Worth by Numbers and Stars

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, I'm just talking. No need for pen and paper, but you might want to bring your inner-voices to the party. If you're ready, let's get going!

So, I saw this image floating around on Facebook this morning, and I shared it because the message was so powerful (see it here).

But, as everything in life, it got me thinking about the author world and how we use numbers to measure our worth. When our books are selling well, we think: Wow, I must be a great author. So many people want to read what I've written!

Then comes the dreaded drop in sales or the horrific one star review.

Just like that, our worth seems to fly out the window on the wings of a fiery demon. We fall into a pit of despair, wondering who we were kidding when we thought we could write a book.

Now, I want you to look at those last five words in the sentence above: "We could write a book."

Rethink your stance right now.

You did write a book. Countless hours of your life were spent writing, editing, re-editing, editing again, formatting, and marketing that book.

Countless hours.

There are so many people in the world who say, "I have a book in me."

Do you know the difference between you and them?

You didn't talk about how you can write a book; you did it. Blood, sweat, and tears flowed from you to the page. Not once did you stop, throw down your pen/close your laptop, and give up.

No. You kept going, pushing through the doubt demons and naysayers. You published that book.

Fast-forward fifty years into the future. Your children are grown and have a couple of kids. Out there, in the book world, your words are still going strong. Even if no one is buying them, they're still existing.

It's your legacy. You've made yourself a little bit immortal. Even if people hate your story, they haven't written a book, and they won't live through the pages forever. Take every opinion with a grain of salt.

So, I leave you with this:

Don't measure yourself against your sales numbers or star ratings. Put it all in a new perspective, and remember, you did it when others wouldn't. Even if you feel like crap about it today, it will still be there tomorrow, ready to carry your words through the millenniums. Be proud (it's okay to celebrate your own accomplishments--that doesn't mean you're narcissistic).

Scream into the ether just once today:

"I am f*ck*ng AWESOME! I wrote a book!"

If you're feeling froggy, I also encourage you to jump like the woman in the image above.

Huge thanks to Chelsea Starling for giving me the first part of that battle cry!

How do you get over the measuring of yourself? Plan to scream today? Tell me about it.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Twitter - Navigating the Billion Tweet Waters

Happy Tuesday, everyone! So, today's post is going to be for all the Twitter newbies out there. I'm planning to give you all a quick lesson in navigating the awesome waters that all start with a little bird. There will be a list of dos and don'ts, as well as some terminology explanation and how to find new followers.

If you're all ready, and you're a Tweetbaby (this won't help you seasoned vets), grab a pen and your notebook and let's get going!

I'm gonna start with terminology so you don't get lost in the next section.
Retweet (often abbreviated as RT): On the tweet of a tweep, you click the rotating arrows so the information is shared with your followers.
Tweet: What you share on Twitter.
Tweep: Your Twitter followers or those you follow.
Follower: Someone who wishes to see your tweets (like a subscriber).
Following: When you click the follow button on a Twitter account.
#FF: Follow Friday. This is used to suggest other people follow a certain account (or accounts).
@XxX: this is someone's Twitter handle. If you tweet "at" a person, they'll be the audience for your tweet, and they'll get a notification.
Handle: Your name on Twitter.
DM: Direct Message. This is when someone clicks the mail icon on your page.
#: Hashtag. This is used to define the content of a tweet.
Favorite: This functions like the Facebook "like" button except it curates all tweets you click the star on in a favorites list you can access from your page.
Lists: You can add certain people to lists you create. When you're on these lists, the tweeps listed are the only ones you'll see content from.
TY: Thank you!
Unfollow: When you stop following a tweep or they stop following you.
News feed: All the tweets from all the tweeps.

Let's go into the list of DOS:
Retweet others.
Be engaging.
Show thanks when others RT your stuff. A shoutout only takes a moment (TY for the RT!).
Follow back the accounts you think you might like the content from.
Thank folks for the follow(s).
Seek out new and interesting accounts to follow.

DON'TS:
Spam.
Retweet the same thing over and over.
Constantly tweet "buy my book."
DM people right away, asking for reviews or buys of your book (see spam above).
Follow a bunch of people and expect them to follow you right back.

How to gain followers, and my suggestion on etiquette:
Follow about ten to twenty new accounts every day (those you actually want content from, please). If you're providing great content, they'll be happy to follow you back. Now, one of the things that makes me NUTSO is a confirmation that I'm a real person before I can follow an account. What I get is that you don't want to follow an account that's from a robot, but why can't I follow you without going through a fifteen step verification process?

I unfollow/don't respond when someone requests this, because it comes off (to me) as arrogance. If I'm asking you to follow me, that's a different story. I mean, come ON, people. Just stop.

