Dee Palmer's Blog, page 4

GIVEAWAY

Just a quickie…I’m doing a giveaway on my FB page…signed Ethan’s Fall and some other pretty cool swag…to enter check out the original post…

Link here:

FB Author page

Step forward all those with great news…Hey Palmer where do you think you’re going?

Okay so what’s with the long and leading title? Well I’ve had a productive morning chatting with my very lovely PR lady and sorting out my release dates for my next 2 books.

Now here’s the thing, you are not going to want to wait long for the last book…I don’t know why specifically…call it a hunch. Also, I don’t want to release the 3rd book in December, because…um it’s December. So a camel of a compromise has evolved with a late November and Mid January release dates for the next 2 books in the Disgrace Trilogy.

I know it’s a bit of a wait but trust me…they are worth it…(swishes her hair like a well known shampoo commercial).

It’s also means I will have a good 5 months to get my teeth in to the next 3 projects I have been mulling…but more on those later…I don’t want to mess with your minds…too much.

So keep your peepers pealed and look out for ARC  giveaways and competitions I will be running up to the release date.

Thanks guys

xdee

Winner!

I wanted to post this on my blog because I do quite a few giveaways on my Facebook group but not so many on my blog…I don’t think thats a huge deal because most of you catch me either here or there. This giveaway though was run through my subscriber list so you definitely had to be on there to win[image error]

I also wanted to post the winner so you know I do actually pick winners…(well my children do) and it’s not some sneaky trick to get your details. I worry about this by the way so if you have won something and haven’t received it…it’s likely I forgot!

This was the prize and the winner is pughtwins2@*********.com I will drop an email to let them know.

Got lots going on over the Summer and hopefully some exciting news to keep an eye out for.

Big Hugs

xdee❤

Out of the Loop-Thankfully

It’s taken a wee while to recover, I’ll admit that much but that’s an age thing. I mean seriously what was I thinking tagging along with the talented, gorgeous and much much younger LP Lovell, Laura Barnard and super friendly Jodi Maliszweski  and Vicki Watson until the early hours. I should know better…I do know better but I don’t get out much and it was the best fun.

I had an absolutely amazing time at my very first signing at the Essex Author Extravaganza ’16.

I met some wonderful authors, Jodi L Perry, Donna Alam, the very very lovely Julieanne Lynch and so many more…too many to remember that’s for sure. But one thing that was so very wonderful for a newbie like me, how friendly everyone was, genuinely lovely.

So I am always a little shocked when I see posts on Facebook contradicting this behaviour in the book world. I think I am either not friends with those that wallow in negativity or I am just blinkered to the drama…for which I am eternally grateful. Life is hard enough…seriously! I love my on-line friends and despite my hubby iterating ‘The competition’ line I don’t see fellow authors like that. Now, that may well be naive but so be it…I fangirl as much as the next reader and will always be grateful for the help other authors have offered me and hope I am able to do the same. Although who would want that advice is a worry

Fantastic Sinful Giveaway!

Over the moon to join these awesome authors in THE summer giveaway.

Click this link to enter and best of luck[image error]

Sizzling Summer Giveaway

xdee

 

It’s a numbers thing…

Gah I hate maths…

Having spent a gruelling hour going over my ‘numbers’ it would appear I am an idiot to take my books out of the Kindle Unlimited programme. Over 60% of my income comes from there.

Whats was I thinking??

KU is where new readers don’t mind taking the risk on an unknown indie author such as me and it’s where veracious romance readers dwell…my kind of reader.

So…I’m going back in…Not so much with my tail between my legs because I honestly like the idea of having my books available on all platforms but the cold hard figures have put paid to my best intentions. It’s not all about the money but sometimes it kinda is…

I don’t think this decision affects too many and with the Kindle app I think that number is pretty tiny but I am sorry, it’s just a no brainer…a girl’s gotta eat!

xdee

 

 

 

Gah…don’t hate me.

Okay this is a quick post because I can see how this might spiral. I am currently pulling my books from the Amazon KU programme, so I can offer them on all platforms…iTunes, Kobo, Nook etc. Well that’s great you might say!

