Karen L. Syed's Blog, page 11

The Mad Scientist (Author) returns!

Don't want to be bothered with the contest? Click cover to buy a copy, no strings attached.

Okay, I have been trying to read the Blogs of others with the hope of discovering something that will help me increase my exposure as an author. Lots of people know me as a publisher and all around cool gal, but I still get so many surprised looks when I mention that I write. Huh, you woulda thunk it?

So, I've been trying up the level of promotion for the books and stories I have written. Not too happy with how that is all working. So, I have devised a fiendish…er…clever plan to let people know that I write. I'm going to give away books. ::gasp:: Can it be? Yeah, I know, it's been done. But…

Here's what I am proposing. I'd like to find new readers, perhaps those who do not read my Blog (Life as a Publisher), follow me on Facebook, or revel in my brilliant wit on Twitter. I would like to give a FREE download of my book, DARK SHINES MY LOVE, to the first five people who post a request on this Blog (if you've already read it, let's give someone else a chance.)

In return, I would like each of those five people to pass that book on to ONE reader. Someone they know who has not read or heard of me. Once the book has been passed on, I would like the recipient of that book to hop onto my Blog here, and post who gave them the book. Then when they are finished reading it, I would like THEM to give it to ONE other person, and have them do the same thing. And so on. If it wouldn't be too much trouble I'd like to know where you are from as well.

My goal is to follow the travels of those books through to March 31, 2012. Clear as mud?

On April 1, 2012 (yes April Fool's Day-but this is no joke) I will do a random drawing from the names on this post and give away a $10.00 Amazon.com Gift Card. I know, it's not much, but I'm giving this book away.  LOL

And even if you have read the book and aren't giving away copies, please feel free to share this news with others. Oh yeah, and if you own it, don't share that copy, the download I am using for this is a Special Edition.

So, who's with me?

About the book:

Contemporary Romance

Darkness surrounds Patric LeClerc. Blinded in a tragic accident years before, he does nothing but drive everyone away with his anger and resentment over the life he's been cursed with.

Everyone, that is, except Callie Carpenter. Desperate for a home and a job after the break-up of her dreadful marriage to a wealthy but abusive man, she tries to restore Dark Gardens Plantation to its former glory.

Patric lets his guard down and shows her that deep within, a spark of warmth and humanity still glows. Soon she finds herself more interested in him as a man than a patient. When her ex threatens to take away her son, Callie and Patric join forces to try to save the boy.

But can Patric's dark past ever allow him to see Callie's love for him, or will he drive her away as well, for having come too close to the true, if vulnerable, Patric LeClerc?

A few reviews:

"A moving novel…the love scenes are marvelous. This is an enjoyable story that will make you laugh, cry, and be glad you read it." –Romantic Times Magazine aka RT Booklovers)

"A beautiful, moving story. Alexis Hart has the amazing ability to generate characters that literally step off the page in three-dimensional form. The dialogue is well developed and the entire story is a hauntingly accurate tale concerning a serious issue. I loved Patric from the first moment he appeared and Callie was as real as if I were standing next to her. Well done. Ms. Hart has written another winner." –Leslie Burbank, author of To Tame a Viking

You Should have known Better

Hi again. In my last blog post I talked about the cool things that happened when I attended the 2012 Love is Murder conference. I didn't even come close to telling you about all of them, but I wanted to switch gears and share a few points with you. If you've ever been to a conference, you know that there are a lot of people and not all of them understand the etiquette involved.

Editors, agents, publicists, and authors attend these events as special guests and we make ourselves available as much as possible, but you must know, as adults, that there are limits. In my travels around the hotel during the conference, I had the opportunity to speak with several of the other guests. We talked a bit, and here are a few of the things I heard from some of those guests. Keep in mind, these are actual statements (not verbatim). If you attend conferences you should pay close attention to these things. And no, I am not going to tell you who said what. I am going to use the word "guest" to mean editor, agent, publicist, author generically.

When a guest is talking to a group of people, DO NOT interrupt their conversation to offer them a copy of your book, proposal packet, or share the premise of your book.
When a guest is participating in a specific type of event, DO NOT attend that event under false pretenses to get their attention. This actually happened to multiple editors who were doing author appointments and people came up during their times so they could talk to them about other things.
When you attend a panel or workshop as an attendee, DO NOT raise our hand to make a point and then promote your book to the audience. Relevant or not, it is NOT your show.
When you ask a guest for information and then don't agree with it, DO NOT stand in a public hallway with people milling about and discuss how ill-informed you think that guest is. You never know who is standing 2 feet away and listening. I promise that person will never offer you their time or courtesy again.
When a guest is in the bathroom, DO NOT stand between them and a stall or a sink to discuss your work. There is a time and a place.
When you sit with a guest at a meal (large table), DO NOT monopolize the guest's attention, they are there for the enjoyment of all the attendees.
When you are in a panel or workshop, DO NOT publicly contradict the guest when they are giving a presentation.
When you are an attendee and not a guest, DO NOT remove the guests promo materials to make room for yours. The guests are offered certain perks, and if you want those perks, get yourself invited as a guest.
DO NOT put your promo materials in someone else's space. This is me, and I am telling you, when I PAY for a space to promote that is MY space. You are alienating me by leaving stacks of your promo material on MY table. You are free to pay for your own space to promote.
When you don[t like a certain guest, DO NOT talk smack about them where their friends can hear you. Word will get back to the guest.

These may seem like common sense things, but each of these things actually happened at Love is Murder. This is one of the best conferences in the industry, and the guest and other attendees deserve to be respected. This is true of every conference, no matter how big or small. We are professionals and should quite honestly know better.

Love is Murder 2012

I know, it's been a while since I posted. It is always hectic just before I go to an event. February's event was the Love is Murder 2012 Conference. If you have not been to this event, you really are missing out. It is not your typical writers' conference or readers convention, it is a lovely mix of the two.

First, let me congratulate (and thank) Mary Connerty. During LIM 2012, we offered an entry to win a FREE Kindle for each Echelon eBook guests purchased. Mary has a new Kindle, thanks to her purchase of the eBook Totally Buzzed by Gale Borger.

Second I would like to congratulate Echelon Press Mystery Author Robert Goldsborough for his well-deserved Lovey Award for Best Historical Novel for his mystery Terror at the Fair.

The LIM board, as they are affectionately known (or sometimes, "Hey, you!") is comprised of one of the most committed group of volunteers I've ever met, and I know each of them rather well. I consider this an honor. At any rate, LIM caters to readers and authors of the mystery genre, with a splash of romance thrown in to keep things lively.

The con offers workshops for writers of any level, as well as panels and events to keep the readers (and everyone else) entertained for the entire weekend. One of my favorite things to do is the editor/author appointments. I have been doing them for many years, and I have found a large number of my Echelon authors, past and present, at those appointment tables. If you are an aspiring mystery writer, or even an already published author shopping a new manuscript, the editors and agents at LIM are among the most gracious. And I'm not even including myself in that statement (though I am kinda cool sometimes.)

And if you are a reader, I don't know of any other conference or convention that offers the opportunity for such intimate interaction with the speakers, guests, or professionals. Whether it's in the lounge, at one of the meals, or at any of the other social events. The special guests go out of their way to make themselves accessible to the fans. For example: In 2004, I heard David Morrell (creator of Rambo, and the author one of my favorite books, Creepers) talk about the value of marketing for authors. I was at a point in my publishing career where I was perched on a very precarious edge and considering quitting. His keynote that night at LIM changed my life and inspired me to change my thinking and forge ahead. We are celebrating our 11th anniversary for Echelon Press this month. On Saturday night at LIM 2012, David Morrell spoke again and this time he indicated that he was making a correction to his previous keynote. I couldn't wait to get out of that banquet room so I could pull him aside and let him know that I didn't consider his keynote a correction, but a wealth of additional input that will hopefully serve both authors and readers. To paraphrase, he reminded authors that the book business isn't just about marketing, and that they should look deep inside themselves and write the stories they are meant to write. Forget about chasing the "market" when writing, just write from within yourself. It is some of the best advice I've heard in a long time. Because when you write the right book the way it is supposed to be written, it will ultimately be the greatest gift you can give readers. I have said this before, but it bears repeating, David Morrell is not only a brilliant writer, but also a brilliantly inspiring person.

[image error]Aside from the keynote, there were a number of other awesome events, including one of my favorites, The Chicagoland "Those Were the Days Radio Players," who perform actual radio shows as they were performed in their glory days. It is an amazing thing to watch and I hope they continue to do the shows each year.

Well, I've gone on a bit. I'll pop out for now, but stop back by later in the week to read my next LIM 2012 post, "Burning Bridges: or 5 things you should have known before attending LIM 2012."

Until then…

Lightbulb!

I am always surprised when people say something won't work. Been hearing this about Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads for a while. Here are a few key things everyone should remember.

 You only get out what you put in.
 Nothing is easy.
 You get what you pay for.

They are all pretty much the same thing, but roll into one giant idea. All three of those networks sell books. FOR SURE. I can track numerous sales to my activity on all three networks. How? Interaction. I give away books on all three. I have thousands of friends, followers, buddies, whatever, on all of them.

When I first starting networking years ago, I was happy with 100 of my closest friends and family, until I realized I wasn't selling any books. At some point I had a moment…"Lightbulb!" –Gru

I wasn't getting anything out of any of those because I wasn't putting anything into. I decided to give it a three month effort and see what happened. So I began upping my friends, etc. As my followers increased, I started a huge rise in my sales. Now when I say huge, I mean from ZERO sales to 4 or 5. I know, it isn't much, but 4 or 5 after two years of zip, nothing, nada…I was tickled. So I kept at it. Then I started having months where I was selling dozens of books and stories. Holy crap…could it be?

Now keep in mind, these were my ONLY forms of promotion…period. It could be nothing else. So I ramped it up a bit more. So at this point, about 6 months later, I was hitting triple digits on some of my books/stories. Lesson? IT TAKES EFFORT.

Don't say nobody on Facebook cares what you had for dinner. I have people ask.

Don't say the senseless chatter on Twitter is of interest to anyone. I have a couple people who REMIND me when it is time to go get my hair done so I can post the pics of my new dos. Seriously.

And as far as GoodReads goes…it is a site for READERS. Seriously folks, they are LOOKING for books to buy and the key search function on GoodReads is Amazon.com. This must click somewhere for someone. The more people you interact with the better your chances of selling them a book or two.

Last example. Yesterday, I posted a recommendation on GoodReads to go buy our new Steampunk anthology, "Her Majesty's Mysterious Conveyance." Within ten minutes we had sold five Kindle downloads. Coinkidink? I think not.

Good promo doesn't have to be expensive, but it will take time and effort, and often that time is far more valuable than money.

Tagged: author promotion, Facebook, GoodReads, Gru, social networking, Twitter

One Mountain at a Time (Guest Blog: Thomas Wilson)

I was asked if I would write a post explaining about overcoming obstacles and finding my "Happy Place."

Let me preface this post with the fact that I'm one of those people who can pick up a book and teach myself almost anything I want to learn. Two major failures in this category have been English and Calculus. These two subjects make it apparent that I'll have to go back to the basics with the care of a good and patient instructor to make any new headway.

If I never learn how to do calculus before I die, it will be all right. It falls into the category of things I'd like to learn, along with playing the piano. I taught myself about music and can read sheet music; I just can't keep a beat to save my life. I have to put my hands in my pockets at church in order to keep from falling in with the crowd if they start clapping. I'd rather not advertise to the entire church how challenged I actually am because I have no rhythm.

English, I am probably going to have to figure out a solution to learning. I never dreamed I would become an author!

What obstacles?

Let's start with writing every day. It takes time, that one thing that we all never have enough of. Secondly, my old computer was antiquated to say the least, and the version of Word I had didn't interface with anything on new machines. Thirdly, why would you expend all this effort and time with no guarantee it will even sell, or that I have any talent at writing whatsoever.

