E.K.’s Comments (group member since Jun 18, 2022)

E.K.’s comments from the Review / Write / Read Club (Indie & Self-Published) group.

Hi Rik, just post the link here when it's live and I'll add you to the round :)

OK, no problem. Just removed you.

Eric wrote: "I have to drop out of this one. PJ will be reading my last book in another group."

No problem - just removed you :)

Lynn wrote: "E.K. wrote: "I read Darkwitch (#3 on the list), reviews below.

GRs: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/14882...

Please can you add The Mi..."

Thanks!

Kat wrote: "Thank you, EK!"

You're welcome. Loved it. Have put a review on Zon too but not up yet :)

I read Darkwitch (#3 on the list), reviews below.

GRs: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/14882...

Please can you add The Missing to the list - it's a children's fantasy:

Book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Author link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Thanks!

Terry wrote: "The Missing returned!"

😁

I'm re-joining this one with The Missing.

Eric wrote: "Mine is exclusively through Apple Books and I have zero sales. You know how it is. Just like everything self-published, your book is invisible unless you promote it."

Thanks

For those of you who have audiobooks, are you selling any? I'm considering having one made, but was curious as to how hard they are to shift.

Lynn wrote: "E.K. wrote: "Interesting! Looks like the cut-off was last week for the BBNYA - does everyone get a tour, or did you progress through the rounds?..."

As I remember, your book needed to get past the..."

Thanks, Lynn.

It's a shame neither of you received a review from SFINCS - I thought there would be more reviews as it's obviously quicker to read a novella. I don't feel so bad about being a back-up now ;)

Interesting! Looks like the cut-off was last week for the BBNYA - does everyone get a tour, or did you progress through the rounds?

I entered the BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly last year. My score was OK, but not good enough to get through to the next round. I thought it was useful as I got the editorial and I didn't have one for the book I submitted.

I haven't entered any other contests but there seem to be LOTS out there, so would be good to learn from others :)

Lynn wrote: "E.K. wrote: "Hey, Sotto...
...it's probably the finalists and winner who get the most exposure..."

From my personal experience, I can say that this seemed very true. I entered two previous SPFBO c..."

That's interesting - did you get any reviews from the bloggers?

I'm happy to have a contests topic :)

Hey, Sotto, I haven't entered before (I was too slow in the novella round) but there is lots of info on the official page, here:

https://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/...

About half way down it talks about benefits (the winner & blog page views, etc.), then it talks about phase 1 and 2 which outlines the process with the bloggers etc.

It is free and only takes about a minute to enter, but it's probably the finalists and winner who get the most exposure. The author who runs it, and all the bloggers, just give up their time for it, so it's a really nice idea, and the prior winners seem to be doing well - if you look at Amazon.

Hope that helps :)

Lynn wrote: "I read Light My Pyre last year and really enjoyed it. You can read my review here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/5377073802

I haven't read The Hybrid, but it defini..."

Thanks 😁 and, Sotto, thanks for the congrats too - but I don't feel like I deserve it, as I just got lucky getting my book included.

Good luck, Kat, and I think I saw Seth's name on the list too, so good luck to him too.

Sotto wrote: "Congrats E.K and Kat,

To be honest, this round is the first time I hear about it.
Not sure what are the perks but for what I know it's only limited to fantasy genre, right?"

This one is fantasy, there is a similar competition for sci-fi, and one for spec. fiction novellas. The perks are exposure. It's free to enter & they randomly select at this stage :)

I'm lucky to have my book, The Hybrid, included this year. It's a dark fantasy about a teenage boy who joins a magical academy wanting to be a healer, but is forced to join the dark side instead. Like a dark version of Harry Potter in some ways.

Of the others, I've read Kat Kinney's Light My Pyre which is a great book - it's a cosy romance set in a town full of supernatural beings. It has lovely fantasy elements that are really drawn out.

I haven't read any other books that have made it through, but having had a nosy already, I can see there are some great books and I'll definitely be checking some of them out - I'm just happy to have mine among them :)

Welcome, Sotto. Please keep checking back for any conflicts :)

Welcome, P.J. and Eric. Please keep checking back for any conflicts.

This is a "Mature, Goodreads & Amazon" round

Any and all types of books, both fiction and non-fiction, are accepted. The Mature round is ideal for books that contain explicit material, i.e. with explicit sex and/or violence and gore, including horror and erotica, but not at all limited to these genres.

Anyone is free to enter any genre book in a mature round, but be aware that you’ll predominantly be reviewing books with extreme and explicit material, so you must be comfortable with reading that type of material. Books must be published, finished works and available on Amazon.

In Goodreads+Amazon rounds, every participant must be able to leave a review on their local Amazon store, so everyone’s starting with the same options. Participants post reviews to Goodreads, and please also post on your own Amazon store and any other Amazon stores you might have access to.

Before you sign up, please make sure that:

1. You’ve thoroughly read and understand How Read/Review Rounds Work (The Rules). Participating in the round indicates your understanding and acceptance of the rules and compliance with them.

2. You’ve claimed your Goodreads author page.
If you’re on a regular Goodreads user account, rather than an author account, you’ll need to do this before joining a round. You’ll find the directions for claiming your author profile page here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/program.

3. Your Goodreads account setting "Who Can Send Me Private Messages" allows people to message you, i.e. it’s set to "anyone".
(See Private Messaging Settings for how to check/change this.)

4. You’ve completed your review commitment if you’re currently in another read/review round in this group. (You cannot sign up to a new round until after you’ve completed that review commitment in the other round in this Goodreads group.)

5. Your book is fit and ready to be reviewed.
If it’s not, due to editing or other issues, you risk poor reviews.

6. You have enough time to read and review a book within the round timeframe of three weeks.

7. Your book fits the round theme.
For GR+Amz rounds, your book must be currently available for sale or free download at Amazon and other online booksellers (not pre-order).

8. You can provide — and accept — at least PDF files.
You’re not expected or required to buy the books you’re scheduled to read, although that’s a nice gesture. And doing so for GR+Amz rounds will give a "Verified Purchase" review on Amazon, which is a nice thing for the author. Each participant is responsible for getting a review copy of their book to their reader in the round and must be able to provide — and accept — at least PDF files. Many provide and accept other formats as well. Please ask your reader’s preference if you can provide files in a variety of formats. And many authors have books available via KU and others might provide Smashwords coupons.

Note that International Copyright laws apply: you cannot sell or give away material you’ve received, without the author’s express permission.

9. You are able to submit reviews to Amazon.

(On Amazon, only people who have spent $50 in the last year can leave reviews in each of their stores. If you’re uncertain about your Amazon reviewer status, try to post a "test" review before you sign up for the round. If you’re unable to post reviews on Amazon, please don’t sign up for GR+Amz rounds. Instead, look for rounds that say “reviews on GR+ (NOT Amz)”.)

To sign up for this read/review round, please reply to this thread with the following details:

1. Your Goodreads Profile link

Please also include any additional names/profiles under which you publish, to help the other participants check for and avoid reciprocal reviewing.

2. Your Goodreads Book info link for your book that you want to have reviewed

3. Specify which (if any) of the other authors in the round have previously reviewed any of your books (if none, please specifically say so), and also which (if any) of the other authors in the round you have previously reviewed (if none, please specifically say so), to help everyone avoid reciprocal reviews. Also, state any relationship you have with other members in the round.

It’s a more-professional practice to avoid reviews from the same household on a book from that same household, or if you are an editor, relative, or close friend of the author. And Amazon doesn’t allow this anyway.

How to check for reciprocal reviews:
Go to your reviews through your profile (the link is under your portrait), and search for the other author’s name. Check if someone has reviewed you in the same way… through their profile, searching for your name.

Please check back as the round fills to report any new conflicts.

And make sure you're following the round discussion (an option just above the "comment box"), so you don't miss out on anything in the round.

By joining this round, you agree to accept for reading and reviewing whatever book you are scheduled for. Please note that it’s possible that the book you’re scheduled to read may contain material you find upsetting or offensive. You are expected to finish the book — that’s only fair. If you can't commit to this, please don’t sign up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Round Parameters:

-Three weeks to complete reading the book and post your review.

Read the entire book and write your unbiased and honest review of the book, making every attempt to avoid spoilers if possible, and post it. For what constitutes a book review for this group (and for reviewing tips), please see Book Reviewing.

-After your review is posted, add the link(s) to it to this reading-round thread so the mod can "sign you off" for the round.

When you add your link(s) to this thread, make sure the links are to your own review not the book page. Please shorten the links (always a good practice for any social media). See GROUP TIPS: Finding review links to post them in the group for specific tips.

Additional Notes:

Reviews that state you received a copy "in return" or "in exchange" for a review will probably be removed/disallowed by some retailers. If you wish to add a disclaimer, the following would be more acceptable: "I received a free copy from the author without an obligation to review".

Your Goodreads details and the rounds you participate in may be recorded by moderators on a database. We don’t retain details of email addresses, etc.

If you have questions, please first review How Read/Review Rounds Work (The Rules) and check Questions about Review Rounds for an answer. If you still have questions, please ask before signing up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Each author will review one other book in this reading round.

(Person 1 reviews 2. Person 2 reviews 3. Person 3 reviews 1. (And if the round expands to a 4-way or 5-way round, reviewing follows the same pattern, just expanded for the additional participants.))

Please don’t get books or begin reading/reviewing until the moderator has posted that the round has started.

Participants & Book Links (tentative order)
1. P.J. Ashton ✓ - Eternal's Triumph
2. Amber Daulton ✓ - Arresting Alan
3. Sotto Voce ✓ - In Ora
4. Carly Berg ✓ - St. Louis Sisters: A 1970s Retelling of Little Women

(✓ means the participant is done with their review commitment, ✍︎ means the participant has provided one review link but hasn't yet posted the other link)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -