Susan Mac Nicol's Blog, page 8
May 27, 2018
My graphic comic teaser – Soul of Discretion
I decided to do something a little different for this book. I’ve always wanted to create a comic book of my characters, perhaps for use as a teaser, to entice the reader into the story using a story board of images and a bit of snarky dialogue.
This is the result. What do you think? It’s my first one, I hope to get better. If you want to view this in a better resolution, then pop down to Tapas or use a comic reader like Comix, which is free.
May 24, 2018
That bloody GDPR thing..
More about the dreaded GDPR. I deal with this daily in the day job and am part of a workshop group implementing it into the financial services business I work in. The consultant we use has basically said this guy has the gist of it re newsletters and blog subscribers and I thought it worth repeating. This isn’t gospel- if you are an author or blogger and have a website, or newsletter, you need to decide for yourself how you want to handle this. But in the interests of potentially not losing subscribers, this may be something you’d like to think about.
I’m NOT advocating any course of action just letting you know this is how I’m choosing to tackle it. So my newsletter will still continue to go out to those who have already signed up by choosing to opt in to it originally. The same with my blog, which is my preferred way of communication anyway.
These are the important bits:
4. Consent was (originally) via an opt in box they had to tick. You should not need to re-ask consent as long as the opt in was clearly defined and not part of any other service.
5. They signed up to the mailing list on your site. You should not need to re-ask consent.
My website privacy policy has been updated to be GDPR compliant and answers all the questions someone might want to know about how their data is used. Subscribers can easily unsubscribe at any time without question and their data is only being used for the original purpose they signed up for. All done and dusted 
Blog Tour -24 May – Psychopaths & Sinners – Jack L. Pyke
I’m thrilled to welcome Jack L. Pyke to my website today on the Psychopath and Sinners blog tour. Jack is one of my Auto Buy authors and this series, starting with DON’T has kept me enthralled with every new book that comes out. I guess this one will be no different.
I love dark and gritty, men with issues, a certain , shall we say, loosening of scruples and morals and boy, does this series have this in spades. Jack writes like a true wordsmith and her books are a delight to read. And re-read.
And check out this awesome cover….
In case you missed any of the tour stops, here they are
Blog Tour Stops:
May 20: Boy Meets Boy Reviews: https://boymeetsboyreviews.blogspot.co.uk/?zx=5c7a8eb4cd6507c3
May 21: Blogger Girls:
May 22: Kimmer’s Erotic Book Banter:
http://kimmerseroticbookb.wixsite.com/kimmerseroticbb#!
May 23: Books Laid Bare Boys:
https://www.books-laid-bare-boys.com/
May 24: Diverse Reader:
http://diversereader.blogspot.co.uk/
May 25: Men & Men Midnight Café:
http://mm.midnightcafe.uk/mm/index.php
Author: Jack L. Pyke
Novel: Psychopaths & Sinners, Don’t… book 5
Release Date: 22nd May, 2018
Blurb: “Because us? Psychopaths and sinners… we don’t need fixing, Gray.”
Three bodies, three mutilations, each one with something… unusual inserted into the wounds. The deaths are enough to leave Ash Thomas scrambling around to find someone to trust as the murders hit so close to home and heart.
For Gray Raoul, MI5 director of G-Branch, the deaths offer something else, a fall back into a familiar life where culling serial killers cater to his own darker mindset. But the farther Gray moves away from home, the more he realises serial killer games in the field are nothing compared to who he has locked up back at home. Sometimes walking the fine line between psychopaths and live-in lovers is a far darker game.
For Ash, that might just mean he’s on his own now, facing a killer who has a deadly fascination for pretty young men and dancing Holly Blue butterflies over their skin.
Enspire Publishing: https://enspirepublishing.com/product/JP2-1.000328
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Psychopaths-Sinners-Dont-Book-5-ebook/dp/B07C3C8H7L
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychopaths-Sinners-Dont-Book-5-ebook/dp/B07C3C8H7L/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525977080&sr=1-1&keywords=Jack+L.+Pyke&dpID=51QoW0c1rxL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
This picture has a special significance in this story. Read to find out what
April 3, 2018
Annual Autism Awareness Auction
I’m proud to be taking part again in this wonderful event.
The sixth annual Autism Awareness auction is live on the blog facebook page! Head over there now to start bidding. I’m so happy with the listings that were donated this year.
There are three types of bids…
Bidding item: There is a starting bid listed and you bid on these items throughout the month. At 1201am on May 1st, the highest bidder will win that item.
Flat bid item: This is a flat bid that is listed. You will comment and at the end of the auction, all comments will be counted and entered into random.org to choose the winning bidder for that item.
Author only item: these items are for Authors only. Anyone can bid, but if you are not an Author you must ‘gift’ the item to an Author.
