P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 280

Goodreads Usage for Authors Pt. 3: Just Be Yourself

Goodreads is the social media for readers. As such, you are expected to engaged other users mainly as a fellow reader. But as an author, you want to attract attention among this rich environment of readers. Here are some tips for doing just that on Goodreads without turning off prospective readers.

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1. Be primarily a reader – and what’s so hard about that? After all, we writers are some of the biggest readers there are!

2. Join reading groups – stay mainly in your genre(s) and focus your participation on relevant discussions and monthly book readings. Avoid just trumpeting your book to everyone. Check out the group guidelines, introduce yourself in the correct thread and promote your book only in the designated thread.

3. Engage with other people in discussions that interest you. Over several months people will come to accept your comments – as a reader. Don’t suggest your own book for a monthly reading and don’t mention you’re and author – be a reader.

Screenshot of Goodreads Button

4. Once you have established yourself as someone who doesn’t flood a group with constant notifications, look for opportunities to discreetly engage someone as an author. If they like books similar to your own and you’ve been conversing about ideas you like, then contact them to ask if they would review your book – even offer a free copy for an honest opinion.

As a final note, this process is one which takes focused, patient effort for several months or more. It is one-on-one marketing and takes time. It may not immediately bring in lots of sales and reviews but it will help you build a solid group of fans that know and like you. From this group may well come some very avid fans who spread the word about your work in ways that speak louder than anything you can post on any social media – this is the main way books are sold, by word of mouth as well as favorable reviews.

So don’t shrink away from Goodreads and the seeming wall against promotion. Instead, tread softly and respectfully and you may find that some patient nurturing of relationships yields longer-term success for your writing. For this reason, I suggest you begin building your reach on Goodreads now with regular visits to cultivate connections that become relationships. It takes longer than Twitter and Facebook but the rewards may be more far-reaching than you realize. For some further thoughts on approaching Goodreads well as an author, see these articles from Michael J. Sullivan who built much of his following with this method.

Are you on Goodreads? How do you approach interactions on Goodreads? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll be the first to have news about my books, especially some free offers this summer related to the upcoming release of The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on　Amazon – Kindle. Additionally, I have FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Filed under: Amazon, Blogging, Creativity, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Mailing List, Marketing, Self-publishing, Social Media, Tech Tips, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Author, blogging, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Michael J. Sullivan, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Reader, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, Twitter, What is Needed, writing

Writing Updates from Archer’s Aim

Time for my latest writing tidbits.

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The immediate news is that The Bow of Destiny is entered in the AuthorsDB 2015 Cover Contest. Voting for round 1 of the contest ends on 10/23, so please visit my cover and cast a vote by clicking on the BLUE button below the social media links. Also, please take a few moments to share your vote for my cover and include the tag @AuthorsDB on Twitter or Facebook.

Continuing with news about The Bow of Destiny: it’s on sale for $2.99 for the rest of the month – that’s $2 off the full price. The book has begun receiving very favorable reviews and is climbing the category ranks on Amazon. Get your copy before the sale ends and please add it to your Goodreads shelf too!

I’ve also begun working with several other authors to cross-promote our books. I’ll start sharing some their titles when they are offered on sale so please take a look at those. Look for more news later this week in my forthcoming edition of Archer’s Aim Digest.

I’m continuing An Arrow Against the Wind, Book 2 of The Bow of Hart Saga which will go to my editor in November.

Also, I’ll start the last book of the series, The White Arrow in November as I participate in NaNoWriMo. I’ll share how I’m doing during the month with abbreviated posts covering my progress and usage of Scrivener.

