Leon Stevens's Blog, page 73
July 14, 2023
Free Book Friday July 14: Where is it?
When I was sending out weekly newsletters, I was able to spread my book promotions over the entire month, but now there is a lull every second week. I put out a call on Twitter for any authors with free books and all I heard were crickets (and a tumbleweed rolled by).
-Leon
Review CopiesReview copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
The story behind Free Book Friday:I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. Therein lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Here are this week’s promos to check out:
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnelStoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Previous promos: Discover New Authors and Free Books.
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 13, 2023
Thursday Thoughts: There’s always a catch.
After several months dealing with the Customer Service Reps at Amaz—Oops, sorry. Force of habit. Let me start over.
After several months dealing with the CSRs at … Canva, wow, that really doesn’t sound right. Moving on. Let me back up a bit.
When I finished the last chapter and epilogue to the final book in my sci-fi trilogy, I was a bit saddened and teary eyed (yes, they’re that good), and nothing bring out a piece of music than emotion. So, I sat with my guitar and began to compose.
It took a few months, but the piece became an homage to the characters and the story. I then decided to make a video with it as a way to wrap everything up for the readers of the trilogy*.
When I finished, I downloaded it only to find that hours (lots of hours) of work resulted in several effects not working. They worked on the Canva platform, and on the preview links, but each time I downloaded, all the fade outs did not work, and there is nothing more jarring than having objects blink out of existence when they really need to diminish gently away as the music rolls on.
After several weeks of back and forth with Ama— (Canva, Canva) Canva reps with no resolution, I finally recieved this message:
“Due to some limitations on our end, we are unable to prioritize this issue and the fix that we are waiting for might take longer than expected. For now, we will close this ticket.”
I guess that’s one way of saying, “We don’t know what’s wrong.”
So, for the past 2 months, I have been paying for the Canva subscription so that my video can be viewed without any issues. I did finally figure out a work around by doing a screen recording of the working playback, then uploading that video back to Canva, cropping out the extraneous perimeter, and using the original audio track.
So simple … [insert eyeroll here]
Now that I’ve peaked your curiosity, here is the catch: You kinda hafta read the books. The video won’t make sense if you haven’t, and there are some spoilers.
The good thing is that, The View from Here is currently 99 cents, and if you haven’t heard it yet (from the last time I posted it), I will share the guitar music I wrote for it.
This could have been a Tuesday Tirade, but then what would you read today?
-Leon
*If those last two paragraphs sounded familiar, they are from my post in January. I could have linked it but most people don’t bother to click on those.
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 12, 2023
Weird Wednesday July 12th: Science = Funny
Science is funny. Unless … unless you are not into science, because you won’t get the references. Some of Gary Larson’s funniest cartoons had scientist themes. The Big Bang Theory was a big hit among the science nerds and turned others into fans of the topic.
I might have pursued the sciences had I not been terrible at math. I failed math in Grade 12, calculus in a college course, and still double check what 7 times 8 by doing 7 times 7 first then adding another 7.
It’s 56, right?
Many of my The Untitled cartoons have science or history related subjects. For example, when I though of this one, I actually laughed out loud:
But if you have no idea who Archimedes is, you might think it’s just weird. So when I did this one the other day, I debated whether others would see the joke:
So, the question is, do you?
Speaking of not getting, if you haven’t been with me from the beginning (the beginning of my cartooning that is), you might have questions about The Miniscules, so I consolidated a couple of posts here:
The Miniscules: Humble Beginings
And now today’s.
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 10, 2023
Music Monday July 10: Basia Bulat
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it. Maybe you will find a new favorite.
Barbara Josephine Bulat (born April 13, 1984), known as Basia Bulat is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter.
Here is another blogger who writes music related posts. When I visited his blog, I noticed something about the title. See it?
As the Music Plays #4
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 8, 2023
Weekend Wrap-up July 8: Another Sales Update
Do 99 cent books work?
It depends what you want them to do. Bring in massive royalties? Nope. Increase sales? Well you can tell where my 99 cent sale started:
The next goal is to have those readers purchase the next two books in the trilogy. It’s still to early to tell, but I’ve have a couple of book two sales.
I haven’t advertised (yet). I’ve mostly been posting on my social media channels and using some group promos. Next week, I’ll be testing out a few less expensive advertising options before deciding if I should increase my budget.
It is difficult to know where the sales are coming from. Unless a reader contacts you and says “I bought your book after seeing it posted on Instagram.” the sale is pretty anonymous.
-Leon
On my blog this week:
Funny Friday: Bad Opening Lines – Oh yeah, they are not good at all.
Free Book Friday July 7: Two Featured Authors, Two Free Books (and a 99 cent one).
