Footprints and Baby Steps #IARTG @LiviaQuinn #youcandothis

There's an analogy that's used to describe how writers should approach the marketing of their books. A single "Footprint" vs. many feetprints if you'll pardon the misnomer. But the analogy holds true and has a great deal of merit.

Late in 2011 I decided to self-publish after a series of weather mishaps that threatened to end my writing for good. That book, under a previous pen name ultimately became Undone. It was the right decision for me at the time and I'm not sorry I went that direction, even though there have been so many changes in the market since. I seem to always be at the end of a trend. ;)

So, I published my little book expecting big things... then pretty much walked away. Not on purpose; my business required my time more than ever, but honestly, I didn't know what I was doing. Finding one little book on Amazon is like finding a particular grain of sand on that beach.  I was learning about the footprint theory, and I learned a lot from that experience. In 2014 with more books under my belt, both partials and final drafts, I decided to restart my writing career. I started fresh with a new pen name, set a goal to publish three books before the Romance Novel Convention in July and three by the end of the year. I accomplished that goal and didn't see any reason why I couldn't continue at that pace for a couple years.

I made a small spreadsheet to brainstorm my prospective minimum and maximum word counts for the year (by month). It was an eye opener. It can be adjusted on the fly when you see something coming up like a two week trip, busy summer plans, or a heavy workload. It's a wonderful tool to encourage you when you think your writing isn't getting anywhere. When I convert my smaller total into books, I get two or three novels, one or two novellas, or a possibility of 3-5 books for the year with the minimum written.

I anticipated being able to follow my "maximum" guidelines but then it was like Tom Brokaw came on TV saying, "We interrupt this lofty writing plan to announce some major changes in your dayjob, your husband's health, and the hit to your writerly budget. Oh, and by the way, did you forget to factor in the maintenance of your published books? social media? promo? newsletters? new covers, formatting and uploading revised books and new books?  Add to that, scheduling of events and followup with readers and other authors?"

Boy, did I!  In 2015, I only published 4 books (the reason for that second column ;) It took seven months to write the first one but it got done.)

In December, I decided to remove my books from KDP select and put everything on Kobo, Nook, Itunes and ARe as well to widen my readership and hopefully increase sales. This took almost three months because there was constant correcting of files, pricing, descriptions, formats, links, "also by" pages... the list goes on.

By mid March my business was in FULL swing and I was again behind on book 5 of my paranormal series. So here I am having just put my newest book, Take These Broken Wings, up for preorder on those sites for September.

Once again I'm reminded that I can only do what I can do and have a semi-balanced life. Still the long range plan is to keep adding to that footprint. As of now, I have published eleven books. Hopefully, by the end of next next year, I'll be closer to twenty, but who knows? Life has a funny way of getting in the way.

Self-publishing is very hard work. You're the "man" no matter how things go. And if you're in it for the long haul, you just gotta keep plugging until you look over your shoulder and see a nice wide footprint.

Can you share your experience with publishing either traditional or self-publishing? Do you struggle to stay on track? I'm here to tell you - You CAN do this! Just don't give up.

Baby steps are better than no steps.


See all my books at  http://liviaquinn.com/book.html
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TOOoooo Busy

Wow. I don't know how anybody works, raises kids AND writes. I know there are women out there that do it but since I started my new job three weeks ago, I've only had time to critique some for a fellow author and revise 'forward' on OTHR.

Monday through Friday I've been working, training, traveling to our office 80 miles away, and doing online courses (when my internet wasn't down - that turned out to a $95 problem.)

I'm still running the mail on Saturday. Yesterday, we had to run it twice because of a power outage in Jackson. That didn't really make sense, but the postal service has to abide by its contract which says the first class will be delivered if it makes it to the local facility.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Tennessee for a three day school - a crash course so that's another disruption of my writing schedule. I seem to be in revise and critique mode so I'll read Leah's Sam sequel while I'm in this waiting game to get back to my own writing.

Been thinking about what Cori asked me when I met with her about FIMB. She asked why I was doing it as a novella. Ever since, I don't feel that it's finished because in the back of my mind I was wondering the same thing. I've been trying to get the first 5 chapters of it together to send her as I promised but I no longer think of it as finished.

I just have to take everything a day at a time. It will all work out.

Daily Habits

I can get so distracted, probably ADD or ADHD or whatever they call it. And it plays havoc with focusing on my writing.

For instance, I can't cook french bread in the broiler. I place it on the rack, stand there for maybe 10 seconds, then I see a spider web in the corner of the room. Must get that spider web. I grab the broom, swipe it down, put the broom up. Hmm, what's this cap doing here by the broom? Must put it where it belongs, and on and on. Until I smell smoke.

I could probably cook bread if I got CFM to tape one hand to the stove. [grin] I used to try to dry the iron skillets on the stove until one morning he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Do not dry the iron skillets. I'll dry them for you." That was years ago. It runs in Mom's side of the family. Not anything to do with Alzheimers (I hope). I have almost a photographic memory for things I see and hear but don't ask me where I put something. Out of sight - out of mind.

I believe I was the originator of the Day Runner type organizer. I took an address book. Fitted it with notebook paper and an alphabetical index and voila. I used one for years to set my tasks for the day, to keep track of everything about my life. I had a page under B for budget, S for songs I wanted to learn, C for Computer issues, P for (I know) passwords. But when I got out of sales, I set it aside.

Now, I'm going back to a daily goal system to stay on track with one addition - my whiteboard.

I've created two columns the one on the left for the task categories that I need to complete each and every day. Column two for the variables, my optional choices.

So this week it looks something like this:

Daily
Exercise
Write 2000w or 2hrs
Revise, submit, critique
Other - pick one
Blog/ email
Read instruction/inspiration

Mind Jog - pick from list
Writing
OTHR more revisions
FIMB revisions
FIMB synopsis, query
Write forward RC, LMA, Rory, FF

Other Options
Refrigerator
Straighten office
Haircolor
Computer backups
CDs
WORK - blaah

Sunday
Blogs scheduled ahed
Groups
Wash, cleanup
Sports on TV


So far I've been able to stay on track except for writing forward because I can't seem to decide which story I'm going to pursue.

Is that a good excuse or what!

You probably already have good habits? Anything you can share?

Neither Rain nor Snow - Carrying the mail 101

Writing for most of us is not the most dependable way to make a living, or even spare change it seems until you get some sales and get going. So most of us have at least one other job or work at home caring for their children.

I work as a Rural Carrier for the United States Postal Service.

Sometimes people think, like I used to, that mail carriers have it easy. They just show up at the post office. Someone loads their mail for their route in order into their vehicle. They then proceed to just amble along and poke the mail into the mail boxes. This couldn't be further from the truth!


Rural Carrier delivering from the passenger seat. Many of us drive and deliver from the middle of the front seat or straddled on the console.


The truck arrives in our small town from the distribution center around 6 am. The mail handlers and clerks unload racks of mail - presorted letters, letters that weren't able to be presorted, tubs of presorted flats and huge bins of flats (magazines, oversize envelopes, newspapers, advertisements) that must be sorted within the next two hours so that the arriving carriers can 'case' them for delivery and leave the PO by around 9:30 or 10:00.

All of this activity has time, volume and accuracy factors. The carriers arrive an hour or so after the delivery truck and begin casing the presorted letters. Though the letters are presorted, each piece must be verified to make sure it isn't out of sequence and delivered to the wrong box.




Mail Carrier casing mail.

Then each carrier must collect the 35lb totes of flats that must also be cased around the letters in order of the route. Once the mail is cased and packages sorted by customer and marked, it must be 'pulled down' into smaller bundles and transferred to large tubs which can hold several hundred pounds of mail and packages.


The tub is rolled out to the carrier's truck or SUV or car. Each carrier loads the contents of the tub into their vehicle making provisions for bad weather. Most routes require the carrier to be finished by mid afternoon.

In the case of Rural Carriers these are their personal vehicles and at today's gas prices most carriers don't make enough off their gas and maintenance allowance to cover anything but gas.

Add to that wasps, snakes, birds in mailboxes, dogs, irate customers and highway hazards and you wonder why mail carriers don't get hazardous duty pay.






A recent web article reported that during National Dog Bite Awareness week a customer sicked their pitt bull on the carrier for trying to deliver a certified letter! Recent statistics pegged the number of dog bites nationally at 4.7 million, with letter carriers comprising the third-highest number of victims.

That's why when someone says to me - Oh, it's okay, he won't bite - I stay in my truck.

Mail carriers really don't want recognition though it's nice to receive appreciative comments from customers who realize how tough the job is. But next time you see a mail carrier driving along the shoulder, maybe you could move over and allow them onto the highway. Or maybe you could clean the wasps and birds nests out of your mailbox.

Next time you hear about national security, think about the mail carriers who keep your mail safe.

But even if you don't, we'll still keep doing what we do, because we believe we provide an invaluable service, especially in these days of high gas prices.