Internet Marketing Freedom

06/22/2022

Interested? The link is in the comments. Enjoy ☺️

The Code, my new thriller, written under the pen name I. C. Cosmos, just became #1 Hot New Release on Amazon ☺️

08/08/2021

So, here it is - all my book publishing and marketing tips and secrets. Enjoy! 🙂

PUBLISHED!: The No-Nonsense Girl’s Guide to Self-Publishing (The No-Nonsense Girl's Guide (TM))

08/08/2021

Published!, my guide on self-publishing, written under the pen name I. C. Cosmos - just as my thrillers 😉, became #1 New Release on Amazon... 🙂
See the next post for more...

08/08/2021

The Deal, my new thriller written under the pen name I. C. Cosmos, just became #1 Hot New Release!
Marketing works 🙂

07/09/2020

And this is only possible because of internet marketing! More about this in coming posts :-)

The Project, my second thriller, became #1 Hot New Release on Amazon and made several best sellers lists in the US and Canada :-)

The Project is written under the pen name I. C. Cosmos, and, if you like quick summer reads, click here and start reading: https://iccosmos.com/

07/09/2020

*** 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮…

Writing is about many things, and one of them is searching. Searching for the right words, searching for the tone of voice your story asks for…and searching for what works for you as a writer.

Unless you are writing experimental literature that no one else reads, you are writing for readers. But writing for others doesn’t mean that you must follow others’ rules on how to write. It would be impossible anyhow, due to the sheer volume of opinions out there – just Google “how to write a novel.” The last time I tried this, Google came back with 9,260,000 results ;-)

Not only would it be impossible to read it all, but much of the advice is contradictory. Do this and never that…no, do that and never this. Remember the discussion about plotters vs. pantsers? (see the post on taming a wild page, part 2).

So, experiment and figure out what works for you. If you want to write in the morning, write in the morning. If your “pen” produces magic in the middle of the night, write in the middle of the night.

If you need a precise plot and your story “writes itself” when you start at the beginning and proceed linearly from one finished chapter to the next, do that. If you prefer to start in the middle and write your book circularly (returning to partially completed chapters later), that’s fine too.

If 1000 words per day isn’t realistic, start with 500 and see where it takes you.

What you want to achieve is a process that moves you forward. Once you’ve established a routine that works, it will help you out and do some of the work for you - the right words will come to you in the middle of washing dishes, sentences you struggled with will “all of a sudden” rewrite themselves, scenes will play in front of your eyes, ready to be written.

But to get into the flow, you have to keep writing (yes, that’s the mantra). Paradoxically, what also helps is not to police the process too much. It’s the same as being on a too strict diet – sooner or later you start cheating or even quit.

Thus if you didn’t meet your quota one day, don’t force yourself to make it up the next day – just keep going and write as much as you can.

And if you do your best and realize that you want to publish a book, but writing isn’t your thing, hire a ghostwriter. You’ll still have to manage the process and make sure the ghostwriter delivers the book you want… Just remember, it’s all about what works for you ;-)

Wishing you lots of inspiration :-)

P.S. In the next post I’ll tell you how my newest book, The Project, became #1 Hot New Release on Amazon with just one review.

07/09/2020

*** 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝

OK! You are on your way… :-)

You’ve conquered the dreaded blank page, filled it with words, and started to shape these words into bestselling content (if you are new here, please check out the previous three posts).

Starting is tough, but it’s not the most difficult part of writing a book. The most difficult thing is to keep writing. You have to keep the show on the road. No. Matter. What.

Maintaining your writing routine takes commitment and meaningful goals... Oh, I see the eye roll... Got you - you’ve heard enough about this “productivity” stuff to know that goals don’t finish books. Agree. But goals, meaningful goals, will help you keep the show on the road.

Many people use word count to measure their progress. It helps but isn’t always meaningful. For instance, when you’ve just started and are plotting, sketching scenes, and developing your characters, the number of words you’ve written doesn’t tell you much because most of these words will not end up in your book - they are just words telling you what to write. At this stage, you are building the foundations of your book and have to put in the hours to do it right.

So, to start with, commit to HOURS. X hours per day or per week, whatever works for you…

Once you have enough material to begin some serious writing, word count is your best friend. X words per day. 1000, 2000… again, what’s realistic and works for you.

