99 cents Indie Hoopla! - Day #3

Welcome readers to our first Indie Hoopla event. For eight days, Jan 15 - 22, you'll get introduced to authors every single day who are sharing their worlds and stories for only 99 cents!

Not only will you get awesome reads, but, for each book you purchase, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card or $10.00 gift card from the Book Depository (international readers).

All you have to do is forward a copy of the receipt(s) for the books purchased to indiehoopla (at) yahoo (dot) com. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 24. A master list of all participating authors can be found HERE. Now, let's get this party started!

Click on the Author's name to visit their website and see the full list of novels
that are on sale for the Indie Hoopla.

Let's welcome today's authors!

FEATURED Michael Charton You know Sherlock Holmes, the worlds greatest consulting detective. You know John Watson, his friend and chronicler. You know Dr. Moriarty, the Napoleon of Crime. Or do you? The story of a boy formed by the horrors of the Irish Famine who grows up to be a Criminal Genius. ~~~~****~~~~

FEATURED Phyllis Campbell No Way Out – Catherine Martin is trapped. Either she wed an elderly man and commit to a marriage without love, or continue living with the father who believes her guilty of murder and one foot outside the asylum. Catherine picks marriage to the Duke of Ashton, Grant Fielding. However, when she stays with the Fielding family before the wedding, she doesn’t plan on falling in love…with Grant’s nephew, Nicholas. Destined for a lonely life – Nicholas Fielding loves his uncle’s soon-to-be bride, and has loved her since they were children. Now Nick must choose between his dying uncle's last wish to marry, and the woman who will make Nick happy for the rest of his life. No matter how hard Nick tries, he cannot stop his love for Catherine. A flurry of accidents begins to happen around the Fielding estate and soon all accusing eyes turn to Catherine. When accidents escalate to murder, suspicions expound and even Catherine’s father believes she’s gone mad. Does Nick love her enough to discover the truth?

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99 cents Indie Hoopla! - Day #2

Welcome readers to our first Indie Hoopla! event. For a full week, Jan 15 - 22, you'll get introduced to authors every single day who are sharing their worlds and stories for only 99 cents! Not only will you get awesome reads, but, for each book you purchase, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card or $10.00 gift card from the Book Depository (international readers).

All you have to do is forward a copy of the receipt(s) for the books purchased to indiehoopla (at) yahoo (dot) com. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 24. A master list of all participating authors can be found HERE.

Click on the Author's name to visit their website and see the full list of novels
that are on sale for the Indie Hoopla.

Let's welcome today's authors!

FEATURED R.M. Garcia Donnie aimlessly drifted through the past year of his life, and often wondered if it was worth the effort to just keep trying. The events of the past year had left him near broken. That all changed the moment Abbie walked into his life. She was like an angel sent to lift up his soul from the darkness it now existed in. For a moment his future seemed brighter with her in his life, and he started to believe he could be happy. They never expected how much their lives would change once they are dragged into another world. A world of shadows which within exists a society hidden in plain sight; a world wroth with danger, where they aren't welcomed at all. They are forced into this world of Vampires, where then find themselves little more than orphans, nothing more than Foundlings from the start. Donnie and Abbie now find their love and faith tested to their very limits, while someone or something else watches, waits and hopes. ~~~~****~~~~

FEATURED Angel Miriam was in love with her best friend. Will her love be able to penetrate the poison and ill content another woman has placed in his heart? Or will she be forever 'Falling In'?

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99 cents Indie Hoopla! - Day #1

Welcome readers to our first Indie Hoopla event. For eight days, Jan 15 - 22, you'll get introduced to authors every single day who are sharing their worlds and stories for only 99 cents!

Not only will you get awesome reads, but, for each book you purchase, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card or $10.00 gift card from the Book Depository (international readers).

All you have to do is forward a copy of the receipt(s) for the books purchased to indiehoopla (at) yahoo (dot) com. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 24. A master list of all participating authors can be found HERE. Now, let's get this party started!

Click on the Author's name to visit their website and see the full list of novels
that are on sale for the Indie Hoopla.

Let's welcome today's authors!

FEATURED BRENDA COTHERN Roni is the head bartender at the Tampa nightclub Shadows. All she wants is to date normal humans as she brings enough baggage to the table as a changer. However, when her past comes calling and she kills her tormentor once and for all, what she thought she knew about her new lovers turns out to be a lie. Surviving the punishment for her crime is the easy part but can she accept what her lovers are? Author Note: Contains adult sexual content, including m/m and BDSM practices.

FEATURED MARIE HIGGINS Switching roles and the pursuit of freedom come together in the hunt to discover who can be trusted and who is really the traitor during the Colonial times. Mercedes Maxwell’s sister’s last wish was for Mercedes to find evidence against Kat’s husband, William Braxton, and have him hung as a traitor to the crown. Mercedes isn’t naïve when it comes to capturing traitors, because her own deceased husband had once been an agent for the King when they lived in England. When she meets William Braxton for the first time, all is not as it seems. Portraying her twin, Mercedes knows this is the only way to get close enough to William to discover his secrets. What she finds along the way are little surprises she hadn’t counted on, especially when she begins to give her heart to a man who may be a spy against the crown.

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Coming Jan 15 - 22: First Ever Huge Indie Author Event

I have to admit to being very excited about the upcoming 99 cents Indie Hoopla Event. It will be your chance to meet indie authors and grab some awesome reads for the lovely price of $0.99.

All genres, fiction and non-fiction are being represented. Visit the websites, see the books and buy the books. Show that indie love.

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Hello 2012!

A new year is here and, as usual, so are resolutions, changes and improvements in the world of the indie author.

Improvements have been made to this blog including a resource for writers page, pages promoting indie authors and their novels, giveaways and freebies page as well as how to register to be on our talk show.

We hope to make this year a great one for you. Happy writing to all and let the indie publishing begin.

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KDP Select and Indie Publishing

(This is a repost from My Inner Muse Blog by indie author Lakisha Spletzer)

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I've been contemplating this for several days now as I tried to weigh all angles of this rather interesting program being offered by Amazon.

Here's what the Kindle Digital Publishing newsletter had to say about the program:

"KDP Select is a new option dedicated to KDP authors and publishers worldwide, featuring a fund of $500,000 in December 2011 and at least $6 million in total for 2012, giving you a new way to earn royalties, reach a broader audience, and use a new set of promotional tools.

Here’s how it works: When you make any of your titles exclusive to the Kindle Store for at least 90 days, those with US rights will automatically be included in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and can earn a share of a monthly fund. The monthly fund for December 2011 is $500,000 and will total at least $6 million in 2012. You’ll also have access to a new set of promotional tools, starting with the option to promote your KDP Select-enrolled titles for FREE for up to 5 days every 90 days.

You can immediately enroll books in KDP Select by visiting the KDP website, where you can also access detailed reporting on the number of borrows for each enrolled title. KDP Select is available for titles participating in both the 70% and 35% royalty programs."

At first, this seems like a good thing, right? I mean, who doesn't want a piece of that pie. However, when you visit the KDP site and read through the FAQ section, you learn that it's not as easy as all that. I decided to break it down for my fellow indie authors and unpublished authors who are considering using the program.

#1) You have to enroll into the program. It is not an automatic thing. If you are a current KDP member, you have to go through your dashboard and select ENROLL. However, there is a catch which leads us to...

#2) If you have your title(s) selling anywhere else (PubIt, Google Books, Smashwords, I-store, etc), you have to remove them for the 90 days that you are enrolled with KDP Select. Why? Simply put, KDP Select has an "exclusivity" clause that mandates your title remain for 90 days and not be sold anywhere else, INCLUDING your website/blog. This is for DIGITAL(EBOOK) format only. If you have your title(s) in paperback or audiobook format, you can still sell that way.

#3) While your title(s) is/are enrolled, readers can still buy via Amazon's websites. That means you are still making royalty on your Kindle sales.

#4) The most eye catching part of the above KDP Select offer is your chance to get a piece of the rather large monthly fund. Now,  if you visit the website, this is the example they use to show you how much you might make in one month:

"Your share of the Kindle Owners' Lending Library Fund is calculated based on a share of the total number of qualified borrows of all participating KDP titles. For example, if the monthly fund amount is $500,000 and the total qualified borrows of all participating KDP titles is 100,000 in December and if your book was borrowed 1,500 times, you will earn 1.5% (1,500/100,000 = 1.5%), or $7,500 in December."

What does that mean? Simply put, unless your book is borrowed a lot, you won't see such a high return during a month. The other downside is the more titles enrolled in the program that month that are borrowed, the less percentage you'll earn.

As an indie author you have to weigh this against what you could potentially make having your title(s) in all the other ebook retailer stores.

I'm personally still debating about whether to enroll some of my future works. I'm not going to do it for any that I have published and available right now. Only time will tell if this idea is a good one or not.

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New Blog Section

I'm happy to announce the addition of a Freebies page. On this page you will find links to indie authors who have some / all of their work for free.

Go ahead give them a try.

Freebies Page

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Support Four Debut Authors and Snag $125!

Support Four Debut Authors and Snag $125!

Four books

Two Days

Great Prizes

With this contest, there is something for everyone and it’s SO simple to be in on the winning!

On November 28 and/or 29, purchase 1 or all 4 of the debut author’s books listed here. Then forward proof of purchase (the receipt Amazon sends you will do just fine) to : motionsrider@yahoo.ca and get up to 4 entries into a draw for a $100 Amazon gift card!

It’s that easy, no reviews, no hoops to jump through. Just a great .99 book or two. Or three or four. AND, if the person who wins the $100 Amazon Gift Card has purchased all 4 books, an additional $25 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to the winner!

On top of that, 2 random commenter’s picked from 2 of our participating blogs will receive $5 gift Amazon gift cards . So, be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think of the promo, the books, or the authors.

Winners will be chosen randomly, one entry per person, per book.

All winners will be announced on December 7^th on Wringing Out Words (http://shannonmayer.blogspot.com)

“Between” by Cyndi Tefft 

It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile, and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Between-ebook/dp/B004XZUMBA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190792&sr=1-1

“Until Dawn: Last Light” by Jennifer Simas  

When darkness falls, whose side will you be on?

For the past six years, Zoë has been anything but “normal.” Struggling to accept her immortality and thrown into a war that’s been waging in the shadows for over a thousand years, Zoë must now become who she was meant to be, joining the other Chosen to save what’s left of humanity. When the endless night falls over the Earth, will she be able to save the one man who reminds her of what it is to be human, or will it be too late?

Until Dawn: Last Light is a story of death and despair, love and longing, hope and hopelessness, and the ability to survive and keep going even when it seems impossible – when you want nothing more than to give up.

Link- http://www.amazon.com/Until-Dawn-Last-Light-ebook/dp/B005QUIXJY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190717&sr=1-1

“The Kayson Cycle” by Jonathan D. Allen

A stranger enters a dying town and makes a desperate plea…

The Kayson Cycle introduces the Kayson Brothers, a pair of faith healers who once wowed crowds in a traveling show but went their separate ways after a night in which a healing took a dark turn. Jeffrey Kayson disappeared into the wilderness and William Kayson, wracked by guilt, moved to the failing mining town of Calico Hills to build a nice, quiet life – one that has lasted for over ten years.

His quiet, predictable life crumbles when a mysterious stranger walks into his tavern bearing a proposal to find his long-lost brother and do the one thing that William has sworn to never do again - have his brother heal a woman. William soon learns that he can’t escape his family – or his destiny.

Includes an exclusive sample chapter of The Corridors of the Dead. Please note that this is a Kindle Single, and around 6,000 words in length.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Kayson-Cycle-ebook/dp/B0061FDUA0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190892&sr=1-1

“Sundered” by Shannon Mayer

A miracle drug, Nevermore, spreads like wildfire throughout the world allowing people to eat what they want, and still lose weight. It is everything the human population has ever dreamed of and Mara is no different. Only a simple twist of fate stops her from taking Nevermore.

As the weeks roll by, it becomes apparent that Nevermore is not the miracle it claimed. A true to life nightmare, the drug steals the very essence that makes up humanity and unleashes a new and deadly species on the world that is bent on filling its belly. Locked down within their small farm home, Mara and her husband Sebastian struggle against increasingly bad odds, fighting off marauders and monsters alike.

But Sebastian carries a dark secret, one that more than threatens to tear them apart, it threatens to destroy them both and the love they have for each other.

Now Mara must make the ultimate choice. Will she live for love, or will she live to survive?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Sundered-Nevermore-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B005KOIVH0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315021535&sr=8-3

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$2.99, Higher or Lower, That Is The Question

(THIS IS A REPOST from a guest blog post I did for Adopt An Indie month)


When I debuted on the indie scene back in 2010, I was brimming with hope, joy and tons of ideas. I wanted to promote my work and get it out there to the readers who would enjoy it. I never imagined that there would be so much to consider. Everything–from formatting and designing my book cover, to marketing, to what to price my ebooks, all of those tasks seemed a bit daunting.

When I asked other indie authors what they were pricing their ebooks, the answers were varied and vague. No one could or was willing to give me a concrete answer. Finally, one author told me to experiment until I found pricing that worked for me.

Confused and a little bit perturbed by the whole situation, I stumbled across what would become my best guide for pricing my ebooks. The blog, “A Newbie’s Guide to Self-publishing” (http://jakonrath.blogspot.com), written and maintained by traditionally and indie published author, JA Konrath, opened my eyes to ebook pricing. So I decided to take a chance. I lowered my two novels down to $2.99 (Jewels was $4.99; Werelove Dusk Conspiracy was $5.99) and waited for the results.

Within one month of the price drop, my sales doubled. I was astounded. Could a lower price really be better? Then I decided to lower them to $1.99. Again, I saw immediate results as sales once again doubled. Finally, after being out a year, I dropped both books to $0.99 and watched my sales double.

Now, here I am, almost two years and four books later, and I have to say that for me, at least, the model is working. However, just when I thought I’d gotten into a groove, JA Konrath is throwing out another challenge in regards to pricing. Will I take it? Don’t know. Maybe if I can get my courage up. For the time being, I’m going to stick with what’s working.

I encourage you to try it for yourself. Don’t be afraid to go for it. You might be surprised with the results.

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NaNoWriMo: Why Do It?

NaNo, who? NaNoWriMo, what? Why?

Who and what is NaNoWriMo can be summed up as:

"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and, when the thing is done, the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children." --Taken from the NaNoWriMo Official Website

The why do it, is a different for everyone. Some do it for fun. Others do it to get their projects completed. Still others like the opportunity to get that idea from their brain to the page. Regardless of the reason, NaNoWriMo is a great chance to network, get support from fellow writers and let your creativity flow.

So turn off your inner editor and let your ready and willing writer out.

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