I felt like my cover needed something to look more like a professional cover than it did.
Here’s what it looked like after my first round of experiments:
This is what I came up with after some more tinkering:
What do you think of my changes? Should I keep them?
Yes, this is the first picture ever posted online. I wonder if these ladies still hang out. They definitely don’t have the same hairdos or wear the same clothes. Does this picture embarrass them or are they proud to be the first?
Our culture is focused more and more through the internet. On my Facebook today I saw a friend’s current progress painting a robot figurine, the coffee another friend was drinking, and the political views of yet another friend. Will these photos and statements disappear into the cyberworld or will they live on there “forever”, just waiting for someone to dig them up?
Well, as scary as this feels, this phenomenon of media lasting virtually forever is really a bonus for me, an author. My works, nestled into their pages on the web, will live there forever. I will always be able to make money on them, or at least get the credit for them if they become free. If someone claims them as their work, I can point to multiple places where my work lives and has lived for a long time. There is no “out of print” online. There is no time limit for my work to survive other than the time limit of how long it interests people.
Yes, in case of apocalyptic failure of everything technological, I do have paper copies of all of it, including the copyright certificates. But after we’ve recovered and have the internet back, provided the Giant Ant Overlords allow it, I’ll put them all back up.
What do you have online that will live forever? How do you feel about that?
My kickstarter project is funded! It just goes to show you that there are some awesome people out there. It was saved at the last minute by a few kind folks.
I learned a bit about Kickstarter and how it works, and I think that a hallmark to success is selling your vision with the audience in a compelling way. It isn’t enough to just state your objectives and offer nice incentives. That is good, but what sells people is your own passion for what you want to accomplish. I’m going to focus on this next time I do a kickstarter.
Read my review here: http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/merlins-wood-by-anne-hamilton/
All his life Reece has ignored the stories told by his grandmother about his namesake, Merlin, the enchanter who belonged to King Arthur’s court. He’s got absolutely no interest in fanciful legends about magicians who live backwards in time. He’s concerned with facts, not fantasy, science not magic. So as soon as talk turns to the ancient title, vast estates and ancestral castle she keeps insisting he’s going to inherit one day, he turns his mind to the experiments he’s conducting in an old hollow oak. It’s Reece’s ambition to grow up to become the first scientist to create a genuine time machine.
Fortunately, Reece’s sister, Holly, has been paying a bit more attention to gran’s wildly fantastic tales. A mysterious explosion catapults the twins across interstellar space, stranding them on another planet. They find themselves in the heart of an alien civilisation where their survival depends on an aloof and enigmatic protector they’re not entirely sure they can rely on. As they start to communicate with Tamizel, they realise how differently their bickering relationship is viewed by the glittering court of Dreamfall. In a world facing two dark perils – one within, one without – hope is reborn. It doesn’t matter that Holly and Reece are armed only with a water pistol, sharp tongues and a curious shape-shifting necklace. The people of Dreamfall come to believe that they are deliverers descended from the stars. Holly begins to appreciate how truly fragile trust is and how easily it can be destroyed. Eventually, both she and Reece learn what it really means to live ‘backwards in time’.
Buy Merlin’s Wood here:
http://www.buyaustralianbooks.com.au/book/annehamilton/merlinswood/
“For over thirty years, I taught mathematics in high schools across Australia and New Zealand. I now work part-time for UCB Australia as a creative writer. I am the Australian sub-editor for The Word for Today and word4U2day.
I also work in a freelance capacity for several small publishers as an editor and proof-reader. My specialities are Hebrew thought in the area of non-fiction, plus fantasy in fiction. I am currently the President of Omega Writers Inc, a support group for authors who specialise in faith-inspired work.
To the despair of my publishers who would like me to develop a consistent readership, I write both fiction and non-fiction. The only common thread in both is their numerical literary style, a fusion of words and mathematics that is as beautiful and old as the first written stories.
Naturally I’m using this unique style right now! It’s irresistible given my passion for words and numbers.”
