My Google Adwords campaign

I guess I am not a good judge of what appeals to readers since the sales of my enovels have been near dismal. I had hoped that BEN CONNOLLY in the PARIS COMMUNE would draw readers and buyers through Google’s Adwords campaign since there is a targeted audience. While the numbers of impressions and clicks far outperformed my campaign for THE TRUCKERS, after four days there have been no sales. I would think that someone clicking might be interested in buying on the spot. Maybe there will be delayed reactions. A real problem is the absence of reviews for BEN CONNOLLY in the PARIS COMMUNE. An explanation: An impression is one of those little ads you seen when scanning websites. Clicking on the impression takes the browser to the object for sale. In my case, BEN CONNOLLY in the PARIS COMMUNE. --To be a profitable or self-sustaining campaign, I must sell a book for every 12 clicks. Should that evolve, I would keep up the campaign indefinitely. Otherwise, I have to decide whether to continue as a form of advertising figuring that spending $100 would get me an estimated 588 clicks with about 75,000 impressions. Spending $250 would get an estimated 1,470 clicks with about 188,000 impressions. As I view these estimates, I come to the conclusion that it would be worth the $100 to $250 to flash my book past the eyes of 75,000 to 188,000 potential readers. Besides, I can’t believe the campaign of that extent, if it happens as projected, won’t produce some buyers and readers and maybe a review or two. And, there is always the potential of some reading the book via Amazon Prime. --Before the Google Adwords campaign began on Feb. 20, 2013, there had been 8 sales of BEN CONNOLLY in the PARIS COMMUNE on Kindle and none on CreateSpace or via Amazon Prime. Those sales give me hope that readers will be drawn to buy the book through the Google Adwords campaign.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

Meditation and aftermath of shingles (PHN)

Three months ago, I decided I would use my daily breathing meditation to try to impact the aftermath of shingles or technically: Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN), which has been my constant companion of itching, aching, an unpleasant presence and swelling for more than four years now. I started by focusing on the nerves stretching from my brain to my eye—and discovered the feelings got worse. I switched to a focus on whatever was the plague of the moment, say an itching eyebrow. That targeted itch would stop, moving instead to my forehead or scalp. So the meditation approach is not a magic bullet for an immediate cure or cessation of sensations. What I have discovered is that temporary relief comes from Motrin or applying a hot compress to my left eye.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

A needlessly nasty review

I can’t describe just how deeply distasteful it is to get a one-star review of one of my books particularly by someone who hasn’t even read the book. The other day, someone gave my best novel, THE DREAM DANCER, a one-star review on Kindle. This person was simply uninformed. She entitled her review: “Typo in the first sentence.” The problem: There was no typo in the first sentence. She was wrong in saying so; she was wrong in giving a book she had not read a rating at all, no less a purposefully damaging one. She wrote: “I didn't get past page one since the first sentence has "lounge" misspelled. Proofreader needed. Not going to waste my time.” The opening sentence in question: Coop lay back barely awake in the rickety, striped cloth chaise longue at the end of another hot August day, softened by a deliciously cool breeze. I wrote this comment on Kindle in response to the woman’s review: “Good news..., you can continue reading THE DREAM DANCER since chaise longue is correct for the piece of furniture. Please check your dictionary for "chaise longue" not the single word lounge. I was so startled by your criticism that I checked both the internet for "chaise longue" and my Random House Unabridged Dictionary. My use of the name of the furniture was correct. So please continue reading and if you find another typo somewhere within the 91,000 words or so of THE DREAM DANCER forgive me, and try to read on. The novel is well worth the effort.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.