Chelsea M. Cameron's Blog, page 13
May 4, 2012
In which I talk about my feelings about KDP Select and set a release date for Whisper!
If you don't know what KDP Select is, you're not an indie author. If you do, skip the next paragraph.
KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. It's the platform I use to sell my book on Amazon. KDP Select is a special service indie authors can enroll in to boost their sales. Here's how it works: If you promise to make your book EXCLUSIVE to Amazon.com for 90 days, you get to make your book free for 5 of those 90 days, and Amazon will also make your book available to Amazon Prime members for free, but will pay you per borrow. Got it? Awesome.
Here's how I feel about KDP: After thinking about it and watching hundreds of other authors do it, and lurking on the Kindleboards, I decided it's not for me. I can't justify excluding my Barnes and Noble readers for the chance at selling a few more books on Amazon for a short period. It's not worth it for me, right now.
My Nook readers are awesome. There are some days when I sell better on Barnes and Noble than I do on Amazon. It isn't fair to them to say that I prefer Amazon readers over them, because it isn't true. I love all my readers and don't want to exclude any of them. Honestly, if I were to do KDP Select, I'd probably end up giving away more free books because I'd hand them out free to anyone who said they had a Nook and couldn't buy it.
Amazon isn't the only bookseller out there, and I think a lot of people forget that. Sure, Select is great for Amazon readers. But it sucks for everyone else. Why punish them for their choice in ereader?
I have to reiterate. This is my opinion. I've thought about this a lot. Until about a week ago, I was going to try Whisper with Select. But then I changed my mind. Doesn't mean I won't change it back, but for now, I'm not going to do it. So rest assured, Nook readers, I will not exclude you.
Now onto some non-shop-talky news:
I am finally setting a release date for Whisper: June 6, which gives me a month (eep!). I'm sending it out to beta readers in the next couple weeks, and I plan to do a cover reveal later this month. If anyone has a blog and is interested, I'm thinking I'd like to do it on May 23. Email me at chel(dot)c(dot)cam(at)gmail(dot)com if you'd like to host me. I'm thinking of doing a giveaway along with the reveal, so there's that as well.
Ahhh!!!!!
Oh, sorry that was me freaking out about releasing this book in a month. Deadlines make me sweat. But I want to get this book out to you soooooo much. Stay tuned!
KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. It's the platform I use to sell my book on Amazon. KDP Select is a special service indie authors can enroll in to boost their sales. Here's how it works: If you promise to make your book EXCLUSIVE to Amazon.com for 90 days, you get to make your book free for 5 of those 90 days, and Amazon will also make your book available to Amazon Prime members for free, but will pay you per borrow. Got it? Awesome.
Here's how I feel about KDP: After thinking about it and watching hundreds of other authors do it, and lurking on the Kindleboards, I decided it's not for me. I can't justify excluding my Barnes and Noble readers for the chance at selling a few more books on Amazon for a short period. It's not worth it for me, right now.
My Nook readers are awesome. There are some days when I sell better on Barnes and Noble than I do on Amazon. It isn't fair to them to say that I prefer Amazon readers over them, because it isn't true. I love all my readers and don't want to exclude any of them. Honestly, if I were to do KDP Select, I'd probably end up giving away more free books because I'd hand them out free to anyone who said they had a Nook and couldn't buy it.
Amazon isn't the only bookseller out there, and I think a lot of people forget that. Sure, Select is great for Amazon readers. But it sucks for everyone else. Why punish them for their choice in ereader?
I have to reiterate. This is my opinion. I've thought about this a lot. Until about a week ago, I was going to try Whisper with Select. But then I changed my mind. Doesn't mean I won't change it back, but for now, I'm not going to do it. So rest assured, Nook readers, I will not exclude you.
Now onto some non-shop-talky news:
I am finally setting a release date for Whisper: June 6, which gives me a month (eep!). I'm sending it out to beta readers in the next couple weeks, and I plan to do a cover reveal later this month. If anyone has a blog and is interested, I'm thinking I'd like to do it on May 23. Email me at chel(dot)c(dot)cam(at)gmail(dot)com if you'd like to host me. I'm thinking of doing a giveaway along with the reveal, so there's that as well.
Ahhh!!!!!
Oh, sorry that was me freaking out about releasing this book in a month. Deadlines make me sweat. But I want to get this book out to you soooooo much. Stay tuned!
May 1, 2012
Capture Blog Hop!
Welcome to the Capture Blog Hop! Today I have the lovely Brina Courtney, author of Reveal (Book One in The Cryptid Tales) who has just released Capture, the second book in the Cryptid Series! Oh, and that's not all. She's offering PRIZES!!! So read on!
But first, let's hear about how Brina decided to hop on the crazy train of Indie Publishing:
When I began writing did I initially want to go traditional? Sure. But once I realized that almost ALL of my favorite authors, especially the ones that when I wrote fan mail actually got back to me, were self-published, I decided I wanted to go that route too. They took the time to respond. To them, I as a reader, meant something. And just as they did I respond to every single reader I hear from. Whether it’s on facebook, or my blog, or my e-mail, I get back to you. It’s valuable time to me, especially when you took time to get in touch with me. I love hearing form people, even if it’s to discuss others’ books. First I am a reader, second I am writer. I became an author because of my sincere love of the written word, I guess that’s why I’m also a teacher. By teaching children how to read, I get really lucky and get to read a lot of fantastic books. The best way to know a good book is that you’ve heard of it before. Word of mouth is the best way to get your story on a Bestselling List. So go ahead, get reading, and get talking (or typing) about your new favorite book!
I love being able to connect with readers. It's the best. Readers make my day :)
And now onto the prizes! For the entire hop, Brina is offering a $15 Amazon Gift card (International) and 2 signed paperbacks of Reveal (US only). So go on over to her blog and check that out.
Because Brina's soooo generous, she's offering an ebook package of Reveal and Capture one on lucky person on this very blog. All you have to do is leave a comment saying what your supernatural power would be, if you could have one. In Reveal, we find out that Shay can talk to ghosts. But that isn't the only power she has... So what would your power be?
Don't forget to check out the other blogs on the hop for more chances to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
1.Jessica @ Food for Thought2.Mickey@imabookshark3.Ren @ Ren's Rambles4.Jessica @ Just a Booklover5.Jessirae @ Words, Pages, and Books6.Heather @ SupaGurl Books7.Tess @ My Pathway to Books8.worlds away book blog9.Jennie @ My Cute Bookshelf10.Lucy @ Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf11.Michelle @ The Passionate Bookworm12.Kate @ Who Needs Neverland13.Tiffany @ Escaping one book at a time14.Have You Heard My Book Review15.Megan Duncan YA Author16.FireStarBooks17.Chelsea M. Cameron, Author18.Rainy's Book Realm MAY 2nd ONLY19.Pam @ Novelly Nice
April 30, 2012
Z is for... Ze end!
Yeah, I got busy and lazy and couldn't think of a really good Z word to end Blogging A to Z. So I'm going to reflect on it instead.
I found out about this whole thing the day before it started via author Ali Cross. I signed up, hoping maybe it would get me back into blogging again. I thought it wouldn't be that hard. While it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, it wasn't easy. I had to plan ahead and remember that I had a post due. And that people might actually read it :) I got more comments in this one month than I ever have before. I found some new blogs myself and made some new friends. And it was another challenge that I completed.
Would I do it again? Heck yes! I'll plan better next year and have a theme again. I kind of deviated a lot from my original idea, and I also need to write the posts ahead of time. That would stop me from cramming three letters into one day.
So here's to 26 letters of blogging! *cheers*
I found out about this whole thing the day before it started via author Ali Cross. I signed up, hoping maybe it would get me back into blogging again. I thought it wouldn't be that hard. While it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, it wasn't easy. I had to plan ahead and remember that I had a post due. And that people might actually read it :) I got more comments in this one month than I ever have before. I found some new blogs myself and made some new friends. And it was another challenge that I completed.
Would I do it again? Heck yes! I'll plan better next year and have a theme again. I kind of deviated a lot from my original idea, and I also need to write the posts ahead of time. That would stop me from cramming three letters into one day.
So here's to 26 letters of blogging! *cheers*
Spring Fling Giveaway Hop!
Because I can't stop giving things away, apparently. So here's another! This one is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Eve's Fan Garden, the hostesses with the mostesses.
Okie dokie, on to the important things. THE PRIZES!!! Up for grabs is a $10 Amazon Gift Card or an ecopy of Nocturnal in the format of your choice. Pretty darn good, right? All you have to do to enter is follow this blog :) Extra entries for tweeting, liking me on Facebook, adding my books to your Goodreads and telling me in the comments what your favorite Spring activity is. Don't forget to scroll all the way down to hit all the blogs on the linky list! Happy Hopping!
a Rafflecopter giveaway<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
April 29, 2012
Some EXCITING THINGS you can win! Including SWAG!!!
I've had a great experience as an indie author so far. But there's one thing I need. REVIEWS. They are so important in getting readers to click on a book and decide if they're interested in it. Nocturnal and Nightmare are in serious need of reviews. Good or bad. So I have a little proposition for you. I have the following things:
An I Heart Indie Authors toteA Nocturnal Journal (giggle)A page of I Heart Indie Authors stickersA Nocturnal KeychainBUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!
Also included in this package will be a $25 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Oh, but that's not all. I will also include an ecopy of my next release, Whisper, sent to you on the day it's released.
How can you win this awesome package? Easy. Write a review. Post it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Email me a copy at chel(dot)c(dot)cam(at)gmail(dot)com and you'll be entered to win! Each review counts as one entry. So if you write a review of Nocturnal and Nightmare, then you get two entries. This contest will be open until May 31st. That gives you an entire month to read and write a review. What are you waiting for? GET TO IT! (this contest is US only. Sorry international fans! I'll have some giveaways for you soon, I promise)
*special thanks to my bff Bix who made this lovely arrangement and took the photo :)
April 28, 2012
In which I shatter the rules of Blogging A to Z...
I did it again. I didn't post for a few days, so I'm going to do three letters in one day. Again. Don't worry, we're nearly at the end. Also, I am going to have a SUPER EXCITING POST FULL OF EXCITING THINGS later tonight. I'll give you a hint: it involves you winning things. EXCITING THINGS. Trust me, you want to stay tuned for that.
Onto Blogging A to Z! First up is letter W, which stands for WORDS. I know, right? Silly thing to choose. But still, you couldn't have a book without words. It's choosing the right ones that's the tricky part. Some words are better than others. Words like shiver and effervescent and dark are good words. But used in the best way. Also, said is a good word, no matter what. I had that beaten into my head in college. Said. Is. Golden. Also, there are certain words that can be used too often. Like like. And really. And things like "she said haltingly" should never happen. Some words can make or break a sentence. Or even a book. There was a debacle about a character watching another character "shift" on the ground. Only the word was missing a letter. Words are weapons. They are power. Use them wisely.
Next up, we have letter X! Which today stands for eXpletives. I'll admit it. I curse. I try not to in mixed company, at work, or online. Because I think it's crass in certain situations. But yes, I have cursed on my blog and on twitter. Not often, but I have. Everyone does. Even if you try not to, sometimes that four-letter word comes out. Here's the thing about YA. Teens curse. A lot. Next time you're near a group of them, go ahead and listen in. Better yet, go look at their Facebook pages. Yeah, they really don't know that's going to haunt them later, do they? Anywho, here's the moral of the story.
If you're writing YA, you have to address it. Every character in the book isn't going to say, "oh fudge!" It's unrealistic. Also unrealistic is every single character dropping an F bomb three times in one conversation. It's all about balance. I used curse words in my first book, because my character did. It fit the story, and if it offends someone, that's not really my problem. For my new book, my character is more reserved. She babysits and has a little sister and wants to be a teacher. So her curses are more rare. My favorite are the made-up curse words. Tiffany King, author of Meant To Be has some really good ones I've stolen for my own personal use. Like, "mother of pearl!" I'm also fond of, "shut the front door!" Have fun with it. And if you aren't comfortable writing curse words, don't. Kiersten White doesn't, because of her Mormon beliefs. Does that make her books any less exciting? Nope. Pretty sure there's also no swearing in Twilight. Didn't seem to have hurt that book any. Still, it would have been nice to see Edward say, "oh sh*t" when he found out about Renesmee.
Lastly for today, we have Y. Which is for yearning. Oh yeah. Every character in a book wants something. Deep down. They may not know what it is, but the purpose of the story is to have them strive for it. Part of that is yearning. Wanting. Because you wouldn't accomplish something if you didn't want it. Part of the journey is wanting something, but not being able to have it. There's a pain, but also a beauty in it. Maybe it's that boy you meet eyes with across the cafeteria that doesn't know you're alive and you don't know how to make him notice you, and you're ugly and boring and he wouldn't want you anyway. Oh, the yearn. It's delicious.
Onto Blogging A to Z! First up is letter W, which stands for WORDS. I know, right? Silly thing to choose. But still, you couldn't have a book without words. It's choosing the right ones that's the tricky part. Some words are better than others. Words like shiver and effervescent and dark are good words. But used in the best way. Also, said is a good word, no matter what. I had that beaten into my head in college. Said. Is. Golden. Also, there are certain words that can be used too often. Like like. And really. And things like "she said haltingly" should never happen. Some words can make or break a sentence. Or even a book. There was a debacle about a character watching another character "shift" on the ground. Only the word was missing a letter. Words are weapons. They are power. Use them wisely.
Next up, we have letter X! Which today stands for eXpletives. I'll admit it. I curse. I try not to in mixed company, at work, or online. Because I think it's crass in certain situations. But yes, I have cursed on my blog and on twitter. Not often, but I have. Everyone does. Even if you try not to, sometimes that four-letter word comes out. Here's the thing about YA. Teens curse. A lot. Next time you're near a group of them, go ahead and listen in. Better yet, go look at their Facebook pages. Yeah, they really don't know that's going to haunt them later, do they? Anywho, here's the moral of the story.
If you're writing YA, you have to address it. Every character in the book isn't going to say, "oh fudge!" It's unrealistic. Also unrealistic is every single character dropping an F bomb three times in one conversation. It's all about balance. I used curse words in my first book, because my character did. It fit the story, and if it offends someone, that's not really my problem. For my new book, my character is more reserved. She babysits and has a little sister and wants to be a teacher. So her curses are more rare. My favorite are the made-up curse words. Tiffany King, author of Meant To Be has some really good ones I've stolen for my own personal use. Like, "mother of pearl!" I'm also fond of, "shut the front door!" Have fun with it. And if you aren't comfortable writing curse words, don't. Kiersten White doesn't, because of her Mormon beliefs. Does that make her books any less exciting? Nope. Pretty sure there's also no swearing in Twilight. Didn't seem to have hurt that book any. Still, it would have been nice to see Edward say, "oh sh*t" when he found out about Renesmee.
Lastly for today, we have Y. Which is for yearning. Oh yeah. Every character in a book wants something. Deep down. They may not know what it is, but the purpose of the story is to have them strive for it. Part of that is yearning. Wanting. Because you wouldn't accomplish something if you didn't want it. Part of the journey is wanting something, but not being able to have it. There's a pain, but also a beauty in it. Maybe it's that boy you meet eyes with across the cafeteria that doesn't know you're alive and you don't know how to make him notice you, and you're ugly and boring and he wouldn't want you anyway. Oh, the yearn. It's delicious.
April 26, 2012
W is for winners!
Wow, I could not have planned that better, could I? I had 485 entries. Uh, can you say wow? I will be doing another blog hop starting next Tuesday, so don't worry everyone else who didn't win. Also, if you want to get a copy of Nocturnal, it's going to be 99 cents until Sunday, so grab it while you can!
On to the winners....
The winner of the $10 Amazon gift card is.....
Sarah L!
And the winner of an ecopy of Nocturnal is......
Faith H C!
Congrats ladies, I will be emailing you shortly. Stay tuned for some awesome giveaways coming soon. I've got swaaaggggg...
On to the winners....
The winner of the $10 Amazon gift card is.....
Sarah L!
And the winner of an ecopy of Nocturnal is......
Faith H C!
Congrats ladies, I will be emailing you shortly. Stay tuned for some awesome giveaways coming soon. I've got swaaaggggg...
April 25, 2012
In which I break the rules for the A to Z blog hop...
Sooo, I haven't posted in a few days. Things got busy and I was just too wiped at night to get my act together. Which means I'm breaking the rules and doing one post for three letters. Killing three birds with one stone. Not that I advocate birdicide. Here goes!
T is for Texture. When I read, I want something that's rich. Give me a world I can see, smell and taste. I forget to add a lot of these things when I'm writing, but they are so important. What's the point of reading a book if you can't reasonably escape into the world the author created? It's all about the little things. What knickknacks are on a character's bureau, what perfume they wear, how their favorite shirt feels against their skin. But a few details go a long way. It's better to have less, so they stand out, than too many, because they get lost.
