Author: Melissa Pearl

Melissa Pearl is a Contributing Author for Indies Unlimited and author of multiple novels spanning a variety of genres, from YA fantasy and paranormal to romantic suspense, including award-winning novel, BETWIXT. For more on Melissa, visit her blog or her Amazon author page.

Young Adult vs. New Adult – What’s the real difference?

young adult or new adult on blackboardAll these categories: Young Adult, New Adult, Adult… it can get confusing. Some may have graphic sex, some don’t, some shouldn’t. They all target different age groups. How can someone tell the difference?

Because of all the confusion, there have been many articles written about this and there’s even a Wiki page explaining what the New Adult genre actually is. Since I’ve written in both genres, I’m going to give you my own take on what I think YA vs. NA really means. Continue reading “Young Adult vs. New Adult – What’s the real difference?”

Multi-Author Boxed Set – an Overload or a Success?

Sugar and Spice Boxed SetYou’ve probably all heard of a multi-author boxed set by now. Yes – a bunch of authors get together and each put in one book, then they sell this pack for 99c, usually as an introductory price. Some then raise the price; others make it a short term publishing gig. From a reader’s point of view, it is a very sweet deal. As an author, you make peanuts, but here are some of the good things that can come out of a set like this… Continue reading “Multi-Author Boxed Set – an Overload or a Success?”

Book Giveaway Karma

book karma reading cherubWhen I first started out in this business, I felt like I couldn’t afford to run any book giveaways. Like most of us, I started out with no money, and was hoping to pull off that miracle and shoot to the top with my first novel… you know, be another Amanda Hocking.

I’m kidding. I didn’t really think I could do that, but I did try to scrimp and save wherever I could. I’ve been doing this for three years now and my views have most definitely changed. Now I think you can’t afford not to do giveaways. Continue reading “Book Giveaway Karma”

Release Day Mania

Bulletproof - Share the PostEven with the introduction of pre-order publishing across the board, I still think a book’s release day is a really big deal. A song and dance needs to be made on the day your book goes live. You really want as many people to buy your book on the day of release as possible. Your rankings have a better chance of soaring in that first week than at any other time. I mean, yes, you can do a sale later on in the book’s life and pay for advertising – that’s actually a really smart move, but release day rankings are a sweet spot that should be taken advantage of.

So – how do we get the world buying, or noticing, your book on its release day? While there are many different techniques out there, here are a few I’ve used: Continue reading “Release Day Mania”