Ruth Nestvold's Blog, page 24
March 4, 2015
What was with that apple? #WIPpet Wednesday and an update
As many of you have noticed in previous weeks, many of the motifs in Facets of Glass come from the fairy tale Snow White. But just as I used the motifs from Cinderella in very different ways in Island of Glass, so too in this book. It is not a witch who brings the apple to Minerva, or even the Evil Dowager Princess, it is the unsuspecting member of the Foscari House Guard, Gaetano. In this excerpt, which comes a couple of paragraphs after the one I provided last week, Gaetano is starting to s...
March 3, 2015
Independent Publishing and DMCA Abuse, or “How a Scammer Got My Book Blocked with Very Little Effort”
Scary, scary story here. I did not realize how easy it is to sabotage someone’s copyright. Good luck, Becca! Amazon, wake up!
Originally posted on The Active Voice:
Okay, I���ve got a story. It���s a sort of scary one. I think independent/self-publishing authors need to know about it, and telling it carefully and correctly is also important for my own situation, so I���m going to take my time and lay it all out in order.
Pressed for time? You can skip to the bottom for the TL;DR s...
���Are they going to say this is fantasy?���
Book View Cafe Blog – Ursula Le Guin on Kazuo Ishiguro:
A wild country inhabited by monsters, an old couple who must leave their home without knowing exactly why, a sense that important things have been, perhaps must be, forgotten��� Such images and moods could well embody a story about the approach of old age to death, and indeed I think that is at least in part the subject of the book. But so generic a landscape and such vague, elusive perceptions must be brought to life by the language of...
Barnes & Noble���s Dirty Little Secret: Author Solutions and Nook Press
Important information about Nook Press Author Services, thanks to David Gaughran!
Originally posted on David Gaughran:
Nook Press ��� Barnes & Noble���s self-publishing platform ��� launched a selection of author services last October including editing, cover design, and (limited) print-on-demand.
Immediate speculation surrounded who exactly was providing these services, with many ��� including Nate Hoffelder, Passive Guy, and myself ��� speculating it could be Author Solutions. H...
March 2, 2015
Advertising on Amazon w/ AMS via KDP���Is it Worth it?
A great analysis of a new advertising option for KDP Select authors. I think I’m going to have to give it a shot!
Originally posted on chrismcmullen:
Images from Shutterstock
MY EXPERIENCE WITH ADVERTISING ON AMAZON
The new option for KDP Select authors to advertise their Kindle e-books with Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) is intriguing.
I have now run 14 different ads through AMS. I���ve also studied the results that several other authors have posted.
Today, I���m sharing some of...
February 26, 2015
Improved word counts and sales, and Gaetano’s reaction for #WIPpet Wednesday
My blogging discipline certainly leaves something to be desired these days. But I guess a day late is better than a week late. :)
At least the writing continues to go well. Word counts are picking up, and I’m hoping to get back into 1,000 words a day mode again soon. Shards of Glass is taking shape, coming in now at 5900 words. As I develop a better idea of what exactly needs to happen, daily word production improves accordingly.
Sales continue to improve as well. This month, they are up almo...
February 23, 2015
Cover reveal: Torn (Bound Trilogy Book Two) by Kate Sparkes
Today I am happy to participate in the cover reveal for an online writing buddy, Kate Sparkes, for the second novel in her Bound Trilogy, Torn. I did an interview with her a while back about all the things she did right when launching her indie career which you can read here.
Synopsis:
Aren Tiernal knows that safety is an illusion, that his cruel and powerful brother Severn will never forgive his betrayal. Still, returning to Tyrea to challenge Severn for the throne would be suicide. It���s n...
Starting out as an Indie Author: Writing blurbs for your books
The importance of your book description for making a sale
I had already started writing this installment of my series for indie authors, when I saw these results from the Fussy Librarian reader poll:
Question: When you’re looking for a new ebook, which is most likely to persuade you to buy? Please rank in order of priority.
Description: 3.51
Reading the first few pages: 2.23
Cover art: 2.13
Number of reviews and average rating: 2.13
1200 readers replied to this poll, so it is not something to snee...
February 18, 2015
Results of recent promos, and more with Minerva for #WIPpet Wednesday
I’m exhausted. I’ve been running around with granddaughters all day today, and I am definitely noticing in my bones that I’m not as young as I used to be. They have Fasching vacation right now (the German Mardi Gras), and we have them overnight. I took them to the first really huge mall here, which opened in November, making good on a Christmas present I gave them. My feet hurt.
I wasn���t really feeling like posting as a result, but I didn’t post last week either — also because of various st...
February 16, 2015
Writing: The Playground of Lost Toys
This sounds like a really fun idea. Maybe I’ll try writing a short story again for a change!
Originally posted on Colleen Anderson:
���Usually at least once in a person���s childhood we lose an object that at the time is invaluable and irreplaceable to us, although it is worthless to others. Many people remember that lost article for the rest of their lives. Whether it was a lucky pocketknife, a transparent plastic bracelet given to you by your father, a toy you had longed for an...