> > > CLICK HERE TO VIEW/BID < <
2018 DONATIONS ITEMS listing…
2 (two winning bids) Grammar natzi coffee mugs mug
UNSIGNED paperback The Magic of Dragonfly by
Susan Eileen
Walker
UNSIGNED thin paperback Cole In her Stocking by
CA Szarek
2 (two winning bids) Signed short story paperback copies
of The Time by Kathy Lyons
Signed trade paperback In Rides Trouble by
Julie Ann Walker
Signed paperback copy of The Twisted Ones by
Scott Cawthon and Kira
Breed Wrisley
Signed hard cover Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Signed paperback winner’s choice from TM Smith’s backlist
A critique of the first three chapters of your manuscript
(up to thirty pages). I will read and review the beginning of your novel or
novella, or as page count allows, your full short story. I’ll happily answer
questions on receipt of my critique.
$20 Gift Card – Winner’s Choice from select retailers
> > > CLICK HERE TO VIEW/BID < < <
Signed Copy of Changing Lines (Railers 1) by
VL Locey
& RJ Scott
Signed copy of Crooked Tree Ranch by RJ Scott
Signed paperback copies of all six books in the
Something About Him series by AD Ellis
Enticing Journey: *1 Release blitz (no reviews $45.00 value)
*1 Cover Reveal (no reviews $40.00 value)
*1 Review Tour ($60.00 value)
$50 (US) Amazon Gift Card
$50 (US) Dreamspinner Press Gift Card
$15 Amazon gift card & 2 eBooks from Susan Mac Nicol Saving Alexander and Worth Keeping
Signed paperback from Will Parkinson or
Parker Williams backlist, winner bidders choice
Signed Paperback copies of Two-Man Advantage and Match Point by Leigh Carman
Signed paperback copies of He Loves Me…KNOT and DITCHED and $10 Amazon gift card from Author RC Boldt
Surprise Mystery Bundle: Signed book and a swag pack from Author Xavier Neal
Signed paperback copy of The Boy Friend by Mika Jolie
2 (two winning bidders) $25 Gift Cards to Dreamspinner Press. Can also be used
towards Harmony Ink or
DSP Publications
Review Only Tour hosted by Words Turn me On
Signed paperback winner’s choice of what the Author has on hand, from Author NR Walker
Signed paperback copy of M4M by Rick R Reed
2 (two winning bidders) signed paperback copy of
Beneath the Stain by Amy Lane
> > > CLICK HERE TO VIEW/BID < < <
Four Kings Security series “Employee Kit”
includes: Four Kings Security branded laptop bag, hoodie (personalized with
initials), coffee mug, mouse pad, and personalized employee lanyard. Compliments of Author Charlie Cochet
Signed paperback copy of Zero F*cks by LK Collins
2 signed sets (two winning bidders) of books 1-3 in the Rockstar Series by Anne Mercier
SURVIVOR by TM Sith Play and Read bundle
Sandrine Gasq-Dion bundle
Signed paperback copy of Running to You by Andrew Grey
pair of Storiarts Writers Gloves
Signed paperback copies of Manny Duo by Amy Lane
and swag catcher
Signed paperback copy of Late in the Day by Mary Calmes
Signed paperback copy of Hot Head by Damon Suede
Signed paperback copies of The Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet’s
$50 LuLaRoe giftcard to her shop donated by
Lauren Spease
$50 LulaRoe GiftCard to their boutique donated by
Kari and Tawny
Signed paperback copy of SECRET by Kindle Alexander
Signed paperback copy of Alpha’s Law by Sara York
$20 Amazon GC
> > > CLICK HERE TO VIEW/BID < < <
Advertising space for 2 months from Love Bytes Reviews
Signed paperback set of my Curl Up and Dye Mysteries
(books 1-5) by Aimee N Walker
Signed paperbacks from Ann Lister
winning bidder will get THREE books, winnner’s choice, from The Rock Gods or Guarding the Gods series
Signed paperback copies of the first two books in the Codename: Winger series by Jeff Adams
Signed paperback copy of The Hockey Player’s
Heart by Jeff Adams & Will Knauss
RBTL Promotions: 1 Week Blog Tour for any Author/Publisher
Thirty-One Gifts Crossbody Organizing Tote, Autographed copy
of Fiancé for the Night, bracelet, mini journal, candle, bath bomb, lip gloss
jar, key chain, and bookmark.
A Basket of Happiness from Happily Ever Chapter
3 (three winning bidders) Treasure boxes from
Happily Ever Chapter
> > > CLICK HERE TO VIEW/BID < < <
March 29, 2018
#Bookland Adventures
So much is going on in #Bookworld at the moment. Let’s do a quick recap of what’s happening out there. I’m not an expert and these opinions below are what I’ve gleaned from the posts knocking about on the web. It’s a bit of a long post but then, there’s a lot to talk about.
