L.A. Hilden's Blog, page 3
January 8, 2012
March 22, 2011
A Heat Index on books
Since my book, A Necessary Heir was released last year, I've gained some reviews, which have been quite good and have made me very happy. Nevertheless, I realize that some readers aren't aware there are sex scenes in my historical romances, which got me thinking...should I put some kind of heat index on the back of my books? Love to hear your thoughts?
March 13, 2011
Historical accuracy, a must?
Hello Everyone,
So I was over on the Amazon boards and came upon this discussion about historical accuracy and how important it is in novels. And I have to say I was amazed by the responses. People seemed to tend not to care if their historicals are accurate. As a history major and a historical romance writer I have to say this conversation took me somewhat by surprise. Yesterday, I had made myself check the word shenanigan which I used in my Regecy and realized it was an Americanism from the 1850's. See I knew that word had just not sounded right. Perhaps errors don't bother people but they drive me crazy. So what are your thoughts? How important is accuracy to you?
So I was over on the Amazon boards and came upon this discussion about historical accuracy and how important it is in novels. And I have to say I was amazed by the responses. People seemed to tend not to care if their historicals are accurate. As a history major and a historical romance writer I have to say this conversation took me somewhat by surprise. Yesterday, I had made myself check the word shenanigan which I used in my Regecy and realized it was an Americanism from the 1850's. See I knew that word had just not sounded right. Perhaps errors don't bother people but they drive me crazy. So what are your thoughts? How important is accuracy to you?
March 6, 2011
Smashwords E-Book Week
Hello everyone,
Just wanted to let people know Smashwords is doing a free promotion to celebrate 40 years of E-Books. March 6-12. I've taken this opportunity to discount A Necessary Heir 25% off. It's very easy to do and I hope it will be a great promotion.
Just wanted to let people know Smashwords is doing a free promotion to celebrate 40 years of E-Books. March 6-12. I've taken this opportunity to discount A Necessary Heir 25% off. It's very easy to do and I hope it will be a great promotion.
January 31, 2011
My Google Adword Ad
Hello everyone,
So I decided to give google's advertising a shot and here are my results. I began the campaign on Jan 15th and let it run until Jan 22nd. I set the limit at a 10 dollar a day budget and put 50 dollars in my account. They charge a 5 dollar start up fee. Then I entered a bunch of key words. The most popular key word was Historical Fiction. I received most of my clicks from the keyword Barnes and Noble and most of my impressions from the keyword Amazon.
So this is how it looks on the high and low. On the 15 of Jan I received 17 clicks costing me 12 dollars. On the 19th I only received 2 clicks costing me.63 cents. By the time the campaign was over I received 83 clicks. I then owed google another $13.28 on top of my fifty.
Now the question is: How did this help me? Truthfully, I have no idea. While I could visually see my fan base increase when I did a Facebook Ad, with Google Ads, I have no idea if this Ad led to any sales, and I know it did not add any fans to my FB page.
Has anyone else tried Google Ads? What were your results? Do you believe it helped your sales?
So I decided to give google's advertising a shot and here are my results. I began the campaign on Jan 15th and let it run until Jan 22nd. I set the limit at a 10 dollar a day budget and put 50 dollars in my account. They charge a 5 dollar start up fee. Then I entered a bunch of key words. The most popular key word was Historical Fiction. I received most of my clicks from the keyword Barnes and Noble and most of my impressions from the keyword Amazon.
So this is how it looks on the high and low. On the 15 of Jan I received 17 clicks costing me 12 dollars. On the 19th I only received 2 clicks costing me.63 cents. By the time the campaign was over I received 83 clicks. I then owed google another $13.28 on top of my fifty.
Now the question is: How did this help me? Truthfully, I have no idea. While I could visually see my fan base increase when I did a Facebook Ad, with Google Ads, I have no idea if this Ad led to any sales, and I know it did not add any fans to my FB page.
Has anyone else tried Google Ads? What were your results? Do you believe it helped your sales?
January 13, 2011
Results from my FB Ad
Hello, So recently I decided to promote my Facebook Fan page with an Ad. Since I've never done this, I was curious what the results would be and thought to share them.
So placing the Ad was easy, a simple click to promote your page and it walks you through the process.
I set my Ad up on January 1, 2011 and put a stop date of January 16, 2011, since I didn't know how far my fifty dollars would go. I made fifty dollars the max for the term of this Ad, since this was a trial.
Before the Ad I had 56 fans. By 1-6-11 I had 64 fans and by 1-9-11 I had 69 fans. By 1-12-11, the fifty dollars was gone and my current total is 69.
The majority of clicks were done on the weekends with Saturday being the peak and Wednesday the low.
So placing the Ad was easy, a simple click to promote your page and it walks you through the process.
I set my Ad up on January 1, 2011 and put a stop date of January 16, 2011, since I didn't know how far my fifty dollars would go. I made fifty dollars the max for the term of this Ad, since this was a trial.
Before the Ad I had 56 fans. By 1-6-11 I had 64 fans and by 1-9-11 I had 69 fans. By 1-12-11, the fifty dollars was gone and my current total is 69.
The majority of clicks were done on the weekends with Saturday being the peak and Wednesday the low.
January 7, 2011
Cursing and the f-bomb
When is it okay for your heroine to let the F-bomb fly? This came up in another blog I was on a few weeks back, and I thought to discuss it further on my site. The reason for this discussion is because one of the heroines in my Destiny Series, Desirea Leighton, a Hollywood starlit (think Brittany Spears or Lindsay Lohan but without all the trouble those two have managed to ensnare themselves in). Now my character Desirea is a modern day heroine swept back to Regency England and she has the worst potty mouth, in truth, cursing is part of her charm.
Of course, ladies never swore in Regency England, ah, I hate the word never, because I believe even the very best of lady’s had a reason to curse on occasion, I refuse to see it any other way. Anger can lead one to harsher words even if the word is as mild as damn, which brings me back to the biggest swear word of them all the F-bomb.
Does the f-word pull a reader out of a book? Are you personally offended if you see the f-word on the page? Perhaps this isn’t such an issue with contemporaries, but what if it’s found littered through the pages of a historical romance novel when the f-word is not expected?
This is the dilemma I’m facing on the writing front. I love Desirea’s character, she’s sassy, brave, and swears like a dockhand, but she’s great and I don’t want to change her. Her words are a part of who she is and her swearing has made for some very fun scenes. And yet I find myself wondering, should I change this one to frik, or should I substitute anther word altogether like the mild hell or damn. And what if hell or damn isn’t harsh enough. I’ve come to the conclusion that sometimes the f-word simply cannot be replaced or the power of the sentence disappears right along with it.
So what are your thoughts?
www.lahilden.com
Of course, ladies never swore in Regency England, ah, I hate the word never, because I believe even the very best of lady’s had a reason to curse on occasion, I refuse to see it any other way. Anger can lead one to harsher words even if the word is as mild as damn, which brings me back to the biggest swear word of them all the F-bomb.
Does the f-word pull a reader out of a book? Are you personally offended if you see the f-word on the page? Perhaps this isn’t such an issue with contemporaries, but what if it’s found littered through the pages of a historical romance novel when the f-word is not expected?
This is the dilemma I’m facing on the writing front. I love Desirea’s character, she’s sassy, brave, and swears like a dockhand, but she’s great and I don’t want to change her. Her words are a part of who she is and her swearing has made for some very fun scenes. And yet I find myself wondering, should I change this one to frik, or should I substitute anther word altogether like the mild hell or damn. And what if hell or damn isn’t harsh enough. I’ve come to the conclusion that sometimes the f-word simply cannot be replaced or the power of the sentence disappears right along with it.
So what are your thoughts?
www.lahilden.com
January 1, 2011
The year of the Rabbit
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the year 2011 is the Year of the rabbit, which begins February 3, 2011 and ends January 22, 2012. The rabbit is a lucky sign, said to bring quiet and respite after the year of the tiger. The rabbit signifies calm, diplomacy, sensitivity, and consideration for others. So 2011 should be a moderate year with an easygoing pace. This sounds good to me. Happy New Year!!!
December 6, 2010
Writing Contests
Entering Writing Contests December 6, 2010
Submitting your book, poem, or blog to a contest and opening up your work for criticism can be difficult, but it can also be a wonderful learning tool. After finishing a novel, I like to enter it in a contest. Feedback from actual readers of my genre is my reward.
Most of us have family members who like to read books, and they’d be happy to read our work, but does your kin read Historical Fiction, do they read Romance with steamy sex scenes? Do they read poems or novellas?
Here’s an important tip when entering a contest, find a contest that will fit your story, do not rewrite your story to fit a contest. If you feel the beginning of your book fairly rockets off the page, then fabulous, most of the entries are for the first 25 pages. If you feel the chemistry between your characters is the highlight, then perhaps the Between the Sheets Contest is for you. My point is regardless what you write, poetry, novels or even blogs, there are contests out there for you to shine and have your words read.
The cons of contests. And of course there are some.
You usually have three judges read your work and truthfully, it seems 7 times out of 10 there is one loony-toony in the bunch. A person who perhaps just didn’t understand what your story or poem was trying to convey, or for some reason they were bent on criticism the day they decided to judge your work. Here’s my advice, read back what all the judges had to say, then put the results away. Trust me, your brain will go over some of the comments in the next few days. Then when you are ready to hear your possible flaws, get your results back out and look for patterns. If two of the three readers commented on the same scene, then you should probably go back and look at the scene. I’m not saying you have to make the changes, just consider them, and see if you can understand the readers’ comments. In A Necessary Heir, I realized I had too much back story in the beginning and once I removed it voilá, finished.
