Anne Marie Novark's Blog

Techno-tips for the Techno-Challenged


In this new paradigm of publishing, many authors (myself included) format their own documents to upload to Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, Apple iTunes and All Romance eBooks, just to name a few. There are a myriad of small details to tend to before Word documents are ready for prime time.

Back matter in ebooks can include the author's website, blog, Author pages, mailing lists, and probably the most important: Clickable links to buy the author's other books at each of the respective retailers.

Inserting hyperlinks in Word documents isn't difficult once you learn a couple of tricks. Once again, my instructions are for MS Word 2008 on an Apple machine. You will need to adjust the directions to whichever version of MS Word you use.

So, say you're formatting a book for Kindle. After the last sentence of the story, you might want to say something like this:

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For more books by Anne Marie Novark,Go to Amazon.com. 
1.  To make Amazon.com a live hyperlink for readers, first get online and link to your Author Central page (you have one, don't you?) or search for your books on Amazon and locate the page where all of your works are listed on Kindle.

2.  Copy the web address located in the long "box" showing the URL (highlight the web address, right click and choose Copy ).

3.  Go back to your Word document and highlight "Amazon.com."

4.  Go to the top tool bar where it says File, Edit, View, Insert, etc. and click on Insert .

5.  Choose Hyperlink from the drop-down box.

6.  In the pop-up window, "Amazon.com" should be in the Display box.

7.  In the pop-up window, place the cursor in the Link to box.

8.  Press Command (or Control) V. (Right clicking and pasting will not work.)

9.  The web address to your books at Amazon will appear in the Link to box.

10. Press OKAY, and you will have a live hyperlink to your list of books at the end of your ebook.

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Of course, it goes without saying: You don't want to link to B&N at the back of the Kindle Edition or vice versa.

It's also better IMO, not to provide live links to your books in the Smashwords Edition since that version will be sent to other distributors. I do link to my website, but I just list the titles of my other works in the back matter on Smashwords.

Yes, this takes a bit more time and effort when you're publishing your ebooks. But providing hyperlinks to your back list will make it easier for readers to find and read more of your books.

Happy Publishing!!!


AM   :)

I'm an old movie buff. I love watching the old-fashioned romances of the fifties and sixties. Ahhh, the good old days. When time moved at a slower pace and life was simpler. Or so it seemed.

The human condition stays pretty constant. From the beginning of time, most human beings have searched for partners with whom to share life and love and day-to-day living. A special someone makes life more interesting and gives it more meaning. At least, in my opinion.

Recently, I've been watching movies that I remember from childhood. Not having subscribed to cable for the past thirty years, I haven't had easy access to old movies. I'll think of a movie that stands out in my mind, then search Amazon for the title. Sometimes, I don't know the title, just one of the actors or actresses.

Sometimes, only one scene will stick in my mind, and it makes me want to watch the movie as an adult. One such movie is Come September . All I remembered about this movie was that it starred Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida. Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin were also in the film.

I knew it was set somewhere in Europe and there was some sort of mix-up with a villa and tourists. But what really stuck out in my mind was a scene where Gina Lollobrigida winked one eye without squinting. I must have been ten or eleven when I saw this movie for the first time, and I remember practicing and practicing until I could wink like Gina.

Watching the movie again was fun. It's one of those classic romantic comedies of the day. Viewing it as an older adult gave me an entirely different perspective on the film. I'm now older than the lead characters in the movie, but Rock Hudson was as handsome as ever and Gina Lollobrigida was truly gorgeous.


AM   :)

Or rather, I have mail. Email. From happy readers! A writer's dream come true!!!

I've been receiving email from happy readers almost from the beginning of my Indie Publishing Adventure. They are all wondering when the fourth book in the The Diamondback Ranch Series will be available.

Are you going to continue the series? What about Tyler? What about Tori? And what about that sexy dark-haired Sam?

A couple of readers are wondering about Kelsey? Will she grow up and get her very own book?

The Diamondback Ranch Series is very dear to my heart. I created the McCade Family many years ago and now I've been fortunate enough to share them with readers. It's so gratifying to know they love the four brothers and sister just as much as I do.

So, YES!!! I'm working on Tyler's book right now. Then Tori and Sam will have their story. And we need to let Kelsey grow up because she's only thirteen. But here's a little secret: I already know who her hero will be!!!

I'm having so much fun writing this series.  Along with the readers, I can't wait to see how the stories and romances turn out. And I get to write them!!!

Happy Reading!!!


Anne Marie    :)

Where in the world has the time gone? We're in the last week of April Madness 2012, and I'm nowhere near where I wanted to be by this time. Sigh. Although, I have trudged through almost all of the wordage I had already written (and deleted) and salvaged some of it by tweaking and editing. So, I plan to make the most of this last BIAM week. Really, I do! Here's hoping I can get some serious writing done.

Here are my goals:

*  Research more about plane crashes and injuries.

*  Write 5-6 thousand new words on this Tyler book.

*  Continue searching for cover photo.

*  Choose a title.

*  Continue editing my Mom's book THUNDERMOON.

Okay, that should keep me busy.

Happy Writing!!!


Anne Marie   :)

Can you believe it??? I'm still in shock! I was aware the auspicious milestone loomed over the horizon, and I was hoping against hope I would hit it by August in time for my two-year anniversary as an Indie Author. It came four months early, and I'm not complaining. Yesterday, when I tallied up the numbers and saw the total was a little over the 100k mark--Wow! What a truly awesome writerly moment!!!

OMG!!! Over 100, 000 people have bought my books. And many many of them have actually read them and enjoyed them. I know because they write and tell me so.

My heart is bursting with happiness and gratitude.

Wow!!! Just WOW!!!

Thank you to all of my wonderful readers who've fallen in love with my heroes and who root for my heroines. It doesn't get much better than this for a writer. At least for me, it doesn't.

So let's compare this time last year to now:

*  Last year, on the very same weekend in April, I hit the ten-thousand mark. Isn't that wild?

*  Last year, my Regencies took off and had a fabulous run of sales. This year, it's my Cowboy Romances.

*  Last year at this time, I hadn't received any fan mail. This year, I'm lucky enough to hear from happy readers on a regular basis. A letter from a reader never fails to brighten my day.

*  Last year at this time, I had six titles up. This year, I have sixteen. (And of course, I plan to write and publish more.)

*  Last year, my Amazon sales vastly outnumbered my B&N numbers. This year, the opposite is true.

*   Last year, most of my titles were $0.99. This year, I have more at the $2.99 price point.

*  Last year, I gave away 500 free books during Smashwords' Promotional Events. This year, the number has grown to 2000 +.

*  Last year, I hit the Bestseller lists only on Amazon. This year, my books hit all three Bestseller lists--Amazon, Apple and B&N.

*  Last year, I was ecstatically happy with my sales and with making the decision to go 100% Indie. This year, I STILL AM!!! Even more so!!!

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My self-publishing adventures just keep getting better and better.  It's a GREAT time to be a writer!!!

Happy Reading and Writing!!!


Anne Marie   :)

It's a rainy Monday here on the Gulf Coast, but I'm not letting it get me down. April Madness 2012 is well underway.  Lots of writing going on, and that's a good thing. It's not too late to join my BIAM.  If you need a swift kick in the rear to get back on the writing wagon, shoot me an email so you can join the loop.

Here are my writing goals for the week:

*  Trudge through the 20k words I've written on Tyler's book to get it up to speed with the new motivations and "issues."

*  Try to keep up with the BIAMers on the loop.

*  Keep looking for a cover picture for Tyler's book.

*  Work on getting my mom's rights reverted.

Let's make this week a productive one!!!

Happy Writing!!!

AM   :)

It's that time of year again!!! Not only are the pear trees blooming and the wild flowers are profuse in beauty, it's time for the Eighth Annual April Madness BIAM Writathon!!!

If you're in need of a boost back onto the writing wagon, April Madness might be just what the doctor ordered. Or the muse, to be more precise.

To find out more about my yearly writathons, visit my website and click on Book in a Month: Anne Marie-Style.

Come on and join the fun, and let's get a big chunk of writing done during the month of April. You'll be glad you did. (And so will your Muse.)

Happy Writing!!!


Anne Marie   :)

Okay, this is too cool. Out of the blue, I received an email saying Adam's Temptation has been nominated by TRR reviewers for Best Romance – Contemporary Romance (2011) at The Romance Reviews ("TRR"). 

OMG!!! What an honor!!! 

Adam's Temptation is my Beauty and the Geek romance with a handsome professor hero and a cute spunky heroine. I call it my lighthouse story, because I love lighthouses and of course, I had to set a romance in one. *grin*






 
Please vote for Adam's Temptation for Best Contemporary Romance of 2011 by The Romance Reviewers. 

You can click on the above button or go here to vote:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php. 

Scroll down until you come to Contemporary Nominees and PLEASE VOTE!!! Voting is open from March 16-31. 

Thanks for your support!!!

Happy Reading and Writing!!!

Anne Marie   :)

I'm a firm believer in the maxim: The best promo is to write the next book . So that's what I focus on--writing more books. I also focus on enjoying the process and having fun. If I have fun writing my books, readers will have fun reading them, right?

I only do bare-bones promotion. When I publish a novel or novella or short story, I send out announcements on FB, Twitter and my mailing list. I make an "announcement/book page" on the Book Bazaar thread on the Kindle Boards. I post the cover, blurb and excerpt on my blog and my website with links to buy from whichever site the reader chooses. Then I move on and start writing the next book. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.

