Relisting of Ebook of Silencio

I’m pleased to announce that the ebook version of Silencio has been relisted on http://www.amazon.co.uk and http://www.amazon.com

I’m the Guest Author on Rita Chapman’s Website This Week

I am delighted to announce that the lovely writer Rita Chapman interviewed me for her guest author spot. Rita originates from the UK and now lives in Australia and has a love of travel. She has written several romantic travel books in addition to a crime mystery and a horse lover tale.  Click on the links below to see my interview and to find out more about Rita.

http://ritaleechapman.com/guest-authors

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5834608.Rita_Lee_Chapman

https://www.facebook.com/rita.chapman

http://www.ritaleechapman.blogspot.com/

Preparing As a Guest Speaker

The lovely Michelle from the successful LiveLaughLove Ladies Clubs in the UK has invited me to be the guest speaker at one of the luncheon events in May. While I am confined to the settee, recovering from a fractured ankle, I am using the time to plan the agenda and content of my 45 minute slot.

It is difficult to achieve a good balance between book promotion and my experience as a novelist. Some of the women have expressed an interest in the process of writing and publication and this made me realise what a mysterious world the book industry is. I lived every step of producing Silencio over a 4 year period and it probably takes the average reader less than 2 weeks to read it.

Never mind the trauma of producing 100,000 words (give or take a few), there are the rewrites (6 at least), editing, proof reading, and deciding on publishing routes. Then I had to choose the typeface, paper, book cover image including matt or gloss, and so on in addition to writing blurbs, author information sheets, deciding on a marketing strategy. . . The list goes on and now I am wondering why I am writing another novel. Motherhood is hard and writing a book is a labour of love.

The Ice Vault – a story for the Friday Fictioneers

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

The man’s mouth moved but her mind refused to accept his words. A pain, so sharp that she struggled to breathe causing her to gasp as she reached out to touch the motionless fingers. Eventually she raised her head, looked up at the man and nodded.

‘If you’re ready, we’ll take him to the vault. The process will begin immediately.’

‘Will he .. When he … Will there be pain?’

‘We don’t think so. It should be like waking after a long sleep.’

The woman nodded and then, she rummaged in her bag. ‘Take his teddy. He’ll need his friend in that strange world. ‘

Thank you to Rochelle at http://www.rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com who organises the Friday Fictioneers. Authors write a piece of 100 word fiction, prose or poetry based on a photo prompt and exchange comments on their work.  If you are a writer of short fiction, join us and see where your imagination takes you.

 

 

The Strike – Friday Fictioneers

Photo Prompt ©Sandra Crook

The boy, half his size, tugged on the hem of Alistair’s jacket.

‘What now?’ he grumbled.

The boy chewed his lower lip and beckoned. Alistair wagged his head, then knelt so that he was at his brother’s level.

‘I can’t see.’

Freddie had a point – they were engulfed in a forest of legs and steel capped boots.

‘Come on, hop on my shoulders.’ His muscles burned as Alistair rose. ‘You’re getting heavy mate. Hold on, we’re going to the front. Let’s show them bosses who they’ll be hurting. Wave your sign Freddie.’

‘Save jobs. Feed my brother.’

Thank you to Rochelle at http://www.rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com who organises the Friday Fictioneers. Authors write a piece of 100 word fiction, prose or poetry based on a photo prompt and exchange comments on their work.  If you are a writer of short fiction, join us and see where your imagination takes you.

 

Excited to be a Guest Writer on Jenny Kane’s Website

Today I am thrilled that I am the guest blogger on Jenny Kane’s entertaining website, a perfect blend of coffee and articles about writing, books and life. Jenny is a talented writer living in the southwest UK and we connected through a Facebook group for local authors.

Click on the link below to read my article about how real life affects fiction writing.

Writing What I Know

Also at http://www.jennykane.co.uk

Does Price Dropping Work?

The ebook version of Silencio has now been discounted to £.99 for 9 days. At the end of the 14 day period, I will evaluate the impact of price on sales. I am not sure how sensitive pricing is in the debut novel market.

Have any of my readers put their own books in to a price drop situation? How successful was it at driving sales? I will enjoy reading about your experiences.

Marketing of Silencio

As the person responsible for the marketing of my novel Silencio,  last week, I had to make a difficult decision about price promotion. I decided to reduce the price of the ebook version of my book to £.99 for a period of 14 days.

It wasn’t an easy decision because my novel represents 4 years of work and I do not want to undersell the effort that it took. However, I am aware that the global marketplace for ebooks is vast and could represent the path of success for the debut author. Breaking in to the crowded market requires notable sales and without a huge publicity machine, this can not be achieved without promotional activity.

I have been fortunate with my book sales but now things are slowing down and a boost is needed.

It will be interesting to witness the effects of my price promotion on the number of book sales.

Our Local Bookstore

Here is the beautiful Westbourne Bookshop. The owners have just celebrated their first birthday and are working hard to create the perfect environment to shelter the work of the authors.

 

And look at what is on their shelves. My own novel Silencio.

 

 

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The Power of a Recommendation

I recently received a lovely review on http://www.amazon.com from a reader who learned about my novel while she was flying home to the States from the UK. Apparently the passenger in the adjacent seat was reading Silencio and she recommended it so this reader downloaded it on to her Kindle.

I love this story as it does not rely on marketing or publicity or arm twisting and therefore, gives me a great feeling of pride as an author of a book that someone wants to read.