Word-Whores: Chasing the Numbers

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Chasing the Numbers

So, I'm not at the point, obviously, where I'm tracking book sales. Occasionally I'll go and look at my Amazon rank for Thorn presales and wonder what that might actually mean. I honestly don't know.

But here's what I do know: once I can track sales numbers, I will probably be a bit obsessive about it.

Because lord knows, I already google "Marshall Ryan Maresca" and "Thorn of Dentonhill" to a surprising degree. Especially now, since new things are popping up on a regular basis. That's how I discovered an article pointing to me as an example of marketing one's work using Google Plus. (What? Really?) That's how I found out that Thorn has a Goodreads page now. Which gives me another thing to check obsessively, as I can keep track of the complete strangers who have added it to their "to-read" list. For some reason that's incredibly exciting to me.

What I'm saying is, if I have something I can track, I'm probably going to keep my eye on it. If it's something I can quantify, perhaps even put in a spreadsheet.... oh, I'm going to be all over that.

Maybe at some point, I'll be more zen about all the how'm-I-doing data out there. But right now, I'm making the most of it.

Speaking of things you can learn by Googling me, I'll be at FenCon in Dallas September 25-27! Come say hello!

Saturday 12:00:00 PM - 1:00 PM Getting the Geos Right Description: Geology and geography and how they should shape your fictional society. Panelists: R. Acks , L. Carl , Mi. Finn , M. Maresca , M. White , K. Murphy *
Saturday 6:00:00 PM - 7:00 PM Handwavium And Technobabble Description: Where do writers come up with all those terms, anyway? Do they have roots in the real world, or does someone just throw a D20 and see what they come up with? Panelists: P. Black , S. Cupp , J. Mandala , M. Maresca , L. Antonelli *
Sunday 10:30:00 AM - 11:00 AM Reading
Sunday 1:00:00 PM - 2:00 PM When Will it Ever End? Description: How long is too long? When should a series hang it up, or is there no limit to the number of books an author can or should write in a specific setting? Which well-known series have done an excellent job of holding our attention across multiple books, and which have jumped the proverbial shark? E. Flint , M. Maresca , R. Rogers , S. Swendson , B. Wright , L. Donahue *

Saturday 12:00:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Getting the Geos Right
Description: Geology and geography and how they should shape your fictional society.
Panelists:
R. Acks , L. Carl , Mi. Finn , M. Maresca , M. White , K. Murphy *

Saturday 6:00:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Handwavium And Technobabble
Description: Where do writers come up with all those terms, anyway? Do they have roots in the real world, or does someone just throw a D20 and see what they come up with?
Panelists:
P. Black , S. Cupp , J. Mandala , M. Maresca , L. Antonelli *

Sunday 10:30:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Reading

Sunday 1:00:00 PM - 2:00 PM
When Will it Ever End?
Description: How long is too long? When should a series hang it up, or is there no limit to the number of books an author can or should write in a specific setting? Which well-known series have done an excellent job of holding our attention across multiple books, and which have jumped the proverbial shark?
E. Flint , M. Maresca , R. Rogers , S. Swendson , B. Wright , L. Donahue *