Sales Rankings
Amazon is stripping erotica authors of their rankings and making their books hard to find. Who knows why, it’s thought the latest SESTA/FOSTA act recently passed in US Congress. It’s a laudable aim and needs to be done. However, thought needed to be given to how this might affect online communities and social networks. I don’t know enough about this to comment so all I can do is draw it to your attention and let you make your own assumptions. There’s a good post here which gives another side of the conversation. https://stopsesta.org/ and https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/fosta-would-be-disaster-online-communities
It might still have to be signed by 45 but we all know the orange dirt bag idiot will do it. I may be wrong, but I doubt this US law affects other countries, just enforces censorship on the internet for US based companies and their affiliates as well as for any websites externally that sell into the US. So it impacts a huge chunk of the market ;( https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/02/28/sesta_passes_house/
Authors are understandably confused about how this will ultimately impact the whole publishing market.
Reddit have tailored back on their offerings, as has Craigslist. It’s only going to get worse as other companies fall in line with the legislation for fear of being held responsible for the actions of their users.
Someone on Kindleboards described it as a ‘purge’. Tymber Dalton wrote an informative piece about this down at tymberdalton.com. And in my opinion, she’s right, mostly. I disagree on one aspect. More about that later.
Facebook will be clamping down on the same thing, because where Amazon goes, I’ve found Facebook follows. (I personally think Bezos and Zuckerberg have a red hotline telephone where they discuss with eager glee how to fuck with authors and the publishing world.) It’s an old problem with Facebook, photos are being reported ad nauseum – innocent, bare chested men, book covers, innocuous pictures of men together – and no one know what the hell Facebook sees that we don’t. More about that later as well.
We’ve had catfishing rearing its ugly head again. I’m not even going to go there because so much has said, I can’t add anything.
Publishers are closing down, some dealing with the meltdown professionally, others preferring to sink their heads into the red South African sand.
There’s probably much more going on, but this is enough for me to contend with now. My brain is close to exploding as it is. So- what do we do about it? Well, I’m not sure what can be done about number 1 and 2. I guess everyone will have to see how it plays out and whether Amazon create a new category or platform for those affected authors to market their books. After all, that’s what Amazon does, right? Sells books we write so it can make a profit, more than we do in most cases. They are the megalith, the giant and we believe we need their platform to sell our books. This is true, but I still believe, even though they are a business and need to do what’s best for them, that a little communication and consultation would go a long way to becoming more professional about the decisions they make.
How do we get over this? There are ways. Tymber mentions one in her blog entry.
A. Sell via your own website and bring that little bit of control into your own hands. You can do what the hell you like, post what you want, and readers should be encouraged to join us as we try and build our brand without external influences that are so fickle and dictatorial. Use this platform as your voice. Of course, at this point I have no clue whether selling , say, your erotica titles, into the US for your readers based there, is also impacted by this legislation.
B. There are other sites like AllAuthor, Books+Bites and Queer Romance Ink. They work on our behalf, and while they may cost a bit of money, it’s worth it. We sell a product; we need to expect there’s a marketing cost for that, like any other company trying to get its product into the hands of would be buyers. No guarantees, simply a budget you wave goodbye to and hope like hell it gets your name out there. These links are all down on my website if you’re interested.
Facebook is a platform where one day we’ll lose all our mojo and when it goes, you need a back up plan. It’s time to start developing this now via your own website and finding other channels to get involved in.
What am I personally doing to try and help?
I’ve been promised a meeting with Facebook in London’s Head of Policy and PR. I know someone who knows him (two someones in fact) and have a great relationship with him. I want to present my petition to them, let them know our grievances and see if anything can be done.
https://www.change.org/p/susan-mac-nicol-equal-facebook-standards-applied-to-lgbtqi-community
I’ve instituted what I call a ‘class action’ (disclaimer- not a real one) against CoolDudes Publishing who’ve gone silent at all the concern regarding their authors and the books they hold. Being Me has a charity anthology published with them. I’ve written to the South African police, on behalf of all the authors and the complaint has been escalated to the National Consumer organisation in SA to handle. I’ve also told everyone down at Absolute Water Cooler not to have anything to do with them. Oh and I emailed Jeff Bezos directly (who came back to me -not him but he passed on my email to one of his senior operatives at Author Central) and he’s kindly given me next steps to have the book removed from Amazon.
For anyone, especially budding authors, who need help with social media trends, getting to grip with ways they can enhance their profiles etc, I already off coaching and Skype sessions to try and give advice. You can check it out on my website. I don’t say I have all the answers, but I’m pleased to announce I’ve helped my fair few find their feet.
https://www.authorsusanmacnicol.com/author-services/
I’ll try and regular updates as I get more details so make sure you follow/subscribe to my blog to get them.
