As we discussed in our post last year, Bloomsday is a holiday in celebration of James Joyce’s life and works. It takes its name from Leopold Bloom, the main character in Ulysses. It’s celebrated around the world but most enthusiastically in Dublin (Joyce’s home town and the setting of Ulysses).

Amazon, as some of you may already know, has been removing and editing many of its user input options – most recently by removing tagging and the ability to “Like” things over the last couple of months.

National Poetry Month is a relatively recent invention. It was initiated in 1996 and has been celebrated in America every April since. Unlike most other national month-long holidays, there are few official celebrations—in American at least, Canada and the UK put on festivals—but it is a popular time to publish poetry books and collections.

Since the central purpose of National Poetry Month is to promote poetry, we at Greenleaf would like to share some of our favorite poems with you.

Fair warning: Many of the poems we picked are quite long, so I’m including excerpts here with a link to the full poem in case you can’t get enough.

Rachel Brandenburg suggests “Sonnet XVII” by Pablo Neruda:

I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,

or arrow of carnations that propogate fire:

I love you as one loves certain obscure things,

secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

(Read the rest here)

Jordan Heath suggests “The Hollow Men” by T. S. Elliot:

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.           

(Read the rest here)

Kristine Peyre-Ferry suggests “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson:

I'm Nobody! Who are you?

Are you – Nobody – too?

Then there's a pair of us!

                (Read the rest here)

Sarah Ribar took it a step further by recommending everything Emily Dickinson has ever written which, sadly, is outside my word count. But a fair suggestion: she is famous for a reason.

Jessica Marpe suggests “Looking at Each Other” by Muriel Rukeyser: 

Yes, we were looking at each other
Yes, we knew each other very well

(read the rest here)

Jessica first read “Looking at Each Other” in FlavoreWire’s Valentine’s Day collection: 14 Great Poets on Their Favorite Love Poems, all of which are quite good if you’re in need of something sweet to write inside a card or to tell a cute person you know. 

Jessie Goff suggests Edgar Allan Poe. Since she recommends you read everything by him, and I’m suspicious you’ve already read “The Raven,” here I will include an excerpt from “Sonnet—To Science” because it has such an intriguing name:

Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!

               Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.

Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart

(Read the rest here)

Abby Kitten loves “Crush” by Richard Siken.

Tell me how all this, and love too, will ruin us.

These, our bodies, possessed by light.

Tell me we’ll never get used to it.

(Read the rest here)

Steven Elizalde suggests “Forgotten Language” by Shel Silverstein:

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,

Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,

Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings

                (Read the rest here)

 Steven also recommends “My True Love Hath My Heart, And I Have His” by Sir Philip Sidney:

                By just exchange, one for the other giv’n

                I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss;

                There never was a better bargain driv’n

                (Read the rest here)

I have two favorites as well, so first I will share an excerpt from Postcards by Margaret Atwood, who is not only a moving poet, but an amazing novelist as well:

               Time comes in waves here, a sickness, one

               day after the other rolling on

               (Read the rest here)

My final suggestion is “The Drover’s Wife” by Barbara Jefferis:

               We used to laugh over something or nothing, it didn’t matter,

               Just laughing because we felt good,

               Because our skins liked each other, and our hair and teeth.

               Laughter doesn’t last forever anymore than hair or teeth.

Happy Poetry Month!

Do you know what your headstone is going to say? When you start to think about it—as many do on Plan Your Epitaph Day, celebrated on April 6 or November 2, depending on your preference—you realize what a daunting task this is. Fortunately, there are a plethora of interesting epitaphs to draw inspiration from. And I don’t think it’s just my personal bias speaking when I say that authors have come up with some of the best ones.

F. Scott Fitzgerald chose what is perhaps his best-known line—“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”—for the headstone he and his wife share in Maryland.

Robert Frost went with sad (and who could expect anything else) for his resting place in Vermont: “I had a lover's quarrel with the world.”

And let’s not forget old Shakespeare. He is menacing potential grave robbers in Warwickshire, England, to this very day:

“Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forebear
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.”

Luckily, the Internet agrees with me that epitaphs are an interesting study—people have compiled lists of them all over the place. 

Are there any epitaphs you always thought were great, clever, or indicative of a pretty weird person? Do you have any plans for yours?

If you’re stuck, maybe you could start thinking about your final words instead. Authors have been immensely clever at those as well—I’m lookin’ at you, Oscar Wilde.

"This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One of us has to go."

Presidents’ Day is a holiday that combines Abraham Lincoln’s and George Washington’s birthdays—they’re both in February and, apparently, that’s close enough to share a party.

            Lincoln’s birthday was actually last week—February 12^th to be exact—and you probably didn’t even know it happened. It’s no longer a bank holiday although there are still several states where it’s a legal holiday. Sadly, Texas is not one of them. Though there isn’t much general celebration in most places, there is still a wreath-laying ceremony at his birthplace and his memorial and there are still a few places that do something special every year: Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, The Kentucky Heritage Trail, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

            Since Lincoln had such a big year—with both Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Lincoln coming out in theaters, as well as Killing Lincoln. And a constant string of other references made about him in pop culture from the late 1800s to now. 

