I canāt believe April is almost over, though I feel that toward the end of every month. This spring is proving to be like most in the Pacific Northwest, some minutes are sunny and gloriousā¦and moments later itās pouring rain, only to be followed by a bit of hail, more rain, and then, if youāre lucky, a rainbow. Kind of like being an indie author, lots of ups and downs; sunny moments, followed by some that are downright dripping with sad! But thereās often a rainbow š
My plants donāt mind, though, and itās been nice to get back into some easy yard and garden work as the days grow warmer. Iāve been procrastinating on the major weeding thoughā¦
Earlier this month, I participated in the Indie Author Spring Spectacular sale. I made the ebook of Bad Company available for free during those four days, and Against the Wind was reduced to 99Ā¢. I was curious if thereād be any difference setting book 1 for free this time (versus the Indie Author Winter Wonderland sale in December, where I kept both books at 99Ā¢; during that sale, I sold 15 books total). During this sale, over 180 new readers took a chance on me! There were 173 downloads of book 1, and nine people bought book 2. I also had a big uptick in page reads through the Kindle Unlimited program. So, if you were one of those people, THANK YOU!!!
Both e-books in the Almost Like Magic series are at a lower price for the rest of this month to celebrate Indie April, but those pries are going up as of May 1, so tell all your friends!!!
What Iām Working On
Iāve been typing away on Almost Like Magic, book 3, and should have a title reveal ready for you all in next monthās update!!! (and maybe a cover reveal!) Just today I crossed the 20,000 word mark, so I have approximately 20% of a first draft! After three false starts and a lot of writerās block, I think I finally have a good idea of what this story is about and where to take it in regards to both character arcs and the larger series arc.
Iāve also been poking away at the book Iām working on with my long time partner in words, August Niehaus. We hope to have a cover, release date, and pre-order details for you all later this summer!
Indie April Author Spotlight
Instead of what Iāve been reading this month (which isnāt much since Iāve been trying to focus more on my own words), I want to celebrate two of the most amazing indie authors I know: JD Cadmon and Penelope Wright. Both of these authors have spent hours talking to me about covers, marketing, story plotting, trusting me to help with their new ideas, and just being there when I needed to vent.
Itās always the right time to support indie authors (and indie bookshops, of course), but especially for the rest of this month!
Thatās all for this month. I hope to have BIG THINGS to share in May, so please feel free to share this and any of my other social media postsā¦word of mouth is often the best and most effective way to help authors.
Until then, happy reading. š
Jill