I think we all know by now that 2021 is not going to become a good year any time soon. Despite the rollout of vaccines in most countries, it will take a long time before enough people are vaccinated to provide herd immunity* to those who aren’t. For most diseases, that means at least 70% of a population have to be vaccinated before herd immunity can kick in. With Covid-19, no one’s sure how much of the population has to be immune. There’s also a great big question mark around what the current vaccines will actually accomplish. Will they simply stop the disease? Or will they also stop infected people from passing it on?
So…. 2021 is likely to get a lot worse before it gets better. For the Offspring and I, that means we’ll be in self-isolation for a long time yet. Because of that, I thought there was no point setting any goals for the coming year. I was wrong. There are things I can do, both for myself and for others; it just took a while for me to see it.
One thing I’ve always been bad at is marketing, but marketing these days is mostly digital, so I’ve decided that my goal for 2021 is to get one more review for Miira and Vokhtah. Both are sitting on 19 reviews, and I’d love to see that number change to 20. Not a big goal, I know, but it’s an achievable goal if I pull my finger out and actually do some marketing!
“But I hate marketing!”
I’m probably the world’s worst salesperson, but I discovered a long time ago that when I believe in a product, my enthusiasm accomplishes what my lack of skill cannot – I can make others want to see what has me so excited.
“But I hate marketing my own stuff!”
Sadly, women of my vintage were brought up to believe that ‘showing off’ was the worst thing a woman could do short of flashing her boobs in public. I recognize the conditioning. I acknowledge that it’s incredibly unfair – why should men be able to blow their own trumpet while we have to be demure and self-effacing? But this fear of being seen as a show-off is so deeply ingrained that I cannot shift it.
But I can trick it into shutting up. π And this is where my light bulb moment kicked in. If I give my books away for free, I’ll be getting eyes on my work AND I’ll be providing some escapism for those who are still in limbo. And that is exactly what I plan to do.
The first step of this grand plan is to drop the price of all my books to 0.99 cents. Then, once every two weeks, I’ll put one of the books up for free on Amazon. The book will remain free for 5 consecutive days before returning to the 0.99 cent price point. When the last book has had its turn at free, I’ll put all the books back to their original price points.
This is what my books cost now:

I’m not sure how long it will take for the price change to register on Amazon, but I’ll post an update when the new prices are available.
So that’s my grand plan. If I achieve the two extra reviews I’ll be happy. If I don’t, I can still hope that my stories ease the strain of this weird point in time, at least a little, and…I’ve got a plan for the next twelve weeks.
much love,
Meeks
…*… herd immunity works by surrounding infectious people with people who are already immune. To survive, the bacterium or virus needs new hosts to infect. With no new hosts available, the bacterium or virus runs its course and dies. Eventually, every infected person recovers and bingo, no more virus. To get to that point though, an awful lot of people have to be immunised at the same time, otherwise the virus just keeps ticking along.
January 17th, 2021 at 8:48 pm
well done on setting an achievable goal, and good luck!
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January 18th, 2021 at 12:02 am
Thank you. π It’s odd how something so small can cheer me up so much. I hadn’t realised how much I don’t like not being ‘in control’ of life at the moment. Feels good to be in control of this. π
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January 17th, 2021 at 1:16 am
You’re right on all counts. This unfriendly period of time can be turned toward useful goals. I really like your idea of pushing yourself toward more extensive and effective marketing. Go forth and sell your books!!!
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January 17th, 2021 at 8:03 am
-grin- I’m trying, as much to try to overcome my own failings as anything else. I would find it so much easier to promote a friend’s book. Speaking of, how’s that story idea coming along? No pressure or anything. π
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January 16th, 2021 at 8:10 am
2021 has lots of positive (other than Covid results fingers crossed) possibilities, that we can accomplish. You’ve started well.
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January 16th, 2021 at 8:49 am
I think it was the realisation of just how much longer we’d have to isolate that got me down a little. Having a plan helps π
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January 15th, 2021 at 5:55 pm
You can do it. Tweeted with a comment. Great Books, Well Written and with a Fantastic Plot Line.
Huge Hugs
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January 15th, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Thank you David. -massive hugs- really touched π
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January 15th, 2021 at 5:01 pm
I do love abargain and that means I can have all of them…Good Luck with the plan , Meeks π xx
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January 15th, 2021 at 6:30 pm
Absolutely! But please wait until they’re free! -hugs-
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January 15th, 2021 at 6:35 pm
I will indeed, Meeks a lovely offer πx
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January 16th, 2021 at 8:51 am
π
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January 15th, 2021 at 1:34 pm
Dang! I already have copies of your books. Have read and reviewed them. Except one. Well…
Good luck with the plan!
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January 15th, 2021 at 6:32 pm
lol – oh you guys make me smile so much! Grab whatever you still don’t have when it’s free! I love it when I can give my friends a present, even a very small one. -hugs-
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