"We All Have A Story To Tell, To The Glory of God."

Once Upon A Time, A Group Of Writers Formed A Club

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

A Chat with Charles

“The Challenge Of Marketing”

In 2016, when I was picked up by my first publisher, I was incredibly excited and I had this thought:

“Now I can just sit back and write, and they will sell my book for me.”

(I had so many other books rattling around in my thoughts, and I was already figuring out how I was going to use my ‘spare’ time to write those other books!)

I learned very quickly how naïve I was about what the publisher was going to do for my book and how much of my ‘spare’ time was going to be consumed by all the activities related to marketing my book.

In hindsight, I should have realized that any author is going to be spending time with the marketing of their book. The reality is that while “Indie” publishers will help you with such items as editing, cover design, the printing of books, and other important areas, the fact of the matter is that the marketing assistance, in the end, is either very expensive or close to the time and financial commitment needed if you had “self-published” the book.

To be fair, my publisher did line up a number of book signings for me, places that were willing to have me come and try and sell my books. But what I was not prepared for was the lack of advertising, or other marketing assistance, to spur attendance to those book signings. I found myself creating the posters, and then running around the area where the signing was going to occur to see if I could place the notices of the book signing so that people would know the event was occurring.

Fortunately, many of those initial signings were within four hours of my home, but still, two or three trips to the area consumed a considerable amount of time and expense….and that was back when gas for the car was still under $2.00 a gallon. I discovered that the best of the book signing garnered around 10 book sales but most we under 5. It did not take me long to figure out that I was in fact paying for people to buy my book. And that was before I counted the props, table(s), chair(s), and other items I needed to buy to use at the signings. And all that time I was going to have for writing…well……

And then there were the book shows. I was incredibly excited when the publisher recommended that I attend the Decatur Book show. When I learned of the scope of that book show and the fact that over two days more than 60,000 people were expected to attend, I signed right up. The cost of the show for the two days was around $600 for a small booth. At the end of the show, despite all of my best efforts, I sold under $200 worth of books. Now I may not be a rocket scientist, but I knew that this was a business model that was not working in my favor. Again, I was fortunate…at the time I lived in Georgia less than 45 minutes from where the show was held, but it still took two days of time, and an incredible amount of work, all to lose over $400.

When Scribblers Christian Writers Group started in 2016, my dream was first to be able to share with other Christian Authors, the experiences I was having as an author. The author fellowship of C.S.Lewis, J.R Tolkien, Charles Lewis, and others in England intrigued me, and I desired what those authors, who called their group “The Inklings” had accomplished. The idea of being able to share what I was writing with other authors, hearing their thoughts about the writing, and discussing the theology involved in the works really thrilled me. But I learned very quickly that Scribblers could/would also take on a significant role in the marketing and distribution of our books.

There is a saying that “many hands make light work”… a corollary to that for me as an author is, “marketing expense shared makes it more likely that profit may occur and at least losses are less.”

So, since 2017, Scribblers Christian Writers Group has evolved and in almost every meeting there are discussions about marketing opportunities, and talking about what has worked or what has not worked. We also learned that the same event may be good for us one year, and then not as good the next. You will see that discussed later on in the newsletter as we review the recent SE Home School Expo that we attended for the second time this year.

We live in interesting times. The barrier to entry into the marketplace for authors has never been lower. In 2020, Amazon published/was marketing, over 1.5 Million new titles, and many were from first-time authors. The electronic age has changed access to information in ways that still boggle my mind. The basic question for every author is “how will anyone ever know I have a book available for them to read and hopefully enjoy?” Over the next few months, I am going to dedicate my notes to address some of what we have been learning.

The strength of Scribblers is in the breath of experiences of all of the authors. Julie Clarke, introduced us all to the QR code, and how that makes it easy for people to move either to the web to find out more about our books, or to where our books are available for sale. Marlene Buchanan has become a wealth of knowledge about the different venues and shows we could choose to participate in. Mike and Leda Owens introduced us to the plastic covers that help keep our book covers flat even when the books are “in the weather” so often at book shows. Luda Willet showed me how to get a book signing at a local library, and our web designer is working to make the Scribblers website found more often when authors/potential authors are searching for groups of like-minded authors.

