Susan Appleyard's Blog, page 13

Chill with a Book Award

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I am thrilled to announce that Dark Spirit has won a Chill with a Book Award. Thanks are due to Pauline Barclay, who does such a great job of supporting writers. See the post here: http://www.chillwithabook.com/2017/09/dark-spirit-by-susan-appleyard.html

 

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If you would like to submit your book for an award click: http://www.chillwithabook.com/

 

 

 

My Createspace book.

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Here it is, the cover of my book soon to be published as a paperback. I’m so thrilled.

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CreateSpace

I have heard people on various Facebook sites complain that CreateSpace is difficult to get along with. I have just gone through the process and it wasn’t difficult at all. (I’m not a techie.) My only difficulty came with downloading Adobe Flash Player, which I had to do in order to view my book on Internal Reviewer. But the good folks at CreateSpace helped me through the process. If only Goodreads was so easy to navigate.

My book is not yet available as I’ve sent for a print proof to make sure everything is as perfect as my imperfect self can make it, but here’s a preview of the cover.

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What does Amazon have against Canadian authors?

What makes me think Amazon has anything against Canada? Well, there are two reasons. The first concerns Createspace, Amazon’s print on demand service, where I am presently engaged for the first time. I did my research. I considered other options and I chose Createspace, in spite of my belief that it’s unfair to Canadian authors.

I have previously published 7 ebooks with Kindle. I am paid every cent I earn every month by direct deposit. I am happy about this.

Createspace do not pay Canadian authors by direct deposit, only by cheque and only in one hundred dollar increments in every currency. This may not be a big thing for big sellers. But what about the rest of us? You may have no difficulty selling a hundred dollars in .com or .uk, but what about when your sales begin to drop off and you’re sat there with sixty-seven dollars in your account that you can’t get at until your sales improve. I’ve sold a few ebooks in .de, .fr, .es, .it. With CreateSpace, I will be watching my euro sales going up slowly month by month. And what about Australia and Brazil? I’ve sold there too but if I sell on Createspace, chances are I will never get paid because my sales are so few.

The answer to this is to open a bank account in the U.S., which I have done. I will be paid by direct deposit and can then transfer the funds to my Canadian account if I wish. All well and good, but it begs the question why CreateSpace don’t us Canadians by direct deposits when they do in many other countries like the U.K., Netherlands, Portugal, France and others. Amazon has not provided a satisfactory answer.

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Here’s the second reason Amazon is unfair to Candian authors. Amazon has introduced KDP Print, which is very much like CreateSpace, a PoD service. With Print, you can sell your paperback to readers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Japan, which, of course, Createspace already does – except Japan. Have you noticed which country is missing from this list? CANADA! If I publish with Print, Canadians will not be able to order my book on Amazon.ca. Only family and friends will know that I have a paperback available. I have read that this may be due to the Canada Heritage Act and the protection of Candian booksellers. Well and good, but how is it CreateSpace distributes to Canada. I ask again: What does Amazon have against Canadian authors?

For more info. read this: https://dianetibert.com/tag/createspace/

And this: https://kindlepreneur.com/createspace-vs-kdp-print/

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What do you write after ‘The End’?

Your finished book is now ready for publication. Yay! Heartfelt relief. Pride! Joy! A sense of accomplishment! But don’t stop there. Your readers have finished your book. Presumably, they have enjoyed it. You’ve got their attention. Don’t relinquish it yet.

How about a note from the author telling your readers something about the book that you can’t include in the narrative, such as a brief bibliography, what inspired you to write it, anything of interest. In my case, I try to tell my readers what is not factual in my historical novels.

You might include a biography, a list of your other books. Tell them how they can contact you: Your email address, Twitter and Facebook accounts, Goodreads, all your social media.

Either here or at the front of the book, you can add any endorsements or reviews you’ve received.

Finally, if you have other books, generate a little interest by including a chapter or two. Ebook writers can even offer a snippet of their WIP. It can always be changed later if necessary.

These are the things I add at the end of my books. I don’t know if anyone reads them. I only know I read other authors’ back matter. Perhaps you can think of some other things to include. If so, let me know.

My review of The Errant Flock by Jana Petken

Jana Petken’s The Errant Flock is set in Sagrat, Valencia, in the late fifteenth century. After his wife has lost three babies, Luis, Duke of Sagrat, is desperate for a son to succeed him. What is a man to do? The duke’s remedy is to force young David Sanz, one of his militiamen, to steal a newborn from among the townsfolk. Since secrecy is vital, David is also ordered to kill the parents and any other family members in the house. If he does not carry out this dreadful mission, the duke will destroy his own family.

