Tracking Book Sales

Back in the days before the internet, there must have been fewer ways for authors to obsess over their book sales. There were best seller lists and statements from the publisher, but what else? Today, with the internet, there are countless websites offering a variety of ways to keep track of book sales, plus reviews, readers' comments, and a zillion other factors that affect a book's popularity. What did authors do with themselves back in the day when they weren't spending their days setting up Google alerts for mentions of their book titles or their own names? Maybe they actually had time to write new books.

My latest obsession is a site called NovelRank.com. If you put your book's title into the system, it tracks the Amazon sales and ranking. Don't ask how many times per day I've popped over there since putting I SAW YOUR FUTURE AND HE'S NOT IT into the system. It's already been up and down a bit, and as the release days of January 8 gets closer, I'm hoping the ranking and sales will steadily improve.

Next on my agenda is to put my Abraxas books into the system. I think it will track print books and ebooks separately, which gives me that many more chances to obsess about book sales. Isn't technology wonderful?

Author Fairs

Over the past couple months, I've been lucky to attend a few author fairs at libraries in the Chicago area. I started attending these events back in 2006 when Stones of Abraxas was first published, and I loved them then. Now that I've got my self-pubbed version of Stones out, along with the Heroes of Abraxas sequel and My Life as an Earthworm, they're even more fun because there are more books to talk to people about. For these most recent fairs, I also brought promotional postcards for the upcoming nonfiction book I wrote with my aunt, psychic Louise Helene. The book is called I Saw Your Future and He's Not It, and it's going over big with readers.

One of the things I find most interesting about author fairs and other book signing events is that you can never tell who's going to be most interested in your books. When a 12-year-old boy walks past my signing table, I used to automatically assume he'd like my YA fantasy novels with a dragon and gargoyle on the covers. And sometimes he is interested in fantasy, but a lot of times he's not. One time there was a kid who I thought would love fantasy, but he came over and picked up my nonfiction book about Muammar Qaddafi in Libya. When I looked surprised, his mom explained, "He's really interested in dictators." Go figure.

At least half of the people I talk to and sell YA books to at signings are adult women. Sometimes they're looking for a gift for kids or grandkids, but more often they're looking for themselves. I understand where they're coming from because at least half of what I read is classified as young adult.

Maybe most surprising is that it's not just women who are picking up the promo cards for I Saw Your Future and He's Not It. Men are curious, too. Mostly they're dads who have daughters, and they're eager for help in warning the girls away from lousy guys. The book's title really strikes a chord for those dads, I guess.

So, like books, it seems that you can't tell a book reader by his/her cover.

Little Pink Book Update

 Only three months until the January 8, 2013 release of I SAW YOUR FUTURE AND HE'S NOT IT: A PSYCHIC'S GUIDE TO TRUE LOVE and lots of exciting stuff is going on. Last Saturday, my co-author and aunt, Louise Helene, did her first interview. She was featured on Miranda Tempest's blog radio program http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mirandatempest/2012/09/30/i-saw-your-future-and-hes-not-it-1

During the show, Louise talked about how the book is filled with stories taken directly from her psychic consultations and includes techniques for readers to improve their own intuition. She also took calls from listeners seeking psychic advice. It was a great interview, and it was fun to hear her field calls from people who had many of the same kinds of problems that we address in the book.

Meanwhile, I've attended some book signing events to promote my other books and have been handing out promotional materials for I SAW YOUR FUTURE. It's been getting a terrific reception. "I love that title!" and "When can I get a copy?" and "That's a great cover!" are common reactions from readers. And speaking of the cover, we've given the book a nickname. The "little pink book" is cute and quicker to say than the long regular title.

The positive reactions to the book are coming from some unexpected places, which suggests it strikes a chord for a variety of women. For instance, Louise was at a government office recently and got to talking about books with the employee behind the counter. Louise mentioned that she has a book coming out, and when the woman asked about it, Louise pulled out one of our pink promotional postcards. The woman took one look at it, slammed it down on the counter, and demanded an autograph. Then she grabbed the card and ran to the other employees at the back of the office, calling, "Girls, look at this!"

We've even been contacted by media outside the United States about featuring the book. Talk about a thrill! To think that people all around the world can read and enjoy these stories.

It's been exciting so far, and we can't wait to see what happens next. It's hard to wait for the book's release date, though. I want to tell people they can go get a copy right away, but instead I've got to say they can pre-order. But that's OK. It'll be out soon.

And when it is released, then I'll have to keep my eyes open to see if my dream comes true. What dream is that, you ask? I want to spot a copy of the little pink book "in the wild." In other words, I want to see a complete stranger reading it on an airplane or in a coffee shop or buying one at a bookstore. That would be incredible. And in a few months, it might just happen! My aunt has been sure all along that our book will be a huge success. And she is a psychic, so great things are definitely on the horizon.

New ghost story: Warning Signs

Need something to get you in the mood for Halloween? I've just posted my first ebook short story, and in honor of the season, it's scary!
Maybe the house's new owner should have asked questions about why the place was so cheap, but she loved it and thought that remodeling it would be the perfect distraction from her failed marriage. That's when the disturbances started. Are the locals right about a ghost driving away the house's previous owners? Or is there another danger lurking in the turn-of-the century home?
Check out Warning Signs at Smashwords or Amazon. http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/242569
Boo!