Monthly Digital Clean Up Checklist

If you just want the checklist, scroll to the bottom.

Keeping your computer organized (and healthy) is integral to it lasting longer than a few years. These days, we have more photos, more files, bigger applications, more nonsense. If you’re running a business (such as self-publishing) or even if you’re just using a computer for fun, it’s important to keep your data organized; merely so you can find what you’re looking for when you need it. Even if you’re not a writer, but just want to find that old photo of your grandma you love so much. There is also a great deal of FOMO when it comes to organization. We’re surrounded by perfect moms and perfect entrepreneurs - those magical beings who get it all done and make it look easy. Pro-Tip: It’s not easy, but it’s doable. Being organized takes time and effort. Don’t worry about the time. Making the effort it what it’s all about. Doing a little here and a little there is the key. It’s called The Kaizen Method - which is not the same as the Kondo Method of rolling up your underwear into tiny balls and dumping all your junk onto your bed. I mean, what if I can’t do the whole closet in one day? Where should I sleep?

Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea that small, ongoing positive changes can reap major improvements.

Kaizen was popular in the middle 2000s and you don’t hear about it much anymore, but it still works - especially for anyone who tends to be a procrastinator and wasn’t born with a Bullet Journal tucked under their arm. Kaizen is for people who need help - that is, the rest of us.

The world is cluttered. Our houses are cluttered. Even the poorest among us have too much crap. We’re surround by stuff and it’s reflected in the most unlikely place: Our computers. Digital clutter is just as inundating as physical clutter. And it’s not just local files, it extends into our internet worlds as well. Raise your hand if you have more than one social media account? How about hundreds of passwords to hundreds of sites? How about more than 1000 photos on your computer?

I have a saying: cluttered house, cluttered mind. There is real science to this. Princeton published a study that showed when your environment is cluttered, it restricts your ability to focus. No duh. Don’t you just love these obvious studies? On that note, most articles on this topic merely state “a study at Princeton” without providing the actual link to the study. I had to dig for it, if you’re interested: Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. It basically says what we all know: You can’t think straight in clutter. Of course, the study doesn’t mention digital clutter, but there’s an obvious correlation. It makes sense that when you can’t find what you’re looking for, it causes stress. At least, it does for me. Or when you have 50-thousand Twitter followers or your in-box has more than 20-thousand emails in it. It’s actually stressful.

Months ago, I started noticing my computer was slowing down. It was only four years old and hadn’t been used very much except for Photoshop and some gaming. I have all my important files on an external drive - so why was it pooping out? As a last ditch effort, I decided to really work on clearing the clutter. I purchased an app called “Clean My Mac” and let it run. I managed to delete over twenty gigs of junk I didn’t need, just with one app. When it ran it yesterday, it got rid of another twenty-seven. What was all that crap? Old files, cache data, language files, duplicate files, junk old your programs leave after you’ve deleted them. This post cleaning feeling of accomplishment began to extend into other parts of my digital life. Social media, email, voicemail, and more. It’s now a personal revolution.

As I started my routine, I started thinking, maybe other people would want this - so I’ve written it all out and it’s yours no charge. You won’t need a mop and bucket, but you will need a few apps to get the most of this list:

Apps You’ll Need:

• Clean My Mac or Clean my PC (one time purchase)

• Avast Clean Up Pro for Mac or Clean Up Premium for PC (yearly subscription)

• Avast Security - both Mac and PC versions available (yearly subscription)

• Followers Tracker Pro for Instagram (iPhone app)

• Pro Followers for Twitter (iPhone app)

The above applications all cost money or have a yearly subscription option, but they’re worth it in the long run. I do not make any money on these links and I get nothing if you buy them except the satisfaction of helping my fellow humans. I just happen to like them and they’ve saved me tons of time. Do the trial versions first if you’re hesitant about the cost.

How to Approach this Checklist:

1. I try to do this every month around the 1st of the month and give myself a few days to really focus. You do it when it works for you.

2. Plot out some time for it, even if it’s just a few hours here and there.

3. Don’t stress. Go easy on yourself. Let yourself off the hook. Take it slow. Do as much as you can, when you can, and as time permits.

4. If you come across a task and feel yourself groaning or not wanting to do it, move on and don’t feel bad about it.

5. The idea here is that little changes make big impacts.

6. You are not obligated to get this all done in one day, but if you just get started and take small bites, in time you’ll see big improvements to your digital world.

7. The more you do this list, the better your digital world becomes. For example, I didn’t finish the list this month, but I got most of it done and my world is that much more clutter-free.

I’ve started getting excited to start this checklist every month. There is something so satisfying about having a clean environment, even if it’s made up of ones and zeros. You also may not realize that digital clutter is just as bad a physical clutter. We spend many hours per day in our little digital worlds, let’s keep them clean - for our mental health.

❣️I would love it if you used this checklist and found places where I can improve it. If you have any helpful tips, send me an email.

Enter your email below and you’ll be taken to the checklist immediately.

Transparency: You’ll be added to the Readers Collective mailing list and are welcomed to unsubscribe, but I hope you won’t. I send out fun stuff I think my readers will actually enjoy.

How Do You Know If You're a Bad Writer?

If you’ve just started writing, you might wonder if you’re actually bad at it. Do you sometimes read your own work and think, “This is awful. No one will ever read it.” If you do, you’re definitely a writer. But are you a good or bad writer?  

