Ruth Nestvold's Blog, page 20
August 17, 2015
Starting Out as an Indie Author: Be Willing to Make Changes
More than once in this series, I have pointed out the things an author might want to take a critical look at if her book isn’t selling — assuming she is doing the marketing work to get the word out in the first place, that is. :) Without regular marketing, all the fabulous book blurbs and pretty covers are nothing, since no one will see them. (If you have not yet read my post about what to do if your books aren’t selling, it’s available here.)
The simple summary is this: in my opinion, the m...
August 12, 2015
Book covers and an enchanted hero for #WIPpet Wednesday
I missed last week again, sorry. I was finalizing the paperback version of my latest collection of short stories, Oregon Elsewise, containing previously published works set in the state where I grew up — and that in many ways still feels like home. While I was at it, I decided to also finally put together the new paperback version of Almost All the Way Home From the Stars, the collection of published science fiction stories I wrote with Jay Lake. The original paperback version was done by Dra...
August 7, 2015
Travel theme: Grey
The last couple of days, I’ve been putting together the paperback version of my short story collection Oregon Elsewise, and when the “Travel theme: Grey” post popped into my inbox, I figured I had to participate again. Here’s the pic of the Oregon coast I used for the cover:
Cannon Beach from above, Oregon
A few more greys for good measure:
Weil der Stadt, Germany
Reykjavik, Iceland
Gothafoss, Iceland
Tagged: Germany, Iceland, oregon, travel
August 4, 2015
Rate your Book Cover
This is a great new resource for indie authors for figuring out how well your covers score with readers, Sadly, it looks as if I too will have to redo the cover I uploaded there for Chameleon in a Mirror, if the votes are any indication. :(
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
I’m currently finishing my second collection of short stories. In fact, once I’m done editing the last story, the book will be ready!
However, I still need to design a book cover. Lorelei Logsdonrece...
August 1, 2015
What I Miss About Traditional Publishing
Good post by Deborah Cooke about some good things regarding the traditional publishing experience. During my stint with traditional publishing, I didn’t experience most of these advantages (too short), but it’s always good to try and maintain a balanced perspective.
Originally posted on Deborah Cooke & Her Books:
Although I am now an indie author, I was traditionally published—i.e. published by big publishing houses based in New York City—for twenty years. It was almost exactly...
July 29, 2015
More words and more from Gaetano for #WIPpet Wednesday
My new writing strategy (alternating organizational work and word sprints) is continuing to work well for me. The writing is flowing again, and without really too much effort, I managed to add 4900 new words to Shards of Glass last week, while still keeping up with the translation. I do hope this doesn’t let up! Balancing translation and original writing has always been a bit of a challenge for me, since they both seem to require the creative brain.
But something of course has to give, and I...
July 22, 2015
A visit, some travel, & an update for #WIPpet Wednesday
I missed another WIPpet Wednesday last week, as a result of the first of a number of visits from the States this summer. This is what I was doing last Wednesday:
We went to Weil der Stadt (the birthplace of Johannes Kepler) and Herrenberg on Wednesday, and Maulbronn on Thursday, a UNESCO World Heritage site:
While my brother was here, we also did general catching up, some local walking, visited a nearby beer garden, hung out with grandkids / grandnieces, went to the garden, and tried to s...
July 11, 2015
“Tales of the Rose Knights” with Jay Lake sold to Daily Science Fiction
Good news on the submission front! A story series that I wrote with Jay Lake has sold to Daily Science Fiction. It comprises 11 stories, most of them flash (1000 words or less). 2 of the stories are a little over.
As I’ve mentioned here before, I was revising some collaborations with Jay before he died, but after his death I had to take a break. A few months ago, I was at the point where I could tackle our mutual projects again. Originally I had thought to publish these connected stories as...
July 8, 2015
Making a connection for #WIPpet Wednesday
I’m finally getting some writing done again, which is making me feel much happier about myself. I really can’t allow things to get in the way of my writing as much as I have recently — it makes me irritable. :)
The ideas were tumbling in like crazy the last couple of days, and The Glassmakers Trilogy is moving forward again. Today I return to the second book, Facets of Glass, and our reluctant hero Gaetano, who has just learned from the Dowager Princess that he is going to be sent to Bohemia...
Are Authors Leaving Kindle Unlimited? (Actual Data)
A great blog post to balance the media hysteria surrounding the new payment scheme for books borrowed through Kindle Unlimited.
Originally posted on chrismcmullen:
Images from ShutterStock.
With the July 1, 2015 changes to Kindle Unlimited comes much anxiety among KDP Select authors.
But before you press your PANIC button, maybe you should consider this novel idea: Check the numbers.
That’s exactly what I did, and you can, too:
Visit Amazo...
