The All Important Book Blurb (It Makes "Em Buy Your Book)

As I head into the final stages of preparing my next novel for print, I begin thinking about my book blurb.  The blurb is the product description (Amazon) or Overview (B&N), and the words that are on the back cover of an actual book.

Make no mistake, an indie author cannot take the blurb lightly.  It is the thing that will make readers decide if they will purchase your book or not.  The story itself must be great, or people won't buy another book from you.  The cover must be great, because that compels readers to look at the blurb. But the blurb?  That baby had better sing, and sing well.  It can't be too long, but it has to grab their attention. 

Think of it as advertising.  That is really what it is.  After over 20 years in adverstising sales, I can tell you that a good ad gets a customer (reader) to take action.  That is ALL it does.  It does not tell them the story. It does not give them all of the facts.  It simply gets them excited.  Like a carnival barker.

Readers don't want you to take up much of their time with the blurb.  If you don't capture them quickly, you lose them.  If you capture them, but then start blabbing on and on about the story (which they can get if they read the free sample), they will grow impatient.

Why should they buy it?  What is mesmerizing about it?  Hook them.  Pull them in.  They will then either buy (if it sounds like something they would enjoy) or read the free sample (if they are online and not quite sure yet).  The free sample is where your great novel steps in.  If the novel sucks in the first couple of chapters, they walk away.

The blurb is the romance.  It is the candy and flowers; the violins and promises.  The blurb damn well better get them to take positive action, or you will get caught holding the ring in your hand.

I write the first draft of the blurb several days before I need it.  The first draft will suck.  That gotten out of the way, I can now hone it off and on other the next few days.  My gut tells me when it is ready. 

I have the "suck" draft on my computer right now.  It is being worked on constantly in the back of my mind, even though I have no idea what my mind is deciding.  I will attack it again today at least once. 

The words will come together and it will sing.  I will once again be ready to make romance to the readers.  I will hope that they like my choice of flowers; my box of candy. I don't want to have to keep this "ring" for myself.  My book is like a precious gem to me. I want others to "wear" it.

Indie Publishing Means Play It Again, Sam!

If you are considering publishing your first book as an indie author, or if you have just published your first indie book, you are probably hoping that you will be an exception to the rule and your book will sell like green beer on St. Patricks Day.  We all have that dream.  It is good to believe that your book is great.

However, in reality, that seldom happens.  Many books don't sell at all.  Certain genres are more popular than others. Some people just don't have many friends that buy their books and help get the word out. But, most importantly, your book just does not get seen by many people.  It gets buried very quickly after coming out as a new release.

I have already blogged about how important book reviews are.  The more reviews you get, the better chances you have that your book will be recommended on Amazon and B&N as a "customers who bought this item also bought" book.  You don't need all 4 and 5 stars, either.  It is great to get 5 star reviews, but when a book has 20 5 stars and no others, it appears that the reviews were "fixed" somehow.  So, don't worry if you get a few 3 star reviews.  3 is a bit better than average anyhow!  Even one or two 2 and 1 stars won't hurt, as long as they are fair.  Sometimes, what one person hates in a book is what another person is looking for. Lower reviews can also show you if you are weak in certain writing areas.  Then, you can improve.

However, even when you get lots of reviews and use social media to the best of your ability, chances are you are not going to make livable income (or part time livable income) from your first book.  You are a new author and people are skeptical. Are you going to write one book and fade away, never to be seen again?  Why should they invest emotionally in you only to be left in the dust?  This is especially true for a series.  On one hand, readers LOVE a series.  On the other hand, that first book in the series by a new author may sit there without selling.  People are afraid to read the first in a series because, again, what if you don't continue to write?  They will be left with an incomplete story.

The most important thing you as an indie need to do is: do it again. Write and release the second book.  Then, the third.  Get the picture?  I received a comment from another author yesterday who said the same thing.  Just keep going.  Always look forward.  You must keep putting quality books out, doing your marketing and showing people that you are here to stay.

The odd thing is that, from what I have been told, your first book starts selling more with each book that comes out.  That is if you are writing interesting books, of course.  This is true even if your books are not a series.  People who buy each new book are not necessarily that same ones who bought book 1.  If they like what they read, they will look for other books by you.

To recap, put out your best possible work, get a compelling cover, write a dynamic blurb (book description), do your marketing and get reviews...and then you simply have to play it again, Sam.  Play it over and over, creating new, exciting stories and showing the reading world that you are here to stay.

Happy writing!  I need to get busy. Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny is  almost ready.  Book 3 wants me to hurry up, stretch my fingers, and play it again.  The melody has been started and it is dying to become a full out symphony.

Giving Birth To A New Book (Indlie Publishing)

When I released my first novel as an indie author, it was extremely exciting!  It was also very stressful.  I had never formatted a novel for Kindle or NOOK before.  I wasn't even considering paperback...just getting the darn thing ready for e-readers seemed an impossible climb.

I was surprised when it went smoothly.  Sure, I had questions.  However, the community boards with KDP really helped me.  Before I knew it, I had Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream released to Amazon.com for Kindle and Barnes&Noble.com for NOOK.

Dare I think about a print on demand paperback?  Since I had several friends who did not have e-readers, I decided to give it a try.  Plus, I wanted to hold my own book in my hands.  I used Createspace.  I am not going to lie and say it was easy.  It wasn't.  I am not at all left brained.  Several times I almost gave up. But, again, the community board with Createspace was always there, helping me with answers to my problems and the resulting questions. 
Before I knew it, I was holding a proof paperback in my hand.  No, it was not easy.  But it was not as hard as you might fear.

Now it is time to release my second book, Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny.  I am 5/6 of the way through the out loud reading.  I am half done with the final tweaks.  There will be one read through after that.  I am on schedule for a release by December 15th or so.  I really want to make sure it is out there getting exposure as a new release for travelers over the holidays and people unwrapping new e-readers over the holidays.

The cover has been decided on, Robin Ludwig Design has finished it, and I have the files on my computer.  The cover is beautiful! It is starting to go into labor.  I still have to write the synopsis, or the blurb.  Then, it will be time to fomat.

Stress is building.  But, this time, the excitement far outweighs the stress.  This time, I know I can do it.  I have done it before.  Plus, truth be told, I kept the answers from those questions I submitted on the different community boards.  If I run into those problems again, I have solutions at my fingertips.

The labor will last a couple of weeks yet (thank God humans are not in labor that long!) before the book is "birthed".  All that is left are the final preparations so that the book can come into the publishing world knowing it is loved by me and that all of it's needs have been taken care of so far.

Once it is born, there will be more work.  All of the marketing starts once again.  Social networking.  Asking bloggers and reviewers to read and review it.  Hoping friends and previous buyers purchase this one.  But, this too will be easier.  I know what to do now.  I have contacts for reviews from my first book. This baby will be well taken care of. 

Finally, what I have to hope for is that others will love it as much as I do.  I would really hate to see it sit on the sidelines, an outcast.  I love it too much for that to not hurt.  It will be nurtured and guided to the best of my ability.  The rest will be up to the public.

Thankful For Self Publishing Becoming "Normal"!

Before I take a break from blogging for the holiday weekend, I wanted to say that, as an indie author, I am very thankful that self publishing has moved "out of the shadows" and into mainstream.

Because of kindle direct publishing (amazon.com), pubit (barnes&nobles.com), smashwords, lulu, and createspace, there is now a plethora of good reads for under $5.00.  Yes, I agree that there are still a good number of poorly edited books in the indie arena.  Still, more and more, we are seeing good reads that are decently edited by indie authors. It is wonderful to be able to pick up a good read without having to take out a second mortgage!

As an indie author myself, I am thankful for the freedom self publishing has given me.  No more do I have to bow to the moods of a publisher.  My book does not have to sit for months on someones "desk", waiting to be read.  No more do I have to wonder if they even read more than two sentences before saying "thanks, but no thanks".  I know my book is a great read.  My gut is sure of it. It does not matter anymore that they don't have time, or feel a genre is too saturated, or feel that a genre is not popular.  I can write it, publish it and then (to a large extent) control the destiny of my work. 

The only thing I can't control is if readers buy it, after I have done my best at marketing.  After doing everything possible to market my work, I still have to rely on some luck.  Still, the same would be true it I had gone the traditional route.  If I am going to end up relying on luck anyway, why not take care of my 'baby" myself instead of depending on others to "raise" it?

Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream has done "ok" for a first book. Gastien sells copies weekly.  It should do even better when Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny comes out.  By Part 3, I will know if Gastien is as loved by others as by me.

If you are thinking about self publishing, don't hesitate.  You will find it fun, challenging, rewarding, frustrating, and very much worth your time.  You will find people to help you every step of the way at the sites I mentioned above. 

