What I wished I'd known before I published!

Discovering Book Tags

by

Louise Wise

This month, I've asked authors to send in their contributions for what they wished they'd known before they'd published.

The eBook publishing industry is changing all the time and it's difficult to keep up, and when I first started out not only were the words 'eBook' and 'Facebook' a twinkle in the developer's eye, I seemed to be the only struggling author in THE WORLD!

That's how it felt, but I've come a long way since then, or so I thought, until, only a few months ago, I realised the potential of tags: a keyword or label given to your book after uploading onto Amazon (or Smashwords, D2D etc).

These tags not only help the customer find books, but allows your book to rise to the top of a category with only one or two sales: say you have tagged your book with romance, love, coming of age, friendship.

The romance and love tag are common, but coming of age less so and friendship even more. These are the categories where your book has the opportunity to hit the top spot when it's lagging at 100,000 in the charts. And once it hits that top spot it has more chance of being seen and pulling in readers from other directions.

So study your book's possible tags and use them wisely.

Sequel to Eden...

HUNTED

Buy from

Your Amazon

Jenny was marooned on Eden a long time ago. As a woman from the 23rd century and living life in the fast lane, adapting to her prehistoric world was never going to be easy. She tamed Fly, her alien lover, and fell in love with her new life. She has everything she wants: an alien man who loves her.

But then he's taken away.

Jenny's out for revenge.

Eden's sequel - HUNTED

Win a copy of YA novel Life and Times of the Heir and the Keeper

by 

Etta King 

Ah the guest blog! My time to shine! What shall I share? This is rather like a “Show and Tell” isn’t it? Hmmm…well I think I’ll go back in time a bit – not too far – and take a peek at a little episode in dear Jonathan’s life. Now Jon is sort of the quintessential prodigal son; he just loves doing whatever he wants, bucking convention (why should he join the legacy of Reinhardt men inducted into the Keepers?) and breaking hearts (didn’t an ex call him Delish? Yum!), yet he always finds his way home (figuratively, of course, since he can’t wait to leave his grandfather’s mansion…hey! I never said he was sane!). But don’t the daring ones always have the most fun? Go to the best parties? Kiss the cutest girls? Perhaps there’s a method to this madness? Let’s see…the year was…I’m blanking…the grade? 11^th! Oh high school, the wonder years…

Jon

I was exhausted. But in a good way. A sated way. That was pretty much the only reason I was smiling at the gentle nudging that was bringing me out of my coma. I didn’t even have the blinding headache I associated with any and all brands of Tequila. I was in an Aybee-trance. AB Baby, my sort-of, maybe, probably girlfriend. Angelica B. McCarthy, to anyone who wasn’t a ‘close and personal friend.’ Which was a grand total of probably five people. Yeah, AB was very popular. She was also insanely cute. No, not hot, cute. She was a Blake Lively, not a Megan Fox; you never could bring yourself to hate her, you just wanted her to notice you. She had that effect, a subtle glow that made even teachers curry her favor. And I was lying in her bed. How I’d gotten up here, I couldn’t remember. What we’d done? Well I remembered that. That brought a second smile to my lips.

“I know what you’re thinking.” She whispered in my ear.

I had to laugh. Somehow, I didn’t doubt that; she had a way of guessing people’s thoughts.

“You need to get up; I’m riding with Kit this morning.”

I opened my eyes and raised a brow at that. Christopher, who insisted everyone call him Kit, was her British “cousin.” The air quotes were unimagined; I was pretty sure Kit and I were as related as he was to AB. I couldn’t mentally reconcile what I knew was a lie, but I consoled myself with the fact that at least I knew.

“Why are you riding with him, you could be riding with me,” I replied with a crooked smile. It was corny and I knew it, but she laughed.

“I promised,” she said, brushing her hair out of her face. “Besides, Cassidy needs the exercise, and you haven’t ridden since…” She paused and chewed her lip before continuing. “Anyway, you know it doesn’t mean anything.”

How to edit you're novle affectively.

OK, keep your wig on. The title was MEANT to be full of errors . . . actually, I have no idea if 'affectively' is wrong or not, that's why I hire editors for my books. Here, on WWBB, I do my own editing and if unsure of the word I won't use it. It's that simple.

Editing really is that easy: hire, hire, hire or do not write that/a word.

It boils down to ONE reason why a writer won't hire an editor:

Arrogance.

Under the umbrella of arrogance they will tell you that family or friends are good enough to edit for you or 'editing kills unique writing'. They'll even say that their qualifications enables them to edit properly.

Even editors need editors. Put it this way, do you check your appearance in the mirror before leaving the house? Or do you trust yourself that your breakfast isn't stuck in your teeth or beard?

The mirror will tell you.

So will an editor.

Louise Wise is the author of two comedy romances:

The Fall of the Misanthrope: I bitch, therefore I am 

A Proper Charlie  

And one 'spicy' sci-fi romance:

 Eden

And a non-ficiton novelette:

So You Want an Author Platform? 

