Mary Newman's Blog, page 3
April 30, 2016
Flying Free (Flash Fiction)
“No, Mamma, I can’t.”
“Of course, you can, my love. You just need to trust in yourself.”
Peri leaned forward just enough to see over the edge, before backing up a step and shaking his head. Mamma put her hand on his shoulder and offered a gentle smile.
More:
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.co...
“Of course, you can, my love. You just need to trust in yourself.”
Peri leaned forward just enough to see over the edge, before backing up a step and shaking his head. Mamma put her hand on his shoulder and offered a gentle smile.
More:
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.co...
Published on April 30, 2016 15:42
•
Tags:
dragons, fantasy, flash-fiction
April 24, 2016
Readin' and Writin'
I guess the title is self-explanatory. That's what I've been doing this past week. More reading than writing, though.
Reading is one of my ways of gaining inspiration for continuing to write. No, I don't copy other people's works - that's not inspiration, that's plagiarism. Big, major no-no. But reading what others have written and going off into their worlds helps me recharge and get my imagination flowing.
That's kind of imperative for the kinds of books I write. Imagination. Although I do draw ideas from real life, writing fantasy/scifi types of stories means my imagination must be in full gear in order to build a different world. That can be a drain, sometimes. I'm coming to realize I don't really suffer from writer's block so much as I just have no energy to write. I still have ideas and make notes, but pulling everything together into something cohesive is just beyond me when I'm feeling as if my energy level is too low.
Hence, the reading part. I've come across some great books and a couple that were kind of eh, but I'm slowly recharging my batteries so I can continue the current WIPs. Yes, that's plural. There's two of them. Hopefully, both will be released sometime later this year.
In the meantime, I'll do a lot of reading, some note taking, maybe pull a couple of ideas together to add to either story, and continue posting updates, opinions, and snippets into my life on both this blog and the new one I've started on WordPress. If you haven't checked that site out, you really should.
The main site is here:
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.com/
and the page with buy links and a bio is here:
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.co...
Reading is one of my ways of gaining inspiration for continuing to write. No, I don't copy other people's works - that's not inspiration, that's plagiarism. Big, major no-no. But reading what others have written and going off into their worlds helps me recharge and get my imagination flowing.
That's kind of imperative for the kinds of books I write. Imagination. Although I do draw ideas from real life, writing fantasy/scifi types of stories means my imagination must be in full gear in order to build a different world. That can be a drain, sometimes. I'm coming to realize I don't really suffer from writer's block so much as I just have no energy to write. I still have ideas and make notes, but pulling everything together into something cohesive is just beyond me when I'm feeling as if my energy level is too low.
Hence, the reading part. I've come across some great books and a couple that were kind of eh, but I'm slowly recharging my batteries so I can continue the current WIPs. Yes, that's plural. There's two of them. Hopefully, both will be released sometime later this year.
In the meantime, I'll do a lot of reading, some note taking, maybe pull a couple of ideas together to add to either story, and continue posting updates, opinions, and snippets into my life on both this blog and the new one I've started on WordPress. If you haven't checked that site out, you really should.
The main site is here:
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.com/
and the page with buy links and a bio is here:
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.co...
Published on April 24, 2016 09:57
•
Tags:
fantasy, reading, writers-block, writing
April 16, 2016
More Choices
I've mentioned before that I was taking my books off of Kindle Unlimited, but I had no plans for offering the books on sites other than Amazon because I hadn't found a way to do so. At least one that was simple and easy. I finally discovered a way, thanks to input and suggestions from fellow authors.
This week, I started the process of adding my back list to Draft2Digital (D2D). Most of those books are now available on sites other than Amazon for the eBooks - iBooks, Kobo, Nook, Scribd, Inktera, and a couple of others. I've looked into offering the eBooks on All Romance, but decided to wait, since D2D is in the process of negotiating with them. If those negotiations fall through, I'll reconsider.
I'm all for keeping things simple and the easiest way to put up the buy links was to place them all on my website on the 'About' page. Here's the link: https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.co...
A Warrior's Strength just ended it's final term on KU and is now in the process of being offered through D2D, as well. There are still two books on my back list: Love Awakened, which will fall off KU on 5/20, and The Healers Warrior, which will come off on 5/13. I'll start the D2D process for both of those books next month after that happens.
I'm hoping this new move will allow those who wanted to read my stories, but had their own reasons for not wanting to purchase from Amazon, that chance.
