Indie Author Series: Kindle/Amazon (All In or Diversify)

Welcome to the first segment of the new Indie Author Series. This week, the members of the YA Author Club will be blogging about Kindle, Amazon, and KDP, and they will explain the pros and cons of on going all in with Amazon.

I may be a complete anomaly, but Amazon and its resources have done more for me as an indie author than any other book-publishing site. Amazon supports, embraces, and promotes indie authors, and their mission translates out to great book sales for me and bestseller lists for others.

First, there is the KDP (kindle direct publishing) site where indie authors can quickly and easily release the electronic version of their novels. Making this option enticing is the fact that the upload is very, very simple, and within hours of uploading the book's file, the indie authors can consider themselves officially published novelists.

Second, Amazon offers CreateSpace. On this site, indie authors can create the paper version of their books. For me personally, I sell very few paper copies, but I love to create them because there's something about holding the traditional version in my hand that makes it feel real... like I really just published a book. On top of everything else offered by CreateSpace, there's professional services (publishing solutions, editing, layout and design, and marketing) that can and will turn even the most amateurish book into a novel that is as professional as anything you can buy on a bookstore shelf.

Third, kdp select is a program whereby the author agrees to make their book an Amazon exclusive for three months. When authors go this route, they earn higher royalties, have access to promotion tools not available to authors who are not participating (offering their books for free with the click of a button is one of the biggest benefits), and reach a broader audience. Books enrolled in this program are available via Amazon's lending library. The authors are paid every time the book is lent. The amount paid for each lend is dependent on the number of books borrowed and the amount of the kdp select Global Fund for that particular month. I've tried this option and got great results. The only reason I don't still have my books enrolled in this program is because of the fan complaints from non-Kindle reader owners. The complaints and fan dissatisfaction are enough for me to recommend that new indie authors diversify.

Finally, Amazon has an Author Page. With it, the indie author can connect with the readers in ways they would not normally be an option. From there, the reader can see the author's library of books, and the author can set up his/her Twitter and blog feed. Making it valuable for me, I can track and trend the sales of my books and my author ranking. I'm a visual person. Without the graphs, I wouldn't know where I've been compared to where I am.

It is my opinion that Amazon is the single most important company to embrace if you are heading down the indie author path. Trust me. They give you every tool you need to succeed. It is up to the indie author to write a good book and do all of the preliminary work necessary for the book to hit the bestsellers lists. Fortunately, their most important tools are available to indie authors even if they don't enroll in the kdpselect program.

For more topics just like this, I'm going to strongly encourage up and coming indie authors to continue following the Indie Author Series in order to learn more about our experiences... our opinions... our recommendations.

Indie Author Spotlight: Suzy Turner (Giveaway)

This week is the first week of our biweekly Indie Author Spotlight. I'm happy to announce this week's absolutely amazing author is Suzy Turner. Take it from me... this woman is so down to earth and real that you will not have any choice but to fall in love with her.

I'm really, really looking forward to this new segment because one of the lucky people leaving a comment each week will be chosen for an ebook giveaway that includes one of the author's books. Winner's choice. 

To sweeten the pot and keep the comments coming, I plan to do a 2013 Indie Author Spotlight Kindle Fire Giveaway.  The only way to qualify to win the Kindle Fire  is to leave comments during the Indie Author Spotlight segments. It's important to remember that the more comments you make on my blog throughout 2013, the more entries you will have into the 2013 Indie Author Spotlight Kindle Fire Giveaway.

 

Without further ado, let me introduce my friend, Suzy Turner.
*Don't forget to leave me a comment (please include email).

 

AUTHOR BIO

Suzy Turner has worked as a journalist, assistant editor, features editor, magazine editor and has even been the Script Supervisor for a full length feature film. Early in 2010 however, she began writing full time and has since completed a trilogy for young adults, The Raven Saga (the first of which is FREE) and started a brand new series, The Morgan Sisters. The first full length novel in this series, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw is now available, as is a shorter novella, Daisy Madigan's Paradise which is FREE!

Although Suzy is a Yorkshire lass at heart, she left her home town of Rotherham, UK, to move to Portugal with her family when she was ten. For now, the Algarve continues to be her home, where she lives with her childhood sweetheart and husband of 14 years, Michael.
 

Spotlight Interview Questions:

1) What is your all-time favorite book and why?

