Mandy Harbin's Blog: Mandy's Blog, page 4

Ebook Piracy…Is it worth the risk to save a few bucks?

Recently, I came across a site that had about six of my ebooks, from short story to long novel, and all for the same price of $1.50. They were illegally selling my books. *Cue angry growls*

But what was obvious to me might not be so apparent to the average reader. Why? Because everybody loves a good deal. I think it’s in our nature to research products before we buy, and when we come across a site that has what we want at a discount, we think we’ve hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, when it comes to ebooks, that’s just not always the case. Before I explain how honest people can not only break the law, but also open themselves up to victimization, I’m going to touch on what the concept is.

What is ebook piracy? In layman’s terms, it’s illegally sharing ebook files. Yes, there are companies out there that illegally copy said files and sell them…and even brag about it. Since ebooks gained momentum several years ago with the release of Kindle and Nook, piracy has become a major problem in the publishing industry. Large publishers have dedicated personnel that research and send take down notices on a regular basis. But if you’re indie published or published with a small publisher, good lord! The time it takes to research your Google alerts, send notices to the illegal sites, follow up, and get your books off the site… only to have them show up later when the company reinvents itself as another entity…is a maddening and very rarely successful process.

There are average people out there that illegally download books and know it. That’s unfortunate. Bottom line, it’s stealing. The majority of authors do not make enough money with their books to support themselves. They either work another job and write whenever they can (I’m in this category) or live in a household where his or her spouse works the full-time job while the author writes and tries to make enough money to contribute to the budget. Until the piracy problem within the publishing industry gets the same treatment as the music industry (Napster anyone??), those that willfully steal ebooks will continue to feel justified in their reasoning. I can’t do anything about that. My goal here is to educate the unsuspecting buyer…because you could get much more than you bargained for, and no book to show for it.

The short story I mentioned that’s on the illegal site for $1.50? It’s FREE on the legitimate sites. Yes, I have it for free. So not only are they taking money out of my pocket, they are taking money from my unsuspecting readers, too. But it gets better—or worse. After some investigation, we learned that site isn’t a piracy site after all (or not ONLY a piracy site). It’s a phishing site. Phishing is the act of acquiring personal information, like a credit card number, through bogus (though seemingly legitimate) companies…and you can only guess what’ll happen then. If some unsuspecting person purchased a book there because it was $1.50 cheaper than Amazon’s price, that miniscule savings could have cost a ton in unauthorized charges and headaches. Oh, and that site never send the books that were test purchased.

“But Mandy, I downloaded a free book from a file sharing site that you also have free on Amazon…that’s okay, right?” Wrong. Without getting into the nuts and bolts of sales and rankings, downloading anything from an unauthorized distributor doesn’t help me… or any author. Whether it’s a free promotion, a permanently free book, or one greatly discounted for a limited time, these are all marketing endeavors authors and publishers plan in an effort to boost sales, increase rankings, spread name recognition, etc. Not only do we lose the income from the reduced/free price, but often times we pay a lot of money to advertise and track those downloads and other sales to see what works and what doesn’t. If books are downloaded illegally, we can’t track them. Period. There’s a reason why I don’t have my free books available on my website. But I’m digressing.

You know the saying, “If it’s too good to be true…” and it definitely applies here. When in doubt go with a retailer you trust. And if you’re still unsure, check the author’s website and social media stuff. If they are doing a promo, they’ll be spreading the word. Plus you could just always ask. I’m fairly certain authors would be thrilled if you asked them about a certain retailer, rather than downloading from a shady one…because we’re not the only ones with something to lose.

Hearts on Fire Blog Hop!

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all. I’ve been crazy busy promoting the latest release in my Woods Family Series, Surrounded by Secrets, but I’m taking a little time to join in the blog hop fun to help celebrate the release of Victoria Danann’s The Summoner’s Tale (Book 3 in the Order of the Black Swan). This hop has some major prizes available—ereaders, books, and gift cards, oh my!—so be sure to hop along for your chance to win.

Since it’s Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about memorable gifts we gals—and guys!!—got on this special day. I’m sure we’ve all had those years where we were shafted and sang along to Bon Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name. Great song, by the way, but I’m not digressing. I actually sang along to it on Valentine’s Day and for a very good reason. One year, my then-fiancé (now ex-husband) surprised me with tickets to see Bon Jovi live in concert on Valentine’s Day in another state. This was very special to me because seeing them live was on my bucket list. When I was eleven years old I’d begged my parent to let me go to their concert—it was the year Cinderella opened up for them for those of you who remember—and needless to say, my request was denied. I’m sure I threw a big tween fit at the time, but I have blocked the horrible specifics of that rejection from my mind. I did, however, call my mom from the stadium that Valentine’s night to tell her I was finally getting to see Bon Jovi live. She already knew, of course, but she did say she was glad to be finally vindicated from all those years ago. That man and I have since split ways, but I can’t fault him for making a very memorable Valentine’s Day for me.

Okay, I showed you mine, now you show me yours. Comment about a memorable Valentine’s Day and I’ll pick someone to win Book 2 in my Woods Family Series. Book 1, SURROUNDED BY WOODS, is free right now on Amazon, so go grab it! And don’t forget to hop along and visit everybody else who’s participating!

http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/2012/12/hearts-on-fire-giveaway-hop.html

Hot excerpt - Master Class - BDSM m/f

Reblogged from Release Parties @ TRS:

Hey everybody!

Really busy day today (aren't they all?!?) but I wanted to get you all an excerpt before things fly completely out of control. ;-) Master Class released 12/11/12 and has gotten some GREAT reviews. Here's a sampling:

5/5 stars! When Lisette and Ryan are doing a scene you feel as if you are there with them feeling every caress and every stroke of the whip.

Read more… 3,094 more words

Cassandra Carr is awesome... Just sayin' ;-)

Official Surrounded by Secrets Tour Begins!

More dates to come, but here is my tentative schedule. Mark your calendars and hop on over to visit me at these stops.

2/11 – Books-n-Kisses

2/13 – Sizzling Hot Books

2/16 – Reading Between the Wines

2/18 – United by Books

2/19 – Darker Passions

2/20 – Night Owl Reviews

2/21 – Book Monster Reviews

2/21 – LITERAL ADDICTION

2/22 – USA Today HEA

2/22 – Total Book Nerd

2/23 – Reality Bites

2/24 – Romance Junkies

2/27 - Beach Bum Reads

2/28 – Scorching Reviews

3/02 – Books Books & More Books

3/04 – The Jeep Diva

3/05 – Urban Girl Reader

3/11 – Mad Hatter Reads

3/12 – Salacious Reads

3/13 – Salacious Reads

3/14 – Cocktails and Books

3/15 – Hesperia Loves Books

3/16 – The Reading Café

3/17 – Ramblings From This Chick

3/18 – Book Lovin’ Mamas

3/21 – Page Flipperz

3/25 – Close Encounters with the Night Kind (Spotlight, Giveaway & Review of Prequel)

3/26 – Close Encounters with the Night Kind (Spotlight & Review of Book 1)

3/27 – Close Encounters with the Night Kind (Spotlight & Review of Book 2)

3/28 – Close Encounters with the Night Kind (Spotlight & Review of Book 3)

3/29 – Close Encounters with the Night Kind (Spotlight & Review of Book 4)

3/29 – Bitten by Paranormal Romance

3/30 – Toot’s Book Reviews

Love, Lust, and Laptops? Why, yes!

I’m guest blogging it over at Love, Lust, and Laptops, a group blog filled with wonderful authors…and I’m not afraid to admit, I get fan-girl stalkerish with some of them. Come on over and and have some fun with us today! http://lovelustandlaptops.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/guest-blogger-mandy-harbin/

Heartbreaker Blog Hop!!

I’m excited to be playing with my fellow authors and publishing peeps on the Heartbreaker Blog Hop! What better way to spend a few days than jumping around, reading about loves and happy times than commiserating, er, celebrating with others?

Okay, so “commiserating” wasn’t a slip of the tongue. When I signed up for this hop, I had no idea that I’d be sharing this story…But yeah, something totally ironic happened to me the other day. This past weekend I told not one, but two people (ok several people… but on two separate occasions) about the first guy I ever (seriously) dated. God, I thought I was in wuv! He was tall, had blond hair and blue eyes. He definitely had some assets goin’ for him in more ways than one. But as with many other gals out there, that first one wasn’t meant to last forever. And oh boy, was I heartbroken over him. Well, technically, I broke up with him, but he pushed me to that point. The night I finally realized I was through with him was right after Christmas one year (many, many years ago). We were parking in a restricted area—hello! We were teenagers… but er, kids don’t do that—and when we got ready to leave, he backed up his truck and landed right in a pot hole. It was dark, we were in a hilly area, and here I am, after midnight, jumping up and down in the tail bed of his truck so he could get some traction and get out. Got the visual, yet? Well, I wasn’t any bigger than a minute, so that didn’t work. We went back and forth—each trying to jump on the tail bed. Finally, when I was jumping up and down, giving it hell, he hit the gas just right and dislodged us…only to get the back wheels stuck in another whole! Um, yeah, there was no way we were getting out that. Blondie got pissed and started stomping off, but not without barking an order at me to, “Come on!” It was dark, so I couldn’t see, but I was one irritated chick. I mean what guy does that? Just stomp off into the dark night, leaving his “girlfriend” to blindly follow behind?

And then the heavens shined down on me because the next thing I heard was a big splash. And then a litany of curses. Why, yes, Blondie stomped right into a big hole of water… up to his knees… with the boots he’d just gotten for Christmas. Gotta love Karma. And I was high-fiving Karma while we walked a couple of miles to the nearest gas station.

What’s really ironic is I hadn’t seen this guy in probably twelve years (which was a few years after we’d dated). And I was at the store the other day with my son. I looked to the side and a man was walking in. We both did double takes. But I couldn’t place him for a few seconds. And then I almost started laughing. Yeah, it was Blondie. Funny thing… I hadn’t talked about him or seen him in years and then I tell the story of our break up to two crowds of peeps and then I see him at the store. Thank god, I didn’t laugh… he’d probably think I was reminiscing about that night… which was the last night we’d ever gone out.

So there you have it…the first man who broke my heart. Comment below on your own stories and I’ll pick someone to get book 2 in my Woods Family Series, SURROUNDED BY PLEASURE. Because Book 1, SURROUNDED BY WOODS, is still FREE on Amazon (Go get it while you can!!).

http://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Woods-Family-Book-ebook/dp/B005F6E7Z8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1360356539&sr=8-6&keywords=mandy+harbin

And if you want to enter my contest for a chance to win $100, then visit my Facebook Fan page for the deets! http://www.facebook.com/Author.MandyHarbin/app_228910107186452

Don’t forget to hop on over to the other sites for links to other people participating for fun and prizes! http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/heartbreaker-hop.html

Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Let the Contest Begin!

What better way to celebrate the release of the last Woods brother’s book than doing a contest? One grand prize winner will receive his or her choice of either an Amazon OR Barnes and Noble gift card valued at $100. Two other people will win a free copy of the latest Woods Family release, SURROUNDED BY SECRETS! Contest runs now through March 31st. Just go to the link and choose your method of entry. http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4974a52/

**BONUS: For a limited time, everybody can get a taste of the feral mountain lion shifter family for free! The first book in the series, SURROUNDED BY WOODS, is FREE on Amazon (and B&N) for a limited time only! Get your free copy of it while you can (Leaving a review is worth a lot of points in the contest, so here’s a free way to help earn them). http://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Woods-Family-Book-ebook/dp/B005F6E7Z8/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1359727697&sr=8-7&keywords=mandy+harbin

This is my thanks to all of you who have loved and supported this series. I am truly touched by all the support you have given it.

Surrounded by Secrets Winner Announced!

Thanks to everyone who entered! Anna Mckenrick, come on down! You’re the next winner on the…. um, ok, never mind… you won. Watch your email for your new book.

What the heck is a Street Team? Total Awesomeness!

So I’ve recently discovered that with all the changes going on in my writing career, it is hard for me keeping up with promo. A lot of people don’t realize that publishing is a job, and promotion is like an author’s evil step child. Do we like it? Sure. I LOVE connecting with readers. But it is a bitch to search out bloggers, reviewers, book guest posts, interviews, keep up with those dates, research advertizing, ad nauseam. All of which takes away from our writing time. Enter my new assistant, Carla with Book Monster Promotions. This chick has been a godsend! In the midst of gathering my stuff and talking about goals, she brought up a “Street Team.” Have I heard of this before? Yes. Did I know what it was? Ummmm….No.

The concept behind this is that an author has a group of followers who help promote their books. Well, I thought, isn’t that what my fans do anyway? What about my family and friends? I mean, they all follow me on Facebook, right? The answer is really both a Yes and a No. Everybody has lives, and not all of my fans, friends, or family want to spend time spreading the word about my books—they just want to read. And if they do want to, sometimes they don’t know what they can do to help.

This is where a Street Team comes in. It is a closed group of people who’ll be tasked with assignments, possibly each week, or when a new release comes out (I’m kinda learning this as I go). But it is a way to guide those who do want to actively do things to promote my work or me as an author. I’m sure I’ll probably do special things from time-to-time for those who participate (i.e. they might know about a new release ahead of time or have special contests or free reads first… Still learning all about this myself ), but if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, here’s the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/430523227019475/

Now Carla wants me to be sure y’all understand that if you join, you’ll be expected to participate. If you can, I’d love for you come on over. If don’t have time, then that’s totally cool. I still love you.

Surrounded by Secrets Release Day!!

Wow, The first book in the Woods Family series was release in 2011 and here it is 2013 and it is release day for the last (official) book in the series, Surrounded by Secrets. This is a bittersweet moment for me… that doesn’t mean I won’t revisit the world I created… in fact, I probably will…but this is the last book involving the four original brothers. What started off as an idea for one short fiction story has turned into over 130k words of books involving the four Woods brothers finding their mates. And with the popularity of this series, I was surprised just a couple of days ago with a print offer from my publisher for these books!

I feel like I should do something fun… something big to help celebrate this accomplishment. I will be scheduling some blog stops  in the coming weeks and announcing a contest. In the meantime, don’t miss your chance to get Surrounded by Woods (Book 1) for free. And if you’ve already read the other books and are now ready for Surrounded by Secrets, then I’m just as excited for you. Writing Jack’s story was so much more fun than I’d thought it’d be… those of you who know how Jack is totally understand.

Happy Reading, Y’all! And thank you so much for diving into their world with me. I appreciate it more than you could ever know.