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message 1: by Cliff (new)

Cliff Ball (cliffball) | 13 comments Hi all. I'm Cliff, hailing from North Texas. I joined Goodreads over a year ago because I'm an author and I'm sort of stumbling through this whole social networking thing! lol I have, so far, a sci-fi novella called "Out of Time" published last year and a sci-fi novel I published this year, called "Don't Mess With Earth." I found this group this afternoon, so howdy ya'll as they say here in these parts! lol


message 2: by Sharon (new)

Sharon Ellis | 176 comments Howdy ya'll Cliff - I live very near you.
Are you reading the Holy Bible now?
I read the Holy Bible quite a lot.
Sharon


message 3: by Atishay (new)

Atishay | 1451 comments Howdy Cliff!


message 4: by Cliff (new)

Cliff Ball (cliffball) | 13 comments I'm from Arizona originally, so I'm going to just say hi back at both of you! lol

Sharon, I don't read the Bible nearly as much as I should be reading it. As a kid, I read it cover to cover a lot and stuck with it. It takes a lot of self discipline to sit down and read and study the Bible, but, I'm trying.




message 5: by [deleted user] (new)

Hi Cliff!! Welcome!


message 6: by Sharon (last edited Jun 13, 2009 10:11AM) (new)

Sharon Ellis | 176 comments Hi Cliff, I compliment you on reading the Bible as a kid, cover to cover -WOW. I had a rather later awakening to God, but I am so glad He woke me up!
I recently did a Book Signing at the Hastings store in Witchita Falls. Perhaps they still have copies of my book there if you would be interested in taking a look at it.
Also, how does a person go about getting a book into your Witchita Falls Library where you work? My Book Title is: Communions With Christ by Sharon Ellis Amazon.com
From out of my total ignorance God Himself came down from heaven and just targeted me for Himself. I am so glad that He calls us. My wake up call was in the frightening yet amazing appearance of a Holy Angel appearing to me - right in the middle of Vista Ridge Mall Lewisville, Tx.
I saw the Heavenly Real Arch Angel of the Lord, not the stuff that some people make up stories about, but the Real Thing - The Angel said "I am Raphael. I come in the name of the Healer. I am an Angel of David's Lord."
The Angel said a lot more things to me and its all in my DNA now. Open heavens gave me a remarkable Holy Angelic wake up, and then the most tremendous miraculous things began happening to me, and to people I came into contack with.
He, God, led my holy journey of getting to know Christ personally. Only the Lord God could have constructed these miraculous events, thought them up, or made them happen.
I was stunned repeatedly with the Holy Nature of God and shown repeatedly the Loving Heart of God to His people, just ordinary people. He, God, does love each of us so personally and if God can do what I've seem, then no one in the world should ever doubt His existence or His Love towards us, His children. ( I am rather passionate about these things, because no one I've ever talked to has had such a series of miraculous events in their life. I am blessed so much.)
Peace.
Sharon


message 7: by Petra X (new)

Petra X (petra-x) Hi there Cliff, welcome. I'm not religious or even spiritual and I'm not in a sci-fi reading period right now, but I do sell it my bookshop (real, not online).


message 8: by Cliff (last edited Jun 13, 2009 01:58PM) (new)

Cliff Ball (cliffball) | 13 comments Sharon, you did a book signing at Hastings in Wichita Falls? How did that go? I'm wondering because I'm really skeptical about the whole book signing thing and whether it works or not in increasing sales, and besides I'm bit of an introvert. As for getting a book into the Wichita Falls Public Library, the link for getting your book purchased is: http://wfpl.net/survey.htm (the book purchase form is only for library patrons, which is kind of stupid...)

Petra, how does one get a book in your real bookshop, since my novel is sold completely online right now from stores that have Brick and Mortar shops, but I'm too much of a small fry to get in a real store! lol


message 9: by Petra X (last edited Jun 13, 2009 05:13PM) (new)

Petra X (petra-x) Cliff wrote: "Petra, how does one get a book in your real bookshop, since my novel is sold completely online right now from stores that have Brick and Mortar shops, but I'm too much of a small fry to get in a real store! lol "

You have to list it with a big distribution company like Ingram or Baker and Taylor (write to them and ask their terms. Ingram certainly do sell self-published books) and also Booksamillion (retail, I prefer it to Amazon). Then you have to have publicity so people will know to look for it. Most of the distribution outlets have their own magazines, I don't know if they will review any book or its just books from the major publishers. Also try the various professional library journals and of course all your local bookshops.

Problem with selling books more so these days than ever before is that people want something for nothing. They feel it is a right to get the book for free from a library or as a bookswap (going to be introduced by Goodreads this year, authors should really love that) and of course the author doesn't get paid.

When you try selling your book, try hard to sell the bookshops its in and let the bookshops know you are a local author. Be nice to the clerks and they will try and sell your book for you! (You have much more of a chance of selling a book if you can get people into the actual store than if you just get them to promise they will go and check your book out. No one goes to a bookshop to get just one title but if a bookshop sounds like it has an interesting selection then book people will go and then with luck buy your book).


message 10: by Sharon (new)

Sharon Ellis | 176 comments Cliff, thank you so much for your kind letter of information! I have just asked the acquisitions dept at your W.Falls Library to consider my Title.
... At my Hastings book signing in Witchita Falls my husband and I had the good fortune to sell 42 books at our book signing event. An employee from the Christian bookstore next door walked over to Hastings and bought a copy!



message 11: by Sharon (last edited Jun 13, 2009 09:17PM) (new)

Sharon Ellis | 176 comments Hi again Petra! Do you mind telling us where in the Carabbean your book shop is? It sounds like a great life.
Your letter to Cliff was so kind and informative to him. You helped me too. Thank you:)
My Title is available thru Ingram (& Spring Arbor) also at Booksamillion and Amazon.com & etc.
Would you consider bringing in a copy? # ISBN 9781606478899. I'll bet you could point people to it and sell it for some good island reading - the way I keep raving to everyone how excited I am that an Angel appeared to me! :)
Is your book shop somewhere we could look up on line - I mean, if I was going on a cruise out of Galveston, which island would I have to go to to see you and your book shop?
thanks Petra!
Sharon


message 12: by Lori, Super Mod (new)

Lori (tnbbc) | 10630 comments Mod
Oh dear, here I came to welcome Cliff, and Ive stumbled on a book writer and seller convention!

:)


message 13: by Cliff (new)

Cliff Ball (cliffball) | 13 comments Petra,
Print on Demand books are snubbed(usually, from some research I've done) by the Library journals unless you want to spend tons of money on Kirkus Reviews/Discoveries, but I'm sure there are exceptions. The company I used to publish
Don't Mess With Earth registered it through Ingrams, and my novel is selling on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Hastings, etc. I've finally gotten two mostly positive reviews of my novel in the last couple of days, so I would hope that helps in some capacity.

Sharon, you're welcome for the information, hopefully our Collections Librarian orders your novel! I'll ask him about it next time I see him.

Lori, thanks for the welcome. Going completely off-topic is fine with me! lol




message 14: by Lisa Julianna (new)

Lisa Julianna (lisajulianna) | 1053 comments Hi Cliff,

Welcome to the group!!


message 15: by Tracy (new)

Tracy (mamallama) | 130 comments Welcome to the group, Cliff! Glad to have you.


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