Joylene Nowell Butler's Blog, page 23
March 11, 2013
MY PUBLISHING JOURNEY by Carrie Butler
I can't remember when I first met Carrie Butler (sadly, we're not related, nor are either of us related to Gerard Butler), but I think she left a comment on my blog one day, and so in response I visited her blog. Immediately I liked the feel and appeal of her site. I don't generally have time to check archives, but I did on Carrie's blog. Needless to say, I was hooked, and we've been blogging buddies ever since. Carrie is warm, intelligent, adorable, and not afraid to be honest with herself and her writing. I've learned a lot from her.
At any given time, if you stop by Carrie's blog you'll probably find her shouting out about another author, someone she admires and respects. Now it's our turn. Carrie is currently doing a book tour for her first novel STRENGTH, an adult paranormal romance, now available from Sapphire Star Publishing! She's stopping by today to share the condensed version of her publishing journey.
If you're not yet published, pay attention to Carrie's resiliency and determination. When you work hard for something you yearn for, when you believe in yourself, dreams do come true. And as Carrie would no doubt agree, a little stubbornness doesn't hurt.
Take it away, Carrie!
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style> <br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>My Publishing Journey</u></b><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thank you so much for having me, Joylene!</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the things I've always enjoyed about your blog is its ability to inspire. You've been so candid about your experiences, and many times, your words have kept me going. So, today, I'd like to offer your readers my own brand of encouragement.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In February of 2012, I began to query my New Adult (NA) paranormal romance.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I know it doesn't seem like long ago now, but it was an entirely different era for the category. The industry had built up this stigma—scoffing at college-aged protagonists and insisting writers age them up or down to fit the mold. Hardly anyone would consider New Adult fiction.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fortunately, amid a slew of "NA isn't a thing" rejections, I received a partial request from someone at my dream agency. It didn't work out in the end, but the back-and-forth encouraged me. Maybe I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> have a good story. Maybe it truly was the concept—the label—that was hindering me. So, what could I do about it?</div><div class="MsoNormal">I had two options: I could either compromise the integrity of my novel, or I could find a new path.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In May of 2012, I decided to query a few small presses. Believe it or not, within twenty-four hours, I had two full requests. Talk about a one-eighty. These editors were undeterred by the risk of trying something new. They were hungry for great fiction and more than a little <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">avant garde</i>. Things had finally started to look up—for a little while.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let's fast forward.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The morning before I received an offer from Sapphire Star Publishing (SSP), I received an R&R from another respected publisher. Awesome, right? Not so much. I respected this editor, and I did appreciate the time she put into reading my manuscript, but her feedback hurt. It wasn't the usual sting of rejection, either. By that point, I'd built up my rhino skin. It was the condescension in her words—more potshots than critiques—that got to me. It made me doubt my writing, and even worse, it made me doubt myself.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I spent the day in serious contemplation. How much longer was I willing to suffer for this dream? Could I afford to keep pursuing it so actively? What if the heart I put into this manuscript was forfeit?</div><div class="MsoNormal">You know what they say, though. "It's always darkest before the damn." A little after midnight, I received an email from SSP. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> email. I did a happy dance, called my family (out of bed), and spun around in my desk chair.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The funny thing was, if I hadn't taken such a blow before that, I might not have been so appreciative. Heck, I might have weighed the situation too long and missed out on a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">beautiful</i>opportunity. So, relish your setbacks, my friends. They just might be setting the stage for something better. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="31" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFt8wJW59Qk..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFt8wJW59Qk..." width="426" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><b>Title: </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Strength</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Series: </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Mark of Nexus – Book 1</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Publisher</b>: <a href="http://sapphirestarpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Sapphire Star Publishing</a> <b> </b><br /><b>Category</b>: New Adult (NA)<br /><b>Genre</b>: Paranormal Romance (PNR)<br /><b>Release Date</b>: March 07, 2013</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Available at:<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #e69138;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Carrie..." target="_blank">Amazon</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Mark-o..." target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stren..." target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stren..." target="_blank">Nook</a>. More retailers will be added in the coming weeks, i.e. Sony Reader Store, iBookstore, Kobo, etc. Be sure to keep an eye on my Pinterest <a href="http://pinterest.com/writer/strength-..." target="_blank">"Retailers"</a> board. I update it whenever STRENGTH pops up somewhere. :) </span></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="31" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About STRENGTH</b></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.<br /><br />Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation—and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few minor setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12pMGTpudS0..." style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.<br /><br />They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re <i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">really</span></i> in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do—even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><center><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></b></span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-koXre_Uf30Y..." style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-koXre_Uf30Y..." /></a></div><center><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span></span></b></span></center></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"> <span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">About the Author:</span></span></span></span></b></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZqDYocbuDg..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZqDYocbuDg..." width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span> </span></b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a <i>summa cum laude</i> seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="31" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">GIVEAWAY</span></h3><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1dJ8CJVZU0..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rc-f19c445" rel="nofollow">Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngeYNb_PoU8..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngeYNb_PoU8..." width="228" /></a></div> <script src="http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com//d1...
At any given time, if you stop by Carrie's blog you'll probably find her shouting out about another author, someone she admires and respects. Now it's our turn. Carrie is currently doing a book tour for her first novel STRENGTH, an adult paranormal romance, now available from Sapphire Star Publishing! She's stopping by today to share the condensed version of her publishing journey.
If you're not yet published, pay attention to Carrie's resiliency and determination. When you work hard for something you yearn for, when you believe in yourself, dreams do come true. And as Carrie would no doubt agree, a little stubbornness doesn't hurt.
Take it away, Carrie!
