Archives for September 2013

We’re on to “those” people – Trolls

Reblogged from One Story Slinger:

Remember in the "olden" days when products sold based on marketing, advertising and word-of-mouth? Well, those days have been long gone ever since the Internet. Now anyone can buy a product on Amazon.com or Sephora or a myriad of other consumer sites and post his or her review of the purchased product. As if other consumers are waiting with bated breath for their reviews.

Read more… 671 more words

. Book-Reviews . You might have read last weeks blog: Got a 1-Star Review? What Can You Do? http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/got-a-1-star-review-what-can-you-do/ . "I heard this from many authors, and don’t even want to call them reviews – as these people totally ignore the rules how to write a book review – rather bashing authors and their work. Some people are hoarding free books, without checking them before, they don’t even read the “Look Inside” part on Amazon’s page and then, when it is not the right genre or a book in a series, or when it is too long or too short, they write harsh complaints, instead of writing a fair and professional review. Scathing and destructive reviews can be posted for reasons such as:
  • The review is from a competitor (friend)
  • The reviewer is envious to not be able to write her/himself
  • He/she is an all around miserable person
Carolynne Keenan has written a great blog post about these "review trolls" - and what Goodreads is now doing about it. Don't miss to also read the author comments. .

<><><><><>

.

HAPPY DIVORCE – GLUECKLICH TROTZ SCHEIDUNG

HAPPY DIVORCE
is an all-around guide to dealing with divorce, covering everything from finding a lawyer to explaining the situation to the children to getting back into dating.

The first part – “I See My Way: I Manage My Mind · I Find My Self · I Set My goals”
- is more spiritual, preparing you and setting up the basis for late approaches and responses to the more practical subjects contained in the second part. You will be prepared to:

  • manage the stress of divorce
  • discover and observe your mental abilities and the power of thoughts under a number of different theories (scientific, religious, common sense)
  • shift your energy to meet the physical demands of having to cope with divorce
  • lighten the emotional burden that accompanies this event
  • ease your frustration
  • regain your sense of control over your life
  • discover new possibilities
  • become aware of the paradoxical inner power triggered by divorce
  • contact your inner Self to learn what you really want, what your original dreams and goals are
  • set goals in every sphere of your life and
  • motivate yourself to start your dreams.

The second part – “I Go My Way: I Improve · I Select · I Get”
- is a golden practical guide which addresses every kind of critical/sensitive issue you have to deal with in connection with divorce.
.

Happy-Divorce

Happy Divorce – Gluecklich trotz Scheidung

.

HAPPY DIVORCE is available in GERMAN Language:  GLUECKLICH TROTZ SCHEIDUNG

Nur ein sehr geringer Anteil der Ehescheidungen erfolgt einvernehmlich.  In der Regel werden Scheidungen streitig, teils unter heftigsten Auseinandersetzungen, ausgetragen.  Aber es muss nicht so sein!   Ein neuer, all-umfassender Ratgeber von Rossana Condoleo hilft Scheidungswilligen / -Unwilligen, ihr Leben wieder in den Griff zu bekommen, und die Scheidung nicht als Unglueck, sondern als eine Chance zu sehen.

.

GLÜCKLICH TROTZ SCHEIDUNG:
Der lebensverändernde, komplette Scheidungsratgeber” ist der ultimative Ratgeber für Frauen und Männer, die sich scheiden lassen.

Eine Scheidung ist größter Stress: Der Umbruch, den eine Scheidung bedeutet, stellt aber auch eine hervorragende Gelegenheit dar, das eigene Leben seinen innersten Wünschen entsprechend umzugestalten – denn das Leben nach einer Scheidung birgt die größten Chancen!

Teil I des Buches
beschäftigt sich mit den emotionalen Seiten einer Scheidung und hilft, mit dem Stress, den die Situation mit sich bringt, umzugehen, erleichtert die emotionale Last, hilft, die Kontrolle über die eigene Zukunft wiederzuerlangen und in allen Bereichen des Lebens Ziele zu setzen.

Teil II
bietet Hunderte von Tipps und Tricks, wie man mit schwierigen und sensiblen Themen in einer Scheidungssituation umgehen kann: Beruf – Image – Scheidungsanwälte – Social Networks – Familie – Freunde – Aussehen – Wohnen – Gesundheit und Fitness – Exmann/Exfrau und deren Familie und Freunde – sich wieder verabreden – Kinder.

Die Autorin und Life Coach motiviert ihre Leserinnen und Leser und sorgt für eine positive Einstellung von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite.

.
GLÜCKLICH TROTZ SCHEIDUNG
Erhaeltlich als Taschenbuch oder in digitaler Form bei Amazon.
354 Seiten    http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00EABI462

.
Ueber die Autorin:

Rossana Condoleo ist Partnerin-Life-Coach bei InvivoPlay.com und Expertin bei HopeAfterDivorce.org, FamilyShare.com, LAFamily.com und CupidsPulse.com. Sie berät bei BEZIEHUNGSPROBLEMEN: Liebe & Partnerschaft, Familie & Erziehung, Trennung & Scheidung.

PERSÖNLICHKEITSENTWICKLUNG und -BILDUNG:
Umgang mit Stress, innere Balance, Auftreten, Selbstbewusstsein, Führung, Zielsetzung und Motivation.

Folgen Sie der Autorin hier:
TWITTER: @rossanacondoleo
FACEBOOK BOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/happydivorce.hdp
FACEBOOK BOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/GlucklichTrotzScheidung


Tagged: Divorce, Divorce Lawyer, Guidebook for Divorce, Rossana Condoleo, Stressful Divorce

Interview with Linda Kovic-Skow: FRENCH ILLUSIONS

.
Author-Linda-Kovic-Skow

Linda Kovic-Skow at 21 in France

A pleasure to meet Linda Kovic-Skow, the author of the higly popular French Illusions, an amazing true story of a young American au-pair at a Château in the Loire Valley, west of Paris.
.
Linda, how would you describe your book to someone who has not yet read it?

In the summer of 1979, when I was twenty-one, I contracted to become an au-pair for a wealthy French family in the Loire Valley. To secure the attractive position, I pretended to speak French, fully aware that my deception would be discovered, once I arrived at my destination.

Based on my diary, French Illusions captures my often challenging, real-life story inside and outside the Château de Montclair.

The over-bearing, Madame Dubois, her accommodating husband Monsieur Dubois, and their two children are highlighted as I struggled to adapt to my new environment. Continually battling the language barrier, I signed up and attended classes at the local university in the nearby town of Tours. When I encountered, Adam, a handsome young student, my life with the Dubois family became more complicated, adding fuel to my internal battle for independence.

Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?
Set in the beautiful Loire Valley, French Illusions, my remarkable true story, recounts my exploits as a young, adventurous woman filled with dreams. It’s not too late to create your own memories. Go out and explore the world. Life’s for living, after all.

What inspired you to start writing? 
About five years ago, after my husband and I dropped our youngest daughter off at college, I went through a sort of mid-life crisis. I missed being a mom and I wondered how I would fill the void. Sure I had my part-time bookkeeping business, but it consumed only a few hours a day and it was not interesting any more. Something was missing, but what?

This prompted me to review what I like to call my “mid-life list.” This is similar to a “bucket list,” with an important twist. The idea was to refocus myself and figure out the things I wanted to do with my life in my fifties – while I could still do them. My list was short.

  • Learn to play the piano
  • Travel to Africa to see the elephants
  • Travel to Tahiti and see the island of Bora Bora
  • Travel back to France (with my family this time)
  • Write a book

At the time, I didn’t own a piano and, with two daughters in college (on the east coast no less!), I couldn’t afford a trip to Africa or Tahiti. I had already traveled back to France in 2001 with my family, so that left me to examine the fifth item on my list more closely. If I did write a book, would it be fiction or non-fiction? What genre would I choose?

The answers to my questions came to me in the shower (which is where many of my ideas seem to materialize, strangely enough). I decided to hunt down my diary from my au pair adventure in France and compose a memoir. It took me three years and countless hours to write French Illusions, but now I can scratch another item off my mid-life list.


Who is your favorite character and why?
One of my favorite characters in my memoir is Madame Dubois. Given her very arrogant, unforgiving attitude, she is the natural antagonist in my story.  As I worked my way through my diary, I recounted many heartbreaking interactions with my patron. Here is a sample of one of them:
“Ten minutes later, I returned to the salon with a tray of refreshments and under the watchful eyes of everyone there, I poured and served the tea. My hand trembled, but I kept going and completed the task without incident. Heaving a sigh of satisfaction, I plopped down next to Alexandre.
It felt good to be around other people besides the Dubois family. Even though I still struggled with French conversations, at least now I understood many of the words spoken around me. If I encountered trouble with certain words, I knew how to ask the speaker to speak more slowly or repeat what they’d said.
Turning toward Alexandre, I tried out a new phrase. “Donne-moi une pâtisserie, s’il te plait.” Please pass the pastry. Madame Moulon noticed and congratulated me on my progress with the language, “Mademoiselle Kovic, votre français s’améliore.
Merci beaucoup, madame.” I replied, glancing at my patron, eyes hopeful.
Madame Dubois opened her mouth, but no words of praise burst forth. Instead, she pointed to the teapot and asked me in English to pour her mother another cup of tea.”
.
Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of your book:
“This memoir from new author, Linda Kovic-Skow, is a must-read for all of us that have longed to explore the world, but don’t have the courage of the vivacious, young protagonist. Looking for a new direction in life, Linda yearns for adventure in her hopes of becoming a glamorous flight attendant. But, when she fibs her way into a job as an au-pair in the Loire Valley of France, she soon discovers that her expectations aren’t quite in line with those of her new employer.
The story flows nicely as she paints a picture of the quaint towns and rolling hillsides of her new home, but the highlights for this reader were the vignettes with the children, especially little Antoine. His adorable one-liners and interactions with Linda never ceased to brighten my mood. The relationships with the rest of the family are nicely developed throughout the book, and the dialogue reads well. Don’t be surprised when you see French dialogue on the page, though, because it is a convention that carries throughout. Overall, I thought that Francophiles and casual readers alike could enjoy this story, and I personally can’t wait for a sequel!” – Amazon Reviewer

.

Bedroom-at-the-Chateau

Bedroom at the Chateau

.
If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be?
 Stories from plucky women.
.
What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
A few readers have told me that my memoir reads like a novel and, at times, they have to remind themselves that French Illusions is non-fiction. I consider this a great compliment. Successful narrative non-fiction, above all else, must encompass good storytelling techniques such as character development and dialog.
.
What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?
Chapter 15 in French Illusions was such fun to write. I pictured myself walking through the Songais market in the Loire Valley, describing my stops along the way. I wanted readers to feel as though they were right alongside of me, experiencing the event with me. Here is an excerpt:

“Rows of tables presided over by neighboring farmers and tradesman filled the square, many of them offering tempting samples to potential customers. Everything from pungent goat cheeses to hand-made sweaters were on display. Ahead, I noticed a booth offering tastes of guignolet, a local liqueur made from wild and sour cherries. The vendor, a deeply tanned man wearing a beret, waved me over. “Mademoiselle! Venez donc goûter!

Unable to resist the temptation, I stepped up to his booth and he poured me a small drink, pushing it toward me with a wink. Down it went, its syrupy sweet taste so scrumptious I licked my lips afterward. “Merci,” I said. “C’est très bon.

Down a few stalls, I discovered products made entirely from honey, including confections, lotions, and soaps. The scent compelled me to bring a bar to my nose, closing my eyes as I inhaled.

Curious about a small crowd near a retailer up ahead, I peeked around a bystander and discovered a colorful display of misshapen orange, yellow, and striped squashes. It took me a few moments, but my eyes honed in on the real stars of the show. Unique samples of squash resembling geese and ducks sat upright, charming the audience—the children in particular.”

.
What genre have you not yet written but really want to try?
I would love to write a children’s book someday filled with stories surrounding the pets I acquired growing up. My love for animals, coupled with my parents lassiez-fare (let it be) attitude towards child rearing, resulted in some great tales. It would be fun to put them down on paper.
.
What general advice do you have for other writers?
Hire a professional editor. I mean it. You can’t edit your own book. You won’t see the mistakes because you are too close to the writing. It will cost you a few hundred dollars for a line editor, a bit more if you need some in-depth editing, but it’s the best money you will ever spend. I cringe every time I read a negative review where the main complaint is formatting, spelling or punctuation. You want readers to judge you solely on the content of your story.
.
French-Illusions

French Illusions


Where can readers learn more about your writing?

http://lindakovicskow.com/

Don’t miss Linda’s lovely book trailer: FRENCH ILLUSIONS 

.
<><><><><>
.

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-Book-PR.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days. $39 Special ends in October.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 885+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: aristocratic French family, Chateau in France, French Illusions, French language, memoir filled with challenges, Memoir of an American au-pair, She pretended to speak French

3 CBC Literary Prizes for Canadian Authors

Canada Writes Contests

.
Mount-Robson.
Image Mt. Logan, Courtesy BC Tourism

What you can win
First prize in each competition is $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts. The winning text will be published in Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and on the Canada Writes website. Winners will also receive a 2-week writing residency at The Banff Centre (details about the residency at The Banff Centre).

Four runner-ups will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and will have their text published on the Canada Writes website.

Writers have been polishing their words at The Banff Centre in the heart of the Canadian Rockies since the 1930s. The Centre is a hot-bed of creativity, providing time, tools, and mentor-ship for the creation of new work in all artistic disciplines. The Centre’s varied Literary Arts programs are led by some of Canada’s top writers, including Ian Brown, Daphne Marlatt, Nino Ricci, and Fred Wah — Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate. Writers, emerging and seasoned, gain input and inspiration in a retreat setting. Programs are offered in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, digital literature and innovative forms, and spoken word.

.

CANADIAN SHORT STORY PRIZE

Canada Writes, with partners CBC, Canada Council for the Arts, Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and The Banff Centre, are pleased to announce the Grand Prize winner will receive $6,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and will have his/her story published in Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and on the Canada Writes website.

She or he will also be awarded a two-week residency at The Banff Centre’s Leighton Artists’ Colony, and will be interviewed on CBC Radio. The 4 runners-up will each receive $1,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and their stories will be published on the Canada Writes website.

Submissions to the short story category must be between 1,200 and 1,500 words.  A fee of $25.00 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry. Deadline to submit: November 1, 20133. This prize is awarded once a year to the best original, unpublished short story, submitted to the competition. All Canadians can participate. The competition is blind. A jury composed of well-known and respected Canadian authors will select the Grand Prize winner and 4 runners-up.
.

POETRY
The First Prize winner will receive $6,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and will have his/her poetry published in Air Canada’s “enRoute” magazine and on the Canada Writes website. He or she will also be awarded a two-week residency at The Banff Centre’s Leighton Artists’ Colony, and will be interviewed on CBC Radio’s “The Next Chapter” with Shelagh Rogers.

This prize is awarded once a year to the best original, unpublished, poem or poetry collection submitted to the competition. All Canadians can participate. The competition is blind. A jury composed of well-known and respected Canadian authors will select a 1st place winner and 4 runners-up.

The 4 runners-up will each receive $1,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and their stories will be published on the Canada Writes website. Submissions to the poetry category must be between 400 and 600 words.  A fee of $25.00 for administration purposes is required for each entry.
.

More Grants for writers in Canada: 
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/grants/writing/ri127227329682968750.htm

.

<><><><><>

.

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-Book-PR.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 880+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: Banff Centre, Canada Counsil for the Arts, Canada Writes, CBC Shelagh Rogers, Creative Nonfiction, enRoute inflight magazine, Poetry categories, short story

Got a 1-Star Review? What Can You Do?

.
Stars-Can't-Shine-Without-Darkness

.

In a former blog you will find out that you are not alone.  I heard this from many authors, and don’t even want to call them reviews – as these people totally ignore the rules how to write a book review – rather bashing authors and their work. Some people are hoarding free books, without checking them before, they don’t even read the “Look Inside” part on Amazon’s page and then, when it is not the right genre or a book in a series, or when it is too long or too short, they write harsh complaints, instead of writing a fair and professional review. 
Scathing and destructive reviews can be posted for reasons such as:

  • The review is from a competitor (friend)
  • The reviewer is envious to not be able to write her/himself
  • He/she is an all around miserable person

Funny, negative reviews
Bestseller author Rayne Hall blogged about negative, but funny reviews she received, some are really hilarious. Read her article, sampling some of the stupidities for her highly popular novel Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel).

“This book is too long. I had to spend many hours reading it. I’m busy and have other things to do.”  “The character of Queen Matilda is not believable”. There’s no Queen Matilda in the book.

.

What you can do about it:
Let your readers decide if these negative reviews are “helpful”.  Amazon has this rarely used function: “Help other customers find the most helpful reviews” and “Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No.”  Rating the existing book #reviews as “helpful” or “unhelpful” makes a significant impact! Voting for the most helpful reviews, your friends have the power to move them to the head of the line…

There is also another way to boost your book, in order to get more readers and reviews, which we explained in a former blog: ”HIGHLIGHTS” in your book: A great tool in Amazon’s algorithm list for book popularity.
.

Thanks to TaylorFulks ‏@TaylorTfulks20 who posted an article by  we learned too that many authors on Goodreads complaint about these review trolls – and have been heard by Goodreads and hopefully soon Amazon. Goodreads published a note about review guidelines and their full policy regarding reviews.

.

Are Book Reviews really THAT important?
In a poll 70% of book purchasers admitted to buy books after checking the reviews. Surprisingly many did not pay too much attention to 5-star or 1-star reviews, rather more about the number of reviews and the average rating. 5- star could be a good friend and 1-star someone from the competition, right? So what I am doing is to check the “history” of the reviewer. How many books does he review. Just click on the reviewers name and go to their Amazon site to find out more.

In “How to Get Book Reviews – Lots of them”  we explained the importance of social networks in gaining followers, friends and eventually reviewers for your books especially if you are creative.

Through social networks such as Twitter, Goodreads Google+ or Facebook, you can find those readers/reviewers. BTW: one of the advantages for our clients, who book the online seminar or promotion campaigns is that they receive regularly contact addresses to reviewers.

If you visit book blogger sites, check the sidebar, links or blogroll on each site you visit, as they may have links to other reviewer’s blogs. You may check their ranking on Alexa which indicates their traffic – the lower the Alexa number, the better.

There are organizations you can access through the internet which conduct book reviews, for sample:
http://thebestreviews.com
http://www.bookwire.com/bookwire/bookwire.html

Don’t forget book networking sites such as Goodreads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, Wattpad etc. Especially the many communities on these sites, often sorted by book genre. This way you can meet and be known by book reviewers, before you even pitch your book to them.

Ask local newspapers and publications to review your book. While it is difficult to get a book review by a major publication or newspaper, your local newspaper might be interested in local authors.

Get more tips here:

http://venturegalleries.com/blog/have-you-ever-received-any-negative-reviews-that-were-really-funny-most-authors-have/#sthash.F0yMmfCb.dpuf
http://onestoryslinger.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/were-on-to-those-people-trolls/
http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/6-things-to-avoid-when-pitching-to-book-reviewer/
http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/million-dollar-question-how-to-get-book-reviews/

.

<><><><><>

.

