Phil Rowlands's Blog, page 6

Google+ Events . . . A Great Tool For Authors

Firstly a big thanks to the folks who voted in round one of Genre Wars. The voting currently stands at Vampires 13 Zombies 6. Last week we considered the marketing power behind the rationale of grouping authors from a specific genre in one place and creating a buzz. There is also a phenomenon known as 'feeding frenzy' in the natural world. It always makes me think of piranhas devouring a hapless victim in a boiling mass of bloody water or army ants on the march consuming any creature unfortunate enough to stray into their path. But the fact is once folks get their wallets out they are likely to spend on more than one item or book, particularly when the Kindle makes it so easy for people to store a vast library of digital books. A much more palatable feeding frenzy.

If you have been following this blog you will know by now I am a massive fan of Google+. When I first thought of creating Genre Wars as a means of promoting independent authors and their books I decided to investigate how Google+ can help. Google+ Event's feature is really impressive. There are a large selection of professional templates to choose from, information like venue and start dates are easy to organise and present and the whole thing is simple, attractive and uncluttered. Also you can choose who to invite thanks to Google+ Circles. You can take a look at the EVENT advertising the latest round of Genre Wars HERE.  
I must confess to being  pretty clueless when it comes to Romantic fiction so I turned to 'The Romance Reader' and Jean Mason's top 10 picks.Here they are and I am not going to argue even if 'Gone With The Wind' only made number 81.

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Dream Man by Linda Howard
It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
4. McKenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard
5. Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux
6. Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
7. The Bride by Julie Garwood
8. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips 10. Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer

Historical fiction is much more up my street. I became hooked as a child when I began reading the wonderful Resemary Sutcliffe. 'Sword At Sunset' was a particular favourite. It's a genre I absolutely love. Guess who I am going to be voting for!
Here are the top ten historical novels of all time according to  SmashingLists.

1, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
3. Romola by George Eliot
4. The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa 
5. Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
6. Pure by Andrew Miller
7. The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald
8. I Claudius by Robert Graves
9. Property by Valerie Martin
10. The Regeneration Trilogy

It's time for you to vote for your preferred genre Romantic or Historical.

Who's Won Your Heart? Cast Your Vote NOW . . .  
 
Here are some of  very talented Indie authors who are mutual Twitter Followers. I couldn't include them all on this blog so I chose those who are most active on Twitter. Click on their pictures to visit their blog or book.

Here are some of our talented Romance and Historical Indie Authors [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]    Please Use Your Vote
Support Indie Authors by visiting their blog. Click on their image to access some great reads.
One thing I did discover during this round of Genre Wars and that was just how popular a genre romance is. There are numerous sub genres like Historical Romance, Erotic Romance, Western Romance, Paranormal Romance, Suspense Romance, Fantasy Romance, Sci Fi Romance and so on. I realised they merited a place of their own within Genre Wars so in the future watch out for Historical Romance v Erotic Romance among others.
Next Week we consider why it is vital for authors 'to their own self be true'. I interview Ceri Shaw a fellow countryman (Welshman) now living in Oregon who followed this principle and created a unique online community called AmeriCymru which was good news for Welsh authors or anyone writing about Wales. Interestingly one of the featured authors Roseanne E Lortz has written an historical novel about the Black Prince called 'I Serve' (see below). The Black Prince adopted the three feathers as his personal crest after the Battle of Crecy, underneath which was written, in German, the words "Ich Dien", "I Serve". To this day it endures as the crest of the Welsh Rugby Union.

 You can still vote for Vampires or Zombies HERE
Here are some of the books by our featured Romance and Historical Indie Authors. Well worth a look!                                                       [image error]              

LendInk: When Authors Go To War

Anyone who has read Cormac McCarthy's stunning novel 'The Road' can surely be left in no doubt of the horror and futility of the ultimate conflict in which human beings can engage. The poignant relationship between a dying father and his post-apocalyptic-born son is deeply moving and disturbing on many levels.


