P.J. MacLayne - P.J. MacLayne

Marketing 101 #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne November 24, 2019 November 24, 2019 Open Book

November 25, 2019

We’ve touched on this in the past, but it bears repeating. What’s the best way to market your books?

It’s the eternal question for those of us struggling to sell books, looking for a break, trying to find how to reach the right audience. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of time and energy. And I’m no expert.

What I do have is some experience. And I’m happy to share. Take it with a grain of salt, because I certainly haven’t found the magic formula.

Before I begin, I’m going to refine the question a bit and answer in two different sections—what I enjoy doing, and what sells the most books.

Me at the Deadly Realities book signing.

First, what I enjoy doing. I love going to events. Book events, cons, heck, this year I attended a chili festival. Anyplace where I can look the public in the eye and try to sell them my books. And talk to them about my stories and what they like to read in general. I consider it a win if I make enough to cover my table fee and what I paid for my books. Everything beyond that is a bonus.

Of course, one of the great parts of going to events is meeting other authors and vendors. Even if they don’t buy a book or two, it’s fun hanging out with new people. Or ones you’ve met at other events. I’m looking forward to the Bizarre Bazaar in Loveland, CO this weekend (Saturday Nov. 30th). This will be my third year and it’s always an entertaining day.

What sells the most books? Paid ads in various readers’ newsletters., especially when the book being advertised is on sale. (I don’t do free books, but that a discussion we’ve had before and I won’t get into this time.) There’s a bunch of them out there. Some of my favorites are The Fussy Librarian, Book Doggy, and of course, ENT- EReaders News Today. I’ll be trying a new site next week, that came highly recommended by another author. It’s called Book Rebel, and we’ll see what happens. I haven’t even tried for a BookBub ad because their price is too steep for my pocketbook.

I understand the boost you get from those sites is temporary, but gosh darn it, if feels good to see the numbers go up on Amazon and other book selling sites.

What doesn’t work for me? I can’t use Facebook to sell a book no matter what I try. Ads, posts, groups, I get crickets. Blog tours don’t do me much good either. And Twitter? Does anyone sell books on Twitter?

What’s on my to-do list? I want to try an Amazon ad. I’ve done my homework, and I think it has potential, although some articles say the ads are past their peak. We’ll see. I won’t hold my breath.

I’m hoping my fellow authors have additional wisdom to share. And if you know something I don’t, please tell me about it in the comments!

P.S. For those of you in the Unites States, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

November 25, 2019

We’ve touched on this in the past, but it bears repeating. What’s the best way to market your books?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

How Long? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne November 17, 2019 November 17, 2019 Open Book

How many hours a day do you write? How long on average does it take you to write a book?

There are authors out there that aim to write book a month. We’re not talking NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where the goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of November, we’re talking about kicking out a complete book each and every month including editing. I have no idea how they do that. Writing that many words in one month is tough, (and I have done it) but to throw in a comprehensive edit? Wow. Just wow.

But I guess they have more time to write than I do. During the week, I’m doing good if I get two hours a day to write. I spend additional time taking care of social media and publicity. In those two hours, I’m lucky if I get 500 words written. Weekends, I can get more written. If the characters are talking to me, I can write 1000 words or more in a day.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

At that rate, it can take me five to nine months to write a book. That doesn’t include the editing. Editing is easier, but it is also dependent upon other peoples schedules. (Especially when you consider how many rounds of editing one of my books goes through!) And it may be easier, but it’s also the part I despise. It’s so easy to miss things no matter how hard you try and how careful you are. That’s why my books go through three or four rounds of editing.

That means I typically release a book a year. (Okay, a book every ten months or so.) I’d love to write faster, but it is what it is. I’ve got enough ideas to keep me busy, and new genres I’d love to try. I’m leaning towards a hard core female PI or an action-adventure-thriller. Which do you think I should tackle?

I don’t like to compare my output to other writers, but I’m curious to see how fast the others on this blog hop write. Join me in the journey by following the links below.

Rules:

1. Link your blog to this hop.

2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.

3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.

4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.

5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Spirit Animal #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne November 10, 2019 November 10, 2019 Open Book

November 11, 2019

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Wolf. How many of you said wolf? Come on, raise your hands and let me see. Keep them up for a minute so I can get a good look.

And the answer is … not a wolf.

But yes, I will still graciously accept the various wolf-related gifts that people like to give me. I know, I’m hard to buy for. Wolf T-shirts, statues, and note cards are great gifts. I have no problem with them.