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As I started this quest, something strange and unexpected happened.

My biggest hang up at first were my horrid English skills. The ladies of my book club said they could help edit my work as a group in order to help me get started. This was good and bad. Good, because I was forced to start writing more of the story down in order to stay ahead of where they were reading, this got me writing from month to month as we only meet once a month. Bad, because to use this method one book would take three years to get edited–once!

I shelved the book they were helping me with and picked my worst and least developed story to begin writing with the goal of finishing one story. In 2010, I finished the rough draft of "Whisper," my first book. I'd picked that book because I knew it would always be my first and worst book of all time. The other story can wait until my skill as an author rises to meet the caliber of story it is in order to do it justice. From what I've read of authors whose work I admire, that will be a million words published or ten books whichever comes first. They say it takes that long to find your style and niche. I didn't believe them then, but I do now. Elements of my writing style are just now emerging as I endeavor to write my third and fourth books.

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That still left editing! I found a friend of a friend many states away that was retired and used to be an English teacher who agreed to edit my first book for free. While she worked on it, I started and finished the rough draft of my second book, "No Rules Of Engagement." By December of 2010, I'd written two novels, and was almost done editing the first one. For Christmas my wife bought me a new laptop. Next, I installed Microsoft Office 2010 with the new Word. One by one, I was knocking my way through the obstacles.

I spent a considerable amount of time researching the publishing industry, types of publishing, the terminology, reading what authors had to say about writing, and publishing, learning about writers' rights, and the plethora of horror stories about authors, agents, and trying to get published. I decided with myself being an unknown quantity, no following, no money to invest, and being impatient, I decided to join the revolution which was just getting under way known as self-publishing. "Whisper" could have been edited better, much better, but ready or not, I self published it for no other reason than to just see if I could.

After publishing "Whisper," I found a new editor and started making corrections to "No Rules Of Engagement." It became apparent, very quickly, that the entire book needed to be re-written. That's the last thing I wanted to do. I'd already been doing nothing but editing since October on my first book. I'm so grateful to my editor for dragging me around the corner toward the light, and that I re-wrote and edited the entire book. It took me until the end of August 2011. The sad part is, I still missed a lot of mistakes, though not through a lack of effort.

The strange thing that happened during the last year was that I'd been worried about burning the candle at both ends. In the evenings, after my two boys went to bed, I'd write or edit from 8:00 p.m. or so for four to five hours almost every night of the week. I worked harder than I've ever worked in my life with no end in sight. Instead of my life coming apart at the seams, the opposite happened. I had the best year ever at my day job. I became a better father and husband. My body adjusted to the long hours. I found out that most of the time I was happier than I'd ever been in my life.

I realized the source of this phenomenon was that I was doing what I loved. This made all the difference in the world. Everything else was a means to get back to my writing. The writing, and even the editing, became my passion, my release, a daily mini vacation. It was still work, but I wanted to do it.

You grow up hearing about how God has a special gift for everybody, that we all have a purpose, and I'd found mine. At first I got upset that it had taken me forty-five years to find it. Then I realized that if I'd discovered this at age twenty-one there's no way I'd be as good as I am now. It took forty-five years of seasoning, wearing different hats, massive amounts of reading, and life experiences to make me who I am now.

Last year at this time I didn't know if I'd really be able to publish my first book, or if it would be any good. In the last year, I discovered I could do it and I did. I'm a good author and my books are selling more each month with no advertising and very little promotion. I published my second book. I've arranged to make both books available in paperback and have actually been asked to sign copies of for family, friends, and fans. I'll only be as good as my editor. With a great editor, I have the potential to be a great author.

I implore anybody who is reading this, that if you haven't found your special gift or passion in life, keep searching. I'll give you a hint: It'll be something you enjoy doing. Something you'll do whether you get paid or not. It'll transform your life. New vistas of opportunities you didn't even know were there will open before you. There won't be enough hours in the day to do all you want to do. You'll jump out of bed in the morning with drive, direction, and purpose to get on with the things you want to do. You'll be more serene and happier than you can imagine. Success is the journey, not a destination!

