Dwayne’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Dwayne’s comments from the Support for Indie Authors group.

Eileen wrote: "I wanted to start a topic of discussion on using Net Galley for reviews. However, I can't figure out how to start a topic. Suggestions?"

According to the rules, we don't allow discussions on reviews. However, there is one thread active in which we have been allowing discussion of reviews and the subject of Net Galley has already come up. If you have anything new to add, feel free. Please don't start a new discussion on this topic. Thanks.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Jerry wrote: "Terrific subject. I’ve followed discussions for years now without responding but I’ve always felt we authors sell our selves short like no other ‘industry.’ We work months on a novel, pay to package our work, then give it away. I’ve met readers that say “I’ve NEVER had to pay for an ebook. I just read the free books.” I wish I could convince authors to unite and stop the giveaways. Establish a lower price as a program, but ALWAYS at least earn SOMETHING from your effort. Once FREE is gone readers will gravitate to ‘low price’ as the threshold. I understand marketing. I’ve worked in marketing for over 25 years. I understand the “loss leader” concept that stores use. This practice seems self demeaning to the creative process to me. I ‘feel’ for all those that work so hard. Be well out there!!!"

Everyone wants unity - as long as everyone unites along with our own personal wishes and beliefs. As long as it is possible for authors to give away their books, it will continue.

Readers who never pay for ebooks probably would not start doing so if the books were no longer free. Perhaps some would, but I believe a large number of them would not. Or, they would be downloading far fewer books.

I see nothing self demeaning, nor do I see it as somehow harming the creative process. Marketing strategy and the creative process of writing the book have little to do with one another.

True story time. Last summer there was a nice young lady working in the coffee stand in my local library where I do most of my writing. I chatted with her most every day we were there at the same time. I found she has similar taste in literature. Then she was gone.

About a month and a half ago, I was delighted to see her back working again. She told me she had gone back to school and now was off for the summer. Our once or twice a week chats resume. I learned she's an English major, she learned I'm a writer. So, we talk about writing and the process of it. She seemed fascinated by my work in progress.

Last week we were talking about her classes and my book and I asked, "If I printed off a short story, would you read it?" She was thrilled.

I printed it yesterday, including the cover and put it in a nice binder to hold it. I took it to her and she was excited I'd remembered. She took a look at the cover and kinda squeed in delight. She practically begged me to let her pay me for it, but I wouldn't let her. Her reaction was payment enough. Will she read it? I don't know. Will she like it? I have no idea. But, for a moment it brought her some joy.

That's why I'm a writer.

There's a great deal of things I would never take, even for free. If someone downloads your book, they were interested at least for a moment. Maybe they'll never read it. Maybe they'll never review it. But, they were interested for a moment. You had one thousand people interested enough to take your book. To me, that's something to be happy about. How long ago was this promotion? I usually don't read books the same day I buy them. Sometimes it takes months to get to it. I don't always review what I read, and when I do it can take, again, months before I get around to it. If reviews are the reason you write, be patient. It may take some time before you see more.

We're all different and we all have different reasons for writing. For me, reviews are nice, but it's not the main reason I write. It's not the reason I give anything away. It's a nice bonus, but I never expect anything in return. My only hope is that when my work is read, it is enjoyed on some level.

Paul wrote: "E.A. wrote: "Something off topic."

Again, the topic is chapter naming, not contests. Comment deleted.

Hey? The topic is chapter names. Enter contests if you wish. Don't, if you wish not. Now, back on topic.

Cristian wrote: "pronto estaré lanzando un libro de ficción y aventura, os anunciare por este medio "

No thanks. Self-promotion is against the group rules.

C.B. wrote: "Every single chapter of every single book I have ever written has a Joke or Reference (sometimes both) for the name and it makes me happy."

Cool! Yeah, for me, it's all about doing what I love. I really doubt readers care that much how we center our chapter names, if they're named or not, etc. and it's not something I worry about. I'm probably pickier about my work than any reader anyway.

According to Brian A. Klem of Writer's Digest:

"Start each new chapter on its own page, one-third of the way down the page. The chapter number and chapter title should be in all caps, separated by two hyphens: CHAPTER 1—THE BODY."

Tomas wrote: "The important question is: are formal rules of a competition based on what readers want?"

No. Many of my favorite authors use chapter names, at least at times. Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Joseph Heller, and W.P. Kinsella all did and none of them were children's authors.

Bottom line - this is a stylistic choice and we (especially as Indies) shouldn't be bound by what other authors are doing, what publishing houses are doing, and certainly not by contest rules.

Silly, maybe. Maybe not. If it's working for her, then we can call it silly and cheap all day long while she's getting sales.

All you need to do is put < img src =" (without the space between the less than and "img") before your url and then "/> after.

It's a pretty cover. I'm not getting "fantasy", though. It puts me more in the mind of a romantic / cozy mystery.

Scott wrote: "The cover for my book -- To Wish Upon a Star -- can't be modified as I no longer have access to the software with which it was created so this version is, by default, the final one. I've never really gotten much feedback on it so I'm curious to what degree it draws the eye.

I can't get the image code to work properly..."

Got it. Deleting your original post for the linking.

Steven wrote: "That's so funny. The answer to all three of those is yes.
I have been worried about telling the whole tale on the blurb. That is perhaps why I make the mistake of giving so little information. "

The two most common mistakes I see in people's blurbs are not giving enough information or giving too much. And this is understandable. This is what makes a blurb so tricky. You want to pique interest without telling your whole book. You want to tell just enough to get the reader to turn to that first page - and it's so easy to over shoot or under shoot.

Leslie wrote: "just under 1000 downloads ... I almost wonder if it is worth bothering."

Sometimes I get five downloads. Sometimes two. Sometimes twenty. Once in a while around a hundred. Never had a thousand. And if I get one... it's worth it. Yes, it's worth it.

Anita wrote: "A link and nothing else"

No links.

Wee bit off topic* as it's not related to your cover, but a reason you might not be seeing sales. I did a little poking and this is the only full novel you have out and its the first in a series. When you have the series complete, you'll probably see an increase in sales.

*No further discussion is needed on this. Let's keep the rest of the comments about Steven's cover.

Steven wrote: "I wish I wasn’t at work right now."

Oh, how I know that feeling. Stuck in the early hours of a twenty-some hour shift, wanting to write... blech.

Called a cross between Harry Potter and The Hobbit By whom? A respectable source or are you just tossing that in there in hopes of banking on the popularity of those other books? Some might be swayed by something like this. I'm not. When I see this, I expect the book to be a watery version of other, more popular books. If I wanted to read Harry Potter or the Hobbit, I would. Tell me about your book.

The Soulweb is a fun fantasy romp with adventure, suspense, and chills. Since most fantasy has those elements, this is needless.

The spell of an ancient ancestor king throws Jaron into the middle of a war when that king returns from beyond the grave. Finally. Something of interest. Maybe expand on this a tad and leave the fluff out at the beginning.

Jaron, a librarian's apprentice, discovered that his whole life was only a disguise. His friends, Ellian and Keras, weren’t who he thought they were, and his father whom he thought was dead, wasn’t. In a war between kings, he might be the final piece of a plan that started centuries ago. Also interesting, but short on details. Most fantasy I've read deals with people finding out they aren't what they thought they were or everything around them being a lie. How is yours different? What makes yours unique?

Does Jaron have the strength to become the person everyone else expects him to be? I don't know. I don't know what that would entail. When you ask a question like this in a blurb, be sure to have some substance behind it. There seems to be three versions of Jaron, who he is, who he thinks he is, and who he is supposed to be. I don't know anything about these three.

It's a good start, but there's not much in here that's solid. Tell us about your book and leave the Hobbit and Harry Potter out of it.