One of the things as an indie author that you have to develop is a thick skin for accepting feedback. I have been incredibly fortunate to date that the feedback and reviews I have received for my book babies have been kind., very kind. No one has said my book babies are ugly!
Another thing that you have to be prepared to do when writing and promoting is to bare your soul…eek!
Promoting and marketing can be a costly business and my creative efforts are done on a shoestring budget so I am always looking for “free” ways to promote my books.
A few months ago I stumbled upon www.AMAfeed.com (AMA standing for Ask Me Anything)
Was I brave enough to risk it?
Yes!
So, a little apprehensively I’ll admit, I created my profile-
https://authorsama.amafeed.com/user/34486
Then I created my first AMA-
It ran smoothly enough and I wasn’t asked anything too revealing or controversial so I risked a second AMA-
Again, this ran smoothly and was well supported.
So, in the run up to thinking about promoting Book Baby 4 and conscious that the summer holiday season is almost upon us, I ran a third hoping to generate some sales for the first three books in the Silver Lake series.
Again, it all ran painlessly and there were some really great questions posed.
Then along came a wee frustration….. I saw from the email alerts on my phone earlier today that there were new questions waiting to be answered. A short while ago I sat down to answer them……the AMA had ended and I was unable to submit the answers.
Me being me, I felt guilty that I hadn’t displayed courtesy to these followers and answered their question. So, in the interests of fairness, I’ll answer them here:
Did you know that you would one day become a writer?
No for many years it was a dream. Ever since I was little girl I’ve loved writing stories and the dream was always to see my name on the cover of a book one day. I seriously thought that that thought would remain a dream until three years ago when Stronger Within, the first book in the Silver Lake series, was published. Dreams do come true.
I’ve always written but I think now, three books in, I can finally believe I’m an indie author.
How many hours did you work as a freelance copywriter to establish yourself and earn good money?
I didn’t and I don’t. My “real job” is working for a bank. My writing is done in my own free time and at present isn’t earning me anywhere near enough to consider cutting back the hours I the day job. If you’re hoping to earn good money from writing you need to sell a heck of a lot of books daily!
How do you manage all of your personal and business activities?
A lot of plate spinning and juggling! I work full time, I am married with a family and have a home to run and I have a life to live! I guess it’s very careful time management, a lot of multi-tasking and self-discipline and precious little time wasted watching TV!
I try to get the balance right but you’d need to ask my family and friends to get a valid answer!
As a business coach, what is your best piece of advice for an entrepreneur that is struggling?
Don’t lose heart.
A close friend posted a quote on their Facebook newsfeed a long time ago that I’ve always tried to bear in mind, especially when the motivation is flagging a bit – “dreams get you started; discipline keeps you going.”
What’s the most romantic scene that you have written so far?
Love this question!
Ok- SPOILER ALERT– if you’ve not read Stronger Within this will potentially tarnish your enjoyment of it. You have been warned!
By romantic I’m thinking romance (hearts and flowers) not sex scenes. Probably the hottest one of those is in Impossible Depth, book two in the series, and I’ll let you find it yourself! 😉
To answer the question though, I have a real soft spot for the scene at the end of Stronger Within where Jake proposes to Lori. Setting the scene at the school Christmas dance, adding a light covering of snow, some fairy lights and a slow dance just added to the romance of it all. No need for sex….just true love. Read the books though and judge for yourself.
Well, that’s the last unanswered question answered and my conscience is clear….unless do you want to Ask Me Anything?
and in the interests of book promotion, here’s the links to those:
Amazon.com links –
Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M
Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K
Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71
Amazon.co.uk links –
Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M
Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K
Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71
(image sourced via Google- credits to the owner0
Coral McCallum 