~ Anne Hamilton
For more info on Anne and her books, visit her site: http://fire-of-roses.com/wp/
My wonderful hubby, an director-level analyst and planner, just outlined a business plan for me and I’m filling it in. I confess, I didn’t have one until now. I heard it was a good thing but hadn’t gotten around to it, when hubby stepped in.
My questions for you:
Do you have a business plan?
Where did you get it?
How is it working for you?
Is there anything that stands out in your business plan as an amazing help?
Do you think a business plan is even necessary for an author?
I’ll write some more about this when I’m finished filling in my plan.
I got back on that horse that threw me and sent my review request to ten reviewers! This is the list I’ve been working with. Thanks again to DL For this great resource!
Last week I posted about the importance of book reviews and I promised to provide a list. After data mining the internet, I found 87 sites that review indie books. The list of those is provided below. I have not queried all of these. Some are not applicable to my genre. Some are closed for new submissions, and others I simply have not had time to contact yet. Since I had the data, though, I’m sharing it because others may find it helpful.
One thing to keep in mind when contacting prospective reviewers is to be mindful of their submission requirements. If they only review Romance, don’t ask them to review your Fantasy novel. If they want a synopsis, provide it. If they want the first three chapters, send them. There is no “standard” format. Each review site will have different requirements. These reviewers are doing indie writers a favor…
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Read my review here: http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/open-heart-by-emlyn-chand/
(Open Heart is the second book in the Farsighted series.)
Simmi Shergill’s life is a mess. Her powers of psychic feeling are on the fritz, and Grandon Township’s sudden population boom has brought quite a few unsavory characters to town. She also looks like an over-blown balloon in her size 14 pants, but not even starving herself seems to be working as a diet plan. Well, at least her boyfriend, Alex, loves her so much he’d do anything for her. Last summer he even risked his life to protect her from the mysterious boy everyone was convinced wanted to kill her.
The problem is, she’s not so sure she feels the same way. Is Alex really the man of her dreams? And why can’t she stop fixating on her would-be killer, Dax? Whenever he’s around, part of her wants to run screaming in the other direction while the other part longs to run into his embrace, no matter who she’d hurt or what she’d risk.
Simmi’s loyalty is on the line. Who will she choose–the blind seer who loves her, or the charming telekinetic with “bad idea” written all over him? Emotions run high as the tension mounts in book two of the Farsighted series.
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble
Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). Since then, she has always loved to hear and tell stories. When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available throughout the Internet world. Visit EmlynChand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!
I’ve said it before and I felt it deserved its own post: The free sample is the best free advertising an author can get!
Since posting it, I’ve given away 376 download copies of my fantasy short story, The Silver Collar on Smashwords, and had 692 reads on Wattpad. This doesn’t include all the other places I’ve posted it. I haven’t been able to make it free on Amazon yet, partially because people are still buying it! I don’t understand that, but OK.
I’m also currently working on Horarium, a sci-fi short story, and posting on Wattpad as I go. I’m enjoying this kind of work and reaching readers along the way.
My hubby had a fabulous idea about the freebie, too. (He has lots of those) After my free story, I include information for the reader to find my other works. I even included an excerpt from my upcoming book at the end of the story.
Here is my list of places I’ve posted The Silver Collar:
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/?page_id=81
http://www.globusz.com/aut_reg.php
http://www.free-ebooks.net/submissionForm.php
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/?page_id=81
http://www.feedbooks.com/help/self-pub-howto
http://ebookdirectory.com/cgi-bin/addurl.cgi
Do you have a freebie? How has it worked out for you?
Thank you, authors, for sharing your books! Thank you, readers, for visiting and giving us a chance to share our work with you!
I’ll start another Blog-in August 10th! Sign up anytime. All the details are on the Blog-in page: https://katepolicani.com/author-blog-in/
What if it were possible for someone – say a woman – to possess an extremely rare gene that drastically reduced her rate of age-ing? That having reached her 50th year, she looked no older than a 25 year old?
Isn’t that the stuff of fantasy!
Imagine the scramble among cosmetic companies and biochemists to try and obtain even a spit’s worth of that person’s DNA and then somehow creating a lotion which every woman in the world would kill to get hold of!
No more botox, no more laser treatments, no more pins and tucks, just smear it on and enjoy extended youthful looks for decades.
But, what if it came with a catch? An extremely frightening and inconceivably unbelievable one?
Everything comes with a price. As they say, there’s no such thing a as free lunch.
http://www.bloodgifted.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/what-if-it-were-possible-for-someone.html
Read my review here: http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/you-cant-shatter-me-by-tahlia-newland/
Sixteen year old Carly wants to write her own life and cast herself as a superhero, but the story gets out of control when she stands up to a bully and he turns on her. His increasing harassment forces her to deal with flying hooks, giant thistles, deadly dragons and a suffocating closet. Dylan, a karate-trained nerd who supports her stand against the bully, turns out to be a secret admirer, and while he struggles to control his inner caveman, Carly searches for her own way to stop the bully. An old hippie shows her an inner magic that’s supposed to make her invincible, but will Carly learn to use it before Dylan resorts to violence?
This heart-warming story will inspire and empower teens and adults alike. As well as providing real solutions for the bullying issue, the unique magical realism style provides an exciting and unusual fantasy element.
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Smashwords
Available through all major bookstores world wide from mid August. If you would like to be notified of it’s release, please fill in the form here.
Visit the Goodreads page
Book trailer 1 link – http://youtu.be/ysXMYoJUsO0
Author Bio
Tahlia writes magical realism and urban fantasy for young adults & adults. She likes stories that are inspiring & empowering and that question the nature of reality, mind and perception. She is an avid reader, an extremely casual high school teacher, an occasional mask-maker and has studied philosophy & meditation for many years. After scripting and performing in Visual Theatre shows for 20 years, she is now a bone-fide expatriate of the performing arts. She lives in an Australian rainforest, is married with a teenage daughter and loves cats, but she doesn’t have one because they eat native birds.
Here is the next book!
I’m not re-blogging for the blog-in because today is my day to be re-blogged! I’ll take this opportunity to thank all the friends who participated and viewed all the wonderful books. Also I’d like to invite you to sign up for Author Blog-in II coming in August. Just email me at katepolicani@gmail.com with the word Author Blog-in in the subject line to get on the list at https://katepolicani.com/author-blog-in/.
Read my review here: http://katepolicanisreviews.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/thrall-by-jennifer-quintenz/
Braedyn is a normal girl just trying to survive high school with her two devoted friends, Royal and Cassie. Together they’re doing a pretty good job of shrugging off the slings and arrows cast their way by the popular crowd when a new boy, Lucas, moves into the house next door. Suddenly Braedyn finds herself falling in love for the first time. But as her sixteenth birthday approaches, Braedyn discovers humankind is at war with the Lilitu, an ancient race of enticing demons that prey on human souls. Her father is a member of the Guard fighting against the Lilitu – and so are the new neighbors, including her crush, Lucas. As her world starts to unravel at the seams, Braedyn learns the right answers aren’t always clear or easy. And as for “good” and “evil” – it all depends on how we choose to act. Inspired by the ancient Mesopotamian myths of Lilith and her offspring, Thrall explores first love, strong friendships, and taking on adult responsibilities against the backdrop of powerful supernatural forces and life-and-death stakes.
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14112002-thrall
Jennifer Quintenz is film and television writer, author, and graphic novelist. She has written for Twentieth Television, Intrepid Pictures, and Archaia Studios Press. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son. “Thrall” is her first novel.
Have you posted yet? Don’t forget! If I don’t have your links, the others may not be able to find them. I don’t have everybody’s links, so be sure to get it to me somehow.
Interesting fact completely unrelated to the Author Blog-in: a few of you don’t show up on a search for your name. I’ts important to register your pages with search engines so you can be found by your fans.
Be like Lorenzo: patronize an artist like me!
Kate Policani 