J.U. Scribe's Blog, page 2

Spilling the Tea on Paid Reviews

One thing I learned early in my writing career is that reviews are essential. And if you read my last post here, you will understand why they are absolutely critical for authors, who don’t have a large following or a team of marketers to promote them.

Like me, you reached out to different book bloggers, review sites, and literary journals. You drafted up emails to pitch why your book is amazing and why they should read it. Then you copied and pasted the same script to dozens of prospective reviewers, tweaked it, and hit “reply” only to see canned email responses they will review your request. Or perhaps they politely decline your request with little explanation. Or worse…

Nothing.

You may wonder why is it so hard to get reviews, especially free reviews?

If you are a published writer, here are the top three issues you’ve faced getting reviews. 1) Finding reviewers that are actually available and not backlogged for months) 2) Finding readers that appreciate your genre/style of writing especially if it’s not a popular market and 3) Finding reviewers that will follow through on their promise and review the book.

If you nodded to any of these three issues, you are not alone! In my experience, #1 and #3 are my top two hurdles. I’m pretty good about targeting reviewers who accept my genre. The hard part is finding an interested reviewer that is available and will follow through on their promise. We have to remember all reviewers have lives. They likely have secular jobs, families, hobbies, and other responsibilities that demand their time and energy. Most are not being paid in return. They are really doing you (the writer) a favor.

And what about reviewers who agree to review your book only to never get back to you? Because they have taken on more requests they can handle they may feel guilty that they can’t get to your book for months. Or they read the first few chapters of your book only to find it hard to finish (e.g. found the opening too slow/boring). They may fear hurting your feelings, so they don’t respond back with an update. All further communication with them goes radio silent. And now you feel they completely ghosted you.

So what is a writer to do if you’re struggling to get reviews?

If you are a writer (or thinking seriously about publishing), you may feel the pressure to rack up reviews by a certain timeline. Depending on who you ask, most writers suggest at least getting anywhere from between 5-25 reviews around your release date. Considering more than half those people you ask will not respond, you have to spend even more time networking to reach potential reviewers. You may feel that your best bet is to pay someone to review your book. Sometimes you don’t have to go looking for them. They find you. Most time they come as unsolicited emails from people you don’t even know. It may even flatter you that people are reaching out first to review your book. But should you just accept just any offer?

Here’s the tea on paid reviews!

Note: For those not familiar with that expression, “spill the tea,” it means to gossip or, in this context, to share insider knowledge of something or someone.

Are they credible?

Everybody wants reviews, especially glowing reviews, and many writers go to great lengths to get them. Some even “game” the system so they can have hundreds if not thousands of glowing reviews posted on their products. But what if you found out they paid people to write most of those 5-star reviews? Would you trust the legitimacy of the product? Probably not. Neither will readers if they suspect your reviews are counterfeit.

As a writer, you should care about credibility. Unless you completely change your penname and social media accounts, there will be this looming cloud of doubt over your credibility. And even if you don’t care about the way you go about racking reviews, the 3rd party bookstores and retailers will! After all, any report of fraudulent activity hurts their credibility too and erodes customer loyalty.

Therefore, many online retail sites such as Amazon are cracking down on this problem by tightening their review policy which you can find here. Unfortunately, some of these review services violate Amazon’s policies. Some practices that would violate Amazon’s review policies include, but are not limited to, offering a monetary award in exchange for a review, reimbursing the reviewer after posting the review, and any attempt to change or divert negative reviews in favor of positive reviews. Failure to follow Amazon’s policies could have your reviews removed from the site or worse, the book delisted from their site permanently. That’s the last thing you want, especially if your goal is to increase reviews!

That’s why many in the writing community are wary of review services. Many see them as scams to avoid at all costs. But is that always the case?

While not all are shady, a good number are. If you get an email request to review your book from someone you don’t know, ask yourself the following questions.

Why are they reaching out to me?

Is it because you gave them permission to contact you, or is this unsolicited? If you answered yes to the second question, they usually want something out of you. Even if they don’t explicitly say they are a paid review service in the initial email contact, 99% of the time they are. Hardly anyone reaches out to a total stranger to review their book without not wanting something in return!

Is this a paid review?

First thing first, you want to know if this is a paid review service. You want to know are you paying for a review. You do not need to pay anyone for a review, especially customer reviews. There are exceptions liked Kirkus, which is a professional review service that pays reviewers to write an honest, objective editorial review. These are not your average customer reviews, but more of a critical analysis of your book. Even then, it comes at a cost (which I will get to later)

When I ask the people that reach out to me about their review services, they will clarify I’m not paying for the review.

What are they promising?

Are they promising a certain amount of reviews by a certain deadline? Are they promising positive reviews?

The answers to those questions will determine whether they are even worth another second of your time.

If the promises sound too good to be true, be skeptical. Ask yourself: how are they securing the reviews? Will it put me in direct violation of Amazon’s (or retailer of choice) policies? Be wary of ones where they incentivize positive reviews (that directly violates Amazon’s policy). Or they guarantee “X” number of reviews. If you see those types of emails, it’s a red flag that it’s a scam. Avoid them!

Is it worth it?

What if the paid review services 1) don’t guarantee you will get reviews and 2) don’t guarantee a positive review, then you can decide if this paid review service is worth your time and money. If they can’t guarantee you’ll even get reviews, what are you paying for? Is it worth paying for their services?

Some review sites like Pubby which is a review service that allows writers to get reviews from verified readers, meet Amazon’s guidelines and you can sign up for a free trial run before they expect you to pay $20/month for unlimited reviews. After the free 10-day trial is up expect to be charged the full yearly amount of $240! But will the person actually read the book? And if the person leaves a review before your free trial, they can easily leave a quick, generic review that makes you wonder if they even read the book in the first place!

Is it worth spending money on customer reviews? Remember, if it’s a legit review service, they cannot force the reader to leave a review. So it’s more of an honor system. While the few review services I turned to didn’t have glaring red flags, I hardly received any reviews. One service that reached out to me directly offered the potential to receive reviews and to circulate my book to book bloggers. A few months later, I saw no reviews, sales, or any tangible measure that their services provided a value to me.

Lesson: If you can’t find reputable testimonials, or a curated list of sites that your book would be a good fit to be featured on, don’t waste your time and money on those packages.

While I would NOT recommend paying for customer reviews what about editorial reviews?

Kirkus is one of several editorial services. And many of them are not free. That list includes:

Reedsy DiscoveryIndieReaderBlueInk Review

This is not an exhaustive list, but if you run across a paid review service that offers editorial reviews, consider their 1) credibility and 2) price.

Credibility

Is this an established editorial service? If you go to the editorial section on a book’s sales page, you will notice the source of the review cited after the quoted review. If someone were to look up the site, would readers recognize the source as reputable or authoritative?

Price

As I alluded to, many services like Kirkus are reputable, but if you use their service, it won’t be cheap. Prices range anywhere between $200-$500 per review. For most indie authors who already have to come out of pocket for editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing, a $450 review may be out of your price range.

Should you bother getting editorial reviews?

Yes. Even though most readers are reading customer reviews, some still look at the editorial reviews. If it’s cited from reputable sources, it will add legitimacy to your book.

Plus, we can use editorial reviews for marketing such as on the book jacket, sales page, author site, and promotion ads. But for it to be of real value, the quote you select really needs to sell your book. So if you are fortunate to get an editorial review, don’t feel obligated to copy the whole review especially if you are using the review for promotional purposes. Pick one or two lines that highlight either who the book is geared towards or why this book is worth reading. Ask yourself: does this get readers excited or intrigued to read your book? The best lines will create an emotional response that triggers the reader to look inside the book. If the editorial review doesn’t really showcase the book in a way that grabs readers, it’s not worth the price tag, let alone even be featured on promotional ads or merchandise.

What is a cost-effective solution if you still want editorial reviews?

Fellow authors– Reach out to fellow authors who write in your genre. The more established and successful the author is, the better because their review will hold that much more weight and credibility. And if their audience sees your book is similiar to a book by their favorite author, they may check out your book too. But be cautious of making swap requests (Ex: I’ll read and review your book if you read mines). This would violate review policies for your given retailer.Editors– Ask a trusted editor. Someone you worked with in the past already built up some rapport with you and are more likely to agree to a review (Disclaimer: be careful about asking editors that worked on the current book. Some may not be comfortable, as they could see this as a conflict of interests)Book bloggers– Book bloggers who read and enjoy your genre and style of writing are the reviewers you want to target as they represent your target audience. They are more likely to appreciate your book and more likely to accept your gracious request. If they have a large following, they may be eager to share their review to their followers, drawing more eyeballs on your book.

So are reviews worth it? The short answer is yes! But it should never cost you your credibility as an author. Nor should you break the bank for an editorial review. Even though getting enough reviews, especially in a timely manner, can be daunting, it’s worth it in the long run when you get ready to promote your book.

Weekly Fall Giveaway- Roman Identity

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting my first of three giveaways (yes, you heard right). The first one was Before the Legend. The winner of my first giveaway was Maglor Feanorian. While participation was low, I’m eager to give it another go with another giveaway.

For my 2nd giveaway, I’ll be giving away 1) free signed paperback copy of Roman Identity and 2) a promo code to redeem a free copy of the corresponding audiobook. The giveaway rules are like the last giveaway, but there’ are a few changes, including now there will be two names that will be drawn. While the first person chosen from the randomized drawing will win the coveted paperback + audiobook, the 2nd runner-up still will win a free eBook in the format of their choosing (ePub, Mobi, PDF) and a free promo code to redeem the audiobook. Fair enough?

So how can you join the fun? Watch the gif below.

Click here to join.

Giveaway officially closes November 30th at 9pm CST. I will announce the winners Friday evening on my Facebook event page.

I hope you can join the fun and share it with friends you think may be interested.

But this will not be the end of my giveaways. Remember, I said one of three giveaways. Stay tuned for my third and final giveaway of the year next week to find out what prizes are in store.

In the meantime, have a safe weekend and check out these amazing Black Friday deals running for all three books this Black Friday weekend through November 30th.

Download on Kindle free. Download on Kindle Download on Kindle

8th Anniversary of Self-Publishing

Can you believe it’s been about 8 years since I self-published my debut book? I hardly can. It hasn’t been an easy journey by any stretch of the imagination. Through the learning curves and setbacks I had my small tribe of followers and close circle supporting me every step of the journey. 8 years later, I’m continuing the series with a new release as I originally intended. Better late than later.

What better way to show my gratitude than offering a free giveaway. Starting with my first book, Before the Legend.

So you might be wondering how can you enter my giveaway? Here’s the following rules to enter the giveaway.

How to Apply:

1. Follow or Like my Facebook Page: @JuScribe
2. Follow me on Instagram @ j.u.scribeinc
3. After you complete #1 & 2, choose a number between 1-50 and enter it on my Facebook page post here: “Get ready to win some prizes in 3…2…1”

Bonus points
To be entered twice in the drawing please share my Giveaway post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #TheLegendGiveaway21 so I know you shared this.

Deadline: Drawing ends Friday November 19th at 5pm CST. Winners will be announced on my Facebook page at 7:30pm CST.

This won’t be the last giveaway this month. The next two weeks you can expect more prizes and promotions in this giving extravaganza including some amazing offers just in time for Black Friday weekend.

Want to be the first one to learn about giveaways and new releases?

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Why Book Reviews Matter!

How many of you have purchased a book due to word of mouth?

I know I have. And I’m betting you have at some point too.

Like a good recommendation from someone you trust, reviews are must-have social proof for prospective readers because they help identify: 1) If your book delivers on the promises you make in the blurb and cover. Depending on the answer to the first question, that will determine whether 2) the book is worth reading (or not). Those are the main reasons reviews are important for readers. But what about writers?

For the writer, reviews are vital because they help with marketing your book. Without reviews (positive ones in particular) it will be an uphill battle for marketing your book. I would even say that it would even be best to hold off spending a lot of money on advertising/marketing until you gain some reviews for your book. Why do I say this? I’ll explain my reasoning further. 

Let’s dig a little deeper about what reviews tell readers.

Reviews Inform Readers

Besides a beautiful cover and an enticing blurb, reviews will help the reader make an informed decision about whether your book is worth picking up. Reviews tell readers what they can expect from the book. The more reviews you have, the better it is for readers to get an objective look at the content of your book so they can decide if this is something that interests them. When I select a book and look at their reviews, I expect to learn just enough about the book to convince me to read the book for myself (or not). Is there a critical development in your plot or subplot that wasn’t captured in the sales blurb? Without spoiling all the plot twists or the ending, the reader should get a clearer picture of what the book is actually about, especially if the blurb was ambiguous. Readers can then compare their impressions of the cover or blurb to the customer reviews to determine if the book matches their previous impression. If the review matches or surpasses the reader’s initial impression, you have a higher chance of converting that reader into a paying customer. As a writer trying to make money from your writing, that’s what you want!

Reviews can also help reveal the demographics of the readers who may like this book. For example, if the book reviews talks about baseball, guess who that’s going to attract? Baseball fans. Or if the book takes place in a city you grew up in, you, the reader, may feel an extra connection to the story, and therefore feel more compelled to check out the book.

We can also learn from the reviews of who the intended audience should be. I say should be because sometimes the book can be marketed to one demographic or age group, but may be better suited for a different target group. Certain genres have certain conventions they follow not just in cover design but even from the sales blurb down to the structure of the plot. For example, if this is a romance book, the chemistry of the lovers should be electric and excite your readers. Or if this is a how-to book, your book will start with a problem your readers have and then you will propose a solution or course of action for the reader to follow.

In fiction writing, if readers are complaining about a certain scene, chances are 1) the execution was off, 2) It sounds implausible 3) you broke a convention of the genre, or 4) you added something that your reader wasn’t comfortable with. If these are honest reviews, you will find any “trigger warnings” or things that might offend readers. This often includes sensitive content such as rape, incest, abuse, graphic sex, strong profanity, or graphic violence. To be fair, these subjects don’t trigger every reader. But it will trigger some. The blurb may not reveal some of those touchier subjects only for the reader to find out after they already purchased the book. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read reviews that complained about the content they were not expecting to be in the book.

Review can also help determine the quality of the writing. So if something has a lot of mechanical errors, reviewers are not bashful about pointing it out. Or readers might point out historical or scientific inaccuracies. You, the reader, can decide if you will overlook those errors or not. Knowing the strong points and the weak points of a book will help the reader make a more informed decision before purchasing a book that will make them cringe or straight-up hate!

Reviews Help Market for you

I can’t stress enough how important reviews are for authors, especially in the marketing department. Having a certain amount of reviews helps you market your book, which is what you want.

Remember what I said earlier about social proof. Social proof tells other readers “this book is worth buying.” We can illustrate it this way. You are shopping for a new vacuum cleaner. Let’s say you are looking for one that sucks up pet hair, has a detachable hose, and has good suction. You go to the sales page and you read to see if it includes those features in the description. But you notice there are no reviews! Would you still buy the vacuum even if the sales page promises those features? Some of you may. However, if you found another vacuum that has all the features that you wanted, plus the customers confirmed the features worked, you’re more likely to buy the 2nd vacuum.

Likewise, reviews help convince the prospective buyer that the product delivers on what it promises. Again, that review acts as your endorsement or what we call social proof. Other people see those reviews and guess what their review gets someone else to buy your product, especially if those reviews rave about how good the product is. You may be suspicious if you saw all five star reviews with zero complaints. You can expect some critiques or downright negative reviews. If you get reviews complaining about the same thing, chances are you have a problem that needs to be corrected immediately or something that can be improved on in the next book. If the review is someone bashing the book because it wasn’t their “cup of tea” then likely what that reveals is that they are not your target audience. Time to keep it pushing.

Now, if you have a solid product, you should have more positive reviews than negative reviews. If you did your homework, your target readers will appreciate your book. It’s the glowing reviews that will get other readers excited about your book.

What can amplify the power of a positive review is getting it from an influencer. This “influencer” could be an individual book blogger who does Podcasts or has a large social media presence, a celebrity, or a successful author in your genre. It could also represent an entity, such as a literary magazine or newspaper (e.g. Publisher’s Weekly or The New York Times). Really anyone that has a large following, whether on social media, online traffic (if it’s a site), readership, or email subscribers would count. There’s a reason they have the following they do. They have a consistent brand and have built a great rapport with their followers. So whatever they promote, their thousands of followers are more likely to at least listen. Now granted, if you are a newbie indie writer, finding celebrities or the New York Times to vouch for your book may not be realistic.

Instead, start with bloggers or authors who write in your genre. Start building relationships months before the book’s release because you want to leverage their influence and insight. You can use their feedback as editorial reviews for marketing. An editorial review is typically more in depth than your typical customer review, but if it’s long, you don’t have to include every single word. You can highlight one or two sentences that sell your book on the flap of your print book, your online sales page, or in an ad banner when you get ready to promote your book.

Not only are reviews free marketing (unless you pay for your review) but it can give you an added edge when it comes time to promote your book. For example, if you are planning to run a free or discounted promotion for your book, you may enlist the help of promo sites such as BookBub, Freebooksy/Bargain Booksy, ENT, RobinReads, just to name a few. However, some of these sites will not promote your book unless you have a certain amount of reviews. Sites like BookBub that have a huge readership base have strict criteria for what books they accept. One of their criteria besides having a professional-quality book is having several reviews. Having at least 5-10 reviews will qualify you to leverage more robust promo sites to promote your book.

I think you get the point. Reviews are important for readers and absolutely vital for all authors. But where can you find willing reviewers? While I can go on a rant about how difficult it is to get them, here are some places to start with.

Email Subscribers

If you have an email list, subscribers can also be potential reviewers. That would be one of the first places to tap for reviews. People you’ve already built a relationship with are more likely to be supportive of your works. Of course, you’ll get better results if you have a larger, active mailing list that already enjoys reading your works. You can offer your mailing list a free review copy for an honest review. You can also invite them to sign up on sites like BookSprout, where you can upload electronic copies, provide the sales pages where the reviews can be posted and automate reminder alerts.

But what if you have a small mailing list? Or worst you don’t have one? You should still build an email list. Sites like Voracious Readers, StoryOrigin, or BookBoast.

Review Blogs

While you’re building your list, you can reach out to other reviewers. Look for reviewers who enjoy your genre/style of writing. You don’t want to waste your time and the reviewer’s time by sending them a book that’s not one of their preferred genres. Not sure where to find a list of reviewers by genre? Start with Book Sirens.

Book Sirens – Once you click on the link, you can begin by typing the main genre (s) your book fall under. It will then take you to a page of reviewers that accepts that genre. At a high level, it will tell you the accepted formats, where reviews are posted, and each reviewer’s social reach or how many followers they have across their social media channels (which is useful if you are going for someone with a larger audience).

If the reviewer has a site, read their review policy. What types of formats they accept? What sites will they post their review on? They usually cover those questions in their review policy. If not, you can reach out to them via email or some other contact method.

Note: Read each reviewer’s policy carefully because some reviewers will not accept unsolicited requests. Failing to heed their rules is a quick way to get your request ignored or blocked.

This is just the tip of the icebergs to find potential reviewers. If you want to check out more review sites, check out my resource page here.

To my writers reading this, it is vital it is to come up with a list of reviewers who may be interested in your book. Considering most reviewers will either ignore or reject your request, I highly recommend to have at least 20 reviewers lined up. But don’t stop at 20. Even well-meaning reviewers can forget to review your book. It happens far more often that it should, but that’s the reality.

To My readers,

If you take nothing else away from this, remember this point, reviews are incredibly valuable to the writer. But they are also valuable to other readers too. If you really enjoyed a book, you could keep it to yourself. But how much better it would be to share it with others so others can discover amazing new books to read. I have to admit I would read a wonderfully well-written story and then I would forget to review it. I’m trying to do better myself and plan to review more books by the end of this year.

To my writers,

Attempt to reach out to reviewers before your publication date. You need to give them enough time to read the book. If possible look up other reviews the person did. That will give you a taste of the books they like and their style of reviews. It’s easy to become discouraged if you don’t get a lot of reviews or you receive a negative review. Don’t respond to negative reviews. It only creates negative publicity. Focus on the readers that enjoy your genre and style of writing.

There’s a lot to be said on reviews. If they were easy to get, I would have hundreds of reviews on my books by now, but I don’t. How can you work around this challenge? Stay tuned for a future post where I discuss the contested question: should you pay for reviews?

Together we’ll find the answers to your burning questions.

****

Before you go, don’t forget to take this brief poll. You can also comment below. I want to hear from you!

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Fall for Savings this October!

Click anywhere on the banner to download your copy today!

It’s been about a month since my novel Roman Identity has been released for eBook and paperback. What better way to promote my newest release then to officially launch a free/99 cent promo for the eBook!

Now that the free promo has ended, the eBook is on sale for only 99 cents today across multiple retailers including Amazon, Apple, B&N, and Kobo. Here are some things you should know about this promo.

Price-matching is not simultaneous. Because Roman Identity was published on Amazon and Draft2Digital separately, the delays in updating the price between Amazon vs. the dozen other retailers is inevitable. Although the 99 cent promo ends this midnight, please be mindful of the time zone difference. I’m in the Central time zone (North America) and Draft2Digital (one of the platforms I used to publish and manage my book) is in the central time zone. So expect the changes to happen in that time zone.International Prices may vary. My book is set to 99 cents USD. However since my book is being distributed internationally some of you may see a different currency amount if you live outside the U.S. and its territories. This is expected considering pricing will vary based on the currency rate for each respective country.EBook available in Kindle (mobi) and ePub! If you’re downloading my book on Amazon expect to download the mobi copy for Kindle. Even if you don’t own a physical Kindle you can download the Kindle app for multiple devices including desktop. For those that prefer ePub files you can download it on Apple, B&N, and Kobo just to name a few. Please check out the full list of retailers here.

Don’t forget to check out, Roman Identity before this deal expires for good. If you are new to my page and my book series don’t forget to also check out the first book in the series, Before the Legend.

Missed the free promo? Never miss another freebie or giveaway when you sign up for my newsletter. You will also automatically get a free copy of the 1st book in The Legend series.

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Roman Identity Makes a Splashing Debut (2021)

After several months of planning, it’s finally here. My newest novel, Roman Identity, is released today and what better way to celebrate its go-live release than by a brand new book trailer. I’m not a professional filmmaker or video editor by any means, but I’m very pleased with how this trailer turned out.

Thanks to Da Vinci Resolve, a video editing software, I could put the video clips together and sync up the music and voiceover. Credit goes to the respective owners of the clips and the artist Lawless feat Golden for the song “Descent” used in the video. A special thanks goes to my friend TJ, for the voiceover in the beginning. Even though he wasn’t feeling well, he got the recording done. For that, I’m forever grateful for his tireless sacrifice. I don’t know many that would have done that. But he’s not the only one I’m grateful for.

I’m also thankful for my team of editors and beta readers who whipped my book into shape and weren’t afraid to give me constructive criticism. I’m thankful to my cover designer Bianca for patiently helping to bring my creation to life. And I’m thankful for my family, friends, and loyal fans that supported me through this process.

A lot of time as indie writers, we feel like we have to do everything. And most times, we have to wear many hats. But the steps involved in self-publishing aren’t siloed or isolated from others. We need to work with beta readers to tell us what works and what’s not working in our stories. We need professional editors to comb through our manuscript for plot holes, mechanical errors, and other inconsistencies. And unless we’re experienced graphic designers, we need help from a cover designer as I touched on in my how-to book. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a “village” or community of different ones to help shape, correct, and support writers.

Because of the collective effort of my small community and loyal followers, I can say I’m thankful for the final product. And I hope that my tribe of readers out there will enjoy this just as much as I did in putting this together.

Enjoy!

Get your copy today!

ORder Today!What are your impressions about the debut trailer or the book? Let me know in the comments below!

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The Legend is coming…

I’m down to the wire.

After months of editing, rewrites, formatting, research, cover redesign and hunting down reviewers, the sequel to Before the Legend, is finally ready for readers. Well…almost.

Here’s everything you need to know about the sequel before it comes out.

Coming 8-31-21Standalone in a series

Roman Identity is officially part of the Legend Series. For those new to my books, Before the Legend is the first book. Roman Identity is the second book in the series. While there is a ten year gap between the first and second book, Roman Identity is a standalone in the series, meaning while it follows the same characters you won’t be lost if you decided to dive into the 2nd book in the series without reading the first one. Granted to get more backstory into why the characters are the way they are, it would be advisable to read the first book.

More “Mature”

Before you cringe at the word “mature” keep in mind I’m not saying my book is comparable to the mature rating you see on some TV and movies on your streaming services (e.g. Netflix). This book is still primed for students. Before the Legend was geared towards middle grade readers (ages 9-12). Roman Identity is geared towards young adults (teenagers).

The sequel, Roman Identity, takes place ten years after the first book, so the main characters are teenagers. And while the novel falls under historical fiction, teenagers are going to be teenagers so the book deals with topics that older adolescents (and younger adults) can readily relate to. Its treatment of topics such as slavery, violence, blooming hormones, mixed with some teen angst, is a big shift from the carefree childhood innocence captured in the beginning of Before the Legend. However if you compare it to the first book, you will find that at the core, the main protagonist, Troy, hasn’t changed too much. Check out the official page for Roman Identity here to learn more about the plot.

Coming in multiple formats!

You can expect Roman Identity to come in electronic (ePub, PDF, and mobi for Amazon Kindle) and paperback formats. Don’t be surprised if it comes in audiobook format…hint…hint.

Available to Preorder

I have chosen to go wide on my initial launch and publish my eBooks across multiple retailers. While there’s some tweaking to be done between now and the launch date, Roman Identity is now available for preorder at major retailers including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. For my paperback copies I’m going to be publishing via Amazon KDP. Unfortunately that platform doesn’t support preorders for paperbacks.

To get exact sales info and pricing check out the official sales page here. The sales page will be updated more often as the release date draws closer. If you are interested in getting a free advanced reader copy then I suggest visiting my book’s page here.

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Why I Think My Character is an INFP

In my last post I talked about the Myer’s Briggs test and what the four letters stand for. When I took the personality test a few years ago, my results came out to be INFP, which basically means my dominant traits are: (I) introversion, (N) intuitive, (F) feeling, and (P) Prospecting. When you compare the INFP to the other fifteen personality types made up of four letters, the INFP is one of the rarest personality types, making up about 4-5% of the world’s population.

Although easily misunderstood, this personality type nicknamed the “Mediator” is known for being quiet, creative, and idealistic. Interesting enough, when I read the description regarding the Mediator personality, I couldn’t help but think many of the qualities align closely with my fictional character Troy, who is the main protagonist in Before the Legend and my upcoming novel Roman Identity. Based on the description provided on 16Personalities and my reflection on this personality type, here’s why I believe my character is also an INFP.

Troy AcertiusRich Inner Worlds

INFPs are introverted by nature. Introverts naturally look inward vs. outward so we are in our heads a lot, whether it’s ruminating on what someone said (good or bad) or daydreaming. We live in our heads (at least it feels that way) and for INFPs this is no exception. They have a rich inner world, filled with possibilities, beauty, and wonder which lends itself to creativity. Therefore, many with this personality type gravitate to the arts, whether it’s music, fine art, or writing.

My character Troy prefers solitude over crowds. While he comes across as a loner, his inner dialogue filled with his nuanced observations of the people and scenery around him is a testament to the rich inner world that keeps him stimulated and engaged. While my character is not fond of small talk or public speaking, he can capture his thoughts and musings into written word.

Higher Calling

INFPs naturally seek purpose in their lives. Not that other personality types don’t seek purpose but INFPs derive great satisfaction in pursuing a greater calling in life. They tend to look for meaning even in the abstract things and are drawn to satisfying their spiritual need. While they are quiet, unassuming types, they typically care about the welfare of others and want to make the world a better place.

In Roman Identity, finding his purpose is a reoccurring theme for the young protagonist. When Troy learns he is to become the Mediator (how fitting) he is naturally curious about the role and how it fits in the greater scheme of the kingdom. Troy is also concerned about the welfare of others, including animals. You will see this explored in Roman Identity (hint, hint).