This week, I started the process of adding my back list to Draft2Digital (D2D). Most of those books are now available on sites other than Amazon for the eBooks - iBooks, Kobo, Nook, Scribd, Inktera, and a couple of others. I've looked into offering the eBooks on All Romance, but decided to wait, since D2D is in the process of negotiating with them. If those negotiations fall through, I'll reconsider.
I'm all for keeping things simple and the easiest way to put up the buy links was to place them all on my website on the 'About' page. Here's the link: https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.co...
A Warrior's Strength just ended it's final term on KU and is now in the process of being offered through D2D, as well. There are still two books on my back list: Love Awakened, which will fall off KU on 5/20, and The Healers Warrior, which will come off on 5/13. I'll start the D2D process for both of those books next month after that happens.
I'm hoping this new move will allow those who wanted to read my stories, but had their own reasons for not wanting to purchase from Amazon, that chance.
April 8, 2016
Reviews and Ratings
I've had a bit of a downer at the end of this week, so thought I'd address it in this post.
As a relatively new author (at least to the published romance world) I have very few reviews or ratings on any of my books, either here or on Amazon. I fell into the trap of always looking for the first few each time I released a title and feeling disappointed when I wouldn't get any or someone gave me a low rating.
Then, Amazon decided to remove a good portion of reviews from my books because of their "friends and family" rule. Well, that hurt because it seemed my friends and family were the only ones who'd read my book and were willing to leave reviews. So, back to no reviews on some books.
Honestly, Goodreads hasn't been much better as far as receiving reviews. They tend to be arbitrary with no correlation between the star rating and the review. I mean, I get better feedback from individuals who just message me and tell me they enjoyed my book or wished it had a little more adventure or something.
So, after much thought (and pouting because sometimes pouting is necessary) I realized that I'm not writing for anyone but myself. This is something I enjoy doing. I do have target audiences when I write. I wrote many of the M/F romances for my daughters and sisters and the M/M romances were written for an old friend, who just happens to be a gay man.
That being the case, I guess I don't really need the extra reinforcement from reviews or ratings to bolster me up. If someone feels the need to review or rate a book, go for it, but I'm no longer going to hang on every star or word because it doesn't really matter. It's not going to make me write more or less, or in a different style.
Since I'm uncomfortable writing graphic sex scenes, I'll never write erotica. In any of it's forms. Nor will I add a sex scene when it doesn't fit the story line simply to have it in there.
Sending my characters on an adventure that doesn't serve a purpose isn't going to happen, either. Nor will I add filler pages to make the book longer when the story only needs to be a novella.
I write fluffy, fantasy, HEA romances because that's what I want to write. I publish them so those who want to read what I write have the chance. If that means only friends and family read my stories, I'm good with that. If Amazon doesn't want those same people to review or rate my books, okay, then.
As one daughter in law pointed out: "you write because it makes you happy right? follow your heart." By the way, thanks, Corina, I needed to be reminded of just that.
As a relatively new author (at least to the published romance world) I have very few reviews or ratings on any of my books, either here or on Amazon. I fell into the trap of always looking for the first few each time I released a title and feeling disappointed when I wouldn't get any or someone gave me a low rating.
Then, Amazon decided to remove a good portion of reviews from my books because of their "friends and family" rule. Well, that hurt because it seemed my friends and family were the only ones who'd read my book and were willing to leave reviews. So, back to no reviews on some books.
Honestly, Goodreads hasn't been much better as far as receiving reviews. They tend to be arbitrary with no correlation between the star rating and the review. I mean, I get better feedback from individuals who just message me and tell me they enjoyed my book or wished it had a little more adventure or something.
So, after much thought (and pouting because sometimes pouting is necessary) I realized that I'm not writing for anyone but myself. This is something I enjoy doing. I do have target audiences when I write. I wrote many of the M/F romances for my daughters and sisters and the M/M romances were written for an old friend, who just happens to be a gay man.
That being the case, I guess I don't really need the extra reinforcement from reviews or ratings to bolster me up. If someone feels the need to review or rate a book, go for it, but I'm no longer going to hang on every star or word because it doesn't really matter. It's not going to make me write more or less, or in a different style.
Since I'm uncomfortable writing graphic sex scenes, I'll never write erotica. In any of it's forms. Nor will I add a sex scene when it doesn't fit the story line simply to have it in there.
