K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 124
August 16, 2017
Planning Giveaways
Every author has heard about giveaways. For those of us exclusive to Amazon, we have 5 days per quarter we can use to allow our fans to get a free copy of our book. Not only does this help with getting that coveted Best Seller status, but you may have just found new fans for your other books. However, in order to have a successful giveaway, you need to promote it madly. How does one promote a giveaway? The methods used are pretty much the same as your usual daily promotion, with one exception—you need to use #giveaway in your promotion and you need to ensure that information is getting out quite a few times during the actual event. Also, watch your rankings on your book’s page. Once you have attained a ranking below 100 in any category, start cheering about this, tell all your fans they really have to grab this best-selling book, and really push hard on the promotion. Direct your promotion to overseas locations too, so you may call yourself an International Best Seller. The feeling is very sweet. Sweeter is the fact that after the promotion ends, you may find that some people who missed the giveaway will buy your book anyway, because you caught their interest.
Another type of giveaway involves you putting the word out that you have a certain number of copies of your print edition that will be raffled off. There are several online sites that will collect the data and send you a listing of those who entered. Until recently, they didn’t charge and some still don’t for a basic service. If you’re fiscally challenged, you might consider using Goodreads to do the giveaway. They will collect the data and pick the winner for you. All you have to do is let them know when you sent the books, so they can check with the winners and see if they received them.
Both of these methods, you have a great way to create goodwill with your fans. Just be certain you don’t do a giveaway too often or your sales might suffer.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 15, 2017
Great Adventures for Everyone
Welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today, we’re talking about the summer solstice and all the fabulous adventures you can have on the longest day of the year. Oh, the day isn’t more than twenty-four hours but there is sunshine out far longer than there any other day. Grab a copy of this anthology and check out the stories in it.
Summer Thrills Summer Chills
The fear of being alone and lost. The nerves that come with starting over. Strange visitors. The sense that something, somehow, is off.
Plan to shiver. But not from the cold.
Sit back and enjoy tales from ten very talented authors: A.A. Schenna, Barbara Weitzner, Charmaine Pauls, Cynthia Ley, E.B. Sullivan, K.C. Sprayberry, Margaret Egrot, Penny Estelle, S Cu’Anam Policar, and Silvia Villalobos.
I was thirteen the year my grandparents decided to send me to Camp Linnenmyer. It was a sleep away camp in the Pocono Mountains, far from any sign of civilization. I did not want to go. I had never been off my block, let alone out of my state before.
“It’ll do you good to get out of New York for a few weeks, Shanala,” my grandmother stated. I cringed inwardly as she called me by my Hebrew name. She only called me Shanala when she was buttering me up.
“But Gram, I won’t know anyone there. And I’ll get made fun of because I’m not rich like the other kids,” I complained.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 14, 2017
Juggling
Welcome to Monday Blogs. Today, we’re addressing the ability of an author in the twenty-first century to juggle. Oh, not balls or any other item used in this activity. This is about juggling of a far different nature and it requires far more finesse than you’ll see at your local circus.
Today’s author, as I’ve said many times, is one who isn’t just worried about their next book or an appearance booked by their publisher publicist. Far from it. The author of the twenty-first century must be an individual with many different hats. If you’re not prepared to wear all of these hats every day, you are not ready to be an author.
First and foremost, the twenty-first century author must always be developing a new story, another adventure. Most authors will claim this takes all of their spare time so they have nothing to contribute to the other jobs they must be prepared to do. These individuals have yet to learn the fine art of juggling.In addition to writing, most authors have a day job, a way to pay the bills and provide food for the family. They’re also involved with their children’s activities, which often takes away from the stories blossoming in their heads. The moment others who have learned to handle all aspects of being a twenty-first century author mention what the new authors are not doing right, a tempest explodes with both sides pointing fingers and saying “No, that is not possible.” or “You can do this. It just takes planning.”
I’m here to tell you that you can do promotion and appearances in addition to writing a new novel, short story, or novella and dealing with your other responsibilities. All it takes are several hard lessons in the art of juggling.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 13, 2017
Time Travel Series II
Welcome to Sunday Blog Share. Today, on Everybody Reads YA, we’re going to be talking about the end of a series that’s a favorite of mine, and the beginning of one that will introduce teens to history in a very different way.
Get Paradox Lost The Ultimate Paradox on Amazon
DJ, Matt, and Elisa are all stuck in different places. They all have questions but the one that looms large is what does their future hold? Without the usual close family friends around to answer these questions, they have to depend on themselves and their inner strength to overcome the problems in their lives.
The past changed the future
… the future must salvage the past.
DJ, Matt, and Elisa are mostly normal teens. They have their friends, and their squabbles, and their dreams of the future. Yet, they are also very special teens, brought into this world to fulfill a prophecy made by an ancestor 200 years in their past. One of them dies, one receives incredible powers, and one discovers a place no one suspected she would have.
It was meant to be nothing more than a fun and adventurous spring break from the Beaufort School of Visionary Studies for triplets DJ, Matt, and Elisa. Little did they know that the prophecy made about them was about to catch up. When they are warned that Rogues have targeted them and their family, they go into hiding to protect everyone. But the Rogues have other plans. Can they make the right choices even though they know others will be hurt by their decisions? Even when one of those decisions means certain death?
Matt paces back and forth in the place where he exists. He has lost his certainty that DJ and Elisa can save Dad. More than anything, Matt wishes he could go back in time, but remember what he knows now.
We wouldn’t have lost everyone in Mexico. Things would be different. DJ wouldn’t be struggling to understand all these changes. Elisa would be… Matt snickers to himself. The same. She never changes.
He understands why James made the deal with the Gateways about Elisa, but Matt still can’t comprehend why those very same Gateways won’t let him be part of the battle now going on between the evil Rogues and all other Travelers.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 9, 2017
How To Approach A Publisher
You’ve written a book and spent months editing and revising this novel. Your beta readers are waxing poetic about how good it is. You’ve even had a few non-writing friends tell you this book is the best than the most famous authors’ work. Ah, you think, it’s not time to find a publisher.
Okay, you’re going to find a publisher. How will you do that? Will you do an internet search and blindly send out three chapters of your book, the synopsis, and a carefully crafted cover letter to every publisher in a day of email madness? Or will you read the guidelines, study the books this publisher has on their list, and submit how and with what they asked for?
By now, you’re probably scratching your head, wondering why you’d have to do such a thing. After all, everyone knows you send a query first and if the publisher like the first three chapters, they’ll ask for a full manuscript.
Is this true? Most small traditional publishers require the full manuscript. If you are very lucky, they might give you a second chance to submit properly. Most of the time, they’ll simply say that your work isn’t what they’re looking for and you have to move on.
What you don’t do in this situation is email the publisher back to find out why they didn’t like your work. Not only is it poor form, oftentimes said publisher is left with a bad feeling that you’re too needy as an author and therefore, their decision was for the best.
Submitting a less than ready manuscript is another way to have your work declined. As in any job application, and submitting to a publisher is a job application, you must put your best foot forward. To receive a notice that your work was not accepted and email the publisher to explain that your beta readers are currently reading your work and you’ll have a better book in just a few weeks indicates you don’t care about quality.
Part of showing a publisher that you are a serious author is to ensure you always follow the rules and give them your best work. Remember, ensure you’re doing as the publisher wants to make a good impression.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 8, 2017
Adding Recipes to Great Stories
Welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today, we’re talking about anthologies that add a bit of spice to the stories. Oh no, we’re not going to be treating you to hot, steamy sex scenes. Far from it. These stories all have one thing in common. A recipe from the story is shared for you to try with the one you love.
The Food of Love 2015
Food entices the senses just as love entices the soul. We take chances, we share new beginnings, in hopes of making that special someone part of our lives, now and forever. Solstice Publishing presents ten tales of love, each with a recipe our authors consider part of their love story. We hope they can be part of yours too.
Please enjoy these stories by Mya O’Malley, Rocky Rochford, Susanne Matthews, Rachael Stapleton, Elle Marlow, Vanayssa Somers, Margaret Egrot, Cynthia Ley, Rebecca L. Frencl, and K.C. Sprayberry
“Are you sure you have to go away on Valentine’s Day, of all days?” Sophia twirled her soft auburn hair through her fingers. “Why can’t you just tell Hank that you have other plans?’
“First of all, it’s Tom; Hank hasn’t been around in ages. Secondly, I really like him, so no; I’m going away that weekend.” Susan exhaled deeply.
Protruding her lower lip, Sophia batted her eyes and gazed at her sister. The little trick had earned her tons of attention as a child and usually resulted in Sophia getting her own way. Her “big sister” was six minutes older and took the role of older sister seriously, too seriously. Identical twins from the top of their auburn heads to the bottom of their size eight feet.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 7, 2017
All Hail the Librarian
Welcome to Monday Blogs. Usually, this blog is devoted to the writing process—the pitfalls and successes authors struggle through on their journey to fame and fortune. Today, we’re talking about a very different part of that journey. The librarian—he or she is no longer the bespectacled individual of years past, guarding books and ordering children to wash their sticky hands before they touch a book (Did anyone ever go into a library with unwashed hands?)
The librarian can be an author’s entre into a world filled with mystery and adventure. These venerable guardians of books have the ability to create a place for the author to find fans for their books, future readers for their unwritten stories, and a way to connect with those in their community.
How does one go about wooing the librarian? It’s actually very simple. You have some bookmarks, postcards, and business cards in hand when you enter the hallowed halls of the library. Before even entering these doors, you should first do your research—who is the librarian (for you must always address him or her by name), what types of programs do they have (summer reading, weekly groups that discuss books, groups for children and teens), and be ready to hand over an autographed copy of your book(s). That first impression will have the librarian of a financially strapped program smiling and willing to listen to your pitch.
A pitch, you say, about what?
Why, about you making an appearance at the library, about you possibly selling a few copies of your books to interested patrons. This is all part of being an author. You don’t just do signings in bookstores or at events. You must be an integral part of the library system. Not only will you have the opportunity to enlarge your fan base, but the library will have new patrons coming in through their doors.
Far too often, authors ignore one of their best resources when it comes to promotion. We forget that our books need to be on a library’s shelves. We blow off that we can interest our local community in our books by appearing at library events. So, instead of gaining local fans, we concentrate on places where people wander into them without a thought to the poster on the door announcing an appearance. We eschew an easy opportunity to have word of our books spread on social media by new fans from the library by driving hours of flying to an event that promises us exposure to masses of potential fans.
All it takes to find a group of ardent fans who will without recompense talk about our books is to walk through the doors of your local library.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 6, 2017
Time Travel Series I
Paradox Lost will complete it’s story in July 2017. The characters, however, have forced me to reevaluate their existence in my life. Most have been with me since the beginning. Two of the main characters came into existence only a few years ago but their presence is the biggest reason the Paradox Lost trilogy will spin off Traveler Enforcement Squads in the next year.
For now, let’s meet DJ, Matt, and Elisa…
The past changed the future
… the future must salvage the past.
DJ, Matt, and Elisa are mostly normal teens. They have their friends, and their squabbles, and their dreams of the future. Yet, they are also very special teens, brought into this world to fulfill a prophecy made by an ancestor 200 years in their past. One of them dies, one receives incredible powers, and one discovers a place no one suspected she would have.
Tet Paradox Lost Their Path On Amazon
It was meant to be nothing more than a fun and adventurous spring break from the Beaufort School of Visionary Studies for triplets DJ, Matt, and Elisa. Little did they know that the prophecy made about them was about to catch up. When they are warned that Rogues have targeted them and their family, they go into hiding to protect everyone. But the Rogues have other plans. Can they make the right choices even though they know others will be hurt by their decisions? Even when one of those decisions means certain death?
He wakes with a sense of alarm racing through his body. For the fifth time this month, Dennis James Sullivan hears unseen callers in his head, but today is far different from any other.
At seventeen, he is taller than most boys his age. His dark red hair falls over his deep blue eyes. He shoves the hair back and leans his elbows against his knees. His whole body feels as if it belongs to someone else, what with his knees and elbows all knobby, and the way he constantly springs up another inch overnight. Not that that wasn’t normal, but then the voices began speaking to him, and he can’t make sense of it.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 2, 2017
Meeting Deadlines
We all know about deadlines in our non-writing jobs. Employers require something to be done at a certain time and they don’t accept excuses. That’s what most authors refer to as their day job, the one they have to pay the bills and allow them to follow their dream.
What about the deadlines you have as an author? How do you think of those? Are you one of those authors who always has an excuse why they couldn’t get edits back to the editor in a timely basis? Did you fail to turn in your cover art information so the artist could take care of it before your book was languishing in the ready for publication pile while they finished a job that should have been done months ago? When you’re asked to review the final copy of your book prior to publication, do you keep putting this off until the editor in chief has to ask what’s taking so long?
To the staff at your publishing company, you’re coming off as an individual who isn’t professional. They’re right, too. Not meeting a deadline with a publisher and not explaining why isn’t the right thing to do. If you have a good reason why you can’t meet a deadline, a simple email will clear up any confusion. But don’t expect that excuse to work a second or third time. You’ll have the reputation of being unreliable if you make that attempt and may find yourself not being offered another contract.
A rule of thumb—your publisher is a business. As such, they must meet deadlines in order to have your book published in a timely manner. You, the author, need to be on track with every step, even if it means you can’t head on out to the lake on your vacation because you have edits due. Or you need to ensure your cover art works well instead of getting angry because your books’ release is delayed because the cover was never made.
One other thing to remember—getting angry at your publisher because the release is delayed because you didn’t get things done on time won’t look good for you either.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
August 1, 2017
Summer Reading Fun
Welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today we’re talking about anthologies, one in particular. That Summer Day Vol. 1 is filled with tales about the summer solstice. The longest day of the year is often filled with barbecues, trips to places families feel hold special memories, and knowing the sun stays up longer on this day than any other.
That Summer Day Vol. 1
Fun in the sun turns into a nightmare after a murder.A summer reunion ignites romance.City vs Country: which one will prevail?Goldilocks and Baby Bear like you’ve never seen them beforeA promise leaves them wondering about the future.Summer Solstice on a distant planet provides adventure, romance, and mystery for two, star-crossed lovers.Can a stranger save her?The fate of the world lies with a conflicted angelThe longest day of the year. Fun in the sun. Renewing friendships. Continuing traditions. Adventures of all sorts. K.A. Meng, Debbie De Louise, Stephy Smith, Justin Herzog, K.C. Sprayberry, Candace Sams, Margaret Scott, and Alex Pilalis bring you stories to entertain on this very special day.
“Hey, Maria, are you in there?” I asked, knocking on the bathroom door.
I chewed my bottom lip. No light seeped through the cracks. She could have left the light off to keep the princess in the other bedroom asleep. After she didn’t answer, I tried the doorknob, it turned, and the latch released from the frame. I knocked again, calling her name in the process. When she didn’t respond, I pushed the door open, expecting to see her in there. The room was the size of a tiny closest. Besides the toilet and a sink, it was empty. Where did she go? She wouldn’t have left without telling me. I turned around and almost jumped out of my skin. Someone stood behind me.
“Ivory Ames, what’s the matter with you? Why are you making so much noise? You woke me up,” Harmony, the princess, said.
About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
