Karen L. Syed's Blog, page 13

I am a Stupid Magnet

Yes, that's right. I attract stupid. Not everything/everyone that comes to me is stupid, but if it/they are stupid, they will find me like a moth to flame…does that make me hot?

Oh, the point. Went out today, standing in Wal-Mart book section. Lady looking for romance novels. She is looking at covers, reading blurbs, and looking for author pictures. Yes, pictures. She's mumbling to herself as she picks up book after book and then puts them back down.

I am just watching, wondering what her criteria is for actually putting one in her cart. Finally she notices me staring…I didn't mean to. She says, "Do you read romance?"

I smile, and say, "Yes, I do. I have for as long as I can remember."

She shakes her head and pulls a book off the shelf and hands it to me. She opens to the back of the book and says, "Why is it that all romance authors are fat?"

I look at her, my mouth hanging open…I can only stare more. "Um…er…"

"I know, it's horrible," she goes on. "If they aren't fat when they start writing, they get fatter with each book."

I snap out of it and hand the book back to her. I am about to walk away when she hands me another book, open to the picture. I pretend to look.

"I have weight problems of my own," she tells me. "I don't want to read stuff written by fat gals."

I hand the book back and step away. I had a purpose for being in that aisle. She continues to jabber at me.

"Every day I go to work and am surrounded by fat people. It just really bothers me how people let themselves go."

Keep in mind she's already admitted to having a weight problem.

"People should take more pride in themselves and if they don't then they should not go out and be around people." She smiles at me, and then says. " So what kind of work do you do?"

I think about this for a minute, and I considered telling her I was a freaking super model, but decide to go a different direction. I look her right in the eyes and say, "I've written and published eight romance novels."

I hear her mumbling, "Oh really," as I walk away and turn out of the aisle.

I swear to God I wish I could make this stuff up when I'm writing. It is all so damn priceless. I wasn't going to mention this, but then I saw and article on Facebook that kinda set me off a little and I decided I needed to vent a little. The article is at http://feelgoodstyle.com/2011/12/05/lizzie-miller/

Help me discover the mysteries of eReaders

I have been reading eBooks for over a decade now and I will never give them up. As a publisher, I have had to try and learn everything there is to know about every aspect of the electronic book industry and I am failing horribly. Okay, not so much failing, as finding it impossible to keep up.

Every day someone comes to me and asks me to explain eBooks and eBook readers to them. I am fine with the eBook part, but my experience with the eReaders is very limited. I would like to ask you all to tell us about your experiences with your eBook reader.

1. What eBook reader(s) do you own or have you owned?

2. What factors played the key roles in your purchase decision?

3. What is your favorite eBook reader?

4. Please tell us 3 things you love about your favorite eBook reader.

5. Please tell us 3 things you hate about your least favorite eBook reader.

Your answers are greatly appreciated. There are so many people out there who want to know what "real" people think.

Want a FREE copy of my latest romance, Lost and Found? First ten people who comment on this post and *send me an email with their address will get a FREE download.

*Make sure you send me an email, it is those emails that get you counted after you comment.

Click cover for more info.

Why Would You Do That?

And here we go again. I have been doing a LOT of reading this past couple weeks and I have run across a few things that are really bothering me. Huh, imagine, me complaining about something. Whooda thunk it? What am I bitchin' about this time, you ask?

Well, it's a POV (point of view) issue. I keep reading things that just don't work for me. If we are clearly in the protagonist's head, we should not read things like:

"If you are going to kill me, then do it now." Her steely eyes flared with white-hot anger as she stared at the murderer before her. "I am not afraid to die.

Really? She is looking at a murderer, not herself in the mirror. Do you think like this when you are in a situation?

Or maybe:

Gale stared longingly at Bob. She tossed her wavy auburn tresses back over her slender shoulder, radiant with desire.

Okay, that one is almost verbatim but  changed the names to protect the goofy.

Seriously writers, think about what is happening in your scene and if you are clearly in a characters POV, then PLEASE, for the love of Pete and Mike, don't put in your goofy adverb-riddled descriptions just to impress the reader, or worse yet, pad your word count. It is lazy and distracting. Would Gale really think this about herself as she looked at Bob?

And while I'm at it. Don't do things like:

Jesse smiled at her new husband. "Drake, you can't imagine how happy you have made today." Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought she might explode with desire for him. "I never dreamed I would be so lucky as to marry a man like you." Drake realized at that moment how lucky he was. "Drake, please kiss me."

Okay, it is one paragraph, pick a POV and go with it. I used to be a POV purist. One POV per scene, no exceptions, then I started reading Nora Roberts. You can either be a POV purist or you can enjoy her stuff.