Sending my characters on an adventure that doesn't serve a purpose isn't going to happen, either. Nor will I add filler pages to make the book longer when the story only needs to be a novella.
I write fluffy, fantasy, HEA romances because that's what I want to write. I publish them so those who want to read what I write have the chance. If that means only friends and family read my stories, I'm good with that. If Amazon doesn't want those same people to review or rate my books, okay, then.
As one daughter in law pointed out: "you write because it makes you happy right? follow your heart." By the way, thanks, Corina, I needed to be reminded of just that.
Published on April 08, 2016 08:43
•
Tags:
book-ratings, book-reviews, self-esteem, writing
April 2, 2016
New Website
I belong to several groups on Facebook, but one of my new favorites is an LGBTQ writer's group. It's great in that there are writers from all walks of life, in all stages of their career (or hobby), and we get wonderful ideas from each other. Lately, there's been some really good ones, such as following each other on Twitter, liking each other's Facebook author pages, and sharing our websites. It's a networking thing, and gives us even more of a connection.
Since everyone else seemed to have a real website, I looked in to getting one of my own. I do have a presence on Goodreads, of course, Amazon, and Facebook, but I'd not gone that next step and made a website dedicated to my writing. I finally did that, using the free option on WordPress. It's been a learning experience, to say the least.
I honestly have no experience with html or building a website from scratch. I'm more of a drag and drop; cookie cutter type. I finally settled on a blog format with an additional page with a short bio and a list of my books with links. Anything more is really beyond me, for now.
That means, though, that I'm writing two blogs each week, since I don't plan on stopping this one. Nor do I want the posts to be duplicates. Redundancy isn't my thing.
If you're interested in checking out the new site, you can go to https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.com/
Since everyone else seemed to have a real website, I looked in to getting one of my own. I do have a presence on Goodreads, of course, Amazon, and Facebook, but I'd not gone that next step and made a website dedicated to my writing. I finally did that, using the free option on WordPress. It's been a learning experience, to say the least.
I honestly have no experience with html or building a website from scratch. I'm more of a drag and drop; cookie cutter type. I finally settled on a blog format with an additional page with a short bio and a list of my books with links. Anything more is really beyond me, for now.
That means, though, that I'm writing two blogs each week, since I don't plan on stopping this one. Nor do I want the posts to be duplicates. Redundancy isn't my thing.
If you're interested in checking out the new site, you can go to https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.com/
March 25, 2016
Release Day!
Yes, it's early for my blog post, but I'm just so excited and I had to share.
Today is release day for A Prince's Ransom!
First, a couple of things about this book:
1. This is a departure from the universe I've been writing in. It's not connected to the Love Trilogy, Brethren, or Hashani series, so the characters are completely new.
2. A Prince's Ransom has a professionally rendered cover. I might have mentioned this before, but when you luck out and someone as talented as Catherine Dair agrees to do your cover, well... Let's just say there was lots of happy dancing and squealing like a little girl going on.
With all that being said, how about an excerpt from the book?
Itu sat on a couch in the mercantile office with a computer balanced on his lap and a second box of receipts on the floor in front of him. He had a spreadsheet program open and was doing his best to sort and categorize the mishmash of invoices, receipts, hand written notes and bank slips. Rhia sat beside him in what had become her customary place. Each day she joined him, working with a smaller, handheld computer, doing her school lessons. Periodically, she’d ask him a question before going back to her work.
She was very smart and didn’t really need tutoring. Rhia seemed to have taken a liking to him, though, and usually accompanied everywhere. Well, she liked his hair, actually. Since that first evening, less than a week ago, when she’d brought out her combs and ribbons after the evening meal had been eaten, Rhia was never far from him. Once she completed her lessons she would begin playing with the long, blonde strands, removing the tie Itu used to keep it out of his face, and soon she’d have him looking as if he’d been hit with a makeup bomb. Rhia had raided the store’s cosmetics counter and delighted in plastering Itu’s face with color. Since it made her happy and kept her quiet, Itu let her. He could always wash it off later. He kept a large tub of cosmetic removal cream in the bathing room of the cottage just for that purpose.
Salio had protested, at first, because it got in the way of Itu trying to organize Bira’s records. Once she’d realized Itu didn’t mind being combed and painted, she’d let her daughter have her way. She now used him as a babysitter in addition to his accounting duties. It allowed her to concentrate on her sewing and directing Grekor on how to arrange the storage room. Not that Grekor needed much instruction. His companion had devised his own system and made a huge dent in the clutter of the main store room. As far as Salio was concerned Grekor was golden. Especially once he’d located a missing case of fancy threads that had apparently been lost for months.