There's an app a lot of folks use on Twitter that seeks accounts on your feed that are inactive or people who have quit following you. It actually tweets out a message that announces who you unfollowed.

Yeah... Just... no. Please. I understand, but what does an inactive account really cost you? There's no limit, and they aren't producing content that hangs in your news feed, right? And unfollowing someone because they unfollowed you?

We're older than two. Let's act like it. *grin*

Okay, if you've stayed with me this long, you probably have a pretty good grip on the terms and suggested etiquette.

If you have any specific questions I didn't answer, feel free to pop them in the comments! I'll answer to the best of my ability!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Meet the Utopia 2016 Bloggers - Jo Michaels

Happy Monday, everyone! Wow. I totally blanked on this post last week. Why? Because I was in the throes of interviewing all the awesome people like Stacey Rourke, Christina Benjamin, and BJ Sheldon over on the radio show. *squeals* But here I am, and I've got a bunch of awesome Q&A for you. If you're ready, grab a cup of Jo, sit back, relax, and let's get our interview on!

Get tickets for the event here!

What you do for work outside of blogging?
Wow. I do so many things! I'm a wife, a mother, an author (of course), the Utopia con blogger coordinator, a radio show host, and I own INDIE Books Gone Wild (an editing company that caters to Indie authors).

I find, in each of those roles, I learn a different facet of the book world. Being a wife, I understand what it's like to want to do all the bookish things while also wanting to spend more time with my husband. It's the same with being a mom. So, I can identify with all those authors who feel like they're being pulled in two different directions by life.

Being an author, I feel the struggle other authors go through to produce a great book, get it out there in the world, and market. That's why I'm a blogger, and it's why I hold my big blog event each year. We all need help, and I try to pay it forward as much as I can.

As the Utopia con blogger coordinator, I get a look at what all people have to balance in order to make things happen in their worlds and help where I can/when I can. Because I understand how life can get in the way, I try to make a schedule and give information way before it's needed/due.

A Daily Cup of Jo forces me to relax for half an hour or so each week and just talk with my peers. I've learned so many things from them!

Owning IBGW, editing, and formatting novels has given me a whole new perspective when reading and a great appreciation for a well edited novel.

What you do besides blogging in the literary world (editing, book reviewing, etc…)?
I'm a book reviewer, formatter, and editor.

What's the one thing you feel you've gained by doing the above?
I didn't gain one thing; I gained all the things. Most importantly, the people I've added to my tribe that have changed my life in profound and interesting ways. I've created bonds with other authors that (I feel) are unbreakable unless I choose to break them. That alone is worth more than gold.

How did you find Utopia?
Interestingly enough, it was my best friend, Tia Silverthorne Bach, who introduced me to the conference. She asked, "Hey, Jo! Whaddya think about this? Wanna do it with me?" I looked over the website, read all the pertinent information, and agreed to take this leap off the Cliffs of Terror with her. I dove right in and started interviewing authors so I wouldn't feel so dang out of place when I arrived. I haven't looked back.

What did you learn or gain at Utopia that you don't feel you would've gotten anywhere else?
I gained my people. That first year, I sat down with these four amaaaazing women, and made lifelong friends as we brainstormed Fractured Glass. Without Utopia, it would've been an online relationship where I knew them by name and face, but not by the grip of their arms when we hugged, or the way they each light up a room when they enter it. No stories of our lives would've been shared, and we may not have gotten together the second year we were there to create our new novel, 7. It was the energy at this particular conference that fueled our imaginations, and I know it wouldn't have been the same had we been anywhere else. Plus, we did karaoke together that first year, which broke the ice in unbelievable ways. *grin*

What's one thing you’d like to see folks in the literary world do (together or separately)?
I'd like to see more of them get together and help one another. Not just by sharing advice, but by sharing things socially, meeting face to face and sharing ideas, and finding a way to pay it forward more. There's a lot of that going around, but I feel there could be more.

How do you feel you contribute to the writer world at large?
I hold my big 12 Days of Review Requests event on my blog each year to help Indie authors get sales and reviews for their books. I'm also going to start soliciting other authors for backmatter material in the way of previews and buy links for their books in the ones I have that are along the same lines (zombies, fantasy, historical fiction, etc...) so I can (hopefully) help even more.

What's your ultimate blogging goal?
I've already met it. *grin* It was to have that one person who learned something here message me in some way and say, "Your post was exactly what I needed. It saved my forehead from the red mark of shame." I've now heard that numerous times, and it never fails to make me smile. I remember starting out and struggling to find my own footing. All the content on this blog is here to help others navigate the twisty roads of publishing without getting too lost.

