R.J. Blain's Blog, page 45
August 5, 2020
For Authors: Preparing for a Major Sales Drive: Part One: Marketing Research, Targets, and Ad Systems.
Time to roll the dice!Warning: get a drink. This is a long post. Readers, this one is for the authors out there, and it involves a LOT of nitty gritty about the publication world. You are, as always, welcome to read and ask any questions you may have, but you may find this boring. This is my way of trying to help other authors learn something very, very complicated and very, very important for their careers.
In May 2020, I posted about doing a $20,000 sales drive for a novel in my best-se...
July 31, 2020
A general update!
Dear humans,
According to the female’s schedule, she should be finishing A Chip on Her Shoulder today. She is not finishing A Chip on Her Shoulder today. In good news, she got through the hell scene, so she might be able to finish over the weekend and otherwise stay on target for the rest of her schedule.
Which is, admittedly, insane.
She isn’t going to get November off. She is now angling for a decent chunk of December off.
She is not holding her breath because she does not want to ...
July 21, 2020
Taken (A Royal States Novel by Susan Copperfield) has released!
Dear humans,
Today is the day! Pat & Jessica are back in a fun romp. We hope you have a great time with the book. Taken is available at all major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play.
Six years following his marriage to Jessica and their coronation, Pat learns just how far greedy politicians will go to safeguard their wealth, status, and power. After being taken from his family and home, Pat decides he’ll just rescue himself and ruin their pla...
July 5, 2020
A State of the Blain Address: the July 2020 Edition.
Hey, folks. Rather than have the cats do the update for this one, you’re getting me, the actual author, instead.
Somewhat recently, the cats posted my upcoming schedule. The focus of this post will mostly be on what’s going on in 2021, so I’m going to include the preorders and their links for those who may have missed it:
January 12, 2021: Dirty Deeds: An Urban Fantasy Collection (Faith Hunter, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Devon Monk, R.J. Blain) ($5.99)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple...
June 30, 2020
Huntress: a Royal States Novel (Susan Copperfield) is on sale for $0.99 in US stores!
A hearty thank you to Bookbub for featuring Huntress today. This is what they said about the book:
In an America rife with magic, royal Kelvin hopes Eva can free him from his family curse. The main problem with this plan is the fact that Eva is a huntress — and Kelvin’s curse turns him into an ostentatious white turkey that she’s determined to capture… A hilarious supernatural romp!
~A Super Fancy Amazeballs Bookbub Editor
Huntress can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Appl...
June 25, 2020
I love when Entitled People give me an excuse to Rant.
Dear Readers,
Entitled People. They’re amusing. One anonymous individual, who lacked the courage to post publicly on the subject, decided it was a good idea to come onto the blog to air out their dirty laundry regarding reviews. The original discussion, about author morality, racism, and regionalisms, can be found here.
But I’ve included a screenshot for your amusement. Because yeah. I am going to have some fun with this.
I’ll begin with the first question. Were they polite?
The ...
June 18, 2020
Let’s Talk: Inclusion, Morality, and Reader Impressions of Author Beliefs or Morality. Bonus: a Rant on Regionalisms.
Dear humans,
The female was bad. She read a review. According to the star value, the reader really liked the book. But, the female’s trigger?
Tripped.
So, let’s talk, humans.
An author’s personal beliefs is not what they write. Stop assigning an author’s morality by what they write.
Yes, the female writes about societal issues.
All societal issues.
If it happens in society, it is fair game.
The female writes about the consequences of child marriage. She has protagonists w...
June 17, 2020
Updated Release Schedule: July 2020 through May 2021.
Dear humans,
Due to reasons, including delaying the second Seeking the Zodiacs novel until the time is more prudent (and respectful) for such a book to be published, the female has felt need to share the updated plan and schedule for the rest of 2020 through May of 2021.
This may be changed depending on Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Since we have been asked this several times, we have put together a quick and dirty list of ways readers can help writers. There are other ways, but t...
June 16, 2020
The Dawn of Dae is back!
The morning Alexa Daegberht’s macaroni and cheese develops sentience, the world changes. She thought escaping poverty and moving up in the world would be the challenge of her life, but the new arrivals, who call themselves the dae, waste no time proving her wrong.
Some claim it’s the rapture of the Christian faith. Some claim the world has been reborn. With millions vanished into thin air, one thing is certain: humanity is in for a fight for survival. There’s only one thing Alexa is certa...
June 9, 2020
Life Updates, About a Book, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
Dear humans,
The partridge in a pear tree part of the subject is a complete and total lie. The female doesn’t have any tasty birds for me, nor does she have a pear tree. Don’t listen to her. Filthy female, getting my hopes up for delicious bird with a dessert of equally delicious fruit.
So cruel.
The book is Grace Draven’s Dragon Unleashed. The female loved this book. She read it a long time ago, as she was honored to be able to proofread it. We hope you enjoy it even half as much as th...
