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Dancing with the fear

The other day, one of my bosses expressed admiration at what I do as a salesman. On one level: good. I love it that he thinks what I do is special! That helps me keep my job. But on another level, and this is the one I espoused to him—not sure that’s true. What I do as a salesman isn’t all that different from what he does as a brewer, and I know that because sales isn’t all I do....

The best content is in email

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” – Douglas Adams You might have noticed that I’ve been posting less lately. Partially that’s because life has been hectic (I’m moving in a few days). Mostly it’s because I’m in overtime mode trying to finish the latest book. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been generating great content. I just haven’t been posting it here. If you haven’t signed up for my email list yet, I highly suggest...

If you find yourself using buzzwords, stop

I was reading a post on All About Beer yesterday about Pabst Brewing Co. While PBR isn’t my favorite beer by a long shot—it’s not even my favorite lager; Oakshire’s Reclamation and Karbach’s Sympathy for the Lager tie for that accolade, #beernerdcred—I skimmed the article, and it was my marketing brain that was struck. Here’s my takeaway: If you find yourself claiming to know what millennials like, or invoking your personal brand, or speaking openly about the story of your brand, stop. Nobody will look kindly...

How to save Twitter

I don’t usually follow the news because, frankly, I have better things to do. I can’t control what most of the world is doing, but I can control whether my stories get written. But occasionally things filter down to me. Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of anguish over Twitter. Investors are disappointed, they say, because Twitter isn’t growing as quickly as they want it to. It’s nowhere near Facebook’s size, and doesn’t appear to be on track to get there anytime...

Pricing: Ebooks and print

I was writing a lengthy reply to a comment, when I realized this might be a question more than one person would be interested in hearing answered. cshin9 said: Congratulations on publishing the print versions. A question: how did you determine the print price of $13.95 vs. an e-book price of $3.99? First of all, thank you! On pricing, it comes down to three things: What I think is fair, what I think it’s worth, and variable costs. These elements are intertwined. First, variable costs. That refers to how much...

Happiness is low overhead

“The key to eternal happiness is low overhead and no debt.” —Lynda Barry There are many reasons why I was able to become a full-time author when I did. I wrote a good book. (Or at least I think I did, though a few kind souls seem to agree.) I’ve worked hard, worked smart, learned a lot, and sacrificed. Being laid off certainly had something to do with it. But if I had to point to one reason, and one that’s replicable by anyone, it’s this: low...

Break-even

Break-even is the point of balance between making a profit or a loss. It’s the point where you’ve earned enough to pay back your investments and cover your fixed costs, and you’re on the cusp of (hopefully) making an actual profit. I broke even on Wage Slave Rebellion last month. I could tell you the exact day, though I’d have to separate out the costs I’ve already paid on Action Politics, which would be a pain. The particulars are, to be honest, not important. What’s important is that...

Between novels

“What now? Are you working on a second book?” –cshin9 The cardinal rule of writing fiction is to never stop. When one book is finished, you can’t rest on your laurels. While you’re editing that one, get started on the next one so there’s more story coming down the line. That doesn’t mean the next story needs to be a novel, though. It always struck me as odd how all the major events in characters’ lives happen at the same time. While...

From me to you

It’s coming down the final stretch in preparing my book, Wage Slave Rebellion, for publication. Since the actual work of creating the story is nearly finished, I’m turning my attention to everything else that needs to be done before launch. Which is sooo much guys, you don’t even. One of my to-dos is finding the people who are actually interested in reading the damn thing. To the effect, I set up something I probably should have made a long time ago: a mailing list. Please sign up below...

Don’t make customers regret their purchase

I recently came across a great webcomic. Like most webcomics, the overwhelming majority of it was available for free online. But every five chapters or so, the creators would show a teaser for a book-only chapter. “Damn!” I thought. “These guys are clever. Guess I’m buying some ebooks!” They made a smart business decision, and I have no problem with it. In fact, I applaud it! Adding extra material to a story the reader already loves is a great way to move books....