If you don't have tickets to this event yet, you need to get them right now!

Go here! Go, go, go!

Be sure and visit the other bloggers this month!
Week 1: Jo Michaels (who actually posted on week two) and Maria Pease Week 2: Shana Benedict and Delphina Miyares Week 3: Toni Lesatz and Ren Reidy Week 4: Ashley Bodette and Kathryn Grimes

Have you found your happy here on the blog? Ever run across a piece of information that made you have an ah-ha moment? Tell me about it below!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Abby and the Mystic Dancers

Happy, happy Friday! Eep! Time for weekend awesomeness. So glad you all made it this far so you could join me for an amazing cover reveal! This time, it's for a brand new author!

Please welcome into the blogosphere, L. C. Miller!

I just know you're eager to check out the cover, but how about a little info on the book first? Uh hu, you know I tease you just a smidge before we get there. Here we gooooo!

Title: Abby and the Mystic Dancers
Author: L. C. Miller
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Release Date: November 9, 2015
Blurb:
As the product of a forbidden alliance between the elemental Mystics and the wand carrying Wielders—two distinct, often feuding, magical realms—acceptance is something fourteen-year-old Abby has fought with for the last four years. When an alliance is formed between the Mystic Dancers and the Wielder’s, Abby is given the chance to live with a Wielder’s family and attend Wielders Academy of Magical Arts. In order to do so, she first has make three promises to the Mystic Dancers leader … Tell no one she's half Mystic, that her father is a Wielder who is also a wanted criminal, or that she can transform into anything she wants.

Her day-to-day life of secrets, school work, and dancing is interrupted when her mother’s murder case goes to trial. The Mystics believe they finally caught the killer, who happens to be the father of one of Abby’s new friends. Abby has a choice to make – reveal her secrets, or let a man she knows is innocent go to prison.

How amazing does that sound?

Are you ready for the cover now? Oh, you want to know more about the author first? Okay!

Bio: L. C. Miller is the UTOPiAcon event manager, mischief maker, fantasy writer, and ninja extraordinaire.

Follow her!
Twitter: LCMiller04
Facebook: L. C. Miller Books

Now are you ready for the cover?   I thought you might be! Okay, here you go!

Isn't that creepy and intriguing?!

What do you think? Do you plan to check it out?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Fabulosity on A Daily Cup of Jo

Happy Thursday, everyone! A quicky post for you all today!

Over the last four days, I've had the intense pleasure of speaking with some amazing authors over on the radio show about UTOPiAcon and how the conference changed lives.

I urge you to give these episodes a listen. Every time I do this, I'm stunned by the responses given to me by my guests.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll get this funny feeling in your guts that you're missing out on something you need to be a part of.

Listen to all episodes here or search for A Daily Cup of Jo on iTunes podcasts.

Janet Wallace said it best over on the Utopia blog:

You are a dreamer.
You are a doer.
You are a reader.
You are a creator.
You are a storyteller.
You are a teacher.
You are a student.
You are a friend.
You are flawed.
You are perfect.
You are powerful.
You are a hero.
You are an icon.
You are tribe.
You are UTOPiA.

That's what I'm talking about. So listen, learn, and #FightForYourWrite.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Marketing: Things I Learned by Working at the Telephone Company

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, we're talking about marketing and some things I learned from my time at two different telecommunications companies. Ready? Grab that pen and notebook and let's get going!

I was lying in bed this morning, my brain ticking away, and for some reason yet unknown to me, my brain attacked my past work experiences in the telecommunications industry. Yeah, okay, I was thinking about marketing and how different approaches yielded different results. For reasons of anonymity, I'm going to call them Company A and Company B. In both companies, I was a customer service representative.

Now, I worked for Company A in 2003ish. I had over a month of training before they'd even allow me to get near a real telephone and consumer. What I learned in training was how to provide customer satisfaction, and how to sell, sell, sell.

You see, Company A gauged performance on sales and disclosure. Problem solving was tickled, but we didn't get down and dirty with how to listen and respond to issues the customer was having. No, we were taught how to turn those issues into sales.

What was unique about Company A is how they taught us to approach the pitch. If you called in with an issue about having a prank caller, I would offer you XYZ product that would allow you to see who was calling and block them or offer you a number change (for a fee, of course).

When a customer called in wanting a cell phone, I was to listen and ascertain how fancy that phone offer should be. Was it someone who appreciated all the bells and whistles, wanted something basic, or wanted the latest and best thing on the market so they had a certain level of status socially? I then sold them a product based on their needs/desires.

