When Stars Die Launch Review and October/November/December Tour

So the exposure for When Stars Die has been absolutely insane, proving that I have had a successful launch. I don’t know what my ranking is on Amazon right now, but that is something no author should concern him/herself with. I did everything I could for exposure, and so did AEC, and that’s that. All I can do is keep writing from here, and that’s it. Plus, I am almost done with the sequel to When Stars Die, The Stars Are Infinite. So here is the launch day in review.

See how many people the press release alone has reached? And the last time my publisher told me about the reach stats, it had reached up to over 13,000. That’s tons of exposure right there, and that’s not even including the fact that a few people put the press release on their blogs. Now exposure doesn’t translate to sales, but I am primarily seeking exposure right now, especially because I do expect the e-book launch to be very successful.

Then there was the launch party I won from Lady Amber. Here is a FB pic from that:

If you can see it, 182 people came. That doesn’t sound like a lot, considering over 1,000 people were invited, but this launch party was hugely successful because I was busy the entire three hours. There were hardly any lulls where I wasn’t interacting with all the people that came. So I made a lot of fans and received a lot of Goodread adds and Amazon Wishlist adds. One of the stipulations to winning a print book was to share a press release I created of my book and AEC Stellar’s anthology. A lot of people shared this. I do recommend Lady Amber for launch parties, but in the future, I MIGHT be doing the launch parties myself, along with the PR people from AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc.

The next thing that happened was a book blitz from Juniper Grove Book Solutions. I HIGHLY recommend them, as I received a lot of amazing exposure from them. There were over 1,000 entries for the e-ARC of When Stars Die. Over 1,000. Imagine if I gave away a Kindle or something. I will be using them for the book blitz for the e-book, as well as Lady Amber, and perhaps another tour site. So here is the banner from that.

I also have another book blitz going on by YA Bound. I will post a review that mainly reviews the overall exposure I received from it, as I use these blitzes primarily for that.

I also have a super awesome pic a customer took of my book when she bought it from my publisher’s wife’s boutique, Fluente Designs. She also updated me to tell me that she loves the book so far.

And another super cool that that happened that gave me a lot of exposure was that I appeared on YA Interrobang as one of the book’s launching this past week—along with freaking Veronica Roth’s book, Allegiant. Here is a pic of that, courtesy of Tumblr.

My Facebook page also went from 540 something to 967, and my Twitter page went from 1100 something to 1,360. My Goodreads adds, too, went from 150 to 358 (I think. That’s just an estimate. Goodreads is slow to update), and over 280 people have entered for a signed, print book of When Stars Die, and it hasn’t even been a month yet, which is how long I’m keeping the giveaway open. AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc. also has some surprises planned within the coming months, but I have to keep those hush-hush.

AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc. also released an anthology called 2013: A Stellar Collection. While it can be downloaded for free on Smashdowords. I HIGHLY recommend you buy it, as all proceeds go toward marketing, which essentially means the money is flowing toward us.

My short story included in this is titled ‘I Am the Bell Jar.’ It is about two mentally ill teens trying to make a disastrous relationship work, only for it to end up in tragedy.

Another thing AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc. has released a short story by author, Ryan Attard, whose book, Firstborn, will be released in December. I highly recommend it. The voice is very strong, as is the story, and will make you excited about his upcoming book.

So here is my book tour schedule. Some of them have happened already, but I’m going to list them anyway, simply because I haven’t shown them yet due to the sheer volume of interviews and guest posts I’ve been doing. I’m also supposed to receive more interviews and have ANOTHER one to do. There are also some interviews I’ve done that I have not received responses for yet, but I’m going to keep bothering those people until I have a response.

Jacinda Buchmann TBA

The Hive Book Reviews NOW

Booker Like a Hooker-Guest Post on When Stars Die and AEC Stellar TBA

Cover Contest  Nov. 2

Greg Lamb Interview TBA

Pau’s Moving Castle Nov. 3

Jessica Haight Nov. 17th

Young Adult Book Addict Dec. 14th

Sorin Suciu Nov. 15th

Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews Signed, print giveaway Nov. 12th

The Book Pound Nov. 1st

We Do Write Nov. 4th

4cover2overt NOW

The Corner Club Press Paranormal Issue– Nov. 20th

Whimsically Yours Nov. 2nd

Falling for YA NOW

Bookaholic-ness  Guest Post on The Inception of When Stars Die NOW

Read Your Writes NOW

The Bookshelf Sophisticate Guest Blog Post on The Stars Are Infinite NOW (Scroll Down)

The Flores Factor Nov. 1st

YA Unscene Delete Scene from When Stars Die  NOW

Mich Bookshelf  NOW

Beauty and the Bookshelf NOW

Moonlight Gleams Bookshelf Guest Post on Inspiration for When Stars Die TBA

Carol Ann Kauffman NOW

Cocktails and Books Oct. 30th

Book Bliss  Nov. 2nd

I am going to get on a blogging schedule from now on that will include updates on AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc., my book, any thoughts on publishing and writing, and personal posts from me.

Tomorrow’s post will be about how, even during my launch week, depression has been trying to drag me down and what it has been doing to my thoughts regarding my book–among everything else.

Last, here are links to giveaways you can enter to win some AEC Stellar e-ARCs.

https://www.facebook.com/oneclickchick?sk=app_228910107186452&app_data

http://onemorechapterreviews1.blogspot.ca/p/book-auction.html

https://www.facebook.com/hookedonbooks05?sk=app_228910107186452&app_data

https://www.facebook.com/brandylrivers?sk=app_228910107186452&app_data

https://www.facebook.com/GrabowskiKy?sk=app_228910107186452&app_data

My Reaction to Constructive Criticism from Reviews

When Stars Die has had mostly favorable reviews, but it has also had some not-so-favorable reviews, but they were written in a way that was very considerate of my feelings and had some valuable criticism. While I may not agree with it currently for When Stars Die, I think the advice is very valuable for the sequel, Stars Will Rise.

Let us begin.

1. If you are not a published author, I advise you that once you are published to take into account every bit of criticism you receive through your reviews. I told myself I was never going to read my reviews, but, well, Goodreads changed that, and it’s like it’s impossible to not see your reviews on Goodreads, especially when you’re curious about how many people have added your book. But I have read the reviews, and while some of them stung slightly, they were also very valuable. While many seem to like Amelia, a few think she falls flat. Even though I may disagree with this, I can work extra hard on the protagonist in the next novel to ensure she doesn’t fall flat. Others think the book also starts out on a slow pace, and I can see that, but the pacing doesn’t seem to have affected their overall enjoyment of the book. However, I am going to use this criticism for the next book to ensure the pacing is faster.

2. If you are a published author and haven’t yet read your reviews, I would.You want to become a better writer, don’t you? Oh, certainly your editor can help you become a better one with each book you write, but editors are human too, and if you’re working with the same ones, they eventually get used to your style of writing. Readers, on the other hand, are a mixed bunch who will likely never get used to your style of writing. Many of them who offer constructive criticism are doing so objectively, and that constructive criticism can really help you develop future books. IT WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER WRITER!

3. Criticism is inevitable. It isn’t just inevitable from your publishers and editors and whoever else works on your book, but it’s inevitable from readers. Those who take the time to write a review deserve your attention. Take each one into consideration, and please, please, please, use it as a stepping stone to further your career. I think the more authors consider the criticism from their readers, the better they’ll become. I see a lot of authors stagnating in the quality of their writing because they don’t seem to consider the criticism they’re given, so each book they write has roughly the same ratings: 3 point something. Try to strive for a 4 star book. Or a 5 star book. When Stars Die is currently sitting at 4.21, and I hope it either stays that way or rises, but if it doesn’t, I want to ensure that Stars Will Rise is even better and is a 5 star book. Or at least a 4 point something.

4. Appreciate the criticism you are given. I greatly appreciate the people who took the time out of their day to read my book and review it. Even if it was okay for them, or they couldn’t finish it, I still appreciate that they read it and wrote a review. I don’t ever want to get to the point as an author where I’m jaded when it comes to writing and taking criticism. I want to make sure I am grateful for every little thing that happens in my career. I am grateful for every review written, every interview I’ve done, every reader comment on my book, and even my Amazon ranking (which I’m doing my best to stay away from. I just accidentally saw it when copying and pasting my book cover from it for an interview).

5. This one doesn’t have much to do with criticism, but I think it’s important nonetheless. Do not get obsessed with your Amazon ranking. If you can, avoid it entirely. First books, on average, sell about 500 copies. I don’t know how many books I’ve sold. All I know is that when I checked my ranking a few days ago, I was sitting at the 400,000 mark. Now I’m at 180,000 and am ranking somewhere in the 1,000 for either paranormal or romance. And, as I’ve said, I accidentally saw this. I was not deliberately looking for my ranking, but it nonetheless spurred my confidence. All you can do as an author is keep writing, keep seeking interviews for your book, and, if you can, pay people for book blitzes if you’re not into the whole e-mailing everyone for an interview and such. I am currently having Juniper Grove Book Solutions doing a book blitz on my release day. I am also having a three hour promo release party that I won from Lady Amber. Along with my AEC book tour, I should receive some fairly good publicity. I do not mind spending money to make money on my book. I see my first book as a promotional book. I’m also going to have another book blitz at the end of this month from YA Bound. And I think I’m going to continue seeking monthly blitzes to keep my book in the know. I am certainly having a large book blitz once the e-book comes out. So I am doing all I can do to get my book out there, so stressing about the Amazon ranking is absolutely pointless. Do all you can do and do not look at that dang ranking. MANY FIRST BOOKS OFTEN DO NOT SELL WELL, SO WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT THEIR RANKINGS, THAT DETERS THEM FROM EVER WANTING TO WRITE. DO NOT LET THIS BE YOU.

***In Other News***

When Stars Die will be in a store. I found this out through Shannon Thompson’s blog. Fluente Designs will be holding this book in store, so if you live in Tullahoma, Tennessee, I suggest you check them out!

As I’ve said, Juniper Grove Book Solutions will be doing a book release blitz on October 22nd, the day of my release.

At the end of this month, YA Bound will be doing a week-long book blitz of When Stars Die. 

As I’ve said above, Lady Amber will be hosting a three hour promo blitz for my novel, When Stars Die, on the release day. It will be held on Facebook, and I hope all of you will participate. I will be giving away two signed copies of When Stars Die, as well as a few e-ARCs. There will also be other prizes, so it promises to be a lot of fun. I will keep you updated on all of this.

You can add When Stars Die  on Goodreads. It’s been getting some adds everyday, which is pretty thrilling because it means people are finding out about my book somehow.

You can also order it on Amazon, which I totally recommend doing so. The physical copy is beautiful. It is a matte cover, so the feel is very nice.

And, last, I have a Media page on my website, which contains all my interviews and guest posts, and a review or two. I am going to have a splurge of interviews and guest posts coming at the end of October and early November, so it will sort of be a mini book tour, and I’ll keep that scheduled.

That is all I want to say! I’m eventually going to start scheduling daily posts, hopefully once my mental health begins to balance out.