Interior monologue of a writer trying to sell a new book. (Or, the joy and pain of amazon ranking)

Right. This is it. The great launch is here. Well, not great. I'm not actually going to do anything. A bit of cava for lunch to mark the occasion, that's all. It's an ebook, we're in 2015...  Perhaps for the paperback I'll pay for a launch, but I don't know...  it's not really worth it, to be honest. Not financially. A lot of fun though.

Right. Here goes a quiet e-book launch.

I just want...

I just want so badly for it to be..

the one.

I know. I shouldn't have expectations. I'm going to be disappointed if I do. 

Everyone knows you have to write at least eight books before you get anywhere. Look at 

Jojo Moyes. She wrote eight books before You Before Me took off. 

I must prepare myself for the worst.

#PLEASERETWEET IS PUBLISHED. (video proof below)

It's just gone live on Amazon. Current position #56,000.

If it goes any lower... don't go any lower... I shouldn't look. Don't look!

#29,000

Thank f$%^ for that!

Maybe it'll go higher. Even if just one person buys it, it will jump up a few thousand. 

*appeals to friends and family on Facebook to 'help an artist out'*

#21,000

Yessss. Keep climbing! Please keep climbing!

Once when I discounted ShopGirl Diaries to 99p I sold 10 ebooks and it shot up to #80 in one of the 'women fiction' categories. That's what I need. A few people buying it at the same time. The higher it gets the better chance it has of reaching a wider audience. Wider than my friends and family, for instance.

*Appeals to Twitter*

#14,500

Thank you everyone! Thank you. I LOVE YOU.

#9,800

You are the most supportive, kindest bunch of people ever. I'm so grateful to everyone. I love you. You all know that right?

#5,000

Oh wow. This is the highest I have ever reached. Maybe this is the beginning of a new, more successful phase. Maybe the work is going to pay off. Maybe I can aspire to make a living out of this after all?

#6,000

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

*refreshes amazon page*

It can't be game over already! Maybe it'll go up tomorrow?

TWO WEEKS LATER

#86,000

I'M NEVER WRITING A BOOK AGAIN! I can't take it! I can't take any more! It's too hard!

....

Then again two weeks isn't that long, is it?

People haven't even had time to read it, have they?

Maybe it still could be the one.

Fancy helping #PleaseRetweet on its journey? 

Available now from Amazon 

and all good book shops!

The Winchester Reading Series - 4th February

The Winchester Reading Series is a programme of talks and readings given by novelists, poets, agents and publishers running throughout the Spring semester and hosted by the University’s MA Creative Writing programmes.  For more information, go to Creative Writing at Winchester.

All talks are free and open to the public, 6pm, in St Alphege 001 next to the Stripe Building on the main campus. Do come!

I'll be giving a talk on Tuesday 4th February

"Emily Benet talks about her blog and how this led to her first book deal for Shop Girl Diaries with Salt. See also her collection of short stories on Kindle, Short Stories for Busy Adults, and a romantic comedy, Spray Painted Bananas, serialised on Wattpad, which reached over a million hits and led her to sign with her agent.  Plenty of practical advice on blogging/e-books/social media."

For more information, visit the Writers' Festival Website. 

***

My next Blogging and Social Networking Workshop will be on Saturday 8th March. 

Sign up to my monthly newsletter for news on my future events.

MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

The Writing Platform - Authors, Alternatives, Books and Blog Tips #TWP13

On Monday I attended The Writing Platform mini fair and conference for writers. I think all writers should go to something like this once a year for an injection of energy and optimism and to be reminded of all the alternative ways of getting their projects off the ground. Alright, so Patrick Hussey did mention that crowd funding was a bit tricky... virtually impossible... don't embark on it lightly... but still, it's good to know it's an option! Just don't expect millions of pledges if you've only got 21 twitter followers. 22 should do it.

'My Writing Life' was the topic of the first panel and I was pleased to hear that discipline plays a key role in the authors' success. Better discipline than luck, right? I learnt that Philip Hensher writes between 6am - 10.30am to avoid interruptions, Nikesh Shukla scribes for two hours before his day job and Polly Courtney imposes a technical blackout in the afternoons to get her words down.

Can we learn to be disciplined? I think so, if we want it enough. It's just hard to know where to start sometimes. Personally I'm a big fan of lists and breaking everything down into manageable steps. Last week I made a timetable with a daily word count target and I wrote more than I'd done in ages without any extra stress. You could even use spreadsheets à la Polly Courtney.

