Doris-Maria Heilmann's Blog, page 83

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Tagged: Canadian Intellectual Property Office, copyright, copyright infringement, copyright law, Library of Congress, register your copyright, Statutory Damages, UK Copyright Service, why register copyright

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Published on June 16, 2013 19:04

How to Organize a Book Sweepstake

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European Robin

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To gain a maximum of exposure for your book(s): creating a book sweep-stake is an interesting marketing tool. Thanks to social media, such as Google+, Chime.in, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc. where you can announce the sweepstakes, it works like a snow ball system. It may start with only one person (you) who invites friends and acquaintances to the sweep-stake, who in turn invite their friends, who invite their friends…. well, you get the point.

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An invitation for a sweep-stake could be for example:

“You and five friends are invited to experience a marvelous evening of fine dining and wining, a delicious five-course dinner, prepared by a talented chef, perfectly paired with exquisite wines, value $500.” ”Enter your name and email address”.

Then a window pops up: “Congratulations! Your entry was successfully submitted. Thanks for your entry. Now invite the five friends you would like to share your gourmet dinner & wine with, and log-in with Facebook.”

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It might even go viral…

This way, word is spread already 5 times…. and these 5 friends also want to win and enter the contest, and tell their friends about it, and these friends… The first prize could also be a ski-outing, a surf-lesson, a nostalgic train trip or a scenic flight, depending on how much you want to spend for this marketing campaign.

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Sweep-stake costs are tax-deduct-able

You certainly can deduct the cost for this campaign from your tax, provided you document it.

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Regulations

Sweep-stakes are regulated in many countries, the USA, Canada and many European states all have laws governing sweep-stakes. In Canada and several European countries the entrants have to solve a math puzzle – which you can use to bring expose the title of your book(s) even more into the spotlight.

You could ask for example: If 15,600 copies of my book “How to make a Million in one year?” has been sold in 2011, and 12,000 books in the first quarter of 2012, how many of this book “How to make a Million in one year?” have been sold in total so far?

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Important:

Don’t forget to link the title of your book to the online retailer (Amazon, Apple, Google, Sony) or even better: your own e-commerce (book sales) website.

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Smaller book sweep-stakes:

If you want to participate (or win yourself) in a book sweep-stake, enter as a writer/publisher or as a participant yourself on sites such as Goodreads.com, BookDivas.com, FreshFiction.com, BookLoons.com, or even on James Patterson’s homepage.

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Everyone dreams about winning large sums of money, but we also like to win smaller prizes too. We like to being called “the winner”. Sweep-stake promotions are a great way to increase your visibility and your book sales. Joel Friedlander wrote in a great article at CreateSpace: “There’s a whole science to running contests that focuses on social media sites. If you have a good-sized following on Facebook or Twitter, a contest can be a great way to engage with your readers, at the same time spread the word about your books, and make a lot of new fans. You might run an entire contest on Twitter and gain a lot of new Twitter followers at the same time. On Facebook, the most common request is to ask readers to “like” your fan page in order to enter.”

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: book sweep-stake, BookDiva.com, BookLoons.com, Goodreads giveaway, snow ball system, social book marketing, sweepstake regulations, sweepstakes

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Published on June 16, 2013 04:55

Rabbit in the Jungle: Goodreads Giveaway

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Rabbit in the Jungle

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Goodreads Giveaway – ”Rabbit in the Jungle“

With more tricks than Bugs Bunny and more charm than Roger Rabbit he navigated the street-culture of Los Angeles during the heydays of West Coast hip hop; navigated safely through prison politics; built a reputation for himself at University of Nevada – Las Vegas and partnered up with local fitness experts to bring a trendy gym to the downtown area of Vegas.

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The story of Anthony Alegrete and how he went from bars to books…

“Rabbit in the Jungle“, launching next week, tells a classically American story of second chances, hard work and hope. Sometimes raw and gritty, the book traces Anthony Alegrete’s rise from the streets of Los Angeles, through the penal system, to the halls of academia and the competitive business world of Las Vegas. Along the way he had a lot of fun, a little trouble and learned a few lessons.

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Strong, controversial and eye-opening:

This book shares a true story in a way, meant to be cautionary and inspiring. Anthony Alegrete wants others to know the important role that family, friends and education play in keeping their lives on the right track. The title for the book comes from Anthony’s ability to survive in multiple dangerous environments.

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ENTER TO WIN – your FREE copy of “Rabbit in the Jungle” on Goodreads

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17979976-rabbit-in-the-jungle

More about the book and its author:

http://www.rabbitinthejungle.com

http://www.facebook.com/rabbitinthejungle

https://twitter.com/JumpLA

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Pre-orders for RABBIT IN THE JUNGLE – an amazing true story, hold your breath…

http://www.anthonyalegrete.com/rabbitinthejungle/

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Tagged: Anthony Alegrete, Author Anthony Alegrete, Bugs Bunny, Goodreads giveaway, http://www.facebook.com/rabbitinthejungle, Rabbit in the Jungle, Roger Rabbit, West Coast hip hop

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Published on June 15, 2013 04:18

Do You Judge a Book by its Cover?

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A book that is brilliantly written, but lacks a good quality cover design will remain unnoticed and undiscovered. It is absolutely crucial to have a book cover that grabs the attention of readers and book buyers.

Book Covers are often challenging to design as they should show the heart and the soul of the book in one single image and at the same time should be visually striking, appealing and represent the book’s contents.

Will your e-book cover get judged in the same way? Certainly! This is why you really need to focus on the visual design aspect of your cover, because most people will not give it a second glance if it just does not look professional.

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Here are some points you should discuss with your designer.

Use bold or complementary colors
Use light on dark for dramatic effects (if it fits to your book content)
Test the cover in thumbnail size to make sure it looks good at Amazon’s website
Use not more than different two fonts in total
Use not too wide vertical spaces between lines of text
Use few shadow, bevel, gradient or glow – keep it subtle
Align the cover text – centre, left or right
Place text on plain background to stand out
Use the same fonts for all your books and readers will be able to identify them easily
People read left to right, top to bottom. Position your elements in appropriate levels of importance.
Never, ever, use a white background for your book! White on white is barely visible and on websites your book will not stick out, as their background as almost always white.

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E-books are bought online, usually on a page with many other books on it. Therefore, simplicity, clarity, brightness and information must jump off the screen. A simple and arresting graphic element and bold clear text for the title and author must be easy to read on the small online image.

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Bali Rai wrote in one of his blogs: ”In 2002, as one of the judges on the Guardian’s Teenage prize, I remember a book called Thursday’s Child by Sonya Hartnett. It’s a simple yet wonderful story of 1930′s Depression-era Australia, and it went on to win the award. However, it was not my choice for winner, simply because I thought the cover illustration would deter people from reading it. It was drab and old-fashioned in my opinion and had I not been reading and judging the book, it would have put me off completely.”

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You never get a second chance for a first good impression!

Don’t use just “flat” font – it is almost always better to add some shadow, bevel, gradient or glow. Using various colors, filters, and effects available in Illustrator and Photoshop, you or your book designer can create book titles that are both, original and effective.

Remember always:

Your title and its appearance is the first, and perhaps only impression you make on a prospective reader. A great image on your e-book cover will undoubtedly catch your reader’s imagination, wondering what lies beyond the cover. It’s a great opportunity to draw people in.

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Not that an appealing cover means automatically a great book, but a book that is accurately and even interestingly represented by its cover, is more likely to catch the eye of someone who is going to enjoy reading it. Interesting covers are going to get more time on shelf-displays, online and off-line. We are a visual culture; naturally that is going to influence our book-buying habits.

A stunning book cover is one of the best marketing tools for any writer!

