Pimp My Blog: Cheap Indie Author Spotlight

Hello All,

We're back.The next brave author to volunteer her book for the blog is Elizabeth Kolodziej. She's written a tempting vampire tale and would like to share it with you.She also offers some great. Please welcome Liz and feel free to ask questions or leave comments.

1. Tell us about your book(s).

Vampyre Kisses is an enthralling story about a young woman named Faith, who was content with her life, but deep down craved more excitement. Then a mysterious man named Trent enters her life and everything changes. Surprising to Faith, Trent is a green-eyed vampire from Ireland. She is even more surprised to find out that she is a witch, and the last of her kind.

Faith finds out that she is destined to restore her witch line and becomes more powerful as she gains confidence and knowledge, but danger lurks everywhere. Especially when unknown assailants steal the most important gems from the vampire master and werewolf royalty.

Now surrounded by a world full of mystifying vampires and werewolves, can Faith gain enough power to help her friends and rescue the stolen gems?

2. How did you go about getting your book published?

I self published my book through Eloquent Books for the paperback and published it myself through amazon, B&N, and smashwords.

3. Tell us about your marketing strategies.

Well there is actually a lot going on there. I have done blog tours, guest posts, I tweet, facebook, have my own website, advertise on sites like vampires.com and nocturnereads. I have sent book proposals to places like B&N and Costco (B&N agreeing to buy 100 copies to put in their stores around the Delaware/Philly area), I am in the middle of trying to get up to 100 reviews of my book on amazon, goodreads, and other numerous sites. I am also trying to promote my work by submitting my short stories for anthology books. One of which I can proudly say was accepted. I try to get involved with as many book/reader conventions I can afford and get to. I have so many more ideas but some are still in the making. I am always trying to take every opportunity to talk about my book and let people know about it in any way possible.

4. What's the best advice you could give to new writers who want to get published?

Learn the business. There are two parts to this whole thing, the writing and the marketing/promoting. All of it is important because you can't have one without the other. I see too many authors who write a book and try self publishing it but think they don't have to tell people there book is out there. Get books on the subjects of this business and talk to EVERYONE you can about it. The writing community is such a big family, the closest and most giving I have ever seen, you can't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. You won't meet many people that didn't have to start from the bottom and work their way up. They understand your dilemma.

5. What are you reading? (I added this question to give every author the opportunity to lend to support to other authors coming up in the ranks like we are. :)

I actually read more than one book at a time. I get crazy like that. Currently, Marked by Elisabeth Naughton, Tempting Evil by Keri Arthur, and Bitten by Kelley Armstrong.

--

<3's>

Liz ^_^

www.vampyrekisses.com

www.twitter.com/ejkolodziej

www.facebook.com/kweenkitten

If you would like your book featured on Cheap Indie Author, please contact me at karla (at) klbradywrites (dot) com for details!

Pimp My Blog: Cheap Indie Author Spotlight

Hello All,

Next on the Cheap Indie Author Spotlight is Daniel A. Roberts, a self-published author who writes about my favorite topic... L'amor. (I think that's "love" in somebody's language. Probably mine.) Please feel free to comment or ask questions about his writing/publishing process.


1. Tell us about your book(s).

Passion Of The Different is a Romantic Fantasy. I wrote this book to tell a fun, loving story about two different people from two different worlds, the culture shock differences and how they resolve them. It has the basic expectations of a Romance and while the book does resolve itself in a happy ending way as expected, this also leads into the upcoming sequel that's being released on 2/10/2011. I enjoy entertaining people, there's a lot to be taken from the fact I've made people smile and laugh all in the same book. Because I created a new world with a new people, my creativity was allowed to flow. There are elements of their society we won't agree on, but then, who lives in a perfect world? Dealing with those differences while doing the right thing as well as falling in love - that's a book I can have fun writing. So I did. (Attached is the thumb picture of my cover)

2. How did you go about getting your book published?

I explored so many avenues and there were so many crazy options, but I eventually found Smashwords. They give an author all the choices and control and they organize the distribution. It's a win-win situation for anybody who wants to publish an ebook. Even the comissions as better and I intend to make a living off of my writing. As an Independent Author, I'm not given a formula and told how to write my story and what limits I have. That is killing creativity in my opinion.


