It has been four weeks since The Attercop came out, and the response to the new book has been very positive. Thanks to amazing readers like you, on Goodreads, the novel has garnered 66 ratings with an average of 4.44 out of 5, and on Amazon.com the book has 49 ratings with a 4.2 average out of 5. This is a strong launch for a new book. But the work isn’t done yet, because in publishing there is a formula known as the 90/10 rule.
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The 90/10 rule says that for a novel to be successful, if I add up all of the hours connected to the book, 10% of the time will be spent writing the book, and 90% of the time will be spent marketing the book. Why? Because in a market where 7500 new books land on Amazon every single day, it is hard for readers who don’t know about me to discover my work. So I have to get the word out. The other element of this equation is that 90% of my earnings will come from 10% of my writing.
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In general terms, the first book in a series is the one that has the highest rate of sales. People who stumble across a second or third book in a series and enjoy the book, will often track down the first book in the series to see where it all started. Those who don’t enjoy the series will stop after reading the first book, but they will still have purchased that first step into the series. So Mann Hunt will likely always be my most popular book, even though many readers have said that they feel the books in the series get stronger with each later installment.
I am rather fortunate that my beloved partner Scott does a lot of the heavy lifting on the 90 % (marketing) which allows me more writing time. I am truly grateful for that. So now that my latest book is done, how am I getting down to that 90% in the month of September?
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Mann Hunt came out 3 years ago on August 29th.
To celebrate, I’m collaborating with Queer Romance Ink as one of the books they will be doing in their September giveaway package.
To find out how to get a free e-pub of the book, click here.
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On September 6th, I will be joining (via zoom) The Henderson Writers Group at their monthly author spotlight called Dime Grinds . I will be reading from Mann Hunt and talking about the process of creating The Declan Hunt Mysteries series.
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From September 6-13th, I will be working with BookBub to shout out a deal on the e-publication of The Burnt (the third book in The Declan Hunt Mysteries). For one week only, the e-pub version of the novel will be on sale for 99 cents. Sales on books in a series are a critical way to introduce my work to a whole host of new readers. Bookbub sends out a targeted email to 300 000 subscribers, which helps new fans find the work.
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On September 11th, Not Not Normal will celebrate its second birthday since release in 2024. This youth novel which shows the central character’s journey to finding someone who accepts him for who he is while helping him to become the person he’s always wanted to be, is finding a home in more and more libraries across Canada and the U.S. Jeff Baker, a blogger and reader recently did a wonderful and insightful review on the book, which you can find by clicking here.
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Speaking of libraries, it is clear that The Attercop is popular in the Toronto Public Library system. Even with two copies available, there is still an 11 week wait time to check out the book. This is a sign that people are indeed aware of the latest release.
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On September 18th, tickets for the Love and Romance in Toronto book signing will be available. I am thrilled to be back at this amazing event with some of the top romance writers from North America and beyond. The event will take place on May 14th and 15th of 2027 and usually sells out quickly. To find out more about the event, click here.
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On September 20th, Queer Romance Ink will be publishing an interview about The Attercop. This interview has a mixture of personal questions as well as uncovering how I approach writing a novel. I will share the link to the interview next month, or you can subscribe to Queer Romance Ink at the link above and see it for yourself when it comes out.
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On September 23rd I will be doing a formal launch for The Attercop and also celebrating my 70th birthday. As part of that celebration I will be releasing a book of poetry from my younger years. It is raw and full of dark images. This RSVP only event is already almost full, but keep your eyes open for more opportunities to find out about this side project. And if you noticed that the collection has one less poem than my announcement last month, that is because … the 30th poem just didn’t feel like it belonged in this collection. The tweaking of creative work is a continuous process!
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So what about that 10% of the formula? Well, as you can see, most of the activities for the month of September are things that are already done and set up. Of course there is more promotion in October, but Scott assures me that marketing work is in good shape until early in November, which means that I can enjoy sitting back down at the desk and writing on a new novel which has no set release date. This project is going to take a different direction, but I think fans will still like it. I will keep you posted as the novel evolves.
In the meantime, thanks again for reading and supporting my dream of writing my way through retirement. You truly have given my life a huge lift.
Warmest Regards,
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