Tag Archive | author

Getting the word out

Jul28

Ari Wright’s Once Upon A Pack

Ari Wright is releasing the Audio Book for Once Upon a pack, and it has me wondering: what methods do you find work best for getting the word out on new releases (E-book, print or audio)?

As a baby writer (nothing huge published, mostly short stories and a couple of poems) I will send information to those I think might like the story. I use either email or text as I don’t post on social media.

As a consumer, I have 4 main ways of finding books.

  1. Recommendations. Friends, family or even KU. I actually found Ari Wright through a Based on your other books…. Recommendation. She’s one of my favorite authors and an auto read for me. Goodreads– i use it to log my books but don’t really get recs there.
  2. Newsletter. Author newsletters are awesome. I especially like the ones where they share this it’s of what’s going on with them. Maybe a photo of their work desk, or what they’ve been up to. And of course the new releases! As an author, you have to walk a line with the newsletters. Readers want to know about your upcoming and new releases, but not to be inundated by a sales pitch constantly.
  3. Social Media Ads. For me, mainly TikTok and Instagram as those are the two I scroll most. I will say as a reader I prefer Instagram as the link goes directly to the ebook link. I don’t know what’s going on with people, but the amount of TikTok ads for books that FORGET to give the title and/or  author name is ridiculous. I’m also not going to buy off the Tok shop.
  4. Social Media Groups. I belong to a few groups for readers of an author, but also some for specific types of romance. This is where you cannot only get a rec, but also find out what that book you read three months ago with this particular scene was. Life-saving! Or sanity saving.

So– how do you advertise for your writing? If you’re mostly a reader, how do you find the books you read?

Writing Dilemma

Sep19

So here goes nothing. Writing style lol.

Question for my writerly friends : How far down a dark path can you take a character before they lose all hope of being redeemed within the story and/or with the characters in the story?

And I’m talking about abandonment of responsibility (in a relationship) and fraud level stuff. It’s itching at my brain right now, because I’m writing that character right now. Or rather, I’m writing the aftermath of his selfishness.

Or cowardice.

Or just taking wrong advice and running with it. Letting it compound and multiply, unaware of the ramifications because of course the person who gave the advice never told him of the ramifications. The potential fall out. He’s naive.

He’s a sheep.

I don’t know if I, as the writer of the story, can forgive him being a sheep. Not thinking it through.

I know within a story a bad hero can be redeemed. I’ve read it. I’ve written about it with my post of Ari Wright. This isn’t about realizing you’ve made a mistake and correcting it though.

It’s changing the very fabric of the way the man thinks and reacts to his own mistakes.

What thinkest thou?

Redeemable?

Disposable?

It just might be the flex my writing muscles need. To see if I can redeem this character that I, the writer, loath.

Or I might just kill him off.

Please Don’t: Writing Edition

Aug15

Dear Author;

Thank you for writing your book! I love it! There’s just this tiny little thing…

Please Don’t: have you heroin kidnapped, roughed up and freezing cold and when you have her saved the police are there but not an ambulance? Or even the hero taking her to a doctor? Whaaaa???

Please Don’t: Lose track of who is who. Because after the bad guy has been revealed to the world, he probably is not having dinner with the main characters. Unless the main character is killing him. Or her.

Please Don’t: make it a duology if the second book is just the hero(s) trying (and failing) to make up to the heroine for what a douche canoe they have been. I say this mainly because book 2 will have none of the angst and tension that book 1 had. You will lose readers over this pacing/theme problem. If Book 1 is a ripper of a ride that ride has to continue in Book 2.

And a related Please Don’t: Be careless with your brand. Yes, your brand. If you are asked to write a NOVEL/ NOVELLA in a shared world, please make sure their writing level is in sync with your own. I personally came to a “shared world” series because it was connected to one of my favs. But had I tried some of the others first, not knowing the caliber of my favs writing? I would never have given her a chance. (Anthology writing is different– people expect to get a few stories they don’t jive with and the editor normally… Weelllll… Edits the stories.) Your name is your brand. Protect it. Protect your readers.

There’s only one more thing and it’s a huge ask. I know  it is, but I have faith in you.

Please don’t give up. The world needs your stories, your voice.