Mimi Barbour's Blog: Believe!, page 48

Author Central and what New Authors need to know!!

 I have watched my friend, Jodie, traverse the many obstacles of Independent Publishing and it takes me back to my first few months as a Newbie.
I remember when I first heard about Amazon Central and how the books were to be set up there in order for us to be able to watch statistics, fill in book descriptions and share other necessary information such as our author profile. The information here is going to show up on each of your book’s Amazon pages so don’t make the mistakes I made - no typing errors J(Go to Google and look up Amazon Central Sign In.)
I wonder how many new authors still have their back page blurb that they uploaded when they published the book as their main description on their Amazon book page. Mine sat there for quite some time until I found out about Amazon Central and how very important this whole site is.
Once you’ve joined, check out the link at the top that says “BOOKS”. And read very carefully. Then add your book.
It can take more than 24 hours before that book will show up on the page so keep going back to check and see when it appears. When it does, be prepared to spend some time. Cclick on your book title to take you to the working page and the first slot you will see is Reviews.
Everyone must have is at least one review to put here. If you don’t have one, get a friend or a colleague to read your book and write something for you. (It must be under 600 characters or they won’t allow it.)
Next, and most important, your book description is not the same thing as the back page write-up. This is where the promoter in you must be allowed to go a little insane.  The place is where you can sell your book to the lurker who wants to know WHY they should buy it. Your chance is here to WOW them so they can’t help but push the buy-now button. Persuasive adjectives are necessary—words with impact that will evoke either shock or titillation.  It’s the movie trailer with strong language that sparks your interest and all the best shots from the movie put together that will whet your appetite. Use your talent as a wordsmith and let yourself go a bit crazy.
The rest of the slots,” From the Author”, “From the Inside Flap”, “From the Back Cover” (your back-page blurb goes here) and “About the Author” are all areas where you can share more information about you and the book. In case it’s not your habit to read through this collection of material, just know that many readers do or else Amazon wouldn’t have it there. So, if you want to dot all your I’s and cross all your T’s, then do your best.
 
***Next blog will focus on the Author Profile on Amazon Central

Do you remember your first time?

~~~~~***~~~~~  

 Hey! Get your head out of the gutter - I’m talking about the first book you self-published :-) (Gotcha!)

I recall it as being one of the scariest days of my life, full of angst and pressure.  Everything that should have been easy had taken on huge propensities to screw up. Especially when I was locked in my office, three o’clock in the morning and I had loaded the file for the 8th time and the paragraphs still weren’t formatting properly on the viewer.
Swear words were escaping in a surprisingly fluent manner.  I didn’t even know I knew some of those phrases, probably because I made a lot of them up. Foot stamping, a behavior I’d given up at the age of two, had reappeared with a vengeance. And tears were sniffed back and due to a stubborn streak weren’t allowed to fall. My husband came to announce bedtime and left with a huge bite taken out of his face.  
Finally, giving up due to exhaustion, I remember just hitting the save-and-continue button and promising myself I’d fix it to be perfect the next day. To be truthful, it took a week until I’d finally gotten the advice I needed to make the changes which were my paragraph indents.
So… that was my first time. Tonight I helped a friend, Jodie Esch, with her first time. We had a lot of laughs, clicked through each of the Amazon stops with ease. Worked our way through the various selections for categories, keywords, etc and uploaded the file where it proved to be perfect the first time. (Years later, I’m now aware that a professional formatter is worth every penny he/she costs and Jodie thankfully agreed with me.) Her file was already perfect before she started.
After a lovely supper and delightful evening, we’re going to get a good night’s sleep and wake up to her being a debut author and me proudly sharing her joy.

My advice to anyone who is looking at self-publishing a book on Amazon for the first time: – Find a friend who’s already had the experience and is willing to help you when the time comes. – Get the book formatted properly by an expert.  – Make sure you’ve already perused the KDP site so you know what to expect when the time comes.  – Choose the categories and keywords you want for your book ahead of time, they are so very important.  – Have a bottle of wine or at least some great dessert on standby to celebrate  ~~~~~***~~~~~  


 

Lessons from a Wise Old Woman!

