IT'S NOVEMBER ALREADY?

Where has the time gone?

Before you know it; it will be December and the Christmas rush will begin. So before it does here is what you need to be doing as an author to prepare for the upcoming year.

1. Look up conferences to attend.
Here are a few that I attend: Creatures, Crimes and Creativity   Malice Domestic   BoucherCon2016 LIM Con   

2. Get your tax papers ready. I hope you kept those receipts for conferences you paid for. Did you write down the mileage every time you did a book event? What about the hotel stay you had to pay for? All of those things are tax deductions that can be used.

You do remember that you are a small business, right?

3. Have you separated your personal bank accounts from your book/business accounts. Yes, this is something that you should have done the very first time you made a sale.

4. Have you inventoried your books? You need to keep an accurate record of what you have on hand. Have you filed away the receipts when you purchased books?

5. Have you created a spreadsheet with your royalties? What! Gasp! I think I'm about to faint if you say no.

6. Make a budget for the coming year and what you want to spend for the following: Attending conferences, purchasing books to have, marketing materials and travel expenses. This should be done BEFORE doing Item Number 1 on this list.

7. Make sure that if you have purchased clothing for your book appearances that you write that off to. Yes, they are business expenses.

8. Make a commercial for the Christmas holiday. Remember; the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, what better way than to be among the many commercials that people will see. Put it on YouTube, your website; your blog, your Facebook page and your Twitter account. You may need to do multiple ones but remember; short and sweet make = book sales

9. Post those pictures to your Pinterest page! If you attended conferences people want to see what you did! Remember people are visual; we have to see you in order to know you

10. Get ready because January will be here before you know it!

Now, remember, these are ONLY SUGGESTIONS!  You do not have to do them all but using this as a guide will help you navigate the upcoming holiday and New Year!

Until next time Keep Reading and Keep Writing.

WHEN TALKING GETS YOU IN TROUBLE

While I am a great talker, I'd like to think of myself as a better writer. I talk because I can't live without talking; well no one can really.

But I have found out that I am a great talker. I was told last week that I am a "great interviewer" and "you are so good at this, why aren't you doing it full time." 

Who knew?

I knew I could write and that will be another blog but who knew I was also a great interviewer. Not my words but a guests.

So being the talker that I am; I always ask questions hoping that the answer is one that I want to hear. I was once told, just ask and all they can do is say no. So I asked. I asked this great novelist to be on my show and he said YES.

Wait, what? Yes...what am I suppose to do now? I didn't expect a YES! So I do what I do when I'm unsure; I go shopping!

Shopping for shoes! That is what calms me when I'm stressed. And trust me, I was instantly stressed. How else did I talk this great novelist into being on my show? 

So as I shopped I found some great shoes and it came to me! I'll just ask questions that I want to know and I became very confident in that moment. I got some really cute shoes and some really great questions came to mind.

So I hope you caught the interview with R.L. Stine and if not...please check it out here. R.L Stine Interview

CONFESSIONS OF A CHEATER

A few months ago I wrote about cheating.

I was caught cheating and although I wasn’t proud of it, I admitted it and promised not to do it again.

Well, I am here again, admitting to cheating

Now stop giving me those looks, I’m not cheating on my significant other but with someone just as important to me.

I have been cheating on my KINDLE, again. 
Gasp! Clutch your pearls (if you are wearing any) and hold onto your hat!

My KINDLE has been replaced with…(ok, I’m taking a deep breath) Wait! Don’t rush me! I am cheating on my KINDLE with…with…an…I Pad!

There I said it! Are you happy now? The dirty little secret is out. I never wanted to be one of Those people but I find myself grabbing for Ivy the I Pad all the time. She is there in the middle of the night, beeping, chirping and glowing whenever someone posts to my Facebook or Twitter pages. 

Her rotating screen keeps me mesmerized and sometimes has me confused as I hold her upside down trying to figure out where that darn home button is! However most of the time Ivy the I Pad is entertaining me. Sure I don't know where everything is nor do I have any idea what the hell AirDrop is but I am learning. I have even learned how to do Face Time. Man that has been the best thing ever! I don't have to log into my computer all I have to do is remember the phone number or push the contacts button. Yes, Ivy has taken the place of the KINDLE but only for those things.

Kay the Kindle still reads to me every day; although not as much. I will always keep Kay the Kindle around because she holds my true love. Books (ok, I didn't say that out loud) 

Don't give me that look Mister! Buster the Book is still a little salty but I bought him some new friends to entertain him but for now, back to Ivy the I Pad