Agatha Christie with added mayhem - The Ratcatcher

by 

Tim Steven

Like many thriller readers and writers, particularly of the male variety, I grew up on the novels of Alistair Maclean. What appealed to me about his books wasn’t just the exciting adventure plots, but also how they nearly always contained a ‘whodunit’ element. The best of them had a disparate group of people trapped in a life-threatening situation, and you always knew from early on that one of them was a traitor or a saboteur of some kind; part of the fun was trying to work out which of them it was. It was like Agatha Christie with military weapons.

In my début thriller Ratcatcher I wanted to do something similar. A group of disaffected former soldiers are planning to assassinate the Russian president at a summit meeting in Estonia on the Baltic Sea. Which of the three British MI6 agents trying to foil the plot is actually working with the terrorists? To complicate matters, I made the treacherous MI6 agent one of the point-of-view characters. To complicate them further still, I included both women and men among the suspects, so the sex of the traitor was in doubt.

I got round the problem of hiding his/her identity in the point-of-view scenes by referring to our rogue agent throughout as ‘the Jacobin’, a nickname allocated by one of the other characters. Trickier was the task of disguising the person’s sex, and it involved a fair amount of stylistic and grammatical gymnastics to avoid all reference to ‘he’ or ‘she’. Not that this has any bearing on the finished product – readers want to enjoy a good story, not marvel at how cleverly the author has wielded the language, unless they’re fans of Martin Amis – but I actually found this quite a stimulating exercise as a writer.

The other element of mystery in my novel was the method of assassination chosen by the terrorists. In an odd way, it was like one of the central puzzles in a country-house murder mystery, except the question wasn’t, ‘How could the murderer possibly have done it when the room was locked from the inside?’ but ‘How are the terrorists going to kill the president when every point of access to him has been anticipated and closed?’ This posed a serious problem. I had an idea how to pull it off, but it took extensive (and admittedly very haphazard) research online to find out if a particular piece of technology existed that might serve my purposes. And I did want to stay within the bounds of plausibility; I wasn’t writing science fiction.

Once I’d discovered that the technology needed by my terrorists did in fact exist, I needed to find out more about it. And everywhere I looked, I found the same basic information, but not the in-depth, down-and-dirty detail I wanted. I asked a couple of ex-soldiers I knew, but it was beyond them. I joined a few online forums to pick the brains of the military eggheads there, but had no luck. One person even emailed me with a friendly warning that I had to be careful about asking questions like this online, as they might come to the attention of shadowy outfits monitoring the web for signs of terrorist activity.

In the end, I decided it didn’t matter. If detailed information about a particular weapons system was so secret that only the manufacturers and their military sponsors were aware of it, then I could safely speculate about the nuts and bolts in my book without worrying about looking sloppy in my research to the average reader. This works as a general principle for writers of fiction, I think: do your research, but don’t be so terrified you might get a few details wrong that it takes your focus away from writing a good story.

Oh, and if anyone reading this is an insider in the armed forces or intelligence services of a certain Middle Eastern country and decides to read my novel, I’d welcome your feedback and corrections. With not a little trepidation, I should add.

Present day, alternate world, different rules

by

Alison Morton

Writing crime and thrillers with an alternate history setting throws up twin challenges – to tell a tense, fast-paced story with a punchy ending plus get the historical background right. Historical? Well, yes. Unless a writer knows their history, they can’t alternate it. Knowledgeable readers out there will be disappointed if a writer makes a serious blooper when projecting history in a different direction. And disappointing the reader is a writing crime.

Alternate history stories, whether packed with every last piece of information about their world or lighter where the alternative world is used as a setting with bare detail released only when crucial, need to follow three ‘rules’: nail the point of divergence from the real time line that has carried on in our world; show how the alternate world looks and works; and flesh out the consequences of the split. Writing crime, mystery and thrillers in this environment ain’t easy, but it’s fun!

Readers can take cops being gentle or tough, enthusiastic, intellectual or world-weary. Law enforcers are all genders, classes, races and ages and stand in various places along the personal morality ruler. But whether corrupt or clean, they must act like a recognisable form of cop. They catch criminals, arrest and charge them and operate within a judicial system.

In alternate history, writers draw on history before the point of divergence as C J Sansom does in Dominion. But he then goes on to stretch and distort the functions of the Special Branch we know into a Gestapo-like force and the Special Constabulary into the Auxiliaries similar to the French Second World War milice. In my own earliest story in the series set in the mid-twentieth century in a country founded sixteen hundred years ago by Roman refugees, the town cops are still called ‘vigiles’ after the ancient Roman ones; then, they caught thieves and robbers, put out fires and captured runaway slaves. They were supported by the Urban Cohorts who acted as a heavy-duty anti-riot force and the even the Praetorian Guard if necessary. The modern vigiles in my earliest alternate story carry out the functions of a police force that anybody would recognise today. And there is still a Praetorian Guard, but a very modern one. Both services have to deal with the criminal mind whether rational, completely disconnected from societal norms, opportunistic or terrorist.

