Not Your Typical Summer Weather - Kickstarter on Hold, While...
Two calves haven't dropped yet. But I'm checking twice daily. The two momma's are growing ever closer. Meanwhile, I found some stuff that changes my book marketing - or starts it off right...
Hi,
Glad to have you open this once again (or even for a first time). Yes, life (and writing) goes along on this farm with trials, tribulations, joys, and marvels. And my daily/weekly writing continues as well. Glad to share this all with you .
Farming News - Now fifteen calves!. And #15 is featured. The same weather cycle repeats - It quits raining, heat comes, then storms, then cool. Rinse/repeat.
Writing News - Crazy stuff. Research continues, but I had to confront that my readers/subscribers aren’t ready.
Expectancy Tips - Releasing again is a core habit to master. Along with affirmation.
Fiction News - That research above plays into new fiction - while a standalone serial-series continues this week.
Farming News
Here’s Calf Number 15. Now we’re caught up - while two remain…
Another bull calf. Momma’s name is Lefty - because of that left “hand” on her left side. He’s got no side-stripe on him. although he’s quarter-Beltie
We’ve still got two cows left to drop their calves.
But don’t worry - I’ve got plenty of cute cow-calf photo’s to send you until they do - and after.
We got an unexpected rain yesterday, that dropped the temperature from the low 90’s right down to mid-70’s. Of course, we just enjoyed the thunder storm and rain, snuggled in the security of our little cottage.
The cows stayed in behind their fences all this week. That was a relief.
Tiny Home News
We did our first canning in that tiny home. Just a water bath for the jars, which sealed nicely. A/C barely kept up with all the heat we produced. Of course, she was right on top of he boiling pots. I just had to keep supplying her with equipment, fresh water (it’s all in 3-gallon jugs, remember?) and offering polite, well-thought-out banter.
Total was 6 1/2 pints of tomato sauce. (The half-pint went into the fridge instead of the water bath.)
The next thing is to figure out where to store these canned goods. I’ve still got room in our little storage trailer (for now.)
Oh - it’s a happy anniversary for us two - married a full year now. We picked up her new-to-her SUV and went out to eat.
Today, we’re picking up our quarter beef from the processor. Fun. (I wonder if she wants to put these sacks of frozen beef in the back of her new SUV?)
Life goes on.
Writing News
Once I got a realistic view of what it would take to get decent sales on Kickstarter, I realized that my list needs to be improved.
I need more people who buy things. Mainly, I have to get used to marketing all the time. It’s been a gradual process. There’s several hundred people who open this newsletter every week, as well as the other two - so: thanks!
This week, I found myself starting to research the next couple of books (and found it was a little team, in addition to Campbell, who created that uber-successful OU Professional Writing course in the 1940’s-50’s. They each wrote their own textbooks in addition to Campbell’s four. And the course emphasis shifted over time, ending up as a Master’s Degree - something that Campbell didn’t agree with way back when, but time changes things. We’re interested in what worked the best during that whole time-period. So I have several more books arriving in the next few days - some pre-owned paperbacks, and a couple on loan from the local library, who’s getting them for me from somewhere. Those of course, are extra research…
But - I was avoiding my own marketing.
Then I had this breakthrough idea: we’ll reverse the Amazon model.
I’ve got a huge book, but it’s been hanging up with wanting to release a Kickstarter on it. And I said - wait: I can split up that book into individual ebooks, publish them all in short order as part of a series, then publish the collection as both an ebook and paperback. I’ll then save the hardback for Kickstarter as an exclusive deluxe version - then a couple of months later come out with an economy hardback.
The individual ebooks are simply loss-leader reader-magnets and SLO (self-liquidating offers.) And so I’ll run these through their own editing process to make them standalone. Covers, blurbs, intro’s, and preview-snippets for the next in series.
Oh - and each ebook becomes a mini-course. Yes, that’s work, but not as much as writing the original.
So that made me push the Kickstarter off to a far-future date while I get the rest of this done. And start pushing my paid memberships (hint) with all these books and courses inside them. Plus mentions in Substack Notes.
I’m also doing a study of Tim Grahl’s books and course (paid for these some years ago, but didn’t get my wits around how important they were.)
Keep opening these newsletters as the adventure continues…
WriterpreneurOS
The 6th chapter of the Cashflow Code arrived. Follow this serial…
This serial is an investigative mystery - of how to do book marketing and why it’s so hard and costly. But it winds up in 10 installments. (That tenth is a supplement.)
Fiction
And the fiction serial is half-way through - The Saga of Erotika Jones continues:
We’ve just got three more in this serial-series. She’s running out of time, and still hasn’t gotten the criminal gang located and rounded up.
And I still like reading them. Nice, short, and no politics. Cozy mysteries.
Here’s a side-bar story: I wrote the first story, and picked out the covers months before I went anywhere with them. Because the first book was just too pat in its approach. I was missing a high-stakes underlying reason she was doing all this body-swapping with every episode. That’s when “Case of the Time Bent Beau” came in to set the stage. The main character in that story had to get created and mature - and fall in love. So we have a dual plot ongoing - but you’re going to see another romantic arc if you haven’t guessed it already…
Kickstarter Previews Arrive
Still need your feedback on the Kickstarter preview.
Please visit the preview and use their comment area to tell me what needs to improve - or just give me (needed) attaboys.
Kickstarter display page here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1481356435/1548894263?ref=a5wy7u&token=315549e4 (Feel free to share that preview…)
Sign up to be notified when it goes live: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robertworstell/writerpreneur-cracking-the-cashflow-code-non-fiction-book (Sign up now. Share that link with anyone you know who it could help.
PS. I discovered late pledges have been implemented by Kickstarter - so mine will have these for all who missed the initial roll-out. Lots of great stuff. When we get back to it.
A Special Offer Returns
Continuing along - the beta-readers version of Cracking the Cashflow Code is now available. It will be available at this link until I start the Kickstarter release, you can download the new and improved edition (especially if you already have it from earlier.)
That link is also Pay What You Want - a nice way to donate.
Here’s the link: https://livingsensical.gumroad.com/l/CashflowCode
AN ASK: if you’ve downloaded it, please give some feedback. Leave it in the comments, send me an email. Something, anything. Like it, could be better.
NOTE: This will be a bonus for the Kickstarter. Publishing decisions will be in the next few weeks.
Expectancy Tips
Ran into this full-tilt this morning - it actually woke me up.
The people who make their success set it as their expectant goal. And it’s that simple. Authors who expect themselves to have a best-selling book will work out what it does for the reader before they write anything down. This means that they have to start marketing from the first inkling of it. Grahl tells how you can market a book while you’re writing it, getting podcast interviews meanwhile, and so building your subscriber-list audience with little besides a cover, a blurb, and a few starting chapters. Yes, much like laying out a book treatment for a traditional publisher.
You’re creating your success as you go along.
Sound familiar?
We’re running long today, so I’ll have to leave you with those cryptic notes. You can visit https://store.livingsensical.com and get ebooks and some courses in this area, as usual.
Thanks for being there, opening this.
Sharing is caring. You’re who I do this all for. I value your input.
Leave a comment if something strikes your fancy.
I hope your life is not too interesting to be overwhelming, but sufficiently engaging to keep you amused. (Like some of us here...)
Robert
PS. Again, you can always email me about anything.
PPS. Again, do upgrade to the paid newsletter version. That helps me keep the lights on - so I can keep all this coming to you. As much or little as you want…
(Meanwhile, I’ve put my archived newsletters and articles all available as free on Substack, instead of behind a paywall.)
AND you can always buy me a coffee…
Here’s that new beta-reader advanced copy - still available: