IndieView with Derek Warmington, author of The Sun That Shines & The Storm That Will Always Pass

I’ve been writing for a long time, and I don’t think I could ever write about completely fictitious characters …

Derek Warmington – 31 December 2015

The Back Flap

TSTS is a book of poetry. TSTS is a book of compassion. TSTS is a book of beauty. This collection of poetry is about love, truth, life, and light. Four words everyone seems to live for. From the kings and queens of the world all the way down to the beggar on the street. All is a part of a living organism. It is of the wise soul who remembers his or her intrinsic personal philosophy while treading down the dark roads into the unknown.

About the book

What is the book about?

The book is a story in which the main character learns how to live a life that’s true to himself. He goes through many disappointments and periods of mania as he searches for his purpose in life. It has elements of romance. It’s 86 pages of magical storytelling.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing the book sometime in late 2015. Maybe the month of October 2015.

How long did it take you to write it?

It took me about two-and-a-half months.

Where did you get the idea from?

It was written after a breakup. I began writing the book after a moment of insight. I was going through the most depressing year of my life. The motivation behind the book being written was love.

So many things have happened to me this year, that something snapped inside of me. And I just started writing poems. It wasn’t a breakup, per se, but someone didn’t answer the phone, and in that moment I literally just said, “I’m going to write a book of poems.”

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

It was difficult creating a story from my vast amount of poems. I had to create a way for my poems to tell a story, from page one to page eighty-six. And then to explain myself to the reader, in a way that wasn’t poetic, but completely practical.

I also had trouble knowing exactly when the book was finished. Because I thought it was finished about two-thirds of the way through. But I continued to write. And I kept writing until my pen wasn’t saying anything anymore, and the music had died. The words stopped rhyming, and things stopped being poetic.

What came easily?

The poems are about real life so there’s nothing I couldn’t write that didn’t happen or wasn’t happening in real life.

I started rhyming, and I read back the poems, and I just realized that I was working on something amazing. So it was like vomit, or diarrhea of the mouth, when I was just writing and everything was coming together eloquently; amazingly.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

After I had written about, IDK, a good amount of the book, I read back everything, and I realized I was writing about myself. I’ve lived a very sporadic life, so the guy in the book is many different things, and he could be a little bit of other people, but it’s mostly me. Just like in real life, we’re all like different people sometimes. Something rubs off on you, from other people, or things you experienced, even though it may not be who you are completely.

And the other characters in the book, especially the love interest, are real people. I’ve been writing for a long time, and I don’t think I could ever write about completely fictitious characters, even though I could and can and do sometimes write about like, IDK, a “fictitious” scene. But if I’m honest, I don’t think I could ever write fiction.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Well, I read a lot of philosophy. I’m very influenced by Plato, Socrates, and the other generations of philosophy. If I’m reading a book, I’m usually reading it for information. Or something like that. Non-fiction is a good word, it’s relevant. This book is an anomaly. It’s not something I planned to happen. What I usually read is nothing like what I wrote.

Do you have a target reader?

I don’t have a demographic I’m aiming for. The book combines both poetics and philosophy. I want to target anyone who is interested in poetry or philosophy. It’s meant to be a book that people can read when they’re in the mood for daydreams. Poetry that fills the soul. Words that are healing by nature. And storytelling on top of all of that.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

TSTSATSTWAP is a reverie of philosophical adventure. That’s what it felt like during the writing process. Everything came naturally. I was going through my past, in my head, all of the experiences I’ve been through, and translating that into words. The words just happened to rhyme and be poetic. So after finishing the first couple of poems, I really knew I had something.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I write outlines for projects outside of the book, almost always. But for TSTSATSTWAP I wrote no outlines. I did do chapter headings. But by the time the book was finished, the chapters had become completely different. I started with basic themes, like Truth, or Hope, or Pessimism, things like that. And I gathered however many poems I could vomit. And like I said, I had to make a story from that. And so the chapters changed.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

For my poetry book, there was no editing involved. There was nothing to really edit. For my other books, I can say that I’ll write a sub-chapter, of about 1,400 words, and then edit it. Once I edit it, it’s there to stay, for the most part. I haven’t really finished my other books, so I really couldn’t say.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I edited everything myself. I’m a professional writer so it wasn’t really a big deal. And it’s poetry…

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Definitely. I like to listen to Godspeed You! Black Emperor when I’m writing, more than anything else. Because their songs are usually over 20 minutes long. And there’s really nothing else out there like that band. I find their complete lack of song structure, and use of crescendos, etc, to be amazing for writing.

Other than GYBE, I’ll listen to my regular list of post-rock bands. The only thing I do all day is listen to Post-Rock. And I work on my projects. Well, that’s a lie, but it’s not far from the truth. …Of Sinking Ships, Signal Hill, Explosions In The Sky, The Mercury Program, Do Make Say Think, If These Trees Could Talk, are all bands I listen to regularly everyday. And I’m either writing, or working on a business idea, or blah blah blah. So that’s the answer!

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I will in the future. I’m not sure what you mean by “agent,” I mean, I know what an agent is. I just figure when I’m ready to look for a publisher, I’ll probably send out some emails. Having an agent would be cool, but only if I have like, IDK, five published books or something. Then it would dope to have someone handle business.

I’ve never submitted my work to an agent, to answer your question.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Well, it all started about three years ago… when I started writing. And up until this point, I never thought about seeking a publisher, because I never had anything to publish. It was a goal of mine to publish this book, because it was just an amazing manuscript. So I self-published.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I did it myself. I was going to hire someone, but with all of the options available, the best thing for me to do was to make the cover myself, because I’ve made graphics for other things in the past, and I’m no stranger to the whole process. I knew I could make a decent illustration. One with more feeling and passion than I could pay someone to make.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Well, it’s a little of both. I go with the flow, always. And I set goals.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Set goals, then set sub-goals, and work towards your goals everyday. Learn how to set effective goals. This is the key to life!

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Cypress, TX. It’s a suburb of Houston, TX.

Where do you live now?

I live in Houston, but by the time you publish this interview, I’ll most likely be in Austin, TX.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m 26 years old. People say I’m brilliant. I published my first poem at the age of seven. I’m planning to publish another book entitled Ruminations: Truth, Evolution, & Existentialism. I’m living my life by the first couple of pages in the book, i.e. philosophy / self-actualization. Abraham Maslow defined self-actualizers as people who are “devoted, working at something, something which is very precious to them– some calling or vocation. They are working at something which fate has called them to somehow, which they love.” That’s me in a nut shell.

What are you working on now?

I’m starting a company called “Dear Drama.” You can follow me on Twitter @DWarmingtonn. I really consider myself more of an innovator than a poet.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of The Sun That Shines & The Storm That Will Always Pass from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

from The IndieView http://ift.tt/1RSYgFk

IndieView with Derek Warmington, author of The Sun That Shines & The Storm That Will Always Pass

I've been writing for a long time, and I don't think I could ever write about completely fictitious characters …

Derek Warmington – 31 December 2015

The Back Flap

TSTS is a book of poetry. TSTS is a book of compassion. TSTS is a book of beauty. This collection of poetry is about love, truth, life, and light. Four words everyone seems to live for. From the kings and queens of the world all the way down to the beggar on the street. All is a part of a living organism. It is of the wise soul who remembers his or her intrinsic personal philosophy while treading down the dark roads into the unknown.

About the book

What is the book about?

The book is a story in which the main character learns how to live a life that's true to himself. He goes through many disappointments and periods of mania as he searches for his purpose in life. It has elements of romance. It's 86 pages of magical storytelling.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing the book sometime in late 2015. Maybe the month of October 2015.

How long did it take you to write it?

It took me about two-and-a-half months.

Where did you get the idea from?

It was written after a breakup. I began writing the book after a moment of insight. I was going through the most depressing year of my life. The motivation behind the book being written was love.

So many things have happened to me this year, that something snapped inside of me. And I just started writing poems. It wasn't a breakup, per se, but someone didn't answer the phone, and in that moment I literally just said, "I'm going to write a book of poems."

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

It was difficult creating a story from my vast amount of poems. I had to create a way for my poems to tell a story, from page one to page eighty-six. And then to explain myself to the reader, in a way that wasn't poetic, but completely practical.

I also had trouble knowing exactly when the book was finished. Because I thought it was finished about two-thirds of the way through. But I continued to write. And I kept writing until my pen wasn't saying anything anymore, and the music had died. The words stopped rhyming, and things stopped being poetic.

What came easily?

The poems are about real life so there's nothing I couldn't write that didn't happen or wasn't happening in real life.

I started rhyming, and I read back the poems, and I just realized that I was working on something amazing. So it was like vomit, or diarrhea of the mouth, when I was just writing and everything was coming together eloquently; amazingly.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

After I had written about, IDK, a good amount of the book, I read back everything, and I realized I was writing about myself. I've lived a very sporadic life, so the guy in the book is many different things, and he could be a little bit of other people, but it's mostly me. Just like in real life, we're all like different people sometimes. Something rubs off on you, from other people, or things you experienced, even though it may not be who you are completely.

And the other characters in the book, especially the love interest, are real people. I've been writing for a long time, and I don't think I could ever write about completely fictitious characters, even though I could and can and do sometimes write about like, IDK, a "fictitious" scene. But if I'm honest, I don't think I could ever write fiction.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Well, I read a lot of philosophy. I'm very influenced by Plato, Socrates, and the other generations of philosophy. If I'm reading a book, I'm usually reading it for information. Or something like that. Non-fiction is a good word, it's relevant. This book is an anomaly. It's not something I planned to happen. What I usually read is nothing like what I wrote.

Do you have a target reader?

I don't have a demographic I'm aiming for. The book combines both poetics and philosophy. I want to target anyone who is interested in poetry or philosophy. It's meant to be a book that people can read when they're in the mood for daydreams. Poetry that fills the soul. Words that are healing by nature. And storytelling on top of all of that.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

TSTSATSTWAP is a reverie of philosophical adventure. That's what it felt like during the writing process. Everything came naturally. I was going through my past, in my head, all of the experiences I've been through, and translating that into words. The words just happened to rhyme and be poetic. So after finishing the first couple of poems, I really knew I had something.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I write outlines for projects outside of the book, almost always. But for TSTSATSTWAP I wrote no outlines. I did do chapter headings. But by the time the book was finished, the chapters had become completely different. I started with basic themes, like Truth, or Hope, or Pessimism, things like that. And I gathered however many poems I could vomit. And like I said, I had to make a story from that. And so the chapters changed.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?

For my poetry book, there was no editing involved. There was nothing to really edit. For my other books, I can say that I'll write a sub-chapter, of about 1,400 words, and then edit it. Once I edit it, it's there to stay, for the most part. I haven't really finished my other books, so I really couldn't say.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I edited everything myself. I'm a professional writer so it wasn't really a big deal. And it's poetry…

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Definitely. I like to listen to Godspeed You! Black Emperor when I'm writing, more than anything else. Because their songs are usually over 20 minutes long. And there's really nothing else out there like that band. I find their complete lack of song structure, and use of crescendos, etc, to be amazing for writing.

Other than GYBE, I'll listen to my regular list of post-rock bands. The only thing I do all day is listen to Post-Rock. And I work on my projects. Well, that's a lie, but it's not far from the truth. …Of Sinking Ships, Signal Hill, Explosions In The Sky, The Mercury Program, Do Make Say Think, If These Trees Could Talk, are all bands I listen to regularly everyday. And I'm either writing, or working on a business idea, or blah blah blah. So that's the answer!

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I will in the future. I'm not sure what you mean by "agent," I mean, I know what an agent is. I just figure when I'm ready to look for a publisher, I'll probably send out some emails. Having an agent would be cool, but only if I have like, IDK, five published books or something. Then it would dope to have someone handle business.

I've never submitted my work to an agent, to answer your question.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Well, it all started about three years ago… when I started writing. And up until this point, I never thought about seeking a publisher, because I never had anything to publish. It was a goal of mine to publish this book, because it was just an amazing manuscript. So I self-published.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I did it myself. I was going to hire someone, but with all of the options available, the best thing for me to do was to make the cover myself, because I've made graphics for other things in the past, and I'm no stranger to the whole process. I knew I could make a decent illustration. One with more feeling and passion than I could pay someone to make.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Well, it's a little of both. I go with the flow, always. And I set goals.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Set goals, then set sub-goals, and work towards your goals everyday. Learn how to set effective goals. This is the key to life!

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Cypress, TX. It's a suburb of Houston, TX.

Where do you live now?

I live in Houston, but by the time you publish this interview, I'll most likely be in Austin, TX.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I'm 26 years old. People say I'm brilliant. I published my first poem at the age of seven. I'm planning to publish another book entitled Ruminations: Truth, Evolution, & Existentialism. I'm living my life by the first couple of pages in the book, i.e. philosophy / self-actualization. Abraham Maslow defined self-actualizers as people who are "devoted, working at something, something which is very precious to them– some calling or vocation. They are working at something which fate has called them to somehow, which they love." That's me in a nut shell.

What are you working on now?

I'm starting a company called "Dear Drama." You can follow me on Twitter @DWarmingtonn. I really consider myself more of an innovator than a poet.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of The Sun That Shines & The Storm That Will Always Pass from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

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New Years Resolutions – 2016

I find it helpful to write a set of New Year's resolutions each year about the things I want to learn and accomplish during the next 12 months. Since my life and work revolve around hiking,...

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New Years Resolutions – 2016

I find it helpful to write a set of New Year’s resolutions each year about the things I want to learn and accomplish during the next 12 months. Since my life and work revolve around hiking,...

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Wilderness First Aid and Backcountry Emergency Care

"I never felt so helpless," said a doctor friend of mine as we discussed the mock accident scenarios we practiced during a Wilderness First Aid certification course I took recently....

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Wilderness First Aid and Backcountry Emergency Care

“I never felt so helpless,” said a doctor friend of mine as we discussed the mock accident scenarios we practiced during a Wilderness First Aid certification course I took recently....

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basic safety rules for operating a high powered laser

In general, the cardinal rule of operating high powered lasers is: do not to shoot lasers AT people. In the US, laserists are required to keep the lowest laser beams about 3 meters above...

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laser classes

Lasers are usually labeled with a safety class number, which identifies how dangerous the laser is: Class 1 is inherently safe, usually because the light is contained in an enclosure, for example in CD...

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LED Knowledge

1). Luminous Flux (Ô) The SI unit of luminous flux is the lumen (lm). The luminous flux Ô [lm] indicates all the radiated power emitted by a light source in all directions. 2). Candela...

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The Ultimate Launch Checklist (For Your Next Sale)

It's that time of year again.

This week I'll be launching our fourth annual Location Rebel New Years Promotion.

It's pretty widely known that I only do two major promotions a year for LR. I do one on New Years Day, and one on the anniversary of starting the site in July.

These are two of the best times to join because you get to come in with a big group of people, who are all eager to start a business and make major changes in their lives.

Now, I do these sales in a way that's a little more unconventional than what most typical marketers do.

For one, I don't discount the price at all.

Sure, I could get a lot more people in the door with even a small discount, but I don't do this for a few reasons.

1. Everyone in LR has paid to be there. Because of this, the quality of our community is extremely high, and our members are actually motivated to take action
2. I don't want to train people to wait for the sales.

Unlike some products, the cart for Location Rebel never closes. I don't want the pressure of doing a handful of big launches a year, and frankly, if you're ready to take action in early March – I don't want you to have to wait another few months just to get access to the content.

I try and make things as fair as possible, and I never want a current member to feel like they didn't get a good deal on their purchase when they see the next offer.

That's why a good portion of the bonuses usually benefit all of the current members as well.

Today I'll be starting my email series for the 2016 New Years promotion today, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about some of the components that go into a successful sale or launch of an online product.

Not every sale is going to have all of these, and my promotion won't necessarily either. But these are all things that should be considered for each online sale you do – choosing the ones most applicable to your goals.

1) Establish a Clear Timeframe

I've seen online sales that are anywhere between a few hours long to a few weeks long, but you should have a clear timeline from day one so that you can properly plan your marketing around it.

I like the 48-72 hour time frame because it encourages people to take action immediately, and it remains top of mind.

The longer you go, the easier it is for people to push it off and forget about it.

The exception to this is if you have a long pre-launch sequence and you're using affiliates.

When this is the case and you have a few dozen people each running their own marketing campaigns for your product, having a longer window helps to cater to your affiliates and gives them more flexibility in your promotions.

This should be considered for advanced marketers only, however. If you're doing one of your first promos keep it to a shorter time frame.

2) Work in Opportunities to build Relationships with Your Audience

This is probably the biggest thing that sets my strategy apart from the bigger marketers out there.

Rather than automating everything, I like to add a personal component to my promotions.

In the first email of my series, I encourage people to hit reply and answer a question.

I then take it a step further and promise to give a personal response back with my answer to the same question (no sales people here, I give all the responses myself).

What does this do?

It allows me to actually start to build a relationship with the people thinking about joining the community. And even better, once they do join, I've already got an idea of what their goals are, so it makes it easier to help them and tailor my advice.

Yes, it's a lot of work. I spend hours answering emails in the three days leading up to a sale, but it's totally worth it.

3) Give Buyers an Incentive to Act Quickly

This is different than having a timeframe like we mentioned early on.

The vast majority of your sales come at the very beginning and the very end of the sale – so you want to start off as strong as you can.

I like to provide additional incentives for those who join earliest. If you're hovering over the buy button 10 minutes before the sale officially starts, you should be rewarded for your loyalty and enthusiasm.

Usually I'll tier my promotions like this:

• Everyone gets at least 3 bonuses
• First 100 people get those plus another bonus
• First 75 get everything above plus something else
• First 50 get everything above plus something else
• First 25 get everything above plus something else
• First 10 get everything above plus something else

So while it's important to make sure that it's still an incredible deal for the people who aren't in the top 100, it makes it even more of a no-brainer for the people who are in that first wave of people.

4) Offer Bonuses that Target Different Needs

For this upcoming sale, I have more bonuses than I've ever had before.

Every single one of them works together to help achieve the same goal: start and grow a lifestyle business you can run from anywhere on Earth.

But different bonuses help with this in different ways.

Some of them cater to the people who want more advanced training.

Other bonuses help out the people who learn best through human contact.

While others are catering towards the complete beginner who has no idea where to start, they just know they're ready to make a change.

With this strategy, even though they all work together to help you achieve a common goal, there's a better chance of having that one thing that really resonates with different types of individuals.

