Happy Friday, 3.5 Readers.
This year sure has flown by.
For those just tuning in, I’m knee deep in a one post a day for a year challenge.
As promised at the beginning, angry yetis, ninjas, chupacabras, robots, highlanders, or any other distractions will not stop this nerd from his appointed rounds.
It’s been a real hustle, but so far it’s been worth it:
TWITTER: 2000 at end of last year to 5,000 as of yesterday. (Up 3,000)
WORDPRESS FOLLOWERS: Around 400 at end of last year to over 1,200 as of today. (Up 800)
By the end of the year, I’d love to get my Twitter follows up to 10K and WordPress follows up to 2K. Any help you can provide with that would be awesome. Do you have a favorite Bookshelf Battle Blog post? Please consider sharing a link on your blog or favorite social media platform.
The Road Ahead
So many people suffer from writer’s block that I hate to say this, but I suffer from something else:
Writer’s Idea Surge
I have too many ideas and barely enough time to scratch the surface of them all. I want to write a book based on every idea I have and I want to have done it yesterday but alas, life gets in the way.
I’d like to pull a Dr. Malcolm from Jurassic Park. Life should uh…find a way, in my case.
I’ve given Bookshelf Q. Battler and the Meaning of Life short shrift lately, putting more of my energy into Pop Culture Mysteries.
I go where the feedback goes and the numbers show people have been peaking at Jake’s adventures more than BQB’s.
I love them both and I need to finish my BQB story. After all, when that yarn is spun, it will set out the whole point of this blog, that namely, it’s the online presence of a nerdy storyteller with a magic bookshelf. His awesomeness attracts an assortment of characters (an angry yeti, a know it all alien, a mad scientist and yes, even a 1950’s detective) who want to tell their tales on his blog.
But I also have to help Jake edit and post his case files. I think his stories have the potential to get the BQB brand into the self published novel business.
I’m going to let Jake run wild in July then tell him to take a chill pill in August so I can finish the epic story of how I discovered the meaning of life with my newfound main squeeze Victoria Gloria (aka Video Game Rack Fighter).
Believe it or not but BQB and the Meaning of Life needs to conclude because there is some crossover with Pop Culture Mysteries.
In PCM, I (BQB) am sort of the Charlie who commands the angels without ever being seen. (Don’t tell Jake I called him an angel).
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but if all goes to plan, I’d like to work on my “crowdsourcing a novel” idea this fall.
Jake’s ready to share his experiences from one of his most notorious cases, the hunt for the infamous serial killer known as Mr. Devil Man.
I’ll post Jake’s excerpts, you fine 3.5 readers can tell me what works and what doesn’t and ultimately, advise me on whether or not this would be worth packaging into a novel to be sold on Amazon.
(As a 1950’s guy, Jake doesn’t understand that self publishing = profit so uh, you know, don’t tell him that either. Alien Jones and I are planning to use the book proceeds to go to Vegas).
Right now I’m in the “if you build it, they will come” phase. I’m averaging around 50 readers a day (a far cry from 3.5). That inspires me to keep going but at the same time, I know I need to keep increasing that figure in order to make the pace I’m working at sustainable into the future.
As always, thanks for reading 3.5. You are the glue that holds this whole shebang together.
Bookshelf Battle 