Promotional Opportunities
As Editor in Chief at Divine Magazine, I’m offering any author who needs some exposure a free spotlight post if they wish. They can also upload their books to the site, create their own author page, request a review and join the online community which is far less restrictive than other social networks at the moment.
Request an Author Spotlight – email us at editorial@divinemagazine.biz and we’ll get the material off to you letting you know what we need.
I don’t know what impact all this will have but I know one thing – you’ve nothing to lose by doing it and everything to gain.
February 12, 2018
Memories, all alone in the moonlight…. (apologies to Barbara Streisand)
Since becoming a published author of sexy Romance novels, I’ve gained great amusement out of it. This is one of those times.
When I published my debut M/F novel, Cassandra by Starlight, I asked my local newspaper, The Essex Chronicle, whether they would be interested in doing an article on my new book. They were quite happy to do so and a young man called James called me up and asked me pertinent questions about my novel. Most of his questions, as you might imagine, dealt with the issue of the sex in my books.
The first in the Starlight series of books
Was I like E L James ? How steamy was the sex ? Was there any personal experiences 
attached to said sex scenes? Yes, he actually did ask this. After replying ‘No, definitely not that kind of sex’ ‘Spicy’ and ‘Mind your own business’, the conversation turned to talk of Benedict Cumberbatch as the inspiration for my new novel. I explained to the young reporter that he had inspired me, through his striking looks and talent as an actor, to model the character of Bennett Saville on him. (Bennet is far more handsome, admittedly) Later on in the conversation, said young reporter asked idly, “So, this crush you had on Benedict Cumberbatch, how did that come about?”
I hastily refuted such a notion and told him in no uncertain terms that if he made look a sad middle aged groupie I would never forgive him. He giggled manly and said he wouldn’t do such a thing.
Imagine my surprise when the article came out proclaiming me to be the ‘next E L James’, mentioned the specific fact that I had a crush on young Mr. Cumberbatch (well, perhaps I do but does the whole world have to bloody know?) and made me out to be ‘just like my heroine’, something else I’d refuted. In character definitely –physically-not a chance. I do not look like Michelle Pfeiffer.
The local headlines were ‘EROTIC NOVELIST TO RIVAL FIFTY SHADES SUCCESS’. I saw this headline in a huge one metrer flyer posted outside my local supermarket on the Sunday morning when I went shopping.
After the initial shock, I came to realise that perhaps they’d done me a favour, as surely these sorts of headlines would attract readers? In a moment of mischief I sent the article and the flyer to E L James herself in a tweet and imagine my surprise when she actually tweeted me back wishing me luck. What a great gesture. I can only aspire to earn as much money as she has..
January 26, 2018
Release Day and Cover Reveal- His Personal Assistant by Lisa Harris
Don’t you love this cover, and doesn’t the blurb draw you in? I’m reading this one and it’s wonderful. There’ll be a review coming soon. Congratulations to Lisa on her upcoming release on 26th January.
TITLE – HIS PERSONAL ASSISTANT
Editor – R. E. Hargrave
Cover Designer – The Graphics Shed
Genre – Contemporary Gay Romance
Series – Book 1 – Men of New York
Length – 76k
Release Date – January 26, 2018
At the tender age of twenty-one, Kade Hutchins is at a crossroads, having endured enough hardship to last a thousand lifetimes. With money tight and career at a standstill, he’s running out of time and options. The day he applies for a job that isn’t exactly in his field of expertise and meets his new boss, Mr. Preston, is the day his fate is changed irrecoverably.
Luke Preston is the kind of man others envy. Rich, successful and unattached, his no-nonsense, ‘take no prisoners attitude’ has made him one of the highest profile litigators in Manhattan. He’s also a man with secrets. Secrets he wants kept under wraps since tragedy rocked his privileged existence to the core. When Kade, a man some fifteen years his junior steps foot inside his office, Luke wonders if his heart will survive.
Brushing an errant piece of fluff off my shoulder, I straightened the hem of my shirt and took a deep breath. Not that it did much good. By the time the elevator doors opened on the tenth floor, my nerves were beyond frazzled. With less than a minute to spare, I stepped inside the plush, modern offices.
A striking woman sitting behind a large reception desk greeted me, looking most business-like. What didn’t make sense was the way she seemed ready to pounce the second she saw me. I was surprised she didn’t fall flat on her face, considering she wore a pencil-thin black skirt and high-heeled shoes and was on her feet and running toward me like a crazy person.
“Thank God you’re here!”
“Um, what?” I took a wary step backward. She was kinda scary.
“Please tell me you’re Kade Hutchins.”
“Oh. Yes, I am.”
