Hello
This is it. It's the third and last day of my 3 day FREE promotion for This Family Life and This Twentysomething Life. It's been brilliant because it reminds me what a lovely bunch of people writers are. I've had so much support, kind words, and messages from other writers that regardless of how the book does, it's been very worthwhile.
So on the eve of day three This Family Life is sitting at number 27 in the charts. Before I started the free promo I hoped it would get in the top 100. It sounds funny because I'm giving away a free book, you'd think it would be pretty easy to do well. The truth is, authors spend a lot of time, and some money, promoting their free books. It's super competitive. I did spend some time promoting This Family Life, and being a published author helps, but still it's more difficult than you'd imagine.
What do I hope happens tomorrow. Well, I'd love to get to number one, obviously, but if I sneak into the top ten I'd be over the moon. It's been a great three days and I hope a lot of people have downloaded the books and I really hope they enjoy them because that's the whole point of this. I wanted to reach an audience and give people the chance to get my books for free. So if you've downloaded either book, I hope you love them, and please let me know what you think or write a review on Amazon.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that's supported me and done their best to help promote the book. I really appreciate it.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Hello
So it's day two of my free Kindle promo for This Family Life & This Twentysomething Life, and they're both sitting pretty in the free charts on Amazon. This Family Life is at number 32 and Twentysomething is at 475. I haven't done as much promotion for Twentysomething so that's to be expected. OK, so day two and it's time to hit you hard with a list. Yes, that's right, a list!
So it's day two of my free Kindle promo for This Family Life & This Twentysomething Life, and they're both sitting pretty in the free charts on Amazon. This Family Life is at number 32 and Twentysomething is at 475. I haven't done as much promotion for Twentysomething so that's to be expected. OK, so day two and it's time to hit you hard with a list. Yes, that's right, a list!
Reason why you should download This Family Life & This Twentysomething Life
1. Hello, they're literally FREE! OK, this is the obvious one, but it's pretty persuasive. Just click a button and they're yours!
2. This Family Life is the sequel to the top 10 Kindle best seller This Thirtysomething Life, which was published by Hodder & Stoughton and sold 60,000 copies!
3. They're funny and we all need a bit of laughter in our lives. I know comedy is very subjective, but (and obviously I'm making this up but it's probably about right) 90% of people find these books hilarious. I can't guarantee you'll laugh because, well, you might have a very different sense of humour to me, but hopefully at the worse you'll find them mildly amusing.
4. They're more than just funny. The books are written in diary form and follow the life of Londoner and thirtysomething man Harry Spencer, as he struggles to deal with becoming a husband and father. I hope the books are a true reflection of the sort of struggles a lot of men have. It's covers subjects like family, parenthood, love, marriage, friendship, and even death. It's a modern book about life.
5. It's been called 'Bridget Jones with balls..literally!' This is a quote from a book blogger and I don't think it's that far away.
6. This Twentysomething Life is the short story prequel I wrote for This Thirtysomething Life. After talking with my editor at Hodder and my agent, we thought it would be fun to write a short story about why Harry started writing a diary. It's set on the verge of Harry's marriage to Emily, and hopefully it's a short but fun and heart warming introduction to the series.
7. If you like Mike Gayle, Matt Dunn, Nick Spalding, and Bridget Jones you'll love this.
8. They're aren't that long, so if you don't read much or don't have the time, these books will fly by!
9. There aren't many books about parenthood from a man's perspective and it might just surprise you.
10. OK, lastly, number ten, I write from experience. I have two children (5 & 3) and I actually stayed at home while my wife went to work. Most of what I write about comes from my own life and experiences, so all the comedy, the drama, the little insights, have come in most part from my own life. They say write about what you know...and I did. I think this gives the books an incredible honesty and hopefully makes the humour and the drama even more real and poignant.
So that's it. I'll blog again tomorrow for the last day of the free promo. I hope you download the books and I really hope you enjoy them. If you do please get in touch and let me know what you think.
Until next time,
Hugs,
Jon X
Monday, February 2, 2015
Hello
Free Kindle promotion day one: I literally have no idea what to expect. The last time I did this with This Thirtysomething Life, I was younger, leaner, unpublished, didn't have an agent, although much like now, I had no idea what to expect either. I actually did it on a whim and didn't do any promotion other than Twitter and Facebook, and yet somehow, it got to number one on the free charts.
I like to think it was just the quality of the book, word of mouth, but in reality it was probably just bloody good luck. This Thirtysomething Life is a good book, at least the 291 people who have given it five stars on Amazon think so. There's also the 201 four star reviews too. But the thing is, I've seen plenty of brilliant books not do so well. It's a bloody lottery, so sitting here on the verge of day one of my free Kindle promotion, I'm feeling a tad nervous.
So, anyway, if you haven't read the book and somehow ended up on this blog and have no idea who I am or what I'm waffling on about, here's the synopsis for This Family Life, which is free for the next 3 days on Amazon around the world!
Things that might happen during your first year of parenthood:
1. You’ll get covered in a ‘nuclear’ poo.
2. You’ll be convinced your son is talking with a Japanese accent.
3. You’ll worry that when your son waves, it looks like a Nazi salute.
Of course, this might just be Harry Spencer.
Taking up where 'This Thirtysomething Life' left off, Harry Spencer and is wife Emily are back and trying to survive their first year of parenthood. It has its ups and downs (and a few bits in the middle), but along the way they begin to understand the true meaning of family and what it takes to be a parent.
Featuring a hilarious cast of extras including Harry’s father-in-law Derek, who has a unique problem with Scotch, Steve and Fiona, the parents from children’s entertainment hell, and a yoga instructor with a prominent camel-toe, 'This Family Life' is the ultimate comedy for anyone who is a parent, has a parent, or is thinking about becoming one.
This Family Life is a book I love because it's the sequel to the book that made me a 'proper' published author. If you haven't read it and want something honest, funny, contemporary, about men, women, marriage, parenthood, sex, love, and relationships, then please give it a go. I mean it's free, if you don't like it, all you have to do is press delete. Admittedly every time someone does that a piece of my heart breaks, but apart from that it's all just harmless fun.
Tomorrow I'll bring you all the first day news. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you'll probably be seeing a lot of me over the next couple of days - for which I apologise in advance.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
Free Kindle promotion day one: I literally have no idea what to expect. The last time I did this with This Thirtysomething Life, I was younger, leaner, unpublished, didn't have an agent, although much like now, I had no idea what to expect either. I actually did it on a whim and didn't do any promotion other than Twitter and Facebook, and yet somehow, it got to number one on the free charts.
I like to think it was just the quality of the book, word of mouth, but in reality it was probably just bloody good luck. This Thirtysomething Life is a good book, at least the 291 people who have given it five stars on Amazon think so. There's also the 201 four star reviews too. But the thing is, I've seen plenty of brilliant books not do so well. It's a bloody lottery, so sitting here on the verge of day one of my free Kindle promotion, I'm feeling a tad nervous.
So, anyway, if you haven't read the book and somehow ended up on this blog and have no idea who I am or what I'm waffling on about, here's the synopsis for This Family Life, which is free for the next 3 days on Amazon around the world!
Things that might happen during your first year of parenthood:
1. You’ll get covered in a ‘nuclear’ poo.
2. You’ll be convinced your son is talking with a Japanese accent.
3. You’ll worry that when your son waves, it looks like a Nazi salute.
Of course, this might just be Harry Spencer.
Taking up where 'This Thirtysomething Life' left off, Harry Spencer and is wife Emily are back and trying to survive their first year of parenthood. It has its ups and downs (and a few bits in the middle), but along the way they begin to understand the true meaning of family and what it takes to be a parent.