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style> <br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>My Publishing Journey</u></b><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thank you so much for having me, Joylene!</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the things I've always enjoyed about your blog is its ability to inspire. You've been so candid about your experiences, and many times, your words have kept me going. So, today, I'd like to offer your readers my own brand of encouragement.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In February of 2012, I began to query my New Adult (NA) paranormal romance.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I know it doesn't seem like long ago now, but it was an entirely different era for the category. The industry had built up this stigma—scoffing at college-aged protagonists and insisting writers age them up or down to fit the mold. Hardly anyone would consider New Adult fiction.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fortunately, amid a slew of "NA isn't a thing" rejections, I received a partial request from someone at my dream agency. It didn't work out in the end, but the back-and-forth encouraged me. Maybe I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> have a good story. Maybe it truly was the concept—the label—that was hindering me. So, what could I do about it?</div><div class="MsoNormal">I had two options: I could either compromise the integrity of my novel, or I could find a new path.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In May of 2012, I decided to query a few small presses. Believe it or not, within twenty-four hours, I had two full requests. Talk about a one-eighty. These editors were undeterred by the risk of trying something new. They were hungry for great fiction and more than a little <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">avant garde</i>. Things had finally started to look up—for a little while.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let's fast forward.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The morning before I received an offer from Sapphire Star Publishing (SSP), I received an R&R from another respected publisher. Awesome, right? Not so much. I respected this editor, and I did appreciate the time she put into reading my manuscript, but her feedback hurt. It wasn't the usual sting of rejection, either. By that point, I'd built up my rhino skin. It was the condescension in her words—more potshots than critiques—that got to me. It made me doubt my writing, and even worse, it made me doubt myself.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I spent the day in serious contemplation. How much longer was I willing to suffer for this dream? Could I afford to keep pursuing it so actively? What if the heart I put into this manuscript was forfeit?</div><div class="MsoNormal">You know what they say, though. "It's always darkest before the damn." A little after midnight, I received an email from SSP. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> email. I did a happy dance, called my family (out of bed), and spun around in my desk chair.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The funny thing was, if I hadn't taken such a blow before that, I might not have been so appreciative. Heck, I might have weighed the situation too long and missed out on a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">beautiful</i>opportunity. So, relish your setbacks, my friends. They just might be setting the stage for something better. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="31" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFt8wJW59Qk..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFt8wJW59Qk..." width="426" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><b>Title: </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Strength</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Series: </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Mark of Nexus – Book 1</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Publisher</b>: <a href="http://sapphirestarpublishing.com/" target="_blank">Sapphire Star Publishing</a> <b> </b><br /><b>Category</b>: New Adult (NA)<br /><b>Genre</b>: Paranormal Romance (PNR)<br /><b>Release Date</b>: March 07, 2013</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Available at:<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #e69138;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Carrie..." target="_blank">Amazon</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Mark-o..." target="_blank">Kindle</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stren..." target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stren..." target="_blank">Nook</a>. More retailers will be added in the coming weeks, i.e. Sony Reader Store, iBookstore, Kobo, etc. Be sure to keep an eye on my Pinterest <a href="http://pinterest.com/writer/strength-..." target="_blank">"Retailers"</a> board. I update it whenever STRENGTH pops up somewhere. :) </span></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="31" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About STRENGTH</b></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.<br /><br />Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation—and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few minor setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12pMGTpudS0..." style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.<br /><br />They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re <i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">really</span></i> in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do—even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><center><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></b></span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-koXre_Uf30Y..." style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-koXre_Uf30Y..." /></a></div><center><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span></span></b></span></center></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"> <span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">About the Author:</span></span></span></span></b></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZqDYocbuDg..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZqDYocbuDg..." width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d3da3; font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></span> </span></b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a <i>summa cum laude</i> seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="31" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIgjIqS40yc..." width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">GIVEAWAY</span></h3><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1dJ8CJVZU0..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rc-f19c445" rel="nofollow">Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngeYNb_PoU8..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngeYNb_PoU8..." width="228" /></a></div> <script src="http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com//d1...
March 5, 2013
ASK PZM: March 2013 - Pricing
First Wednesday of every month, a few of us (over 300) participate in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop. We share and encourage. We express our insecurities without fear of ridicule. Trust me, if you're having a difficult time, IWSG is the hop for you. To sign up or find out more about IWSG, click here and follow the simple instructions.
I know today is Tuesday... But because today is the 5th, it's time for Ask PZM, where Phyllis Zimbler Miller answers marketing questions. I think it fits well with IWSG. Hope you agree. Today's subject is pricing.
Q: Can you recommend pricing for a Kindle ebook?
Although I cannot recommend specific prices, I can share some information on pricing.
At this writing, Amazon for the U.S. site (other Amazon country sites vary) gives 70% royalties for ebooks priced $2.99-$9.99. Lower or higher prices get 35% royalties.
(Why does Amazon do this? Obviously the algorithms at Amazon have decided the 70% royalties price range is the sweet spot of ebook pricing for Amazon.)
If you control your own KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) account – and you should, you can change the price whenever you want.
In addition, if you put your ebook on KDP Select (ebook exclusivity on Kindle for 90-day periods), you can have up to five free days in any configuration during each 90-day period.
Then there are the sites where you can list your book depending on the price. Some sites focus on “bargain books,” whatever the individual site’s definition is of this. Some sites focus on free ebooks. Some sites have a range of ebook prices.
Here are some things to ponder:
On Amazon do you have a physical book of the ebook? You want to look at the relationship of these two prices.
2. If your ebook is on KDP Select (the physical book does NOT have to be exclusive), the ebook can be borrowed for free by Amazon Prime members and you still get paid by Amazon a piece of the “borrowing” pie. At this writing an Amazon Prime member gets to borrow one book free per month. Might an ebook priced at $9.99 have more attraction to a Prime member than an ebook priced at $2.99? (The Prime member gets $7 more “free.”)
3. Does a higher price right before a book is free via KDP Select make the book’s free days more attractive?
4. Does it make sense to make the book less expensive right after a successful KDP Select free-day promotion (success = tons of free downloads) to keep up the momentum started by the free days?
5. When an ebook is first launched, does it make sense to make the price less expensive and then increase the price as the book garners good reviews?
Now before you feel completely overwhelmed, remember that there is no right answer to any of the above questions. There may be better answers for certain books, but no one can know the best answers for all books.
Giving away books for free:I know there are authors who are adamantly against giving away their books for free. Yet unless the authors are world famous, I disagree with this stance.
Giving away books for free to help attract interest in your books is a time-honored traditional publisher marketing technique. (Years and years ago I worked for a weekly newspaper in Philadelphia and I got lots of hardcover books for free in the hopes of a book review.)
