R. Shannon's Blog, page 17

Book Review – Sparkling Cyanide

Name:  Sparkling Cyanide
Author:  Agatha Christie
Description from Amazon:

In Sparkling Cyanide, Agatha Christie seats six—including a murderer—around a dining table set for seven, one year to the day that a beautiful heiress was poisoned in that very room.

Six people sit down to a sumptuous meal at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary—”rosemary for remembrance.”  A strange sentiment considering no one is likely to forget the night, exactly a year ago, that Rosemary Barton died at exactly the same table, her beautiful face unrecognizable, convulsed with pain and horror.

But then Rosemary had always been memorable—she had the ability to arouse strong passions in most people she met. In one case, strong enough to kill. . . .

Review as a Reader:

I knew from the Amazon description that this was going to be a whodunit, so I was excited to start reading this one.  Agatha Christie is the master of locked-room whodunits and I knew this would keep me guessing.  I also knew I would learn a lot as an author.  Ms. Christie did not disappoint in this novel.

There was great character development in this book.  With seven seats at the dinner table, I wasn’t expecting the level of character development that was achieved in this book.  Several of the characters were fleshed out so well that they lingered in my memory after I finished the book.  The psychological underpinnings of the story added to the overall mystery as well as enriching the story.

The story never sagged.  The mystery and psychological drama was constant from beginning to end.  The story moved on every page.  I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys mysteries and suspense and I would call it a must-read for anyone who likes locked-door mysteries.

Review as an Author:

Instead of calling this section a review by an author, it should be more properly renamed “what I learned by reading Agatha Christie” because I learned a lot in this book.

The first lesson was the different story structure that was chosen for this novel.  The book started with a hint of a crime that took place and a dinner that was to take place one year later.  Then the book divided into chapters named after the characters.  These chapters fleshed out the character and what relationship they had with Rosemary.  I had never seen this type of format before but noticed that it worked in setting up the dinner scene.

I would never have dreamed of laying out a novel with this structure but it worked.  I would say it went beyond working well.  It allowed each of the characters to be flushed out, but there were fully-fleshed out subplots that occurred in this part of the book.

Often times,  as a reader, if there are more than three or four characters, I can’t remember who everyone is as they are mentioned once or twice every so often.  However, this structure made remembering everyone much easier as each section was devoted to one or two characters and how they were connected to Rosemary and what the subplot with them was.   This format also allowed the history of the relationships to be referenced and it enhanced the depth of the story.

About 3/4 of the way through the book, the mystery dinner takes place and there is a surprising plot twist.  A deeper mystery ensues and suddenly, all the little subtle foreshadowings dropped early on in the book come into play.

I won’t spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t read the book, but I would highly recommend this book to mystery  and whodunit lovers.  I would also recommend this book to new authors who are looking to learn as they read.  This novel has a lot to learn about novel developmental formatting, subtle foreshadowing and plot twists.  There’s also lots to learn from Agatha Christie in terms of writing prose as well as characterizations.    This novel is a treasure trove for new authors who like to learn as they read.

All in all, I really liked this book and will pick up another Agatha Christie soon!

GREAT PHRASES FROM SPARKLING CYANIDE:

“Glimpses of the past came back — brief flashes — short scenes.”“Something in the easy feline grace with which he danced lent substance to the nickname ‘Leopard’.”” . . . well masked behind an agreeable devilry.”“He looked at her, laughing.  She ought, she felt, to have been revolted.  But the strength of V. Drake was the strength of the devil.  He could make evil seem amusing.  He was looking at her now with that uncanny penetration.”“He liked putting ideas into people’s heads.  Or, as in this case, showing them the ideas that were already there . . .”“He looked at her with eyes from which the last traces of scales had fallen.”“He was her life her existence.  Love burned in her with a medieval force.”“Housekeeping for her father, she had stiffened into a pronounced spinsterhood.”“He was the cat’s-paw of wicked men who exploited his innocence.”“Neighbors are so important in the country.  One has either to be rude or friendly; one can’t, as in London, just keep people as amiable acquaintances.”

Above is only about 1/3 of the phrases I had highlighted in this book!  Like I said earlier, it’s a must read!

 

Book Review – The Last Sceance

Name:  The Last Séance
Author:  Agatha Christie
Short Story:  33 pages

Description from Amazon:  Raoul Daubreuil insists his fiancée give up her activities as a talented and successful medium when they marry. However, he agrees to attend what is to be her last séance—with Madame Exe. But even Raoul can’t foresee the tragedy ahead.