Together our group is tackling this challenge, and yes it is at times filled with a lot of work, planning, cost, excitement, success and disappointment. But it has been a great blessing to see how the friendships have grown, and how we are working together to tackle the challenge of marketing. I believe in God’s providence He moves people in ways too amazing and mysterious for us to fully grasp. Just why did that family stop at our booth and choose to buy both of my series of books? I had not expected that to occur. Why did a Pastor stop at a show in Florida, winning one of the door prizes that just happened to be one of my honey’s and then stopped by to pick up one of my books, and is now talking to me about the theology and background in the books and wanting to know what happens next?

And there are so many other stories to tell. I look forward to sharing more in the upcoming months. Stay tuned.

Grace and Peace.

Charles de Andrade

Scribblers Christian Writers Group

"We All Have A Story To Tell, To The Glory of God" on www.scribblersweb.com (http://www.scribblersweb.com)

In July, we added four books to our book store, so we now have 31 published authors and 85 books for sale. While we had no sales on the book store site, I know at the SE Home School Expo many of the seven authors swapped their books with each other. The book store sales depend on our “ Sphere Of Influencing Marketing”. So please remind family and friends that they should check out our website for a great selection of books. Starting in September, Scribblers will begin advertising our book store in the Our Town Gwinnett Magazine. We will also be advertising our local meetings for Lilburn, Tucker, and Snellville. There is a coupon code set up (OurTown) that will allow us to track sales that are coming from the advertisement.

In July, Amazon KDP Reported we had 15 Book Sales. Anthony Miller had one book sale for his new release of Dearest Doris, and Charles de Andrade had 14 sales of his new children’s book “Bernice and Harriet – The Busy Honey Bees”. The royalty checks were mailed on August 2, 2022. Please do deposit the checks as soon as they are received.

New Release Book

"Camelino, The Little Camel Who Met Little Jesus"

Author: Michael E Ownes

Published By Scribblers Press

Because he is so small, he never gets to travel on a caravan. But when the wise men see the star, they decide that Camelino can carry the gifts to the newborn Savior. He gets picked on by the other camels but because he learns a lot on the trip to see the baby, he learns a lot about himself and in the end he helps the caravan avoid the King Herod and find a different way home. And saves the Baby Jesus. Because he is so small, he never gets to travel on a caravan. But when the wise men see the star, they decide that Camelino can carry the gifts to the newborn Savior. He gets picked on by the other camels but because he learns a lot on the trip to see the baby, he learns a lot about himself and in the end he helps the caravan avoid the King Herod and find a different way home. And saves the Baby Jesus.

Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/195030843X

Available on Scribblers Christian Writers Group Website: www.scribblersweb.com

Cost: $15.00

"The Tail (x) Tale Of Krispy the Squirrel"

Author: Luanne Scrogan

Published By Scribblers Press

Squirrels are curious little animals and they like to run free and explore the unknown. But when Krispy, one of the most curious of squirrels, lands in a big pile of trouble, it takes quick thinking by caring people and a trustful believing prayer to lead him to safety. Based on true facts, Krispy’s story is told through poetic rhythm that lifts the heart and warms the sole as it displays the power and healing, of forgiveness and grace.

Available on Amazon: (Coming Soon)

Available of Scribblers Christian Writers Group Website: www.scribblersweb.com

Cost: $14.00

"Bernice and Harriet-The Busy Honey Bees"

Author: Charles de Andrade

Published By Scribblers Press

The story of two sister bees, who tell what it means to be a honey bee. It also is the story of the beekeepers who work with the bees to create the honey that we love. The life of a bee is filled with wonder, as these small insects provide us with their labor producing both honey and beeswax but also provides us with many of the fruits and other vegetables that we have come to take for granted. Without these amazing insects our food selections would be far different than what we currently enjoy. The honey bee is the basis of everything that Bee Natural Products sells, as we market over 80 products. Each product highlights the wonderful benefits we get because of the honey bees work.

Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1950308421

Available on Scribblers Christian Writers Group Website: www.scribblersweb.com

Cost: $12.00

Sofphty-The Neat Pillow

Author: Tyler Rood

Five Year Old Tyler Rood both wrote and illustrated the book. The youngest of the Scribbler authors, the book shows that creativity is not limited to any age.

The story, told in pictures, of all of the creams the author had about and for his favorite pillow.

Available on Scribblers Christian Writers Group Website: www.scribblersweb.com

Also available from www.sofphty.com

Cost: $11.32

Upcoming Release – August 2022

New To Audible – ACX – In August 2022

Eyewitness: Tears of the Saints

By: Charles de Andrade

First Volume In The Miracles Of Christ Series Tells The Story of the Blind Man in John 9.

