My Indie Adventures

A Look Inside: Bookfest

/ Janna Hill / 4 Comments

This weeks photo challenge correlated fabulously with a post I had planned for My Indie Adventures.

As a few of you may know I attended the East Texas Bookfest this past Saturday. What you may not know is that it was my first.  Of course I marched up in there like an old crow pro because I refuse to be intimidated.

The event started Friday evening with a reception for the authors at the Potpourri House in Tyler. I had a glass of Chardonnay with a little fruit, cheese and artichoke dip.  The chicken and meat balls looked very appealing but I’m pretty sure I would have choked on them so I had another glass of wine when my handler wasn’t looking.  The receptionThe dip was delicious by the way.

Saturday morning we arrived on time (yay!!) and within minutes our table was set up.

Inside the Bookfest (1)

With all of that out of the way (thank you Kim) I’m like what am I supposed to do now?

What do I do now?

What do I do now?

Thank goodness I just happen to have a camera hanging around my neck so I roamed around taking pictures.

Bill Keith poses with The Commisssioner
An interesting display
Look, Don takes Mastercard and Visa
Oh she has T- shirts
Pst, the cake is made of paper. It tastes like cardboard.
Signing is a serious business
Sorry [lady on the left] erotica is prohibited
Hmm, is that a real interview…

Maybe taking pictures was not exactly what I was supposed to be doing and I probably shouldn’t have let people think I was with the press…  Oh well it was another funtastic indie adventure and a chance to see the inside working of a book festival.

What’s New in My Indie Adventure???

/ Janna Hill / 6 Comments

What’s New in My Indie Adventure???

Well… I created a discount e-store that only carries paper books by moi.  Y’all know I speak French, right? Right!  I don’t know if anyone will ever see it and I don’t really like the way it feels and functions but I did it by golly. So I have been productive! I’m one of those that has to be productive [in varying degrees] to feel comfortable- not perfect, just productive. It is too hot outside and I haven’t got my writing mojo back so there you go. I sat around in the A/C all day. I also consumed a cookie jar full of vanilla wafers and a jar of peanut butter. Eating is considered productive. Y’all know I can eat and type at the same time so I dabbled with banners, background colors and discount codes over at CreateSpace

CreateSpace is an Amazon venue, they print/provide the trade paperbacks for six of my books. They also offer an e-store option and discounts. If you don’t care for discounts (real ones) then you ain’t been poor enough yet. I’ve been poor. Poor as a church house rat and too poor to pay attention. Of course at the time I didn’t know I was poor, I had to be told “damn girl you’re poor.”  I believe rising from poverty helps a person not fear failure. Been there, done that- I ain’t scared. I recall one time  Grandma  and I –Oh dear that was a rambling digression.

So back to this store that is probably tucked away in the boondocks of cyberspace. I don’t mind that a new window pops up every time you click the ‘more’ link, it apparently keeps up in the shopping cart but already I have complaints about not being able to delete an accidental add to cart. These darn cousins of mine keep me in business but there’s four-hundred a handful of them that complain about the slightest things. (Not you – you know you’re my favorite.)

What Else is New…

I updated my LinkedIn profile. I didn’t know they had changed and it is like starting over. I got as far as hanging a picture on the wall and accepting a few invitations. (Sorry LinkedIn I don’t want a job right now. I do have one friend/connection I knew before LinkedIn. Morgan McFinn. He is a sophisticated slob. Sophisticated  and slob are my words but he doesn’t speak much higher of himself. He’s a funny guy.

Before I start babbling again I named the store Discount Direct. You can not buy tires, appliances or clothes but you can get 15% off of six different books (by moi) by buying direct and then you can sit naked in your car with bald tires at KFC because your fridge went out. I had to heard of that once.

DISCOUNT DIRECT HEADER FOR CS 15% OFF

P.S. Closed up shop before the ink dried. My friends/fans/family deserve better.

The First Year as an Indie (Apples to Oranges)

/ Janna Hill / 9 Comments

Part II (This is Me)

In the first portion of my annual Indie report I shared a few things I have learned regarding support, reviews and social media. I like the number five so if you’re interested I’ll share a couple more. I believe I left off at #3 in Lessons Learned. Since inquiring minds really want to know “how many books are you selling and how much money are you making?” We’ll start #4 with sales.