She held out her hand and when I took it in mine, I was impressed by her firm, assured grip. “You have no idea how relieved I am to see you.”
“Uh, thanks?” The warm smile she gave in response made her round, hazel eyes sparkle. Her hospitable attitude made me feel at ease in an instant, and I couldn’t help but grin back.
“The name’s Kimberly O’Connell. I’m the paralegal around here.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. O’Connell.”
“Oh, please, I insist you call me Kimberly.”
“Okay.”
Releasing her hold on me, she pointed a manicured finger at the closed office door located behind the desk. “Come on, Kade. Let’s get you in to see His Highness.” Covering her mouth, she giggled.
“Who?” I stopped myself from joining in, but it wasn’t easy. She had an infectious laugh.
“Luke Preston. The ass you spoke to on the phone.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know whether it was appropriate to agree with her or not, but decided it would be best to err on the side of caution.
“Sorry about him, by the way.” Kimberly knocked, before lowering her voice to a faint whisper, and adding, “I had no idea he was going to answer the phone when I went to make his coffee. He usually lets the machine pick up, but I didn’t think to switch it on since I was only going to be gone a few minutes.”
The moment I let out a nervous chuckle, the door to Luke Preston’s office flew open.
Tall and broad-shouldered, the strong jaw, high cheekbones, and dark brown hair slicked back so not a lock was out of place, coupled with the way his body filled out that navy suit, made Luke Preston look more like a model than a lawyer. My guess was that he was in his mid-thirties, but holy shit, did he wear it well. Startling emerald eyes fringed by long, dark lashes stared at me with such intensity that, for a split second, I forgot to breathe. His sharp features were softened by flawless, pale skin and full lips so plush, I wondered what they would feel like pressed against my own. In that briefest of moments, I knew I was in trouble as my head began waging a war with my heart so fierce, I didn’t know whether to pull him in for a kiss or run for my life.
All I could do was wait for him to say something… anything to break the tension.
L. J. HARRIS is a mother, wife, an introvert and author. Her family is her life, her soul, and the very reason she gets out of bed every day. Coming a close second is her writing.
She discovered a passion for putting pen to paper in her later years, jotting down poems in birthday cards for family members.
It was then a spark was lit, and ever since, she’s been unable to switch off the urge to share her stories.
L.J. Harris discovered that as much as experiencing pain, loss and betrayal can be devastating, capturing the feelings of anguish and loss that some of her characters have had to endure without firsthand knowledge would have proved difficult.
L.J. has been previously published and has shared several online stories and looks forward to continuing to share her work. She can be found at:
CONTACT LINKS:
Blog Facebook Goodreads Twitter
Universal link: myBook.to/HisPersonalAssist
Rafflecopter: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/50f17079334/
January 25, 2018
Bob Dylan had it right when he said the times they are a changin…
Batten down the hatches. I’m going in. I’ve been giving a lot of thought recently to the way we as authors promote. You might have noticed all the posts on my Facebook profile.
http://www.authormedia.com/why-traditionally-published-authors-should-not-pay-for-marketing/
I get this. I truly do. And there’s a huge element of truth in Reason #1 which has always been a huge bug bear for me. I need to know what’s working and what’s not when it’s happening, not when I get my quarterly statements. Publishers could do a lot to endear author confidence and trust by having an online platform where authors can have up to date information on their sales, even if it’s not true ‘real time’. We’d at least have something. That’s why I like the idea of self-publishing. Indie authors do have better options, but they also must fork out the cash up front. It’s a decision one must make and in this climate of falling sales, readers being spoilt for choice, and the influx of new authors to the market every hour, I’m happy to let my publisher bear those costs. For now.
I don’t agree that authors shouldn’t market themselves. We have a responsibility to build our own brand as much as the publisher does. Gone are the days where authors sit around imbibing cocktails and telling people smugly, ‘I wrote a book, you know,’ and watching their publisher do all the hard work. Authors are their own business. You might have a promotions company to manage most of your publicity and do the big stuff, but as a business, you personally must network, and build that brand. You’re not excluded from that, and to think you should be is naïve, no matter how much we’d simply like to drink cocktails and reap in those royalties.
I published this on my Facebook page recently and it garnered a lot of response. As it should. As authors we must move with the times and the vagaries of the market and have as many baskets as possible into which to place our marketing strategy. And yes, there may be cost involved with that.
http://www.authormedia.com/facebooks-2018-change-means-authors/
I’m going to play devil’s advocate here.
Facebook is only one of the outlets we use and it’s a biggie. It’s getting tougher by the minute to use it as a promoting tool. Whether we like it or not, Facebook is a business when it comes to pages. If we want to promote and advertise, we need to pay for it, the same as we would elsewhere. Facebook’s challenge is making it as easy and as cost beneficial as it can for its patrons. It’s about being able to read the results of a boosted post or campaign, have the information at our fingertips and see where we should be better spending our money. It’s about giving us the qualified information to make a choice. That’s what Facebook owes us. If they DON’T do this, then we have the right to complain.