A few years ago, I heard about shifter novels and did some research. Come to find out, shifter novels are basically werewolf romances, but sometimes you can have different animals. Like, the main love interest can “shift” into a wolf or a bear or a squirrel or whatever. Usually, shifter males are hunky hot dudes with insatiable sexual appetites. Growl! Believe it or not, shifter novels are very popular. They generally fall under the supernatural/erotica category; although the ones I read were nasty! And I mean NAAAAASTY. If you get my drift. The author I found claimed to be a USA Today bestselling author so I downloaded one of her books and dug in. 

It was literally the worst thing I’ve ever read in my life. Not just bad plot-wise, but the grammar, egregious spelling mistakes, plus horrendous descriptions of body parts and bodily functions. I mean, come on. Slick channel? Bulbous head? No and no. How the heck did this author become a best-selling author in any capacity? She has hundreds of reviews and a decent following on social media. Did she pay for reviews? I digress. After reading this novel I had an epiphany. 

You learn more from the bad than the good. 

This contradicts all the writing advice you’ll ever get. We’re often told to read works in our genre and learn from the greats. However, brilliant novels like, for example, To Kill a Mockingbird, are otherworldly. You read them and try to figure out exactly how Harper Lee did it. Is there a formula? How did she use dialog? Can you reverse engineer it? Where does she introduce conflict? I’m sure people have studied the structure of Mockingbird to death, but as an average reader, it is unknown to us what incantation they used to cast this spell. We read those words and are transported. We can hear Scout clearly, we know exactly what Boo Radley looks like, but how did Lee do it? The answer is simple: Magic.

On the other hand, read a horrible book and it’s like driving head-on into the setting sun. When it’s so awful, you can’t help but compare your own work, especially when you cringe at a mistake you’ve made yourself. The mistakes are front and center, which makes them easy to avoid and dissect. In fact, I learned more about writing by reading this shifter novel than any how-to book or workshop I’ve attended. What not to do is just as important as what to do.

In order to learn the cold, hard truth, you have to put your work out there. Even then, like Shifter Writer, who despite being one of the worst writers I’ve read has a following. She has plenty of good reviews even with appalling spelling mistakes. We, as authors, are unable to judge the good or bad of our own work. Good and bad are subjective anyway. What’s good to you is bad to someone else. Shifter Writer probably thinks she’s a genius. She certainly offers something to her readers. But let me be clear. It’s not just her lack of talent, it’s the overall presentation, the absurd story, the cringeworthy dialog. It’s everything. This isn’t to say she doesn’t work hard. I bet she does. In the end, all that really matters is you enjoy yourself. 

Thanks to the homogenization of the publishing industry, bad writers get just as much access as good writers. You might be the worst writer in the world, but you could still have a following just like Shifter Writer. Good, bad. What does it matter as long as you love it? 

We all worry we’re not good at things. We all put our hearts and souls into our work, re-read and wonder: Will people hate it? They might, but there is an audience for everyone. If you look at the world as one of abundance, you’ll see that even bad writers have fans. I don’t like Dan Brown, but apparently people love his work. What I’m saying is, do it because you love it and don’t worry if you’re bad or good. Just create. 

That said, if you really want to know, you must hold your work up to the light. Join critique groups, submit to friends and other writers. Hire beta readers. Rejections from publishers are not a good indication of talent. Plenty of great books get rejected. I once emailed a fairly well-known author after one of his short stories was published in The New Yorker - which is notoriously difficult to get into. I asked him how long it took him to get in and he said it took “hundreds” of submissions. And he’s been writing for over forty years and has numerous books under his belt. 

Good and bad are subjective. Remember that. Continue to work on your craft and be the best you can be. You’re going to be rejected, but it doesn’t mean you’re bad. However, there are some key indicators you might be a bad writer if…

• You aren’t able to capture the unique voices of your characters - making them all sound the same

• You’re unable to properly create high-stakes situations with subtly. Don’t worry. This is a skill you learn over time

• You over-explain. Exposition has its place, but far too many new writers spell it out for their readers and do too many flashbacks. Assume your readers are intelligent and will be able to figure it out with as little information as possible to keep the story going

• You don’t fully understand “show, don’t tell.” Don’t panic. Show don’t tell isn’t the easiest concept to understand when you’re just starting out. Buy a book called Understanding Show Don’t Tell (and Really Getting It) by Janice Hardy. It’s the only book I’ve ever read on the subject that really explains it well. 

• Bad writers assume they’re geniuses who do everything right. There is always room for improvement and any writer will tell you that. I think it’s safe to say most writers always believe something is missing from the final manuscript - or it could’ve been better. Anthony Burgess, who wrote A Clockwork Orange, reportedly felt his book was misunderstood. 

• You assume your first draft has to be a work of art. First drafts are never good. It comes with the territory. The first draft of one of my work-in-progress novels started out as 40,000 words. It’s now somewhere in the territory of 200,000 words. Lord help me. I know. That’s not good. I haven’t been able to cut it down for a year. Does it make me a bad writer? It means I’m stuck and it happens to everyone. Let yourself off the hook. No one’s first draft is amazing. 

• Bad writers feel like the tried and true dialog tags “said” and “asked” are passé. Instead, they use words like “breathed” or “retorted.” I personally hate the word retort. There really is no need to spice up dialog tags. Just get on with the story.

• Bad writers care more about themselves than the reader

What are you thoughts? What makes someone a bad or good writer? Post in the comments.  

Read the First Chapter of Lessons in Love NOW!

Thank you to everyone who has purchased or downloaded the novella so far. For those of you who haven’t gotten around to it, here’s a little taste. Read the first chapter now. Comments welcomed.

