Jeff Haws

Independent author

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5 Lessons from a First-Time Author

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Lessons 3

Writing your first novel is, in many ways, a grueling experience. Some of it, I wasn’t entirely prepared for. A lot of it, I definitely didn’t see coming. Through the process, I learned I was well suited and trained for much of it, and not really ready at all for some of it.

I started writing on the morning of Dec. 19, and it took me right at six weeks to write about 85,000 words. From there, it took me six months to edit it and get it to where I felt like it didn’t suck, and could go out into the world. Sometimes, I got frustrated. Other times, I was excited. Almost all the time, I wanted it to be over, and be where I am today, with a brand new novel sitting on Amazon’s virtual shelves and several positive reviews alongside it.

Here are five key lessons I’ve learned from going through this process. If you ever think about writing a book of your own, hopefully you can learn from the stupid things I did, and do fewer stupid things yourself. [Read more…] about 5 Lessons from a First-Time Author

Twitter vs. Instagram For Book Marketing

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Twitstagram

I’m actually a fairly recent Instagram convert. For a long time, I put so much energy into Twitter and Facebook and the blog and LinkedIn and Goodreads, and I’m getting kind of tired talking about it all, that I didn’t know if I had it in me to add another trick to my social media marketing repertoire. But, after some friends told me about their success with Instagram and I took a close look at it, I decided to take the leap.

To this point, I’m glad I did. But I’ve been a Twitter shill for several years. If you only have time in your life for one of them to try to market your book, or whatever it is you want to spread the word about, which one should you go with? Here are my impressions on a few categories … [Read more…] about Twitter vs. Instagram For Book Marketing

Goodreads Giveaway Contest

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So, if you’re curious about this “Killing the Immortals” book you’ve been hearing about and would like to have a shot at winning a free copy, I’m gonna give lots of you that shot. I’ve talked about Goodreads before here, and I definitely recommend joining if you enjoy reading, for all the reasons I detail in the linked blog post. And, in case you didn’t know, I’ve got one more reason: Free books. More specifically, a shot at a free copy of “Killing the Immortals” with my giveaway. Uh-huh. That’s right. And it’s coming soon. [Read more…] about Goodreads Giveaway Contest

Release Date for “Killing the Immortals”

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Celebrate

It’s been a long road to here, but the end is within sight. I can announce today that the Release Date for “Killing the Immortals” will be July 31. That’s when you’ll see it on Amazon for the first time, and can purchase it for yourself, and buy it as a gift for everyone you know, along with lots of people you don’t know. I mean, who doesn’t want a book they’ve never heard of by some random guy they don’t know? You’re sold, aren’t you? Yeah, that’s what I thought. [Read more…] about Release Date for “Killing the Immortals”

How Much Should a Novel Cost?

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It’s a tough question, and it’s one that shouldn’t be answered with a shrug and a blindfolded dart toss: How much should a novel cost? More specifically when it comes to me (and, maybe, you), how much should my novel cost? There are plenty of factors that go into figuring that out. [Read more…] about How Much Should a Novel Cost?

Release Plan for “Killing the Immortals”

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Planning

With the Release Day for “Killing the Immortals” fast approaching, I’ve had to shift gears lately from focusing on writing/editing to marketing/publicity. For many authors, this is where shit gets real. “I’m an author, not a marketer” has been the cry from many an author when it comes time to get the word out on their books. And, to be fair, it’s not something that comes naturally for a lot of them, particularly those who didn’t grow up in the social media age and are trying to adjust.

Twenty years ago, the barriers to entry for publishing a book were rather high, and most everyone had to go through a traditional publisher to get their book out there. That also meant going through a literary agent, which meant query letters, rejections, and years of waiting, waiting, waiting. It also meant someone was handling the majority of marketing for you. Your publisher came up with a marketing plan, and you showed up where/when needed. Maybe you did a book signing. Maybe you did a speaking engagement, or a newspaper interview. Whatever it was, your publisher probably lined it up for you.

Today, that landscape has changed. Even if you get a publisher, they only handle so much. Almost no publisher is going to take over your Twitter account; that’s on you. And if you’re self published, you’re everything. I’ve got to not only do it all, but plan it all too. [Read more…] about Release Plan for “Killing the Immortals”