Mark Watson's Blog, page 3

Bull Terrier lovers rejoice! Milo & Ze on SALE! 25% OFF!

Bull Terrier lovers rejoice! Milo & Ze on SALE! 25% OFF!
Calling all bull terrier lovers and children, the multi award winning illustrated children’s book Milo & Ze is now only $14.99 (Reduced from $18.99).

After looking at the amazing response to Milo over the Christmas period and the reviews and feedback we’ve had from bull terrier owners around the world, we’ve decided to drop the price of everybody’s favourite bully puppy adventure by 25% to make Milo more affordable to all.
WINNERS: Best Illustrated Children’s Ebook – MOONBEAM Awards 2015
WINNERS: Best Children’s Animal Book – READER’S FAVORITE Awards 2015
WINNERS: Best Illustrated Children’s book – IPPY Awards 2015
Join Milo, the long forgotten bull terrier puppy, as he travels the world in search of nothing more than a friend he can call his own.

Milo & Ze is the eagerly-awaited second illustrated children’s book by Mark Watson and Pablo Michau, authors of the bestselling, “The Shark in the Park” and already a big favourite with bull terrier owners worldwide.
Grab your copy NOW from Amazon by clicking Milo…

The post Bull Terrier lovers rejoice! Milo & Ze on SALE! 25% OFF! appeared first on marknpablo.

Welcome to marknpablo illustrated children’s books

Mark Watson was born in England, Pablo Michau in South Africa, both now live in Mataro, Spain. “We met through our children, they attend the same school and are the only English speaking kids in their class.” Mark is an English teacher in the little Spanish town and Pablo is a freelance illustrator/graphic designer. “After a brief conversation about our hopes for the future and our love of children’s books we decided to take one of Mark’s existing stories and put it together. We are much happier with the result than we could have hoped.”

After their first collaboration Mark and Pablo have decided to work exclusively together on many more children’s books, as Mark explains “Pablo has the ability to see the pictures I have in my mind, as a child walking to school through the park I used to daydream about a shark under the grass chasing me, not only has Pablo managed to capture the threat and fear of a giant shark, he has also managed to faithfully reproduce the park of my childhood, in all its mysterious glory.”

The post Welcome to marknpablo illustrated children’s books appeared first on marknpablo.

The Shark in the Park by Miss Davina Lee Cooke

Wow, did you know that the amazing and beautiful singer/songwriter Davina Lee Cooke has written a brilliant song based on our children’s book, ‘The Shark in the Park‘?

Davina used rhyme from the book for the lyrics, you can hear the song here with Pablo’s illustrations, we think it looks and sounds fin-tastic!

If your children like the book and the reading by John Quinones then we are sure they’ll LOVE the song.

Once again Davina, thank you…

Don’t forget, you can order your copy of The Shark in the Park here…

The Shark in the Park


List Price: $11.99

Price: $10.90

You Save: $1.09






Price Disclaimer

The post The Shark in the Park by Miss Davina Lee Cooke appeared first on marknpablo.

Milo & Ze: Bestseller on Amazon

Milo & Ze is a…

BESTSELLER!!!

We’ve had a lot of interest in Milo & Ze, our award winning illustrated children’s book in the last couple of weeks and many people are rushing to get theirs in time for Christmas.

Milo appeals not only to children and their parents but also to dog lovers, particularly Bull Terriers or Bullys as they are affectionately known.

As you result, Milo is a BESTSELLER AGAIN!

We would like to say thank you to everybody, for the people who still struggle to get our illustrated children’s book in their territories, (Australia and South Africa for example) don’t worry, it won’t be that way forever.

If you haven’t read Milo & Ze yet and are still wondering what all the fuss is about you can order your copy below…







Milo & Ze: A Tale of Friendship


List Price: $18.99

Price: $18.99







Price Disclaimer

The post Milo & Ze: Bestseller on Amazon appeared first on marknpablo.

Illustrated Children’s Book Awards 2015

Thank you to all the judges who voted for our Illustrated Children’s Book, ‘Milo & Ze’ in 2015.

I have to say there’s no bigger fan of Pablo than myself and I am always grateful to him for his illustrations.

