Stop Dancing and Write the Next Book

What I'm reading: Spying in High Heels, by Gemma Halliday

Don't forget, you can still enter the drawing for Donnell Bell's book. Scroll down to Tuesday's post and leave a comment.

First, some odds and ends. I'm going to be sending out my newsletter in the very near future. In addition to updates and other writing news, I hold contests that can only be accessed through the newsletter. If you're not already a subscriber, why don't you take a moment to sign up at my website.

Speaking of my website, it's moving forward … slowly, because I've got a lot of travel this month. But it's getting there.

Sometimes, everything seems to hit at once. And even when it's good, it can be overwhelming. Where do you focus? How do you prioritize? If you add coming back from being virtually off the grid for five days, it can make your head spin.

What I came back to:

Happy New Year and Contest Recap

Farewell, 2011. Welcome 2012.

A few updates for the end of the year.

First, thanks to all my followers, friends, readers, "likers" and commenters. I write this blog as much for you as I do for myself. And a special thank you to those who have bought and read my books, with even more thanks to those who have taken the time to tweet, rate, or review them somewhere in cyberspace.

My newsletter is just about ready to send, and thanks again for all the feedback. There's still time to sign up so you won't miss the first issue of 2012. And I'm having an exclusive giveaway for those getting my newsletter, so if you haven't signed up, be sure to take a minute to do it now.

And my ongoing book giveaway contest … although I didn't hit all my goals, I'm still giving away books. But if you want some, you have to enter.

A recap:

I'm cleaning out overflow on my bookshelves. Some new, some gently read. Some autographed. Maybe even a 'collector's item' from my box out of print books. I'll stuff as many as will fit in flat rate priority mail box.

There are five ways to enter, and you get one entry for each:

1. Follow the blog on Google Friend Connect (sidebar)
2. "Like" the blog (sidebar)
3. Sign up for my newsletter at my website
(remember it's a 2 step process; you have to click through the confirmation email)
4. Share a recipe for my What's Cooking Wednesday
5. Share photos for my Friday Field Trips.

Send your entry to contest @ terryodell. com (remove spaces) Put "Big Giveaway" in the subject line. 1 email is enough, just tell me what categories you're entering, and I'll add your name to the list as many times as needed.

Contest entry deadline: Friday, January 6, 2012. 

And don't forget the Backlist eBooks 99 cent sale. It ends Jan 8th, so don't miss your chance to pick up some great bargains from some great authors. Deadly Secrets is my sale book, but you can find others here.

Also, if there's anything you'd like to see more (or less) of on this blog, you can let me know at terry @ terryodell. com (again, remove spaces)

Have a safe, healthy, productive and Happy New Year! See you in 2012.


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Newsletter Survey Results

What I'm reading: Second Son, by Lee Child (Nook)

And Happy Boxing Day to those who celebrate.

Thanks to all who participated in my Newsletter Survey question. I've taken all your responses into account as I work on my next issue. The survey asked to check any items you'd like to see in an author newsletter, and these are the results:

New Releases: 100%

In the Works: 83%

Contests: 63%

Personal Glimpses: 58%

Excerpts: 46%

Photos: 29%

Recipes: 20%

Puzzles & Games: 12%

If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so at my website.  (And you can win some of my overflow books if you sign up--just email me to let me know you want them. Details, as always, on the Deals & Steals tab). I'll also be giving away another ARC of ROOTED IN DANGER via my newsletter, so you'll need to subscribe to enter that one.

Other Bits and Pieces: The Backlist eBook authors are having a 99 cent sale through January 8th. This is a great way to fill up those new e-readers! My book, DEADLY SECRETS is one of the books on sale. You can find all my indie books here.

I'll be doing a month-long workshop for Savvy Authors in February. I've blogged about it at their site here.

And, I'm still hoping for a few more likes and follows before Saturday. 

Tomorrow, my last guest blog post of 2011! Author Jonnie Jacobs will be talking about Series vs Stand Alone.

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Author Newsletter Survey

Thanks to those who have already responded to my 1 question survey about author newsletters. There's still time to chime in.

Click here to take the survey.

 

And I'm giving away an ARC of ROOTED IN DANGER to one subscriber. Details on the Deals & Steals tab.

Author Newsletters? Help Wanted

What I'm reading: Mama Does Time, by Deborah Sharp (Nook); V is for Vengeance, by Sue Grafton (print)

A few months ago, I decided to undertake a formal quarterly newsletter rather than random emails. Now, it's time for me to start thinking about what to include, and since you're the folks who read these things (or at least glance at them), I would love your opinion on what you want.

Of course, this assumes you actually subscribe to newsletters. The way my life goes, they're probably out of fashion, but I'm going to hang in there for at least a year.

Here are some things I've noticed from other newsletters.

1. New releases
2. What's in the works, with some behind the scenes peeks at the process
3. Excerpts
4. Photographs
5. Puzzles and/or games
6. Contests
7. Recipes
8. A more "personal" look at the author's non-writing life.

As I read the list, I realize I have a lot of this on my blog, but not everyone who would get my newsletter reads my blog. I really would appreciate your answers. You can either respond in the comments with your choices, or respond via my 1 question survey.

Click here to take survey



And, as a thank-you bonus: If you sign up for my newsletter, you can enter a drawing for an ARC of my next release, ROOTED IN DANGER. The drawing is open to "old" subscribers as well. To enter, whether you're a new or previous subscriber, email me at contest @ terryodell.com (remove spaces) with 'NEWSLETTER CONTEST' in the subject line.

The signup form for my newsletter is on my website home page. Be aware that it's a 2 step process. After you submit your form, you will get a confirmation email, and you have to click through on that one or you're not added to the list. This might seem a hassle, but it prevents spammers from signing people up. (And if you don't get the confirmation, please check your own spam filter—sometimes they end up there.)

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