5) ALWAYS Spend Considerable Time Crafting Your Email Series

This is the absolute most important part of any online sale.

In fact, this post is pretty much the only thing I'll be saying publicly about what we have coming up. It's generally only offered to people on my email list.

Because of this, you have to make sure the email series is really compelling.

At least for me, it's one of the few times of the year where I send a burst of emails over a period of 5 days – so this has the potential to rub a lot of people the wrong way. Because of this, you want to do your best to make sure the emails are interesting, not overly pushy, but still help you achieve your goal of making sales.

I like to do this by offering case studies, telling different stories about our members and my own background, and by constantly reminding my subscribers that these promotions are very rare.

This let's you know it's a great time to buy if you're interested, or for those who aren't interested, it let's you know that things will go back to normal soon.

6) Shoot a Video or Prepare a Video Sales Letter (VSL)

These are becoming increasingly common in online promotions, and in many cases, marketers use only a VSL to promote their products. I personally like having a combo.

And rather than doing a traditional VSL, I like to use video as a way to simply build rapport with the audience.

The fact is, I'm a pretty normal dude.

I've created a program and community that's based off exactly what I did in my own life, and what I've helped hundreds of others achieve over the last few years.

I don't consider myself a professional marketer or guru, I don't think I'm better than anyone else, and I like to keep things casual and fun.

The primary purpose of the videos I shoot is to drive home those facts, while establishing that I really do know what I'm talking about. That's what I've been doing with our weekly video blog. Trying to be entertaining and useful, but also just helping people get a feel for what I'm really like.

7) Offer Your Content in a Variety of Ways

To go along with the note about video, these days different people like to learn in different ways. So if you can offer your content via different mediums, it could help provide greater appeal to someone depending on what they like.

For instance, some people love watching tutorial videos but hate reading. Others like listening to podcasts on their commute.

By providing your content in a variety of ways you're establishing broader appeal. One of the easiest ways to do this is to record the content as video. From there you can create an mp3 for the people who just want the audio, and transcribe it for the people who want the text.

8) Build Your Pre-Sale List Early

Not only is this fantastic for boosting sales, but it can also help you validate whether your product idea is actually worth it or not.

In our upcoming course Rebel Launches, I walk people step by step through my process for building a pre-sale interest list, validating the idea, and rolling out content before the sale to get people super excited to buy when things go live.

The easiest way to get going is to write a blog post on your topic, and include an opt in incentive that's related to your product. If people sign up in droves you probably have a great idea on your hands. If not? Could be a sign that you need to point your attention elsewhere.

9) Testimonials

I don't care how many times you say your offering is great, it's always going to be more believable coming from someone else. Especially an actual customer, who had actual success, who actually emailed you to tell you about it.

The more testimonials the better. You can never have too many testimonials in my opinion.

Along with that, the more authentic and specific the testimonials are – the more effective they will be.

Nearly all of the testimonials I have on my sales page were unsolicited notes I got from people who have had success within the program. Not only does it put a huge smile on my face every time I get one, but it tells a potential customer, "oh, this really does work!"

Recently, I've taken this a step further and done a handful of video case studies each year. I hop on Skype for 10-15 minutes and talk with successful members about their background, experience with Location Rebel, and have them talk about how it helped them to be successful.

Here was one of the most recent ones I did with Josh Slone:

10) Multiple pricing options

Pricing is one of the most difficult parts any entrepreneur faces with their business.

You don't want to give people too many options as that can lead to indecision and no action, but if you only give them one option, it may not be a great fit for them and could result in no sale.

I generally provide people with three options (One time fee, 4 monthly payments, entry level/stripped down option).

For my big promotions I remove the entry level option, and only offer the first two. This gives people who purchase all at once a bit of a discount, but makes the monthly payments more manageable for people who would like it.

This is something you need to test and experiment with, as every product and market is different, but generally having 2-3 pricing options will lead to more sales.

Was this helpful?

Was this post useful for you?

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. One of the bonuses in this year's LR promo is full, lifetime access to my course Rebel Launches.

In it, I teach you exactly how to go from nothing to doing a launch that has the potential to make 5 figures within 3 months – all while building legitimate relationships with your readers and customers.

We've tested it on a few different products, and it's worked really well. I haven't released it anywhere yet, and the only way you can get access right now is through this sale.

I'll be releasing it next month for $297 on it's own, so this is an incredible deal. Our 2016 New Years promotion will be live on Friday January 1st at 10am PST, and will run until Sunday, January 3rd at 10am PST.

Any sales made during that time are eligible for the bonuses, so if you aren't on the email list, or somehow miss the sales page – you're all good if you buy within that window. BUT, I'd suggest signing up here to make sure you don't miss anything

from Location 180 | Build a Business, Live Anywhere, Achieve Freedom http://ift.tt/1OXaMxe

The Ultimate Launch Checklist (For Your Next Sale)

It’s that time of year again.

This week I’ll be launching our fourth annual Location Rebel New Years Promotion.

It’s pretty widely known that I only do two major promotions a year for LR. I do one on New Years Day, and one on the anniversary of starting the site in July.

These are two of the best times to join because you get to come in with a big group of people, who are all eager to start a business and make major changes in their lives.

Now, I do these sales in a way that’s a little more unconventional than what most typical marketers do.

For one, I don’t discount the price at all.

Sure, I could get a lot more people in the door with even a small discount, but I don’t do this for a few reasons.

1. Everyone in LR has paid to be there. Because of this, the quality of our community is extremely high, and our members are actually motivated to take action
2. I don’t want to train people to wait for the sales.

Unlike some products, the cart for Location Rebel never closes. I don’t want the pressure of doing a handful of big launches a year, and frankly, if you’re ready to take action in early March – I don’t want you to have to wait another few months just to get access to the content.

I try and make things as fair as possible, and I never want a current member to feel like they didn’t get a good deal on their purchase when they see the next offer.

That’s why a good portion of the bonuses usually benefit all of the current members as well.

Today I’ll be starting my email series for the 2016 New Years promotion today, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about some of the components that go into a successful sale or launch of an online product.

Not every sale is going to have all of these, and my promotion won’t necessarily either. But these are all things that should be considered for each online sale you do – choosing the ones most applicable to your goals.

