Lisa Lang Blakeney – USA Today Bestselling Author

Category: For Writers

  • What’s Going On With Shelfari?

    ShelfariAs an indie writer, I’m also looking for ways to increase visibility. Many of my favorite authors have an “enhanced” Amazon author page which features details of their books, books series, etc. and is pulling the information straight from Shelfari. It makes your author page look that more enticing. Of course today though, I just found this out (excerpt from Lisa Angelettie’s writing blog)…

     I just got off the phone with a very nice representative over at Amazon’s Author Central. I wanted some help incorporating Shelfari into my Author Central profile like I’ve seen on many author’s Amazon pages. I did a little Google research on how to do it but found that the instructions were outdated or just play wrong.

    When I called, even the associate wasn’t sure what happened to Shelfari. She had to run and check with someone else. Sure enough, Shelfari has been eliminated as an option for adding to your Amazon author page. When I asked if it was for a certain segment of books (ex. nonfiction vs. fiction), she said “No. All books.” Her words were she thinks that allowing the option “was more trouble than it was worth.”

    I’ve heard that some authors abused Shelfari. I’m not sure how. Probably only promoting their own books and not actually sharing and recommending books written by other authors. Which is really the point. Shelfari was suppose to be a book sharing and social site like Goodreads; but alas Goodreads does it so much better.

    So now that Amazon owns Goodreads, I wonder how they will incorporate it (or some of it’s features) into the Amazon book marketplace? It will be interesting to see how it unfolds and hopefully will be of some benefit to us indie authors.

    Oh well:) It was a good idea while it lasted.

  • Romance Authors Get The Shaft From Scribd

    scribd

    I’ve watched Scribd evolve over the years from this cool place where you could post some of your content and get new eyeballs on it, to this place that was basically an illegal download zone, to this cutting edge new site where you could subscribe to a book membership that is pretty much like subscribing to Netflix.

    It was interesting to see the site move and change with the times…but just when I was going to dip my toe in the subscription model waters Scribd announces that it is going to take a blunt cut to most of it’s romance titles. The reason? Romance readers read too many books and Scribd pays authors full price per book, not via a lump fund like Amazon KDP.

    Scribd will be keeping a few of it’s Romance titles, especially if they are full-length novels and are under 3.99– even more so if they’re free (like series starters). [I don’t know this for sure, but that’s what the powers that be are saying about the selection process.]

    I think it’s a shame that romance authors are being penalized because our readers read a lot, but I get it. Scribd needs to pay the bills and romance readers are probably breaking the bank.

    This is definitely something to keep an eye on in general in the marketplace. Will the subscription model be able to remain standing, because I would guess that many of Scribd’s subscribers are romance readers.

  • You Are An Author…Act Like It!

     

    proud writer

    I have made my living as a business writer and coach, in fact I’ve published several non-fiction books, but it’s been absolutely terrifying writing fiction for the first time. I mean utterly terrifying. I don’t have the benefit of being so naive about the writing process (like some new authors are), that I think I can just write a book and people will love it and buy it. I know first hand that isn’t anywhere near the case.

    I have recently finished the draft of my first full manuscript titled Cousins–A new adult romance and the first book of a series about two cousins who end up falling for each other (think Stepbrother romance). I agonized about how to begin all my chapters. How to end them all. My punctuation. My grammar. My use of slang and profanity. If I would ever let any of my daughter’s read it (maybe when they’re 30:). If there was too much going on in the plot. If there was not enough going on in the plot. If my characters were making a connection. If the sex scenes were hot enough.

    I could go on and on…but what I’m saying is that while this type of analysis paralysis is normal for writers during the writing process, at some point you have to relax and release. I just forgot that. It took me a VERY long time to finally say “okay good is good enough” and send it to my editor. The only way I’m going to get better at this is to write another book, and another, and another. Get feedback, improve my skills and write again. And I can’t be a chicken shit about it.

    I’m an author and I need to act like it.

    I need to take any hard jabs I may receive about the book with a grain of salt, and any praise I get with gratitude. I need to remember why I write. Why I have to write…because it’s a part of me. It’s what I do. Some people are going to like it and some people won’t…and that’s okay, because ultimately I need to remember that I’m writing for me first. I’m my first reader…and you are yours.

  • KDP Offers Pay-Per-Click Style Advertising For Writers

    KDP Offers Pay-Per-Click Style Advertising For Writers

    kdp advertising

     

    Amazon recently rolled out it’s own advertising (pay-per-click-styled) program for KDP members. You set a budget and a target audience for your campaign and you pay only when customers click on your ads. Early adopters are reporting mixed results, but I can’t wait to see how this will work for indie authors enrolled in KDP.

    Read more about this over on Inks, Bits, and Pixels.

  • How To Sell More eBooks (Smashwords Survey)

    I found a lot of useful stats and information in this presentation made by Smashword’s Mark Coker.

  • Common First Time Author Mistakes

    I love this piece written by Maria Murname on two common mistakes made by first time authors. It definitely hit home. Here’s an excerpt:

    1)    All the characters sound the same.

    Dialogue is a great tool for character development because it gives your readers a direct line into your characters’ heads. If they all sound the same, however, it can be confusing. When crafting a conversation, think about how the people in your own life talk. Some of them may have pet phrases, or a particular gesture they like to use when making a point. Having your characters do the same will differentiate them from the pack.

    Tip: Once I finish the first draft of a novel, I go back and check the dialogue to make sure what my characters are saying is consistent with their personality. My characters tend to evolve as I write, so I often end up rewriting some of their earlier lines because they just don’t “fit” anymore. When you find yourself thinking, “That doesn’t sound like something Sally would say,” you know you’re on the right track.

    To read about the second mistake (hint: word replacements for the word said), click here.

    Thanks Maria!