 

But because of the dates involved my middle book…Always a Choice is still enrolled in the programme until middle of July. Which means if you read it on KU then next one you will have to pay for because it isn’t in the KU programme…(not my fault just how the releases dates and contract with Amazon has panned out)…anyway it’s a cliffy so you might be pissed at this.

It’s not an intentional strategy to irritate, I am just trying to reach more readers. The net result is that you…if you choose to will buy the last book £2.99…but before you get really really pissed and …oh I don’t know leave a 1 star review, could you just maybe reflect that you have read or will have read nearly 1000 pages, taking something like 30 hours for…um £2.99!

I’m not trying to trick anyone but I am trying to make a living…I know shocking.

Much love and big hugs

 

xdee

To KU or to not KU that is the question??

Hmm and this gets trickier by the day for me…I make the same from a sale as a ‘lend read’ so it’s not the money and don’t get me wrong I love the idea of KU. As an avid reader myself I could see how it might save me money and the theory behind it is sound and fair for all…reader and author.

But…there’s always a but…the theory has been hijacked by “Internet Marketeers”.

There have been many post much more in-depth than mine that go into the nitty gritty, but basically KU is a big fund that gets divided up according to how many pages people read of your books. The big ass loop hole here is that the ‘Marketeers’ can and do upload books with bumpf…there may well be a story at the beginning…may.  But page after page after that is bumpf…the book is sometimes translated into several languages…other books crammed in at the end that bear no relation to the title…all to bump the total number of pages read…up to 3000 pages because Amazon has put a cap on that.

The upshot is the “Marketeers…or arse-wipes” which I think is the technical term, make money…a lot of money out of the fund that is for all the genuine indy authors.

 

 

But it’s ok because surely if you complain…give it a one star that sort of thing Amazon will take it down…possibly I’m not sure but the fact is there is nothing to stop them changing the cover…tweak the title and upload again…see that horribly spiralling circle of dwindling fund and poor quality books…yeah that is not so good for the reader or authors.

All of my books are in the KU programme but I have begun the process of removing them…mostly because I want to try the other platforms but in the back of my head I worry that keeping them in is supporting a flawed system…Now I’m a minnow so Amazon won’t give a rats arse about my books and they are the biggest player by far so I will probably end up putting them all back at some point. I just hope when I do this situation is addressed because ultimately I believe it gives Indy authors a bad name.

And if there is one thing I have learnt this year is that Indy authors rock!

Well that escalated quickly…

Not sure where to start with this one but in the space of a week I had gone from being a FB reported virgin with a cheeky caption competition post which was entirely my own fault; to a week long ban, (honestly didn’t think the pictures were too bad and certainly no nips or dicks) to a full-on account deletion.

Super frustrating because FB can not be reasoned with…at all. There is no option to chat with someone and I definitely feel they fall heavily on the side of the reporter and the reported are just guilty…after all there couldn’t possibly be a mistake and trolls don’t exist…hmm I think you’ll find they do.

I didn’t feel singled out, several other in my group suffered the same fate… I have to highlight this is an 18+ opt in reader group but again that really doesn’t matter. I guess I just don’t understand why, if something offends you but is CLEARLY causing no harm why people can’t just scroll on by. It’s not that hard…

 

Sadly I do rely on FB as a very good marketing tool for my books, so I will have to say goodbye to man Candy Monday, Trio Tuesday, Wet Wednesday, Tasty Thursday, F**k Me Friday, Sexy Ass Saturday and Sinful Sunday…or do I…Disgraceful Diva’s you know the answer to that one

Real Writers Don’t Self-Publish

I love this ladies blog…

Kristen Lamb's Blog

One of the things I love about doing what I do is that I have the ability to connect so closely with you guys and speak on the topics that matter to you. Yesterday, a fellow writer shared an article from The Guardian, For me traditional publishing means poverty. But self-publish? No way. She wanted my take on what the author had to say.

All right.

For those who’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, I hope I’ve been really clear that I support all paths of publishing (vanity press doesn’t count).

All forms of publishing hold advantages and disadvantages and, as a business, we are wise to consider what form of publishing is best for our writing, our work, our goals, our personality, etc. But my goal has always been to educate writers so they are making wise decisions based off data, not just personal…

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