            We decided we’d see if we could come up with a few that weren’t on that list. And we managed to come up with a few.

            From Nate we got this clever bit of Internet wisdom:

            Jessica also reminded us that without Lincoln’s presence, pennies just wouldn’t look right. 

            Steve had our only bit of sincerity and historical insight: “What I have always found inspiring about Lincoln is that early in his adulthood, he failed in many aspects of his life. But he managed to move forward, learn from those mistakes, and strive to be better.  I think it is what made him into the most recognized president besides Washington. . . . I also love how he single-handedly saved the USA from the vampire threat!”

            What are your favorite Lincoln-influenced aspects of modern life? Does your town have a big Lincoln celebration? 

Are your Facebook ads working?

            Yes? That’s awesome! Good job, you. You can stop reading now.

            If not, here are some suggestions.

            First, look at the content of your ad. Does it include a call to action (which is a response you want users to complete)? If it doesn’t already, you’ll want to add one. It can be as simple as “Click Here to Subscribe” or as involved as filling out a registration form. But you want it to be prevalent and include active words like Click, Call, Buy, Register, etc.

You also want to give people a reason to click on your ad. If your ad just says, “I have published a book,” there’s no motivation for someone scrolling by to want to learn more. Offering them free content, entry into a giveaway, or access to info about upcoming promotions and discounts will garner more clicks.

            You’ll also want to make sure your image is eye catching, even as a thumbnail. A book cover that is mostly text may not be legible when shrunk to fit in a half-inch square, and subtle design features in covers and author photos can be lost when shrunk down. Some covers just don’t work in thumbnail and cropping them may make them even harder to understand. If you’ve already had smaller ads designed for use online, try cropping one of those. If not, have some made by a designer (whether through your publisher, a freelancer or a have a friend with a background in design – ask around, you probably have one). If your topic is general you can also buy a stock image. Just make sure to pick something colorful and informative.

            Those are the simplest and often the most effective changes you can make to your ad. But if you already had a call to action, strong content, and an attractive and clear thumbnail, try changing your audience. Either broadening or narrowing it may help, depending on your original parameters. Make sure readers in your geographic region (or the geographic region of your subject) are included in your target audience and that your ad is being shown to people with an interest in your subject. At the same time, you don’t want to get too narrow: if you specialize in personal finance, targeting your book to people who have “liked” Business would be more effective than those who have “liked” Personal Finance.

            Finally, you may want to raise your budget to make your Facebook ad effective. If your ad is getting taken down every day after only a few clicks, invest a little more money so it has the opportunity to draw more traffic.

            As you consider implementing these tips, don’t forget that Facebook will let you run a group of ads simultaneously with the same link, so you can make changes and compare audience responses to see what made the most difference.

Winnie the Pooh Day is celebrated ever year on January 18, in honor of author A. A. Milne’s birthday. Since there aren’t any specific activities associated with this particular holiday (although eating honey and exploring seem like good options) we decided we’d discuss our favorite books from when we were kids.

The Berenstain Bears series by Jan and Mike Berenstain

“The illustration was interesting to me even at a young age, and each story contained a valuable lesson.” —Rachael Brandenburg

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry

“It was my favorite growing up—fun illustrations, with a ton of details, a silly storyline, and cool trucks.  A little boy's idea of perfect!” —Clint Greenleaf

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling

“Well, I love marmots. So I was obsessed with the mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. But I am also terrified of cobras, and I would be up all night in fear of the villainous snakes from the book being under my bed. I read that book multiple times anyway, probably just to torture myself.” —Kris Pauls

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

“After reading The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure I had to go back and reread the series, and amazingly, I got that exact same warm-fuzzy feeling as when I was nine.” – Corrin Foster

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

“New York seemed so glamorous to me as a kid, and I loved the resourcefulness of the characters living in Times Square. Both of my daughters have read the same version I read and loved it, too!” —Tanya Hall

Bony-Legs by Joanna Cole

Brian Phillips was recently reminded by his three-year-old niece that this was his favorite book when he was a child, and you don’t argue with a three-year-old—even if there’s no way she could possibly remember what you did as a child.

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Madeline proved to be a pretty popular choice in the office.

“I love Madeline because she is fearless, and as a child with a scar of my own, I found a sense of camaraderie in her story. The rhyming made it fun and the illustrations are still some of my favorites.” —Sarah Ribar

“Reasons I loved it include: her awesome little hat and coat, her spunky, unapologetic attitude, that it was set in Paris, and how all of the little girls did everything together (so cute).” —Jessica Marpe

It was also one of my favorite books as a child. I memorized all the words to it before I could actually read, sure that someday that would be my life. I still aspire to live in France and befriend a troublemaker named Pepito. – Madeline Meehan

“So they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest a little boy and his bear will always be playing.” —A. A. Milne

The short answer is “Yes!” Goodreads—the popular social reading site—is a free promotional tool for authors, so there’s really no reason not to be. And with eleven million readers on the site, reaching out to them is well worth your time.

