Zed Amadeo's Blog, page 7
July 13, 2015
Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Came Into My Possession
Time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week, it’s the top ten books that have recently come into my possession. All book covers from Goodreads.
1. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Graduation present from my friend’s parents.
2. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
Another graduation gift from my mom.
3. City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer
From the library.
4. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
Also from the library.
5. Ink: Red by Al K. Line
Free on the Kindle store.
6. Ghost Hunting Diary Volume 1 by T.M. Simmons
Another Kindle store freebie.
7. Necromancer Awakening by Nat Russo
Kindle freebie promotion.
8. Infinite Waters by Nicholas C. Rossis
Kindle Unlimited rental.
9. Fall from Grace by J. Edward Ritchie
Kindle purchase.
10. Stone of Fire by J.F. Penn
Another Kindle freebie.
What are your favorite reads that have most recently come into your possession?
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Practical Writing Advice: Mastering Your Social Media Strategy
Already have a social media presence, but looking for ways to improve your social media strategy? These resources will help you master your strategy and build a solid platform on whichever social media sites you use.
Social media is a great way to meet other authors and connect with potential readers. With all of the different networks out there, it can be easy to get lost in all of the possible ways to use social media to build your author platform. I have found the following resources to be helpful in creating and improving my social media strategy as I publish. Before continuing, a couple of questions:
Do you know your audience?
Who is your book marketed toward? If you need help specifying your market, check out my previous post on getting to know your audience.
Do you know how to curate content for your audience?
How do you find content to share with your audience? Take a look at my post on content curation for helpful resources.
Having solid answers to these questions will help you streamline your social media strategy going forward.
1. Social Media Just for Writers by Frances Caballo
Image from Goodreads
Social Media Just For Writers is both a book and a blog created by Frances Caballo. The book is divided into separate sections for different social media platforms, each of which is compared to the style of a different writer/artist. In addition, Social Media provides tips for blogging and offline methods for marketing your book. The benefits of each platform are considered in terms of how they can help build your author presence online and find potential readers.
After reading the book, which is available on Amazon for Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and in Paperback, I recommend subscribing to Caballo’s blog and newsletter to stay updated on the latest advice for social media.
2. Twitter for Writers by Rayne Hall
Image from Goodreads
This guide by Rayne Hall delves into more detail on how to effectively use one of my favorite social media platforms. Hall provides solutions unique to Twitter, such as what to do when you hit the wall of following 2,000 profiles, hosting a chat, and using lists. Twitter for Writers is available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Paperback format on Amazon.
3. 500 Social Media Marketing Tips by Andrew Macarthy
Image from Goodreads
Though aimed at businesses in general, this handy guide provides valuable social media advice that authors can also utilize. Macarthy’s book is divided up into separate sections for each platform and provides further suggestions for ways to leverage each platform. This book also delves deeper into ways to analyze and track your presence on each platform, how to use graphics to build your brand, and how best to promote your business on each. 500 Social Media Marketing Tips is available on Amazon for Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and in Paperback.
4. Social Media Image Size Guide
It’s easy to forget what size is ideal for graphics on each social network. This series of infographics from Set Up a Blog Today provides ideal sizes and formats for shared images, profile images, and headers on each platform.
5. Best Times to Tweet
The author of Social Media Just for Writers has a helpful cheat sheet on the best times to post and how often to post on each platform. She also suggests a couple of apps you can use to tailor your posting times to your specific audience.
Which resources do you recommend for improving your social media strategy?
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July 12, 2015
The World of Kindred: Wanted
A “Wanted” poster I created for the suspects that change Dina Durst’s life forever in Resurrection, the first novella in the dark urban fantasy series “Kindred.” More about their crime is available in this fake article.
Want to learn more? Resurrection is available for 99 cents on Kindle or for Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.
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July 11, 2015
For Lovers of Lovecraft
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Lovecraft. If you are too, here’s a few reads you might also enjoy.
H.P. Lovecraft was both a pioneer of dark/weird fiction and one of my favorite authors. As I make my way through his corpus of works, I’ve found a few other intriguing reads along the way:
1. The Eldritch Dark
Clark Ashton Smith – image from Wikipedia
Clark Ashton Smith was a contemporary and correspondent of Lovecraft who wrote similarly weird and dark fiction. I discovered Smith after watching a horror movie segment based off of one of his short stories (“The Mother of Toads” in the film Theatre Bizarre). The Eldritch Dark is a site that houses tons of info about Smith’s work and has his poetry and short fiction available to read. Check out Smith’s work if you’re looking for more fiction in the same vein as Lovecraft.
2. The Secret History of the Necronomicon by Arkay Tilghman
Image from Goodreads
If you’re familiar with Lovecraft’s work, you’ve probably heard of The Necronomicon, a legendary dark tome. Lovecraft wrote a short piece on the fictional history of the Necronomicon. A variety of facsimiles of this book have been created over the years. If you want to learn more about this book, check out The Secret History of the Necronomicon. Arkay Tilghman’s book provides fascinating background research on what may have inspired Lovecraft to create this fictional grimoire. The Secret History of the Necronomicon is available on Amazon for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
3. Whom the Gods Would Destroy by Brian Hodge
Image from Goodreads
Damien is an astronomy student with an unusual background. One of his first memories is of his mother engaging in strange, ritual-like behavior. Now an adult and estranged from the rest of his family, Damien maintains a heavy interest in the cosmos and what might exist in the unknown reaches of space. When his older brother unexpectedly shows up, Damien finds that he may be unable to leave his past behind, no matter how horrific it may be. Whom the Gods Would Destroy is an excellent short read, available on Amazon for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
What other works would you recommend to a fan of Lovecraft or dark/weird fiction?
