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Weekly Ramble #167

Lee Hall 2 Comments

Sometimes an extended rest is all the mind needs. Although I love being busy, it can be nice to take ten days away and spend it with my significant other. Escape equals recharge sometimes and now I am back with batteries that are full.

My intentions this year are fewfold – from querying my forever dream book to outside writing day job aspirations to even directing another show. I’ve got my work cut out and I’m so ready. 2022 was a long and labouring year which took a lot from me. A huge priority has been to get my mental health back up to scratch and now after some time away and reflection my anxiety has seemingly drained and now I must strive to keep myself in better shape both physically and mentally. These ramble posts serve as a diary and a also to-do list. Hopefully by 2023’s final one, I will be reflecting on some successes.

As I pick up where I left of just some weeks ago, I cannot help but look back on my short break away with fond memories. A huge shout-out the wonderful Island of Saint Lucia. What a fantastic place!

Recent Reviews

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Book Reviews mean everything to authors, they help us grow and provide some all-important feedback that may even possibly shape our future works.

While being published may be a hobby for me, I still take it seriously and have aspirations of one day making it more. I appreciate every review I receive from my wonderful readers who have paved this author path for me.

Here is some recent praise for 3 of my works!

You can find out more about all of my books here.

Weekly Ramble #165

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Pursuing dreams matters to me. Pursuing things that make me happy also matters. Writing and telling stories has been something I’ve dreamt of doing longer than pretty much anything else so when I do write, it makes me happy. Above everything, doing things in life that make you happy matters the most.

As I am just about to finish drafting my latest writing project, I cannot help but feel pride for enduring and finding everything I can to nearly complete the journey. To me, every project is different but everything required to finish it always feels the same – there are struggles in some capacity every time and it is up to the story teller to overcome them. My inspirations come from many different corners of life and I do my best to express them in the words I lay out. Of course the editing process takes us away from the original intentions sometimes but that process is nearly always necessary to create a polished finished product.

This project in particular is a stage play that will be performed within a year – a very special outlet I am lucky to have. Guess I better get to finishing it…

‘Fire at Her Fingertips’ by Rebecca Crunden – Review

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‘You know it’s better to lie. To keep the fire for yourself.’

Rebecca Crunden delivers a powerful tale with deep meaning that immerses readers from the start.

For a shorter read it doesn’t hold back with a writing style that uses every word to create the sense of an enduring journey to finding belonging and home. There is a lot of symbolism and metaphor here paired with poetic writing that displays Crunden’s strengths as an immersive story teller while also carrying an important message. Fire is a force that carries a mystique and power which is embraced here. Its also okay to be different because eventually you’ll find others to accept you for who you are.

Shorter reads like this deserve praise because they may only whisk the reader away for a short time but that important message within will stick around for much longer.

5 Stars

Reflections of a Writer-Director

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And so the curtains fall on what has been an arduous but rewarding journey. It has taken an incredible amount of effort by so many to create a show that reflects hard work by those who shared my vision.

The Iver Heath Drama Club has spent over 70 years presenting shows to the local community and is a place where all are welcome – from audience to stage or technical and even the massive efforts of those behind the scenes. Having been a part of this fantastic drama club for over twelve years I’ve always felt valued and accepted by them. My writing journey has always been embraced by IHDC and their encouragement is a major factor in why I’m still writing. Their unique approach to accepting and including everyone is so important and something the club must always fight for. Community based theatre is a staple of providing entertainment and escape for everyone in the local community and IHDC does that very well.

For their latest pantomime effort I proudly took on the prestigious role of director, my first foray into managing a full-length show and a view that I’ll never forget. To see those words I’ve written performed by so many talented people will stay with me for a long time. Having already been the resident panto writer for some years this occasion the whole thing rested upon my shoulders representing a new type of pressure and of course pride for the journey. But like I said, I was not alone and I don’t really consider myself a director but IHDC made me feel like one and they took my vision and converted it into the bright colourful lights of theatre.

Audiences, performers and crew all went home happy which was my number one objective in all of this.

Successful shows are fostered by work and dedication along with the collaboration of so many talented folks who I am proud to call my friends. We did an incredible job together and so for now let us all retire to the green room.

Like always, the writing continues as I have already penned the first half of my next pantomime and IHDC will be going forth into their next production. With a number of scripts now written we will also be looking towards officially opening our very own script store. We have already had one customer in the form of another wonderful drama group who presented my adaptation of Rapunzel to great success!

You can find more information about IHDC via their Facebook Page.

10 Years on Twitter: A Reflection

Lee Hall 3 Comments

10 years ago I started my Twitter journey. Back then, I’d only really dreamed of having the numbers I have now as well as so many other cool things.

‘Join Twitter, build a following and share your writing with them…’

That statement is the narrow version of advice I found at the time and well, nothing worthwhile in this life is really simple or easy.

The truth is, I spent many years on Twitter not really knowing what I was doing or what I needed to do in order to reach people and grow. Everyone’s Twitter experience is unique to them and perhaps that’s what makes it special. You get back what you put in and social media is still quite a new concept viewed by many in a negative light but as someone who has spent an extended time on Twitter, good things can be found. That void you find yourself shouting into does eventually answer back because I am proof of that concept. In 2020 my following had crept to a moderate 3,000 or so followers. A year later it was 20,000 and during that time something happened, not just in the world but in my world because all I did was spend more time on the platform and with every tweet or interaction I learned. In my mind I marked what worked and what didn’t time and time again. Eventually and after that time, the needle began to turn and then eventually bend in my favor. People, good people began to notice me simply because I worked on my presence and what those people responded to.

Conversational tact and manners are all anyone needs to succeed on Twitter. You don’t need a gimmick or an act, you just need to be genuine and I say that from experience because for all the things social media is viewed as, most people look to it for an escape or to find others who are like them and if you do conduct yourself in a pleasant way, good things will eventually happen.

I couldn’t possibly sum up all of my experience on Twitter in just a blog post and those who do know me will also be aware of my many resources that delve deep into the intricacies of how to find success on the platform. While that success may be in the eye of the beholder, through my time on Twitter I have learned to reach people, keep people interested and even persuade them to buy my books and invest in me.

Of course I have returned that with my own support and as long as you can appear genuine in a sometimes volatile world online, you cannot be beaten. Supporting others is important to me and always will be.

You can find my best Twitter resources here.

Five Ways to Find Success on Patreon

Lee Hall

The subscription service, something that’s very much on trend these days and Patreon basically provides hosting for independent creatives to put together their own. Whether you are a writer, artist, video game reviewer or pretty much any other content driven creator with something to offer – you can put that content behind a paid subscription wall and start earning money but…

Simply saying that is a narrow version of a much wider picture because like most ventures, even ones on trend take work to reach some level of success. Just what does that success look like? And how do you get there?

Well, for me. I feel my content has some value and alongside a growing social media following, the time for me to launch a Patreon (back in 2021) was right. After quite some time now, I am proud to say that I’ve got several Patrons who regularly view my content and probably the most wonderful thing about that is, I’ve only had one person unsubscribe since launch.

This guide lays out what I have learned as a Patreon creator while convincing Patrons to invest in and stick by me. The following five ways aren’t in a particular order as they go hand in hand. Let’s dive in…

One: Exclusive is key…

Being a content creator online is a huge umbrella of different things but if you have something unique in what you create and can offer it exclusively on Patreon, you’ll generate some interest eventually.

This year I launched my Twitter Coaching Sessions which is basically me narrating to my Patrons all of the things I have learned over the years on Twitter. You cannot find this audio stuff by me anywhere else online.

Since then I have also extended that exclusive audio content into book narrations and even further guides or messages to my Patrons.

This stuff is also in the same neighbourhood as much of the guides I am known for in blogging and on social media. You can read a lot of my free guides on this blog, but I’ll always say to my audience that the better stuff is on Patreon and Patrons want to know they are getting something for their subscription.

Two: Two Tiers sells One Tier…

Talking of subscription, for most of my tenure on Patreon, I kept to a single low price Tier but being experienced with pricing from publishing books, I know that a slightly higher price can be a good tactic to sometimes drive sales. It can also drive sales for lower priced books on my backlist.

Using that theory, I launched a higher priced tier to try and get more lower priced Patrons. Upon launch, one of my existing Patrons immediately switched to the higher price and I even attracted another Patron for that higher tier as well as eventually getting more lower tier Patrons.

Having variety in price works to capture more Patrons on a side by side basis.  

Three: External Rewards Really Help…

Both tiers on my Patreon offer something in return for signing up and to me its important to give an impression that patrons will be getting a little more and then giving them more.

From a Twitter shout-out to a free digital copy of my guide book, these external rewards also attract the attention of others so they kind of work as indirect advertising – especially the regular shout-outs.

If you can think of something to give others which has some value, it will hopefully work to attract and then keep patrons.

Four: Regular Content over time is your friend

After launch, I began to regularly release content for the next few months. This gained just a couple of patrons in that time and then I kind of ran out of ideas…

Six months later I decided to re-launch with a brand new idea for exclusive content. That idea now represents 19 Twitter Coaching sessions and much more. Running point with that content is the regular influx of new patrons and patrons who have stayed. Since re-thinking and re-launching I have churned out content every month, so if you can think of content that has scope to be a series or regularly released, it will help.

Alongside the regular content, time is your friend because starting out can be hard on Patreon, and the more content you have, the more lucrative it will appear for potential patrons. A few month’s of exclusive posts is way better than just a handful. That re-launch month I put out nine different posts which gave potential patrons plenty of choice. Now I tend to release something at least every week/ten days. This frequency hasn’t let me down yet.

