Celebrating Independent Authors
Victoria Ann Carr is the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge.
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 “Victoria Ann Carr Wins Flash Fiction Challenge”
Over the next few months, I’m planning on sharing some of the things I’ve learned about marketing since publishing my first book in 2011. To be honest, I’ve found marketing the hardest part of publishing a book. You work your guts out to get this product ready and then you have to work even harder to let the world know about it.
Last month, I chatted about the usefulness of cover reveals, this month I want to talk about collaborating with a publicist.
When I first started out in this business I thought if I saved my pennies and spent as little as possible, I’d make more money. It took me way too long to figure out that this is indeed not true. Money needs to be spent in order to be recouperated. I’m not saying be frivolous; wisdom and care is still needed in choosing what you pour your money into, but if you want to look at making a bigger impact in the market, then money does have to be invested to some degree. Continue reading “Working With a Publicist”
One of my recent posts concerned a very public tantrum from an author unhappy that a book blogger didn’t like her book. In the comments of that post Lynne Cantwell theorized that reviewers were subjected to a lot of bad author behavior that never went public. She’s right. I’ll be quick to add that in my recent experience bad behavior is the exception, even when giving a negative review. I’ve had several authors email to say they’d had their book re-edited or proofed again, neglected to send me an updated copy, and that getting dinged on the review for a less than stellar job on the version we received was justified. I’ve had authors email to say my complaints were valid and they were using my feedback to up their game in the future. Authors who do their homework have figured out that a public fight with a reviewer never turns out well.
However, as Lynne posited, this doesn’t mean authors no longer react in inappropriate ways to bad reviews. This post is the story of one such recent experience of mine. Continue reading “More on Author Behavior”
Feast of Fates
by Christian A. Brown
Genres: fantasy, fiction, romance
Available at Amazon
Morigan, handmaiden to a kindly sorcerer, discovers long-buried powers she never knew herself to possess. Visions plague her, of a devastating madness descending on one of the Immortal rulers of the realm. Morigan’s powers hold the key to stopping a war if she can survive the plots against her.
Excerpt:
Throughout the day, in fleeting moments, she saw the king around; removed from his armor and dirty as a common man in wear and work. He was always fixing something: a person, a cart to be readied for the mortal migration, even the shoe on a child’s foot. No task was too small or too far beneath him, and while she respected this, she felt that much of it was penance. Whatever he spoke of back on the shore of Lake Tesh, these seasons and promises, the reason for his army marching south, it would end in tragedy. And she pitied him for it. She didn’t know why, and more than once she stopped to hold her tears as she thought of his sad, stormy beauty.
What others are saying:
“The love that Christian weaved into his magical and mystical tale will make you fall in love with love.” – Teresa Gomes, Amazon.