# 4 Sales: This is like comparing apples to oranges or beets to hamburgers. To simplify it allow me to use e- books and a twelve month period because a year ago I had maybe four titles available, all e-books exclusive to Amazon. Today I have about sixteen, most available wherever books are sold.

Don’t say wow yet. That number includes several books that were combined or joined and counted as a new title.  I.e. The Rage Trilogy, The Perpetual Series and Interior Verse/ Pose Prose & Poems.  Also Disturbed Affections was created for Barnes & Noble  which combines The Perpetual Series and Dour Number Four. Price trials were done and settled between 99¢ and $2.99.

For apples to apples sake March 2012 Amazon e-book sales were roughly about $5.80 with paper books way outselling them. March 2013 sales were about 50x that with very few paper books being sold. That’s two hundred and ninety sneering tight-lipped little Washington’s! Greenbacks baby! $1 smallYou can say wow now but hold that victory dance — I need to tell you something.

Sales over those twelve months were like a bipolar Bohemian. They were all over the place, feast and famine, up and down. Whew! It made me dizzy, now I know that’s just how it goes.

Looking at statistics is supposed to help me understand Bohemians’ such patterns and utilize them for … I don’t know but the good news is I made a few dollars. Woo-hoo – go ahead, dance with me.

#5 Stats and Ranks: OMG poke me in the eye! My website stats? I sort of saw a pattern of increased visitors equaled increased sales but it could’ve been my mind playing tricks on me. Example October hits were good and November sales increased. Why, how, what or who made it happen? Was it a tweet, a post or a random recommendation? I suspect it was a combination of factors or a cousin. I have lots of cousins.

Visitors: My door is always open and people apparently come and go while I’m in the shower or taking a nap. I am supposed to focus on unique visits, unique sites and unique referrers. [sigh] Okay. Most visits occur around 3:00 PM CST. Top referrers are direct requests followed by Google, Bing, A porn site I know nothing about (I swear!) and some from WordPress — that is probably fellow bloggers. Thank you all very much. See how boring data is?

I prefer to look at search string results. Search strings are interesting because you can see what query people use to arrive at your site. My favorites are “who is Janna Hill, “who the hell is Janna Hill”, “is Janna Hill really Janna Hill”, “Janna Hill + Symphony Angel, “is Janna Hill married to Joe Hill?” and “big ugly feet”. Really?! Someone searched “big ugly feet” and arrived here. [scratches head] Okay. Moving on…

Ranking: I use Amazon’s author tools. Just login and click rank. I occasionally break above the 12,000 overall in e-books. I know that sounds pitiful but when you came from ranking 500,000 to 12,000 I call that progress. C’mon, let’s dance again.

I may never be in the top ten or even the top 100 but I’m singing the Jefferson theme song and movin’ on up. I don’t want a deluxe apartment in the sky but I will take a small piece of some humble pie with a cup of coffee please.

The data above was gathered from March 2012- March 2013 reports. Yes I know we just entered July — I would make a great government employee, huh?! It has been (and is) one hell of a ride and I am truly grateful.

This is me. Not me writing on behalf of someone else. Not me pretending to be someone else. Not me wishing I was someone else. This is just me in all my rags of glory.

Addendum: Though it’s too early for me to offer a report or an opinion I can tell you I am seeing sales now at Apple. Maybe someday I’ll do an update and compare them to oranges. Ahh, I crack me up.

Dabbling & Dibbles

/ Janna Hill / 9 Comments

Dabble: to fiddle, putter, experiment

Did you know that a significant number of the population does not consider writing a real job? You did? You knew that already? Well color me shocked and bubble busted when a sweet little old lady accused me of dabbling. Writing is real work by golly. True I have never broken a sweat over a keyboard but dabbling?

Admittedly it is easier than sorting sheets for a laundry company that services nursing homes. Yeah I did that for three whole days. That was a long time ago (a really, really long time ago) when the unemployment office would actually put you to work. I suppose in comparison it does look like I am dabbling.

Thinking back on those three days of sorting fecal stained linens I’ll take being called a dabbler. Heck. I will embrace it and laugh at it like a real country boy laughs at Earl Dibbles Jr.

