Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 146

Yuletide Jingle Book Event: Come Join in the Fun!

[image error]

If you’re looking for Jeff’s Pep Talk, you’ll find his post next Wednesday. This week I wanted to let all my readers know about the Yuletide Jingle event on December 8th, hosted by Sonoran Dawn Studios. It’s going to be an audio event, with Christmas songs and stories intermixed with author promos. Of course, there will be games and giveaways, as well. Three authors will win cover art by Sonoran Dawn Studios. There will also be free books and other great prizes offered by the individual participants. It’s going to be a lot of fun.  So click on the link below to reserve your spot and join in. Author Take Over slots are still available. I do hope I’ll see you all there.

https://www.facebook.com/events/348391889231178/ https://www.facebook.com/events/348391889231178/

Marketing and Promotion: Let’s Sell Books!

Ask the Author (Round 2)

[image error]

For many authors, marketing and promotion is the hardest part of writing. In week two of this series, in the segment on the writing process, four out of eleven authors listed marketing as their biggest challenge, and I’ve had many other authors give the same response when the question was posed. I know it’s certainly true for me. In days past, traditional publishers handled much of these tedious tasks, so authors didn’t have to, but with the rise if independent publishing to the forefront, those days may be gone. Even traditional publishers are doing less promotion, relying on authors to get word out about their works.

Today our author panel will be talking about how they tackle the task and which advertising platforms have been effective for them. Our author panel this week include RA Winter, DeAnna Knippling, Tom Johnson, Lilly Rayman, Ashley Fontainne, Jordan Elizabeth, Amy Cecil, Cynthia Vespia, and Margareth Stewart. Let’s see what works and what doesn’t for them.

Which advertising platforms do you find to give the best results?

RA Winter
[image error] Most of my marketing right now is just using Facebook groups. I only post once a week or once every two weeks and include something snazzy to catch my readers attention. I write romance with humorous undertones so I always include a funny quote. The piece that I’m concentrating on right now is only .99 cents, and it’s a stand-alone novella. Once I have a couple of books written in the series, I’ll start using Facebook ads and Amazon ads to promote the series. Reviews on websites usually gain me a lot of traffic too. I concentrate on getting my work in front of reviewers right off the bat.

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] Whatever ones I bother to use consistently

“Tales of the Normal”: A Flash Fiction Collection

[image error]

Tales of the Normal, by DeAnna Knippling is an intriguing collection of flash and micro-fiction that is anything but normal. In fact, I’ve never seen a collection of stories quite like this one. As with all short fiction, some of the stories don’t quite feel complete, but others may leave you haunted.

A flash collection gets a flash review. Tales of the Normal kept me reading and made me think. I give it four quills.

[image error]

 

Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.

The Poetry Of Youth

[image error]

I wrote in an earlier piece that my first motivation for writing poetry was to please a girlfriend. What is more apt, more romantically human, than writing and reciting poetry?

I was fifteen and completely smitten. My amour and I belonged to a group of friends who fancied ourselves as Beatniks, avant garde, fringe elements. Oh, how daring, these suburban kids flirting with dangerous radicals and writers! We weren’t political. We were curious and flying as close to the flame of modern art as we dared.

Our god was e.e. cummings. A close second was Charles Bukowski. Cummings was the defiant rebel and iconoclast. Bukowski was just plain foul, profane and we loved his flouting of middle class lifestyles. The two poets could not be more different. In the classroom we studied T.S.Eliot. We studied Robert Frost. Whee!

Then cummings came along and we were swept up in his lyricism and humor.

since feeling is first

who pays any attention

to the syntax of things

will never wholly kiss you;

wholly to be a fool

while Spring is in the world

 

my blood approves

and kisses are a better fate

than wisdom

lady i swear by all flowers. Don’t cry

—the best gesture of my brain is less than

your eyelids’ flutter which says

 

we are for each other: then

laugh, leaning back in my arms

for life’s not a paragraph

 

and death i think is no parenthesis

e.e. cummings

 

This is one of his classics, one of his best known poems. In it he exhorts us to pure experience, to FEEL life, not to think about it. That appeals and will always appeal to the young. Bukowski is a different matter.

 

the flesh covers the bone

and they put a mind

in there and

sometimes a soul,

and the women break

vases against the walls

and the men drink too

much

and nobody finds the

one

but keep

looking

crawling in and out

of beds.

flesh covers

the bone and the

flesh searches

for more than

flesh.

there’s no chance

at all:

we are all trapped

by a singular

fate.

nobody ever finds

the one.

the city dumps fill

the junkyards fill

the madhouses fill

the hospitals fill

the graveyards fill

nothing else

fills.

 

Charles Bukowski

 

Bukowski was more the nihilist, far more transgressive of social norms. He didn’t give a shit! By the way, if you haven’t seen the movie “Barfly”, do so. It is based on the life of Bukowski. It’s a hoot.

I don’t know many high school kids these days, so I have no insight towards their poetic tastes. They have hip-hop. They have the internet. I have no doubt that kids today are as adventurous, rebellious and weird as they have always been. It would be a good research project.

As always with these essays I close with a poem of my own. I’ll keep it brief. It has nothing to do with the subject.

 

Magical Dancers

 

Between my pillow and the back of my head

Magical Dancers

in the space where the stubble of my balding scalp

meets the soft fabric of my cotton dream ship

Magical Dancers.

Shall I wake and know this to be a dream?

Dancers dressed in furs and leather

wearing antlers and tusks

tracing circles and hopping

from one leg to the other

drums and rattles, sticks with bells shaking

Magical Dancers in a dream

but my eyes are open, my mind lucid.

This is no longer a dream.. Are these dancers merely

the fleas left behind by the cat as he warmed my pillow?

Surely not! Surely not! But if they are, then I salute you,

fleas, for taking on strange identities

in a world where nothing is quite real

where fleas are shamans, ancient survivors

magicians of blood and skin.

If I turn on my side, what will I see? Fleas vanishing into the cat’s fur

or shamans celebrating the oncoming wave of another dream?

 

Arthur Rosch

http://www.artrosch.com

http://www.aroschbooks.com

A Midwesterner by birth, Arthur Rosch migrated to the West Coast just in time to be a hippie but discovered that he was more connected to the Beatnik generation. He harkened back to an Old School world of jazz, poetry, painting and photography. In the Eighties he received Playboy Magazine’s Best Short Story Award for a comic view of a planet where there are six genders. The timing was not good.  His life was falling apart as he struggled with addiction and depression. He experienced the reality of the streets for more than a decade. Putting himself back together was the defining experience of his life. It wasn’t easy. It did, however, nurture his literary soul. He has a passion for astronomy, photography, history, psychology and the weird puzzle of human experience. He is currently a certified Seniors Peer Counselor in Sonoma County, California. Come visit his blogs and photo sites.  Photos in these columns are by Arthur Rosch.

 

Want to be sure not to miss any of Art’s The Many Faces of Poetry segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress.

