Month: April 2013

Flash Fiction Vote-O-Rama

The race is on! It’s that time again. Vote for your choice in this week’s Flash Fiction Challenge.

We had a number of great entries. Kudos to all the entrants. Now IU readers to choose: Who will be this week’s Flash Fiction Star?

Check out this week’s entries here. Vote for your fave then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

 

Your choice in this week's Flash Fiction Challenge:

  • Ed Drury (49%, 19 Votes)
  • Lynne Cantwell (26%, 10 Votes)
  • Yvonne Hertzberger (26%, 10 Votes)

Total Voters: 39

Loading ... Loading ...

Give It Away with Rafflecopter

One of the tools in the promotional arsenal of an author (and also companies, websites, and many other organizations) is a giveaway. People love a chance to win free stuff. Many authors do book giveaways on Goodreads which has some positives (lots of people become aware of your book and add it to their to-be-read list), but some downsides as well. Goodreads only allows paper books to be given away, which has financial implications, not only the cost of the book, but shipping costs that could easily get out of hand if you don’t limit entrants to readers from your home country. By using a 100% off coupon code on Smashwords or emailing an ebook file directly to winners it is possible for an author to do a giveaway of ebooks outside of Goodreads at no cost or, if they prefer, at low cost using their promotional dollars for other prizes (Amazon gift cards or some kind of book swag). Continue reading “Give It Away with Rafflecopter”

Anthems for Authors – Paperback Writer

Being an author can make for a lonely life. Sometimes it’s nice to hear a song that captures the epitome or irony of being a writer. Sometimes it’s just nice to hear words and know for a fact that you and the lyricist “get” – and non-writers probably don’t. It’s kind of like an inside joke or being in a club with someone awesome, like the Fab Four. Yes, I’m talking about Paperback Writer by The Beatles.

This song is full of sarcasm. It makes me smile. How does it make you feel?

If someone you care about just wrote a book….

I have never been comfortable sounding my own horn, so my first two books slipped into the world with minimal fanfare. But for my third book, I have a list of a hundred rooftops from which I plan to shout, because it took many years and tears to write (and rewrite), and I want my characters to find the people who will love their story like I do.

For that and other reasons, I considered launching the book with an actual, in-person event. The problem was that when I mentioned the idea of throwing a party to a couple of people close to me, they said, “What for?” Of course, I thought it would be a fun way to thank everyone who has encouraged me and to introduce them to my new story at the same time. However, that question clarified something I hadn’t realized: Writing a book isn’t considered a life event. After all, it’s not like I had a baby or got married or bought a house or lived another decade. Continue reading “If someone you care about just wrote a book….”