The First Year as an Indie (Lessons Learned)

/ Janna Hill / 42 Comments

Part I

Can you believe I have a solid year behind me in this adventure as an independent author/publisher? My how time flies when you’re having fun.

So what have I learned other than how to type while holding fried chicken in one hand and a biscuit in the other? A lot!

Do I have any advice for beginners? Oh yes indeed I do and my first pearl of wisdom is this: cut the biscuit in half, strip the chicken and make a sandwich. It will be much easier to handle. I would also suggest turning the keyboard over and gently shaking the crumbs loose verses picking between the keys. That tip will save you time and keep your proofreader from returning your manuscript un-proofed with a note that says Get back to me when you’re sober!

I don’t have any real pearls but if you’re interested I’ll be happy to share a handful of pebbles and opinions.

#1 Support: Get some! No man is an island. Editing, proofreading and polishing don’t necessarily mean stripping away your authenticity. Surround yourself with people you can trust, people who are willing to encourage you, offer constructive criticism and be brutally honest when necessary. If your book is your baby prepare it to face the world and get that baby some child support. Lesson: Keep it real even in fiction. Find people you can trust (paid or voluntary) and listen to them.

#2 Reviews: Good reviews are fabulous but they don’t guarantee massive sales. On the other hand bad reviews definitely hurt sales. Responding to bad reviews and personal insults is a no-no. Lighten up, insults can be funny. Learn from the constructive ones and laugh at the assholish ones. Yes, I just made assholish a real word. Not everyone likes spaghetti so what makes you think everyone will like what you dish out? Lesson: There will be haters. Get used to it.

#3 Social Media: I firmly believe in building an online presence and interacting. I said in- ter-act-ing. That means relating to people,not only networking and connecting but talking and occasionally having a conversation. I tend to avoid a couple of the most popular media sites for that very reason. How do you respond to “Buy my book! My book’s on sale!” You say something like “I see you’re from Manhattan. How is the weather there?” And they respond with “Here’s a link to Amazon. Be sure to leave a review.” Lesson: In-ter-act.

I like blogging. I’m not sure how many book sales it has garnered (if any) but I enjoy it. It’s like bloggers are… wow, I don’t know… like they are real human beings or something. Lesson: Blog away. Blogging has zero calories and you meet great people from all over the world. It’s an inexpensive means of travel and sometimes you find the inspiration needed for your next story.

While we are on the topic of blogging allow me to weave in an experience related to marketing. I recently consulted with a couple of PR firms who shall remain nameless. One suggested I buy their book (argh). Um, no. I am looking for someone to create “the buzz” for me — just do it okay?! The only buzz I am motivated to create comes in the aftermath of consuming liquor.

The second person (much more helpful) looked at my social media sites and informed me I was not promoting myself enough. The conversation went like this:

“You’re just there” she explained while politely pointing out I was not utilizing said media properly.

“I’m sorry but one more ‘buy my book-my book’s on sale’ and I may rip the arm off of this chair. I can’t do it that’s why I contacted you special magic guru lady.”

“It’s not that easy anymore. What about your blogger account?” She was scanning search results as we spoke, “Do you have one?”

“Well sure. I posted something about 2013 releases but I’m more comfortable at WordPress.”

“Let me see what you are doing on WordPress…  It seems your focus is on photography and just hanging out?”

“Yeah, it’s like a bar/library/art gallery, cool huh? Except they don’t serve drinks. It’s  BYOB.”

“That’s fine but you need to squeeze in a pitch directing readers to buy your books.”

“I have a website listing most published works. Just google Janna Hill and you’ll find me.”

“That’s not enough. You’re going to have to get more involved in promoting yourself. You have to get out of your comfort zone.”

“Oops my macaroni is burning. I’ll have to get back to you.”

Lesson: Even for a fee no one will do it all for you. I need to “get out of my comfort zone.”  Hell no Maybe I will but if I ever respond to a greeting with “Buy my book. Leave me a review” somebody shoot me please.

*BYOB: bring your own bottle could now mean bring your own book.

Insight (Sight & Seeing Red)

/ Janna Hill / 6 Comments

This post should have been the Indie update I’ve been planning, giving you all of the gory details about what I’ve learned on this Indie adventure (now having a full year of experience under my belt) but…

I was seriously composing the post meant to share my progress when I diverted my eyes. Did you know you aren’t supposed to stare at the computer screen for more than twenty minutes without looking twenty feet away for at least twenty seconds? It’s called the 20/20/20 rule.