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More online book cover design sources:

“23 Creative Book Cover Designs and their Story” is a showcase of creative book cover designs, indicating the typefaces used for the title or text:

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/inspiration/creative-book-cover-story

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Joel Friedlander wrote a great blog about brilliant book titles in one of his blogs:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/06/how-to-write-book-titles-for-people-robotsJoel

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“40 Extraordinary Photoshop Text Effects” shows detailed tutorials, how to create amazing book title effects, step by step and using lots of screen shots.

http://www.problogdesign.com/resources/40-extraordinary-photoshop-text-effects

Using various colors, filters, and effects available in Illustrator and Photoshop, you or your book designer will be able to create book titles that are both, original and appealing. Remember always: Your title and its appearance is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader.

More about fonts for book titles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface

http://www.dafont.com/themes.php

http://www.1001freefonts.com

http://www.identifont.com

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: book cover design, Book Layout, book shelves, Cover art, e-book cover, font for book cover, front cover

Reblogged from WordPress.com News:

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Published on June 13, 2013 23:10

Five Ways to Get Featured on Freshly Pressed

Each weekday, we select about ten new blog posts for the Freshly Pressed section of the WordPress.com homepage. These posts represent how WordPress can be used to entertain, enlighten, or inspire.

Getting promoted to Freshly Pressed is a major traffic win because WordPress.com receives a high volume of page views. And, we have a feed set up so people can subscribe to Freshly Pressed.

What to Read This Summer?

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Do you have children? Teach.com writes: “Summer is right around the corner, which means most schools will be letting out and students will be busy with family vacations, summer camp and a myriad of other activities. With research at University of Tennessee finding in a 3-year study, that children who do not read over the summer may lose up to three months of reading progress, it’s important to encourage students to pick up a few books during the hot months ahead.

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Brought to you by Teach.com

Read the whole article about the study: University of Tennessee at Knoxville (2010, July 22). Summer reading is key to maintaining or improving students’ reading skills. ScienceDaily.

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.If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Tagged: Anne McGill-Franzen, Children reading, Richard Allington, Science Daily, summer reads, summer vacation, University of Tennessee

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http://www.benchmarkemail.com/email-marketing

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Published on June 12, 2013 01:00

Why Email Marketing Benefits Your Book’s Sales

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Have you included e-newsletters and mobile-friendly email in your marketing plan? No?

What do you do after you have sold your novel on your website or during a book signing? Instead of waiting for readers to get in touch with you, newsletters offer you a way of interacting with ‘dormant’ readers. When it comes to reaching your readers, and creating a relationship, absolutely nothing is as cost-efficient as email marketing.

Unlike other forms of communication that are difficult and inconvenient to personalize, email

newsletters are a breeze. If you use a professional email marketing service provider, you can automatically add the recipient’s name to every newsletter for that extra bit of warmth.

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Benefits of email marketing:

It’s simple and easy to use.
Can be extremely personalized.
It’s low cost.
Functions round the clock.
And produces much faster response.
Quicker, wider reach

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Send out at least a couple newsletters each year and keep in contact with your readers. Make sure there is a way for people to remove themselves from the newsletter so you are in compliance with anti-spam laws. Definitely make use of your email distribution list to announce the pre-sale and sale of your next book.

The next time you have a new release of a service or product, wait no longer than the click of a

button to let customers and prospects know about it. That’s because of the power of bulk email.

With your own company newsletter, you can reach millions of customers across the world.

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How to build an email list

After you have sold someone your novel, sell them the next one by building a relationship with them. The easiest book customer is the repeat customer. To do this, build an email list.

Anyone who emails you, write them back and add them to your emailing list. When you start out,

you can do individual emailings to your friends, followers and readers, but as this address list gets bigger than, say 30-50 people you should have an opt-in email list. You can collect email addresses from people at bookstore signings if you buy a little $10 bag of fine truffles and have a drawing, no purchase required. Get a fish-bowl and use it to collect email addresses / opt-in cards at every event you attend.

