Read an eBook Week!

 

I'm happy to be participating in Smashword's Read an e-Book Week promotion. If you click on my Smashwords Profile you will get a link to both of my eBooks.  The Valentine's Day Curse is Free, no coupon necessary, and Fractured Facade is 50% off from March 2-8th...at checkout use the code REW50.

 

Although the Valentine's Day Curse remains free everywhere, unfortunately I cannot create a 50% off coupon for Fractured Facade on Amazon and retailers other than Smashwords for the week, but you can download it to your Kindle or other reading device via Smashwords!

 

Happy Reading!

 

"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people." - Will Rogers

 

Finally Free for the Nook!

Well, well, well, lookie at that...Barnes & Noble finally made The Valentine's Day Curse free!

This is the first time I can actually offer Nook readers something for nothing. I certainly hope they take advantage of it.

So now the last hold-out is Amazon. Unless people, ahem, you dear readers, report to Amazon that the book is free on B&N, iTunes & Kobo they will continue to price it at 99 cents.

I really would like to have this short story be free everywhere without having to become exclusive to Amazon so will give it 90 days. After that period if the download numbers do not reflect well on all sites besides Amazon, I may have no other choice but to indenture myself again.

I would love to give it a trial run without the exclusivity, so if you can help me out here I'd be most grateful! Thanks!!!

Read an eBook Week

In celebration of Read an eBook Week I am offering for FREE during the Month of March -- on Smashwords, Kobo, and iTunes -- The Valentine's Day Curse. You might see it listed as "theatre" in the iTunes store...it's not, but for some reason Apple cannot/will not change it. Feel free to check out the correct listing and reviews on Amazon.

Since Barnes & Noble have yet to make it free, and I'm beginning to believe they never will, be advised that Nook readers can download it from Smashwords for free. I also understand the only way Amazon will price match the free price is if they are "notified" by folks other than the author that the book is free on iTunes and Kobo. Smashwords doesn't register a blip to them! So, if anyone would like to "narc" me out to Amazon, that would be cool!

Also, for just this Read an eBook Week, I will be offering Fractured Facade at 25% off on Smashwords. Simply enter the code REW25 at checkout. At least there are some reviews there, and for more in-depth info and reviews of both books, feel free to visit my website.

As always...thanks for all your support!

Cupid is Stupid!

Cupid is stupid! Ha! Now that I've gotten your attention...

Yes, it's true. I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. And then I wrote The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story. Guess what? Still not a fan of the day! I feel like I should be shown love every single day of the year, not just on some Hallmark holiday which gives restaurants, florists, and chocolatiers excuses to raise their prices and lower their standards. Does the amount of money spent by my sweetheart really show how much I mean to him? I should hope not. And what if you don't have a sweetheart? Why should you feel crappy today? You don't need no stinking man/woman to buy you a cheesy gift. Go buy yourself something today. I'm sure you really need a 4 1/2 foot teddy bear!

So..for ALL you guys and girls it is my pleasure to offer for FREE to you The Valentine's Day Curse. Just click here and you'll be brought to Amazon. Don't have a Kindle? Don't need one...on the same page you'll see Amazon offers free apps for other reading devices.



But hurry, the offer is only good on 2/14 and 2/15 and then it goes back up to the whopping 99 cent price!

One more thing...Happy Valentine's Day!

Latest KDP Select Results

It's been a week since my last KDP Select freebie ended for Fractured Facade and I wanted to share my observations. First and foremost I am happy to report that an author need not get picked up by POI or ENT to get noticed. POI has never picked me up, and ENT has changed in that they no longer just focus on free books. In fact, they've scaled it down to only a couple of day. Naturally, if one did get picked up by either of these two outlets your downloads would multiply greatly, but don't despair if you don't.

Without them, my downloads in the US were near 6,000 and in the UK 800. I had a couple from Germany, France and Spain and as usual nothing in Italy or Japan. Now I would like to give a shout out to Free Kindle Books & Tips, Kindle Boards and Ebook Lister for their promotions.

Big deal you say, you had twice, or three times that many. Well, good for you! I didn't need that many to get to #1 Suspense, #3 Family Saga, and also up to #47 in the Top 100 of all books, so I was pretty happy.

Of course I wasn't as happy as I was the very first time I used the freebies last year when every book downloaded was counted 1=1 for rank, instead of the 1=10 now. At that time, I had hundreds of sales afterwards. This time, nowhere as many, however since the promotion ended I have been selling steadily in the US & UK and getting actual borrows.

The borrows are more valuable for the next three months since Amazon has doubled the payment for them. Some folks are up in arms about this claiming Amazon is "doubling down" and screwing up indie authors by "making them" become exclusive to them. Although I would love to not be exclusive in Amazon, it's my choice to be exclusive right now with them. They're not "making me" do anything I don't want to. I wasn't exclusive for over 90 days previous, and had both my books pretty much everywhere. My total sales for that period on those other sites amounted to $3.45. All the clamoring to have my books made available for the Nook resulted in $3.00 of that $3.45. Now when people ask me when it will be back on B&N I tell them, I don't know, but I do have a paperback available, if they are interested.

Another reason folks are hating Amazon lately is that reviews of their books are being removed, especially 5-star ones written by other authors. On B&N, I only had one review, and it was a good one, that I lost when I pulled my books. The rest of mine are on Amazon. I haven't experienced the removal of reviews as I don't believe any were written by other authors. Apparently being "unpopular" and not in the "indie clique" does have its advantages. I wish Amazon would remove some of the one-star ones as they were written by people who didn't even read the entire book. My most recent review after the freebie was a 3-star entitled "Good" and left by someone who, duh, duh, duh, wait for it...didn't read the book yet, but plans to! Sigh.

And that's one of the biggest problems with giving your book away free -- negative reviews. Since folks seem to have a problem with the "f word" based on past reviews after a freebie, this time at the end of the book description I made sure to let folks know there was language they may deem inappropriate, in the hopes they'll just skip over my book. Hopefully they have. Even though I haven't gotten many reviews yet, I have noticed that the "like" number on  Amazon's page has increased, so I'm happy with that.

How long with this slow trickle of sales for Fractured Facade last? I have no idea, but it's better than the no trickle from B&N, Apple, Kobo & Smashwords. I really hope that some folks will consider buying, or better yet, borrowing, my short story, "The Valentine's Day Curse" also exclusive on Amazon, as the royalty for borrowing a 99cent short is better than the sale.

Sorry to those folks who are Amazon haters, but I'm not in that camp...you can't argue the numbers.

***UPDATE***

After I wrote this post this morning I noticed a new 5-star review from someone who downloaded the freebie..."I loved this book, couldn't put it down. I felt that I really got to know the author and her characters. They were like family by the time I finished. I didn't want the book to end. I got this book as a freeie and I can say I wasn't disappointed. I have looked up her blog and plan on becoming a regular visitor. I don't like short stories, but I may even check out her short story "The Valentine's Day Curse". Great job and please keep it up!!"

Just had to share that...thank you Luv to Read!

Cyber Sunday & Monday Freebie

With all this puppy & holiday business I had forgotten that I had scheduled two free days for Fractured Facade. Luckily I received an email from Michael from Free Kindle Books and Tips alerting me that my book was being highlighted! Thanks Michael!

So...if you've been waiting for the ebook to go free, today and tomorrow is the opportunity to grab it. And after you read it, if you know someone who could benefit from it, but who doesn't use an eReader, say like an elderly parent, by all means please consider getting the paperback as a stocking stuffer. That life you save could be theirs!

"Fractured Facade"

"Marie's peaceful life in Virginia is shattered the moment she receives word from her brother: “I just got a call from a detective. Daddy’s dead.” Rushing to her family home in Brooklyn, New York, Marie seeks answers to her father’s mysterious death only to discover disturbing occurrences and encounter acts of betrayal.

After her questions are amplified and suspicions confirmed surrounding her father’s ex-girlfriend, Marie becomes frustrated by how oblivious so many had been, and continue to be, to the wily con-artist.

Inheriting her father’s scheming ex-girlfriend becomes a journey Marie never imagined she’d be forced to travel.

Written as memoir, and based on a true story, "Fractured Facade" is a cautionary tale for anyone concerned about a parent after the loss of their spouse. The survivor, often thrust into an unfamiliar world, can find it quite different from the dating scene of their youth; one where some people create facades to mask their true intentions. Sadly, loneliness can cause an otherwise intelligent person to behave foolishly.

"Fractured Facade" is the tale of a father’s death, a daughter’s life, and a sociopath’s vendetta."

Author's Note -- Some may find language they deem inappropriate...I don't.

Onwards and Upwards

So with spending less time on-line, especially on social media sites, I actually have been making progress with my tasks.

As of now, I have uploaded both Fractured Facade and The Valentine's Day Curse to every eRetailer I want to be in...Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Apple and Kobo Books. I am still awaiting Premium Status for The Valentine's Day Curse so it will take a couple more weeks for it show up on Barnes & Noble and Apple.

After one month of uploading Fractured Facade to Smashwords amd B&N, I've been disappointed with Nook readers, especially those who "clamored" for me to take my books out of KDP Select so they could download it. Although I have had some sample downloads from Smashwords, all my sales are still coming soley from Amazon. So if I don't see any improvement from the other outlets with my 90-day self-imposed time limit, I will have to rethink my decision. Hoping to spur sales, I have decided to keep Fractured Facade at $3.99 until Labor Day, and then it's going back to $4.99.

I had hoped to begin my formatting for a paperback version of Fractured Facade but I need a clear head and have been suffering from insomnia. I'm hoping today will be the day I can at least begin. I'm really not looking forward to this task.

I did take some time and slap together a quick :30 spot for The Valentine's Day Curse using the website Animoto. It's very limited, but it's free, quick and easy, and now I'm able to post it on my sidebar as well. Here it is:



Even if you're not an author looking to make a :30 spot, you should check the site out and have some fun with your photos, etc.

The writing has been non-existent, but that's okay. Besides wanting to get all the eVersions uploaded and the paperback formatted, I'm still torn as to which project I should focus on first. I'm amazed at how prolific some authors are, popping out a book a month. And then I read them, well some of them, and now know why they have so many titles. No thanks...I'd rather have quality than quantity.

I have been spending time on the other never-ending art project...the framed "Japanese" window that I still haven't conquered. I think I'm getting closer to a paint that works, and as long as my hands could hold out from all that scraping after making mistake after mistake, I think it's going to look pretty cool.

Onwards and upwards!

eBook Card Follow Up

The other day a guest post of mine entitled, "May I Have Your Card?" ran on Indies Unlimited. If you're a writer, and not familiar with Indies Unlimited, you need to be. It's a great site.

Anyway, the piece I wrote was about my use of an eBook business card for marketing and promotion...cheap and effective, not me, the card. I'm not the first person to use these cards and after speaking with some other writers I wanted to follow up with some more good ideas.

For instance, say like most authors, you have more than one book you want to promote. Rather than making individual cards for each book, I suggested the front of the card have a "bookshelf" with the titles on it and on the inside a link to the author's webpage and/or Amazon page, etc. Easy peasy.

Another author had a great idea -- "I have a suggestion about those cards. I did this too, plus I added a QR code on it. I put it on brochures/flyers too. People love the idea of putting their smart phones to work. That way a person is directed exactly where you want them and it's less you have to put on the card." I really need to upgrade from a flip-phone!

Someone else commented how he was on the check-out line and the cashier remarked how she couldn't wait to get home and just read a book. He wished he had brought cards with him as that was the perfect opportunity to suggest she check out his.

The other day as I was waiting to testify for someone, I was stuck in a conference room for two hours with a woman who was going to testify for the opposing side. We struck up a conversation and hit it off. By the end of the two hours she had my card in her hand and that evening I do believe she was the person who downloaded a copy of Fractured Facade. Thank you!

No matter how you design and use the cards the most important lesson is to always have one with you...hey, you never know where that sale will come from.

It Was Fun While It Lasted

Come July 2nd my 90-day exclusive period for Fractured Facade in Amazon's KDP Select Program is up. I have decided to not click the auto-enroll feature.

Once upon a time, less than 90 days ago, I enjoyed the fruits of this program. The first time I offered a freebie I had almost 10,000 downloads and more sales in one month than I had previously experienced the prior six months everywhere else. The added bonus was my book was getting borrowed, which besides the freebie carrot, was a good reason to enroll my $4.99 novel. The "bad" part of having 10k free books downloaded, besides not getting a royalty on any of them, is that some will wind up in hands of readers who are not your target audience. Oh, and they will let you know via a 1-star rating.

Cut to the next freebie less than two months later. This time I took the advice of other writers who suggested I would have sold more books if my price was reduced. So I went with $3.99. Not as many downloaded, but well into the thousands and high ranking in the free charts. However, when it went back to paid, it plummetted back down to a lower level than it was when I first gave it away. Apparently the changing of the secret Amazon algorithms had struck! It took a day or two before the ranking went up, but by that time, I had probably lost any exposure and momentum I might have gotten. At this lower price point I sold 1/10th of the amount I had sold at $4.99, and worse yet, had only 1 measly borrow.

Now, I don't know if the following red-highlighted Prime Members borrow for free statement was always there under my "borrow this book" or if it popped up since my last freebie, but here it is: "With Prime, Kindle owners can choose from over 145,000 titles to borrow for free – including all seven Harry Potter books and more than 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers – as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates."  Frankly, if I were a Prime Member those are the books I would borrow since I only get one borrow a month. Those bestsellers charge about $12.99 for an eBook, so I would feel like I was getting my "money's worth." Although, once upon a time, I actually had borrows on my 99 cent short story, I haven't seen one of those in a while.

There's another reason I'm opting my novel out of Select. People are cheap. After reading comments on ENT and POI's posts, as well as across the internet from people who love, love, love the free books, some saying they will NEVER pay for an eBook, or, they're just waiting until a certain book goes free, I think the lack of sales might be due to people having come to expect something for nothing. As soon as they see the book on Amazon with "Prime Members can borrow for free" they assume it will eventually be free during a promotion. And they're usually right.

So, I've decided to run a test. I'm going to un-enroll Fractured Facade, leave it at $3.99 for the summer, and put it back on Smashwords, yet not opt-in to their premium catalogue just yet. In case I have a change of heart and want it to go back into Select, I don't want to have to waste weeks chasing down every location where the book is being sold. Smashwords takes it down pretty quickly, but the other outlets take their sweet time.

I still have a month to decide on what to do with my short story, The Valentine's Day Curse. I might just leave it enrolled, as one borrow (if it ever happens again!) equals over six sales. Also, I'd like to use it as bait when having a freebie, in the hope that someone will read it and seek out other books by me. I know that strategy works well for authors who have series, but I don't. However, I did have sales of Fractured Facade after giving away the short last time, so who knows.

Amazon seems to change things up all the time, so who knows what they'll decide to do next. I wish they had kept the algorithms where they were in the beginning of the year, but since they haven't all I have to say is, it was fun while it lasted.

Fractured Facade Freebie

One thing I've learned is to never say never. When I first read about Amazon's KDP Select Program I said I'd never put my novel, Fractured Facade in it. Since it had to be exclusive for 90 days, I didn't want to alienate any potential Nook readers. Well, after much consideration, noticing Nook sales have dried up after all my friends and family had purchased the book, as well as seeing the success of the KDP Select Program for my short story, The Valentine's Day Curse, I have taken never out of the equation.

So, today, Friday, April 20th and tomorrow, Saturday, April 21st I am finally able to offer Fractured Facade for free everywhere Amazon carries it. Click here for the US link. Click here for the UK link.

"Marie's peaceful life in Virginia is shattered the moment she receives word from her brother: “I just got a call from a detective. Daddy’s dead.” Rushing to her family home in Brooklyn, New York, Marie seeks answers to her father’s mysterious death only to discover disturbing occurrences and encounter acts of betrayal.

After her questions are amplified and suspicions confirmed surrounding her father’s ex-girlfriend, Marie becomes frustrated by how oblivious so many had been, and continue to be, to the wily con-artist.

Inheriting her father’s scheming ex-girlfriend becomes a journey Marie never imagined she’d be forced to travel.

Written as memoir, “Fractured Facade” is a cautionary tale for anyone concerned about a parent after the loss of their spouse. The survivor, often thrust into an unfamiliar world, finds it quite different from the dating scene of their youth; one where some create facades to mask their true intentions. Sadly, loneliness can cause an otherwise intelligent person to behave foolishly.

“Fractured Facade” is the tale of a father’s death, a daughter’s life, and a sociopath’s vendetta."

I hope that after reading the description and reviews many of you will download it. But then, what I hope even more, is that you'll read it! Many people have said it's a quick read, so I would hate to see it fall into the netherlands of your Kindle or Ipad or whatever, forgotten. To me that's the worst part of giving away books...too many folks just "forget" about them.

My last hope is that after you read it, you rate it, review it, and most importantly, recommend it. We writers are a needy bunch. Thanks for all your support!

Free, Free, Free eBook!

To cap-off the Read an eBook Week promotion -- For 24 hours, one day only, that's today, Saturday, March 10th, The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story is FREE, FREE, FREE on Amazon!

Remember, you do not need to own a Kindle to read this eBook!

And, today is also the last day that Fractured Facade is going for half-off at Smashwords. Read the sample, and if you like to buy it enter REW50 at check out.



Spread the word and happy reading!

Why I Love eBooks

My promotion for Read an eBook Week is still going on...click here for details on how to get 50% off of Fractured Facade on Smashwords. And I've also decided that for the last day, Saturday March 10th, I'm going to be giving away The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story for free on Amazon.

I thought that today would be a good day to blog about why I love eBooks. Sure, it's given me the opportunity to self-publish and get my stories out there, but that's the author side...I want to speak about the reader side.

First off let me say I love my Kindle. And this is not my eReader is better than your eReader statement. It's about my experience. Your wants and likes may differ. I love the un-lit back screen which looks like I'm reading a "real" book. I love how I can increase the print size. I love that it's big enough to read comfortably, yet small enough to fit in my pocketbook. I love that I can hold it easier than I can a hard cover book. What I don't love about it is when I get the notification my battery is about to die. I wish the battery bar showed me that I'm getting to a point where I need to recharge instead of getting that dreaded notice just as I'm getting into a scene. Of course, I could just plug it into a wall, or my computer and keep right on reading, but sometimes that's not possible.

By far the best thing about my Kindle is that it has introduced me to the world of fiction. What??? That's right, I have never been a fan of fiction. In fact, when someone in the past has asked me which authors I like I would have a hard time coming up with names, other than Edgar Allen Poe, O. Henry or some beat writers. That's because most fiction I've read I could barely get through, and there was rarely an author I would seek out to read the next book. I found too many stories "unbelievable" or "too pat." It was like the authors were following a computer program whereby they inserted the character names, settings and plot lines, and the computer would spit out a book. Life is not filled with happy endings. So my preference in the past have been biographies and memoirs, even by "unknowns." Although I could find a couple in the bargain bins in used bookstores and library sales, the problem I found is that most memoirs by unknowns have not been published in the traditional sense. With the advent of self-publishing that has changed.

Right now I have over one hundred books downloaded to my Kindle. I'm sure others probably have thousands, but I'm of the mind set, just because it's free I'm not going to download a book. However, I have been quicker to download a free novel and "give it a shot" than I was to buy one in a bookstore. I'm glad I have because I have discovered some really good indie authors. Right now I am reading "Elephant Girl: A Human Story" by Jane Devin and it's really screwing up my life because I'm having a hard time putting it down. Before that I read JD Marder's "Joe Cafe" and Fred Limberg's "Ferris' Bluff." And although, those two are not the genre I usually read, I enjoyed them both.

What I don't like is when you download a free book then find out it really isn't a full book at all, just a couple of "sample" chapters. That happened to me with Luc Carl's "Tales from the Drunk Diet." I was disappointed to find out that all it contained was two or three chapters from the middle of the book with the statement buy my full book if you like this. Umm, no, I won't. Maybe I would have if there was full disclosure at the time of the "freebie" but there wasn't, and I feel "tricked."

In order to make my life easier I have created collections on my Kindle. At first I just had one called "Books I Read." Then I realized some of the books I read don't belong in that category so I added another one, "Books I Read that Sucked" which includes books I could not get through. I also have one entitled "Classics" and "Cookbooks." With each download I find I have to scroll through pages to find the next book I want to read and frankly some I had downloaded weeks prior so I have forgotten what the book is about. So, next up I'll have to create more collections by genres. Just don't know when I'll get to that, or get to making Twitter lists!

All this reading is cutting into my writing time, but I'm not going to feel guilty...yet!

Read an eBook Week

I've decided to take part in Smashword's Read an eBook week promotion by offering Fractured Facade discounted at 50% off the $4.99 regular price, so if you download it from Smashwords, the book will cost you $2.50. The promotion kicks off today and will be running through March 12th. When you get to the check-out put this coupon code in REW50.

Here's the book's description:

The peaceful life in Southwest Virginia Marie had taken for granted is shattered the moment she receives a phone call from her brother, “I just got a call from a detective. Daddy’s dead.”

After rushing to her family home in Brooklyn, New York, Marie seeks answers to her father’s mysterious death. Instead, disturbing occurrences and acts of betrayal magnify her questions.

Marie is not surprised her unheeded suspicions regarding her father’s ex-girlfriend were valid, but she is astonished how oblivious so many people had been, and continue to be, to the wily ways of the con artist.

Inheriting her father’s scheming ex-girlfriend becomes a journey Marie never imagined she’d be forced to travel.

Written as memoir, “Fractured Facade” is a cautionary tale for anyone who is concerned about a parent after that parent loses their spouse. The survivor is often thrust into the “single world,” an unfamiliar world, quite different from the dating scene of their youth, and one where some people create facades to mask their true intentions. Sadly, loneliness can sometimes cause an otherwise intelligent person to behave foolishly.

“Fractured Facade” is the tale of a father’s death, a daughter’s life, and a sociopath’s vendetta.

Meanwhile, if there are any Nook readers who prefer to download their books from Barnes & Noble, their site is still showing the discounted price of $3.99 instead of the usual $4.99. I don't know how long that price will remain as it should have already changed. Until it does, Amazon is also selling it at $3.99 because they price-match! Anyway, I hope Nook owners realize that you can download your book directly from Smashwords as well as B&N (cheaper at Smashwords!). And Kindle owners can also download directly from Smashwords, so if you had any desire or intention to read Fractured Facade, take advantage this week!

Another eBook you can read is the short story, The Valentine's Day Curse. It's 99 cents and still exclusive to Amazon. I hope folks realize you do not need to own a Kindle to read eBooks bought from Amazon. Click here for the link to all the free apps you can download to read Kindle eBooks on your iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac computers as well as other devices.

Depending upon the outcome of this Smashwords promotion I may keep it exclusive to Amazon. I haven't had much action at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble or Apple since the beginning of the year, so am beginning to question if perhaps the KDP Select program would be worth checking out for Fractured Facade. In fact, I've already pulled Fractured Facade from Kobo since they take so long to remove it when requested, and/or change the price. Not only haven't I seen one sale from there, but they have the book in the wrong category and still haven't changed the description.

If you're like most people you probably have hundreds if not thousands of eBooks that you downloaded free languishing on your eReader. Please don't forget about them and do the author a favor when you finish...write a review. Happy reading!

KDP Select Experiment Follow-Up

Last week I reported my results of putting my short story, The Valentine's Day Curse, in KDP Select. You can read all about it in this post. Since a week has passed I thought I would update what has transpired since then.

I have sold two, count them, two more copies of my short story. And someone has even purchased my novel, Fractured Facade, which I have discounted to $3.99 for the duration of this KDP Select experiment, ending May 2nd. By far the best thing about KDP was that I did get 11 "likes" and four five-star reviews for The Valentine's Day Curse. Here are two of them:

"This short story is proof that this gifted writer has a fantastic voice and wonderful storytelling chops. What a wonderful ending, too!"

"I loved this story, read it on Valentine's Day. The ending was just awesome. What an excellent twist in such a short story. Thank you author for showing us another side of our human frailties. I enjoyed this so much. A quick read with a punch."

Although by having my title in KDP Select it is eligible to be "borrowed" by Amazon Prime members I never thought anyone would "waste" their one borrow per month on a 99 cent short story. So, you could imagine my surprise when I checked my stats yesterday and found that someone did! Of course, I was honored as I figure someone who borrows the book will definitely read it. But then, the conspiracy monster began to rear its ugly head.

You see, yesterday I "unclicked" the automatic renewal button. If I hadn't, at the end of the 90 day period The Valentine's Day Curse would automatically be placed back into the KDP Select program. Now, since the beginning of the year I've seen one sale for Fractured Facade on Smashwords and one sale on Barnes & Noble. Worse than that there is still only one review on Barnes & Noble. At least my Amazon customers review the darn thing! And Barnes & Noble takes forever to report to Smashwords so I haven't seen a cent from them, so it's not like I feel I'm missing out by not having my short story listed there. I just prefer making the decision myself whether or not I want my title to be included in KDP Select so that's why I "unclicked" the auto renewal.

When I posted on Facebook my shock that someone had "borrowed" the book I wondered if it had anything to do with me stopping the auto renewal feature. A friend said he thought my 99 cent book wouldn't be on Amazon's radar, and that got me to thinking...What if Amazon has some sort of robotic feature that tells them when someone opts out of the auto renewal and that triggers Amazon to "borrow" the book? Frankly I did get a thrill out of seeing that "1" listed under borrows. What if the author thinks, "Wow, this program does work. I got a borrow! I'm going to keep it in KDP Select and hope I get even more." Amazon's mission accomplished. Am I crazy?

Kudos to Daytime Blue Ridge

That's me in the middle with my beautiful daughter sitting next to me on the set of Daytime Blue Ridge. A friend of mine said I looked bored, but nervous is probably more the case. And, had I realized the producer was taking a wide shot of all of the guests, instead of one at a time, I probably would have at least attempted a smile!

Daytime Blue Ridge is a local news and entertainment show which runs on WSLS, the NBC affiliate in Roanoke, at noon. Yesterday was my first live television appearance being interviewed for my books. I have to say all the folks at DBR were great. They made me feel very comfortable. Natalie Faunce was a great interviewer and even prettier in person. And Jeff Haniwiech, who filled in for Mike Wilson, has a fun personality. No wonder my daughter wants to work there after graduation.

Those of you who are either friends or fans of my Facebook Author Page probably have already seen this interview, but for those who haven't here it is...



Four minutes goes very fast and I tried to get in as much as the time would allow, without speaking as fast as I normally do. I have to give props to Daytime Blue Ridge for being so supportive of the Roanoke community. They recognize there's talent in these dar hills and have graciously given us a place to introduce viewers to our various endeavors.

One of the main obstacles an independent author faces is that too many media outlets refuse to give credence to our work. Although I have received support and interviews in local publications, efforts to get my books reviewed have been thwarted. Our local newspaper, The Roanoke Times, refuses to not only review any self-published author, but also accept reviews from others for self-published books. As I have been a paid columnist, as well as a free contributor to a blog, the irony is not lost on me.

I think the local newspapers are making a huge mistake by following in the footsteps of the New York Times and other publications who shut out reviews of independent author books. More and more people are turning to eReaders and discovering authors they never would have if they just read who's on the best-selling list. Snooki was on the NYT bestselling list. Need I say more?

As local newspapers are losing more and more readers, it's my belief they need to focus more on the talents in the community, and not just by listing where and when a specific person is having a reading, etc. Tell them about the book. Let the readers tell us about a book they read. Get everyone involved. Frankly, I don't see the difference between a local author who publishes via a University Press and/or a small publishing company who sells a handful of "real" books, versus a self-published independent author who may even sell more books on-line than either of those. It's the story that matters, not the ISBN number, or if a book is in a brick and mortar store. The times, they are a changing, and newspapers need to change with them. My advice to them...Take a page from Daytime Blue Ridge...Stop following and start leading!

Last Day Free

Today's the last day to download for free The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story. After my KDP Select experiment is over, I will report back as to my findings.

Meanwhile, I have been honored by two readers by being compared to O. Henry. The funny thing is that when I was about twelve my father introduced me to Henry by "making" me read The Ransom of Little Red Chief. He said I reminded him of the boy in the short story. I balked at reading it because my father was so insistent, but eventually did and loved Henry. My father was thrilled and then "made" me read Catcher in the Rye. From then on, any book my father recommended I read. I wish he was still around to read my books.

Unfortunately, the two readers who compared me to O. Henry did not write reviews for Amazon, but two others did and here they are:

"A Great Story!" - 5 stars by BillMac

I loved this story, read it on Valentine's Day. The ending was just awesome. What an excellent twist in such a short story. Thank you author for showing us another side of our human frailties. I enjoyed this so much. A quick read with a punch.

"Another great read from this author" - 5 stars by Nisey

I was thrilled to see something more from this author and was not disappointed. Another great read! A great short story leaving me wanting more!

Thank you readers for taking the time to write the reviews...so appreciated!

The Valentine's Day Curse - FREE!

Ok kiddies, today February 13th through February 15th "The Valentine's Day Curse--A short story" is FREE FREE FREE!

Get thee to your Kindle, computer, Smartphone, Ipad, Iphone and save yourself a whopping 99cents by downloading it here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0074B2DAS



I hope if you like it you will consider leaving a review, and/or a like on Amazon, and maybe even consider buying my other book, "Fractured Facade," which I have discounted to $3.99.

Feel free to spread the word about this freebie, and if you're looking for a warm, fuzzy Valentine's Day story, be forewarned, this short story isn't it! That is a noose on the groom's neck, heehee!

The Valentine's Day Curse Facebook Event

As part of my promotional efforts for "The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story" I decided to make it free on Amazon, in all six countries that carry it, (can't wait to get a sale abroad so I could call my self an international author Haha!) from February 13th - 15th. In order to get the word out I created an Event on Facebook.

In case you're not on my "friends" list, and you really should change that, here's the invite:

Just in time for Valentine's Day...for three days I'm offering for FREE a short story bound to appeal to guys and gals alike...The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story.

"When Lisa’s Valentine’s Day ritual is interrupted by a phone call, she is surprised it’s from someo...ne she hadn’t heard from in many years. What could her ex, Joey, possibly want from her on what could have been their 25th wedding anniversary?

The Valentine’s Day Curse…A short story about stirred memories of unrequited love, revealing Valentine’s Day is not always a bed of roses."

Ok, so not everyone is a fan of the day, but maybe you are and you bought your sweetheart something different this year...like, ummm, a Kindle, and you really want to score points by having books already loaded onto it. Well, here you go. They don't have to know this one was free :)

Or, maybe instead of getting cheap chocolates, you were the recipient of an eReader (he/she's a keeper!) and you're looking for a quick free read. Well, here you go. You have until midnight on the 15th.

Oh, and just so you know, you definitely don't need to have a significant other to enjoy this tale. That is a noose around the groom's neck on the cover. By the way, you don't need to have a Kindle to read this freebie either. On the Amazon site, there's FREE Kindle reading apps which allow you to read this short story on your Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, smartphone, etc.

By joining this event you're not obligated to download the book, but by doing so, I'll be able to send you a reminder notice and link.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0074B2DAS

You can also like my author page where I'll post the link as well.

https://www.facebook.com/ElenaDeRosa.Author

This is the first time I've ever created an event, so hope I did this right, and by all means, feel free to share!!!

Thanks!!!!

I hope you not only download the freebie, but like it so much you spread the word to all your friends, family, twitter followers, etc. to do the same. Gotta say, the "Maybes" that responded to the event intrigue me...

Author Page

I've come to the conclusion that writing my stories is less "work" than promoting them. Luckily I come from a marketing/promotion background BC (before children) so I have some sort of clue as to the best way to do it, however, it is still time consuming. Frankly, I can't wait to get back to reading some of the many books I have on my Kindle, that aren't mine!

When you release something new, updates to websites, pages, bios, etc. become imperative. Since I just released The Valentine's Day Curse I've been busy will all that "fun stuff" while still promoting Fractured Facade. My website is still a work in progress so bear with me.

I decided it would be wise to create an author page on Facebook rather than have individual pages for all my books. I learned that lesson from having more than one blog at one time. I found I was pulling myself in too many directions and not being productive. I figure I could use the author page to make announcements, run specials, share events, and hopefully dialogue with my readers and friends.

If you care to, I would greatly appreciate you liking my author page by clicking here.



If you do, you can read the first post and see how to save 99 cents!

While the rest of you are watching the SuperBowl I will be composing a press release, compiling a contact list, and coming up with topics to speak about on my upcoming appearance on the Daytime BlueRidge Show. Anyone know how to lose 20 pounds in two weeks??? Apparently WSLS does not have a magic camera...

Live on Amazon...The Valentine's Day Curse!

Live, in the Amazon store...it's The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story!

"When Lisa’s Valentine’s Day ritual is interrupted by a phone call, she is surprised it’s from someone she hadn’t heard from in many years. What could her ex, Joey, possibly want from her on what could have been their 25th wedding anniversary?

The Valentine’s Day Curse…A short story about stirred memories of unrequited love, revealing Valentine’s Day is not always a bed of roses."

Not everyone is a fan of Valentine's Day, and although I'm one of those as well, I just want to be clear that unlike my last book, Fractured Facade, this short story is not about me. Well, some "elements" of the tale are based on true life experiences, but not necessarily mine.

I think of this short story as the 99 cent KDP Select experiment before I begin working on the next full length novel. Since it's such a timely piece I thought it would behoove me to take advantage of Amazon's free promotion days around Valentine's Day. I will be curious to see if giving it away free will stir some folks to seek out my other book. The other possibility is what I fear most people do with free books...download them and forget about it. However, my thinking is that if I release a short story maybe they will be more likely to actually read it quickly than have it fall into the cellar of their Kindle.

The other benefit of the KDP Select program is that Prime Members can check it out for free. I can't imagine anyone would use their check-out on a 99 cent short story, so I doubt I will see any income generated from that. The drawback as I've stated in the past, is that in order to use the KDP Select Program I have to list the book exclusively on Amazon for 90 days. Fret not, Amazon does have free applications that can be downloaded so anyone can read this book on other devices. I think being it's a short story it's more likely that will happen than if it was a full length novel.

It's much easier to put a book up on KDP Select at its inception than it is after it's been published on other sites. From what I understand it could take B&N 6 weeks to remove the book, and from my personal experience I know it takes months for them to even report to Smashwords that a sale was made! The other problem with B&N is that it's very difficult for folks to find one's book unless they are specifically searching for it. I think I pretty much tapped out this valley and my friends and family, so really Amazon and their promotions are my best bet to get my name out. Still, as of right now I have no intention of removing Fractured Facade from Smashwords. I still think it's going to be a "sleeper" and I want folks to be able to read it on any of their devices.

So...if you like a "love story" haha! check out The Valentine's Day Curse. Yes, that is a noose around the groom's neck...