When the first draft is finished, word count loses its meaning again - if anything, it will probably go down as you are streamlining and polishing your text. But you still need something to propel you towards the finish line. For instance, a number of cleaned-up chapters or scenes per week. Or, if you are the more precise type, start the word counting all over again - this time only the cleaned-up words count.

So, HOURS - WORDS - CHAPTERS

Try it. And have fun :-)

Wishing you happy writing...

07/09/2020

*** 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐

Know what you are selling. Because knowing what you are selling is the lodestar for writing compelling content. Non-fiction typically sells a solution to a problem. Fiction promises a story, but that’s only the top of the iceberg – in reality we are selling a few hours (or days) in which readers can immerse themselves in someone else’s life.

Unfortunately, the sheer realization that we aren't just selling a book for $2.99 but are enticing readers to spend some serious time with our characters could easily result in blocked imagination, paralyzed fingers, and the dreaded blank page. Or a page filled with words that don’t do what we want them to do.

So how do we get out of this trouble? An often recommended remedy is having a sharp story outline. This solution works miracles for non-fiction writers, but fiction is a tad more complicated. Which brings us to the much debated issue of plotters vs. pantsers. Plotters wouldn’t even consider writing a word until they have a detailed plot and know exactly where the story is going. Pantsers, on the other hand, just start and write happily by “the seat of their pants.”

I suspect that many of us are neither plotters nor pantsers but found our own sweet spot somewhere between these two extremes. For instance, I know where my story begins and ends; I know a thing or two about my characters and about the conflicts that will fuel the story; usually a few scenes play in my head like a movie, but that’s it. The rest evolves along the way. :-)

Anyhow, the larger point is that you can get stuck whether you are plotter, pantser, or any combination of these two. And when that happens, you need something to unstuck you, pull you out of the morass, show you the light.

And that something is your blurb. Thus it’s a great idea to write your blurb first. If you have never written one, go to amazon.com and read the blurbs of your favorite authors. See how they introduce the story, the characters, how much they reveal, the overall mood, what makes you want to buy their book right now… And then sit down and write the first draft of your blurb. Or several different drafts.

Don’t worry about perfection, blurbs are like good wines – they get better with time. So let your blurb “age” in your mind and the final version will emerge as you work on your book. In any event, just as a non-fiction sales letter (see my previous post), even an imperfect blurb will guide you and give you clarity and inspiration when you are stuck.

After all, your blurb is the first thing your readers read, it’s what sells your book - your blurb is your loadstar. :-)

Wishing you happy, productive writing...

07/09/2020

*** 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭

Welcome back :-)

In the last post we parachuted into an empty page and filled it with words. Any words. It’s not only a great jumpstart to get your writing engine running, but also a good technique to get unstuck anytime words don’t flow…

Of course, best sellers aren’t made of pages filled with rambling paragraphs, sentences that don’t run, and words that are all over the place. You want content that grabs readers from the first page and makes them sit on the edge of their chair and turn pages until they reach The End, hungry for your next book…

Does this look like a too huge task to you? Threatening, maybe? No worries. Because we’ll break this mountain into tiny hills that can be scaled without losing breath. The first step is to figure out what you are selling. Because you are selling much more than merely a book.

Let’s start with non-fiction because it’s more straightforward than fiction (please note I didn’t say easier…). Non-fiction typically sells a solution to a problem. Or some kind of a journey, hopefully one that provides insight, wisdom, inspiration, whatever.

Any which way, to get non-fiction right, you need a sharp outline. Once you have that, chapters will write themselves (well, almost ;-)). One effective way to get there is to start with your sales letter.

If you aren’t familiar with sales letters, Google “great sales letters” and you’ll get up to speed in no time. In case you don’t want to write a sales letter (although you should have one, especially if your book leads to a funnel with more expensive products), go to amazon.com and read several book descriptions in your niche (you’ll have to write such a description sooner or later anyhow – the sooner the better).

As you’ll find out, sales letters and amazon descriptions are brimming with (irresistible) benefits readers get when (and only when) they buy the book. You’ll inevitably notice the variety of styles in these offerings - from subtly seductive to outright salesy. Please don’t let that distract you. The main point is that whatever you promise in your sales letter - tips, tricks, solutions, transformations... - MUST be featured in your book.

And that’s the reason why it’s a good idea to begin with the sales letter because it automatically generates the outline (and sub-outline) of your book. This is a circular process, you’ll have to go back and forth several times until your sales letter is sharp and your outline crystal clear.

