FEBRUARY'S NEARLY GONE - SPRING IS IN THE AIR! By Pam Howes



That's not strictly true, as half the country is still under water and likely to be for many months, but - there are loads of colourful little flowers popping up in the garden, birds are showing their faces at the feeder again and the new season lambs are arriving daily. So all in all, something to look forward to. It's been an awful month weather-wise and I hope no one suffered too much, if any, damage to their homes, self, and cars. Apart from some of the fascia under the roof tiles blowing off and a small branch falling onto my car bonnet, we fared well here and consider ourselves very lucky. And looking on the bright side, we haven't had snow - yet…

The month of February started off really well for me. On the 1st, my favourite female crime author Mandasue Heller, did a book signing at the local Waterstone's and I got a copy of her latest novel Respect, signed. This is the second time I've met Mandasue and she's such a nice lady to speak to; very friendly and patient with all her fans. I don't buy many paperbacks these days, but I do love a signed copy to keep safe. 




On the 3rd it was the 55th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. As I
write sixties rock'n'roll based romances, I ran a half-price sale of all my books on my Facebook author page to commemorate the anniversary, and it was a great success. Lots of nice sales. Which brings me to the subject of - how many people use their FB author page to full advantage? A few discoveries recently have led me to boosting certain posts for around £3 a throw. It's amazing how many extra views, likes and sales this can bring in. It's certainly worth thinking about. I've started to use my page to chat with readers about everything and anything, not just the books. I've posted old photographs of actual places that feature in my novels, clubs, and record stores etc. The readers/followers engage really well with this and the ones that enjoyed the stories will let others know. Word of mouth is your best selling tool. In fact, I'm finding the FB page a better bet for exchanging comments than my website blog or Twitter. Although I still do the odd Tweet or two I'm gaining new followers on FB by the day. You can also add your book links via the READ MY BOOK App, so your readers can go straight to the page to buy. Saves them searching around. So many authors don't include a link to their work, missing real sales opportunities.


Earlier this week, after a sudden unexpected burst of sunshine showed up the cobwebs on the wall above my desk, I had a bit of a spring clean. I've shredded so much paper I can actually see my computer and desk again. I was feeling bogged down and uninspired, sitting here surrounded by a ton of rubbish. Now I feel like I've got space, and a serious urge to crack on with Ruby Tuesday, the second novel in my fairground romance series.
 


And last but not least, take a look at the photo below and feel inspired. Two new-born lambs, named Ritchie and Buddy, after my heroes. Just look at the contented face of their mum, Ally. If they don't make you smile and feel that spring is just around the corner, then nothing will!

Have fun. Bye until next time. Pam. 





Comments

Chris Longmuir said…
Great post, and thanks for telling me about the Facebook 'Read My Book' app. I'm looking into it.
julia jones said…
Well that certainly brought a smile to my face. Thanks Pam
Unknown said…
My pleasure. Those lambs are so adorable. :-)
Bill Kirton said…
Village idiot alert! Is a Facebook author page the same as an ordinary Facebook page? If not, what's the advantage of having both? I certainly don't use my page very efficiently when it comes to promotional stuff.
madwippitt said…
Spring clean? You're brave! I start on mine then ten minutes into the job run away in horror ... :-)
Georgina said…
Nice post! This was a hard winter, but spring is on the way! Thanks for sharing what you've been up to. Cheered me up!
Bill Kirton said…
BTW, my question was genuine and I was referring to myself as the village idiot.
Lydia Bennet said…
just seen this post, lovely, what a gorgeous sheep family! yes the read my book app sounds cool. I'll look into that too. Thanks so much Pam! I don't have a FB author page as I use my own fb page a lot for both book and personal stuff. so far it works out well. a lot of fb friends complain about people asking them to 'like' their pages... it's a blocking offence to some, so tread carefully, when asking for 'likes' for a page!
Unknown said…
Thank you all. Bill, I like my author page because it doesn't get all my booky stuff tangled up with family stuff. Much easier to keep on top of when my teenage grandson insists on making silly comments I'd rather my readers didn't see. I run occasional giveaway competitions too and it's handy to have it separate from family matters. Plus there's no Buy My Book Link with a normal page and that really is handy. Lydia, I nveer ask anyone to like my page. They just come along of their own free will and like it if they want to. I've had 60 new likers this weekend bringing quite a few sales too. As I say, keep it light and friendly and engage your readers in conversation as you would your friends and they'll join in. Have fun. :-)

Popular posts

A Few Discreet Words About Caesar's Penis--Reb MacRath

How to Live with the End in Mind: Wendy Mitchell’s Choice -- by Julia Jones

Never Mind the Author Workshops, What Shall I Wear on World Book Day 2024? wonders Griselda Heppel

Close Reading | Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose | Karen Kao

Brain on a Train -- Umberto Tosi