Empathy

One of their biggest qualities that’s shared with nearly all INFPs is their capacity to empathize with others thanks to their wiring to lead more with emotion. I can summarize empathy as having the ability to feel another person’s pain, and that is true of many with this personality type.

My fictional character Troy has a big heart and is able empathize or feel another character’s pain even if he hasn’t experienced it personally himself. We see that a little in Before the Legend, but we really get to see that explored in Roman Identity when Troy begins to view the practice of slavery in a different light than his contemporaries. In the series, Troy’s tendency is to lean more on emotion vs. logic, whether it’s making decisions or in how he interacts with others. This of course becomes even more apparent as he comes of age. Unfortunately for Troy, this is a negative trait especially as a boy of high station, who’s been groomed to believe that showing emotions or vulnerability is a sign of weakness.

Authenticity

INFPS in general highly value being true to themselves and their values. Pretending to be something they’re not does NOT bode well with this type. They crave authenticity and self-expression. This, of course, can put them at odds with mainstream society who pressure them to conform to a certain mold of being. They want to feel accepted for who they are and thrive in relationships where they feel free to be themselves.

My protagonist also highly values authenticity. He has a different way of seeing things and deep down wants to be accepted for who he is. Although he’s pressured to be more like his older brothers who are the polar opposite of him, he has a serious internal struggle with being something he’s not.

Because of his need for authenticity, Troy becomes easily disinterested in superficial things or small talk. Rather, he craves deep connections with others. Because he doesn’t quite fit the mold, he often feels alienated or misunderstood which is a feeling that many INFPs can relate to including myself.

Other INFPs in literature

Obviously my character is not the only one that might fall under this personality type. Here are two examples of popular INFPs in literature.

Source Danny Ballan

Source: Screen Rant

Popular book character such as Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings is thought to be an INFP. While I did not read the books, from the movies they depict the main protagonist Frodo as a shy, kind-hearted, curious hobbit, making him stand out from the other hobbits. He possesses many of the traits seen in this personality type so it’s no surprise why he’s suspected to be an INFP.

Source: Anne of Green Gables

Again I did not read the book so I can’t get into specifics but from watching the movie adaptions of Anne of Green Gables from the 1980s, I got a powerful impression of the young protagonist, Anne Shirley. She is free-spirited, imaginative (remember we talked about rich inner worlds) and unapologetically Anne Shirley with an “e” throughout the series making her a fearless, independent-thinking character. Considering she checks nearly all the boxes, it’s no wonder many would classify her as an INFP.

I’m sure there are way more book characters that could be classified as the “Mediator” personality than what I discussed but I wanted to briefly call out the most popular ones. Overall the traits that we discussed are not exclusive to INFPs alone. However you will see these combined traits in nearly all INFPs. And while INFPs are the minority, and often grow up feeling misunderstood or overlooked, they’re plenty of INFPs including some famous figures past and present (William Shakespeare, Alicia Keys, Julia Roberts, Johnny Depp, and Tom Hiddleston, just to name a few that have made their mark in the arts.

If you are an INFP reading this know you do matter and the world can use more of our optimism, compassion and empathy. And even if you aren’t one you are unique in your own way.

Question to readers: Based on the Myer’s Briggs test, what personality type is your book character?

What’s your personality type?

Depending on who you ask, you may get a very different response. While humans are complicated creatures, we love to put things into neat little boxes. And personality types are just one thing we’ve tried to pin down to a science. It’s no surprise that personality tests have become increasingly popular in recent years particularly the Myers-Briggs test, which is the one we’ll reference in this post.

For those that never took the Myers-Briggs test or do not know what I’m talking about, I’m going to give you a high-level overview. The Myers-Briggs Test is a personality test that scores where you fall between introversion vs. extroversion, intuition vs. sensing, feeling vs. thinking, and perceiving vs. judging. The test will ask you a series of questions and you must answer based on how you would actually approach a situation or how you naturally process information.

When you take the test, they assign you four letters based on where you lean on the 4 main spectrums. The 16 four-letter combinations represent the 16 distinct personality types a person can fall into. Here’s a breakdown of the letters you can be assigned and what each letter stands for.

Source: An Introvert’s Blog

When I took the test, I scored ‘INFP.’ Based on my first letter “I” I’m more introverted than extroverted (no surprise). For my second letter “N” I am intuitive, which means I look at the past and future potential of what I see. In other words, my mind is wired towards finding deeper meaning in symbols and abstract concepts. My next letter, “F” stands for the feeling function. Someone with the feeling function bases their decisions more on emotion vs. logic. And lastly, my fourth letter “P” means I am prospecting. In simple terms, I tend to go with the flow instead of following a strict plan.

