Just a short post to share the latest good news with my friends and supporters. Yesterday I got word that Once Upon a Mulberry Field had been named the Gold Medal Winner (for Historical Literature Fiction -- Contemporary) in the 2014 Global Ebook Awards. This is one of the biggest eBook … [Read more...]
eBook sales: A case study
As Once Upon a Mulberry Field approaches the six-month mark since its publication date, I think it's time for me to take a bird's eye view of my eBook sales to try to understand this relatively new market. Being an unknown debut author, I'm aware that whatever data I can gather on my book to this … [Read more...]
July updates
Just like that, July has come and gone. It started out with a bang as I got word that Once Upon a Mulberry Field was named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2014 annual book contest sponsored by LuckyCinda Publishing in Palm Desert, California. A social media push soon followed in order to spread the … [Read more...]
Memories of Summer
What comes to mind when you think of summer? Surf, sun and fun at the beaches? Hiking and camping in the mountains? Lazy days and balmy nights---and spontaneous road trips to unknown destinations? For me, though, summer evokes a particular image imprinted on my mind since my early childhood in … [Read more...]
Encouraging News: Book Award
It's pretty obvious: Writing is a lonely pursuit. One holes up in one's "office" (any place conducive to a self-hypnotized state) for hours on end, hoping to sweat out precious words onto blank pages. Day in and day out. Rain or shine. Inspired or not. But always consumed by a desire to project … [Read more...]
Book Talk in Shangri-La
Earlier this week I did something fun. I drove three-and-a-half hours from San Diego to a remote spot northwest of LA but inland from Ventura---a small valley nestled against the mountains and named Ojai, from an old Indian word meaning "Moon." Residents of the quaint small town that bears the … [Read more...]
Book Award
It's a wonderful feeling to receive positive feedback on something you have poured yourself into for years, even when recognition wasn't what motivated you in the first place. I was the lucky recipient of such good news when I got notification last week that my six-year labor of love, Once upon a … [Read more...]
Book Marketing Part II: Results
My novel Once upon a Mulberry Field was released on Valentine's Day 2014, not so much because it is a love story during the Vietnam War but because that's an easy date to remember for record keeping purpose. That publication date also allowed me to enter some popular book award contests that … [Read more...]
The Wilderness of Book Marketing
It's common knowledge that nowadays most authors have to do their own book marketing. That's a given for self-published authors, the so-called "indies" whose ranks are swelling like never before. But even traditional publishers, in constant struggle mode in an ever-evolving and fiercely competitive … [Read more...]
Desert Writers Expo Recap
The 2014 Writers Expo sponsored by the Palm Springs Writers Guild and the Rancho Mirage Public Library was held in the beautiful Community Room at the library this past Wed. from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Research based on library attendance had indicated that it was the best day and time of the week for … [Read more...]