Sally Ember's Blog, page 68
June 14, 2015
How to Score Great Amazon Reviews: Resources and More
Great resources from Nicholas Rossis on getting legitimate #bookreviews
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
With the recent controversy on the issue of reviews, triggered by Amazon’s decision to remove all of Christoph Fischer’s 1,700 reviews, it seems this is the issue of the day.
Contrary to popular belief, Amazon does not require that you’ve bought a book in order to review it. It does ask that you mention in your review if you haven’t, explaining how you came across it (usually with a simple “a copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review” statement at the end).
This myth is based on the fact that Amazon does require that you’ve bought at least one physical item from its shops before you’re allowed to place a review. This is to verify that you’re an actual human, with a valid physical address, instead of a robot, a troll or a spammer.
Now that’s been cleared, how can one go around securing these elusive reviews?
Book Reviewer…
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Filed under: Writing
June 12, 2015
Amazon Reviewing is Dead. OR NOT?
THE ORIGINAL POSTER OF THIS PIECE IS DOING MORE RESEARCH. STAY TUNED!
It looks as if #Amazon just shot itself in the foot, and ebook authors are also injured, because they decided to disallow any book reviews from any reviewer who can’t prove the book was acquired via PURCHASE of said book.
This COULD mean: 1) No library-reading reviews, 2) no free download reviews, 3) no gift book reviews, and, 4) no reviewer-got-a-copy review.
Number 4 is the entire reason for the new policy, but one would imagine a dozen different ways to ameliorate what has become a runaway train of fake and purchased reviews on Amazon before eliminating all opinions and reviews from everyone legitimate who doesn’t “purchase” a book before reading it.
Idiots on Amazon just gave ebook authors and readers another great incentive to use #SMASHWORDS, which offers ebooks in ALL formats!
Get my books on Smashwords! Volume I is permafree and Volume II is only $3.99. All links: http://www.sallyember.com/Spanners-2. Look right; scroll down.
Thanks for posting, Ronovan and the LWI team!
LATEST, from Ronovan: “So far the research I am finding supports being able to do the reviews of free Kindle books as long as you have made a monetary purchase of something. It doesn’t say that specifically but that is what I am gathering. You can use family and friends as an Editorial Review but not as an actual Customer Review. But they seem to mean those who are really close to you. I think like a spouse or immediate family member.
“The wording of their policies are in such a way to give them the ability to pick and choose, but so far I am encouraged.”
Filed under: Blogging and others' content, Reviews Tagged: Amazon, Book Reviews, Smashwords
In the Nick of Time!
Mazel Tov, Stuart! We talked about this book and his charity work on behalf of those affected by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (as it used to termed) in our *CHANGES* conversations between authors hour (sorry about the sound quality; hang in there, because it does improve).
For those who want to know Stuart Aken better, join us any time by watching Episode 33, recorded just this past Wed., now available on both Google+ and YouTube: http://goo.gl/eX0D8T
OPENINGS 7/8 and beyond! #Authors, especially those in sci-fi/speculative fiction and who blog, learn more about and get yourself on *CHANGES*, and #Readers, recommend an #author to be scheduled as a guest: http://goo.gl/1dbkZV
Best to you!
Sally
Originally posted on Stuart Aken:
The paperback version.
The paperback proof copy arrived today and it looks good. I was hoping to get this in time for the print version to be available at the same time as the ebook, which has been on pre-order for a couple of weeks. The launch date for that is 14th June.
The process with Amazon and Createspace means that the print book should be available at once through the Createspace estore by clicking here. Because of delays that exist in the system, it will be available on Amazon.com in 3-4 days and on other Amazon sites in a week or so. But, if you want to order it from other retailers, either online or through your local bookshop, it will apparently take 6-8 weeks before you’ll be able to do so! Sorry, but that aspect is out of my hands.
Enjoy the read. And, if you…
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Filed under: Writing
Book Giveaway: Nonlocal Science Fiction #1 FREE for 3 Days!
#scifi lovers: TODAY it’s still free! Online new ‘zine which includes story by Nicholas Rossis, my guest on Episode 7 of *CHANGES*! Get it FREE on Amazon through 6/12/15!
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
To celebrate the launch of the second issue of Nonlocal Science Fiction Magazine, Dan is giving away the first one for free! You can download it on Amazon from June 10th through the 12th.
You can see which stories are included in Issue #1 on Dan’s website (they include one of mine, Shoot the Devil).
Issue #2 launches on June 15. Pre-order your copy of the second issue on Amazon today, and it will be delivered to your Kindle device or app the second that it is released.
Filed under: Writing
Call to Arms – Book Marketing Results
Thanks for collecting, compiling, analyzing and summarzing, Nicholas. When I have time to organize it or money to put into it, I have this bookmarked as my “map.” You Rock!
Sally
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
Following my Call to Arms, a number of you responded by sharing with me your book marketing experience. I now have about a hundred responses by some fifty authors. Although some of the responses were expected, there were quite a few surprises in there for me.
Methodology
For anyone wishing to take a look at the raw data, you can download this Excel spreadsheet. I grouped the results according to whether the book was offered full-price, discounted or free. I also have a fourth category titled Other, that includes any entries where this was not specified.
To compare the various ad media, I came up with a number that represents the ratio between number of sales and cost of advertising. In other word, if you spent $1 and had one sale, then this number would be one. If you spent $1 and had two sales, the number would be two, etc.
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Be A Part Of A Movement: #1000Speak for #Compassion
“Be A Part Of A Movement: #1000Speak for #Compassion”
2/20/15 was the first; today, 6/20/15 is the second.
from the organizers: “‘How cool would it be if we could get 1000 bloggers on the same day to write posts about compassion, kindness, support, caring for others, non-judgement etc.?
“We could call it 1000 Voices For Compassion.
“Who’s in?”
“How: Write a post about compassion. What it means to you. How has it affected you? How we can bring more of it to those who need it. Really, there are no rules, just as long as it’s about compassion.”
Images are from today and the original day; instructions are the same:
Participate by following these links and the links within the post.
http://driftingthrough.com/
and on Twitter: @gkelly73
with #1000Speak
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1000Speak/
Originally posted on Drifting Through My Open Mind:
“My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark. I do not feel the romance, I do not catch the spark…. and I will not be a pawn… for the prince of darkness, any longer.”
-Indigo Girls, Prince of Darkness
This week something pretty incredible remarkable amazing happened. One blogger wrote a beautiful piece in response to recent tragedies and atrocities happening in the world. Another blogger was posting about these same events on FaceBook. The two had a conversation that inspired this:
“How cool would it be if we could get 1000 bloggers on the same day to write posts about compassion, kindness, support, caring for others, non-judgement etc.? (Date to be decided.)
We could call it 1000 Voices For Compassion.
Who’s in?”
And thus began a movement. 1000 Voices for Compassion. A call for bloggers to join together on one day to speak out…
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June 8, 2015
Film Review on BlogCritics.org! “‘Woman in Gold’ – A Very Personal Experience”
Look whose film review made it onto Blog Critics’ site?
Yup!
“‘Woman in Gold’ – A Very Personal Experience”
http://blogcritics.org/movie-review-woman-in-gold-a-very-personal-experience/
Filed under: Film Reviews, Opinions Tagged: Austria, Blog Critics, Film Review, Helen Mirren, Holocaust, Jewish, Ryan Reynolds, Vienna, Woman in Gold
OPENINGS on *CHANGES* conversations between authors: 7/8 and beyond!
OPENINGS on CHANGES conversations between authors 7/8/15 and beyond!
CHANGES is a unique Google+ Hangout On Air (HOA) simulcast on YouTube most Wednesdays, LIVE, 10 – 11 AM Eastern time, USA, with host Sally Ember, Ed.D., in spontaneous dialogue with an author from any fiction type or genre and also from nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, and blogging.
The show is NOT an “author interview,” although some of those elements do occur during the show (promoting/talking about one’s writing, books, origins, plot, characters, ideas).
#Authors, especially those in sci-fi/speculative fiction and who blog, learn more about and get yourself on CHANGES, and #Readers, recommend an #author to be scheduled as a guest: http://goo.gl/1dbkZV
Watch conversations with my previous CHANGES 30+ guests any time: http://goo.gl/eX0D8T
Filed under: CHANGES Episodes Tagged: *CHANGES*, *CHANGES* conversations between authors, authors, bloggers, G+ HOA, Google+ Hangout On Air, Google+ HOA, live, Sally Ember, Sally Ember Ed.D Author, Writers, YouTube
June 6, 2015
A Different Type of Book Review: Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom: a colouring book adventure
Coloring in books are supposedly very therapeutic, mindful activity for ADULTS these days and this one is beautiful. Thanks for posting, Babus Ahmed!
Originally posted on Ajoobacats Blog:
In May 2015 I bought a colouring book after I saw a number of posts about adult (nothing to do with x-rated stuff) colouring books and observed someone in the waiting room for a doctors appointment, colouring a rather complicated pattern book.
Perusing Amazon I found there really was a huge variety of colouring books and chose this one and some cheap pencils and pens to accompany it.
I am not comfortably artistic and I haven’t had a colouring book since Medical School (20 years ago) when I used colouring books to learn anatomy and biochemistry.
My first piece of work, I undertook tentatively and tried to keep it simple using pencils. I enjoyed it immensely and found it incredibly therapeutic.
The paper used to make this colouring book is thick and of good quality, so using felt tip pens is fine as there is no bleed through the page…
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Filed under: Writing
Amazing Resource for People Who Are Transgender or Gender Expansive and Their Loved Ones
new publication titled _*Our Trans Loved Ones*_ : Excellent resource from #PFLAG (Parents and Friends of #Lesbians & #Gays) about #TRANS people of all ages, including children.
Originally posted on Raising My Rainbow:
I recently had the honor of working with PFLAG on their new publication titled Our Trans Loved Ones. It’s an amazing resource for parents, families and friends of people who are transgender and gender expansive.
Our Trans Loved Ones is free and includes a wealth of information, first-person stories, expert input and more.
Download it, love it and share it.
Filed under: Writing