While I hate to think they will one day monetise groups, depending on what the group was formed for, if it’s for promotion, pimping and author advertising to a selected target market- isn’t that the cost of doing business and shouldn’t we be paying for it? It might suck, but is it truly wrong?
It’s only a matter of time before other social networks decide to do the same.
If authors don’t want to pay for Facebook ads, boosted posts etc, then we need to look at where we can focus on moving our promotional efforts to places better suited. The areas we can control are our websites, our newsletters, our social networks to the point of building and maintaining a social relationship with readers, not a promotional one. Readers get to know us personally, they’ll remember us more when we tell them about something new coming out in conversation. Another area we have control over are author conferences, signing events and days out with readers to catch up. Some of them are costly, yes, but we don’t baulk at paying for these like we do Facebook ads. Why? Because we can see the results face to face. We can see how many books we’ve sold, how many new fans we’ve made and how many we’ve happened to retain just by a hallo and a cup of coffee.
While I’m not an advocate for Patreon, or other arrangements like this (I’m not judging, it’s just not for me), I do know authors are using this to deliver bespoke material to select readers and eke an existence out of it. I have no idea how this brings new readers to an author’s book as it’s something I haven’t investigated. It works for some though and nowadays, anything we can do to encourage sales is relevant. It’s what works for you as an author that’s important.
The other way we can encourage book sales (although it can’t be measured) is with sites like
I belong to all of them, and while I can’t measure my success, I have access to time saving applications, preferential reviews, ease of social media use and a lot more. That’s valuable to me in terms of time and money. It gets my reach further out, via their web sites, and attracts people who might read my stories.
The trick here is to check the quality of what’s on offer and who is behind it. There are a lot of similar sites out there who promise a lot and deliver less. These ones I have a relationship with and I trust them.
On my website I have my own Bookateria which links directly to my publisher’s site to purchase, because I earn more royalties that way. I’m looking at creating a merchandise range this year as well. Who wouldn’t want Leslie’s sexy legs on high heels on a tee-shirt? In short, I’m taking a long, hard look at everything I do to make sure it’s beneficial for me, and my readers.
Because times are changing and if we don’t move with it to become the creators of our own success, rather than rely on third parties like Facebook to do it for us, when that alarm bell rings for the final time, it’ll be too late. And as an industry, together, we can perhaps create a stronger genre where everyone benefits.
January 2, 2018
2018- My Year Ahead
2017 was an amazing year in some respects, and awful in others, both from a personal standpoint and a world view. I’m not one to dwell on what’s been before, because I believe it’s self-defeating. Instead, I focus on the future and live day to day, because, honestly, that’s all any of us can do.
To the readers of my books, the bloggers that helped me throughout the year, the organisers of the events I attended, my fellow authors who consoled and supported me, my family who kept me sane, and everyone in my life who touched it, however briefly – thank you. I treasure each and every one of you and I hope your 2018 is as good as mine is going to be. If I can do anything to help in that regard, all you must do is ask and I’ll be there.
#Project1 and some news
Living on Air release. I anticipate this being out late February, but I’ll confirm dates when I can. Chris Talbot, how’s that cover shot doing? 
Cary and Rhys are waiting….
I’m hoping to produce seven new books in the next eighteen months. I have contracts for them all already, so I guess I’d better keep moving and get those fingers tapping on a keyboard.
There could be some good news too about other things in the works, but I’ve been asked by my publisher to keep mum on it until something pans out. Sorry to be so sketchy but I’d hate to say too much. It involves book fairs…
I’m planning a visit to the Facebook office in London to present the LGBTQ petition once I’ve finalised everything and anyone that wants to come with me is more than welcome. We can make a day out of it, ending with drinks and talk about books in general. https://www.change.org/p/susan-mac-nicol-equal-facebook-standards-applied-to-lgbtqi-community/
I’ve got the rights back on some of my books too – Stripped Bare, Saving Alexander, Worth Keeping and Love and Punishment, so I’m debating what to do with them. I have some ideas. I just need a coffee and some thought time…
#Project2
I’m co-writing with Author M Tasia from Boroughs Group Publishing. She’s the author of the wonderful Boys of Brighton series. Our story is set in Toronto, Canada and promises intrigue, shmexy times, humour and a constant war of words between two very head strong and stubborn men. I’m not sure yet when the planned release date for this will be. Head over to her page, give it a like and you’ll have double the chance of spotting the updates 
November 19, 2017
LGBTQ Community Plea to Facebook
Long post ahead. And be warned, you may see some images you don’t want to see:)
There’s been a growing trend with social media giant Facebook in the past years to filter out content that it believes is harmful to both its brand, the community, and its users. We have no problem with this. It makes sound business and ethical sense and with the ongoing government demands for industry leaders like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to step up their game and protect people, country and lives, we applaud any initiative to do just that.
What we have a problem with is the double standards we believe it applies to some of its policies and decisions. Nowhere is this more prevalent or evident to those of us than in the LGBTQ community.
We’re specifically talking about the book publishing world here, where authors, publishers and bloggers use Facebook as a social and promotional tool. We’re talking a world where men love men, men kiss men and men have sex with men. We’re also talking the use of erotic and sexy pictures used to promote or tease readers with relationship stories and love and romance tales of men falling in love. About covers meant to entice the readers with their sexy bare-chested men and their racy look. However, no respectable publisher will publish a cover that’s pornographic. And we all have respectable publishers.
Here are the things we do as authors and readers to meet Facebook requirements, so we don’t offend people who might find our content unpalatable:
We set most posts to friends. They are the people who ‘theoretically’ want to be here and are interested in the content we post
We set up private and secret groups where people who ‘theoretically’ want to be part of what we offer can participate.
We run closed private events where ‘theoretically’ only people who wish to participate join in.
You’ll notice I’m using the word ‘theoretically’ in italics and I’ll explain this in a bit.
It’s all consensual. The fact that the Facebook strategy, as evidenced in Mark Zuckerberg’s statement that he wants people to be responsible for what they see on their timelines, is a massive step in the right direction.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/mark-zuckerberg/building-global-community/10154544292806634
‘Third, even within a given culture, we have different opinions on what we want to see and what is objectionable. I may be okay with more politically charged speech but not want to see anything sexually suggestive, while you may be okay with nudity but not want to see offensive speech. Similarly, you may want to share a violent video in a protest without worrying that you’re going to bother friends who don’t want to see it. And just as it’s a bad experience to see objectionable content, it’s also a terrible experience to be told we can’t share something we feel is important. This suggests we need to evolve towards a system of personal control over our experience.’
Socialsamosa published this opinion-
https://www.socialsamosa.com/2017/02/facebook-community-standards/
This time around, Facebook has weighed their options, and come up with a decision to not be the judge, jury and executioner, rather letting the audience vote and choose as to what constitutes as objectionable content to them.
Let the people choose is a mantra we could all learn to live by.
However, we cannot condone the fact that there are people within the groups, and whom are ‘theoretical friends’ who join or befriend people (catfishing) purely for causing trouble and trolling to make waves. It’s unfortunately a part of the social network lifestyle.
As authors, we have rigid standards we apply to a friend request. What we write about, i.e. LGBTQ stories, is targeted much like the LGBTQ individuals in the real world are. We do not wish to have people whom take exception to what we do and cause trouble simply because they can, because of their beliefs and their doctrines.
To this end, Facebook has both their anti-bullying and hate crime community standards. We believe our genre on Facebook could benefit from both policies being enforced. They aren’t. Instead, we have one person with a grudge or out of spite, reporting what we deem to be an innocent picture, where we believe we have met the Facebook Community guidelines based not only on what we have posted, but what other people in the heterosexual world are posting, yet we suffer and they appear to be allowed to get away with it.
Even posting in secret or private groups isn’t sacred. Either someone reports a picture based on the fact they are simply trolling to make trouble, or Facebook bots find a picture and take it down. We were under the impression private and secret groups were ‘safe spaces’. This is not said with any element of naivety. We understand that pornographic pictures can’t be posted in groups as well, that pictures still need to meet community standards. We completely agree with this. Again, our concern is this appears to be one set of rules for one and another for the LGBTQ community. This group posts naked women with bare butts, nipples, and women together in sensual and erotic poses, yet when we do the same with men, we are targeted and banned.
Until the rules are the same for everyone you’ll forgive us that we cannot take the Facebook Community Standards seriously, and until we are all judged on the same content, ditto.
All someone must do is report a post and the poster is immediately suspended, banned or their account is taken down. There is no presumption of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ no allowance for an argument as we all get the same canned stock response and are frustratingly not given any sensible answer as to why we are suddenly locked out.
As authors, we rely on our personal Facebook pages to interact with our readers. We have our pages to promote and sell our books, and our personal accounts to keep readers interacting with more personal posts and socialise with them. However, for goodness sake, Facebook cannot be that naïve to think every person on this application really has 1000 best friends or family. People use Facebook to network, to grow socially. Whether Facebook likes it or not, people using their application are not just keeping in touch with family and friends. However, they are happy to benefit from this revenue wise with sponsored posts, post boosts and advertisements from these very same people being banned.
There is a dearth of issues regarding the Facebook Community Standards, and you can see the posts below where their bots and their individual reviewers have failed to do their job.