Review as a Reader:

This was a short story and a quick read.  I’m not usually a reader of short stories but I chose to read one by Agatha Christie before taking on another novel.  The last Christie novel I started to read was a Hercule Poirot novel.  He’s not my favorite character and part of the problem is he’s too British.  I find myself not understanding a lot of what Hercule says and it was a struggle because of the differences in idioms, etc.  I gave up reading the Hercule novel because I felt like I was losing the plot too often.

But The Last Séance was a quick and easy read.  It allowed me to clean my reading palate after the Poirot experience.   Although this short story was enjoyable, it didn’t have any profound message and none of the characters lingered after finishing the novel.

Review as an Author:

Going into the book, I was looking for tips on writing short stories in general.  What I learned after finishing the book was that this short story circled one event and only one event.  The characters in this book were one dimensional.  I’m assuming creating more complex characters may be hard due to the short story format, but I believe a two-dimensional character would be possible.  I’m wondering if short stories in general are more “plot-driven” and this one-event format is how it works.

I have read a few gothic short stories previous to this one and I sense that genre allows for a bit more characterization, especially if there is a psychological plotline.

So all in all, it’s my opinion that The Last Séance was written very well, like all of the Christie books.  I learned a bit about the shorter plotline used in short stories and the book was enjoyable.  I would recommend this book to someone who is going on a trip and needs something quick and easy to read where there may be a lot of distractions.   It wasn’t hard to follow.  The plotline is simple but enjoyable.  I would also recommend this to any caretakers who are waiting in a doctor’s office, etc. as this can be read in one sitting.

 

 

Book Review – The CoWorker

Name:  The CoWorker
Author:  Freida McFadden
Description from Amazon: “Don’t start a Freida McFadden book late at night. You won’t be able to put it down!”― Natalie Barelli, bestselling author of Unforgivable.

Two women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can’t be taken back.

Dawn Schiff is strange.  At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.

So when Dawn doesn’t show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell―beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running―is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…

It turns out Dawn wasn’t just an awkward outsider―she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who’s the real victim?

But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff.

Enough to kill.

The Coworker is a tense, unputdownable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden that explores the dark ways the past can echo through the present―with deadly consequences.

REVIEW AS A READER:  This book was very enjoyable.  The suspense and mystery started from the beginning and kept up the entire way through.  There was a twist or two throughout the story, enough to keep me guessing the entire way through.

The writing was great.  The pacing was consistent and the story moved the entire way through.  With over 39,000 reviews, and a 4.1 rating, the book deserves every 5-star review it received.

REVIEW AS AN AUTHOR:  Before I read this book, I looked through the reviews as I’m always curious what the 1-star people have to say.  The only 1-star I remember is someone who got annoyed that the turtles were mentioned too much.  That rater missed the whole point.   I didn’t feel that way at all.  I loved the character with the turtles and the mentioning of the turtles was crucial regarding the autism of the character.  The author did a great job in capturing and showing this autism, which is not easy.

The narrative and descriptions were very good.  I never lost track of who was talking, which means there were plenty of dialogue tags where needed.  As a fellow author, I was watching for foreshadowing and it was very, very subtle in this book.  I always feel like the foreshadowing needs to be a big flapping red flag, but I learned reading this book that subtle foreshadowing is okay.  It works.

There was a twist in the end that I was not expecting.  I had a feeling that one of my favorite characters wasn’t going to have a good ending, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The best lesson and take away as an author was the psychological aspect of the suspense as well as how well the autism was handled in a narrative as well as the dialogue.  There was a lot to learn from the book pacing as well.   I would highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a psychological mystery suspense.

Book Review – The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Name:  The Historian

Author:  Elizabeth Kostova
Description from Amazon:  Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family’s past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe—in a feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.

Pages:  704 pages

REVIEW AS A READER:

I chose this book because Google Bard said it was “the best selling vampire book.”  When I started reading it, I immediately fell in love with the author’s prose.   Elizabeth Kostova has one of the best writing styles of anyone I’ve ever read.  I would describe her prose as lyrical.  She also has a way of ‘anchoring the reader’ in the scene by using these descriptive anchors in almost every sentence.  I never felt myself hanging in mid air not knowing where we were.

