Lucky 13, an appeal for help and a call for guest posts...

This week for 

Operation Author: 365 Actions to Becoming a Successful Author 

My 7 tasks have revolved around working towards getting Solomon's Secrets published.

My first action was to meet with Silverwood Books about publishing the book through them. I have some thinking to do then get back to them with what I would like.

I saw some examples of the books they've published and had a long chat over a cup of tea. I'd really like to work with them but everything depends on the success of the crowdfund.

My next action was to put an update on Fundsurfer, briefing those who've already pledged and providing more information to those that haven't, in the hope that it will resonate and they'd like to support me.

Link to the update here

 My next action is an appeal for help...

If you've been enjoying the updates. If you've read some of the extracts and think that this a project worth supporting, please get involved.

Of course, if you ever need help spreading a message I'll help you out too if you've helped me :)

There are several ways you could help:

Twitter

Follow me on Twitter and I’ll follow you back:
https://twitter.com/TomCatDesigns

• Retweet my updates
• Use my link to the fund in your own tweets: http://bit.ly/SolomonsSecrets_Fund
• Use the hastag #SolomonsSecrets wherever you can

Facebook

• Like and share my Facebook Author Page with your friends: http://bit.ly/ACFitz_FB 

Pinterest
 
Follow and share the Pinterest boards on the book:
Here’s the board of actors I imagine as my characters:
http://www.pinterest.com/amymorse184/solomons-secrets-characters/

Here’s the board of research links that I sourced when writing the book:
http://www.pinterest.com/amymorse184/solomons-secrets-research-links-and-images/


My next action is to call for guest posts. 

Have you got an idea for a post on marketing tips for creatives / writers?

I'm looking for short pieces of approximately 500 words. Share your tips and experiences here.

Tweet me if you are interested:

https://twitter.com/TomCatDesigns

This action is a funny example of how small the world is. 


I sent a press release to the Wellington Weekly News
 
They printed the piece. Later, on Facebook, a friend in New Zealand who's mum had sent them a copy of the Welly Weekly to mark the birth of their son (they too grew up in Wellington Somerset), posted an image. It was the issue I was in...

The next action associated with this is that my old school, Court Fields Community School contacted me and asked me to be the key note speaker at their awards ceremony. I'll be talking to pupils at my former school about following your dreams, entrepreneurship and writing on 10th July.


And finally, I'm still serializing chapters of Solomon's Secrets from time to time and this week I posted chapter 13

Please get in touch if you'd like to guest post and help support my publishing ambitions.  Thanks

 



 

E-Books, cake and flights of fancy... Operation Author, 365 actions

It's week 7 of my operation author project:
 

Operation Author - 

365 Actions to Succeed as an Author

My first action is to put a call out...

I'd really love to hear from anyone who blogs about books or is happy to review books.  

A free e-book in exchange for a review anyone?

With no news in my day job about whether our project to support start ups in Bristol will continue from April, we're now all in redundancy consultations. 

I'm trying not to let it be too depressing and see it as an opportunity to follow my dreams to earn a living through writing and supporting others with their creativity.  The trouble is, my dreams are still just flights of fancy and a month is not enough time to turn them into something tangible!

It's somewhat ironic that the only comprehensive free support for new businesses is Bristol, Outset Bristol, is in danger of closing resulting in at least one of it's staff considering self employment as their favoured option?!

I've been working frantically to have something to launch with if the worst should happen. It's exhausting!

This week, my writing platform endeavours have been:

Day 2 - I followed up a contact that a colleague gave me and found this really great blog:

http://womanontheedgeofreality.com/2012/11/13/101-book-marketing-ideas-for-authors/

Thanks  Linda Parkinson-Hardman

 

My next action is to follow up her invitation for an interview.  Look out for it...

Day 3 - I've been making up marketing material for the events I have coming up.  Thanks to the creative talents of Graham Morse - here's a flyer for the workshop I'm running on Wednesday 5th March - 'Why Marketing your Book is Like Making a Pizza: A Marketing Workshop for Writers'

I'm both excited and nervous about doing the workshop.  I really want it to be a success.

Day 4 - I entered The Bronze Box into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.  Wish me luck, it's the first competition I've entered for my writing :-S

Day 5 - I have had another article published in Prowess 2.0: Women in Business.  

I really enjoy business writing, it fits so seamlessly with my day job experience and my love of writing.  It's something I'd like to do more of.  

Can anyone suggest any leads or contacts for me? 

I'm really passionate about supporting independent business and especially underrepresented groups in enterprise, one of which is women.  I'm keen to guest blog, write articles, speak at events etc.

The last couple of days of this week I've been preparing for the book event I'm hosting at The Hydra Bookshop in old market, Bristol on Saturday 22nd Feb from 4pm to 6pm.

I've made up some flyers for Solomon's Secrets to display at the event:

Yesterday I made an epic and absurdly chocolaty fridge cake for the event. Here's the Recipe:

2 x small value Madeira Cakes 

8 x large bars of milk chocolate - the better quality the nicer the cake (I really hate cooking chocolate)

1 x grab bag of Malteasers

4 bags of Milky-bar buttons

4 generous Tablespoons of butter

couple of handfuls of chopped nuts

couple of handfuls of raisins

a few handfuls of mini marshmallows 

Crumble the cake into a big mixing bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter.  Stir the chocolate into the cake. Stir in the Milky-bar buttons and allow them to melt a little in the warm chocolate for a marbled effect.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Turn the mix out onto a large baking sheet lined with foil or cling film. Compact the mix into the tray to form a block. Refrigerate overnight then cut into squares.

I decorated it with bronze sugar spray and gold sugar balls before cutting it up.

I'll be giving away the squares at the book event so if you are in Bristol, UK come and get some.

 

What else do you think I could do this week to reach out to more people?