I am so glad that I gave in to that inner "coach" urging me to upgrade to the Gold Membership. The less than $100 fee is well worth it. I was busy with some other projects and unable to keep caught up on a daily basis with all the guest "teachers" and daily action steps. It has been like taking an intensive university course.
There were so many things that I was unaware of prior to these 30 days of lessons and activities. I loved how D'vorah got us jumping in right from the start to create our blog and Amazon author page and Facebook Fan Pages (I already had one,but as a result of this Book Marketing Challenge, my "likes" more than doubled). I never knew that I could set up an author profile on Amazon without having a recently published book. And I knew nothing about Goodreads before this. Now I have my profiles set up on all of those sites. And I got on the ball and completely changed my website. I'd been "thinking" of it for a couple of years. This Challenge inspired me to take action in order to make it look more professional and something I'm happy with--kind of like moving into a new home.
There are two topics that I am glad were included--really, was there anything left out? The Kindle Book Marketing tips and information by Kristen Eckstein, the "book ninja." I've taken a few brief webinars on this topic, but none made it as clear as Kristen's interview and presentation.
The crowdfunding topic is the one I am most grateful for. For several months I've been wanting to set up a crowdfunding campaign for a couple of books I am in process of writing. Also I've thought that crowdfunding may be a good way to provide the revenue needed for me to take my magazine to the next level. I didn't know how to go about setting up a campaign or which company would be the best one to go with. Mostly, I have been afraid to put myself out there asking for money. But I learned from Ms. Schofield that it's not asking for charity. People are genuinely wanting to invest in your dream and your talents and your work. And they are getting something in return from the rewards you provide. Now I have a new mindset and the courage to set up my own campaign.
The connections made with other members and with the presenters throughout these 30 days is priceless and will go beyond this month. Some will be supporting each other and cheering each other on and celebrating one another's publications for many months, even years, to come. That has been a wonderful bonus to this Book Marketing Challenge. I would encourage any writer, or aspiring writer, to enroll in this program whenever it comes available again. It is well worth it.
Copyright © 2014 Carmen Myrtis-Garcia www.tinyurl.com/7lifelines