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July 10, 2015
Practical Writing Advice: Planning a Book Promotion
You did it! After writing, editing, and editing some more, you’re finally ready to start planning your book promotion.
1. Get Reviews
It may seem somewhat counter-intuitive to worry about having book reviews before your promotion. Shouldn’t having a book promotion help you get book reviews? However, having a few reviews for your book beforehand may help with your book promotion. This makes it easier for potential readers to decide whether your book is for them. Additionally, certain book promotion sites require that you have a minimum number of reviews before you can use their services. While gaining those first few reviews can be difficult, check out my post on how to get your book reviewed and Nicholas C. Rossis’ post on the topic for strategies and resources that can help.
2. Budget Your Time and Money
From All Indie Writers: a site with excellent resources to help you plan your time and money for promoting your book
Before launching into the steps below, be sure you have a plan of action. This help you track your progress with your promotion and how much time and money you expect to spend. All Indie Writers has three great free tools for this step of your book promotion: One Page Marketing Plan Template to lay out an overview of your plan; Book Marketing Plan Outline to think in more detail about the plan you want to pursue; and a Monthly Marketing Calendar to help you plan and track your promotion month by month. Doing this before you take further steps in your promotion can prevent you from wasting time/money on efforts not in your plan.
3. Decide on Promotion Channels
A popular way to promote your book is to submit it to sites that list current book promotions in an email newsletter, such as BookBub. There are tons of sites like this out there: some are free to submit your book to, others require a fee, and some lists cater to particular genres.
It would probably be a good idea to check out these channels before you try submitting to them to make sure it’s worth your time/money, a good fit with your book, that your book meets the minimum review requirements, and if it has a deadline for submitting to the site (often 24-48 hours before your book promotion).
If you need help deciding which channels may be more effective, take a look at Nicholas C. Rossis’ post on Book Marketing. To help narrow down which promotion sites may be best for your book, Readers in the Know has an interactive list of book promotion sites that you sort based on price, minimum review number, and more. Author Marketing Club also provides an easy way to submit to these sites. Their Free Kindle Submission Tool lists 40+ submission sites and links directly to their submission form, saving you lots of time.
Free Kindle Submission Tool from Author Marketing Club
Interactive list of book promosites from Readers In the Know
If you’re really pressed for time, search Fiverr (a freelance marketplace) for Book Promotion gigs to submit to these sites for you. Alternatively, Book Marketing Tools has a handy eBook Submission Tool – for $15, all you need to do is fill out one form to submit to 30+ promotion sites.
If you have already released a book or have an established email newsletter, take a look at Nick Stephenson’s free eBook Reader Magnets for more tips on how to utilize these channels for book promotion.
From Goodreads
4. Create a Book Launch Page
Once your book is available for purchase, you’ll want to be sure that your website/blog is optimized for potential readers to be able to find and buy your book.
From Your Writer Platform: a post on how to create an effective sales page for your book
Your Writer Platform has a helpful blog post with tips for making your book launch page more effective, such as creating an enticing headline and including a strong call-to-action. Check out the post on creating a book launch page for more helpful tips.
What resources or strategies have helped with your book promotion?
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July 6, 2015
Top Ten Tuesday: Hyped Books I’ve Never Read
It’s Top Ten Tuesday again, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! This time, featuring the top ten hyped books I’ve never read. All book covers from Goodreads.
Top Ten Hyped Books I’ve Never Read
1. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
I had a lot of people recommend Eragon to me when I was a teenager, but I just never got around to reading it.
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Though I have no plans to read the book or watch the movie, the Honest Trailer for Divergent is hilarious!
3. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Just not my cup of tea.
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I enjoyed the movie, but have no plans to read the book.
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I think I’m afraid this book might make me cry as much as I did while watching The Lovely Bones.
6. Inferno by Dan Brown
The Dan Brown Sequel Generator (back when it worked) says it all.
7. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Perhaps it’s because I read it during the tail-end of my YA phase, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book in The Hunger Games.
8. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
I already read Twilight.
9. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
This is a book I wouldn’t mind reading and I’m sure I would enjoy the show, but I haven’t yet had the chance to start binge-watching all of the seasons. I’m sure it would happen soon enough.
10. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
I might have enjoyed this book, but I discovered it when I was well past my YA phase.
Which hyped books have you never actually read?
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The World of Kindred: Have You Seen These Suspects?
Have you seen these suspects?