Marketing is more important than promotion, IMO. A great story (or a cute little romance, in my case), a catchy title, a professional-looking cover, an enticing blurb, a brand, an excerpt that makes the reader want more, clean copy and formatting--these are all things within my control to some extent. I can set these things in order when publishing the book, then move on and start the next project.

That's not to say these things can't be tweaked or revamped along the way. Last December, I revamped all my covers and some of my blurbs. Now my books have a unified look;  an "Anne Marie Novark" brand, if you will.

Pricing is also marketing (at least, IMO). You have to find your sweet spot. I've finally gotten to the point where I can charge $2.99 for my novel-length works and $0.99 for the shorter works. I have the first book in The Diamondback Ranch Series at 99 cents to make it easier for readers to try it out. I have 2 or 3 more books to write in this series. Readers are actually wanting these books ASAP. Life is good. *grin*

Another marketing tool I take advantage of and put into place when publishing is including links in the backs of all my books for all or most of my other books. I want to make it as easy as possible for readers who enjoy reading one of my books to be able to find and read another as soon as they finish.

An additional marketing tool I put into place is including the blurb in the front matter of my books. Many times, readers load their eReaders with many many titles. I want them to easily remember why they chose one of my books when they begin searching their stored list of books for something to read. I want them to see my title, read the short blurb and think: "Oh, yeah! This sounds good!" then start reading.

Keywords and categories are extremely important marketing tools. You need to figure out which search words and phrases readers put in when looking for books like yours to read and make sure you tag your books accordingly. I've played around with keywords and categories for months. Finding the best combination helps Amazon's and B&N's search engines and algorithms to place and position your books, so they do a big chunk of your marketing for you. Automatically. Technology is a great thing, isn't it? 

Here are a few ways I've gotten my name "out there:"

*  I've written articles for my RWA Chapter Newsletter.
*  I've taught online workshops.
*  I host two BIAM Writathons a year. (April Madness 2012 anyone?)
*  I leave comments on blogs that I read. (I actually need to do this more.)
*  I participate at the Writers' Cafe on the Kindle Boards and have clickable book covers in my signature.
*  I have links to my website and blog in my email signatures.

I publish my titles across as many platforms as possible. The more titles you have out there all over the web, the bigger your digital footprint, and the better chance you have of readers discovering your books.

Naturally, luck plays a part in being discovered. I think people can help make their own luck by writing more and more books and adding to their arsenal.  We're in this for the long haul. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Ebooks don't go stale. Keep writing, so when you finally get lucky, your readers will have an impressive backlist to read from their new favorite author.

Happy Writing!!!


Anne Marie   :)

I'm pleased to announce my first new release of 2012!!! Portrait of a Gentleman is the third book in my Damsels in Breeches Regency Novella Series. This story is a little more intense than the other books in the series. The tone is similar to my full-length Regency novel, Midnight My Love . I laughed and cried while writing Abigail and Nathan's story. I hope it pleases readers who love Regency Romance.

Here's the blurb:

Thankful for the chance to leave London and escape the unwelcome advances of an ardent suitor, Abigail Prescott accepts an invitation to Brydmoor Castle to paint the portrait of the reclusive Viscount Devlin and his small son. A young widow in straightened circumstances, she soon finds herself ensconced in his home and the object of his unwavering attention.

Nathan Holt vows never to marry again. He's done his duty and has an heir. But when Abigail Prescott comes into his vicinity, the daily presence of her in his home becomes a temptation too hard to resist. Unable to deny himself any longer, he begins his seduction of her in earnest, only to find that once will never be enough.

Here's the excerpt:

Candles flickered in their holders, the shadows dancing on the walls and across the massive stone hearth in the Great Hall. It was late. Abigail had been restless lying in bed and decided to come downstairs. Perhaps she could add some of the finishing touches to the nearly finished portrait of Nathan and William.

"Couldn't sleep?" The deep voice echoed in the vastness of the hall.

Abigail gasped and whirled around in time to see Nathan emerge from the shadows. "You frightened me," she said, her own voice breathless in her ears. Warily, she watched his approach; his firm tread loud in the hush of the night.

He walked straight toward her, his eyes holding hers in a look as old as time itself. Her stomach plummeted and her skin tingled against the silky fabric of her nightgown. Since she'd seen him last, he'd removed his coat and neckcloth and his shirt was unbuttoned at the throat. He'd obviously not gone to bed yet, late as it was.

Standing before her, he took the paintbrush from her limp fingers and set it on the table next to the easel. "I couldn't sleep either," he said, his voice low and rough. "All I could think about was . . . this."

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Portrait of a Gentleman is available:

Amazon
B&N
All Romance
Smashwords

Happy Reading!!!


Anne Marie   :)