for you. The last time I checked, it was still being offered as a freebie on Kindle, so check it out.

PRODUCT DETAILS:
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 94 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004GNFXWW


AUTHOR'S BIO: Sybil Nelson lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and two children. She is currently earning her Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the Medical University of South Carolina and has completed ten Young Adult novels.

Sybil writes under another name and those books will be reviewed throughout the month of February leading up to her alter ego being a guest on this blog. Next Friday's book review will be on the three Priscilla the Great books available.

Priscilla the Great's book giveaway

My friend, Sybil Nelson, one-third of the SC Author Connection and author of the Priscilla the Great series, is giving away 100 ebook copies of her book, just for following her blog. Check it out and if you like what you see, how about following her. I told her since I already have copies of the first three books, I would let someone else have my copy, so really that is 101 followers that she needs. She is up to 74 right now, so she is very close. See ya'll over there - E :)

6 Degrees Reading Challenge

I found out about this challenge from Priscilla the Great's blog who found it on Ren's All By Myshelf blog. The challenge sounds pretty cool. I've signed up but haven't picked out my books yet. Getting books connected is the biggest challenge. For the complete challenge and rules, please drop by Ren's blog and see if this is something you would be interested in. If so, I'd appreciate it if you would link back to my blog as well as Ren's blog (like I did with how I found the challenge - first on Priscilla the Great's blog, taking me to Ren's blog). Happy reading - let the challenge begin - E :)

(Example of connected books from Ren's blog):

Make a list of at least 6 books, connected by similar themes, covers, characters, etc. Just make sure the books have unique connections. In other words, you can't just read 6 books that have similar covers, or all have a character named Amy. Here's an example (part of my 2011 list):

Lockdown
{based in a prison}
Incarceron
{arranged marriage}
Matched
{scheduled deaths}
The Giver
{drowning victim}
Generation Dead
{undead character}
Once Dead, Twice Shy

You get the picture.

Finally Home - 1 week stats

Finally Home was officially released last Thursday (Thanksgiving day) morning as both a print and ebook. It is available on smashwords, kindle and nook as well as on amazon.com and createspace in print. As of 12/01/2011 the following stats are what I've seen: Smashwords' views = 24, sales = 0; Nook views = ?, sales = 2; ranking = 247,000 (not exact but I don't remember what the number was); kindle views = ?, sales = 0; no ranking on amazon as I've not had any sales and no sales from any source showing on my createspace account. This is disheartening to say the least since I've been posting for quite a while now that Finally Home would be released soon and I've spent the last two months (maybe a few more than that) talking about this book.

So I'm thinking I need to follow suit with Sybil Nelson (aka Leslie Dubois, author of YA novels with a dark edge to them), Author of the Priscilla the Great series, in her posting from either 11/30 or 12/01 and that is "take the McDonald's approach" to marketing. Sybil states in her posting (you can view the full article here), and I'm paraphrasing here, that everywhere you go you can see McDonald's ads, billboards or even McDonald's themselves. So why not as an author take the same approach? Obviously McDonald's is a billion or trillion dollar company and can afford to place ads everywhere (and those 30-second spots aren't cheap nor are the billboard placements) to make sure their name is out there, so some of the marketing approach for authors wouldn't be cost-effective or even feesible since we are in general poor and need other jobs to supplement our writing, but why not do some marketing that gets your name out there.

It isn't enough to just blog every once in a while or update a website every once in a while but we as authors have to stay in the limelight so to speak; we need to place "ads" everywhere to get known.

Within the next 2 weeks or so, I will be re-releasing three more stories that have been previously published and have placed in various contests, winning small monetary awards and other prizes. I've decided that after the first of the year, once I can get back on track with my state series (for more on the JGDS series, please visit the JGDS blog or the JGDS website) that I'm going to do a major marketing campaign.

I've done a few Skype visits with classes other than Mr. Hughes' to help with some writing aspects (one in Indiana for the Lunchtime Writers' Club and one in Washington state during NaNoWriMo) but that isn't enough. Hopefully, my marketing campaign will help some other writers as well.

I need to start seeing my books taking a turn because my job is getting frustrating and I would love to start traveling to all the states within the next couple of years or so (before I get too old to really enjoy the travels). I had set a goal to have my state stories supporting me by 2013 but that doesn't look like it is going to happen. I may have to move that goal to 2015 and by then I should have at least half of the states published along with my five other stories, oops - six (forgot about a children's story I will probably ebook publish too).

I'd like to know what some other authors out there are doing marketing wise. I also would like to see half the followings of some of my fellow authors (I still only have less than 100 folks following this blog with only a handful, less than a dozen, actually subscribing to receive the blog notices in their emails. I have half the number of followers on my JGDS site as I do on this site, which means I'm not reaching the audiences like I need to, so any suggestions from my fellow friends and authors on how to reach more people would be greatly appreciated.

I follow over 1000 blogs but don't read all of them on a daily basis and I comment on blogs that I've signed up for the email postings a good bit of time; I leave my links in my signatures on most places (some of them won't accept the comment with hyperlinks so I have to just hope that folks are stopping by my websites on those blogs) and yet I hardly see any traffic on my blogs or websites. I wonder how many of those 1000 blogs I follow actually take time to read their comments and respond back to the commenters or even check out the blogs or websites of the persons who leave comments on their blogs. I wonder how many folks who comment on blogs take the time to actually look at other commenters' blogs and websites. The answer is probably less than a dozen or so.

Vici Howard is running her 1-year marketing plan here. Of course, you can always follow Sybil's postings here. If you know of any other authors who have a marketing campaign going on and would like to share, please leave a comment with the link to that person's blog or website.

I definitely would love to hear from you all and hope you will spread the word to your friends. Let them know about some upcoming authors who are trying to get their name out there. E :)