Sandy Appleyard's Blog, page 2

Don’t begrudge the trolls, they increase sales. Learn why…

Sales of this book have never been affected by ‘trolling’…it still remains my ‘reader favourite’

While most authors probably run and hide under the covers, crying for days when they get ‘trolled’, I actually smile…because I know I’ll see more sales.

‘Trolls’, or the term authors use when they receive a bad review, should not be begrudged.

In the ten year haul for which I’ve been an author, I notice a spike in sales almost immediately after one or more of my books has been attacked by trolls.

...

Permanently Free on Amazon…The Wife of a Lesser Man

After a couple of months watching free price matches, and the volume increasing per week, it’s finally…

Permanently free on Amazon!

Readers can now enjoy Book One of the LA Cops Series for free…Forever!

The book has been permanently free on Kobo, Smashwords, iBooks, and Nook since November, but now you can find it free on Amazon. It was also recently added (for free) on Google Play.

I’m pleased that many readers have also purchased Book Two and Book Three. The books in the LA Cops Series can...

Kobo User? Find Free Books There From Me!

Enjoy Free Reads on Your Kobo…Compliments of Me

Since going wide last year, I’ve been working diligently to get all my books into as many readers’ hands as possible, and that means placing them on all digital platforms. Kobo included.

Kobo is a great platform for ereaders…my husband reads off of a Kobo and very much enjoys it. Like all other platforms, you can find many of my books for free there.

Here is a list (and links) of all my books currently free on Kobo:

The Wife of a Lesser Man (LA...

Seven Lies, Four Truths is now available on Amazon and Kobo!

Seven Lies, Four Truths She felt his cold, hard knuckles connect with her face…

Her jaw bone cracked in her ear, sending echoes throughout her body, awakening dozens of scars; the worst, her womb, where the ghost of an unborn fetus lay. She turned her head, gravity pulling an unshed tear down her bruised cheek.

On the side table, she saw the innocent photo that caused his wrath, and looked up further, between the spokes leading upstairs, where two young eyes stared back at her, full of terro...

Bring Readers to Your Work Using 5 Free Methods

Book Three now available. Subscribe and get Book One FREE. See below for details

Experiment with readers

The best way to come up with new and exciting ways to bring readers to your books is to experiment. Readers change with the times and here are a few new things I’ve noted recently.

Use Twitterfeed to post interesting stuff to your readers even while you’re away.

Okay, I confess, I’ve been using Twitterfeed since starting on Twitter back in 2011. But one thing I noticed is that while I was...

Ten Reasons You Should Self-Publish

In a previouspost, I discussed the criteria for determining whether or not a book is ‘good enough’ to be self-published. And something I left readers with was what would keep you from submitting to publishers.

When you self-publish, what are you missing out on?

I’ll share one of my fellow author friends’ input first. And these are in no particular order:

Fussing with query letters, synopses, re-writes, etc.

While writing is essentially what we love to do, the above tasks are not necessarily w...

To Hide in Holly Springs Book One-Chapters 1 to 3

About the Book

New York living has suited Layla Dixon well for as long as she can remember. The teen is the middle sister in a home where both parents are doctors. Mary and Chris Dixon have never admitted to it, but when the opportunity to move to small town living arises, they realize it is a dream come true.

A family revolt ensues, causing a rift between the Dixons. So when Layla is the first to pack her bags, bound for Holly Springs, North Carolina, all eyebrows lift with suspicion. They f...

Facebook, Bullying, and Cancer…and what you shouldn’t do

There is a certain post circulating Facebook that is ruffling my feathers. Much of Facebook I don’t care for, and for the most part I ignore. There are certain things one must simply scroll past, while others need to be addressed.

The post, which pertains to cancer victims, essentially bullies Facebook users into re-posting in support of said victims. I’m all for showing support for cancer, and I do my share by giving to friends and family who do the annual runs, and by donating to the Prince...

Living with Depression and Anxiety Disorder-Part 5

In taking a break from writing posts for a couple of weeks, a few positive things have happened, and they are both as a result of something we should all take to heart:

Do something for yourself

Instead of brooding and feeling worthless or helpless over my inability to obtain suitable employment, I decided to do something about it. Enrolling in an online course is what I thought would work for me, so I did it. This will help me update/upgrade my education, get me back into the learning frame...

Living with Depression and Anxiety Disorder-Part 4

The most frustrating part of having anxiety disorder is that you can go days without symptoms…sometimes weeks, with little or no evidence of having any kind of mental health issue. And just when you think you’ve done all the work you need to get you past that difficult point…and maybe you’re getting better…it strikes again.

This little reprieve I’m talking about happened in the past few weeks, since the kids have been back to school. With little, manageable bouts, I seemed to have overcome th...