I took a day trip with the freckle-faced girl recently to the United States. We live in Canada, a few miles from the border, so occasionally Costco’s ice cream or some other worthy endeavor calls to us. I’m in charge of the shopping cart duties and with some minor instruction I usually manage to fulfill my obligation. We have a Nexus pass that allows us to get into the fast lane when we cross. This makes the process easier, but, even with my youthful transgressions occurring many moons ago, and nary even a speeding ticket to my name in years, I still get a bit nervous when I reach that little window. I keep thinking there’s something that I’ve forgotten to mention, and the border guard will click his little mouse, and check his computer screen. His eyes will light up like a UFO saucer and I’ll have some explaining to do. Continue reading “Could Researching My Book Get Me in Trouble?”
Author: Martin Crosbie
Martin Crosbie is the administrator of BookDoggy.com and writer of seven published novels. His self-publishing journey has been mentioned in Publisher’s Weekly, Forbes Online Magazine, and Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. You can learn more about Martin on his Amazon author page.
Maybe, it’s the book?
With most ventures, if we try to emulate our more successful peers and mirror their efforts we can sometimes duplicate their successes. This can apply to book publishing too. In darker days, as I attempted to climb the corporate ladder, I was told to dress and act as though I was working at the position above me. Working hard and adopting the habits of successful people can help us succeed. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. We can publish our books, utilize the same formatters, cover designers, and editors that bestselling, self-published authors are using. We can advertise our work on sites that have helped authors hit the USA Today bestsellers list. And, we can connect with readers through the same social networks where top authors spend their time. All of these methods can help us climb to the top of the mountain and sell books. There is one caveat though – you have to have written a book that readers want to read. Without that all-important factor you may briefly achieve some success, but it probably won’t last. Continue reading “Maybe, it’s the book?”
One Billion Reader Views on Wattpad = Publishing and Movie Deal
Just like the redheaded girl from science class, Wattpad often goes unnoticed, and is usually underestimated. Wattpad is a site where authors can post stories or segments of their stories and readers can read them and interact with the author. Currently it’s one of the top one thousand most viewed websites in the U.S. and is in the top fifteen hundred worldwide (according to Alexa). Those are exceptionally impressive rankings. The site boasts thirty-five million readers, and because Wattpad is mobile-friendly, most readers are reading on their portable devices. Although Young Adult releases seem to be their most popular categories, there is serious traffic in all genres. Continue reading “One Billion Reader Views on Wattpad = Publishing and Movie Deal”
What Do Book Reviewers Really, Really Want?
When we submit our masterpieces to a review site or blog hoping for some feedback (and of course a 5 star review on Amazon and Goodreads), there are rules. Each site has its own submission guidelines. We have to follow these of course, but sometimes, even when we stay within those parameters we’re still unable to attract the attention of those elusive reviewers. Well, they are busy. They’re all trying to wade through the virtual piles of eBooks that are submitted to them. I wanted to know, other than following the rules and presenting a professional product, what entices professional reviewers to check out a book.
I polled a few reviewers and I asked them one question (well, two actually):
Other than being attracted to a book because it falls within your favored genre, are there other factors that sway you in picking one book over another? If so, what are they? Continue reading “What Do Book Reviewers Really, Really Want?”