Tuesday, August 14, 2012

KDP Select-Giving it a Try!


Eyelash was my first novel. You know how it is—the one you wrote before you really knew some of the “rules” such as: Show instead of tell, start at a crisis point rather than building to it with backstory, kill the adverbs, don’t use passive voice, eliminate weak verbs, ditch the negatives, overuse of “had,” and on and on and on. We learn these “rules” if we are willing to take the time to study more about the craft of writing before we move on to the next work-in-progress. An insightful resource on this topic is 11 Secrets to Getting Published by Mary E. DeMuth.

As in any new endeavor, we take baby steps and learn how to balance what we would like to achieve with what is actually achievable given our individual skills. My second novel, Never Say Perfect, is a good example of working toward practical application of these writing “rules” and became a better book for the expended effort.

That said, Eyelash, is still a story filled with challenging family relationships, twists and turns, emotional roller coaster rides, humor, temptation, mystery, romance and inspiration. That is why I decided to offer it for FREE during my Kindle promotion days through KDP Select.

I’ve read everything I could locate on the topic of how to most efficiently participate in the FREE promotion events.  I’ve eagerly devoured various author accounts of successes and failures in undertaking a FREE promotion. With information in hand, I have notified every possible site that will pass along the information on my first FREE day, tomorrow-August 15, 2012. I have sent an email to friends and family, scheduled Tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn posts, Goodreads events, and whew!!! Have I covered all of the bases? I doubt it!  Will it be worth it? I have no idea, but I will be certain to follow up with a post that will tell you whether or not this promotion really worked for Eyelash.

The goal is to introduce new readers to my characters in Eyelash and hope that they will then be interested enough to continue with Never Say Perfect. There are two additional titles scheduled for completion in this same series—Never Say Hopeless and Never Say Final. I’ve read all of the scary warnings that the FREE promo days will also bring reviews from readers who would never normally pick up a work of Christian fiction and are less than enthusiastic that they did. Hence, one and two star reviews. I’m bracing myself for that possibility.

I just know that I’ll keep writing because there are enough people who make it a point to tell me that they loved Eyelash and/or Never Say Perfect, and say, “When is the next book coming out? I can’t wait to read it.” That’s what keeps my pen in motion.

So mark your calendars, or write yourselves little sticky notes, but please remember to download Eyelash for FREE on your Kindle tomorrow, August 15 or Thursday, August 16, 2012, and tell your friends to grab it and run! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GHI0U8

I'll be back when the jury is in...

Hoping your day is filled with special blessings,
Mary Anne