Even if you called in and didn't want a cell phone, I was told to prompt you for a story about a scary experience where you had a flat or were worried about your teen. Then, in order to soothe your fears, I was to sell you a mobile device.

There were only three hard and fast rules: 

1. Don't piss anyone off (because a satisfied customer tells maybe ten people, but a dissatisfied customer tells anyone who'll listen).
2. Don't lie (that's lawsuit material right there). 
3. Don't hang up on the customer no matter what (see item one).

I worked for Company B in 2006ish. I had nearly three months of training, the last of which was done talking with actual customers while a coach sat nearby to answer questions or provide guidance, before I was allowed "out on my own." I was trained on how to make the customer happy and give accurate information.

Company B rated performance on customer satisfaction, problem solving, and accuracy of information given. Period. We were taught how to make our customers giddy.

This company's unique approach was not in the customer having the latest and greatest gadget or upgrade, but having the plan that was right for their usage. If you didn't sell anything, that was okay. They wanted people paying for exactly what they needed and no more.

Why? They were looking at it from a retention perspective.

You see, customers aren't profitable for at least two years. If you can't keep your customer around, you lose oodles of money. So, it was still needs based, but it wasn't about the upsell.

I was told to examine every customer's account and make sure they had the plan that worked best for how they used their phones. If that meant removing a product, then so be it. When you hung up, you knew Company B had your back and wasn't trying to price gouge you.

There were only two hard and fast rules:

1. Listen closely and provide the best customer service possible.
2. Don't get belligerent or hang up on the customer no matter what.

How does this pertain to book sales?

I'm getting there! Hang with me.

What hit me after I had a little while of contemplation was: Both companies were after customer satisfaction, but one focused on sales while the other focused on retention. Each method worked (they're both huge companies), but the difference in the people working there was astronomical.

At Company A, everyone in the office was on some kind of antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication.
At Company B, everyone was genuinely happy. Every single day.

So, here's what I'm getting at with my lengthy retelling:
If you create a novel that's well written, well edited, and tells a great story, you'll be able to sell it because the level of reader satisfaction rises. Those readers will keep coming back because they know you'll produce a great product and you care about their experience.

But you have to market according to why those readers need to read your book.

Marketing and selling are just phase one. Reader satisfaction is the biggest chunk of pie imaginable. So, focus on the reader and writing a book you know will bring them back for more, and you'll be selling oodles of novels in a short amount of time.

My question for you today is: Why does a reader need to read your book? Give me your best pitch in the comments!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

How Many Books Should I Bring to XxX Author Event?

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're going to address a question that gets asked allll the time:

How many books should I bring to this author event?

Well, I have an answer for you that works with every author event you'll ever attend. So, get your clicking fingers ready and let's get going!

An author event is a lot like a trade show. There will be people buying, browsing, and selling. For this calculation, you'll need numbers. Most of the time, if you look around or ask, someone will be more than happy to share ticket sales numbers in order to help you out.

You should bring books based on the number of people at the event. If you're afraid you'll run out, do a pre-order form for folks who'll be attending so you can guarantee you'll have copies for those who are interested.

But how many, right?

I'm getting there.

Besides your pre-orders, you should bring 1% of the total number of bodies coming through the doors, and you should bring twice that many of any new release you might have.

Let's go through my books and use a number of 1,200, and we'll assume it's a conference for readers and authors of young adult and new adult.

1% of 1,200 is 12. So, I'd want 12 each of my YA and NA titles, and 24 of any new release (which I don't have right now).

Will I sell them all?

No. But I'll have enough on hand. For older works, I usually cut it to .5% of the number.

Here's a rundown:
I, Zombie - 12 (it sells reallllly well)
M -12
The Bird - 6
Mystic - 6 each of the smaller, individual books (novellas). Total would be 30.
Markaza - 12
Mystic collection (5 in 1) - 6
Fractured Glass - 12
The Indie Author's Guide - 6

So, in total, for a YA/NA conference, I'd have 96 books on hand. If there will be adult readers, too, I'd bring this in addition:
Yassa - 6

That makes it 102. No way do I sell all these, but 1% is a good rule of thumb to follow (business wise).

That was about how many I took to the last conference I was at, and I only brought home 40 books.

I know that seems like a lot to have afterward, but I sold 62, which comes out to around 5% of the total number of people attending. That's realllly good, and I didn't have to turn anyone away without a novel in hand.

I could probably have taken half that many, and I wouldn't have had so many to cart back home, but I always go big. *shrugs* At least I have giveaway books on hand! I was able to donate a number of them to a hospital recently, so that made it all better!

There you have it. I hope that clears up some questions. 

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo