Medications, and How They Can . . .

With age comes wisdom, an extra layer of fat you wish would go away, the
occasional bout of constipation, and medications to screw with one’s head. I went
off my old diuretic, separate of my high blood pressure pill, and off my high blood
pressure pill, in favor of just one pill. One pill to do the work of two pills, without
either ingredient screwing with my potassium level.

Today is day four with my new medication, and I managed one full page this last
week on Baby Makes Three, and two blog posts over at Rip’s Picks. This is my
third blog post.

I’m not making any excuses, but telling you like it is. Life can and does get in the
way.

Right now, my books are taking a back seat to what life for me is. I can’t
effectively concentrate, and I still need to get more products up over at Rip’s
Picks, the one place that makes all of this possible. I did take most of yesterday
off, and loved it.

Physically, I’m just now getting back into my exercise routine. It’s like starting
over, in some respects. Twenty-five reps of everything, instead of a hundred reps.
It takes time to get up to speed.

I’ll post again in a few days.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, show
your appreciation and buy me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote,
leave a comment, or just buy a book. Read me for free (15 of my books, out of 16
published) through your KindleUnlimited subscription.

Here’s How I See It

You can do things like everybody else, but that guarantees not one fucking thing.
Or, you can do things your own damn way.

Life is too short to continuously pound your head against any wall for too long,
and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.

Instead of following the crowds, I write the books I want to read, and I like them. I
have original ideas, not three pages go by without some action or a revelation, and
I don’t find myself boring. Reviews, real reader reviews, when I get them, say I’m
doing a great job. Real reader reviews are also freaking hard to get, yet my ratio is
still one out of ten readers leaves a review. Damn good, considering.

The only problem I’ve discovered to date is, I can’t pay to play. I don’t have the
marketing dollars. Even if I had the cash, I couldn’t get in the biggest book-
marketing newsletters because of my lack of reviews. That translates into: I don’t
exist.

Top sellers spend an average of $1500 each and every month to stay at the top of
the charts, and that’s what I live on for two months, and that’s not counting my
food stamps.

My money can do more for me in other ways. Why spend it on book marketing
that does little or nothing? There are other ways of telling people you exist.

That’s the direction I’m going. I want to be where ordinary people are. What I can
do for myself to find these ordinary readers.

I like what I’m doing now. I stopped worrying about the pay-to-play world of
book marketing. I don’t offer freebies. I don’t do anything like I’m supposed to,
and I sold more books in the last week than I did in the last six months.

So, I’m going to continue with being me. Chapter nine of Baby Makes Three
needs to be completed, and it will take a few days. It might take a week. That’s
right, five pages might take a week, but I’ll know they’re good pages.

Warrior, I’ve decided to keep going with that book, however, I’m going to do it in
the second person Point Of View, past tense. You, instead of I (first person POV),
or he or she (third person POV). I can get darker that way.

That’s it.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, show
your appreciation and buy me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote,
leave a comment, or just buy a book. Read me for free (15 of my books out of 16
published) through your KindleUnlimited subscription.
 

And . . .

. . . I made a new blog for store, showcased the products, provided active links,
and it took some time. Most of that time was deciding on what and how. I decided
to fight. I can’t give up. I can’t feel sorry for myself, either. I’m too damn old for
that. Bullies have to knocked down, again and again, if that’s what it takes.

I still have to run through my checklist, see what I missed, what else I need to do,
and keep on, keeping on.

In the meantime, become a follower, show your appreciation and buy me a cup of
coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote, leave a comment, or just buy a book. Read
me for free through your KindleUnlimited subscription.

Once Again . . .

. . . I found myself having to roll with the punches. I also found that my first
Facebook password had been changed (and not by me), and had to reset it with a
stronger password. That was two weeks ago. The Facebook ban was temporary,
but the need to set up a FB business page was pointed out to me, and that’s what
I’ll have to do. My other blog (Rip’s Picks) was deleted (today, actually), no
reason given. It just isn’t there anymore, and I’m not going to fight that.

First FB, and now the old blog. What’s next?

I’m not going to fight, I’m going to change. Wipe out every trace of the old me. I
might even have to wipe out this me to become yet another new me. Do it now
before I gain real traction.

The picker side of me will need a new home geared toward that business,
everywhere I want to be. That means starting from scratch on Twitter, and other
social networking sites. I may even have to start a new store. I did close the old
store. I delivered the coffee set to a friend, so I know that sale was for real.

I deleted all the products before someone takes advantage of the cart, and then
ruins me with false claims or bad word of mouth. I can’t take the chance. Someone
out there wants to hurt me, and it’s probably someone I know. I’m not the first
person this has ever happened to, and won’t be the last. What a shame.

So, things that were once in the back of my mind when I discovered my password
had been changed, have come to the forefront. Nothing is ever as easy as you want
it.

I am sorry, though. I had a lot of great information to share, was sharing what I
thought was helpful to all readers, and not just writers, and now it’s over before I
even began.

Ask Yourself . . .

That’s right, ask yourself what I’m doing here, why I’m doing it, and how, and
then ask yourself why you come here to read each post. I’m taking little or
nothing, and I’m making something of it that works. I think you come here
because you’re in my boat, and we’re all paddling our asses off.

One thing we all realize is, the book industry isn’t going to get any easier, our
ability to market ourselves will shrink as book marketing opportunity prices climb,
and we will have to monetize our entire lives, online and off, in order to get ahead.
We’ll have to offer others something of real value.

That’s what I’m doing with each blog post. What I do has real value. So far I
talked about getting a store started, and I did that. It was free to start my store, I
can list 20 unique products, and I even sold one that first week, and I only had ten
products up at the time. I made money. I made enough to actually buy 3 Fiverr ads
promoting books, 2 ten dollar ads from a few of the cheapies promoting books, or
1 ad from one of the larger book marketing newsletters, and there’s a few.

That’s the power of what I’m doing here, and I wish you would join me.

Tonight I forego books anything and work on the store. I got a long night ahead of
me. I got pictures to take, crop, tweak, and descriptions to write out. I got an ad to
rebuild for Project Wonderful for Rip’s Picks. Project Wonderful will pay me for
ads placed on my site, and the amount depends on my actual traffic. It’s time for
me to get up and on with other social networks.

Wattpad, I’ll have to boost my reading there, and I’ve fallen behind on my writing.
Life can and does get in the way, and I got enough ideas saved up I can fly
through a few chapters. Since I’m a pantser, which means I don’t outline, the ideas
that stack up help.

I have other ideas I’m working on, and will boost my number of affiliate links.
I’ve decided I can and will do that in a way that ties into my blogging here.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, show
your appreciation and buy me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote,
leave a comment, or just buy a book. Read me for free through your
KindleUnlimited subscription.

SOLD!

A few interesting notes about the last few days. I sold the miniature stoneware coffee set! Yea me!

I also got blocked on Facebook from posting from the Rip's Picks blog. I'm left wondering why, so I sent in a report about why I thought this was a mistake. My content wasn't abusive in any way, shape, or form, so I may have to take my Rip's Picks stuff and make a different FB page. Don't know yet, but I'll find out. I talked about what I'm doing and why, but I also showcased the products in posts. No nudie anything.

I did some picking this weekend and found some great smalls I can sell for a damn good profit, and I'll get that stuff worked up today. My Rip's Picks newsletter exists for just that reason. I'll get the items photographed, write the descriptions, research and set the prices, and then build the pages on the Rip's Picks blog. But, I don't have to publish those pages, not just yet. I can send out a newsletter to subscribers that gives the rundown on each new pick, and let them know the date I'll publish those pages, giving those newsletter readers a heads-up! It's FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE, with the newsletter leading the way. That's why if you're interested in cool stuff and collectibles, you should take some time to sign up to the newsletter. The Rip's Picks blog has the signup form.

Does what happened with Facebook bother me? Not really. I can always find another way.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, buy
me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote, leave a comment, or just buy a
book. Read me for free through your KindleUnlimited subscription.

Twitter Pics, and Other Things

I have ten products up and on at Rip’s Picks, and I’ve Facebooked, Google+ed,
and I’ve tweeted. Both Facebook and Google+ include photos with each post, but
with Twitter, you have to do it all yourself.

600 Pixels wide or tall x 600 pixels wide or tall, one or the other as not to distort
the original image is the max photo size Twitter can safely handle, and viewers
can still see the product in one shot. Once the resized pics are ready (I set and save
at 300 dpi or dots per inch), the tweet might look like this: Rip’s Picks - Nesting,
carved wooden boxes - $50.00 USD - Order from the storefront -
https://www.freewebstore.org/null2938#

I built a master file of my tweets.

Copy and paste the tweet, add the photo (a promo folder in my main pictures
folder) using the widget Twitter provides, and that’s it. They see your tweet, and
the picture is there.

You can actually tweet (the same tweet) several times a day by clearing your
cookies and cache each time, but you do have to sign into Twitter again and again.

Twitter
Google+
Facebook

I can leverage these three social networks, and I’ll do more to leverage Instagram,
Linkedin, and whatever else I can find and work to my advantage.

This is just for Rip’s Picks.

I’m also going to build a skyscraper ad for Rip’s Picks to put up on Project
Wonderful. I’ll get more into that with another post.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, buy
me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote, leave a comment, or just buy a
book. Read me for free through your KindleUnlimited subscription.

The What and The Why

Order from the storefront - https://www.freewebstore.org/null2938#

What I’m doing, and why I’m doing it.

The answer is simple. I want a better life. Others can do this same thing I’m
attempting to do with Rip’s Picks, and make it work. So can I.

I used to have a house, a yard I could mow, a garden I grew my own food in, and I
canned. I had dozens of jars filled with my own food that I grew for the winter,
and I loved it. I want that back. I’m tired of living on little, hoping my food stamps
will stretch the entire month.

I like the tiny house movement, and when you consider most apartments, that’s
akin to a tiny house. Four rooms. I can do four rooms. I just want to own all four
rooms. I’ve spent the last two years researching what it would mean to have a tiny
house. How I would build one, what it might look like, and I can see it on a few
acres, fenced in, and this is what I’m going to do.

My biggest thing is I want to sit outside first thing in the morning, cup of coffee in
hand, and have a cat or two join me. I miss sitting outside in the evenings, too,
watching the skies. You can’t do that living in an apartment.

I want cash to advertise my books. People don’t know I exist. Google, Amazon,
Facebook. I want ads running on these three sites.

I want a real life. My life. My life to be as good as I can make it.

The learning curve will be steep. I’ll make mistakes. The one thing I’ll never do is
stop trying.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, buy
me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote, leave a comment, or just buy a
book. Read me through your KindleUnlimited subscription.

First Four

The first four products are ready for order on Rip’s Picks, and with luck I have the
postage rates set the way I want them. Free shipping within the Continental United
States, and International Shipping will have a flat fee of $25.00 USD.

The main photo of each product listed has an order link as the caption below, and
takes you to the storefront page for Home Decor. So, it’s a start. PayPal is my
payment option.

Tonight I hope to get six more products up. I took the pics, cropped them, wrote
the descriptions, built the pages, and saved them as drafts. Tonight I’ll work on the
storefront, and then link the blog and the storefront together. My goal is the full
twenty products up and running, and then I’ll start hitting the social networks.

I’ve been checking my prices against the Web, too. Make sure I’m priced
competitively, and I am. As for the rest . . .

I’ll post another chapter on Wattpad this weekend, and then post there once a
week from now on. I’ll need to read more stories there, but be careful of what I
say. It’s going to be tough to keep my head above water, swimming the popularity
pool.

Baby Makes Three is coming along, and I’ll be writing chapter nine this week.
Maybe I’ll get chapter ten done, too. I also have some notes I need to transfer from
notebook to laptop.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, buy
me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote, leave a comment, or just buy a
book. Read me through your KindleUnlimited subscription.