The book is comprised of 25 Chapters and a prologue.

Running Time is 14 Hours

Narrated By David Holdt

Available On Amazon, Amazon Audible, and Scribblersweb.com in Late August

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1950308022 $17.95

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082PLNMN5 $2.99

Included with Amazon Kindle Select

ACX – Amazon Audible – In August

Congratulations To Charles de Andrade!

His book, "Chosen-The War Not Seen", was chosen as one of the finalists of Books Shelf's Writing Contest!

Click HERE to see the full details. His book is mentioned in the "HONORABLE MENTIONS".

Congratulations, Charles!

SE Home School Expo – Book Marketing Report

Seven Scribbler Authors, Donna Barron, Julie Clarke. Linda Hope. Anthony Miller, Tyler Rood, Mike Owen, and Charles de Andrade attended the SE Home School Expo on July 29 and 30th. This was the second year Scribblers has been at the expo. Our booth was twice the size of our booth last year, with the booth cost coming in at $1,122.70. One of the measures we use to see how we did at the show is by totaling up all of the sales made at the show. This show produced $677 in book sales for 48 books, while last year’s booth was half the size, cost $700, and produced $610 in book sales for 47 books. So the show in 2022 was more expensive and produced significantly more of a loss than the show in 2021 had.

So, what was learned from this year's attendance? Well, the smaller booth gave us practically the same amount in sales, although the larger booth size was definitely more comfortable than the cramped size last year. We also learned that the book show itself was smaller this year than last year, so while Scribblers had the same general area as last year, because the show was smaller, our booth did not benefit from the traffic flow we had last year.

So this year was a bit of a disappointment, with only one author, Mike Owens, believing he broke about even. Also, our youngest Scribbler member had a medical issue that took him out of the show almost as soon as it had begun. Tyler Rood is okay but we saw again that expo attendees seem to only buy from authors that are there in person. We did learn that there is the opportunity to speak/teach at the expo and it appeared those vendors who took on an active role in the speaking/teaching benefited by having more traffic to their booths. I am planning to see if Scribblers can be given some of the speaking spots for 2023. We will have more discussions about attending the expo in 2023.

It is still a true statement, that we lost less per author than what we would have lost if we had done the show on our own. And the full impact of the show is still unfolding as many of us have follow-up calls with various vendors and other folks who attended the show. Here are some pictures from the show:

A Bad Day In An Authors' Life

Rat 9 Lost Book

Gloom, Despair, Agony on Me

Do you remember the TV show Hee-Haw? It was a variety show that showcased many country-western entertainers and other stars of the times. There was always a segment that included my new theme song

Gloom, despair, agony on me.

Deep, dark depression, excessive misery.

If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.

Gloom, despair, agony on me.

That’s me this morning. I save the books I am writing on thumb drives. I have three in the works. One is all finished except for a few editions and editing. One is a good start with concepts and characters, but only about 6,000 words, quite a ways before it is done. Then there is Finding Home, the title of the book I have been concentrating on. It was three-quarters complete in the writing. Something like 60,000 words. I would have finished it this week. I WOULD HAVE finished it this week. Gloom, despair, agony on me.

Until this morning, I could insert the thumb drive and open up my story. Everything is gone but part of the first four chapters. I really don’t understand. I thought I was saving it to both a thumb drive and to the computer program. I “save” at the end of each chapter. My computer guru said my thumb drive may have been old and it just failed. Well, guess what? If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.

I had printed out a full copy of everything. I do that so my husband and I can read it. It is my way to check that things are flowing in the book the way they flow in my head. Isn’t that brilliant? A paper copy I can retype into the program. Yes! NO!!! After making the changes from paper to the thumb drive I tossed the paper copy. “Oh no, you didn’t?” You say. “OH yes, I did.” I wale in a deep, dark depression, excessive misery.

So—four chapters are saved. Basically, the intro. Three thousand words in and I had just announced the victim. Twelve or fifteen hours of my life. Only 57,000 words to be back where I was. And I can’t seem to recreate those 57,000 words. My brain just fizzled. Do I start over? Do I just go on to another project? Right now, I plan to pick up the story in chapter four and write from there. So far what I have done has been a struggle. I think I must set it aside and let the cloud of despair lift. In the meantime, I will continue to hum Hee Haw’s song as that is the only thing circulating in my brain right now.

Upcoming Marketing Opportunities

September 2022

Doc Holiday Festival - Arts & Crafts Vendor – Saturday, September 10

Deadline: Sep 02, 2022 11:59 pm (GMT-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Doc Holliday Festival

Date: Sep 10, 2022 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Place: Griffin, Georgia

$50 per booth

We have had several Scribblers attending this one-day festival, and the turnout and sales have been good. If you want to go to this or share a space, please speak with Mike Owens the Lilburn Chapter Leader, or you can register yourself by clicking HERE.

ART IN THE PARK 2022, September 17 & 18th Hurricane Shoals Park –

The 10x10 booths are once again $60.00. Last year we had 4 booths and 5 authors present. If you are interested in being in one of the tents or have a tent for yourself, please let Charles de Andrade know as soon as possible. We did quite well at this show last year!

We have registered for the same 4 tents for this year. Set up will be on Friday, September 16.

Duluth Fall Festival

The 2022 Duluth Fall Festival is scheduled for September 24th and 25th, 2022. The festival has decided that authors and books are not what they want at the festival, so we will not be attending this festival.

Upcoming Scribblers Christian Authors Group Meetings

Summerfield and Orlando Chapters – I will be on vacation on the third Monday so the Summerfield and Orlando members are invited to the ZOOM Virtual Meeting that will occur on Monday, August 29, 2022, at 6:00 PM. The invite for the meeting is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86306717298

Macon, GA Chapter – I will be on vacation on the third Tuesday so the Macon, GA are invited to the ZOOM Virtual Meeting that will occur on Monday, August 29, 2022, at 6:00 PM. The invite for the meeting is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86306717298.

Lilburn, GA Chapter - Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 6:00 PM - meeting at Five Forks Library -2780 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lawrenceville, Georgia, 30044-5865 770-978-5600 (Mike Owens is chapter leader – 225-315-0851)

Norcross/Tucker, GA Chapter - Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at 6:00 PM –

NEW LOCATION: Always Fresh Restaurant 5394 Five Forks Trickum Rd, Lilburn, GA 30087 +1 678-380-4656 (Charles de Andrade is chapter leader – 772-584-1578)

Mike Owens will be leading the meeting in Charles’ absence.

Snellville, GA Chapter – Thursday, Thursday August 18, 2022, at 6:00 PM - Main Street Restaurant, 1142 Athens Hwy Ste 115, Grayson, GA 30017 (770) 985-9985

(Marlene Buchanan is chapter leader -470-451-7921)

Virtual/ZOOM Chapter – Monday, August 29, 2022, at 6:00 PM (Charles de Andrade is chapter leader – 772-584-1578) The invite for the meeting is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86306717298

Please remember to register for which meeting(s) you are coming to by going to the Scribblers Christian Writers Website at www.scribblersweb.com. Select Meetings - Scribblers Christian Writers Group (Meetings - Scribblers Christian Writers Group ) and on the pull-down select the chapter you wish to attend. You must register so that the Chapter Leader knows how to set up for the meeting and whether to wait if you are coming. Also, remember you are welcome to attend as many meetings (both in-person and virtual) as you like.

Finally, you can check the agenda for each chapter’s meeting by going to the Scribblers Christian Writers Website at www.scribblersweb.com. Select Events - Scribblers Christian Writers Group (Events - Scribblers Christian Writers Group ) and then scroll to the AGENDA tab. When you click the tab it will export the agenda to a word document for you to print out.

We look forward to seeing you at one of the upcoming in-person or Virtual-ZOOM meetings.

PS – Calling all authors working on new material. If you would like to present a selection of your work at any of the in-person or virtual meetings please contact the respective Chapter Leader listed above, and let them know you wish to be a part of The Critics Corner aka “The Inklings Moment” Here are the requirements:

1) A selection of up to three pages, double spaced sent to the chapter leader at least 1 week before the meeting, so they can distribute/make copies for all attendees.

Congratulations To Dean Hesse!

Congratulations To Dean Hesse – Husband of Lynn Hesse – Snellville GA Scribblers Chapter.

"Atlanta Press club 2022 Award of Excellence Photo Essay"

You can contribute to the Newsletter!

Do you have a topic you would like to cover in the Newsletter? Do you have a book you will be releasing soon? Do you have an event you would like to report on? Please send your contributions to Charles de Andrade at scribblersweb@earthlink.net by the 20th of the month to be considered for the next newsletter.

If you'd like to be removed from receiving the newsletter, please reply to this e-mail with "Remove" in the subject line, and we will remove you from the list to receive future newsletters.