Category: A Hidden Fire

For Writers: The sum total of my marketing knowledge (which is not much)

picture by Sverre avnskog

From the very sharp Passive Guy this morning:

A couple of recent posts about Amazon sales, Watching the Numbers and KDP Select – Worth the Exclusivity?, generated lots of comments, some of them a bit heated. In PG’s experience watching the world of indie authors, this is typical.

The reason is that nobody knows anything.

Thank you, PG. Sometimes, the truth is uncomfortable, but it’s still the truth. And ignoring it will just make you itchy.

I don’t talk a lot about marketing on this blog, because I’m of the opinion that you should write about things you know. I know nothing about marketing. Some people can sell ice to polar bears. I am not one of them, though I admire their abilities with the kind of detached awe I have while watching magicians and contortionists.

So what can I possibly tell you about marketing your book? I should be able to tell you something, right? After all, I have three books in the top ten on the Amazon Fantasy list. (I’m not bragging, I’m as amazed by this as anyone.) That’s not small potatoes. But… I can’t. Not really. I can only tell you a few things that I’ve gleaned. None of them taken together amount to a “marketing plan” or anything like that. These are just things that happened to me. Small pictures of my own elephant, as Passive Guy would put it. Ignore or glean what you will.

Advice: Write good books and keep writing.

Most people know about the first part of that. A lot forget about the second. Which is a shame, because I think there’s something magical about a third book. I can’t tell you what it is, but I can tell you that, sometime a couple weeks after my third book came out, I started to see a serious uptick in sales. I think there are a couple reasons for this.

  1. It’s confidence building. Readers see a few books on your author page and realize, “Oh, this person is serious about this writing thing.” Three books look substantial, at least for a beginner.
  2. Avid readers read a lot. This is mostly my own experience, but if I know that an author is writing a series, I’ll often wait until 2-3 books are out to start. I hate getting to the end of one book, loving it, then having nothing else to buy. So, write more books. Continue reading “For Writers: The sum total of my marketing knowledge (which is not much)”

Getaways, Back to School, and a Free Book in the Kindle Store!

Little tent in the big trees.

So, I’m going to brag a little. I got to take a vacation. Well, a mini-one, which is something I haven’t done in a LONG time, but SmallBoy and I joined my very large and crazy clan camping in the Sierra backcountry for a long weekend before school starts. It was fun, dirty, and so incredibly beautiful. Best of all, I was forced to leave my computer behind and there was no cel phone access at all. So no checking email or rankings or any of the little things that eat up time.

North Fork of the Tule River (our front yard)

Speaking of back-to-school, SmallBoy starts his first year of conventional schooling tomorrow. Those of you who have been following the blog for a while know that I home-schooled him for the last three years, but life changes unexpectedly sometimes, and a conventional classroom became necessary. He got to meet his teacher last night and his classroom has a camping theme! Which is just perfect. So, for the first time, I’ll be writing full time, which means that writing and editing will be happening much faster, and I’m very excited about that. It will also free up my evenings so I can have some sort of normal life (and hopefully more sleep).

In case you haven’t caught the excitement, A Hidden Fire was price-matched on Amazon yesterday, so it is now free at the Kindle store! And… it’s been making a bit of a mark. It’s currently sitting at #1 on the Free Contemporary Fantasy list and #13 in free books overall! In one day? That’s way more than I ever expected and it’s thrilling to know so many people are reading my first book. If you haven’t picked up a copy, now is the time! If you like paranormal romance, historical mystery, or just a fun adventure with great characters, you’ll like the book. A reviewer on Goodreads once called it Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego for adults, which might be my favorite review of all time. It’s also a semifinalist in the Kindle Book Review “Best Indie Books of 2012″ so that’s pretty darn cool, too.

I hope you all have a great week! I’m considering posting a chapter of the first Cambio Springs novel, which is still untitled, but I’ve got it all outlined, and I’m about a quarter of the way done with drafting it. Let me know if you’re interested in reading and I’ll post a chapter later this week!

Thanks for reading,

Elizabeth

Free Book Friday: A Hidden Fire is free at Smashwords in August

Hey all! Just a quick update to let you know about a new promotion. For the month of August, you can download the first book in my Elemental Mysteries series, A Hidden Fire, for free at Smashwords.

Amazon may or may not match this deal, but if you’ve never tried Smashwords before, check it out! You can download any format you like (mobi, ePub, PDF, and more) for one price. If you have multiple e-readers, Smashwords is the place to buy. Continue reading “Free Book Friday: A Hidden Fire is free at Smashwords in August”

A book by any other name…

Something exciting happened today.

I wrote a real book.

What? you ask. Aren’t you the one that’s been blabbing for months about your book and writing and e-publishing and all that jazz? Haven’t you said that e-readers are the way of the future, and that paper books, while remaining collectable, would eventually fade from wide-spread use over the years? Haven’t you maintained that e-books are real books?

Well…yeah, but now I have a paperback.

I’m mostly joking. I still believe all those things, and paper and ink does not a book make. Nonetheless, I have to admit a thrill from opening the box from CreateSpace and seeing my husband’s beautiful artwork on the cover of a paperback. I sported a grin cracking open that proof for the first time and seeing the words I’d spent so much time on printed on the page.

Is it vanity? I hope not. I think what I’m feeling as I sit next to this book (yes, it’s sitting right next to me on the kitchen table, and I keep glancing at it) is the memory of opening a new book for the first time. It’s the memory of wandering through my grandmother’s favorite bookstore, or passing a book around the table as we took turns reading after dinner when I was a child. It’s the first visit to the library. It’s digging through Half-Price Books in Houston looking for treasures and passing a well-worn paperback to a friend saying, “You just have to read this!” Books weren’t just something to read, they are their own kind of culture. Continue reading “A book by any other name…”

Promotions, Paperbacks, Sales and Stores. Happy Friday!

Crossposted from Elemental Mysteries… (so if you subscribe over there, just delete this email, it’s pretty much the same)

It’s the last week before the release of my second book, This Same Earth, and there is much going on with my readers, the Elemental Mysteries world, and e-publishing in general this last month before Christmas. I have promotion news, book news (new book and paperback), a very interesting development in international book stores and e-book expansion, and some belated thanks to a few important people.

My news first! (Hey, it’s my blog.) The November promotion for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption went smashingly, and readers raised over $98 to help promote adoption from the foster care system! Thanks to all of you who bought the book last month. Going forward, look for more news of my involvement and promotion of this charity that is so close to my heart.

My new promotion for the Elemental Mysteries will run through December (and possibly the first part of January). I have lowered the cost of the first book, A Hidden Fire, to just…$0.99. That’s right, folks. I’m not going to lie; it was a bit painful, but that means that, starting next week, if you know someone with an e-reader (or who is getting one for Christmas!) you can buy them the first and second Elemental Mysteries books for a total of $3.98. That’s less than four dollars for what would be almost a thousand pages of reading in paperback. If you like the books, please consider buying them for a Christmas present!

Speaking of presents, my paperback issues seem to be resolved, and I ordered proofs of the first and second books from CreateSpace yesterday. I’m very excited to see my books in paperback and make that option available for readers. I’ll let you know when I get them. (Unless they look awful, in which case I will hide them from everyone except my mother.) Continue reading “Promotions, Paperbacks, Sales and Stores. Happy Friday!”

Meet the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

My November promotion for A Hidden Fire has really inspired me, and I wanted to write just a little bit today about the Dave Thomas Foundation, and why I have chosen to focus attention on it.  I’m happy to report that readers have already raised almost $50.00 so far! We’re only halfway through the month, so I’d love to double that! Spread the word, and for those of you who have already bought the book, thank you!

Founded in 1992, the DTFA works on multiple fronts to promote adoption awareness, grant funds to deserving local partners, and actively place children in adoptive homes.  Since 2004, their Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters (122 nationwide) have worked within the system to place over 2500 “hard-to-place” children in loving, permanent families.  They also educate employers on how to create a more adoption friendly workplace and are a founding partner of National Adoption Day, November 19th.

While many case workers focus on finding the right child for a home, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids takes a child-centered approach that focuses on finding the right home for each child.

Now, I’ve linked to a lot of video clips on this site over the months I’ve been posting, but this might just be the most important one yet. Check it out:

Let’s show our support for this fantastic foundation, and let these kids know, “unadoptable is unacceptable.”

Thanks for reading,

Elizabeth

Friday Publishing Links

The past couple weeks have been very busy in my world, and the world of independent publishing as a whole.  While I had my own launch last week and got the manuscript for Book Two off the editor this week, my friend and fellow writer Nichole Chase has had some new and interesting experiences, I read about an exciting funding idea from David Gaughran, and the Kobo store had some very interesting news for indie authors. Continue reading “Friday Publishing Links”

First Week Round-up: A Hidden Fire

So, at the end of the week, I wanted to let you know how this crazy thing called a book launch went.  The short answer is, I’m really pleased.

A Hidden Fire has stayed fairly high in the Kindle store rankings, and after only four days has a 4.81 out of 5.00 rating on Goodreads.  It has also been ranked in the top ten Best Independent Novels at Listopia on Goodreads, which is incredibly flattering.  It’s gotten some amazing reviews and some really flattering write-ups.  I even did an author interview about the book and series.  More reviews are scheduled to publish this weekend, but I’ll be putting any further information about that at ElementalMysteries.com.

Most importantly to me as a writer, people are e-mailing, tweeting, and reviewing telling me they have bought the book and they loved it.  This crazy story I cooked up in my brain and devoted so many hours to writing has found its own audience.  Readers are connecting with Beatrice and Gio.  They like the supporting characters.  (I think Carwyn already has his own fan club.  He’s such an attention hog.)  In short, past the sales numbers, readers are enjoying the book, and that means more to me than anything else.

Thank you to everyone who made this launch week a success.  If you have read the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads (or both!)  Be honest, I know it won’t be everyone’s favorite, and that’s fine, but readers and shoppers really do read reviews, so they make a huge difference.

If you read the book and enjoyed it, tell a friend!  (If you hated it…well, you can e-mail me and I’ll listen, I promise.) I’ve always found the best books by word of mouth and you’re probably the same.  And if you have any questions about this whole crazy process, let me know, I’d love to answer.  If I can publish a book, probably a lot of you can, as well!

I’m going to try not to blog too much here about THE BOOK and all that.  This site is really more about writing and other things I love, but I’ll be posting more teasers for Book Two, This Same Earth, and other book news over on the Elemental Mysteries website, so take a look over there, if you get a chance!

Also, I’m still running a give-away over at the Elemental Mysteries Fansite on Facebook. If you “like” the page, you’re entered to win! (Easiest give-away ever.) I’m running it through the weekend, so head on over there if you’re a Facebook fan and check it out!

As always, thank you so much for reading,

Elizabeth

New Release—A Hidden Fire Available

Dear Readers,

Today is the official release of my book, A Hidden Fire, the first book in the Elemental Mysteries series. (insert special effects here)

Though I have dedicated the book itself to my friend, Lacey, I would like to dedicate this release day to you, my readers online, and all the encouragement, enthusiasm, and excitement you have blessed me with.

I end most of my posts the same way, “Thanks for reading,” and I want you to know that I truly mean that.  Thank you for your time.  Thank you for your attention.  Thank you for letting me take over a little of your imagination with my stories.  I hope I haven’t wasted it.

In the past year, I hope I have made you smile, laugh, think, or even cry a little (but not from my comma abuse). And I hope you enjoy this book.  All of you are a big part of the reason I decided make this journey on my own terms.  You gave me the confidence to take that step.

I’ll be running around the blogosphere today, doing guest posts here or there, I may have an interview with Nichole Chase, a totally fab YA author, and of course, I’ll be dropping into Twitter. (You know you can always get me there!) I’ll be linking to some reviews in the coming week, but after that, I promise I’ll pipe down and let the book speak for itself.

If you read A Hidden Fire, I hope you’ll consider leaving me a review where you bought it.  Good or bad, feedback is so very important (there’s also some really technical explanation involving the word ‘algorithm’ that I’m not even going to attempt to explain here, but yeah, reviews are important). I hope to hear what you think in the coming days and weeks.

Thank you.

Thank you!

Thank you for reading,

Elizabeth

A Hidden Fire is available to purchase for $2.99 at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords (should be available to all international readers outside Amazon’s reach! 10 file formats including mobi, epub, and PDF)

Please remember that even if you don’t have an e-reader, there are free e-book programs online from Amazon, Nook, and others that will enable you to read any electronic book on your computer or smartphone!  I also highly recommend Calibre, which has good quality e-reader software, all for free.  There will be a paperback version of the book eventually, but it is significantly more expensive. If you have any questions about where to get the book, or about e-books in general, please leave me a comment or email me, I’d love to answer your questions.