Weird Wednesday July 5th: Cartoons
Music Monday July 3: Trampled by Turtles
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 7, 2023
Funny Friday: Bad Opening Lines
You know, some posts just don’t get viewed as much as you think they deserve, so after reading this post:
It was a dark and stormy night – where did THAT come from? – Guest Post by Andrew Joyce…
I remembered I wrote one on the same topic. So here it is:
Originally posted in February, 2022.
Yesterday’s Open Book Blog Hop reminded me of a post that I wrote. After scouring my blog, without success, I came to the conclusion that I hadn’t posted it. So, here it is:
Bad Opening Lines
I’ve always heard that the worst opening line for a book was: “It was a dark and stormy night.” I don’t know if someone made it up or it’s from an actual book. Bad writing was also featured in the movie, Throw Mama from the Train, where Billy Crystal writes: “The night was moist.”
It’s hard to write bad on purpose, but here is my attempt at the Top Ten Worst Opening Lines:
10. My feet were itchy, and I don’t know why.
9. He took a shot, and then another, and then another.
8. Three pigs, a cow, four chickens, and a sack full of potatoes. That’s not going to be nearly enough, he thought to himself.
7. The wind whistled. She whistled. She heard a whistle coming from the house next door. I think it was Mrs. Wilson.
6. “Meow,” said the cat. “What did you say?” asked its owner. “Meow,” repeated the cat. “Oh. I thought that’s what you meant,” the owner replied.
5. It was really dark. It was really quiet. He walked really quickly because he was really scared of the night. Really.
4. Staring at the keyboard was not a way to inspire confidence, thought Infinite Monkey #299387647724
3. Running with scissors was not as complicated as it was made out to be. The difficulty was avoiding all the other marathoners.
2. I travelled back in time to stop myself from travelling back in time. It didn’t work. Obviously.
1. “Are you asleep?” she asked. “Yes. Are you?” he answered. “Yes,” she replied. Now that the pleasantries were out of the way, they could return to the task at hand—churning all that butter.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
Free Book Friday July 7: Two Featured Authors, Two Free Books (and a 99 cent one).
I wonder what it is like not to remember never having a phone with you.
Is that right? I wonder what it is like to remember never not having a phone with you. Wait. I wonder what it is like not to remember never (not?) having a phone with you.
I use my phone to … well, phone. Or text. If I leave my place and don’t have my phone, it feels odd, like biking without a helmet.
I see people walking while staring at their phones, biking while on their phones, and sitting with others while—you guessed it—on their phones. I’ve nearly run into people because they have been so engrossed that they don’t move as I approach.
What’s my point? No point other than this should be a Tuesday Tirade post, although that’s not really a point, more of an comment.
The story behind Free Book Friday:I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. Therein lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Here are this week’s promos to check out:
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnelStoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Review CopiesMelanie Bokstad Horev is an author and molecular cell biologist, with a Ph.D. She has a passion for storytelling and reading. Besides being an eager scientist she is married and the mother of three incredibly sweet and charmingly weird children. When she is not reading like a couch-potato she plays volleyball, handball, tennis, or soccer. She loves traveling around the world with her family and met her husband in Bolivia on an around-the-world trip.
Free BooksBradley Lejeune is the ingeniously abbreviated combination of writers Malcolm Bradley and Martin Lejeune. Malcolm has worked for eight years as a freelance ghostwriter, while Martin has a background in filmmaking and visual effects.
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction or both): Leon’s Newsletter
Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Previous promos: Discover New Authors and Free Books.
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 5, 2023
Weird Wednesday July 5th: Cartoons
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 3, 2023
Music Monday July 3: Trampled by Turtles
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it. Maybe you will find a new favorite.
Who’s blue and grassy and from a town you have probably never been to, but you should because it’s pretty cool?
Trampled by Turtles. I don’t know what order to put these songs in. Starting with the first one I heard? Their first? Cover song? Random?
Here they are in one of those.
Trampled by Turtles is an American bluegrass-influenced folk band from Duluth, Minnesota. (And a great name.)
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
July 1, 2023
Weekend Wrap-up July 1: Sales Update
How was my month for book sales? I’m glad you asked. It was very consistent, selling 13 books and having 21 consecutive days of page reads on Kindle Unlimited.
Now before you think I’m rollin’ in the money, that translates to $23.50 in royalties, but it’s better than nothing, or better than $23.49. I’m $10 short of what I made last year and I still have 6 months to go.
-Leon
Oh yeah, it’s also Canada Day here. Is it a big deal? Meh. It’s like my birthday, just another day …
On my blog this week:
Free Book Friday June 30: Interview. Commence. – ChatGPT briefly takes over.
Thursday Thoughts: Truth in advertising – Watermelon
Weird Wednesday June 28th: The Big Snit – Still my favorite animated cartoon
Tuesday Tirade: Celery
Music Monday June 19: Fall Out Boy
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