“I’m getting hungry, little one,” Itu announced, setting the computer aside and stretching his back. “Think it’s time for a snack?”
Rhia cheerfully set her lessons down and jumped off the couch.
“Mommy made cakes,” she said, hopefully.
“Aren’t those for your birthday party?” Itu asked. “Why don’t we go to the guest house and see if Grekor made some sandwiches?”
“But I like cake,” Rhia stuck out her bottom lip.
“So do I, but your mommy will be disappointed if we snitch them before she can serve them at your party, don’t you think?”
“Not even a little taste?” Rhia looked at him sideways.
“I think Grekor made cookies,” Itu tried for distraction. “The ones with chocolate chunks.”
“Oh yes!” Rhia grabbed his hand and started pulling him from the office.
Point for the accountant, Itu grinned to himself, mentally adding to the tally in his head.
“Finished already?” a velvet voice wrapped around Itu and grabbed hold of his balls.
“Um, no,” Itu looked up to find Loka lounging against the wall next to the office. “Did you need something, Loka? We were just going to get a sandwich and cookie.”
Loka raked his gaze up and down Itu’s form, and like a string attached to his nether regions, Itu felt it pull at his cock. Blast the man, anyway. Itu was holding the hand of a five year old little girl. Why did Loka make him feel like this every time they saw each other?
“Are you hungry, too, Uncaloka?” Rhia asked, innocently.
“Oh, yes. I’m very hungry.”
Itu barely kept from snorting at the innuendo in Loka’s words. He wasn’t exactly being surreptitious about it, either.
“Come on, you can have a cookie, too.”
Rhia grabbed one of Loka’s hands with her free one and began pulling both men through the store room.
“Oh, hey, Loka!” Bira’s voice boomed out. “Salio wants you to go out and pick up Pops for the party.”
Yes! Salvation was in sight!
“You can take Itu with you,” Bira continued. “He hasn’t been out of the mercantile since he got here. Rhia, go take care of Kinto. You haven’t fed him yet today.”
What? No!
“Okay!” Rhia released his hand and skipped away.
Traitor! See if he gave her another chocolate chunk cookie.
Today is release day for A Prince's Ransom!

First, a couple of things about this book:
1. This is a departure from the universe I've been writing in. It's not connected to the Love Trilogy, Brethren, or Hashani series, so the characters are completely new.
2. A Prince's Ransom has a professionally rendered cover. I might have mentioned this before, but when you luck out and someone as talented as Catherine Dair agrees to do your cover, well... Let's just say there was lots of happy dancing and squealing like a little girl going on.
With all that being said, how about an excerpt from the book?
Itu sat on a couch in the mercantile office with a computer balanced on his lap and a second box of receipts on the floor in front of him. He had a spreadsheet program open and was doing his best to sort and categorize the mishmash of invoices, receipts, hand written notes and bank slips. Rhia sat beside him in what had become her customary place. Each day she joined him, working with a smaller, handheld computer, doing her school lessons. Periodically, she’d ask him a question before going back to her work.
She was very smart and didn’t really need tutoring. Rhia seemed to have taken a liking to him, though, and usually accompanied everywhere. Well, she liked his hair, actually. Since that first evening, less than a week ago, when she’d brought out her combs and ribbons after the evening meal had been eaten, Rhia was never far from him. Once she completed her lessons she would begin playing with the long, blonde strands, removing the tie Itu used to keep it out of his face, and soon she’d have him looking as if he’d been hit with a makeup bomb. Rhia had raided the store’s cosmetics counter and delighted in plastering Itu’s face with color. Since it made her happy and kept her quiet, Itu let her. He could always wash it off later. He kept a large tub of cosmetic removal cream in the bathing room of the cottage just for that purpose.
Salio had protested, at first, because it got in the way of Itu trying to organize Bira’s records. Once she’d realized Itu didn’t mind being combed and painted, she’d let her daughter have her way. She now used him as a babysitter in addition to his accounting duties. It allowed her to concentrate on her sewing and directing Grekor on how to arrange the storage room. Not that Grekor needed much instruction. His companion had devised his own system and made a huge dent in the clutter of the main store room. As far as Salio was concerned Grekor was golden. Especially once he’d located a missing case of fancy threads that had apparently been lost for months.