The World of Kindred
Suspects Wanted in ‘Bizarre’ Attack
GREENVILLE – Authorities are searching for the two suspects believed to be responsible for an attack that occurred over the weekend. In what authorities are calling the most ‘bizarre’ case of the year, a young woman was abducted outside of her car by the two suspects late Saturday night. She was then taken to a nearby field and attacked in a ritualistic manner. The victim was found early Sunday morning and taken into hospital care.
Description of suspects, as reported by the victim: two Caucasian males in their mid-to-late twenties, between 5’8” and 6’0” in height, medium build, one with long blond hair, the other with dark brown or black hair, both wearing ceremonial robes. Composites based on victim’s description:
The above article is a depiction of the events that change Dina’s life forever in Resurrection, the first book in the dark urban fantasy series “Kindred.”
Brutally attacked and left for dead, Dina Durst’s mundane life is brought to an abrupt end.
With her ordinary life broken beyond repair by the mysterious attack, Dina is dragged into a dark underworld of magic she never knew existed. No longer able to lead the life she once had, Dina embarks on a search for answers and quest for revenge, discovering new powers within herself.
Using her new discovery of magic, Dina rebuilds herself into a powerful new creature: a witch, intent on seeking revenge on those who wronged her. What nightmares and revelations will she unearth as she explores this dark world of fantasy and magic?
Experience Dina’s entrance into a supernatural and mystical world in Resurrection, the introduction to the “Kindred” series of dark urban fantasy novellas.
Resurrection is available as an eBook on the Amazon Kindle store or for rental with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Buy Resurrection
For Book Bloggers and Book Reviewers:
Free review copies of Resurrection are available! Shoot me an email at amadeo.zed (at) gmail.com if you are interested in reviewing Resurrection.
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July 3, 2015
Practical Writing Advice: Content Curation
Need some tools to help with content creation? Look no further!
Content curation is the art of collecting resources and information that interest your audience to share on your blog and social media. Before using the tools below, take a moment to list which topics you would like to find content about. If you’re a writer, you’ve likely already begun to collect content related to writing, your genre, and books. However, don’t be afraid to curate content that isn’t exclusively about books and writing. Feel free to share your other interests, such as your hobbies outside of your writing. Talking about your passions beyond writing may help you grow your audience and find new potential readers. Once you’ve found your topics, you can use the following tools to find content to share:
Feedly
From Logo Wiki
Feedly is a free RSS aggregator. If you’ve already got blogs and websites in mind related to your content, you can insert their RSS feed into Feedly, which will automatically show you the site’s new posts. You can organize the websites you want to follow into different topics as well as search for new sites.
Paper.li
Your own virtual newspaper service! Paper.li allows you to follow online newsletters related to a particular topic. These newsletters organize information from around the web for that topic, often consisting of blog posts, content shared on social media, and photos and videos. If you want to create your own newsletter, Paper.li provides the tools for that as well.
Twitter – Lists and Hashtags
Twitter lists are helpful for organizing users that post about a particular topic. As described in Rayne Hall’s helpful guide Twitter for Writers, if a user posts content that interests you but is unlikely to follow you back (such as celebrities you admired), you can still follow their tweets by placing them in a list instead of directly following their profile. This is especially useful if you are approaching the 2,000 following wall and need to unfollow profiles that still interest you.
If you use a tool such as Hootsuite, you can also follow hashtags related to your topic of choice. For example, if you’re a writer, #writetip and #pubtip are great ones to follow. This can also be helpful for finding users who enjoy your interests.
Alltop
Alltop logo: source
I found Alltop through Frances Caballo’s excellent guide to social media, Avoid Social Media Time Suck (which I previously reviewed and highly recommend). You can use Alltop to search for blogs and sites related to your interests and view their latest posts. Alltop and Feedly can work in tandem by using Alltop to find blogs and sites that you can then follow Feedly. For more information on content creation and creating a more effective social media strategy, definitely check out Caballo’s Avoid Social Media Time Suck.
Which tools do you find helpful for content curation?
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July 2, 2015
Updates: Short Story and a Sequel!
Exciting news: a short story and a sequel will soon be available!
Hello wonderful people of the Internet,
I’m excited to announce two major writing updates!
A Short Story:
My short horror story “After Life” has been accepted by Morpheus Tales! My story will be available in the 27th issue of Morpheus Tales, a weird fiction publication of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi!
From Morpheus Tales
A Sequel:
I’ve been making a lot of progress with Reunion, the next installment of my dark urban fantasy series Kindred. I’m hoping for either a late July/early August publication date. Cover reveal coming soon!
For Book Reviewers/Bloggers – Free Review Copies!
I’m offering free review copies of Resurrection, the first book in the Kindred series. If you are interested in reviewing my novella, shoot me an email at amadeo.zed (at) gmail.com. You can read a sample on Amazon.
Happy writing!
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June 29, 2015
Top Ten Tuesday: Reads in 2015
Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week, it’s the top ten books I’ve read this year. All covers from Goodreads.
Top Reads in 2015
1. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
2. Neon Angel by Cherie Currie
3. Dawn by Octavia Butler
4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
5. Solace Inc by Jason Werbeloff
6. Rise of the Machines by Kristen Lamb
7. Dataclysm by Christian Rudder
8. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen
9. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
10. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
What are your favorite reads from this year?
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