U is for Underdog! We always like to root for the underdog, don't we? I love a character who's down and out and manages to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I also love an ordinary girl getting the amazingly hot boy. Or the other way around. The dorky boy getting the beautiful girl. Good triumphing over evil. Harry defeating Voldemort, Katniss winning out against the evil government, the Grinch growing a heart. It's all good :)
V is for Voice! Every writer has one, no two writers are the same. Sometimes you click with an author's voice. Robin McKinley is one of my favorites. So is Neil Gaiman. Also J.K. Rowling. There are a ton others, but that's just off the top of my head. Sometimes you don't click with an author's voice. I read The Hobbit, but I just can't get into it. The important thing for a writer is to find their voice and keep it. One of the hardest things for new writers is making sure someone else's voice doesn't creep into theirs. When I first started writing, I was a clone of Tamora Pierce mixed with J.K. Rowling. It was bad. And it wasn't me. I like to think I've figured out what my voice is and how to stick to it. I hope :)
So there you go, three days worth in one shot! I'll be back tomorrow with letter W.
T is for Texture. When I read, I want something that's rich. Give me a world I can see, smell and taste. I forget to add a lot of these things when I'm writing, but they are so important. What's the point of reading a book if you can't reasonably escape into the world the author created? It's all about the little things. What knickknacks are on a character's bureau, what perfume they wear, how their favorite shirt feels against their skin. But a few details go a long way. It's better to have less, so they stand out, than too many, because they get lost.
U is for Underdog! We always like to root for the underdog, don't we? I love a character who's down and out and manages to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I also love an ordinary girl getting the amazingly hot boy. Or the other way around. The dorky boy getting the beautiful girl. Good triumphing over evil. Harry defeating Voldemort, Katniss winning out against the evil government, the Grinch growing a heart. It's all good :)
V is for Voice! Every writer has one, no two writers are the same. Sometimes you click with an author's voice. Robin McKinley is one of my favorites. So is Neil Gaiman. Also J.K. Rowling. There are a ton others, but that's just off the top of my head. Sometimes you don't click with an author's voice. I read The Hobbit, but I just can't get into it. The important thing for a writer is to find their voice and keep it. One of the hardest things for new writers is making sure someone else's voice doesn't creep into theirs. When I first started writing, I was a clone of Tamora Pierce mixed with J.K. Rowling. It was bad. And it wasn't me. I like to think I've figured out what my voice is and how to stick to it. I hope :)
So there you go, three days worth in one shot! I'll be back tomorrow with letter W.
April 21, 2012
S is for #sexytimes...
Today is brought to you by the letter S! And I had to talk about #sexytimes. Because you can't have YA without a little bit of that.
Now I'm not talking about actual sex. If there is a place for that in the novel, great. I have no problem with sex in YA, because Young Adults have sex and to pretend like they don't is silly. But #sexytimes aren't about sex. They're about the wanting. After the sex happens, you lose some of that tension. The build up to even just a kiss can be so much better than the actual thing.
The other day when I talked about opposites attracting, Laura mentioned one of my favorite couples of all time. Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. I don't know how I could forget about them. Seriously. I have seen that thing at least 10 times. I got my college roomate so hooked on it that we ended up watching both series in one sitting. It's 8.1 hours long. Yeah, we had a lot of free time.
The point of all this rambling and what it has to do with #sexytimes is that Anne and Gilbert don't kiss until the very, very end of the series. No, there are nearly ten YEARS of them dancing around each other and fighting and sort of getting together, but not, and him loving her and her not realizing she loves him and one rejected proposal and so much eye sex it's ridiculous. And the whole thing is so sexy you can't even stand it.
We all know that these two belong together. As Mrs. Lind says, "providence matched them two up when they were children." The passion they have for each other is explosive. They fight a lot. Because they want each other soooooo much. And that's the sexiest thing there is. The wanting.
April 19, 2012
R is for Rain and the Showers of Books Giveaway Hop!
Today is brought to you by the letter R! As in RAIN. And right now, it's raining books!
Thank you to and I Am A Reader Not A Writer and One A Day Y.A. for hosting!
So what am I going to showeR you with? Well, I've got two things up for grabs. One ecopy of Nocturnal or a $10 Amazon gift card! All you have to do is follow this blog, and you can earn extra entries for tweeting, following me on Facebook and leaving a comment telling me what your favorite rainy day activity is. Mine is reading :)
Scroll down to hit the other blogs on the linky list. Happy hopping!
a Rafflecopter giveaway<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
Thank you to and I Am A Reader Not A Writer and One A Day Y.A. for hosting!
So what am I going to showeR you with? Well, I've got two things up for grabs. One ecopy of Nocturnal or a $10 Amazon gift card! All you have to do is follow this blog, and you can earn extra entries for tweeting, following me on Facebook and leaving a comment telling me what your favorite rainy day activity is. Mine is reading :)
Scroll down to hit the other blogs on the linky list. Happy hopping!
a Rafflecopter giveaway<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