But my spirit animal is not an animal at all.

It’s the dragonfly. An insect. I’ll even accept it’s cousin, the damselfly. Most of us can’t tell the difference, anyway.

I’ve felt an affinity with these marvelous creatures since childhood. Their

Image by Thanks for your Like • donations welcome from Pixabay

variety of sparkling colors. The delicacy of their translucent wings. The way they own the air as they dart about, seemly without effort.

I’ve known people who are creeped out by dragonflies. Not me. I’ve been known to rescue them when they accidentally get stuck inside a building, encouraging them to land on me so I can take them back outside.

And yes, I am aware that at their core, they are deadly predators. Those amazing aerobatic maneuvers are executed in not to entertain us, but to catch and eat another insect. but with mosquitoes and midges being their meals of choice, they serve a helpful purpose to us humans.

Why do I think a dragonfly is my spirit animal? I don’t know the answer to that question. I didn’t have a dream or vision that revealed it to me, the answer just came to me after watching a Star Trek episode. Yeah, go ahead and google that.

And what does a dragonfly have to do with writing? Well, maybe it’s that we, as writers, have to snatch at words that dart through our imaginations and capture them to feed our readers’ souls.

I’m curious to find out what the others on this blog hop have as spirit animals or mascots. You can find out, too, by following the links below. Or, hang around for a few minutes and share your spirit animal in the comments.

November 11, 2019

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Rules:

1. Link your blog to this hop.

2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.

3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.

4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.

5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Strange things in research #IWSG

By P.J. MacLayne November 5, 2019 November 5, 2019 IWSG

November 6 question – What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever googled in researching a story?

The awesome co-hosts for the November 6 posting of the IWSG are Sadira Stone, Patricia Josephine, Lisa Buie-Collard, Erika Beebe, and C. Lee McKenzie!

Good question! This week I googled myself for a blog post, and that was pretty strange. I’m fairly boring, but I did find people who shared my name that were more interesting. (See Monday’s blog post.)

I google a lot about guns for both of my series. But that’s not really strange.

More interesting, to me anyway, are the fancy driving stunts I search for, and how do do them. Not that I would ever try, but a couple of my characters do, as a hobby of sorts. And to evade pursuers, be they the bad guys or the good guys.

Then there’s the self-defense techniques the heroine in my mystery series uses. Thank heavens because she’s always getting herself into trouble.

But even those aren’t strange. You know when I get into really interesting topics?

When I get off track.

When I see something shiny and go down the rabbit hole. My blog post

about googling my name led me to a page about about bridge jumping. (Bridge Day in West Virginia). And the report of two political opponents who had a gun fight after a meeting. Looking up information on jet boats in Oregon led me to the web page of a lodge in Oregon you can only get to by boat.

Then there’s the stuff that comes up at work. We have interesting discussions. Like the gradual salt intrusion into the fresh water aquifers of Florida. Or the logos of car manufactures no one has ever heard of. Or the farthest geographic compass point location for each direction for the continental Unites States. (Hint- at least one of them you would never guess!)

Still, I don’t know if I’d rank any of these as strange. I’d call them fascinating.

How about you? Google anything strange lately?

I See Dead People #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne November 3, 2019 November 3, 2019 Open Book

November 4, 2019

Do you Google yourself?

I admit, I have Googled myself. And the results for my pen name are rather boring. My Facebook page, my Amazon listings, this blog, and lots of blogs I’ve had guest posts on. I don’t believe there is anyone else using this name and that limits the potential for exciting finds. I got all the way to page 7 of the results before I gave up. (I did find a poem I published in a literary magazine before I started writing books. That came as a pleasant surprise.)

Googling my given name is more interesting. There’s a former middleweight fighter in Canada that shares a form of my name. And a hip-hop artist, although most of the information about him isn’t in English. (I think he’s French, but couldn’t find his bio. And his Instagram account only has two posts.) Then there’s a bridge in Tennessee that bears my name, although it’s a memorial to someone else. I know it sits at an elevation of 594 feet, but I couldn’t find any information about the person it was named after.

We’ll skip all those people finder sites. They don’t count.

Then there are the obituaries. More than I anticipated. It’s fascinating reading the stories of people who shared your name but are are gone now. All of the ones I read seemed to be your standard salt-of-the-earth type people. And that’s an okay legacy to leave. “Loving mother.” “Dear sister.” “She was baptized on a winter day in Storms Creek in the early years of raising her children.”