Banning a Robin Redbreast card? http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/facebook-bans-robin-redbreast-christmas-card-for-sexual-content_uk_5a099debe4b0e37d2f38ea29
A pair of swans mating? That’s verging on simply inane even by Facebook standards. And then there’s all the other fuss about the grey areas by other people. See links below.
https://www.lifewire.com/facebook-groups-4103720
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/x-rated-facebook-group-people-11381976
https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/05/facebooks-community-standards-how-and-where-we-draw-the-line/
http://ncac.org/blog/on-violence-and-nudity-facebooks-opaque-community-standards
http://culturedigitally.org/2015/03/facebooks-improved-community-standards-still-cant-resolve-the-central-paradox/ by tarleton@microsoft.com
https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/16/facebook-nudity-filter/
Facebook Community Standards
This is the full extent of the newly created (2015) Community Standards regarding NUDITY. It’s pretty brief –
Nudity
People sometimes share content containing nudity for reasons such as awareness campaigns or artistic projects. We restrict the display of nudity because some audiences within our global community may be sensitive to this type of content – particularly because of their cultural background or age. In order to treat people fairly and respond to reports quickly, it is essential that we have policies in place that our global teams can apply uniformly and easily when reviewing content. As a result, our policies can sometimes be more blunt than we would like and restrict content shared for legitimate purposes. We are always working to get better at evaluating this content and enforcing our standards.
We remove photographs of people displaying genitals or focusing in on fully exposed buttocks. We also restrict some images of female breasts if they include the nipple, but we always allow photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring. We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures. Restrictions on the display of both nudity and sexual activity also apply to digitally created content unless the content is posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes. Explicit images of sexual intercourse are prohibited. Descriptions of sexual acts that go into vivid detail may also be removed.’
I asked Facebook to remove this PUBLIC set photo and was told it did not violate their community standards. I understand this is apparently two people with their ears together but to anyone else looking, it is at first glance depicting a woman’s genitals, no matter what the actual content is. A thirteen year old would not look deeper than what this is supposed to represent.
This cover was banned and caused a lot of trouble for the author. Our question is WHY. Since when did men’s bare chests become persona non-gratia? We’ve all seen a lot worse. Once can only imagine it was some sort of personal vendetta against the author herself or cover model who is a well-known adult entertainment actor. An explanation would have been welcome.
And this one in a private group left me with a three day ban for contravening the standards on sexual acts. No doubt because of the boner – or was it? Perhaps it was simply the idea of two men together.
An author was banned for these ones
Whereas this one can remain
This one in a secret group earned me a week ban
And this one remains.
This one of the man earned a ban while the female one is still up
The below picture is still there, while slightly covered it leaves nothing really to the imagination and all a female picture needs is a little bit of covering.
Whereas these ones of men earned a 7 day banning in a private group
It’s not difficult to see there’s a trend against home erotic or male part nudity yet the lady pictures are allowed to remain. For every male picture we’ve had banned, I can find a similar, often worse one of a female. I’m not sure whether it’s the reviewer’s personal sensibilities that are being offended (which should not be the case, they need to be open minded and unbiased in this role) or the policies of Facebook not being sensible. Perhaps it’s a mixture of both.
We see plenty of nipples too in groups, see through like this one. Let’s be honest – just because they are covered in see through material doesn’t mean we don’t see the nipples, something Facebook has banned clearly in it’s policies.
Double standards abound. We reserve the right to defend the picture we post against our accusers, who may be simple haters of the genre we write in. It is BULLYING pure and simple and Facebook have a community standard for that too. Although as authors, I am not sure we are deemed to be private individuals in our right as opposed to being public? Does this make it right that people can target us as individuals but not assist us because we write books as a profession? This is a grey line indeed. We’d welcome discussion on this topic.
Bullying and Harassment: How we respond to bullying and harassment.
We don’t tolerate bullying or harassment. We allow you to speak freely on matters and people of public interest, but remove content that appears to purposefully target private individuals with the intention of degrading or shaming them. This content includes, but is not limited to:
Pages that identify and shame private individuals,
images altered to degrade private individuals,
photos or videos of physical bullying posted to shame the victim,
sharing personal information to blackmail or harass people and
repeatedly targeting other people with unwanted friend requests or messages.
We define private individuals as people who have neither gained news attention nor the interest of the public, by way of their actions or public profession.
What we would like Facebook to do is acknowledge our voice as a genre, one that is part of a $1.08 billion (2013) industry, and find a compromise between common sense and fulfilling these community guidelines. We’d like to have people making decisions about our posts that are rational, sympathetic and LGBTQ friendly.
We’re happy to accept decisions made rationally and honestly, it’s all we asking for.
Thank You.