Something to remember, especially when writing a series, is to let organisations develop. My vigiles are disbanded then re-formed as ‘custodes’ in the three later stories following a catastrophic civil war. They evolve in a similar way that London Bow Street runners gave way to Sir Robert Peel’s Bobbies who in turn developed into the modern Metropolitan Police.

Legal practicalities in alternate history stories can be quite different to those in our real timeline, but they must be consistent with history of that society while remaining plausible for the reader. My alternate world has examining magistrates (echoing ancient Roman practice) and a twenty-eight day post-arrest, pre-charge detention period which police services in our timeline would probably love! Questioning is robust, but there’s no gratuitous physical brutality – things have moved on since ancient Roman times when the punishment officer would take a criminal off into the corner and beat him into a pulp. In the 21st century, the approach is more psychological, wearing the detainee down, but the odd slap creeps in.

If writing in any foreign language environment, whether in this world, off-planet or in a different time, using local words for police, e.g. ‘Schupo’, ‘carabinieri’ or ‘custodes’ enriches the setting. But the writer has to explain in a non-obvious way. An example from my earliest book:

He handed me his card. “Kriminalpolizeikommissar Huber – GDKA/OK”. Juno, he was one of the German Federated States organised crime investigators. We were in the big time here. I glanced up at him, but he looked even grimmer, if it was possible. I decided to play safe.

The same applies for slang, which naturally peppers any thriller with police and military characters:

‘Dear me,’ he murmured, ‘you are a cross little scarab, aren’t you?’

I knew he was winding me up by using scarab, the derogatory word for the custodes. I might deal with a lot of shit in my job, but I was no dung-beetle.

Getting professional help? Do your research first! If writing a contemporary police thriller, writers should at least read around the basics; detection and arrest procedures, forensics, interviewing and case development. For political or military thrillers, the same applies for structures, chain of command, intelligence procedures and weaponry. Apart from watching television and movies and reading other writers’ books, I find Wikipedia is an excellent place to start if researching a specific force, police service or weapon. After that, most libraries and bookstores will have real life accounts written by former members of those services. For legal background, you could start with the lawyers’ associations and see if they have any public education programmes, similarly the probation and social services. If you ask reasonably intelligent, specific questions (make a list!), serving and retired professionals will usually be delighted to help you, especially if you mention them in the acknowledgements.

If you’re writing in a historical whodunit or thriller, then as well as the reading, you are probably going to become good friends with your county archivist and possibly the British Library staff. As you have no living professional to consult, you should find at least two preferably three sources for your information. Law enforcement officers’ roles, powers and practices varied hugely in the past and if policing existed at all in some past eras, it was often carried out by the military. You soon get to know your Tacitus from your Pliny or Caesar!

Crime, mystery and thrillers are one of the most popular genres in our bookshops, whether online or bricks and mortar. Whether you have a historical, contemporary or alternative setting, research and meticulous accuracy are the watchwords for keeping on the right side of the writing law.

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Author Alison Morton

Alison Morton has a master's degree in history, has served time as a translator and soldier, and is a deep-steeped ‘Roman nut'. 

Currently living in France, she writes Roman-themed alternate history thrillers and her first novel, INCEPTIO, will be published by SilverWood Books in March 2013.

Watch this space!

The Biggest Block to an Indie Writer's Success

by

Clyo Beck

When you first conceived of your book, it was so exciting. In the creative flow, you probably told yourself that you would have no trouble getting it published because what was coming through was so darned good. It would be a gift to the world.

What you didn't tell yourself was that editing and preparing it for publication would be easy. Or fun. Or cheap. You didn't affirm that you would connect with the perfect publishing platform because you weren't at all sure that you would. Neither did you jump up and down with joy at the thought of marketing your book.

In fact, as you recall the process you went through, you may realize that, at times, you felt almost apologetic about writing a book. Sometimes you couldn't tell if your writing was brilliant or a bunch of poop. Doubts about yourself and the value of your writing kicked in. Who were you to be so audacious? Who were you to expect to be published? Who were you to make money when so many other writers don't make a dime?   

Yet, we're in an Indie revolution; so you decided that you would self-publish. After all, who has time to deal with the endless submissions and rejections associated with traditional publishing? Who wants to play the Catch-22 game of "you must have an agent to get published, but you must be published to get an agent." Besides, how hard could it be to publish a book yourself?

With the desire to write so fervent within your soul, you had no choice but to keep writing, and it was exhilarating. As idea after idea came to you, and as the pieces of the puzzle that was your book came together, you felt on fire. This had to be your higher guidance kicking in, right? You had to be writing for an audience who really needed—and would love—what you offered…right? Your book would just have to sell…right?

But then that inner doubter—the one embedded in you when you were a little kid—started circling you, like a vulture. While it couldn't stop the flow of inspiration coming through, it started to sabotage you. The result is that you started to doubt yourself and everything about your process. Then things started to snowball. You signed a contract with a print-on-demand publisher before your book was finished. You found yourself facing a deadline you had to meet or you'd forfeit your deposit.

As a result, you didn't have time to take your chapters to a critique group or read through your book out loud. Tired of trying to figure out whether your writing was good enough or not—and in a panic to get your book up and just be done with it so you could try and recoup the money you were investing in self-publishing—you decided you could do without a professional edit.

After all, what could it hurt? You can write, right? And, besides, these are your words. Why do they have to be edited? Why can't they stand as you first wrote them? Isn't that what will make your book unique? What can anyone else possibly add to what has emerged from you? And how dare they think to subtract anything? Besides, editors are too darn expensive.

So you rushed yourself into self-publishing with a print-on-demand publisher. The bad news is that your book isn't selling. So you feel sick, and like a failure. You don't even tell people you wrote a book. You're afraid they'll read it and think less of you because, secretly, you're afraid your book is junk and doesn't measure up, especially since you discovered a couple of typos in it. Worse, you are afraid to try again. You are afraid to write another book.

So, what's happening? Wasn't the Indie movement supposed to empower you? Weren't you supposed to be earning your living as an author by now? What's going on?

Wanted: guest bloggers/writers/munchins/and YOU...

for December.

I am looking for articles on the subject of crime/suspense/mystery writing. Talk us through your genre. How do you research the criminal mind? What legal (if any) practicalities do you have to abide by? What professionals (police, lawyers) do you talk with to help you with your research? Are they helpful? How do you keep the element of mystery in your novel? Why is there always a miserable/grumpy cop and a happy/naive rookie? How do you keep the villain a surprise in a whodunit?

If you're not a crime writer (or anything under that umbrella), doesn't matter. I also want guest posts on the subject of EDITING. Can you edit too much? Who is your editor? Want to name and credit them, or name and shame them? What is your editing process? Is it possible to self-edit? What do you think of authors who release their books without editing or those who shamelessly say they are waiting for sales before they can pay for an editor? Is there a quick way to edit? Any tips you want to share?

You get a byline, your book added to Book Junkies , and tweeted and retweeted on Twitter (Triberr) to thousands of followers. Click the contact button top left of screen and let me know you're interested, and I'll email you straight back.

I've a delightful line up already (but more the merrier!), who are, in no particular order:

Jeff Johnson and Hy Conrad
Larry Ivkovich
Shelly Frome
Aliza Mann
Anne R Allen
Naomi Rabinowitz
Clyo Beck
John Hudspith

I hate sex! It's icky, repetitive, time consuming, sweaty and pointless . . .

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Amazon.com

in books.

Unless it's erotica, and then it's kinda the main ingredient. So I always cut to the chase, boy meets girl, boy like girl and vice versa, a couple of kisses, and then it's the next scene. Job done.

I can not make sex sexy. The name of every body part has me giggling. How many times can you say 'velvet sheath' or 'lady garden' without laughing? 

I blogged about it last year in my post I can't Perform in the Sexual Department, and even though it made people giggle you'd have hoped I'd have a different story to tell this year, wouldn't you? But no, I STILL, prefer to miss those scenes out. Maybe it's because, as a reader, I skip them to get to the main gritty story.

But then, I began getting a few reviews for Eden from people saying the sexual tension was thick but they were disappointed that it didn't lead to anything. Oh, dear! And even more shocking Eden has a few tags of 'erotica'. Not my intention! Flattered, that I got the sexual tension right, but the book is about acceptance, love and survival above anything else, and the theme Beauty and the Beast, is so far away from erotic fiction.

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In my latest release, The Fall of the Misanthrope: I bitch, therefore I am, I wrote two sex scenes. One was so raunchy it involved oral sex, but I cut it. And I'm glad I did. You see, you HAVE to stay true to the genre you're writing for.

I'm pleased my books are romantic and 'thick with sexual tension', but I'll leave the full blown sex scenes to the experts!

Article by Louise Wise
#wwbb

ROCK-ROMANCE - A MADE-UP GENRE!

by

Pam Howes

Oddly enough I never intended to be an author. When I began to write it was never meant to be fiction. I thought I might do articles based on the 60's music scene in my home city of Manchester and try to sell them to Mojo magazine or the NME. I'd always had a creative bent and spent a long time running my own Interior Design business. But a change of lifestyle and circumstances in the mid-nineties kind of threw me in the direction of writing and once I started I found it hard to stop. But the factual music-scene-book I'd thought myself destined to write actually turned into more and characters began to develop. Suddenly I had a tale flowing and the more I wrote the more I enjoyed the process of weaving a story around fictional rock band The Raiders, and their lives and loves. That original story Three Steps to Heaven was re-written God knows how many times until I was happy enough to let people read it. The trouble is it was hard to class it in a genre.

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Amazon.com

It wasn't really a family saga, although it featured families and it was a saga! It wasn't, strictly speaking, romance, although there are romantic passages throughout, nor could it be classed as historical, as the sixties isn't quite that yet, or so I'm told. It could be drama - well maybe, there's plenty in it and I'm told it would make good TV viewing. It wasn't chick-lit, no fluffy girls in it, just rock chicks! And although there are a few sexually explicit scenes between the drummer and his girl, I wouldn't describe them as erotic. So what the devil to class it as? It was certainly a problem. Then it struck me - I'd have to invent my own. And so, the genre of Rock Romance was born. Amazon, of course, doesn't recognise it as a genre, and my books currently sit in sagas and romance, but it's how I promote my work. I now find it easy when someone asks me what type of story I write. It always provokes a question and answer session and with most people having a feel for a bit of nostalgia for the sixties, I can usually make a sale or two.

Since that first novel I've written two further books in my Rock'n'Roll Romance Series and am about to publish the fourth in December. I love writing in this made-up genre. I love my music and my fictional band. I've really been able to get involved and create lives and ongoing happenings for all my characters and I've taken them from late teens to men just bordering sixty years old. They're still rocking and romancing the ladies though. There's little slowing down with my lot. Love and romance is not just for young characters. Middle-aged guys like to enjoy life too and so do their ladies.

Last year I had a slight change of direction and wrote a sensual romance based on a true-life love story. This also had a music theme. I'm looking forward to expanding this series of sensual romances next year.

I totally enjoy writing, I'm lucky enough to be able to do it full time and it’s taken over my life. My head is constantly filled with scenes and conversations, sometimes to the point where I wish they'd all go home for the night and leave me in peace! I don't think I'd ever want to do anything else now though.

The Highs and Lows of KDP Select

KDP – Publishing for the Masses

by

Bella Harte

Ever the Optimist

Since the inception of KPD, Amazons own publishing platform, the book publishing world has been transformed forever.  Kindles are the new paperback according to some schools of thought, but whether that is actually the case or not, the fact remains that eBooks are a very strong contender in the future of publishing.

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Amazon.com

Essentially, Pandora’s Box has been opened in the digital publishing world and the lid is not going back on any time soon, if ever.  What this means is that anyone can now write and publish anything at all.  Gone are the days of the dreaded ‘Vanity Publishing’ known as the Kiss of Death within the industry for any unsuspecting author unfortunate enough to get caught in its clutches.  The new and much more user friendly term is indie author for those that choose to go it alone and take their writing career in their own hands.

Getting a Literary Agent and/or Publisher today, is nearly an impossible task unless you are one of the very fortunate few whose timing is beyond perfectly sublime: -  the right pitch, to the right agent/publisher, at precisely the right time. Take Stephanie Meyer and her immensely popular Twilight Series for instance, she is the perfect example of this particular scenario.  However, this for the majority is not the case and the reality is;  a manuscript in the slush pile waiting to be returned with a standard rejection letter.

As any writer knows, this can go on for years, until there’s no-one left to pitch to. Then what? All that time toiled.  The blood, the sweat and the tears for years to end up back in Nowheresville with a novel you’ve poured your heart and soul into.  It can be soul destroying for those who take rejection poorly, and even for those made of sterner stuff, it can be an unpleasant experience.  But the true hard-core writers never give in.

The good news is, now that KDP is alive and kicking, there’s no need to spend endless amounts of time or even years pitching to people who are unappreciative of your work and can take months to send you that crushing blow.  At this point in time, you can dive right in and just publish your masterpiece with a simple click of a mouse (well a little more than that, but you get the picture).  With a little help from an experienced editor to spruce up your prose, someone to design a cover if you are artistically challenged and you are pretty much good to go.  A book can be live and for sale on Amazon within 24hrs, how cool is that? 

Awesome!

But then what?  How do you get sales and your name in lights with no big mainstream publishing marketing team behind you and a budget to match?  This is the not so fun part, the majorly time consuming part – Self Marketing.   You suddenly become not only the author, but the marketing team, constant self-promoter and the single driving force behind your novel. 

There are firms you can pay, but from what I’ve seen this isn’t always a good idea, some are akin to sharks circling, much like the Vanity Publishers of old, filling your mind with delicious promises of untold riches and wild successes and it’s only going to cost you ’XXXX’ amount of £’s or $’s to reach that superstar status you crave. 

Unfortunately, usually the sad reality of that scenario is a lot of money changes hands and the author is left drifting in a sea of novels and they are absolutely no better off than when they started out on their marketing campaign.

