2013!

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Woo-hoo, we’re into a new year! 2013, dang it’s hard to believe. And what do we typically do at the end of the year and the start of a new one? We examine the past twelve months, and set goals/resolutions for the next twelve months. So I’ll start and you can jump in. Well, don’t jump too hard in case you partied a bit too intensely. In fact, I’ll understand if you don’t answer for days.

Looking Back:

• Met goals to launch promotions using ads and Facebook
• Finished and published two more original indie titles
• Formatted and released four backlist titles with new covers
• Read more great books
• Took time to enjoy myself with movies and TV shows (Fringe and Game of Thrones, love!!!)
• Started production of my first ever audio book (via ACX). This is exciting! The voice talent I hired nailed the tone and accent, much to my immense relief.
• Set up Authorgraph, a way for readers to request a personalized autograph for their eBooks.

I ended up doing more marketing and hanging out on social media than I had planned, but that’s okay. I had fun doing that stuff. I joined three fabulous Facebook groups for readers and writers. I may have gotten carried away with Facebook ads, so I’m going to cut back (those low prices sucked me right in). I didn’t see a big bump in sales. On the other hand I did see an increase. Also it could pay off as Apple and Kobo move deeper to foreign markets. For some reason a lot of folks in Asia and Latin America dropped by my Facebook author page. Which I love because going more global is a long term goal of mine. Also, though I’m not sure, I think Amazon is one retailer who may have taken note of my efforts. They’re sending out emails periodically recommending my books.
Looking Forward:

• Release my first audio book- A Darker Shade of Midnight
• Do the math on releasing a second one, Between Dusk and Dawn, and decide if it makes business sense
• Write two more original indie titles, one will be the third in a trilogy. The second book is another holiday theme romance.
• Begin the second book in another series (Triple Trouble cozy mystery series planned)
• Write more than I spend time promoting
• Will attend Romance Slam Jam and moderate a panel discussion on indie publishing (author’s POV)
• Promote smarter (set it and forget it types of things like in 2012)
• Get my passport and plan a visit to either Belize or Costa Rica
• Keep reading great books

One thing I also did in 2012 was to finally get off the pot and decide on a device: eReader vs tablet. I bought an iPad. The Kindle app magically filled up with books (0kay, okay. I went a little nuts buying books). Between my iPad and iPhone I’ve been able to take care of my writing business on breaks from my day job. How much do I love tech toys! But of course they’re not toys. I could see cover drafts clearly, get emails about my marketing projects, etc..
Honestly I wasn’t thinking of all that when I bought it. I just wanted the cool tablet!
I’ve seen growth in sales and I did  lot of growing up myself as a professional writer. I developed and implemented plans. Adjusted and changed along the way when it made sense (or just seemed more fun).This is huge because I haven’t been a big planner. I’m looking forward to 2013.
Lynn