Clearout.

I have got tired of tripping over boxes of books so have begun to donate copies of the Penny Tales trilogy to hospitals and schools.. I would rather someone read them than they curled up in the loft or the garage. However, I am slightly concerned that I get very little feedback since the first book. I don’t know if people liked the other two or were disappointed.

Even my granddaughter, who stars in the stories, has not told me if she enjoyed them so I suppose it was just too old fashioned a writing style. Times have changed and although there is plenty of action there isn’t the rebellious humour that today’s youngsters seem to like. Still, I enjoyed writing the little verses that the toads spout and had fun creating the Magic Land.

I have let the witch ride off into the clouds in case I ever want to return.

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Back in the Swing

At last society is gradually getting back to normal. It feels a bit unfair when the rest of the world is still suffering so much but the need to meet up with folk is very strong and just one social occasion can lift the spirits for a week.

After seeing family on Sunday I then had the good fortune to be allowed to have a stall at the Summer Fayre arranged by Buddy’s in aid of Mencap. Such a lovely group of volunteers who had obviously worked hard to put on the event at short notice.

I sold eight books and won a couple of prizes on the tombola, as well as having a delicious bacon roll from the cafe when hubby came to meet me and help pack up.

The Worthing Town Crier attended , as did a lively singer and everyone agreed that it was wonderful just to meet again. We had outside stalls and very few people wore masks until they ventured indoors to the shop or cafe. This is the gradual way to get back to normal safely. I don’t know how much money they made but when we came away the raffle was in full swing and all involved looked content.

Who needs a book launch?

I just wanted to tell you all that I was feeling more positive today. I sold a book yesterday and have an interview with a printer this afternoon. I’m planning a tea party for readers of the first Penny book as a thank you instead of a book launch that nobody attends.

The newspapers and magazines want me to pay to advertise whereas they used to let me invite people in print. I don’t use facebook so I don’t advertise online. I think people are still worried about venturing out to somewhere when they don’t need to, so I’m going to ask neighbours and friends to come and enjoy a social afternoon and if they want to purchase the second and third copies they will be available.

Hubby bought some flowers for me today so perhaps he is feeling happier, too, in spite of still searching for a new dog. I’ll have to limit my creativity to meals at present – not inclined to write, although there is a 500 word competition I could try….

Book launch lessons

Well, that was a different experience! Usually my book launches end up with approximately ten books sold and a lot of friends seen but this time was different. As none of the social occasions I usually attend, Friendship Centre, Gym, Jazz and Folk events have been operating, I have not been able to invite people in person.

Stupidly, I thought the best place for launching a children’s book was where there were children. WRONG! ( especially when they were playing) I should keep the books until I meet up with their grandparents.

It was a little noisy at the Lido but the all day breakfast I had when we closed the stall made it all worth it. I had sold five books, four of them to people who knew me who had been alerted by text. I don’t think posters and flyers work any more. Everything has to be advertised on line. If you haven’t got a mobile phone and are not on facebook you don’t exist!

I’ll put them all away until book3 is out and then sell them as a trilogy, nearer Christmas. We live and learn.

Something to cheer about

My trip down town yesterday was very productive. I actually got a date for the launch Of “Penny and the Poorly Parrot.” I shall be in the Lido Cafe on Worthing seafront from 11am to 1pm on Wednesday 2nd June, come rain or shine!

I am now starting to design more posters. It is over a year since we were able to do face to face book signings but when I was in town it looked almost like it used to look on market days. The sun was out, the big wheel was operating and people looked happy, for a change. The posters won’t come out on wordpress so I’ve put the wheel on instead.

Whether anyone will be ready to purchase little paperbacks when the kids would rather play on the mechanical toys is yet to be determined!

websites

I had some encouraging news from my website provider today. They said more people were looking at them. I have two now, http://www.oldstickbooks.co.uk ( which is also oldstickbooks.online) and http://www.juliecround.co.uk ( which wasn’t getting views so I was going to close it) I think maybe the little postcards that I distributed locally might have made people look me up. I still have not had any orders for the original Penny book but I will have some with me when I launch Penny and the Poorly Parrot.

The exciting thing that happened today was that I chose a cover for the third book. I had searched on Shutterstock for one that matched the first two and didn’t think any of my choices would work but my designer has used the one by the artist that we used for the first two backgrounds and it is perfect. It’s too soon to show you as it is planned as an autumn release but it stopped me worrying that I would never find one.

It’s a strange feeling, not having a book on the go but I need to concentrate on marketing the ones I have for sale. Lets hope we have seen the last of lockdowns.

Another Penny Book

I have finished the first draft of the third Penny book and sent it to the illustrator.

I was really happy this morning as the flyers for Penny1 were ready so I picked them up and began to distribute them locally. I need to sell eight more books to make the flyers worthwhile.

If the shop I saw yesterday are agreeable I should be able to have a launch of Book2 at half term.

Of course the dream is to see all three books together in hardback but I would need to contact a traditional publisher for that to happen.

Now to take off my editor hat and replace it with the marketing one!

More Penny promotion.

Well, I have printed off a new poster and a separate one with the cover for the local shop and delivered two sample copies in town, one to Waterstones and one to a toy shop. Neither had the person who makes buying decisions at work so I don’t expect to hear soon.

I think my photo problems are due to the fact that I don’t really understand my wordprocessing program. It’s a bit like driving a car without knowing how the engine works. It’s fine until it does something you don’t expect. I have just been correcting oddities as I go along. The only one I couldn’t fix was a couple of black lines across the text so I left them. Luckily I have a designer who can probably sort that out when I send him the text.

Of course, if I right click I might find some answers but I forget to try that. I don’t think it will have a rotate option but I might have a look. It was odd, it would rotate the content of the photo but not the photo itself and all the edit options just have filters.

Next problem, getting a new corded phone, with an answerphone. I thought I had found one until I googled it and found people had trouble setting it up and it went wrong after a while. We want big buttons on a proper handset not those things that look like mobile phones!

I know, we belong in a museum!

Another launch

It is almost impossible to get enthusiastic about relaunching a book that was written before Christmas but I’m going to try.

If I can get people hooked on the first Penny book they might like to read the next one (or two) I can’t launch number two before I get more readers for number one. Apparently asking libraries and schools if you can do a reading is a good idea for children’s books. I need to be sure when they are properly and safely open. Although the cover of Penny Down the Drain was of the Magic Kingdom it probably should have had Penny in it – more dramatic, when I was just looking for colour. We live and learn. I am inviting readers to preorder Penny and the Poorly Parrot and my son says that will show if anyone liked the first book! I’m aiming for June 2nd so I need to get the earlier book launched before then. Getting to April 12th seems so slow. I must try to cheer up!

More Good News

I don’t know how or why but ” Penny Down the Drain” has now taken off. A contact in London sold one signed copy for me and now has orders for five more. This while Amazon still list it as unavailable but Waterstones have it on file. This is a strange way to market a book but I’m grateful for any help under the circumstances.

I was holding back on promotions until the lockdown ended. Now I feel I should be doing something my end. Maybe I’ll go back on twitter. I spent the morning trudging up to the local village Post Office. At only £5 a copy it is a bargain as I advertised free postage and can’t go back on it. I honestly thought most readers would be local.