Celebrity Status?

Almost everyone these days has a Facebook page; I now have two.

First, there's my own, with the usual assortment of family and friends... But now, there's another one, my "public figure" page as an author.

Not what I was expecting when I started my little experiment in self-publishing, which began with the release of Seven Lives to Repay Our Country, and will presently be continued with a new historical fiction short story (this one set in World War One).

However, if you're following me here, (or even just visiting) I'd cordially invite you to quickly pop over to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Edward-H-Carpenter/277473955631214 and become a fan!

And for those of you who are authors, if you haven't created your "public figure" page on Facebook, you might consider doing so as a method to (a) gain publicity for your work, and (b) develop a degree of separation between your personal and professional life.

That's my perspective, but of course I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on the topic.

Best always,

Edward

Blog Hopping...

You learn a great deal about promotion as a newly self-published author. There are a lot of modern methods being used, and I'm slowly figuring them out, often with a bit of trial-and-error. It's been an interesting enough experience that I'm actually writing a book on the topic to help others navigate the path from publication through promotion more easily, but that's a topic for another time!

Here, I'd like to thank Sharon over at Beck Valley Books for introducing me to the concept of "blog-hopping", where authors and readers are encouraged to visit writing-related blogs, follow them, and post comments.

This is my second week doing Sharon's blog hop, and although I'm a bit limited for time (what with moving out of my apartment, packing for my upcoming trip across Indonesia, etc) I still have enjoyed checking out a few other pages, and have already got several new followers out of the process.

If you're an author, I recommend this as a way to get your works out in front of more readers - if you're a reader, it's a great way to discover new authors!

Happy hopping!

Edward

Movin' On Up!

Just a note to let all and sundry know that my "author's blog" has moved to a new location (http://read-write-listen.blogspot.com) but that my thoughts on books and writing should still appear via RSS on my Goodreads Author Page, and on my Book Blogs page (look for the RSS feed on the left-hand sidebar.)

Stay tuned for my various ramblings on reading, and writing, and please feel free to ask questions or post comments (that's how I can do my "listening.")

That said, it's a month of moving - I'm changing neighborhoods in Jakarta, whilst simultaneously preparing to do a range of travel that will definitely take me from the jungles of Sumatra to the seas off Sulawesi, and may see me visit Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Australia before the end of January. So, if my posts are somewhat infrequent over the holidays, well, that's why!

Best to all!

Edward