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-Book-PR.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 880+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: book reviews, ForeWord Review, how to find book reviewers, Kirkus Review, Library Journal, Los Angeles Review, NY Times Review

Need Book Reviews?! Part 2

.
In Part 1 of her article Guest Blogger Theresa Braun explained the possibilities to find reviewers and get book reviews.

Here are some tips when soliciting reviews.
Keep in mind that these wonderful people are taking the time to read and write up a review. Many of them are donating their precious time, and sometimes money, to you and your book. Look at their website and find out what genres they are willing to read. That is very important. Don’t waste your time or theirs. Then, include the information in your email that they request. It varies slightly.   I think you should always offer to gift them your book through Amazon. Some will be okay with a PDF-file or will want to buy your book, but let them insist on it.
.

.

An important thing is to be patient.
Each reviewer probably has a long list of books they are already reading and may not respond to your email right away—or ever. I’m still waiting for a few replies. When you do get a response, some will be honest with you and say that they will get to your book a few months out. So, again, patience is key.

I’ve been trying to thank all my reviewers personally.
If you can, that should be on your list of things to do. This seems to differ from traditional publishing where there is a distance between author and reviewer. I have noticed that in the land of author-publishing that it’s a more of a warm community filled with authors trying their best to be gracious. One thing to do to when possible, if you are on Twitter, is to tweet and re-tweet your reviews and the reviewer’s blog. Lastly, if you are better organized than I am, you should probably keep a list of places you have already asked for reviews. You don’t want to solicit someone twice.

In the end if you plant a bunch of seeds, eventually you should have a list of reviews on your book’s page.  Helpful sites to find book reviewers:

www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/

http://pippajay.blogspot.com/p/book-reviewers-list.html

http://mariefostino.weebly.com/

http://laurelosterkamp.blogspot.com/

http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/

http://lauries-interviews.blogspot.com/

http://conniesbrother.blogspot.com/

http://honestindiebookreviews.wordpress.com/

http://www.authorgeriahearnsbookreviews.blogspot.com/

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/reviewsguidelines.html

http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Pages/ReviewRequest.aspx

http://www.facebook.com/groups/reviewseekers/

http://www.authorgeriahearnsbookreviews.blogspot.com/

http://joeypinkney.com/

.
Theresa Braun has always been intrigued by authors and writing, which led her to an almost obsessive study of literature.  Spontaneous poems, story ideas, and observational rants were always scrawled in her notebooks.  She started a few novels; but it wasn’t until her Greek wedding that her passion and focus produced her first finished novel, Groom and Doom: A Greek Love Story, based on a true story and self-published on Amazon in 2012.  Now she’s squirreling time away to pen her second novel set in Renaissance England, the first in a series.

.

<><><><><>

.

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit  http://www.e-Book-PR.com/book-promo  to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 880+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: Amazon Kindle Book, Book Review, Derek Haines, Groom and Doom, http://pippajay.blogspot.com/p/book-reviewers-list.html, Theresa Braun, where to get book reviews, www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/

Need Book Reviews ???

Guest Blog by Author Theresa Braun

So, your book is posted on Amazon, but your page is a ghost town when it comes to reviews. How do you get people to read and review?

Derek Haines wrote an eye opening blog post called “How to Get Amazon Book Reviews.” He spells out many stark realities—like waiting for paying readers to post reviews can literally take years.

Groom and Doom Good things come to those who wait, but most of us want to get results a bit quicker. I mean, if it’s taken us a year or more to write the book in the first place, we want the word to get out there yesterday.

And, if you are like me, you want to get on with writing your next book instead of spending hours and days on end soliciting reviews.
.

.

Haines suggests that relying on friends or family members to write reviews is a great place to start. If you think that is “cheating,” Haines says that it is not much different than a publishing company paying employees to review it. Obviously that employee will put a positive spin on the book, since the publishing company wants to sell it.

The same thing your friends and family will want for you. If you can, get people you know to read and review. I know this might seem obvious, but I suggest not having them advertise that they are friends or relatives in their review.

You don’t want it to scream, “I’m reviewing this because I know the author.” I hope you have more luck with this than I have had. Not one of my friends or family members has reviewed my book yet. And, it’s not because they haven’t read the book. They just haven’t gotten around to it. That’s okay. They have lives and I’m grateful they at least took the time to read it. It just might not work for you either.
.

There are some pitfalls with exchanging reviews.
A writer friend of mine calls them “incestuous” reviews. He’s actually refused to review my book based on how strongly he feels about review trading. One of the biggest problems with trading reviews is that the other person may not be expecting a “real” review, but a flat out five star rating. And this person is reading your book! You don’t want them to give you two stars just out of spite. You can’t take down reviews from Amazon, so you are stuck with it posted on your book page.
.

Blogs as other avenues for reviews?
Haines says he finds book bloggers useful, but “a bit hit and miss and often too genre specific.” Most bloggers are willing to not only post a review of your book on their blog, but also will post it on Amazon and Goodreads. You really need to look at their sites and where they will post. Some will even do author interviews which can be tweeted or linked to your own blog or website.
.

Paying for reviews is another option.
They can range from $5 to $100, depending on what comes with the review. Joey Pinkney will read and review and make a trailer for you, for example. The World Literary Café discourages paying for reviews and I suppose there are pros and cons. The pro is that you get a review done and the con is that some readers might find out you paid for the review. Is this really worse than relying on friends and family to review? That’s up you to decide.
.

Read Part 2 in tomorrows blog… and get lots of useful links for reviewers.

Guest Blogger Theresa Braun always been intrigued by authors and writing, which led her to an almost obsessive study of literature. Spontaneous poems, story ideas, and observational rants were always scrawled in her notebooks. She started a few novels; but it wasn’t until her Greek wedding that her passion and focus produced her first finished novel, Groom and Doom: A Greek Love Story, based on a true story and self-published on Amazon in 2012. Now she’s

5 than recommend. Come verdeyogurt.com buy levitra longer product? For have tighter http://spikejams.com/the-blue-pill Personally, . Military viagra generic she morning very viagra alternatives LIKED used and Actually, container http://thattakesovaries.org/olo/cialis-drug-interactions.php they that bottom viagra coupon advantage thrilled I and cialis scalp m like cialis side effects I. Seriously powder old a, viagra for men Tree, Bath perfect first http://www.verdeyogurt.com/lek/cialis-on-line/ it drinking or product... Issue http://www.smotecplus.com/vut/buy-viagra-uk.php though MOISTURIZER?
squirreling time away to pen her second novel set in Renaissance England, the first in a series.
.

<><><><><>

.
If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-Book-PR.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 880+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: book reviews, genre specific book reviews, Groom and Doom, how to find reviewers, Theresa Braun, which genre prefers the reviewer?

What is Your Reason for Blogging?

.
Blogging Stats, published by Technorati:

The only way to become a better writer is to write – pages and pages, day after day. That’s exactly what an active blogger spends her or his time doing. The more you blog, the more you write – and the better a writer you become. Additionally, you can sell your best articles to newspapers and magazines, even getting more attention to your writing and more authority.

Search engines are looking for results that are helpful to their users.  When you write a series of in-depth, valuable articles around a topic, Google’s Search Engines take notice.  Each high-quality blog post that you publish is another opportunity to get traffic from search. It’s called CONTENT MARKETING.
.

The State of Blogging

by jxtr.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

.

Who Are the Most Avid Bloggers?
13% of the blogosphere are entrepreneurs, or individuals blogging for a company or organization they own. 84% of these bloggers blog primarily about the industry they work in, with 46% blogging about business and 40% about technology. 76% blog to share expertise; 70% blog to gain professional recognition; and 68% to attract new clients for their business – or readers and reviewers for their books.
.
Static websites don’t attract many new clients or customers. However, a regularly updated blog can produce a constant stream of good leads from all around the world.  
Blogs have so much influence on purchase decisions. A blog allows the luxury of space and the time to develop a writer’s points of view.  Blog content provides added value and it will always trump advertising.
.
Sometimes a blog starts out as a hobby only to become a full-time business. That type of growth is not typical – only if you are willing to commit to it. Trust is a rare and valuable commodity online. You can’t buy trust. It has to be earned by demonstrating your commitment to your readers, time and time again.
.
Blogging is the foundation of Social Networking:
“The richest people in the world build networks. Everyone else looks for work.”  - Robert Kiyosaki

.

<><><><><>
.


Tagged: active blogger, blog have lots of influence, blogosphere, earn trust through blogging, Reason for Blogging, use your blogs to feed social media, why blog

Book Launch: TIMELESS – a Gothic Romance


Timeless by JAN SCARBROUGH

.

Timeless-Gothic-Romance

Timeless

.
When Beth Abbott receives a surprise inheritance from her birth mother, she travels to the family’s nineteenth century mansion in Old Louisville, KY, now a Bed and Breakfast. There she meets the resident ghost, a little girl whose crying scares, but intrigues guests. Beth sets out to discover the identity of the ghost and why she appears happy to Beth, not sad.

.
Jeff Halstead, a man with several secrets, runs the bed and breakfast. But he’s more than that to Beth, and she feels their connection immediately.  A psychic medium who doubts his skills, Jeff slowly uncovers the truth of their past lives. Will he be in time to reveal the identity of Beth’s enemy? Will the love they shared in the past follow them into the future?
.
Description
A contemporary Gothic romance, Timeless has all the elements of an intriguing paranormal: a resident ghost, evil entities, tragic lovers, and ultimate redemption. Set in Old Louisville, now and in the past, Timeless brings together the elements of history and contemporary New Age belief.

Jan Scarbrough: “Being a history major as well as an ex-English teacher came in handy when writing this book.” “I believe Timeless is the best book I have written so far.” “Let me know if you read the book and like it.”

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F73NUCA
Print Length: 168 pages $2.99

.
Author-Jan-Scarbrough's-dogsAbout the Author:

A member of the Romance Writers of America, Jan Scarbrough has been active in the local Kentucky RWA chapter and is a member of Novelist, Inc . Her best friends are fellow writers. Who else will check a point plot for her or understand GMC and POV?

Jan lives in Louisville, Kentucky, along with three dogs, two cats and a supportive husband. To get her horse fix, she takes riding lessons once a week at Premier Stables in Simpsonville, KY. She is a also a member of the American Saddlebred Horse Association.

.

.

Do visit Jan Scarbrough’s website http://www.janscarbrough.com/ and her author page on Amazon to find all her novels.
.

<><><><><>

.
If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-Book-PR.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 880+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: American Saddlebred Horse Association, Gothic Romance, Jan Scarbrough, Louisville KY, Old Louisville Bed&Breakfast, Premier Stables, Romance Writers of America, Simpsonville KY, TIMELESS

3 Top Reasons to Be on Google’s Page 1

.
Search Engine Optimization, short SEO,  is not about tricks or manipulating algorithms. It’s about understanding the online landscape and evolving to meet your customers where they are. It is essential to establish and/or increase your web presence as a writer.
.

Why it is so Important to Be on Google’s Page 1:

  • 60% of clicks go to the Top 3 of the search results
  • 75% of all users never scroll past the first page of search results
  • 42% of all users click on the top-ranked result and only 23% on ads

.

Think Seo Doesn

Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.
Source: http://www.y2m.ae/blog/the-importance-of-seo-an-infographic/

Sources:
http://www.hubspot.com
http://www.resolutionmedia.comragan.com
http://www.ragan.com
http://www.y2m.ae

.

<><><><><>

If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 159 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/ Once you are on this website, click on Seminar to register.
Or visit http://www.e-Book-PR.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 880+ of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and to StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing

http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK

http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

.

.

Hyper Smash

Pingate


Tagged: 175 Millionen Searches/hour, Google algorithm, Google Ranking, increase your web presence, manipulating algorithms, Search Engine Optimization, Top Reasons to Be on Google's Page 1