Ooh it's so tough to just have one book. But I'd probably go with The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I studied the book at college and totally fell in love with it. I guess it was because it was so different to anything I'd ever read. Perhaps the dystopian side of it also appealed. I'm not sure. Strangely though, I've never read anything else by Margaret Atwood. Not sure why!

2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?

Recently, my newest series (The Morgan Sisters) was described by a book blogger as 'possibly the next Harry Potter'. Clearly this made my decade and I'd love to be compared to the Great Almighty JK, but I would never compare myself to another writer. I'd like to think my writing is my own... kind of unique, you know?

3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?

My favourite quote? That's a toughie, hmmm. How about this...

'She could hear her heart beating, feel it thudding in her chest. She couldn't open her mouth; it was too dry. All she wanted to do was scream but she couldn't even do that. Please God don't let me die, she thought.

A sudden massive gust of wind took her feet from beneath her and she was forcefully pushed from the top of Carlton Point, falling silently and peacefully to the rocky hills below.'

The reason I like this scene so much is because I have such a vivid image of it in my mind. When you read on to the next chapter, you'll see that she didn't actually fall. That image of Lana slowly floating, almost in slow motion, reverberated with me. Almost like a scene from Alice in Wonderland.

4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?

I am particularly inspired by places. For instance, my first series (The Raven Saga) was inspired by the awesome mountains and forests of Western Canada. My new series (The Morgan Sisters) was inspired by places I've been to in London (as well as by a London actor I met last year).

I think the UK is perhaps one of the most inspiring countries I've ever been to. Every time I visit (although I'm English, I currently live in Portugal), I am blown away by its capacity to inspire me... with its historical buildings and heritage. I'm actually selling up and moving back to England. One of the reasons why we chose England is because of its hold over me with my writing. I can't wait! (Anyone wanna buy a villa in the Algarve?)

5) Describe your typical writing day or week.

When I have deadlines, I write every morning until I've reached my target (if I'm in the zone, I'll write a lot more) and then I chill out with my favourite TV show and a nice cup of Rooibos tea :)

6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

Just Rooibos tea and water.

7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)?

I'm about to start the second novel in The Morgan Sisters series but it doesn't have a title yet!

EXCERPT - THE GHOST OF JOSIAH GRIMSHAW

Lightning shattered the darkness. Not even Emma's thick purple quilt could shut out the light as it filtered through to her closed eyelids. A low echo of rumbling thunder made its way across the North Sea towards Andilyse Island and she shivered. Suddenly something landed on top of her head and she shrieked.

The sounds of laughter emanated from the bed across the room.

'Lana, you cow,' shouted Emma as she threw back the covers and tossed the pillow back at her sister who just shook her head and giggled.

'It's only a storm. There's nothing to be scared of.'

'There is everything to be scared of,' she replied as she cowered beneath the quilt again.

'Oh come on, Sis. We're quite safe in here. This house has been standing for hundreds of years, it's not like it's going to collapse is it?'

'It nearly did the last time,' Emma croaked.

'That was like sixty years ago, Em, and none of the houses collapsed. The only thing that took the brunt of the storm was the pier.'

'And the church.'

'Exactly. None of the houses. Stop being such a coward. You're fifteen! It's a storm, it's rain, it's not the end of the world.'

'It was for all those poor people.'

'Oh stop being so dramatic. Things were different back in the 50s, Em. We're safe, now stop worrying.'

The sound of the front door slamming downstairs made both girls jump. Emma glared at Lana before they both hopped out of bed and ran to their bedroom door which they opened, looking down over the banister.

'Dad?'

Peering up at them from the bottom of the stairs stood an attractive grey-haired man in his early 50s, taking off his soaking coat.

'Shhh, we don't want to wake Greg and Lucy,' he said as he summoned them downstairs.

'Oh Patrick, they should be in bed too,' whispered a voice from the kitchen as the two girls skipped down to find out what was going on.

'You know what they're like, Audrey,' he said as he hung his dripping coat on the stand in the hallway. Tutting, his wife promptly removed it and placed it in the sink in the downstairs cloakroom before going back to give him a kiss.

'What's happened, Dad?' asked Emma as she sat huddled up to her sister on the bottom step. A clap of thunder made her jump and she shivered, her eyes wide open with apprehension. Lana rolled her eyes and put her arm protectively around her sister.

'Let's have a cup of cocoa,' Audrey said, recognising the look on her husband's face. There was bad news.

While they waited for the milk to heat up on the stove, Lana went into the lounge looking for candles as the lights continued to flicker, constantly threatening to go out for good.

'I've found some,' she said, setting them down on the kitchen table with a box of matches, 'just in case,' she smiled. 'So what's going on, Dad? Why did you have to go out so late?'

'He's the Chief Constable... it's his job,' answered their mother as she poured steaming milk into the four mugs, before stirring them as quietly as she could.

Lana stood beside her, adding a spoonful of sugar to her own mug before passing the calming drinks to her family, who stood sipping the chocolatey goodness silently for a moment.

Rubbing his forehead, Patrick put his cocoa down on the table just as the rain began to clatter loudly on the roof tiles.

'Oh no,' whispered Emma as she pulled her feet up towards her bottom and rocked back and forth in her seat.

Patrick put his hand on her shoulder, 'it's okay sweetheart. It's just a storm, it'll pass. Everything will be all right.'

'Well then why did you have to go out in it, Dad?' she asked.

'I was called out to the old Grimshaw farm... Josiah was seen wandering close to the pier again.'

'What? In this weather? Does he have a death wish?' said Lana without thinking as her mother tutted, glancing towards Emma. 'Did you find him? Is he okay?'

'I'm afraid he's nowhere to be seen. And in these conditions, it's impossible to send out a search party. We can't send out the lifeboat without risking the lives of everyone else, I'm afraid. He's a silly old man, he should never have been left alone in this storm. Everyone on the island knows how it affects him.'

Audrey patted her husband's hand, 'there'd be no stopping him, love. He's just looking for her.'

'Well, maybe he's finally got his wish.'

'Daddy?' said an innocent child's voice from the stairs.

'Oh we've woken the kids,' said Audrey as she stood up and went to check on her two younger children.

'Hey sweetheart. Sorry we woke you. Come on, let's go back to bed,' she said to her family. 'There's nothing we can do now. We should all try and get some sleep.'

SOCIAL NETWORK:

website: http://suzyturner.com

Blog: http://suzyturner.blogspot.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Suzy-Turner/e/B0050BSH1I
Facebook: http://facebook.com/suzyturnerbooks

Twitter: http://twitter.com/suzy_turner

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/suzyturnerbooks

SUZY'S BOOKS

Raven (FREE)

http://www.amazon.com/Raven-Saga-Part/dp/9899734810

 

After the inexplicable disappearance of Lilly Taylor's parents, she has no choice but to move to Canada where she unravels some frightening yet intriguing family secrets... Her whole life had been based on a lie. Lilly had grown up in a loveless home with a father who she had barely ever seen and a mother who was... well, not very motherly. After they mysteriously disappear without a trace, Lilly is sent to Canada where she finds a whole new way of life. A life filled with love and people who care for her. But that's not all she discovers, Lilly also finds out that she isn't who, or what, she thinks she is. Lilly has a very special ability and it's just a matter of time before her true self starts to shine. And when it does, her life will never be the same again.


December Moon

http://www.amazon.com/December-Moon-Raven-Saga-ebook/dp/B005JOXSZ6 

On her 15th birthday, December Moon discovers she is the descendant of a family of witches, kept in the dark her entire life in an effort to protect her. But when Lilly, her best friend, finds herself in danger from one of the world's most evil vampires, December will do everything in her power to stop him.

 

 

 

 

The Lost Soul

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Soul-Raven-Saga-ebook/dp/B007NHUEAO 

December and Lilly have got their work cut out for them. Not only are they desperately trying to figure out the identity of the Lost Soul, and track him down, they've also got to investigate why Powell River's newest resident has got all of their men falling at her feet.

But when they learn that the Nephilim might be involved, it becomes clear that they're all in extreme danger...

 

 

 

The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw

A Morgan Sisters novel

http://www.amazon.com/Josiah-Grimshaw-Morgan-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00A37SE0I/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1 

Adopted sisters Lana Beth and Emma Jane are polar opposites, but when the same strange 'tattoo' suddenly appears and winds its way up their bodies within days of each other, they soon realize there's more to their relationship than they could ever have imagined.

Sent off to London for two weeks of 'work experience', the Morgan Sisters soon find themselves being initiated into the ancient Praxos Foundation, one that protects the innocent while fighting evil, both human and supernatural.

At the same time, Lana Beth and Emma Jane must also investigate why the sweet but sometimes pesky ghost of Josiah Grimshaw just won't leave them alone.

Daisy Madigan's Paradise (FREE)
A Morgan Sisters novella

http://www.amazon.com/Madigans-Paradise-Morgan-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00ALUMQE2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_5

 

When tragedy falls upon 15 year old Daisy Madigan, she escapes to the only place she feels safe, the cemetery of Abney Park. There, in the company of the dearly departed, she realizes she is changing, growing stronger and faster by the day. But in the darkness lurks a terror even she can't imagine facing.

Daisy Madigan's Paradise is a Morgan Sisters novella. Check out The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, the full length first novel in the series.

 

 

New YA Indie Author Club Format

It's a new year and a new format for YA Indie Author Club . We'll be rotating our weekly posts in order to spice it up at bit for our members/followers. With our new setup, we'll alternate biweekly between our Indie Author Series and our Indie Author Spotlight.  

With the biweekly Indie Author Series, we'll continue our current mission where we write topics geared toward helping other indie authors. In the spirit of paying it forward, we'll make a special effort to share/promote people, sites, software, etc. that make our jobs a little easier. Whenever possible, we'll provide coupon or referral codes for discounted services from the people we depend on to help us with our writing, editing, book covers, marketing, etc. 

With the Indie Author Spotlight, we'll be interviewing a new indie author every other week. You'll want to visit the YA Indie Author Club Sponsor's sites in order to participate in any potential giveaways. 

Below, you'll find the tentative schedule for 2013. We're looking forward to your visits, comments, and support.  

2013 Topics (subject to change):

January

1/4/1 3 - Resolutions

1/11/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Introduction To The New Indie Author Series

1/18/1 3 - Spot Light: Laura A. H. Elliott

1/25/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Kindle/Amazon (All In or Diversify)

February

2/1/1 3 - Spotlight: Bryna Butler

2/8/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Nook/Barnes & Noble (What's B&N Done For You Lately)

2/15/1 3 - Spotlight: Suzy Turner

2/22/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Smashwords/All Other E-book Sites (Are They Worth It)

March

3/1/1 3 - Spotlight: T. R. Graves

3/8/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Author Page (Basics and Bonuses)

3/15/1 3 - Spotlight: Rachel Coles

3/22/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Goodreads (What's Good & What's Not)

3/29/1 3 - Spotlight: K. C. Blake

April

4/5/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Formatting (Challenges & Achievements)

4/12/1 3 - Spotlight: Melissa Pearl

4/19/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Editing (Testimonials & Warnings)

4/26/1 3 - Spotlight: Terah Edun

May

5/3/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Keywords & Tags (Making them Work)

5/10/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

5/17/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Categorizing Your Book (Finding Your Audience)

5/24/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

5/31/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Book Length (How Many Pages)

June

6/7/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

6/14/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Pricing (How To Decide)

6/21/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

6/28/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Distribution Lists (Books/Blogs/Emails)

July

7/5/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

7/12/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Social Media (What Works)

7/19/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

7/26/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Blogging (Do's & Don'ts)

August

8/2/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

8/9/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Giveaways (Tricks and Techniques) + A Massive Indie Author Giveaway In Honor Of The Topic

8/16/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

8/23/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Facebook (Family Page or Fan Page)

8/30/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

September

9/6/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Twitter (Keep It Simple OR Get As Many Followers As You Can)

9/13/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

9/20/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Pinterest (Getting It To Work For You)

9/27/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

October

10/4/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Giving Books Away (To Free Or Not To Free)

10/11/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

10/18/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Reviews (Getting Them & What To Do With Them)

10/25/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

November

11/1/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Writing (Point Of View & Tense)

11/8/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

11/15/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Querying (Pitch & Summary)

11/22/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)

11/29/1 3 - OFF

December

12/6/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Sagas (Series Or Not)

12/13/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Shelfari (Character Description Benefits)

12/20/1 3 - OFF

12/27/1 3 - OFF

Welcome Back: 2013 Resolution

It's that time of year again. The time when we make resolutions, ones that will allow us to hold our heads high and say we kept them or ones that will force us to hang our head in shame and admit defeat. The sponsors of the YA Indie Carnival are taking a few minutes to post theirs. Don't forget to click on the links below and find out what kinds of exciting endeavors they will be striving for. Keep reading to see what 2013 holds for me and my writing.

 
I have some aggressive goals when it comes to publishing books. I plan to release four books this year. This is saying a lot when you factor in my full-time job, my long commute, and my wife and mother roles. Even then, I'm confident I'm going to meet this goal. 
 
The first book will be Grave Bound (Secrets, #1), and it will be released within the next 6-8 weeks. I started this book as part of the NaNoWriMo challenge and successfully wrote its first 50,000 words in one month. I'm super excited about this book because it is not like anything I've ever written. Its a very different adult contemporary fiction, and (I'm cringing as I write these words) there will be sex. I'm proud of the fact that the sex in Grave Bound (Secrets, #1) is not gratuitous. It is a critical part of the story, and everything about it rounds this book out in a ways that could never have been achieved if I would have written this story as a young adult novel.
 
The second book I plan to release this year will be (You guessed it!) Dark Angels of the Cross (Warrior #4). I've already written at least half of it, and... oh my gosh! All I can say is that you don't see most of what happens coming. It's just as thrilling, suspenseful, and romantic as the first three. I don't believe fans will be disappointed. The latest book in the series is every bit as amazing as the book cover.
 
Finally, I'm going to write Worth Dying For (Underwater #1) and Worth Living For (Underwater #2). For fans of The Warrior Series, this series will help them know and understand Julia and James better. I love the Underwater World and wanted to explore it in a different way.

I've been doing this long enough to know my goals are challenging but achievable. I just have to stay focused, committed, and motivated which should not be a problem because writing is a passion for me. It keeps me going and gets me excited. I hope that all of my fans, friends, and followers follow my lead. Create resolutions you want to keep and HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Down to You by M. Leighton

Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1) by M. Leighton

 
★★★★★
Let me start this review by disclaiming that I consider M. Leighton  to be an author friend of mine. I know from personal experience that she's an amazing mentor because she was one of the very first authors to reach out to me when I began this indie author journey. The fact that she does not embrace the 'eat your young mentality' instantly turned me into a life-long fan of hers. Despite her New York Times Bestselling Author status, she's not forgotten the people who helped her to achieve her goals. She works tirelessly (morning, noon, and night) promoting her fellow authors and bloggers while writing book after book. Everything she does is impressive and further proves she's the real deal.
 
Now, on to the review of Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1). This is a quick, fun read that will not leave you disappointed. It will, however, leave you craving Up to Me (The Bad Boys Series #2), which is due to be release January 6, 2013. After reading Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1), I'm confident in saying Olivia, Cash, and Nash will forever be engrained into reader's minds, and they will long be equated with the hot and sexy couples that readers never seem to get enough of. As important and exciting as the chemistry between Olivia, Cash, and Nash are the book's twists and turns and Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1)'s unexpected ending... which of course I wouldn't think of spoiling in this review.

If you haven't already, make this one of your next reads... especially if you like to get into and out of a good book quickly. I read this in a matter of a few hours (after a tree fell on the powerlines by my house on Christmas, and my entire household was forced to slow down play board games and read). The only caution I'm going to give is related to the genre. It is an adult contemporary romance, and by M. Leighton's own book description, it is NOT appropriate for younger readers.

Giveaway Winner Announced

The Building a Following Giveaway winner is Cindy Perez. (Congrats, Cindy!) The contest was as fun as it was successful. There were 263 entries and a 10% increase in the number of people following my blog.

I'd like to thank everyone who participated and all of my fans, friends, and followers. Their support is critical to what I do. I'll be returning on 1/4/13 with Welcome Back: 2013 Resolution. Until then, Happy Holidays to you and yours.

 

 

 

 

The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret #1) by Jessica Sorensen

★★★★★

Ella and Micha... could two young people be more messed up yet compliment each other more perfectly? I think not.

Jessica Sorensen has a rare talent when it comes to building sexual tension between characters, and The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret #1) perfectly exemplifies her ability. She hooks you at the beginning by creating characters you instantly adore. Then, she builds a world filled with dysfunction and reality that Ella and Micha must overcome... together. 

I actually downloaded this book a few weeks ago and popped it open when I needed to kill some time before an appointment. I found myself wanting to find out what happens to them and between them so I went home and finished reading it. Lucky for me, it is a quick, easy read because I have very little time (most of my books are 'read' via audiobooks on my commute to work).

Go ahead and take a few minutes to fall in love with Ella and Micha AND Jessica Sorensen. You won't be disappointed.