Lastly, I’m currently organizing an anthology of short stories that should be released in late December or early January. I’ll firm up the date and share when appropriate.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll be the first to have news about my books, especially some free offers this summer related to the upcoming release of The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on　Amazon – Kindle. Additionally, I have FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Filed under: Amazon, An Arrow Against the Wind, Archer's Aim Digest, Author Platform, Creativity, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Mailing List, Marketing, NaNoWriMo, Pinterest, Planning, Rave Review Book Club, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, The White Arrow, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Amazon, An Arrow Against the Wind, Archer's Aim Digest, AuthorsDB, Cover Contest, Coverart, Editing, Epic Fantasy, Facebook, Fantasy Fiction, Goals, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, mailing list, P. H. Solomon, Rave Reviews Book Club, Sale, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, The White Arrow, writing

Guest Post from Autumn Birt: Author Productivity

Today, I’m pleased to welcome back Autumn Birt who will share about author productivity and her new class regarding the subject. Please note, Autumn is giving away a free enrollment to her course – to win this prize today, please leave a comment to be entered regarding why this course would help you and/or what your biggest obstacle is. This is a subject I’m interested in since my time is often taken up by other activities. It’s very important to writers to lay claim to their creative productivity so please read on.

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Do you have limited writing time but big goals?

Are you a writer? If so, are you meeting your writing goals?

Writing is a passion, one usually cobbled together from stolen moments and highs of inspiration. But if you get the writing bug and you get it bad, finding enough time is often a source of frustration.

Why write more?

Because fans like to read more. That is my number one answer. I’m a reader as well as a writer. I’ve fallen in love with a series that I’ve stayed with for 3 years and am now anxiously awaiting the last book – which should come out in two years. That is a whole lot of anxious waiting! And let’s not talk about another story I love that currently exists as short stories spread across several e-zines and books. I have meticulously copied all of them to one spot. I am her number one fan. She has plans to write a book … someday. I want to cry.

So yeah, keeping fans from becoming the frustrated and then jaded reader I am today is definitely a goal. When I was a teenager, a new book a year was acceptable. It still is, even though THAT was quite a while ago and long before ebooks. Now, a new book every six months is considered a professional target. More often is great. Fans want to be filled with anticipation – not angst.

And professional is the other reason to write and release more books, great books. Because let’s face it, if you have any hope of making a decent income from writing, one where you can potentially scale back that full time job to write, you either need to write and release more or have a really good retirement plan lined up. I’m not a teenager anymore, but I don’t want to wait that long to write full time!

So I committed myself to writing more and writing better because I not only love it, but want to make it a career. With a lot of trial and error, I developed seven key techniques and five writing tools that worked. How well? I wrote 4 ½ books in a year and they are the best I’ve written so far.

To be clear, I’m not talking about typing faster. Who cares how fast you typed a page if you end up deleting it? Meeting a writing goal of producing more novels in a year means creating a great story faster. And there are tips, tricks, and tools to do that. It is a paradigm shift to believe writing more in a limited time is achievable.

It is possible. I’m proof. But I want to be more than proof. I want to help other writers do the same thing. Seriously!

Writing time is a limited resource. Use it well.

I’m serious about teaching this to other authors. So serious that I’m launching a pilot class to not only teach the seven techniques and those five customizable tools, but also to work one-on-one with the students to make sure those same tactics work for them. Everyone is different and in a different situation. I want everyone to be successful.

Since this is a trial course with lots of coaching, enrollment is very limited. If you are interested in learning more please use the contact form below to get in touch with me. I’d love to talk to you! autumn.birt@gmail.com

 

Short Bio

Autumn is a bestselling author in fantasy, epic fantasy, and war – not all on the same series though! She is the author of the epic fantasy, adventure trilogy on elemental magic, the Rise of the Fifth Order. Her newest series is Friends of my Enemy, a military dystopian/ dark fantasy tale laced with romance. Friends of my Enemy will be released in full in 2015 and will be quite the story full of strong characters, tight plots, and lots of action. Meanwhile, she is working on a new epic fantasy trilogy, Games of Fire, set in the same world as the Rise of the Fifth Order. If she stops goofing off and enjoying hobbies such as hiking, motorcycling, and kayaking, she may even be able to release the first book in 2015 too.

Stop by her website and blog to learn more about the worlds of her books at http://www.AutumnWriting.com. You can also find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Author.Autumn.Birt or more frequently on twitter @Weifarer.

Remember you can win the FREE enrollment with by commenting on why this course would help themyou and/or what your biggest obstacle is. Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll be the first to have news about my books, especially some free offers this summer related to the upcoming release of The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on Amazon – Kindle. Additionally, I have FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Filed under: Author Platform, Autumn Birt, Blogging, Creativity, Guest Blog, Indie Publishing, Marketing, NaNoWriMo, Self-publishing, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: Announcement, Autumn Birt, blogging, creativity, Facebook, Goodreads, Guest Post, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Planning, productivity, Self-publishing, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, writing

NaNoWriMo Preparation with Scrivener Pt. 2: Try These 6 Organizing Tips

 

 

Scrivener is a powerful writing tool. I write about it weekly with tips and usage ideas. To read more of my posts click the Scrivener tag or category at the end of the page.

As I wrote last week, I’m preparing for NaNoWriMo and suggested some features of Scrivener to think about using during next month’s writing scramble. But what should you be doing to prepare with Scrivener. Here are some tips to getting started:

1. Go ahead and create your project. If you haven’t created one, just click on File and then on New Project. Choose Fiction on the left and then Novel. Browse to the folder where you are going to save your book project and then give it a name. Why create the project now? Simple. You should use the project to work on your most, if not all, of your preparation. How will you do that? Just read on…

2. Use the Research folder in the binder to create character sketches and add any and all of your other research. Need to visualize your characters or settings? Paste photos of those to your content in your research content. Also, if you need to get started recording ideas for your book, try writing a synopsis in a document container in the Research folder. Also make notes here and when ready…

3. Use the Binder to start creating your chapter folders. Create all your chapters and from the Corkboard name them and even add a few details on the Index Card. Here’s where those notes from the Research folder come in handy. Play around with dragging chapters in different orders to determine the best way to present your book.

4. Create Document Templates – using these instructions. Why? You can create lots of documents with the same settings without configuring them again and again – big time-saver when you’re trying to spend time on creative development. Really, document templates are very important to create. Need to know what to include in the configuration? Here’s a post to help.

5. Next, create individual scenes using your document template(s) with document containers in each chapter. Again, you can view these in the Corkboard for each chapter. At this point, examine what you intend with these scenes and assess whether you have them in the correct order within the chapter – or even if they are in the correct chapter. Drag around as necessary.

6. Next, check your book organization with the Outliner. Where’s that? At the top middle of Scrivener you will see three buttons from left to right these are the Editor, Corkboard and Outliner. Click on Outliner and you’ll see all your chapters displayed with notes. You can also view each chapter with Outliner and see those details. I’ll share more about using the Outliner next week.

At this point, you have the basic, intended structure of your book. I’ve created my project already and begun my synopsis with some ideas on structure. As I continue this development over the next few weeks, I’ll add my chapter structure in the binder. I’ll also use some other features to prepare for NaNoWriMo so I’ll share what those are as we get closer to the start date.

Are you in NaNoWriMo yet? If so, what are you doing to prepare? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll be the first to have news about my books, especially some free offers this summer related to the upcoming release of The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on　Amazon – Kindle. Additionally, I have FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Just as a note: I now have a marketing affiliation with Scrivener. For support questions, pricing, licensing and other concerns please contact the vendor. As such a buy ad for Scrivener appears on the sidebar. I’ve started this program　since I like the product so much and want to offer readers the chance to obtain this software. I’m not required to write about Scrivener to be an affiliate; I just like it that much.　You can also find　my FTC statement on this site’s sidebar.

 

Filed under: Blogging, Creativity, Editing, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, NaNoWriMo, Pinterest, Planning, Rave Review Book Club, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: blogging, creativity, Goals, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, NaNoWriMo, P. H. Solomon, Planning, preparation, Rave Reviews Book Club, Scrivener, Self-publishing, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Twitter, What is Needed, writing

Interview Review Pt. 3: Tell Me a Story

You’ve agreed to do it. But now you’ve got the shakes. Maybe you feel like your going to faint. You’re going to do a LIVE interview. What were you thinking? What are you going to say?

If you’re like most of us, you’ve never been asked for an interview – certainly not one live. But if you are going to publish books then you should get used to being interviewed on the web, internet radio and regular radio.

Don’t let that initial flash of panic scare you. There are ways to prepare for an interview. It’s good for you to start thinking about what you will say. Michael Hyatt has shared some great tips on making just such preparation and it’s not so difficult.

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A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being interviewed on Tell Me a Story by Annette Rochelle Aben. I had a wonderful time on the Blog Talk Radio show where we discussed The Bow of Hart. This was my third interview so I had a level of comfort approaching this one.

I took time to listen to some other editions of the show and understood Annette’s approach to the interviews for her show. When I called, Annette gave me a rundown on the tone of the upcoming conversation. We were soon underway and had a very good time during the interview.

How did I do? Click on the link above and listen to it! But here’s my self-critique. I’m not an old-hand at interviews but I think this was my best one yet. The conversation went very smoothly as we thoroughly discussed the book. In fact, once finished I received a follow-up email from Annette with a suggestion that I do my own show. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that but it was a nice compliment!

Now for what went wrong. Really nothing was wrong with the interview. At the end, I had to deliver another ending pitch for the book. Speaking extemporaneously, even about your own book, is a little tough. However, the experience from the previous interview was good so I was a little smoother in the delivery.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll be the first to have news about my books, especially some free offers this summer related to the upcoming release of The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on Amazon – Kindle. Additionally, I have FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Filed under: Author Platform, Barnes & Noble, Blog Tour, Blogging, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, iBooks, Indie Publishing, iTunes, Kobo, Mailing List, Marketing, Pinterest, Reviews, Self-publishing, Smashwords, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Blog Tour, blogging, Coverart, Epic Fantasy, Facebook, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, iBooks, Indie Publishing, Kobo, Launch, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, Twitter, What is Needed, writing

Getting Started in the Goodreads Author Program

There’s always an etiquette to each kind of social media so it’s always best to learn how to handle yourself in every setting. Goodreads is no different where authors should neither respond to reviews nor promote their books as much as we do over Twitter. However, it seems many authors don’t take advantage of what they can as an author when using Goodreads. Some may not even know that they can function as an author with readers.

For an author, Goodreads is a prime form of social media to engage readers – mainly as a reader. But there are ways to reach out to readers and grow an audience. As discussed last week, tweaking your author profile is important. However, some authors seem reluctant or even unaware of how to get themselves designated as an author.

It’s very important to gain the distinction of an author on Goodreads. You don’t want to be seen as trying to run under the radar as an author. You want people to come to trust you and see you as an author so they may be interested in your books. But just getting that distinction holds some other important value for an author. With it, you can post or claim your titles and begin to promote them where available on Goodreads (see group instructions whenever joining a group). Also, when the time comes, you can create events and hold giveaways. If you’re already an author on Goodreads then this won’t be an issue.

I personally did this rather quickly. But what do you need to apply to be in the Goodreads Author Program? First you need a regular account. Next you need a book to tout. This was one reason why I self-published The Black Bag very early in my efforts. There were too many pluses to learning the ropes and gaining some good ratings. Personally, I should have added to that one with a few more short works or anthologies of short stories much sooner – a flaw in my approach that I’ve rectified if you take a look at my profile now.