“I’m getting hungry, little one,” Itu announced, setting the computer aside and stretching his back. “Think it’s time for a snack?”
Rhia cheerfully set her lessons down and jumped off the couch.
“Mommy made cakes,” she said, hopefully.
“Aren’t those for your birthday party?” Itu asked. “Why don’t we go to the guest house and see if Grekor made some sandwiches?”
“But I like cake,” Rhia stuck out her bottom lip.
“So do I, but your mommy will be disappointed if we snitch them before she can serve them at your party, don’t you think?”
“Not even a little taste?” Rhia looked at him sideways.
“I think Grekor made cookies,” Itu tried for distraction. “The ones with chocolate chunks.”
“Oh yes!” Rhia grabbed his hand and started pulling him from the office.
Point for the accountant, Itu grinned to himself, mentally adding to the tally in his head.
“Finished already?” a velvet voice wrapped around Itu and grabbed hold of his balls.
“Um, no,” Itu looked up to find Loka lounging against the wall next to the office. “Did you need something, Loka? We were just going to get a sandwich and cookie.”
Loka raked his gaze up and down Itu’s form, and like a string attached to his nether regions, Itu felt it pull at his cock. Blast the man, anyway. Itu was holding the hand of a five year old little girl. Why did Loka make him feel like this every time they saw each other?
“Are you hungry, too, Uncaloka?” Rhia asked, innocently.
“Oh, yes. I’m very hungry.”
Itu barely kept from snorting at the innuendo in Loka’s words. He wasn’t exactly being surreptitious about it, either.
“Come on, you can have a cookie, too.”
Rhia grabbed one of Loka’s hands with her free one and began pulling both men through the store room.
“Oh, hey, Loka!” Bira’s voice boomed out. “Salio wants you to go out and pick up Pops for the party.”
Yes! Salvation was in sight!
“You can take Itu with you,” Bira continued. “He hasn’t been out of the mercantile since he got here. Rhia, go take care of Kinto. You haven’t fed him yet today.”
What? No!
“Okay!” Rhia released his hand and skipped away.
Traitor! See if he gave her another chocolate chunk cookie.
Published on March 25, 2016 08:03
•
Tags:
fantasy-romance, mm-romance, release-day
March 20, 2016
When It All Comes Together
This past week has been up, down, and then some. I honestly wondered if I was going to make it through the darn thing, at times. It didn't start out bad; not really. Just a normal day with nice weather, a message from the artist working on my book cover, and a note from the one doing edits for the book I'm currently working on.
Then hell broke loose and I kind of had a meltdown.
The document sent back on my book edits wouldn't open. When it did finally open, the edits had disappeared - just went out into the ether and never returned. After banging my head on the wall and my keyboard for longer than I care to admit and a huge crying jag that I'm still embarrassed about, I finally pulled myself out of it and started over. Since I didn't actually throw the laptop out the window, I'm calling that a win. Right?
Next, my knee gave out. It's swollen to the point I can't even put a pair of pants on and hurts when I try to stand up. Good thing I live in a 27-foot RV, so there's not too far to go to reach things. I couldn't find my knee brace - probably disappeared into the same place the darn edits did - and the trip to town to get a new one wasn't successful. I had to order one online and I'm still waiting on it to be delivered. In the mean time, the swelling has gone down and Tylenol is my new best friend. No, I didn't go to the doctor for it, by the way. I know what's wrong and I'm not paying to have someone tell me what I already know. I took a tumble down a flight of stairs several years ago and ripped the meniscus in two places. Someday, the knee will probably have to be replaced, but today is not that day.
The final straw was the beautiful spring-like weather that brought forth daffodils, redbud blooms, and birds migrating through suddenly decided to dip into freezing temperatures. What. The. Fuck. This is Oklahoma. It's mid-March. People are planting their gardens. Sorting their fishing lures and pulling the boats out of storage. Digging out their bathing suits, shorts, tank tops and flipflops. Did Mother Nature not get the memo? Who's responsible for not delivering the memo? Someone give her some meds - let me look, I might have a few extras I'm not currently taking.
So, yeah. It was a melt-down, I-hate-my-life, can-I-kill-something-now kind of week.
And then things just kind of came together. No, the weather is still acting wonky, but the weatherman says tomorrow it's going to be back int he 70s. My knee still hurts, but not unbearably, and the brace is on it's way. I muddled my own way through my book to do my own edits and I'm at the point of a final read through. The cover is nearly finished and looks fantastic. All that's left is adding the title, blurb, and such and I'm good to go.
Life seldom gives you the rose-strewn path through the enchanted forest that you walk merrily along singing about love, happiness, and all things sweet and good. Sometimes it tosses a couple of mudslides, a few stones, and a bunch of thorns along the path just for kicks. The thing is, you just have to keep plowing your way through and not let it bury you. That's how life works.
Then hell broke loose and I kind of had a meltdown.
The document sent back on my book edits wouldn't open. When it did finally open, the edits had disappeared - just went out into the ether and never returned. After banging my head on the wall and my keyboard for longer than I care to admit and a huge crying jag that I'm still embarrassed about, I finally pulled myself out of it and started over. Since I didn't actually throw the laptop out the window, I'm calling that a win. Right?
Next, my knee gave out. It's swollen to the point I can't even put a pair of pants on and hurts when I try to stand up. Good thing I live in a 27-foot RV, so there's not too far to go to reach things. I couldn't find my knee brace - probably disappeared into the same place the darn edits did - and the trip to town to get a new one wasn't successful. I had to order one online and I'm still waiting on it to be delivered. In the mean time, the swelling has gone down and Tylenol is my new best friend. No, I didn't go to the doctor for it, by the way. I know what's wrong and I'm not paying to have someone tell me what I already know. I took a tumble down a flight of stairs several years ago and ripped the meniscus in two places. Someday, the knee will probably have to be replaced, but today is not that day.
The final straw was the beautiful spring-like weather that brought forth daffodils, redbud blooms, and birds migrating through suddenly decided to dip into freezing temperatures. What. The. Fuck. This is Oklahoma. It's mid-March. People are planting their gardens. Sorting their fishing lures and pulling the boats out of storage. Digging out their bathing suits, shorts, tank tops and flipflops. Did Mother Nature not get the memo? Who's responsible for not delivering the memo? Someone give her some meds - let me look, I might have a few extras I'm not currently taking.
So, yeah. It was a melt-down, I-hate-my-life, can-I-kill-something-now kind of week.
And then things just kind of came together. No, the weather is still acting wonky, but the weatherman says tomorrow it's going to be back int he 70s. My knee still hurts, but not unbearably, and the brace is on it's way. I muddled my own way through my book to do my own edits and I'm at the point of a final read through. The cover is nearly finished and looks fantastic. All that's left is adding the title, blurb, and such and I'm good to go.
Life seldom gives you the rose-strewn path through the enchanted forest that you walk merrily along singing about love, happiness, and all things sweet and good. Sometimes it tosses a couple of mudslides, a few stones, and a bunch of thorns along the path just for kicks. The thing is, you just have to keep plowing your way through and not let it bury you. That's how life works.
Published on March 20, 2016 10:31
•
Tags:
editing, life-problems, thats-life, writing
March 14, 2016
Leaving Kindle Unlimited
I know I've already written my blog this past weekend, but I came to a decision today, finally, and wanted to let my followers know. I've unenrolled all my books from Kindle Unlimited (KU). Part of them will come off immediately, since their term was already up, and the others will come off as their current term runs out. I'm not going to make future books available on KU, either. This was a decision based upon several factors.
1. Amazon has changed the way the pay authors from by the book, to pages read. What they pay per page varies but seems to have dropped below half a cent permanently. For one of my books that has about 240 pages they're willing to pay me for, that's about $1 USD per book. IF the reader reads all of those pages.
2. I've recently learned that Amazon has no way of knowing how many pages a reader actually reads, only the percentage. And if a reader clicks on something in the TOC to take them to the back of the book, it gives the author credit for the entire book. That's great, you say! No, it isn't because authors are paid out of a fund. If you get lots of pages read you get a bonus, too. Scammers have honed in on this and you know the rest of the story. Less pay for honest authors who are struggling.
3. I originally enrolled my books in KU in order to build readership. Going by my stats, I don't see any correlation of those reading a book through KU and increased reading or sales on any other book. In other words, it's not doing much for my readership.
4. I've purposely kept my books under $5 for the eBook version, generally offering the first book in a series for less just as kind of a bonus for my readers. That's going to change with the newer books coming out. They'll be priced according to length. All future books will have professionally designed covers and that costs money. I don't mind not making a profit off my books, since I have a separate pension I actually live off of, but I'm not going to pay to publish without recouping a good portion of what I spend on doing so.