I did find a record of someone bearing the same name as me being involved in a shooting at a political gathering in 1902. He survived, his opponent was expected to die. There was also a census record from the early 1900’s that I suspect is tied to the bridge I mentioned earlier. (Same state and city, so now I know his parents’ names but not what he did to deserve having a bridge named for him!)

A few months back, we talked about names on this blog hop, and I mentioned how I frequently search for the names of my characters so I don’t accidentally use a real person’s name. On one of the comments, it was suggested that Harmony Duprie, the main character in my mysteries, probably has a namesake out there in the world somewhere.

That comment sparked a subplot in my current WIP. Yes, Harmony is searching for herself. With good reason. I won’t reveal the results, but she, too, sees dead people. (And at least one person who is still alive!)

So, how about you? Do you Google yourself? Are your results any different than mine? Let’s talk in the comments.

Until then, I’m going to go check out the other authors and their results. You can come with me by clicking on the boxes below.

November 4, 2019

Do you Google yourself?

Reader’s Block? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 27, 2019 October 28, 2019 Open Book

October 28, 2019

We’ve talked about writer’s block. Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

My first thought when I saw this question was that surely it was a typo. So was my second. Then I thought more and asked, is it really a thing? Reader’s Block?

I don’t try to hide the fact that I read. A lot. When I was a kid, I read everything that I could get my hands on, including the back of cereal boxes. I don’t read as much now, but I still love me a good story.

But there have been times when, for one reason or another, I didn’t read for a long stretch of time. (I define that as a month or two in terms of reading!) Perhaps I was too busy with work. Or family things. Or so wrapped up in my own writing that I didn’t want to spare the time to read someone else’s. Or I didn’t have time to get to the library and didn’t feel like re-reading any of my old favorites. (This was before ebooks, folks!)

And, I am sad to admit, there has been a time or two when I sour on

Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay

whatever book I’m reading and I simply stop. Then, because I have this need to finish every book I start, I just don’t. Start reading a different book, that is. I feel guilty about the one I didn’t finish. Until I can forgive myself and push past the shame of abandoning a story, I can’t move on.

There’s also the issue of editing mode. When I’m in the middle of editing my own work, it’s hard to turn that inner editor off. It makes it difficult to simply enjoy a story and not pick it over looking for faults.

How do I overcome it? Time. The answer is always time (unless it’s 42.) Since reading is an addiction, I always come back to it.

So, yes, I have experienced reader’s block, at least the way I choose to define it. How about you? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

As usual, now I’m off to check out the other writers on this blog hop and find out if they’ve experienced reader’s block. And if you are looking for a good book to break yours, I’d appreciate it if you would check out my stories. You can read all about them elsewhere on this website.

October 28, 2019

We’ve talked about writer’s block. Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

https://fresh.inlinkz.com/

Original or Popular #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 20, 2019 October 20, 2019 Open Book

October 21, 2019

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

It’s a trap! I started to compose my answer and realized I was on the path to insulting authors who are different than me. So here we are, stuck.

Because the two are not mutually exclusive- a good author can be both. I haven’t been that gifted or that lucky.

I strive for both, with some caveats. We’ll talk about that later.

When I first attempted to write a book, I wasn’t worried if I was doing it right. I wrote it without chapters, just one long story. My only focus was getting the words on paper and seeing if I could do it. Write a book, that is. And I did. Not a good book, but a book nonetheless.

So I tackled a second one. And I tried to make it more bookish. With chapters and everything. I even paid some attention to crazy things like point of view and settings. And then a third.

And somewhere along the way, I decided I was good enough to share a story with the rest of the world. And I really paid attention to all the things that make a book a book and readable by others. What I didn’t know about was things like finding a target audience and genres and readers’ expectations.

But that gave me the freedom to write my stories without worrying about what readers were looking for. I was more worried about my stories being my stories and not a clone of someone else’s. I read a lot and I was rightfully worried about my stories being original and not heavily influenced by books I’ve read.

With time and experience, I’ve come to understand a bit more about things like market share and reader experience. I also understand that my stories don’t dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s of what “generic” reader expectations might be. My heroines are strong without needed men to save them. My mysteries don’t require murders. And, heaven forbid, my cozy mysteries have the occasional swear word.

Now, remember that thing I mentioned we’d get back to? It’s sex scenes. If you’ve read my books, you didn’t find any. It’s not that I object to them, it’s that I feel my stories don’t need them. And frankly, I’ve read enough of them that they have started to get boring. Or unrealistic. And this coming from someone old enough to remember when even one sex scene in a romance was breaking new ground. Readers may want them, but they don’t get them from me.

