Creating Shareable Content For Your Book

Today I've been working on creating some shareable media. These days, pictures, memes, teasers, are all important in building buzz for your book. The problem is I'm not very tech-savvy and doing things like this are hard for me.

I put aside my pre-conceived notions of whether I can do this or not and just got down to business. I worked with Canva, DesignFeed, and Picasa and some other programs designed to make things easier for people like me and the more I tried, the more I thought, hey I can do this!

Here's one of the things I created today with DesignFeed. Yeah, it's basic, but I have to say I'm pretty proud of it. I did that. By myself! And it looks good.

I got to share it on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook and since other people could potentially share it as well, I felt good about the professional look of it.

So, the moral of this story is, even if you're not tech-savvy like me, you can still learn. You can still do something awesome. And isn't that the way with writing, painting, or anything where you are creating? You can learn the craft. You can create something amazing. You just have to stick with it and keep trying.

For me, the sense of accomplishment alone was worth the work today. Have you ever done something you didn't think you could do? How did you feel when you did it?

Using An Author Tagline

I gave a marketing presentation this evening and one of the things I talked about was how having an author tagline can be part of the foundation of your marketing plan. An author tagline is the free publicity that keeps on giving and I believe that. It's also a great starting point if you're just starting to build your marketing plan.

What is an author tagline you ask? An author tagline is three to seven words that describe your writing.  For example, my author tagline is Action-packed suspense with a touch of romance. Jordan McCollum's is Love, Lies, Secrets, and Spies. A tagline is just something short and catchy that leaves a memorable impression of what you write.

How do you come up with one? Brainstorm some words that you would want a reader to think of when they stumble over your books. Are they sassy? Funny? Fantasy with a twist?  What's unique about your love stories? Are they edgy historicals? Is there a running theme throughout your work? Once you have a pretty good brainstorm cloud of description words, pick the ones that jump out at you, the ones that will leave an impression on your writing and create the tagline that best describes your writing.

Once you have come up with your author tagline, you can pair it with an image (if you look at the header of my blog, author webpage, Twitter and Facebook cover pics, you'll see my tagline with my cover image. I also use it on my tote bags, t-shirts, and all my book swag) and voila! By combining a tagline with your image, you are creating a great foundation for name recognition and an author brand.

It is important to use your newly created tagline wherever you can and definitely on all your social media sites. Be consistent with it so that when readers hear it/see it they'll remember you. Make yourself memorable by focusing your readers in on what kind of experience they'll get when they pick up one of your books.  Like knowing that whenever someone picks up a Julie Coulter Bellon book, they're going to get a lot of action and a little romance, you know?

Having an author tagline is another way to connect with your audience---which, as we all know, is the heart of true marketing. So get brainstorming the amazing tagline that best describes your work and if you come up with something amazing, I hope you'll tell us about it in the comments!

Whisper Sync vs. Audible---Who Is The Loser Here?

Recently my narrator brought to my attention that our royalties from the audio book of my novel All Fall Down were being cut into because Amazon has made it available in Whisper Sync. Then, yesterday, an author friend of mine was excited that her Audible book was on sale and was talking about it on her Facebook page, when someone commented and said they got it on WhisperSync for $1.99, a lot less than even the Audible sale price.

So what is Whisper Sync and why is it hurting authors and narrators?

Amazon started a program called Whisper Sync where if you buy the ebook, you can also get the audio of it in Whisper Sync (generally for $1.99) to seamlessly go between listening and reading your book.  That sounds wonderful, doesn't it?  However, authors have no say whether they opt in to this program and no say over the extremely low price the audio is being offered for.  Authors don't even get to know in advance which of their books will be placed on Whisper Sync.

But it gets even more complicated than just choice being taken away from authors.  Unfortunately, for those of us who have invested time and money into producing an audio book with professional narrators on Audible, Whisper Sync cuts into those royalties and makes it difficult to get back our investment.

