Amy Kulp's Blog, page 11

Self-Publish Advice: ISBNs

Hello everyone,

Starting out as a self-published author, I had to learn quickly all of the different things that my books would need. One of the things that all books need nowadays are ISBNs. ISBNs are the little code you see on books that have 13 digits following it. These help to identify our books from others. An example of Missing's ISBN is below: 979-8-9859309​-1-7
Depending on what website you are joining to distribute (a whole different topic!), they may offer different choices for you. Most websites will offer to give you a FREE ISBN that they will pay for. The ONLY time you would want to take this offer is if you ONLY plan on selling your book on that website. Most stipulate in the terms and conditions that if you use their free ISBN, you CANNOT sell your book anywhere else. That may be okay to some, but many like me, want our books to be sold at many different places. DO NOT TAKE THIS OFFER IF YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR BOOK IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE.

If you are in the United States, you need to go to Bowker.com. Once you register, you are able to buy ISBNs. It is currently the ONLY place that is reputable to buy ISBNs. They have multiple packages bundles: (as I'm reading it currently, this may change).10 ISBNs for $2951 ISBN for $125100 ISBNs for $575What you choose is up to you. I have, personally, bought the 10 ISBNs for $295 which means that each ISBN cost $29.50 (approx.). If you only plan one making 1 book, your best bet is to only buy 1 ISBN. If you plan on making many books, the 100 is the best deal. It all depends on what YOU want to do.

Ebooks are different. You do not need an ISBN for an ebook. However, I have ISBNs on all of my ebooks so that they can be sold in different places (libraries, book stores, Kobo, etc.). I do not go through Bowker for my ISBNs for ebooks. Instead, I use Smashwords. After reading their terms and conditions, it seems that their ISBN is free, but also doesn't tie us down as they distribute their ebooks through Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and others.

Is there any other advice you may need help with? If so, comment down below. I may not know everything, but I'd rather share my advice than keep it to myself and watch others make the same mistakes I did.

​- Amy

Poll: Missing Book Cover

Hello everyone,

I was just curious about which Missing cover you like better. Vote below :)

- Amy New Cover Original Cover * Indicates required field Which cover do you like better? * New coverOriginal cover Vote

How I Deal with 1-Star Ratings & Reviews

Hello everyone,

When I first started writing books, it was on a website where people can comment, like, and favorite. I used that site to tweak my stories and gain the confidence to publish some of these stories after editing and proofreading.
The need to continue looking at reviews just as I did the comments on those websites had grown. I was obsessive with it. I looked at Amazon and GoodReads every day for reviews and ratings. Did people like it? Did people not like it? I already knew what I thought about my books, but I wanted to know what other people had thought. 

With Innocent, more family and friends had bought the book. I knew, though, that they didn't actually read it. Most of them weren't huge readers to begin with, but wanted to support me by buying the book. (Thank you!) In saying that, I didn't really get the reviews and ratings except from my mom. She was honest in her review, but she could have just given me a good rating because I was her daughter. I would never know.

​Missing was the gamechanger. Almost none of my friends or family bought this book so I had to rely on advertising and marketing to get what I wanted. I reached out to influencers, bloggers, instagrammers, TikTokers until I started getting responses. There are about 20 of them who were interested in my book and then I listed Missing in a giveaway. People were buying! Reviews and ratings weren't coming in nearly as fast as I wanted, but I still checked every day.

Until I got that one star rating...
To say I was devastated was an understatement. I cried and I went to bed. I let the one-star rating eat me alive and I thought about it twenty-four seven. I became obsessive as I watched my rating score drop. This person had rated it on GoodReads AND Amazon. But they didn't leave a review, so it drove me bonkers. What didn't they like about it? Was it the material? Cover? Me? I wanted to know, but I couldn't reach out and ask.

Eventually, I stopped thinking about it and started dwelling on the reviews and ratings from other people that were good. People seemed to like my book! In the back of my head, I always remember that one-star rating, but I know now, not to dwell on it. After all, there were books that I hated, right? As an author now, I would never rate a book 1-star to drop their ratings. It could just be that someone didn't like my book and that is okay.

It's hard to deal with it. It's hard to think that somebody might not like something that I absolutely love. I am still learning to accept it. I don't like receiving one-star ratings, but I don't think anybody does. I've learned not to let it eat me alive.

So, what do you guys do once you get bad reviews, ratings, or comments on anything you do?