 

It makes so much sense to me that Polly uses spreadsheets. She's so productive and her drive is inspiring. She's mostly known for dumping Harper Collins over their 'girly covers' after working through a three book deal with them. What I didn't know until I met her at The Writing Platform is that her first novel Golden Handcuffs was self-published, and it was the success of this book that attracted Harper Collins in the first place. Polly's story is proof that it pays to be pro-active. These day publishers are much more likely to take a risk on a writer if they've already built a readership and gained credibility. For some writers, becoming their own publisher is a step worth taking.

The 'Get Noticed' panel was the last of the day. I was on it because the success I've had as a writer is the result of having a well-developed online presence. Shop Girl Diaries began as a blog, my online novel Spray Painted Bananas has racked up over a million hits on Wattpad and led to me signing with Laura Longrigg at MBA literary agency. I'm a big believer in putting your work out there and increasing your chances of getting lucky.



Nicola Barr, Anna Lewis, Emily Benet, Minna Salami and Donna Hancox

Our panel only lasted forty minutes but I could have gone on for hours, and I do in my Blogging and Social Networking Workshops! In fact, now that I'm not worried about hogging the microphone I thought I'd leave you with a few tips.

You might also want to read To Blog or Not To Blog, That is the question.

BLOG TIPS

1. Decide on a clear concept for your blog -  just because you're a writer doesn't mean you have to write about writing!

2. Consider how your blog might add value to your readers - is it entertaining? informative? insightful?

3.  Be consistent - both in your theme and your voice!

4. Post regularly - once a week is great, once every two weeks might be more manageable.

5. Keep an eye on blogs you like - what do you like about them? what are they doing so well?

6. Visual appeal - use multi media, add relevant photographs, illustrations, videos  

7. Integrate your online presence -  make sure your blog link is on all your social networks and your social networks can be reached through your blog.

8. Spread the word - add your blog link to your email signature, mention new posts in your facebook status, tweet your posts using bite sized headlines and don't forgot word of mouth.

9. Don't spam - tell people about your blog but don't use social media solely for self-promotion. It won't work and you'll get on everyone's nerves. Engage, engage, engage!

My Blogging for Beginners e-book is coming out soon, sign up to my newsletter for updates and news of upcoming workshops.

MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Do you have a USP or an Unabashed Shaggy Poodle?

Ta-Da. My blog has had a little makeover while you were away. Do you like it? I hope so, because that's one long evening of putting things in circles I'll never get back.

 The time had come to rebrand my blog. The title 'Shop Girl Diaries' was niggling me. Not only am I no longer a Shop Girl writing about shop life but my title didn't coincide with my URL which has always been emilybenet.com.

My good Twitter friend @Isabelwriter suggested 'More laughs than Brontë' and after a highly intelligent text message conversation (below) with my friend @PieraLizzeri (green) I decided to go along with it.

If I'd put 'More laughs than Michael McIntyre' I'd be stressing out right now, but having to be a little more light hearted than a Brontë seems doable.

Whenever I'm about to lead a Blog Workshop I always review my blog and make improvements. It's the nature of a blog to always be changing and developing. The main thing is to keep returning to the reason why you started a blog in the first place and what it's all about.

Ideally you should know what your blog is about BEFORE you start. It might sound obvious but the word 'random' is forever popping up in people's headers and descriptions of their blog. You know the type. Welcome to my blog, it includes my random thoughts about random stuff that inspires me at random... O-kay, but why should we care?

I'm bored of the idea that if you're creative then you're probably not business minded. Why can't we both? We can.

Now say it like you mean it. WE CAN!

Writers are despairing about the publishing industry, how tough it is to break in, how no one's taking risks. This certainly feels true, but instead of curling up in corner and rocking ourselves to sleep, we should be asking ourselves how we can increase our odds of succeeding.

For a start we need to be very clear about what it is we're doing. We should be asking practical questions about our identity, branding, and brainstorming our USP (unique selling point). Just imagine you're a shop keeper and a salesman brings in a brightly coloured blob. Please sell my blob, they say. As a shopkeeper you might have already bought quite a few blobs off the previous salesman and be feeling anxious about buying another. You'll want to know what's so special about it, what makes it different from the other blobs and also how you're going to convince your customers to buy it. It's not even being business minded, it's common sense. Can you describe your book/ blog/ script clearly? Because if you can't and you created it, who will be able to?  

How I see it, we are living in a DIY world in which we can make things happen as long as we're able to muster the energy and enthusiasm. It's not easier, but with the internet, we can do a lot more by ourselves. If the publishers don't come, there's always self-publishing and plenty of freely available tools to spread the word. I'm not saying you should compromise on style or quality to satisfy one type of shop keeper, just accept if it's not going to work for them you'll need to pursue a different avenue. 

