3 Great ways to get your self pubbed books noticed

We wish there were more self published authors that are striking gold and platinum in the news but there remains the very few who have made.

We wish even more that we make it ourselves. All of our time spent publishing on CreateSpace, Amazon, Smashwords, Lulu.com and other sites seem to be bringing in very little if any money at all. After working on self publishing my own books and reading some online articles, I find there are a few things that will keep you from popularity and/or earnings and these same few things can be your saving grace.

Having a Classic, but Unique Storyline.

Romance, romance, and more romance.. Guys won’t admit it but action flicks with love interests are cool too. According to Guardian’s report on books that earn well:

Romance authors earned 170% more than their peers, while authors in other genres fared much worse: science-fiction writers earned 38% of the $10,000 average, fantasy writers 32%, and literary fiction authors just 20% of the $10,000 average.

Networking…On the Networks.

Another blockage could be that you are not really talking about your book. If not you, then who? Personally, I don’t like having too many social media places to visit, yet its fun and addicting at the same time. One thing I do is frequently let people know that I have free items. I love free. You love free. We all enjoy free stuff. Why not offer free copies of your book? Make one of your shorter works free to download? Let people know on Facebook, G+, Pinterest, wherever. Hiring someone to do it for you is an option to although I prefer networking on my own. Yes, it can be time-consuming which is why you have to plan.

For instance, most days  I am writing or editing anyway. Blogging, social networking, etc. may be done only twice a week or once a week. Or maybe just take a half hour. Either way, I’m trying to network.

Editing, Copyediting, and Professional Looking Covers.

This is spoken from someone who doesn’t always have the professional money for “professionals” but if you would like to see more sells and downloads of your work, having a nice cover for your book and having your manuscript at least copyedited is a must. This will put you right up there with those high sellers of self pubbed books.

Confession: Before,  I found editing books from the public library very helpful until I could actually afford an editor for my books. You can practically Bing or Google freelance editors or try C.S. Lakin at livewritethrive.com-   I hope to work with her soon Lord willin’.

I hope this has encouraged you as a writer to write more. It is a tough world out there and publishing even tougher. Becoming a published author means facing keen competition and just know I am right here for you. I too am writing my heart out and have actually seen some of the benefits, but to have readers matters more than money.

Even though money is quite nice.

*Other article to consider: “Another Self pubbed Author Strikes Gold” http://thewriteweb.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/another-self-pubbed-author-strikes-the-gold/

Freely Love Valentines eBook Giveaway, Hands Sea, and Fortunes

Okay, so you have exactly 14 days to get these eBooks free. That’s right. Download these books until February 28, 2013

Here are the coupon codes for each book-NOT CASE SENSITIVE(clicking on the books will take you to their respective pages on Smashwords, or  title links below.

The Prayer Monologues CODE: MQ73Y

Sea of Iron Hands CODE: AV35Y

Mark of Fortune (does not need a code. Free forever!)

Free eBooks weekend: A look at ‘Dunamis Sanctum’ from ‘The Prayer Monologues’

Church in Vienna at Night from Microsoft Images

Dunamis Sanctum

Daily, I watch the way of people,

Observing and finding flaws so openly hidden.

They do not know what I know.

Some call me shy or fearful

When I avoid their eyes and

Am slow to speak- but they don’t know what I know.

My power comes from abstract dreaming and imaginings

Which doesn’t happen often. Night visions from God

For the appointed time-secrets told in due time.

My smile fazes you,

My praise astounds you, and all the while,

The Holy Spirit slices you from bone to marrow…

***

My Note on why I wrote this poem: I wish I can say I was only inspired by the Bible, which is part truth, but the other half of it involve how I feel about people’s personalities in the church and how we all worship God in our own unique way and should never rely on others’ worship as a model for our own.

For instance, I have been to a church where if you don’t jump around or shout with tears flying around everywhere- then you must not have the Holy Spirit. In other churches, Westernized churches, if you don’t dress in a starched suit or take off your hat when you go inside you are disrespecting the Lord.

This is also not true.

So one day I found some words, either by reading or doing actual research- I don’t remember which and discovered dunamis sanctum- which in Greek means sacred power.  I prefer secret power, but it communicates who I am because I am typically a quiet person everywhere I go but God has deposited unique gifts in me as well and traditional churches can not manipulate that.

In the poem here I highlighted a few choice words and phrases. “Openly hidden” is an oxymoron although juxtapose to one another to convey a point about me. An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. How can something/someone be open and hidden? Well that’s me. A box of conradictions.

At Night is the hour/time I had dreams which were potent enough to manifest the next day or three days later. This doesn’t happen often though. I captialized the N in night because it is an important hour for me.

Finally, the last phrase, “The Holy Spirit slices you from bone to marrow” is just a comeback of what could happen to those who judges others. Learning God’s Word and languishing in His love while still doing kindly to our enemies who judge us is what heaps coals upon their heads. I put a different spin on it though.

