Writing, Book Promotion, and Life: A Personal Decision — Indies Unlimited

This is something I can definitely relate to after my previous experience with publishing. I’ve only just published my first novel under my pen name of Alex R Carver, but I can already feel the drain of marketing when it isn’t my natural forte.

This post is a very personal one, but also one that I think will resonate with other Indie authors. For several months, now, I’ve been in a funk and having trouble figuring out why. I even thought of giving up writing entirely. Why? I looked at my life, how I spend my time, and realized…

via Writing, Book Promotion, and Life: A Personal Decision — Indies Unlimited

Phoenix – a YA fantasy

Today I am promoting a recent release from a fellow British author, a 99c bargain throughout the month of October

PHOENIX (The Peradon Fantasy Series Book 1)

Daccari Buchelli

Camelot meets lord of the rings – Stephen B Cooper on Amazon

Recommended for all lovers of fantasy intrigue – Michael Kelly on Amazon

Magic never ceased to bring Violetta joy, until the day it became her curse. Aged fifteen, the young Flame Mage and Princess finds herself drawn to the mysterious and charming Frost Emperor, Ryore.

Torn between her sudden feelings and inescapable duty to the throne, Violetta seeks to strike a balance. Will she surrender her will forever, or strive for freedom by doing the unthinkable?

You can buy it here

Amazon US

Amazon UK

If you would like to find out more about the author and his books, check out his site

http://www.buchellibooks.co.uk/books

My First BookBub Rejection — alfageeek

I was thinking of trying for a bookbub promotion, when circumstances are right, but I also plan on going into the KDP select program when my first full novel is ready, so this was an interesting read and something to think about.

I’ve always thought bookbub to be a bit over-priced but they do have a reputation as the best promotional tool for an indie author, if you can get your book selected by them.

I decided to take a shot at doing a promo with BookBub. Over the past few years, they have become the most effective marketing platform for e-books. Their reputation is that they reject almost all submissions, and they never tell you why they rejected you. But if you manage to get accepted, then you will […]

via My First BookBub Rejection — alfageeek

One Dark Night

Good morning all, today I will be promoting a book by an indie author like myself, something I set up this blog to help do, at least in part.

One Dark Night (Historical Romance)

Anna Faversham

 from 13 reviews on Amazon UK

It is 1821 and smuggling is rife on the English coast. Lucy doesn’t know who to trust, while those around her suspect she is a spy and treat her accordingly. Her problems increase when two men enter her life:

Lieutenant Karl Thorsen, sworn to avenge his father’s murder, is determined to hang the violent smugglers.

Daniel Tynton has smuggling in his blood. Undaunted by Thorsen’s threats, he is respected and feared. When he witnesses a murder, he makes a bold decision, and many lives will never be the same.

Lucy is bewildered by the mixed messages she is receiving from the men in her life. She has to make up her mind which of her suitors to give her heart to, while uncertain whether such commitment will lead to love, convenience or misery. At every turn of events, she is confused about where her own heart lies.

Soon, the smugglers and revenue men have their day of reckoning and Lucy is caught in the midst of it and endangers her life.

Book One of The Dark Moon Trilogy is a romantic thriller.

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Read an excerpt from the novel:

“To reach the porridge on the stove, Lucy had to pass Daniel and the dog, and neither moved. Rather than squeeze between him on her left and the kitchen table, she walked around the other side, collecting a bowl as she went. Still Daniel did not make way for her. “I would be obliged, Mr Tynton, if you would move just enough for me to reach the pot.”
“Say that again and I’ll move.”
Lucy raised her eyes to meet his sparkling blue ones. He was jesting. “Why?”
“I like to hear you talk.”
“Why?” Lucy wondered if it was wise to hold her ground now that Daniel was no longer a boy.
“It’s good to see you’ve still a lot of fight in you, Lucy. I’ve been hearing a few tales.” He nodded his head in the direction of the scullery. “But I can hold out longer and I’ll not move until you say that again for me.”
“Why?” The word had come out quicker than she’d intended. Should she play these games with someone who held her livelihood in his hands?
Daniel took hold of her frozen hand. Lucy withdrew it and immediately regretted her instinctive reaction. His eyes had not left her since she’d walked through the door and her nerve was failing. “You don’t talk like the rest of us round here. I’ve missed your voice and, like me Ma says, you sound like you’re from the gentry.”
He meant it. Lucy could see that gentle look appearing in his eyes, the one she took to bed with her and to her sanctuary on the cliffs, the look which warmed her and fought to stay in her fading stock of cherished memories. Playfully, Lucy dropped him a curtsey and said, “Kind sir, I would be obliged if you would move just enough for me to reach the pot.”

One Dark Night is currently on a Kindle Countdown Deal and is reduced to the bargain price of 99c, you can but it here

Amazon US

Amazon UK

A little about Anna Faversham

England is my home but I’ve also lived in New Zealand, a beautiful country and the people are great, and central Africa which was an interesting and useful experience that I’ll never forget.
On returning to England, I’ve written and read for the BBC and published short stories as well as three novels. Two are set in my county of Kent and the latest is set in the beautiful Isle of Wight.

Why?

Sometimes I wonder why I’ve chosen writing as a career. Okay, so I haven’t exactly ‘chosen’ it, I’ve been writing for most of my life, I believe I’m better than average at it, and I have been out of work for a while so it seems sensible to try and make a living out of a hobby that does have a potential income attached to it.

Days like today, though, make me wonder if I’m really cut out for it. I had a writing career previously under another name, it was only a hobbyist kind of thing then, and circumstances forced me to give it up, but before they did I was starting to do well enough that I was making enough money to believe I could do it full time.

Now I am back at the beginning, trying to get my books ready for release, and trying to promote the novella I have already released. My novella is free on Kindle today and tomorrow to try and generate some interest and I have been looking around for places to promote and let people know about my freebie; one of the places I visited is the Amazon discussion boards, where I made one post before getting discouraged and deciding not to bother.

The rules of the discussion boards have changed since I was last there, several years ago, and apparently you are no longer allowed to promote your own books there, as was pointed out to me almost straight away – that’s fine, I can live with that, I wasn’t aware of it but am now; my problem is that the person who pointed it out to me spotted one typo in my post, which was written quickly, and immediately declared that if my post is anything to go by my book must be unreadable.

I don’t mind that I was told what I posted was against the rules, I don’t mind either that my spelling mistake was pointed out to me, what I mind is the pretty rude way my book is declared bad – without it even being looked at – on the basis of 1 post on a forum. This has reminded me of why I didn’t much like the amazon discussion boards when I was using them before, there’s a lot of rude people on there, people who feel they can be insulting just because they can; as I remember, the behaviour tripped over into trolling on a few occasions, which gets to me.

This kind of thing does nothing to help me with my issues surrounding socialising and interacting with people; I’m already struggling with them. I don’t do well at dealing with people, and encountering rude or inconsiderate people makes me want to withdraw and avoid the entire social media world, whichever corner of it I might be trying.

My first full-length novel is due out in January, and I know I’m going to have to work something out before then. Right now I’m thinking I will be doing very little with social media, it’s just not me, and sticking with paid advertising, at least until I can afford to hire someone to handle the social media stuff for me.

If anyone has good suggestions on how to handle this stuff without making my brain go into meltdown and giving me panic attacks that send me running for the hills, I’d really appreciate it.