You know that book that keeps knocking around in your head?  Why not make a new year's resolution early this year?  How about commiting to writing that book and getting it out where readers can enjoy it, too?  You have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain in knowledge, sense of accomplishment, and-perhaps-in some additional income. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Travel safe, eat lots...and find some time to read!

Fun Blog/Site Interviews Fictional Characters

This is a very unique blog today.  I had so much fun that I just had to share!

I need to tell everyone about this cool site called The Plot.  "Where All The Characters Are" is their tag line.  Here is their url: http://theplotline.wordpress.com/

This site gives authors a chance to first introduce their book, a synopsis, excerpt, and author bio one day.  The next day an interview with one of the characters in their book is featured.  The character can be interviewed by the author, by another character in the book, or by "Rose" from the site itself.

What fun it is to read interviews by fictional characters!  It gives authors a chance to show off a favorite character from their book and offers them the opportunity to have a little creative fun. Indie authors should take advantage of this opportunity to promote their work!

Today, the main character from my first book is interviewed.  Go see Gastien Beauchamp's interview and, if you would be so kind, leave him a comment.  I would love to help drive ever more traffic to this unique site!  Jaime deserves to see a lot of action there for her efforts.

While you are there, check out other character interviews. You just might be intrigued to buy a few new reads. 

Don't stop visiting after today.  Mark this site as a favorite and check in every once in awhile. After all, it IS the place where "all the characters are"!

Book Bloggers & Reviewers Need To Edit, Too.

Today I can blogging about book bloggers and reviewers.We indie authors love book bloggers and reviewers.  Their reviews are very important to us, especially if we are indies.  We provide our books at no cost in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.  We don't pay for those reviews. (At least you shouldn't.  How fair is a paid review?).  But, we do expect to be able to use snippets of those reviews for marketing our books.

Let me stop to say that MOST reviewers and book bloggers do a very good job.  They are careful to present a well written review.  But, as more people join the book blogging arena, I see quality slipping. Are some people pretending to be book bloggers so that they can get free books?

How disappointing it is to get a great review, only to see that it is filled with misspelled words, poor grammar and poor use of punctuation.  How do you use a quote like "He don't want to.." or sentences with "by" instead of "be", commas instead of periods, and sentences that don't start with a capital letter?  Hey, I can even forgive one mistake.  They get by all of us.  But all of these things in a two paragraph review?

Here is the unfortunate part: While the kind words can still help us, what these bloggers don't realize is that is makes THEM look bad.  If they want people to come to their blogs and read their reviews, they need to show professionalism.  And, while the words help us authors some, the review does not hold the credence it should.  It is hard for readers to believe that the review was done by a professional.

Professionalism means that you know the difference between "does" and "don't", a comma and a period, and that you use spellcheck!  Spellcheck will not catch the "does" and "don't" or (usually) the poor use of punctuation...but it WILL catch a word spelled wrong. If you are not a good speller, type out your review in Word first and use spellcheck.  Then check for wrong words spelled right and change it to the right word.  Check punctuation!  There are many good sources for punctuation online.  Please, bookmark them and use them if you are unsure of punctuation.  Punctuation is not abstract art.

While we indies are very grateful to people who review our book, we wait for weeks or months for that review to appear.  If we have presented you with a well edited book, could you please take the time to do the same with your review?  And, please...keep in mind that one or two misspelled words in 500 pages is a whole lot different than one or two misspelled words in two paragraphs. 

Both parties should do their best.  Please don't rush to get your reviews out, ending up with a posting that looks like a junior high drop out wrote it. 

Also, if you are a book blogger or reviewer posting a review on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or other websites, please include name of your blog with your name.  That way people know that the review was indeed impartial instead of done by a friend.  "Cathy" does not have the same impact as "Cathy from Book Lovers".

Reviews should be worded a little differently for each site, or else Amazon pulls the review down.

If you are a book blogger or reviewer, please understand that I am not ungrateful.  Truly, the only reason this post should upset you is if you are guilty of submitting poorly edited reviews.  I don't like editing, either. Still, I understand that editing means the difference between being taken seriously or not, being successful or not.  The same is true for you.

I want to see you succeed and become a blog or review site with hudnreds, or even thousands, of readers.  That helps you and it helps me.  The only way to become that successful is to offer quality product. Please don't just slap together a few reviews in a haphazard fashion and call yourself a reviewer so you can get free books.  Authors work too hard for that.