Featuring a hilarious cast of extras including Harry’s father-in-law Derek, who has a unique problem with Scotch, Steve and Fiona, the parents from children’s entertainment hell, and a yoga instructor with a prominent camel-toe, 'This Family Life' is the ultimate comedy for anyone who is a parent, has a parent, or is thinking about becoming one.
This Family Life is a book I love because it's the sequel to the book that made me a 'proper' published author. If you haven't read it and want something honest, funny, contemporary, about men, women, marriage, parenthood, sex, love, and relationships, then please give it a go. I mean it's free, if you don't like it, all you have to do is press delete. Admittedly every time someone does that a piece of my heart breaks, but apart from that it's all just harmless fun.
Tomorrow I'll bring you all the first day news. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you'll probably be seeing a lot of me over the next couple of days - for which I apologise in advance.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Hello!
So it's a big week for me. Firstly, we moved into our new house in Hove. We literally have a living room full of flat pack furniture boxes. It's ridiculous. We've spent enough money to cover a small European country for a few months and yet we still need more stuff. Moving to a new country and starting from scratch is a time consuming and expensive business.
Secondly, I'm waiting to hear whether my new book is going to be picked up by my dream editor and so obviously I'm on edge. I don't do well waiting for big news - just ask my wife. Lastly, I'm doing a very exciting promotion this week and I'm hoping it goes well. From Tuesday for three days I'm selling This Family Life and This Twentysomething Life for FREE! I know, it's bonkers.
I haven't done a free promotion since This Thirtysomething Life went to number 1 in the free charts and then eventually number 7 in the paid charts. The free promotion I did back in 2012 is the only reason I got a book deal, have an agent, and now call England home again. If I hadn't done it and done so well, my life would have been completely different. Obviously I don't expect this to be exactly the same, but I'm excited to do it again.
My dream week involves getting a new publisher, having This Family Life or This Twentysomething Life go to number 1 in the free chart, and getting rid of all the flat pack boxes in our living room. My worst week is not getting a book deal, my free books barely sneaking into the top 1000, and I'm still living with the boxes. I've always been a dreamer and I've always been a positive thinker so let's go for my dream week. Why not, eh?
So you'll probably be seeing me a lot on Facebook and Twitter this week pushing the free books and I'm planning on writing a blog for each day of the free promo. You might even see me at a recycle centre near you (as long as you live in Hove) chucking some boxes away.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
So it's a big week for me. Firstly, we moved into our new house in Hove. We literally have a living room full of flat pack furniture boxes. It's ridiculous. We've spent enough money to cover a small European country for a few months and yet we still need more stuff. Moving to a new country and starting from scratch is a time consuming and expensive business.
Secondly, I'm waiting to hear whether my new book is going to be picked up by my dream editor and so obviously I'm on edge. I don't do well waiting for big news - just ask my wife. Lastly, I'm doing a very exciting promotion this week and I'm hoping it goes well. From Tuesday for three days I'm selling This Family Life and This Twentysomething Life for FREE! I know, it's bonkers.
I haven't done a free promotion since This Thirtysomething Life went to number 1 in the free charts and then eventually number 7 in the paid charts. The free promotion I did back in 2012 is the only reason I got a book deal, have an agent, and now call England home again. If I hadn't done it and done so well, my life would have been completely different. Obviously I don't expect this to be exactly the same, but I'm excited to do it again.
My dream week involves getting a new publisher, having This Family Life or This Twentysomething Life go to number 1 in the free chart, and getting rid of all the flat pack boxes in our living room. My worst week is not getting a book deal, my free books barely sneaking into the top 1000, and I'm still living with the boxes. I've always been a dreamer and I've always been a positive thinker so let's go for my dream week. Why not, eh?
So you'll probably be seeing me a lot on Facebook and Twitter this week pushing the free books and I'm planning on writing a blog for each day of the free promo. You might even see me at a recycle centre near you (as long as you live in Hove) chucking some boxes away.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
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