NORTHERN KITTITAS COUNTY TRIBUNE READERS: SEPT 8th IS THE DATE

UPDATE:

Because there is so much going on in Cle Elum this week (Miner's Celebration, 125th anniversary of South Cle Elum), the article about SERVAL SON will appear Sept 8th instead of tomorrow.

Buy SERVAL SON Tonight AFTER MIDNIGHT

Here's the link to buy the book. Some people have jumped the gun so the book already appears in the Top 100 bestsellers under ANIMAL RIGHTS. If everybody works together, I think we may be able to get it into the Top 10--perhaps even to the Top Spot!
So...please be patient and wait just a little bit longer.








And here's the link for the upcoming RADIO INTERVIEW on THE AUTHORS SHOW. It will air for 24 hours (on demand) on Sept 14th between midnight and midnight; then it will air again on some weekend after that. Let me know how you like it and whether I should buy the rights to put it on my own site.  It'll cost me $95 to do that, so I want your honest opinion on whether you think the interview will sell books.


http://www.theauthorsshow.com/

Busy Weekend!

I spent all of yesterday at the LeMay Car Museum helping my sister and other Altrusa International Ladies host a donut and hot dog stand to bring in money for their charity community events.  I was there from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. T'was a long day, but fun.

I was the designated do'er--the UNgloved one.  I was responsible for handling anything that wasn't food.  (The gloved ones needed Food Handler's permits.)  I scurried around cleaning off the picnic tables and condiments table so that everybody who stopped by for a donut and coffee or hot dog and water or soda would know we took their health and well being very seriously.  I tried to keep everything looking like you could perform surgery on the tables.  Mostly, I succeeded.

The bad thing is that I never got a chance to actually go and look at the vehicles.  I was able to see into one building. It had  a series of antique public transportation trolleys and buses. They were all in showroom condition, looking as if they'd just been issued in the year they were made (1920's, etc.). Colorful, nostalgic, absolutely breath-taking.  I didn't think I'd be very impressed  (I'm not a car buff) but I was. Next year when I volunteer again I'm going to have to actually go take the tour. 

This has been a very, very slow month for me, work-wise.  That said, I've never worked harder, because every minute I wasn't working, I was doing something to get the word out about the Sept 1st launch of SERVAL SON.  What a project!!!  I have no idea what kind of success I'll have on Sept 1st, but I must have emailed over 2K places all told--zoos, animal parks, animal welfare agencies, animals rights organizations, animal sanctuaries, ST:TOS sites (since De figures heroically into Deaken's life the last several years), libraries, Facebook friends, off-Facebook friends, camera safari agencies in Africa...  

I hope the book does great. I really, really hope that, because my publisher believes in it with all her heart. It would half kill me to disappoint her...

This morning I was in church watching kidlets (my usual Sunday morning routine). Jackie was home, hurting. (She was on her feet from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm working on the LeMay Car Museum effort.)

This afternoon I edited a business plan for a client. Tomorrow I'll be writing a PR for another client and doing something else for another one.  That's good news.  My estimated taxes are due in mid-Sept and I have to get enough money together to pay for them.  It's gonna be a challenge this month. 

Maybe I'll sell a lot of SERVAL SON books personally.  That would help a bunch.  Jackie is going to throw me a book signing party sometime in Sept.  She was going to surprise me with it, but then realized she had to tell me because I have to order books for it. She was going to have it on Labor Day.  That's too soon.  I won't even see the final proof  of the cover until tomorrow.  (I've seen the innards--they look good.) Even if it passes muster (which I believe it will), it will still take more than a week to get books printed and shipped here... so Labor Day would be pushing it BIG TIME!!!

Bless her heart. Jackie is SO not a reader--but she reads all of my books, and enjoys them.  (Let's see if she buys any extras as holiday gifts; then I'll know for sure she liked it and isn't just being complimentary for my ego's sake...)

There Are Times I Just Want to Scream. Today is One of Those Days

Website developers and business owners really, really, really need to talk to the copywriters who are going to be filling their sites with content BEFORE they go to the time, expense and trouble of designing the site.

The sad thing is that most company owners don't know this, so they hire the developers first and then ask the copywriter to fit what they need to say (to convert visitors into buyers) into the available space created by the website developer.

What they don't understand is that copywriting has a form, a function, and a cadence. The cadence can't be interrupted after 20 words so the visitor can click to another part of the website unless the intent of the site owner is not to convert a visitor into a buyer. (Most websites are built to convert readers into buyers, or joiners, or actors of some stripe.)

Next time you go to a website, see how many times on the home page you are encouraged to leave it for some other destination.  That makes about as much sense as being a fruit and vegetable vendor at a farmer's market and encouraging your visitors, upon their arrival, to go check out the baskets, arts and crafts and jewelry booths before you've made them feel welcome and comfortable with you -- and before you've made a sale!

I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that most people don't get this.  They want bells and whistles, lots of links to carry a visitor from place to place... That leaves the copywriter trying to address customers with different destinations and expectations.  It's completely insane.

I suggest two books to anyone wanting to have a website built from the ground up. They are Net Words by Nick Usborne and Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso.  At least by reading these two tomes, business owners will understand what their website should do, and how it needs to do it to make sure it converts. 

As a copywriter, being expected to work at odds with what works just doesn't cut the mustard. I just turned down a project because a fellow didn't get it.  He says he's visual and that he skips through sites--he doesn't spend a lot of time on the words.  Great!  I get that. I'm kinda like that, too. But there are all kinds of people in the world. Most people who are asked to spend their money online expect to read some words--words that express, condense and compel.

Nick Usborne goes into a bit of a tirade, talking about how little the powers that be consider the needs of the wordsmith.  He contends, as I do, that "if it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage." Actors will tell you that outright. Ad agencies pay gazillions of dollars to get the images and the words exactly right.  (Don't you just love the new TV ad that's out right now that shows the young guy with his new Kindle downloaded book and the young gal who comes by to ask him to go to the bookstore? BRILLIANT!!!)

I do read the words on every website I visit.  Maybe that's because I'm a wordsmith; maybe it's because I want to be an informed buyer. For whatever reason I read the words, bells and whistles DON'T convert me. Ever! It's the words that convert me from a looker into a buyer.  You, too?

The look of a site is important; I get that. But that's just the facade, the storefront.  Most people want to look inside, kick the tires, find someone they can trust inside that storefront (especially online) who knows their pain and can inspire their trust.

Sites that don't convert don't convert for a reason. Most of it has to do with the way they're written, not with how they look or what's being offered.

I'm just flabbergasted by the number of website owners who don't get this.  Elance is filled with projects from company owners who want their websites to convert better.  "I'm getting 1K hits a day but no/ too few conversions. Who can help me fix this?"

I can help. But it may require a complete site re-design. 

Isn't it smarter to get the copy first and then have a web developer design around that? It's far less expensive...and conversions will be far better.

OK. I've vented. I feel better now.  And I hope, if you're a business owner needing a website designed or conversions improved, you'll take this little rant to heart and invest time reading the two books I've just recommended.  It'll give you the ammo you need to hire the right people to write and design your virtual storefront. That's worth it's weight in gold, dont'cha think?

NORTHERN KITTITAS COUNTY TRIBUNE READERS: SEPT 1ST IS THE DATE

Lyn Derrick of the NKCT just emailed to let me know her report on SERVAL SON and me will appear in the Sept 1st edition. How's THAT for PERFECT TIMING!?!

Thanks, Lyn!

Waitaminute! I Can Build My Own Trek Desk for under $50

I just figured out a way that I can build my own Trek Desk for under $50. Way to go, Kris!  I'll do that before the snow flies and let you know how it goes.

I Simply MUST Get a TrekDesk!!!

I've been thinking about it for two years now. Have decided getting a TrekDesk is absolutely essential to my wellbeing. It's the first thing I'm going to get with any book royalties I get from SERVAL SON.  I just hope I get some royalties by the first of the year.

I also think I'll ask for CASH for Christmas and see if I get get enough between that and royalties to get the TrekDesk and a treadmill for it.

Sedentary women are at much greater risk for disease and illness than are sedentary men, I just read. I sit at this desk, either working or looking for work, more than 12 hours a day, usually six days a week. This is not good news. I need to be up and walking during that time. With a TrekDesk, I can be.  What a boon to my wellbeing that would be!

I just have to do it.  It's time.  It's past time.  Next year at this time I want to weight 35-40 pounds less than I do now without starving myself. I want to walk it off.  With our hemisphere changing soon to fall and winter, that will never happen unless I get a TrekDesk.  So I will.

I will.  And when I do, I will blog it to show what it does for me. You can bet on it!

Had a Blast!

Yesterday's Cle Elum classmates get-together was a blast from start to finish. There was not a spare moment--a pregnant pause--during the entire event.

Folks started arriving shortly after 2 and the last ones left at almost 8; none left before almost 7. We talked and laughed, reminisced and caught up on each other's lives non-stop. Susan Rossetti Kelleher took photos and promises us copies on our Facebook pages soon.

The attendees:

Valerie Chase Barrett and her three sons from Ballard, ages eight and 12: Lucas, Joe and Jacob, live wires all. (Yes, I'm including Valerie. She hasn't lost an ounce of spark.)

Susan Rossetti from Ellensburg/Seattle

Rita Morris (not sure what her married name is; sorry, I'll find out!) from the Seattle area

Gary and Joanie Mankus from Cle Elum.

Jackie and me. 

We've decided we have to get together more often, it was such a hoot. And an eye opener. And a blessing.

Updates: Writing Clients, SERVAL SON, Radio Interview, etc.

Just in time to help me big time, I am getting clients (old and brand new) asking me to write for them!  Unsolicited!

You'll never convince me Jesus doesn't have my back!  I have completely ceased to fret about provisions--God provides!  It was a hard lesson to learn (guess I'm not very trusting!) but, once learned, it's just the coolest thing on earth and in the Universe to be able to just put one foot in front of the other as a writer and enjoy the results!

I could work seven days a week right now. I'm not going to this weekend, though. This is the weekend Jackie and I throw my Cle Elum classmates potluck bash in our back yard.

I am SO not a hostess. I've never thrown a party in my life--too stressful. (Remember, I'm shy and still not convinced anyone really wants to hang around me much.) So I begged Jackie to stand by me and help me along.  She lives and breathes gatherings. Jackie is a gregarious, dynamic powerhouse in the social realm. She LOVES it!  Wish I did.

Knowing my sister has my back is helping me relax about the gathering. I'm not sure more than about four people are coming, but I haven't seen most of them since high school graduation... and (except for plays) I was pretty mousy then. A wallflower. I isolated myself from all but a very few neighbors. So, this is going to be a whole 'nuther experience. I'm looking forward to it even tho' it unnerves me a little. I'm stepping outside my comfort zone on this one, folks! WAAAYYY outside. (I think I'm more comfortable talking about hundreds of De/Trek fans in an auditorium than I will be talking to people I haven't seen in a very, very long time.)  I'm sure I'll get over it, though. I truly am looking forward to catching up on peoples' lives.

I got a copy of my book today. (My publisher surprised me with a copy.) *sigh*  *sigh*  *sigh* *sigh* *sigh*  What can I say?  It's real. It's solid. I can hold it in my hand.  It's magnificent.  (I'm speaking aesthetically, here, not egotistically.) There are already reviews of it at Amazon. All 5 star reviews, so far. (Long may that continue!)

The interview for THE AUTHORS SHOW this morning went well. Don McCauley says he thinks it will be a hit. It'll be edited down to 15 minutes. I think we chatted for about 20-22 minutes. 

He said my energy level and voice level were great, which is always a concern of his.  If I like the result, I can buy rights to it to use in any way I want for $95.  I may do that and post it here, on my Facebook page, on my business/book website, or on a dedicated SERVAL SON landing page (if I decide to create one). We'll see. Not sure I'm going to like it as well as Don did. (I'm pickier than he probably is when it comes to listening to myself. It has to be really good in order for me to decide to buy it!)

What else? Guess that's about it.  I'm zzzausted. Gonna hit the hay now. 

IF YOU'VE ALREADY BOUGHT A COPY OF SERVAL SON (BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT)

If you purchased a copy of SERVAL SON before August 18th at MIDNIGHT... let me know...

I have some important information I need to share with you.

The rest of y'all--WAIT TILL SEPT 1st TO PURCHASE THE BOOK! 

THANKS!!!

Kris

OMG! When You Google the Title of My Book Tonight...

When you google 'SERVAL SON: SPOTS AND STRIPES FOREVER' tonight you get 278,000 returns!  That PR has done something AMAZING!!!

WOO HOO!

Big Name Animal Advocates Applaud “Serval Son: Spots & Stripes Forever”

Big Name Animal Advocates Applaud “Serval Son: Spots & Stripes Forever”

Here's the link to the big media release. Please share it with your friends and family--and remember to wait till Sept 1st to buy it... unless you plan to buy more than one copy. By buying it Sept 1st you help send it up the flagpole at Amazon--a very good thing!

THANKS!

GRRRRRR!!!!! PRAY FOR MY RESOLVE!

I have this intense urge to order a copy of SERVAL SON tonight. That's right--it's listed at Amazon now--and if I order it tonight I may have it in my hands by Saturday when I'm having a get together with Cle Elum classmates.  That would be SOOO cool!

But...but...but... an entire BOX of SERVAL SON is on its way to me as I write this. It will arrive on the 27th or 28th. I'm struggling with myself NOT to pay $18.00 (including shipping) to get a first copy in my hands sooner than that. Isn't that insane?!?! I wrote it! I know what it says; I know what it looks like.  I just want one NOW because...because I'm INSANE, that's why!!!

It truly is a struggle.  My publisher already has the proof copy and says I am going to be SO HAPPY! She sure is...

I just have to stay away from Amazon between now and the 27th--that's all there is to it.  It's nutty to buy it when I already have a box full on the way (at author/publisher cost).  They're nearly all spoken for --Tippi wants 20; I'm sending comp copies to folks who helped me early on with the book in some way (proofreading, critiquing, reviewing, getting the word out...)--but a few of them are MINE to hold and smile over and cherish... I just have to wait for them.

I hate waiting. Waiting stinks.

It's going to be okay. I'm better now. I have confessed my weakness and I can handle it now.  Unless I logon to Amazon again.

Mustn't...do...that.   (Spoken with true Capt. Kirk histrionics).

DeForest Kelley: Your book is ready!  Wish you were here to read it, and write a blurb for it.  (Oh, wait... You already wrote the Foreword for LET NO DAY DAWN THAT THE ANIMALS CANNOT SHARE.  That serves for this new tome, too... Yes!!! Thank you, De!)

All the Bells and Whistles

At midnight tonight the second PR re SERVAL SON will be released. We've pulled out all the stops on this one: the YouTube video is attached, the book cover is included, a "call out" quote is front and center.  It's going out to major media outlets. It's targeted.

My publisher is jazzed. I have Christmas Tree Brain again.

I'm holding my breath. I've never gone "this big" before with any book. It may be that the fireworks in the YouTube video is but a precursor to what is about to happen.

Or not.
We're about to find out--that's for sure!

Please keep holding all good thoughts for the book and me.  Thanks!

Kris

Laverne and Shirley--Best Blackberry Bush Eaters on the Planet!!!! Part Two

I just took some photos and video of the goats eating blackberry bushes. As soon as Jackie gets home I'll find out where the USB download cord is for her PC (I'm using her camera because mine won't download anymore) and get them sent over to Facebook and to me so I can post them here.

They are two very happy campers!

Little by Little, the Money I Need is Coming In...

After a dry spell of close to ten days, I'm getting work again at Elance and elsewhere. I'm feeling better about things as a result.