At the very least, don't change POV multiple times in one paragraph. It is just downright confusing and it really pisses me off when I read it. Especially if I am liking a story and then this starts happening.

So, for the sake of your readers and your career, pay attention and keep it all clean and in perspective.

You may adjourn to the rest of your life now.

Tagged: Nora Roberts, Point of View, readers

Love Me if You Must by Nicole Young (A Patricia Amble Mystery #1)

Click Cover for FREE eBook at Kindle

This book showed me once again that the saying you get what you pay for isn't always accurate. I would not have been at all disappointed if I had paid for this book. I love that I can find books on Kindle for free to discover new authors and I am definitely adding Young to my list.

While the book is not your typical mystery, it offers up a pretty good cast of characters who make great suspects. The story in itself is not typical, but I found it fresh and I loved the new career choice. Quite tired of reading about coffee, tea, cats, and quilting. Home renovation and house flipping being so popular, I hope others will find the treasure here.

Tish is trying to start over, again, and this time she has chosen a Victorian house to renovate and flip. Trouble is, from the moment she arrives, the town seems too eager to sweep her into their drama and mayhem. From a serious case of mistaken identity to a romantic triangle to challenge the ages, Tish is up to her tool belt in trouble. Then there is the whole body in her basement thing…or is it too? It all depends on who's counting.

I did find a few parts of the book questionable in the logic, but come on people, it's fiction! And some of the things that bothered other readers had the opposite effect on me because I could really relate. Life isn't always perfect, and sometimes people do crazy things…it keeps things interesting. The heroine had some seriously wishy-washy moments, but who the hell hasn't?

The plot is solid, the characters are clever, and overall the mystery is a good one. And for the record, I was not disappointed in anything the jacket copy offered. Nicole Young is now on my pay to read list. You should give it a try: your opinion might be closer to mine than to the naysayers.

Several Amazon reviewers complained about the horrible mistakes in the writing, but honestly, I am sitting here trying to recall them, but I guess I was so entertained by the story that I missed them, and I'm an editor.

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina (Steampunk Novel)

Click Cover to buy at Kindle

I could not put this book down. Lady Claire is a treasure of a character. With spunk, brains, and a heart of gold, this gal is well worht the time invested in getting to know her and her merry band of rag-tag ladies and gentlemen.

I've read some Steampunk novels that try to hard to impress you with all the technical descriptions that they forget that stories shoudl be about people as well. Shelly Adina has given us the best of both. She made me want to know more about all the gadgets and such, but kept me rooting for each and every character as they made their next discovery or change.

With a lot of heart and interesting things to keep you reading, I hope that this series finds the succes I think it deserves. Well-written and intriguing, I only wish there had been a bit more of a resolution at the end of this story. i am on my way to buy the next one, but felt a litle let down when I realized I had reached the end.

Overall, a great read.

Just My Opinion

Okay, a funny thing happened to me the other day. I submitted a review to Amazon.com and it was rejected. You heard me, REJECTED! I was flabbergasted, flummoxed, furious…you get the point. I can't even tell you how this has affected me. The worst thing is, I have no clear reason as to why it was rejected. I got a standard form letter that gave a couple of reasons, none of which my reviews falls into.

This came at a time when one of the groups I am in has been discussing this very thing, so I posted my review to the group, hoping for some insight. I got some. But I also heard a couple of people say that since I mentioned in the review that I was the publisher, they probably considered the review as advertising and that if they saw a review written by the publisher they would move on because it would be utterly meaningless to them as a reader (please note: I respect this person and their opinions very much and I am not in any way knocking them, just using their words as an example of what I have gotten from others.)

My question to you is, why is a publisher's review any less valuable than anyone else's? Shouldn't it hold some weight since the publisher picked the book from possibly hundreds of others because it was better, stood out more, or more interesting than the others they could have published? Shouldn't it matter that the publisher was willing and eager to put their time and money into that book, thereby giving it more value in their opinion? And isn't a publisher simply a reader who cares enough to make other books available to others to read?

I want to know why reader would not care what a publisher thought of a book.

Now I am promoting, dang it. Click here to BUY NOW at Kindle. Only $.99

Below is the review I tried to post and the note I got from Amazon.com.

This review is from: Totally Buzzed (Miller Sisters Mystery) (Paperback)

If you haven't been to White Bass Lake, WI and met the Miller sisters, you are really missing out.

There are times as a publisher that you wonder what you have gotten yourself into, this is one of those times, but for a different reason. "Totally Buzzed" by Gale Borger is totally kick-butt whimsical. The story is solid with a good plot and a nice little mystery, but it's the characters that shine in this humorous romp. I am so glad I took a chance and published it.

You really have to wonder if murder should be so dang funny, but Gale knows her stuff and if you don't laugh out loud as you are reading, you should have someone check your pulse.

