Novel Authors and Publishers

Comment

Comment by Shawn Lamb on September 1, 2011 at 1:17pm

If you live in or near the Atlanta area, come to the Decatur Book Festival! On Saturday bring the kids to the ALLON Books booth to meet Shannan, heroine of Allon. Get a free 5x7 picture of Shannan & Torin with the purchase of 4 books in the series.

http://www.allonbooks.com

Comment by Tracy Krauss on August 30, 2011 at 9:49pm

Part Four of my series on 'Creating a Writing Schedule' is up: http://www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.com/2011/08/to-do-list-crea...

Check it out and leave a comment!

Comment by Shawn Lamb on August 30, 2011 at 7:06am

Pictures say a thousand words - so take a peek at the ALLON promotional photoshoot "Shannan & Torin".  Yes, that is a real wolf in the pictures.

http://laurenathalia.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/allon-book-series-pro...

Comment by Robert Grand on August 27, 2011 at 7:22am

The world is suffering from the effects of out-of-control terrorism. Governments are spending huge amounts of precious capital for the safety and security of air and rail transportation as well as inspections at all sea ports.  The global economic effect is crippling; countries struggle to manage commerce, international trade, business growth, job creation and tourism. The world’s economy is on the brink of collapse.

 

The Global Defense Organization ^TM (GDO) has been created to be a cost effective multinational elite group that monitors, infiltrates and eliminates terrorist activities within all supporting countries. Known only as Reaper Two-Six, this secret 48 member squadron has quickly earned a reputation for precisely eliminating terrorist threats, in the air and on the ground.

 

Why did China and Columbia oppose the creation of the GDO?  Are they connected to global terrorist cells?  Are they secretly financing the sale of weapons?

 

The Reaper’s greatest challenge is now upon them; infiltrate China and Columbia to discover their real intentions. Through a series of electrifying and heart-stopping missions, the Reapers use their skills and advanced technology to put fear back where it belongs - in the minds of the terrorists, not in the minds of its citizens.

 

The Rise of Global Insurgency kicks off in the highly trained black-ops squadron's fifth year of operations. Showcasing fast-paced action, suspense and drama, along with utilizing state-of-the-art technology, exhilarating combat sequences, believable, hard-edged characters and a fresh, inventive plot, this new military fiction is a must read for fans of the genre.

Comment by Shawn Lamb on August 26, 2011 at 5:15am

Susan, my opinion in the based research and experience. It's not so much author's paying for reviews that is the problem, nor questioning the honesty of those giving the reviews - whether paid or unpaid. Rather the fact of not declaring that these are really 'paid ads' and using them as if they are unsolicited and unscripted.

 

Amazon & Google are cracking down on this. Google expressly prohibits the used of 'paid reviews' calling them misleading and misrepresenting and will remove them from any violating site.

 

That is the issue - how these 'paid reviews' are being used to lure customers and readers.

Comment by Susan Fleet on August 25, 2011 at 6:30pm

Shawn, I'm not sure I agree with your opinion of "paid" reviews, not entirely anyway. Paying for a review is no guarantee of a positive review. And indie authors have little chance of getting unpaid reviews. Sites that charge for reviews, and yes I used 2 of them, clearly state that the reviewer is not obligated to write a positive review. Personally, I think it's probably less dishonest of writers to pay for a review than to write their own review and ask others to publish them on amazon. Yes, many authors do this. But in the end, it comes down to the reader. Kindle and Nook allow free sample downloads. If you read the sample and it sucks, you just don't buy the book! Of course, some people will read anything, just as some people love eating at MacDonald's. I'm not one of them.

Comment by Shawn Lamb on August 25, 2011 at 6:00am

Book Review Quandary - how paid reviews, sabotage and some bloggers are hurting the process. http://bitly.com/hfiJoj

Comment by Shawn Lamb on August 22, 2011 at 5:27am

Honest Reviews? An author's take on the high-pressure push to gather reviews. http://bitly.com/hfiJoj

Comment by Shawn Lamb on August 15, 2011 at 12:58pm

Neil, you're right about taking time, but that doesn't necessarily disqualify an author. Personally, I studied for years before the first book in my series was traditionally published. When they surprised me and my agent by passing, I chose to do the rest of the series. If you include working in Hollywood as a screenwriter, I have been through 'the ringer' as you say.

 

The latest book I'm planning to put out this year - a Christian historical fiction -  was written before the fantasy series and went through the hands of several major publishers, before each contract fell through for one reason or another.  Unlike some new authors, I know and understand the traditional side and went that route first.

 

Each author has their own story about how and why they came to the decision of self-publishing. Don't discount them simply based upon your own perception of what is mature and what isn't.

Comment by Neil Ostroff on August 15, 2011 at 12:13pm

How many books should you publish at once?

 

     I’ve been publishing about a book every three months for the last two years. But it’s only in the last six months that I’ve published my stuff electronically on Kindle and Smashwords, and started heavy marketing and promotion on the internet. Now, you’ve got to understand, these are books that I’ve written over the course of twenty years. They have been through countless edits and critiques by friends and professionals. All have been through the ringer with good agents and powerful publishers. I’ve taken these people’s comments and suggestions over years and years of submissions and incorporated them into my books. Therefore, I believe, when I’m putting a book out there that it is the best it can be.

     What concerns me about this new era of author’s taking control of their own destinies, is the author who puts out three, four, and I’ve even seen five books on Kindle all at once. Now, I admire an author who can be so prolific, but I must admit that in my own mind, I perceive those books as not having matured. Now, I could be wrong. Like my own huge stash of completed manuscripts, these books may have taken years to write and perfect, and the author is releasing a cache of wonderful material. But how many authors are? Being able to publish and sell you work so easily may eliminate the time and gestation period a good, raw manuscript needs to mature; like a fine wine or aged cheese. I also wonder how an author can promote so many works at once and be successful at it?

     Though I do have six books on the market right now, I’ve put out each one individually and marketed it for the following months until I feel a new book is needed. Since I have several more completed manuscripts I will continue this approach and urge other authors to do the same. Why flood the market with your stuff all at once? Make your fans anticipate your next book. I’m marketing my romance thriller DROP OUT right now, but my next novel, a middle grade sci/fi fantasy called INSECTLAND is also complete but I’m not putting it out for at least two months. For those who read and enjoy my books, you’ll just have to wait to read it.

Please check out my available books.   

 

TIM MADISON GALACTIC WARRIOR
http://www.amazon.com/Madison-Galactic-Warrior-Neil-Ostroff/dp/0595...
FROSTPROOF
http://www.amazon.com/FROSTPROOF-N-D-Ostroff/dp/1450251439/ref%3Dsr...
DEGENERATES
http://www.amazon.com/Degenerates-N-D-Ostroff/dp/1440173028/ref%3Ds...
PULP
http://www.amazon.com/PULP-novella-N-D-Ostroff/dp/1462001750/ref=sr...
AFTER
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050Q8D8U

DROP OUT

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U

 

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 38
• 39
• 40
• 41
• 42
• …
• 96
• Next ›
• Page