Click here for direct chapter link: https://www.flipsnack.com/melaniebrodie/lessons-in-love-by-melanie-brodie-chapter-one.html

Click here to buy now.

Lessons in Love Book Launch - Aftermath and Math

My marketing campaign for Lessons in Love has consisted of the following (in no particular order): 

• Boosted posts on Facebook: Total $30 over the month (not enough)

• 3x per day posting on social media (Twitter, Facebook)

• 1x per day posting on Instagram

• Amazon Ad Campaign: $5 per day as a test for 3 days

• Posting frequently on Facebook groups in my genre (that allow promo)

• My website (pop up promos)

• Free Lessons in Love eBook for 3 days

• Readers Collective Mailing list sent day of: 57 recipients

• 4 giveaways during the month before launch

• My sister texted everyone in my family

Now, before I go on, let me say, the traffic I have gotten is amazing. But you’ll see below, it’s not quite a homerun. I am, by no means, ungrateful for the following I have built. I am so GLAD HAPPY ECSTATIC to have you here. You have no idea what this means to me. What I want to demonstrate here is that I have done almost everything recommended in self-publishing guides and received what some might consider a lackluster launch. 

Launch Results - First Three Days

Paid Book Purchases:

• Day 1 - 1

• Day 2 - 0

• Day 3 - 1

Free eBook Downloads:

• Day 1 - 22

• Day 2 - 9

• Day 3 - 5

This is a version of the ad I used for the launch.

I have continued to grow my Twitter platform thanks to the #WritingCommunity. As cool as everyone is, these numbers don’t mean anything. I have over seven-hundred followers as of today and as you can see by the numbers, they’re not all biting. I’ve seen others with far more followers than me complain their sales are low - even for free books. Why is that? 

In general, my launch-related posts contained basic information about the book, a custom image, and a link. My most frequently used hashtags are #freeEbook #RomanceWriters #Romance. Sadly, my hashtag game is weak. I used a variation of the image to the left, custom-sized for each platform. 

On Twitter: 

• Impressions (how many times someone saw the image) were always under 200. 

• Engagements (I think this is how long someone spends with your Tweet) were never over five. 

• Link clicks: 1-2 per post

This is for each post. Now, I did not over-post. In fact, over the last three days, I hardly posted at all. To be honest, I have burnout. I also don’t know what’s too much. I hate when people overflood my feed with ads about their books, so I played it cautious - which was probably not a good idea. There has to be a middle ground. The most likes I get on any given post - even what I consider top quality posting - is usually about four on a good day.

Note: When I unveiled my animated cover, I received thirteen retweets, fifty-seven likes, and had a reach of 145.7K - You read that right. One-hundred forty-five point-seven thousand people viewed my animated cover. This is mostly due to retweets. I will never again get this kind of traction, so I’m trying to enjoy it. Still. How many of those people actually downloaded my book? 

On Facebook: 

My launch day post reached three people (out of twenty-two followers + hashtags) and had ZERO likes. Facebook is (by far) the worst when it comes to being seen in any capacity.

Website traffic: 

• Day 1 - 9 

• Day 2 - 0

• Day 3 - 0

Have I offended someone? These numbers are abysmal and depressing. Not feeling the love, here.

Launch Day Newsletter:

• Opened: 8

• Clicked the link: 2

Out of fifty-seven subscribers (who thankfully, haven’t jumped ship yet) I got two link clicks - I have no idea if they downloaded the book or not. Thank you to those that did. I love you so freakin’ much.  

Final Big Launch Giveaway: 

I have to say, this one was the most disappointing so far. I really expected, since the prize was bigger, it would do well. I even made that cool video for it. You probably didn’t see it. Click here if you want to check it out.

• Entries: 19

I ran four giveaways during the month before the launch. One per week. They increased in coolness over the weeks. Out of the four, the final launch giveaway came in third place as far as people who entered. My first giveaway (four weeks ago), did the best with thirty-three entrants. 

Amazon Ad Campaign:

I don’t even know. I started the ad on the 21st and wanted it to finish on the 23rd. I just checked and it was set to end on April 23rd, 2020. WTH? I’ve gotten eight views so far. I have no idea how much that’ll cost me. I changed the end date to reflect the three-day promo. Eight views, no purchases. I don’t know what happened with this one. I assume that ALL ads with both Facebook and Amazon require a SIGNIFICANT investment. I may try another ad and see how it goes. Should I spend the money? I really believe this is how so called “bestselling” authors become that way.

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Looking at the above information, there is NO way to tell how many of those people actually downloaded my book or where those thirty-seven people came from. I suspect a good majority of them are my family and friends. Thanks, guys ;) But seriously, what can I do with this data? Not a whole lot. To truly understand social media and get the most out of it, you have to know more information. Days of the week and times posted also play a factor. I experimented with posting early in the morning, hoping to get that “before work” traffic, but I have no idea if that’s good or not. Even if you post at the right time, the best amount, the perfect graphics, there is no guarantee you’ll get any bites. Companies spend BIG money trying to figure this stuff out. What makes me think I can do it with no money, less resources, and only one person on staff? Maybe people don’t buy books before work. Ugh.

So what’s the answer? The answer you don’t want to hear: Don’t worry about it, do your best, and that’s all. Let’s say I take the above information and deduce that Mondays at 6 p.m. are the best time for me to post. It doesn’t matter. I can post the following week and never have a repeat of the same traffic. Maybe the image isn’t as good, it’s a weird news week, it’s the grand finale of some popular TV show. Who knows? The only way to get exact science on social media engagement is to hire a statistics person who lives and breathes numbers. I ain’t got that kind of money. You’d have to REALLY dig into the numbers to get any useful information and I ain’t got that kind of time.

I’ve been following an entrepreneur guru who claims she got 100,000 downloads the first day of her book launch. I think she’s lying. Or she’s omitting how much she spent on ads. I could put a thousand dollars towards an ad, but would I make my money back? It’s something to think about. I really think the only way to get those kinds of numbers is to put your money where your mouth is. And lots of it. I’ve gotten thirty-seven downloads of my free eBook in the last three days. I am beyond grateful. Today has been the slowest day so far and I can’t tell you why. Perhaps it’s all about that first day momentum. So how do you build on that? When I find out, you’ll find out. 

In other news, I’ve started work on the second book. It’s gone a totally different direction than I intended. Because it takes place during Christmas, I’m looking at a December launch. Maybe I’ll get those last minute Christmas shoppers. I might not. I don’t want to rush, but it is set during the holidays and that’s the best time to sell a Christmas book. Since the foundation is set up, all I have to do is write the book, edit it, design the cover, and do the marketing - which starts now. 

Let’s be real here: My advertising campaign was half baked. This was my first time and I kind of did things as I thought of them. It’s been sort of a “spray and pray” method. For the second book, I need to plan a real attack. Once I set a release date, I’ll work backwards and schedule an actual battle plan. When I do, I’ll share. 

Now That the 30 Days is Over, How Can I Improve?

It’s always a good idea to look back on your projects and search for ways to improve and streamline. In a micro way, this is also a good idea to do every night before bed. If you journal every night, good for you. Reflecting on the day is healthy, helpful, and it allows you to grow. 

A Half Mast Timeline

The biggest place for improvement is the overall timeline. Self-publishing a book in 30 days is hard. By hard, I mean, I ate, slept, and dreamt about Lessons in Love, self publishing, and marketing. I neglected school work and the house. I managed to pick up a bit, but I didn’t do the daily cleaning like I used to. I’m not yet sure what kind of damage I’ve done to my grades, but I’m seriously considering begging for clemency. That, or saying my grandma died. She died 15 years ago. For the most part, I managed to keep up, but this past week I didn’t even look at my assignments. Time management is something we all struggle with, but it’s imperative when you’re running a business. Finding that sweet spot between real life and work is difficult, but your health relies on it.

Self Care

I neglected self care this month. Oh, I tried to get up and stretch, but I really put everything I had into this project. The end result is, I’m tired and my neck is stiff from so many hours of sitting hunched over my laptop. I didn’t take my supplements everyday and I often went to bed late. Integrating self care into your routine takes practice, but it also takes self awareness. You have to be self aware to step away from the computer and actually do the things that keep your stress down. 

Facebook Ads

Facebook is a hole. I spent around $70 dollars on ads this month and got very little return. No comments, a few likes, and no mailing list subscriptions. I assume this means I didn’t spend enough money; that in order to see REAL benefit from Facebook, you need to dig into your savings. Forget it. I’ll continue to post on Facebook and build an organic platform, but I don’t think I’ll be spending any more money. 

Editing and Proofreading Last Minute

These should have been done weeks ago. I neglected to consider that Amazon needs to validate your work before it goes out to the public. I assume they’re scanning the text for terrorist manifestos or some other illegal wording. Both the eBook and paperback were approved very quickly, but it wasn’t worth the stress I accumulated in the final days leading up to now. 

Not Hiring a Professional Editor

As I’ve said before, I’m a working copyeditor. My husband worked on his school newspaper. Between the two of us, the final edit is pretty good. But it’s also something I’d rather not worry about in the future. A professional editor doesn’t have skin in the game. They can take your text and mechanically edit without getting emotional. In the grand scheme of things, this is important. It’s also important because as the writer, you’ve read your text a million times and become blind to the mistakes. It’s a real phenomenon that shouldn’t be overlooked. 

I edited the manuscript. I had my husband edit the manuscript. And then I did a final proofread. I still found mistakes and I’m sure there are more hiding in the weeds. 

Posting Social Media in the Morning Before School

Most mornings, me and my espresso posted the social media announcements for the day. It was stressful trying to be catchy and clever first thing in the morning. This is something I need to carve out time for and do on a regular basis. Weekends are unpredictable, but generally Saturday mornings are free. It would also be better to post ahead of time using Buffer. Doing it the day-of feels too rushed.

Not Writing

Once Lessons in Love was completed I didn’t make or take time to write anything else. I have several non-related novels in the works, many short stories - all of which have been in cryogenic stasis for the last thirty days. The only other writing I did was this blog. This blog is fun to write, but it’s not my stories. I have guilt for ignoring them for so long. Sorry guys. 

Not Journaling at All

I started journaling in June of this year. I love it. It’s a straightforward idea: write down things I did, saw, and heard. It’s a writer’s journal. I was doing it fairly religiously for a while, but have dropped it. Like you do. I’d like to pick it up again. I think it would have been helpful to have a nightly reflection on this 30 day process instead of trying to remember everything I did the next day. Instead, I collapsed into my bed every night and felt guilty for not journaling.

Fear of Planning

It took forever to sit down and plan out the month. I have never (in my life) planned a whole month ahead. I’m an edge of my seat pantser so it was totally out of my comfort zone to plan more than a day or two ahead. I managed to do it, but I still don’t like it. It’s something to look into, think about, and figure out. I’m also not an OCD bullet journaler, but I found that keeping sort of a loose and daily to-do list was helpful. I did keep good notes on how I did everything and have put together a wonderful self-publishing checklist that I will be sharing soon. 