The Miller family is so much like a normal family, you may just think you are related to them.

The first book in a series, this one is a real gem and I encourage everyone to read it, especially if your day hasn't been so good. It's a real pick-me-up.

Amazon's Rejection:

Written reviews must be at least 20 words long. The ideal length is 75 to 500 words.
Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it. Feedback on the seller or your shipment experience should be provided at www.amazon.com/feedback.
We do not allow profane or obscene content. This applies to adult products too.
Advertisements, promotional material or repeated posts that make the same point excessively are considered spam.
Please do not include URLs external to Amazon or personally identifiable content in your review.

We welcome your honest opinion about products – positive or negative. We do not remove reviews because they are critical. We believe all helpful information can inform our customers’ buying decisions. If you have questions about the product or opinions that do not fit the review format, please feel free to use the Customer Discussions feature on the product page.

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Drop and give me four!

Oh my gosh. I have been trying to read more Blogs lately, see what's going on with the rest of the industry and other authors. I have seen a couple of names popping up in some of the same places as mine and I was more than a little annoyed with these people. Why, you ask? Of course you do!

Signature lines.

I know people consider signature lines a small thing, but not when they are 16 and 21 lines long. Seriously? Yes. That is the length of two sig lines that I keep seeing. In most cases, their sig lines are longer than their comments and in my opinion that is just rude. You may not care what I think, but consider other readers who look at all those lines and the fact that you felt the need to share every detail of your writing career with them on someone else's Blog. Not cool, man.

After all these years on the Internet, I have discovered one thing holds true for almost all forums, groups, and the like. 4 lines. That's FOUR max! In many cases, if you include more than 4 lines in your sig, moderators will delete your posts without them ever seeing the light of day. How do I know this? Experience.

Have you not learned from reading my blog that nearly everything I post about is based on my own personal experience?

So let's be a little courteous to our fellow Bloggers and DROP those extra lines. Keep it simple. Need examples?

Karen L. Syed, President, Echelon Press LLC

http://www.echelonpress.com

or

Karen L. Syed, author of Devlin's Wicked Wish

http://tinyurl.com/kls-dww-smash  (FREE)

Twitter: @echelonpress

or even

Karen L. Syed, President, Echelon Press LLC

http://www.echelonpress.com

author of Dark Shines My Love

http://tinyurl.com/kls-dsml-kindle

Click Cover to Dwnload FREE eBook

See how easy that is? If you are really clever you can turn your titles into buy links, but I like to use tinyurls in case there is a formatting issue, they can see what the links should be and I don't miss out on potential sales. And it's okay to make your sig lines a bit clever. After all, you are trying to attract people to t he information and clever works.

So here is your chance. Post your signature line in the comments here and at the end of the day I will choose the most cleverly implemented sig line and the winner will get a $5.00 Gift Certificate as my special Halloween treat (cause candy is bad for your teeth.)

So tell your friends to drop by this post for their chance to win.

Tagged: blogs, eBook, Echelon Press, free eBook, GIft Certificate, Halloween, Karen L. Syed, professionalism, signature lines [image error] [image error]

If you can't take the heat…

[image error]Well, my morning started off pretty good, and just took a nosedive into the crapper. What I am about to tell you should not upset me, it should not even matter to me, but it does…for so many reasons.

Yesterday I was directed to a Blog post by a relatively new author who is documenting the marketing journey. I read through the Blog and was impressed with the information the author shared. I did, however, notice a few things that were a little short on info. I took a little while and posted a comment. I did praise the author, but I also suggested a few things that I thought might be helpful, like adding the email contact to the Blog so people could contact the author without having to go through a public comment. I made a few other suggestions, nothing bad, nothing too serious, nothing out of line.

I went back in today to check on the blog and see what was new and I discovered that my post has been deleted. There was no moderation (I'm pretty sure the post went up straight away), it is just gone. The only posts left up are the posts that specifically praise the author. This makes me sad and it leads me to my point.

If you can't take the heat in the publishing industry stop publishing books. If you don't want people to post their true thoughts and comments on your Blog, then don't Blog. I am certain there are things that should be deleted, but a helpful and supportive comment isn't one of them…especially from a publisher (not just me, ANY publisher.

I am a publisher. I do have things to share, and some of them actually have some value. But I can tell you, after this, I will think long and hard before I share any suggestions or advice with others–even if I think it will help them. My husband often tells me I am too giving with my knowledge and experience and that I should just let people learn things themselves, the hard way, like I did. I am beginning to think he might be right. He says I will help anyone with anything, but when I need help, I always get the cold shoulder. I just tell him it is the way the business works. But today has made me realize that this is not how it should work. You get what you give and quite honestly, I'm kinda tired of giving and not getting anything back.