Here are the basic details for being accepted into the Author Program. Check the menu on the right for more details on the program usage.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll be the first to have news about my books, especially some free offers this summer related to the upcoming release of The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on Amazon – Kindle. Additionally, I have FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Filed under: Author Platform, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Reviews, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, Tips, Writing Tagged: Author Program, blogging, creativity, Editing, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Self-publishing, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Tips, writing

On Tour with C. S. Boyack & Will O’ the Wisp

I’m happy to step aside today and host C. S. Boyack on blog tour with his new book, Will O’ the Wisp. I’ve been fortunate to host C. S. On tour previously as well as interview him for Fantasy Authors Unplugged. I’m sure he’s got some interesting tidbits to share about Will O’ the Wisp. Take it away, Craig!

 

The Frighteningly Fun Halloween Tour

Will O’ the Wisp Research

Will O’ the Wisp is a paranormal tale from C. S. Boyack. It involves a mildly handicapped girl facing a mysterious threat. The wisp has been killing off Patty Hall’s family for generations, and she’s next on the list. It is suitable for young adult readers. It’s a perfect Halloween read.

All stories involve some kind of research. I set this story in 1974, because I wanted Patty to use her wits, and display a bit of patience in revealing this story. Suspense is a great story technique, and having high speed internet would have spoiled some of the fun.

1974 threw down the first research challenge. I was around in ’74, but memories fade over time, and I had to verify my details. Patty’s home town has an International Harvester dealership, there’s a Montgomery Wards catalog store too. Greyhound Busses make an appearance in the story, along with the early microwave ovens.

Some of these things are still with us, but they had a different nuance back then. A microwave oven was looked at as a modern miracle. Pay telephones were the order of the day in an era before cellular. I even researched the baseball playoffs and incorporated them into the story. Who can forget Catfish Hunter?

This is a paranormal story. I had to research the American colonies, and discovered an old system of land grants called hundreds. These were basically 100 acre grants for forming new colonies.

The Will O’ the Wisp is a very rare natural phenomenon. Modern science still doesn’t know exactly what they are, but they’ve been reported all over the world and in almost every culture. They are associated with swamps, old cemeteries, and earthquakes. I even found one, and only one, video of them appearing right before a Canadian earthquake.

It’s hard to research something so rare. Theories abound as to swamp gasses that ignite, to a plasma phase of some rare element, to tectonic plate friction. As humans drain swamps, and fill in marsh lands they are becoming even more rare worldwide.

Legends from all over the world involve ignis fatuus, Jack o’ lantern, fairy lights, and more. The legend usually involves some evil spirit leading a traveller to his or her doom.

In my mind, it was witchcraft. It ties in with colonial America, makes a great curse, and sets the stage for Patty’s adventure. Salem, Massachusetts seems like the logical place to set this tale, but that’s been done before. I learned that most of the colonies have records of witchcraft in one form or another. I set my story in Virginia.

Patty goes on quite the adventure, and I’m very happy with this book. I hope you’ll give it a chance.

You can pick up a copy on Amazon using your Kindle or a free reading app. Download it here:

North American version: http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B00UPH6BNS

International version: http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B00UQNDT2C

***

Author Bio I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I’m not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction. I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet. I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.

***

Follow Craig at the following locations:

Follow my blog: http://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com

Check out all my novels here: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00ILXBXUY

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/Virgilante

On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9841203.C_S_Boyack

Best wishes to C. S. Boyack with Will O’ the Wisp. Please take a few moments to look at his work and maybe shelve it on Goodreads. Thanks to 4WillsPublishing for arranging a wonderful tour as well.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll receive my a SPECIAL coupon for The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on Barnes & Noble, iBooks Amazon – Kindle & Smashwords. Additionally, September’s FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Filed under: 4WillsPublishing, Amazon, Blog Tour, C. S. Boyack, Craig Boyack, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Rave Review Book Club, Self-publishing, Twitter, Will O' The Wisp, Writing Tagged: 4WillsPublishing, Amazon, Blog Tour, C. S. Boyack, Coverart, creativity, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Twitter, Will O' the Wisp, writing

Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Decide to Self-Publish Your Book

PHS:

Excellent thoughts about self-publishing from John Howell.

