Update On My Business Cards...
I'm sure most of you will remember that I got some business cards for "The Vampyre Blogs" which I will be releasing in December of this year. I know a lot of people wished me luck and were curious to find out whether or not I've seen any difference in the traffic to the ongoing blog that goes by the same name.
So today I'm taking the opportunity to tell you what's happened in the two weeks since the cards arrived. As you can guess, I began handing out cards up at the university the very next day. I left some lying around in the coffee shop area, as well as in the lounge where students hang out to be found by anyone who happened to sit down in either of those areas. I also handed cards out personally in my classes saying, "Here's some free reading you can enjoy during the summer break, especially if you like vampires..."
Very few people declined, while others asked for extra cards. They became even more excited when I explained that what they would find at the blog site were basically short stories by the characters who would appear in the novel itself. You should've seen the smiles on their faces widen when I assured them that the book was going to be a brand new story in and of itself and not a compilation of the short stories they'd be finding on the site. One person smiled and shook her head saying, "Too bad you went with vampires and not zombies..." At that point I smiled back and told her, "Well, actually there will be a type of zombie involved that the vampyre will be battling..." and that was as far as I got because she was already trying to bring up the blog site.
As for actual views on the site, in the two weeks since I first started handing out the cards I have seen an increase in the traffic already. Normally the site averaged around 200-225 views per month. April ended with 340+ views and this month is coming along nicely as well. There would be days in which no one would visit the site, but now I'm seeing double-digits on practically a daily basis. Whether or not this will continue, I cannot say. But I'll keep posting new material and updating you all again in the near future.
I've also created a FB page for "The Vampyre Blogs - Private Edition" site which has already broken the 100 mark for likes and followers. I've been posting the links to the earliest entries on the blog since there are over 40 short stories to be found there. I'm also giving everyone some insight into what thoughts were in my head when I made each post. This is something I do not do on the blog site itself, since I try to let my 'Characters' do all the posting there so they can share their thoughts and experiences.
If you're on FB and would like to check it out here's the FB page link:
My next step will be to start mailing out small stacks of the cards to friends who offered to hand them out to family, friends, and coworkers. I'll be making a list of all the people who offer to hand them out for me, so when the book comes out I can give them a signed paperback copy as a way of saying "Thanks for all your support and help." If anyone here would like to volunteer to distribute my cards, please let me know, I'll be happy to add you to the list and get a stack out to you.
Remember, getting the word out about your books is sometimes way harder than actually writing the story. So make sure you start letting people know about your book, a few months before it actually comes out. But make sure it's a book that you've actually got done, and not one your thinking about writing one day. People hear that kind of thing all the time and think, "Yeah, right. You're going to write a book, I'll believe it when I see it." Let them know it's done and is just going through some final editing. Maybe even show them some cover art so they can see you ARE serious. Which reminds me, I need to get my art easel set up. I've got the first drafts done, but no cover yet.
So until next time, take care and keep writing everyone.
Comments
Post a Comment