Why you should create your own bookmarks #AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Bookmarks are a wonderful marketing tool as, unlike a business card, readers will use them and be  (subconsciously?) reminded of your books every time.  The don't cost much to produce to a high standard and are easy to carry and post.

A few years ago I ran an Amazon free promotion weekend and watched as hundreds of books were downloaded in return for two or three reviews (which I probably would have had anyway).  

These giveaways can have their place in your overall 'awareness raising strategy' but after putting over a year of hard work into each of your books, it doesn't feel right to give them away for nothing. 

It can prove particularly expensive with paperback or hardback giveaways, once you take into account international postage and other costs. I used to offer free Goodreads givaways, but now their 'standard' package costs $119 to give away up to 100 copies and the 'premium' package is $599.

I design my bookmarks with a template in Photoshop, upload them to an online printing company (I recommend (Solopress for UK and GotPrint for the US) and they arrive in the post a few days later, so it couldn't be easier.  

Tony Riches

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Do you have more ideas and suggestions for raising awareness of your books? If so, please feel free to add a comment below

The #AuthorToolboxBlogHop is a monthly event on the topic of resources and learning for authors. Feel free to hop around to the various blogs and see what you learn! The rules and sign-up form are HERE below the list of hop participants. All authors at all stages of their careers are welcome to join in.

New Book Spotlight: Edward II The Man A Doomed Inheritance, by Stephen Spinks

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Edward II is one of the most reviled kings in English history. His own wife took a lover and invaded his kingdom and he was forced to abdicate. He brought England to the brink of civil war. His prevailing legacy is the understanding that all kings can fall.

And yet, war, debt and baronial oppression before 1307 ensured that Edward II inherited a toxic legacy that any successor would have found almost impossible to wrestle with. Stephen Spinks explores that legacy using primary sources.

By focusing on Edward's early years and exploring the influence of those around him, Stephen shows the human side of this tale of political intrigue. Stephen Spinks is unequivocal in his assertion that Edward and the murdered Piers Gaveston were lovers, not merely "comrades-in-arms."

Where he saw virtue, his contemporaries saw betrayal...
What could he possibly have done to make a success of his reign?
He was, it seems, doomed by his inheritance.

Historian Ian Mortimer's description of Edward II is the starting point of Stephen Spinks' new analysis of this ultimately tragic story of sex, revenge and savagery.

Stephen Spinks explores that legacy using a wide breadth of contemporary and later sources. By focusing on Edward’s early years as much as on the reign itself, and exploring the conflicting influences of those around him, Stephen shows the human side of this tale against a backdrop of political intrigues, betrayals and revenge. He peels back the layers and seven hundred years of opinion to reveal the man who wore the crown.

Edward’s belief in his unchallenged right to rule, increasingly at odds with those at his court, and his undeniable thirst for revenge creates a 14th-century tragedy on a grand scale.

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About the Author

Stephen Spinks works for the National Trust and manages three Medieval heritage sites. He started researching the fourteenth century in his teens, and has a monthly column in a Midlands magazine. Find out more at Stephen's website 

fourteenthcenturyfiend.com and find him on Facebook and Twitter @SpinksStephen

Cover Reveal — The Du Lac Princess (Book 3 Of The Du Lac Chronicles) By Mary Anne Yarde

War is coming…

The ink has dried on Amandine’s death warrant. Her crime? She is a du Lac.

All that stands in the way of a grisly death on a pyre is the King of Brittany. However, King Philippe is a fickle friend, and if her death is profitable to him, then she has no doubt that he would light the pyre himself.

Alan, the only man Amandine trusts, has a secret and must make an impossible choice, which could have far-reaching consequences — not only for Amandine, but for the whole of Briton.

Book Extract:

“This isn’t a laughing matter,” there was censure in the monk’s words.

“If I don’t laugh then I am going to cry. I have been made to feel like a sinner even though I haven’t sinned, not really. I am a woman without hope and without any friends or family. I have lost everyone I ever loved, and now you tell me that life is going to be difficult. How much more difficult can it get?”

“The Pope has condemned you with Bell, Book and Candle,” Brother Daniel stated. “But that is not all. The Abbot made sure that the Pope was all too aware of your crimes. I am sorry, Amandine, but the Pope will never welcome you back into the Church.”

Amandine gasped, her laughter faded and any colour that was left on her face vanished. “What?” her voice was quiet, barely audible. “But I thought…all the penance. I thought… Tell me it isn’t true.”