Having first tried a free book promotion myself for my thriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS, I have come to the realization that it is best, in my opinion, to do this via KDP Select.By giving away your books for free via KDP Select, you are making a statement that your book has value and only via this special limited-time offer are you sharing your book for free.
Which still begs the question: How much to price your Kindle ebook?
Perhaps one way is to look at the other books in your category. What is the “competition” charging? Does it make sense for longer books to be priced higher than shorter books?
Do fiction and nonfiction books have different intrinsic values? Are people in general more willing to pay for an unknown author’s ebook on weight loss than for an unknown author’s spy thriller? After all, one ebook could help solve a problem while the other is for entertainment.
If you have several books on Kindle, you might want to consider how the different prices relate to each other. In other words, when someone looks at all your books on your Amazon Author Central profile, do the prices as a group make sense? As I have both fiction and nonfiction books on Kindle, I do take into account these comparisons – see www.amazon.com/author/phylliszimblermiller
The good news? If you control your own KDP account, you do not have to write your book’s price in stone. You can experiment with different pricing including seasonal pricing if your book “fits” a specific season.
P.S. In honor of Women’s History Month in March, my 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT, which takes place in the spring of 1970 during the Vietnam War, will be free on Kindle on March 6 and 7 at http://amzn.to/13mdCJA
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com and the author of fiction and nonfiction books, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO MARKET YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON AND FACEBOOK. She blogs on author topics at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com and visit her Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/phylliszimblermillerauthor
February 28, 2013
Wherever Home Is
I read Carol Garvin's blog this morning and it gave me the idea for today's post. What really matters in life.
If I could lift our house up and move it 3000 miles to New Brunswick, I would. But sometimes, no matter how much you want something, it's just not feasible.
We raised our 5 sons in the highlands of Prince George, BC. When we decided to sell and move to Cluculz Lake, we put the house on the market and sold it in one day.
Last June, we put our current home (photo above) on the market and haven't had one person even look at it.
I know, the market is slow everywhere.
Our house in Prince was in a crowded neighbourhood. My sons could walk to school, the arcade, and the ski-hill. We heard sirens, traffic, screeching tires, and dogs barking.
Our home at Cluculz Lake is surrounded by quiet (except for July long weekend). We see the stars. We hear eagles and loons cry. Moose walk through our yard. Our front faces a 14 km lake!
Building our home was an adventure. So many great memories over the 21 years. I made wonderful friends. My husband was the fire chief for our ERT. I was an active member for years. I made pizzas at the local resort. I also served as secretary for the community association, treasurer for the fall fair. Our decision to sell was not taken lightly.
courtesy of Dean BirksBut the time has come to leave, and now I'm obsessing about it. I spend much too much time googling houses for sale in Rusagonia, Oromocto, and Fredericton areas. Time that I should be spending writing and reading.
I think about the stuff I have to do to be able to move. I lay awake at night wondering why the house hasn't sold. I know, I know -- slow market. It doesn't make me feel better. Yes, only a certain type of buyer wants a home on a lake in central BC, an hour from the nearest airport, an hour's flight to Vancouver. An hour drive to Costco on winter roads November to February.
Before I was published I obsessed like this. I made fake covers for each of my novels and wrapped them around other books. I walked, talked, ate, slept "published".
I first published in 2008.
I'm absolutely thrilled to be published.
I've replaced my obsession for being published with selling and moving to New Brunswick. Once we do, I'll probably obsess about something else. I suppose that's what people like me do.
courtesy of Dean Birks, realtor
Friends tell me it will happen, I just need to keep the faith.
I'm trying. But to be honest, my faith is shaky. Part of me believes that it does matter to the universe whether I'm happy. Another part realized it's up to me to be happy wherever home is.
The reason I haven't been blogging much or commenting as I generally do is because I've let myself become too obsessed. I'm consumed by thoughts of moving and all it encumbers. And now I'm low under the weight of it all.
Somebody told me once that we all have our place in the sun. I hope that's true. Because I watch the news and see so much pain, abuse, and sadness, and my little obsession seems silly in comparison.
courtesy of Dean Birks, realtor
Obsessing about moving, neglecting my writing, keeping myself awake at night is silly. Yet, I can't seem to stop myself. Home is where my heart is. And honestly, that means anywhere my husband is.
courtesy of Dean Birks
Tell me to stop obsessing about something I can't control, and I will.
If I could lift our house up and move it 3000 miles to New Brunswick, I would. But sometimes, no matter how much you want something, it's just not feasible.
We raised our 5 sons in the highlands of Prince George, BC. When we decided to sell and move to Cluculz Lake, we put the house on the market and sold it in one day.
Last June, we put our current home (photo above) on the market and haven't had one person even look at it.
I know, the market is slow everywhere.
Our house in Prince was in a crowded neighbourhood. My sons could walk to school, the arcade, and the ski-hill. We heard sirens, traffic, screeching tires, and dogs barking.
Our home at Cluculz Lake is surrounded by quiet (except for July long weekend). We see the stars. We hear eagles and loons cry. Moose walk through our yard. Our front faces a 14 km lake!
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Building our home was an adventure. So many great memories over the 21 years. I made wonderful friends. My husband was the fire chief for our ERT. I was an active member for years. I made pizzas at the local resort. I also served as secretary for the community association, treasurer for the fall fair. Our decision to sell was not taken lightly.
courtesy of Dean BirksBut the time has come to leave, and now I'm obsessing about it. I spend much too much time googling houses for sale in Rusagonia, Oromocto, and Fredericton areas. Time that I should be spending writing and reading.I think about the stuff I have to do to be able to move. I lay awake at night wondering why the house hasn't sold. I know, I know -- slow market. It doesn't make me feel better. Yes, only a certain type of buyer wants a home on a lake in central BC, an hour from the nearest airport, an hour's flight to Vancouver. An hour drive to Costco on winter roads November to February.
Before I was published I obsessed like this. I made fake covers for each of my novels and wrapped them around other books. I walked, talked, ate, slept "published".
I first published in 2008.
I'm absolutely thrilled to be published.
I've replaced my obsession for being published with selling and moving to New Brunswick. Once we do, I'll probably obsess about something else. I suppose that's what people like me do.
