Month: March 2013

Review-Only Virtual Tours: Are You Paying for Reviews?

I have to tell you that the whole time the sock puppet controversy was raging, I was cringing inside. The reason? I’ve paid for reviews. Kind of. Oh, not through some fly-by-night “good reviews guaranteed!” outfit. Instead, I’ve bought a couple of review-only blog tours.

I talked last week about virtual blog tours. If you missed that post, you can read it here. One of the flavors of tours that most outfits offer is the review-only tour, in which the operator recruits a number of bloggers to read and review your book. The tour operator asks you to provide a copy of your book, or a coupon or gift card so the reviewer can buy a copy, as well as the usual stuff: blurb, cover image, author picture, and buy links. If the reviewer hates your book, he or she can use the other materials to put together a book feature to run instead of a scathing review. Most of the time, bloggers will post their reviews not only on their blog, but also on Amazon and/or Goodreads, which of course helps your rating. Continue reading “Review-Only Virtual Tours: Are You Paying for Reviews?”

Flash Fiction Star of the Week: Dick C. Waters

Congratulations to Dick C. Waters, the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. Thanks also to everyone who participated – excellent entries!

The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.

Without further ado, here’s the winning entry:

Continue reading “Flash Fiction Star of the Week: Dick C. Waters”

Sarah Ettritch Announces New Title

Author Sarah Ettritch is pleased to announce the release of her new cozy mystery, The Missing Comatose Woman.

Private eye Casey Cook lands her first case, and it’s a doozy: find a missing comatose woman. Eager to prove herself, Casey does whatever it takes to get answers, from pretending to be pregnant to fawning over a hairless cat.

As she runs into one dead end after another, Casey wonders whether she should have left her retail job. Determined to show that she can do the PI thing, Casey refuses to give up, chases down every lead, and snags herself a girlfriend along the way.

The Missing Comatose Woman was released in February 2013 by Norn Publishing and is currently available in print and as an eBook from Amazon.com, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Amazon UK, and other online retailers.

My Love Affair With Scrivener

Guest post
by Lara Reznik

I have over twenty-five years managing software trainers, computer techs, and program developers, combined with about the same amount of time as a novelist and screenwriter. So I believe it’s fair to say, I possess good credentials to recognize a sensational software program for authors from both a technical and an end-user perspective. From the moment I viewed the features of the Scrivener program, it was love at first sight. Coincidentally, the same thing had happened the day I met my husband.

When I went online to purchase the program, I discovered that not only did it cost only $45, but, the vendor offered a free week trial. It almost sounded too good to be true. With virtually nothing to lose, I downloaded it that afternoon. After using it for one full writing day, I paid my $45 cognizant I had found a lifetime writing partner. Continue reading “My Love Affair With Scrivener”