Couple of interesting developments... keep reading.

There are a couple of exciting developments relating to the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. Yes, I will be attending this year, and the organizers have asked me to reprise my Indy Author Q&A table.

So I’ll have a table in the main room, with a signup sheet, for 15-minute sessions. I’ll block out whole mornings and afternoons to provide opportunities for folks. But, because I’m also a working writer, I’ll want to attend some workshops myself. Thus I won't be there 100% of the time. Check-in at the table for availability; there will be a limited number of sessions, no more than ten per day.

The other exciting development is that one of the conference's long-time workshop facilitators, Marla Miller, who has for years conducted workshops on platform and self-promotion, has asked me to co-lead her session on Wednesday, June 12th. Topic, Navigating the Indy Publishing world.

I'll do an intro, speaking in general terms about what Indy Pub is and where you can start navigating it yourself. I'll highlight some of the more common paths for folks to follow. To set a framework for discussion. The majority of the two-hour session, I'm hoping, will be question and answer. You know better than I what you want to know.

The Indy world is an ever-changing landscape. One of the big new pushes is direct sales. It's not as daunting as you might think. There are solutions, including print-on-demand services, that allow a small press—and yes, as an Indy Author, you are a small press—to sell directly to your readers successfully. Why would you want to sell directly versus staying exclusive with the KDP world? What's the business case for doing so? Come and find out.

Oaths and Odysseys: Book 2 is progressing nicely. They say a story's first audience is its writer. We write stories we would like to read. In doing so, we often, or our characters often, surprise us -- no, the story really needs to go over here....

This has been the case with Oaths and Odysseys. E.g., mid-scene, a character (I can't say which one, of course) snapped, took over the scene, compelled to avenge her sister. Oops, I said her. That narrows the field a little.

I'm on a good pace and anticipate being in editing mode this time next month. My objective is still to have it available for the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

Next month's newsletter will include a cover reveal for Oaths and Odysseys. In the wings, once Oaths and Odysseys is in the can, is Genesis Alone. I'll be expanding a short story published back in 2019 into a full novel-length story. #IceteroidSurvivors (see below) will serve as the inspiration for the next installment in the saga.

Thank you all for your encouragement.

I'm experimenting with something typically called a reader magnet. Offer a free book or short story in exchange for folks joining your newsletter's list. 

In 2019, Bayonet Books published a short story in the Genesis Renewed universe as part of the From the Ashes Anthology. #IceteroidSurvivors is an alternate starting point. I've polished up the story a bit, put a cover on it, and posted it in epub format with a service called BookFunnel. 

I have not and will never share your information with a vendor. BookFunnel facilitates the delivery of digital formats, such as ebooks and audiobooks. It also provides a platform for authors to collaborate on promos to build their newsletter's readership. I've joined a promo that starts April 15th, and goes for a month.

I will be among twenty or more authors who have joined the Apocalypse in April promo, offering a free electronic story. Some of these covers intrigued me.

To take a look, click here, and if you find something of interest, share your email address with that author, and expand their mailing list. If the book or the author's newsletter isn't to your taste, you can unsubscribe with a click.

Because you were here first, if you would like a copy of this short story, send me a note, and I'll forward a link to download it to your Kindle reader. Or you can click the link, and enter your email address to download - don't sweat it, I'll de-duplicate so you don't get multiple copies of this newsletter.

On behalf of the authors in this promo, thank you for your support.

I caught Tess and Theo wrestling in the yard. Though there is still a lot of puppy in her, she is now a full-fledged member of the pack. One is frequently chasing or tackling the other in the yard on any given day - rain or shine.