At the bottom of your contest pages, you will be able to see the reader’s credentials for judging your work. Authors tend to be more critical than normal readers, but the comments can be useful and perhaps make your work better than you imagined.
So tell me, have any of you entered any contests lately? I’d love to hear from you.
Submitting your book, poem, or blog to a contest and opening up your work for criticism can be difficult, but it can also be a wonderful learning tool. After finishing a novel, I like to enter it in a contest. Feedback from actual readers of my genre is my reward.
Most of us have family members who like to read books, and they’d be happy to read our work, but does your kin read Historical Fiction, do they read Romance with steamy sex scenes? Do they read poems or novellas?
Here’s an important tip when entering a contest, find a contest that will fit your story, do not rewrite your story to fit a contest. If you feel the beginning of your book fairly rockets off the page, then fabulous, most of the entries are for the first 25 pages. If you feel the chemistry between your characters is the highlight, then perhaps the Between the Sheets Contest is for you. My point is regardless what you write, poetry, novels or even blogs, there are contests out there for you to shine and have your words read.
The cons of contests. And of course there are some.
You usually have three judges read your work and truthfully, it seems 7 times out of 10 there is one loony-toony in the bunch. A person who perhaps just didn’t understand what your story or poem was trying to convey, or for some reason they were bent on criticism the day they decided to judge your work. Here’s my advice, read back what all the judges had to say, then put the results away. Trust me, your brain will go over some of the comments in the next few days. Then when you are ready to hear your possible flaws, get your results back out and look for patterns. If two of the three readers commented on the same scene, then you should probably go back and look at the scene. I’m not saying you have to make the changes, just consider them, and see if you can understand the readers’ comments. In A Necessary Heir, I realized I had too much back story in the beginning and once I removed it voilá, finished.
At the bottom of your contest pages, you will be able to see the reader’s credentials for judging your work. Authors tend to be more critical than normal readers, but the comments can be useful and perhaps make your work better than you imagined.
So tell me, have any of you entered any contests lately? I’d love to hear from you.
December 1, 2010
Publishing
Becoming published in a top publishing house is a daunting and difficult task. With the current recession and e-book soar, the task is Herculean. I’ve often been told that getting your book in front of the right person all comes down to who you know in the industry. I’ve been a member of Romance Writers of America for over ten years, but still, I don’t know a single person in New York.
Skip forward to the digital revolution. As of August 2010, e-books were up 172% (according to 14 publishers sales reports sent to AAP’s monthly sale estimate.) Since e-books are lower priced when compared to hardcovers, this means less money for publishers, so fewer retailers are buying titles, which means there are even less new writers being accepted into a big house.
Given the fact that I loved it when May Chen from Avon told me she liked my voice (really the compliment will probably never leave me) but when I still received a rejection letter from Avon, I was frustrated. So when I purchased my Kindle and began to buy more and more e-books, I thought, why not.
I hired myself a great copy editor, who then recommended someone to design my cover, my webpage, and to format my books. These two people have helped me carve out my dream and bring my books to readers, which is all I ever wanted.
The first book I’m releasing is A Necessary Heir. This story takes place during the Regency Period in London, England, which is my very favorite time-period. A Necessary Heir will be available through my website, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and wherever else I can place it. The book will be available in e-book form, and you can purchase it in paperback as well. I hope to have my new Time-Travel novel, London’s Quest, published early next year.
Let me know what you think of my Regency romp. Remember reading makes people more beautiful, at least I like to believe this is so. Happy reading.
A Necessary Heir
Skip forward to the digital revolution. As of August 2010, e-books were up 172% (according to 14 publishers sales reports sent to AAP’s monthly sale estimate.) Since e-books are lower priced when compared to hardcovers, this means less money for publishers, so fewer retailers are buying titles, which means there are even less new writers being accepted into a big house.
Given the fact that I loved it when May Chen from Avon told me she liked my voice (really the compliment will probably never leave me) but when I still received a rejection letter from Avon, I was frustrated. So when I purchased my Kindle and began to buy more and more e-books, I thought, why not.
I hired myself a great copy editor, who then recommended someone to design my cover, my webpage, and to format my books. These two people have helped me carve out my dream and bring my books to readers, which is all I ever wanted.
The first book I’m releasing is A Necessary Heir. This story takes place during the Regency Period in London, England, which is my very favorite time-period. A Necessary Heir will be available through my website, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and wherever else I can place it. The book will be available in e-book form, and you can purchase it in paperback as well. I hope to have my new Time-Travel novel, London’s Quest, published early next year.
Let me know what you think of my Regency romp. Remember reading makes people more beautiful, at least I like to believe this is so. Happy reading.
A Necessary Heir
