Check out this event on facebook.  There are many authors involved.   Howl-o-ween Booooktacular

Author of the Day

Bethany Adams

I met Bethany at Penned Con and she was so much fun.  

Ever since finding a copy of The Hero and the Crown in her elementary school library, Bethany has loved fantasy. After subjecting her friends to stories scrawled in notebooks during study breaks all through high school, she decided to pursue an English degree at Middle Tennessee State University. When not writing or wrangling her two small children, Bethany enjoys reading, photography, and video games.

Here is how you can find out more about Bethany and her books:

Bethany Adams books

Amazon

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Bookbub

Don't laugh but look what I got for when I go to conventions and things like that.

Author of the Day!

I met Kay Camden at Penned Con 2016 and instantly liked her.  Here is her bio and some information on her books.

Kay is the author of the Alignment series and is currently working on the next sequel.  She lives with her husband, two children and three cats in the middle of the USA next to a big river.  She is always on the lookout for a good love story.  Other interests include learning the Irish language and listening to a lot of EBM/Industrial/synthpop electronica and dark/progressive/hardcore metal the only way those types of music are meant to be played:  LOUD.

About her books:

Kay writes twisty plots featuring haunted heroes and smart heroines, ancient feuds, forbidden love, magic and revenge.  THE ALIGNMENT SERIES is a pentalogy that spans 3 generations of two rival families and the people caught between them.  Books 1-3 are available now.  Book 4 is coming later this year.  

For more information about Kay Camden and her books check out these links:

Website:  Kay Camden

Amazon

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

This is for fun!  Recently Arika Okrent compiled a list of Dickensian words for Mental Floss.  Here are the words and you can find the definitions here 7 Delightful Dickensian Words

1. Marplot
2. Sassigassity
3. Connubialities
4. Jog-Trotty
5. Ugsome
6. Cag-Maggers
7. Slangular

Can you guess what any of them mean?  I found some clip art that might help.

Author of the Day:

Tricia Copeland

I met Tricia at Penned Con and she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met.  This is Tricia's bio and all the places that you can find out more about her and her books.

Tricia Copeland grew up in Georgia but now lives outside the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado with her family. Her Being Me series includes the titles Is This Me?, If I Could Fly, Think You Me, and the finale, Being Me. She wrote a YA paranormal novella entitled Drops of Sunshine about some special kids who can hear thoughts. A second YA story will be released in December. An avid runner and paranormal fan, she also enjoys hiking, trivia, and Scrabble.

Where to connect with Tricia

Facebook                              Goodreads

Instagram                              Bookbub

Twitter                                  Smashwords

Pinterest                                Authorgram

Youtube                                 Tricia's newsletter

Google Plus

Tricia is the author of the Being Me series.  

Book 1 is Is this Me?  You can find it here:

Amazon

Smashwords  Free

Kobo books Free

Itunes

Barnes and Noble Free Nook version

Book 2 is If I Could Fly

Amazon

Smashwords

ITunes

Kobo books

Barnes and Noble

Book 3 is Think You Know Me

Amazon   UK Amazon   Germany Amazon   Canada Amazon   Australia Amazon

Final book:  Being Me

Amazon  #freekindleunlimited

Drops of Sunshine  YA paranormal novella

Amazon free Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads  free Kindle Unlimited

Spellbound  Paranormal novella collection

Amazon   Free

iBooks  Free

Kobo  Free

Barnes and Noble  Free ebook

Google Play

I am a bit miffed or to be truthful down right p.o'd at Amazon.  I am sure if you are an author or reviewer out there you know about it.  They now will not let a book be given free for a review.  The community guidelines consider it a "incentivized review".  Now they state that is only a tiny part of their reviews then what is the problem?

I encourage reviewers and readers alike to contact them with your opinion of their new policy.  I did and this is what I wrote:

I am very disappointed in Amazon's new review policy.  I don't understand their basis for the new policy either.

As a reviewer of books with a review blog, I receive books from authors constantly requesting a review.  I give an honest review good or bad without being harsh in the case of a bad one.  I feel it is a discredit to honest reviewers and new authors not to be able to continue this system.

Why on earth and to what purpose does it serve to have this new policy especially in view of the fact that Amazon wants to sell books?  I would think the more reviews good or bad would be of benefit to the author, readers and to Amazon.  

Hey everyone in the St. Louis area.  Check this out if you are interested in writing historical fiction.

Authors:  Learn how to make the past relevant to today's readers.

Saturday Oct. 1, 2016

10am to noon

Kirkwood Community Center

111 S. Geyer Rd.

Kirkwood, MO  63122

Spoonsored by St. Louis Writer's Guild

Members:  free, nonmembers $5

Ever wanted to try you hand at historical fiction but didn't know where to start?  On Oct. 1, award-winning historical fiction author Nicole Evelina will show you it's not as intimidating as it may seem, even if you're not a fan of research (though it helps if you are).

Nicole Evelina

Here is our Part 2 of The Cost of Publishing a Book for an Indie Author  This is where we, the reader, can help.  It also points out some problems with those "free" book sites that we need to be aware of and I never knew.

So how can readers help?  First off, they can make sure they aren’t downloading a pirated copy. Pirating sites do not pay the author for the book downloaded, and most of the time, they don’t even have the copy of the actual book you want. They just use the book cover as click bait and can get you to download a virus instead of a book. If something looks too good to be true…

If $2.99 is just too much to pay for a book you want to read, try your local library. We get a cut of a library purchase. It’s small, but it’s still a cut. If they don’t have it, they can probably get it. Join the author’s pages on social media and enter giveaway contests that they do from time to time (Yet another loss to the author.) Ask a friend if they have a copy you can borrow, but please, please don’t download it from a pirated site. Use the platforms that the author has uploaded their books to. Not sure what ones they are? Ask the author! They will happily tell you.

Another way to help an author is to review their book. It doesn’t need to be a three page book report, in fact, it’s better if it isn’t. No one wants a book spoiled for them anyway. A review tells the greater reading community if you liked the book or not and if you would recommend it. Easy as pie. New rules have made it harder and harder for authors to get reviews so they have become precious in the author community. You’re two sentence review might just be the thing that makes another reader click the ‘buy’ button and help the author save that 2 bucks/.35 cents that they’ll tuck away to pay for their expenses or for their next book release.

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Danielle Bannister lives with her two children in Midcoast Maine along with her precious coffee pot and peppermint-mocha creamer. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern Maine and her Masters degree in Literary Education from the University of Orono. She has written: a collection of short stories called: SHORT SHORTS, The Twin Flames Trilogy: PULLED, PULLED BACK, and PULLED BACK AGAIN, THE ABC'S OF DEE and ENIGMA. She is also a contributing writer to the website, Venus Scribe. In addition, her work can also be found in the following anthologies: 2012 Goose River Anthology, 2012 Writeous Anthology, 2013 Maine Writes: Maine National Writing Project Anthology; and, 2013 The Stroke of Midnight: A Supernatural New Year's Anthology.

You can visit her website at:

 http://daniellebannister.wordpress.com/

Find her on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BannisterBooks/

Twitter:

@ dbannisterbooks or 

You can also join her newsletter at: 

http://eepurl.com/bNvK7D

Have you ever wondered how much it cost an Indie author to publish a book?  There are a lot of people out there that would say - 'not much because they are self publishing.'  WRONG.   Here is an insight from Danielle Bannister.

The other day, I casually mentioned to a friend (and reader of my books) about how little I make in a year on my books, she was shocked. "But your books are so GOOD!" she screamed. 

Sigh. If only it worked that way. I’m going to tell you a little secret: many indie authors don't make a

ton on their books. That said, I think it's important for readers to know how much money indie authors put into their books. 

For some perspective, I'll tell you that in five years, I've put out 6 books; I even had an agent for a few years. So why, readers ask, am I not making more money on my books? Because being an Indie author is expensive. 

While the platforms I use to upload my books are free, everything else comes with a price tag. Now, bear in mind, I'm a small time Indie so I can't afford the same professionals that larger indies can, but here is a breakdown of roughly what I spend per book: 

1. Editing. This is one step that absolutely should NOT be missed if you are going to produce a book. Many new authors skip this step because of the cost factor and only have a friend or relative that’s ‘good with grammar’ check for typos, but that will no longer cut it. Editing is way more than punctuation marks and readers will point that out to you in their reviews. Amazon will even remove your title if there are too many of them. So it’s better to just find a good one. But what does an editor cost? Some charge by the hour but it’s generally by word. I have a mid-priced editor. She charges .007 to .0012 cents a word depending on how much the author’s work needs to be edited. Well, that doesn’t sound like a lot of money…until you break out the calculator. A 65,000 word novel (an average length for me) at the cheapest rate per word is $455 bucks! That’s before you earn a penny back on your book. Be sure to save up for this before pushing the publish button.  

2. Cover Design. This is not an area to skimp on either. Think about it; people get a tiny thumb nail of your book in a row of page after page of other books all vying for attention. Authors get that one tiny image in which to make an impression on a potential reader. Even before the buyer reads the blurb, the cover has to pull them in first. That takes a special skill set. Designers for e-books can vary wildly by site. I’ve paid as low as $60-90 for a pre-made cover (this means you use the image they created and add only your name and title to the design) and as high as $650 for custom covers (where they take a concept you come up with and make it a reality.) You want a model? Better tack on more money for them AND the photographer…lots of money.  

3. Formatting. This has to be done with both paperback and e-books. Each requires a bit of a different format. It can be self-taught but it is time consuming to do so you need to decide if your time or your money is more valuable. Formatting isn’t that bad, $35-55 depending on how large the file is.          

4.  Marketing. It doesn’t matter how great your book is if no one hears about it. It’s pay to play in the indie world. Gone are the days you could just post on social media and cast a wide net. Now you need to use their paid marketing platforms to be seen. Get ready to dish out some more $$$ before you’ve made a cent.  

1. Swag. In addition to paid advertising you also need to make print things like business cards or bookmarks that you can mail out to readers or take to events. 

2. Signings/Conferences. These are a great way to market yourself and to grow readership and network with other authors, but these come with a big price tag. If you can drive to them, you’ll probably be able to get away with spending only about $500 bucks or so (Table costs, print book costs, more swag, hotel, food, gas/tolls…) If you fly, add another $500 or so. 

3. Paid ads outside social media. There are some big ones out there that can give you GREAT exposure…if you can land them. Most take only 20% of the authors seeking to buy ad space. Depending on the genre you write in and the sale price you choose the ad can cost up to $2,500! Not only do you have to pay to place the ad, you have to put the book on sale in order to list them! Why does putting them on sale matter? Royalty rates. A book has to be $2.99 or higher to get the 70% royalty rate, or about 2 bucks per sale. When you drop it to anything lower than that, you only get 35%. A .99 cent book gets you about .34 cents. At that royalty rate, it’s going to take a LOT of sales to make up for what you have already spent.   

5. Time. This one is a little harder to place a monetary value on, but think of it as an hourly rate at a day job that you aren’t getting because you are writing instead. Remember, we only get royalties, which depends on actual sales…No bills can be paid unless people buy our books. Period. 

So for giggles (or tears if you’re me) let’s tally up the cost of a book I just put out. 

Edits: $500 

Cover: $60  

Formats: $35 

Business Cards: $65  

Bookmarks:$50  

Square Chip Reader to accept credit card payments $49  

Post office (to mail the swag you’ll send) $50 

Picmonkey subscription to make my own teasers$33 

Social Media Marketing for release$100 

Blog Tour$90 

$1,032 

Books needed to sell to break even at .99 cents (.34 cent profit)3,035 

Books needed to sell to break even at $2.99 ($2.09 profit)494 

I didn’t factor in any signings or my hourly rate because that would have just been depressing. My last release, which came out in May that is at the higher price point? So far it’s only sold about 100 copies…Yeah.  

Here is how you can find out more about Danielle Bannister:

You can visit her website at: http://daniellebannister.wordpress.com/
Find her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BannisterBooks/
Twitter:  @ dbannisterbooks
You can also join her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/bNvK7D

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Isn't it amazing?  It surprised me too as to how much it was for a book.  Tomorrow I will post about how we the readers can help.   Stay tuned..............................

Isn't this the truth?

Wow, what a great 2 days at Penned Con.  There were 150 writers to meet, tons of great books and panel discussions.  I had a great time and am definitely going back next year.  I met a lot of the authors and I hope to start a series "Author of the Day" to introduce you to them and share where you can learn more about them.  I really recommend anybody that loves to read check out this event next year.