Author: K. Rowe

K. Rowe is an experienced and prolific multi-genre author. She draws from over twenty years of active Air Force service. Kathy lives in eastern Kentucky with her husband and a zoo of farm animals. Among her many duties she finds time to offer services as a publishing consultant for new authors. Learn more about Kathy from Facebook, and her Amazon author page.

Indie Publishing Platforms: Xin Xii

Somewhere around December of 2011, I discovered the eBook site Xin Xii. Not sure where, maybe it was Facebook. I decided what the heck; I’ll post a few of my short stories up there and see what happens. I’d never heard of the site, and frankly, I’m not even sure how to pronounce the name. Maybe like “Zin Zii” or “Hin Hii”- who knows! Anyone want to take a stab at that?

I believe they’re based in Germany. Because of that, if you want to publish with them I highly recommend reading the Xin Xii FAQ page. It will answer questions you might have about a foreign business and their practices. Continue reading “Indie Publishing Platforms: Xin Xii”

Social Media and Social Graces

I like you, will you like me? Here’s my Facebook author’s page… And you’re all reading that sing-song style like that annoying purple dinosaur, right? Does it irritate you when you log into Facebook and find you have a message from someone who said they liked your page, and will you like theirs? To me, that’s SPAM. If you discovered my page through someone or some outlet (like the back of one of my books), that’s cool. There’s probably not a single author out there that would turn down a “like” on their fan page (unless it’s someone who is an ex, a stalker, or just plain creepy). But to ask for a reciprocal like just because they liked your page—that’s bordering on rude. Continue reading “Social Media and Social Graces”

My $5 Advertising Experiment

Okay, I’ll admit, I’m cheap. I hate to pay for things that I can get for free. Don’t you? And there are lots of free eBook advertising sites out there if you’re willing to take the time and find them. I’ve used many to very good success. A post on EReader News Today sent my free eBook, Space Crazy, to the #4 slot on Amazon in its category (sci-fi/space opera) and had over 1,000 downloads in one day. Some of you may not think that’s huge, but to me, a small fish in the Indie sea, it was. Any free exposure is good exposure.

So why did I decide to spend money on advertising? As the title states, it’s an experiment. I wanted to see if paying something for ad space got me anything. I found a smaller site on Facebook called Sweet Free Books.com (http://sweetfreebooks.com/). They were currently offering ads as low as $5. My ultra-cheap meter dinged. Five bucks was perfect to carry out the experiment. Continue reading “My $5 Advertising Experiment”

Getting it Right: Horses and Tack

Horses, ah, yes, magnificent creatures: bold, beautiful, noble, fast, and usually misunderstood by the common person. Yup, you got it, Joe Schmo on the street couldn’t tell a Hackney from a Hanoverian. So why should writers need to know? Because there are several million horse owners/lovers in the world; and chances are, they like to read too.

You’ve decided to write a story involving equestrian sports. And just where do you start if you don’t have a clue about horses? To the internet! If you can narrow down your story, you have a better chance of getting the right research material for the job; thus presenting a more believable story.

Okay, I’m a horseperson. I’ve been riding and training 20+ years. But that doesn’t make me an expert on everything horse. Admittedly, I have a library of over 200 horse books. Yes, I own three horses. And when it’s not chucking down rain, or knee deep in mud, I get to ride once in a while. But I don’t claim to know everything about them. Continue reading “Getting it Right: Horses and Tack”