Tui Snider - author & speaker

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Holiday Gift Exchange – Book Lovers Blog Hop

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Book Lovers Blog Hop = Free eBooks & Swag

It doesn’t matter whether you’re on Santa’s naughty or nice list, all you have to do this week for free eBooks & nifty book-related swag is hop through the links on this page:

The Holiday Gift Exchange – Book Lovers Blog Hop

But don’t hop away, yet. *This* post is one of the blog hop stops!

My Gifts to You

Since this holiday blog hop caters to book lovers, I created a freebie highlighting my favorite independent bookstore: Booked Up in Archer City, Texas.

Booked Up is a labor of love created by the award-winning Texas author, Larry McMurtry. My freebie features an excerpt about the famous bookstore from my best-selling travel guide, Unexpected Texas. However, since my book does *not* contain any photos, I’ve added a whole bunch of pictures snapped during my writing research trip to Archer City, Texas.

How to Claim Your Gift

Simply leave a comment on this post sharing a holiday travel memory and I’ll email you a copy of my free ebook, Unexpected Texas: Larry McMurtry’s Booked Up (with photos!) [UPDATE: My blog is not accepting comments for some unknown reason right now, so until I get this fixed, if you’d like the freebie, simply email me & I’ll send it your way. Thanks!]

I hope you enjoy learning about Booked Up. If you’re ever in north Texas a trip to Archer City to see this one-of-a-kind independent bookstore is definitely worth the effort!

Just so you know, my freebie will run from today all the way through New Year’s Day.

$100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Also, to have a chance of winning a $100 Amazon Gift Card, enter the Rafflecopter drawing at the bottom of this blog post.

Hop Along with Me & Be Sure to Tell Your Friends!

Once again, this link to see what other authors are giving away this week: The Holiday Gift Exchange – Book Lovers Blog Hop.

Holiday sale through New Year's Day! (photo by Tui Snider)
Holiday sale through New Year’s Day! (photo by Tui Snider)
My Other Holiday gift

I’m also offering my latest book project, The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber, for only 99 cents through New Year’s Day. Please note that this is a pre-order for the Kindle version. The eBook will be officially released on March 1, 2015. (Exciting news! As of this writing, it is currently #9 on the Amazon Best Sellers List for West South Central Travel!)

After New Year’s Day, however, the price will continue to climb as launch day approaches!

Here’s a brief description:

“In December 1927, Santa Claus came to town – and proceeded to rob a bank! Tui Snider’s latest book, “The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber” follows this true crime story from one strange-but-true event to the next.

From genteel women vomiting from sheer disgust, phony paralysis, a mysterious blonde, and a doctor declaring that one bandit’s breath smelled “too good” for him to qualify as insane – a crazy chain of events leads up to the mob hanging of a very bad Santa in small Texas town.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unexpected Texas Book Signing – You’re Invited!

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Ms. Kalliope can be very distracting! (photo by Tui Snider)
Ms. Kalliope can be very distracting! (photo by Tui Snider)

Book Signing this Saturday

I’ve got good news for my Row80 writing check-in! This Saturday, March 29, 2014 I will be in downtown Fort Worth, Texas with paperbacks of Unexpected Texas in hand, ready to sign and sell. The venue is a funky furniture shop called There’s No Place Like Home (855 Foch St, Fort Worth, TX 76107), and I will be there from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. If you are in the Dallas – Fort Worth area, I hope you will swing by and say hi!

This Saturday is perfect for a book signing, since it’s also the Fort Worth Art District Association (FWADA) Spring Gallery Walk. I’ve been to these gallery walks before. They are lively, fun, and well-attended. Plus, many places (including my venue!) serve wine and snacks.

Thing is, I’ve never done a book signing before. Aside from the obvious (bring a bunch of my books and a pen), I’m not sure what to do.

Should I offer prizes?

Here’s one idea I had: I could ask people to sign up for my email newsletter and randomly pick one of them to win a prize. What do you think? Beyond that, I’m not sure what to do, besides have fun and chat with people.

What are your book-signing tips?

This is where *you* come in. What advice do you have for me? I would really appreciate input from readers and writers alike. Please leave a comment with your 2 cents worth, specifically:

As a reader, what makes a book signing interesting to you?

As a fellow author, what have you learned from in-person book signings of your own?

What is Row80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.”

Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information. To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blog in the following list:

Unexpected Texas Update: Prize Winners & #1 on Amazon

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Unexpected Texas is an Amazon Best Seller! (photo by Tui Snider)
Unexpected Texas is an Amazon Best Seller! (photo by Tui Snider)

My Row80 & Unexpected Texas Update

On March 2, 2014 I officially released my quirky travel guide Unexpected Texas on Amazon as both a paperback and Kindle version.

For the next 8 days, Unexpected Texas toured the web on a whirlwind book release blog tour. A variety of interviews and reviews appeared on the following blogs to help promote my book. It was so much fun!