 

 

How and Why You Should Build an Author Platform

Ask the Authors (Round 2)
[image error]

Fans, followers, readers: these are what authors strive for. While we obviously want to get our work out there so folks will know about and hopefully buy our books, it all starts with what we call an author platform. Whether you prefer social media promotion or in person appearances, it’s all about making connections and interaction with people. Having an outrageous number of followers doesn’t mean you will sell that many books, it does mean that there are a lot of people who’ve taken an interest in you or your work, and with luck, a percentage of those will actually make a purchase. Hopefully, from there, your work is good enough to carry the ball and bring back repeat customers. But first, you’ve got to have a platform. You’ve got to have followers, and more important, readers.

Today the Ask the Authors panel will be discussing how to go about building an author platform and the options available via the internet in our present media culture. Our author panel consists of authors Amy Cecil, Ashley Fontainne, Cynthia Vespia, Jordan Elizabeth, DeAnna Knippling, Dan Alatorre and RA Winter. As authors, they all strive to gain a following and will be giving us an idea of what is out there, and share their experiences as they’ve built their author platforms.




[image error]

I think we all would agree the best way to gain a following is to write a good book. But your book could be the best book ever written and no one would know it if nobody reads it. In today’s market, one way to get folks to buy your book is through reviews. Our consumer oriented society has taken to placing high value on what previous consumers have to say. I met many of the authors on our panel when I reviewed one of their books. I do reviews in exchange for a review copy of the book and so do many others, but still it seems like one of the most difficult tasks we’re faced with as authors is to obtain reviews for their books. People are not too busy to read the book, which is good, but they don’t always take time to go to a site and leave a review.
Have you found any effective methods of getting reviews for your books?

Amy Cecil
 I have my own ARC team and I also use Booksprout, which is very effective.

Ashley Fontainne
 Reviews are difficult to obtain because we, as a society,  are so busy.  I have used many different approaches yet have had the most success with BookBub and audio books. Audio listeners tend to write more reviews. For example,  my novel Tainted Cure has 26 reviews on Amazon and 71 on Audible. I have noticed a lot of audio reviewers don’t post their reviews on Amazon yet I’m not sure why.

Cynthia Vespia
[image error] Effective? Not really at this point. I’ve done giveaways and requests and its hit or miss.

Lilly Rayman

[image error] Unfortunately, no quick fix to getting reviews. You can spend hours emailing book reviewers and suggesting your book to them for review, or you can pay for a platform to put your books out for review. Amazon is also making it harder for people to leave reviews, which makes reviews almost worthless when you don’t know how long your reviews will be up before being pulled by Amazon.

Jordan Elizabeth

 The best way I’ve found is to reach out to reviewers personally.  I’ll send an email to bloggers and make sure it isn’t just a form email. I always tweak it to match their needs.  Out of every 20 emails I send, I usually get 1-2 bloggers interested. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but its worth it for those reviews.

DeAnna Knippling

[image error] Not consistently.  It’s one of those things where you scatter some free copies around and hope for the best.  I have an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) list, but people have been drifting away from it–which is understandable.  You could be the biggest DeAnna Knippling fan in the world and still not want to conscientiously read & review everything I freaking write! I have a free Instafreebie/Prolific Works account where I host giveaway copies, so I don’t have to manually send them out now, which is nice.

Dan Alatorre

[image error] Asking reviewers who liked and reviewed one of my prior books is the easiest way. How did I get those first review for my first book? I asked EVERYBODY.

Blogging can be instrumental in obtaining followers. I know most of my followers have come from this blog, Writing to be Read. The more valuable the content posted here, the more followers I get, and 2018 has seen my following increase in great bounds. Again, I’m not seeing a monetary value from this blog, but I am watching my platform grow. Many other authors have blogs, as well, and I wonder about the opinions of our panel members.
If you have a blog, how instrumental is it in building your platform?
 
Ashley Fontainne
 I have a blog though I don’t post often.

Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman

Cynthia Vespia
 I blog for 2 reasons: to build my platform, and speak on topics I find either useful or entertaining. If you’re going to blog you have to be consistent with it in order to see any growth. I’m constantly updating my blog/site trying to find new ways to attract readers.

Lilly Rayman
[image error] I’m not a very good blogger. I have a blog on my website, and I tend to share other author’s blog posts rather than blogging for myself.

Blog: http://lillyrayman0007.wixsite.com/lillyrayman/blog

Jordan Elizabeth
 My blog is called Kissed by Literature . I originally started it to review books. I still use it for mostly that, but I’ll talk about other book related things at times. To be honest, my blog doesn’t seem as integral as it used to be. I get more traffic on my Facebook Author page.

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] I started it in 2003 or so at Blogspot, and it moved to http://www.WonderlandPress.com…I want to say that was in 2009? I don’t remember now. I write a lot of nerdy writing articles. It’s led to more ghostwriting work and invitations to talk at places than actual sales, I think! But I like doing it, which means I do it consistently, and I think that’s the key to platform: What can you keep up with consistently? Not, like, three times a week consistent, but “I just like doing it so I end up doing it even when I don’t actually have time” consistent. That’s your real platform.

Blog: http://blog.deannaknippling.com/

Dan Alatorre
[image error] I published a book and my wife said I should start a blog to build an author platform and get my book known. I was clueless about blogging, and had NO followers for a long time. I had like 4 followers and one was my wife and one was a spam bot. Now I have thousands, and in 2017 my blog got over 60,000 views. I rarely have a day without 150 views. The secret there was to interact with others, which is part of a presentation I do for FWA and TBAWP and other writing groups, and is part of a planned webinar and book I’ll be selling. However, if I were starting today, I’m not sure I’d blog. Don’t get me wrong, I get a kick our of blogging and interacting with my fans there. I have writing contests there and get beta readers there, etc. But as far as strictly selling books, a mailing list is probably better, and I’m building mine now.

Blog: https://danalatorre.com/




I’m hearing that an author has to have a website, and to be sure, it’s convenient to create a kind of virtual store front where folks can find all your books in one place. But websites don’t have a lot of direct interaction with visitors to the site, so I have to wonder if they are useful for gaining readers or followers.
How effective has your website been for bringing in followers?
 
Amy Cecil
 Not effective at all. My Facebook author page does much better.

Website: http://acecil65.wixsite.com/amycecil?fbclid=IwAR2RzmgKSWbBoNn7g8O1i8GreIwNZsrPHVcyVtlpIlHkobx7XvMJSw3P24s

Cynthia Vespia
[image error] Not as effective as I have hoped in the past, but that’s all about to change. I’m employing a new strategy, new design, and better content to draw in outside eyes. To you newbies out there don’t be afraid of switching things up. If something isn’t working try a new strategy. I’ve streamlined my author site at www.CynthiaVespia.com but most of my attention is being set on my other site www.OriginalCynContent.com so I can bring useful information regarding marketing, building a business, and building your best self.

Lilly Rayman

[image error] Honestly? I’m not sure it has, but I like that I have it there, I can update my books on my website, share a sample of my work and other authors I have come across.