[image error]D.M. Anderson: I want to thank you for your comments this morning on my editing and to let you know how deeply they are appreciated. It makes this new bit of "life" a little easier to get past…in a minute…

You have earned a shameless plug for your book.

[OmniLit][Kindle][KindleUK][KindleGE][KindleFR]

This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. You should read for yourself!

Tagged: business, D.M. ANderson, karen syed, Killer Cows, professionalism, publishing, respect, writers, Writing

Get the Hell Off My Stage

Okay, it has been a while since I posted a note ranting about something that annoys me. Shocking, I know! Today's rant was going to be about wonderful husbands who piss you off, but I am opting not to go that route at this point. Instead, I want to talk about Social Networking Etiquette.

If you know me, you know that I am a HUGE advocate for social networking, both for personal and professional purposes. When I'm not moving, I can almost always be found on either Facebook or Twitter (Tweetdeck). As a person, I find it very cool to interact and chat with others who may or may not share any common ground with me. Most of the news/current events I get are from Tweets. I don't like to read the news or watch it on TV, but I probably need to know what is going on in the world, so I watch the tweets.

Click Cover to Buy eBook at Smashwords

My other favorite place to be is Facebook. I use this both personally (Family Tree connections) and for business. As a publisher and an author, it is crucial that people know me and what I write and publish. Facebook works for me. What doesn't work for me is other authors who shake their groove thang on my stage. I do not go to other people's pages and leave shameless snippets of promotion about my books. I just don't do it. If I post to someone else's wall it is either personal or something funny or awesome that I thought they would enjoy. I know for a fact that they would NOT enjoy me promoting Dark Shines My Love on their wall. It is much the same as you bringing your tuba playing son to my daughter's ballet recital. Okay, your son may not play the tuba and I don't have a daughter, but you see my point. Right?

So why would you friend me on Facebook and then start leaving links and excerpts for your book on my wall? Why? Do you want me to unfriend you? Do you do this to everyone? Leave a comment about something relative and add a link (one link) to your website, fine. I can live with that, even encourage it. But nothing more.

The other thing is groups. If I want to be a member of your group, I will seek it out and join. Do not take it upon yourself to add me to your group because you think I will enjoy it. I can promise you I won't, and it will just make me post nasty comments about you. I know, not professional, but neither is assuming someone wants to do something without giving them a choice. Delete it, you say. Unjoin, you say. Why should I have to take that time out of my schedule to undo something I didn't do in the first place?

I beg of you, please think things through before you do them online. It isn't rocket science, it is just common courtesy.

So, now that I have ranted, tell me what you hate others to do on social networking sites.

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Is There a Right or Wrong?

 Jenny Milchman, all around great gal, has posted yet another insightful piece on the controversy surrounding the success of or potential world domination by Amazon.com [Amazon: E-volutionary or Reinventing the Wheel?]. Her post stemmed from yet another article in the NYT on the subject [Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal]. The response below is what I replied on her blog, but thought it deserved repeating.

I love what Amazon has done for the industry on both sides. I've shopped at Amazon for years and have loved its convenience. As for the publishing side, they have opened up new doors for so many writers and readers. They have offered a brighter shade of legitimacy to those not published by the legacies. The only problem is, booksellers don't seem to get that it is not all or nothing. I know many booksellers think Amazon is the cause of them losing business, but I have said this before and I will say it again: lack of customer service is what drives business away, along with higher prices.

It is not Amazon's fault it has more money to buy books at a lower per unit price. It is their good fortune to have that capital. What I have noticed over the last decade is that so many (not all by any means) indie booksellers have gotten angry at the industry that is shifting and growing around them, and have almost given up. They don't offer the old-fashion kind of CS that takes them away from their desks/counters to lead a person to the book they are looking for. They don't have time to be pleasant when someone comes in at the last minute before the store closes. And in so many cases (from my personal experiences) they are unwilling to carry, or even special order books from authors and publishers they "don't like or support." I cannot even count how many indie stores have refused to carry Echelon books or host our authors, or even special order because they don't "consider" us a real publisher. {{insert colorful expletives here}}.

[image error]Things change and Amazon does so well because people simply don't expect those things from a web site. Log on, get your stuff, log off, wait for delivery. No grumpy salespeople, no waiting in lines, nobody ramming their overloaded basket into the small of your back…over and over…and no traffic. They are very small prices to pay for not getting them in hand immediately. Most of us are okay with that if it saves us money.

Don't dis Amazon because they are successful. You still have a choice. Don't like what they do or how they do it, don't shop with them. It's pretty simple. But don't make them out to be bad guys because they are good at what they do.

KS