ReBlog – How important is social media if you’re a writer? A published author weighs in.

Facebook is about the only social media I use but I have accounts on other sites for fun.

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vaniamargene.com

I have a friend who constantly struggles with social media. She hates it, but not for the idea it’s a time-suck. For now we can all agree that with the JK Rowling stuff, the #publishingpaidme hashtag that’s gone crazy on Twitter, police brutality, COVID-19, and our president, things on social media are more than just a dumpster fire. It’s a raging, out-of-control forest fire. Think Australia. Really, let’s think about Australia since we haven’t heard anything about their fires in quite some time, but they’ll be dealing with damage control for years.

As a writer and author, we can agree that social media is a necessity. BUT as a writer and author, social media isn’t necessary in the way we’re told it is at the beginning of our careers. Namely, we need to be on social media to sell books. This is only partly true, and in the part of it that is true, it takes a lot of scrambling on our end to make it happen. In my 2020 predictions blog post from a few months back, I quoted Mark Coker (the founder of Smashwords) as saying that Amazon ads have stolen the writers’ platform. Why work for reach when you can buy it? Why work for reach when it’s EASIER to buy it? I know for the books I’ve sold in the past year, it’s due to buying ads on Amazon.

And yet. Is social media worthless?…

Go to the source to find out. – How important is social media if you’re a writer? A published author weighs in. – Vania Margene Rheault

ReBlog – Dear Indie ♥ A Journey in Self-Publishing

I’m excited to reblog this series of posts by A.C. Melody.

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image source: pinterest.com

Do you believe in paying it forward?  When you find something that knocks down hurdles for you, do you automatically share it with others who are struggling with the same obstacles in their life?  Good, me too!

That’s why I’ve decided that at least once a week, I’m going to try to post something helpful that I’ve discovered in my journey of becoming a self-published author for the first time.  You don’t have to use it, of course, but the resource is here if you need it.  This week, I’d like to talk about the 3 most important Indie’s you’ll ever want to know (aka The Indie Trinity: Editing, Cover Art, Marketing)…

Find the rest of her post here: Dear Indie ♥ A Journey in Self-Publishing – a.c.melodyblog.com

ReBlog – Headspace Writing Tips

I need background noise and no one talking to me.

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Whenever a writer sits down to write, it is crucial to be in the right headspace. Here is a list of things that you can do to get into the right HEADSPACE WRITING TIPS.

Here is a list of a few things that I do.

Clear My Head | Clear My Plate | Focus | Block out Writing Time (Respect Writing Time) | Remove Distractions | Music/Quiet | Daily Goal (Plan of attack)

Clear Head:

Before a writer can sit down to write, they have to have a clear head. They have to handle any daily business or anything on their mind. I know that if I have something on my mind, I need to address it. So if something is going to distract me from writing, I take care of it or schedule a time in my day to take care of it. I also give myself permission to work it out through my writing. Or I don’t allow something that is bothering me into my writer space. Until I have completed my writing session for the day, I shelf it. At that point, my head is clear, and I can then give writing my full attention…

Read the rest from the source: Headspace Writing Tips – Lexi Miles Author

Weekend Quotes

Borrowed from muffintop-less.tumblr.com

The Red Room by Kim Knight

DESCRIPTION:

Love and work does not mix, or does it?

The Red Room is book one of the Romance In The City novella series, of steamy and romantic standalone short stories, all set in vibrant fast paced cities around the world. Rita Lane lives a double life in her day job she’s a receptionist at the prestigious London Park Hotel. By night her adventures begin. As a thirty something year old woman she is content with her single status. Richard Clarkson a New York based guest at the London Park Hotel has firmly closed the door to romance, after a rocky marriage. As soon as Rita checks Richard into the hotel as a guest the sparks and electricity between the two begin.

After hours, the day before Valentine’s Day , their paths cross in an unexpected way. Rita and Richard’s desire for each other is on maximum …. will they cross the line to become more than just friends? Does love and work mix? The Red Room is a steamy short story set in London with diverse characters that will leave you wanting more from this series.

A few words from readers:

★★★★★ Something wonderful happens…

★★★★ A wonderfully steamy short story that hits all the right notes

★★★★ Immediate Attraction

Source:

Amazon

Author Spotlight: Kim Knight

Kim was born in 1983 and from London in the UK. She’s a mother to a beautiful little boy, an award winning romantic suspense and thriller author, and the #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author of 365 Days of Writing Prompts for Romance Writers, also The Art of Self-Editing for Writers. She’s also a best-selling author of an Unsolved Mysteries Series.  Kim started her journey as a traditionally published author and later dived into self-publishing also. She also contributes as a writer to Aspiring Authors LLC Magazine.

As a reader she’s head over heels in love with romance, historical fiction, crime fiction, African- American, suspense and thriller genre books. As a writer, Kim enjoys creating steamy stories with a diverse and multi-cultural line up, within the romance, romantic suspense and general thriller and crime genres. Her other passions include learning about astrology, numerology, esoteric subjects, all things ‘witchy and strange’ and spirituality. When she’s not reading, or writing stories of her own fashion, make-up artistry, spending time at her sewing machine dressmaking, watching make –up and beauty tutorials on YouTube, and being a mum are things she’s probably doing.

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Here’s a sample of her books.

Source: Amazon Author Page

ReBlog – 4 Invaluable Tips for Indie Authors

These are good tips.

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I began my indie author career as a creative outlet after I quit my job to raise my family.  In 2005 the only legitimate option an author had to get their book in a reader’s hands was to spend two years chasing a publisher and hoping against hope that someone would pick up your book. Rather daunting prospect after writing the book, right? I ignored that fact and kept plugging away at my novel, Stealing Time, until 2012 when I discovered the wonderful world of self-publishing as an indie (independent) author. Thank goodness times have changed.

Source: 4 Invaluable Tips for Indie Authors – JeriWB Word Bank

Reblog – WHY AUTHORS SHOULD CARE ABOUT COPYRIGHT

Good to know.

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Authors’ works are habitually plagiarized, infringed upon and otherwise exploited without their permission and without fair compensation. Just as frequently, authors who are ignorant of their rights are taken advantage of by unscrupulous publishers. Consider these real examples…

Source: WHY AUTHORS SHOULD CARE ABOUT COPYRIGHT by Stephen Fishman – Freelance Writing

Sketch is #FREE to download on #KINDLE March 21st – 23rd #NextChapterPub #slasher

This is a great buy any time!

Didi Oviatt -Author

Sketch is FREE to download today!! I love this slasher, it’s actually a rewrite of my very first novel. The book that made me fall in love with being an author! It’s gory, crazy and I’m absolutly obsessed with it!

HERE’s WHAT ITs ABOUT:

When local girl Misty is found dead in an underground bunker, the town is thrown into a whirlwind of panic and speculation. Times are tough, but the spaced-out farmer community pulls together as one, trying to uncover who’s guilty.

Thrown smack in the middle of the chaos is a group of teens: local troublemakers, but with good hearts. Although they’re innocent, the local law enforcers believe otherwise, and the true killer is lurking far too close for comfort.

Will the four be able to uncover the truth before one of them pays the price for Misty’s death?

DOWNLOAD NOW FOR FREE!!

Thanks for downloading, reviews are…

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ReBlog – What’s in a Name? 5 Authors and Their Pseudonyms

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There are many advantages to choosing a pseudonym. Sometimes, what you write might not get published because of the author’s reputation. Other times, the author just wants their privacy. But it can also be a way for famous authors to test whether or not they are still writing as well as they used to, or if they are past their prime. Whatever the reason, the amount of authors who have used pen names may surprise you.Here are just five famous authors and the fascinating stories behind their pseudonyms!

Source: What’s in a Name? 5 Authors and Their Pseudonyms – The Writer’s Circle

Weekend Quotes

Borrowed from Andrea Safford

Author Spotlight: Brickley Jules by Host Lexi Miles

Author Spotlight: Brickley Jules

Hey there Heart Babies!

Although I haven’t done an author spotlight in a while I am delighted to do this one because she’s one of my favorite authors.

Today I am excited to welcome romance author Brickley Jules.

Hi Brickley, let’s start with…

What genre(s) do you write? 

-Contemporary Women’s Fiction & Erotica

What is one fun fact that some people might not know about you? 

-I’m a little bit crafty and I can quilt.

Can you please share your book titles?

Continue reading here: LexiMilesAuthor.

His Frozen Heart by Vania Rheault

DESCRIPTION:

Mitch has given up on love . . . until he meets her.

Burned in a horrific accident, he never believed he could find a woman who would see past his scars.

But she makes him face more than just his fears of a broken heart.Is he brave enough to do what it takes to keep her love?

Callie hides her secrets . . . she’s afraid if Mitch discovers them, he won’t want her.

When their relationship turns too hot to handle, she’ll have to decide if it’s time to fight fire with fire, or if it’s time to walk away before she gets burned.

Source:

Amazon

Author Spotlight: Vania Rheault

Photo credit Avi Shah Photography. https://www.facebook.com/AviShahPhotography/

Vania Rheault was born in Fort Frances, Ontario but has lived in Minnesota all her life. She moved from International Falls, MN to Moorhead, MN to go to school and she majored in English with a concentration in creative writing. She graduated from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, in 2003. She also obtained an Associate’s of Science degree from the Minnesota State Community and Technical College, also located in Moorhead, MN, in 2015. When her career in Human Resources didn’t take off, she returned to her first love, writing. She published On the Corner of 1700 Hamilton in the summer of 2016. Since then she’s been writing whenever she can while working full-time at Minnesota Relay, CSD, as a typist for the deaf and hard of hearing.

When she isn’t online participating in social media, or writing, you can find her spending time with her children, shopping for new books, or researching the self-publishing industry while snuggling with her three cats.

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Check out her work.

Source: Vania Margene Rheault

ReBlog – Three Ways to Make Your Story Pull Readers In from the First Page

As a reader I want to be grabbed from the beginning and kept interested until the end.

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Readers often tell me that my books draw them in from the first few sentences.  This is of course a very pleasant thing to hear, but it’s also no accident—I’ve spent many years refining my technique and learning various ways to quickly engage the reader.  For the benefit of other authors who are learning the basics, I thought I would write a blog post and discuss a few of these techniques in detail.  While I admit it takes practice and finesse to execute them well, the methods are simple enough and can be learned by anyone who aspires to write more engaging fiction.

Source: Mike Wells Official Website: Three Ways to Make Your Story Pull Readers In from the First Page