“You are damned,” Brother Daniel confirmed. “No one will want you, neither man nor Church. You are completely at the mercy of Philippe. But rest assured, I believe he has every intention of protecting you. I will not lie to you, my dear, you will be shunned, even with the King’s support. The chances of you marrying again are very slim.”

“I wasn’t looking for a new husband,” Amandine said as she tried to make sense of Brother Daniel’s words.

“It also means that you will never be able to leave the protection of the castle. The protection of this room.”

Amandine scoffed with realisation. “I am to be Philippe’s prisoner? Why don’t you just say what you mean?”

“You are not his prisoner, think of it as being his special guest. This is for your own protection. Many would see you hang or worse. I have spoken to the King. Alan will be in charge of your safety from now on. Philippe thought you would find no fault in that, as you and Alan appear to be on good terms. Amandine, you must understand there are many who saw what you did the day Merton died. They saw how you were dressed in his clothes. They saw how you threw yourself at him. How you got down on your knees and begged the King for mercy on Merton’s behalf. They saw how Merton reacted when you were threatened. And those who didn’t will have listened when the Abbot condemned you. You are a fallen woman, a threat to their good Christian souls. Our main concern now is keeping you alive. You must never leave this room. Ever.”

“But I thought—”

“That you were doing penance? So you have said. Did you really think that the Abbot was going to pardon you of all your sins? Oh, Amandine, you are not stupid. He was never going to give you absolution.”

Amandine shook her head, and she began to wring her hands together in despair.

“You must be strong,” Brother Daniel reached across and stilled her hands with his. “And brave. Just like our Lord Jesus was in those darkest of days. Remember, he too was condemned for a crime he did not commit.” He smiled at her and squeezed her hands. “I must leave you now. I shall make sure some food is brought up, but it will be tested before you eat it, so do not fear about being poisoned.”

“Poisoned?” Amandine gasped, she had not even thought of that.

“You need to rest and regain your strength.” Brother Daniel rose to his feet and smiled down at her. “I will be back tomorrow to listen to your confession.”

“If I am damned, then what need do I have to confess?” Amandine asked, staring defiantly back at the monk. “Besides,” she looked away, “I consort with demons. I am evil. I am a sinner. My soul will burn in Hell. I will be damned forever—”

“Ask for mercy, and you will receive it,” Brother Daniel stated, interrupting her.

“I have,” Amandine challenged back, “and look where that has got me.”

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About the Author

Mary Anne Yarde is the Award-Winning author of the International Best Selling Series — The Du Lac Chronicles. Set a generation after the fall of King Arthur, The Du Lac Chronicles takes you on a journey through Dark Age Briton and Brittany, where you will meet new friends and terrifying foes. Based on legends and historical fact, The Du Lac Chronicles is a series not to be missed. Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury--the fabled Isle of Avalon--was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood. Find out more at her blog https://maryanneyarde.blogspot.co.uk/ and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @maryanneyarde.

How to Successfully Market your eBook: A Beginner's Guide by Jo Harrison

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Want to know how to get your self-published eBook in front of people who might be interested in purchasing it? 

This extensive eBook has been created using Jo Harrison's popular, four-part eBook Marketing Mini-eCourse for Authors. The advice you’ll find within is guaranteed to be easy to follow and help bring you those all-important sales.

This short eBook will show you how to:

- Keep energising and promoting your work
- Achieve eBook marketing success
- Become a successful self-published author

Also include marketing tips from previous authors Jo Harrison has worked with, which will provide some extra food for thought

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About the Author

Jo Harrison is a British Virtual Assistant who lives in South West France with two dogs and cat. Over the past 5 years, Jo has worked with both self-published and bestselling authors alike helping them format their books for print and eBook publication. As a virtual assistant, Jo's experience covers designing websites and marketing, including social media and email campaigns, for her clients. For more information see http://joharrison.rocks/ and follow Jo on Twitter @JoHarris0n 

Spotlight on Red Roses, by Amy Licence

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

The Wars of the Roses were not just fought by men on the battlefield. Behind the scenes, there were daughters, wives, mistresses, mothers and queens whose lives and influences helped shape the most dramatic of English conflicts.

This book traces the story of women on the Lancastrian side, from the children borne by Blanche, wife of John of Gaunt, through the turbulent fifteenth century to the advent of Margaret Beaufort's son in 1509, and establishment of the Tudor dynasty. From the secret liaisons of Katherine Swynford and Catherine of Valois to the love lives of Mary de Bohun and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, to the Queenship of Joan of Navarre and Margaret of Anjoy, this book explores their experiences as women. 

What bound them to their cause? What real influence did they wield? Faced with the dangers of treason and capture, defamation and childbirth, read how these extraordinary women survived in extraordinary times.

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About the Author

Amy Licence is an historian of women's lives in the medieval and early modern period, from Queens to commoners. Her particular interest lies in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, in gender relations, Queenship and identity, rites of passage, pilgrimage, female orthodoxy and rebellion, superstition, magic, fertility and childbirth. She is also a fan of Modernism and Post-Impressionism, particularly Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group, Picasso and Cubism. Amy has written for The Guardian, the BBC Website, The English Review, The London Magazine, The Times Literary Supplement and is a regular contributor to the New Statesman and The Huffington Post. She is frequently interviewed for BBC radio and made her TV debut in 2013, in a BBC documentary on The White Queen. You can follow Amy on twitter @PrufrocksPeach or like her facebook page In Bed With the Tudors. Her website is www.amylicence.weebly.com

Corruption of Power‏, by G. W. Eccles

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Independent troubleshooter, Alex Leksin, is asked by President Karpev to report on a planned pipeline to take Russian oil through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Karpev’s strategy is to reduce Russia’s reliance on the West by shifting his country’s vast energy resources to the East. Failure would be catastrophic to his presidency. 

Against a backdrop of political corruption, state sponsored terrorism, and increased Taliban insurgency, Leksin’s investigation takes him from Moscow to one of the world's most sinister countries right at the heart of central Asia. 

Initially, his enquiries reveal nothing to cause alarm. Yet, wherever Leksin goes, someone tries to kill him; people who may be able to help him are assassinated; and information turns to misinformation. 

When at last he discovers the truth, he is no longer sure whom he can trust. 

“An up-to-the-minute compelling thriller that combines political sophistication with traditional gore and glory.” - Ray Snoddy, former media editor of The Times and Financial Times and BBC presenter

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About the Author

George Eccles left London in 1994 to move to Russia and Central Asia during the tumultuous period that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union. His work involved extensive travel throughout Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan - often to places with restricted access to foreigners. During his time there, he advised a number of real-life oligarchs how best to take advantage of the opportunities that became available as regulation crumbled and government became increasingly corrupt. Against this background, while his novels are fiction, many of its anecdotes and scenes are inspired by actual events. His first novel, The Oligarch: A Thriller, received considerable critical success, being awarded a Silver Medal both at the Global E-book Awards 2013 and at the Independent Publishers Book Awards 2013, as well as being selected as IPPY Book of the Day. His second novel, Corruption of Power, was published by Peach Publishing on 14 December 2015. George now lives with his wife - and a cat called Lenin and a bulldog called Boris - in a hilltop village not far from Cannes in the South of France. Find out more at George's website http://www.gweccles.com/ and follow him on Twitter @gweccles. 

Guest Post ~ AboutTheAuthor.co.uk – A Fast and Easy Way to Promote Your Book, For FREE!, by Richard McMunn

I sat down to write my first physical book in 2009, and I have to say it was one of the best things I have ever done.

Since then, I have written and self-published in excess of 150 books. Although it has been a truly life-changing experience, I often found it challenging in the early days to promote my books without having to pay through the nose for the privilege. Through my own personal experience, paying for book promotional services does not always lead to any decent exposure, or even any book sales, to be honest!  In fact, I have often found that I can get far greater exposure for my books by using the many free resources that are out there.

On that basis, I decided to sit down and think about how I could not only help myself promote my own books, but also help other authors to gain free exposure for theirs, too. After a quick Internet search I soon realized that the domain name www.AboutTheAuthor.co.uk was available to purchase. I was actually amazed that the domain was still available to buy, and so I quickly snapped it up for the princely sum of £2.99. I then hired a website developer to create the design for me, and the rest as they say, is history!

I invested quite a bit of my own money into getting the website designed and built, and it has always been my intention to make it an entirely free resource for authors. Basically, I wanted it to be a place where every author could go to in order to promote his or her books.

The website has been a huge success and has attracted hundreds of authors from across the globe. Once an author signs up for their free account, they are then able to: 

• Upload their book to the website, free of charge;
• Upload an image of their book and create a book description;
• Submit an author biography and links to their own website;
• Add BUY NOW buttons and sell their book(s) directly from their own dedicated author page;
• Create and upload a YouTube video to their author page, which can be used to promote their book;
• Offer their book for sale at a discount and also link it to their own website, Waterstones, Amazon and the Book Depository;
• Connect with their readers and fans by inserting their social channels into their page, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter.