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 This was definitely a “figure it out as you go” project. Or, I jumped and built my net on the way down. That’s a great way to learn, by the way. And I’ve absorbed so much I can now implement that knowledge into a fine-tuned machine. Not machine. I hate that word. Ecosystem. That’s better. Ecosystem is actually a better word because it’s true. Ecosystems have parts, they have mutually dependent elements that feed off one another. What’s that word? Parasitic? Something like that, but in a nicer way. It’s an entire world I’ve built. Between social media, the book, the coming books, the marketing, it’s all symbiotic. There you go. That’s the word. 

If after every goal post you can sit down and think about what you learned and how to do it better, you’ll be better off. Share your thoughts in the comments.  What are some ways you try to improve yourself?

30 Days to Self-Publishing - The Aftermath and The Math

I came up with this idea on the 14th of September 2019 and implemented it on the 15th. I had no website, no name, no book, nothing. I wanted to see if I could self-publish a book on Amazon in 30 days. I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to see how far I could get. 

I wrote the novella in under twenty-four hours. I set up my online universe, hit social media like gangbusters, started running giveaways, and uploaded both the paperback and eBook to Amazon on September 17th; the 32nd day. I didn’t consider it finished because Amazon takes up to seventy-two hours to approve your book. Both the eBook and the paperback were approved by morning of the 33rd day. So technically, I made it. Kind of. Not exactly. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I would get this close. The last few days have been a bit of a gauntlet. There I was, just a few days before the deadline and I still hadn’t finished my proofread. 

Thirty-three days is as good as a month. To answer my initial question: Can you self-publish a book (start to finish) in a month? Remember, on the 15th of last month, I didn’t even have a book. It ended up being a novella, but I digress. Yes, you can. Do you want to? Not really. 

Have I come up with a good product in thirty-three days? A book I can be proud of? Hell yeah! I’m so proud of Lessons in Love I can’t stand it. Not only is it good (if I do say so myself), I did everything right. This was not a half-ass job. I put the work into it. Let’s look at exactly what I accomplished in thirty-three days: 

• Wrote a 18,000 word novella

• Created, set up, and filled an entire author website

• Ran four giveaways

• Built a small following on social media

• Designed a book cover

• Managed social media with posts and handmade graphics

• Shot and edited a video ad for the big launch giveaway

• Edited the novella

• Proofread the novella

• Formatted both eBook and Paperback 

• Figured out Kindle Direct Publishing and other digital distributors

• Created several handouts for the Readers Collective

• Sent out four newsletters to the Readers Collective

• Formatted and prepped the first chapter preview for the Readers Collective

• Created a Spotify soundtrack to the novella

• Started a side-Twitter for the Apple Creek Gazette

• Wrote and pre-scheduled two weeks for the Apple Creek Gazette posts

• Posted on social media everyday

• Wrote and posted on the blog daily

Yeah. That’s a lot. There’s probably more I’m forgetting, but you get the idea. It’s weird that it’s kind of over now. I’ve been go-go-going for a month and now that the novella is uploaded, I can actually take a break. It feels weird. 

Let’s look at how much I spent: 

Because I didn’t hire-out for the major tasks, I was able to keep the cost around $500. Some items were wastes of money, like Publisher Rocket, the Facebook ads, and an accidental stock photo purchase. By accidental, I mean I didn’t know I would hate it until after I bought it. Further, some of those costs are for the entire year. I also probably could have gotten away with NOT buying a new font, but a professional font makes a big difference. And I love fonts. 

I do not recommend you DIY certain jobs unless you have the skills necessary to do so. For example, I’ve been doing graphic design for years. I’m also a trained copyeditor. Even so, I’m not a book designer or a professional book editor. There will be typos. Hopefully not too many. 

The costs add up. Will Lessons in Love make my money back? Probably not. If I take away the operating and set up costs, I spent far less just on Lessons in Love alone, not including creating and maintaining the Melanie Brodie brand.

Will Lessons in Love recoup those costs? Probably not. If I make ten bucks, I’ll be a happy camper. I’m considering doing an ad-run on Amazon and spending some real money. I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep you updated. 

I hit social media like a tornado. Let’s look at what I built in a month: 

• Facebook: 20 followers

• Twitter: 672 followers

• Instagram: 133 followers (increase of 49 - I started with an old account that already had some followers)

• Readers Collective: 57 

• Good Reads: 0

• Amazon Author Page: 0

• Website Traffic 30 Days: 293 visits

• Blog Post Comments: 0

• Emails from Fans: 0

Handouts via Readers Collective and Website Links: 

1. Lessons in Love Character Structure Sheet: 1 download

2. Lessons in Love First Chapter - 1 download

Twitter is the clear winner, but that’s because the #WritingCommunity is awesome and I engaged in some serious engagement. All in all, I spent more time on Twitter than anywhere else. I put the second-most amount of effort into Facebook and got little-to-no return on my investment. I spent money on boosted posts, but got hardly any engagement and a few clicks that amounted to nothing. I’ve gotten almost no engagement on the Readers Collective. That is, no one emails me. I’ve gotten a few clicks from handout downloads, but nothing to write home about. As of today, only one person has downloaded the first chapter of Lessons in Love. That’s sad. 

Social media is a slow boat to China - unless you’re already in China, then it’s a slow boat to America. Building a following takes time. Even so, the numbers aren’t bad for the first thirty days. Will all those people buy my book? I predict under 1% will. 

So now what? 