I won't see any royalties on SERVAL SON for at least three months so having to spend serious time on the launch has cut into the time I've been available (and sane) to write for clients. I'm glad that aspect of this launch is over.  I still have to make myself available for interviews as requested, though... and respond to inquiries... and mail books out when I get them...  I'll spend a lot more time promoting the book than I spent writing it--but that's par for the course for any writer who wants to make money. There's a lot to distract interested parties, so staying in their top 10 list of priorities  is a never-ending challenge. By Thanksgiving (or a bit earlier) people will begin thinking about holiday gift-giving, so they'll be more amenable to asking for the book (if they want one) or getting the book if they want to give it as a gift.  That's good.

You may want to visit my SERVAL SON shop at Cafepress.com and see if there's anything there you'd like to have (or give as gifts). I added some items today that I think you'll find intriguing...  Hope so, anyway. So far I'm the only person who has bought anything!!!  They came in and I LOVE them.  I got a box of 20 note cards with Deaken (the cover photo minus the title, author and blurb). They are breathtaking.  I also got a t-shirt to wear when I'm out and about to advertise the book and a beach tote to carry copies of the book in when I do a reading or a book signing at a library, bookstore, hotel, convention, or wherever...

Are there any exotic pet or regular pet conventions locally, I wonder? I wonder if local pet stores would carry copies or let me set up a table once in a while.  I'll have to check into that...

I'm tired of thinking about all this. I need a nap. I hope some of you do some of the thinking for me and give me some ideas I haven't already thought of.  That would be terrific!!!

I will ask others writers to help me on launch day. That's a good idea. I saw another writer do that and was impressed by how she handled it.

WOO HOO! I'm a Fine Candidate for Needle Aponeurotomy (NA)

The doctor in Seattle says I'm a perfect candidate for Needle Aponeurotomy (NA) for the curling middle finger on my right hand. Now we're waiting to see if my insurance will cover it.  The procedure is standard in other developed countries but sometimes considered "experimental" here, the doctor tells me.  If insurance won't cover it, I can't afford it.  It would cost $800 for the doc and $3K for the facility use.  Outrageous.  We need universal health care and a single payer system.

Another thing I learned today. In the vast (and I mean vast!) majority of cases of Dupuytrens Contracture, the sufferers are all MALE!  What does this say about me?  Hmmmm....  Let's not speculate, shall we?

My book is available to ME now.  I'm getting 70 copies shipped to me. 20 go to Tippi Hedren to sell to help care for the Shambala wild ones. 20 go to the people who proofread, critiqued and in other ways supported the project.  20 more will probably go to legitimate reviewers. If 20 don't go, I'll have 10-30 here for when I do a reading or book signing.  YAY YAY YAY. 

The publisher saw the proof copy and says I'm going to be SOOOO happy.  I believe her!!!

Laverne and Shirley--Best Blackberry Bush Eaters on the Planet!!!!

Goodness!  I had no idea how efficient two medium-size goats can be when it comes to mowing down blackberry bushes. They've taken care of everything in their new pen--ages ago. Now I have the rear fence open into the neighbors' (plural) blackberry patches next door--which opens out into a huge field of "more of the same"--and they are going through that like Grant took Richmond.  It is truly amazing to behold! They waddle back in at night looking almost as wide as they are long. Overnight they shrink back to pretty much normal-goat size (okay, still a little chunky) but by morning they're standing at the rear fence, ready to go at it again!!!  Before, the blackberry vines encroached on our yard all along two sides (one at least 100 feet across, the other at least 60 feet across); now the blackberry "forests" are at least 20 feet back, and they are totally absent on the 60 foot side.  Sure am glad I didn't get more goats!!!  We may get a pygmy goat or two later, for the wee ones to play with and walk on  leashes, but they won't eat so much that we'll need more pasture, that's for sure!

In a few years, when the blackberry bushes stop growing altogether as a result of the goat's "predations", I will probably rent them out locally at $75/day. I'll have lots of takers!  Most goat rental places charge $300/day for a small herd of goats.  I can't afford to sit with them all day when they're rented out, but we have movable fence panels we can use to cage them in where they're needed. That'll work...