Let's break it down.  I have a professional narrator who spent hours narrating my book and making it come to life for Audible listeners.  We did a royalty share, so both of us would split any royalties from the audio book after ACX takes their cut.  Sales were brisk until Whisper Sync came into the picture.  My professionally produced audio book is $17.95, but who would pay that when they can get it on Whisper Sync for $1.99?

Since I don't have any choice in the matter, apparently Amazon didn't think the authors and narrators would mind being forced to take this drastic cut in royalties. I can't take my book off of Whisper Sync. We are forced to accept pennies on the dollar for Whisper Sync books sold.  How can I not feel bad about this when my narrator probably won't see any return on his investment in me for a very long time now?  An even bigger question is why would any professional narrator do royalty shares on ACX with Whisper Sync hanging over their heads as a royalty-killer?  And if the amazing professionals refuse to do royalty share any longer on the chance the book might be made available on Whisper Sync, the only way audio books could be made is for the author to pay up front, which isn't a viable option for some, or for authors to work with a less-experienced narrator which could be hit or miss in quality.

I've been told that the only way around Whisper Sync is to make the audio book at least 5% different than the ebook because then it won't sync up.  Or possibly to add music.  So I guess there are those alternatives, but it would seem to me the fair thing to do would be for Amazon to allow the author to opt out of Whisper Sync. Or at least have some say in the price the audio is being sold for.  Especially since the only losers here are the author and narrator who invested all the time and effort to produce the book in the first place.

*sigh*

Man, I really hate being the loser, but it's even worse seeing someone as talented as my narrator lose along with me.

An Essential Tool For Your Writer's Toolbox

I just have to pass along this deal. I noticed The Emotion Amplifiers is FREE on Kindle right now! If you are a writer and don't know what the Emotion Thesaurus is and its companion The Emotion Amplifiers, then you must educate yourself immediately.

You know how your characters smile a lot? Or grin? Or you have to spell out to your reader that your character is happy/frustrated/angry? No longer.  Using the Emotion Thesaurus and the Emotion Amplifiers, you can start to SHOW your readers instead of telling. The books give you body language ideas and emotion phrases to help you delve deeper into your characters and it is awesome.

So go download your free copy of The Emotion Amplifiers here

 And you can download your copy of The Emotions Thesaurus here for $4.99 (Worth every penny.)

You won't regret it and your readers will thank you.

Is A Strong Storyline Enough?

I'm reading a book right now that has a really strong storyline.  It also has a strong female character in it that I really enjoy.

Buuuuut . . .

It has grammatical and spelling errors that are driving me crazy and the hero's voice jumps between tenses. (It's written in first person, but sometimes lapses into third.)

Yet I'm still drawn to this story because I want to see how the conflict ends.  Why would I do that to myself?

So, let's talk for a minute. What makes a strong storyline?

For me, it's these three things:

1.  Strong and relatable characters.

Having a strong hero and heroine that are placed into circumstances that makes a reader wonder what they would do in the same situation draws me in every time.  I love characters that I can care about and would want to be friends with.

2.  Great conflict

The conflict has to be something believable that I could see happening and, again, asking myself how I would react to it.  And I love the stories where problems seem to get bigger and bigger until the characters are twisted around trying to figure out how to get out of the trouble they are in when there doesn't seem to be a way out.  That keeps me turning pages.

3.  A world that the reader can feel a part of and experience with the hero or heroine.

When the world around them is realistic and somewhere I can envision it only adds to the story. Setting is the third leg on this three-legged stool and can never be overlooked.

So, this is what I've learned from reading this book:

• Great characters and conflict can make it easier to overlook grammar and spelling and other mistakes, but generally it doesn't because it is so distracting.   
• Most of all, what this book drove home for me is that an editor is worth their weight in gold.  Some authors have incredible storytelling talent, but an editor polishes that story and makes it shine. If I leave one thing with you here today, my writer friends, hire an editor. Make your story the best it can be so your readers can truly enjoy it.

Bestseller Lists For All Fall Down

So, my book All Fall Down was listed for free over the Memorial Day weekend. (Did you miss that? If so, you can get your free copy here)

Anyway, as soon as it was listed for free, things started to go crazy! Over 5000 copies were downloaded and I started to move up on the Amazon Bestseller list for action/adventure romance AND action/adventure war and military.

Here's where I was Friday night. #661 overall and #5 in romance and #7 in war and military. Still pretty awesome!

By Saturday morning, this is where I was at--#391 overall and #2 in romance. Yeah, I was excited!

Saturday afternoon got really exciting. I was #82 overall and #1 in both action/adventure romance AND action/adventure military. I was so happy!

Doesn't it look pretty in that #1 spot? 

Anyway, I just wanted to share my happiness and hope that as people read the book I'll gain some new fans and more reviews! (If you've read All Fall Down and enjoyed it, by the way, would you consider reviewing it on Amazon and Goodreads? Word of mouth is the best advertising. And if you haven't read the book, now is the time to grab it! It is only free for a limited time.)

So, yeah, there are times when being a writer is fun.  I know I'm enjoying the ride right now! (But ask me again in a week when I'm wrestling with my work in progress, haha.)

Book Review--Lethal Engagement

Teyla Branton has been doing novellas for her Unbounded series and Lethal Engagement is Mari's story. It was a fairly long novella actually, and full of action with a little romance on the side.

When we first met Mari, she was in a bad relationship with a man who wanted to kill her. Now, as an Unbounded, she is enjoying her newfound confidence and abilities--and a heady attraction for her partner. She's unsure of exactly where she stands with him, however, until they're both sent on an important mission for the Renegades.

They're tasked to help protect the man who is now the new face of the Unbounded, but the people out to kill him are relentless. Mari is forced to use every skill she has and push herself to the very limits of her abilities in order to keep them both alive.

The action was so fast-paced, I was turning pages as quickly as I could to keep up and see what happened! I really enjoyed this story and the entire Unbounded series so far.

You can buy your copy here for $3.49

Here's the back copy:

Guard, Protect, and Above All, Stay Alive

Two months after the announcement that rocked the entire world, Mari Jorgenson is going undercover to protect the man who has become the face of the Unbounded. What’s not to like? Expensive clothes, a great disguise, a chance to play with knives—and all with a Renegade partner she might just be falling for.

Mari can’t think of a better assignment for practicing her shifting ability. But when everything goes horribly wrong on the first day, it will take everything she has—and more—if she and her friends are to keep humanity’s best hope for peace alive long enough to unite the world. Along the way, Mari glimpses within herself a darkness that threatens to turn her into the very evil she is fighting.

Join Mari, Keene, Jace, Cort, and other Renegades from the main Unbounded series as Mari shifts through an adventure that will ultimately set the stage for the greatest and final battle with the Emporium.

Please note that Lethal Engagement is a novella, but it is 50% longer than the other two Unbounded novellas, the same size as many short novels. While it is separate from the main Unbounded series, the events take place in the Unbounded timeline after The Reckoning (Unbounded Book 4). As some of the events in book 4 are referenced, readers will better appreciate Lethal Engagement after reading The Reckoning.

Writer Goal Wednesday and MORE PRIZES!

photo credit: plnaugle via photopin cc 

I hope you all are having fun at the Blogaversary party so far! There are some awesome prizes and a really good chance you could win!  Click here for the link if you haven't entered yet.

One of last week's goals was to have a great time at the party and I will mark that box CHECKED!

I also wanted to get ten pages done on my new novella. I did five and I'm super happy with that.  I love this story and can't stop thinking about the characters!

I was going to work on my On the Edge revision, but I didn't do that. It's on my list of things for next week. Again.  That poor goal is so neglected.

I did get a new interior for Pocket Full of Posies and a new cover for Ribbon of Darkness, though, so there were a few fun writerly things going on.

How did you do with your goals this week?

Have you seen the prizes available in the Blogaversary Giveaway? I spotlighted six of them yesterday (go look! I'll wait)  and have six more to tell you about today!  Woohoo!