.png)
courtesy of Dean Birks, realtorFriends tell me it will happen, I just need to keep the faith.
I'm trying. But to be honest, my faith is shaky. Part of me believes that it does matter to the universe whether I'm happy. Another part realized it's up to me to be happy wherever home is.
The reason I haven't been blogging much or commenting as I generally do is because I've let myself become too obsessed. I'm consumed by thoughts of moving and all it encumbers. And now I'm low under the weight of it all.
Somebody told me once that we all have our place in the sun. I hope that's true. Because I watch the news and see so much pain, abuse, and sadness, and my little obsession seems silly in comparison.
.png)
courtesy of Dean Birks, realtorObsessing about moving, neglecting my writing, keeping myself awake at night is silly. Yet, I can't seem to stop myself. Home is where my heart is. And honestly, that means anywhere my husband is.
.png)
courtesy of Dean Birks
Tell me to stop obsessing about something I can't control, and I will.
February 22, 2013
Cover Reveal: CASSA STORM
Today I'm pleased to announce the cover reveal for our Ninja Captain's new novel, CASSA STORM, due for release September 17, 2013.
Congratulations, Alex. The cover is stunning.
CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh
http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
A storm gathers across the galaxy…
Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.
After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.
Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…
Release date: September 17, 2013
Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure
Print ISBN 9781939844002
E-book ISBN 9781939844019
Congratulations, Alex. The cover is stunning.
CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh
http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
A storm gathers across the galaxy…
Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.
After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.
Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…
Release date: September 17, 2013
Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure
Print ISBN 9781939844002
E-book ISBN 9781939844019
February 8, 2013
WHat ARe yOUr 18 THingS?
I know I said I was only going to blog once a week, but today is special. I'm doing a shout-out for my blogging friend Jamie Ayres. If you don't know already, Jamie's newly released novel 18 THINGS (prologue here) was an instant best-seller on Amazon. 18 THINGS outranked James Patterson's The Kiss!I mean--how fabulous is that!
In honour, today I'm going to attempt to add 18 THINGS to my bucket list. Why I never had a bucket list until now is bizarre, but there you go. Never too late.
18 THINGS - Book Description:Can eighteen things save a life?
Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name (after her grandmothers of course) and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.
Then, Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible for his death.
When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled "18 Things": eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.
All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and
strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.
But there's more to Olga's quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.
There's only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won't just affect her future, but all eternity.
Jamie's actual blogfest is over now, but I say never give up the opportunity to do something fun along with a shout-out of an awesome writer. 
Hope you'll check out Jamie's blog and learn more about her and 18 THINGS.
Now for my 18 Things:
1. Sell our house for a fair price and move to New Brunswick.2. Sign a copy of my book for Eric Lustbader. (in person) 3. Attend a Geneen Roth retreat.4. Meet with medium John Edwards and hear how our twins are doing. 5a. Finally meet Keith, Chris, and Vicki, my awesome critique buddies!5. Visit UK, Europe and Russia. (meet Penny, Jack Russell dog and internet superstar)6. Take a course in tiling bathrooms and floors. 7. Attend a cooking class in NYC.8. See Barbra Streisand perform live, then get autograph after show. 9. Sign with Literary Agent Donald Maass. 10. Live close to a gym I enjoy and erect an outstanding exercise room in my house. 11. See Adam Beach in starring role in film version of Omatiwak: Woman Who Cries. 12. Learn how to ice skate and roller skate. 13. See Olga Kurylenko star in the film version of Kiss Of The Assassin. 14. See Tina Keeper in the starring role of Brendell in Broken But Not Dead. 15. Take a 6-month writing sabbatical to UK. 16. Win the Giller Prize.17. Visit Australia and New Zealand, then trek over to Vietnam.18. Be interviewed on TV by George Stroumboulopoulos and Charlie Rose the following week.
Who would have thought this was so addictive.
More:
19. Visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall. 20. Have a makeover.21. Get my teeth capped. 22. Teach T'chi at a community hall in N.B. 23. Visit Newfoundland.24. Kayak in Caribbean. 25. Take a Caribbean cruise. 26. Attend a writer's retreat in NYC, Surrey, and Maritimes. (different times)27. Have a family reunion somewhere warm with my entire family.28. Sell a million copies of each novels. <g>
29. See Eagles in concert.
30. ...
I better quit, or this could go on forever...
February 5, 2013
ASK PZM: Feb 2013 - Keywords
I like that our IWSG day generally falls around the same day Phyllis Zimbler Miller answers questions about marketing. Let's face it, we have to know this stuff if we want to succeed as prolific authors. Writing is lovely, but what fun is it if nobody reads our novel? So, I'm combining both IWSG and ASK PZM.
Without going into a song and dance, I am feeling insecure these days. Not sure if it's winter, overwhelming research, or circumstances, but if you're doing a little keep-my-fellow-author-uplifted, please put my name on your dance card.
Thanks to Ninja Captain and IWSG creator Alex J. Cavanaugh, on the first Wednesday of every month, we have a gathering place where we can share, encourage, or express our insecurities. If you'd like to join, sign up at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/...
Next all you have to do is post something, insert the logo, link back to Alex, then go off and visit as many other IWSG blogs as you can. The list of insecure bloggers is at Alex's IWSG blog.
Today to celebrate IWSG day, Phyllis is answering questions about keywords and bio placement.
Take it away, Phyllis~!
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the online marketing company Miller Mosaic LLC, which has just introduced a Kindle ebook conversion service. Read about this at www.millermosaicllc.com/kindle-conver... She is also the author of fiction and nonfiction books, and she blogs on author topics at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com
Q. Could you explain how and where to use keywords?
A: First, I’ll begin with a definition appropriate for book authors (because keywords can be defined differently).
On Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), for example, when you upload your Kindle format ebook to KDP, you are asked for up to seven keywords (which can really mean seven keyword phrases) each separated by a comma.
Let’s take my romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY (free on Kindle on Feb. 7 at http://amzn.to/Sp29TC) as an example:
Drum roll, please:
I just looked at my keywords and I don’t like them (thankfully, they can be changed). I actually used seven keywords rather than seven keyword phrases:
adventure, CIA, espionage, mystery, spy, thriller, women
Now I’ll try to improve on these by being more specific because the above keywords are way too broad – I’m very unlikely to place in the search results with those keywords. (An Author Central rep confirmed that more specific keyword expressions are better.)
Here are my revised keywords as keyword phrases:
CIA, spy adventures, romantic suspense, espionage fiction, espionage mysteries, spy stories, women sleuths (spy thriller is not included per information below)
Okay, I could perhaps do better. I could plug these keyword phrases into the Amazon search field and see what book results I get. (Go ahead and try a couple of the above keyword phrases to see the results that you get.)
And this is what keywords – or keyword phrases – are for: to help our books be found by people who are searching for books on specific topics.
Another drum roll, please:
I just discovered that tags are missing from my Amazon book pages. So I called Amazon Author Central for information.
Answer: Amazon is rolling out the removal of all tags on book pages. And, after talking to Author Central, I learned that tags did not help in general search results as keywords do. While you still may see some Amazon book pages with tags, eventually these will all have disappeared. (There are the Amazon book categories, which are often broader than keyword phrases. Discussing these with the Author Central rep, I learned the answer remains that the keywords are the most important for Amazon search results.)
Another nugget from my Author Central rep conversation:
Shelfari information shown on book pages is becoming more important. Amazon now owns Shelfari, and it is a good idea for authors to utilize this opportunity. While Shelfari information on your book’s Amazon sales page will not help with search results, it will help with a stronger book product page.
I called back Author Central for additional information and spoke to a second rep:
If you have linked your physical format of a book to the Kindle format (which you should via Author Central), the keywords on the Kindle format will also help the physical book be found.
But if you only have a physical book, such as I do for my Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION, you have to email or call Author Central to have Author Central manually add up to seven keyword expressions. (The rep helped me add keywords to my two books that do not have a Kindle format.)
Regarding Author Central: The rep suggested I remind authors that you do want to be a member of Author Central – go to authorcentral.amazon.com and click on JOIN NOW – even if you are traditionally published. This way you have the right to make certain changes, including asking for seven keyword expressions for your books only in physical format.
The second rep also explained to me that there is no advantage in using as keyword expressions the words already in a title or subtitle. Thus, for example, there is no advantage in having “spy thriller” as a keyword expression for CIA FALL GUY because “spy thriller” is part of the book’s subtitle. In other words, there is no reason to use up one of my seven keyword expressions on that expression.
P.S. I asked the first Author Central rep to recommend to higher ups that, since Author Central has the email addresses of all Author Central authors, Author Central could please send an email when major changes such as eliminating tags are made. He said this was a good idea – and I hope Amazon does this.
Q: Do you think an author bio should be at the beginning or end of a book?
I do not believe there is one correct answer. But I do think it is important to consider what you want to tell your prospective readers and when.
Let’s say you are writing on a nonfiction topic. I believe it is a good idea to have your author bio at the front of your book. In this way, when people utilize the LOOK INSIDE feature on Amazon, for example, they can read in the author bio why they should trust that you can write a book on this topic.
The one item I think should definitely be at the back of a book these days is the acknowledgments. While these are very nice for the people being thanked, acknowledgments are unlikely to encourage people to buy and read your book.
You want to put upfront in your book those items that will encourage readers and leave until the end those other items.
Fritzy-Girl says, "Have a great day, everybody."
Without going into a song and dance, I am feeling insecure these days. Not sure if it's winter, overwhelming research, or circumstances, but if you're doing a little keep-my-fellow-author-uplifted, please put my name on your dance card.
Thanks to Ninja Captain and IWSG creator Alex J. Cavanaugh, on the first Wednesday of every month, we have a gathering place where we can share, encourage, or express our insecurities. If you'd like to join, sign up at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/...
Next all you have to do is post something, insert the logo, link back to Alex, then go off and visit as many other IWSG blogs as you can. The list of insecure bloggers is at Alex's IWSG blog.
Today to celebrate IWSG day, Phyllis is answering questions about keywords and bio placement.
Take it away, Phyllis~!
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the online marketing company Miller Mosaic LLC, which has just introduced a Kindle ebook conversion service. Read about this at www.millermosaicllc.com/kindle-conver... She is also the author of fiction and nonfiction books, and she blogs on author topics at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com
Q. Could you explain how and where to use keywords?
A: First, I’ll begin with a definition appropriate for book authors (because keywords can be defined differently).
On Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), for example, when you upload your Kindle format ebook to KDP, you are asked for up to seven keywords (which can really mean seven keyword phrases) each separated by a comma.
Let’s take my romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY (free on Kindle on Feb. 7 at http://amzn.to/Sp29TC) as an example:
Drum roll, please:
I just looked at my keywords and I don’t like them (thankfully, they can be changed). I actually used seven keywords rather than seven keyword phrases:
adventure, CIA, espionage, mystery, spy, thriller, women
Now I’ll try to improve on these by being more specific because the above keywords are way too broad – I’m very unlikely to place in the search results with those keywords. (An Author Central rep confirmed that more specific keyword expressions are better.)
Here are my revised keywords as keyword phrases:
CIA, spy adventures, romantic suspense, espionage fiction, espionage mysteries, spy stories, women sleuths (spy thriller is not included per information below)
Okay, I could perhaps do better. I could plug these keyword phrases into the Amazon search field and see what book results I get. (Go ahead and try a couple of the above keyword phrases to see the results that you get.)
And this is what keywords – or keyword phrases – are for: to help our books be found by people who are searching for books on specific topics.
Another drum roll, please:
I just discovered that tags are missing from my Amazon book pages. So I called Amazon Author Central for information.
Answer: Amazon is rolling out the removal of all tags on book pages. And, after talking to Author Central, I learned that tags did not help in general search results as keywords do. While you still may see some Amazon book pages with tags, eventually these will all have disappeared. (There are the Amazon book categories, which are often broader than keyword phrases. Discussing these with the Author Central rep, I learned the answer remains that the keywords are the most important for Amazon search results.)
Another nugget from my Author Central rep conversation:
Shelfari information shown on book pages is becoming more important. Amazon now owns Shelfari, and it is a good idea for authors to utilize this opportunity. While Shelfari information on your book’s Amazon sales page will not help with search results, it will help with a stronger book product page.
I called back Author Central for additional information and spoke to a second rep:
If you have linked your physical format of a book to the Kindle format (which you should via Author Central), the keywords on the Kindle format will also help the physical book be found.
But if you only have a physical book, such as I do for my Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION, you have to email or call Author Central to have Author Central manually add up to seven keyword expressions. (The rep helped me add keywords to my two books that do not have a Kindle format.)
Regarding Author Central: The rep suggested I remind authors that you do want to be a member of Author Central – go to authorcentral.amazon.com and click on JOIN NOW – even if you are traditionally published. This way you have the right to make certain changes, including asking for seven keyword expressions for your books only in physical format.
The second rep also explained to me that there is no advantage in using as keyword expressions the words already in a title or subtitle. Thus, for example, there is no advantage in having “spy thriller” as a keyword expression for CIA FALL GUY because “spy thriller” is part of the book’s subtitle. In other words, there is no reason to use up one of my seven keyword expressions on that expression.
P.S. I asked the first Author Central rep to recommend to higher ups that, since Author Central has the email addresses of all Author Central authors, Author Central could please send an email when major changes such as eliminating tags are made. He said this was a good idea – and I hope Amazon does this.
Q: Do you think an author bio should be at the beginning or end of a book?
I do not believe there is one correct answer. But I do think it is important to consider what you want to tell your prospective readers and when.
Let’s say you are writing on a nonfiction topic. I believe it is a good idea to have your author bio at the front of your book. In this way, when people utilize the LOOK INSIDE feature on Amazon, for example, they can read in the author bio why they should trust that you can write a book on this topic.
The one item I think should definitely be at the back of a book these days is the acknowledgments. While these are very nice for the people being thanked, acknowledgments are unlikely to encourage people to buy and read your book.
You want to put upfront in your book those items that will encourage readers and leave until the end those other items.
Fritzy-Girl says, "Have a great day, everybody."
ASK PZM: Feb 2013 - Keywords
Add captionI like that our IWSG day generally falls around the same day Phyllis Zimbler Miller answers questions about marketing. Let's face it, we have to know this stuff if we want to succeed as prolific authors. Writing is lovely, but what fun is it if nobody reads our novel? So, I'm combining both IWSG and ASK PZM.
Without going into a song and dance, I am feeling insecure these days. Not sure if it's winter, overwhelming research, or circumstances, but if you're doing a little keep-my-fellow-author-uplifted, please put my name on your dance card.
Thanks to Ninja Captain and IWSG creator Alex J. Cavanaugh, on the first Wednesday of every month, we have a gathering place where we can share, encourage, or express our insecurities. If you'd like to join, sign up at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html
Next all you have to do is post something, insert the logo, link back to Alex, then go off and visit as many other IWSG blogs as you can. The list of insecure bloggers is at Alex's IWSG blog.
Today to celebrate IWSG day, Phyllis is answering questions about keywords and bio placement.
Take it away, Phyllis~!
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the online marketing company Miller Mosaic LLC, which has just introduced a Kindle ebook conversion service. Read about this at www.millermosaicllc.com/kindle-conversionShe is also the author of fiction and nonfiction books, and she blogs on author topics at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com
Q. Could you explain how and where to use keywords?A: First, I’ll begin with a definition appropriate for book authors (because keywords can be defined differently).
On Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), for example, when you upload your Kindle format ebook to KDP, you are asked for up to seven keywords (which can really mean seven keyword phrases) each separated by a comma.
Let’s take my romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY (free on Kindle on Feb. 7 at http://amzn.to/Sp29TC) as an example:
Drum roll, please:
I just looked at my keywords and I don’t like them (thankfully, they can be changed). I actually used seven keywords rather than seven keyword phrases:
adventure, CIA, espionage, mystery, spy, thriller, women
Now I’ll try to improve on these by being more specific because the above keywords are way too broad – I’m very unlikely to place in the search results with those keywords. (An Author Central rep confirmed that more specific keyword expressions are better.)
Here are my revised keywords as keyword phrases:
CIA, spy adventures, romantic suspense, espionage fiction, espionage mysteries, spy stories, women sleuths (spy thriller is not included per information below)
Okay, I could perhaps do better. I could plug these keyword phrases into the Amazon search field and see what book results I get. (Go ahead and try a couple of the above keyword phrases to see the results that you get.)
And this is what keywords – or keyword phrases – are for: to help our books be found by people who are searching for books on specific topics.
Another drum roll, please:
I just discovered that tags are missing from my Amazon book pages. So I called Amazon Author Central for information.
Answer: Amazon is rolling out the removal of all tags on book pages. And, after talking to Author Central, I learned that tags did not help in general search results as keywords do. While you still may see some Amazon book pages with tags, eventually these will all have disappeared. (There are the Amazon book categories, which are often broader than keyword phrases. Discussing these with the Author Central rep, I learned the answer remains that the keywords are the most important for Amazon search results.)
Another nugget from my Author Central rep conversation:
Shelfari information shown on book pages is becoming more important. Amazon now owns Shelfari, and it is a good idea for authors to utilize this opportunity. While Shelfari information on your book’s Amazon sales page will not help with search results, it will help with a stronger book product page.
I called back Author Central for additional information and spoke to a second rep:
If you have linked your physical format of a book to the Kindle format (which you should via Author Central), the keywords on the Kindle format will also help the physical book be found.
But if you only have a physical book, such as I do for my Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION, you have to email or call Author Central to have Author Central manually add up to seven keyword expressions. (The rep helped me add keywords to my two books that do not have a Kindle format.)
Regarding Author Central: The rep suggested I remind authors that you do want to be a member of Author Central – go to authorcentral.amazon.com and click on JOIN NOW – even if you are traditionally published. This way you have the right to make certain changes, including asking for seven keyword expressions for your books only in physical format.
The second rep also explained to me that there is no advantage in using as keyword expressions the words already in a title or subtitle. Thus, for example, there is no advantage in having “spy thriller” as a keyword expression for CIA FALL GUY because “spy thriller” is part of the book’s subtitle. In other words, there is no reason to use up one of my seven keyword expressions on that expression.
P.S. I asked the first Author Central rep to recommend to higher ups that, since Author Central has the email addresses of all Author Central authors, Author Central could please send an email when major changes such as eliminating tags are made. He said this was a good idea – and I hope Amazon does this.
Q: Do you think an author bio should be at the beginning or end of a book?
I do not believe there is one correct answer. But I do think it is important to consider what you want to tell your prospective readers and when.
Let’s say you are writing on a nonfiction topic. I believe it is a good idea to have your author bio at the front of your book. In this way, when people utilize the LOOK INSIDE feature on Amazon, for example, they can read in the author bio why they should trust that you can write a book on this topic.
The one item I think should definitely be at the back of a book these days is the acknowledgments. While these are very nice for the people being thanked, acknowledgments are unlikely to encourage people to buy and read your book.
You want to put upfront in your book those items that will encourage readers and leave until the end those other items.
Fritzy-Girl says, "Have a great day, everybody."January 28, 2013
Second Guessing
It's not easy second guessing readers....
More on that in a second.
I'm down to blogging once a week because I'm trying to finish a work in progress that I started ... I can't even remember when. My BF said I was working out the plot in my head as early as December 2006. She thinks I waited another 18 months before I started the actual writing part. I keep her up to date so she can remind me later.
Holy Chicken Fingers! That means... (counting on fingers) ooh, not good. It took me 4 years to write 39 thousand words. I know this because I recorded the symbol 39K on my calendar December 31, 2012. Which was last month if I'm not mistaken.
Now for the good part!
As of today I have 56,148 words written!
That's why I've been so behind in visiting your blog and leaving a stunning and brilliant comment. I understand you don't mind if I blog less than once a week, but I don't want you forgetting about me. I know ... who could forget about ME! Well, my own mother used to call me by my sister's name -- a lot. She even called me by my brother's name once or twice. Not a pretty picture, I can tell you.
Speaking of picture -- Picture this: Joylene (me) sitting at the monitors below for hours on end, wracking her brain, composing the most prudent of prose, half-starving (husband cooks breakfast), and...
Dang, I can't remember what I wanted to say.
Okay -- ignore that first part.
What I wanted to blog about today is actually me posing a question to you. Oh! Now I remember what I wanted to say. I'm writing and writing, chapter after chapter when suddenly (chapter 16 to be precise) my antagonist presence himself. Okay, not him exactly, more like a totally different character called Sergeant Harry Byron Bradstreet, decorated staff sergeant during the Gulf War who happens to dislike the antagonist and his son. They're gangster from the east end of London. But that's a story for another time.
The question of the day is:
Do you think chapter 16 is too late to introduce the antagonist in a suspense thriller?
I know, I know. Sometimes I take a long time getting to the point. Now maybe you understand why I was often referred to as Verbal-Diarrhea-Jo as a kid? (My dad called me Josephina the laughing hyena)
Anyway, it's a good thing I don't write like I talk.
Come to think of it, my English Professor back at Simon Fraser University said that very thing once....
Maybe I'll move chapter 16 up a few chapters?
More on that in a second.
I'm down to blogging once a week because I'm trying to finish a work in progress that I started ... I can't even remember when. My BF said I was working out the plot in my head as early as December 2006. She thinks I waited another 18 months before I started the actual writing part. I keep her up to date so she can remind me later.
Holy Chicken Fingers! That means... (counting on fingers) ooh, not good. It took me 4 years to write 39 thousand words. I know this because I recorded the symbol 39K on my calendar December 31, 2012. Which was last month if I'm not mistaken.
Now for the good part!
As of today I have 56,148 words written!
That's why I've been so behind in visiting your blog and leaving a stunning and brilliant comment. I understand you don't mind if I blog less than once a week, but I don't want you forgetting about me. I know ... who could forget about ME! Well, my own mother used to call me by my sister's name -- a lot. She even called me by my brother's name once or twice. Not a pretty picture, I can tell you.
Speaking of picture -- Picture this: Joylene (me) sitting at the monitors below for hours on end, wracking her brain, composing the most prudent of prose, half-starving (husband cooks breakfast), and...
Dang, I can't remember what I wanted to say.
Okay -- ignore that first part.
What I wanted to blog about today is actually me posing a question to you. Oh! Now I remember what I wanted to say. I'm writing and writing, chapter after chapter when suddenly (chapter 16 to be precise) my antagonist presence himself. Okay, not him exactly, more like a totally different character called Sergeant Harry Byron Bradstreet, decorated staff sergeant during the Gulf War who happens to dislike the antagonist and his son. They're gangster from the east end of London. But that's a story for another time.
The question of the day is:
Do you think chapter 16 is too late to introduce the antagonist in a suspense thriller?
I know, I know. Sometimes I take a long time getting to the point. Now maybe you understand why I was often referred to as Verbal-Diarrhea-Jo as a kid? (My dad called me Josephina the laughing hyena)
Anyway, it's a good thing I don't write like I talk.
Come to think of it, my English Professor back at Simon Fraser University said that very thing once....
Maybe I'll move chapter 16 up a few chapters?
SECOND GUESSING
It's not easy second guessing readers....
More on that in a second.
I'm down to blogging once a week because I'm trying to finish a work in progress that I started ... I can't even remember when. My BF said I was working out the plot in my head as early as December 2006. She thinks I waited another 18 months before I started the actual writing part. I keep her up to date so she can remind me later.
Holy Chicken Fingers! That means... (counting on fingers) ooh, not good. It took me 4 years to write 39 thousand words. I know this because I recorded the symbol 39K on my calendar December 31, 2012. Which was last month if I'm not mistaken.
Now for the good part!
As of today I have 56,148 words written!
That's why I've been so behind in visiting your blog and leaving a stunning and brilliant comment. I understand you don't mind if I blog less than once a week, but I don't want you forgetting about me. I know ... who could forget about ME! Well, my own mother used to call me by my sister's name -- a lot. She even called me by my brother's name once or twice. Not a pretty picture, I can tell you.
Speaking of picture -- Picture this: Joylene (me) sitting at the monitors below for hours on end, wracking her brain, composing the most prudent of prose, half-starving (husband cooks breakfast), and...
Dang, I can't remember what I wanted to say.