Website: Http://www.lillyrayman0007.wixsite.com/lillyrayman

Jordan Elizabeth

 People tend to look at my facebook page more than my website.  When talking to people and the website comes up, they always seem surprised to find out I have one!

 
Website: JordanElizabethBooks.com

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] It hasnt brought me a lot of newsletter subscribers yet. But everywhere I go, people are like, “So I read your website and…” and want to have some kind of conversation about the things they’re wrestling with because of some blog post I wrote, so I’m good.


Website: www.WonderlandPress.com


Dan Alatorre

[image error] For me, advertising and newsletters get followers for books. My blog and FB sites are more for existing fan interaction.

Many sites now offer authors a chance to showcase their work on author pages.
Which sites do you hold author pages on? Which ones have you found to be most effective for gaining followers?

Amy Cecil
 I just use Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Cecil/e/B00XUPU5Y8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1542940066&sr=1-2-ent

Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5888015.Amy_Cecil

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/authoramycecil/

Lilly Rayman

[image error] I’ve signed up to so many, I probably couldn’t remember them all. Bookbub has so far been the most influential in bringing in followers.

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Rayman/e/B00X5CR5QC

Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9866872.Lilly_Rayman

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/lilly.rayman.7

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MrsL0007

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/mrsl0007

BookBub Author page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lilly-rayman

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/author/Lilly-Rayman

Romance IO: https://www.romance.io/authors/5617d075bfc6b5c0fa94082f/lilly-rayman

Jordan Elizabeth

 I’ve found Facebook to be the most lucrative.

Facebok Author page: https://www.facebook.com/JordanElizabethAuthor/

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Jordan-Elizabeth/e/B00P0KBRD4

Curiosity Quills Author page: https://curiosityquills.com/authors/jordan-elizabeth/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jordan-elizabeth

DeAnna Knippling

[image error] A lot of these places, you don’t even know that you have an author page.  But I’m involved in the Goodreads, Amazon, and BookBub ones.  I don’t know which ones are effective, but they seem to interact with the GR one the most.

Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4456773.DeAnna_Knippling

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/DeAnna-Knippling/e/B0049HF320/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1543066052&sr=1-2-spons

BookBub Author page: https://www.bookbub.com/search?search=DeAnna+Knippling

Dan Alatorre

[image error] I have a Blog, a Facebook page, and I use Twitter. I wouldn’t say I showcase my work on them all, but I do occasionally on my blog. That’s not how I gain followers, though. The blog is for other things, like interaction, writing contests, etc.

Blog Author page: https://danalatorre.com/about/

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/DanAlatorreAuthor/

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Dan-Alatorre/e/B00EUX7HEU

Goodreads Autor page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7847408.Dan_Alatorre

Free books abound these days. Freebies are a marketing strategy which many book marketers swear by, and there does seem to be a rising trend toward using this strategy. Give away something for free and people will buy something else. While it may bring in sales, I’m skeptical. Even if it doesn’t bring sales though, if it brings readers to your platform I can see value in it. I use my perma-free novelette, Hidden Secrets, in conjunction with my newsletter. If you sign up for my monthly newsletter, you get a link for a free copy of the book, but only a few of those who have subscribed have claimed their copy, so I don’t know that it’s the book drawing them in.
For authors who have played with this strategy, fill us in. Does it work to bring in new followers? What has your experience taught you?

Amy Cecil
 Yes, it works. I have a series and I always offer the first book free when a new book in the series releases. The first book draws them in and then it goes from there.

Ashley Fontainne
 I  have a newsletter and if someone signs up they receive two free PDFs. I have done freebies before and had fantastic results, but only when using Bookbub and the book promoted was in the KDP program. The book had thousands of downloads and was over 600 pages, so even though I didn’t make money off the downloads,  I did on the pages read, plus I gained 75+ reviews.


(Side note: Since we’re talking about freebies, Ashley Fontainne’s Ruined Wings has recently been made into a film, which you can now view for free at the link below.)

Ruined Wings

Website: The Dark Southern Bell


Cynthia Vespia
[image error] I’ve not done the “free book for sign up” bit yet but I have done some freebies and they haven’t done anything for me. The only traction I saw was when doing ARC giveaways for a new release and even then it didn’t get the response I was hoping for in terms of reviews. So now I’m very selective in who I give my books away to because everyone I talk to is constantly asking for a free book and it just doesn’t do me any good to keep giving away my profits like that.

Lilly Rayman

[image error] I offer a permafree book across all platforms, when I do a Facebook event I share the link. I also have details of the permafree in all my books. I also offer a flash fiction exclusively to subscribers of my newsletter. When I share with people on Facebook they can get a free read for signing up, they usually do.

Jordan Elizabeth

 I’ve done sales with free books. I’m not sure if its brought in sales for my other books. No one has told me that they read it for free and then bought more.

DeAnna Knippling

[image error] It depends.  I saw a post recently with (to paraphrase): “Your freebies should be selected based on why you sign up.”  In technical terms, the article suggested “segmenting your list” so people who signed up on a mass giveaway (and who had probably never read your work before) got the first book in a series, and the people who sign up on your website get like a short story, character interviews, etc., in an ongoing series (because presumably they already have the first book in the series and read and liked it, and are there for more).  I’m thinking of doing that, but I haven’t yet.

The mass giveaway things, they’re more about performing a scattershot across a genre or a subgenre:  “If you like steampunk, you’ll like at least some of the books in our steampunk giveaway! But you have to sign up for the author’s newsletter list!”  The newsletter signups on your site, those people should be treated like they’re part of a secret club, where they get info & bribes & treats that a new reader could care less about.  I like that as a theory.  The thing I’m pondering right now is how to send out some automatic posts for the mass-giveaway people so they have enough interest/information to feel like they already belong to the secret club.  I really only have one newsletter, though: the secret club one.


RA Winter
[image error] About freebies.  If they are used strategically, they can be an excellent marketing tool.  For that to work though, you need a series of at least three books, the more the better return on your investment.  Also, there are sites who won’t charge to post your free books.  Readers who become invested in your story will buy the second and third novels without batting an eye.  I always recommend giving the first book in the series away or writing a short novella that will feed off the series.  Giving away book two or three just isn’t profitable.

Dan Alatorre

[image error] Free books have to be advertised, too, and on sites that make a splash. As mentioned earlier, those change all the time. The free book has to be of great quality or no one’s gonna read anything else you have, but you still have to have other things. Quality things. And a newsletter to keep everyone updated. A friend has had several books get over 100 reviews by using the Reader Magnets method and as far as I can tell, most authors with successful newsletters used a very similar approach. I mention this because I checked it out and I’ve seen it work, but most people don’t do it (including me). That’s changing. I started working on growing my newsletter last week and plan on getting it to 10,000 subscribers by December 31, 2019. That should help.

Dan, can you explain for those who may not know, what the Reader Magnet method is?

Dan Alatorre

[image error] It’ free: https://www.amazon.com/Reader-Magnets-Platform-Marketing-Authors-ebook/dp/B00PCKIJ4C

Which sites would you recommend for giveaways?

Amy Cecil
 I don’t do a lot of giveaways, I have used Goodreads and Amazon, but Facebook works the best for me.

Ashley Fontainne
 I have had the most success with Bookbub,  however,  it is expensive and hard to get picked up.



Bookbub Author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ashley-fontainne



Cynthia Vespia
 Obviously Amazon is the biggest platform. I’ve had success on Goodreads for print books and I understand they’re doing ebook giveaways now as well.. Smashwords lets you set your own discount pricing so you can do a freebie there. I’ve also done some giveaways on FB during author events with some success.

Lilly Rayman

[image error] I use Instafreebie which is now called prolific works for my giveaway links.

Jordan Elizabeth

[image error] I’ve found the best to be Amazon.  You can set up a giveaway and plan to get followers on Twitter, Amazon, etc.

DeAnna Knippling

[image error] I use LibraryThing and Goodreads (on GR, I set up an event where I link to the giveaway code; I’ve also done GR print giveaways and liked those as well). I’m getting prepped to go back into Instafreebie/Prolific Works in a bit. I like them, but it tends to be more newsletter signups than reviews.

Dan Alatorre

[image error] I don’t recommend sites publicly, but not because I don’t wanna give away my best secrets. (I can’t write enough books in a year to have a site all to myself, and I need other authors selling books and telling me which sites are doing well for them.) I don’t recommend sites publicly because they aren’t paying me to endorse them. Also, things can and do change quickly in this business. A site I used very successfully five years ago hasn’t done anything good for the past three years. When did it change? It was probably gradual, but what worked for me and my last book might not work for your book or still be working when you publish your Work In Progress. It’s safest to ask all your friends which sites work best right now and to get numbers, see what genre they wrote, and go from there. Track everything and keep using whatever worked, avoiding the sites that are crap. I will say this. When you do a free day or a 99 cent day or whatever on Ammy, do it in conjunction with a site (or sites) your friends have recommended. You’ll make a bigger splash and will usually sell books at regular price after the sale ends as long as your regular price isn’t crazy.

Which social media sites do you use to network? Which sites have worked best for you for gaining followers?

Amy Cecil
 Facebook and Goodreads.  Facebook has worked the best. I have used Twitter a little – but I don’t see a lot of action there.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.p.cecil

Amy’s Amazing Street Girls: https://www.facebook.com/groups/201903646918497/

Ashley Fontainne
[image error] Facebook and Twitter are the two sites I tend to frequent.

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.fontainne/

Twitter: @AshleyFontainne

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AshleyFontainne


Lilly Rayman

[image error] Honestly, I’m not the best at utilising social media. I have a more interactive network on Facebook, but I try and post in Google+ and Twitter when I remember. Generally, I prefer to be writing than to be trying to promote myself.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LillyRayman0007/

Twitter: @LillyRayman0007 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilly_rayman/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LillyRayman0007

Jordan Elizabeth

[image error] I use facebook (the best for networking), Instagram, twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

Twitter: @JaliaDarkness

DeAnna Knippling

[image error] I use Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads; Facebook’s the primary one, though.  I don’t really do Facebook networking on purpose so much as read someone’s comment and go, “That was well said,” and friend them, and then get pulled along into something else because someone knew someone else who knows me.  I think trying to use social media to gain followers is a bad idea in general, though.  It’s the trying and trying and trying part that concerns me.  “How can I try to get more followers?!?” asks the author, and ends up being a sleezy salesman for something that doesn’t naturally appeal to people.  Like, if you want to be a good seller, ask yourself, “How can I make this so tempting they can’t say no,” not “how can I get more followers?”

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deanna.knippling

Twitter: @dknippling

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/105906027867306495546

Dan Alatorre

[image error] I blog a lot, so that’s where people come to talk to me. Second is my Facebook page. After that, my newsletter, small as it is, and form there I rarely interact on Twitter or other social media. That’s not where my readers are. That can change with different books, though. For my upcoming YA book to do well, I’ll be pimping it on Instagram, etc.

Twitter: @savvystories

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_alatorre_author/

I share links for Writing to be Read and my books on all my social media sites, as well as participating in Facebook book events. I like and comment on the posts of other authors and interact with people. None of this sells a lot of books, but it does bring me followers and new friends.

How do you network on social media? Do you feel it to be effective?

Amy Cecil
 I have two P.A.’s that share my links. I have a great street team that shares my stuff everyone and most of the stuff I do on Facebook is in my street team. I do a live video with them every week and am always visible to them.

Ashley Fontainne
 I used to network quite a bit yet didn’t see any real benefits other than making connections with other authors, so I stepped away from doing events.


Cynthia Vespia
 It’s like you said, it may not be selling alot of books yet but as you gain followers this increases the chances of getting your work out there. But you have to network. Many people make the mistake of just posting about their books constantly and people don’t like to have promotions in their face at all times. When you deliver content to them that they can use or enjoy then you gain a fan and a fan is more important than just a follower because they will buy your books and support you. It makes me laugh when “influencers” talk about how many followers they have. How many of those followers translate to sales? If you’re not making progress in turnover what difference does it make how many people are following you? Again, be smart in your approach. It’s not a popularity contest, its about make intelligent moves in the social media realm that make people want to support you and read your work.


Lilly Rayman

[image error] I share posts from my author friends, and try and interact where I can on Facebook, my name being seen, being active within the Indie Community opens the door for other opportunities to utilise other authors and their followings, but its important to remember it’s a game of give and take. As long as you share as much as you hope others will share you.

Jordan Elizabeth

 I like to reach out to people who have enjoyed my books.  I like to connect with other writers, especially so we can share tips.

DeAnna Knippling

[image error] I pass on what interests me. Is it fascinating? Funny? Horrible? Insightful? If it feels like something that I like that’s pretty normal for me to like, then I’ll share it. Like puns. I’ll share a good pun in a heartbeat. Doing that consistently, over time, tends to become your brand, or part of your brand, without being fake and calculated. Writers are there to entertain, interest, and educate people. Do that. Do the things that you’re comfortable with, and do them consistently and fairly. When people buy stories, they buy them because of your voice, your view of the world. So share that view of the world; don’t keep it bottled up. That’s my theory, anyway. And listen to and interact with other people. It’s networking. It literally is not all about you as an author

Artemis: From Vigilanty Diety to Superhero

[image error]

 

One town, two killers and the body count is rising.  Artemis, by Chris Snider is the tale of how freak set of circumstances turned an ordinary scientist on the brink of death into something no longer human. With superhuman powers, including the ability to command animals, Joseph Art becomes Artemis, defender of animals and the innocent or vulnerable. The police don’t know whether they should string him up as a vigilante, or pin a medal on him. After he comes face to face with the evil clown axe murderer, the stakes are raised and the hunt becomes personal, and no one knows what will happen when the two killers confront one another a final time.