This repugnant crime is the basis of the plot. Add the Inquisition, a corrupt town official, a band of murdering marauders, family members and a friend who cannot understand the change in David. Spice it up with a little love interest in the form of a Jewish girl, and what you have is a delicious soup of treachery, betrayal, guilt, and suspense that will make you want to keep on reading long after bedtime.

Alternating points of view help carry the story along at a fast but not hurried pace. On the whole, the characters are believable. It’s impossible not to sympathise with David for the terrible dilemma he finds himself in. I would, however, have liked to have seen just a dash of goodness in the duke. He is a little too evil.

When you come to the end of the book, you will be happy to know there are other Jana Petken titles available. (I’m looking forward to reading more.) The Errant Flock is the first book in The Flock Trilogy. I highly recommend it.

Making a living as a writer: how social media can be a long-term investment for your career

Opportunities you never thought of.

Nail Your Novel

Last weekend I was speaking at the PowWow Festival of Writing in Moseley, Birmingham, and they were interested to hear how a writer of 2017 makes a living.

The first thing to say is that not many writers make a living from their books these days – whether they publish themselves or have book deals.

This is often a surprise to aspiring authors – and not a tad disappointing. It’s not that they expect to be earning like the headline grabbers, but they usually hope their book earnings will become a reliable replacement for other income. It usually doesn’t.

Of course, you’re far more likely to make quantities of £££ if you write prolifically in a popular genre – if that’s you, you might find this post by cosy mystery writer Elizabeth S Craig has useful strategies. You might also have made a serious study of hardass marketing techniques…

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Organised crime in the 14th century.

It’s well known that when a propertied man died, he left the whole kit and kaboodle to his eldest son. The younger ones had to fend for themselves. There were options, a career in the church being the most popular. Or a man who knew how to use a sword – and most of them did – could hire it out; there was always a war going on somewhere in Europe. Another option was outlawry. Like many others of noble birth, that was the route to infamy and riches chosen by Eustace Folville and his five brothers.

They are mentioned by William Langland in Piers Plowman:

‘..and fechen it for false men

 with Folvyles law…’

‘and fix it for false men

with Folvilles law…’

[image error] The Folville Cross marks the place where Roger Bellers was murdered

The Folvilles were educated noblemen of Leicestershire, but they attracted men of lesser rank. When they were not committing crimes on their own behalf they were often hired by other men of rank to commit robbery, extortion and murder. One of their most notable crimes was the murder of Roger Bellers a Baron of the Exchequer, who was said to be a henchman of the infamous Hugh Despenser.

They formed a sort of brotherhood with other high-ranking outlaws operating at that time and protected each other and were protected by, among others, Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford.  On one occasion, when officers of the crown were closing in on the Folvilles, they sought shelter with the Coteril gang in the Peak District of Derbyshire.

[image error] The church at Teigh where Richard Folville was murdered

The gang’s organisation was not dissimilar to any other business. There was a hierarchy headed by the top man, Eustace Folville, division of labour, recruitment program, maintainers, and laws. Some of the brothers held public office. Richard was the rector of Teigh and the only one to suffer for the gang’s crimes. A local justice of the peace and his officers entered the church, dragged him into the churchyard and beheaded him. Pope Clement ordered the guilty parties to do penance for killing a priest, which involved a whipping at the major churches in the area.

Such reprobates were bound to come to a bad end. Right? Well, no. To start with, they really weren’t all that bad. The ones they killed were considered worse than their killers, so the common people regarded them with approval and would not bear witness against them in court, nor help the authorities to apprehend them. Eustace was seen as a hero, an enforcer of God’s law against corrupt government officials, a kind of Robin Hood. And no, they did not come to a bad end. The lot of them (not counting the unfortunate Richard) were given a pardon by King Edward III in return for military service. Their leader, Eustace Folville, was knighted for exemplary service.

 

Now out on pre-order.

[image error]Marketing – the writer’s boogeyman, worst nightmare, and most difficult, frustrating, cannot-be-ignored-as-much-as-you-would-like-to chore. Among the reams of advice on all social media and from authors who have developed a foolproof method to sell 1000 or 10,000 books or produce a best seller in 30 days, much of which I have read/tried is this: the pre-order. It doesn’t cost anything. It’s free. And who knows, it might work. So here goes.

My new novel about Isabella of France is now on preorder for the reduced price of $3.99 at:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Forsaken-Queen-Susan-Appleyard-ebook/dp/B073PJL9BJ/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

 

Cover for The Forsaken Queen

Here is the cover of my latest book, created by Elle at ejrdigitalarts.com with a little help from me.

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