Kim Iverson Headlee's Blog: Book Musings from the Maze of Twisty Passages, page 11

Meet @KimHeadlee at Wolf Creek Indian Village! #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Kim Headlee's booth at
Wolf Creek Indian Village, 6/6/2015. Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum is located in mountainous and scenic Bastian, VA. It is a "pole for pole and feature for feature" reconstruction of a Native American community dating to the 15th century that was found nearby while transportation workers were building Interstate 77 through that section of Appalachia. The original inhabitants' tribal affiliation is unknown, but local reenactors and living-history interpreters give public demonstrations throughout the year.

Each year, Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum sponsors Family Day for the celebration of Native American culture. This year's Family Day is set for Saturday, June 4th, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Come join me and other craftsfolk, singers, dancers, and storytellers in this unique, entertaining, and informative venue!

In addition to the books shown in the photo, this year my display rack will be stuffed full of the latest editions of award-winning King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court (hardcover as well as paperback), Faith, Family, Film by Fred Eichelman, free copies of The Challenge and The Color of Vengeance … and I might even have wolf-themed note cards to share. :)


***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of The Challenge !
To enter, click HERE.

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!
***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

Howling under a June moon with The Dawnflier (June 2016) #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Visit with author Kim Headlee at Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum 6/4/16. The Business of Writing takes a week off in deference to The Dawnflier, and there's a lot to howl about this month!
BREAKING NEWS (and a request for crossed fingers :) — King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court , which in April won the 2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal for Science Fiction & Fantasy, has cleared two hurdles toward getting a Publishers Weekly review! For those who don't know, Publishers Weekly is THE trade magazine of the publication industry, and they review just a fraction of every book they receive, especially in regard to independently published titles. Even though KASIWC is now in the hands of their review staff, there's still a chance it won't get reviewed; hence the request for crossed fingers, thanks!

MORE BREAKING NEWS and finger-crossing requests — On the heels of KASIWC's stellar showing in the Benjamin Franklin awards, I have submitted the book to several more contests, including the contest for independently published books sponsored by Writers Digest. Those finalists won't be announced till October, so if you need to use your fingers for something else until then, I totally understand. :D

EVEN MORE BREAKING NEWS — No worries; your fingers are safe for this one. I am pleased to announce the release of Episode 1 ( Dilemmas & Deliberation ) of my graphic novel edition of The Challenge . Get your Kindle copy today!

Subscribers to the MailChimp edition of The Dawnflier have received first crack at my latest Amazon giveaway. I run one every month, so please SIGN UP today (and claim your subscriber gift!) if you don't want to miss out; thanks!

Upcoming appearances:
Saturday, June 4, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Family Day at Wolf Creek Indian Village, Bastian, VA.Wednesday, June 22, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Artist in Residence at Chautauqua Festival, Community Center grounds, Wytheville, VA.Thursday, June 23, 10 a.m. – noon. Featured Member at Black Horse Artisan Guild, 115 East Main St, Wytheville, VA.Friday, June 24, noon – 8:00 p.m. Chautauqua Bazaar, inside the Community Center, Wytheville, VA.Saturday, June 25, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Chautauqua Bazaar, inside the Community Center, Wytheville, VA.
Have a safe and pleasant transition from spring to summer!

***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

Open Blog Tour Signups for KINGS by @KimHeadlee and PD Novak #fantasy and #giveaway last chance

Their encounter reeks of an enemy mage's dark arts.
Kings by Kim Headlee & PD Novak. A funny thing happened on the way to the battlefield. 

Thus begins the synopsis of Kings , a sword & sorcery crossover novella featuring Arthur (the dirty blond on the right) from my Dragon's Dove Chronicles series and Garrin (the scowling looker on the left) from the forthcoming Robes series by Patricia Duffy Novak.

Bloggers, Patricia and I would be grateful for your participation in the upcoming blog tour, 6/20-6/24/16. To sign up, please CLICK HERE. It's only 8K fast-paced words, so please consider including a review with your post; thanks! :)


Publication date: March 2016
Publisher: Pendragon Cove Press
Format: Kindle e-book
Number of pages/words: 44 pages, 8K words

Excerpt
Something prickled in Arthur’s awareness, and he felt the hair of his arms lift. He glanced up to see a massive thunderhead boiling across the sky. Heat lightning flared within the cloud, blue tinted and alien.