1) Establish a Clear Timeframe

I’ve seen online sales that are anywhere between a few hours long to a few weeks long, but you should have a clear timeline from day one so that you can properly plan your marketing around it.

I like the 48-72 hour time frame because it encourages people to take action immediately, and it remains top of mind.

The longer you go, the easier it is for people to push it off and forget about it.

The exception to this is if you have a long pre-launch sequence and you’re using affiliates.

When this is the case and you have a few dozen people each running their own marketing campaigns for your product, having a longer window helps to cater to your affiliates and gives them more flexibility in your promotions.

This should be considered for advanced marketers only, however. If you’re doing one of your first promos keep it to a shorter time frame.

2) Work in Opportunities to build Relationships with Your Audience

This is probably the biggest thing that sets my strategy apart from the bigger marketers out there.

Rather than automating everything, I like to add a personal component to my promotions.

In the first email of my series, I encourage people to hit reply and answer a question.

I then take it a step further and promise to give a personal response back with my answer to the same question (no sales people here, I give all the responses myself).

What does this do?

It allows me to actually start to build a relationship with the people thinking about joining the community. And even better, once they do join, I’ve already got an idea of what their goals are, so it makes it easier to help them and tailor my advice.

Yes, it’s a lot of work. I spend hours answering emails in the three days leading up to a sale, but it’s totally worth it.

3) Give Buyers an Incentive to Act Quickly

This is different than having a timeframe like we mentioned early on.

The vast majority of your sales come at the very beginning and the very end of the sale – so you want to start off as strong as you can.

I like to provide additional incentives for those who join earliest. If you’re hovering over the buy button 10 minutes before the sale officially starts, you should be rewarded for your loyalty and enthusiasm.

Usually I’ll tier my promotions like this:

• Everyone gets at least 3 bonuses
• First 100 people get those plus another bonus
• First 75 get everything above plus something else
• First 50 get everything above plus something else
• First 25 get everything above plus something else
• First 10 get everything above plus something else

So while it’s important to make sure that it’s still an incredible deal for the people who aren’t in the top 100, it makes it even more of a no-brainer for the people who are in that first wave of people.

4) Offer Bonuses that Target Different Needs

For this upcoming sale, I have more bonuses than I’ve ever had before.

Every single one of them works together to help achieve the same goal: start and grow a lifestyle business you can run from anywhere on Earth.

But different bonuses help with this in different ways.

Some of them cater to the people who want more advanced training.

Other bonuses help out the people who learn best through human contact.

While others are catering towards the complete beginner who has no idea where to start, they just know they’re ready to make a change.

With this strategy, even though they all work together to help you achieve a common goal, there’s a better chance of having that one thing that really resonates with different types of individuals.

5) ALWAYS Spend Considerable Time Crafting Your Email Series

This is the absolute most important part of any online sale.

In fact, this post is pretty much the only thing I’ll be saying publicly about what we have coming up. It’s generally only offered to people on my email list.

Because of this, you have to make sure the email series is really compelling.

At least for me, it’s one of the few times of the year where I send a burst of emails over a period of 5 days – so this has the potential to rub a lot of people the wrong way. Because of this, you want to do your best to make sure the emails are interesting, not overly pushy, but still help you achieve your goal of making sales.

I like to do this by offering case studies, telling different stories about our members and my own background, and by constantly reminding my subscribers that these promotions are very rare.

This let’s you know it’s a great time to buy if you’re interested, or for those who aren’t interested, it let’s you know that things will go back to normal soon.

6) Shoot a Video or Prepare a Video Sales Letter (VSL)

These are becoming increasingly common in online promotions, and in many cases, marketers use only a VSL to promote their products. I personally like having a combo.

And rather than doing a traditional VSL, I like to use video as a way to simply build rapport with the audience.

The fact is, I’m a pretty normal dude.

I’ve created a program and community that’s based off exactly what I did in my own life, and what I’ve helped hundreds of others achieve over the last few years.

I don’t consider myself a professional marketer or guru, I don’t think I’m better than anyone else, and I like to keep things casual and fun.

The primary purpose of the videos I shoot is to drive home those facts, while establishing that I really do know what I’m talking about. That’s what I’ve been doing with our weekly video blog. Trying to be entertaining and useful, but also just helping people get a feel for what I’m really like.

7) Offer Your Content in a Variety of Ways

To go along with the note about video, these days different people like to learn in different ways. So if you can offer your content via different mediums, it could help provide greater appeal to someone depending on what they like.

For instance, some people love watching tutorial videos but hate reading. Others like listening to podcasts on their commute.

By providing your content in a variety of ways you’re establishing broader appeal. One of the easiest ways to do this is to record the content as video. From there you can create an mp3 for the people who just want the audio, and transcribe it for the people who want the text.

8) Build Your Pre-Sale List Early

Not only is this fantastic for boosting sales, but it can also help you validate whether your product idea is actually worth it or not.

In our upcoming course Rebel Launches, I walk people step by step through my process for building a pre-sale interest list, validating the idea, and rolling out content before the sale to get people super excited to buy when things go live.

The easiest way to get going is to write a blog post on your topic, and include an opt in incentive that’s related to your product. If people sign up in droves you probably have a great idea on your hands. If not? Could be a sign that you need to point your attention elsewhere.

9) Testimonials

I don’t care how many times you say your offering is great, it’s always going to be more believable coming from someone else. Especially an actual customer, who had actual success, who actually emailed you to tell you about it.

The more testimonials the better. You can never have too many testimonials in my opinion.

Along with that, the more authentic and specific the testimonials are – the more effective they will be.

Nearly all of the testimonials I have on my sales page were unsolicited notes I got from people who have had success within the program. Not only does it put a huge smile on my face every time I get one, but it tells a potential customer, “oh, this really does work!”

Recently, I’ve taken this a step further and done a handful of video case studies each year. I hop on Skype for 10-15 minutes and talk with successful members about their background, experience with Location Rebel, and have them talk about how it helped them to be successful.

Here was one of the most recent ones I did with Josh Slone:

10) Multiple pricing options

Pricing is one of the most difficult parts any entrepreneur faces with their business.

You don’t want to give people too many options as that can lead to indecision and no action, but if you only give them one option, it may not be a great fit for them and could result in no sale.

I generally provide people with three options (One time fee, 4 monthly payments, entry level/stripped down option).