But I don't know anything about self-publishing, blogging, social media and all that jazz, you say? And I say, I didn't know how to use Gimp Photo Editor until I spent an evening following online tutorials, and now I've got a new header with circles in it, yippee. You can learn all this stuff step by step. All you've got to do is keep asking the right questions. What excites you? What do you want to achieve? What's the next step? Because the way we create may be random, but there's no reason why we can't be practical and focused about how we choose to share it with the world.

Well that wasn't funny... Maybe I should change it to 'more laughs than Steinbeck'.  

*

Want to learn more about Blogging? My next Workshop is happening soon!  

Blogging and Social Networking  for Beginners / Improvers

On Saturday 19th October 

10.30am - 3pm - £40.00

@ 77 Tower Bridge Road, London 

More information and Booking via Paypal from my Blog Workshops Page

                                                    

6 Things To Do While Waiting for News

 

Just to be clear, I'm not waiting for news. From anybody. But if I were waiting for news, say from publishers, or not from publishers, from anyone really, then these are some things I might channel my restless energy into, if I had any restless energy, which I don't. Obviously if I were waiting to hear from publishers, the sensible thing would be just to get on with my next novel, which I am, I mean, I would be, if I were waiting, which I'm not.  

Organise tights into freezer bags -  Once a no-go area, my tight drawer is now a tourist attraction.  



 

'Beatrice'

Learn to Make Bread - Ideal if your local Londis closes for refurbishments. They say you shouldn't name your food, but if I were to make bread, I'd probably give every loaf a name beginning with 'B'.   

Grow a Tomato - Just one will do. Play 'spot the tomato' with friends and family. 

Listen to Inappropriate Music while Exercising - What's the rush? Jog so slowly you're virtually running backwards while listening to the steady rhythm of 'The Final Judgement' (El Juicio Final) by Lucho Beltran.

(Lyrics) 'No one is anyone on this earth, Because this earth isn't ours. We're here for a long time, then we die and others are born...' Yeah, feel that stretch!

Listen to The Final Judgement
 

Put Your Face in a Letter - Getgimp.com is a free, easy to learn version of Photoshop. Great for making blog headers... maybe, I've never tried.  





Meditate - Spend 20 minutes each morning accepting and detaching yourself from your repetitive thoughts.

"Every thought pretends it matters so much. It wants to draw your attention in completely. Here is a new spiritual practice for you: don't take your thoughts too seriously," - Ekhart Tolle

Anyway, just a few things I might do if I were waiting for news, which I'm not. If I were I'd have photographic evidence, wouldn't I?  

 

***

For more regular updates join me at Facebook.com/EmilyBenetAuthor
 

Blogging Towards Publication - My Article in Litro Magazine

 

"Whatever it is you think you should be blogging about, forget it. Successful creative bloggers don't set up their blog based on what they think will get them a million followers, a publishing deal and an award for Best Blog of the Year. Successful bloggers start their blogs motivated by a passion for their subject, a passion that sustains their blog and keeps them developing new ideas for it over the years to come."

Read my full article in Litro Magazine.


UPCOMING WORKSHOP: Blogging for Beginners and Improvers  

Saturday 13th July 10.30am - 2.30pm (including 30min break)
@ 77 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4TW
Fee: £40.00 Limited Places.

This intensive workshop is packed with tips about how to make the most of your blog, how to promote it, gain a readership, keep it interesting and also, importantly, what to avoid. If you’ve been meaning to start a blog for a long time, why put it off any longer? Come along for a friendly, fun and informative workshop.

For more information visit my Social Media Workshops Page.

Stoke Newington Literary Festival - This June!

 

The Stoke Newington Literary Festival is nearly here and I'm very excited to be involved again!

 

Last year I took part in the Storytails 24-hour short story challenge. I write best when I'm under pressure but even I was a bit uncertain about such a tight deadline. Luckily, the idea came quickly and I wrote what turned out to be one of my favourite short stories I'd written in a while. It was a Jubilee inspired comedy called, 'Waterloo' about (Spoiler Alert!) Her Majesty locking herself in the toilet.

 

I must be going up in the world because this year I'm involved in a paid event! No I don't mean I'm getting paid, I mean the event requires  a ticket costing all of  £4. In fact, there will be lots of great talks taking place at the festival for similar silly prices, so check out the programme.

 

As for me, I'll be talking on a panel at The Literary Platform: Writing in the Digital Age.

 

My progress and successes as a writer are directly linked to my use of social media and I'll be sharing my story and discussing with leading commentators what it is to write in the digital age.

 

I hope to see you there!

 

(Or at a different talk!  Or in the pub afterwards!)