So, if I answer the question honestly, I try to be more original. Or maybe try is the wrong word. I wouldn’t write any other way. I have to be true to my characters and their stories. Because that’s what it comes down to- my books are their stories, not mine. And I hope readers enjoy them.

You can find out more about my books elsewhere on my page. The urban fantasy/paranormal (notice I didn’t say paranormal romance?) books can be found HERE. The female sleuth mysteries are HERE

Now, I’m off to visit the pages of the other authors in this hop. You can come along by following the links below.

October 21, 2019

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Is The Pen Mightier Than the Keyboard? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 13, 2019 October 13, 2019 Open Book

October 14, 2019

What is your preferred method of writing? (By hand, on a computer, dictate it?)

Somewhere – and I can’t tell you exactly where because I don’t know – I have a box crammed full of tablets and binders. It’s in one of three storage spots, buried under Christmas decorations, old knick-knacks, or outdated computer parts. The pages are filled with my handwritten first and second drafts of various book—most of which you and everybody else have never seen.

Just like I love the act of holding a book in my hand when I read, I love the sensual feeling of a pen slipping across a piece of paper, leaving behind the words flowing from my brain. Even a pencil will do if that’s all I can find. (I rarely have a problem finding a pen these days. The picture is a small segment of my desk.)

And yes, I have written entire books by hand. Not notes or drafts, but the whole darn thing. The words seem to spill more freely when I don’t have to concentrate on finding the right keys on the keyboard and I don’t see those squiggly red lines that tell me I spelled something wrong. I can write faster when I write by hand.

But there’s a catch. Isn’t there always a catch? I’m a better writer when I sit in front of a computer and type my stories. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because I can visualize how the words will look on paper or the screen of an e-reader. And yes, I can catch my mistakes and correct them immediately. It also allows me to use words that I might not remember how to spell because the computer will help me to get them right. So, I’m more accurate when I compose my stories on a computer, if slower. In the end, I have less editing to do.

There’s also the issue that it’s tedious to type handwritten pages to transfer them to computer format. There are times when I have a hard time reading my own writing!

I’ve never tried to dictate a story. I can’t imagine it going too well, based on my limited experience in trying to compose text messages using the microphone on my cell phone. You know how auto-correct is, right? It frustrates the heck out of me.

There you go. That’s why I do most of my writing on the computer. It’s not that I prefer that method, but it’s more logical.

Now let’s check out what the other authors on the hop have to say about the topic. But before you go, feel free to tell me how you like to write in the comments.

October 14, 2019

What is your preferred method of writing? (By hand, on a computer, dictate it?)

Rules:1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Wolves’ Gambit #MFRWhooks

By P.J. MacLayne October 8, 2019 October 8, 2019 Book Hooks

Meet Lori Grenville from Wolves’ Gambit. She was the runt of the pack, but is determined to not let her size get in the way of her life’s mission.

Excerpt

She didn’t have time to shift. Instead, Lori threw herself to the ground and rolled. The wolf missed, but swiveled on its back paws, bunched its muscles, and prepared for a second attack. Without a weapon, she could only hold it off for a few seconds.

So she did what any human would do. She screamed. Only she dropped the pretense and screamed with her mental voice. The sound of a rabbit’s dying scream. The shrill, high-pitched cry for help didn’t need to be aimed at only one person. It would wake everyone within range. There’d be a lot of headaches in a very short time.

The wolf stopped in its tracks and shook its head. That was all the time Lori needed. A metal snow shovel had been left leaning against the building after the last snow months ago, and she grabbed it. She gripped it in both hands and swung.

Her aim was true. The shovel thudded against the side of the wolf’s head and it staggered. But Lori knew of a more vulnerable spot. She adjusted the direction of the next swing. The awkward angle resulted in a less forceful blow, but still, she hit the tender nose.

The wolf snarled, its teeth glistening, and leaped.

She whirled out the way and swung the shovel at the same time. The blade met the wolf’s front haunches. A cracking sound sent a chill down Lori’s spine. The wooden handle was breaking. She’d only get one more hit. It had to be a good one.

The wolf heard it too. Out of reach of her makeshift weapon, it paced, tongue hanging from its mouth. Left to right, right to left. Only Lori’s eyes followed it. She watched for the telltale signs. The tightening of muscles, the focusing of the eyes, a lowering of the head. The wolf was toying with her. Her heartbeat kept pace with the wolf’s steps. Too fast.