1.  The first one is Rough Around the Edges by Rachael Anderson.  I loved this one!  Here's the back copy:

For Noah Mackie, life is finally back on track. He has a great support system, a promised promotion is on its way, and he's finally getting the hang of this single father thing. But when the job falls through and his neighbor's matchmaking efforts become more aggressive, Noah is in for yet another unwanted detour. With his career and two spirited daughters to worry about, he doesn't have time for dating—especially not someone like Cassie Ellis, his girls' beautiful and sophisticated dance instructor, who is about as open and approachable as a brick wall.

Rough around the Edges Meets Refined is about two people who think they know exactly what they want but who have no idea what they really need. It's about learning that people aren't always what they seem and that sometimes life’s detours take you exactly where you need to go.

2.  The second one is a historical masterpiece, The Last Waltz by GG Vandagriff.  Here's the back copy:

The Year is 1914. Austrian socialite, Amalia Faulhaber, stands on the cusp of womanhood while the world stands on the brink of the worst war it has ever known. Which of the three men in her life will she choose to marry?
The Prussian officer with his Teutonic ideals?
The charming Polish doctor with dreams he dare not utter?
Or the Austrian baron who is determined to guide his country on a course away from fascism and another war?
How will the Great War and the ensuing years shape Amalia,and how will she shape the lives of the men who love her?

Thus begins the tale of a heroine of extraordinary background and resource who develops into a woman who would be extraordinary in any age.

The men in her life—a German officer in World War I, a patriotic Polish doctor, and an Austrian Baron, all shape her, but more remarkably she shapes them. Her utopian socialist uncle has raised her with ideas outside those of the upper classes, imparting to her a more complete picture of the day than possessed by the other men in her life. This quality causes her to champion the Austrian Democratic Experiment and to especially mourn its demise.

The Last Waltz is full of little known history of a land that was, in 1913, the apex of the worlds of science, medicine, art, and music. The speed with which the five-hundred year old empire fell, and the reasons behind that failure carry many warnings for the world we live in today.

3.  The third one is Snowed Inn by Kate Palmer. I wish I could enter to win this one, it looks good! Here's the back copy:

A woman rancher hitches the community’s dreams to her sleigh ride business and ropes in a heap of trouble for them and her heart.

Jayne Gardner turned her family’s ranch into the successful Snowed Inn Lodge and Restaurant. After she learns the community has one month to earn funds needed for a grant, she donates her company’s sleigh rides for a community fundraiser.

When Jayne’s new volunteer sleigh driver turns out to be Forrest Hunsaker, the man who left her three years ago, Jayne sets up three rules to maintain a professional distance and protect her heart.

When vandals strike Snowed Inn, Jayne must team up with Forrest to prevent a fundraiser fail. Now Jayne must decide if breaking all her rules will break her heart. Again.

 

4.  The fourth one is another amazing historical book, The Lady and the Minstrel by Joyce DiPastena. I loved this one!  Here's the back copy:

A forbidden love and a past they can’t leave behind . . .

In King John's England, Robert Marcel chafes against the law that holds him bound as a villein on his lord’s manor. He tries to make a daring escape and is nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl helps him slip away.

Years pass and Robert takes up trade as a minstrel. Invited to play at a banquet for the notorious Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten—now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, betrothed to the earl. Her status as a noblewoman puts her completely out of Robert’s reach, but he knows they are meant to be together. He vows to make her his wife no matter what the cost.

Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. She longs to be free to marry Robert, the man she loves, but that will require her to sacrifice all she holds dear.

They are tested at every turn by those bent on driving them apart and destroying what they have found together. Can their love truly conquer all?

5.  The fifth one is A Light in Dark Places by Emily Clawson and Jennifer Graves.  This is an inside look into the case of Susan Powell and her husband who was suspected of her murder.  Sobering and captivating. Here's the back copy:

In December, 2009, Susan Cox Powell was reported missing from her home in West Valley City, Utah. As law enforcement tried to piece together what had happened to Susan, her husband, Josh Powell, became the only person of interest in the case.

For Jennifer Graves, Josh’s sister, the nightmare started long before Susan’s disappearance. From her experiences growing up in the Powell family to the terrifying moment when she first started to believe her brother was a killer, she relied on her faith to stay strong. She devoted herself to the safety of Susan’s boys, Charlie and Braden, whom she hoped to be able to raise as her own. When the boys were murdered by their father in February, 2012, Jennifer was more than devastated, but she had to believe there was a reason for it all---including the deaths of her beloved nephews.

In A Light In Dark Places, Jennifer shares her struggles and her triumphs. In coming to terms with such tragedy she finally was able to embrace the truth that we all have the power to choose our own path---and there is always hope, no matter how dark things may seem.

6.  The last one I'm spotlighting today is A Haunting Love by Cheri Chesley.  This one looks like something I don't want to read in the dark! Here's the back copy: 

When her fiancé, Drew, suggests having their wedding at his family home in the Highlands of Scotland, Alita only thinks about the beauty and romance awaiting her. She’s unprepared for the frosty greeting she and her sister receive from each member of his family, particularly his domineering mother. But nothing shocks Alita more than the odd, menacing dreams she begins to have her first night at MacColum House. Over and over again she dreams of a grisly murder—with herself as the victim!

So, if you would like to win any one of these, just click the link at the top of the post! And be sure to see the ones I spotlighted yesterday. 

 *gets out party hats*  Let's get the party started!!

On The Beach And Audio Book News!

This picture was posted on Twitter (Credit Suzanna)

As you can see it is a picture of someone is on a beach, enjoying my novel All Fall Down.  First of all, I wish I was on that beach with them.  Second of all, it made my whole day that they chose my novel to relax with. How fun to see my book "out in the wild" if you will.

In other news, my audio book was finalized and approved and should be ready for sale next week. Woohoo! I'm so excited about that. AND, I got the narrator who did All Fall Down, to agree to do the whole series. You better believe I am thrilled about that because he is so good and really "got" my characters. These are going to be some epic audio books!

Other than that, I'm getting things ready for carpet guys to come tomorrow and lay new carpet in my house. This is also a momentous occasion for our household.

What are you up to today? Anything fun?

Writer Goal Wednesday

photo credit: plnaugle via photopin cc 

Well, if you aren't friends with me on Facebook or following me on Twitter (and really, why aren't you? I do all sorts of fun stuff on there!) then you probably missed the cover reveal for my award-winning novel, Pocket Full of Posies.  I have gotten mixed reviews on this cover, but I love it! I think it really represents the story.  

Here it is:

Isn't it awesome?

So, in addition to sharing my new cover, I've also been revising my novel, On the Edge and getting that out to readers.  Hopefully that will be ready soon.  

And, the best news of all, is that I should be giving the final approval for my audio book of All Fall Down today! Woot!  It is SO GOOD! You will love it.  All in all, it's been a very productive week.

I also came across these free training videos for how authors can get more visibility on Amazon.  I thought they were pretty informative and worth my time.  It's mostly learning about how keywords work and how it can help the authors on Amazon.  Click here if you're interested in watching them yourself.

So, my goals for last week were: finish the revision of On the Edge. I didn't quite make that one. The second one was to finish the details for my blog tour. I have put that one on hold because I'm going to do a big BLOGAVERSARY PARTY instead and I'm gearing up for that. I'll have had this blog for four years next month and that deserves a party!

My goals for next week will be to:

• Finish the revision for On the Edge. For real this time.
• Think of awesome prizes for the Blogaversary party.
• Try some of the new keyword stuff I learned in that video.

How did you do on your goals this week?

Writer Goal Wednesday on Thursday!

photo credit: plnaugle via photopin cc 

So, as mentioned yesterday, today we'll be talking about the goals we accomplished in the past week. It's been a super busy week for me and I'm excited to share.

First of all, let's see how I did on my goals for last week.

I got the audition script ready for Through Love's Trials audio book and put that out there. I'm going through auditions now and there are some good ones!

I started the revision and update of On the Edge. So far, it's been a lot easier than I thought. 

I updated the metadata tags on two of my books.  I'm still working on the other nine.

But now for the awesome news!

*drum roll*

I updated my website! Go see it here! I'll wait.

Okay, what did you think? I love the drop down menus for all my books and the header image.  I can't stop looking at it! So awesome.

And the second happy dance item goes to the fact that I am nearly finished with my revisions for Falling Slowly and will be giving those to my critique group and beta readers for a final read-through tomorrow! Woohoo! I've worked so hard on this one and can't wait to share more of Claire and Rafe's story with you.

I also have some exciting news to share with you on Monday. I'll be doing a COVER REVEAL for Falling Slowly.  It is so amazing . . . but that's all I can say until Monday.  I'll also be doing a giveaway to celebrate, so don't miss Monday's post!

So, this next week, my goals are:

• Review the final copy of Falling Slowly
• Have a fun cover reveal party for Falling Slowly
• Get the ARCs ready for Falling Slowly 
• Keep working on metadata tags for all my books.
• Keep working on the update for On The Edge.

It's definitely getting to the fun part of having a new book to release! Showing off the baby, so to speak.  But sometimes when you have a new book, the marketing process can be overwhelming which brings me to the other thing I wanted to tell you about.  

There's a new marketing book that just came out by Heather Moore and Tracy Daley.  It's called Ebook Marketing 101: Promotion Sites for Ebooks. 

Heather Moore hit the USA Today Bestsellers list and this book tells of all the things she did to do that and how she marketed her books before and after with different promotion sites. I thought it was really helpful and provided a lot of links to each promotion site, but is separated out into categories for people who are on a marketing budget (Free, $10 or less) and then goes up from there. I like how it also included the requirements for each site submission (price, reviews, etc.) and whether it resulted in sales or not. Of course it will be different for each genre and book, but it's a great starting point for authors. I plan to try some of the sites in there for sure!
If you're interested you can download your Kindle copy herefor $3.99

Here's the back copy:

Congratulations on writing and publishing your book! Now the nitty-gritty marketing starts. With a lot of excellent marketing tools and books available, why did we write this one? To share a journey of how it’s possible to indie publish a book and hit a bestsellers list. In 2014, Heather Moore hit the USA Today list with a self-published box set. A few months later, she put together the Triple Treat Romance Box Set series, and brought in Tracy Daley to market the series. 12 box sets and 36 authors later, and hitting multiple Top 5 & Top 10 lists consistently, we are ready to pass on our research and recommendations. The promotion sites included in this book are organized in an easy to find manner to target your specific marketing needs.

How did you do on your goals this week?

My Audio Book Journey (Part 4)

So, I got the first fifteen minutes of my audio book for All Fall Down.  I got the notification in the evening and I rushed downstairs to hear it.  I was excited!  I put in my earphones so I wouldn't be distracted and settled down to listen.

It's still surreal to have a professional reading my book.  My words.  The story I wrote.  It's like having the story come to life.

I loved the performance.  The way he read it, with great tone, building in suspense, using different voices, it was everything I wanted.  But as I listened to it again, I noticed a few things I wanted the narrator to tweak.

Last week I mentioned that I would be looking for pacing, pronunciation, and whether he captured the characters and their voice.  Keeping that in mind, I listened to my first fifteen minutes three more times, specifically looking for those things (and I also sent the download to a few trusted people that had experience with audio books and knew my work).  They mostly all agreed that there was one character that needed a bit of a change, and a few minor pronunciation things here and there, but other than that, it was awesome!

I do have to say that I was curious as to how other narrators did things, so I went to Audible and listened to a bunch of samples.  I can now say with confidence that I think my narrator is doing an incredible job.

So, now I'll message the tweaks and changes to the narrator and he will fix them.  Or, at least I expect that's what will happen.  I will let you know!

Read the rest of my journey!

Part 5

Meet My Narrator!