February 2015 in Review

Starting in January, I decided it would be a good idea to look back at each month and see what I have accomplished in my writing and marketing as well as reflect upon what needs to be improved in the future.

February was a meh month for all of my work.  While I finished the formatting for The Winter Garden in ebook and paperback and was able to move up the release date to March 15th, I didn’t get much done in terms of book three.  I did make a little progress with all of my projects. Maybe part of the problem is that my hands and mind are in too many places at once.

What I did accomplish:

1. Finished and corrected The Winter Garden in both ebook and paperback
2. Handed in the first two drafts of my thesis proposal (grad school)
3. Began outlining and writing book three
4. Sent The Winter Garden off to a few reviewers and readers who will spread the word when it comes out in two weeks.
5. Was able to read for fun for the first time since the semester started (if you’re in college or grad school, you’ll understand why that’s an accomplishment)
6. For the department, finished the newsletter articles, formatting the literary magazine, and the section of the website assigned to me
7. Wrote on my blog consistently throughout the month

Goals for March:

1. Marketing books one and two effectively
2. Writing and outlining more of book three
3. Do more research about marketing books
4. Continue to write on my blog consistently
5. Try to write a little every day
6. Not mention book three on social media or my blog until The Winter Garden has been out for a while.
7. Develop newsletter

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that bad of a month, but I have felt burnt out for most of it.  I often find times of transition very stressful and jarring, and currently, I am trying to transition of book two to book three.  Switching characters, settings, and plots is hard for my mind to grasp.  Once The Winter Garden is out, I think it will be easier for me to disengage from one and work on the other.  Closure should hopefully help that issue if not solve it.

I know the saying is “The best way to sell book one is book two,” so I need to focus on book three. Part of me wants to shout from the roof tops about book three, but I’m not letting myself discuss it yet.  I have a general idea of where it is going, an outline for chapter one, and a whole lot of random ideas and information, which I had to put into my thesis proposal.  I don’t want to confuse readers and followers my launching into book three when book two has not even come out yet. My alpha reader/bff is where I will let loose my verbal or textual diarrhea concerning book three.

With all the facets that come with being an author, marketing is my hardest area.  I think it is for most people, but I have been playing around on Goodreads listopia section looking for books on marketing.  I have also pillaged the reading lists of my fellow authors looking for the books they recommend.  This is one of the many perks of knowing other authors, They are usually very willing to give you advice or let you in on some tips.  By the end of the month, I’m hoping to invest in a book or two on marketing and read them asap. With grad school, that probably means May.

I was going to add “Make a newsletter sign up” to my to-do list, but it took me two seconds and now it’s at the top of the page.  I hope to send one out once a month just to check in with my readers and let them know what’s going on. Not sure what I’ll say yet, but I’m hoping to work on that as well.

Well, here’s to March.  Hopefully, I can get the ball rolling on book three and be able to tell everyone about it in more detail soon. Keeping secrets is not my strong suit.