Anna’s Comments (group member since Mar 21, 2017)

Anna’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

I began to think it would never happen! The final draft is quite different from the first. But it's all good fun, eh?

And yours?

This is as much a surprise to me as anyone else. I thought I'd have my new book ready for Christmas, but now it's Easter!

#3 in The Dark Moon Series


Journey into a dark, wounded heart.

By 1825 Lucy has escaped from poverty and found true love married to a good man. Knowing Lieutenant Karl Thorsen still feels a hopeless passion for her, Lucy tries to help him find happiness with Elizabeth, a feisty young American. Then a charming and talented artist comes into their lives. Intrigued by him, Lucy does not see the signs of impending tragedy stealing towards them. She ignores all warnings and pays a high price for her folly. Can she free herself from the chains she’s forged and save her family?

It's 99p/99c until 15th April.

Also both One Dark Night #1 and Under a Dark Star #2 of The Dark Moon Series are in a Kindle Countdown Deal for 99p/c from 30th March.

No Easter eggs but at least some Easter bargains.

I hope you enjoy reading this series.

My thanks to those who have helped in one way or another and with the blurb - you may spot some of your lines... and some I've put as tag lines.

I think I'd faint, Carmel. Maybe even have a heart attack.

Thank you, Carole. And you enjoy your time off this weekend too.

Just followed your link. You put your case very well, Alex, and I hope you achieve your dream of being able to make a living and "being there" for your mother.

One day, one day!

I wish!

I used to use eBookSoda some time ago and have returned to it for another ad at the beginning of April.

It is one of the few sites which has direct links to Amazon UK as well as other countries. With other sites if I press on the button it takes me to Amazon US- no good to me at all.

If you read their requirements for advertising, there are other reasons to advertise with them. They say:

"We like books that are:

Error Free. We look for content that is well-formatted, and free from typos and grammatical errors.

Blessed with a great cover. Unfortunately, people do judge books by their covers, so it will need to be a fairly good standard to make it past our control team.

Highly Rated. Books should have a minimum of 8 reviews with an average star rating of 3.5 unless it’s a new release (less than 3 months old).

Priced at $4.99 or less on the day of the listing. At eBookSoda, you don’t have to have your book on sale to qualify for a spot. As long as your book is $4.99 or less on the day of its listing, it’s eligible for submission. Obviously, you’ll get more downloads if it’s a promotion as everyone loves a good deal, but the visibility should still earn you some new readers.

Hope this is helpful.

Oooh er, Justin. How strange! How nice!

Judy wrote: "Congratulations to Carole P. Roman for being a finalist in Foreword Reviews Awards for If You Were Me and Lived in the Mayan Empire!!"

Brilliant and well deserved!

Desperately need upticks! I only have eBooks but I'm planning for paperbacks sooooooooooooon.

Hope yours and Brit's hard work benefits not only us but also your own books.

'Oh wow!' That was my reaction. Followed by 'What a gal!' followed by 'and helpers'.

Please, everyone, follow that link.

Closing words are 'thank you' and 'don't feel any pressure for the adult list.'

The column which will tell you if you are achieving any benefit is the ACOS column - Advertising Cost of Sales. If your percentage is under 100%, you are doing well. If it is a little above, then that's costing you a little but it might be worth it. If it is, say, 300%+ then the ads are costing you a fair bit for insufficient return.

I don't mind doing marketing but I don't really know what I'm doing. As I learn a new trick, I stick to that even as it fails... and then I hope for something to throw itself in front of me. Even when it does, I can't find the time to get my head round some other way of going about things.

I don't have paperbacks out yet and when I do, I shall attempt to get them into local bookshops and tentatively contact local newspapers and so on. And it will get pushed to the back of the diary. And the dishwashing will become very important and dusting under the bed...

So a big thank you to everyone for all the encouragement we receive from members of this group, and it's led us all to get to know each other - so thank you, Carole.

Congratulations!

Only four? You've got a long way to go before you match J.K. Rowling's rejections (and many other successful authors too).

Keep going and keep us in touch so we can cheer you on.

Viewing it as my much-loved, consuming hobby takes away the feeling of being unworthy to participate in the same market with the giants of literature. It also takes away the pressure to meet deadlines - I always fail miserably because, despite allowing time for unexpected happenings, these u.hs come - unexpectedly! Grrrr!!!!!

Keeping me and mine fed and watered has to take precedence obviously.

But love it I do, and I give it my best shot. So Julia, I'll join you in holding a dream - that my writing will give the readers something to hold on to and reflect upon long after they have read 'The End'. Just as I have done with other writers' work.

All the best for publication, Amy. Is it possible to do some paperbacks through Amazon KDP and perhaps add CreateSpace later?

Many thanks to all who wished the UK mothers a happy day.

It has been wonderful. Time spent with our children is very precious and much appreciated.

It's Mothering Sunday here in the UK. So something good is happening, I hope.