In addition to all of the above free features, an author can also tweet and share their page to their Twitter and Facebook followers. Conversely, fans of their books can leave an independent review on the website based on their experiences of the content.

The website is growing very fast indeed and I have plans in the future to develop it further, whilst still keeping it as a free resource for authors around the world.

Hopefully you will take advantage of it yourself by signing of for a free author account and you will also let other authors know of its existence. After all, we can all do with a bit of free exposure for our books every now and then!

Richard McMunn

To start promoting your book on the About The Author website, please visit:

www.AboutTheAuthor.co.uk

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About the Author

Richard McMunn is a former Fire Officer who has written and self-published over 150 books to date. He is the founder of How2Become.com, the UK's leading careers information website. In addition to writing his own books he is passionate about helping aspiring authors achieve their writing and publishing goals. He is always looking for innovative ways to help authors promote their books to a wider audience. Richard lives in Kent, England and spends much of his time in the Lake District, walking with his Labrador dog, Ben. Follow Richard on Twitter @RichardMcMunn.

Potholes on Memory Lane (Or So It Seems) by Robb Lightfoot

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Humor is watching a sailboat sinking... when it belongs to Robb Lightfoot. Here's a collection of short, family-friendly humor about living in the country, having brain fade, rebooting a road trip, and trying to make your kids do their homework.

    About the Author

Robb Lightfoot is a humorist who teaches, writes and performs in Northern California. His work can be sampled on his website at www.robblightfoot.com or read weekly in his trademarked column, "Or So It Seems." He's married to Karin, his partner for more than 31 years. Follow Robb on Twitter @robblightfoot 

Guest Post ~ Kickstarter Campaign for A New Look at Old Words, by Catherine Thrush

New on Kickstarter

When I first came across a reprint of a book written in 1860 by John Camden Hotten called A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant and Vulgar Words. I thought to myself, oh my God! This is exactly what I need!  At the time, I was writing my first historical fiction pirate novel set in the early 1700s and I was looking for colourful and authentic language to salt the dialogue of my pirate crew.

The book was perfect. Not only was it about history, it was history. I ordered it on the spot and waited impatiently for it to arrive. When it did finally appear, I read the introduction and the entire -A- section with excited interest.

However, when I sat down to write with the book next to me, a problem arose. To use a dictionary, one must know the word one wants to look up. I knew the definition, not the word. For example, I wanted a colourful name for a black eye. The only way to find what I wanted would be to read the entire book.

Undaunted, I embarked upon a nine month project to categorize all the words so I could find them quickly and easily when and if I should need them. That was a number of years ago. Recently it occurred to me that this might be a useful resource for other writers and fun for any lexicographers, linguists, or lovers of old words. So after some spit and polish, here it is.

This is not a book of the namby-pamby, hoity-toity words one would expect to hear in the London drawing-rooms of the 1600s through 1800s. This is the street slang, the flash patter of seamen, street-sellers, Gypsies and thieves. As Carl Sandburg once said, "Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work."

A few of my favourite words to give you the flavour:

DIMBER DAMBER: very pretty; a clever rogue who excels his fellows; chief of a gang. Old cant in the latter sense. ─English Rogue.

KILKENNY CAT: a popular simile for a voracious or desperate animal or person, from the story of the two cats in that county, who are said to have fought and bitten each other until a small portion of the tail of one of them alone remained.

LITTLE SNAKES-MAN: a little thief, who is generally passed through a small aperture to open any door to let in the rest of the gang.

SUCK THE MONKEY: to rob a cask of liquor by inserting a straw through a gimlet hole, and sucking a portion of the contents.

KISS-ME-QUICK: the name given to the very small bonnets worn by females since 1850.

BY THE HOLY POKER AND THE TUMBLING TOM!: an Irish oath.

The organization process was subjective to say the least. I had to make a lot of decisions on what should be included where. I aimed for being inclusive rather than exclusive, in the hopes of making finding the perfect word as easy and as natural as possible. I also wanted to avoid being stuffy or formal, while still being informative and useful. I think the original coiners of these words would appreciate that. These words are a lark, I hope I've made learning about them fun as well.

Of course, being an author and an artist, I couldn't resist adding a few paragraphs of commentary and an illustration for each chapter.

While this book started out as a convenience to improve my work as a writer, it turned into a labour of love. Over the course of organizing this book I've come to adore these words. Some are lyrical, a few are frightening, many are funny, and all of them give us a glimpse into life – both the good aspects and the bad – in the 1600 and 1800s. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Catherine Thrush

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About the Author

Catherine Thrush is a San Jose, California based writer and illustrator. Her book, A New Look at Old Words is now on Kickstarter.  Her as-yet-unpublished historical fiction novel/screenplay Lady Blade has won numerous awards including 1^st in Category from The Chaucer Awards, and the Emerging Talent Award from the Monterey County Film Commission. To learn more follow her blog and find Catherine on Facebook and Twitter 
@CatherineThrush. 

How to create a free 3D book cover

The standard book cover image can work well but for some publicity material can look a little flat. If you only have an eBook or need to do some promotion while waiting for your paperback or hardcover edition, a simple ‘3D’ image can be useful.  There are plenty of software packages on the market to do this but here is a simple way to create a 3D cover for free:

• If you don’t have a copyright free 3D master, you can save the example at the top of this post. (Don’t worry about my cover, as that will be hidden.)

• Visit the online PIXLR Editor at http://pixlr.com/editor/   (Pixlr uses Flash, so if you find the editor isn't working and just shows a blank screen, you need to install the Flash player, which is free from HERE )

• Open your 3D 'master' image in the editor, then open your 2D book cover by clicking on LAYER and Open Image As Layer.

• Select EDIT and Free Transform to re-scale your cover image to approximately the right size, and confirm changes.

• Select EDIT and Free Distort then adjust the corners of your image to fit the book cover. You may need to experiment and ‘drag’ the image, moving the corners until it looks right, then save the image as JPG or PNG.

• If you use CreateSpace, you can also also rotate the 3D Preview image to any position then ‘capture’ it using Print Screen or a graphics package:

• Finally, when you do have your hard copy book, give a little thought to the use of a prop, such as a candle, to add interest when you use it with social media:

If you have any other tips and suggestions for how authors can use or create 3D cover images, please feel free to comment below. 

Tony Riches

How to create a free 3D book cover http://t.co/gRKSIFbtJf #writing pic.twitter.com/pemxGro3TM

— Tony Riches (@tonyriches) September 7, 2015

How to Produce a YouTube Book Trailer

Fred Barnard, an enterprising advertising executive in the early 1920s, is credited with the phrase "a picture is worth ten thousand words"  in a headline selling advertising in trams. Fred knew he was on to something - and I wonder what he would have made of the power of a one-minute YouTube video?

With over a billion users, the number of people watching on YouTube each month is up 50% year on year. The problem is that over three hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, so how can you expect your modest book trailer to ever be seen?

The answer is to use it across your author platform. My new video has had under a hundred views on YouTube – but has been widely shared on Twitter and Facebook, as well as uploaded to my Amazon and Goodreads author pages, as well as adding interest to my website. Here then, are the (relatively) simple steps to produce your book trailer:

Invest in simple Video production software

There are plenty of low cost packages on the market, so I chose Cyberlink’s PowerDirector, which has an intuitive ‘drag-and-drop’ visual timeline. As well as being easy to use, PowerDirector optimises your video for YouTube upload. PowerDirector also includes a wealth of free templates and effects, although I recommend keeping things simple.

Track down suitable music

It is important to remember the average span of attention you should expect from browsing book buyers is one minute. This means your soundtrack needs to make effective use of such a short time. You need to make sure it is copyright free or obtain consent – and it is easier to make the video fit the soundtrack than the other way around. My brother kindly composed and produced the music to accompany my previous video for The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham. The new one has an extract from Cantiga 166 by Vox Vulgaris and the Swedish composer Rasmus Fleischer was happy to give permission for its use.

Decide on the text

I find it best to use the book description as a starting point – and this can sometimes highlight ways to improve your wording. Six or seven key points in short sentences are all you should try for in one minute. Try it out on a slow reader before uploading the video, to make sure you’ve allowed enough time.

Select images and video clips

I like to start and end the trailer with a cover shot, although it can be tricky to find copyright free pictures and video clips, Fred Barnard will tell you the effort is definitely worthwhile. There are some useful free images listed in Dana Fox’s post, 30 Free Stock Photo Resources, which also has some useful guidance on image licences.

Apply some effects

The most impressive book trailers are surprisingly sparing with special effects. I try to limit it to simple fades, with one or two effects to grab attention where appropriate.

Produce the video for upload

Most video production packages offer a bewildering range of options. I’ve been using an aspect ratio of 16:9 to encode MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video format in high definition. (MPEG-4 AVC uses better compression than MPEG-2, using less space to produce a video of similar quality with faster uploading.) Make sure you keep all your source files in a folder and back them up, as you’ll need them if you want to update the video later.

Upload to YouTube

If you don’t already have a YouTube account they are free and easy to create and there are instructions here.  You can add the full cover ‘blurb’ for your book as well as purchase links in the video description. I usually create a special ‘thumbnail’ image if I don’t like any of the choices offered by the YouTube uploader.

And finally…

Share with your social networks and upload to your website, as well as your author pages.  When appropriate, you can also add the link to emails - most email systems now allow the recipient to view it within the message.

Good luck!

Tony Riches

      

The Pros and Cons of Book ‘Giveaways’ - an author's experience

After spending a year researching and writing a book, you’ll forgive me if I hesitate for a moment before offering to give it away to readers for free.  It doesn’t help that I once had a disconcerting experience with Amazon’s KDP Select ‘promotion’.  In return for promising exclusivity to Amazon for ninety days, I ran a special giveaway weekend and watched as over five hundred readers happily downloaded their free copies of my book. I waited for the review to roll in. They didn’t.

Then a friend pointed out that although Goodreads giveaways look as if they are only for new books, you can also use them to introduce older books to new readers. This was good news, as I had a couple of paperback copies of my previous novel, The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham. This book had been in the top ten on Amazon UK Historical Fiction Biography since it was published and now I wanted to find an effective way to raise awareness in the US.

The Goodreads program has given away more than 200,000 books since its inception and around forty thousand readers enter giveaways every day.  It’s free to list a giveaway for Goodreads authors - and you choose how many books, for how long and even to which countries. Goodreads recommends to offer ten books - but conscious of the postal costs I limited mine to two and only chose the US, Canada and Europe from the list, running for the last three weeks of July. The link for listing a new Goodreads giveaway is here:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/new

I thought it was a shame that the giveaway is limited to hard copy books – then I remembered my ‘Booklikes’ account. If you haven’t come across it, Booklikes is a great community of readers and authors. As well as reviews and discussions about books, they also offer ebook giveways, so I decided to offer some copies of ‘Eleanor’ at the same time as the Goodreads giveaway.  All you need is a free Booklikes account and the process is very similar, with a simple form here:

http://booklikes.com/giveaways/add

I found my giveaways provided a useful source of material for my social media networks. 'Have my book for free' is unsurprisingly much more popular than the dreadful 'buy my book' messages we see too often. I was also interested to see how widely news of the giveaways was being shared on Twitter and Facebook. 

So how did it all work out?  Well the good news is sales of ‘The Secret Diary’ have really taken off in the US, more than doubling since the giveaways. It is still too early to expect reviews, although both communities of readers are well aware of how much authors appreciate a short review. Goodreads estimate that around 60% of giveaways result in reviews, so fingers crossed.

The cons? Well the ebook versions were easy, as I was sent a list of emails of the Booklikes ‘winners’. Goodreads sent me the addresses of the winners of the paperback giveaway (one in the US and one in Canada) and I had to parcel them up and pay the postage - but it is a tax allowable expense so the real cost is my time. Would I recommend it? Definitely, for as well as the boost for ‘Eleanor’ I’ve seen a spike in sales of my other books in the US and the UK which far exceeds the value of the giveaway copies.

Book Review: Selling Well: The 5 Relationships That Experts, Authors & Coaches Use To Sell 1,000 Books In 21 Days

New on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Ryan Mendenhall is a man on a mission - to help thousands of authors spend the time they invest in book marketing more productively. I've been doing this for about five years now and had to learn the hard way, but I can see how anyone following Ryan's advice could boost sales in a month.

This book draws on Ryan's personal experience as host of The 2014 Book Marketing Summit, where many of the best known names in book marketing and best selling authors met to share some of their top tips.

The five 'Relationships' of the title turn out to be your mindset, message, marketing, [list] members - and of course, your money. I particularly like Ryan's relentless enthusiasm and refusal to be beaten, despite the apparently overwhelming odds against success. 

Book marketing is now an essential part of being a successful author, so Selling Well: The 5 Relationships that Experts, Authors & Coaches Use to Sell 1,000 Books in 21 Days is highly recommended for anyone who wants to sell more books.

(Ryan likes to practise what he preaches, so has set a target of 100 reviews on Amazon. If you are interested in helping him achieve this, email him at Ryan@AuthorsCatapult.com and he will be happy to send you a review kit.)

