Meditations on the Week That Was

A week ago, I invited you all to join me for a fantastic party, a birth celebration for my new book and an inaugural address from several new social media pages associated with it. I started tracking several new metrics, paying close attention to what content drives what results, and I ate a bunch of frozen yogurt.

The last point is not so incongruous as it might seem. Today’s yogurt shops start with an empty container, which is then filled with a variety of flavors and then coated with toppings. Finally, it is borne proudly to a scale, where its relative worth is calculated and deducted from your available funds.

The process is much akin to an online shopping cart.You place one item in, and if that’s all you desire you can go immediately to the scale and then start enjoying creamy goodness. Or, you can experiment with different flavors, new toppings, or whatever you think you can fit in the cup. There’s no limit to how much you can buy, save for what you think you can eat.

I hope you’re hungry today.

I want to thank everyone who has taken a chance on a new-ish author and purchased Hearts of Iron. Whether you pre-ordered the book when it went live in April, or have come to it in the last week, your support has made this launch one I’ll never forget. I especially want to thank those who’ve won the internet and borrowed it from the Kindle Lending Library instead of making a direct purchase, and those folks in other countries who’ve joined us in the Foreworld. Today’s post is especially for these latter groups, as you’re proving yet again that we live in a Brave New Publishing world, and will continue to do so for some time to come.

It’s around lunchtime in me-land, and I’m looking to feed both my body and mind. My e-reader is filled with many books. A friend’s new novel is playing in my ear, and I spent part of the morning discussing another one with its author. And still, my cup is empty, waiting for me to fill it with new and exciting things.

This week, I’d like to hear about what you’re reading and enjoying. I can obsess over sales data all day long (I am in Marketing ™ , after all), but I’d rather understand what you’re talking about, instead of simply knowing what you’re doing. Tell me what you’re reading right now, and why. Let me, and people like me, know what other books you enjoy in addition to mine. All of us in author land love hearing about books, especially new ones. Lets work together to generate a recommended reading list of awesome, and share it as far and wide as our digital fingers can reach.

Last week was a great time to be an author. With your help, this one will be better.