So, without further ado, here are the Illustrated Children’s Book Awards 2015 and our placements…

ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS 2015
WINNER:MOONBEAM AWARD 2015

Best Illustrated Children’s Ebook

WINNER: ‪IPPY‬ AWARD 2015

Best Illustrated Children’s Ebook

WINNER: READER’S FAVORITE AWARD 2015

Best Illustrated Children’s ‪Animal‬ Book

WINNER: STORY MONSTER 2015

Story Monster Approved Award

Click here to order your copy…

Milo & Ze: A Tale of Friendship


List Price: $18.99

Price: $18.99







Price Disclaimer

The post Illustrated Children’s Book Awards 2015 appeared first on marknpablo.

“What Would You Do?”‘s John Quinones reads The Shark in the Park

So, we asked the most famous man in America if he’d like to read our illustrated children’s book for the Youtube video.

As I’m sure you all know, John Quinones is very busy with his hit show ‘What Would You Do?’ and his other work as an ABC news anchor, not to mention the fact he writes books too!

Both Pablo and I are massive fans of ‘What Would You Do?’

Well, we could hardly believe it ourselves but he said YES!

We sent him a copy of our illustrated children’s book, ‘The Shark in the Park’ and John recorded himself reading the story.

The  final result is much more than we expected, once again…

Thanks John

The post “What Would You Do?”‘s John Quinones reads The Shark in the Park appeared first on marknpablo.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Does the new trailer reveal too much? **MASSIVE SPOILERS**

Yes, it does!

I’m sure it’s unintentional but the new trailer has pretty much given away the entire plot, including who the main bad guys will be!

Many message boards and blogs are questioning who the shadowy figure is in the background in the shot of all the Stormtroopers.

Firstly, looking at the set-up and the placing of shots like these at the end of the films first trilogies I would hypothesize that this is the end shot of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Let’s look at this shot from the new trailer…

[image error]

Brand new gleaming Stormtroopers! Lovely. But as we have seen the classic Stormtroopers in the rest of the trailer and only shots of these guys lining up or priming their weapons I would say they are the progression of the old Stormtroopers and introduced only at or near the end.

In the background we can also see they are on an Ice Planet similiar to, if not, Hoth. The Star Wars films are nothing if not repetitive in their choice of locations, we can see from the rest of the film that they are back on a desert planet for a large period of time, probably the first half.

So, there we go, we’ve pretty much established that this shot of the Stormtroopers in the new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is the final shot of the film. It also tells us that part two will follow the same path and start on Hoth! Hey thanks trailer!

But wait, who is that shadowy figure in the background looking down on his new army of kickass Stormtroopers? Well, a simple zoom actually shows us…

[image error]

Do you see it? Yep, now it all makes perfect sense, the baddies in Star Wars: The Force awakens are…

LUKE SKYWALKER AND R2D2!!!

Think about it for two minutes and you’ll see it all adds up, we know Star Wars: The Force Awakens will follow the same template, we know there are children of the Jedi in the new film and we know that traditionally it follows along the lines of evil Jedi dad. That only leaves one contender, Evil Luke of course!

What’s the McGuffin?

Again, a close look at the new trailer and a think about the tapestry of the first trilogy and the answer isn’t hard to see. What were they all after in Star Wars?

Why R2D2 of course!

Looking at a still from the new trailer we can postulate that this comes near the end of the new film as we see the same environment as some of the shots of the new Stromtroopers and hey, wasn’t he the McGuffin in the first film all those years ago?

[image error]

So there we have it, what do you guys think? I think I’ve predicted this one correctly but could Luke be the only one?

No, there is another!

Both our illustrated children’s books win Story Monster Awards

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Linda F. Radke, Five Star Publications, Inc.

Phone: 480-940-8182

E-mail: fivestarpublications@gmail.com

‘The Shark in the Park’ and ‘Milo & Ze’ Earns Story Monster Approval

CHANDLER, AZ (February, 2015) – The judges of the Story Monster Approved program, which recognizes accomplished authors in the field of children’s literature have spoken, The Shark in the Park and Milo & Ze by Mark Watson and illustrated by Pablo Michau have both earned approval.