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Collect email addresses whenever you take part in book events

At all in-person events, display a guest book with a request for names and email addresses that

is clearly labeled with an invitation to subscribe to your blog or your newsletter. Be sure to let folks

know you won’t share their email address and display a clear “opt-in,” a.k.a. what you will be using the email for – book news? blog? If the venue provides Internet access or Wireless, open a browser and pull up your website so guests can subscribe on the spot.

Start your email list NOW

Even if you don’t have plans of sending out emails soon, it doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t cost

anything to add this opt-in feature to your website. (WordPress.com blogs don’t allow it, but

WordPress.org with your own domain name). Professional mailing companies help you

customize your sign-up form to match your brand, so you can share it on your website and

integrate it into your Facebook page. Tip: Put a clickable link to your mailing list at the back of all

your books; it should be one of the first things that readers see when they finish your book.

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Opt-in form for EMAILS

Do you have an email list of followers and friends? No? Be smart and start it immediately!

People who are signing up / opt in to receive emails (contain it to not more than once a month)

are really interested in getting your emails. New books, awards, new 5-star reviews … all

reasons to send emails out and remind people of your books. Reward them for signing up with a free short story or a free chapter or a report.

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Professional email marketing providers

Most mass email providers offer trial periods of a month, and have very moderate fees or they let

you send out certain amounts of emails / certain amount of subscribers for free. MailChimp.com

for example you can send 12,000 emails a month to a list of up to 2,000 subscribers. They also

allow Amazon affiliate links, so you can earn around 7% extra on any books sold via your email

blast.

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Carol Ann Quibell gives in an E-zine Article these tips:

“Keep it simple, with a clear message / call to action
Not more than 500 – 800 words in length
Articles should be informative & create an interest in you and your books.
Give your readers information they will use and want to keep on file for future reference”
Easy to use HTML email templates

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Use free templates to design your newsletter

Almost all email marketing providers offer hundreds of pre-designed templates, so you won’t

have to worry about sending out something less than professional or to worry about html-coding.

Choose background color, font type and size, insert images, videos or surveys. Call contacts by

name in your emails.

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5 Steps in your email campaign:

Sign up with your provider (see list below)
Study their instructions / videos carefully
Get the code for your opt-in list & set it up on your website / blog
Copy/paste or drag/drop your text & attractive images into the email template
Create a compelling headline
Click the button: publish / mail and hundreds, thousands or ten-thousands of your readers
receive your email.

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Give readers added value

The key to a successful email campaign is, to give readers an added value that they can’t get on

your website. For instance, include exclusive information behind the history of a new book and

talk about its unique features and appeal to book lovers.

The email newsletter should serve as the voice or spokesperson for your books. All exclusive

information should be delivered through that medium, reinforced with notions of exclusivity.

Additionally, don’t be afraid to share special offers with this specific group of customers. Let it be

known to them that they, the readers of your email newsletters, are the only ones receiving these

special deals or coupons.

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Sample of Email Marketing Providers:

See also a review and price comparison of the top ten mailing service providers here and here, and read this useful article “How to reduce spam complaints” by Pamela Neely, author of 50 Ways to grow your email marketing list, available on Amazon Kindle.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

Tagged: Boomerang, constant contact, email campaign, email newsletter, MailChimp, monthly newsletter, opt-in form, sign-up for newsletter

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Published on June 10, 2013 20:22

How to Create Buzz for Your Upcoming Book on Goodreads

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Goodreads has millions of members, at the moment almost 17 million, who not only read books, they blog about books, write long reviews about books, and discuss in their group forums about books. These are the people with whom you want to connect, especially to announce your new book and its launch.

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So, how can you create buzz for your upcoming book before it launches?

Give away copies of your print book.

It makes sense to give away books – if your goal is to get reviews. More than 50% of giveaway winners review the books they win, so the more books you offer, the more reviews you are likely to get. Run your giveaway for two weeks to a month. Goodreads says, “Giveaways less than two weeks run the risk of not getting enough entries, while a four-week giveaway will generate more entries.

Goodreads recommends even two giveaways: one about three months before publication to build pre-release buzz and reviews, and a second to increase awareness when your book hits the stores. Both will result in a lot of people adding your book to their to-read shelves – visible for all their friends.”

