This is What Motivates Me the Most to Write (the Happy News)
I’m giving a check for $150 to Michelle Redman, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern MN. My total donation for 2016 to BBBS was $250, based on the number of copies of Castle Danger I sold plus additional donations by generous readers.Exciting News
I’ll be attending the University of Wisconsin Writers’ Institute (UWWI) conference in Madison, WI next month. That in itself is not earthshaking, although it’s a great conference for writers. This will be the seventh consecutive year I’ve attended. I’m looking forward to meeting Larry Brooks, who is one of the best writing instructors I’ve come across. His writing books have helped me improve my writing. He’s also is a darn good fiction writer. Check out Deadly Faux and Bait and Switch if you enjoy killer thrillers.
The truly exciting news in that item is that I’m participating in the Book Selling and Signing event held during the conference. Authors who’ve published a book and attend the conference can sign up to sell their books to other attendees and help generate some publicity for their work. I’ve purchased dozens of books from other authors in the past, and I’m hoping to generate some publicity in the Madison area.
This program has expanded every year and gotten bigger and better. The exciting new twist this year is that a terrific local bookstore, Mystery to Me, will be handling the sales on a consignment basis. Plus, the owner will feature two of each author’s books in her retail store in downtown Madison. This will be a chance for Castle Danger to gain some exposure in a new and vibrant reading market.
Notes
Still working on setting up a book signing at an independent bookstore in Austin, MN. I’ll keep you posted on if and when that will happen.
Final Thought
As I’ve mentioned before, online book reviews are crucial to all independent authors. A few minutes of your time can help an author gain legitimacy and increase sales. Reviews need only be a few sentences or paragraphs. You can help me generate sales by going to your favorite review site (Goodreads.com is my favorite, followed by Amazon.com) and posting a review for Castle Danger.
After you’ve posted your review, please remind your friends and family how easy it is to post a review and how much it can help their favorite authors continue to write books for their readers.
To those of you who have already posted a review for Castle Danger, thank you so very much. I truly appreciate your effort and support.