Five: The odd freebie helps…

Having exclusive content behind a paywall is great, but littered amongst my content is the odd freebie that aims to attract newer faces. Some of my Twitter coaching sessions are free for all to listen and this works quite well to give potential patrons a taster of what they could be investing in if they do sign up.

Many of my other guides premiere over on Patreon and will then later release on my blog with the original post linked.

I have even released a short snippet of a book narration for free and put the longer version behind the pay wall.

Bonus: Pick your moments on social media…

Now it might be easy to say that I’ve got thousands of followers on Twitter so surely that means its easy for me to attract patrons right?

Well, actually its been quite difficult because like a lot of platforms they tend to limit the reach of certain posts/subjects. Sharing anything Patreon based on Twitter hasn’t really done particularly well in terms of visibility for me. There is a lot to unpack with this subject but I have managed to attract people from Twitter to my Patreon but in a certain way.

We all want to shout about our content and tell the world we’ve got a Patreon, and I did that to begin with. Now I pick my moments on social media and share my content on occasion. Picking the right time is kind of dependent on your own circumstances but I’ll just say, less is more.

You’ll find my Patreon link in the bio of my Twitter profile and so whenever any traffic comes to my profile, its one of the first things someone will see. Sometimes just working on attracting others to my profile will naturally drive traffic to that link in the bio.

Overall my Patreon journey has been incredibly rewarding and to have loyal patrons paying their hard earned money to access my exclusive content is a dream come true, it is also really motivating so I’m going to carry on. I’ve got plenty of ideas for exclusive stuff and of course you’ll find it right here.

If you are thinking of starting your own Patreon journey my advice is simple, make sure you have a stack of content at the ready and keep creating.

You can find my Patreon here and it is stacked full of resources for creatives who want to get better results on Twitter, publishing, and so much more. There is even a full length sci-fi western novella.

Happy New Year – Discounted Paperback Alert!

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Followers old and new, I wish you all a happy new year. May your 2023 be productive, healthy, happy and full of awesome things.

Talking of awesome things, I’m beginning my year with a one-off exclusive discount promotion of my guide book Consistent Creative Content.

For a very limited time you can grab this awesome guide book for half price in paperback. It is usually $12.95 but right now it is $6.95! (prices based on Amazon US and may vary depending on territory/currency)

This book is packed full of guides, methods and advice for any online creative looking to grow or sell their content. From being an author and selling books regularly to blogging and growing a following or even those who want to get more out of social media. This book lays out everything I have learned and is full of stuff I still use today to grow.

In recent times I’ve reached 40,000 Twitter followers and even crossed $1000 in book royalties for last year. How I got there is explained in-depth in Consistent Creative Content.

Start your year strong with the best possible chance at author/blogger/social media success for half price!

You can grab yourself a copy here!

Weekly Ramble #162

Lee Hall 2 Comments

And so with the final days of a difficult year comes the opportunity for reflection. For everything that has happened this year, 2022 – the year of good, bad and indifferent, it certainly has kept me jumping through hoops but it also represents an enduring journey of ultimately decent outcomes.

This journey as an online creative in the social media age has been rewarding as well as frustrating on occasion but much like life, these things eventually balance themselves out. The constant has been me, a person who has never given up and has taken every opportunity to learn while keeping everything going. On that path I might have found you, wonderful reader and maybe a fellow creative, our type should stick by one another, creativity is better for it.

Let me be proof to anyone out there who is struggling to be seen or get read or even find sales because good things like that are possible for anyone. I’ve found them but it has taken me years to get to where I am today and those years have been well-spent laying the ground for what is to come. Sometimes you’ve just got trust the process and believe in yourself. Through the dark and the light, be the constant, the variables will come and go but you are what matters the most.

As for me, I’m doing fine. 2022 has taught me a lot of things and above all, never giving up matters the most.

Top Guides of 2022

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2022 has been a year of learning for me. From selling books way more regularly to hitting big-time milestones on Twitter. I’m a big believer in passing on the stuff I have learned and so here are my Top guides of 2022…

From the book basics, the everyday stuff to even selling related solutions, this guide lays out how to sell books on social media.

Twitter is the engine room of my online presence and book selling. The concept of treating it like a bar has helped me find thousands of followers. This bar analogy guide lays it all out…

Continuing with the Twitter theme and introducing my best guide based content about the platform is my Twitter Coaching Sessions. These Patreon exclusive audio sessions which are now nearly 20 episodes strong lay out in detail my Twitter experiences.

BookBub has been a hot button topic for me in recent years. Especially after my second featured deal resulted in 10,000+ book downloads in a single day. Somehow this year I managed to secure a deal for my debut novel Open Evening which paved the way for my wider Order of the Following Series to find more success than it has ever had!

As an indie author, I am always conscious of trying my best to get more reviews for my works. Most of us who are published will know the struggle we face with finding them so here are 5 ways to get more…

Thanks for reading! You can find a lot more guides via the resources section.

Check out my Patreon for the exclusive stuff!