Goodreads Terms & Conditions for Giveaways in short:

“You agree to supply the indicated number of books on the date the giveaway ends.
Goodreads will list (for free) the giveaway book on the giveaways page.
Goodreads will collect interest in the book, and select winners at our discretion. Our algorithm uses member data to match interested members with each book.
After the giveaway stop date, click the name of your giveaway (listed under “your giveaways” on the main First Reads page) to see the list of winning addresses. You will also be emailed a list of winners. You are responsible for shipment of the books.

They also have a short video on their website with Giveaway best practices.

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What’s more?

Goodreads encourages you to publicize upcoming events, such as book signings and speaking engagements. This is a feature, similar to the one which is offered on Google+ - see our blog

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/announce-your-book-signing-on-google-for-free/. Start about 3 weeks before your book launch with your event announcement. Use Goodreads’ event listing form to start the process. It has an RVSP feature and people can state if they are “coming”. On Google+ is a possibility to “Hang-out”, similar to a Skype tele-conference, to meet people for your book launch who could be in other parts of the world, such as Australia, Asia or Europe. You can show them your book via the video function of your computer and speak with them. Almost like a book signing in a store.

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More help for authors on Goodreads.

Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. As a member you can post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, currently reading, and plan to read in the future. There is more offered on their website: join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing. More tips about the benefits of joining Goodreads and how you can use Goodreads to promote your blog.

Their website seems to be overwhelming at first, but if you take the time to explore each icon there, and also to read the help section, you will find a cornucopia of free means to let people know about your book and to find your target readers. Let’s explore some of the great features on Goodreads:

How can friends recommend your book? Or how can you recommend books from your writer friends?

To send out a book recommendation, go to the book’s page and click on the “recommend it” link at the top right side of the page. A new site appears with three possibilities: “friends” “manual” “facebook“

Under the icon “friends” your Goodreads friends are listed and you click next to the name to whom you want to send your book recommendation.
Enter under “manual” single email addresses of readers that are not yet on Goodreads.
The “facebook” icon lists your FB friends, who are not yet members of Goodreads to recommend the book.

Reviews are essential

Like on Amazon reviews on their site help your book stand out in two ways. The more people review your book, the more visible it will be. Goodreads reviews also appear on sites like Powell’s, Google Books, and the Sony Ebook Store. From a Goodreads statement: “Books with no written reviews are added, on average, by 7 people, while books with just five written reviews are added by more than 40 people.”

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Let your friends ping to Google+ and FB

On the left lower corner of Goodreads are icons to these two websites to which your friends can send your image, books name and a link for your book – as well as a comment, such as “must read”, “great book” or “you will love it”.

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Add your favorite books

Click on “My Books” in the top navigation menu and add away! You can add books into read, currently reading, to read categories or edit your bookshelf to add your own categories. Many authors who’s books you recommended will return this favor to you.

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Goodreads will also use the recommendations to help authors and publishers advertise their books to readers who are most likely to be interested in them. Over seventeen thousand authors, including James Patterson and Margaret Atwood, use Goodreads.

Infographic 25 Top Reviewers on Goodreads (no links to them, to find out one has to dig into Goodreads website.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

Tagged: announce your event on Goodreads, book launch, event planning, free event planning on Goodreads, Goodreads giveaway, how to use Goodreads features, millions of members on Goodreads

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Published on June 09, 2013 19:41

The Secret for Better Titles and Headlines

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Compelling headlines are extremely important: You have only a 1 or 2 second window of opportunity to show that your article is worth reading or that your website is worth visiting. This is the average amount of time that a reader scans an individual search item before deciding whether to click on it or move on to the next one.

Get the attention of target readers who are searching the topic you are writing about and who will be interested in your article. The headline you write should show this specific topic, drawing the reader into your blog’s or website’s content.

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Tips for better headlines:

1. Use words that give the promise of a solution or beneficial information:

“7 ways to draw more customers to your website”
“When you should start to…”
“How you can boost your sales”

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2. Use numbers in the headline to convey a list of ideas or suggestions.

When you begin the title with such words as “10 ways to…”, a large audience will feel drawn to read such articles due of the promise of a list of suggestions or solutions.

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3. Words such as “how to”, “what” and “when”

Very effective words to begin your headlines with, e.g.

“How to Write Better Titles and Headlines”
“What are Visitors Reading First?”
“When are You Going to Start Your Blog?”

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4. Include keywords in your headlines.

They are important because they are what your target audience is using to search / google for the answers to their questions.

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5. A question in your article title is sure way to get noticed.

Questions draw attention and will encourage readers to search for answers in your article or book. They work well due to the doubts they create in the mind of the reader. They feel the need for assurance to know enough on the subject and read it to get more information.

Is dieting really helping you to lose weight?
Are you a savvy investor?
Can you eat healthy at fast-food joints?
Who Else Wants …

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6. Some suggestions for eye-catching headlines:

The Secret of …
Here is a Method That is Helping …
Little Known Ways of …
Get Rid of Your …
Here’s a Quick Way to …
Now You Can …
What Everybody Ought to Know About …
Are You Ready to Learn …
11 Ways to Cope With …
If you Love …

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Sub-titles are equally important:

Writing for the internet is NOT the same as writing a book. Research studies confirm how user read on the web: They don’t !!! People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences. In research on how people read websites we found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word.

If you want your writing to stand out from thousands of competitors: good article, book or blog headlines and sub-titles are one of the most important things you can do to entice people to read further.

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 780 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

Tagged: Article Marketing, blog headline, Book Titles, compelling headlines, Headlines, how to get your blog noticed, Titles, worth reading

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Published on June 09, 2013 07:01

Interview With Award-winning Author Lisa Costantino

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Lisa Costantino

Lisa Costantino’s novel Maiden’s Veil, winner of the Chanticleer Reviews’ Best Indie Historical Fiction for 2012 award is today’s interview guest. Her book, which receives constantly rave reviews, is not only available in digital form, but also in print.

Lisa, thanks for this interview and congratulations for your award! How would you describe your book to someone who has not yet read it?

The alternating timelines of Maiden’s Veil entwine the lives of two women coping with love and risk. In 1733, tapestry weaver Clarinda Asher was the last Maiden to perform the Veil before the ancient fertility ritual was banished, and she along with it, for the ensuing cataclysm that nearly destroyed her remote English village. When present-day weaver Jess Barlow unearths evidence of the ritual during the village’s May Day celebrations, she and Owen Calder reenact the rite, resurrecting the ritual’s power. Although she too is banished and Owen ostracized, Jess is determined not to suffer the same fate as Clarinda.

Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?

If there’s any message, it’s about forgiveness. Each of the four main characters — Clarinda, Benjamin, Owen, and Jess — is tormented by the blame they have placed on themselves for disastrous events both within and outside of their control. Whether they find forgiveness determines their future.

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Chanticlee Book Reviews

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What inspired you to start writing?

I spent many months during my childhood bedridden from a number of surgeries. When you’re stuck in bed, you read. If you read enough, you want to write.

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How did you get the idea for the novel?

Originally I planned to write a guidebook to Europe’s oldest continuing celebrations and traditions. Finances put that project on hold, but I was inspired to create a fictional story around the events I did attend, ones believed to have pre-Christian origins. So I created Maidenvale’s May Day celebrations out of a conflation of these festivities, and the Maiden’s Veil from historical and anthropological sources.

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Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?

If the reader has read Arthurian literature, she or he may recognize an underlying framework based on the Lady of Shalott: the lady Elaine, who is cursed to remain in her tower and weave in isolation for the crime of falling in love with Lancelot.

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Novel Maiden’s Veil

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Who is your favorite character and why?

