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Bobby Deluxe posted:Yes. I know it's disappointing when you've been looking forward to your first KU promo, but you really want to maximise the visibility boost by advertising the promo in as many places as you can. Hah, you're right, I was looking forward to telling the world about my book  As for sites, I've found this list; has anyone had experience with these sites?Bobby Deluxe posted:The wife discovered this the other night - a few of the books on her kindle said they had 'updates pending' or something, and gave her the option of downloading updates for them. I think there's a setting somewhere that lets it autoupdate when you're on wifi, but i'm not sure. Awesome; I'll definitely be taking advantage of that, to be sure. EngineerSean posted:It's actually a lot more complicated than that, you have to actually email Amazon and request that your books be able to be updated, and you have to make a case for it. "Significant edits" is the magic word, though. Everyone who had bought the book gets an email that there's an update, in this form: Yeah, I'm not going to change small typos and such (though I'll certainly be taking advantage of the next week to do so), but if there are any big, glaring mishaps that I didn't spot, I'll do my best to fix 'em. I'm aware I have this avatar for a reason, after all 
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Aug 21, 2015 13:17
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CommissarMega posted:Yeah, I'm not going to change small typos and such (though I'll certainly be taking advantage of the next week to do so), but if there are any big, glaring mishaps that I didn't spot, I'll do my best to fix 'em. I'm aware I have this avatar for a reason, after all Also as an FYI - this can still take significant time for Amazon to respond even with the "Significant editorial changes" blurb. It's better to measure twice and upload once than to sit back and watch as my metaphor burns to the ground because it totally doesn't work.
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Aug 21, 2015 14:07
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Sundae posted:Sure you can, if you haven't done any promo and it's a brand new release. You unpublish it, duplicate it all under a new entry on your dashboard, and relaunch without hurting anyone at all. Ahh, thanks.
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Aug 21, 2015 14:12
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You can fix typos or update backmatter and all future purchasers will get the updated version, but anyone who bought it before you made those changes will get the old version, even if they download it again at a later date. Think of it like them buying SunderedHeavens_21AUG2015 at a bookstore, that's the book that they're always going to have (unless you jump through the hoops Amazon requires to make SunderedHeavens_25DEC2015 the definitive edition).
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Aug 21, 2015 14:17
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I got this book published a few years ago (small press, not self-published): Kelvin McCloud and the Seaside Storm. The book is a weather-themed murder mystery for kids ~9-12 years old. Weather facts are woven into the narrative and the characters use their knowledge of weather and science, and some good old-fashioned gumshoeing, to investigate the case of a wealthy banker murdered in a hailstorm. I wrote this to get kids more interested in weather and science, and to teach them things like why the sky is blue, what causes the seasons, and why we have weather at all. I'm currently doing research in the field of paleoclimate, so these are topics that I love. Here's the cover and blurb: "An anonymous note in the middle of the night, an obituary for a banker who died in a hailstorm, and a mysterious woman vanishing down the stairwell: these clues lead Henry Alabaster and his uncle Kelvin McCloud to a spooky mansion in a coastal town. As a weather detective, Kelvin knows a thing or two about hailstorms, and the strange events surrounding the banker's death suggest foul play. Henry teams up with the fiery, artistic Rachel to help his uncle investigate, and they learn a lot about weather on the way. Nothing—not a thunderstorm, threats, burglary, a baseball bat-wielding suspect, nor even a devastating fire—can keep Henry and his team from chasing down the truth." Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Kelvin-McCloud-Seaside-Storm-Michael/dp/098500083X. I've had some limited success so far. It's been read in a few classrooms and I've done Skype sessions with the classes afterwards. The book has also been published in Turkey, but I don't have any interaction with the Turkish publishers, so I don't know how that's going. I am trying to figure out better ways of getting the word out. I don't have much direct contact with middle-schoolers (the target audience), and I'm not entirely sure how to market to their parents either. Are there good places online that I should reach out to? I've contacted some online book reviewers and science podcasts, but that hasn't gotten me too far. Any ideas for promoting a book like this? You can read a sample on Amazon, and the e-book is only $2, if you want to read the whole thing. I'd be happy to hear any feedback, either on the book itself or ideas for getting the word out. DorianGravy fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Aug 22, 2015 |
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Aug 22, 2015 22:48
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I have no advice for you but I did buy a copy because, other than the fact that it's long, it reminded me of Encyclopedia Brown.
