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| C. Kevin Thompson |
Return on Investment. It’s called R-O-I in the business world. Well, actually, it’s called that everywhere these days. I’m an educator by day, and we use it. It speaks of whether or not what you spend your money on has the old “bang for the buck.” The same can be said of time we spend. And as I get older, the former is just as critical as the latter!
So, as a writer, what are your ROIs? Think of what you spend and what you spend it on, and ask yourself this simple question: Is it giving me the bang for my buck?
I just read an article recently that said authors (not just people, but authors) spend an average of two hours and twenty minutes on social media a day. No doubt, much of that is marketing stuff. And no doubt, some of it is that “Squirrel!” moment when you went to that social media site on a mission and found yourself sitting there thirty minutes later laughing and shaking your head at the internet’s latest version “The People of Walmart” photographs.
The article brought up a good point, though. How much writing could you do with an extra two hours and twenty minutes a day? They did the math. That’s twenty business, 40-hour work weeks a year.
Hmm….
Some people could crank out a novel or two in that amount of time…
It sure got me to thinking. For authors, social media marketing has changed over its short history. What used to work doesn’t really work anymore, unless you pay for it via ads. And even those don’t work as well as they did six months ago.
So, what’s an author to do? What do you do when you try to get the word out about your book? Do you use the old standbys like book signings and book tours? Are you a social media guru? Are you a cutting-edge kind of person? What’s your deal? How are you growing your readership? What’s working? What has been a goldmine? What’s not working? What was a total flop?
I’m sure a fellow author or two or a hundred would love to hear about your triumphs and/or tragedies. We’re all here to grow, right? We can all learn from one another, right? Then, let us hear from you! Let’s have a mini-writers conference in the comments below.
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| The Serpent's Grasp |
Something ominous lurks under the waters.
Dr. Evelyn Sims, a brilliant marine biologist, is being watched. Her husband's mysterious death at sea—with the only survivor of the Greenback telling a shocking, unbelievable tale—has thrown her personal life into chaos. Her scientific views are being scrutinized. Her husband's office and their home are investigated. Called in by the FBI to help solve the mystery, Evelyn is thrust into her toughest research project ever...and forced into a maze of deception and betrayal.
Micah Gregson, the Coast Guard captain who rescued the Greenback, is determined to find out why a special unit at the FBI—the one assigned to cryptozoological cases—is involved.
Together Evelyn and Micah will uncover a plot more deadly than anything the ocean could ever produce. One that will either save Evelyn's life and redeem her career, or destroy everything she—and myriad others—stand for.
C. KEVIN THOMPSON is a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a kid at heart. Often referred to as “crazy” by his grandchildren, it’s only because he is. He’s a writer. Need he say more?
The first three books of his Blake Meyer Thriller series are out! Book 1, 30 Days Hath Revenge, Book 2, Triple Time, and Book 3, The Tide of Times, are now available! Book 4, When the Clock Strikes Fourteen, is coming soon! Also, the second edition of his award-winning debut novel, The Serpent’s Grasp, is now available!
Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, and Criminal Minds, loves anything to do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, too. It’s quite elementary, actually.
To connect with Kevin and learn more, please visit:
Website: http://www.ckevinthompson.com/
Kevin’s Writer’s Blog: www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/
Facebook: C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page
Twitter: @CKevinThompson
Goodreads: C. Kevin Thompson
