No Rhyme Or Reason To Numbers

Went to bed last night with AAA at #9 and KMAG at #19. I was worried that I may have peaked too soon on The Claire Trilogy with less than a month to go before Finding Jimmy Moran hits its release date. Said a prayer to my mother asking for another run of heavenly Kindle orders. Woke up to them all being in the top 6. Thanks Mom!

My youngest brother, John, is fascinated with the numbers game. He plays algorithms like Vegas. He posts things on places like Linkedin and then watches the numbers roll. Views, likes, comments. He’s a fucking wizard.

When The Wise Ass was about to be published, I asked John for advice on posting on social media. He tried to explain to me that each of the websites monitor traffic to posts and that somehow impacts how often and how widely that information and other related postings are shared. It also impacts how the poster is perceived and rewarded. I hadn’t a clue what the hell he was talking about. I still don’t get how it works, but I do follow the numbers. That much I learned.

John posted something about TWA just before it dropped and his many Linkedin followers ran with it. That’s how it all started. He kept me updated with running totals. Numbers, numbers, numbers.

I cannot get John to read my books, but he’s constantly checking my numbers.

And my brothers wonder why I killed them off in my fiction. But until they actually read the books, it remains whispered gossip to them.

But John told me I had to establish a social media presence. So I tried.

This blog is a result of that attempt. I’ve also gotten a basic hold on Twitter – @wisecelt.

I’m not on Meta/FB, so I asked my friends that are on it to post whatever they would, and they did. All the people that are characters in the book went on and said something nice about the book. I hit lotto when one of my dear friends, Kim Russo – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2458684/ – (introduced through my other dear friends the mystical Bobbi Allison – the psychic/witch Bobbi from TWA – and Helen Lalousis – same) – offered to post something on her FB page. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of followers. Magic is magic.

https://www.kimthehappymedium.com/

That Happy Medium made me a very Happy Large.

Now I don’t know how many people drilled down on those kinds of posts but I do know that a lot of them at least got a glance at the cover of TWA, and the face of the magical Claire. A face that launched a thousand books.

And I learned that that is what social media is all about. Name/face recognition. If enough people see something in enough different spots, it starts to sink in, like subliminal advertising.

Now I also know that my publisher, Black Rose Writing, was also posting ads and other things on Amazon, FB and some of the other book related websites. As far as I’m concerned, they are marketing geniuses. Thank you Reagan. You are magnificent.

At some point, after seeing TWA pop up enough times in different places on different soicial media outlets, some of the people started to check it out. Luckily, enough of them liked what they read enough to see what else I have published. More luckily, I had finished An Alien Appeal and Kissing My Ass Goodbye by the time a lot of them came looking. Even more luckily, all this hit just when reading made its resurgence during the pandemic. Lemonade from lemons.

I’m the luckiest guy in the world.

So, while I don’t fully understand what these numbers mean, I check on the numbers all the time because changing numbers tell me that the books I have written are making some people laugh and cry, and have a good time hanging with my characters. Especially Claire. And when it is all said and done, that’s what matters to me. That people are enjoying my madness.

So, as the calendar now dips below the one month to launch date for Finding Jimmy Moran, I’m hoping that the numbers for The Claire Trilogy that correlate with the top 10 standings in this Dark Humor category means that those same readers behind those numbers will be willing to take a chance on the prequel. Numbers or not, I hope my luck holds.

And Kim was kind enough to repeat her magic for FJM:

Thank you Kim. You rock.

Finding Jimmy Moran is very dear to me. I hope you, my fine, five readers enjoy it.

And tell your friends. Use every social media platform that you have to do it. Because it’s all about the numbers.

Thank you. I remain forever in your individual and collective debt.

Well Monday is behind us, so the week should be smooth sailing.

I need to get to my kitty cuddling, my rounds and my dreadmill.

You all go out there and work your magic.

And don’t forget, make today a great one.