But where was the guard? He’d had time to come to her rescue. Was this one of Carlson’s men? She’d been a fool to trust him. He was just another pack leader. Take advantage of those less powerful and discard them when they are no longer useful.

She wondered how sharp the edge of the blade was. Sharp enough to rip through flesh? There was no time to check. She needed to stay alert for every twitch.

The charge happened in the blink of an eye. One second he was on the ground, the next flying towards her. She didn’t wait. With a loud cry, she held the shovel straight in front of her like a lance and ran to meet the attack.

Blurb:

Wolf-shifter Lori Grenville was rescued from near-slavery and a brutal pack leader by the Free Wolves. To pay back the favor, she’s dedicated her life to helping others in the same situation, leading shifters to safety and a new start, risking her life in the process. She’s faced down alphas and has no qualms in undermining pack structure.

Now she’s challenged with the task of restoring an alpha to his rightful place. If she gets it right, she can stop a war from ripping apart two packs and spreading across an entire state. If she fails, she’ll be among the first to die.

There’s still the option of walking away and letting the Jaeger and Destin packs destroy each other. That means she’ll fail in her original mission of rescuing the daughter of the Jaeger alpha before the girl is forced into marriage for political gain.

Lori hasn’t failed in a mission yet. This one may be the exception.

Although Wolves’ Gambit is the third book in the Free Wolves urban fantasy/paranormal series, each book can be read as a stand-alone. And, for the first time, Lori’s story is on sale for 99¢.

Buy Links:

Apple

Kobo

Nook

You can find more about the Free Wolves series HERE

Reviews- Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 6, 2019 October 6, 2019 Open Book

October 7, 2019

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Good reviews from readers are like nectar from the gods. And about as hard to get!

Truth is, I’m convinced that readers just don’t like to write reviews. No matter how much they like (or dislike) a book, taking the time to write a review is time they could use to do something else. So it’s high praise when a reader not only takes the time, but gives you a good review.

Yes, I read every one. Even the not-so-good ones.

The good ones are what help keep me motivated to write. To know that someone enjoys my books is the praise I seek. The reassurance that I’m doing something right.

Sure, I’d like to be a world-renowned author, but that hasn’t happened yet. So I’ll take what I can get.

And that includes the “bad” reviews. Although I can’t say I’ve received any. What I consider a bad review is one written by someone who didn’t really read the book. I’ve heard horror stories about those- reviews attached to the wrong books, reviews where the person has problems with downloading the book that have nothing to do with the author’s work, reviews that downgrade a book before it’s even been released! I have none of those.

I do have reviews where the reader didn’t like the book for one reason or another. I’ve read books I didn’t like, even by big name authors. It happens. If they’re fair, I’ll read them as see what I can pull from them as a lesson to help my next book be better. ( I have made edits to a book based on a review)

But since we’re talking reviews, I’ll share a few snippets of the good ones:

For The Marquesa’s Necklace: I read this one straight through-it was really good–I have no idea where I saw this first but I am certainly glad I took a chance and bought it–now I have to go look into Book #2!!

For Her Ladyship’s Ring: First I would like to say I am a great fan of Mary Higgins-Clark
mysteries. I have now added this author to my favorites list. Like the Marquesa’s Necklace, it was very difficult to put down for life’s interruptions. The suspense was great, and so many surprises at every twist and turn. I love Ms. MacLayne’s style and ease of reading. Now it’s time to order book three of the series via Kindle. I personally prefer books I can hold but once again do not wish to wait two days for the third installment!

For Wolves’ Pawn: The author of this book did something very unexpected in this new novel. She took a shifter book and the customary male alpha, but gave us a no non-sense female heroine that gave as good as she got in the different antagonistic scenes. Smart, funny, sassy, and the ability to improvise in different situations. I was also happy to see that there was definitely romance, but not page after page of sex scenes that normally bore me to tears, and have to quickly skim through before we get back to the story. All in all, I give this book an A+++.

And one more, for Wolves’ Knight: This fast-paced paranormal is a breath of fresh air. Action packed and full of amazing female characters, I loved reading a book where the women were more bad ass than the men! Great plot and intriguing characters. Highly recommend!

See anything there that interests you? You can find out more about my books elsewhere on this web page.

Before I close, here’s a meme I pulled off another site today. It seems to fit.

That last one – say hi and be kind- seems to fit a lot more than supporting writers. Now I’m going to go find out what the other writers on this hop feel about reviews.

October 7, 2019

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Rules:1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Author: P.J. MacLayne