For my big promotions I remove the entry level option, and only offer the first two. This gives people who purchase all at once a bit of a discount, but makes the monthly payments more manageable for people who would like it.

This is something you need to test and experiment with, as every product and market is different, but generally having 2-3 pricing options will lead to more sales.

Was this helpful?

Was this post useful for you?

Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret. One of the bonuses in this year’s LR promo is full, lifetime access to my course Rebel Launches.

In it, I teach you exactly how to go from nothing to doing a launch that has the potential to make 5 figures within 3 months – all while building legitimate relationships with your readers and customers.

We’ve tested it on a few different products, and it’s worked really well. I haven’t released it anywhere yet, and the only way you can get access right now is through this sale.

I’ll be releasing it next month for $297 on it’s own, so this is an incredible deal. Our 2016 New Years promotion will be live on Friday January 1st at 10am PST, and will run until Sunday, January 3rd at 10am PST.

Any sales made during that time are eligible for the bonuses, so if you aren’t on the email list, or somehow miss the sales page – you’re all good if you buy within that window. BUT, I’d suggest signing up here to make sure you don’t miss anything

from Location 180 | Build a Business, Live Anywhere, Achieve Freedom http://ift.tt/1OXaMxe

Gray Knob Cabin and the Amphibrach Trail

I got a bit obsessed this autumn trying to hike as many new trails as I could before the harsh New Hampshire winter arrives in the White Mountains. I’ve been aided in this pursuit by the...

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Gray Knob Cabin and the Amphibrach Trail

I got a bit obsessed this autumn trying to hike as many new trails as I could before the harsh New Hampshire winter arrives in the White Mountains. I've been aided in this pursuit by the...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

from Sectionhiker.com http://ift.tt/1IBbxzC

BookView with Lauri Boris, author of A Sudden Gust of Gravity

I really enjoyed inviting him into this story and letting him tell his side of things, and he was one of the most forthcoming characters I've ever worked with. And adorable. If only he weren't so fictional and I wasn't old enough to be his…well, youthful aunt.

Laurie Boris – 28 December 2015

The Back Flap

Christina Davenport, waitressing to pay the bills, has abandoned her childhood dream of becoming a magician—until she meets the mesmerizing Reynaldo the Magnificent. He hires her as his assistant for his magic and juggling show; she hopes she can play the role without cutting his giant ego in half. Devon Park, a surgical resident, is escaping his own problems when he visits the street performers in downtown Boston. But the young doctor worries that the bruises beneath Christina's makeup go deeper than the training accident she professes. Convinced the doctor's interest is more than clinical, the mercurial magician attempts to tighten his grip on Christina. Now she needs to decide—is the opportunity Reynaldo offers worth the price of admission?

About the book

What is the book about?

A Sudden Gust of Gravity is a contemporary romantic/suspense novel set in Boston. It features a young woman looking to redeem the traumas of her past by returning to her once-abandoned pursuit of a career in magic, a field still mostly dominated by men.

When did you start writing the book?

In 2013, I planned a series of linked, standalone novels about a magician and his assistant. Each book would focus on different characters in different phases of their lives. I'd gotten a good running start on an outline, a story "bible," and a few key scenes when another story jumped my mental queue. Charlie Trager, a character from one of my previous novels, would not let me alone until I wrote his story, which turned into two titles, so I put A Sudden Gust of Gravity aside to work with him.

How long did it take you to write it?

When I returned to A Sudden Gust of Gravity, it took about three months to write the first draft. All told, it took a little over a year to shape it for publication. That included several revisions, writing group critiques, two rounds of beta reading, and a thorough, professional copyedit. Even editors need to hire editors.

Where did you get the idea from?

It began with one scene that popped into my head: a power struggle between a magician and a down-on-her-luck waitress auditioning to be his assistant. He wanted her to get into a box illusion, and she didn't want to admit she was claustrophobic. Then I started asking questions, and it snowballed from there.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Every time Christina (the assistant) got hurt, part of me died a little. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for a short time when I was young, and one scene affected me so deeply that it stopped my forward momentum every time I came to it. If I'm afraid to write something, it usually means that whatever I'm avoiding has a lot of energy and power, and I need to go there. Finally I just had a glass of wine, knuckled down, and blasted the words out. I ended up rewriting the scene a few times, even on the last editing pass.

What came easily?

The storyline for Devon Park, the surgical resident, was already percolating in my head, because he was an ancillary character in one of my "practice novels" from long ago. I really enjoyed inviting him into this story and letting him tell his side of things, and he was one of the most forthcoming characters I've ever worked with. And adorable. If only he weren't so fictional and I wasn't old enough to be his…well, youthful aunt.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

A little of both. Devon is entirely fictitious. Although I was, very briefly, a magician's assistant, that's about all I gave Christina from my "real world" experience. I borrowed from real life for Devon's uncle. How could I not, when my husband's Korean doctor huffed into the exam room and lectured us that marriage is like a boat and you can only have one captain. And Ralph is an amalgam of a few magicians I've known. (I can't reveal which ones because they might make me disappear.)

Do you have a target reader for this book?

Someone who enjoys reading novels that have slightly off-kilter romantic themes and a little depth to the characters and their plight.

How was writing this book different from what you'd experienced writing previous books?

When I started writing novels, I was a determined pantser. Even the idea of an outline made me itch. In the last few years, I've been experimenting with working from a loose, "story beats" style of outlining that Lynne Cantwell told me about. That's how I started writing A Sudden Gust of Gravity. But then something wasn't feeling right, and I let the characters riff. They had more to tell me about the story, so I ended up erasing much of the outline from my whiteboard and pantsing it all the way home. At least for the first draft.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

I learned to have more faith in my instincts. As I was revising, I decided to cut a few characters. Originally Christina had a brother, and I'd included a couple of Devon's friends who were his nephew's godparents. They were fine characters, but they muddied up the plot. Earlier in my writing career, I might have left them in because I liked them so much. Now I could more easily see that they didn't belong.

Also, I learned how to more effectively draw on beta reader input. When much of my beta comments started falling into the same categories, my revision path was clear. But I had a hunch that one particular scene was a little weak. Nobody had brought it up. So I asked a few beta readers. One said, "Now that you mention it, I did think that could use some shoring up, but I thought it was just me." I'm glad I asked for clarification, because it helped me craft a better story.