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Aug 23, 2015 00:16
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EngineerSean posted:I have no advice for you but I did buy a copy because, other than the fact that it's long, it reminded me of Encyclopedia Brown. Great! I'm not sure how much it shares with Encyclopedia Brown, but feel free to let me know what you think! I'm working on a sequel now, so any opinions about the writing and/or plotting would be appreciated.
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Aug 23, 2015 20:30
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I haven't read it, but isn't a murder mystery a little dark for 9-12 year-olds?
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Aug 24, 2015 01:31
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newtestleper posted:I haven't read it, but isn't a murder mystery a little dark for 9-12 year-olds?
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Aug 24, 2015 01:39
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newtestleper posted:I haven't read it, but isn't a murder mystery a little dark for 9-12 year-olds? Have a read of Horowitz's Diamond Brothers for how it can be well-handled
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Aug 24, 2015 04:19
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newtestleper posted:I haven't read it, but isn't a murder mystery a little dark for 9-12 year-olds? Judging by the description it's all set post-murder, and so was the first chapter of Harry Potter, so if it's acceptable for kids to read the latter...
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Aug 24, 2015 13:12
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Yes, the murder takes place before the book begins. As their piecing together the crime, the main character (a 13 year old) sometimes imagines what the scene might have looked like, but it's never grisly. The mystery is the important thing, and the book more often focuses on the intrigue of what might have happened and the wonder of the natural world. Traditionally, murder mysteries (despite set in motion by murder) aren't very dark.
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Aug 24, 2015 14:10
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For any of you romance (actual romance, not erotica) writers out there, I have a new service I've launched that is currently free to authors. We are open to submissions, and so far the response has been pretty great from readers and authors alike. http://www.hotnewbooks.com Long story short: Hot New Books runs a self-selected mailing list of readers who want to get ARCs or free books in exchange for honest reviews. We send out e-mails listing the books, providing covers and blurbs and a choice of EPUB or MOBI downloads, and any reader interested in your book can select their desired format and read it. Your book goes out with instructions on when/where you want the reviews left, where you want them left, etc. We send out a reminder e-mail to anyone who downloaded the book 3-7 days later depending on length, timing, ARC or not, stuff like that. We do not require our readers give good reviews (only honest ones), but all our wording suggests that they should review books they like. Additionally, since readers self-select the books they read, there are decent odds of good reviews. To keep track of who is doing what, we monitor downloads from each person on the mailing list and periodically audit for reviews to kick people off who are just using the service for free books. For the foreseeable future, you're guaranteed a return on your listing because I'm not charging anyone yet. Fees will come once the site has built a good track record, but we're free for now. What you WILL be asked to do, in exchange, is cross-promote the site's listing on your own mailing list or Facebook fan page (depending on each author individually for now) when you offer the ARC or Review Copy. We'll work with you for the ideal setup. This may also work to your benefit because you can add signup links to your own mailing lists in your Hot New Books distribution copy and maybe grab a few more people, too. This isn't as useful for large-listed authors, but potentially a benefit for earlier career stages. If you'd like to list a book through us, stop by our website and head to the Author Submissions page to see our requirements! 
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Aug 28, 2015 03:27
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Sundae posted:For any of you romance (actual romance, not erotica) writers out there, I have a new service I've launched that is currently free to authors. That looks pretty awesome, Sundae. I'll definitely pimp it around.
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Aug 28, 2015 12:54
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Ghostwoods posted:That looks pretty awesome, Sundae. I'll definitely pimp it around. Sweet. I'm certainly game for new submissions.
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Aug 28, 2015 14:04
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Finishing a romance novel this weekend or early next week (then will have to do a bunch of poo poo before it's ready as it's a new pen name), but I will definitely use this service even if it's pay to use by that point.
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Aug 28, 2015 14:11
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Sundae posted:For any of you romance (actual romance, not erotica) writers out there, I have a new service I've launched that is currently free to authors. We are open to submissions, and so far the response has been pretty great from readers and authors alike. I'm going to be all over this when I finish my first novel. Thanks for the heads up!
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Aug 28, 2015 14:54
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That looks awesome, Sundae. I'll be in touch too
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Aug 28, 2015 19:59
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Great, now I want to write a romance so I can get in on this ground floor  Speaking of which, Sundered Heavens is free for the next two days (assuming Amazon is using Malaysian time). Pick up your copy today! EDIT: Also, this may be bad form, but whether you like the book or hate it, could you leave some reviews? I won't know what I'm doing right or wrong unless someone tells me, sorry. Also, some promotional sites won't promote it unless I've got a whole bunch of reviews, the sods.
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Aug 29, 2015 01:46
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CommissarMega posted:Great, now I want to write a romance so I can get in on this ground floor All promotions begin and end at midnight Pacific time.
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Aug 29, 2015 01:56
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EngineerSean posted:All promotions begin and end at midnight Pacific time. Right then, so I'm guessing it's already begun, then? Assuming my own computer's internal clock is telling the truth.
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Aug 29, 2015 08:42
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I just took a free copy, so it's currently running.
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Aug 29, 2015 13:48
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CommissarMega posted:Right then, so I'm guessing it's already begun, then? Assuming my own computer's internal clock is telling the truth. Yeah it has began now, but when you posted before it hadn't quite began.
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Aug 29, 2015 20:43
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CommissarMega posted:Great, now I want to write a romance so I can get in on this ground floor I just got it - thanks! It might take me a bit to get around to it (I just started a new job on Monday, so both my writing and my free time are completely out of whack) but I'll definitely leave a review when I'm done.
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Aug 29, 2015 21:05
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I would like your thoughts on my blurb. I've written two version, one from the protagonist's perspective, the other from the antagonists. PROTAG version: quote:KATE HILL’S GRANDFATHER IS A SERIAL KILLER. ANTAG version: quote:Killing vagrants used to give Marvin Hill a sense of accomplishment—not that anybody ever thanked him. He didn't mind. Keeping the streets of Marietta, GA safe from bums and riff raff was all the thanks he ever needed. I love the first one, but it leaves out the whole crazy killer/ghost lady angle. Think of her as Norman Bates' mother in Psycho... not the main character, but a pretty interesting part of the tale. Do you think the first blurb will work without having to bring up the old lady? And then there's this - I'm going to start promoting the book on facebook so I'm making a series of posters. 
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Aug 30, 2015 19:24
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Your protag blurb ends really abruptly. There's no hook at the end, so it feels as if there's a line that got cut off. It's making my teeth itch. The antag blurb is much stronger in that sense. But no, I don't think you need the crazy/ghost thing overt in the blurb. The concept is strong enough without it.
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Aug 30, 2015 19:35
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Ghostwoods posted:Your protag blurb ends really abruptly. There's no hook at the end, so it feels as if there's a line that got cut off. It's making my teeth itch. The antag blurb is much stronger in that sense. But no, I don't think you need the crazy/ghost thing overt in the blurb. The concept is strong enough without it. Thanks. Yes. That protag blurb just kind of gets up to use the bathroom or some poo poo. I just didn't want to end on a WILL KATE SURVIVE? TUNE IN! Is there a secret handshake to blurb endings? Some way to leave the tension there?
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Aug 30, 2015 19:45
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Ghostwoods posted:Your protag blurb ends really abruptly. There's no hook at the end, so it feels as if there's a line that got cut off. It's making my teeth itch. The antag blurb is much stronger in that sense. But no, I don't think you need the crazy/ghost thing overt in the blurb. The concept is strong enough without it. KATE HILL’S GRANDFATHER IS A SERIAL KILLER. She’s got photographs to prove it: snapshots that go back as far as fifty years. Some of them are blurry, but there’s no mistaking the tall, gaunt figure burying bodies in a garden she'd been digging in since she was a toddler with a plastic play shovel. Her world changed the moment she found the first snapshot in an alley next to the corpse of an old woman: her grandfather’s friend Mary. But Mary turns out to be more than just an innocent victim. And the bloody trail Kate is following leads to something more dangerous than she could ever have imagined...
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Aug 30, 2015 19:46
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moana posted:Agreed on all counts, and get rid of the Mary characterization. It doesn't add anything. I love love love that tagline. Rewritten: Oh poo poo that's awesome. You should do this for a living or something.
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Aug 30, 2015 19:57
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moana posted:Agreed on all counts, and get rid of the Mary characterization. It doesn't add anything. I love love love that tagline. Rewritten: Perfect!
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Aug 30, 2015 21:29
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Goddamn do I want to read that now.
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Aug 31, 2015 00:15
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Bobby Deluxe posted:Goddamn do I want to read that now. Same here, that's some intriguing stuff. When in October is it coming out, exactly?
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Aug 31, 2015 07:07
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CommissarMega posted:Same here, that's some intriguing stuff. When in October is it coming out, exactly? Somewhere between 1 and 7. Probably closer to 7.
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Aug 31, 2015 13:39
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Make sure you post in the thread when it's out.
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Aug 31, 2015 17:52
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Bobby Deluxe posted:Make sure you post in the thread when it's out.
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Aug 31, 2015 18:47
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magnificent7 posted:Somewhere between 1 and 7. Probably closer to 7. Cool, I'll keep an eye out then. Also, I've got a bit of a dumb question: Are the free books permanently free, or just for the weekend? Just want to know bwfore I put up a 'Hey, if you like the book, why not drop me some change?'-style notice on my FB
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Sep 1, 2015 10:58
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I released my first urban fantasy novel over the weekend. So far I've had sales, to friends, in limited amounts. I have a BKnights and free promo scheduled for Thursday, so hopefully that builds up a little momentum. The reviews I've had from pimping ARCs and Beta Reads to various forums I'm on have been good, and I've encouraged them to post to Amazon. I've had a couple of responses along the lines of, "I'd have more to say but I rushed to the end because I was engrossed." The best response so far was from a guy I met in the pub who wondered what I did, and wanted to see some of my writing. He said he read it in one sitting even though it's not his normal genre, and he pushed my Facebook page to his friends. I think this is genuinely the best thing I've written. I put a lot of effort into addressing my flaws and avoiding my usual pitfalls as I wrote it, which took a fair amount of effort and concentration. I think it has the potential to gain some traction, if I can get it in front of people. It's not perfect, but nothing I ever write will be. It's the best of what I've done though. From the reviews, "...from the beginning I was drawn into the book and I read it from beginning to end in one sitting. Her conversational style is natural and very readable, and the narrative has a tight, clipped pace. I felt drawn to the characters, especially the lead, and they are surprisingly believable, which is quite an achievement given the genre." And "For a first novel, I think it is really solidly written. It is a new spin on the supernatural fantasy stuff with a little post apocalyptic world view for good measure. It started a tiny bit shaky but by the second chapter I was totally engaged in the main character and her story. If you like stories about Witches, Vampires, etc I would recommend giving this new author a try. "
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Sep 1, 2015 11:32
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lol post the link
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Sep 1, 2015 13:03
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angel opportunity posted:lol post the link You should have seen it. I've been talking about it in #selfpub for the past week. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014N0S84M Edit: I'm genuinely going crazy from nerves, and a lack of sleep last night. I was talking to an author about her series title and I kept on thinking why is she talking about "chickens?" Turns out she was typing "children." Mrenda fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Sep 1, 2015 |
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Sep 1, 2015 13:05
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I have to keep closing IRC mid convo and I've never managed to see it 
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Sep 1, 2015 13:13
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