"THE ELECTION"

Today was the Gold Coast Writers' Association end of year meeting and Christmas party. I had some great feedback from a colleague on the committee from my talk at the Helensvale Library. She said she goes to that library frequently and she was told by the staff that my talk had been the best they'd ever had so that was most gratifying.

I plan to approach other libraries on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane to see if I can give talks at any of them. That's certainly the way to get the message across.

BOOKS 'N STUFF

Yesterday I happened to visit my PayPal account because I had just bought something on the Internet. I found that a customer had bought a copy of The Election some three weeks ago and PayPal hadn't bothered to tell me about it. When I asked for an explanation the e-mail in response virtually laid the problem at my door. So, after a year of using PayPal with them notifying me of payments received without any problems suddenly it's my fault (or my computer's fault) because no notification was sent out. They are, unfortunately, a necessary evil. I have now given them two e-mail addresses so hopefully I'll get notified one way or the other.

As for the customer, I sent the book to him immediatley by express post. A bit of a loss incurred there but I would rather look after customers than save a few dollars.

And on the positive side, it was another sale I didn't realise I had.

I've just entered another competition, this time in the UK. I've submitted an entry using a sample of my manuscript for Sleeping With The Angels. Well, you never know.

BOOKS

My talk at the Helensvale Library went down extremely well yesterday. It was gratifying to hear from people who had already read The Election and enjoyed it and to know that so many more people now want to read it. I managed to sell a copy there and then and there were loads of enquiries so more sales will come out of it. People were also interested to know when I'm doing another talk!

Last night I attended the Christmas party of the local Chamber of Commerce and a few of the members of a local book club were there. They had all read The Election and loved it and I had previously given a talk at one of their lunches. But what was very pleasing was that a few of them had read the manuscript of my next novel to be published Calvus and they loved it. One person said she thought it was even better than The Election. I hope their thoughts on it are mirrored by commissioning editors or literary agents I'm submitting to at present.

The rain is wreaking havoc here at present and it looks as though I won't be able to join a colleague at the beach market tomorrow. A sunny day in the run up to Christmas would have been a good time to sell a few copies of The Election. However there will be another opportunity later in the month.

"THE ELECTION"

It was gratifying to receive yet another positive review of "The Election," this time by Carolyn Davis for The US Review of Books. The review can be seen at www.theUSreview.com for a month but it's also on my own website www.darrylgreer.com.

My talk at the Helensvale Library is coming up this Friday. I'm really looking forward to that. I understand it is being actively promoted by the library so hopefully there'll be a good number of people attending. Better still if it translates into more sales.

BOOKS

Saturday's meetings (both committee and general) of the Gold Coast Writers' Association went well. I have been chosen as this month's Member of the Month which was gratifying given the short period of time I've been a member.

There was an enlightening talk by children's author Peter Taylor although writers of children's and young adults' books would have benefitted most.

BOOKS 'N STUFF

I had a great comment from a book club member the other day on my manuscript Calvus. It was to be one of two books for discussion at their next meeting. I hope it went down well with all the members and I look forward to hearing further. In any event it was great encouragement to receive positive feedback from an avid book reader and impetus for my current submissions of that particular manuscript to mainstream publishers and quality agents.

"THE ELECTION"

The Election was mentioned again in today's Gold Coast Bulletin as their reviewer, Michael Jacobson agreed to reprint it today without errors! This time the price is right, my name is spelt correctly and my web address www.darrylgreer.com is mentioned so anyone interested can buy it online. I'm most grateful to Michael for taking the trouble to do that.

BOOKS 'N STUFF

Sunday was Mudgeeraba Fun Day and I manned the Chamber of Commerce stall for a while. I managed to sell just one copy of "The Election" but a sale is a sale and I was only there for an hour or so after the Day officially opened.

I thought it was a lost opportunity for local businesses though. Some people said they had only heard of the event by word of mouth, not from any advertising and two actually said they did not realise Mudgeeraba had a Chamber of Commerce. I also think it would have been better if we had not run out of things to give out only an hour into the Day. A lot of businesses who are Chamber members did not provide anything, not even a brochure, to give out which was disappointing.

But those who turned up seemed to enjoy the day and with any luck it will be an annual event and we can learn as we go along.

"THE ELECTION"

I have sent off another copy of The Election to be reviewed so that's two out there at present. Let's hope that, like the others, they are positive.