*****  *****  I’ve been living with a dilemma for the last few days and it made me wonder how others might cope with the same situation.I’ve been involved in helping my older parents move into a lodge for seniors and it’s taken weeks to help them sort out all their “stuff”.  What to take?  What to give away?  Or in many instances throw away? As much as I personally think some of the things they’ve chosen to take with them aren’t worth keeping, I’ve been taught a very important lesson. The expensive articles like antiques, jewelry and fancy expensive dishes have been easily given up. My siblings and I were asked – no – begged to take anything we wanted, which wasn’t much since we all have too much of our own “stuff”. Therefore, Mom decided that she was more than happy for us to take these things to an antique shop or goldsmiths and sell them.What she wouldn’t part with turned out to be what I considered trashy trinkets. A faded stuffed elephant she’d gotten from my brother. An old ashtray, cracked on one side my dad won for her many years ago at a fair. A collection of angels she’d received as gifts from friends over the years which were mostly cheap and even gaudy. The list goes on and on and….  It was these types of belongings she fought for when I explained for the umpteenth time that there was only one closet in the apartment and very little space for storage. The scads of photographs of people who were long gone, the many letters received over the years – these boxes had to be made to fit into that one closet somehow because they weren’t to be left behind. My questions of – how many times have you taken these letters and photographs out to look at them – didn’t compute. That had nothing to do with the fact that to her they were priceless and she needed them nearby.The lesson I learnt from these last weeks reminded me of the drawers I have in my own home crammed with this same type of memorabilia. Maybe mine is newer now, but when I’m her age it’ll be old then. To my children it’ll be more rubbish that needs to be taken and stuffed somewhere when there’s no room. But to me it’ll be my precious memories. Then I’ll remember my mother and the lesson she taught me. What really is important to a wise old woman.       Free Partay is happening Now!!! 
And High Stakes Gamble (Book #4 of the Vegas Series)

will be part of this promotion for two days only...
&Best-selling books from best-selling authors available also!!
   

My promised excerpt from the newest - just released - Vegas Book #4

Review #1 - Shirleen Miller   (a wonderful review!!! Read the full )

The way Mimi writes the story all of sudden you go woops it is 2:47 AM and your cheering for a book finished. You can only smile. And then say "I want another book please" 



Back Page Blurb:

Aurora loves her mommy role and is fascinated by her little angel, Lily. When babies start disappearing in Vegas, not once did Aurora ever imagine that Lily would be one of the kidnap victims. So when the unthinkable happens, it forces Aurora to once again partner with Lily’s daddy, Kai, who’d previously walked out on her. This time, her heart will be kept firmly in lock-down where it’s safely resided since he disappeared and left her high and dry.
Almost a year later, still heartbroken over having lost Aurora, Kai learns he’s become a daddy. When a crazy lunatic kidnaps his baby girl, nothing can stop him from working the case, not even Aurora’s gun pointing at places on his body he’d like to keep intact. Hope arises when Aurora’s lips tell him to drop dead, but her hungry eyes plead for more of his tender brand of loving.


Excerpt:


Seconds before the doorbell rang, the hairs on the back of Aurora’s neck stood straight to attention, whipping up shivers to shoot down her back and into her hair, making her scalp tingle painfully. Her ears joined in the fun and a whining noise made her jump as if she’d been stabbed.
She knew… Just like that. Kai was the only person who could unsettle her to this extent. Anger boiled and fizzled over to fill her small body. Slowly she stood and moved to look out the peephole.
Sure enough, a man who resembled Kai stood leaning against the doorjamb, a thick file of papers in one hand. An L.A. Kings cap covered a full head of hair.
He looked away from the door and she saw him swallow then turn. As if he felt her eyes on him, he lifted his face and those sorry blue dazzlers stared straight through the tiny window and into her hardened heart. Then she noticed Cory next to him. She retrieved her weapon from the hall table, opened the door and stood back.
Cory moved in front of the chicken-bastard and held his hand out towards her. “Put the gun down, Aurora. I’d planned to shoot him myself but I listened to his story first. It’s cool, brat. Trust me. You’ll want to hear what he has to say.”
She leaned to the side in order to get a better aim and held back the grin that threatened when she saw Cory scoot out the door and close it very carefully behind him. Fucking coward!
