Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Book Trailer Success

I finally made a book trailer which may or may not add anything to my marketing efforts or not, but it was fun. I added a link at the top of my list because I couldn't figure out how to embed it. It is beyond my limited cyberkineticauthorismscapabilities. Hope you enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvQauw4JM1w

Friday, March 12, 2010

Lost Packages Anyone?


A couple of years ago I moved. As time passed, I assumed (wrongly of course) that I had changed all my pertinent and important accounts to my new address. Weeeelll, that assumption just cost me dearly.


I made an order from an online store for a number of items and paid for them with paypal. They were to be delivered for free in two days... ahhhh, yes two days. Two weeks went by and no package. When I tracked it, I learned that it had already been delivered. However, the online store had used the shipping address at paypal which I had updated with my new address, but not quite deleted the old address.


The package was delivered to my old address where a nice lady signed for it and kept it. The on-line store said "Oh, my goodness. What a shame! That's illegal, you know. Sorry. See you. Wouldn't want to be you."


So I tried to make a complaint with UPS. No real person to contact there, of course. They wouldn't want to hear a complaint now, would they? What should I do? File charges in the city where I used to reside? Hope the 'nice lady' is arrested? Fat chance!


So I would advise everyone changing their addresses not to be careless and be sure to change everything. I mean, take an afternoon off and devote yourself to your computer and your contacts and websites, etc., etc. Or it will cost you.
HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!!! AND A SPECIAL TIP OF THE HAT TO PADDY PUFFINGTOWNE WITH WHOM I'D LIKE TO SHARE A NIP AND SMOKE RIGHT NOW!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Rainy Days


I started out this morning and the weather immediately put me in my of a dear friend's book about rain, rain and more rain and a little mud. I was going out to look at cars, thinking maybe about making a trade-in some time in the near future. But the further I went, the colder and wetter the road became and so I turned around and came home to my warm dry house. Now I sit at my computer wondering what subject to destroy today. In looking over my sales for February, the shortest month of the year, I was quite pleased to see the final numbers though I would never dream of posting my numbers on the "How Many Have You Sold" thread at the Kindleboards forum. That would be like saying "Hey, I have $36.27 in my checking account! Nah, nah, nah, boo boo!" I mean really? What kind of thread is that? I have gone there out of curiosity to see who and how many and such and such and etceteras and have learned that most of the posts seem to come from well-meaning, law-abiding, honest citizens with numbers much like my own... I'm talking Indie Authors here, not Stephen Kings, J.K. Rowlings, mind you, but a few of the numbers I've read there are a bit hard to swallow. It's all about marketing and most of us poor Indie types do not have the means to purchase 100's of billboards across the country hawking our latest releases at the cost of several hundred thousand dollars PER MONTH. Neither can we afford television, radio and magazine adds. I was truly hoping that the Indie Spotlight website, the brainchild of Gregory Banks and Ed Patterson would boost my sales and I advertise there. Hopefully, my add has brought me a few sales more than normal. I have no way of knowing, but at least it was affordable. Now I hear that they may not be able to keep up the sight due to a lack of funding. Ahhhh, well. At least they tried and we will all keep trying, won't we? I suppose that I will keep writing wether the world ends in 2012 or not and so, there will be more Brendan Carroll works to read even for those strange and horrible scientists of the future who come poking about in the ruins of our civilization. But hey, that's just the weather talking. Cheer up! Things will get better. We'll all have health care insurance soon and be able to drive down to the government owned clinic in a government owned GMC pickup truck and die whilst waiting in line to see a government owned doctor. Yes, life is good... while it lasts. LOL. God Bless You All and God Bless America.