From one figure to another, today I would like to report the total sales figure of my book has passed 200 copies!  Even though it was not entirely unexpected before my trip to Hong Kong, I am happy that it has been realized. That is 20% of my 12-month sales target of 1,000 copies.

I am referring to the total number of Twitter followers to date.  I promised some of my readers to share my experience on Twitter with others if it reached 1,000.

1) Identify your target group and follow the key figures in that group.  A special thank to my executive assistant/friend Gary for his research.

2) Start following other people, preferably within the same interest group.  As a courtesy, I estimate around 15% of the people will follow you back.

3) Stay active – retweet or tweet regularly, at least daily. Discipline is required here.

4) There are a few psychological milestones in terms of  number of followers. To me, they are 100, 500 and 1,000 so far.  People are more inclined to follow you back if you have a credible number of followers.  You will see momentum pick up once those milestones are reached.

Today marked the mid-point of my two weeks trip in Hong Kong.  This morning I did a more thorough inventory and realized that the 64 copies had been ALL allocated (either as gifts and sales).  It was a surprise on the upside.  I actually have more support from my friends and family than I expected.

I will have to order another batch getting ready for Christmas!

During my “food-and-drink” tour in Hong Kong, 2 colleagues of mine who had read my book told me that I should have included more personal examples in the book.  They think it would be more unique and interesting (perhaps they meant amusing!)

Noted 🙂

We don’t need to stay physically active to remain engaged and effective. To achieve our goal, sometimes it is better to take a step back and reflect than behaving like a chicken with no head.
For example, during my first aid training last month, as a scenario practice, the instructor split 10 of us into 2 groups, first aider and causality groups. I was one of the 5 people in the first aider group. The scenario was that the 5 causalities somehow stacked up against each other. After the practice, the instructor said that the first aider group made a common mistake of NOT calling the ambulance while everyone was frantically trying to help. In addition, there was no planning on how the causalities should be rescued. The instructor said it would be wiser if we assessed the situation first and planned accordingly.

A lesson learned and it is well summarized as “Buy time – but don’t postpone forever. Think, research, mull, then go for it.” in the book Sort Your Brain Out by Dr. Jack Lewis & Adrian Webster.

I had coffee with a friend today (it appears that I have been doing quite a bit eating and drinking in Hong Kong).

One suggestion is to send Chinese manuscript of my book to publishers via referral that I may have.  First, it will solve the sales and marketing issue which will be more acute in Mainland China since I am not there physically and have very limited contacts there. Second, the sunk costs of self-publishing are too higher in China.  For example, the registration of ISBN serial number is close to 1,500 USD in China vs. free in the UK.

Promise Yourself:
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all our friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best,to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to to greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry,too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to the world, not in loud words but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.
— Your Forces and How to Use Them by Christian D. Larson, 1912

I had lunch with a good friend from high school who is a successful businessman living in Mainland China. He gave some sound business advice that is worth further consideration.

1) Since making a profit is not my primary goal, to reach out to a wider audience I probably need to step up my marketing effort and budget. I need to accept the fact that I may have to incur a loss initially in order to stand a chance for a greater success.

2) The printing cost is too high. I should try to reduce it because it limits how many promotional copies of my book I can offer.

I had breakfast with a childhood friend this morning. “Naturally”, my book came up in our conversation.  He commented that in general, the locals don’t have the habit of reading books, in particular the younger generation.  He added that the English standard has deteriorated drastically in the decades of my absence.  He pointed me to a recent survey of English language proficiency among 63 non-English speaking countries conducted by Education First.

I am more concerned about the lack of interest in reading than the English standard. Perhaps after all, there is a need for an audio and/or you-tube version of my book.

It may sound a bit odd, but perhaps a point of clarification is needed.
English is my primary language but not my mother tongue. What is the difference? It is my strongest language but it is not my mother tongue. I was born and raised in Hong Kong which back then was a British colony. Throughout my entire education, all subjects were taught in English except 2 subjects, the Chinese language and Chinese History. Therefore, my book is written in English and not Chinese as I can express myself the best in English when it comes to writing (The Chinese translation is still under consideration).