Eldon’s Comments (group member since May 30, 2016)

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

Rock wrote: "OK quick update.

I bit the bullet and upped the gutter to .64". I had to fuss with some paging issues but nothing that changed the overall length of the book.

Should be fine, right? After all, ..."

Hi Rock! Can I ask how tight your margins are set? I've never had this issue with any of the books I've formatted and I use Word all the time.

Shoshanah wrote: "I am looking into placing ads on Amazon and FB, just finding it a bit daunting. Do you have any videos or articles to recommend to learn how to set the ad campaigns effectively?..."

Hi Shoshanah. FB and Amazon ads can be daunting for a beginner. Heck, they can be hard for a seasoned pro lol. While there might be some free resources out there, I'd take what they recommend with a grain of salt. You get what you pay for, right?

If you're serious about making a go of this then I'd recommend investing in a course to learn how to use the platforms properly. Mark Dawson is pretty much considered the gold standard out there. I'd personally recommend Matthew J holmes too. If you sign up for his daily newsletter you'll get a bunch of free actionable advice straight to your inbox!

When you're on FB look up the group Author Unleashed by Robert Ryan - he really knows his stuff!! Plus, the FB group 20Booksto50k is also full of lots of useful information.

Good luck!!

Shoshanah wrote: "so where can I find marketing tips or ideas of where to get reviews? ..."

Hello Shoshanah. Since you give the impression of being new to this whole publishing thing, I thought I'd give you some friendly advice. Chasing reviews is the wrong way to go about it. And while GR is wonderful for interaction, asking for people to review your book on here will hurt you more than help you.

The reason that is true is the Amazon algorithm. You want Amazon to recommend your book to the right audience but if you muddy up your also boughts with readers who don't normally read your genre, then Amazon won't know who to recommend your book to.

As hard as it might be, forget about reviews. Focus on writing books your audience wants. Learn how to take advantage of ads to generate sales, and the reviews will take care of themselves :)

Valerie wrote: "Wow, I didn't realise Black Friday went back that far. (Heaven only knows how it got over here to the UK when we don't even have Thanksgiving! lol)"

Companies see a chance to make a buck lol

Gail wrote: "Where's your Christmas spirit, Eldon? (giggle). It's TRADITION!

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Santa or Thanksgiving parades were sponsored by department stores sponsored by Eaton..."

Interesting, but I fail to see how capitalistic interest in profit equates to Christmas spirit :)

Is anyone else's email overloaded by a constant stream of buy now and discounted emails?? I'm sooo sick of black friday deals. Who's with me?

Hayden wrote: "I'm just gonna say it, can you LIE about your address? Like, use the address of your local fire department or something ?"

You could Hayden. BUT. If someone tried to contact you at that fake address it wouldn't take much to determine you had broken the law. This would expose you to a fine for every single fraudulent email you sent out. The damage could add up very quickly.

Katja wrote: "Hmm, I am more worried about identity thefts.
Awhile ago, somebody was interested on an official art sales site to buy my painting if I would put up a photo of the signature in the back."

Hi Katja! It takes a lot more than a signature to pull off identity theft, so I wouldn't worry there. But giving out your actual address would give me pause. A PO box is good advice. Also, if you send out email newsletter, in order to comply with laws you need to have an actual address at the bottom of the newsletter. Which is another reason to get a PO Box.

D.S. wrote: "I've learned that an author cannot add their own book to a list...."

Nice to meet you D.S., and welcome to the group. Another thing an author can't do is self promote in this group. It's against the rules and, an overall bad look. Please refrain from doing so in future posts.

I feel it incumbent upon me here to interject a word of caution, as many members are commenting on using images that are not owned by them. Crediting the image owner will not absolve you of any legal wrongdoing. This is why licensing agreements exist.

If you use an image you don't own the rights to on your book cover, them you are potentially profiting from an asset you don't own. The rightful owner is well within their legal rights to seek restitution for profits not shared with them through the use of their work.

Before you use any image you find on the internet, be sure to attain the legal right to do so.

Viola wrote: "yes anyone know of an Irish publishing house that specializes in Irish historical fiction? I've written a novel that encompasses the Troubles as well as Vietnam."

Hi Viola. Type Irish publishers of historical fiction into Google and it will give you two articles from writingtipsoasis that should get you started. Good luck!

Tomas wrote: "The best way would be to have a friend who likes to draw... and would draw for you."

Say, that would be cool!! I'm available for stick figure commissions lol

Rock wrote: "Thanks, Eldon, but it failed.

Part of the page says I'm a librarian and should be careful what I do, but when I try to delete the cover image, I get this:

'Only librarians have permission to de..."

Don't try to delete the current cover. GR likes to allow people who purchased that version to still see the cover they bought. Just try to upload a new file.

Just deleted an obvious bot posted comment. Tomas, Dwayne, do we know if we can boot JettLeadbeater from the group?

Rock wrote: "A few days ago, I updated my first book with a new cover. (Never liked the old one) Will that eventually show up on Goodreads, or is there a way to force the site to import the new image?

TIA."

Hi Rock, as far as I know you control that yourself. Whenever I update my books I simply upload the new cover in the edit book area.

Andrew wrote: "Has anyone had recent experiece with a Bookbub featured deal?

Im especially curious to know if it led to meaningful increases in TBR shelvings and/or ratings here on Goodreads."

I've found BookBub buyers to be excellent at leaving reviews/ratings

William wrote: "Hey everyone,
Like most of us, I get "publishing/movie making" offers via email almost every day, but in the last month I've collected 2 that don't fit the usual scam profile. The latest is from Ed..."

A good rule of thumb William is if anyone contacts you out of the blue offering "services" they stand to benefit more than you do. Tread carefully.

J. wrote: "Hey yall! How do you use book reviews? I have some but have no idea how to use them in promoting/marketing sense."

If you have a website you can post them on their book pages there. Or, if you run BookBub, Facebook, or Amazon ads you could use them in the copy.

Dwayne wrote: "Some readers don't mind being contacted. Most do mind. Many would see it as amateurish, desperate, and maybe even a little creepy. It's best to steer clear of contacting readers this way. They gave..."

Well said Dwayne

J.D. wrote: "Hi Y'all.

So I'm beginning to get ratings for my novel. Yay. But of course not all are 5 stars. Nay :(
I totally get never to drunk reply to a review and NEVER rant about a reviewer. My question..."

Hi J.D., It's thin ice you tread on there. Some readers are okay with being contacted, but others are not. You never know. It's why the best advice is to leave it well enough alone. But what's done is done and here's hoping it works out well.