Ruth Nestvold's Blog, page 21
July 6, 2015
21 days to habit: Third quarter goals
Last round, I had a hard time getting back into a regular routine after the extended visit to the States. About the only thing I was able to keep on track with in accordance with my goals was the translation.
As a result, my main goal for the rest of this summer will be to somehow find my way back to the good habits I had managed to develop earlier this year in balancing translation and my own writing. It will be a challenge, since we have multiple visits from the States in the upcoming week...
July 1, 2015
“Degrees of Separation” up on Abyss and Apex
My short story “Degrees of Separation” was published on Abyss & Apex today. You can read it here:
http://www.abyssapexzine.com/2015/06/degrees-of-separation/
It is one of the stories in my series “Tales from Far Beyond North” set in fictional Rolynka, Alaska. I’ve published three of the short stories so far for ebook: “The Leaving Sweater,” “In the Middle of Nowhere With Company” and “Misty and the Magic Pumpkin Knife”:
Enjoy!
Tagged: "Degrees of Separation", Abyss & Apex, publication ne...
June 30, 2015
Via BookBub: “What Kind of Cover Design Sells More Books In Your Genre?”
Since a lot of my readers are indie authors who are somehow involved in their own cover design, I wanted to share this article from BookBub:
http://insights.bookbub.com/what-kind-of-cover-design-sells-more-books-in-your-genre/
Unfortunately, no science fiction or fantasy, but I still think it’s always helpful to study effective book covers. I recommend taking a look. :) And while you’re at it, this post on testing covers is quite interesting too — I think I’m going to have to try out some of...
A Viking collaboration visit: Judson Roberts in Oregon
One of the advantages of my recent trip to Oregon and Washington was that I was finally able to meet fellow writer and collaborator Judson Roberts in person. It so happens that he lives less than an hours’ drive away from my father, so we went to his house one evening for dinner.
Me, Jud, and his wife, Jeanette
They fed us venison and showed us around their farm, where we met the energetic dog and the berserk duck (r.i.p). And it’s funny how meeting in person gives the whole project a much...
June 26, 2015
The Great Amazon Hysteria… Part 31
There has been a lot silliness being spread about Amazon’s new payout scheme for KDP Select authors. This correction needs to be shared far and wide!
Originally posted on David Gaughran:
Are you scared yet? Because you should be scared. Something really bad is about to happen. It affects all of us.
Our livelihoods are at risk. The ability to support our families. It’s just over the horizon. It could happen any minute. It’s coming for all of us!
WE ARE DOOOOOOOOOMED.
Ahem.
I’ve...
June 24, 2015
Second quarter accounting, and a glass coffin for #wippet Wednesday
My final update for this quarter will be mercifully brief: I pretty much failed on all fronts. I did not keep up on my word counts, either writing or translation. I did not wrap up my indie author series, although I am now at a word count above what I was originally shooting for. I did not finish Shards of Glass or revise my short story “Pool of Souls” to start sending it out.
On the other hand, I did submit 10 short stories to traditional markets this round, the most I have managed in one q...
June 22, 2015
Starting out as an indie author: Rolling with the changes
Last week, I posted about eBook pricing in the “Starting out as an indie author” series. Among other things, I mentioned a strategy often used by erotica authors: publishing short stories with KDP Select, charging $2.99 per story, and relying on borrows through Kindle Unlimited to make money.
Shortly after I had finished that blog post and published it, I received an email from Kindle Direct Publishing announcing new Amazon payment per borrow calculations — a payment scheme that will make t...
June 15, 2015
Starting Out as an Indie Author: Ebook Pricing
Once you’ve written your book, had it beta-read, edited, proof-read, what have you; once you’ve got a great, eye-catching cover and gripping book description; once you’ve formatted the interior (or had someone do it for you) so that your book looks professional on an eReader; after all that, then you are ready to publish.
Only: what price are you going to charge for your book?
There are many philosophies out there regarding eBook pricing, from those who are offended by the idea of pricing t...
June 10, 2015
A disappointing update and a return to the Dowager Princess
Even before the trip the the States, my desktop computer (aka my workhorse) was starting to act funky. It wasn’t any better when we got back. So last week, I finally gave in and ordered a new machine.
While I get a big kick out of new hardware, setting up a new computer with all my files and all my programs is a lot of work. And as far as progress is concerned, I’m back to where I was when we returned from the trip: barely making progress on the translation, and only getting around to writin...
June 3, 2015
Cthulhu and Globosome
A couple of things today that I just have to share. We had the granddaughters overnight the other day, and in the morning, the five-year-old was running around the house yelling, “Cthulhu! Cthulhu! Cthulhu!” I realize that it is indicative of a rather warped sense of priorities, but it makes me happy and gives me the feeling that we’re doing something right.
Of course, it’s really all Sylvia Spruck Wrigley’s fault and the crocheted Cthulhu she gave me at the last Villa Diodati workshop …
Th...