My favorite character is the most problematic one: Owen, the male lead in the contemporary story line. He’s in love with one woman while unhappily married to another, and it’s tearing him up. To me he epitomizes the emotional struggle between duty and heart. He genuinely wants to do the right thing, but he’s also desperate for some happiness. I feel for the guy.

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Are your plots based on your real-life experiences?

Only to the extent that most writers use moments from their own lives to add authenticity to their stories; in this case, details about England’s May Day festivities gleaned from my own observations and from conversations in the local pubs.

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Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:

“…like her main female characters, both of whom are artists of the loom, Ms. Costantino has done some expert weaving here herself. The two stories ultimately support and reinforce one another, and all the threads come together in an ending that I found very poignant yet satisfying. With lush evocative descriptions, rich textures, great character development, and some surprising twists and turns, the overall result is a piece of art rather like one of her character’s fine tapestries.”

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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author? Another of my favorite reviews got it: “The author weaves stories that are full of tension that resist standard story lines. Rather than common characters and situations, she introduces real-life dilemmas that seem true and honest.” This was especially welcome insight after another reader had bemoaned the lack of heroes. Heroes are for romance. I don’t write romance.

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Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you have learned as a writer from then to now?

Always keep going. Don’t let any sticking points render you stuck. Put unresolved issues in the back of your mind and work on what you know. Resolutions to most of my issues arose during long walks with my dog Lucy.

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Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?

My favorite part is when the story is solid and I can take my time massaging the language until it flows seamlessly. Least favorite? Marketing, I’m afraid to say. I’m a very private person, not at all comfortable with blowing my own horn in the Twittersphere. But you do what you gotta do.

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What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?

The Midsummer’s Eve bonfire scenes, because they were the hardest to write. The scenes appear twice, from Clarinda’s viewpoint in one chapter, and from Benjamin’s in another. I wanted them to echo but not reproduce the same imagery and action, nor the same responses from the two characters.

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If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book?

I’d probably make Sharon Calder a bit more sympathetic. But I try not to dwell on it!

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What genre have you not yet written but really want to try?

Science fiction, for sure. I love the idea of creating an imagined future, but one within the realm of possibility. I’m fascinated by the sciences and would likely have made a career in one discipline or another, had I any aptitude for math. And I’m a Trekkie at heart.

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If your book would be made into a movie, who should play the main character?

Rachel Weisz would be great as Clarinda or Jess. Clive Owen would make an awesome Owen or Benjamin, and I can easily see Brendan Coyle as the farmer Daniel. (Who wouldn’t want a Downton Abbey tie-in?)

How did you get published? Please share your own personal journey.

Impatience, more than anything, led me to self-publish. I went through several cycles of querying agents, and each time I received compliments and positive feedback but no takers. I figured I could continue that game until someone bit, or I could just jump into the self-publishing pool and not wait for representation, a sale, and production, the sum of which would likely take several years.

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Lisa Costantino Facebook

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What general advice do you have for other writers?

Always, always, use an editor or a proofreader before submitting or self-publishing. I can’t bear to read self-pubbed authors who say they don’t care about a few typos. That’s lazy thinking, because plenty of their own readers will care. Poor grammar, incorrect punctuation, bad formatting—all this shows not only a lack of skill in your trade but a disregard for your readers.

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What do you find is the best part of being an author?

Having both the motivation and the justification to sit for hours doodling out ideas and doing research.

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What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?

Winning an award for best indie women’s fiction from Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media.

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What’s one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you?

I’m intensely jealous of scholarly authors who can bang out cogent and insightful non-fiction on politics, the environment, and world affairs. I wish I was that smart!

Where can people learn more about your writing? On my website: www.lisacostantino.com

Read also:

From Corporate Editor to Indie-published Historical Women’s Fiction Author

http://editordevil.blogspot.ca/2013/04/from-corporate-editor-to-indie.html

Follow Lisa Costantino here too:

FB: http://www.facebook.com/#!/LisaCostantinoAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/lisa_costantino

Google+: http://bit.ly/11nCUk5

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lisacostantino/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=44988916&trk=tab_pro

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