#UnexTex Blog Tour Prize Winners

The book blog tour for Unexpected Texas was a blast! I learned a lot, had fun, and made some great contacts.
Today, I’m pleased to announce the winners for the prizes featured at each stop along my virtual book release tour. *drum roll please*

The following lucky folks are all winners:

1. Mark Oxner is the Grand Prize Winner. He wins: a paperback copy of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a $25 Amazon gift card to support his reading habit.
2. Scott Shetler a.k.a. “The Quirky Travel Guy” wins: a paperback copy of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook for him to record anomalous events, a video of “Cowboys and Aliens,” and a packet of Yoda Post-It notes (because there is no try, there are only to-do lists!)
3. Leigh Reinert wins: a paperback version of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a snazzy, laminated folding map of Texas (which I was so tempted to keep for myself!)
4. Gale Langley wins: a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a bag of sea salt caramel dark chocolates. Yum! The sea salt is a nod to the ancient sea which provides North Texas with high-quality salt reserves which are mined by the Morton Salt Company today, and from which the Salt Palace in the town of Grand Saline was built.
5.Katherine Boyer wins: a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and the latest issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife. This ties in with the Athens, Texas chapter of Unexpected Texas in which I describe a visit to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Not only do they have aquariums and a well-stocked pond, but they will loan you a rod and reel and teach you how to fish!
6. Pam Roberts wins: a paperback of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and some really cute road trip stickers for scrapbooking.
7. Patricia Lynne wins: One Aunt Jemima apron, a zebra striped mani/pedi kit, a mini Texas Hold ‘Em game, & a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas. Each item in this quirky assortment references a woman mentioned in Unexpected Texas.

Once I have everyone’s snail mail addresses, I will send off all the loot.

A Successful Book Blog Tour

Everyone defines success differently, but I am happy with what I achieved with the #UnexTex Unexpected Texas Book Release Blog Tour.

Specifically, I’ve gained nearly 100 new Twitter followers, I’ve made new friends on Facebook, I’ve strengthened friendships with bloggers who inspire me, I’ve doubled the number of subscribers to my newsletter, I’ve doubled my blog traffic, and I’ve made connections that led to offline book-signings and speaking engagments (more on those in upcoming posts!)

I’ve also inspired at least 2 of my friends to get serious about their own book projects! That makes me feel great!

My Book is #1 on Amazon

Another goal I had going into this virtual book release blog tour was to hit #1 in the Amazon Best Sellers list for Dallas – Fort Worth Travel Books.

As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, Unexpected Texas is now officially an Amazon Best Seller! Yee haw! Rather than go on about how this makes me feel, I’d like to have the room for a moment:

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.”

Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information. To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blog in the following list:

Download Unexpected Texas for Free!

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Unexpected Texas is free today (photo by Tui Snider)
Unexpected Texas is free today (photo by Tui Snider)

How to Download Unexpected Texas for Free

I put many hours into researching and writing Unexpected Texas, but today and tomorrow (3/9 & 3/10) I’ve made the Kindle version of my quirky travel book, Unexpected Texas, available for FREE. Why? Because I can!

Please Leave a Blog Comment Here

I have one small request: Please leave me a comment on this post if you decide to download Unexpected Texas for free. I would love to hear from you. Besides, today’s my birthday! :)

Amazon Reviews

Also, if you enjoy my book, please take a moment to leave a review for Unexpected Texas on Amazon. Speaking of Amazon Reviews, here are some excerpts from ones that are currently posted for Unexpected Texas:

” I would have never thought that Texas would be a place that I would want to visit (though I have quickly driven through several times) let alone spend time there, but her book makes me want to hop in my car and see these fascinating sites!”

“Whether or not you plan on going to Texas anytime soon, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Unexpected Texas and entertain yourself with this adventurous and quirky book.”

“Unlike a standard travel guide that’s crammed full of information you’ll never use Unexpected Texas is a concise and focused guide that’s ideal for anyone interested in the odd, the overlooked, and the little bits of history that often don’t make the big picture.

Tui Snider’s writing is casual and friendly, the entries read more like postcards and letters from a friend than dry guide book entries.

The book focuses on the Dallas Fort Worth area but the two big cities don’t dominate, there are far more entries for the smaller towns in the area.

Unexpected Texas is extremely interesting and fun and hopefully just the first Unexpected Texas guide by Tui Snider.”

Download Link for the Free Kindle Version

Here’s the link to Unexpected Texas on Amazon.com. That’s where you can download the Kindle version for absolutely free today and tomorrow. I hope you enjoy my book and that it inspires you to do some exploring – wherever you happen to be!

Unexpected Texas Book Release Blog Tour Coming Soon!

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Flags in Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Flags in Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Book Release Blog Tour

After formatting, setting up the Unexpected Texas Book Release Blog Tour was the next big thing on my self-publishing to-do list. I’m happy to report that virtual book tour is shaping up just fine.

It’s gonna be fun, too: I’m giving away free copies of my book along with other prizes every single day of the tour. Then, on the final blog tour day ( Monday, March 10, 2014) the eBook version of Unexpected Texas will be free on Amazon.

Talented Bloggers & Fun Prizes

Here’s a linky list arranged “Brady Bunch” style so you can check out all the fabulous places I’ll be stopping on this virtual blog tour:



What’s the #UnexTex hash tag for?

After brainstorming with friends, two of them suggested using #UnexTex as a hashtag for talking about my quirky travel/trivia guide Unexpected Texas. So if you like to tweet, feel free to join in on the conversation. As you can see, I even added an area on the sidebar of this blog where you can see recent tweets using the #UnexTex hashtag.

My Amazon author page

Yes, I finally made an author page on Amazon for me and Unexpected Texas. To view it, click: Tui Snider’s author page on Amazon

The Rest of my Row80 check-in:

Get my paperback formatted perfectly by Friday, February 21, 2014.

Done! With these proofs in hand, I can already see several tweaks that need to be made.<

Order Paperbacks to sell:

Order 100 paperbacks by Friday, February 21, 2014. Done! As of this writing, they have not been shipped yet. Fingers crossed that they arrive in time for my book launch on Sunday. *gulp*

Re-do my Self-Publishing To-Do List:

I’ve actually got 3 to-do lists going at the moment. I re-do my main action list every morning before anything else!

Blog 3X per week:

Done. Phew!

Reply to all comments, visit all commenter’s blogs & comment on them:

I’ve replied to all comments & will visit their blogs after I post this. :)

Visit at least 10 other ROW80 blogs & retweet their posts, too:

Not yet, but I will do this as soon as this post is up.

Daily writing check-in via email:

Morgan Dragonwillow and I still check in with each other every night – and sometimes during the day – via text and email.

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.” Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information.

To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blogs in the following list:

Paperback Proofs & Fun with Formatting – Not!

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My book, Unexpected Texas, in the flesh! (photo by Tui Snider)
My book, Unexpected Texas, in the flesh! (photo by Tui Snider)

Who knew UPS had a stealth division?

Last Wednesday, I ordered proofs for my quirky travel guide Unexpected Texas and I have been patiently awaiting their arrival ever since. Until yesterday, that is, when I decided to look up the tracking info.

That’s when all the impatience began!

You see, much to my delight, the package was marked “out for delivery.” Squeee! From that point on, my ears became fine-tuned. Who knew I was so intimately acquainted with the specific sounds UPS vans make? They came down our street twice yesterday, and both times they delivered things to my neighbors.

I finally checked the tracking numbers again and saw that the status for my package had changed. So this morning my hyper vigilance for the unique squeaks and groans UPS vans make renewed itself.

And, just like yesterday, I got faked out…twice! The first time I heard the truck, I popped out the door like a hopeful prairie dog. The second time, I merely peeped out a side window.

Luckily, I’m still formatting the eBook version and that has kept me busy. So busy, in fact, that when my proof arrived, the UPS man made it all the way to the door, he even rang the doorbell, before I saw him. See what they did there? After taunting me with loud, groaning, squeaky UPS trucks for two days straight, they sent their stealth division when it was my turn!

But hey – I am not complaining. My proofs are here and they look good.

Phew!

Unexpected Texas book proofs - squee! (photo by Tui Snider)
Unexpected Texas book proofs - squee! (photo by Tui Snider)

Self-Publishing Update a.k.a. Fun with Formatting – Not!

Formatting, formatting, formatting… I am still working on formatting the paperback and eBook versions of my book. I won’t bore you with details, though. Suffice it to say that this blog post was very helpful for the eBook: The Captain’s Blog proudly presents: How to format your Word document correctly for Kindle Also, I am still learning tons of great stuff from  Catherine Ryan Howard’s ebook Self Printed It’s a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to self-publish.

Meanwhile, here are my #ROW80 goals:

Paperback Proofs:
Get my paperback formatted perfectly by Friday, February 21, 2014. With these proofs in hand, I can already see several tweaks that need to be made.

Order Paperbacks to sell:
Order 100 paperbacks by Friday, February 21, 2014. At this point, I will have to pay extra to have them expedited, but my goal is to have actual books in hand to sell at the Fort Worth Oscar Viewing party on March 2nd, so I will have to bite the bullet!

Plan a book release blog tour:
I’ve started on this! My book’s official release is March 3rd, 2014 and I have a great group of peeps rounded up for a week long tour. I’ll explain more next week. Oh – I bought a bunch of really great things for prizes. I can hardly wait!

Re-do my Self-Publishing To-Do List:
Time to reasses this list… again! I am starting to dip into the marketing section of things, such as the book release blog tour I just mentioned.

Blog 3X per week:
I missed last Friday’s blog post. Oh, well! I have a wonderful guest blogger planned for this Friday to make up for it.

Reply to all comments, visit all commenter’s blogs & comment on them:
Uh – I think I did this… Man, I spent too long fighting with MS Word and fretting over UPS trucks to remember now.

Visit at least 10 other ROW80 blogs:
Yes, yes! I also retweeted several posts in the #Row80 timeline.

Daily writing check-in via email:
Morgan Dragonwillow and I are still checking in with each other every night – and sometimes during the day – via text and email.

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.” Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information.

To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blogs in the following list: