taking a break

I'm still pounding the pavement to set up events so that I'll have a "running start" next year, but everyone is too busy even to schedule anything until after the holidays. So, I'll still be pounding the pavement, but I'm taking a break from blogging until January, probably.

Those one or two people who are reading this, THANK YOU. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family.

Priceless

Royalty per book. $0.75
Tall decaf latte. $2.65
Price of my book. $14.95
Royalty check for the first three months of online book sales $37.40
Trying to make my dreams come true....Priceless

Retail Therapy

I thought I was handling the abject failure of my talk yesterday very well, but today...today is a new day. I had to admit, I feel crushed. I'm usually a cheerful, optimistic kind of person, but it was depressing to get up. I tried to concentrate on the positive Barnes and Noble experience, but I couldn't shake off the depressing thoughts that came at me in waves. My first book talk in my hometown where I grew up as a child.... The branch manager was so helpful in trying to get the word out.... I couldn't stop thinking about it and analyzing it. Tuesday evening at 7pm probably wasn't the best time slot for a book talk.... I wanted to bury myself under a mound of blankets and just sleep. But when I tried to do just that, I couldn't fall asleep. I didn't want to do anything.

In my head, I knew it didn't mean anything unless I let it mean something. But my heart was nursing a wound that was bigger than I originally thought. So, in my efforts to shake off the blues, I went Christmas shopping (found perfect presents for my brothers), had lunch with wonderful friends who gave me a lot of air time to vent, and spent a nice afternoon with my son. I was feeling better and better as the day went on. I just have to get through today.

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe I'll schedule my next book signing with Barnes and Noble Fremont. Maybe I'll swing by Borders in Milpitas and try to catch the manager to talk about book signing. Tomorrow is a brand new day with endless possibilities.

Ying Yang kind of night

I'm a day late, but I was too tired to blog last night....

I had no time to do anything for these events because I was so preoccupied by family health issues. So, I headed out with trepidation in my heart, wondering if anyone was going to show up tonight. I was worried about Barnes and Noble event. They are letting me use their store to get my book and my name out. I wanted some respectable, not so embarrassing sales. Considering I didn't have any friends showing up to support me ('cause I didn't send out an email out to them on time), I was really worried.

At the last book signing, I sold 14 books in a little over an hour. But the fact of matter was, I only sold 1 book to a total stranger I met at the book signing. So, I crossed my fingers hoping to sell...five books. My time slot of 5:30pm to 6:30pm was also a bad one. Who gets off work, head for home thinking heck I'm going to stop by a bookstore? Not that many, especially on Tuesday nights. So, I was delighted when I sold four or five books in an hour. That's to perfect strangers! The store manager said it was really dead last night, but she had me sign all the remaining copies (I think she ordered 27 copies) to sell as author signed copies. I asked if I can come back to see if I can do better and she was really open to it. Now, I need to call to set that up with a person who is in charge of that.

So, with this kind of success (small steps), I had high hopes when I showed up for my book talk at the Newark Library scheduled for 7pm. Well, lo and behold, it was a total bomb because no one showed up for the talk. Not one. Yikes! I was disappointed, but I knew this could be a definite possibility. When I made my rounds at different libraries to see if I can schedule a book talk, I was told, several times, that they had a very low turn out (less than a handful) for even the past bestselling author talks. So, I left the library disappointed, but not crushed.

I packed up my things, got in my car and thought, I'm going back to my family. How can I complain about THIS wonderful life?

A Success!

I didn't have time to blog this weekend, so I'm several day behind.

On November 21, I had my first book signing at Barnes and Noble on Stevens Creek Blvd. I wasn't nervous, until I saw the bookstore come into my view. Then my stomach churned. I wondered...what am I doing here? I hope I won't embarrass myself....