The element of suspense was ever present as the story started and went on.  I was enjoying the book immensely until I reached about page 400.  By that time, the story got way too long and I lost interest.  Even though I liked the characters in the beginning, I didn’t love the characters enough to keep going for 704 pages.  So I abandoned the book a little more than half way.  I also abandoned it because it turned out to be a well-researched Davinci Code journey from pillar to post, which I find mostly exhausting.

I would, however, try another book from this author as I do love her writing style.

REVIEW AS A WRITER: 

My review as a writer is a bit more harsh.  I still reiterate that Ms. Kostova has a magnificent writing style.  As noted above, her prose was lyrical and artistic.  I loved it.  Her writing style and thoroughness of research are her strong points.

I could tell about fifteen percent into the book that this story was superimposed on the plotline of The Davinci Code.  I thought The Davinci Code was a bit overrated, both as a book and the movie, so I could tell at this early point that I was in for this globe-trotting journey with a never-ending list of “surprise interruptions”.   Because I’m not interested in this plotline, the author in me lost interest before the reader in me.

That being said, I also was expecting an actual vampire story.  This expectation didn’t come from the author or the book’s description, so I don’t pin this expectation on the author or even the publishing company.  I asked Bard.google.com to give me a list of the best vampire books and The Historian came up as number one.  I really wanted an actual vampire book at the time and this was something very different.

As stated above, this was a long booby-trapped journey too similar to The Davinci Code and I just lost interest and decided not to finish at around page 400.

As a new author myself, I have watched writing videos warning authors who do research to avoid the temptation to fill up the book with extra research “just because you can”.  I believe the story in The Historian could have been told in 300 pages and it would have only needed to have irrelevant research removed.

All in all, even though I chose not to finish it, based on the story itself — especially if you enjoy the Davinci Code — it was a great book.  I would highly recommend it to people who loved the Davinci Code.  I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction.  But I would not recommend it to readers who are lo

 

 

Writer’s Diary – Book Review – The Picture of Dorian Gray

Book Title:  The Picture of Dorian Gray

By:  Oscar Wilde

Length:  232 Pages

Genre – Categories:  Gothic Fiction  | Classic Literary Fiction

We’ll start with the actual description from Amazon and then I will give my review as a reader first, and then as an author of some gothic fiction and mystery romance fiction.  I h

Summary from Amazon: 

Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is an enduring masterpiece of gothic horror, exploring the corruption of humanity, our desire to sin, and the extremes vanity will lead us to.

Young, handsome, and privileged, Dorian Gray has his portrait painted by the talented Basil Hallward. When Sir Henry Wotton convinces Dorian of the need to indulge in one’s own vanity and to take advantage of his good looks, the young man makes a wish that could become his downfall when he exchanges his soul for eternal youth. As Dorian lives out a selfishly decadent lifestyle, he remains the picture of a perfect gentleman to those around him, but his portrait displays the consequences of an ageing and sinful existence.

First published in 1890 and written with Oscar Wilde’s alluring wit and breathtaking imagery, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a timeless Gothic tragedy, perfect for those interested in classic fantasy and horror.

READER REVIEW:  I liked the book very much.  It had the usual classic feel to it.  You can tell it was written in another era by the language and the descriptions of the surrounding society.  It was a societal commentary about the wealthy and how frivolous their lives can be.  It was also a statement about how one person can negatively influence another human being and change the course of one’s life.  I found this message very strong and Wilde made his point.

The characters were not openly Christian and their lives were filled with sinfulness, so to speak.  However, there was reference to the “Christianity in the air” that still existed at that time, in particular about good vs. evil.  There was also a strong sense of right vs wrong and how the conscience haunts us, whether a person is religious or not.  There is a Christian belief that God writes His laws on everyone’s heart and the experience of guilt by the non-religious is always a sign of this truth.  This was very strong in this storyline.

AUTHOR REVIEW:  As a reader and an author, I couldn’t help notice how the language had “aged” and how it would be harder to read for younger people.  I also noticed that many of the idioms and references were uniquely British, so as an American, I’m sure many of them went right over my head.  As an author, I think it’s important to remember that not all readers will be able to understand all idioms and colloquialisms within the story.

Some of the descriptions within The Picture of Dorian Gray made certain parts of the story hard to read.  I found myself having to reread certain passages as I began to lose the plotline.

