A bumper crop of idea-ism...

This week is a bumper crop of tips and ideas! I've just returned from holiday and I'm behind with updates, so this week I have 14 steps to share with you for:

Operation Author: 365 Actions to Becoming a Successful Author 

Action 1:
I've been talking to bands, caterers and theatre groups and added an update to the crowdfund website:


https://www.fundsurfer.com/pies-music-and-other-consumables

Action 2:
The second edition of The Bronze Box is now complete and is the version that will be available through the crowdfund:

https://www.fundsurfer.com/project/independently-publishing-solomons-secrets-event

Pledge now to be the first to get it - when it comes out!

The First Edition of The Bronze Box will no longer be available so if you want to own a book that will soon be rare, get in there quick.

Original, first edition cover

First Edition - Get it while you can

Action 3:
This is what the new book will look like

Second edition cover art

I'm tempted to add the Epilogue to this update but wouldn't want to set loose a spoiler, so here's a tiny bit of it...

The Bronze Box, Epilogue sample

Action 4:
I'm setting up some meetings with some bands. This week I'm meeting Evie Woods - here's her awesome music:

https://soundcloud.com/eviewoodsband

Action 5:
I sent Word documents of The Bronze Box and Solomon's Secrets to the theatre producer I'm using, Byron Mondahl and highlighted a couple of passages that can be scripted for the actors to perfrom. Here's a teaser:

Script extract from Solomon's Secrets

Actions 6 & 7:

I've written full character profiles for Tom and Sasha to help the actors out

Action 8:
The Solomon's Secrets event is now listed on several event listings sites

Here it is on Skiddle:
http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Bristol/Averys-Wine-Cellars/Solomons-Secrets/12184668/

Actions 9 & 10:
I've printed some sample leaflets for Solomon's Secrets with a few short chapters and blurb.
I've left them on trains, in aeroplanes and in a few bars and cafes in Lisbon, Porto and Madrid

Action 11:
I sent press releases to several local publications. An article was printed in the Wellington Weekly News.

I grew up in the small town of Wellington in Somerset, but the paper came out when I was away and the article is not on their website, so I'm hoping my dad has picked up a copy. If he has, I'll post it on here.

Action 12:
Knowing that I'd be away and not regularly online, I scheduled in lots of tweets before I went  to keep up the momentum for the crowdfund.

Action 13:
One of my beta readers has bought back a copy of Solomon's Secrets and I've started my re-edits. I'm waiting for feedback from several others.

Action 14:
Like most writers, once I've written the first draft of a book I'm already thinking about the next one. Being on holiday gave me the space to take a notebook and start writing passages for the next book, Gabriel's Game. Here's a teaser:

Extract from Gabriel's Game

Hopefully some of the actions I've taken in the past couple of weeks will give you some ideas and inspiration...

What marketing tips would you offer to a writer 

trying to build their platform? 

Keys, scrolls, cheesy videos and crowdfunding

My seven actions this week for 

Operation Author: 365 Actions to Becoming a Successful Author 

have largely been about keeping up the momentum for the crowdfund pitch.

https://www.fundsurfer.com/project/independently-publishing-solomons-secrets-event

• I registered the new book, Solomon's Secrets on iAuthor - http://www.iauthor.uk.com/solomon-s-secrets:5296

• I've updated my Amazon Author page http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amy-Fitzjohn/e/B00DQBCQZM/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

I've finished the edits for The Bronze Box now too. The second edition is the edition I will be offering through the crowdfund, having corrected mistakes that slipped through the in first edition, added a new Epilogue and updated the cover. Thanks to my very talented brother Lewis: https://twitter.com/MrLewisFitzjohn,  for contributing the artwork for the cover.

• I met with Olly and Derek from Fundsurfer this week and went over my marketing plan with them.

• I also had a 1 to 1 with a business adviser from a new enterprise support agency in Bristol.

• I've created some leaflets and had an idea about rolling them into a scroll so they look like a treasure map

The first batch of keys that I made up with labels on them have now all gone out to various places across Bristol and I went into a key cutting shop in Bedminster and got another handful of keys from his reject box in exchange for a donation to the charity pot. These key labels are different to the first batch and are just for the crowdfund

• I've posted an out take video on You Tube that was cut from my crowdfund pitch but it's worth a watch if you're curious about my stories:

 

Watch my video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ui7N8C19_k&feature=youtu.be

What do you think?

Is there anything here that inspires you?

 

It's alive! The beast lives!

My Operation Author: 365 Actions to Succeed as an Author this week has all been about my crowdfunding pitch.

By talking the time to put together a good pitch and offer some attractive rewards, and by choosing a local start up, I am maximising the chances of getting some widespread publicity for Solomon's Secrets.

The fund was launched this week...

It's ALIVE!

Here it is: https://www.fundsurfer.com/project/independently-publishing-solomons-secrets-event

Take a look and tell me what you think (and have a giggle at my cheesy video).

My seven actions have been related to publicising and launching the crowdfund and have included;
 

• I was the speaker at the Fundsurfer launch party on Thursday night. I'm a confident public speaker and find that I have most impact when I get in front of people - my challenge is to find ways to do this

• I did some networking at an event at The Greenway Community Centre on Friday and met a couple of really useful contacts. One who edits a couple of local magazines so I'm going to meet with him for a coffee to discuss writing some content for them.

• Putting together a marketing plan for the crowdfund. I'll be meeting the guys at Fundsurfer next week to go through it and pick their brains

• Sending out lots of emails to my network with links to the crowdfund

• My Klout score went up, I spent so much time on twitter spreading the word and responding to people

• I've written an article on my experience of crowdfunding. It will go in the next issue of Prowess Women in Business. I currently have an article in there about the power of telling stories to attract customers - http://www.prowess.org.uk/stories-about-your-business

Have you ever tried crowdfunding?

If so, what worked for you?