Thank you for letting me visit. I'd love to hear from you!

End of Interview:

For more from Laurie, Visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or like her Facebook page.

Get your copy of A Sudden Gust of Gravity from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

from The IndieView http://ift.tt/1PsRm8j

BookView with Lauri Boris, author of A Sudden Gust of Gravity

I really enjoyed inviting him into this story and letting him tell his side of things, and he was one of the most forthcoming characters I’ve ever worked with. And adorable. If only he weren’t so fictional and I wasn’t old enough to be his…well, youthful aunt.

Laurie Boris – 28 December 2015

The Back Flap

Christina Davenport, waitressing to pay the bills, has abandoned her childhood dream of becoming a magician—until she meets the mesmerizing Reynaldo the Magnificent. He hires her as his assistant for his magic and juggling show; she hopes she can play the role without cutting his giant ego in half. Devon Park, a surgical resident, is escaping his own problems when he visits the street performers in downtown Boston. But the young doctor worries that the bruises beneath Christina’s makeup go deeper than the training accident she professes. Convinced the doctor’s interest is more than clinical, the mercurial magician attempts to tighten his grip on Christina. Now she needs to decide—is the opportunity Reynaldo offers worth the price of admission?

About the book

What is the book about?

A Sudden Gust of Gravity is a contemporary romantic/suspense novel set in Boston. It features a young woman looking to redeem the traumas of her past by returning to her once-abandoned pursuit of a career in magic, a field still mostly dominated by men.

When did you start writing the book?

In 2013, I planned a series of linked, standalone novels about a magician and his assistant. Each book would focus on different characters in different phases of their lives. I’d gotten a good running start on an outline, a story “bible,” and a few key scenes when another story jumped my mental queue. Charlie Trager, a character from one of my previous novels, would not let me alone until I wrote his story, which turned into two titles, so I put A Sudden Gust of Gravity aside to work with him.

How long did it take you to write it?

When I returned to A Sudden Gust of Gravity, it took about three months to write the first draft. All told, it took a little over a year to shape it for publication. That included several revisions, writing group critiques, two rounds of beta reading, and a thorough, professional copyedit. Even editors need to hire editors.

Where did you get the idea from?

It began with one scene that popped into my head: a power struggle between a magician and a down-on-her-luck waitress auditioning to be his assistant. He wanted her to get into a box illusion, and she didn’t want to admit she was claustrophobic. Then I started asking questions, and it snowballed from there.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Every time Christina (the assistant) got hurt, part of me died a little. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for a short time when I was young, and one scene affected me so deeply that it stopped my forward momentum every time I came to it. If I’m afraid to write something, it usually means that whatever I’m avoiding has a lot of energy and power, and I need to go there. Finally I just had a glass of wine, knuckled down, and blasted the words out. I ended up rewriting the scene a few times, even on the last editing pass.

What came easily?

The storyline for Devon Park, the surgical resident, was already percolating in my head, because he was an ancillary character in one of my “practice novels” from long ago. I really enjoyed inviting him into this story and letting him tell his side of things, and he was one of the most forthcoming characters I’ve ever worked with. And adorable. If only he weren’t so fictional and I wasn’t old enough to be his…well, youthful aunt.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

A little of both. Devon is entirely fictitious. Although I was, very briefly, a magician’s assistant, that’s about all I gave Christina from my “real world” experience. I borrowed from real life for Devon’s uncle. How could I not, when my husband’s Korean doctor huffed into the exam room and lectured us that marriage is like a boat and you can only have one captain. And Ralph is an amalgam of a few magicians I’ve known. (I can’t reveal which ones because they might make me disappear.)

Do you have a target reader for this book?

Someone who enjoys reading novels that have slightly off-kilter romantic themes and a little depth to the characters and their plight.

How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?

When I started writing novels, I was a determined pantser. Even the idea of an outline made me itch. In the last few years, I’ve been experimenting with working from a loose, “story beats” style of outlining that Lynne Cantwell told me about. That’s how I started writing A Sudden Gust of Gravity. But then something wasn’t feeling right, and I let the characters riff. They had more to tell me about the story, so I ended up erasing much of the outline from my whiteboard and pantsing it all the way home. At least for the first draft.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

I learned to have more faith in my instincts. As I was revising, I decided to cut a few characters. Originally Christina had a brother, and I’d included a couple of Devon’s friends who were his nephew’s godparents. They were fine characters, but they muddied up the plot. Earlier in my writing career, I might have left them in because I liked them so much. Now I could more easily see that they didn’t belong.

Also, I learned how to more effectively draw on beta reader input. When much of my beta comments started falling into the same categories, my revision path was clear. But I had a hunch that one particular scene was a little weak. Nobody had brought it up. So I asked a few beta readers. One said, “Now that you mention it, I did think that could use some shoring up, but I thought it was just me.” I’m glad I asked for clarification, because it helped me craft a better story.

Thank you for letting me visit. I’d love to hear from you!

End of Interview:

For more from Laurie, Visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or like her Facebook page.

Get your copy of A Sudden Gust of Gravity from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

from The IndieView http://ift.tt/1PsRm8j

Wilderness Navigation and Route Planning

Wilderness navigation requires planning routes across terrain that doesn't have pre-defined trails or roads to follow. While following a route using a map and compass, GPS, map-to-terrain...

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Wilderness Navigation and Route Planning

Wilderness navigation requires planning routes across terrain that doesn’t have pre-defined trails or roads to follow. While following a route using a map and compass, GPS, map-to-terrain...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

from Sectionhiker.com http://ift.tt/1YLGhjc

Vlog #4: How to Decide if a Lifestyle Business is Right for You

In this week's blog I haven't been traveling, and it's been pouring down rain in Portland – so we're doing something a little bit different.

Rather than taking you on a journey across the world…or Manhattan, you get me in my living room talking about what it takes to create a lifestyle business.

In particular, I share three things you to should consider to help you figure out if a lifestyle business is right for you.

Digging these videos? Subscribe to my You Tube channel here!

from Location 180 | Build a Business, Live Anywhere, Achieve Freedom http://ift.tt/1TjhRMt

Vlog #4: How to Decide if a Lifestyle Business is Right for You

In this week’s blog I haven’t been traveling, and it’s been pouring down rain in Portland – so we’re doing something a little bit different.