On one hand the idioms and the societal descriptions had a lot to do with setting the stage for the snobbery that Oscar Wilde described so perfectly.  But in today’s modern world, it could potentially be a point where a modern reader gets bored and moves onto the next book in their kindle.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? 

Do you have any opinions on The Picture of  Dorian Gray?  If so, please feel free to post it on my social media feeds:

https://www.facebook.com/RShannonAuthor

Tweets by RShannonAuthor

 

 

Book Launch – Links for Marketing Stacking – 2023

When I self-published my first novel, I finished it and uploaded it and waited.  That’s when I learned how important marketing the book is.  I also learned through the next several books how important it is to take advantage of each tiny phase of a book launch for marketing.  That’s what this blog post is about.

I have made a checklist for beginners so you can print it out and have it with you when it’s time to launch your first book, or a subsequent book.  I believe it will be very helpful to you.

THE VIDEO ABOUT THE BOOK LAUNCH CHECKLIST:

Aside from the checklist, I have made a strategy video where I go over the checklist and give you an overview of how the launch happens, what is involved and how to set yourself up for the best outcome.  I consider a good outcome to be a smooth and timely launch, and within a week to 10 days, you have at least four to ten nice reviews.  It sounds easy, but for new authors, it’s not — But it is possible.

https://youtu.be/0n0FaaaBysY

NEWSLETTER PROMOTIONS:

The following websites are ones where you build a email list and your books will be featured on these websites.  Bookfunnel and Siteorigin both offer “author swaps” where you can swap your featured book with another author who has a sizable list.

I’m not a seasoned marketer and don’t even consider myself that good at it, and even I was able to build an email list of 5,076 emails within a two year period.  To me, this is amazing!

Bookfunnel.com
Siteoriginapp.com
Instafreebies.com

AMAZON MARKETING STRATEGIES:

Amazon ads is a very complicated program to learn.  I only touched on the ad strategy in this checklist video.  There will be more Amazon ad videos coming in the future.

Below I have left a list of book marketing websites that as a beginner I used.  Now that I have built a newsletter, have a website, and post regularly to social media. I rely mostly on purchased ads with FreeBooksy, BargainBooksy, FussyLibrarian and purchased Amazon Ads.  But you may find the following links helpful so I’ll leave them for you to try out.

ADDITIONAL MARKETING WEBSITESFreebookyBargainBooksyBuyASeriesPostBuyADealOfTheDayReadersListBookbubBookSweepsDerek Murphy’s Page with Promotion RecommendationsGoodReads-List a GiveawayDraft2Digital – Sales tools/New ReleasesThe Fussy Librarian – Free and Paid PromotionsKindlepreneur – 127 Free and Paid Promotions ListBK Nights on Fiverr.com – Offers a different promotion for books that are marked down and free.  For the free ebook, you don’t get to choose a date.  They choose for you.  (Permafree only?)BookAngel – This is for the Uk and your book must be listed on Amazon UKBargainBookAngel – This is for books that are listed for .99p on Amazon UK

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 8

QUICK REFRESHER OF WHAT I DID IN LAYER 7:

Just as a refresher, in Layer 7, this was a long and tedious proofread.  Using my list of troublesome words, I searched out all of them all throughout the manuscript and made corrections, deletions or additions.

This technique breaks up the proofread into different formats.  By doing this, it prevents me from just "reading over" all of my mistakes, which is too easy to do as the author.

WHAT HAPPENS IN LAYER 8:

In Layer 8, I do a read-back.  In Microsoft Word, I use the Read-Aloud feature that is contained on the Review Tab.  By listening to the book read aloud by someone else, it doesn't skip over mistakes like I do as the author.  By the time I'm finished with Layer 7, I've read and reread this book too many times to trust my eyes to spot every error.

The Readback:

I listen to every word during the readback.  In this layer, I not only catch whatever misuse of words escaped my view in the last layers, but I also choose to change a sentence or two based on how it sounds.  Many readers repeat every word in their heads, so if a sentence is back-to-back with one that makes it hard to say or understand, I rewrite it to correct that problem.

After Layer 7, I always feel that the book is picture perfect -- but I find at least several words or areas that I choose to change.  I read-aloud the entire book.

 

CREATING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

The last thing I do is create the Table of Contents which I will explain here, but you can see done live in the video below.

While the manuscript is open in Microsoft Word, click on the References Tab.  Select Table of Contents.  Choose Custom Table of Contents.  (Picture on left above)

Once the next dialogue box opens (Picture on right above), uncheck both boxes under show page numbers.  I reduce the headings number from the default of 3 to 1.  This is because I only use Heading 1 for my Chapter Headings.

This is all you need to do before clicking OK, which will produce the Table of Contents for an eBook.

IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE OR MODIFY THE FONTS OR SPACING, ETC:

The picture above is where you change any or all of the settings.  The dialogue box in the middle comes up when you click on modify in the first dialogue box.  This is where you can change the font family and/or the font size.

This would be useful if you have a short TOC and want to fill the page; you can increase the font.  Likewise, if you have only one or two lines of the TOC that spill over to the next page and you want to fit it onto one page, you can reduce the font size or change the spacing on the third dialogue box (that opens if you click on modify in the second dialogue box).  You can alter the spaces before and after the paragraphs and this will help you add or subtract space.

IMPORTANT:  Be aware, that once you click on the first modify choice in the first dialogue box (on the left), when you click out of this, Microsoft word will -- on its own -- recheck the boxes asking for page numbers.  So if you modify anything, you will need to uncheck the page number boxes again!  This can reek havoc with beginners!   I'm talking from experience.

Once you "Okay" to close all of the dialogue boxes, the last okay will set off Word to create your Table of Contents.

THE EBOOK IS OFF TO THE EDITOR:

At this point, the eBook is now ready to go off to the line-editor.  Because I have taken the time and made the effort to give my book a thorough proofreading, the editor won't be spending time on correcting silly mistakes I should have found on my own.  She will be focused on my prose and how things look and sound.  That's what I want her focused on.

If you take the attitude that "why bother with all the proofreading, it's going off to the editor?" -- you may wind up with a book that comes back merely proofread with very little line editing.  At the end of the day, you are paying for an editor's time as well as their expertise.  So my advice to beginners is to do all of the proofreading so you get more line-editing, which is what you want.

HERE'S A VIDEO ON THIS SAME MATERIAL:

 

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 7

WHERE WE LEFT OFF IN LAYER 6:

We compiled the novel into a Word document and named it “Manuscript from Scrivener”.   That’s where we now pick up with Layer 7.

This layer is another proofreading layer, but there is a little formatting we will do in this layer that I will go over below.  There is also a video at the end if you want to see me talk about it in a little more detail.

LAYER 7 – STEP ONECopy and paste the chapters into my eBook template. The purpose of this is so that I don’t have to redo all of my styles. It’s easier to just do a copy and paste.LAYER 7 – STEP TWO:Using the find feature, I go over all of the troublesome words in my list. I do this before I begin to proofread the story.I read only the sentence with each of the words and change them if needed.LAYER 7 –  STEP THREE:Change the Heading 1 formatting,  if neededI fix the normal and no-indent normal formatting throughout the entire book.I add in simple page breaks between chaptersLAYER 7 – STEP FOUR:I stylize any chapter headings or chapter timings.Using the find and replace feature (Control H), I replace *** with ❖❖❖❖.LAYER 7 – STEP SIX (OPTIONAL)Filled in my Main Character and Minor Character ListsLAYER 7 – STEP SEVEN:

Proofread the novel fully.  This time I focus on style and prose.  I do polishing in this layer of proofreading.

LAYER 7 – A QUICK VIDEO:

DO YOU NEED AN EBOOK WORD TEMPLATE?  Click below to download the template I use.  I stripped out all of my own information and you can fill in your own information.  It has all the extra pages.

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 6

WHAT HAPPENS IN LAYER 6?

Layer 6 is the first true proofreading.  In Layer 5, I proofread to make sure the story flowed without interruption from scene to scene.  My focus was on making sure the story flowed from scene to scene, without any big unexplained time gaps, or location mistakes, etc.

So in Layer 6, I am now reading the story for context and checking sentence structure.  I’m looking for repeated words, verb tenses, anything that pops up when I read through it.

As you will see as we go through the next two layers, I like to break up the proofreading into sections, with a focus on something else each time.  Otherwise, looking for sentence structure, verb tense, misspellings, prose style, and punctuation is too much to cover in one read through.  So I have a different focus each time I go through it.

TIP ON PROOFREADING TRICKY WORDS:

All authors have a list of tricky words or troublesome words.  I have a long list of troublesome words and other foibles.  There are words I use too much.  I have other ones I spell incorrectly — no matter how many times I find them misspelled!