Originally posted on Fiction Favorites:

The inspiration for this list is my latest efforts to self-publish the next John J. Cannon story titled His Revenge. Since I had absolutely no experience in publishing the journey was a long winding road marked by plenty of mistakes. I’m sure the trial and error method of my learning is not over yet, but here is some of what I learned. Don’t forget I’m a fiction writer, so some of these lessons have been enhanced with dubious facts to make them more interesting and hopefully humorous. I would, therefore, resist publishing this list on the Huffington Post. (hear that Arianna?)

Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Decide to Self-Publish Your Book

10 If you decide to self-Publish your book, do not drink any alcoholic beverages for four weeks before and two weeks after you hit the publish button. If you do, at best those little things you…

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Reviews Off My Goodreads Shelf

Here’s the next edition of reviews from my Goodreads shelf:

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The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack by C.S. Boyack

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this anthology to be very entertaining. The author’s stories were all well written. There were several that really grabbed my attention, 50 Gallons and Bombshell Squad, to name two. C. S. Boyack is underrated writer and I look forward to reading more of his work – especially Wild Concept. I had fun with the whole anthology. You won’t go wrong with this book of short stories. Boyack hit it out of the park!

View all my reviews

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend by David Gemmell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve always Gemmell’s work and this book was no different. it is high adventure with lots of twists for Druss who is single-minded in rescuing Rowena. Enjoyed the read.

View all my reviews

 

Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Michael J. Sullivan wove a complex tale through widely varying settings to a satisfying ending. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this edition and the whole series.

View all my reviews

Writing Fight Scenes by Rayne Hall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rayne Hall shares great reference material for writing fight scenes as well as tips to improve your technique. This is a must read for those writing anything from historical fiction to fantasy.

View all my reviews

The Memory of Earth by Orson Scott Card

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read this series years ago. I found the culture, science and plot very interesting. Card is a superb storyteller. This is a very good Sci-Fi series to read.

View all my reviews

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Sign up for my Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list to receive the forthcoming edition of my newsletter with announcements about upcoming releases and events. You’ll receive my a SPECIAL coupon for The Bow of Destiny, the first novel of The Bow of Hart Saga. Speaking of which, it is now available on Barnes & Noble, iBooks Amazon – Kindle & Smashwords. Additionally, September’s FREE book, What Is Needed is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks and Smashwords & Amazon.

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Filed under: Amazon, C. S. Boyack, Craig Boyack, Creativity, Fantasy, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, iBooks, Indie Publishing, iTunes, Kobo, Mailing List, Marketing, Pinterest, Rave Review Book Club, Reviews, Science Fiction, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Amazon, C. S. Boyack, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, Heir of Novron, Michael J. Sullivan, Orson Scott Card, Pinterest, Rayne Hall, Reviews, Smashwords, The Bow of Destiny, The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack, The Memory of Earth, Twitter, Writing Fight Scenes

RRBC Spotlight Blog Tour Featuring Christa Nardi

 

“SPOTLIGHT” AUTHOR

Christa Nardi  

Effects of Television in Childhood and our Adult Lives

Much of the media over the years has focused on violence on television and aggression in children. Social learning and modeling are well documented, but there are other ways in which television affects our lives, and my interest in mysteries.

For years, we gathered around the television and watched Perry Mason. I think it was Sunday evenings and it was one of the “family” activities my sisters, mother, and I enjoyed – one of my fonder memories in fact. Perry, Della, and Paul. I own some of the original hard cover books, as well as paperbacks, and CDs of the first 2 seasons.

Did you know they have the first four seasons on MeTV? Yup, recorded on TIVO. After the series, came the 2-hour movies and I recorded them (VCR) when they replayed years later. One of these days, I will convert them to CD. Somehow the attempt to replace Perry with someone other than Raymond Burr didn’t have the same appeal.

Some of my other favorites included Mike Hammer, Mannix, Jessica Fletcher, Magnum PI, Dan Tanna, Ironsides, Columbo, Rockford Files, Hart to Hart and the original Hawaii 5-0. Later of course all the Law and Orders, all the CSIs, Criminal Minds, Castle, Rizzoli & Isles… I think you get the point. With all the mystery series I watched and loved, it’s no wonder I liked to read mysteries and still do… but that’s another blog stop. Also not a surprise that I chose to write mysteries.

An excerpt from MURDER AT COLD CREEK COLLEGE:  

From Chapter 1

I nodded and then checked the next open door. Unfortunately, it was Max’s office. I knocked. He swiveled around, his black hair somewhat uncontrolled and in need of a cut. I must have startled him. His brown eyes opened wide.

“Sheridan, you wouldn’t believe. I‘m ready to get this experiment going, and somehow the materials I ordered haven’t come in. Terra told me I didn’t have enough money in my account, and that’s not right! I don’t know what her problem is,” was his opening tirade. Max was the other experimental psychologist in the department. He was by far the one most interested in research .

“Yeah, well, Terra and Ali do the books. They would know. Maybe you didn’t figure right what you had in your lab account. I bet they can give you a full accounting,” I suggested. Max tended to have these tantrums a lot. He was relatively young and had come to Cold Creek straight from graduation the year after me. He had big dreams of doing enough research to get to a better university.

“You doing okay otherwise – you know with the rec center and all,” I asked.

“Oh, I gave up on the rec center last year. Too crowded. I joined a private club where I don’t have to deal with the students. At the rec center, they always tried to talk to me. Are you looking for a place to work out?” he asked, oblivious to the excitement on campus. But that was not unusual for Max. Unless it was going to directly affect him, he didn’t seem to know about it. Now, if he had wanted to work out today, he might have been more interested.

“Uh, Max, someone died at the rec center this morning,” I offered as gently as I could.

Jumping out of his seat, he proclaimed, “I knew it, I knew there were safety problems. I knew those students would wreck something! See what I mean?”

“Max, someone was murdered. It wasn’t an accident,” I added. I wondered at the fact that he hadn’t asked the obvious question of who? It was certainly the question I wanted answered.

“Oh. Well, it better not get in the way of my lab work. I’d love to chat with you Sheridan, but I have work to do,” he responded. With that, he sat back down and turned back to his computer. Good thing or he would have seen me shake my head in disbelief. It was also probably a good thing that he did research with rats or mice, examining their use of cues, learning, and such. He sure didn’t seem interested in people and didn’t always pick up on social cues. I made my way back to my office with a wave at Kim. I also quickly let her know that it wasn’t Jim, Doug or Max who was murdered.

BIO

Christa Nardi is and always has been an avid reader. Her favorite authors have shifted from Carolyn Keene and Earl Stanley Gardner to more contemporary mystery/crime authors over time, but mystery/crime along with romance and scifi/fantasy are her preferred choices for leisure reading. Christa also has been a long time writer from poetry and short stories to the Cold Creek series, Christa has joined many other reader/writers in writing one genre she enjoys reading – the cozy mystery. The series started with Murder at Cold Creek College; Murder in the Arboretum is the second in the series. Murder at the Grill is expected to be published in November 2015. Christa Nardi is a pen name for a real life professor/psychologist from the Northeast who is well published in nonfiction and technical venues.

Check out Christa’s books:

Murder at Cold Creek College

mystery, women sleuths, cozy

Murder in the Arboretum

mystery, women sleuths, cozy

Buy Links:

http://smarturl.it/MColdCrk

http://smarturl.it/MArb

  Follow Christa:

Twitter handle: @ChristaN7777

Facebook address: https://www.facebook.com/christa.nardi.5

Website address: christanardi.blogspot.com 

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