#ReadMe - Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green - #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. Here is an excerpt from my third book Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), where our reluctant witch Jessica has had a run-in with the alpha werewolf and her wayward animal familiar. As always, the vampires are never far behind when they sense trouble brewing…

I gasped when I found Marcus Scott standing before me.  He was staring at me with interest, his silvery-blue eyes full of curiosity and intrigue.  His skin was pale, and I could see his fangs protruding when he smiled.  I didn’t know whether to smile or snarl at him, given our interaction only a few hours ago.  I was definitely angry.  This whole sorry mess was his fault.

“Why are you here, Marcus?” I asked moodily.

He dropped into a squat before me, staring intently at my face.  I knew that he was trying to decide whether to touch me or not.  I moved away from him, struggling to stand up but making it clear he was not welcome when he reached out to help me.

“I came to see Jack,” Marcus replied, “What happened here?”

He straightened up as I stood, and he gestured to the room.  I realised he could sense the energy that still lingered, and maybe he had seen Jack and Danny.  I wasn’t sure. 

“You,” I said, “That’s what happened.”

“Ah,” he said, “You refer to our liaison earlier.  That was not entirely my fault, Jessica.”

If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping! 

 

Where to Sell Your Books #amwriting

Since the world of Indie publishing became established in recent years, we are seeing a rise in online book sales and a sad demise of independent high street booksellers. I am very upset to find bookshops so few and far between in the UK, although some of my favourite second hand shops still keep on going. I don’t believe they will ever die out because there is a dedicated following of readers like myself who will support them to the bitter end. And so it should be.

There is no denying that Internet sales of books are the way to go when you are an Indie author. If you choose to self publish, whether the reason is because you can’t find an agent or publisher, or you simply want the creative freedom to do it yourself, you have to sell your books online. The remaining chainstore bookshops here in the UK are loath to take on unknown authors. They prefer to accept sponsorship from the big publishers and promote celebrity names that come with their own ready-made audience and fan base. It is a simple fact of economics.

 

That leaves us poor mortals fighting tooth and nail to be seen, heard, and above all, read, by the market that will be the biggest influencers in social circles. Probably the main supporter of Indie authors has been Amazon, closely followed by Smashwords, for Internet sales. Both websites offer the author a chance to upload their work as an eBook, and on Amazon you can include paperback books for sale as well if you have them. Amazon has received a lot of negative media attention recently when it was revealed that the company has been using a legal loophole to avoid paying UK tax. Subsequently there is now a movement trying to boycott the company.

Personally I still like Amazon. No, I don’t agree that they should avoid paying their taxes. If we have to do it then so should they. But as both a seller and a buyer, I like the service and the products that they supply. My books are available on Amazon, and that is where I make the majority of my sales. It is quick, easy and convenient to download a Kindle book. I also order various items from Amazon frequently, although admittedly I am largely a book buyer. I just can’t help myself, and I own a Kindle!

As an Indie author, and in my experience, we must have our books available in as many places as possible. Therefore I chose publishers who would list my books on the central wholesale database from which all UK stores can order my books on request. I also made sure that my books could be sold internationally, although at the moment those outlets are via Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  I am listed on Smashwords, where you can choose from a number of different eBook formats, depending on the device you use for reading.

And, finally, I haven’t given up on the high street stores. I did do several book signing events with Waterstones, but these have since dried up after the company was sold and the business model has changed. It is now more difficult than ever for an Indie author to gain presence in a real, solid bookshop. It is all about networking, building contacts, and gaining the trust and working relationships with people that can get you seen by the right readers at the right time. And for now, the best place to start is on the Internet. Get your social media hat on folks; it is the only way to sell your book brand!

*Book stack image courtesy of Modernish Homemaker 
Kindle image courtesy of Kindle Publishing

Expand Your Social Media Network #Bizitalk

As an Indie author in a saturated world of advertising and sales, I find it very difficult to seek out the right platform from which to promote my books and my work as a freelance copywriter. Indeed, I am only just starting out in the business really. My first novel was published in 2011 and that was the same time that I really began to study the use of online advertising to try and get my name recognized. Now, two years later, I have learned a lot but I still have a lot more work to do.

I have the same difficulty that many of my fellow writers experience. We all use Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social media networks to promote our books, but we seem to attract a majority of other writers as followers and friends. There is nothing wrong with this of course. A writer has to be a reader at the end of the day; otherwise we wouldn't know where to start with our stories. The problem is that there are so many authors selling their work that we writers simply cannot support everybody by buying and reading their books. I mean, I have hundreds of books waiting to be read on my Kindle, not to mention an overflowing bookcase in my house that is now spilling out onto the floor. It will take me years to read all of these books, and I keep acquiring new ones!