When writing in Layer 4, my head is in “presently happening mode”.  Technically, I write in third person, so the story will need to be written mainly in past tense.  This often brings up the issue of needing to use past perfect tense on occasion.  Because of this, I find myself using words like began to . . ., started to . . ., etc.  These sound right when I’m writing in the moment, but are technically wrong in third person.  So in the next layer, I will focus on them and make sure I have all the verb tenses correct.

I’m posting my own list below for beginners.  You can start with this and then alter it for your own list.

COMMON WORDS THAT NEW WRITERS USE TOO MUCH:

Be aware that many of these words I check in Layer 7 when I’m in Word.  I don’t check all of these words in Scrivener.  But there is a tip I give in the video below about how to use the Find & Replace feature to capitalize some of these words so you can get a few of them out of the way before you start proofreading in the next layer.

ADD CHAPTERS AND SCENE ENDINGS:

In Layer 6, I also add Chapters and scene endings.  As I demonstrate in the video below, I make sure that all of my chapters are in Heading 1s.  This way, Word will recognize that setting and they will use a different style for them.  This makes them easier to find.  When the novel is compiled into Word format, it will put the Chapters in Heading 1.  They are much more easily recognizable.

In the video, I also demonstrate how to add scene endings so that you won’t lose them when you compile the novel into Word.

HOW TO COMPILE THE NOVEL FROM SCRIVENER TO WORD:

Once you are finished with Layer 6, Click on File => Compile

I use the settings for default and to compile into a Microsoft docx file.  I leave all the other default settings alone.

Check to make sure all chapters you want to compile are checked in the box on the right hand side and all documents you don’t want to compile — like research, etc. — are unchecked.

Then click on compile.  It takes only a minute or so to finish.

Word will pop up and want you to name it and choose a folder.    I always name mine BOOKNAME-ManuscriptFromScrivener so that I know this is the first word document that came directly from Scrivener.

GOING INTO LEVEL 7:

Next I’ll be moving into Word and doing another layer of proofreading.  I’ll report back when I’m done and explain all that goes on in Layer 7.  I’ll post the video below.

 

 

Book Marketing – How to Recruit ARC Readers

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF RECRUITING ARC READERS?

Most authors know that ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copies or Advanced Review Copies.  I don’t think the debate on this is settled yet.

There are multiple reasons to recruit ARC readers:

ARC readers can offer you valuable feedback about the book.They can also be a group of readers who may give you your first five or ten reviews, depending upon how many ARC readers you are able to recruit.Announcing you are looking for ARC readers is a first step in your book marketing campaign.  This is a good way to post on a website or social media about the upcoming eBook.By announcing there will be a new release soon enough, you will create the buzz about your book.WHEN SHOULD I OFFER MY BOOK TO ARC READERS?

It all begins when you get the book back from the editor.   Make all the changes in the eBook within two to three days after receiving it from the editor.

I’ll explain below why it’s not recommended to give an “early pre-edited copy” to the readers — which is how I learned to do it.  But I paid the price.  More on this below.

After the edits are done, its now time to list it as a pre-order on Amazon and/or as an ARC copy.

I’ve heard horror stories from some authors about setting it up for pre-order and then not making the deadline!  BUT, since you are not setting the book as a pre-order until it is actually in Final Manuscript form, you don’t have to sweat it at all.

Setting your eBook up for preorder on Amazon is the first buzz you will create about your new eBook.  It’s an event to be announced on a website and social media.  This will let your present readership know there’s a book coming soon.

CAUTION FOR NEWBIES AND BEGINNER SELF-PUBLISHERS:

Don’t get impatient and offer the eBook before the last edit.  I was told to do this and make “use” of the time the editor had the book.  However, I paid the price for this, and it’s a tall price, one that follows me forever.

When you offer your ARC book it will be for free.  Many readers will take advantage of the free eBook and download it — with or without any intention of being an actual ARC reader.  They may not read it right away.  But this version of your book lives on their Kindle or other eReader.

After you get your final manuscript back from the editor, there will ALWAYS be things that you missed, even if you proofread it twenty times!

So when the reader gets around to reading your eBook, they won’t remember they downloaded an early ARC copy.  They will think this book was released with these very typos and/or other foibles that you missed!  Very often, readers see read when they see typos.  And they very often mention it in the feedback!  This is what I mean by it will follow you forever.  So don’t do it!