Being the rule devotee that I am [go ahead and laugh if you know me] I looked away and spotted a lovely red Dianthus. WeddingOf course I had to grab the camera and take a walk…

 

 

 

WeddingI spied a red aphid on a yellow Iris. The eye tends to be drawn to these two colors. You didn’t think McDonald’s success came from their fresh delectable burgers did you? Oh, okay.

 

 

I suppose the Red Wasp, Nandina berries and Red Tip Photinia are all shades of red but they look kind of orange to me. That may be from staring at the monitor for too long. See what happens when you don’t follow the rules?

I ended my journey with a collection of red shells. Red ShellsI didn’t find these on a beach but they were near a body of water. Hmm, now I’m wondering if there might be a body in the water? Or a story in the making…

Seeing Red has nothing to do with the upcoming post regarding my first year as an independent author/publisher, I just thought I’d share this little excursion. On the contrary I’m in the black and all lights are green. It’s a go for another trek. I really will post something in the near future that offers more personal insight until then take care of your eyes.

P.S. I once had a patient with Macular Degeneration who told me she saw the most unbelievable shades of red and that she painted more beautifully than ever just before she went blind.

How I met Maggie and Almost Killed Clara

/ Janna Hill / 7 Comments

I was wading in the surf on Matagorda beach one warm, sunny day exchanging dialogue with Clara.

I had known Clara for about ten years and I have to admit, conversing with her was like pulling teeth. I don’t want to say she was dull, but she was too quiet and a tad introverted. Don’t get me wrong, she is a lovely girl. She is smart and pretty and sweet and kind, but she was just too darn nice for the most part. Too calm, too reasonable, too… dull! There, I said it!

Anyway, as I was wading in the surf, dragging my feet (literally to scatter the sting rays) I was thinking how I might kill her. I know that must sound horrible, we had been comrades for so long, but she wearied me. Her unspoiled, hoity-toity, prim and proper, everything by the book personality made me want to send her sailing face down with the outgoing tide. I think she knew it (she has a sixth sense thing, you know) and I figured she wasn’t going to fight me. It wasn’t in her nature. I thought maybe she wanted to die?

I had mulled it over and finally come to terms with the decision when a perky little blonde came running down the beach waving and shouting,

“Hey y’all wait for me.”

Oh my lord, I thought, while trying to ignore the thin, tanned Mississippian’s approach. I quickly shoved Clara toward the incoming wave but her feet were planted too firmly — she didn’t budge, and to my surprise she pushed back!

“Do you know her?” I asked.

Clara shook her head slowly and replied, “No but you do. You met her on a trip to Biloxi once.”

I was speechless.

“Hey, I’m Maggie,” the lady smiled as she looked past me and held out her hand, “you must be Clara.”

I suppose it’s true that opposites attract. I watched Maggie come alive and in doing so she saved Clara.

*This is a story about a story. Clara and Maggie are safe and sound (for the most part) inside a fictional series.

Read about their meeting in Book 1

Firsts

/ Janna Hill / 13 Comments

2013 Is Off to a Good Start

The first month of 2013 has been awesome so far if we don’t count having the flu and puking through the nose. Having the flu wasn’t a first but blasting vomit through your nostrils- eww, I shudder. I’m over it now and hopefully the mental picture of partially digested food gushing from one’s tiny nares hasn’t left you feeling queasy.  If so I may have just given you the virus and nothing will ever smell the same again. My apologies.

On a more positive note and back to my happy place I realized my first sales in Japan this month. Yay! Domo arigato or is it Doumo arigatou gozaimasu? Either way thank you very much.  Of course I have no way of knowing who is buying Door Number Four, The Perpetual Series or The Rage Trilogy at Japan’s Amazon but I somehow envision them as lonely transplanted Texans and want to bake them cookies.

Another happy first would be my first check from Barnes & Noble. It’s going to be huge y’all and I have already planned to blow the whole amount by treating the family to all you can eat from the dollar menu at Wendy’s. Oh yeah! Nothing but First class for my clan.

[The castle, Denbigh, Wales] (LOC)

I really like this one. Is it still available?