When I walked into the store, I saw the poster stand with my book cover and my picture and I thought, here I am. At a real bookstore, like a real author. When I introduced myself at the customer service center, they started moving things around a bit to make room for a small table with a stack of twenty books. I was joking with Kelly (the community relations manager at Barnes and Noble) that I was hoping I won't be an embarrassment. She smiled and told me not to worry about it. I tried not to worry about it, but as person after person walked passed my table to the bestseller bookshelves (which was conveniently located very close to my table), I was thinking...one. Can I get one? Just one? Pleeeeease?

Then I saw friends from Matheson (where I worked in the mid 90's) come and I was so happy. These are the guys who wouldn't read a book like mine, but they came out to support me. Then one after another, my friends (still from Matheson) came and bought books. Then people from my church came and bought books. Another friend bought six books. Just over an hour, I had sold thirteen books! I had hoped to sell twenty (I didn't know they only had twenty ready). Even though my book signing was only for an hour, I stayed for another hour and sold one book to a total stranger! I told her she made my day.
When I was getting ready to go home, Kelly told me to sign the rest (six books) for them to sell as signed copies, and that it was better than expected turnout for a books signing. Yipee!

On this day, I've learned that I am blessed to have such good friends and that book by book, I'll find my audience. That one sale to a stranger gave me a lot of hope for the future. I have another book signing coming up on 12/1. It's on Tuesday. 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. I'm afraid this is going to be a deadzone time slot. Getting off to work. Going home to family. Stop by at Barnes and Noble to check out Waiting for Appa? I still believe in miracles and I'm hoping to sell five to ten books.

Right now, I'm still celebrating the success of my first book signing.

Last minute marketing efforts....

I know I should have done this sooner. Ideally, on Monday or Wednesday, but working against the law of the Universe conspiring to make your dreams come true (The Alchemist) is the Murphy's law. So, here I am, the day before my very first book signing, I'm driving up and down El Camino and Stevens Creek looking for a place to post my flyer and get the word out. This would be a prime example of WHAT NOT TO DO, but I'm hoping that this is better than nothing.

Here are some of my triumphs:

* Starbucks on Lawrence and El Camino was AWESOME. Very friendly. Very visible.

* I've posted flyers on the bulletin boards in Korean grocery stores (they are located in the most visually challenged wall space between the two bathrooms down a long and narrow hallway). I'm not holding out too much hope.

* Cafe Java on El Camino and near San Thomas. Very Friendly. Very visible.

* Starbucks at Valley Fair. Very Friendly. Very visible.

Note to anyone who is going down this path: Not all Starbucks are open to flyers. Some are only open to flyers from non-profit organizations (I thought I saw a flyer of other persuasion, but I wasn't going to argue. What would be the point?)

So, after two tall decaf cafe lattes and an Odwalla I don't need, I feel quite happy with what I've accomplished this morning. Of course, I've posted the events on my accounts on Facebook and Goodreads.com as well as sending out emails to my friends and acquaintances who may be interested. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that I'll have a decent turnout.

On another front, I just learned that my book is now available through Borders. Yipee! Next week, I'll be driving around Palo Alto, Milpitas, etc. to talk to Border's stores. I'm hoping that the books lovers I don't know, yet, will think $15 for a signed book is a good price for a present/stocking stuffer for another book lover. Is it merely a wishful thinking in this economy? I don't know.... Wish me luck. I need it.

Excitement building

I'm getting excited about this Saturday. It's my first book signing, ever! And the fact that it's at Barnes and Noble on Stevens Creeks makes it all the more sweeter. I used to walk along the aisles of that store and dream about seeing my books on the bookshelves.

I've got the posters. I've got the bookmarkers. I've got business cards for my book. I'm glad that this 1st foray into the public realm is not a talk. The book talk is coming up in December (December 1st in Newark) and this event will help me get my feet wet nicely.

I'm hoping that some of my friends will come out and buy books there. I would consider it a major success if I sell....20 books. I don't know.... I want to sell enough so that I wouldn't be embarrassed to ask the bookstore if I can come back in six months or so. Wish me luck. I need it.