Now that the novella is uploaded, I’ll announce the launch on the 21st as planned. I’ll continue to promote the book on social media, run a new giveaway, and start on the second book. Yep, I already have an idea for that one. 

How do I feel after all this?

There is a woman online selling entrepreneur courses to authors who claims she had 100,000 downloads of her book in the first three days and after only a few months of set up. She claims she was an unknown. Is she lying? I’m not sure. I’ve watched her videos and while she seems smart, I’m pretty sure she’s not telling the whole truth about where those numbers came from. She claims she created a launch team, but what else? Did she spend $500 on Facebook and Amazon ads? I can’t see any other way. Now, she says downloads…she doesn’t say sales. She only has 104 reviews of her book on Amazon. I checked. Her book has 131 ratings on Good Reads, 3.25 stars, and 15 reviews. Does that sound like 100,000 downloads? Where are those downloads coming from? She’s clearly not telling the whole truth. That said, I feel AWESOME about my accomplishment. I don’t expect 100,000 downloads. I’ll be ecstatic is someone reads my book and gives me a good review. And I mean, bouncing off the walls ecstatic! Because this project isn’t just about making it big. This whole thing has been an exercise in stepping out of my comfort zone, putting my work in front of REAL people. OK yes, I’m still hiding behind a pen name, but up until a month ago, the only person who read my work was my husband and some writing colleagues. 

I’m thrilled because I accomplished so much in a small amount of time. I’m a published author. I have a book out that people will read - and hopefully like. I feel amazing. A year ago this was impossible. Hold on. I’m not quite ready for a break. There is still work to be done to keep the momentum going. Starting now I will only blog a few times a week. I’m glad about that. Blogging every day is a grind. I might spend the weekend writing blog posts and scheduling them for later dates. We’ll see. Or I’ll just watch Hallmark Channel. I must also prep the launch day posts and graphics. Now I have to SELL the book. 

I’m not one of those girls who goes, “woooo!” every chance they get. I wear my heart on the page. If you met me, you’d see I’m not an excitable person, but I am excited. I just looked at the Amazon page for the eBook and paperback and I’m actually trying not to cry here. This past month has been epic in ways I can’t fully explain - even for an author. It’s like, it hasn’t hit me yet. I did it! I published my own little novella. People are going to read about my characters! It’s weird because this isn’t the first time I’ve created something and worked hard on it. I ran an online music magazine for ten years. I ran a web design business for two years. I ran a decently successful wedding photography business for seven years. But this…this is different. Writing has been my truest love since I was in the second grade. I’ve been published before. I wrote a (paid) review column for a year, I’ve had work published in literary journals. I’ve been out there. But this is different somehow. I don’t know why yet. All those other ventures were fruitful and fun. They didn’t make a million dollars, but I learned a lot. Self-publishing is the culmination of everything I’ve learned and it combines all the things I love and am good at. This feels like a real win for me.

Thank you for being here, reading, and watching it all unfold. We’re just getting started!

Day 31 - Can you Self-Publish a Book in 30 Days?

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Wait, you said it was a thirty day journey.” You’re right. I did say that. I also said that the exact end of the thirty-day journey fell on my fifteen-year anniversary and I didn’t want to launch on a Wednesday. The industry standard for book releases are Tuesdays. I figured, why buck the system? So I pushed the release to the following Tuesday. I later realized that uh…the 21st isn’t actually a Tuesday. It’s a Monday. When I made the announcement for the 21st, I could have sworn it was a Tuesday. I assume I wasn’t thinking clearly. Anyway, I’ve been saying “the 21st” for weeks and don’t really feel like back tracking now. Monday it is. 

So no. You cannot launch a book successfully in thirty days. Thirty-seven days, maybe. I won’t know until the sucker is actually online and for sale. My planning wasn’t so good on this one. I should have said forty days and then I would have beat the time limit by three days. Live and learn. Truth is, I came up with this idea on a Monday and implemented it on a Tuesday. Literally, overnight. There was no forethought, no planning, no talking it over with my confidants. I started on a whim; although I’d been contemplating the idea for several years. Just as a “what if.” 

Actually, you can launch a book in thirty days - start to finish - zero to sixty - if you don’t have anything else going on in your life. No kids, spouse, pets, job, etc. The biggest challenge of this project has been juggling real life with self-publishing. Most weekends have been flops. My family wants to hang out, I’m pooped, and I literally just want to watch Hallmark Channel all day. I do most of my work in the late afternoons (after school) and early in the mornings (before school). I’ve neglected my school work in some cases and taken days off I shouldn’t have. That’s not good. If you have a life (like most of us) the least amount of time I would recommend for this (again, starting from scratch) would be two months. And that’s pushing it. Three months means you can take your time, do it right, and not grind your teeth down. 

But what about those authors that upload one book a month? Those people are in beast mode. They must have the freedom to write and market all day long with no interruptions. They also look at writing as a factory. Books are their widget and they are the machine operators. Once you get the foundation down, you can churn a book out once a month if you don’t care if it’s good. The fact that some writers look at books as something repeatable and easy to mass produce is hard for me to understand. See, I look at books as unique little flowers that take time to cultivate. Like orchids. I could create a formula and implement it exactly the same way every time, but it wouldn’t feed my soul, it would be a machine. Machines are cold. 

There are two types of writers: The churners and the dreamers. I’m the latter. I don’t believe Lessons in Love is the most original story ever told, but it’s cute and it has heart. Churners know (and abuse) the secret that only seven plot variations exist. 

1. Overcoming the Monster

2. Rags to Riches

3. The Quest

4. Voyage and Return

5. Comedy

6. Tragedy

7. Rebirth

Some argue there are more, but this is the basic idea to all of human storytelling. Lessons in Love is a quest - the quest to find love. It has elements of all of the above, but its principal theme is an emotional expedition, something to be discovered. Learning about the seven basic plots is helpful if you’re just starting out. 

If you’re a quick and talented writer, you can mass produce a series without giving it much thought. Take a well-loved novel and do a re-telling. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back. And then write the sequel. You can totally do that, but I don’t like that some people crank out books at lightning speed. To me, it seems false. You don’t have to be a tortured soul, agonizing over every word, but put some love and thought into it. If you’re reading this, you’re probably not a churner. Churners focus on marketing and not writing. You’re a dreamer looking for some helpful words to make your journey lighter. All I can say is, love the journey. Enjoy the scenery and write because you love it, not because it’s something you can mass produce. Self-publishing has introduced the idea that you can make a six-figure living on your writing. It’s a myth. If you’re here for the money, you’re in the wrong place. My goal is to be comfortable. I care about comfort now. When I was in my twenties, I could easily live off Top Ramen in a shabby apartment with three other people. Now, I like paying my phone bill. I like having a phone. If my writing can fund a comfortable life, I’ll consider that a success. 

Once Lessons in Love is settled, I’ll focus more on work/life balance, and helping you do the same. 

Days 28, 29, 30 - The Gauntlet

It’s the final grind uphill to the finish line. I’ve actually written the last three days of blog posts, but they’re sloppy 1st drafts and I don’t have time to edit and upload. I’ve been basically non-stop for a month, but somehow these last few days feel the hardest. As you know, I’m currently in school part time, but I have a long commute. I don’t get home until after 1pm and then it’s lunch time and I’m tired. Even so, I’ve been working like a dog. This hasn’t been exactly a thirty day journey. The 30th day (yesterday) landed on my fifteen year anniversary with my husband and I didn’t want to launch middle of the week. So I pushed the date out to the 21st and that extra week is a godsend.

Quick sum up of what I’ve been doing: 

• The cover is done! I spent all day Monday working on it and I think it’s awesome. I’m so proud of it. 

• Social media takes up a lot of time. I still don’t know where I should be focusing my efforts. Twitter is a black hole that sucks you in and absorbs you. It’s almost too fun. 

• I’m still working on that final read through. I started a line by line edit yesterday and I’m about a quarter of the way through. It has to be done today. I wish I could skip school. 

• My Facebook boosted post is still running. Thirty dollars, fourteen days. So far not much traction. I’ve run four boosted posts and have received approx. eight new page likes and only a handful of people actually entered the giveaway. Facebook appears to be a wasted effort. 

• The big launch giveaway is slugging along. Only nine entries so far. It’s definitely not performing the way I’d hoped, but I’m grateful for those nine entries. Thank you all and good luck! It ends on Sunday and I’ll be announcing the winner then. 

• I’ve started an adorable second Twitter account for The Apple Creek Gazette. My story takes place in the fictional town of Apple Creek and I thought it would be fun to post news from the town. Follow the AC Gazette here. 

• I wrote and sent out the newsletter to the Readers Collective. I included the first chapter and a music playlist for the novella. I’ve had two downloads on the chapter (one of them was my husband). To that other person, I hope you love it; and I do apologize for the typos I found after I sent it out. Those will be gone by the time the novella is published. 

It’s starting to feel like I can’t get arrested in this town. I’ve had very little traction on all my efforts, it’s a bit depressing. I’ve learned so much during this thirty day gauntlet. And it’s been a gauntlet. I’m ready for it to be over. I’m excited about the journey and getting my book out there, but it’s been difficult - not skill-wise, time-wise. At least, I’m ready for a break. Now that the machine is running, the second novel should be much easier. The third will be a piece of cake. The trick here is figuring out the schedule. What to do and when. I have a better sense of all that now, but make no mistake: I’m tired. I must take my own advice: Just keep going.

Music Soundtrack to Lessons in Love

Music has always been a part of my writing. It inspires me. I know it’s cheesy, but sometimes when I’m writing a scene, I think, “When they make the movie of this story, they’ll use this song.” Not like I would have any control over what songs a Hollywood music editor chooses. Still. I don’t know. I feel like music adds something to the story. It’s probably a bad idea to create a music playlist for your novels. Why? Eh, the reader has their own music in mind, don’t they? And not everyone likes your exact taste in music. 

I created a music playlist anyway. Because I wanted to and it’s fun for me. I’m a seasoned playlist maker. Don’t tell anyone, but I used to make mix tapes on actual cassettes a million years ago and I take the art very seriously. It is an art, by the way. I don’t just put what I like. I think about what the listener will like. I’m good like that. Take my word for it, if it was just music I liked, only a few 90s Goths and 70s Punks would be into me. But I do like a diverse range of music and I think you’ll like it. Take a look at the playlist below. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Meh? I not only picked songs mentioned in the story, but also inspired by what I thought would go great on the movie soundtrack ;)

Music is a secret language I use in my stories. If a song is mentioned in the scene, it has significance. Either the lyrics or song title have meaning. Sometimes a song says exactly what you want it to. It creates a mood that even a seasoned writer can’t describe. I’ve loved music all my life. Whether it’s 70s pop music, 1940s country western, or obscure underground bands. Music has always been around me. 

