Jennifer Bray-Weber's Blog, page 17

Hump Day Kick Start – The Drive Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

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Lovin’ this pic.

What is going on in today’s prompt? Is he braving his first move on her, worried he’s being too forward? How does she feel about where his hand is? Does she like it or want him to rip his arm off? Could he be easing her anxiety as he encourages her to go faster in his car? Maybe he’s showing her support as they speed away from their latest heist. Or patting her with pride as she steals her first ride. Or hanging on for dear life as she casually drives as if she’s in a demolition derby.

What’s your take? Tell me a tale or caption the pic. I’d love to hear from you.

Link of the Week – Surviving a Human Stampede

A human stampede. It can happen. At a concert, a protest, a sporting event, for the last box of Twinkies, or any place where there is a large gathering of people. This blog post from the Art of Manliness on surviving a human stampede offers some useful information should you ever find yourself caught up in the scary situation.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/2018/03/23/survive-human-stampede/

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Hump Day Kick Start – Writing Prompt #28

Writing prompts to kick-start your muse.

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I’m kinda loving today’s writing prompt.

What do you think his tattoo grew into, where, and what does it mean? Had an image of a fighting eagle and serpent appeared across his chest? Could he be locked in an epic battle within himself or with a greater power? What if a colorful 1940’s pin-up girl materialized on his shoulder? Would he be nostalgic and realizing he might be a reincarnation of a WWII pilot who went missing after crash-landing in enemy territory? How about a bloody heart with a dagger through it emblazoned upon his bicep? Does he have violent tendencies? Maybe he’s already planning a murder or two. Or maybe a cute pink bunny holding a bunch of yellow daisies popped up on his butt cheek and he really doesn’t know what it means. Can you help?

Share your ideas and/or post your creations, even if it’s just a line or two. I’d love to hear them.

Link of the Week – Author Beware

Here is a one-stop info shop for today’s publishing scams. This Reedsy blog touches on vanity presses, scams, contests and more authors should avoid. They also give some helpful tips on how to sidestep these pitfalls. Check it out!

https://blog.reedsy.com/scams-and-publishing-companies-to-avoid/

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Hump Day Kick Start – Behind the Bar Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

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This one comes from one of my favorite TV shows and I thought it would be a fun prompt.

Tell me who they are, what they are doing, and what they see. Bartenders watching an epic fight that’s about to get serious? Did they take a dare, break in after closing, and are now hoping they don’t get busted? Are they spying on the friends or caught their significant others hooking up? Or maybe they are BFFs and her Tinder date just walked through the door. Did the wet t-shirt contest just go horribly wrong?

What’s your take? Tell me a tale or caption the pic. I’d love to hear from you.

 

Link of the Week – Google Keyword Planner

Keywords are an important part of discoverability for anyone selling goods on Amazon. In authors’ cases, they help drive readers to books. With all the lovely (yes, that is sarcasm) algorithms Amazon has in place that makes it nearly impossible to get noticed, it is crucial to optimize the SEO for every book authors publish. One way to do that is to plan the best keywords to use for your metadata, book description, and more.

Try Google Keyword Planner to “refine search campaigns and ensure content remains relevant”. Come up with a bunch of words that would describe the main points or theme of your book (or other product you are selling) to plug into the planner and retrieve the keywords that garner the most search relevance.

Sounds like a winner.

https://adwords.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/

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Hump Day Kick Start – Writing Prompt #27

Writing prompts to kick-start your muse.

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Now, this could be fun. Who is our gal and what kind of pet does she have? Dog? Cat? Hamster? Ferret? What does the pet say? Does it make demands—more room on the bed, tastier treats, a new toy, more frequent belly rubs? Maybe the pet becomes brutally honest about her hygiene? Could it want to karaoke to a Journey song?  Offer to take her to its weekly Paw Support group meeting? Disclose with a degree of malicious glee it has been plotting to kill her?

Share your ideas and/or post your creations, even if it’s just a line or two. I’d love to hear them.

 

Link of the Week – Best Sellers that Don’t Sell

Here’s a bit about best sellers on Amazon in reference to ranking on paid versus category kindle books.  This blog — How To Avoid Best Sellers That Do Not Sell — on K-lytics breaks it down from the buyer’s perspective and the author’s perspective.

http://k-lytics.com/best-sellers/

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Hump Day Kick Start – Sharp Dressed Man Edition

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.

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How sketchy can today’s writing prompt get? Who is our couple? Are the dressing or undressing? Could they be government spies getting ready to infiltrate a fancy gala?  What if he was a murderous predator preying on young socialites? Could he be a double agent? Is it business as usual for him and she’s just collateral damage? Did he extract what he wanted from her, leaving her regretful/confused/unsure/angry? Maybe she promised him a big corporate deal/her husband’s stock/a seat at her table on an immortal council after he seduced her and he thinks he’s won, but that’s just what she let him believe.

What’s your take? Tell me a tale or caption the pic. I’d love to hear from you.

 

Link of the Week – Amazon and Money Laundering

There seems to be no end to scams and the author is always on the raw end of the deal. Read, or watch the short video, on Fortune.com about a money-laundering scheme using independently published authors’ Amazon accounts.

http://fortune.com/2018/02/22/money-laundering-books-amazon/

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