Can this be Morghe’s doing?

It was no secret that his sister practiced the forbidden arts, and she seemed to take perverse delight in directing her petty spells at Arthur. She had never forgiven him for forcing her to marry Urien, even though the match had made her a queen, but Arthur had never perceived her magic as a serious threat.

Had she learned how to control the weather? Was this why Urien had chosen to leave his citadel and go on the offensive rather than digging in and letting Arthur come to him as the other rebel kings had done?

The knot in Arthur’s stomach gave its answer.


***

Today is your last chance to win an e-copy of Dawnflight !
To enter, click HERE.
***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

Accolon reports about the assassin to Morghe in Ch 12/Sc 4a of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay c2016 by Kim Headlee. The convention in romantic fiction dealing with the patient-caregiver relationship is that the patient falls in love with the caregiver. The ensuing conflict revolves around the caregiver struggling to remain stoic while the patient escalates his or her advances.

I care for conventions only in as far as I can twist them to suit my purposes.

In today's excerpt from Raging Sea , Accolon plays caregiver to the wounded Morghe.

Little does he suspect that she already has him wrapped around her pinky.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings  Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 1d | Sc 1e |
Chapter 10: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2a | Sc 2b | Sc 3a | Sc 3b | Sc 3c |
Chapter 11: Sc 1a |  Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 12: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 2 | Sc 3 |
Raging Sea Chapter 12, Scene 4a©2016 by Kim HeadleeAll rights reserved.
“Where am I?” came a faint voice from the bed.

Accolon, who had not left Morghe’s side from the moment the medics had brought her to the Port Dhoo-Glass infirmary for the physician to examine his handiwork, pronounce it good, and suggest that she recuperate here for the next several days, leaned forward to press a damp cloth to her glistening brow. “The fortress. Prefect Conall’s quarters. You’re safe now.”

“The assassin?”

“Caught. Interrogated.” Accolon allowed a brief smile to relieve his worry. “Dead.”

“Who was he?”

“A Saxon who believed he had targeted Gyanhumara.”

Morghe struggled to rise at that, put too much pressure on her wounded shoulder, and sank down with a pained groan. “God. What is it with that woman and this damned spit of an island? The last time, we became caught up in an invasion that could have gotten us both killed.”

With a sigh she closed her eyes. It made her look so fragile, so vulnerable… so desirable…

He stopped that thought with a sharp shake of the head. And yet it couldn’t prevent him from saying, softly, “I’m glad that didn’t happen. Either time.”

She cracked open one eye and gave him a sardonic look. “Are you, now? What is that supposed to mean, Accolon map Anwas, best friend of my husband?”

What, indeed?

***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

Open Blog Tour Signups for FAITH, FAMILY, FILM celebrity #memoir by Fred Eichelman

Faith, Family, Film: A Teacher's Trek
Celebrity memoir by Fred Eichelman.

Discover a heartwarming side of Hollywood and politics that you never knew existed.

Thus begins the synopsis of the book I helped bring into the world, Faith Family Film: A Teacher's Trek by a longtime friend and fan of my novels, Fred Eichelman.

Faith, Family, Film represents the first book published via my imprint, Pendragon Cove Press, that was not written by me. I am honored to have been involved in this worthy endeavor.

Bloggers, I hope you choose to be involved too! To sign up for the 3-day release tour, 6/21-6/23/16, please CLICK HERE; thanks!

Fred, a retired teacher of high school history and government classes, has a stellar history himself, having befriended such notables as Elizabeth Taylor, Rhonda Fleming, and Ronald Reagan. He spins his anecdote-driven narrative in traditional Southern, "come in and set a spell" storytelling style.

Publication date: May 2016
Publisher: Pendragon Cove Press
Formats: E-book, Paperback
Number of pages/words: 168 pages/40K words
Cover design: Natasha Brown

Excerpt:
One night there was a late phone call from Doc Jones. “Al, Ann, I need a favor. I am taking care of too many sick animals right now, and I have a man here with a pair of dogs he brought from Germany. Rex and Regina. Never seen anything like them. Regina is about to deliver; could you two come over here?”

Of course my parents agreed.

To their surprise they found the dog owner to be Pulitzer Prize–winning author Louis Bromfield. His home was originally in Mansfield, Ohio, but he also had a home in Hollywood, California, and until recently one in Paris, where he had lived a few years. My parents were very familiar with Bromfield, as his books were widely read, and two were made into successful films, The Rains Came and Mrs. Parkington. Bromfield had recently been in Germany and had seen a new breed, Boxers. Boxers were the result of the interbreeding of Bullmastiffs and English Bulldogs and were considered perfect working dogs.

At that time Adolph Hitler was taking control of the German government, and Bromfield knew that if he didn’t bring these dogs to America quickly, he might not get another opportunity.

Al and Ann were happy to help out, and Louis Bromfield was especially pleased that my mother had read several of his books and was a fan. It was a perfect delivery of puppies and he thanked them profusely. Then Bromfield said, “Take your pick of the puppies.” Surprised as they were, they did not hesitate, and four weeks later a female puppy was delivered to their home.


***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Dawnflight !
To enter, click HERE.

Last month's copies of Kings got snapped up fast, so don't delay; enter today!

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!
***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

The Business of Writing: The Book Description #ASMSG #IARTG #MFRWOrg

Golden Gate Bridge,
c2015 by Phil Bird, Depositphotos ID 38718385,
Editorial use only. Bridge the readers' gap and stimulate your book sales with a tantalizing synopsis! 

Please note I used the word synopsis, not blurb. There are two reasons for this.

1. I think of a "blurb" in terms of a sentence or two that has been excerpted from a larger article, such as a book review.

2. The word itself brings to mind the act of regurgitation. I would much rather not have potential readers associating my book with vomit. :D

There. I feel much better for having gotten that off my chest; thanks.

I used to cringe at the thought of writing a short synopsis for my books—also known in traditional publishing circles as back-cover copy since it's literally included with the other elements on the back of a printed book.

I know I'm not alone; many authors don't feel comfortable distilling 100,000 words down to 300.


I had to get over my reluctance the hard way.

Back in 1997, when my first novel, Dawnflight , was acquired by Sonnet Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint, a fight broke out between my editor and my literary agent, who hated the synopsis the editor wrote on the grounds that it gave away too much of the plot. I could see his point. He wrote his own version, which I wasn't terribly keen on either because it was way too emotionless for a romance imprint. So I waded into the fray and synthesized the two versions, which did satisfy both of them and settled the argument.


The tagline plus three-paragraph structure.

As Aristotle stated millennia ago, everything should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Surprise! This applies to back-cover copy too.

With Dawnflight's first synopsis, I retained the editor's tagline and three-paragraph structure. The tagline formed the beginning. The first two paragraphs—one each to introduce the heroine and hero—comprised the middle. The end was one paragraph describing their mutual conundrum and its stakes. When I rereleased Dawnflight independently in 2013, I beefed up the concluding paragraph to highlight the book's larger scope to attract a larger audience, something for which I did not have room on the back of the original mass-market edition.

Room for the synopsis is not as big of an issue with e-books.

Amazon, for example, gives you 4,000 characters in which to describe your Kindle edition. Some marketing gurus will tell you that it's a great idea to use every last byte of the allotted amount, because whatever you write will factor into users' search results.

In most cases, I concur with this wisdom. The notable exception I make is in regard to my novellas and graphic novels. Since they are much shorter than my full-length novels, I've taken a page out of The Mikado's playbook, and I "let the punishment fit the crime." In other words, I craft the synopsis to reflect the length of the book.

You may feel differently (and if so, please feel free to comment!), but to me it just seems silly to present a book description that's almost as long as the story itself.

There are some more good tips in this article on BooksGoSocial.

However, BooksGoSocial does not cover one key point:

Posing a question in the synopsis is okay, but DO NOT ask a yes-or-no question.

Why?

It causes the reader to supply the answer, and then pass on buying your book.

Sample: "Can John and Marsha overcome their fears and find love in each other's arms?"
Me: "Hm. This is a romance novel, so yes, that had better happen or else there's no point to the book."

Better: "How can John and Marsha overcome their fears and find love in each other's arms?"
Me: "Gee, I don't know. Maybe I ought to read a sample chapter and see if it's worth my time to find out."


Wisdom from a book PR giant.

You don't have to be a "partner" to avail yourself of BookBub's 98 Book Marketing Tips . In case you don't have time to click through—and wade through—all 98, here are the two that pertain to the topic of creating your book's description:

24. Optimize your book description. BookBub’s A/B testing shows that descriptions that include quotes from authors, awards, and language that caters to your audience (e.g. “If you love thrillers, don’t miss this action-packed read!”) have higher engagement rates.

25. Include target keywords on product pages. Narrow down a list of 5-7 keywords your audience typically searches for, then incorporate these words into your description headline, description copy, and keyword sections on each of your retailer product pages.

I used to think that producing an excellent short synopsis was hard, but it just takes practice. I've had many readers tell me they've been drawn in by my book descriptions, so I must be doing something right!

Studying examples from the most compelling books in your chosen genre is key.

And by "most compelling," I don't necessarily mean "best selling" but rather, what compels =you= about the synopsis that entices you to learn more about that book?
 
***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Dawnflight !
To enter, click HERE.

Last month's copies of Kings got snapped up fast, so don't delay; enter today!

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!
***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

Meet @KimHeadlee at Black Horse Artisan Guild, Wytheville VA! #ASMSG #MFRWOrg

King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court
by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee
hardcover on display at the Black Horse Artisan Guild. Today on The Maze I'm pleased to introduce you to a new artists' collective in my hometown, Black Horse Artisan Guild of Wytheville, Virginia! 

Nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge, at the confluence of interstates 81 and 77, 18th-century Wytheville is the birthplace of First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson. Black Horse Artisan Guild is located steps away from the museum that was established in the house in which she was born and across Main Street from the newly renovated Bolling Wilson Hotel.

A sampling of handcrafted items available for
purchase at the Black Horse Artisan Guild. The guild showcases the work of several talented artists residing in the lower Shenandoah Valley, from Bristol (TN/VA) to Roanoke. That work includes pottery, jewelry, paintings, baskets, herbal products, textiles, and sculptures in wood, hammered metal, and wrought iron.

And, of course, books.

The photo on the left shows a sample of what you may find in this treasure trove—except for the pair of ceramic cups in the top picture's foreground. I bought those as a housewarming gift for my daughter a few days after the guild's grand opening. :)

In addition to displaying these beautiful handcrafted wares for purchase, Black Horse Artisan Guild frequently runs special events, everything from workshops in painting and other crafts to glass blowing demonstrations.

Also on display during May are the entries submitted for Art Wythe In, a contest for original youth crafts (i.e., not made from kits) in the mediums of wood, clay, fiber, glass, and 2D (painting/drawing). The top three winners will be announced June 18th.

On Tuesday May 24, 6–8 p.m., owners Jennifer & Randy Pugh will be hosting a Meet the Author party in honor of my latest novel King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court having won the 2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal in Fantasy & Science Fiction. More information may be found on the Facebook event page.

All print editions of my books will be available for viewing and purchase during the party, and I plan to give a dramatic reading from KASIWC. I hope to see y'all there!

***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Dawnflight !
To enter, click HERE.

Last month's copies of Kings got snapped up fast, so don't delay; enter today!

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!
***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

Gull collars the assassin in Ch 12/Sc 3 of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay c2016 by Kim Headlee. While my daughter is off visiting her boyfriend for his college graduation (congratulations, Ethan! :) and Balticon, and the house has calmed back down to its usual dull roar, I am going to sneak in some more writing on Raging Sea .

But before I dive in, I thought I'd better get this post up. :D

Today for your reading pleasure, Angusel's father Gull runs a would-be assassin to ground.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings  Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 1d | Sc 1e |
Chapter 10: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2a | Sc 2b | Sc 3a | Sc 3b | Sc 3c |
Chapter 11: Sc 1a |  Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 12: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 2 |
Raging Sea Chapter 12, Scene3©2016 by Kim HeadleeAll rights reserved.
He’d pay for this exertion later, of course, but running down the assassin proved easier than Gull thought it would be. Aye, the man had led him and a gaggle of soldiers on a fine chase through the back alleys and twisted passageways of the port’s seedier environs, having to abandon the rooftops when he outran his cover from the soldiers’ spears and arrows.

What the assassin—or the soldiers, for that matter—didn’t know was that Gull could be harder to shake than the killing pox, and just as deadly.

With a burst of speed and a powerful lunge, he collared the assassin and dragged him to the ground. Battle rage drove his fists and feet to pummel the man into submission until the soldiers arrived.

“Halt, sir!” Gull stopped midswing, panting hard, and turned to look at the decurion who had issued the order. “We need him alive for questioning.” The officer’s firm tone carried an apologetic note.

A glance at the captive revealed the bloody, bruised face, his eyes beginning to swell shut. Gull shook his head to clear it of battle frenzy and lowered his fist. It already had begun to ache, and he shook it too, trying to make sense of his reactions. He was a master warrior; he should have subdued the assassin without resorting to crude, mindless violence.

And yet, committing mindless violence against the assailant was all that leaped to mind at the thought of the Lady Morghe getting wounded by this cù-puc.

He shook his head again.

“Sir? Are you all right?” asked the decurion as his men secured the captive for the march to the fortress.

Gull reassured the officer with a grin. “Nae thing that a stiff draught or three won’t cure, lad.”

He hoped.

***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Dawnflight !
To enter, click HERE.

Last month's copies of Kings got snapped up fast, so don't delay; enter today!

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!
***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

The gauntlet is thrown. One must die. THE CHALLENGE by @KimHeadlee graphic novel #newrelease

The Challenge, episode 1: Dilemmas & Deliberation.
Story by Kim Headlee, Art & Storyboard by Wendy Carey. Refusal is not an option. 


The Challenge  
Graphic Novel Episode 1: Dilemmas and Deliberation
A Dragon's Dove Chronicles Novella

Arthur the High King is captive of Gyan's longtime enemy, the Saxon warrior-princess Camilla, who through the black arts may have enlisted a demon to aid in attaining her revenge. Though the passion that had colored the early years of Gyan's marriage to Arthur was still celebrated in song across the land, myriad problems had driven a wedge between them. These days, Gyan wasn't singing.

When Camilla issues her challenge for a to-the-death fight for crown and king, Gyan's duty, loyalty, and honor are put to the test.

She can forfeit the duel, her crown... and the joyless life that crown has come to represent. Or she can risk her life and perhaps her very soul for the sake of a man who may no longer love her.

Gyan's first challenge lies in determining the right path to take.


On sale now via Amazon!
***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Dawnflight !
To enter, click HERE.

Last month's copies of Kings got snapped up fast, so don't delay; enter today!

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!
***
All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

The Business of Writing: Advanced Applications of the Amazon Kindle Book Previewer

STOP WISHING. START DOING.
c2015 by zzoplanet.
Depositphotos ID:86051516. Being a programmer for the past four decades means I like to experiment with software to get it to do exactly what I want.

Strike that. I =LOVE= enhancing code! And now you get to benefit from my experimentation. :)

Last time, I introduced you to the nifty book-blogging tool that is the Kindle book previewer. In case you need to catch up, you may find my commentary on this blog post.

Today on The Maze, I get even more technical by offering ways to tweak the code to better fit the needs of your blog.

I offer two customization options, both of which refer to making modifications to the default HTML code fragment that Amazon gives you when you click on the "<Embed>" hyperlink on your Kindle book's product page (located with the other share options below the "Add to List" command bar).

The default HTML code fragment Amazon gives you follows this format:

<!-- AMAZON EMBED CODE DEFAULT HTML FRAGMENT: -->

<iframe type="text/html" width="336" height="550" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="max-width:100%" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=Your_Books_ASIN&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_mUS4wb0MK4WVG&tag=Your_Affiliate_ID" ></iframe>

<!-- END DEFAULT HTML FRAGMENT -->

Once you replace Your_Books_ASIN and Your_Affiliate_ID (or delete &tag=Your_Affiliate_ID if you are not an Amazon Affiliate), this will cause the preview to be displayed on the page with no blog text beside it, like so:



This display is fine for a quick spotlight post, but blog visitors can be impatient, so if you have a lot of information to impart, you might want to consider:


Modification 1A: Making the book preview smaller
The basic way to reduce the preview size is to change the height= parameter from its default of 550, as in this code fragment:

<!-- AMAZON EMBED CODE HTML FRAGMENT 1A:
HALF HEIGHT  -->

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=Your_Books_ASIN&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_mUS4wb0MK4WVG&tag=Your_Affiliate_ID" style="max-width: 100%;" type="text/html" width="336"></iframe>

<!--END FRAGMENT 1A -->

I went through several iterations, modifying the height= parameter to get a version that was as small as possible without adding a clunky-looking scroll bar. Applying my book's ASIN in place of Your_Books_ASIN, the result looks like:




Note that all of Amazon's options to buy, share, and preview are available. My sidebar needed a narrower version, however, so with further experimentation I hit upon:


Modification 1B:
Making the book preview narrower as well as smaller

To get the preview pane to appear narrower, you must modify the max-width parameter AND enclose it in a table. Just modifying max-width isn't enough, nor will it work if you enclose the <IFRAME></IFRAME> within a <DIV></DIV> section.

If you don't believe me, I invite you to copy the following code fragment, and strip out the <TABLE>, </TABLE>, <TBODY>, </TBODY>,<TR>, </TR>, <TD>, and </TD> tags:

<!-- AMAZON EMBED FRAGMENT 1B:
HALF HEIGHT AND HALF WIDTH: -->
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=Your_Books_ASIN&amp;preview=inline&amp;linkCode=kpe&amp;ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_ABj3wb11WCT68&amp;tag=Your_Affiliate_ID" style="max-width: 50%;" type="text/html" width="336"></iframe>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<!-- END FRAGMENT 1B -->

Note that I changed max-width to 50% in addition to making height=250. These changes yield:



The Amazon "SHARE" option disappears, but of the three, that was the option I was most willing to sacrifice for the sake of blog aesthetics.

And now for an even more advanced application:


Modification 2: Floating the book preview

I like to display a book cover on one side with text flowing along the other side. My default post layout when I'm spotlighting someone else's book is to display their cover in the top left corner of the post with text flowing past on the right. At the end of the post—as with today's—I display whatever book of mine that I'm featuring on the right, with the text on the left.

Fragment 2 gives you the former option:

<!-- AMAZON EMBED CODE HTML FRAGMENT 2:
BOOK COVER WITH TEXT BESIDE IT -->

<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; text-align: center;">

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="550" src="https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=Your_Books_ASIN&amp;preview=inline&amp;linkCode=kpe&amp;ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_Omd4wb0K7BQ5Q&amp;tag=Your_Affiliate_ID" style="max-width: 96%;" type="text/html" width="336"></iframe>

</div>

<!-- END FRAGMENT 2 -->

This fragment yields the following display, with subsequent blog text flowing past it on the right:

To display the cover on the right and the text on the left, change clear: left; float: left; to clear: right; float: right; within the <DIV> tag.

Also, I changed the max-width attribute to "96%" so that the blog's text does not appear crowded, but the "BUY", "SHARE", and "PREVIEW" options still appear within the book's preview pane. I discovered that at 95%, the "SHARE" option disappears, which isn't entirely a bad thing, but it looks a little odd underneath an otherwise large book cover.

The other way to simulate floating would be to set up a table with two columns, one for the cover and the other for the text. The basic layout for a one-row, two-column table is:

<TABLE><TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>Whatever goes in row 1, column 1</TD>
<TD>Stuff for row 1, column 2</TD>
</TR>
</TBODY></TABLE>

The disadvantage (other than the HTML's complexity, which can lead to more mistakes being made) is that if you have a great deal more text to display than the book's cover is tall, the you will wind up with a lot of space above and below the cover, while the text's table cell is completely full. But if those issues don't bother you, then by all means go for it.

Happy coding! :D
***

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