Tomorrow I will be manning the Chamber of Commerce stall at the Mudgeeraba Fun Day and will be selling copies there. I've had one order already so I'm looking forward to an interesting and exciting day.

I'm getting down to towards the end of the first print run now so it won't be too long before I'll be ordering the next batch.

"THE ELECTION"

Today I'm sending off a copy of The Election to be reviewed by The US Review of Books. Fingers crossed I'll get another decent review. If I don't, it will be the first negative one the book has received.

I guess all will be revealed in about a month's time.

"THE ELECTION"

As there were a couple of printing inaccuracies in Michael Jacobson's review of The Election in last Saturday's Gold Coast Bulletin he has kindly offered to print a correction on Saturday 06 November which is great news.

I've come across a relatively new website and organisation called Australian Writers Rock and it's pleasing to see a website of this nature just devoted to Australian writers. Most of the online marketing I've done so far has been with US sites.

I visited the local authors' display at Borders again today. Apparently sales are going pretty well all things considered. It looks like being a permanent feature of the store which is great news for local writers.

"THE ELECTION"

Michael Jacobson, writing in the Gold Coast Bulletin published his review of The Election yesterday and I'm pleased to note that his comments were positive. There was a slight problem in his misspelling my surname and the recommended retail price was incorrect but at least it was publicity of sorts and it's always nice to see nice things being said about my book.

I also hear that the local authors display at Borders, Robina is going well with a lot of interest and some sales so that is positive news. Let's hope some more copies of The Election are sold that way.

BOOKS 'N STUFF

Last Saturday was my first stint as a committee member of the Gold Coast Writers' Association and it was a lively meeting. The general meeting which followed was also interesting with great talks, ideas, comments and feed-back. Of great interest to many is the current 'local authors' display at Borders, Robina. I popped in yesterday to see it for myself. While my book The Election has, with quite a few others, been relegated to a shelf at floor level, at least the display is a showcase for the wide variety of local writing talent we have here.

BOOKS

I'm currently reading Jerusalem:City of Longing by Simon Goldhill. Although I am nowhere near finished, so far it is a fascinating, even-handed insight into the city I'm so looking forward to visiting next year. So much is written about Jerusalem but because of the various faiths pulling the reader in different directions it is difficult for the novice researcher to separate fact from fiction. Goldhill does it brilliantly and sometimes humorously.

So many times one reads a book and cannot wait to get to the end - the denouement as the French would say - but this time I dread reaching the end because it may take a lifetime to find an equally fascinating replacement.

"THE ELECTION"

Yesterday's AGM of the Gold Coast Writers' Association was a bit disappointing in that so many members failed to appear - perhaps thinking they might get roped in to being on the committee. However I enjoyed my three minutes of fame giving a short reading from "The Election" which seemed to be positively received. I also managed to get myself roped in to the committee and I'm looking forward to having a say in the running of the association.

Listening to the other readers I had to agree with our president when she commented that when you hear so many members providing a sample of their work you realise just how diverse our membership is and what creative talent we have around us.

I didn't manage a sale to such a small audience but what the heck. I had a great time.

"THE ELECTION"

I attended the 20th anniversary lunch of the Gold Coast Writers' Association today. It was well attended and a great success. Particularly impressive was the guest speaker David Leser one of Australia's leading journalists. When I returned home I read a few of his articles online including one he wrote on Jerusalem. It was a fascinating read and I can't wait to get there on my trip to Israel next year.

A copy of my book "The Election" was one of the door prizes and it was won by Julie. I signed it for her. Hope she likes it.

"THE ELECTION"

I've another positive review for "The Election" and it has been added to my website www.darrylgreer.com.

"THE ELECTION"

I've been invited to give a talk on "The Election" at the Gold Coast's Helensvale Library at 10:00 am on Friday 03 December 2010. I'm really looking forward to that. It's always nice to know some people are interested in what motivates me to write and what the story is about.

"THE ELECTION"

It is interesting to see the different places "The Election" turns up for sale. Just yesterday I stumbled upon it listed with The Book Depository - http://www.thebookdepository.co.uk - a UK site I hadn't known about. It can now be purchased from various sites in Australia, the US and the UK.

"THE ELECTION"

It was another great meeting at the Gold Coast Writers' Association yesterday with a very interesting talk by Andrew McDermott (author of 'The Tiger Chase') and others. Andy has a new company called Publicious which provides assistance to authors who wish to self-publish and his talk was about worldwide distribution.