  

Author Bella Harte

There is a neat little trick that can be used to help promote your sales and profile within the KDP Select Programme.  Which is the ‘Give-Away’ to help boost your profile among the Amazon rankings:-  Out of every 3 month period, you can offer your novel free for 5 days (these don’t have to be consecutive days either).  While this may be a good idea as it gets your ratings up and everyone loves something for free, someone that may have paid full price for your novel might be quite miffed.    I don’t really see this as too much of a problem if your novel is reasonably priced to start with, but if you’re asking a high price then drop it to zero on a promotion; it could have the potential to backfire with your regular fans.

Questions answered about Amazon's KDP

A Beginner's Guide to Amazon's KDP Select Program

by

Marquita Herald

I would love to have $1 for every posting I’ve come across in an online forum or author group with the question “Is KDP worth it?”

Now I admit, even when you find your way to the KDP Select area at Amazon, there really is a lot of information to slog through, and participation does after all involve an exclusive commitment; so it’s human nature to want to look for feedback from others who have experience with the program. The problem is we humans are born storytellers, and the stories we tell are naturally laced with personal editing and biases that may or may not provide a good indicator of whether the program will work for you.

So, with that in mind, I invested some time compiling a list of the most frequently asked questions I could find about the KDP Select program. Along with answers and a few tips, I’ve also tried to clear up some common misunderstandings.

What is the difference between KDP and KDP Select?

KDP stands for Kindle Digital Publishing and is Amazon’s basic publishing platform. There are no requirements for exclusivity to publish your books to Amazon using the basic platform.

KDP Select is Amazon’s promotional program for authors, and participation does require that your book be published exclusively to this program for a minimum of 90 days.

How does KDP Select work?

KDP Select features a $6 million annual fund dedicated to independent authors and publishers. The basic enrollment period is 90 days, and participation includes the option of offering books free to readers up to 5 days each period. Participation also includes enrollment in Amazon’s Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (often referred to as KOLL), which means you can earn a share of the fund based on how frequently your book is borrowed.

KDP Select is set up so that books are automatically renewed at the end of the promotional period, but if you decide not to renew, you can easily opt out by simply going to the book’s "Edit book details" page and un-checking the box next to "Automatically renew this book's enrolment in KDP Select.”

What does it mean to publish exclusively on Kindle?

When you choose KDP Select for a book, you’re committing to make the digital format of that book available exclusively on Kindle. This means that during the enrolment period you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including sites such as Barnes & Noble or Smashwords, or on your website, blogs, etc. However, you can continue to distribute your book in physical format, or in any format, other than digital.

Can I use previews or excerpts to promote my book?

While Amazon support is quick to point out that readers can view a snippet of your book on your book page, and read it for free as a Prime member, they confirmed to me that authors are allowed to use digital previews to promote books elsewhere. The guideline is the preview must not exceed one third of the contents of the book.

Does my book have to have an ISBN (international standard book number) to publish to Kindle?

No. In fact all books published to Amazon are assigned their own book number, called an AISN which stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number.

Will I have to enroll all of my books in KDP Select?

No. In fact many series authors enroll just one of their books to entice new readers to buy other books in the series.

How do I enroll my titles in KDP Select? When does enrolment become effective?

Existing titles can be enrolled from the bookshelf. To enroll a single title, you can simply click “Enroll.” Existing titles can also be enrolled from the book editing process.

New titles can be enrolled from the book details page. Simply check the box to “Enroll this book in KDP Select” and proceed to publish the book as you normally would.

For titles already live in the Kindle Store, enrollment takes effect immediately. For new titles, enrollment takes effect once the book is available for sale on the Amazon website.

And finally, the most frequently asked question of all!

Is KDP Select Worth It?

5 Ways to Promote Your Book that You May Not have Thought of

by

Kathryn Jones

When it comes to book marketing you may have heard the standard answers such as reviews, blogging and book signings; what is less spoken about, however, are those new answers that will make what you have to share stand out from the proverbial pack.

Here is a list to get you started:

Author Kathryn Jones

1. Video. When it comes to video, many authors put up a red flag because they believe they have to put their face on the video in live action. They worry about not sounding professional enough; i.e. making a mistake. But video doesn't have to include you: at least not in a real way. Animoto, for example, allows the user to add pictures, text, video and music. The good news about Animoto is that your video can look and sound professional without any stress. Just follow the step-by-step directions. As a step up, Windows Live Movie Maker allows the user even greater free reign on choices. Just be careful to remember the importance of following copyright laws. 
2. Blog radio. Get an interview with a blog radio personality by querying them about your book and expertise. If your book focuses on a common human dilemma or gives the reader a unique view on something or even causes them to laugh, you'll probably have a winner on blog radio. Even fiction writers do well here; what makes your book different from others out there? Express this in the short query you send off to get potential interviewers interested in your book.
3. Book signings NOT at a book store. Instead of offering the standard fare, get your readers interested in your offering by creating a book signing to be remembered. My most recent will be in my back yard. There will be a breakfast for friends and family to introduce my new book, "Scrambled." Yep, scrambled eggs will be the main course. Other ideas include a signing at a hair salon, a local fair, or a store (other than a book store) that relates well with the theme of your book. Some authors have tried grocery stores and even hospitals for book signings. 
4. Discover sites, like this one, that will advertise for free. It's amazing how many authors, reviewers and book lovers care about writers and will offer to post your book on their site along with links!
5. Postcards. We all know the value of business cards, but have you considered what it would mean to have a postcard to hand out and mail whenever you chose? Let's say you're eating dinner. You compliment the waitress on her service and hand her a post card. On the card is your book cover along with contact information and a synopsis of your book. How about starting a conversation by handing someone a card? Postcards allow you to place more information about who you are and what you've written. 