Rather than taking you on a journey across the world…or Manhattan, you get me in my living room talking about what it takes to create a lifestyle business.

In particular, I share three things you to should consider to help you figure out if a lifestyle business is right for you.

Digging these videos? Subscribe to my You Tube channel here!

from Location 180 | Build a Business, Live Anywhere, Achieve Freedom http://ift.tt/1TjhRMt

IndieView with Denise L. Jenne, author of Annalise’s Up and Down Day

They are absolutely real people — not even borrowed from real world people. My characters are my great niece and her parents — although, if you were to ask Annalise, she might disagree.

Denise L Jenne – 24 December 2015

The Back Flap

This is the story of one day in the life of three-year-old Annalise. The winsome watercolor illustrations follow her through her daily activities, adventures and misadventures on one summer day, as she explores the meaning of “up” and “down” in her world.

About the book

What is the book about?

Annalise is three years old and ready for another summer day of fun, but, as her day progresses, she discovers that there are just as many misadventures as there are adventures in store for her.  Through the vibrant watercolor paintings by Julie Iannone, Annalise’s Up and Down Day follows along with the toddler as she explores the meaning of “up” and “down” in her world.

When did you start writing the book?

Actually, I began writing Annalise’s Up and Down Day about 3-4 years ago.

How long did it take you to write it?

Writing Annalise’s Day didn’t take long at all.  I had the first draft finished in one day, although it went through several revisions after that.  What did take a long time was finding the right illustrator.  Fortunately, from my years of teaching at a local university, I met Julie Iannone, who was an Art Education major at the time.  Although her true aspiration was — and still is — to teach, I was able to convince her that her painting style was exactly what Annalise’s Day needed and, perhaps more importantly, she was up to the task of illustrating an entire children’s picture book.

Where did you get the idea from?

The idea came from my great niece, Annalise.  One day, when she was three years old and we were visiting, I saw her look up at a hanging plant as she said, “Leaves up.”  She then looked around the room, and initially I thought she was looking for a way to climb up in order to reach them — especially when she looked down at her feet and said, “Annalise down.”  But, as the day progressed, I observed her repeat the opposites with different items.  Annalise’s grandmother, my sister, confirmed that she’ll often identify objects both by name and whether they are up or down.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I think the hardest part of writing the book was limiting its length.  It was relatively easy to come up with ups and downs in a toddler’s world, but, of course, I wanted the book to be short enough to keep the attention of preschoolers.  So, I had to choose what to keep and what to discard.  Since I can be rather verbose, this proved to be a bit difficult for me.

What came easily?

As I said, coming up with activities that could illustrate up and down.  I also wanted each set of pairs to be connected in some way and, at least occasionally, to provide an opportunity to discuss similarities and differences. Two such examples would be caterpillar and butterfly and strawberries and apples.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

They are absolutely real people — not even borrowed from real world people.  My characters are my great niece and her parents — although, if you were to ask Annalise, she might disagree.  When she saw the book for the very first time, at the age of seven, she responded, “That’s not me.  My hair isn’t red.”  (She’s a strawberry blonde.)  Upon seeing the page with her father in bed, she retorted, “My daddy wears glasses.”  (They are on the nightstand, because he’s sleeping.)  Finally, though, she approved, “My mommy does have auburn hair.”

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

The person who has most influenced me as a writer of children’s books would be the late Barbara Cohen.  Barbara was an acclaimed author of children’s literature, earning her numerous awards for her work which ranged from picture books to young adult novels.  I was lucky enough to have her as one of my high school English teachers and later a friend.  She was always encouraging me to write, and I specifically remember one piece of advice she gave me about writing for children.  Barbara said don’t speak down to them, don’t use a simplified vocabulary.  Otherwise, the children will think you’re a fraud and your characters won’t read true.  And, besides, books shouldn’t just entertain; they should stimulate, challenge and educate.  Her words, her memory are always looking over my shoulder as I write.

Do you have a target reader?

Toddlers, early readers and their older sisters and brothers, not to mention parents, grandparents….  People have come up to me and told me how their six- or seven-year-old child is regularly reading Annalise’s Up and Down Day to their infant or as-yet-unborn sibling.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

No, I get an idea and just start writing.  If I can’t seem to get started, I’ll start in the middle.  Eventually, the beginning comes to me.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

When I write a longer book, like the YA novel I’m currently working on, I do construct a general outline.  It’s not etched in stone, however.  As I actually do the writing, I will often revise the outline.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I do a lot of editing as I write, but I also edit again at the end of each section whether scenes, chapters, etc.

Did you hire a professional editor?

It depends upon the project.  For something like Annalise’s Day, I don’t use a professional editor.  But, for a lengthier, more complex work, I do.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I listen to a lot of different genres of music, but, when I specifically put music on while I write, I’ll usually pick something with the right ambience.  It could be music of the time I’m writing about, or music that sets the mood I’m trying to create, or the music my characters might like, or what ever.  To use my current project again as an example, the novel takes place in the early 1970s, so I often play artists who were popular 45-50 years ago — Cat Stevens, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, James Taylor, Rolling Stones, Arlo Guthrie, Buffalo Springfield….

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

No, I did not.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

There were many factors involved in the decision process, but the deciding factor was the desire to maintain control over my work.  Even before I had an illustrator, I had a clear idea of how I wanted the book and Annalise to look.  I didn’t want to relinquish that control by having someone else determining those things for me.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

No, I did not have the cover professionally done.  Julie Iannone, the illustrator, and I actually came up with the idea separately yet simultaneously.  We knew it was perfect.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Because Annalise’s Day is my first book, I am learning as I go.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

I think the only advice I would give is Go for it.  Write your book, edit it and edit it again. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t give up.  And prepare yourself, because, once you’ve done all the hard work of getting your manuscript just as you want it, you have to begin the even harder work of promoting it.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Until I was 3 years old, my family lived in Hoboken, NJ.  Then we moved to Hillsborough, NJ, about 47 miles away.  Hillsborough was predominantly rural, with working farms and a growing residential community.  It seemed more like worlds away from urban Hoboken.

Where do you live now?

Now, I live about 35 miles away from Hillsborough, near Morristown.

What are you working on now?

As I’ve mentioned, I’m currently working on a young adult novel set in the 1970s.

End if Interview:

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