- Amy :)

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: October 2023

Hello everyone,

I've noticed the past couple months of June-September, that most of my blog posts had been about what I have read. While I love reading, I do not want my blog posts to JUST be focused on that. It can cause confusion with new readers that they just think I read and review books - but I also write them! So instead of doing the WWW Wednesday's, I am going to do a monthly reading wrap-up. It will be posted the last day of each month.

With each monthly wrap-up, I will have the dates that I read the book (to and from), my rating (3+ will be posted, anything below a 3 will not be posted publicly), if it was a first-time read, reread, giveaway winner, or series, a cover image, the title, and author. If you are still interested in seeing what I am reading as I read it, you can check out the "Amy" page. I update that frequently!

Here's to the new monthly-wrap up! October 1st - 5th:







​Playlist for the Dead
Michelle Falkoff

My rating: 3

I have chosen to reread this book.

​Stand-alone October 6th - 11th: The Militia House
John Milas

My rating: 4 stars

GoodReads Giveaway win

Stand-Alone
October 11th - 15th:






​Fallen
Lauren Kate

My rating: 3 stars
​
Reread

Book 1 of 6. October 15th - 20th:







​The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough
Thomas Curran

GoodReads Giveaway win

Stand-Alone
October 21st- 26th: Night World Volume 1.
L.J. Smith

Reread

Book 1 of 3
Stories 1-3 of 9.
October 27th-28th:




​Giant of Geography
Tevin Hansen

GoodReads Giveaway

Book 3 of 8 October 29th-Ongoing:


​Night World Volume 2
L.J Smith

Reread

Book 2 of 3
Stories 4-6 of 9.
When reading the blog posts, would you rather read something weekly (like the WWW Wednesday) or something monthly (monthly wrap-ups)? Let me know!

​- Amy

New Book Coming in 2024!

Hello everyone,

If you read the title, you know that I have a new book coming out!  I have a rough estimate of when it will be out (2024), but am not exactly sure of the date yet. This is so exciting as I have been looking forward to this since I wrote Missing.

While I do not have ALL information, I do have some future announcements that I want to prepare you for regarding the book:Which book it is a sequel ofTitle revealBlurb revealCover revealBook 1 Giveaway detailsBook 2 Giveaway detailsRelease date informationIt is so hard for me to keep this all a secret, but I am so excited for you to read it!
- Amy :)

Deactivated Social Media: LinkedIn

#element-6407d3b3-1bb4-47d0-a378-b510f103214a .colored-box-content { clear: both; float: left; width: 100%; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -ms-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: #4caac9; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; -webkit-border-top-right-radius: 0px; -moz-border-top-right-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; -moz-border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; -moz-border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px;} Hello everyone,

I'm back again with the other and (I think) last social media that I had deleted. I was advised to get a LinkedIn to connect with others around me, but found that it was leading me nowhere and was hard to maintain. Social media is geared toward socializing with others, but I did not find it useful for me.

I had previously set up an account two more times. Unfortunately, every time I get on it, I never remember to login and update it. If anybody wants or needs to contact me for business, feel free to message me with a subject line attached.

Best :)
- Amy

WWW Wednesday: September 27, 2023

Hello everyone,

The school year is underway so a lot of my reading has paused. In saying that, I am still in the process of writing, editing, and marketing my next book. That is ALWAYS going to be a priority to me. I wish I had more news to share, but until then, enjoy what I have just finished reading.
What I Recently Finished Reading:

​Valley of Refuge
John Teschner

GoodReads Giveaway Win
Advanced Reader Copy

My rating: :/
​In this high-stakes, character-driven thriller, a Hawaiian family must decide the future of their ancestral land when a tech billionaire decides he wants it for himself, and won't take no for an answer.

What would you do if you. . .

. . .were offered an obscene amount of money for your family's ancestral land? For Nalani and her mother, the money that could change their lives―at the sacrifice of everything they believe―is a double edged blade, and they're not sure they can trust the secretive tech billionaire holding it out to them as if it were an olive branch. But what happens when a man with unlimited wealth is given an answer he doesn't want to hear?

. . .woke up on a plane en route to a tiny Hawaiian island, with no memory of who you are or why you're there? Janice, whose only clues are the passport in her pocket, and a locked phone with increasingly alarming text alerts about a situation she may or may not be part of, barely knows where to start. Navigating an unfamiliar place, and her own unfamiliar mind, Janice seeks to discover who she is, and answer the question of why she is here, and exactly whose side is she on?

As plans are set in motion that carry them down dangerous and unexpected paths, all involved must decide just how far they are willing to go to reach their goals, before turning back is no longer an option. What I Am Currently Reading:





​Playlist for the Dead
Michelle Falkoff

Gift from friend

Why? I am rereading this as I want to clear out some space on my bookcase. In order to decide which books I want to donate, I am rereading them based on how much enjoyment I get from them.
What I Plan on Reading Next: Hope everyone who is in school is finding enjoyment out of the beginning of the year!

​- Amy

Deactivated Social Media: Twitter

Hello everyone,

A while back (probably January?) I was adding myself to all of these social media accounts under the advice of some seasoned professionals. Since then, I have deactivated a couple that I may not have understood how to use the most efficiently and some that I struggled using.

One of the first social medias I was excited to learn about was Twitter. Unfortunately, my misunderstanding of the social media app and my lack of loyalty toward the social media had led me to deactivate it from the accounts I use often. Twitter's main focus is being able to reach others using Hashtags (#) and being able to tweet what you're doing throughout the day. I never understood what was worth posting and what people would like seeing - my hashtag game is also weak. Finding it difficult to keep my characters under a certain length had also minimized my capabilities of using the app. Unfortunately, I have chosen to put my time and effort into other causes.

Is there an app you guys were excited to try and found that it was too hard to use or you weren't understanding it? I am choosing to stay focused on Instagram, Facebook, GoodReads, TikTok, and my blog.

​- Amy

WWW Wednesday: September 13, 2023

Hello everyone,

As a self-published author, it can be incredibly hard navigating the publishing world around you. I am in the process (and have been since June!) of getting Missing into Barnes & Noble. This is requiring a lot of effort, but I am hoping to see the PAPERBACK there. What are some places you would love to see my PHYSICAL PAPERBACK books? I would love to try and add more places for it.
What I Recently Finished Reading:






The Gay Best Friend
Nicolas Didomizio

Stand-Alone novel
GoodReads giveaway win

​My rating: :D He's always been the token gay best friend. Now, stuck between a warring bride and groom hurtling toward their one perfect day, he's finally ready to focus on something new: himself.

​Domenic Marino has become an expert at code-switching between the hypermasculine and ultrafeminine worlds of his two soon-to-be-wed best friends. But this summer—reeling from his own failed engagement and tasked with attending their bachelor and bachelorette parties—he's anxious over having to play both sides.

The pressure is on. The bride wants Dom to keep things clean. The groom wants Dom to "let loose" with the guys. And Dom just wants to get out of this whole mess with his friendships intact.

But once the rowdy groomsmen show up at the beach house—including a surprise visit from the groom's old frat brother, handsome and charming PGA star Bucky Graham—chaos (and unexpected romance) quickly ensues. By the time Dom returns for the bachelorette party, he's accumulated a laundry list of secrets that threaten to destroy everything—from the wedding, to Bucky's career, to the one thing Dom hasn't been paying nearly enough attention to lately: his own life. What I Am Currently Reading: Valley of Refuge
John Teschner

Stand-Alone Novel
GoodReads Giveaway win
​Advanced reader copy

Why? I won it in a GoodReads giveaway! I love the synopsis on the back and can't wait to read it! What I Plan on Reading Next:









Playlist for the Dead
Michelle Falkoff
Remember to comment down below where you shop at (local bookstores, chain bookstore, library, etc).

​- Amy

WWW Wednesday: September 6, 2023

Hello everyone,

Just a quick update about my books  that I wanted to let you know about: while I am having a tremendously fun time with reading as much as I have been able to, I have also been writing nonstop. I have about three books that are in the process of being edited. With the varying rates that it is taking for different editors to do their job, I am excitedly anticipating one of these books to be published before the end of the year! I am so exited. Do you think it's a sequel to one of my previous books or do you think it has an entirely new premise? Let me know what you think!
What I Recently Finished Reading: The Vaster Wilds
Lauren Groff

Advanced Reader Copy
GoodReads Giveaway win
​
My rating: :(
​A taut and electrifying novel from celebrated bestselling author Lauren Groff, about one spirited girl alone in the wilderness, trying to survive

A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her. What I Am Currently Reading:





​The Gay Best Friend
Nicolas Didomizio

Stand-alone novel

Why? I won this in a giveaway. It was one of my first wins, but had arrived so late compared to all of the other books. After posting about the win, the author reached out to me and he is so friendly! I absolutely cannot wait to read it.
What I Plan on Reading Next:




​Valley of Refuge
John Teschner Let me know what you think about the books that are being edited right now: are you hoping it's a sequel to Missing or Innocent or are you hoping that it is a brand new novel?

- Amy