30 December 2016

Crowd sourced market research

#1 
Social media is a fabulous market research tool. You have many friends, and potentially the entire user base, to ask questions of. So I boldly decided to ask a question before going to print.

After I finished a first draft of the cover copy and design, I posted it on my Facebook page and asked my friends if they would be enticed by the front cover to pick the book up if they saw it on the shelf. Furthermore, I asked if the back cover description would make them want to read it.


29 December 2016

Holiday blues

I have been seriously unproductive during the holiday season. We were taking care of a close relative through several surgical procedures which was draining, a young relative was sleeping rough on the streets of Belfast causing worry, the darkness didn't help, and preparations for ten guests at the Christmas table introduced  a moderate level of stress. And the announcements of deaths among the world's influentials just kept escalating with every day, lending a macabre air. That trend is likely to continue as the boomers reach that vulnerable age. Climate change is taking its toll on the Arctic with record-breaking temps. At least the weather was mild here with only a few days of heavy winds.

I am trying to get myself back into writing mode but we have interruptions every day. Today the weather was lovely -- sunny, warm, and exceedingly mild. So I worked in the garden, which always needs attention, but that took away from writing.

Today, I amused myself by creating yet another website. I claimed my personal URL on Strikingly. That's a new service that picks up your LinkedIn profile and creates a website instantly from scratch. I had to make a few modifications, but about a half hour later I had a beautiful contemporary website, live and free. You can't beat that. Happy holidays!

Check it out. Every writer needs one.

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