A Goodreads author account allows you to add photos, blog posts, videos, and a biography, and allows you to share info about upcoming events directly with readers.

The amount of time it takes to maintain a Goodreads author profile varies. But, like all social media efforts, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. The more you update, post, and interact on Goodreads, the more you’ll get followers of your page, contestants in your giveaways, and contributors to your discussion board. You can even sync your current blog with your Goodreads page—that way, the time and effort you put into blogging will go twice as far.

If you’re really interested in fleshing out your profile you can add groups or host a Q&A session. Goodreads features several of these Q&As in its monthly newsletter, and you can request that yours be included. GoodReads is also a great place to host book giveaways, which lead to increased interest in your book and, hopefully, positive reviews. On average, Goodreads gets 650 entries per giveaway—that’s 650 new people aware of your title. The only thing you have to pay is the cost of shipping the books out to winners (and you specify the number of winners before the giveaway goes live).

Goodreads also sells ads, which they recommend but do not require you to use in conjunction with giveaways. Their ads use one of the billing formats offered by Facebook—cost per click. Their default per-click price is $0.50, but you can bid higher or lower than that. Just keep in mind that the amount you bid affects how often your ad is shown. Goodreads also factors in the duration of your ad campaign. So if you’re accepting entries for a giveaway for thirty days and want to run an ad that whole time with a $90 budget, GoodReads will show your ad each day until it gets clicked on six times and then take it down until the next day.

The goal of all this is greater name and brand recognition and more fans, reviews, and sales. Unfortunately, because Goodreads doesn’t sell books themselves, they can’t give statistics on sales. But they can introduce your brand and book to a broad range of readers and give you data on ratings, reviews, shelves you’ve been added to (“to read” being by far the most common), and the number of new fans added. All this data will help you determine whether your effort is paying off.

So, go get a Goodreads author account! (Or, if you’re already on the Goodreads bandwagon, upgrade your account from regular person to author.)

More questions? See the FAQ page or ask us below.

Facebook is an excellent place to run ads promoting your book. Unlike most other ads, it allows you to decide all your own parameters—image, budget, duration, audience, and more—while giving you access to one of the largest audiences the Internet has to offer. It also gives you all the data it collects on how successful your ad was, which most other sites withhold.

The first thing you need to decide (after, “Gosh, I’d like to run a Facebook ad campaign”) is what you want to accomplish. Are you looking to grow the number of fans on your Facebook page? Increase sales? Get noticed by a certain demographic you know will embrace your book? Once your goal is clear, you can then target your campaign and Facebook page to that goal.

Next you’ll need to decide on a budget. Facebook is pretty budget friendly. It offers two options: cost per click (CPC) or cost per impressions (CPM—yes this acronym is slightly less logical). Clicks are pretty self explanatory—you are charged for each person who clicks on your ad. Impressions are a bit trickier; it is a measure of the number of people to whom Facebook shows your ad but, unlike clicking, it is impossible to know whether they read or even noticed the side bar where the ads appear that day. Thus, impressions are much cheaper than clicks (as demonstrated by the fact that they are counted in thousands instead of singly).  

Greenleaf prefers CPC as you’re only charged when someone takes action on your ad. Impressions are valuable though and work to create brand recognition, so we like to think of those as an added bonus.

Though it is important to note that the price on both options fluctuates depending on the size of your audience, the users you’re targeting, and the competition for ad space, Facebook does allow you to set a daily budget maximum and the duration of your ad campaign. If you don’t want to spend more than $2 a day, it’s easy (though probably not measurable effective). Once your maximum budget is reached for the day, Facebook stops running your ad until the next day.

Facebook’s FAQ ad page has a lot of helpful answers to budgeting and pricing questions.

Now, back to those goals.

• For Likes you’ll want to link the ad to your Facebook fan page and then give users a reason to Like your page once they’re on it—the promise of interesting information, a giveaway, etc. Then you’ll need to keep those promises (because Unliking is always an option). For example: if your book hasn’t come out yet or if you’re writing a series, you can post spoilers and participate actively in fan discussions of characters or topics to increase fan involvement.

• For increased sales you’ll want to link your ad to a website they can buy your book from—likely the Amazon or Barnes and Noble page or to your own website if you have the functionality to sell directly. Make sure that once a viewer has clicked on your ad they don’t then have to navigate to get to a retail page—the more a shopper needs to click, the less likely they are to complete the purchase. So make it as convenient as possible.

• If you’re looking to accomplish something less book-specific such as company promotion or personal brand exposure with your ad, this article has a lot of helpful tips.

• And just in case you’re thinking of designing a ridiculously clever ad campaign, here are some amazingly popular examples of what other companies have developed. Some of those campaigns are now more famous than the brand they represent.

One of the best things about Facebook ads is that they save all your ad campaign histories and give you all the feedback and analysis you could possibly want on how successful each was. So if one style is working, you can duplicate that ad or recreate it with minor changes in just a few clicks.