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About the Author

As founder of Author's Catapult, Ryan Mendenhall brings 12 years of digital marketing experience to the field of his passion: wellness marketing. This includes experts, authors & coaches who facilitate change in the areas of mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, financial, societal & environmental health. Ryan has worked with large companies like 3M, Omniture, Little Giant Ladder and Disney, but has always felt pulled to work with small businesses where he can work directly with the visionaries and feed off their passion. Ryan is an author, coach and speaker. He has an exclusive group success program where he takes wellness experts, authors, bloggers, coaches & speakers through The Book Launch Blueprint to sell 1,000 books in 21 days. Ryan is also developing a program to train authors to implement The 5 Relationships. Find out more at Ryan's website and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @authorscatapult 

Sahara, By Angella Ricot @AngellaRicot

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

When three sisters overhear their father’s overwhelming deal to sell them into prostitution, they immediately take fate into their own hands in search of their own destiny. They embark on a powerful and compelling journey that takes root in the exotic realm of the Caribbean island of Labadee, later to spring fully fledged in the glamorous cosmopolitan city of New York.

Out of the struggle emerges the valiant and beautiful heroine, Sahara, a sensational gold thief who gets herself entangled in sensuous political games and dangerous liaisons. Sahara is a story of love, lust, money, and betrayal that is ingrained with power, politics, and prejudice. The plot spins to a volatile climax that sets the stage for the ultimate scandal in the White House.

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About the Author

Born in Haiti, award-winning author Angella Ricot immigrated to the United States over twenty years ago. A graduate of the University of South Florida, she was trained in both psychology and the medical sciences. She has appeared in the Miami Times and in the New York Caribbean newspapers. Her first book, Mirror of Souls, was released in 2004, with subsequent works pending publication. AngellaRicot currently lives in the heart of the cosmopolitan city of New York. While her rigorous training laid the foundation for her career, her roots in the Caribbean mixed with the zest of urban city life provide the tapestry for her inspirations. Find out more at Angella's website www.angellaricot.com/ and find her on Facebook and Twitter @AngellaRicot 

They Call Me Crazy blog tour‏ ~ Writing Made Me Rich, by Kelly S Gamble

Cass Adams is crazy and everyone in Deacon, Kansas, knows it. But when her good-for-nothing husband, Roland, goes missing, no one suspects that Cass buried him in their unfinished koi pond. Cass gets arrested on the banks of the Spring River for dumping his corpse after heavy rain partially unearths it. The police chief wants a quick verdict—he’s running for sheriff and has no time for crazy talk. But like Roland’s corpse, secrets start to surface, and they bring more to light than anybody expected. Everyone in Cass’s life thinks they know her—her psychic grandmother, her promiscuous ex-best friend, her worm-farming brother-in-law, and maybe even her local ghost. But after years of separate silences, no one knows the whole truth. Except Roland. And he’s not talking.

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Do what you love and the money will follow. I’m not sure who should be credited with this advice, but I’ve heard variations of it my entire life. Do what you love, do what you love, do what you love--- and had I understood that in my early twenties, my life would certainly be different today. However, I was born hard headed, and my idea of ‘doing what I love’ included chasing the money. I always thought if I had a job that paid me a huge salary, the money would allow me the flexibility to be happy, and I would love the job because it gave me that freedom.

It doesn’t always work that way. I have always wanted to write, talk about books all day, and dream up stories all night. But where is the paycheck in that? Of course, there are those writers who hit that overnight bestseller and all their dreams come true. They are few and far between, and I knew that in my early twenties. No, the best thing to do was to get a good job and write in my spare time. Ideal, right? Get the paycheck by day and do what I love on the weekends, however, I neglected to factor in one very important component: Life.

Earning a paycheck is the priority if you look at life from that point of view. Then comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Kelly with a baby carriage, and all that ‘spare time’ available for writing is lost to responsibilities. Of course, I love being a mother, but even to do that in a way I thought ‘appropriate’ required a steady paycheck.

In my forties, when my two sons were teenagers, I found myself telling them "do what you love in life, the money will follow." But how could I, the money chaser, offer those words of wisdom? I decided if I was going to preach, I had better throw something in the plate. So I started writing seriously, finally, for the first time in my life.

A decade later, I have a job as a university Instructor. I talk about books and writing all day and explore my dreams on paper at night. I recently published my first novel and am working on the next. I don’t make the kind of money I used to, but I am happy, because I am finally doing what I love.

And that makes me rich.

