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Locksmith, tinker, woods-walker, motorcyclist, and theatre enthusiast. I enjoy puzzles, human and o...
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Erin Butler liked the forum thread, Upgrading purchase?
Is there/has there been considered a way to upgrade from an e-book purchase to a softcover without buying outright again?

I.e. if there are a couple things that I picked up in ebook form only but later decide that I want a physical copy, can I apply the existing order to the cost of the new one?

I can’t be the only person who has had second thoughts after buying in at the low tier.
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    Erin Butler created a forum thread: Strangely Ordered Things
    So, I’ve done things a bit... weirdly.

    The first sample chapter I put up was originally the first chapter of the book, but after writing a bit more it’s become the second chapter.  I then put up a possible Prologue, and now I’ve put up the actual Chapter One.

    So if people were to go to the page for Farm Boy, they would read Chapter One (2); then the Prologue; then Chapter One (1).  The chapter names aren’t helping, I know, but they _are_ accurate.

    Is there a quick way to rearrange them into Prologue, Chapter One (1), Chapter One (2)?  Or am I stuck deleting all three and putting them back up as they should be?
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    Erin Butler sent an update for Farm Boy

    Chapter One (1) is now on the air!  With this, Chapter One (2), and the Prologue all available, I have come to an inescapable conclusion: 

    I am a slow dang writer.

    I’ve always known this, but have never been able to tell if that was a blessing, a curse, or just what is so I’d better deal with it.  I’d complain about ’real life being too distracting’ if I wasn’t having so much fun!  Sketching out future plays, reading the plots of potential future books made out of old novellas, writing a film short or two and trying to get them made (definitely one this year, maybe two) means I’m right in the swing of things for Farm Boy.  Keeping busy is keeping me busy, and I think that’s working out for the best.

    With the nature of this project being a bit odd - a linear timeline with a non-linear protagonist - I’m finding myself double and triple thinking plot points as they come up, which is slowing me considerably.  Keeps it interesting though, and I hope you like it, too.  Or at least find it interesting enough to stare at.

    Huge appreciation for the folks who have taken a chance on what might come out at the end and for the folks following along.  I’ll leave you with a story about James Joyce that’s always made me laugh:

    A friend of Joyce’s visited him one day, only to find him collapsed over his typewriter.

    "James," he cried.  "How goes Ulysses?"

    "Awful," came the mournful reply.
    "Come now, it can’t be that bad.  Why, how many words did you manage today?"
    "Seven."
    "Seven!" said the guest.  "That’s quite a good pace for you.  Celebrate!"
    But Joyce just shook his head.
    "You don’t understand," he moaned.  "In what ORDER?"

    I actually love Ulysses, and would never compare myself to James Joyce; but some days you can really understand that last sentence, can’t you?

    Hope you like the new addition; and if you do, don’t be afraid to tell your friends!

    Erin

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      Erin Butler liked the forum thread, How I got to 250 orders in 10 days
      So I’ve gotten a ton of messages about how I got The Punch Escrow to "Quill" in 10 days. Hopefully this is useful to some of you. I think it basically boils down to: Treat it like a job. It’s your job to get your book sold. If you believe in what you’ve got, if you think you know the audience you wrote it for will love it, then invest your time, energy, and money in your project.

      1. Get lucky. Luck is something you need to succeed. Luck is something you can actually control. If you don’t believe me, do the research. Having a lucky attitude makes a huge difference. 

      2. Move quickly! I learned this through a couple decades in marketing. When it comes to contests, creating a distance between you and anyone behind you pays back huge dividends. Once you’ve established yourself as the frontrunner, you gain the benefit of being perceived as the favored incumbent. It pays to burn through all of your promotional energy early. If you manage to grasp first place, trust me, you will find a second wind. If you don’t, then you’ll have a pretty good perspective of your likelihood of winning and you can make the call on how much energy to reinvest based on that analysis.

      3. I steadfastly followed the advice given by previous Inkshares contests winners. I hustled really really hard and harassed everyone I knew through multiple channels: Texts, twitter, FB, WhatsApp, Snapchat, even LinkedIn. I would say personal contacts accounted for over 50% of the pre-ordered books. I injected a sense of urgency by explaining the contest, the timeline, and the ask: "I’m in a contest to publish my first book. If sci fi is your thing, you’re going to love it. Especially if you like hard sci fi, like The Martian. I need to get 250 pre-orders to get it published. Please click here to pre-order it."

      4. Engage engage engage!  Every single time someone bought my book I acknowledge and thank them. It makes them feel good and it encourages them to engage back with you and help promote the project. They’re part of the team now.

      5. Get to know your fellow authors. Inkshares is an AMAZING community of readers and authors. I have yet to have a negative interaction with anyone here. I’ve joined three Syndicates and have interacted with countless authors. Everyone here has something valuable to pass on to you. It’s worth listening.

      6. Promote and Invest! Remember when I said treat your book like your job? Well, you should also treat is like an investment. There’s a flywheel effect when people see you investing in your own work. It makes them feel like you really believe in it. I’ve been creating a ton of world-building content, videos, as well as taking advantage of every interview opportunity, promoted tweets, Facebook boosts, and such. If publishing this book is your dream, invest in making your dream come true. 

      So, these are the six steps I followed. Hopefully it’s useful to you. If you have more specific questions about those or the book itself, I’m at your service.


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