The individual storylines are skillfully woven into a single plotline and action filled climax. I give Artemis four quills.

[image error]

Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Writing for a YA Audience: School is in Session

[image error]

I might be a writer, but I’m also a teacher.  Ever since I took my first class – ballet, age 3 – I wanted to teach.  I taught my dolls whatever I learned.  I taught my maternal grandmother.  Beneath the expert tutelage of a child age 5, she learned yoga, tap, jazz, and Spanish.  I contribute a lot of my success in Spanish (as in, I passed) to the hours spent teaching it to her.  Teaching was what I wanted to do.

[image error]

Photo by Abel Tan Jun Yang on Pexels.com

I went to college for elementary education.  I imagined a classroom of eager faces mirroring my grandmother’s.  We would do the best projects and everyone would love learning.  I walked in with my arms filled with my favorite books, materials for astronomy models, and a skip in my step.

Instead, I was faced with mandatory testing and parents angry that their child had homework on the night when they watch reality TV.  After college, I switched to teaching young adults in a collegial setting.  I fell in love with teaching all over again.  They were eager to learn.  (Well, most of them.)  I didn’t have to deal with parents who used foul language while screaming at their kid for using the same foul language.  There weren’t days spent learning how to pass a mandatory test instead of mastering the material.  Anyway, I digress…

I went from teaching adults at a local community college to teaching  adults for a financial institute.  On the side, I started teaching classes in one of my passions: writing.  Libraries in the area were willing to give me time on weekends or weeknights to teach writing to anyone who wanted to come, free of charge.  The classes ranged from general writing tips to fantasy-specific discussions to how to get published.

[image error]

Still today, even though I’m no longer teaching as a day job, I lead classes at local libraries.  The classes are always small and intimate – five people to ten.  This gives us the opportunity to have one-on-one discussions and to have the attendees share selections of writing for feedback.  Most recently, in August, I got to teach a two-part fantasy workshop to youth for a library summer program.  The ideas they came up with were complex and original.  They weren’t afraid to write out of the box.

The best part about teaching a writing class is observing the passion in everyone’s face.  Whereas my grandmother’s passion came from helping me better myself, these students have a passion for the written word, and I’ll do anything I can to help them expand that passion.

Jordan Elizabeth is a young adult fantasy author.  If you’re a teacher or librarian, she would love to talk to you about leading a workshop or giving a presentation.  Y ou can connect with Jordan via her website, JordanElizabethBooks.com.

A Discussion on Publishing Platforms

Ask the Authors (Round 2)

[image error]

The internet changed the ways in which we communicate with one another and opened up many avenues to publishing for unknown authors with rapid speed. And the publishing industry is continuing to transform on a daily basis, with many publishing platforms offering more and more publishing options for authors. But how do we keep up with this rapidly changing industry? How do we know which publishing platforms are right for us? And which route is the best one for individual authors?

Today on Ask the Authors, our author panel is discussing publishing options and the various publishing platforms available. Our panel members this week include DeAnna Knippling, RA Winter, Mark Shaw, Tom Johnson, Ashley Fontainne, Cynthia Vespia, Lilly Rayman, Jordan Elizabeth, Amy Cecil, and Margareth Stewart. Let’s thank them for their willingness to share and see what we can learn from their experiences.

Are you published independently, traditionally, by small press or some combination?

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] I am an indie with one small press title under my name and several under ghostwritten names.

RA Winter
 I’m published by a large publisher but it’s for my genealogy books under my married name.  For my fiction works I’ve chosen independent.

Mark Shaw
 Traditionally as always.

Tom Johnson

 By small and large press, plus now mostly self-published.

Ashley Fontainne

 Combination. All of my titles are independently published except one with HarperCollinsUK.

Cynthia Vespia

 I’m currently focusing on indie publishing.

Lilly Rayman

 I’m independently published; however, I do work with an independent publishing company for some anthology stories.

Jordan Elizabeth

 I’m published by four small presses – Curiosity Quills, CHBB, Clean Reads, and Ellysian.

Amy Cecil

 Independently

What factors influenced your decision to publish via the route you chose?

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] I got jealous of a writer I knew who was going indie, honestly. I felt like I was spinning my wheels with traditional publishing. I had just gotten a letter back from a publisher going, “Great book, but we need you to completely rewrite it and change the focus from one character to this other guy.” I couldn’t do it.  I had researched the market for this book and written something that I wouldn’t have otherwise written to see if I could get a foot in the door. (I know now that that’s a bad idea; you can get stuck writing books you hate that way.) And then, after I had jumped through those hoops, they wanted something else, but they weren’t going to pay me for it until after I’d already written it, and even then who knew if they would buy the thing. I just couldn’t force myself to jump through that hoop again. So I let it go, started writing what I wanted to write, and went indie.

I’m not saying that it’s the best thing ever or that I would never change my mind. It’s just that I had to go with the choices that let me stay in love with writing.

RA Winter
 When I signed to a publisher I didn’t read the small print. Ok, I didn’t see the decimal. I get a very small pittance for each book I sell and the amount hasn’t gone up in about twelve years even though my non-fiction books sell for ten dollars more than when they were first published.

Mark Shaw
 Same publisher as The Reporter Who Knew Too Much, Post Hill Press with distribution by Simon&Schuster.

Tom Johnson

 I’ve only remained with one publisher through the years, all the rest of my books are being self-published. Personally, I am not a conformist. I go my own way, and write what I want, not what publishers want me to write, and that’s the main reason I self publish today. The publisher I have kept allows me to write what I want, and royalties are good. They have my print editions while I have the rights to my eBook editions.

Ashley Fontainne

 It was quite an honor to have a novel picked up by such a prestigious publishing house and something I will never forget. However, I do enjoy the independent route since it allows me more creative freedom and control. I love the entire artistic process from crafting the story to designing the cover and preparing the interior files.

Cynthia Vespia

 I was previously published by small press houses and I found they didn’t do much more for me than I could do for myself. I may revisit traditional publishing in the future.

Lilly Rayman

 Impatience, lol. I wanted to share my first novel, and I didn’t want to wait for finding a traditional publisher. I like the control I have over my own work, and the flexibility I have to meet my own deadlines and move them as I need to by publishing for myself.

Jordan Elizabeth

 I don’t want to knock self-publishing, and in many ways I envy self-published authors for the freedom they have, but my dream was always to be published by a publisher.  Self-publishing just doesn’t feel right to me, but I know it works for many people.

Amy Cecil

 I felt it gave me more control.

What do you see as the pros and cons of independent/traditional publishing?

DeAnna Knippling
[image error]
Indie Publishing:


You get to decide all the things.
You have to decide all the things.
You’re less likely to get into bookstores and libraries.

Traditional Big Publishing:



Sanity checks.
Questionable people performing your sanity checks.
If you’re not already a bestseller, they aren’t going to do a lot for promoting your book, as far as I can tell.  They open a lot of doors, but they aren’t going to escort you through them.