Today I gave a talk at a book club lunch which I thoroughly enjoyed. All present seemed to love "The Election." One lady obtained a copy from the Helensvale Library so I now know of quite a few people who have taken the trouble to borrow the book from various Gold Coast libraries.

"THE ELECTION"

Of course it may lead nowhere but an Emmy-award-nominated film producer has requested copies of "The Election" to read. He came across my website www.darrylgreer.com and was intrigued by what he read. He is passing a copy to a script writer to get his views as well.

All very exciting stuff.

"THE ELECTION"

While at times I have been frustrated at the time it has taken to get off the ground as it were there really have been some remarkable achievements in recent months. There have been marvellous readers' comments which are posted on my website at www.darrylgreer.com, I've had two positive reviews in the US - also posted on the wesite - and not one comment from anyone who has read the book has been negative.

Marketing of this nature is a new experience for me and a most rewarding and facinating one. I'm learning something new almost every day, particularly when it comes to Search Engine Optimization and aiming for that higher Google page ranking. When I look at other sites' ranking I'm very pleased with mine at 3/10.

I'm sure the next big breakthrough is just around the corner.

Stay tuned.

"THE ELECTION" SALES

I've sold four more paperback copies of "The Election" this week. Great stuff.

"THE ELECTION" REVIEWS

I have had another postive review for The Election, this time by Carl Logan for the US online magazine Midwest Book Review.

This can be viewed on their website www.midwestbookreview.com. Go to "Reviewer's Bookwatch" then "Logan's Bookshelf."

"THE ELECTION" BOOK SIGNING AT BORDERS

The book signing event at Borders, Robina went extremely well today with 8 books sold in two hours. The store was fantastic and provided every assistance to get the message across to the buying public.

I'm looking forward now to my next book signing event. Not sure where or when that will be at this stage but I'll be working on it!

"THE ELECTION" NOW ON AMAZON.COM

"The Election" is now a 'featured book' on RebeccasReads.com together with an 'author spotlight.' It is also available on Amazon.com with a link to it from RebeccasReads.

Unfortunately lightningsource.com wouldn't allow me to use their services because the book was already on lulu.com. Go figure.

"THE ELECTION" - MORE LISTINGS

The proof copy of "The Election" arrived yesterday from createspace.com and looked great. Within the next couple of weeks the book will appear on Amazon.com and others in createspace.com's distribution channel.

I'll soon be tackling lightningsource.com which has other international distribution channels.

It's all systems go now!

"THE ELECTION" ONLINE BOOKSTORES

"The Election" is now for sale on Australian site, Redhen - www.redhen.com.au so within Australia it can be bought there or at Booktopia - www.booktopia.com.au. And, of course on my own website - www.darrylgreer.com.

In the United States it is listed as a paperback and as an e-book on lulu.com and will shortly, courtesy of createspace.com, be on Amazon.com and other sites.

Believe it or not a second hand copy has already turned up for sale on Amazon.com.

"THE ELECTION" BOOK SIGNING EVENT

I'm delighted to report that Borders Book Store, Robina have invited me to do a book signing at their store between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturday 22 May. They have been marvellous in assisting with promotion so I'm sure it will be well attended.

"THE ELECTION" SALES

Like the proverbial London bus you wait a few days without any sales at all and just when you're about to despair at how slow things are moving, three come along at once! One paperback version is off to Arizona in the United States while two were sold locally.

"THE ELECTION" IN GOLD COAST LIBRARIES

I have donated six copies of "The Election" to the Gold Coast Library Service and delivered them to my local library for distribution to all branches. Once the books have been catalogued they will be available to customers throughout the Gold Coast.

"THE ELECTION" MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Last night my wife June and I attended a dinner in Surfers Paradise where the key speaker was the Rt Hon Joe Hockey, Australia's opposition Treasury spokesman. Joe's speech was brilliant and afterwards I presented him with a copy of "The Election."

I told him that the book was a political thriller and partly set in Canberra so he might find it interesting. Let's hope he takes it back to Canberra and reads it. I haven't had a sale in that part of the world yet!

"THE ELECTION" - MARKETING CAMPAIGN

All my hard work at marketing is beginning to pay off. My site www.darrylgreer.com now has a 3/10 Google Page Ranking which, considering the few short months it has been up and running, is very encouraging.

"THE ELECTION" - BOOK REVIEW

"The Election" has had a fantastic review for RebeccasReads.com in the US and it should be posted on their site in the next few days. I have also transcribed it onto my own site, www.darrylgreer.com

"THE ELECTION" RADIO INTERVIEW

Yesterday's interview with Peter Scott of ABC Radio Coast FM went well and was heard by at least one person I know!

DARRYL GREER'S "THE ELECTION"

"The Election" a fast-paced political thriller is now listed for sale on Booktopia - booktopia.com.au - Australia's largest online bookstore. The easiest way to find it is to enter the author's name in the search box, alternatively the ISBN - 9780646523071.

It is also still available direct from www.darrylgreer.com.

"THE ELECTION" - MORE PAPERBACKS SOLD

I had a very successful day yesterday (Friday 27 March 2010 AEST). Three paperbacks were sold at the Mudgeeraba Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting. The book features in their newsletter and the president gave it a special mention during the meeting. Then another paperback was sold last night.

It's all systems go now!

"THE ELECTION" - RADIO INTERVIEW

Peter Scott of ABC radio on the Gold Coast will be interviewing me on his program on Monday morning (29/03/10) so I'm really looking forward to that. It will be between 6:00 am and 7:00 am so a pretty good time to reach a lot of listeners.

THE ELECTION BOOK LAUNCH

The official book launch of "The Election" yesterday at the Gold Coast Writer's Association, Burleigh Heads was an outstanding success. My speech was well received and there was a lot of interest in the book. Many people commented on how wonderful the story was, the president commented that when I read excerpts from the first chapter it raised goose bumps (!) and quite a few said what a great cover it had. More importantly six copies were sold then and there and a lot of members and guests took note of the website address so more sales may develop from that one event alone.

Exciting stuff!

THE ELECTION e-BOOK

Great news! I've sold my first e-book version of "The Election." I'm sure there'll be plenty more where that came from. An e-book version is available from my website www.darrylgreer.com and can be paid for - a mere $9.90 - via PayPal. The book is also available as a download from www.lulu.com.

Book launch tomorrow at the Gold Coast Writers' Association. I'm really looking forward to that.

05 March 2010

The posters publicizing "The Election" are now done and look fantastic. So far they'll be sent to London, Los Angeles, Tasmania and Western Australia as well as distributed locally. I'm sure I'll find more places to send them as I go along.

02 March 2010

"The Election" is now available from US online bookstore, Lulu both as a paperback and in e-book form. It took quite a bit of doing for a person like me who is not tech-savy but I got there in the end.

It can be viewed at www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-election/8431419.

It would not be economical for anyone outside of the US to buy the paperback that way because of postage and handling charges.

The book remains available in both formats from www.darrylgreer.com

22 February 2010

"The Election" can now be seen on Google Books pursuant to Google's partner program. There is a link to my website which is great. I notice that already someone has read 16 pages from the book excerpt. It will be interesting to see how this program develops and whether any sales are achieved via this route.

18 February 2010

An e-book (much cheaper) version of "The Election" is now available from my website - www.darrylgreer.com.

05 February 2010

I've had another article accepted for publication on EzineArticles.com

02 February 2010

I am now a member of the Australian Society of Authors. Website: www.asauthors.org.

28 January 2010

One of my recent articles has now been published on Ezine Articles and I'm registered with that site as an "expert." Wow!

The article can be viewed at http://www.ezinearticles.com [go to News-and-Society/Politics]

26 January 2010

Happy Australia Day to me!

While Amazon.com accepted "The Election" for inclusion on their site, it is not economically viable to go with them so I won't be taking up their offer. American fans will just have to wait for the movie!

22 January 2010

My membership of the Gold Coast Writers' Association [www.goldcoastwriters.org.au] has been approved and the official launch of my book "The Election" will take place at their meeting at 2:00 pm on Saturday 20 March 2010 at Fradgley Hall, Park Avenue, Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia.

22 January 2010

I've registered with Amazon.com. Hopefully "The Election" will be listed with them in the near future.

I'm still looking into Google Books.

"The Election"

My website is www.darrylgreer.com

Thursday 21 January 2010

I've managed to sell a few copies of my book "The Election" but serious marketing is a huge learning curve for me. It's fun learning though!