Of course, this brief explanation and personal case study only scratch the surface of the test and what each of the core functions means. To learn more about the test I suggest looking here. Keep in mind this test is not an exhaustive measure of human behavior. It merely represents one way to categorize how a person thinks and responds to the world around him/her.

Now that you have a better understanding of what I’m talking about, let’s dive into the question: What does a personality test have to do with fiction writing?

How would a personality test apply to fiction writing?

Quite a lot. In fiction writing you have characters. And you want readers to not only recognize who’s speaking or performing an action but you want readers to care about your characters. For readers to care about your characters, they’ll need a distinct personality that makes the character come alive off the page and into your head and heart.

To form realistic characters that don’t come off flat or generic, it’s important to have a clear sense of who that character is and what they want. The character’s personality shapes the way they talk, the way they think, and the way they interact with the world. While you don’t need to have your character fit neatly into one of the 16 personality types of the Myers-Briggs test, it can serve as a handy framework especially if you are writing a character that is opposite of you and you want to make sure that your protagonist is staying true to character throughout the story. Unless your character is very similar to you, don’t expect your character to approach a situation the same way you would! Let them react in a way that’s consistent and believable with their personality.

For example, a character that is very shy and introverted is probably not going to strike up a conversation with a random stranger at the bar. I’m not saying characters can’t develop or change throughout the novel but there has to be something that triggers that change. Let’s go back to the example of the shy and introverted character. What if they decide to talk to the stranger? What impelling force prompts them to go out outside their comfort zone? Is it several helpings of alcohol? Are they being dared by friends? Are they physically attracted to the stranger and fear they’ll miss their chance if they don’t speak up? Considering those motivations, the character’s actions will make sense. Even if talking to that stranger was painful or awkward for your protagonist, your character grew from that challenge.

While you don’t need to label your character an ISTP, ENTP, or whatever 4-letter type you randomly choose, their actions can be based on defining attributes associated with a personality type. Certain personality types lend themselves better to certain roles depending on who your protagonist or antagonist is like. For example, according to the Myers-Briggs test, they nickname a person who scores ENTJ the “Commander.” This personality type would be very fitting for a leader. As the personality type suggests, they are extroverted, intuitive, thinkers, and judges. Another personality type that has leadership qualities is the ENFJ.

What if your character is the life of the party and enjoys the spotlight? You can model your character off the ESFP personality. If your character is a creative idealist, an INFP would be a good fit.

Learning more about the distinct personality types could help you when fleshing out characters and their interactions with others. Certain personality traits complement each other, so knowing that can be helpful when creating chemistry between characters. Conversely, certain personality traits can clash, which can make for some interesting drama or tension when those characters interact. Combining those distinctive personalities adds dynamism to your story. However if you have no distinctive personality or differences, your characters will sound the same and even act the same. You want to avoid this trap! Otherwise, your characters (especially side characters) will start blurring together, especially if you have multiple characters appearing at once in a scene.

Keep in mind though, not all people that fall under a specific personality type act the same way. Human personality is much too complicated even for the best personality test. A person’s family upbringing, trauma, genetic makeup, and culture all play a major role in shaping a person’s personality and decision-making. The same should be true of your characters.

To be honest, I didn’t read up on the Myers-Briggs test when I came up with my characters. Nor should you feel you have to learn every personality type before you write your characters. Instead, take the Myers-Briggs test with a grain of salt. View it as a way of understanding why you think and act the way you do. You can carry that level of self-awareness and insight into your characters so you can make more thoughtful choices for how you develop them. And if you are struggling to come up with three dimensional characters that are believable and consistent from chapter one to the very end, you can get some inspiration from the full list of the sixteen personalities here. While the Myers-Briggs test is not infallible, many, including myself, have found it very accurate!

So take the Myers-Briggs test and let me know in the comments what your personality type is?

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Before the Legend Going Free Again?

It’s been a long time from my last post. There’s a lot decisions to be weighed. With my new book: Roman Identity scheduled to be released later this summer, I didn’t want readers to forget the Legend that started it all. So this May I decided to share my debut middle-grade novelette Before the Legend to new readers for free.

Of course there’s obvious benefits to running a free promotion including but not limited to:

Increase exposure and interest to your author brandGrow book reviewsDrive more email subscribers (if you have a newsletter)And increase future sales to other books in the series

For all the writers out there reading this, what’s not to love? It’s no wonder why some writers choose to make one of their books permafree. Especially if you have a book coming up soon.

Today, Before the Legend is currently holding steady at the #1 spot in Children’s Greek & Roman Myths and I couldn’t have done it without the help from readers.

And if you haven’t gotten a copy of the eBook already it yours for free too on Kindle… but only till May 11th.

Click on the banner to get your copy today!*A Special Thanks*

To all my followers who have followed this book, my series or my blog posts, thank you for your support. You are part of the reason I didn’t give up and continue to push myself to write. I want you to be the first to learn about my new release, promos and exclusive content.

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