Okay -- ignore that first part.
What I wanted to blog about today is actually me posing a question to you. Oh! Now I remember what I wanted to say. I'm writing and writing, chapter after chapter when suddenly (chapter 16 to be precise) my antagonist presence himself. Okay, not him exactly, more like a totally different character called Sergeant Harry Byron Bradstreet, decorated staff sergeant during the Gulf War who happens to dislike the antagonist and his son. They're gangster from the east end of London. But that's a story for another time.
The question of the day is:
Do you think chapter 16 is too late to introduce the antagonist in a suspense thriller?
I know, I know. Sometimes I take a long time getting to the point. Now maybe you understand why I was often referred to as Verbal-Diarrhea-Jo as a kid? (My dad called me Josephina the laughing hyena)
Anyway, it's a good thing I don't write like I talk.
Come to think of it, my English Professor back at Simon Fraser University said that very thing once....
Maybe I'll move chapter 16 up a few chapters?
More on that in a second. I'm down to blogging once a week because I'm trying to finish a work in progress that I started ... I can't even remember when. My BF said I was working out the plot in my head as early as December 2006. She thinks I waited another 18 months before I started the actual writing part. I keep her up to date so she can remind me later.
Holy Chicken Fingers! That means... (counting on fingers) ooh, not good. It took me 4 years to write 39 thousand words. I know this because I recorded the symbol 39K on my calendar December 31, 2012. Which was last month if I'm not mistaken.
Now for the good part!
As of today I have 56,148 words written!
That's why I've been so behind in visiting your blog and leaving a stunning and brilliant comment. I understand you don't mind if I blog less than once a week, but I don't want you forgetting about me. I know ... who could forget about ME! Well, my own mother used to call me by my sister's name -- a lot. She even called me by my brother's name once or twice. Not a pretty picture, I can tell you.
Speaking of picture -- Picture this: Joylene (me) sitting at the monitors below for hours on end, wracking her brain, composing the most prudent of prose, half-starving (husband cooks breakfast), and...
Dang, I can't remember what I wanted to say.
Okay -- ignore that first part.
What I wanted to blog about today is actually me posing a question to you. Oh! Now I remember what I wanted to say. I'm writing and writing, chapter after chapter when suddenly (chapter 16 to be precise) my antagonist presence himself. Okay, not him exactly, more like a totally different character called Sergeant Harry Byron Bradstreet, decorated staff sergeant during the Gulf War who happens to dislike the antagonist and his son. They're gangster from the east end of London. But that's a story for another time.
The question of the day is:
Do you think chapter 16 is too late to introduce the antagonist in a suspense thriller?
I know, I know. Sometimes I take a long time getting to the point. Now maybe you understand why I was often referred to as Verbal-Diarrhea-Jo as a kid? (My dad called me Josephina the laughing hyena)
Anyway, it's a good thing I don't write like I talk.
Come to think of it, my English Professor back at Simon Fraser University said that very thing once....
Maybe I'll move chapter 16 up a few chapters?
January 14, 2013
The Next Big Thing, #3
Tagged by my dear blogging friend, Cher Green, Footsteps of a Writer, I'm pleased to present you with THE NEXT BIG THING.
10 Questions about my Work in Progress:
What is the working title of your book?
One Wrong... (as in one wrong don't make a right)
What genre does your book fall under?
Suspense
What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
For Jason Sinclair, I'd choose David Duchovny or Anson Mount:
Mike Canaday: aka David Cubitt
And Brigitte would be portrayed by
Suleka Mathew
What is the one sentence synopsis for the book?
Jason Sinclair doesn't believe his wife's death was an accident and is bent on risking his life to prove it.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'll try traditional first because self-publishing can get expensive, not to mention the hassle with distribution. It's a lot easier to have the publisher pay to have the book printed and distributed. At least that's been my experience.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It's taken me forever just to write 50K. At this rate I should have the 1st draft done by the end of 2013. Slow writer is an understatement.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Get Carter, strange choice but I see the similarities. Despite everyone convinced it was an accident, Carter investigates his brother's death and discovers it was murder.
What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
Two things:
First I love my characters. They're ordinary people (endearing) caught up in extraordinary circumstances. I even like my antagonist Junior O'Malley. The entire cast is very family-orientated.
Second, the settings are spectacular. If you've never been to Vancouver's Gastown, I hope you enjoy the tour. As I'm sure you will in Stow-on-the-Wold.
Now it's time to tag a few authors and see what their next big thing will be: (if your name's below and you'd rather not participate, not to worry)
Carole Anne Carr
Elsie The Writer
Gloria Sigountos
Al Diaz
* for links to these writers visit my blog at cluculzwriter.blogspot.ca
10 Questions about my Work in Progress:
What is the working title of your book?
One Wrong... (as in one wrong don't make a right)
What genre does your book fall under?
Suspense
What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
For Jason Sinclair, I'd choose David Duchovny or Anson Mount:
Mike Canaday: aka David Cubitt
And Brigitte would be portrayed by
Suleka Mathew
What is the one sentence synopsis for the book?
Jason Sinclair doesn't believe his wife's death was an accident and is bent on risking his life to prove it.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'll try traditional first because self-publishing can get expensive, not to mention the hassle with distribution. It's a lot easier to have the publisher pay to have the book printed and distributed. At least that's been my experience.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It's taken me forever just to write 50K. At this rate I should have the 1st draft done by the end of 2013. Slow writer is an understatement.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Get Carter, strange choice but I see the similarities. Despite everyone convinced it was an accident, Carter investigates his brother's death and discovers it was murder.
What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
Two things:
First I love my characters. They're ordinary people (endearing) caught up in extraordinary circumstances. I even like my antagonist Junior O'Malley. The entire cast is very family-orientated.
Second, the settings are spectacular. If you've never been to Vancouver's Gastown, I hope you enjoy the tour. As I'm sure you will in Stow-on-the-Wold.
Now it's time to tag a few authors and see what their next big thing will be: (if your name's below and you'd rather not participate, not to worry)
Carole Anne Carr
Elsie The Writer
Gloria Sigountos
Al Diaz
* for links to these writers visit my blog at cluculzwriter.blogspot.ca