So what do we do? How do we find actual readers who are willing and happy to buy our books and help build our platform? I do not have any financial backing with which to fund a comprehensive marketing campaign. Everything I do has to be free, or services swapped. I found one of these options quite by accident. I am a member of a Facebook group called Authors Tweeting Authors. We basically get together and retweet messages for each other, thus sending out our work and our promotions to a wider network of people all around the world. Search #JT4a on Twitter for more details.

From this group I found a service called RoundTeam. It is a free network where you can set up alerts to retweet other messages for you based on criteria that you choose. I set up a tweet service for messages containing #Bizitalk and from this I was approached by John at TweetUrBizUK. He offered me one week of free Twitter advertising after I shared a lot of retweet messages from his Twitter feed. Of course I said yes! It came at just the right time as well, when my baby daughter was born and I was unable to get online and do my promotions. Thanks to John, I kept up my media presence and found that since then I have a steady stream of new Twitter followers from all sorts of backgrounds. I am now waiting to see if this boosts my book sales, but it is a little early to tell just yet…

What are your experiences of social media networking to improve sales or attract clients? Please do share any advice or comments you feel could help other people in our situation.

*Social networks image courtesy of B2B Marketing Insider
Twitter birds image courtesy of Media Novak

#ReadMe - Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green - #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. Here is an excerpt from my second book Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel)…

            “We share the same human body, Jessica,” Suri coaxed, “And you want the wolf just as much as I do.”

            I sighed heavily, still walking steadily along the tarmac pavement that formed Redcliffe promenade.  It was quiet tonight and I only passed a couple of people, who smiled politely in greeting, which I duly returned.

            “Suri, I am so confused about all of this,” I said in my head, “Please don’t torment me any more.  We have the issue with Emily Rose to deal with, I don’t need you playing with the wolves right now.”
            Suri hissed and swiped the air with her paw, as if she wished it were my body.

            “Enough!” she snarled, “I will kill the vampire when she finally arrives before us.  She is no match for me, no matter her age and power.  I am hungry and you continue to deny me that which we both desire.”

If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping! 
 

A Slow Return to Work #amwriting

I am, very slowly, returning to work after having my baby. The summer holiday is drawing to a close, which means schools will resume and my elder daughter will return to pre-school. Hopefully that will enable me to do some proper work for a few hours during the week, as long as my newborn allows it. I will, however, make allowances for attending parent and child social groups, health appointments etc. For now, I am trying desperately to find time to resume my writing projects, but so far no joy. I still have an unfinished manuscript to work on, and it will require a lot of work since I stalled with writer's block a few months ago. My Muse seems to be waking up very slowly, but I am not quite back in the zone yet. I did have a rather interesting vision just last week.

I was sitting on a bench in a children's playground, nursing my newborn daughter, while my eldest played on the apparatus with her grandparents. As I gazed vacantly across the grass towards the border of trees and shrubs in one corner, I became aware of a tall, dark haired man standing there smiling at me. He was not a solid person, more what I would call a 'spirit' entity, but he definitely was not a ghost. He was one of my vampire characters from my current work in progress, and I felt a rush of relief flood through me as I realized that it was my Muse making her presence known. It will only be a matter of time before I am once again ensconced at the computer, tapping at the keys and completing yet another literary masterpiece...

Oh, and I finally drew a winner for the Hot Paranormal Nights blog hop. Sorry for the delay folks! The lucky recipient of a paperback copy of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) is Michelle Willms. Congratulations!

*Image courtesy of Flickr

Book Review: Media Magnetism by Christina Hamlett #Bizitalk

Here is my book review of Media Magnetism: How to Attract the Favorable Publicity You Want and Deserve by Christina Hamlett:

A useful guide for small business owners seeking media publicity

This book is very informative for people seeking advice about how to market themselves as a brand and a small business. The media world is a confusing place, and it helps if you know where to begin in terms of approaching radio, TV and print media outlets to receive coverage and advertising for your business. As an Indie author I found this book quite helpful with guidance on getting the best use from my social media connections, and also some insight into the industry for future reference. I recommend it to anyone in a similar situation, who wants to expand their customer/client/reader numbers but has little or no experience with the media industry as a tool for wider publicity.

#ReadMe - Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green - #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. Today’s excerpt is from my first novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), and you can read the whole story for free over on Wattpad now!

I was barefoot, and almost slipped down the stairs in my haste.  I stood on tiptoes, looked through the peephole and saw the top of Jack’s head.  He must be looking down for some reason.  I flung open the door, and then gasped in horror.  He was leaning against the doorframe, his face covered in blood from what looked liked a large gash above his right eye, and several scratches and cuts on his cheeks and chin.  His clothes were dirty, torn, and bloody, and he fell through the door into my arms.  Instinctively I tried to catch him, and fell to the floor with a cry, trying to support his weight.  
“Jack!,” I cried, “Jack can you hear me?  Speak to me!”  

If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping!