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For covers, I'd like to recommend http://www.litteradesigns.com She did a great job on the cover for a mystery I'll be bringing out in the fall.
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Jun 3, 2014 04:10
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Woohoo! My debut novel made it to 50 Amazon customer reviews.
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Jul 10, 2014 02:05
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I had a pleasant surprise yesterday. I had lowered my price on one of my books for a promo with Discount Books Daily next week, and yesterday Pixel of Ink picked it as one of the hot deal, leading to a very welcome and totally unexpected sales spike. I've already had more sales in August than I did in June and July combined. 
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Aug 2, 2014 15:39
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This is a good opportunity to ask a question that I've been pondering: What is the difference between a sexy romance and erotica? I've got an idea for a serialized sexy romance. I probably shouldn't be worrying about categories until I've actually written it, but what is the plot-to-sex ratio for a sexy romance vs. erotica? This will definitely have characters and a plot (albeit a fluffy one - this series will be a jolly romp as opposed to angst-and-bondage).
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Aug 19, 2014 18:00
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Thanks! This is very helpful. I figure that I'd do three books of around 20-25K apiece. Each would have a story arc, so the reader would get a happily-ever-after at the end of each and not feel ripped off. I'd also keep the price low. Edit: Why on earth am I getting "Big Idiot Bad Post" for my avatar?
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Aug 19, 2014 19:34
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I've used the same name for contemporary, suspense, and mystery, but I'll definitely do a pen name for romance.
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Aug 22, 2014 15:35
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I just use Garamond. I always do a print edition but I sell so few that it isn't worth getting uber-fantastic fonts.
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Sep 5, 2014 02:43
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Has anyone been setting their books up for pre-order on Amazon? My next book won't be out til November but I've put it up for pre-order and already have a few orders. I'm hoping I get more next month when I have a BookBub promo going.
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Sep 21, 2014 00:43
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Oh well. What's done is done.
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Sep 21, 2014 22:51
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I've got a BookBub 99 cent sale going today!
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Oct 5, 2014 21:11
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Smashwords is still around. I use it for my iTunes/Kobo/BN distribution. It's less popular these days but it works fine for me so I stick with it.
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Oct 9, 2014 04:13
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"Someone ate all the gluten-free donuts!" he sobbed.
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Nov 4, 2014 05:50
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Question about changing from Smashwords to D2D. Should I wait for my books to completely unpublish from BN, iBook, etc. before I republish via D2D? Will I lose any reviews I've accumulated for my books? Or can I publish on D2D and unpublish on Smash simultaneously?
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Nov 10, 2014 01:52
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Hee hee. I just got a review in which a reader called one of my books "a miasma of misery."
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Nov 12, 2014 07:24
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I posted this in the work-for-hire thread but I'll put it here too, if no one objects. Good news for writers in need of an editor. I've just launched Bookside Manner, my fiction editing service. I provide proofreading, copyediting, and line editing for books of all genres. For my rates and qualifications, and for testimonials from past clients, visit: http://www.booksidemanner.com Questions? Drop me a line at booksidemanner@gmail.com
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Jan 3, 2015 17:34
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Yes, please. That would be much appreciated.
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Jan 4, 2015 02:09
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Congratulations! BookBub is a wonderful thing. Depending on how long your sale goes for, you may want to do some other promos during that time to maximize the sales. But the beauty of BookBub is that once you get it, it's so powerful that you can just sit back and watch the sales roll in.
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Jan 14, 2015 15:39
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Seconding the recommendation of goonwrite. I got three of my covers from there and couldn't be happier.
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Jan 16, 2015 23:37
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Just scored an Ereader News Today Book of the Day spot for next month!
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Jan 20, 2015 20:15
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Goodreads also has some "read-for-review" groups in which people request your book and are supposed to review it, but the reviews haven't always been forthcoming. The group's owners say writers should reach out and nudge readers who haven't reviewed, but I'm not about to do that (Goodreads members can get very weird about any kind of author interaction). I've gotten good reviews from book bloggers. It can take time, as most of them are swamped with requests, but over the long haul I've built some excellent relationships with bloggers. This makes getting reviews for subsequent books easier, as you can say, "Hey, blogger! A while back you read my novel Finite Laughter. My new book, A Peach Is Not A Peach Without A Pit, is out. May I send you a copy?" Never hurts to participate in bloggers' contests and rafflecopter giveaways either.
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Jan 22, 2015 15:57
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Just remember to read and respect each blogger's review policy. Don't send them your vampire Western if they've stated they only review literary fiction. If the blogger is swamped and says he or she can't take any new review requests for two months, then check back in two months.
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Jan 22, 2015 19:15
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Just a quick vent: I would take critical reviews more seriously if the reviewer could get my characters' names right.
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Jan 25, 2015 02:07
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I can't complain too much, as for the most part my reviews have been good. But criminy, the character's name is "Sean." That's not so hard to remember, is it?
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Jan 25, 2015 02:47
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FYI, if anyone is in need of editing services, I still have openings for February. All genres welcome. If interested, send an email to booksidemanner@gmail.com (I don't have PM set up for SA).
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Jan 28, 2015 17:07
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Good news for those who advertise with BookBub. They've now added Canada to their mailing list. I ran an ad when they added UK and it got me my best UK sales ever, so I'm pleased about this. Am hoping to get a Bub ad for my contemporary in March.
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Jan 30, 2015 03:57
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I've run several 99-cent promos with them, and have always made my money back and a good profit as well. The "tail" of increased sales lasts a good few weeks, and I see increased sales of my non-promo books even at full price. It is a significant cash outlay, but well worth it.
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Jan 30, 2015 22:21
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No Gravitas posted:I guess "write for its own sake and publish since it is written anyway", right? That's how I got started. I knew I was never going to traditionally publish my contemporary, as I had no more ideas for that (non)genre, so I figured, what the heck, I'd give self publishing a try. Not a lot of sales my first year, but the feedback from readers and reviewers was so positive I went full steam ahead with my other books. Now I can't believe I banged my head against the wall of trying to get a literary agent for so long.  I don't make enough through my writing to pay the rent, but I make enough to pay for covers, editing, promotions, etc. and still have enough profits left over that last year I bought my plane ticket to Florida out of my book profits.
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Feb 1, 2015 23:22
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Every time I have seen an excerpt from the Fifty Shades books posted online, I'm agog at how terrible the writing is. THIS is what's become such a huge phenomenon?
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Feb 11, 2015 20:56
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I have a question about ebook formatting. I'm getting ready to publish a book of movie reviews. I usually never worry about a table of contents for fiction, but I want to have a list of the movies covered as a table of contents, so that a reader can, say, just jump straight to the review of Salo without having to skim all the way through the book to the "S" movies. How do I make that happen with KDP and D2D?
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Feb 14, 2015 23:33
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So if I'm understanding correctly, you can generate a .mobi from D2D and upload that to KDP?
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Feb 15, 2015 07:04
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I'm getting into a whole new area now, as I've just published my first nonfiction book. It's a collection of movie reviews, and getting it noticed will definitely require an adjustment in tactics from what I'm used to with fiction. The good news is that now I'm ready to jump into a new fiction project.
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Feb 20, 2015 17:00
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the brotherly phl posted:Anyone having trouble downloading a mobi from D2D? I keep getting an error. I've tried deleting and reuploading, but nothing. I did it just the other day and had no issues.
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Feb 23, 2015 17:01
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A good cover can make all the difference. I've had two Bookbub ads for one of my books, and the second one, with the awesome cover I paid for (rather than the semi-lame one I did myself) got me substantially more sales.
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Feb 27, 2015 17:35
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I've got an ENT spot today, so at least March will start off decently.
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Mar 2, 2015 15:43
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I'm trying to imagine an erotica CYOA. "To have Betty be on top, turn to page 47. To have Bob be on top, turn to page 102." (After turning to page 47) "Oh no! Bob has issues with 'uppity women' and can only do it in missionary position. For this couple, this is…THE END."
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Mar 6, 2015 21:36
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If anyone is in need of editing, I have some slots left for end of March and beginning of April (will be unavailable for the week after Easter, though). All lengths and all genres (including super-romance) welcome. Drop me a line at booksidemanner at gmail dot com, and I'll be happy to discuss levels of editing, rates, etc.
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Mar 17, 2015 17:01
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Sundae posted:I can vouch for Hijinks being great to work with. She's edited several works for me now, and she is easy to work with, quick on turn-around, and does a great job with line-edits and word-choice criticism. She's downright spiffy, so hire her before I buy out all her remaining spots for the year. Awww, thank you! (Feel free to send the next one along whenever it's ready.)
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Mar 17, 2015 20:53
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The most I've spent on a cover was $750, and that's because it was completely custom illustration. My other covers were done by designers using stock photos; they look great and the ebook versions cost less than $100 (print editions cost a bit more because of spine and back cover content).
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Mar 27, 2015 06:27
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Goonwrite did my first three novels. He wasn't available for my fourth, so I used http://www.litteradesigns.com - am very pleased with the results.
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Mar 27, 2015 21:08
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 15:30 |
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I always do a print version. Even though I make most of my money off ebooks, I don't like reading ebooks very much. It feels like "work" to me. Plus print copies are good for giveaways, and some bloggers prefer print copies for reviewing.
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Mar 28, 2015 04:57
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