It’s one week until the release of Lessons in Love. Are you excited? Me too. I’m also extremely nervous. Listening to this music is getting me hyped. I put this playlist on while I’m writing and working. It keeps me in the world. I hope you enjoy it. I made it for you. 

Lessons in Love Novella Soundtrack

This playlist is meant to be played on shuffle.

Day 27 - How to Convince People You’re Not a Sleazy Scammer

Selling has an inherent grime to it, doesn’t it. Sometimes you feel like you’re begging people to buy your stuff. While writing social media posts, I think, wow…does this sound gross? Buy now. Enter my giveaway. Blah blah blah. I know a fair deal about marketing, but what I don’t know is how to sound cool; like a cool person who isn’t going to sell your email address to Beelzebub.

I’d wager we all feel that way. I’ve said this before: we’re not sellers, we’re writers. The marketing portion of the game is why so many writers give up after a while. There is a science to selling; to showing people they want something even when they don’t. Mutually beneficial-ness - that’s not a real term, but it sounds good. You get something, I get something. It’s the basic tenant of Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People; worth a read if you want to improve your dealings with other humans. 

I’ll be honest, I hate posting every day, “Please! For the love of everything, enter my giveaway. Someone? Anyone? Help?” I feel like a used car salesman. I’ll be honest, I thought this final giveaway would bowl everyone over. It’s so cool and I made that awesome video and everything. But I also know that I don’t easily enter giveaways, even if the prize is amazing. Why? I’m afraid I’m going to get spammed. And not just spammed by the person running the giveaway. I’m afraid they’re going to sell my email to highest bidder and I’ll get spammed by a million other sleazy salespeople. What a hassle. There’s still a week to go and who knows, maybe things will pick up at the end of the week. 

So how do you convey that you’re a good person without outright saying you’re a good person? My motto has always been: if you have to say it, it’s probably not true. Think about the cool kids in high school. They didn’t necessarily advertise with signs and words. They looked cool, acted cool, lived cool. It was obvious they were cool. Except, the internet doesn’t know what I look like and you don’t know me in person. I may use a pen name, but even if I didn’t. I’m totally unknown. 

Selling is mutually beneficial-ness. I provide a service, you get a thing. This is all in my mind, by the way, the sleazy feelings. I’ve talked a lot about selling in the last three weeks because that’s the bulk of self-publishing and I won’t lie: it’s stressful. The novella was written a month ago, it’s over. Now it’s about getting it in front of people, hoping they’ll like it, and will buy the next one. I’d say, self-publishing is less about writing and more about selling. It’s like 75% selling and 25% writing + everything else. I can have the greatest novel in the whole world, but no one will know unless I market the heck out of it. 

So what’s the magic tool? I think it’s trial and error. I’m sure if I took an advertising class, we’d talk about mistakes Coca Cola has made, Nestle, Walmart, everyone. And it may not just be trial and error. It’s that frustrating thing called “time.” These things take time and lots of it. I have this icky feeling in me where I want everything to happen overnight. It can’t possibly. I have to remind myself that it’s only been three weeks. Persistence is the name of the game. All I can do is be honest, do my best, and don’t give up. 

This leads me into buying reviews. Can you? Should you? Yep and yes. You can do it and it’s probably how a lot of no-name authors get so many reviews. I’ve found several companies that promise legit reviews from legit readers. I’ve looked into them. They look legit. I even joined one to see how it works from the reader’s perspective and it’s a really great idea. Wish I’d thought of it. The concept is that you submit your book, pay a flat fee, and then pay a buck or two per review (good or bad) thereafter. Conversely, a bad idea would be to hire a company that writes fake reviews without even reading your book. These authentic companies claim to have willing participants reading your words. It’s networking, in a way. They act as a middle-man. Readers want to read, writers want reviews. They’re a facilitator. Kind of like a match-making service. If a matchmaker sets you up on a date with someone you’d never meet otherwise, are you cheating at dating? No, you’re asking for help and paying for the go-between.  

I didn’t find this information through some online author guru or any book. I found it on accident because no one wants to divulge you can BUY reviews. I just happened to be reading a Twitter thread where someone mentioned he’d submitted his book to Hidden Gems. I was like *ears perk* what’s that? Yes, you can buy reviews and you probably should. The difference here is that these two companies I found will put your book in front of REAL readers. And that’s what you want. Is it skeezy to pay someone to read your book? A little. But then you remember that there are millions of authors selling books just like yours and you need an intermediary. If you published your book the traditional way, your publisher would have someone putting your book in front of readers any way possible. 

I think I question morality too much. It doesn’t help The Good Place is back on. I can get into a morality tornado just like Chidi and worry myself sick. I have to pull back. The service exists, the readers are not sitting in a smokey office in Bangladesh hammering away at a keyboard. They’re real readers, right? Let’s call this an experiment. I will be using these services to help promote Lessons in Love and I will post my results when I have some good data to share. Real readers you say? OK. Let’s do it. 

By the way, I’m putting together a hand-out which will include ALL the services (secret and otherwise) that I’ve found - and it’s a lot. No one outright tells you this information, not even the self-pub entrepreneur gurus. They want you to believe they are so good at marketing, they sold their work based on merit and a little elbow grease alone. It’s not true. They also want to give you a taste of their secrets so you’ll buy more. I’m going to give the information away because I hate to see people struggle. Sorry gurus. I imagine there is also this sense that if they tell you all their secrets, places like Hidden Gems will be inundated with wannabes. Or… Hiddens Gems will fuel an entirely new market of “pay for real readers” websites and we’ll all be OK. By the way, Hidden Gems’ romance category is currently booked until October 2020. The secret’s out.