That’s my explanation for this particular poem but you can enjoy the entire eBook for free at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/20106

‘Sea of Iron Hands’ introduces itself and discount codes for you as a gift

Hi!

My mother, author Erica Jean Smith failed to mention that I was conceived during a time when God was moving mightily in her life and her old doubts simply fled away. It was certainly replaced by more faith, more spiritual growth, and yes, a new set of problems such as dwelling on the past and pondering what ifs; trying to be strong for her family, and in the midst of it all something happened…

As she was writing and conceiving me, she began to watch animations and more movies about superheroes: Dragonball Z, The Last Airbender, X-Men, Spiderman, the list goes on, and she realized these characters have something in common- they all had to grow up.

And thats what this life is all about. Continuing to grow. Humans have the natural inclination to know. I am more than a book about poetry. I am something of verbal snapshots of what God has said, the movies have said and what Erica has told me. It can be abstract sometimes and maybe what I am is fact dressed as fiction, but your Spirit will understand the meanings behind the madness anyway.

It will be nice to know you and be in your hands and heart, but I am here to encourage you and make you think. That is more important.

I turn it over to ma now——

Alright, so now that Sea of Iron Hands told you all of my business here is where you can find out more, including more samples and discounts for you, my followers and readers. In a way, I am saying thanks for your support of my blog.

For discount on Sea of Iron Hands Print/Paperback, order on CreateSpace using discount code QB6776AM to take 50% off. Regular price is $7.99

For discount on eBook on Smashwords, use discount code RH52J to take 50% off. Regular price is $2.99

Offer ends 9/30/2012

P.S. You can read 20% of my book free on Smashwords before you make a purchase.

Guardians and Avengers, are you ready for more in the ‘Halflings’ world?

Heather Burch/Zondervan

If you have not read Book 1: Halflings yet, read the mini preview below and then I can get down to the “new” news featuring brand new book covers for Book 2: Guardian(Available this Fall) and Book 3: Avengers(Available April 2013)- Yay! Also, the mini graphic book ‘A Halflings Rescue’ will be available as a FREE ebook later this month!

_______________________________________________

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret-and the wings that come with.

Mace, Raven, and Vine have a mission: Rescue Nikki Youngblood.  What Mace doesn’t realize is that Nikki isn’t just beautiful, she has studied karate for six years, is a gifted artist, and doesn’t realize just how special she is to him. He got a first glimpse of this while watching her run and face down some hounds from hell. Raven, declared as the “bad boy” of the group, finds himself wanting to be near Nikki as well, but perhaps for different reasons involving his very own soul. Vine, the youngest isn’t falling for any girls yet but during the book he consumes gummy candy all the time and may actually be wiser than his other two brothers at a mere 15 years of age.(Read more on Examiner)

*Click on either of the bookcovers to go to the Halflings Network. Read! Join! See what’s happenin’!

Heather Burch/Zondervan

Heather Burch/Zondervan

Here’s your chance to win a free copy of ‘Night of the Living Dead Christian’, you’re welcome

*My very personal thoughts about Night of the Living Dead is that this book was devourable(is that a word?). Anyway, another fun thing I did with reading this book, was reflect on what kind of monster am I? Mikalatos was gracious enough to include a monster glossary to glean over. before reading more below, check out my review on examiner.com then come back for more.

Now, for the  monster list:

Gargantuan

Invisible People

Mad Scientist

Mummies

Robots(Androids, Cyborgs)

Sasquatches

Trolls

Vampires

Werewolves

Zombies

Some people can be a mixture of things, but me? It appears I fall on the spectrum of Sasquatch and Werewolf. Let me tell you why. Sasquatches, according to Mikalatos’ dictionary are “poorly suited for city life, sometimes we forget how to interact with others and have bitterness towards organizations including churches.

Werewolves are animalistic and have instinctive urges. So not only am I forgetful of how to communicate and am bitter(for good reason) towards organizations, I have animalistic urges(will not try to explain that one), so perhaps I need just a bit more Jesus.

Great book. Check out the video and other goodies below!

*Book received for my ubbiased review from Tyndale Publishers.

Matt Discusses NLDC here

Visit Matt at www.mattmikalatos.com for more scary good stuff!

Now on to what you’ve been waiting for….

A free book!

Please post your comment to this post only if you’d like to receive a gift certificate to take to the bookstore and grab your own free copy of ‘Night of the Living Dead Christian’ Winner will be announced after December 15, 2011.

Good luck!

Tracking An Author: What Audience Do I Write For? Infusing the Fiction, and Free eBooks

Writer's Digest Free eBook for a limited time

Keeping you up to date with my writing and how you can embark on your own journey, I have learned a few things this past week and thought I’d share it with you.

First, I discovered that writing shouldn’t be tedious and about cramped fingers. It is an exploration of what you know and wish to know. Writing is a powerful tool for me because I feel I can say more and see how the words flow onto the page/screen and play with them a little. I can do this verbally, but thats what www.audibles.com is for. And it is a great venture to get into.

These days its more about conveying a message than just shouting, “I’m a writer!” What am I writing? Who am I writing this for? As a writer, or should I say storyteller, you must convey your thoughts in al mediums to reach the crowd. eBook, Print, Audible, and maybe even animation/video. I certainly only have 2 out of 4 for my own book but will be working more on conveying my idea and will discuss more about multiple formats in a later post. For now consider why you are writing and whom you are writing for to generate a pre-marketing scheme. For example: I write to share a thought or “many” speculative thoughts. I wish to share these thoughts with the young adult group of readers. Not because of the upstart in teen reading, but my style seems to flow in that direction, plus I feel I never left my teens.

Next subject: Infusing a memoir with fiction seems to be what makes a story more uncanny yet ineresting. Think of Robert R. McCammon‘s Boy’s Life story. It reads like a memoir but infused with some supernatural elements we (may) have never experienced. What conversations, episodes, or feelings springs up from time to time? Have you thought about either planting some pieces of it in a memoir or using it to fuel your fiction? I certainly think it can help.

To get you on the right track to writing, Writer’s Digest is offering FREE ebooks for Back -to School and it is running from August 15-22, so get in on it now by going here!

Some Giveaways, Some Thoughts, Some Ideas…

Thomas Perkins | Dreamstime.com

Hey bloggers, writers and the rest! I am still thinking of how to do this Clean out My Closet business, I’ve just been too busy to select books to giveaway but there will be a giveaway int he hugest way, so stay tuned!

Nextly, I have been furiously writing, and taking notes for my next book and was wondering if anyone like sci/fi fantasy with YA appeal to it? I’m quite sure you are out there or know someone who is. What are your thoughts on the mixture of those elements? Isit  really popular/unpopular, should it be segmented for a specific audience, or should any of this matter?

To be honest, I frequently scroll the fantasy and romantic section at Books A Million when I go, and kind of admire the covers of the sci fi section but rarely pick up a book. Unless its a book by Tananarive Due or Octavia Butler I don’t read it. God rest your soul, Octavia.

Last, and most important…Writing tutorials and workshops given by video on this blog! Yay!  On this blog in the Tutorials section, there will be instructional videos on all things dealing with writing, creative writing, and self publishing. You won’t want to miss it. Anything you ever wanted to know about writing will be right at your finger tips.

I am even planning lessons that parents can offer there kids and teachers offer their students on reading helps and writing tips. It will be beneficial. For one on one online tutoring, please contact me for details.

The idea is to turn this entire blog into video posts. I’ll see what I can do…in the meantime get excited for those upcoming tutorials!

Okay, holla back at me with your thoughts and comments. I’ll be working but I always respond

Erica

Congratulations to Winners of Dillow’s Book Giveaway!!

Winners of Linda Dillow’s latest book are: Elizabeth and Tracey M. Thanks for participating:)

Linda Dillow’s ‘What’s it Like to be Married to Me’ Book giveaway(2 copies)

What's it like to be Married to me' |Linda Dillow

 * Book provided for review by David C. Cook for my unbiased review-click image for ordering options*

Blog Date: March 7th-14th, 2011.

Just think, how would you see your married life if you were your husband? Would he see you as that rare, crown jewel spoken of in Proverbs 12:4? Or would he see you as a negative, constantly upset spirit drainer in his life? These words sound harsh to some degree, but in Linda Dillow’s What’s it like to be Married to Me? She addresses these problems including:

• Exercises to help you see yourself in a new light.
• Nice little jokes and idioms about ‘What women think they want in a man’.
• Excerpts from her own life and other stories by women.
• Ten( or Twelve) week reflective bible study at the end of the book.

Some negatives about the book, which is based off of my own thoughts about marriage, is that most books written by Christian women for Christian women tend to focus on what the wife is doing wrong. Which can be true in “X” amount of cases, but certainly not all. At one point, Dillow mentions: “What choices turns a woman into a griping wife?”( Whats it like to be Married to Me?”, 2011, p.43). She does not address the reasons why a woman would gripe about her dear husband, I was interested in that. However, Dillow encourages us to look not unto ourselves for the answer but God’s Word, and her book offers helpful exercises!

What more could you ask for???

I am giving away 2 copies of this book so that you may be encouraged to know that as a wife, God hears you and wants your marriage to work.

Now for the Giveaway part

Here are the rules:

• In order to enter contest, you must have a blog, website, or write for a site like Examiner, Suite101, you know the kind.
• The giveaway will be announced with a deadline and the book(s) to be given away.
• Make sure you reside in the U.S. (Sorry! Restrictions apply everywhere, even online, aaargh!)
• To receive your book you must post a comment on my blog at www.thewriteweb.wordpress.com, or go to Connect with E.J for a list of places to post your comments.
• I will draw a winner and receive your free book!