Calling all Angels…

…Faeries, Mermaids, Old Souls, Starpeople and Leprechauns!

earth angel training academy

I’ve written this blog post several times in my head, which is where I would rather it stay, but I know that I need to actually type it and put it out there. Because this blog post is about the truth. Which is that I need help.

You would think that by the time I’d written and published my 7th book, (not to mention helped to publish several books for other authors) that I would know how to market them. That I would have an established way of launching my books so that they made an impact, that I would be selling hundreds, if not thousands of copies.

But the truth is, I’m just as bad at marketing now, as I was when I began. Why? Because traditional marketing does not feel authentic to me. I am a great believer that people find a  book at the right time for them to read it, and if they’re constantly blasted with messages of – you must buy this book right now – then it will just irritate them if it’s not the right time.

I figured it might be a good idea to get some help with the marketing, so I found a PR company who would write a press release and send it out to journalists for me. They wrote the piece, and though it sounded good, in all honesty, I couldn’t read it without giggling, because it bigged me up so much, that it seemed a little ridiculous. At the time, I was still in – ‘this is how you market stuff, you make it look like the next big thing’ mode, and so I approved it for them to send. Didn’t receive a single email, call or query about it, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t expect to. Why? Because it was not authentic. If you would like a good giggle yourself, please check it out on the only place I’ve seen it online. (Click here) (Just to add, the company were great to work with, very professional, and very good at what they do. I have no complaints about the service I received)

I’ve been doing the Brene Brown eCourse, and one of the main threads (because that has been her main focus for her research) is vulnerability. We build armor around ourselves, making up stories about things, so that others perceive us in a certain way. I know that there are a few people out there who assume that I am selling loads of books and make a ton of money. And though it’s nice that they think highly of me and my books, it’s just not the truth.

So back to what I said before. I need help. I know there are readers out there who have read and loved my books, who have not written reviews or recommended them to friends. If you are one of those people and you are able to, could you please do that for me? Reviews on Amazon really do make a difference, and you can write one there even if you bought the book directly from me or from a shop I sell them in. If you don’t have an Amazon account, then you can post a review in the comments below or on Facebook.  If you are on Facebook, you can like my page and share it with others who might like my books.

If you haven’t bought your Christmas presents yet, you could buy a copy of one of my books as a gift. With the new covers, the Earth Angel books now look really awesome. You can also still buy the Oracle Cards that accompany the books, directly through me on my website, or from Peace of Stone in Monmouth.

All of these things help to just make my books a little more visible and accessible, and word of mouth recommendations are far better than this false marketing that I have been attempting to do. After all, I know that my books will not appeal to everyone, I don’t want to sell millions of books only for them to be read by just a few. I write books for them to be read, for them to help people. But I can only do that with the help of my readers. To make it easier to share the links to my books on amazon, I have universal links to them all, which make it easier when tweeting or posting on Facebook. I’ve listed the links below. Even a tweet every now and then helps 🙂

Thank you for reading, and for letting me share this with you. I don’t find it easy to ask for help, and to admit that I don’t know how to do something, but I can’t keep on pretending like it’s all easy and taken care of. And as much as I wish I could sometimes, I really cannot do it all on my own.

viewbook.at/earthangeltrainingacademy

viewbook.at/earthangelawakening

viewbook.at/otherside

viewbook.at/theelphite

viewbook.at/doorwaytopam

viewauthor.at/michellegordon

Twas the Night Before the Launch…

And Michelle was ridiculously excited!

In just a few hours, The Other Side will be officially launched into the world and I am very excited, though a little nervous at the same time! Having only finished writing this book 7 weeks ago,  it feels like it’s been a crazy sprint to bring it to publication.

Today I recorded a couple of videos to post on the page of the Online Launch Party on facebook tomorrow (please join us!) and I will also be posting the Book Trailer I created for my books and there will be some interactive stuff, so check it out and join in 🙂

There’s still time to enter the Rafflecopter draw – you could win a signed set of the Earth Angel Books!

I will be having a second Launch at Peace of Stone in Monmouth on Tuesday the 26th November at 7pm. It’s a join launch with Adrian Incledon-Webber. His book – Heal your Home – is a must-have for every home. There will be drinks and nibbles and everyone is welcome to join us.

In case you’ve managed to miss it so far, here is the beautiful cover for my new book – (yes, I really am over-excited!)

The Other Side

The countdown to The Other Side begins!

Only 6 days to go! Yesterday, the proof copies arrived. I was incredibly excited to see the new covers on The Earth Angel Training Academy and The Earth Angel Awakening, and to see The Other Side for the first time. I think the three of them look amazing together as a series, and I’m very pleased with how they look, thanks to Liz and Jason.

Earth Angel Series

back covers

I’m just giving the proof copy of The Other Side a check through for last minute errors, but as a sneaky tip to anyone reading this – the new editions of Academy and Awakening in paperback are already available on Amazon 🙂 The Kindle versions and Smashwords versions with new covers will be ready by the official launch next Wednesday.

 

Final Full-cover Reveal!

Apologies for the lack of posts, I have literally been so busy I have not stopped! I have been mainly working on the final copy of The Other Side and party planning. Post-party (which will have its own blog soon!) I am now back to my publishing projects and getting my books published. I know I keep pushing the release date back, I blame it on Mercury being in retrograde… The release date for The Other Side and for the new editions of The Earth Angel Training Academy and The Earth Angel Awakening is now set as the 13th November 2013.

The final covers are now done, thanks to Jason Mordecai of Dark Horizons Media and Liz Gordon of madapple designs. Without further ado, here they are:

The Earth Angel Training Academy

The Earth Angel Awakening

The Other Side

Gallery

Heal your Home Book Launch

Today I was in Monmouth with professional dowser and author, Adrian Incledon-Webber, who was launching his brand new book – Heal your Home. We have been working together for the last few months to get his book ready to publish, … Continue reading →

Gallery

I Libboo, do you?

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Discovered a book website last week, called Libboo.com. The idea is that authors put their books on there, then readers sign up to become ‘buzzers’. They then ‘buzz’ the books to their social media sites and the more ‘buzz hits’ … Continue reading →

Cover Reveal!

The day has finally come! I am ready to reveal the two new covers for The Earth Angel Training Academy and The Earth Angel Awakening. (The cover for The Other Side will be revealed in a couple of weeks) Jason of Dark Horizons Media has been working all hours on the graphics, and has been incredibly patient with all of the tweaks I have asked for! I have also had help from Liz of Madapple Designs. I really am very much in debt to their patience with me, and very thankful for their talents!

The new covers for The Earth Angel Training Academy and The Earth Angel Awakening will appear on eBooks and print books in the next couple of weeks, when I upload the slightly revised editions. Until then, prepare to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ :

New cover

 

Brand new cover!

Launch of The Amethyst Angel website

the amethyst angel

For the last year, I have been assisting fellow Indie Authors with their publishing ventures. Myself and my editor, Elizabeth Lockwood, under the name of Purple Self-Publishing Services, were helping them with editing, proofreading and formatting their books, as well as helping with cover design and the actual publishing process, in print and online. Recently I have decided to revert back to my business name, The Amethyst Angel, which is also my publishing imprint name.

Instead of just offering guidance and assistance on the publishing side, however, I wanted to create something of a community of Indie Authors, who help each other in the selling and marketing process, to make the whole process just a little less lonely. So I have created my new site, and on it, I have featured the authors that I or Elizabeth have helped, and their books. The website will grow and evolve, as we help more and more authors, and as the community builds.

Being an Indie Author does not have to be a solitary, lonely venture. Let’s join together and make the journey together! If you are an Indie Author, or you would like to be, please do get in touch, I love to chat!

Local Author Events at the Malvern Book Co-operative

I am happy to say that I was contacted by the Malvern Book Co-operative to be a part of their local author week from the 13th to the 18th May. There will be several local novelists taking part, and I am looking forward to it!

malvern book coop

On Tuesday the 14th, at 7.30pm, there will be a ‘Speed Pitching’ evening, where the authors will be pitching their novels in a few minutes. (Apparently like speed dating only without the embarrassing chat up lines!) Then afterwards there will be time to chat to the authors about the good bits and bad bits of writing and publishing.

Then on Thursday the 16th, between 1pm and 4pm, I will be in the shop in Malvern, doing some writing and having a cuppa, and would love it if any other writers or budding writers wanted to join me for some informal writing/chatting about writing and publishing. I would be happy to answer any questions or make any suggestions 🙂

Then on Saturday the 18th, there will be two sessions of the local novelists coming in to sign their books and chat with readers. We would love to see you there!

Please pass this on to anyone you know in the area. You can find the Malvern Book Co-operative on Facebook too.

The Elphite is now available!

The Elphite

The Elphite is now available on Amazon in paperback, and on Kindle. Buy your copy now and get it in time for Christmas!  You can read more about The Elphite in my last blog post. The official launch is on the 21st December, in Peace of Stone in Monmouth, and there will be nibbles, mulled wine, cake and bucks fizz! There will also be signed copies available, and if they arrive in time from America, some limited edition merchandise too!

I haven’t blogged much recently due to being so crazily busy, releasing a book this close to Christmas, while working full time, working on my own business and still finding time to eat and sleep is a bit crazy, I may have to revise my publishing schedule for next year!

Well, it’s time to eat now, I look forward to feedback from my readers on my latest novel!