3. Tell us about your marketing strategies.

I use Facebook and my own personal profile. That's an excellent start. I also use Twitter. I have an account with Google Adwords and Bing Adsense. I do a pay per click and I set the budget so I'm not buried in bills. My books show up on Barnes and Noble dot com and the Apple iBook store and Kobo and Diesel and other retailers, I do my best to get this out to the public through my friends as well. I also do Youtube videos promoting my book, as well as my own website at http://www.thepassiontrilogy.com/ And I use the Romance Studio as well. People who like Romance go there looking for things to read, and I try not to let them down.


4. What's the best advice you could give to new writers who want to get published?

Don't be afraid to be proactive. You get back what you put into it. Talk to publishers and agents if you must, but have they yet put your excellent and best work in front of people who will be willing to pay for it? If the answer is no, consider going to Smashwords and trying them out. They have a promotion guide and it's free. Lots of good stuff in there. It's kinda cool to get a letter from an agent telling you why he can't represent you, and then you go to your email and get notified you just earned another hundred bucks in sales. His cut is in your pocket instead. It's a win-win situation for the author.


5. What are you reading? (I added this question to give every author the opportunity to lend to support to other authors coming up in the ranks like we are.)

Special Parent, Special Child by Tom Sullivan. I have an Autistic daughter (very low functioning) and it's good to know my wife and I aren't alone in the drama to raise a child with such a disability.

Politics: http://okc912project.com/
My Fiction: http://www.thepassiontrilogy.com/
My Biography: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/danielroberts

Pimp My Blog: Cheap Indie Author Spotlight

Hello All,

Looks like we've found our first brave author to take me up on my offer.

Georgia Ann Banks-Martin is a poet who got her book published through a small press. Please give her a warm welcome and feel free to ask questions or comment.




1. Tell us about your book(s).

My book, Rhapsody for Lessons Learned or Remembered, is a collection of ekphrastic(art inspired)poems. The inspiration art represents work created by African-Americans, Americans, Europeans, and Asians. Most of the poems are of a collage nature, blending historical facts, and memoir. It is currently ready for ordering from my publisher's(Plain View Press) webpage:http://www.plainviewpress.net/gallery2/pages/Rhapsody-For-Lessons-Learned-Or-Remembered.html

2. How did you go about getting your book published?

The first draft of my collection was completed as my M.F.A. thesis. While I was working toward graduation I started compiling a list of possible publishers based on ads and listings that appear on websites such as Poets and Writers, publishers I encounter at book festivals, writers conferences, books that were being published which were similar to my collection, and recommendations from friends.

When I was ready to send out my final manuscript I narrowed the list to five and followed the submission guidelines provided by the publisher.

3. Tell us about your marketing strategies.

My marketing strategies include:

• Maintaining my author's webpage:http://georgiabanksmartin.com
• The creation of a Facebook Fan Page: http://artist.to/georgiaannbanks-martin
• Holding public poetry readings at poetry festivals, bookstore, libraries, colleges and universities
  
• Reading and signing books at the The Association of Writers & Writing Programs(AWP) Conference in Washington D.C. next month
• Appearing on blogs and blog talk radio shows
  

4. What's the best advice you could give to new writers who want to get published?

• Make sure your work is well edited
• Make sure you follow all agent/publisher submission requirements

5. What are you reading?

Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

Who's got next?

If you're an author (indie, small press, or major publisher) who would like to be featured, please contact me at karla (at) klbradywrites (dot) com. Answer the questions and provide me with your book cover(s) and author photos.

Hope you enjoy. New content is coming up soon so don't delay!

Visit my website at www.authorklbrady.com

Been A While, but...

Hello Everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted but I've been just a little busy.

