On Book Reviews (a.k.a. Standing Naked Before the World) and The Sound and the Echoes, by Dew Pellucid, 2012

There is a certain amount of vulnerability in submitting a book for review. I’ve been there. You hand your work–your time, your sweat, your soul–off to a stranger so they can pass judgement on it. It’s like standing naked before a large audience, and there’s no guarantee that what they say will be positive. Every time I do it, part of me wants to say, “I’m fragile! Please handle with care!” But that doesn’t always happen.

As a writer, I’ve learned to develop a thick skin. I expect criticism. I even go looking for it. I know I’ll never become a better writer without it. But when the book is done, when the editing has ended, the flaws are fixed, the prose is perfect, at that point I really want to hear good things. Opinions vary widely, of course. Not everyone will like my subject, my style, my characters, my plot. The world would be a boring place if we were all the same. I tell myself this. I prepare for it. But when I get a bad review, it’s still difficult.

Perhaps having my own work criticized has made me a better reviewer. More balanced, more polite. Even when I don’t like a particular book, I try to find something worth commending in it, and I like to back up my dislikes with examples or solid reasoning. I want my reviews, even the bad ones, to be constructive.

But objectivity can get really difficult when an author gifts me a book and asks for a review. When I’ve had personal contact with an author I feel more pressure to give a good review. I don’t expect this of reviewers I contact, and I know it’s not expected of me, but it can be really hard to let down someone I’ve “met.” A review is worthless, however, if it isn’t honest, so I point out the bad AND the good, and I try to do it in a way as helpful as possible.

This policy has held me in good stead. I’ve met some neat people, made some great contacts, and even made some friends despite reviews that aren’t always one hundred percent positive. All because of a simple word called respect.

This entire reflective post was prompted by an incident that happened last month that could have ended badly but turned out to be a fairly positive experience. I was gifted a book that I really enjoyed at first, and then my attention wavered. It was an odd case. Usually the books I put down are of poor quality and never make it onto this blog. This book was quite well-written, but the setting was losing me and I did eventually put the book down. It was a matter of personal opinion. But of course that’s hard for anyone to hear, and this happened to be the first negative review this author had received. The blow was softened, however, by the inclusion of the good with the bad, and by the very short list of typos I passed along. Overall, the rejection was easier to take because it came with a dose of courtesy, respect, and honest goodwill. I think the contact was professional and gracious on both sides, and I really enjoyed meeting another author. I wish her all the best.

Because this was a new release, the author didn’t want the negative reviews posted on Amazon and Goodreads–yet. And I can respect that. But I still wanted to post it on my blog because it is such an interesting case. I bet you’re really curious now, aren’t you? I won’t disappoint you.

***

The Sound and The Echoes, by Dew Pellucid, 2012, Book Review

This story has a great premise. Every life in our world has a matching life in another world. Sort of like how every picture has a negative. We are the Sounds; they are the Echoes. And according to Echo law, if a Sound dies, the Echo must be put to death. Unfortunately for 12-year-old Will Cleary, his Echo is the crown prince of the Echo realm. And the easiest way for political schemers to remove the prince…is to kill Will.

The book opens with a very engaging note from the author, a participant in the story, inviting the reader into the Echo realm. It’s laden with hints and foreshadowing. I was hooked at once. The first chapters are also very well-written, with just enough information given and just enough withheld. But as the story progressed and the pace slackened, I began to lose interest. I finally put the book down at 57%.

This is so unfortunate, because Ms. Pellucid has a fabulous writing style. It’s a very pretty style, with lots of imagery and an easy-to-read word flow. But the plot’s momentum began to slow, and I was having a hard time assimilating all the unfamiliar details of the Echo realm. Eventually, I simply disengaged.

I do have to mention the fabulous artwork within the book. And I want to mention that the content is perfectly appropriate for kids. I really appreciate that, along with all the hard work the author put into a professional product. I don’t want to turn people off to trying it, because it is very unique. But I also need be honest and say that it lost me before the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Ages 10+

If you’d like to make your own judgement call about The Sound and the Echoes, you can purchase the ebook here, or the paperback here.

