Metal Mouth by Jaimie Engle - Book Tour + Giveaway
YA Magical Realism
Date Published: 12/1/2018
Publisher: JME Books
Mahlorie hates her braces. And who cares what she looks like anyway? Her parents sure do. Dad, a traveling magician, and Mom, a famous erotica author, constantly harp on the importance of appearance. Her best friend Shai is the epitome of pop-culture, crushing on every boy with a cute smile. But when Mal has a near-death experience and can suddenly hear a boy’s voice in her head, life takes a turn for the weird. He can hear her too. How did her braces become transmitters? And who is this boy she just might be falling in love with? For fans of “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Everything, Everything.”
This magical coming-of-age tale of mystery and self-discovery, and love and friendship makes the impossible become all too real...
Guest Post
Guest Post
How to Make Money Writing: What’s
the True Value of Your Book?
By: Jaimie Engle | May
3, 2017
I’ve written several
books and published a few of them. I’ve had a great deal of success considering
my small status as an independent or self-published author. I’ve blown
expectations for average book sale out of the water, and managed to find two
distinct ways to make an incredible living attached to my being a published
author.
But first, I had to learn the value of my
book.
Not only that, but I had
to learn how to translate that value to the right audience. And that was way
harder than writing or editing any novel. I’ve said it before, but it stands to
be said again: as an author, you are not an artist; you are an entrepreneur. A
small business owner, who most likely has used their own capital to invest in
their new enterprise. And that’s a completely different scenario than being “a
writer.”
So how do you measure value?
Let’s start by being honest. Does
your book bring a value greater than the list price to the consumer? You can’t
answer that by saying, “I worked really hard on this and people should want to
buy it,” or even, “It’s a great story, of course it will bring value to the
reader.” While all of this might be true, how often have you purchased a
product because the store owner appeared to have worked really hard to get
their shop going? Probably only if you are personal friends with them. Here are
some considerations:
- Does your packaging (book cover, logo, book marks, business cards, etc.) bring aesthetic value to the reader?
- Are you providing ongoing social media contact with your fans in a way that engages, inspires, and improves their lives?
- Do you give back to your community or fans in a unique way through your time, knowledge, or physical books at no or deeply discounted costs?
- How much time and effort do you spend on improving your writing skills and marketing know-how?
- Is there a platform you are building toward, and is it unique enough to secure your individual spot in a competitive market?
- What strategies do you have in place to cultivate new readers, reward loyal customers, and encourage word of mouth viral sharing?
- Is your story providing enough of a difference for your readers to become fans?
This should get you
thinking and answering some basic questions about you and your small business.
When I started out, I was certain I had the next NY Times Bestseller in my
hands. Only it was rejected by 98 different agents, who mainly told me they
couldn’t connect with my story. Today, this little book is self-published
through my JME Books line, where it has done tremendously well in the market.
Were these agents wrong? No, of course not. In fact, they were absolutely
correct in their deduction. The book has a tight niche market because of its
local geographic connection. If it had been picked up by a traditional press,
it would have bombed within the first year and been shelved forever. I’d
probably never write another word and be working at drugstore somewhere.
Instead, after that first year of bombing, I discovered a beautiful message
woven within the pages: BULLYING. This is my book’s unique value. A fantasy
adventure novel with dwarves and dragons teaches kids about their part in
bullying. Once my value was determined, it was easy to supply a demand. I began
to contact schools regarding my anti-bullying program. They readily paid for my
appearance and offered pre-order book sales to students (or purchased books for
the school directly).
Suddenly, the value of my book had grown
exponentially.
My book hadn’t changed,
only the message I had built in was now a focal point to bring value to readers.
I even went a step further with creating more value by:
1.
Creating a teacher’s novel study guide in
print and ebook formats
2.
Including standards in both the study guide
and my presentation
3.
Providing schools with a pre-visit package to
include order forms, posters, and introductory video
4.
Follow up with a thank you card, exit survey,
and post-visit video to thank the students
My
sales have increased tremendously and I have an income from speaking that I
never foresaw in my future. My passion for kids, teaching, and writing have
translated to a unique value that only I can provide. So my question to you
is: What’s Your Value?
About the Author
JAIMIE ENGLE is the author of dark thrillers for teens where magic turns ordinary into extraordinary. She weaves history, magic, and lore into her books, which take readers on wondrous adventures, though her passion is talking to kids about writing and social issues because words have power. She loves coffee, cosplay, and making Wick Books® candles inspired by scents from her novels and for other indie authors so readers can Experience the Story! She lives in Florida with her awesome husband, hilarious children, and the world's best dog. Learn more at thewriteengle.com, where Jaimie is always working on her next book.
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4 Comments
thanks for hosing
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteThanks for sharing Jaimie's thoughts with your readers. We really appreciate it. Hope you have a great holiday season! - Kasey, assistant to Jaimie Engle
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! You have a lovely holiday as well. :)
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.