Moving Forward

I did get my books up on the Rip’s Picks blog, and the choice is there to buy, but
I’m not going to push my books. It’s a passive strategy in the making, based on my
new ability to reach real readers, and not writers. I also changed my newsletter
sign-up form to better reflect Rip’s Picks.

Rip’s Picks appeals to a different segment of people who don’t spend all their time
writing books that may or may not sell. These people are potential readers and
buyers. They probably read just for enjoyment. Remember when you did that?
What I have is an untapped market the size of the world.

You might ask why is that an untapped market?

The answer is this: Every single book marketing opportunity out there on the web
today, like book marketing blogs and all the book marketing newsletters, all they
do to actually market themselves to other writers, or market books for other
writers. Writers, writers, writers everywhere you look, and not an ordinary off-the-
street reader in sight.

They ignore everyone but writers when asking for subscriptions, and these other
writers (who actually subscribe), they get free and discounted e-books in their
mailbox. Or, more writers.

Writers this. Writers that.

Not one book marketing opportunity (in the world today that I know of) advertises
to John or Jane Public.

Not one ad anywhere ordinary people are. Not one ad for them to see, click on,
and subscribe. That’s a lot of readers to ignore.

I’ve seen ads for Fiverr on cable, for Christ’s sake, but not one ad for any book
marketing newsletter, anywhere at all, online or off.

Not one ad. Nothing. They just keep hustling writers for everything.

Every damn person who creates a new book marketing newsletter, the first thing
they do is ask all the writers out in the world today to subscribe to receive free
and discounted books in their email, and BTW, here’s the cost for your ad.

We have a subscription base of 10,000 other writers, JUST LIKE YOU!

Want to buy in? Advertise your books to other writers who struggle to sell their
own damn books? Only $5.00 to $150.00 USD for one ad, one day, one book.
What a great deal!

BookBub, $300.00 to $1,500 USD (more or less, but not by much), for one ad, one
day, one book! What a great deal!

That’s why the book marketing newsletters are increasingly becoming less and
less effective. That’s why most will eventually fail. I only see two to four actually
surviving the near future.

I’d hate to think I’m the only writer who gets this, but I’ve addressed this problem
before, and most of the time I get put in my place. Sit down and shut up.

Anymore, I don’t bother. I keep my thoughts to myself, but I’ll share here. That’s
what this blog is for. I get to share my thoughts.

I see what my problems are, and I address them. New eyes. That’s what I want.
Okay, I’ll have to go gather them. People who have some money to spend and can
either spend it on cool stuff from Rip’s Picks, or might want to actually buy a book
or two.

I’ll do that with my art, too. Pen and inks, some airbrush, or whatever else my
twisted mind can conceive. If you want to see some samples of my art, go to my
Ripley King Facebook page and see what I’ve sold in the past, and what’s possible
in the future, understanding I’ve barely scratched the surface.

In the meantime, become a follower, sign up for my Rip’s Picks newsletter, buy
me a cup of coffee, read my story on Wattpad, vote, leave a comment, or just buy a
book. Read me through your KindleUnlimited subscription.

Update - Me

via GIPHY

Things are moving along, but more slowly than I want them to. Life can and does
get in the way. I went to change out the brakes on the front driver’s side of my
truck, and after breaking two socket wrenches, decided it would probably be better
to just swap out the calliper and bleed the brake after the swap. That would give
me new brakes on that side, and I’ll do the other side later. The back brakes are
good to go. Part of living on a fixed income means one wheel at a time gets done,
and I get to do all the work. Life as I know it.

I’ll have six chapters up at Wattpad for Baby Makes Three by tonight, so give it all
a read, vote, and I’ll get a few more chapters up next week with luck. I’m making
notes as I go along, making sure if I drop a thread in the story I can pick that up at
a later chapter, or in book four of the series. Note to self: Must type faster.

In the meantime, become a follower, buy me a cup of coffee, read my story on
Wattpad, vote, leave a comment, or buy a book. Read me through your
KindleUnlimited subscription.