The colorful, kid-friendly Story Monster Approved seal attracts the attention of young readers much more than a sticker intended for adult scrutiny. Kids know when they see the Story Monster Approved patch it means children their own age enjoyed the book and are recommending they read it, too. How do they know that? Because after books pass the first round of rigorous judging – which is done by industry experts, the books are then judged by a panel of youth judges who must also endorse the books before they can receive the official seal of approval.

“Who better to judge children’s books than the children who read them?” explains Linda F. Radke, president of Five Star Publications, Inc., the same company that launched the Dragonfly Book Awards program, now in its fifth year. “Judging these books gives children a wonderful sense of importance and

responsibility. Some of our judging coordinators have told us that students who usually don’t enjoy reading or have difficulty reading have gotten a much-needed boost due to their judging responsibilities and have requested to serve as judges again.”

Authors interested in having their books considered for Story Monster Approved designation should visit www.StoryMonsters.com and download an entry form. Books are divided into the following categories with distinctions made between fiction and nonfiction: Preschool to Kindergarten, Grades 1-3, and Grades 4-6.

The cost to enter is $85 for one title in one category, $75 per title when multiple books are entered or $75 per category when one book is entered in multiple categories. There is no deadline to enter. Books are sent for judging as they are received. Results are generally announced 4 – 6 weeks after submission.

For more information on how to get a book Story Monster Approved, visit www.StoryMonsters.com. To learn more about Five Star Publications, Inc., which is celebrating 29 years in producing award-winning books, visit www.FiveStarPublications.com, email fivestarpublications@gmail.com.

Howard Marks reads The Shark in the Park

We were saddened to hear the news today that Howard Marks, the awesome Mr Nice, has recently revealed he has inoperative cancer.

Howard is a friend of a friend who heard about our first children’s book, The Shark in the Park and was kind enough to record a reading for us in August last year.

According to reports Howard was diagnosed with inoperable bowel cancer at around the same time. He must have known something and probably wasn’t feeling top dollar so we are all the more appreciative that he did this for us.

So, here it is, the Brilliant Howard Marks reads our illustrated children’s book, The Shark in the Park…

We’d like to say our sincerest thanks for doing this Howard, they don’t call you “Mr Nice” for nothing

Once again, thank you very much for your support and we join many more around the world in wishing you and your family the strength and bravery needed for the battle ahead and in praying for a full recovery,

Mark Watson and Pablo Michau

A fundraiser for Howard’s treatment, ‘Howard Marks and Friends’ will be held at The Forum in London on Friday, February 27. Tickets are available from www.ticketline.co.uk/howard-marks

How to sell a million books in 2015

How would you like to sell a million copies of your e-book this year? Thought so, me too!

In this post I’ll share my secrets of how to make sure your achievement, and writing a book is an achievement, is seen by as many people as it deserves.

I’ve kept this simple and short so even if this is your first self-publishing endeavor, you’ll be able to follow the steps without much confusion…

1: Write a book, finish it (not so easy!), create the kindle version, proofread/edit etc, upload it to Amazon. Nobody will tell you this but here it is, regardless of genre your book will join an enormous pile of self-published works vying for the spotlight, the only way you stand a chance of rising from this pile is to be better. Even the smallest mistake will be pointed out by grammar-enthusiast reviewers and your ratings will suffer. Using the techniques detailed here WILL get you sales initially but if your product is weak then word will spread and you will drop off. Recent Sci-Fi blockbuster ‘I, Martian’ started as a self-published book and shifted 30,000+ copies in the first six months, I’ll never know why such a fantastic book was rejected by publishers but there you go, cream rises to the top.

2: Make your book available for pre-order, do not rush to release it, make sure you give yourself a minimum of two weeks, this ensures that not only can you create a pre-release buzz with your marketing, you also have ample time to prepare friends and family to buy the book as soon as it goes on sale and to write reviews. Here is our pre-order image, I shared this EVERYWHERE

3: Use KDP Select to make your book free for the first day or two. We didn’t with our books but we will with the next one, I have seen this work now countless times and the difference in downloads in the initial days is enormous, this will get your book noticed and you will start to collect reviews.

On the subject of reviews, many authors devote a tremendous amount of times to review exchanges in an attempt to trigger amazon’s algorithm, this does work but I find it time consuming and frustrating, if you do wish to follow this path there are many facebook groups dedicated to review sharing, I have found a less time-consuming approach is to ask politely at the end of your book, readers will be more inclined to give in-depth, valuable feedback if you are nice to them.

4: Create a pre-order campaign for facebook groups and a Thunderclap (I’ll give you some tips on how to make your Thunderclap go BOOM in a later post).

5: Advertise in the top facebook kindle groups below, these are the main power groups with the highest population but you will also find groups relevant to your genre by doing a simple search on facebook.

This is where dedication comes into play, your promotional post will only have visibility for a short time so you need to post on these groups continuously, work through and then start again, peak hours are US Evening so if you are European get ready for some all-nighters.

6: Include these hashtags in your posts #kindle #kindleunlimited #amazon and some genre hashtags too.

*** IMPORTANT *** Make a unique hashtag, possibly the title of your book or your surname (if it is uncommon), it is essential you use a hashtag that will only take you to your own posts.

7: As well as posting, bump your posts by clicking your unique hashtag, this will take you to a list populated only by your own posts, here you can firstly ‘like’ your own post to put it back to the top of the group, secondly, a few hours later, leave a comment, again, this will bump you to the the top of the group wall. I made a video detailing this technique and showing how, with the help of a few friends, you can get 100’s if not 1000’s of likes on your promotional book ads in seconds, remember, in the same way as getting good reviews, feedback on your facebook posts, especially if it is positive is a great way of validating your work and making it an attractive purchase.

Please excuse my breathing in the vid, I needed an operation on my nose so I sound like a walrus but I’m fine now

8: Ask your friends and family if they know a celebrity personally who will do a reading of your book that you can make into a video, you’ll be surprised who will be willing to help if you explore your connections and ask politely…

 9: Now comes the second phase of your marketing plan, one book just won’t cut it, you’ll possibly be sick of the sight of it after a few months so you need to add direct related content. In an ideal world you’d release the second book of the series but you probably haven’t even started that and want to see you magnum opus hit the heights before you pick up the pen and start writing your next great novel. This is fine, you do not need ‘The Two Towers’ at this point but something small that can be sold for 99c is very easy to create, a short story, a pamphlet, a colouring book with unused images etc, the list is endless. Polish your drc and release it to the same fanfare and social marketing campaign as your first book, set the price accordingly and after the first few weeks or months, as sales drop off, convert your book to an epub file using Calibre and put your book on Wattpad. Wattpad is an app that allows people to read books directly on their phone through an app. Give your short book away with a link at the back (or front) to your main book.

Wattpad gives a TREMENDOUS amount of visibility and can grow your readership exponentially, as you can see…

These are the twenty largest groups to advertise your WATTPAD giveaway…

10: Now you are able to offer one of your books free of charge roughly once a week through KDP Select, in addition to Wattpad and also with kindleunlimited, make sure you let people know about this in your adverts…

..and make sure you create some adverts for your free day…

11: Now keep going, as the year progresses make sure you expand your social media reach by joining twitter, google+, linkedin etc and using the same techniques. You are now realising that to be successful probably involves sharing posts all day, every day for the rest of the year and you’d be right! However, there are programs out there that can automate your advertising by posting in groups, contacting group members and adding twitter followers etc, these should be used with care as they can get you banned or restricted, these are the ones I have found to be the most effective…

Hootsuite

Tweetadder

More Followers (google search it)

There are many others out there but again, use them with care.

Well, that’s about it, with hard work and dedication you can make it to the top of the bestseller list, please don’t forget…

12: Many blogs and websites claim to offer this information. They don’t, this strategy WORKS and its FREE, I have had messages from people saying they didn’t know where to start, one lady spent a year not selling a single book, once she read my post here, she sold seventy copies of her book the first evening and broke into the bestsellers of her category, if you use this information to sell your books, please return the favour and pick up one of mine.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog for more tips

Milo & Ze, only $1.99 worldwide or FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Currently nominated for several illustrated children’s book awards. We’re sure you’ll love it

Click the cover to be taken to the book page…

Also available, our debut, bestselling illustrated children’s book The Shark in the Park for ONLY 99c or FREE with Kindle Unlimited…

Both books recently picked up FIVE star reviews from Readers’ Favourite, you can read the review of The Shark in the Park here, if you’d like to read the brilliant review of Milo & Ze, you’ll find it here

All the best,

Mark Watson