The Power of One Little Click

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Writing is hard. Anyone who’s tried it will attest to this. Putting the exact words on a page in the exact order they are meant to be in and incorporating the appropriate punctuation without changing tense or point of view may seem easy. But . . .  it’s not. With practice it gets easier. Sometimes. I hope anyway. I’m going to keep doing it so I guess I’ll find out.

Because that’s what writers do. They keep writing. The fact that there are a zillion and one books on the market right now proves that despite the frustration and challenges, people continue to write. As a book lover, I am glad that this process continues. As a writer, I am glad that I have the privilege of adding my own books to that list of a zillion and one other books flooding the market.

Which brings up the topic of marketing. That’s right, the dreaded marketing. How to gain a following of loyal readers is a question I ask again and again. There are so many answers to this question and so many paths to success. What works for one person, may not work for someone else. Therefore, it is hard to adhere to any particular “expert” in the field. I subscribe to the theory of try something and if it works keep doing it, if it doesn’t work, move on. I’ve tried lots of stuff. I’ll continue to try lots of stuff.

What I have discovered is that there is one simple way for everyone to help everyone else out. It’s simple. It’s free. And I am asking you all right now, to help me out. I’ll gladly reciprocate if you share your links with me. You see, the power of one little click on a “follow” or “like” button makes a lot of difference. By “liking” or “following” an author you tell the artificial intelligence bots that I should move up in the ranking a slot or two. The algorithms change when people hit those buttons. So, while you may not think you’re doing anything, behind the scenes, in cyberworld, you’re having an effect. Or so they say. Any added clicks bumps up my exposure.

The added bonus is that you’ll receive updates about me and my books or my writing. I know what you’re thinking right now, you’re thinking, “I don’t want to be on any more lists,” or “My email inbox is jammed up already, I don’t need any more emails.” Okay, here’s my promise to you: I promise not to hit you up unless I really have something that I think you need to know. You can also set up your account so that you only receive notifications of what you want, when you want on most of these sites. And, you always have the option of just hitting the delete button when you see an email in your inbox from me that holds no appeal to you. I’ll never know you deleted my communication.

Here are a few places where you can go to “click” and help change my visibility. Some of these sites may want you to “join,” but I promise they are legit sites that focus on books and nothing else. Well, except Amazon, but I’d be willing to bet most of you already have an account there anyway.

So, thanks in advance for your help. Now, before you go clicking away all willy nilly, I think it’s only fair to let you know that I’m not 100% sure these links will work. I’ve tested them, but only on the same computer from whence they originated. So . . . I apologize in advance if something goes haywire for you.

Here you go. Cross your fingers and click away.

At the Goodreads site (a site just for readers and authors) click the “follow” button below my photo here: https://www.goodreads.com/jansenschmidt

From there you can find all 3 of my books using the handy dandy search bar across the top, and add them to your shelf as either “want to read” or “read.”

If you wish to take it a step farther, you can leave a star and/or a written review for each book. I’d be eternally grateful for any clicks.

At the Bookbub site (another site just for readers and authors) click the “follow” button here:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jansen-schmidt

Same with searching for my books and shelving them and/or reviewing them. In fact, I think my books will be listed right below my photo for easy peasy reference. The review process is pretty easy here. You just have to hit buttons instead of typing anything. Unless you want to type something, then by all means, type away. Please keep it kind. My feelings are fragile.

And here is the link for my author profile on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jansen-Schmidt/e/B07HR35XDT

If you experience a problem with any of these links, but you still wish to help me out with your clicks, simply to to the goodreads, bookbub, and amazon dot com sites and search for me that way. You should find my books within that search and you can click accordingly from all 3 sites. I’m also on the Barnes & Noble site, the Kobo site, the Apple / Google bookstore app and at bookbaby.com site. And, for anyone who is new to my blog, I also have a website you can visit and I have a newsletter you can sign up for using the link at the bottom of this page or from the link at my website https://www.jansenschmidt.com

So, do we have a deal? Can I count on your clicks? What can I do to help you guys out? I said I’d return the favor, so ask away.

Word of the Day: Jequirity

Fun fact about me: I’m not very good at asking people for this kind of help so thanks for bearing with me.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, October 2021. Images by Google and giphy.com

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On Common Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2BBu7bb

On Hallowed Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2KONmnf

On Solid Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/OSGAmazonebook