Wrapping Up Registration, Setting Up Marketing Case Study, & Turning 49
I'm trying to wrap up July in a nice bow before going back to school in August.
This is going to be a busy week. Then again, it’s always a busy week for me in some fashion. But every minute put towards the things I want most is one step closer to being where I want to be. And that’s a significant key to success; putting in the effort to get to where you want to be in life. All of the good things you imagine aren’t just going to drop out of the sky and into your lap, I’m sorry to say.
A lot of it has to do with stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Sometimes that means signing up and attending a book event with other authors. And at other times, it’s going back to school at almost 50 to get a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, and then moving on to your master’s and potentially a PhD.
My point is that you have to make things happen. Whining about not achieving something on social media isn’t going to cut it. Besides, people are more likely to follow and interact with someone who has a positive mindset.
Finding One More Class for CU
For me to get access to the Pell Grant, I need to have at least one more class in August. This will technically move me to being a part-time student. One class just isn’t going to cut it. And from what I’ve seen of what’s available, it’s a difficult choice. There are so many classes that I’d love to take, and a lot of them aren’t on my degree track, which is kind of a shame.
I might just take them anyway. The only problem is that it’d make my degree cost more in the long run for both time and money. Still, there are a lot of interesting anthropology classes that I would love to take.
For now, though, I just need to find something that I can take so I don’t have to pay as much out of pocket. I don’t get a lot of money through the Pell Grant, but it should be enough to cover the first few classes. I don’t really have the money to pay for extra expenses, as I’m already handing over nearly 60% of my income to the mortgage alone.
Diving Into Marketing (A Case Study)
The internet is full of ways to sell more books as an author. Unfortunately, most are cookie-cutter blog posts of the same old information that has no weight for most authors out there. So, I’ve decided to give my experience a bit of gas and see what works and what doesn’t, driven by actual data.
And yes, that means there is a spreadsheet in the works. I plan on sharing my experiences on WriterSanctuary.com just in case it might help someone else in their self-publishing journey.
If anything, it should net me a few views to the blog. I also plan on sharing everything I learned on the YouTube channel, which should also translate to a bit of watch time.
No matter what happens, I win. I can sell more books, earn more ad revenue from the content, or both. Not to mention the experience of trying different marketing methods and perhaps learning a few new things about the process.
Turning 49 Tomorrow, yay…
A part of me finds it hard to believe that I’ll be turning 49 tomorrow. I’ve had quite an interesting run of things over the past few decades. And in some ways, I’m still battling a bit of an age issue.
When I turned 38, I was getting disappointed in where I was and the things I never had a chance to do. I constantly said that I was too old for this, or not the right age for that. Part of what helped me realize I wasn’t that old was looking at Ryan Reynolds’s career. I am older than Ryan Reynolds by a month…and he still had the ambition and physique to play Deadpool. Not just once, but three freakin’ times. And let’s not forget about Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine! He’s 56 years old at the moment.
The point is that yes, you’ll slow down as you get older. But if you don’t roll over and call it a night, there are all kinds of things you can still do regardless of your age. Hell, I had an author on the show recently who received his master’s degree at 62.
I don’t look at age the same way today, because of the inspiration I got from Ryan and Hugh. It may sound silly, but if they still have it, then there’s nothing stopping me from getting it myself.
BrewDog Wasn’t Necessarily a Bust
I attended a book signing event last Saturday at BrewDog in Denver. And sadly, I didn’t sell a single copy of my book. However, I did meet some great authors and had an incredible bowl of ice cream.
Book events such as these are not solely for selling books. Networking, meeting folks, and the sheer experience alone is worthwhile. With each event, I work to improve my setup as well as my interpersonal skills. And since there were no table fees, I wasn’t anything out of pocket outside of gas in the truck and the ice cream.
I streamed the event live for a bit over an hour, and had a few interactions on YouTube. It wasn’t as active as I would have liked, but it was a nice venue with some great people.
My next event is at the Stanley Marketplace here in Autora. That one has a $30 table fee, so I would have to sell at least six books to break even. Since there is a lot of foot traffic at the Stanley Marketplace, it’s possible that I could unload a few copies. I’ll have to do a bit of research to see what I can do to attract more readers to my table.
Let’s Get This Show on the Road
This week is pretty full of some vitally important things. I just hope I get a bit of quality time to make a few videos that might help the channel grow a bit and make a few extra bucks in ad revenue. Plus, I would love to get more time making a few designs for the online store.
I’m in control of where my writing career goes. I can either sit here and twiddle my thumbs while watching YouTube, or I can put in the time it takes to make some movement. It’s all laid out before me. I know what needs to be done; I just need to make sure I do it.
That means less time playing around on social media and more time working on myself as a creator and improving my overall health. Let’s see if I can make it to 100 years. Well, as long as the world can still sustain carbon-based life until then, anyway.