There is no obstacle that should keep us from our Happy Place!

Thomas D. Wilson

Author of  "Whisper" and "No Rules Of Engagement"

Check me out on http://about.me/StorytellerTDW

See My Author Page at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StorytellerTDW

Follow My Blog at http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/

Follow me on Twitter at StorytellerTDW

Be Still My Heart (Contest)

Every author craves reviews for their books. We love to hear what our readers think. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes not, but we want to know. Bottom line is we all want to be loved by readers. Rumor has it, reviews even sell books.

I am looking for reviews for all of my works, short stories and novels. Here's what I'm gonna do.

You can read any of my published works and when you post your review into the comments section of this Blog post, you will be entered to win one of three lovely prizes…or my version of lovely prizes.

Post your review by Midnight February 13, 2012 to qualify.

1 person will receive a $25.00 GC to Amazon.com.
1 person will receive a signed print copy of "Lost and Found."
1 person will receive a FREE eBook download of any of my books.

Here's the catch. I need to see at least 25 reviews to give away the Gift Certificate. If I don't receive 25 reviews, I will only give away the 2nd and 3rd items.

I would love it if you would post your reviews all over the place, but it's only required that you do it on my Blog for this contest. I can be flexible.

Here is what I have out there. You can find them at Amazon/Kindle, BN.com/Nook,  Smashwords, OmniLit, and all manner of other places that sell books and eBooks.

Lost and Found (Novel)
Dark Shines My Love (Novel)
Too Fast for Love (Novella)
Seducing Cupid (Short Story)
Devlin's Wicked Wish (Short Story)
An Angel's Wish (Short Story)

It Never Gets Old

Almost 11 years ago, we started Echelon Press. It was a huge endeavor and there were times I honestly thought it would die a horrible death, but thanks to the support of many wonderful authors, we have continued to grow. When the company began, we had no authors and nothing to publish. So we did what any desperate small publisher would do–we published our own stuff.

The first book published by Echelon Press back then was my novel, Lost and Found. It was a fun novel to write and over the years I've never tired of reading it again myself. It's one of my favorites. Well, the original cover (my own fault for demanding that design) was not so good and I'm pretty sure that's why the sales were abysmal. So I left it in eBook format and took the print version down.

All these years later, I decided it was just too good to not have out there for all the world to read. So after many rounds of editing…I hate being edited…it was reissued in an updated eBook format. Several months later, and more rounds of editing…does that shit never end?…I have finally received copies of the new print version of Lost and Found.

Now, you can go and buy the eBook at all kinds of online retailers, and you can go and buy it at Amazon in print.

But wait! There is another option. You can get your very own personally signed copy directly from me. That's right. Send $15.00 via Paypal to echelonpress@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll sign and send you a copy. How damn cool is that?

They make great gifts for the romance novel reader in your life and Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

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Have You Read Origins by Sean Hayden?

You can help pick a real winner!

The Paranormal Romance Guild is happy to announce your Book has been chosen as one of the Best Reads in 2011 by our reviewers and we are having a contest for readers to choose the winner…Voting will be on our site www.paranormalromanceguild.com. All nominees can be seen if you click here.

Voting will begin at 9 am on the 6th of January EST. We hope fans of Origins will visit the site and cast their vote for it.

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Good Money Gone Where?

Okay, I had a couple authors come to me today and ask about advertising and what to pay and where. Let's clarify a few things. I am not one for flushing money down the toilet.

Promotion: the act of furthering the growth or development of something; especially: the furtherance of the acceptance and sale of merchandise through advertising, publicity, or discounting

Advertising: the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements

Publicity: a: an act or device designed to attract public interest; specifically: information with news value issued as a means of gaining public attention or support

b : the dissemination of information or promotional material

c : paid advertising

As an author it is imperative that you do something. If you do a combination of either of the latter two, you are automatically doing the first. It simply isn't feasible or sane to think you can sell books without doing something, whether you pay for it or not.

