10 ways to deal with a negative book review
Last night, I got a negative 2-star review. It was titled Have read cook-books written with more elan and aliveness than this travel report/book … . This reader was unhappy with the book. Have you ever had a bad review? Did you get upset? Did you laugh? Even though I know that a book may…
Why Writing and Editing Services Help the Indie Writer
It took me seven months to write my first book. After making corrections suggested by several beta readers and reviewers, I felt that the book was ready. I was anxious to publish, especially since I was going on tour to talk about the Camino de Santiago. I ordered 100 copies, and then sent one to…
Expanded Distribution—the way to get your indie book in stores and libraries
This morning I received an email from a reader who wanted to carry my book in her store and did not know how to go about placing an order for books for resale. She is in the process of developing an online catalog as well as expanding her store to include books. My first thought…
Five things I learned in the past six months as an indie author
Happy holiday! Whatever are your beliefs and traditions, I hope you that you find today enjoyable. I have double reason to celebrate: today is the six-month anniversary of the release of my first book. Do you recall the excitement you felt the day your book went public? I felt proud of the accomplishment, anxious about…
The indie author and book clubs
I recently read the post How to Get Your Book Accepted and Read by Book Clubs by Shamontiel Vaughn. Until reading this post, I had not thought about approaching book clubs. It seemed like a good idea, the more people who read the book, the more there would be talking about it. Also, most book club…
Do you dread revising your Kindle ebook?
Just the thought of making revisions to the Kindle ebook causes me to panic—the process is so difficult. Even when the change is simple and the existing files function perfectly, I know that something will go wrong just as something has gone wrong with all previous revision uploads. I can upload revised files to other…
The author platform—a long-range career growth tool
If you are like many of us, you have recently published a book. Congratulations! Whether you self-published or went with traditional publication, you now need to market your book. You sent out an email to everyone you know telling them of your accomplishment. Having a little social media savvy, you told everyone on Facebook or…
Thanksgiving Gratitude
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy kind moments with family and friends. Thanksgiving ranks as the favorite holiday in my house. Lots of good food and company without the expectations of other holidays. It is a day for sharing the bounty, the food, and friendships. On this day in particular, I reflect…
Separating real from wishful thinking
Last night at Toastmasters, one of the speakers talked about creating a new holiday, Get Real Day. He proposed that on this day people contemplate what is real in their lives versus what is wishful thinking. Sorting out the real, he said, helps one focus on what is important and provides “a filter for our…
Do you feel more like a juggler than an indie writer?
October had so many opportunities to learn that my head is still spinning. Many bloggers talked about the importance of engaging the readers, each offering a number of best practices for doing so. They suggested commenting on other bloggers’ posts (which means you have to read them), posting content multiple times each day—5 to 15…