***

Now some questions for you, fellow bloggers: Do you accept review submissions? Do you accept indie submissions? Have you ever had to tell an author you didn’t like their work? How’d you handle it?

Summer Recap

That title says it all, doesn’t it? Summer’s done and we’re on to a new season, a new school year, a new schedule. By the time this posts, I’ll have two weeks of homeschool under my belt. It’s time to look back, take stock, and look forward. So how did your summer go?

I finished almost all the projects I set out to accomplish. Foremost among them was my first book launch and blog tour. That was a very unique and valuable experience. I learned a lot, met some great folks, and blasted my books all over the web. Fun!  :)

I also set out this summer to record my first audiobook. It was much more time consuming and technical than I imagined. I have finished the recording, but now I need to learn how to smooth out some wrinkles. Thank goodness for the online community! I still plan to release The Candle Star this fall as a series of podcasts. It’s been on hold as I organized and launched my third major summer project: my new Teachers Get Them Free policy.

As all these major projects have been going on, I’ve been camping with my kids, doing some swimming, some reading, some gardening, some recharging, and I’ve also been reediting a book I hope to release in November. This is one I actually finished two years ago, released briefly last fall, and pulled because it just didn’t feel right yet. So I’ve done some revamping, enlisted my editor, and hopefully it will ready before the snow gets too deep. I’ll share more soon.

But now it’s time to reorganize. I have homeschool lessons to plan, a church children’s program to launch, piano lessons to schedule, a Christmas play to get off the ground, and sports to attend. I love this time of year, but the change is always a bit jarring.

So what writing plans lie ahead? I’m not certain yet. I have played with the idea of painting new cover images for my Civil War trilogy. I even restocked my paints. But while I do have some ability, I don’t have much experience, so it would be a stretch and a gamble. I also have three picture book ideas that have been rattling around in my head for some time. But my first love is still the middle grade novel, and I have four major book ideas vying for my attention. One of them is a four- or five-book series. I predict I’ll end up tackling one of the novels. I’ve even imagined a late 2013 release, but I’m torn as to which one to pursue first. So my fall will probably involve a little experimentation and a lot of prewriting. I’ll keep you posted.

Now you tell me, what have you accomplished this summer? What plans have you made for the changing season?

Challenges Indies Face (Unmasking an Author Series, #1)

Today marks the first of a four part series I’ll be doing on author visibility.

The single most crippling obstacle all new authors face is invisibility. No one has ever heard of us before. Our work is untested, unfamiliar. Why would anyone chance good money on a newbie? That highlights the single most advantageous reason, in my opinion, to land a contract with a major publishing house—the marketing team. It’s their job to convince all those would-be buyers to part with their money. We indies must take the mantle of marketing upon ourselves. But a secondary problem soon presents itself for those of us in the children’s genres: Who to market to?

See, children’s authors like myself are in a unique pickle. The kids for whom we write do not own credit cards. They don’t have jobs. They can’t buy our books for themselves. They depend entirely on adults to purchase literature for them.

In addition, most children don’t have ereaders; therefore, they have no way of reading ebooks, the mainstay of most indie publishers. How many kids do you know who own a Kindle? A Nook? Not many. These gadgets are expensive, and kids tend to be irresponsible. Not a good combination. My kids don’t have ereaders, either.

Not only can kids not purchase or read our books, they don’t even have a way of hearing about them! Not many kids hang out book blogs or bookish sites like LibraryThing, Shelfari, or Goodreads. Technically, they’re not even allowed to participate on most of these sites.

So what’s a children’s novelist to do?

1.  Obviously, we have to tell the adults. Most of them don’t care a whit for children’s literature, however, so we have to hunt down the ones who do. These include parents, teachers and librarians. We can find them on homeschool sites, on teacher’s blogs, on librarian book review blogs. They’re in forums on Amazon, in groups on Goodreads. They are out there.

2.  We also have to keep a sharp look out for kid bloggers, reviewers, and writers. They’re out there, too, just not in the same numbers as adults. After all, kids are our target audience. They’re a great source of information, feedback, and contacts. They are a unique window to the kids “out there.” (Not to mention, they’re the up-and-comers, and I think it’s our job, it’s our pleasure, to encourage them. Guess that’s the teacher in me again.)

3.  Next, we have to make our books available in many formats and inform our readers. Kids may not have ereaders, but a good percentage of them have ipods or cell phones. Do they know about the Kindle app? Do they have a home computer which will open a book in pdf format? It’s also a very wise idea to have paperbacks versions of our work available for those who simply can’t do digital.

4.  Last and perhaps most important, we have to make sure our work is absolutely the best it can be. Only then will our efforts have a chance of snowballing. No one will pass on a recommendation for slop.

I know this post is a little shy on specific solutions. In fact, it probably prompted more questions than it answered. This time around, however, I mostly wanted to point out some basic challenges facing indies, specifically children’s lit indies, and let them stew in your minds for a time, as they’ve been stewing in mine. As the series continues, I’ll be arriving at more answers.

In the meantime, I’d welcome your comments on this catch-22. I’m curious, do you market to kids or adults? What has been your best strategy? What hasn’t worked at all?

My Experience With Giveaways (Unmasking an Author Series, #2)

A Front Porch, a Corkboard, and a Stationary Bike

Why do you blog?

That’s a good question, one I’ve been asked many times. Sometimes the question translates, Why do you waste your time doing something that I would find more painful than shooting myself in the feet? Other times it means, Everyone blogs. What makes you think you’ve got anything to add to the pool? And still other times I’m being asked, What do you gain from blogging? Since the first two are usually accompanied by a good deal of indifference and disdain rather than a true spirit of inquiry, I’ll choose to forego them today and just deal with the last one.

We bloggers have many reasons for doing what we do. I have many reasons, but today I’ll just share three: my blog is a front porch, a corkboard, and a stationary bike all rolled into one.

Huh?

Another excellent question. Let me explain.

The Benefits of Blogging

My blog, for me, is a place from which I can chat with the world. When I sit out on my real porch (actually, I don’t have one, so I sit on my lawn, but let’s pretend for the sake of illustration), my neighbors will often stop by and chat. I find out what’s going on with them; they ask about my life. We share information, discuss ideas, and have an enjoyable time doing it. My blog gives me that same sort of availability, the same give-and-take as a front porch, only to a much larger audience. Often I’ll drop by another writer’s “front porch” and see what they’re up to. I enjoy that interaction a great deal, so I keep on blogging.

Second, my blog is a corkboard. Yes, sometimes we call it a “platform,” but that sounds so self-exalting. I’d rather think of it as a bulletin board where I can share those things most important to me in a place that’s easily accessible. My books take highest prominence, of course, but each review and each Friday Freebie is another note pinned up for anyone to read.

And last, my blog is sort of a literary stationary bike. Just like our bodies, we need to give our muse regular workouts or it atrophies. And just like softball skills or volleyball skills, our writing skills get better and better the more we exercise them. Blogging two or three times a week keeps me sharp and helps me stay in the game.

A Word of Caution

Although a blog provides many helpful benefits, it also serves as a window for readers. Anyone tuned in is actually looking in on me and make judgment calls. Is she too serious? Too corny? Too sloppy in her writing? Can she write a decent sentence? Does she know how to spell? Does she know what she’s talking about? Is she consistent? Is she honest? Is she reliable? All these judgments have a bearing on my reputation as a blogger and author.

Have you ever been on an author blog that was full of errors, sloppy sentences, and inconsistencies? I have. Needless to say, I did not purchased their work. On the flip side, a well-done blog can be beneficial. It gives an author the opportunity to display a sample of their writing to the world. Knowing that, I’m very careful to maintain a professional appearance. No one’s perfect, but I do try to catch all my typos. I treat every book I review and every person who comments with respect. I also promised myself when I started out that I’d always be completely honest. I’m going to be me, just a polite and polished me.  :)

Our blogs project onto our work. If readers like what they see, they might try out a book. If we’re producing sloppy, unedited drivel, however, we might as well pack up the laptop, get out the gun, and start aiming for our toes.