The question is, when do you do what? I have some strong opinions on this and you can take them or leave them.

I am not a huge fan of advertising on the whole, but there are situations when I think you can get some value from paying to be seen. Newspapers/Magazines, not so much. Readers/consumers have become desensitized to advertising, so a general ad to sell books in a newspaper/magazine is useless because you are competing with beer, bras, boats, cars, houses, politicians, etc. Those are the things people expect to see and notice in the newspapers/magazines. Books probably don't even garner a glance.

If you want to make an ad pay off for you, then make certain you focus on your specific market. The point in question today is, what is the benefit of advertising in a conference/convention program/newsletter? The answer is targeted marketing.

The people (consumers) who see the ad in a con program are at the con because they read/write/love books. It is simple. They will go through that program page by page to see what is in it and what they can do or get from that con. They want to get the biggest bang for their buck, just like us. Do you have to be at the con to benefit? No way. Sometime better if you are not. It takes the pressure off the consumer if they can't buy right now. They don't have to deal with the guilt.

As a rule, when I go to a con I use that program the entire time I am there. That means I open and close and peruse that thing a gazillion times over the course of 3 or 4 days. Each time I open it, I see the things printed in it, including the ads. Have I ever bought anything from a program ad? You bet. I have found books in a few by authors I never would have heard of had I not seen them and their books in the program.

How much is too much? This ad that brought up this question is costing each author $80.00. The ad will be seen by a minimum of 200 people, people who are actually looking. You figure that each of them may see the ad 3 times. This makes your price per view (600 views) .13333333 (and so on). To me, that is not bad. If you did a Facebook ad, you might be looking as high as .50 per view with no guaranteed views. Ads can be very expensive. Want to see if your heart is still beating? Check out the ad rates for Publishers Weekly. I've seen ad rates for con programs go as high as $1200 for a business card sized ad. I've seen higher, but my eye twitches to think about it.

I don't do a lot of program ads, but I very carefully select the ones I do. The key is trial and error. Nothing happens overnight. If you are expecting to put an ad anywhere and see immediate results, then you are insane. I mean seriously insane.

Now, a quick note about publicity. This is generally free. How do you get publicity? You make news. What kind of news? Whatever kind you can. I have been criticized for saying this in the past, but go out and do something to make you look good. Self-serving? Hell yes, but it also serves a purpose. Here are some potential Press Release headers that might give you ideas.

*Local Author Serves Christmas Dinner to the Homeless*

*Teen Author Runs Half Marathon to Benefit Blood Cancer Research*

*Local Author Gives Writer Workshop at Local Middle School*

*Local Author Gives Free Writing Workshop at Local Library*

*Local Author Walks to Benefit American Heart Association*

Get the point? Sure, you may be doing those things just to get publicity, but this is a two-sided coin. Anything you do in your community (or any community) to get publicity probably also has a benefit to the community. I honestly believe it is okay to get something back if you are actually giving.

Organize a Chili Cook-Off at your church or YMCA. Get 20 friends to walk 10 miles and donate the pledges to a local charity. Spend a day at your local animal shelter on their adoption days. You are doing a public service and there is NOTHING wrong with writing a press release to let people know you are doing it, then have done it. It takes some effort, but we all know that what you give, you get back tenfold. Karma ain't just a bitch, she can be kind.

Authors should be sending out at least one press release a month. The first few might not hit, but after they see your name and releases a few times, they will take notice. Just be patient and be active. Sitting back on your laurels will do nothing but make your butt spread wider.

Promotion is the key. How you do it is up to you, but if you want to sell books, you better be willing to do something, or you might as well grow rocks.

Tagged: advertising, Marketing, money, promoting

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2012!

Well, I've done it. I just signed up to do the Book Chick City Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2012!

I read a ton of books each year and I always write reviews, so I might as well get them out to a wider audience.

During the year I will post my reviews on here as well as my other usual haunts. Reading mysteries? Why don't you sign up with me?