I think small press publishing needs its own category:



DO YOUR RESEARCH.
The worst horror stories I hear are actually from the small press category.
Some will do you better than a big, traditional publisher; some will run off with your money and your rights!

RA Winter

  Traditional publishers take a large bite out of your profits. On the plus side, if you sign with a big house, they do the marketing for you and can get your books into stores easily.

Mark Shaw

 Traditional much better with promotion and distribution depending on publisher. Traditional self-publishing can make sense tougher way to go.

Tom Johnson

 Naturally, you have more control over your material with independent publishers because you can fight for your control. Traditional publishers will take the control away from you. Many of my friends have gone the independent route, while some keep both.

Cynthia Vespia

Pros of indie: Freedom/Total Control

Cons of indie: You basically have to be marketing 24/7

Pros of traditional: A fraction of the load is taken off of your shoulders

Cons of traditional: It’s very hard to get past the gatekeepers and alot of them aren’t willing to take a risk on a new voice.

Lilly Rayman

 I guess I’ve already answered the main pro of being an independently published author, I can set my own deadlines and I have full control over my own works and can make my own choices.

I think a traditional publisher most likely offers authors the benefit of their experience and can help a new author to navigate the ins and outs of publishing.

The independent community, however, is a fantastic place, and if you get involved in writer groups, and interact with other authors, they can all help you and provide you with advice. I have a great network of other independent authors, editors and publishers around me, and they all help me when I need advice.

Amy Cecil

 Well, definitely as an independent I can publish what I want when I want. No deadlines except those I set for myself.  I think the only downfall to that is marketing and promotion. A traditional publisher would have the resources available to offer a good marketing program

I’ve been a reader all of my life. I used to read by flashlight with my covers over my head on school nights, so my mom wouldn’t know I was up past my bedtime. Those were the days when a book was a book with a front and back cover and actual pages in between.

Today, there are many forms of reading. Although I still love the feel of a print book in my hands, I must admit that my Kindle Fire has made digital books convenient, and I now read books more in digital format than I ever did in print. Now days you can even read a digital book on your phone, I think. Also, the audio book is fast becoming popular, which I can see the advantages of because I have a long commute which takes up valuable time which could be spent in what I consider to be more productive endeavors. For me, audio books might be a valuable multi-tasking device.

As an author, it only makes sense to publish my work in as many different formats as I can manage, because different readers have different reading method preferences. I was thankful that my publisher put out Delilah in both digital and print formats, and they were looking at audio, but had trouble finding the right narrator. If I had published independently, I think I would consider doing my own narration. I recently had some experience in making audio readings that turned out quite well, but it isn’t my decision, since I agreed in my contract to leave those things in the publisher’s hands. 

Those are my thoughts on the matter, but let’s see what our panel members have to say.

Which formats are your books available in? (i.e. ebook/print/audio) Which file formats for eBooks do you provide?

DeAnna Knippling
 I’m in ebook and print. I’m going to test out an audio version next year (goals!). I have .epub, .mobi/Kindle, and PDF files for my ebooks.

RA Winter

 So for I use Kindle and print. I’ll be going wide soon.

Mark Shaw

 New book Denial of Justice, hardcover, ebook, audiobook, large print.

Tom Johnson

 Most of my books are both in print and eBooks.

Ashley Fontainne

 Print, ebook and audio. I prepare both epub and mobi versions of my books to file electronically across several platforms.

Cynthia Vespia

 I currently have both print and ebooks available with eyes on doing audio in the near future. It’s always best to have all your bases covered.

Lilly Rayman

 My books are all available in eBook, and my larger works, are also available in print. I use Instafreebie to help distribute outside of sales platforms for the purposes of giveaways or ARCs.

Jordan Elizabeth

 All of my books, save one, are available in print and ebook. The other is only available in ebook as of right now.

Amy Cecil

[image error] Ebooks and print.

Which publishing platforms have you used? (i.e. Amazon, Book Baby, Smashwords, Lulu, D2D, etc…)

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] Let’s see…

Ebook


Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing (initially).
Smashwords (initially).
Nook Press (initially).  This turned into B&N Press.
Kobo (added after the first three).
Draft2Digital (added after Kobo).  I initially added this only so I could get into iBooks, because I don’t have an Apple computer for direct uploads.
Stopped using B&N Press due to site issues (they were down and they were always slow), moved B&N access to D2D for convenience.
Moved all Smashwords channels available on D2D to D2D, because Smashwords payments are slower and I like the D2D interface better.
In process of moving titles from direct Kobo access to D2D, because I’m not making as many Kobo sales and it’s One More Thing that I don’t want to deal with for release prep.

I have a few titles in KDP Select to see how they’ll sell. I have one that’s doing really well, so I’ll probably leave that one alone.


Print


Initially used Lulu for print.
Moved to CreateSpace for better sales.
Now CreateSpace has folded into Kindle Direct Publishing.
I want to add IngramSpark soon, so I can get better distribution.  I can’t blame bookstores at all for not wanting to order from CreateSpace.  CS doesn’t take returns, and even if they did, Amazon has been hell on bookstores for a variety of reasons.

RA Winter

 Smashwords and Amazon.

Tom Johnson

 Amazon and Lulu.

Ashley Fontainne

 Amazon, D2D and ACX. I have used Ingram for a few titles but found their website too frustrating to navigate.

Cynthia Vespia

 Amazon; Smashwords; BarnesandNoble.com

Lilly Rayman

 I have used Amazon for my eBook distributions, and for my print books, I use Ingram Spark. I also use Smashwords for wide eBook distribution of my permafree – Smashwords makes it easy to set books available for free.

Jordan Elizabeth

  The majority of my works are on Amazon. I also have paperbacks on Barnes and Noble.

Amy Cecil

 Mainly Amazon. I did try B&N, Kobo and iTunes for a while and it was a waste of time.

Margareth Stewart

 I have used Lulu and Smashwords and they work perfect for me. I have had a wonderful experience with Lulu.com. This is the fourth time I am publishing an Anthology with them and both the Ebook and printed versions have great quality. The platform is easy to navigate and they offer free download template for book editing. Besides, they ship worldwide and we can choose from different mailing options. On top of all that, I can share the Ebook version for free and that has been just what I needed for the Anthologies. As they are collaborative editions, they are free for download and only the paper version is paid for. If you wish to take a look at the anthologies, they gather contributions from over forty international authors; some of them also bring photos and art, and they go yearly now. The titles are: Whitmanthology, Womenthology, The Pain that Unites us all, and The Brave and the Afraid. I am taking the lead with this project which started back in 2015 during a MOOC Writing Course from Iowa University, and more than glad with Lulu.com for making it happen at no cost.

Amazon is everywhere these days and many authors publish through them exclusively, like Amy Cecil. In fact, if you sign up for KDP Select, you agree not to use any other outlets for your book. Although this does give you access to Kindle Unlimited, where you get paid each time someone flips through your book, and makes you eligible for free and discounted promotions, it makes more sense to me to publish widely across as many platforms as possible. So, let’s see how our author panel members view the different platforms.

What are the pros and cons that you see for each platform you have used?

DeAnna Knippling
 Amazon is the eight-hundred-pound gorilla; you have to deal with them one way or another, I think. But other than that, I was very fond of Kobo when they first started up, but am less so now–they seem like they’ve lost a lot of what made them extra friendly to authors. I’m really liking D2D right now. You can tell they’re playing with new ideas to benefit their authors, and they will handle a lot of persnickety formatting things for you, if you like.

RA Winter
 I like KDP. I think it is a great avenue for an unknown author, but it can be limiting. I would have gone wide earlier, but where do you market for wide?  Marketing for just Amazon is time-consuming.

Tom Johnson

 Kindle is the easiest format to use. I find print editions difficult to work, no matter which company you go with.

Cynthia Vespia

 One major con I’m running into is that they don’t support each other’s formatting. So if you’re trying to upload to different sources you have to reformat your manuscript to publish which takes up alot of time.

I like Smashwords ability to run sales whenever I want to.

Amazon is obviously the publishing giant so you gain the most exposure there.

Because Barnes and Noble is one of the last book stores standing I really like having my work featured there.

Lilly Rayman

 Amazon is the largest available platform, but they also are a tricky platform to navigate when their algorithms change on a regular basis.

Ingram Spark is fantastic for getting the widest possible reach for paperbacks and ebooks, their only downfall is the need to purchase your own ISBN numbers. They do have a set up fee, but they often have a free set-up code, and if you ask around in writer groups, someone often has a code that’s valid for a year.

Amy Cecil

  I really wasn’t with the others long enough to form an opinion on this. My books sell on Amazon, they didn’t on the other platforms.

Margareth Stewart

[image error] I chose not to publish at Amazon, and I am comfortable in going absolutely against the tide. I wanted to have a high quality book, and I wanted it to go under the whole process of being accepted by a publisher—even if it is a small independent publisher, it had to undergo submission process, be edited and accepted by a publisher. Contrary to what most writers may think, I thought it was superb for my personal growth as a writer. For being away from Amazon, most readers and even writers who are readers are not willing to adventure themselves into an outside publisher, fill in a new payment file and have their Ebooks uploaded. “Oh, it is not in Amazon! Sorry, but I am not reading it, why don´t you upload it yourself?”, “Because I have signed a contract, and I am happy about it”.

Amazon is by far the easiest path to being published, and the most polluted as well – if I may say so. There is too much of everything in there! Basically, I am so much grateful to all my readers because they were really looking forward to reading my novel, and too all the efforts towards it. I may change my mind in the future, but I am quite sure the next two novels will go with publishers somehow. In the vast and competitive universe of getting published, do as you will; but quoting Marshall McLuhan: do not forget that “the media is the message”.

Even with traditional publishing, these days the tasks of marketing and promotion fall mostly on the author, and if you publish independently, it all falls on you. Advertising can get expensive, but inexpensive or even free advertising is out there if you look. Let’s ask our panel members how they handle these tasks and find out what has been effective for them.

Do you use paid advertising or just what you can do for free?

DeAnna Knippling
 I’m using Amazon Advertising (paid), Book Gorilla (paid), and a paid newsletter subscription service. I plan to add a few more things. I also do a ton of free stuff, mostly on social media and my website.

RA Winter
  You really need a series to advertise and the more books the better. I have used paid ads, but with a small catalog, it just isn’t worth it. Plus, my books are priced low for everyone. For Twisted, I only charge .99cents. I get .35 cents for each book sold, that doesn’t leave any money for ads.

Mark Shaw
[image error] Publisher promotion.

Tom Johnson

 All free areas. I’m suspicious of most of the outfits offering advertising services. I had a friend use one service that cost her a thousand dollars, and she basically got nothing for her money. And I’m the one who directed her to the service.

Ashley Fontainne

 I have used BookBub and a few other paid sites before and they do generate amazing results. Unfortunately, the costs to advertise with the major marketing sites are outrageous so I try to only submit a title once per year.

Cynthia Vespia

 I paid for a few ads, tours, promos, etc. but it really didn’t do much for sales or exposure.

Lilly Rayman

 I run off the smell of an oily grease rag when it comes to a budget, so, that means I advertise with free wherever I can. Occasionally I spot an offer for a more affordable paid advertising, but in all honesty I haven’t seen much benefit at this stage to any advertising – so maybe I need to review what I do, and review how I should advertise.

Jordan Elizabeth

 I do a mixture of both. I’m trying to not use money from my day job anymore (which isn’t working well) and just use royalties to fund ads.

Which platforms have you found to be most beneficial?

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] It’s not so much a platform as an attitude: don’t let the water fall out of the bucket. Your efforts should coordinate with each other. The most important thing you can do is have good work published, with good covers, and good book descriptions. Second most important is a good website! You’re putting in all this effort into networking and promoting, but if your book sucks, it doesn’t matter how many people buy it–you’re going to have to start all over again with every book. If you have good books, then with every sale you make, you’re far more likely to acquire a fan.

Don’t promote your books. Earn your fans, and don’t lose them by doing something completely brainless. I have done many brainless things…like putting the wrong link to my newsletter in the back of about a dozen ebooks. I could go on.

Tom Johnson

 My Kindle books have always made good sales, much better than my hardbacks and paperbacks, so I doubt very seriously that I will ever go back to print, except for small runs for book signings.

Ashley Fontainne

 BookBub, hands down. If you want to reach a large group of readers in your specific genre, BookBub is the best tool. Readers sign up for daily emails for discounted books in genres they enjoy reading, so when you run a campaign with them,  your target audience receives an email about your book with purchase links.

Lilly Rayman

 The Kindle Book Review seems to be a popular site, and I have just invested in a paid spot on their website for December, so, I’ll be watching to see what happens to my sales in December.

Jordan Elizabeth

 Facebook ads have been a dud so far. Robin Reads has been the most profitable. (I could include a list, by my computer crashed and I lost the spreadsheet with my list of ad sites! Argh.)

The rise of digital publishing opened the door for a slew of small independent presses to emerge. But not all small presses are equal, and you have to beware of publishers who won’t give authors a fair shake or worse yet, don’t deliver at all. As with editors, we want to find one that is a good fit for both the author and their works.
What should an author look for when seeking out a publisher for their book?

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] Check to see what other authors think about that press. Look on the Preditors and Editors website, at a minimum. Then look at the covers. If a small press had crappy covers, they will suck all across the board. And when you’re thinking about signing a contract, go over it with a fine-toothed comb. Small press contracts can be bonkers, and often all you have to do to make sure they don’t take movie rights (!) is say, “Remove the line about the movie rights.”

RA Winter
 Look at the other authors’ ranks, that will tell you how much they market for you which is what most authors are looking for in a publisher.

Tom Johnson

 If you’re looking for a publisher, read the contract and make sure it fits your plans. If you’re looking for a printing service, check pricing from a variety of presses. And check them out.

Cynthia Vespia

 If they ask you for money up front…RUN AWAY! You should never have to pay for publishing services out of pocket. Other than that look at their current client list and do a search online before signing anything. Absolute Write forums have alot of info on small presses.

Lilly Rayman

 How much money are they asking for and can they detail how they will be spending your money if you pay them to publish your work. You really should only be paying for editing, cover art and possibly some marketing.

Do they ask for you to submit your work or a sample of your work before they publish you? I have seen some new authors wanting to publish, but they need a little advice on how they can improve their craft, so they can publish a better story than what they originally have. I think a small independent press should be wanting to help develop an author that approaches them. Make their work stronger and shine like a bright star in a universe filled with stars.

Jordan Elizabeth

 See if you feel a connection. Talk to other authors in a safe, candid way. Read reviews online. Sure, some people want to watch the world burn, but if the majority of authors warn you to stay away, take heed. There might be some credence there.

Amy Cecil

[image error] A good marketing and promotional team.

Any publishing advice for new authors?

DeAnna Knippling
[image error] Before you sign any contract, do some freaking research on what should and should not be in them! Read the Copyright Handbook, published by Nolo Press. Learn about the business side. Those three things apply for both indie and traditionally published authors. And I always tell people to assume that your wonderful publisher/editor/agent is going to die of a heart attack soon and that your contract will be taken over by a scumbag lawyer for an heir. Assume you’re going to get screwed. But also assume that your book will turn into a million-dollar bestseller, too, and make sure you’re not groveling for peanuts. When it comes to business, get some professional advice before you sign anything. And don’t rip off your freaking cover artists!!!

RA Winter
[image error] Publish then publish some more. Series make more money or at least have all of your books branded in the same genre. A larger portfolio is easier to market and creates loyal fans. Edit, hire someone even though it is expensive and do crit swaps of your work. Join groups before your work is out to see how other authors are making it then formulate your marketing plan. Also, I read once that most writers don’t make money until their eighth book is out, so write some more.

Tom Johnson

[image error] For first time authors, I would highly suggest you go with a small press publisher to get your feet wet. But make sure they are publishing in your genre. I’ve been bitten at least three times by publishers interested in my manuscripts. They wanted SF and I obliged, only to see them all decide (after they had my contract) that they wanted to go erotica for the money. They had my books for three years and would not let them go; yet all they advertised was the erotica, so my books didn’t sell well. Traditional publishers may require an agent, or may hold your manuscript over a year before responding, and then you may be rejected. Get your book published so you won’t mind the long wait next time if you decide to go traditional. Agents are hard to get. Let’s face it they want the next Tom Clancy or Steven King. They’re not looking for untried writers. I’ve used two agents during my writing career, and neither did anything for me. You might find a good one, but the chances are slim. Good luck whatever you do.

Ashley Fontainne

[image error] Grow thick skin. You’ll need it. 

Someone is winding up the “Clockwork Doll House”

[image error]

Clockwork Dollhouse, by Jordan Elizabeth is a short steampunk tale which may give readers the chills. Robert has many secrets, but Jane’s clockwork dollhouse sees and reveals things Robert would rather stay hidden. But what is really going on? Who’s winding the dollhouse after all these years and setting the stage? Is it Ainsley, his niece, the ghost of his dead sister, Jane, or is the dollhouse haunted? And can it be stopped before the truth comes out?

A brief story which captivates. Clockwork Dollhouse is a tale of murder unraveled in short fiction format. Perfect for YA audiences. I give it five quills.

[image error]

Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Interview with author Alexandra Forry

[image error]

I have the pleasure today of interviewing romance author Alexandra Forry, whose latest novelette, Deepest Elements is scheduled for release on November 17. Alexandra is a lovely young author who writes her stories in spite of being afflicted with cerebral palsy. She’s agreed to share with us today a glimpse into her life and a little about her books. Please help me welcome Alexandra Forry.

Kaye: You have written in multiple genres and formats, but you are primarily a romance author. Why romance?

Alexandra: I’m hopelessly romantic, from way back. I loved a good romance that ends not happy with the man rides off in the sunset with his soul mate. I love forbidden romance the most. I write real-to-life romance because I think people can relate to it more than a fairytale romance. There is sometime about witting romance that fulfills my soul like I meant to be a romance author. If you get what I mean. Thank for asking this question, it really makes me think. No one has asked me this before you, Kaye.

Kaye: On October 12, 2014, you promoted your work at a ladies tea at Louisa Voisine’s Showroom in Las Vegas NV. How did you manage to get an invite for this opportunity? Do you feel it was successful? In what ways?

Alexandra: That was the best promoting event I’ve been to and it was very successful in every way. I met Ms. Senior United States of 2018, while I was there. I was purely a fairytale afternoon!!!

Louisa Voisine Millinery is a award winning famous Hat and Fashion Designer. Her designs are like a work of art. Louisa’s hat’s are Kentucky Derby Winning Design, Emmy Awards featured designer Pre-Emmy Event. I encourage you to check her website out!!! I had the honor to meet Louisa at Mob-Con back in 2014 and became good friends.

Mob-Con was a 3-day event Meet Real Mobsters and the Lawmen who put ’em away, with speakers and the authors like myself selling their books. Not to add, it’s not every day you get to see Mobsters, FBI, CIA news reporters and true crime authors in one ballroom talking about the good old days, acting like old friends.

Sorry to get off track. Louisa was there selling her hat’s at Mob-con and we got to talking a bit. After Mob-Con I got a Facebook message from her inviting me to sell all of my books at her high tea. Also, she’d give me two invites so I could bring whomever I wanted. I chose to take my dear and beloved Grandma. We always wanted to get all dressed up and go to a high tea. I shall never forget that tea because it really was truly made one of my grandma’s dreams come true.

Kaye: What writing groups are do you hold membership in? Would you recommend that other authors join similar writing organizations? Why or why not? What are the benefits for you?

Alexandra: I’ve got to tell you the truth. I need to re-join RWA. A few years I got out of the whole writing scène because of personal reasons but now I am back. A fellow author and friend told me this when I was first starting out he told me to join real writing groups to be taken seriously and make contact and friends. He was right. Now I’m apart of a top Authors Dinner Group in Washington, D. C. They help me out hugely. In the writer’s business, it’s whom you know. I got damn lucky at age 23!

Kaye: What can you tell us about your children’s books?

Alexandra: The Troop 740 books were based on my own Girl Scouts experience. In fact, I had a tycoon Girl Scout leader, let’s call him LL, when I lived in Portland Oregon. LL rented out a major radio station for us be on the radio, and once rented out a delta airlines aircraft for us to view what first class and the airplane cockpit look like. LL even flew in fresh flowers from Hawaii for us to learn about. I want to make my book’s leader a man, but in today’s age I didn’t want to take a gamble on it, so the leader is a woman. I hope to go on more adventure’s with Troop 470, someday!