Once you’ve reached this point, your book is ripe to be written. Don’t hesitate for a second and go! Start right in the middle if that’s where you get the writing juices flowing, and keep filling the outline with the best you have to offer.

To be continued… :-)

Wishing y’all happy writing...

07/09/2020

*** 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲

Fill the page with words! That was easy, no? I know, I know... easier said than done. Has it ever happened to you that a story lives in your mind for days, weeks, years even, but when you finally sit down to write it, nothing comes out? Or if something does come out, it’s dull, flat, a mere shadow of the amazing, vibrant story that lives in your mind? Well, it has happened to me quite a few times...

Why is that? Why the words don’t flow? Where is the barrier? Could it have something to do with our desire that our writing is magical, enchanting, page-turning, bestselling, prize-winning, [enter your wish here…]? In other words, if you are anything like me, you don’t want to merely fill a page, you want to write well… and that’s scary!

And there is more to it. Even if we find the courage to attack the empty page and fill it with our best writing, we are far from done. One page doesn’t make a bestseller. We have to do it over and over and over again. Writing a book is like running in a marathon – taking one step after another, and another…or, in our case, writing one word after another, after another….

Likening steps to words is fine, I think, but the metaphor ends there. Which is great news for us writers. Because we can’t rerun a marathon, but we can rewrite a book :-)

Once the race is finished, you can’t go back and scale again the pesky hill that reduced you to huffing and puffing, you can’t delete the crisis that almost made you quit in the middle of the run and replace it with a fresh new attempt…but when working on a book, you can rewrite as much as your heart desires.

No one ever sat down in front of a blank page and produced a bestseller in one go. The magic is in the rethinking, rewriting, polishing, and more polishing… So it’s perfectly OK that your first attempt sucks. The most important thing is to fill the page and keep going. Don’t worry about anything - especially not about spelling and grammar - just keep going. Because as you go on, better, sharper, clearer sentences will come to you, your story will shape itself and start to live on “paper” (and not only in your head). You’ll be on your way. But you have to start...

You can start anytime, and the best time is right now. So open your Word or Scrivener or what have you. Take ten minutes, twenty minutes - as much time as you like - and write whatever comes to your mind. It might but doesn’t have to be related to the book you want to write. For now, just fill the page. And tomorrow again, and then again. And in the in the next post we’ll put some order in the chaos and structure it so that it starts to look like a book. :-)

Happy writing...

07/09/2020

*** How many writing-publishing-promoting tasks can you fit into one day?

Some things never change, not even in these sci-fi like times. Like that there are only 24 hours per day. That’s something I always wrestled with, and I have to admit that I still keep dreaming about waking up to a 48-hour day. But when I was publishing my first book, even 96 hours per day wouldn’t have been enough ;-)...

As they say, writing your book is the easy part. The real work starts after you’ve written “The End” (well, before actually - more about this later). So, when your book is finished, give yourself a free day or two and celebrate - you are one of the very few people who did it! And then get ready for an avalanche of smaller and bigger tasks and hundreds of decisions regarding stuff you’ve never heard about before.

The good news is, it CAN be done. Even if you don’t have a team of experts to do it for you. To publish my first novel, The Wall, I worked with two editors and a graphic designer. That’s it. The book became an international bestseller on Amazon and stayed on several Best Sellers list for more than 30 weeks.

What didn’t go so well was sharing the process in real time, which I wanted to do on this page. There was simply too much to do - running ads on various platforms, monitoring the book on Amazon, managing the social media... And when the publishing and promoting storm calmed down, I started to write my second novel, The Project.

The Project is now in the hands of my editors, so, starting with the next post, I’ll share the whole self-publishing process with you step by step, from a blank page to a bestsellers list. Tips, tricks, pitfalls, the whole shebang… :-)

Wishing y’all happy writing

P.S. Update: The Project, a quick summer read written under the pen name I. C. Cosmos, has been published and became #1 Hot New Release on Amazon. If you like quick summers reads, click here and start reading :-) https://iccosmos.com/

07/26/2019

So, this was one tumultuous week with very little sleep, but The Wall made the bestsellers list and just became Amazon #2 Hot New Release!

Thank you all for being part of this journey 🙂

For those of you who like thrillers, here is the link, enjoy!

https://amzn.to/2LfqEEg