🛼 Roller Hockey in the Alps, Taking Advertising Risks, and the "Fluff" Dilemma
The World Cup has officially started, and for me; and probably a lot of British and European fans, it just doesn't quite feel right this time around.
Usually, a World Cup summer means weekend BBQs, watching the matches with friends and family, and soaking in the atmosphere. Because of the time zones, the schedules are all over the place. I know when tournaments are hosted in Europe, fans elsewhere in the world have to endure ridiculous hours, Scottish fans are having to wait until two in the morning for some games! England kicks off at 9:00 PM tonight, but I just find it hard to get into the proper tournament spirit when the timings are this disjointed.
In fact, as you read this on Wednesday, my son and I are catching a train down to London, then heading to a hotel at Gatwick. We’ve got a brutal 7:05 AM flight to Zurich, Switzerland tomorrow morning. He’s playing in an international roller hockey tournament—the Alpine Cup—which runs from Thursday to Sunday, with matches lined up against Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
I’m stepping up as assistant coach for the trip. Because our squad has to meet at 5:00 AM sharp, I need to be up by 4:00 AM. So, despite that 9:00 PM England kickoff tonight, I think I’ll be skipping the match in favour of some much-needed sleep!
🎲 Taking Real Risks with Marketing
While we are away, there is going to be a lot of downtime in Switzerland. Between matches, I'm planning to catch up on some reading and seriously plot out my next move for marketing.
I’ve come to a realization: I need to start taking some actual risks with advertising my books. I need to invest real money and stop just hoping that readers will magically stumble across my work. To make your dreams happen, you have to take a gamble.
Up until now, the money I’ve spent on Amazon Ads has been negligible. Spending £2 a day is about £60 a month—that’s the equivalent of a casual night out at the cinema. There’s practically zero risk involved because it’s just my spare monthly spending money. I would love to sell more books; it doesn't need to become my primary income, but turning a consistent monthly profit would be a start.
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to investigate how to scale up. Do I hire a dedicated company to manage my Amazon Ads? Do I branch out into Facebook Ads, Goodreads, or a BookBub Featured Deal? These are the massive questions I need to consider.
📚 The Word Count Dilemma: Substance over Fluff
Part of my plan for this year was to release two books. An American Treasure is officially out in the world, and while Book 3 is technically finished, I feel it still needs more work. As I’ve mentioned before, the word count is a bit on the short side.
The struggle for any writer is ensuring that whatever you add introduces genuine substance to the storyline rather than diluting it. It is never worth adding chapters just for the sake of making a book look thicker on a shelf. An American Treasure is over 96,000 words long, but it earned every single page—every chapter was vital to the plot. If I just pad out Book 3 with generic filler chapters, it will put people off. A great 5-star story can easily plummet to a 3-star read if you choke it with drivel.
My plan now is to get the draft out to my ARC readers (Beta readers, for my American friends). Hopefully, fresh eyes will tell me if a specific scene or character needs deeper explanation. That’s usually where you can discover a missing 10,000 words organically.
🎙️ Learning from the Audio Edit
I’ve also been working on and off with the Spoken audiobook software I mentioned last week. Listening to my own words narrated in different voices has completely changed how I look at editing. I honestly wish I had listened to Book 1 read aloud before I published it. It’s not that it’s full of mistakes, but hearing the dialogue spoken realistically makes you realize how you could have tweaked the conversations to sound more authentic. It’s a brilliant tool for future-proofing my writing, but I suppose that’s the beauty of hindsight.
🤯 The Social Media Minefield
Finally, there's the ongoing battle with social media. Lately, my follower count goes up, but when I check the profiles, they are always "Book Marketing Experts" looking for my money, rather than actual readers.
The experts tell you not to make your page look like a continuous commercial. They say you need to give people more; share book tropes, character aesthetics, and your own personality. They say it needs to be more than just shouting "BUY MY BOOK!"
But how on earth do people actually do this? I’m 47 years old. I’m computer savvy, and I can design great social media pictures, but what do you actually put in them? How do people generate daily content? How many times a day should you post? What time of day?
I have a full-time job, a wife, a dog, children, and grandchildren. I coach three nights a week and travel for roller hockey at the weekends. I simply do not have the hours in the day to play the social media game. Liking, commenting, replying, and networking constantly. This blog is the only consistent marketing piece I have, simply because it’s a direct outlet for my raw thoughts. For me, blogging is simple; it’s no different to writing a book. Social media, however, is a whole new ball game.
💬 Let’s Put It to a Vote
I’m standing at a major crossroads, and I'd love your input. What should I tackle first when I get back from the Alps?
- Focus 100% on expanding and polishing Book 3.
- Commit the time and budget to turn An Irish Mystery into a full audiobook.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
📚 What I’m Reading...
(Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Supporting indie authors helps the whole community thrive!)
At the moment I am not reading anything. I am just about to go away for a few days and am undecided what to take on the plane. I have a few books on the bookcase. A few Clive Cussler books, or I have over 50 books on my google books account. Next week I will let you know what I picked up.
Enjoyed the ride? 📖
I balance my writing life with a full-time day job, which means covers, research, and advertising all come out of my own pocket. If you’d like to see these books reach more readers—and help me stay caffeinated while I write them—you can support my work here. Your help keeps the "Stream" flowing and the books coming.
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📚 The Newman Adventures
An Irish Mystery A fast-paced historical adventure about stolen treasures, hidden histories, and the cost of obsession. The story that started it all.
An American Treasure The journey continues! Cedric Newman returns in a high-stakes hunt for the lost riches of Mosby's Rangers. Action, mystery, and a new enemy await.
Available in Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback & Hardcover
📱 Let’s Connect
You can also find me on Instagram, Bluesky, X, and Facebook, where I share writing updates, research snippets, and behind-the-scenes moments from the school building and the writing desk.
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