AND the print edition of Interior Verse Plus Pose Prose & Poems just went international/where ever books are sold AND sold the first UK copy. I may be having tea with Queen Elizabeth any day now. Heck, I may get my own castle and invite all of you for beer and barbeque tea and crumpets. What is a crumpet by the way? Would it go well with a tasty beverage of hops and barley?

Also I listed my first book with Smashwords. That was just in the last 48 hours so I have no stats or opinions at this point. If it works out I will list more titles with them. I will also make sure said titles are not under contract with The Eye Amazon. 😉

I’m sure it sounds like I’m ragging on Amazon but it’s all in jest. I am truly grateful for the working relationship I have with the behemoth them and look forward to many years to come.

All of this wonderfulness in the first few weeks of 2013 has made me damn near giddy. Or it might be a side effect of mixing cookies and beer. Idk? Naw, let’s go with the wonderfulness.

How Do They Do That?!

/ Janna Hill / 7 Comments

More Indie Adventuring

Amazon is the all-seeing eye! Seriously I put my housecoat on before I sat down to write this and if you’re naked you should grab a cover too, unless you’re into that sort of thing.

I know now they see everything or I see now they know everything…  Either way I am aware of their stealthy little spies and spiders, that they are constantly surveying the World Wide Web. How? I don’t know the how’s of such spyjectory but I do know that if you have a title with KDP Select (Kindle Direct Publishing) and you publish it elsewhere they will hunt you down and bring it to your attention. They may go so far as to kill your stuffed bobcat, lord I hope not.

In all fairness the KDP Select agreement states digital books will remain exclusive to Amazon. Well…

A few months ago I decided to combine a series into one e-book The Rage Trilogy. It just so happened one of the books in the series was still signed with Amazon’s KDP Select. I know! I thought I un-checked the box for automatic renewal but apparently I didn’t. The Rage Trilogy was never in KDP Select but it includes a title that was.

Lesson(s) learned: 1) Next time make certain! 2) OCD might come in handy. 3)  Amazon is bigger than the CIA and IRS combined. 4) Spyjectory is my favorite new word. (Call me Merriam and I’ll define it for you)

So now I’m all nervous and a bit paranoid because I received this e-mail from The Eye Amazon where they named the [one] book and included a link to the trilogy @ Barnes and Noble.

How do they do that?!

Here’s a copy of the e-mail:

Hello,
We found the following book(s) you’ve published doesn’t meet the KDP Select content guidelines. Books enrolled in KDP Select must be exclusive to Amazon in digital format while enrolled in the program.
Unjustified Favor (Between the Rage and Grace) (ID: B008D94WHM) is available on:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rage-trilogy-janna-hill/1113580485?ean=2940015523058
Please copy and paste the entire URL above into your web browser to see where we found your book. You can also do an online search for your book to discover where else it may be available.
In order for your book to remain in the KDP Select program, we’ll need you to ensure that it is exclusive to Amazon within 5 days from the date of this email. If, after this 5-day period, your book is still not exclusive to Amazon, it will remain for sale in the Kindle Store, but will be removed from KDP Select. Upon its removal, it will no longer be eligible to earn a share of the KDP Select fund.
Please note that repeated violations of the program’s exclusivity requirement may result in loss of KDP Select benefits for all books you have enrolled in the program, such as participation in the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library (KOLL) and the usage of free promotion days, as well as KDP account termination.

How to Break into Indie Publishing… One Woman’s Journey

/ Janna Hill / 6 Comments

When interactions turn into interviews. If you don’t already know Staci I’d like to introduce her. She is an Italian weight lifter with a Master’s Degree in writing but don’t let that scare you.

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Janna HillIn my last post of 2012, “The Year in Review,” fellow author and blogger Janna Hill commented that 2012 was a journey for her because it was her first year as an indie author. You know me, I’m always interested in hearing about someone else’s path. I immediately asked her if she’d share her story with me (and you). Despite being sick with the flu, she took a few minutes to answer some questions about her road to independent publishing.

You’re blog’s main focus is photography. Can you talk about how you became a writer? 

Whew! I thought you were going to ask me to talk about photography. How I became a writer requires digging into the memory archives. Let’s see… like most writers I have always written although I was probably 22 years old before I wrote anything for the ‘public’ eye. My debut came as a…

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