One thing about book marketing, it will continue to evolve. And that's the best news of all. For no writer has to settle for one or only two promotion ideas but can tack on new ideas as soon as they become available.
 Like the ones listed above.

Author  Kathryn Elizabeth Jones can be contacted via her website or in the comment section of this blog.

Scrambled

A Susan Sleuth Mystery

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What happens to an unhappy woman who leaves her husband only to discover that she may have just made a terrible mistake? So horrible, her choice threatens to end her very life?

I’m looking for reviewers for my 4^th book, “Scrambled,” a Susan Sleuth Cozy mystery (the first in a series) set on the east coast.  “Scrambled” will be ready for release in September and I am looking for reviewers who are willing to read and review my book before publication.

Susan believes that the grass is greener on the other side. Not that her current life is bad, necessarily; it’s just boring and lifeless, kind of like the old matted rug on her dining room floor. Susan thinks her marriage has just grown—well, old. Her husband, Bob, has gained tremendous weight and continues to gain, and his health suffers. She must work at a job she hates full-time to provide the little sustenance they have. He, on the other hand, works very little (because of his health) and prefers spending his days watching television or surfing the Internet. Besides, there’s her problem of not getting pregnant that can’t help but contribute to his unhappiness.

Can Susan continue to live her life at the hotel knowing that she might be killed herself or imprisoned for life? Will she be able to find the real murderer with the help of the eccentric Ms. Martha Boaz?

Voice Command Software

by 

Charissa Newark

The average person spends around four hours a day typing e-mails, lists and other correspondences. Dictation software can record one hundred words per minute as opposed to the expensive thirty three words that the average person can type.

Now you can save up to three hours a day by simply using the new voice command software. When you add these hours up, over forty years time, that equals one thousand eight hundred and twenty five days! Imagine what you can do with 5 years of free time!

Carpel tunnel, eye strain and constant neck and shoulder pain are only a few of the consistent complaints of people that work on computers daily. All of these aches and pains can be easily eliminated with the use of dictation software. Not to mention, hundreds and thousands of dollars in doctor visits and pain medications.

Not to mention the monotony of typing for hours on end, with the new voice command software, writing can be fun again! The tongue is much quicker than the fingers, regain your motivation and put procrastination behind you, with dictation software, you can make more money in less time and enjoy what you do without spending hours on end staring at a computer.

Turn your computer off, save electricity and regain your sense of freedom without being tied down to your office chair! Save time, money and be pain free by simply switching to dictation software, available at the tip of your fingers – anywhere, any time!

Created by www.accountingdegree.net

That's the advert--but what are your views? Does anyone have voice command software? I had one years ago and I had to read several books into it so it could get used to my voice. It still didn't work for me and spouted out gobbledygook. But that was years ago, and technology has moved on in leaps since then. What are your thoughts? - WWBB

Never judge a book by its cover?

Oh, but it IS judged. So get it right!

by 

Cindy McDonald

I love the cover of Hot Coco. I was thrilled the way the designer, Todd Aune, placed the horses behind my name, and then to make the details complete, he put  Keystone on the saddle towels in the picture—you have to look close, but it is there. Keystone Downs is the fictitious name of the racetrack where the Unbridled Series takes place. This wasn’t the first cover, oh no, we adjusted the design four times before we decided upon this one.

The first one had the same two characters on the front, only she was clutching his gathered shirt in her hands, exposing his chiseled abs, whispering in his ear, as he gazed upon her longingly, clinging to every sultry word. Okay, at least that’s the way I interpreted the pose. It was hot! I was enamored! My publishing manager, Lauren Carr—God bless her—let me enjoy a full day of dancing around my living room in love with the really hot cover for HOT COCO, until she decided it was time to reason with me.

“If that’s the cover you want, that’s fine,” Lauren carefully began, “but I think it projects the wrong image for your book.” She took a deep breath, “This cover will insinuate that there is sex in the story. You don’t do sex scenes, Cindy your scenes are suggestive but not sexual. Therefore, some readers that are looking for erotica will be disappointed, and those readers that are not, won’t read the book because the cover gives them the wrong idea. You will have upset two groups of people that will never buy your books again.”

Drats! She was one hundred percent correct. The fact of the matter is you must choose your cover very carefully. You want to tell a story with your cover, but you don’t want to tell too much, and you certainly don’t want to tell the wrong one.