Your turn…do you blog? Why or why not? What benefits do you derive from blogging? What downsides do you encounter?

The Girl Who Came Home, by Hazel Gaynor, 2012, Book Review

Today I would like to discuss some things self-published authors should NOT do. Unfortunately, this book will be my shining example. I happened to stumble upon this novel on a blog I admire. It was a guest post by the author promoting her work. I’ve always had a morbid fascination for the Titanic disaster, especially since my grandfather immigrated to America by the same route only a few days later as a very small child. So I purchased the book, assuming the professionalism of the blogger would translate into a professional novel by the guest poster. I assumed wrong.

The Girl Who Came Home isn’t bad. The writer has some good instincts and some very pretty moments. The parallel stories of Maggie, a seventeen-year-old Titanic survivor, and Grace, Maggie’s twenty-one-year-old great-grand daughter, compliment each other well. Both are coming of age stories with tragedy, recovery, romance and hope. Maggie says, ‘I’ve lived a very happy life because of the Titanic. Life is fragile Grace – it is no more than a petal of a cherry blossom; thriving and in full bloom one minute and blown to the ground by a sudden gust of wind the next.’ That’s nice, isn’t it? Sure it is, except for the five punctuation errors. Unless, of course, they punctuate differently in Ireland.

Indie authors, if we ever hope to overcome the stigma attached to us–you know, the one that says we can’t punctuate, spell or locate typos—we must produce quality work. I paid money for this book. Not a lot, but when I pay I expect a book reasonably free of errors. Instead, I found a typo in the publication info at the front of the book and spotted them regularly until the last page. Not just little blips, either. Dialogue is encased in ‘’ instead of “”, punctuation is left outside quote marks, “alright” should not be one word, question marks are used incorrectly, dashes are incorrect, ship names are not italicized, commas are sprinkled randomly throughout and left off where they belong… I could go on and on. And then there were the regular typos.

Now let me talk about redundancy. This whole book needed a red pen to slash sentiments that are repeated too often. Like the regrets Grace has about letting Jimmy get away. We’re told several times she let him go because she couldn’t stand to be hurt again. Once would have been enough. There are many, many areas where a character is hashing over the same territory. I did a lot of skimming.

My point is not to bash this book. I actually enjoyed it for the most part. The cover art is gorgeous, the research is thorough, it has a nice twist at the end, and the descriptions, particularly of the Irish countryside, are exquisite. Disaster scenes on board the sinking ship also resound with authenticity. I could see the looming iceberg, hear the cries of the dying, feel the cold. But the errors were distracting. Had the manuscript been run through a good editor instead of through the family member Ms. Gaynor thanks in her acknowledgements much could have been salvaged. Instead, the book takes the reputation of every self-published author and plunges it into the icy depths along with the fated ship.

Perhaps I’m being tougher than I need to be because I’ve made these mistakes myself. I have worked without an editor, and I have worked with one. I’ve learned my lesson; I will now make a bold statement. Authors can produce every aspect of a book themselves very successfully with one exception: everyone, EVERYONE needs a professional editor. I’ll say it again. Guys! There’s no better investment you can make in your book than running it past someone who knows the business!

In conclusion, I must add, because this is a family-friendly blog focused primarily on middle grade reads, that this book is YA. It contains some sexual references and a fair bit of profanity.

How do You Measure Success?

The publishing industry has limits on how many books it can produce each year, which has always made published authors part of an exclusive club. But not anymore. Digital publishing has swung open the door of opportunity to anyone willing to undertake (or hire out) the legwork involved in producing a book. It’s an exciting time to be a writer. There are so many low-cost avenues to print, so many ways to reach an audience. And lots of us are getting in on the action.

It’s no secret that a few self-publishers are making a killing. Names like J. A. Konrath, Amanda Hocking, Barry Eisler and John Locke are in the news quite regularly for pulling in six- and seven-figure incomes. Some jumped in and rode the wave early, before the beach got so crowded. Others brought an already big name to the water. Other just plain got lucky.

So what does that mean for the rest of us? Can we all hope for such success? Should we shoot for it? Plan on it? Work for it? Follow their methods? Can we all really be that successful? The obvious answer, of course, is that the vast majority of writers will never see such outrageous money. That begs the question, then, what is success?

I guess the answer will be different for each of us. We all want different things. For some, just seeing a book in print is a huge success, whether it sells well or not. This includes memoirs, family histories, books by children, a class project, a photo book, family cookbooks, or other personal projects. There was a time when these types of books could never go to print without a significant investment, if they could be created at all. Now, these treasures can be professionally bound and distributed with little cost and great pride.

Some authors may simply wish to find an audience for a story they’ve been passionate about. Others might be hoping to sell enough books to save up for a special purchase. And still others hope to quit a hated day job and still earn a modest living. I would qualify success as meeting any of these goals.

And lots of folks are doing it! I know many authors who are finding an audience for the first time and earning a little extra money. And I’ve read a score of stories about people earning three, four or five thousand dollars off their digital books every month! A killing? Not by any means. But that’s between thirty and sixty thousand dollars a year. A variety of professions draw similar pay. So what if we’re not all earning millions? Writers are succeeding!

I, personally, have two goals.  One, I wanted my books to finally find some readers.  That’s happening!  I’d also like to accumulate several thousand dollars for my kids’ college funds before they actually graduate from high school. I really haven’t set a figure because I’m in a difficult genre. Children’s literature is not widely read by adults, not many kids have ereaders, and no kids have credit cards. That makes this an uphill battle. But I’m working at it, I have several years before my oldest leaves home, and I’ve got lots more books in the queue. Sure I’d like to see higher sales, but even at my slow pace, I’m going to have a good deal more money in the bank by college time than I would had I not self-published. By that measure, I’d say this venture is looking pretty successful.

We, as self-published authors, have every reason to be proud of what we’re accomplishing, whether our successes are big or little.  So now it’s time for you to share.  Tell us about your success story!

The Appeal of a Great Brand

Have you, by chance, noticed a little more sweetness around Bookworm Blather lately? That’s because I’m finally taking everything I’ve ever learned about branding to heart. I find I have time for such improvements when I finish a novel.  (Hee! hee! See how I cleverly worked a plug in there?)

There are so many fish in the publishing (or blogging) sea it’s really easy to blend in and never be noticed. Branding is one way to set yourself apart. Basically, all branding is is choosing what you want to be known for and then playing it up. According to popular consensus, three attributes seems to be the number to work with. (For over a year now I’ve been reading about what “everybody” says and trying my best to apply it. I’m finding that not all this great advice works for me, and I’m starting to form some of my own opinions. But more on that in later posts.) I happen to be in complete agreement with the masses on this one. I just haven’t done the most wonderful job of implementing it.

I want to give you an example of very effective branding. Catherine Ryan Howard publishes a blog I really enjoy. She’s an author who writes for adults, both fiction and narrative non-fiction, and her blog is about self-publishing. Like many bloggers, the ultimate motive behind her effort is to sell her books. I have not read her books; I don’t even have an interest in her books. But I’m drawn to her blog because 1) she offers me something (great information and a few chuckles) and 2) she does it so well.

What makes Catherine’s blog so effective? Primarily it’s good content. But the way she portrays herself is really catchy. That’s her brand shining through. Look at her blog title: Catherine Caffeinated. See the coffee cup? Notice a color theme? Notice the typewriter? When I think Catherine Ryan Howard, I think pink, coffee, and self-publishing. That’s how she’s marketed herself and every post ties in. She always writes about self-publishing but she does it in a nice package. Sometimes she reminds us to bring coffee. Other times she mentions that she hasn’t had enough caffeine yet. And still other times she may say somethings like, “Keep dropping by if it isn’t too pink for you.” It’s good content that’s tied up with pink ribbons and coffee beans, which makes the content that much more enjoyable. Does she sell more books because of it? It hasn’t influenced me to buy. But it’s grown her blog and helped her stand out, and that notoriety probably does help sales. (And notice how I, a non-buyer, am spreading the word to other potential purchasers purely on the quality of her blog.)

My personal application? I haven’t done quite as inclusive a job of branding myself. Those who know me think children’s literature–I hope that’s obvious immediately. But I also wanted my blog (and my writing) to be known by the kid-friendly attribute of ‘adventurous.’ That’s why I switched over to the more eye-catching header and background images a few months ago. But it was time to evolve a little more. I started with a new subtitle: “Sweet adventures in children’s literature.” Adventure’s still there, but “sweet” is new. It has three great meanings: 1) tasting of sugar 2) wickedly awesome! and 3) that which invokes the word “Awwww…” It’s general. It’s expressive. It can be used to denote a feeling of innocence I value in my work. And I can plug in chocolate cupcakes. I might not sell more books, but I think I’ll have fun with it. From here on out my posts will be getting a little sweeter and a little more adventurous. I’m even considering dribbling a few cookies into Gilbert’s (the shark) mouth.

I’d love to hear your feedback. What are your thoughts on branding? Is it worth bothering with? What kind of branding have you seen or done?

Over Memorial Day weekend, I’ll be Up North where an internet connection is occasionally available at the end of the driveway IF I stand on one foot while waving my left arm in circles and cock my head at a 45 degree angle. If I’m feeling like a contortionist, I’ll get to those comments right away.  Otherwise look for me on Tuesday. Have a great holiday!

Setting Goals

For self-published authors, setting goals is tremendously beneficial.  As writer, publisher and marketer, we have a lot to do. For me, written goals help me lay out my overall purpose, they establish baby steps to see that I get there, they help me prioritize, and they keep me accountable.

Rather than talk this topic to death, however, I’m simply going to write out a sampling of my goals from 2011 and my goals for March 2012. I think this will suffice to illustrate how they helped me dive into an unfamiliar new career and how they continue to keep me on track. If you find them extremely dull, skip ‘em, and I promise my point will be waiting again somewhere near the end.  :)

My 2011 Goals

• Give my all-over-the-board blog a specific children’s literature direction.
• Research how to publish on Kindle and Smashwords.
• Become familiar with different ereaders and the file formats associated with them.
• Evaluate pricing and royalty options.
• Set up an author website.
• Figure out how to get my paperbacks on Amazon.
• Rewrite and publish The Quill Pen.
• Read and review LOTS of kids books.
• Learn how to create a book trailer.

In the beginning, I was hopelessly overwhelmed. I kept discovering and listing all these new things I had to do and learn. I had very broad goals that included a lot of experimentation and education. This year my goals are much more specific. I’m still learning and trying lot of new things, but I have a better understanding of the direction I want to take and the ways to get there. At the beginning of the year I wrote out several broad goals I wanted to meet.  Now each month I pick a few things from the pile and break my objectives into more manageable tasks.  They keep me moving forward.

March 2012 Goals

• Finish Slashings manuscript and begin rewrites.
• Procure a professional editor for finished manuscript.
• Prepare a Beneath the Slashings query for reviewers. Query in March and April.
• Edit and publish lesson plans for The Quill Pen in paperback and digital formats.
• Read and review four books to post on my blog in April.
• Become more proficient with imaging software.  Create a new Quill Pen cover.
• Finish and implement blog makeover.
• Try Kindle select with Candle Star.

My Point

Okay, I promised a point after all this. Here it is: Self-publishing and self-marketing involve way more time and effort than I ever dreamed they would. They encompass my blogs, social media, interaction with others of the same interests, my reading choices, my writing decisions, my self-education, the list goes on and on. Setting goals has aided me tremendously by helping me define what I most want to accomplish and then breaking those objectives into bite-size pieces. If you are a writer, I’d encourage you to take a few minutes and pinpoint exactly what it is you want to achieve. Only then can you set a course to get there.