There's my reasoning, for what it's worth. I haven't decided if I'm going to offer my books on other sites (such as All Romance) yet, since that involves converting everything into different formats and files. It's a nightmare, plain and simple, because things don't always translate like I'd like them to do.
For now, all books are still available on Amazon as an eBook or the paperbacks are available through most major books sellers, since they're done through Create Space.
1. Amazon has changed the way the pay authors from by the book, to pages read. What they pay per page varies but seems to have dropped below half a cent permanently. For one of my books that has about 240 pages they're willing to pay me for, that's about $1 USD per book. IF the reader reads all of those pages.
2. I've recently learned that Amazon has no way of knowing how many pages a reader actually reads, only the percentage. And if a reader clicks on something in the TOC to take them to the back of the book, it gives the author credit for the entire book. That's great, you say! No, it isn't because authors are paid out of a fund. If you get lots of pages read you get a bonus, too. Scammers have honed in on this and you know the rest of the story. Less pay for honest authors who are struggling.
3. I originally enrolled my books in KU in order to build readership. Going by my stats, I don't see any correlation of those reading a book through KU and increased reading or sales on any other book. In other words, it's not doing much for my readership.
4. I've purposely kept my books under $5 for the eBook version, generally offering the first book in a series for less just as kind of a bonus for my readers. That's going to change with the newer books coming out. They'll be priced according to length. All future books will have professionally designed covers and that costs money. I don't mind not making a profit off my books, since I have a separate pension I actually live off of, but I'm not going to pay to publish without recouping a good portion of what I spend on doing so.
There's my reasoning, for what it's worth. I haven't decided if I'm going to offer my books on other sites (such as All Romance) yet, since that involves converting everything into different formats and files. It's a nightmare, plain and simple, because things don't always translate like I'd like them to do.
For now, all books are still available on Amazon as an eBook or the paperbacks are available through most major books sellers, since they're done through Create Space.
Published on March 14, 2016 11:36
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Tags:
book-availability, ebook, kindle-unlimited, ku, paperback
March 12, 2016
Getting There From Here
I've got two WIPs going at the moment. One is completely written, in the editing stages, and waiting on its shiny new cover. The other is about halfway written on the first draft. Guess which one is giving me fits?
Yeah, the one that's already written. The cover is well in hand and I'm happy with the sketches I've seen so far. The book, itself? I want to pick my laptop up and throw it through the window. All I have to do is edit the darn thing and do a final read through. Why is that so hard? Each time I open the document to do that, I get lost in something else, side tracked, called away, or whatever. My head's not in it and I don't seem to be able to get it there.
I'm thinking one of the reasons is the two WIPs are so far apart in subject matter, it's just really difficult to leave one world and get into the other. The first book is more a novella at only 50k words. It's got some adventure, some romance and some fun. The second is one of the darkest things I've ever written and it absolutely wrings me out when I work on it. Trying to switch between the two is like going from gut wrenching sobbing to lollipops and rainbows. If messes with my head.
I'm working on a solution. One which will, hopefully, allow me to polish up the first so it's ready for publication. I'm putting the second WIP away for the moment. I've saved it, backed it up on a thumb drive, and closed the document to file away. I just can't bounce so far on the emotional scale and still be a functioning writer. Once the novella is released, I'll put my head back in the wringer and finish up the novel. Even if the characters in my head are pouting about being put in the corner for a time out.
Yeah, the one that's already written. The cover is well in hand and I'm happy with the sketches I've seen so far. The book, itself? I want to pick my laptop up and throw it through the window. All I have to do is edit the darn thing and do a final read through. Why is that so hard? Each time I open the document to do that, I get lost in something else, side tracked, called away, or whatever. My head's not in it and I don't seem to be able to get it there.
I'm thinking one of the reasons is the two WIPs are so far apart in subject matter, it's just really difficult to leave one world and get into the other. The first book is more a novella at only 50k words. It's got some adventure, some romance and some fun. The second is one of the darkest things I've ever written and it absolutely wrings me out when I work on it. Trying to switch between the two is like going from gut wrenching sobbing to lollipops and rainbows. If messes with my head.