Kai dropped the papers on the table. “Baby—”
“Don’t you call me Baby. You gave up that right.”
“I know. I was talking about our daughter.”
As if the idiot had no idea that her finger itched to pull the trigger and pay him back for the pain he’d put her through, he stood facing her, hands on his hips and a stubborn glare on his face.
“Where’s your bald head?”
“Under my hair.”
“Looks weird. I like it better the other way.”
“So I’ll shave it. You gonna shoot me?”
“Like to. Just can’t decide if the satisfaction would be worth the years in jail. It’s a tough call.”
“I thought of you every day.”
“You’re making it easier every time you open that lying mouth.”
“I was undercover… deep undercover. I brought a copy of the case files for you to read because I knew you wouldn’t believe me any other way. Started a few days after I got back to L.A. until yesterday when I got debriefed.”
“And the first few days you were in L.A.?”
A blush appeared on his cheeks that arrested Aurora’s gaze and made her remember why this man had captured her heart when no others had ever come close.
“I guess I drank enough to forget my own name never mind yours. Not proud of being such a jerk, but it’s the truth.”
“A fucking jerk you mean!”
“I stand corrected. You gonna put the gun away soon?”
“Just so you know how much I hate you and how hard it is not to pull the trigger—”
He interrupted, his voice harsh. “Got it!”   Buy now on Amazon for only 99 cents!!

Pricey Advertising - Should I or Shouldn't I??

  
I’ve just taken a workshop on how to promote with Google and I find everything about that type of                       advertisement overwhelming. The costs are really high and I’m thinking maybe I’m not quite ready to spend that kind of money right now.
My promoter has warned our group that unless we have a consistent ranking of #5,000 or less on any book, we should not put our prices up past 99 cents. Sadly, all my books are priced at – you got it - the bargain price of
99 cents!!
It’s hard to stop myself from marking them up when I see competition pricing their books at $2.99 and $3.99, but then I check their ranking, and in most cases, I get it. It’s the numbers of books being bought that matter, not the prices. So therefore, what she says makes sense and keeps me from following the others.
It’s about those darn algorithms. If Amazon sees your book staying at a consistently higher ranking, I understand that they automatically pick you up and put you out in enough queues in order to try and help you stay there. Good thing – right???
And every time I have played with prices, my books drop rather quickly and drop hard. I lose ground and then it takes all kinds of promotions to get the darn book back into a higher bracket again.

I guess what we all need to do is write lots of books and gain new readers with each new book released – easier if you’re writing a series – and once you have a number of books selling fairly well – then the time will come to put out the big bucks for the Google kinds of promotion.
Now that’s when the prices can be increased to make the payment of the advertisement cost effective.
Oh Happy Days!!! 
 Another great type of promotion is giving your books away for FREE!!!   And FREE PARTAY will be doing that very thing for you April 2 & 3   Roll the Dice from the Vegas Series and...
   My Cheeky Angel from the Angels with Attitudes series will be available free as my gift to you.

Share the good news with all your friends!! 

Pre-order button - wishful thinking!

*** Coming Soon!!!
I have a new book being released on April 3rdand just for the heck of it, I went to see whether there’s a way to set up a pre-order button for my readers so they can be notified when the book has finally been released. It would act as a reminder to anyone reading my series that the newest segment is ready for purchase.
Right???
Makes sense to me.
Of course, I went on Google to find my answer and was rather disappointed. What I found on Amazon was that if you were hooked with a big-name publisher, then yes, pre-orders were available. But sadly, for the independent authors – not so much.
I guess there is a convoluted way around this dilemma explained by a fellow author on the Kindle Direct Publishing page https://kdp.amazon.com/community/message.jspa?messageID=331672who set up a cover, a welcome note, and instructions for getting the full ebook when it became available. But this didn’t sound like the best solution for me. Unless readers were aware of this being done, I can’t imagine most folks going along with paying for a book and having to wait for it to be released.
Besides, I wasn’t really thinking that money should be paid up front, more along the lines of our fans being able to fill in some type of notification form. For instance, as soon as the book written by Mimi Barbour is released with the specific title of High Stakes Gamble then the people who filled in the request would be automatically sent a notice with a nice BIG link or buy button.
Doesn’t that make sense?? Wished Amazon thought so.
Oh well! I guess if an author is really well organized, he/she could put up a pre-order list where fans can sign up on their website or blog to be notified when the book is released. Maybe they could offer the reader a discount on the first few days before setting the proper price to be charged.
Wouldn’t work too well for me since I charge 99cents for all my books…..grumble!! But the notification list for them to sign might not be a bad idea.
Have any of you tried different methods to get around this problem? Please share J

I've just sent my book to the editor!!

High Stakes Gamble is at the editor's getting a nice polish and will be released on April 3rd only 7 more days!!!     One of an author’s favorite sentences is, “I’ve just sent my book to the editor.” At least it certainly is for me. It means my book is all but finished. I’ve done my part and now it’s up to the professional to do theirs. Luckily, I’ve formed a great rapport with my editor for the Vegas series, Bob Reed, and I trust him with my precious manuscript. It’s hugely important to have a relationship like that with the person who gets to make changes to your work. He’s quick, keeps me in the loop and the revisions he makes are necessary but minimal.
I found out about this man from a colleague whose books are always full of conflict and so well written. Because of that, I love to read her work. Figured I should have me a fellow just like him. Then decided– hell, why not just have him. Lucky for me he was available.
Previously, I’ve worked with others who didn’t quite get my voice the way he does and it was a painful experience.  Not only painful, but it put me back weeks in repairing the damages.
(Just so you know- he doesn’t edit my blogs – maybe he should…..gulp!)
Luckily, I’ve been blessed in my Vicarage Bench series also to have worked with a wonderful editor through Wild Rose Press called Nan Swanson. Because these books are spirit-travel romances set in Bury, England, she keeps me on the straight and narrow when it comes to researching my facts.  Plus, she gets the “romance” that’s so deeply engrained with these stories. The very first novella I wrote for this series, I sent to her and she gave me a contract – now I feel as if I need her special touch with each new book.
Unfortunately, as you know, I haven’t put out a new Vicarage Bench book for over 2 years. That’s because I’m riding out my contracts with an e-publisher in order to get the rights to those books back in my control and then self-pub them.  (but that’s a whole new blog J)
****Speaking about the Vicarage Bench series, the anthology is being advertised on the Free Kindle Book site today and my ranking dropped like fat lady perched on a thin branch.
 
 

Cover Reveal - "OPAL'S SONG" by multi-published author, SJ Byrne

   Opal's Song   Coming 2013 - Release date to be announced   A horrific accident on a rain slicked mountainside and permanent paralysis from the waist down.
25 year old Lily Wade has to relearn simple, everyday activities just to live a seemingly normal life.
Opal—a precocious child in her rehabilitation group—teaches Lily about living joyfully after surviving an immense tragedy and how to find peace within the pain.
To keep a promise made, Lily must dust off her once beloved cello and connect with the music she’s kept locked inside a velvet lined case for nearly a decade.     A Teaser   The headlights of Darren’s extended cab Chevy swung from left to right as he took the switch back curves much faster than normal. Lines of tension formed beside his mouth, and his usually relaxed hands clutched the black leather steering wheel in a white knuckle death grip. Something about the way he pumped the brakes wasn’t quite right, and the momentum of the truck was picking up instead of slowing down.    Lily wanted to ask if everything was okay, but didn’t dare distract him from what was quickly becoming a dangerous situation. Deep ingrained reflex made her tug on the strap of her seat belt to ensure it would hold if the worst case scenario played itself out.   She’d ventured East with her boyfriend to explore and get away from the stifling rules of her parents. They had come into Western North Carolina via the Blue Ridge Mountains and immediately fallen in love with the place. Eclectic Asheville stole her heart with its combination of forward movement and backwards thinking. Only in that particular valley, surrounded by some of the oldest mountains in the world, could one community find the wherewithal to support so many varied lifestyle modalities. From the redneck–hillbilly descendants of the original Scottish settlers, to the new agers, dirty hippies, and flamboyant gays—Asheville catered to them all.   Lily wanted to share the exuberance of the area with her family, but suddenly feared the chance to do so would come at the cost of a glossy wooden box. Tears filled her eyes as she swallowed past a lump forming in her throat. She didn’t want to die.   “Aww, FUCK!”   Darren’s barely whispered expletive caught Lily’s attention as the tail end of the truck swung around. Suddenly they were facing the way they’d come. On any other day Darren would’ve calmly turned the wheel until the truck righted itself. For some reason the beast didn’t respond to his handling. The vehicle continued to spin until something in the front end snapped, and Lily stared in horror. One of the tires flew away from the truck, and in that instant she realized what people said was true—in the moments before death time slows down as the brain processes everything in minute detail.    Bright headlamps illuminated the surrounding forest as the front end of the truck crashed down onto the road. Heavy metal screeching on asphalt filled Lily’s ears only to be replaced with the sound of trees snapping beneath the force of a full sized pick-up rolling down the side of a mountain.   Up became down, and Lily’s insides threatened to come out as she was jerked about behind the increasingly tighter band of her protective belt. If she’d been sitting next to Darren her head would’ve been spared the repetitive abuse of being tossed against the passenger window. Lily didn’t want to scream out her fear, but found she had no control over her vocal cords—her screeches of distress echoed in the confined space until the imploding windshield drowned her out. Shards from the window flew towards them, cutting her neck and face as they tumbled around inside the cab.   Everything stopped all at once. The crashing roll of the truck, the cutting of the glass shards, even Lily’s screams. The Chevy landed on its side with her hanging by her seat belt, staring down at the unconscious form of her boyfriend. The smell of gasoline filled the air and Lily felt the spike of adrenaline wash through her nervous system.   “Darren! Darren, wake up!” She yelled as loud as her constricted lungs would allow behind the crushing force of the nylon strap. “Darren, we have to get out of this truck!”   Darren remained unconscious, and Lily refused to give into the blind panic threatening to take over. Breathing deep she quickly surveyed her position and the quickest escape route. The windshield had completely shattered, making that the only way out of the wreckage as the door above her wouldn’t budge when she tried pushing it open. Grabbing hold of the oh-shit handle, she pulled the weight of her body off the belt and pushed the release button. Blinding heat zipped through her body as she crashed face first against Darren's side and was knocked out cold by the force of their skulls connecting.   ****   Something wet trickled down the side of her face just before an excruciating pain exploded behind her eyes, and Lily knew she was about to have the mother of all migraines. She thought to press the heels of both hands against her throbbing eye sockets, but found her body remained motionless against the command. A soft moan beneath her was worrying, though she couldn’t think why. The muscle of her shoulder flexed involuntarily and a jolt of pain flashed down her spine, stopping abruptly in her hips. A deep breath meant to calm her frantic thoughts brought more pain and then the blessed blackness.   ****   “Hang in there little lady. We’ve almost got you out.”   Lily whimpered as a sudden shock of agony rippled through her arms and torso, but the sound of someone talking eased her anxiety. She wasn’t alone—thank god. The voice became a life line she clung to with her mind until sweet oblivion pulled her back into its warm embrace.   ****   “They rolled down the side of Mount Pisgah. From what I can gather she was pinned in place by her seat belt, until she managed to undo it and then fell against his side.”   The conversation felt a million miles away. Surely they weren’t talking about her. Before she could give it another thought, the air was filled with excited chatter and frantic movements. She wanted to open her eyes and see what was going on, but her lids were too heavy to lift. Moving the muscles of her body required a strength she didn’t possess and fear flooded her thoughts as she cried out in frustration. The air she pulled through her nose tasted strange on the back of her tongue. Oblivion stretched out its arms and Lily went into them without a fight.     Find out more about Opal's Song and it's release    by visiting SJ Byrne or  Opal's Song  on Facebook     A portion of all proceeds from Opal's Song will be donated  to help children with disabilities...more information forthcoming.      About the Author
 
Living in the mountains of Western North Carolina SJ Byrne is just trying to make her way through the insanity that comes with creativity. Writing is her passion - life is her muse. Keep an eye out for new books due later this year.
 
Connect with SJ via:
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 Read more about her books on:
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Finishing a book!

***I haven’t put out any new blogs lately and I’m sorry.
Do you get those times when life just gets in the way?