RECRUITING ARC READERS IS A MARKETING STRATEGY IN AND OF ITSELF:

Recruiting ARC readers can also be a marketing strategy because who doesn’t like freebies & giveaways?   Giveaways and Freebies have a way of capturing everyone’s attention.   With a great eye-catching graphic, this can create interest and general buzz about your upcoming book.

It’s also an opportunity to recruit more readers.

If you make a few different graphics to go along with your invitation to sign up as an ARC reader, this is something you can post several times over the six to eight weeks before your book is actually released.  By having several different graphics, it prevents your posts from appearing too repetitive.

HOW DO I DO IT?

It all sounds good.  How do I do it?

It starts with a calendar and a final manuscript.

Using your calendar, set your true release date for 8 weeks out for a beginner or 6 weeks out if you’ve done this before.

EIGHT WEEKS?  REALLY?

Why so long?  You need to give yourself time to recruit readers and you need to give the readers at least two weeks to finish the book.   You want to recruit as many readers as you can.  This is the best way to get at least a few reviews when your book is initially released.

Newbies will be anxious to upload and release, but there will be enough for you to do in the 6 to 8 weeks while you recruit and give your ARC readers time to read the book.

THINGS TO DO DURING THE RECRUITMENT TIME:While the book is awaiting release, you can upload to Amazon as a pre-order. This acts as an announcement that your book is coming.  Its an opportunity to post about it on social media, on your website, and in your newsletter.Add this new book and a link to it to your Other Books by Author page. Don’t forget to add it to earlier books.  You want every ‘read-through’ advantage you can set up.Create a review link. What’s a review link?  It’s a link that takes the reader from your Note to Reader page directly to Amazon to leave you a review.Work on your eBook cover. Then work on the back cover graphics for the Paperback and Hardcover.Create at least four different graphics about the new book to post to social media. Remember, you’ll need graphics for the following events:Recruiting ARC ReadersAnnouncement of Pre-Orders at Amazon or wherever you sell your booksAnnouncement of your eBook cover artAnnouncement of Only 7 Days before Release.Announcement of Release of your eBookNewsletter, social media and website graphicsGraphics with quotes from your book and eye-catching graphics.WHAT IS THE WORK FLOW REGARDING RECRUITING ARC READERS?

Step One in Recruiting ARC Readers is you need a Graphic and a Form.

Here is a small graphic ad I added to my monthly newsletter for a recent eBook asking for Advanced Copy Readers.

I tell them that if they find any errors in the book and email me, I will add them to my acknowledgement page.  I actually got several signups with this approach.

Now, about this little button that says “Click here to get download!”

Behind this button is the magic of computer coding and integrations between Bookfunnel and Mailchimp.  In the video below, I take a few minutes to go into how things work regarding this download button.

But if you don’t have a website or mailing service yet, don’t despair, there are other types of forms that are available.  I give one easy example in the video below.

YOU CAN SEND THE FORM FROM A WORDPRESS WEBSITE WITH EASE:

My website and millions of other websites are built on WordPress.  WordPress is a platform and many coders release what are called plug-ins.  They give different functionalities to the website.

One of these plugins is called Contract Form 7.  You can easily use this form to offer and keep track of ARC readers.  I do a demonstration of this in the video below.

PREPARE THE PROPER COPIES:

In order to send the eBooks to your ARC readers, you will need to have your final manuscript in an ePub format and a PDF format.  Once you get an email from the form you set up, send these two copies to the readers.

ePubs are able to be read on most eBook readers and PDFs can be ready by anyone with a computer.

BE AND STAY ORGANIZED:

If I can offer just one final tip to newbies from the things I did that went wrong when I was a newbie — it would be to be and stay organized with this.

Because these signups and emails and names will trickle in one at a time, it’s too easy to start filing them all over the place.  I had some in a special folder that I forgot about, I put them on a list I thought I would remember but I didn’t.  So now I keep a list of my ARC readers on my “Info – BOOK NAME” file (a notepad document) for each book.  I keep them way at the bottom so I can find them when it’s time to send a thank you and an invitation to leave me a review.

REQUESTING REVIEWS:

Once the book is formally released, I wait two days and send an email to all of my ARC readers thanking them again and asking them if they would be kind enough to leave me an honest review.  Some do and some don’t.  This is the way it is for most authors.  So if you’re new, it’s best to know that ahead of time.