Big Book Sale

If you follow me on Twitter (and you should), you know that If It Was New York, Summer 2009 is on sale for just $0.99 the entire month of June. However, what you may not know is that all of my titles are on sale for $0.99 in June. A pretty good bargain*, if I do say so myself. Check out the links below to find your favorite ebook retailer:

If It Was New York, Summer 2009: https://books2read.com/u/mBro0O

Seeing What Develops: https://books2read.com/u/3k0WzL

Unfolding Life:  https://books2read.com/u/4DAAvQ

A Note on Amazon

To be clear, the $0.99 sale price point may or may not be on Amazon. If you wade through all of the advice like I did when it comes to price changes on Amazon without being in KDP Select, it's sometimes better to not change the price and let the market do it's thing. If you are dying to get it at this price and only from Amazon, you can always tell Amazon about a lower price (I believe there is a link on each book's Amazon page to report this). From reading through other experiences, I see that sometimes this gets Amazon to lower the price to match other stores, sometimes it doesn't. We shall see what happens.


*psst! You can get an even better bargain if you sign up to be a 2019 All-Star on Patreon. For just $1 a month, you can get access to digital downloads of all three titles, plus my three out-of-print Kindle Worlds novellas all bundled together.

News and Notes from the Writing Desk: March Edition

It's getting quite busy over here. There are a lot of projects in the air, and I'm trying to give equal time to it all before my mind decides it wants to go off and create something new.

If It Was New York, Summer 2009

The preorder is good to go--I have nothing left to do but promote it. I still have to work on the cover for the print edition, but other than that, it's just getting you to buy. And you want to buy it. Of course, you could also jump on the Patreon bandwagon and get it before anyone else... just think about it. 

In Another Life

I've dug this out of the huge virtual pile. Before opening the first file, I looked and noticed that I haven't opened and changed anything on the file for two and a half years. Yeah, that's the pace I'm going with this one.

I'm also kicking myself a bit because when I started this one, I thought it would be so much better to have a different file for every chapter. I was insane. I'm starting this revision process by simply putting it all together into one file like the Book Gods intended. Once that is finished, I have to pump up the action and intrigue, otherwise this title falls a little flat.

Short Stories

There has been no progress on this aspect. I would love to sit down and write a whole short story every day, but many of my ideas are not fully formulated, and those that are, I already wrote half the story and forgot where I was heading. That's a whole twisted ball of yarn to figure out in itself. I'll try to get one out of my head this weekend and see what it looks like.

Camp NaNo

I'm starting to get emails from Camp NaNo, and I'm not sure whether I want to participate this year or not. I know I could dig up something to concentrate on fully, I just don't know what that is yet. Maybe something else from that list I made...

I have a lot of writing to do. Let's get to it!

New Work Now Live

I'm happy to tell you the collection that includes my latest published piece, "Our Conversation in the Garden" is now live on Amazon.





I will tell you something funny about this particular piece. I submitted a few poems for this, and I find it very interesting that for a collection of Midwestern writing, they chose the poem that (at least in my brain) takes place in the L.A. area--Beverly Hills, if you want specifics. I guess it's a nice juxtaposition that makes the work stand out that much more.

No matter what or how or who or where, I hope you enjoy it.

Book Spotlight: Intoxication: A Memoir for my Mistress

 

Category:

Erotica/Fetish/Romance

Synopsis:

Note: this book is suitable for mature audiences. 

 

Intoxication is a stand alone short story based on a young adult dark fetish fantasy.

“I didn’t even know her name, but who cared, she was a goddess to me. One day at the beginning of class, I went to take a seat next to her; she laughed when I sat down. That was my confirmation that she was the one who could release me from myself. That was the day I knew my life would change, as I hoped it would, and it eventually did, as I discovered many years later.”

Desperate to find his future Mistress, he is caught between two worlds; the one that created him and the one that will set him free.

In one moment in time, it all changed. He is determined to discover his truth.

“Sounds crazy right, but nobody wants to give their life to a mistress, nobody but me.”

“Am I the only one wired to be that submissive boy?”

“Putting women on that pedestal is who I am, not because I worshiped them, but because I used to treat them badly.”

His fetish addiction has been released and he now needs to confront his darkest secrets. Will his decades long search lead him there?

You can purchase Intoxication: A Memoir for My Mistress from Amazon. 

Praise for Intoxication:

“Something magically twisted is happening here” ★★★★★

"Weaves young adult fiction into real life in a way that makes it excruciatingly hard to stop reading. This is not your G-rated fantasy. It's harsh but very real." ★★★★★ 

You can also check out more about this title at Next Book Place, on Twitter, or on Facebook at these pages:

I Love Books

I Love Reading

Next Book Place

Erotica and Romance Stories

This Week's Odds and Ends

Being sick is tough. I know, I know--you're saying, "But you work from home! You get the best of both worlds!"

Okay.

Sure.

Not really.

While I may still be able to get some work done (if I have the energy to walk the five feet from my bed to my desk), I don't get sick pay. I don't get to get away from my workspace. And the whole all-day PJ thing? I wear those everyday anyway (we call them lounge pants here, not PJs). So anyway, I'm better now, which means I have a TON of stuff to catch up on.

And Then There's the Bad News...

So, as my illness was giving me one more swift kick before it left, I get an email. Kindle Scout is shutting down, effective today for new projects. Way to give us a heads up, Amazon. This is reminiscent of when Write On closed down. There's no real explanation, there's not much anyone who used the service can do. I'm assuming Amazon was simply tired of wasting time and money on something that maybe gave them ten books a year to publish. What I'm wondering now is whether their imprints (Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, 47North, Topple, etc.) will ramp up the number of submissions they consider--I'm guessing that's going to be a big fat NO. 

One little bright spot in all of this--I no longer have to agonize about which manuscript I wanted to submit to Kindle Scout. I'm not sure why the publishing industry (notably Amazon's giant footprint in the industry) seems to be closing in on indie authors and working to shut them out, but I'm sure most of us will still survive. 

Off to Camp

Camp NaNoWriMo is in full swing. I've been working on my project, but of course I keep forgetting update my word count on the site, so it looks like I'm slacking off. I know that I can hit my goal of 25k before the end of the month, so I'm not worried. If I could get a full 50k out of it, I'd be jumping for joy. 


Oh, and if you're interested (and haven't read it yet), you can download Unfolding Life for free during the month of April to help celebrate National Poetry Month. Happy reading!

Communication Conundrum or Just Plain Obstinance?

I know that talking about my freelance work is like walking a tight rope--I could make it harder for myself to find the right clients to work with. However, there's an imposing gap in communication, especially when it comes to my most popular Fiverr gig. I'm putting the blame and responsibility on me--I need to find a better way to communicate exactly what I offer and what I don't.

What I Do and What I Don't Do

My book spotlight has brought in consistent work since I posted it. It's not a life-changing amount of work, but I'm glad I have it. The problem I'm having is that so many people think that it's a book review. It's not. It is a marketing tool used to help promote a book. I do not read the book. I do not need a copy of the book to write up the blog post. It's simply an affordable way for writers to reach a wider audience. It's not a book review. And that's because...

I Won't Risk My Livelihood for You

No. I won't do it. Fiverr, Amazon (and by extension Goodreads) have all banned paid book reviews. BANNED. A big no-no. I'm sure other platforms have similar rules and regulations. What does this really mean? That means if I'm found to have taken money for a book review, the least they could do is pull down that review. The most they could do is ban me from one or all of these platforms. That wouldn't just take away my Fiverr gigs--that would also take away my ability to publish my own work and market that work in the future. I would also like to point out that while clients think they are paying me at least $5 per gig, I'm only taking in $3.92 per $5 gig because I'm hit with multiple fees each time I complete work. Would you risk your job and your entire livelihood to earn $3.92 from me? Didn't think so.

I get that there are a few loopholes to these restrictions, some of which I take advantage of--like being able to get free books in exchange for reviews. And yes, while getting a hardcover with a MSRP of $26.00 or more does seem like being paid, it's still allowed on Amazon and Goodreads with proper disclosure. But this cannot happen through my gig. I would love to be able to take a position with a respected publication to do book reviews and get paid for it. These jobs are few and far between, plus you have to have a wide publishing/journalism/writing network to even hear about them before they are snatched up. I'm still working on that whole networking thing.

I Don't Want to Be One of Those People...

Introverts don't want to be the center of attention. They don't really want to be noticed by too many people. This feeling can carry over into online communication very easily. The quickest way to communicate that a book spotlight isn't a book review is to put it out there in big, bold online yelling: I DO NOT WRITE PAID BOOK REVIEWS. I feel this is too in-your-face, and on the rare occasion I'm on the other side of this needing to work with someone, this immediately signals to me that they are already defensive and would be difficult to work with. So I don't do that. I'd rather be the person in the room that has all the answers but no one listens to than the loudest and most obnoxious.

Then again, maybe I should because a lot of people just aren't listening. This doesn't just waste my time--it impacts my Fiverr ratings and my potential to be promoted. I had a cancelled order a few months ago because someone bought a book spotlight gig and told me to write a five-star review (yes, they specifically requested five stars) for a cab company in Arizona--clearly not the parameters of a gig that promotes books and writing contests. Cancelled orders are bad for sellers, so thanks for that.

Also, once Fiverr switched to rating sellers on a monthly basis, I've conveniently gotten just enough spam messages to ruin my response rate (by the way, Fiverr sellers out there: IMMEDIATELY report and delete spam otherwise you'll wind up like me, which I didn't know until I dug into all the terms of service). This demoted me as a level one seller and now I have to meet the new requirements to get it back, including $400 in lifetime earnings instead of the old $50 in lifetime earnings. This is going to take awhile.

From now on, accurate communication is my top priority. If I have to spend hours rewriting my gig description so that everyone gets the gist, I will. I have all the marketing skills I need. Now I just need to activate those superpowers and save the world--or at least save my sanity.

A New Book, A New Direction

Good news! If you were dying to know what happens next to Mel and Austin, the third and final installment of my Kindle Worlds The Callaways: Melody of Love series, Melody's Valentine, is now available from Amazon. And don't forget to to add it to your Goodreads shelves.

Now I get to hang up my Kindle Worlds hat and put my focus on other projects. It was an interesting experience working with Kindle Worlds and I learned a lot--plus it's always fun to write sanctioned fan fiction, if we're just going to call it what it is (and that's exactly what it is). I can't say I will never return to write something else for Kindle Worlds, but they will have to acquire the rights to something else that piques my interest for me to return. They have television series as well as book series, so if they could pull off something like The X-Files, I would be first in line to pick up the pen again. Amazon, get on that.

I have quite a few projects ready to be resurrected now that Melody's Valentine is out in the world. I'm still in the first draft stage of my diamond thief novel (and still mulling over possible titles so I don't have to keep calling it that). I'm getting ready to get back into revisions on something else. I'm going to throw it out to my patrons on Patreon. Friday I'll be posting a poll and I'm going to let you choose what I work on next in the revision stage. I've got plenty of great options you can choose from if you become a patron before the poll ends. 

Organized and Feelin' Fine...

I'm totally organized to take on the rest of the year, including projects, freelance work, and other fun stuff. And it helps to have a few good tools to stay organized--my new Sarah Scribbles calendar and organizer are keeping me motivated (and entertained).

The new Fiverr gig has been up and running for a few days now, so if you need blog editing services, you can check it out. Also, Fiverr has introduced an Available Now option that lets you tell customers you are online and ready to work. So, I've decided to hold something like office hours for the editing gig as well as my book spotlight gig--I'll try to stay available for at least an hour or two a week. It will probably be at different times, depending on what's scheduled for that week, so I'll announce my availability on Twitter.

The Patreon page is coming along. I want to get it all snazzy and looking good, so the page will not launch until November 1. I know. The same day NaNoWriMo starts. What am I thinking?! Anyway, I'll be providing more information once it launches. I'll also be providing more information on this year's NaNo project once I figure out what it will be.

I'm not sure if I announced that Seeing What Develops is now available for purchase on a range of platforms, but if I didn't, here I go. The book is now available as an ebook through Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Inktera, Playster, 24Symbols and outlets that sell books for Tolino. I'm still working to update my book page on the blog, and that's why it's hidden at the moment. It should be back up soon.

Have a happy weekend full of writing!

Are You Getting Ready for #PrimeDay?

It's that time again! Amazon's going to be crazy over the next couple of days because they are offering some amazing deals to Prime members. Not a member yet? You can sign up now so you won't miss a thing:



And here are just some of the deals that you'll find for this year's Prime Day. Which of these are most appealing to you?

Prime Day 2017 - 30 Hours of Deals



Kindle - Up to 40% Off Kindle Unlimited

Get 4 months of Amazon Music Unlimited for $0.99

Save 20% on Select Home Services Leading Up to Prime Day

Amazon Charts--What's It Doing for You?

Amazon has a new feature that they rolled out recently--Amazon Charts. The charts published weekly include the most read books on the site and the most sold. The question here is who benefits from this information, and is it enough?



Let's start with who I think doesn't get any benefit from these charts: readers. I just don't think that readers can gain much from this list (I also really don't think they get anything from NYT or USA Today bestseller lists either). At most, it encourages a reader to buy a book based on the popularity of it rather than the substance. Not all popular books are good, and not all good books are popular. It simply feeds a reader's ego: "Oh, I've read all those books that are popular this week. I must be an astute reader!" Nah.

Okay writers--it's your turn now. Amazon Charts can be beneficial to you, but only to a point. Knowing the difference between what's selling the most and what's being read can clue you into what genres are getting the most movement. However, because these charts take into consideration different formats (paperbacks sold can be tracked; paperbacks read cannot), it's not a full picture of what's going on. For example, my personal preference is to get a nice hardback copy of a book if I know I'll enjoy it. If I can get a great deal on an ebook ($2.99 or less) I'll take the risk to try something new. For Amazon Charts, one of these purchases would count, one would not. Writers can't really distinguish a reader's motive from the charts alone.

And while the charts can tell you something, it won't tell you everything. Specifically, it won't give you numbers. It doesn't include how many have been sold, downloaded, or how many pages read for any title. Those would be like gold to a writer. That would give a much better perspective on how these titles end up on the charts any given week.

So, reader or writer--will Amazon Charts have any impact on how you buy and read books?