If you aren’t tired of reading this post yet, here’s a few of my broad objectives remaining for 2012:

• Look into itunes, podcasts and audio books.
• Rewrite Song of the Mountain. Publish in fall/winter.
• Organize August book launch and blog tour.
• Create a plot outline for new five-book series idea.

Four Publishing Mistakes I Wish I Could Redo

Last spring I self-published my book with absolutely no knowledge of the publishing (or self-publishing) industry. But I knew I had a story worth telling, so I jumped in with both feet, figuring that was the best way to learn. And I have learned a lot, including which mistakes I don’t want to make again.

Most of my mistakes stemmed from a rush to get all four of my books to print ASAP. And who could blame me? I’d started my first manuscript eight years before. It was high time the world received my stories! So I published my first three within weeks of each other and the fourth a few months later. But I missed some big opportunities. I wish now I had slowed down and made a few waves with each.

Mistake Number One

First, I didn’t realize how many typos a “finished” product contains or how many eyes it takes to spot them all. Each book should have been passed around to more people BEFORE publication, saving me the hassle and embarrassment of having to make changes. My early readers purchased flawed copies (not a good reputation builder), and I have a small stack of paperbacks with typos that can’t be changed. (I pass them out to reviewers—with a disclaimer—or sell them at a bit of a discount.)

My thoughts on professional editing have changed slightly, as well. Though many writers have stressed this need, I still argue that a line editor isn’t absolutely necessary if you have enough knowledgeable readers willing to look for mistakes. And I’m still comfortable with my choice not to employ a content editor for my first four books simply because of the amount of input and the number of revisions each received. (Remember, I had them a long time.) I have, however, procured a content editor for my new book, Beneath the Slashings.

Number Two

Last spring, neither did I understand how Amazon worked.  I didn’t realize that new releases get a bit of extra exposure. On the left hand side of the screen, there’s a whole subcategory devoted to new releases, giving the newbies a little boost out of obscurity. In hindsight, I should have solicited some reviews to have in place immediately, so the higher-than-normal number of eyes had some opinions to read through. Instead, my review space looked like a desert wasteland. I wonder how many people passed over my books because it seemed no one else was reading them either.  Similarly, I should have priced those new releases more strategically, as well, to entice readers to take a chance on a newbie.

I also didn’t understand that the higher one’s rankings on Amazon, the more exposure a title receives. It’s a compounding effect. So I should have trumped up a storm of queries devoted to exposing my book on dozens of blogs.  With a concerted promotional effort, perhaps I could have come off the newbie list with a higher ranking. Instead, I waited to hit the virtual circuit until I had three books out, and none of them really received individual, high-powered promotion. I ended up with a scattershot approach that hasn’t been very effective.

Number Three

Another newbie mistake, I waited to start a mailing list, mostly because I didn’t understand the importance of having one or how to set one up. (More on those another time.) Had I created a bit more stir with each book and put in place the means for fans to receive information about upcoming releases, I probably would have compounded interest with each title.

And Number Four

One thing I did do right was to educate myself about Facebook fan pages right away. However, I created a page for each new release. I regret that now. It was too many pages inside a short span of time, and none of them really built up any steam. Besides that, I found it difficult to spread myself around on so many sites, so I condensed them into one author fan page. That was a good move. One site provides a central focus under which attention to individual works naturally falls. And it’s way easier to maintain. Unfortunately, by closing down the old pages, I lost quite a few followers who never migrated to my new site.

So, had I done everything right, would I be enjoying best-selling status now? Probably not. But I might be further ahead than I am now.  Will I never make another mistake?  Also doubtful.  The trick is to learn from them and keep moving forward.  I’m doing lots of things differently for this new launch.  In a few more days, I’ll tell you all about it!

 

Indie Endeavors, Part 9: Blurbs

Next week my how-to series will wrap up! But I’ve decided to make Indie Publishing a category on my blog. I’ll add to it often. In the meantime, check out all my posts in this series…

• Part 1: My Eight-Year Journey
• Part 2: Tradtional vs. Self-Publishing
• Part 3: A Word About Editing
• Part 4: Cover Images
• Part 5: What the Heck is an ISBN?
• Part 6: Publishing ebooks on Kindle
• Part 7: Why Publish ebooks on Smashwords?
• Part 8: Should I Create a Paperback?

Your book is published in a variety of places. Now it’s time to write up some effective blurbs to help you sell them. Blurbs are short, catchy summaries and can range between one sentence and two or three paragraphs. After your cover, your blurb is the first place readers will look to check out your book, so make sure it’s snappy and effective. The trick is to capture interest in a short space. In this post, I’ll give you some examples of blurbs and blurb lengths and share some great places to use them.

Usually the site on which you publish your book will give you the opportunity to write a short synopsis that will appear next to your book listing. Take advantage!! The length of your blurb will depend on the amount of space you’re given. Here’s my Smashwords short blurb for my middle grade fantasy, The Quill Pen. In four sentences, it captures the story’s problem, piques interest, and creates a measure of suspense (at least I hope it does!):

If you owned a pen that wrote the future, would you use it? What if consequences spread like ripples in a pond? What if they raged out of control? What if the pen demanded tribute—in blood?

Smashwords also allows room for a longer summary, as does Amazon. You’ll want to be careful, however. It is possible to bore your reader or scare them off with too much text. And you don’t want to reveal too much information, either. The best blurbs give a little away and create interest by hinting at all the reader doesn’t yet know. Here’s an example:

If you found a pen that wrote the future, would you use it? What if consequences spread like ripples in a pond? What if they raged out of control? What if the pen demanded tribute…in blood?

Thirteen-year-old Micah has found such a pen. One that’s ensnared him in a curse dating back generations. One that’s devastated two families and now threatens his whole New England village. But how can Micah destroy the pen when it offers him his only chance at the future he dreams of?

Sometimes an even longer blurb may be in order, like on the back cover of your book, or when someone (like a reviewer or an editor) asks for a one-page synopsis. Since my Quill Pen back cover blurb is quite short (I used the one above), I’ll provide the one from my book The Color of Freedom as an example of a longer one. It gives the reader a very good idea of what will happen in the book but still leaves much unsaid. Notice how the conflict is clearly put forth:

Fourteen-year-old Meadow McKenzie hates the British. Turned off her Irish farm and forced to book passage to America as an indentured servant, Meadow understands why the rebels wish to throw off the yoke of King George’s rule. But is freedom worth the cost?

Then, forced to flee her master, Meadow disguises herself as a boy and takes up with a traveling tinker. While winding toward Boston to reunite with her father, she’s moved by the courage, pride and determination of the American patriots, but their Puritan roots run deep.

Before she can embrace the cause of her new homeland, Meadow must carefully consider a future amongst Puritan hatred for her Catholic beliefs. Would liberty apply to Irish, to Negroes, to Quakers, to Jews, to Catholics? Or would that slogan be cast aside when majority rule served the majority? Perhaps the colonists had simply invented a new kind of tyranny.

But war will not wait for Meadow’s decision.

It’s also wise to have a very concise summary of perhaps one or two sentences. You never know when you might have a quick opportunity to pitch your book. Fellow YA author Lois D. Brown (who wrote Cycles) and I decided to advertise in the back of each other’s books because our themes were so similar. We used very, very short blurbs because we figured our readers’ attention span was at an end. Here are both of them:

Mine: If you owned a pen that wrote the future, would you use it? What if the pen demanded tribute—in blood?

Hers: Thirteen-year-old Renee Beaumont is about to die . . . again.

So you can see that having a variety of blurbs is very beneficial. If you’re given the space, make sure you include them. (And make double sure your spelling and punctuation are correct.) With a little creativity, you’ll probably find many additional uses for them. I use mine each time I query a possible reviewer, and they’ve come in handy when I’ve been featured on author spotlight blogs. So take a little time to write some up.