I'll take some more photos of the girls at work soon so you can see what they've done.  I think you'll be amazed.  They're locusts on hoofs!

I Have Some Interviews Lined Up Re Serval Son

The Kittitas County Tribune is planning to run something on SERVAL SON and me soon. The Author Show is, too. So will Roger Noriega (Noreiga Radio on blogtalkradio) at some point.  I don't have the dates yet, or the links, but when I do I'll let you know.

Friday I drive to Seattle to get my curling finger checked out to see what can be done about it. We're hoping NP can be done on it, instead of surgery.  NP stands for Needle something-or-other. There is very little pain involved in the procedure and minimal (if any) down time, which is good because I can't afford any down time.  Keep me in your prayers for a good report on that front.

SERVAL SON may be available at Amazon earlier than Sept 1, but please please please wait until Sept 1 to buy it if it is.  Or else promise me to buy a second copy on Sept 1st.  Sept 1st is the day I want to run sales up the flagpole at Amazon to see if we can get the title to #1 in its category (or at least in the Top Ten).  I need your vote (purchase) on that day especially.  Thanks!

New YouTube Video--Which of the Two Do YOU Prefer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfIlFw1TYf8


You can see the earlier version by scrolling down three blog postings...

Running on Fumes..

Arghh! I feel I've been up all day and all night for three weeks running but my bank account is so low right now it looks like I've been sitting on my couch watching TV.

Oh, that's right.... launching a book takes a lot of upfront work and a lot of time. It's wearing me out, frankly. And I haven't been writing as much for Elance clients. The one I thought I had for upwards of 1K per week had his project cancelled, so my schedule suddenly has a huge (and I mean HUGE) hole in it. I should have twice what I have in my bank account right now for the month and I don't. And there's nothing on the horizon that will patch the hole.

It's a pickle. But I have been here before and I know that  God knows what my needs are, so I'm not freaking out. I'm relying on Him to lead me to the next client, or the next client to me.

In the meantime, I'm looking online at Facebook for legitimate venues to tout the new book. I've posted the YouTube video at wild cat sites, animal sanctuary sites, STAR TREK TOS sites (mentioning that De's heroic actions for Deaken and me are writ large in the book), animal rescue sites, animal welfare sites, animal advocacy sites.  I'm running out of ideas. Does anyone else have any ideas?

Oh, I've also notified the Seattle TV and radio outlets, the Northern Kittitas County Tribune and the Tacoma News Tribune. The NKCT has responded and will (I believe) be doing an article on the book and me.  I'll let you know when that happens and provide a link to the article (if it's available online to non-subscribers.)

I've also contacted my blogtalkradio buddies to see if they're interested in interviewing me.  I could set up my own radio show and do it myself, but gads... that's a bridge too far for me.  I need someone to ask the questions!

I'll read THE NEW RULES OF MARKETING AND PR by David Meerman Scott and THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER by Carolyn Howard-Johnson again and see what else I can do to get the word out at low and no-cost.

If you have any ideas for additional outreach venues where the YouTube video and announcement won't be considered spam, please let me know.

Much appreciate any help or insights you can offer.

Thanks!

A First Look at the Cover of SERVAL SON

This isn't the final... but it's pretty close. The front cover is locked in; it's the back cover that is still in flux to one degree or another...

Let me know what you think!

(Click on cover to see it larger so you can actually read it)

Check Out the FINISHED, OFFICIAL "SERVAL SON" Trailer Here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CiDJd__6yI

Please share the above YouTube link everywhere you can legitimately think of where it will be embraced and not considered spam. I would love to see this go viral before SERVAL SON debuts on Sept 1st at Amazon.

I can't do it alone. I need your help.

Here's a blurb you can post with it:

"A cautionary true story about what it's like to own--and be owned by--a wild animal. Endorsed by several high profile animal advocates. Please consider getting a copy for your home and county library system. GREAT THANKS!"