Kelly Stone Gamble

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About the Author

Kelly Stone Gamble lives in a hunting lodge in Idabel, Oklahoma, and spends way too much time looking for Bigfoot and the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, both of which are said to reside in her 1,800 acre backyard. When she isn't writing, trying to keep her dog from befriending a skunk, or shooting various wildlife (camera shooting, that is), she teaches Communications, Humanities and English to students at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Find out more at her website: www.kstonegamble.com and find her on Twitter: @KellySGamble and Facebook.

Guest Post By Carmela Cattuti, author of Between the Cracks: One Woman's Journey from Sicily to America

Join Angela Lanza as she experiences the tumultuous world of early 20th century Sicily and New York. Orphaned by the earthquake and powerful eruption of Mt. Etna in 1908, Angela is raised in the strict confines of an Italian convent. Through various twists of fate, she is married to a young Italian man whom she barely knows, then together with her spouse, immigrates to the U.S. This novel is an invitation to accompany the young Angela as she confronts the ephemeral nature of life on this planet and navigates the wide cultural gaps between pre-World War II Italy and the booming prosperity of dynamic young America. Author, artist, and teacher Carmela Cattuti created Between the Cracks as an homage to her great-aunt, who survived the earthquake and eruption of Mt. Etna and bravely left Sicily to start a new life in America. This is the first in a trilogy.

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

The Magic of the Alchemical Process and the Courage of our Vulnerability

Having just published an historical novel based on my great aunt’s experience of the 1908 earthquake in Sicily, I started to think about the alchemical process of growth open to the human race residing on this planet. In order to open ourselves to this transformation process we must have what the Italians call “coraggio,” a quality highly regarded by the culture. The word means courage, but when an Italian says it, it is more of a blessing of confidence to transcend the obstacle or confront the issue at hand. A person with great “coraggio” always triumphs regardless of the outcome. This is especially true of the writing process, particularly when we are dealing with difficult material.

In my novel, I see the main character, Angela, moving into a time line that is regenerative and healing. Many of us living at this period in history possess courage in spades, and are waking up to who we really are. Those who remain steeped in the constructs of religion and politics may take a few more life times to develop enough courage to extricate themselves from these paradigms. But for those of us with enough courage (energetically developed over life times) to face the amount of imposition placed upon the human race from the media, politics, and religion, our transcendence is assured. The time line is created, all we need to do is bring it into our awareness. This is what Angela attempts to navigate. She realizes she cannot stat in Sicily; she has to traverse the unknown to a more positive life.

It took a great deal of courage for my great aunt to survive that massive disaster, then marry a man she hardly knew and immigrate to a strange country. I wrote her story and I am humbled by it. Her younger sister was never found and for the rest of her life she often wondered if she was still alive. Many years later she and her husband returned to Messina to see if they could locate her, but there was no evidence that she had survived the earthquake. I think her story is a tribute to the indomitable human spirit.

From what I can remember of our conversations, she was very much in touch with her inner knowing from the time she was quite young. When she was a child both her parents died and she and her brother were sent to live with grandparents while her young sister was sent to live with an aunt, so from early on she had confronted loss and abandonment. After the earthquake she was even more alone, surviving on the streets until the Americans came and took children aboard ships. She ended up in a convent and was raised by the Sisters of Charity.

Her early life was an intense alchemical experience that strengthened who she was and what she came to the planet to accomplish. A less developed soul without an abundance of courage would have perished or given up. Her relationship with the Catholic Church was superficial and the energy of her worship was focused on the Blessed Mother. Even though she was raised in a strict religious atmosphere where her behavior was closely monitored, the construct of religion was not a force behind her spiritual beliefs. She was vulnerable to criticism for her “Mary Worship” by the Italian Community, but she persisted in having an altar devoted to Mary in her home regardless. As writers, is it imperative that we develop the same stamina and we continue to explore unknown territory, not only for our personal development but for our readers’.

Angela was bombarded with family obligations and tragedy, but she persisted in her spiritual development and serving others, even when they were less than kind. Her influence on my life has been profound and when I think I am having a difficult time filling a page, I refer to her life and it puts everything into perspective.

Carmela Cattuti 

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About the Author

Carmela Cattuti is a writer, visual artist, and teacher. She is the author of Between the Cracks, a novel based on her great aunt's inspirational journey from Sicily to the U.S. Carmela is a graduate of Boston College's masters program in literature. Join her Facebook community, find her on her Twitter, visit Carmela's blog and hear her talk at Blogtalk Radio.