I'm working on a solution. One which will, hopefully, allow me to polish up the first so it's ready for publication. I'm putting the second WIP away for the moment. I've saved it, backed it up on a thumb drive, and closed the document to file away. I just can't bounce so far on the emotional scale and still be a functioning writer. Once the novella is released, I'll put my head back in the wringer and finish up the novel. Even if the characters in my head are pouting about being put in the corner for a time out.
Published on March 12, 2016 16:41
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Tags:
author-struggles, fantasy, mm, romance, writing
March 6, 2016
Going Forward
I seem to have had an utterly unproductive week in regards to writing. The majority of my time has been spent watching a granddaughter while her parents move to a new apartment or work. It’s really taken a lot out of me. I love my grandbaby, but I’m simply not as young as I was when I raised my own family. Caring for a 6-month-old takes some energy. Most likely, that will change now that the new apartment is completely moved into. It’s a town further away and a new baby sitter has been procured. Which means I won’t be spending quite the amount of time previously spent watching my sweet Lettie smile for me.
We’ve had some fun times, though, and I love getting her to smile. I also love making her parents give me “the look” when I try to teach her something they’re not too sure about. Like sticking out her tongue, or blowing raspberries, or even howling like a wolf. It seems her mother just doesn’t remember me teaching her the same things. I continue to claim “grandma’s privilege” and my daughter continues to eye me as if she’s wondering if perhaps she made an error in judgement in allowing grandma to watch her little one. Definitely, fun times.
On the writing front, I’ve managed to set up a new document and dig out my notes for a new book. That’s about it. Even writing this blog has been a chore to schedule in. I haven’t given up, though, since my previous blog regarding my various insecurities. (By the way, thanks so much to those who commented or sent messages to lift me back up. They were greatly appreciated.) I have so many voices in my head and stories to write, there’s just no way to stop cold turkey. Many of those characters are men and they’ve already told me they want their HEA to involve another man. If I’m going to tell their story, I’ll need to write within the M/M romance genre.
The fantasy worlds I’ve created in my head will also continue. I dislike where the human race seems to be going, so I’ll just keep making up worlds and galaxies where the beings aren’t quite so judgmental, and they learn from the past. Not to get too political, but I’m thoroughly disgusted with my country’s political climate and the idiots that want to run the government. I’ll just hide in my stories, thank you. Who knows, maybe someday enough people will read my writings and finally figure out caring for each other, learning from each other, accepting each other, and allowing everyone to live in peace would be a much more productive way to live.
We’ve had some fun times, though, and I love getting her to smile. I also love making her parents give me “the look” when I try to teach her something they’re not too sure about. Like sticking out her tongue, or blowing raspberries, or even howling like a wolf. It seems her mother just doesn’t remember me teaching her the same things. I continue to claim “grandma’s privilege” and my daughter continues to eye me as if she’s wondering if perhaps she made an error in judgement in allowing grandma to watch her little one. Definitely, fun times.
On the writing front, I’ve managed to set up a new document and dig out my notes for a new book. That’s about it. Even writing this blog has been a chore to schedule in. I haven’t given up, though, since my previous blog regarding my various insecurities. (By the way, thanks so much to those who commented or sent messages to lift me back up. They were greatly appreciated.) I have so many voices in my head and stories to write, there’s just no way to stop cold turkey. Many of those characters are men and they’ve already told me they want their HEA to involve another man. If I’m going to tell their story, I’ll need to write within the M/M romance genre.
The fantasy worlds I’ve created in my head will also continue. I dislike where the human race seems to be going, so I’ll just keep making up worlds and galaxies where the beings aren’t quite so judgmental, and they learn from the past. Not to get too political, but I’m thoroughly disgusted with my country’s political climate and the idiots that want to run the government. I’ll just hide in my stories, thank you. Who knows, maybe someday enough people will read my writings and finally figure out caring for each other, learning from each other, accepting each other, and allowing everyone to live in peace would be a much more productive way to live.
Published on March 06, 2016 10:15
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Tags:
fantasy-romance, m-m, reading, writing
Mary Newman's Blog
I am currently migrating my blog to my website on Wordpress. New posts will generally be shared here, but the blog itself will now be on Wordpress. I look forward to hearing your comments on the new s
I am currently migrating my blog to my website on Wordpress. New posts will generally be shared here, but the blog itself will now be on Wordpress. I look forward to hearing your comments on the new site.
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.com/ ...more
https://marynewmanauthor.wordpress.com/ ...more
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