I'm scared. I'm excited. I can't wait for this first experience of meeting people in the bookstore as an author.

Returnability is what made this possible. Returnability. Returnability. Returnability.

New Hope

Lately, I've been struggling with keeping myself motivated when things get so discouraging.... But I did get some good news today.

Returnability is very important if you want to sell your book through book stores. Well, I didn't realize this when I first started this whole self-publishing process, but I did catch on this summer and bought the returnability package from iUniverse in August. Because of how the update cycle works, Waiting for Appa wasn't marked as returnable until October. Having gone through all that, it didn't show up as returnable from the wholesaler that Borders buys their books from. So, now with December right around the corner, Border's wholesaler confirmed today that it is marked as "returnable" in their systme. But I still have to wait a couple of weeks before my book will show up as "returnable" at Borders. Yikes! I can't wait.

I need to go around to businesses around the bookstore to see if I can post a flyer about my upcoming book signings at the Barnes and Noble stores.

Here are my upcoming events:

Books signing at Barnes and Noble, Stevens Creek - Nov. 21, 2009, 1pm - 2pm

Books signing at Barnes and Noble, Fremont Hub - Dec. 1, 2009, 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Book talk at the Newark Library in Newark CA - Dec. 1, 2009, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

A good news from Cleveland

Good friends are the greatest treasures a person can have and Robin Roch is one of them. She buys five or six books and takes them to places she goes and hands them to people she knows. Her friends. Her family. I appreciate that so much. She not only read my manuscript and gave me good feedback, but she's supporting me in so many ways....

She had given one of my books to her grandmother and her grandmother really liked it. She liked the book, but she equally liked the cover (which my brother Fred designed). This was just what I needed because I've been feeling pretty discouraged about all this. Thank you, Robin and Robin's grandmother!

I'm usually a confident person, but when it comes to writing, I get scared and insecure. I think that's a good thing. I want to tackle uncomfortable topics and try to become a better writer every day. I hope I can do that.

A better day

Got posters printed for the talk and book signing events. The red in the cover almost bleached out to...bluish red? How could that be possible? But that's what it looks like right now.... But they're still good enough to keep. Now, I need to find a frame for 16x20 poster.

I met a poet today and had a lot of fun talking to her. She has about 100 poems written, in Spanish, and wanted to talk to me about publishing. We talked for a bit and exchanged emails addresses. I'm going to forward some info about iUniverse and which options she should consider. I think it's very important that we, all of us, help each other. I'm going to write to her either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Sometimes I wonder....

I need to keep this up more regularly than this. I shall try my best to write every M/W/F (when my daughter goes to pre-school and I actually have some time to myself).

Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. Right now, I've hit a marketing hurdle and I really haven't sold many books since July. The royalty for my Sept sales was...$0.75! That means I sold one book online. I did sell about 100 books on my own from the 250 books I've purchased, but it is definitely depressing.

I need to think positively about all of this. If I can come to US without speaking any English, learn the language, get into Berkeley for Mechanical Engineering and graduate, and get where I am by sheer will and hard work, I think I can make this work, too. But my fear is...what if it takes more than hard work? This whole Santa Clara Country library system debacle is a big lesson. I still don't know what I could have done differently and what I did wrong. I just don't know.... I'm supposed to dedicate my M/W/F to marketing Waiting for Appa, but on the days when I have nothing to go on, I should keep working on The Seed Gatherer.

I'm learning that the most difficult thing about self-publishing is that all the contacts must be made on my own without any guidance. After I get through all this and find some measure of success, I'm going to write a book/pamphlet about self-publishing. I might even give it away as a free download if I don't have to worry about money too much.

Still, I have much to be thankful for - my family and the fact that I have the luxury to do this in the first place.

The things I learned today....

Beginning of this month, I purchased a press release kit from my publisher, iUnivers, for $300 (always negotiate for a discount). I would provide the info (via questionnaire) and they would craft a press release (which I thought was pretty good). The package included, along with the press release, up to 300+ media contacts to which my publisher would send out my press release via email. I thought I just needed to wait for a request for an interview or for a free review copy of my book.

I thought this sounded like a good thing...until I hit a brick wall of reality this afternoon. These media outlets receive tons and tons of press releases like mine and unless I stand out, I don't have a shot. A very nice gentleman who was an editor at one of the local papers called me back and we had a good talk. I learned a lot, but the bottom line is that, even for a local paper, I don't really have a chance at a feature or a review until I sell about 1,000 books (at least! He said he'd love to talk to me if I had sold 10,000!). And I can't sell that many books until I get the word out. So, where does that leave me? Well, it leaves me with more determination to work hard and see this thing through, with one book at a time.

Ultimately, do I think it's worth the money? I'm not sure. If I hadn't done this, I would wonder if I should have done and second guess my decisions for a while. Would I do it again for another book, if I do self-publish another one? No. I already have the media outlet list for my area and I have an example of what a press release should look like. So, a definite no.

My goal for this blog is to share the info I have so that the next person who decides to self-publish would have a little bit of head start on this awesome and bewildering business called publishing (maybe it should have been self-publishing, but I've heard similar stories from the writers from small presses).

I am usually a very optimistic person, but today was difficult. This was just one example of how today went. I have four pages of missed connections and disappointments. But at the end of the day, my children and I went for a long walk and everything was well in my world again.

Finally, iUniverse sent out 317 emails to the media outlets around my area, but how many will actually request a free review copy or an interview, I don't know. My intelligent guess is that it'll be dismally small, but I live in hope, prayer, and laws of attraction.

The title of my blog should have been Misadventures of a first time author.... The thing about first time anything is that you don't know what you should do or what questions you need to ask to figure out what you don't know. All this is very difficult to do on its own, but it gets incrementally more difficult when people who are in the know only gives you one bit of information at a time. Not out of maliciousness, but out of sheer indifference. So, at the end of the day, you have to go back over and over to get all the information. Yuk!



So, here it is. If there's anyone out there who is reading this, here's what you need to do before you think about setting up a book reading/book signing event at a library. I'm told that very few people will attend a book readin/book signing of an unknown or a first time author (even at a big library, supposedly only three or so will show up). So, you really want to get a book club to "sponsor" you. The most important librarian an author needs to talk to is the librarian in charge of book clubs. Most often, you need to send a review copy for the librarian to read before she makes her decision. After four visits, I was finally told this (after having talked to four different librarians). So, after having filled out event application with all the paperwork requested, I'm back to square one. Still need to convince the book club librarian to even request a review copy from me. Wish me luck.

Talked to the branch manager of my hometown library yesterday. She's going to read the book and then decide:
1) if she'll put it in circulation.
2) if she'll recommend it for a book club selection.
3) if she'll allow me to book a book reading/signing event at the library.

We had a really good talk and I have a positive feeling about this. She really liked the cover. Thanks, Fred!

Checked on my royalties. iUniverse will only send a royalty check if it's over $100 for the quarter. Well, at this rate, I think it's going to take a couple of quarters, at least, to make that happen. Still, it's unreal to think that I'm collecting royalties. Yipee!

My royalties to date:
July '09 $22.44
August '09 $14.21

Background

My husband told me to blog when I first started down this path in early Feb 2009, and I should have listened. It would have been nice to document this crazy and wonderful process of self-publishing.

After receiving more than my share of "positive rejection" letters, I've decided to self-publish my book, Waiting for Appa. I would have never considered this option before reading the Time's article on the publishing industry.

After eight months of work (beside the important work of writing), my first book reading/signing may be just around the corner. I'm discovering that marketing is a big part of being a writer. I wish I had more time to write. I'm crossing my fingers and wishing for the very best.