Joseph Carrabis – Page 182 – Joseph Carrabis, Author Blog

Metrics? We don’t need no stinkin’ metrics! (pt 1)

Tanri bile farkedilmek için insani yaratmis, kendini anlatmis

Have you written a book? Do you market it?

Extremely important question that, “Do you market it?”, because if you market it then you want to know which marketing is effective (yes, we’re back to the ROI discussions).

Knowing which marketing is effective involves numbers. Not “Look what I can do!” but “This number tells us something. We may not like what it tells us but it’s telling us something we can use to do better.”

You may be spending money on things but that’s not marketing. Example: My tweets. I tweet for fun. It’s a relaxation for me, something to do when I need a break from writing, and it probably shows. I long ago gave up believing I would sell books via Twitter. A few here and there, sure, but to make that a profit center?

I don’t have that kind of time.

More correctly, the time necessary to turn Twitter into a profit center takes too much time away from my writing. I want to improve my writing. I can be a crappy author and a great social marketer, a mediocre author and a mediocre social marketer, a dynamite author and a crappy social marketer.

I’ll take Door #3, Monty! And I must be doing something right because Mary Elizabeth Jackson said in Writers’ Corner Live’s interview with Sergio Troncoso “Joseph’s a great author. You have to look him up” (it’s up around 30m49s) and she talks to lots of authors so she should know!

Caveat Emptor

Greetings! I’m your friendly, neighborhood Threshold Guardian. This is a protected post. Protected posts in the My Work, Marketing, and StoryCrafting categories require a subscription (starting at 1$US/month) to access. Protected posts outside those categories require a General (free) membership.
Members and Subscribers can LogIn. Non members can join. Non-protected posts (there are several) are available to everyone.
Want to learn more about why I use a subscription model? Read More ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes Enjoy!

Carol Ann Kauffman Vision and Versed Me

I did a slightly different type of interview with retired school teacher and prolific romantic action adventure (with a sci-fi/ fantasy twist) and mystery author Carol Ann Kauffman a while back.

I offer slightly different as the questions weren’t ones I normally get: favorite food, favorite artwork, perfect evening. There were the usual questions, too, and it’s my responses to the off-axis questions that amuse me (we did the interview a while back).

Responses to the common questions have changed since we did the interview. The Augmented Man was indie published in Jul 2019 and is available at most book sellers. I’ve completed the rewrite and editing of the new draft of Empty Sky and am sending it out to agents and publishers (there’s a standing offer, by the way; anybody who buys a copy and writes a review will receive an autographed copy when the new version is released. Go for it. Buy a copy, write a review. I dare you).

And the interview has one of my favorite photos of Susan (wife, partner, Princess) and me.

Please give Carol Ann Kauffman’s Interview with Author Joseph Carrabis (that’s me!) a read and let us know what you think.

Enjoy!

The Shackled Man

I’m taking a two-week course in flash fiction writing with the definition of flash fiction being “You can read it in under three minutes.” The Shackled Man is my offering. I’ve got it down to 2m46s.

Let me know what you think, and thanks.

Creator and above level members can listen to my test read.

The Shackled Man

Saturday mornings. That was our time.

Dad tiptoed into my room and knelt beside my bed. I could smell him before my eyes opened. A good smell, a night’s sweat just washed away.

I kept my eyes shut until I felt the bristles of his mustache when he kissed my cheek. I’d open my eyes and see the twinkle in his.

“Want to go for a ride?”

There were four places we’d go. South, Logan Airport. West, French King Bridge. North, Queechee Gorge. East, L.L. Bean.

We always stopped at a Dunkin Donuts. If we started a little late it’d be a Dunkin Donuts half way there, about an hour out, half hour at the least. Or sometimes it’d be at the edge of town, right before we hit the highway.

Dad knew where all the Dunkins were. Nobody had breakfast sandwiches or drivethroughs back then. You had to go inside. He’d get a medium coffee, two sugars, two creams, and I’d get a chocolate milk and a bavarian creme, the first bite and it oozed out and into your mouth.

And then off we’d go, listening to the radio or singing songs. Didn’t matter the weather, every Saturday morning we’d go, always sure to be out of the house by seven, no later.

West and north we’d get to the bridges. There were parking areas and we’d get out and walk around. Dad would stay close to the rails, look over. “How far down do you think that is, son?”

I was too small, I couldn’t see.

“Be a long drop from here.”

East we’d get to L.L. Bean. It was totally different back then. Only locals and hunters knew of it. How my dad knew I’ll never know.

You could talk to guides, men who knew the lakes and rivers and mountains. Dad listened to their stories, about going so far out in the woods it seemed there was no coming back, then he’d check his watch.

“Come on, son. Time to be getting back.”

Interviews with Writers Did Me!

I like being interviewed.

Let’s me know somebody out there is listening.

It’s like writing Goodreads reviews. I’m shocked when people like or comment on my reviews. I responded to one person, thanking them for the Like and sharing that I didn’t think anybody paid attention. After all, who am I to review a book?

They understood and felt the same way re their reviews.

I wonder who reads/watches/listens to my interviews. Are they bored? Are they curious? Do they know me from a previous life?

I’ll read/watch/listen to a review if I’m interested in the author, often if I’ve read and enjoy their work, often if I know them personally and wish to support them.

What’s your reason for reading/watching/listening?

You can read my Interviews with Writers interview here.

Enjoy!

A Possible Agnes Sighting?

The Old Girl’s Still Got It

I wrote in Safe for Another Year that we had not seen Agnes for a while.

We may have been premature.

True, we had not seen that glorious hen in a bit. Perhaps she rested. Perhaps she attended to to her matronly duties.

One can never be sure with matron hens.

But then we saw her. We think we saw her. In all her matronly glory. We’re pretty sure it’s her from her markings and more so because she’s standing where we often put seed for her, where she first performed her Chippie War Dance, and is staring at me, basically saying “Come on, Two-Legs! Gimme some!”

We’re glad.

We like to be with our friends for as long as we can.

And the Old Ones…they are the truest of friends.