As the year is drawing to a close, so is my novella at long last. I got to say, I’m in love with it. Kensi, my main character, is slapping me and her fellow werewolves from here to Saturn without breaking a sweat. Yup. Some readers might think I have finally gone too far and created a woman who is “too strong.” But to me, she’s perfect. Best of all, despite her alpha tendencies, she’s not a bitch. She only acts like one, occasionally.
What am I going to do with my masterpiece? Well, I have several options. See if I can find a home for it in a shifter anthology/collection next year, or serialize it on my website, so you get to read one chapter a week.
So here is the reason finishing it has taken so long: I’ve been distracted by a new venture, i.e. making a puzzle book. It’s a special kind of puzzle book, and I believe you’re going to like it. Don’t believe me? Well, keep your eyes peeled, because I’ll introduce it properly soon.
Once my novella is done (only a few chapters left), I’ll be going full-steam into book 3 of the Silverton Chronicles. Despite the many diversions I’ve taken recently, the book should be ready for you by April 2017.
The Bound audiobook made many listeners squeal with excitement, and even though the review count does not yet reflect this, I’m confident that it will.
Speaking of puzzle books, Smart Heart Publishing has just released perfect stocking fillers in the form of two Sudoku books, styled as a “brain flush” for women and a “power plan” for men. They contain 70 puzzles each, split into two and a half months, with plenty of opportunity to go “head to head” with your better half. Both books come in an awesome portable size, unlike most Sudoku books that require a crane or The Hulk to lift.
Yay! It’s here. The Bound audiobook is out now, and it’s a great way to immerse yourself in Florian’s story.
The promo for it will start later, with giveaways and information on the narrator, but you early birds can get the audiobook right now, on iBooks or Audible or Amazon. It’s so worth it! The narrator did an outstanding job from the first line to the last.
Scandalous Spirited Reads are going to help you STUFF YOUR eREADER!
That’s right, we’re hosting a bumper FREE books and $0.99 BARGAIN STUFF YOUR eREADER campaign on the 5th October!
So if you haven’t yet picked up your copy of GUARDED, you should do so on October 5th, along with one or more of the other fantastic reads.
To celebrate we’re offering you the chance to WIN a $300 Amazon Gift Card.
All you need to do is answer one simple question (yes, seriously simple) when you enter the giveaway.
By sharing this competition with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Linked In you’ll stand a much better chance at winning 🙂
Enter the giveaway here.
No purchase necessary to win. Void where prohibited.
Contest ends October 5, 2016. Winner will be notified on October 6, 2016.
*** By entering this competition contestants agree to subscribe to the Scandalous Reads newsletter and further giveaways from CPM Books.
You also agree to receive author news from: Ashe Barker, Cara Bristol, Cassie Alexander, Fiona Murphy, Iona Findley, Kathy Kulig, Rachael Slate, Rebecca Hunter, Ruth Staunton, S.N. McKibben***
Just a note to tell you that two months after reaching the semi-finalist stage of the Kindle Book Awards (finalists announced later in the year), Guarded has been awarded the silver medal in the Readers’ Favorite book awards 2016. Woot!
It’s wonderful to receive recognition, and the occasion is worthy of celebration. Who’s up for some champagne then? Who knows, maybe on-the-fence readers might give the book a go when they wouldn’t before?
But as grateful as I am for this honor, no award comes close to a reader’s praise, a good review, or even that ‘click’ when someone buys the sequel.
That’s right, we’re hosting a bumper FREE books and $0.99 BARGAIN STUFF YOUR eREADER campaign on the 5th October! And yours truly is going to take part, along with other amazing authors.
To celebrate we’re offering you the chance to WIN a $300 Amazon Gift Card.
All you need to do is answer one simple question when you enter the giveaway. Seriously simple!
And by sharing this competition with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or LinkedIn,
you’ll stand a much better chance at winning 🙂
No purchase necessary to win. Void where prohibited.
Contest ends October 5, 2016. Winner will be notified on October 6, 2016.
*** By entering this competition contestants agree to subscribe to the
Scandalous Reads newsletter and further giveaways from CPM Books.
You also agree to receive author news from: Ashe Barker, Cara Bristol, Cassie Alexander,
Fiona Murphy, Iona Findley, Kathy Kulig, Rachael Slate, Rebecca Hunter, Ruth Staunton, S.N. McKibben***
We’re having a sale until August 25. Did I say sale? The prices are so low, it’s almost a giveaway. Guarded has never been available at $0.99 (previously $4.99, then $2.99), and Bound is down from $4.99 to $2.99. How crazy is that?
Here’s the whole list. Just click the links to find out more.
Guarded (The Silverton Chronicles #1) – Torn between three men, Ivy must tread carefully, because one wants her body, one wants her heart, and one wants her dead. Sexy urban fantasy mystery with romance.
Bound (The Silverton Chronicles #2) – For Keely, Florian wants to be the perfect werewolf. Trouble is, he’s a vampire. Urban fantasy romance.
And phew. I’m so relieved. You know that feeling where you’re too close to something to be objective? I always get that way about books. My writing partner won’t actually engage in any ‘there, there’ activity anymore, because she knows my tendency to panic and my bouts of self-doubt too well.
I sent my novella out to a few early readers, and the response has been great. I’m so freaking relieved. Just because something will be free doesn’t mean I want to skimp on quality.
All that’s left to do is to format it, upload it, and then send out my newsletter so that my lovely subscribers can get started.
What else is new? Well, I’m seriously excited about the novella I’m writing right now. This one’s going to be a little longer. The length of a novella is sometimes planned, which means it pays to be concise and frugal with the details. But on this occasion, it is the plot that determines the number of words. What’s exciting is that the plot is a little different from things I’ve tried before.
And I gotta tell you, I love these characters. My lead character is one tough lady. I mean seriously tough. I’m about a third of the way through now.
Of course I can’t wait to start my next full-length book. It’s going to be so much fun!
Hmm. Whoever decided that putting 24 hours in a day was enough? People without ambition, that’s who. Or maybe people who have a…what’s it called again?…oh yes, people who have a LIFE!
The Guarded audiobook is out now. And you can grab your own copy totally FREE, courtesy of Audible.
The first time I listened to the finished audiobook, I was surprised. Writing Guarded, I heard my characters’ voices, their intonations. And then along came a narrator who breathed new life into these familiar characters, gave them different voices and different intonations. Once I cast off my expectations, I got oodles of enjoyment out of this “new” story that was being told to me.
I really hope so do you. If you’ve never listened to an audiobook before, you’re missing out. I’ve loved audiobooks since I was a girl, when my mom used to bring home tapes of fairytales and children’s stories, which my sister and I listened to in the evenings.
Lives are busier now than ever, so supplementing your reading with audiobooks is the 21st century way. Stephen Fry’s narration of Harry Potter is a masterpiece, and I’ve enjoyed Doctor Who, Jim Butcher, Patrick Rothfuss and many others on audiobook over the last decade, be it at home, traveling, or while commuting to work.
So if you’re ready to jump on the audiobook train, click here. Welcome to the club!
A word about Audible: They’re an Amazon company, so you know you’re not going to be spammed and that your details are safe.
PS: my novella is nearly done. Don’t forget to subscribe to pick up your free copy.
Great news! I just approved the audio for Conversations With The Dead, a collection of three ghostly short stories. SHORT short stories, about 16-18 minutes each.I likened them to anecdotes told around the campfire, but it wasn’t untill I listened to Lauren Ezzo’s stunning narration that I realized how much these stories are meant to be heard, not read. Seriously, that woman is awesome.
All three stories were written with older children in mind–well, with my friend’s son in mind–and he is okay with their content. But grown-ups may find them enjoyable too, I hope.
I figure it will take about a week until the audiobook is approved. I should be getting codes for free copies, some of which I’ll give out to my newsletter subscribers in September. Should you know of someone who deserves a free copy once it’s out (maybe your grandmother or a nephew or your daughter…), let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Most authors ask, even beg, readers to leave reviews for their books in the hope their kind words might inspire others to give their novels a chance. But how much sway do reviews really hold?
The majority of genre readers spend a lot of cash every year on books, and they demand well edited reads that leave them emotionally satisfied. How do they know if what they’re buying is right for them? Let’s assume the buying decision starts with an exciting cover and an engaging short description, also known as a blurb.
Right. The price is fair, the cover’s gorgeous, and the blurb is amazeballs. Check, check and check. What is the next step for our hypothetical reader?
Reliable book reviews, perhaps?
Most online retailers and book sites allow readers to share their opinions on their latest reads. Goodreads is where many rate books, typically without giving reasons for their ratings. Barnes & Noble is struggling a little at the moment and as a result features comparatively few reviews, so maybe this is not an ideal source of information, but what about iTunes or Smashwords or other retailers? And what about that giant of giants, Amazon?
Recent changes by Amazon have upset bloggers and authors alike. Amazon has never allowed friends and family to post book reviews (and uses questionable algorithms to determine who is and isn’t friends with an author), and its policy now seems to extend to readers who review a lot, most notably bloggers. My heart goes out to them. A lot of effort goes into writing an interesting review, let alone the time it takes to read the book, and they have seen years of work deleted from the Amazon website. Authors are just as annoyed, since reviews are currency. Even a single sentence makes a difference. But maybe it is this rigorousness that makes Amazon the most reliable source of reviews.
But does any of this matter? Do readers even check out reviews before purchasing? And if so, how much do other people’s opinions influence their decision?
The Poll
To this end, I posted a poll on Facebook with the following scenario.
Assuming a reader has found a book of around $4 with a great cover and blurb, is he convinced already, or is more research required before buying it?
The options were as follows:
Poll data: June 2016
Twenty-three readers responded. Not a huge number, but the results are convincing nevertheless.
8 out of the 23 cited Amazon reviews as their next step in deciding whether to buy the book or not. That’s about 30%. Some readers admit to focusing on negative reviews more than positive ones, which makes sense. If someone doesn’t like humor in their fiction and therefore didn’t enjoy my books, that’s fair. I can live with that. And if the next reader is not put off by this “flaw” and does in fact love humor in their novels, all the better for everyone involved.
Can we assume that the remaining 15 of our respondents avail themselves of a mixture of the other options? Actually, no. Instead, a staggering 14 out of the 23 said they don’t read reviews at all. All they need before making a decision are the blurb and the cover.
Only one respondent said she uses Goodreads to help her make up her mind, and she cited Amazon as her second choice.
I have always suspected that not many use Goodreads before buying a book. GR strikes me more as a social platform that helps readers keep track of the books they’ve read. These results seem to confirm my hunch.
Still, this outcome wasn’t at all what I imagined. I expected a much wider spread.
To complete the picture, I should mention that three respondents gave more than one answer: the second answer was Amazon in two cases and iTunes in the third.
Poll data: June 2016
There you have it. Readers seem to either seek information about a book from Amazon reviews, or more likely than not, they will buy the book on the basis of the cover and the description alone.
I will therefore encourage my readers to leave reviews on Amazon. That said, if you have something nice to say, I don’t mind where you post it. 🙂
Disclaimer: This does not answer the question of where or how readers discover books, of course. This will be the subject of a different poll.
So, let’s talk about this. Am I the only one surprised by this outcome? If you’re an author, will this change the way you promote in future? If bloggers are no longer allowed to leave reviews on Amazon, are blog tours still worth their money? And if you’re a reader, would you agree with the outcome of the poll?