Well it’s been happening to me. Coming home from holidays, I decided to go straight to my folk’s place for a long-overdue visit and they’ve decided to make the time more exciting. They’ve accepted a place in a retirement home and the move is ON!!! In seconds, my life took a one-eighty.
Of course I have to stay and help the oldies through this period, and of course I don’t mind….well I don’t. But… gulp… I have a book to finish.
Trying to work during the day is futile to say the least. Every time I sneak off to my room, either one or the other comes to have a little chat, and I certainly don’t mind.
Mealtime has now become my responsibility. Since hubby cooks at home, I’ve always enjoyed my time here because I can try my hand at cooking and I don’t mind at all, I like it… usually. But I have a book to finish.
I’d lay money on the table that I have two of only folks who like to stay up late. Bedtime doesn’t even begin to happen until eleven and then it can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, depending on how much has gone on during their day and what has to be discussed over the last cup of tea. I’ve always loved these times with them, so of course I don’t mind sharing these impromptu get-togethers but…you got it! I have a book to finish.
So… it’s been two and three o’clock in the mornings for me these last tiring days and you know what? The book has flowed beautifully – go figure!
Did I mention, my dad is an early riser and loves company? With my mom sleeping in till late in the mornings, we’ve always taken this time to spend together doing our own “thing” and absolutely, trust me - I don’t mind at all…. “yawn”
It’s just that I’ve now got a book to edit!  Coming soon!!! Book #4 for the Vegas Series Release Date - April 3rd    
 

Are reviews here to stay?? Do we want them to??

***
Below is part of my reply in response to others' remarks about my last blog called "Future of Indie Authors". One thing mentioned in your comments that I found surprising is the differences some have in the importance of reviews. We all know that many are requested. We also know that some of the five stars can be questionable. If a book only has five or even ten reviews, the readers might not believe their credibility, but once there are more than say – fifteen, I have no doubt that many are honorably earned from readers who like to have a say about a book they took the time to read.  *** Personally, like every other author, I have reviews from people whose names I recognize. Some are from close friends and a few from family. As I release more books, these ‘special’ reviews are showing up less. Since most had only gone to the effort on my behalf as a way to show support when I first started out, that doesn’t surprise me and I appreciate that they did so in the first place.
Another phenomenon I’ve recognized is that I have fans – (thank you Lord!) – ones who have followed me from book to book. Their reviews are my favorite because I don’t know any of the people and yet they have continued to support me by buying my novels, reading them and letting me know they like what I write.
I’ve also recognized that almost invariably after each FreePartay I’ve participated in, where I’ve given away hundreds, sometimes thousands of books, within a few days, reviews begin to appear. Hopefully, my back matter appeal has worked or else some of these folks respect our endeavours and just leave comments.  
I have no doubt that other readers are buying because of these comments and that’s the way it should be. As I said above, if there are only a few five-star reviews, it can be a bit suspect to whether the book is as good as being stated. But then the cautious buyer does have the ability to read a sample before putting out any money. As far as Amazon is concerned (I’m not familiar with any others) if a buyer is still unhappy, they can return the book and get their money back.
Because I know how important they are to an author, I do write reviews for almost every book I read. If it’s a three-star or less - I rarely finish it and I pass on leaving any comment. I’d rather not trash work that I knew took so long to create. (Just my own preference.)
I accept that not everyone likes my work and that they have the right to tell me so. But I must say it does grate me when the poor reviews are mean-hearted and tasteless. Some people even go as far as admitting they’ve never read the book, but since they had trouble downloading it, or because it had a swear word or some such foolishness, they decide to dock the author stars.
If people leave me a one or two star, I prefer that they tell me why they. If it’s something constructive, I will work on it. If it’s on my earlier work, I hope they check the dates and give me another chance. A principle that’s well known comes into play here and not just for authors. Practice makes perfect! Okay we’ll modify that a bit and say better.   
One of my books (Lovable Christmas Angel) has 90 reviews. It blows my mind every time I check to see if there’s more. I’ve read every one and have left them a thank you. This thrills my narcissistic side and is a partial payoff for all the hard work.
In summation, I guess you’ve gathered that I’m hopeful that Amazon won’t take away our reviews. To me, it would be like taking away ones right to an opinion.
What do you think?