Day: December 19, 2013

Author Interviews – Using the Tool to Your Best Advantage

There is constant discussion in online forums about how to promote our books, how to get our names out there in front of readers, and there are a zillion ways to do that. One such way is the author interview, a particularly friendly, chatty way to connect with our readers.

I know, I know; many of us authors are introverts and not terribly comfortable talking about ourselves. We’d much rather stand behind our books and talk about them instead of ourselves. But it’s a proven fact that people are much more liable to buy books from an author if they feel they know and like that person, rather than just recognizing a name on a cover. And with social media on the rise, people are coming to expect more of that kind of connection with their favorite authors. Continue reading “Author Interviews – Using the Tool to Your Best Advantage”

Featured Book: Wardens of Light and Shadow

Wardens of Light and Shadow (Dracus Saga)
by J.M. Williamson
Available from Amazon and Smashwords.

Wardens. Selected for their strong, innate connection to the lifeblood of the world, these unique individuals were granted the gift of immortality and tasked with the protection of Kylir and its ancient Guardians against the Darkness.

Where once they warred openly, raining unimaginable destruction upon the world, the centuries have seen their conflict shift to the shadows in the hope of gaining victory through the manipulation of the mundane instead of open, devastating conflict. For what victory is there in reigning over a dead world?

On the continent of Triclose, war is life and life is war. For two-hundred years, the proud people of this land have battled for control of the long-empty throne – the Wardens and their war, lost to the annals of myth and legend. The children of this land are raised on stories of their ancestors and noble battles against life-long enemies; thus, with each new generation loyalties are sworn, hatreds renewed, and the wars begin anew.

It is here, even as this never-ending cycle of generational warfare plays out, that events both unexpected and foreseen threaten to draw the ancient Wardens from the shadows and reignite a war with the cataclysmic potential to reshape Kylir for all time. . .

Do Authors Need Publishers?

Do authors need publishers?I’m feeling a little sorry for Steven Zacharias. He’s the CEO of Kensington Publishing, a family-owned publishing company in New York, and this week he wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post about how authors still need publishers. You know, because they offer us so many benefits, like great editorial support and help with publicity.

Yeah, I laughed when I read that, too.

Then I asked him to clarify the following statement: “From what I’ve read, some e-books are quite good but, for every one of these are many more that aren’t.” I wasn’t sure from that whether he had read many indie titles, or whether he was just going by hearsay. Turns out it’s the latter. Mr. Zacharias told me, “I’ve only read a handful of indie published books because it’s natural for a reader to go to the bestsellers where publishers have spent a lot of money marketing that author or book.” Hmm, well, I’m a reader, and I don’t read many bestsellers at all. It’s been years since I’ve found much of anything on the bestseller lists that interested me. Okay, I take that back. I really liked Hugh Howey’s Wool. Oh, that’s right – Howey self-published the series first, didn’t he? Continue reading “Do Authors Need Publishers?”