First, I finished novel number three--GOT A RIGHT TO BE WRONG. It's the sequel to The Bum Magnet and I happen to love the story. Got it turned into my editor who I pray doesn't hate it, otherwise it's back to the drawing board. I made a faux book cover for inspiration only. If my editor accepts it, then I have ZERO control over the cover.

For those who are wondering where novel number two is, it's called MIZZ UNDERSTANDING. It's on submission right now. Been a while. It been sufficiently rejected but there are still about five hold outs. Somehow I get the feeling the remaining editors are waiting to see if THE BUM MAGNET does well when it's re-released in March. If we do not hear back from folks by next month, I'm gonna put it on Kindle as another self published venture and see how it does. My agent is in agreement. :) Another faux cover for inspiration only.



After I finished GOT A RIGHT TO BE WRONG, I totally lost my mind and decided that I wanted to become a screenwriter. Yes. Do NOT ask me what possessed me to take on that challenge but within two weeks, I adapted my novel THE BUM MAGNET into a screenplay and entered it into the Amazon Studios contest. If you want a lesson on how NOT to write a screenplay, download my first screen play. Script number 4 is much better. Feel free to download, leave a review, or any activity that will let folks know my story might not be total and complete CRAP. I had to change the title so because Bum Magnet had been used already in some Australian movie with a red-headed star whose name I can't remember. So, I picked He's The One? I made a faux movie poster so I wouldn't have a blank page.

After I finished the screenplay, I swore I would take a long long long long break from writing so I could clear my head and get ready for novel number four. That lasted about two days. Now I'm writing a novel that I've been wanting to write for months now. Of course, I made a faux book cover...because I got stuck in the story and made a feeble attempt to inspire myself. The book is called The Bigot List and it features an African-American female FBI agent/spycatcher named J.J. McCall. How cool is that name? Came to me in a dream.



So, that's the update on my writing life and why I haven't posted any good stuff lately. I'm coming around to it though, so please don't give up on me.

Because I've my busy writing schedule I've decided to Pimp My Blog for indie or any author who have books to promote. If you want me to host you on a blog tour, answer the following questions and send me one author photo and book covers only.

1. Tell us about your book(s).


2. How did you go about getting your book published?


3. Tell us about your marketing strategies.


4. What's the best advice you could give to new writers who want to get published?


5. What are you reading? (I added this question to give every author the opportunity to lend to support to other authors coming up in the ranks like we are. :)

Hit me up at karla (at) klbradywrites (dot) com if you're interested.

Author Interrogated (extended)

Marketing Minute- Activity #2

I'm back!

You knew I would be.

So, the last time I posted, I indicated that I was doing research on blogs who review novels in my genre so that I could set up reviews and possibly interviews and blog tour stops. Well, I sent out 10 e-mails yesterday. I got three responses and all were positive for reviewing and hosting interviews. Yep, I've got a long way to go, but it's a start. I'll send out five e-mails every day from this point forward until I've exhausted my list. Then I'll compile some more.

How many should you sign up for? As many as you can. Remember, how blogs work. For example, Becky sets up a blog and has 50 followers. Her information appears on their blogs. Among her 50 followers are ten people who have 1000 followers. So, your information not only appears on their blogs, but also their followers blogs. This is how your book goes viral and you start to build the ever important "buzz." You can never sign up with too many. So, find as many as you can and make it a constant process.

A few pointers for crafting your letters:

• First, make sure that you at least TRY to personalize each letter to the extent that you can. Take the time to find out the name of the person who runs the blog. This will go a long way toward building goodwill. On some blogs the information isn't always apparent or easy to find, but most blogs who regularly review books have a book review policy page and provide their contact information there.
  
• Include your book's information: Title, name of publisher (your imprint name or your name), ISBN number, format (tradepaper, hardcover), number of pages, back cover copy, and jpeg of your cover file.
• Be careful of what you post online--anywhere. This not only applies to reaching out to bloggers but your career as an author. Like it or not, people will do research on you as bloggers, potential publishers, readers, etc. are bound to do. Be careful of what you post and what you say. Avoid negative interaction because it may affect whether people want to work with you. I say this because one blogger agreed to host my book and host me on a blog tour partly because I had a positive interaction with a reviewer who gave me a negative review. You never know how that stuff will play into the future, so just avoid the negative stuff altogether if you can.
  

Activity #2

For today's activity, I'm going to try and compile a list of book festivals and fairs that I can or will try attend next year to begin setting up my schedule. Now, of course, festivals and fairs are tricky because you have to pay to participate. That means, you need to know if you're gonna have the budget. Even though I'm with a traditional publisher, I doubt very seriously they're gonna pay because I'm not a money-maker yet. But the point of this exercise is finding what you can and listing them on a schedule so that if your budget does allow you to attend in a particular timeframe, you will already have the information compiled if your schedule and budget should allow.

How am I going to go about compiling my list? By leaning on an author's best friend--Google. I will Google "book fair", "book festival", "author pavilion", "book fest" along with my geographic area and see what I come up with. I'll list out fees, application deadlines, and website addresses so I can go back and find the information later. Some time down the road, I'll list the ones I can potentially attend on my website schedule.

Be selective and don't try to book everything because you need to leave room for bookstore signings on your schedule too. This activity shouldn't take too long--maybe an hour or so. Best thing is, you only need to do it once a year if you do a thorough job the first time. And if you retain the information from year to year, then you only need to update it with new events as they are available. This is a good time of year to compile the list because the festival schedules usually start in February and run through November.

So, what are you waiting for? Let's get to it!

The Bum Magnet - Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hello,

If you're interested in entering to win a free copy of THE BUM MAGNET, check out my giveaway @ Goodreads.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Bum Magnet

by K.L. Brady

Giveaway ends March 29, 2011.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Implementing Your Marketing Plan!

Hey Peops! I've been out of pocket writing the sequel to my novel and a YA novel. Now that I'm wrapping up work on both I can get back to blogging more regularly.

Whether you're an indie author or affiliated with an indie or big six publisher, one thing all we authors will have to do is market our books in some way or another. Even though my book has been picked up by a big six publisher, I don't have intention of reducing the level of marketing I engage in with the re-release of my novel. As a matter of fact, I really need to do equal or better because now my sales really count. The sales figures can impact my ability to get my books sold to publishers in the future. So, it's time to get on the ball.

I haven't done much marketing up to this point because it's very difficult to really market without a book cover, and I didn't get my book cover until yesterday. With THE BUM MAGNET release scheduled for March 29, 2011, time's ticking away and I've got a lot to do--from scheduling book signings, to setting up blog tours, to finding reviewers among bloggers and book clubs.

So, every day starting tomorrow until the release of my book in March 2011, I'll be engaging in one or two marketing activities per day and I'll be sharing them with you to give you ideas about how to go about conducting your own marketing. Now, I'm not going to give you very specific details because the key is for you to take the general idea, conduct your own research, and then do the marketing activity yourself. But hopefully, I can give you some direction and help you get your plan rolling.

Activity #1.

My first goal for tomorrow is to do some research to identify blogs that read and review books like mine. I'll make a list of those blogs and email them to ask if they will review my book, and/or host me on a tour, and/or allow me to post an author interview. As long as they agree to post some information (any information) about me as an author or my book, it will go a long way to getting the viral marketing started.

So where am I going to look for blogs? One of my favorite sources is Technorati.com. You go there, put in some search terms, and then find blogs that deal with subject matter similar to your book. It also allows you to see the blog rankings to identify which ones are considered more of an authority than others.

So, hop to it people! Let's find some blogs. If you're successful, please leave a comment and tell us about it.

Guest Post: Debbi Mack's 20 Questions Blog Tour

Please welcome my very first guest author, Debbi Mack. Indie Publishing on the Cheap is today's stop on her blog tour. (If anyone else is interested, please email me. I'd be happy to host you as I finish up my works in progress.)

Debbi Mack's 20 Questions Blog Tour

Question 8: Where do you get your ideas?

Thank you, Karla, for hosting me on your blog, Cheap Indie Author. It's a pleasure to be hosted by someone who's made such a success by taking the indie route.

As to your question, it's a perennial favorite. It's that question that writers so often dread answering. It's one that authors tend to poke fun at. However, I will try to field it as best I can.

The simple answer is, ideas can come from just about anywhere. Ideas seem to crawl out of the woodwork like bugs.

Wow, that was quite the icky analogy. Let's try this instead. Ideas are caused when you see a situation and inspiration jolts your brain like electricity.

So often, an idea is based on a "what if" scenario. I'll be reading the paper (or a magazine or just about anything) and I'll think "what if this happened to someone and it led to murderous impulses?"

As a crime fiction writer, I seem capable of finding the potential for murder in almost any scenario.

If it sounds a bit scary, well, it's just my imagination. It's not real. (Is it? LOL)

Another aspect of getting ideas for stories is being able to spot the potential for conflict in a situation. Because conflict is the essence of good storytelling.

Who wants to read about a perfectly happy person going about an ordinary day in which nothing untoward happens? I'll tell you who. Nobody.

So, coming up with ideas means finding the conflict in situations. Along with being able to string out a plot that will support a whole novel.

This means that simply getting an idea isn't enough. What makes the idea work is not so much the idea as the execution. You see, they say that all the ideas have been "done" at this point. Perhaps it's true. But it's not just ideas that make a good story, it's also execution of the plot. And this is where all the hard work comes in.

Coming up with ideas is no great trick. Following through and creating a great story based upon them is the hard part.

At this point, I have SO many ideas for stories. They're all sitting patiently in my brain, like planes on a runway waiting for takeoff. I don't even know if I can possibly get to them all, given the time I put toward marketing and promoting, in addition to writing books (not to mention short stories, screenplays and whatever else I choose to work on).

So, when people ask me, "Where do you get your ideas?" my impulse is to say, "Where don't I get them?"

* * * * *

Thanks for reading, everyone! Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address if you'd like to enter the drawing for the 10 autographed copies of IDENTITY CRISIS I'm giving away. (One entry per person, but comment as often as you like.)

The drawing will be held on my blog My Life on the Mid-List after the tour is finished. Check my blog for the entire tour schedule.

And please join me at my next stop tomorrow: Weblog of Zoe Winters

* * * * *

Debbi Mack is the author of IDENTITY CRISIS, a hardboiled mystery and the first in a series featuring lawyer Stephanie Ann "Sam" McRae. She's also a short story writer whose ebook anthology, FIVE UNEASY PIECES, includes the Derringer-nominated "The Right to Remain Silent," originally published in The Back Alley Webzine. Debbi's work has also appeared in two of the CHESAPEAKE CRIMES anthologies.

Be on the lookout for her next Sam McRae novel, LEAST WANTED, which will be published soon (in print and ebook versions).

Debbi practiced law for nine years before becoming a freelance writer/researcher and fiction author. She's also worked as a news wire reporter covering the legal beat in Washington, D.C. and as a reference librarian at the Federal Trade Commission. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three cats.

You can find out more about Debbi on her Web site and her blog My Life on the Mid-List. Her books are available on Amazon, BN.com, Lulu.com, Smashwords and other sites around the Web, and by order at stores. You can also buy autographed copies of her novel from her Web site at http://www.debbimack.com/identitycrisis.

Self Publishing Expo

This is from the peops at mediabistro.com. I actually had planned to attend this last year but my schedule and budget didn't allow. They are featuring a manuscript critique which I think is great for self published authors. The cost is $125 to attend the seminars and panels, and $350 if you want go as an exhibitor and sell your books. It looks like they've got some great sponsors this year, and with shift in attitudes about self-publishing, I'd be surprised if there weren't an editor or agent or two attending to find some new talent. Might be worth a trip!


Self-Publishing Book Expo Will Feature On-Site Manuscript Critique
By Maryann Yin on Sep 16, 2010 08:23 AM

The Self-Publishing Expo will take place on October 2nd in New York City. The Expo will feature a random drawing, awarding one lucky reader a free self-publishing package from CreateSpace worth $1,798.

Scheduled panels include "Do I Need an Agent?", "Working with Your Local Bookstore", and "Design & Illustration, How Your Cover Can Sell Covers." Industry speakers who will participate include Andy Carpenter (Principle ACD & Co.), Jeff Reich (The Writer Magazine) and Liz Perl (Simon & Schuster).

Besides a packed schedule of panels and speakers, attendees can look forward to "a special one-on-one editorial manuscript evaluation. Participants are asked to submit a 1-2 page synopsis and a 5-page sample in advance of the show. Each submission will be evaluated by a member of the Consulting Editors Alliance and each participant will get a one-on-one feedback session at the Expo."

Self Publishing is...IN?

A lot has changed in the year since I self published my debut novel, The Bum Magnet in October 2009. And I do mean a lot. When I first considered putting my book out myself, just after the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards Contest had dashed my hopes for an “easy” road to a publishing contract, self published authors were still the scourge of the publishing world. You could hardly speak the word “self-publish” without watching someone’s face curl in disgust. Why in the world could you possibly want to put your book out there yourself when there’s all these publishing houses and big advances to be had in the traditional route? Or…if you can’t find a traditional house, then your work must really suck, so why would you want to embarrass yourself. Or…self published authors, on average, only sell 50-100 books (a few more if you have a larger social network), so why waste your time?

As a matter of fact, the only segments of the publishing industry who didn’t shun self published authors were the authors themselves or the range author support business who wanted to exploit them for the thousands of dollars many were willing to invest to get their masterpieces in book form.

My, my, my how times change. One year later and now even reputable major news papers like the New York Times are touting self publishing as a viable option. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself here, here, here, and here. It’s amazing to me how quickly perceptions about self publishing are shifting. Amazing. As more authors come into the fray and find success, industry perceptions shift. Self publishing isn’t a dirty word anymore. As a matter of fact, some authors like J.A. Konrath are making a good living from his titles listed on Amazon’s Kindle book store.

In a time not too long ago, literary agents and industry experts would tell authors that if they self-publish their book, they would NEVER be considered by traditional publishers. Such advice was prevalent…all the way up until traditional publishers started plucking authors from the ranks of the self published, like Lisa Genova, Boyd Morrison Zane, Mary B. Morrison, E. Lynn Harris, and the list goes on and on, giving them advances and turning some into instant best sellers. I know of several deals in the last year where self published authors with Kindle e-book best sellers were offered book deals by big six publishers. Now? Publishers, like Louise Burke at my own pocket books, say that they trawl the Internet looking for self published books that are generating great buzz and reviews so they can snap them up. It’s a win-win situation for them so why not? Self published authors are coming to houses big and small with market-tested material, minimizing the financial gamble that publishers have to take, particularly in today’s sluggish economic climate. As time goes on, I believe self publishing could become the new slush pile.

What’s more? Publishers Weekly, which used to fall in stark opposition to self published authors within industry debates, has recently changed its tune. Not only do they say self publishing is “getting respect,” they are launching a service geared toward self published authors, including a supplement to their magazine that features self published works and a slim chance at getting a their book reviewed…for a “small” fee of course. While many argue that their service should be free to authors, the point is that even PW had to face the hard truth—self publishing not only isn’t going away, it is growing and becoming more legitimate in the eyes of the general public everyday.

So, what’s my point you ask?

My point is simply this…if the so-called stigma of self publishing is one of the reasons (excuses) you’ve used not to put your book out there yourself, scratch that one off the list. If cost is an issue, you’re on the cheap indie author’s blog—use the vast information I’ve provided to help you publish on the cheap. Don’t let your work collect dust in a drawer. Dig it out, polish it up, and publish it.