While 'The Road' depicts the consequences of man's final folly in graphic detail it also offers hope that the human spirit can overcome even the most grievous self-inflicted wounds.
Throughout the ages man has engaged in warfare against his fellow man. Some of history's most bloody conflicts have inspired works of literary genius. Homer's Illiad, Shakespeare's Richard III, Tolystoy's War And Peace and Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind are shining examples of how great writers have found inspiration in this most primal human behaviour. War is a genre in its own right and tragically contemporary authors are spoilt for choice when considering a conflict upon which to shape their story.
Last week I unleashed the first stage of Genre Wars which pitted Vampires against Zombies. It is of course a phony war. The idea behind Genre Wars is to arouse interest in the work of indie-authors within specific genres. It is obviously a marketing exercise designed to create an interest and buzz using the new social media network Google+. I really love the way Google+ allows you to organise and promote Events like Genre Wars. At the risk of becoming a bore, any writers worse fear, I would urge you to get involved in Google+ sooner rather than later. Create Google+ Pages and build a presence and a platform. You will be rewarded in the not too distant future as Google+ is steadily building a user base to rival the mighty Facebook.
Genre Wars has been created to promote www.IndieAuthors.net the website I am currently building. I see it as a natural extension of this blog's primary purpose to support and promote Indie-Authors like myself. Ironically as I was in the process of launching Genre Wars a real war was breaking out among authors. The focus appeared to be the destruction of a site called LendInk. I must confess to having no prior knowledge of LendInk and was unaware that a war was raging around its existence. It was a Twitter post that alerted me to the conflict. You can read the post at Indie Authors. The post was entitled " Congratulations: You Killed LendInk And Denied Your Fellow Authors Their Lend Royalties." I think that should leave you in no doubt as to which side of this particular war the author of the post stood.
It appears the argument rages around whether LendInks' lending of books was done with or without the permission of the author concerned as per Amazon's KDP Select program. One side apparently believes, "Yay, us!! We beat the evil ebook pirates!!" while the author of the blog is firmly of the conviction that what they really did was, "Yay, us!! We killed a small business that was making readers happy and making authors money!! And we did it without any actual evidence of wrongdoing, just hearsay and angry threats!! This is a victory for those who wish to cut off noses to spite faces everywhere!!" Opinions are obviously divided and heated and it would appear a battle may have been lost but the war continues.
Like most writers I prefer to write about conflict from a safe distance encompassing Time and Space, preferably both, not become embroiled in one. Cowardly but at least I'm honest! Contributing factors to many wars usually include misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the other sides position. This appears to be the case in the unfortunate LendInk controversy. As I set about establishing IndieAuthors.net I want to make my position clear from the outset and not at some point in the future find myself expending precious energy defending my position against enraged authors. So, here is my statement of intent.
Currently I only feature mutual Twitter Followers on my blog. Authors happy to be featured will also be listed on IndieAuthors.netIf they are Kindle authors their books will be featured using the Product Link in my Amazon Associates Affiliate Program.That is the only monetary compensation I will receive for establishing, maintaining and updating IndieAuthors.netHopefully the authors I feature will link to my books on their blogs etc if they fall within their genre, but this is NOT a prerequisite for inclusion.I have also set up a network of Google+ pages to create interest and help drive targeted traffic to IndieAuthors.netThe idea behind IndieAuthors.net is to bring authors within one genre together to create a buzz and attract targeted readers.
Having dipped my toes in numerous author-related groups and forums I discovered cynical and territorial creatures often lurk within their murky depths. Anyone offering to support others for no apparent financial reward can be regarded with suspicion that may manifest itself in unpleasant verbal assaults. The Welsh valley communities from which I hail have a history of deprivation and struggle. Such circumstances tend to knit people together. The open door signified an attitude to ones neighbour that was inclusive, welcoming and supportive. It is that principle that motivates my support for independent authors.
I'll get down of my soap box now because. . .

But first Vampires v Zombies the latest score:Vampires 9 Zombies 3
A warm welcome to Mark Bouton.


Mark is one of those people who make you think, "What have I been doing with my life?"
Mark Bouton earned degrees in sociology and law, then entered the FBI as an agent. He investigated both terrorism and criminal cases, and he arrested kidnappers, killers, bank robbers, con men, and embezzlers. He worked many high profile cases in Alabama, New York, Chicago, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Kansas, including playing a key role in identifying the Oklahoma City bombers. He writes novels, with his fifth one, an FBI thriller titled The Sacrifice, just published by Oak Tree Press. He also wrote a non-fiction book entitled How to Spot Lies Like the FBI. He belongs to several writers' groups, and he gives talks and presentations on writing and how to spot lies. He's married, with four sons, and he enjoys reading, writing, exercising, and playing electric guitar. He lives on a small horse ranch in Kansas.

Here are Mark's books:              Review of The Sacrifice

Mark Bouton delivers with "The Sacrifice". Strong characterizations, solid plotline, and a couple of very deft twists and turns along the way. The process of the investigation reads exactly as one would expect from a 30-year veteran of the FBI. Great detail, solid presentation. This author knows his business. And,his protagonist, Jack Ransom became real to me as I read this excellent novel. Good job, Mark. Keep 'em coming! Given Mark's background his books reflect a gritty reality as well as being cracking reads.
Every success for the future Mark.

Every now and again I come across a web site that stops me dead in my tracks.
Welcome Maria Hammarblad.






A screen shot would not do it justice. Go visit it HERE
Maria certainly cannot be criticized for not promoting her books.
Maria's blog can be found HERE 



KIDNAPPED: It's a late winter night when Patricia Risden heads home in her car, on a road she's driven many times before. She doesn't have a care in the world, that is, until a man appears from nowhere, right in front of her.

The next thing she knows is being a prisoner of the unscrupulous Alliance Commander Travis 152; an intimidating man who demands information and complete cooperation. Travis soon realizes his mistake; Tricia doesn't know anything, and she is incapable of even getting a glass of water from the ship's computer.

Infamous for being a ruthless executioner, conditioned since childhood to feel nothing besides fear and pain, he still deems her harmless, and finds enough pity for the lost young woman to let her out of the cell; a decision that will change both their lives forever.
More books by Maria.            
Here is Maria's video trailer for Kidnapped:

““You can visit Maria's YouTube channel HERE.
NEXT WEEK: A New Chapter In GENRE WARS Is About To Begin

The GENRE WARS Have Begun

  Register Your Vote . . . Who Will YOU Follow?  
 
These MUTUAL Twitterati AUTHORS Have Already Chosen BUT STILL NEED TO VOTE! Click On Their Image To Visit Their Blog Or Website If YOu DARE. . .    Have you voted yet? [image error] I thought this was a serious blog?

Believe me it is! I am very serious about supporting Indie Authors. Gathering together talented Indie Authors writing within the same genre is a powerful way of creating a buzz.
People who enjoy reading about Vampires and Zombies don't just stop at one book.

There is a simple yet highly effective marketing principle at work here. Have you ever wondered why restaurants in city centres are often clustered together? It's pretty obvious, to provide choice and attract customers. The same principle applies to books.

Twenty four Google Pages related to different genres have already been established. In the near future www.IndieAuthors.net will be launched. Our Vampires page, for example, will feature all the authors listed above with links to their books and blogs. Dynamically updated feeds will provide visitors with hourly  news items on Vampires. Authors promotional and teaser videos will also feature along with the best videos within the genre from YouTube.

Links to our Google Pages are going to have a dramatic impact on Google's SEO in the near future. Currently I am only working with Twitter Followers so if you would like to be involved please follow me on Twitter.

Please encourage your Vampire and Zombie loving friends to visit this site and vote.

There are no Featured Authors this week apart from those above.
Next Week we'll let the dust settle on the first round of the GENRE WARS and let you know who will be next up.
We will also take a closer look at our work in progress Indie Authors.

Vampire and Zombie Novels by Indie Authors [image error]