The back of your cover is just as important as the front. The information on the back can sell your book, or have the potential reader return it to the shelf. Not good.

A good blurb is essential. I’m rather tickled with the summation I’ve written for Hot Coco. It’s short, sweet, snappy, and pretty darned clever, if you ask me—I may be a bit biased. 

Am I thrilled with the blurb on the back of my other title, Deadly.Com? Mmmm, not so much. As a matter of fact, I’ve had people tell me that the synopsis is totally wrong for the book—one person told me that it gives too much away. Uh, oh, there’s something that you really don’t want to do—give away the ending of your book.

Believe it or not some authors have done just that. They write a very detailed synopsis that includes the ending, such as: And in the end, Charlatan wins the race to seize back Westwood Thoroughbred Farm’s reputation! Oh dear, why would anyone want to read the book now when the suspense has been ruined and they know who will win the race, and that Westwood will be exonerated? (BTW, I did not do that.)

Some authors believe that if they write a blurb that includes an uplifting ending, people will want to read the book to see how Charlatan wins the race, and to find out why the horse farm needed to be exonerated. I doubt it.  The reader will most likely bypass the book and move on to another with a synopsis that leaves them wondering how the story will end. It would be a better idea to write: Westwood’s future depends on the mighty grey gelding, Charlatan. But can he pull off the big win? 

Makes sense?

Confession: I keep a print of the original cover for HOT COCO on the bulletin board in my office. Why? Well to tell you the truth, because I really like it, and it was really hot. More importantly it is a reminder that the right cover, conveying the right message is crucial to good marketing.

Website for Cindy MacDonald

Passive vs. active research

Walking The Course

by

Lisa Deon

Today I'm blogging about what I call passive vs. active research when writing, and why each has benefits and drawbacks.

Prior to the start of a competition, some participants (golf, equestrienne jumping, etc) engage in an exercise known as "walking the course". This is to familiarize them with the field of play; scoping out the lay of the land, so to speak. This way, when faced with an obstacle, they can visualize what is around or beyond it, which helps them determine the tactic to use to complete the event. I will often do this when researching a location for a story or scene.

This is active research.

Author Lisa Deon

I wanted to research a character drowning during a flash flood in a slot canyon. I could have easily use the internet for that; there was a group of tourists who drowned in central Utah during such an event several years ago, but something told me that I needed to see for myself. So when my family was vacation in an area with that particular geological feature, my spouse and I walked through one. I described the scene to him, and after looking the area over, his comment was, "I'd expect someone would die of blunt force trauma before drowning. It would be easy to get your head bashed in on the rocks." That comment made me change an earlier scene, because prior to his drowning the antagonist gets whapped upside the head with a rock by the heroine. This was a case of active research giving the story credibility.

An old adage among authors is to “Write what you know", which to me seems like mostly great advice because then you don't have to do as much research of any kind, passive or active. But let's face it, active research can only go so far; for some things you're going to have to fake it. Death is a great example. It's not recommended to actually die in order to write your experience. It leaves a lot to be desired as far as finishing a project is concerned, not to mention erasing any possibilities of a sequel. So, don't go to extremes in your active research.

However, sometimes you have to be committed. A few years ago, I got a tattoo. I did it because a character in my book had one and I decided that I might want to include the experience as part of the story. As it turns out, I did not. I had no reason to describe the tiny needles biting into the fleshy part of my arm, or the buzzing sound the machine made. Or the total awkwardness of sitting in a shop listening to angry sounding thrash/speed metal while a man young enough to be my son had me contort my upper body in pretzel-like positions while wearing sterile black gloves. When I researched getting a tattoo, and by "research”, I mean, "asked all my friends who had tattoos", I was warned of some of these sensations. Still I felt compelled to undergo the procedure myself. The pain was, to me, minimal: "Like moderate sunburn," my tattoo buddies explained it. Afterwards, I would concur with their assessments. and thought the whole thing was a wash.

Until it started to heal and I was hit with constant itching.

Believe me, I don't advocate that someone writing a story experience everything the characters in whose head they are living does. Along with a tattoo, the heroine in The Carriage Trade has brain damage and an amputated foot. I'm not going out to actively seek those things just so I can write from experience. I have the ability to talk to folks who have aphasia issues, and an active imagination. But here is where doing active research comes in handy— of all the descriptions given to me by experienced ink people, it was always the pain of receiving the tat which they volunteered, never the aftermath. I can take pain like a champ, but it was the constant itching while the skin healed that drove me absolutely nuts. It took every ounce of restraint I had to refrain from grabbing a fork and scratching that puppy until I was sighing with relief, but now I know that itching is an issue, and can possibly use that little gem of information another time.

Now I walk the course when I'm able and as long as it's round trip, and not just one way, because you never know what information you might pick up that makes you sound like you know what you're writing about.