First of all, many thanks to everyone who participated in the Newsletter Subscriber survey. The results were illuminating, to say the least. You can find the complete breakdown on the eNovel Authors at Work website if you wish to find out more.
Next, an amazing Accent on Romance giveaway to keep you reading on the beach. I have hand-picked a number of wonderful authors and, with the kind help of Carmen DeSousa, have organized a Rafflecopter giveaway just for you:
Telling you up front I don’t often talk out loud about books I read by my colleagues. Yet once in a while along comes a book that knocks my socks off. Some indie-authored books I read show raw talent that need polish, although most are well-written and
entertaining–which is what a fiction book should be. I’m a writer. I’m a published author. My stories are not going to set the world on fire or earn a million dollars. I don’t expect them to do so. But I know a story teller when I come across one. C.S. Forester is a story teller. His 126 page novel, The African Queen, that I first bought for 35c was made into an unforgettable movie. Canadian author Farley Mowat is a story teller. Even his non-fiction enthrall because they are so honest.
No, I wasn’t born under a rock, but I was born during the Depression which means I am not a Millennial. My kids aren’t even Millennials. What I am is O.L.D. and I’m trying to grasp artificial intelligence. An online dictionary says AI is a noun: the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. Also, AI can drive cars–which I’m not
allowed to do, so that piqued my interest.
But I don’t live with a Martian, although My Keeper acts like an alien too often. Aliens don’t have ears, do they? You know what I’m talking about. Try explaining something to a man and his expression goes flat~unless he smirks with derision as in ‘I already know that’. This happened: I’ve been ill for a while so I’m not allowed to drive. I asked my Keeper to take me to the UPS Store. He looked it up on Google so tells me he know right where to go. He drives through two shopping centers. We end up at Payless Shoes. No problem, he needs a new pair of sandals. I pull out my lovely new iPhone and ask Siri, ‘how far am I from the nearest UPS Store. Two shopping centers over right behind my bank. Yep. My Keeper wasn’t wrong. Blame Google maps. Bite my tongue!
This is not my hut, but it is typical of the village I lived in. Mine did not have walls of bamboo. I had a separate sleeping recama. Very tiny. I was not the only inhabitant: Geckos, lizards, tarantulas and fruit bats lived with me.
This is upfront and real. All I need in life is a cup of hot coffee, a book to read and a good dog. I know this is so because I lived for years in a jungle hut–no walls, and what I had were those three things for contentment. Didn’t have a car, electricity, Internet, mail service, telephone, or television.
Roasted Glasses. If you want a man who can cook–message me!
Good Wednesday Evening friends, fans and indie authors. I woke today feeling really great and after all of the fiascoes last week, I wanted to write something inspiring. Just so you know how I went from awful to great, last week I suffered through medical tests every dang day. I gave up so much blood I thought I was in a New Orleans vampire novel. Next, my Keeper roasted my glasses in the oven. Then he killed the microwave. I went looking for quotes to feel good about and found one by #NickFoles: Failing Forward. Boy! Does that adage work for me.
Across the USA and our spinning planet Earth we suffered, fires, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. Some unlucky folk got doubled tapped by back-to-back hurricanes, or like us in Texas; a hurricane atop flooding along the Gulf Coast. Thousands have yet to ‘reclaim’ their lives. Now, sweeping down from the Arctic is severe and frigid weather. I accidentally closed off my bathroom from circulating heat and awoke on the first day of 2018 to discover my tube of toothpaste frozen almost solid. Had to soak it in a bowl of hot water to get it flowing again. This time last year I was recovering from surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. I had so many Hail Mary passes with my health in 2017, I bought two rosaries. My resolution for all of 2017 was: Keep breathing! Got it done.
Worldwide and USA events are taking up space in my heart and mind. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have touched me, my family, good friends and many of my writer colleagues. The 8.1 earthquake in Juchitan, Mexico, an area rich in history, did not get a huge amount of coverage, And even if it did, few of us had television, radio, cell phones or Internet services to learn of it. I know of the area only through Frida Kahlo’s dresses, paintings and float designers. I once wrote a book with a float designer as a main character and during interviews was astonished to learn float designers bid on jobs world wide–wherever there is a festival and exotic float parades. Now we’re watching California burn. More homes lost and this week, Christmas week, a horrible high-speed train crash in Washington state.
My Money Jar–Kept on my Kitchen counter where it’s handy.
Telling you up front I’m older than God and younger than Death. I’m cruising eighty years old. My daughter gave me a book this week: Sub-titled: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy Until You’re 80 and Beyond. I don’t want to be sexy at 80. What kind of fool notion is that? I just hope for ordinary functions…like waking up every day, snapping in my $7,000 dental implants–which by the way broke in half the first year. I glued ’em back together with Super Glue and they’ve worked fine for three years on. I want a good, hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning until my eyes are open to see if the sun is shining or if it’s raining. That’s a good start for me and you, too, whatever your age.
Good morning friends and fans! I’ll bet you didn’t think I could spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, much less pronounce it. You’d be right. Wikipedea saved my neck. My five-year-old great granddaughter, Lily, can pronounce it–but spelling is not her forte just yet. Here’s what is in store for you: A full dozen of easy reading books by some of the best authors in our Indie Universe.
We all need a little romance in our lives. Kissed by a camel works for me. But once is enough.
Oh, my goodness. Tragedies abound since September. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and two earthquakes in Mexico just flat out decimated parts of our American Continent. Add the awful event in Las Vegas, the raging fires in California and it just rips your heart out. We got a little hit by Harvey in my corner of Texas and are getting that put to rights. Now, along comes Nate and it is gonna snag a half dozen of my family. Just hoping they keep their roofs. I’m watching travel shows on TV showing many lovely beaches and islands I’ve visited–but most don’t exist now, and others along the Gulf Coast won’t once Nate rips through.
FACT: None of these answers are helpful and some are out right lies by omission. Take the last on the list. The author who never prices books for free–can’t! Nope. That author is under contract and has NO control over the price of his/her books. I checked. And all are sucking mud to China in stats…perhaps selling one or two a year.
All about Love, Fortune and Compatibility.
99c On Sale now! The Sheriff’s Woman 99c.
The first half of 2017 is used up~gone! Telling you up front, I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions…except sideways, such as: Don’t buy a swimsuit. That’s a top tier resolution because then I don’t have to declare a diet to fit in the thing. I did promise myself I’d recover my dining room chairs. Got one done. I’m good. As for my writing, I hoped in the deepest recesses of my heart, I’d finish a WIP and get it published. That’s happening. The Sheriff’s Woman has been through editing, is in the hands of my formatter and the ebook cover is in hand.
Lottie Mae Roberts
It is almost four years on since the House on Persimmon Road was published. Fans and readers have asked dozens of questions about Lottie, who in hind site took over the novel. So, I’ve returned to the House on Persimmon Road in late Spring, not as a writer, but as a guest. Wearing an apron, the bib straight-pinned to her cotton house dress, and a pleasant expression, Lottie welcomed me into the house. The grand hall seemed larger than I recalled. The old floors gleamed, the walls painted a rich cream. I asked what changes Tucker and Justine had made. Lottie opened a door on the south wall. “This was my linen room. Now it’s an indoor bathroom. Can’t even hang my herbs to dry in season. Used to have lavender, mint, sage, marigold and such.”
Kristine Kathryn Rusch aka Kristine Grayson who writes wonderful paranormal romances in addition to the popular blog kriswrites.com posted a telling article this week titled: Business Musings: Writer Finances Versus The Paycheck World. Kris is speaking of writers who made a mint early in our digital universe and now they don’t. Back in 2011 and 2012, an indie author who ran a book FREE and snagged Bookbub could depend upon hitting bestseller stats, plus many saw royalties in the six figures. Here’s why: In 2012 a FREE download counted as a full sale/priced book when the free unit returned to priced on Amazon. Then Amazon changed the algorithms that a free downloaded unit counted as one-tenth of a full sale/priced book. That leveled the playing field. Too, many of those books that hit the best seller lists did not measure up to what many readers consider Best Sellers.
My newest release. 2.99 or read free with Kindle Unlimited
It’s funny that for most of my life I had no idea that I was poor or lived in poverty. True, I was raised poor, married poor, had a slew a kids and so stayed poor. I budgeted every nickel. Now here’s the thing. My parents came from good families. Working stock. My grandfathers owned their own businesses. All had been through the Depression. Money was tight. Next along came World War II and my uncles and dad went into the military. We had coupons for every shortage–shoes, fabric, sugar, butter, gas. I had my first stick of gum after the War. Juicy Fruit. One pair of buckled sandals got us through summers, otherwise we went barefoot. A six ounce Coca Cola was 6 cents and a treat.
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel Authors gather to share our books.
Welcome again to Back Porch Cyber Chatter. We are having an absolutely sensational spring-like day in my corner of Texas. I thought I would start the chatter by talking about some great books by some top tier authors soon to be arriving on our bookshelves. A few are already available for your reading pleasure.
First up is eNovel Authors at Work very own USA Today best selling indie author, Donna Fasano. The Inheritance is available now on pre-order on all sales venues. This is book number 3 of a heart-tugging series you don’t want to miss. The writing is superb. Cathy Whitley and Brad Henderson will live in your heart long after THE END.
Amazon Kindle Fire–where I want my books to live…
There have been huge changes in our indie universe over the past several years. Especially within Amazon. We’ve seen 1000’s of reviews removed, click-bait books come and go; Kindle Unlimited arrived in 2014, KENPC ~ pay by pages read in 2015. Each time there’s been a change, I tell myself stick with the basics to market my books. I have and I’ve sold books. Not in the millions, but steady on.
Follow on Amazon and never miss a discounted New Release
WELCOME! Back to Accent on Romance. For new visitors: Hello! Extending to you a warm welcome. Let me take a second to introduce you to my blog/newsletter. If you don’t like what you see or find it is not for you, scroll down and unsubscribe. No hard feelings. I get it. But you are gonna miss some good stuff!
This is the first in a series of blogs that will answer that very question. Right here you will hear the facts and figures from the authors themselves.
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel authors gather to chat.
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel Authors gather to chat.
Bronwyn’s Box of Fosters
Our guest today on Back Porch Cyber Chatter is Bronwyn Elsmore and boy! It is a good thing my porch is virtual because Bronwyn lives a continent away in Auckland, the stunning New Zealand ‘City of Sails’. Though she tends to wander the world, at home Bronwyn shares her writing life with one man, one special cat and a box full of fosters. Bronwyn is not a huge coffee drinker and for the first time ever, I’m out of iced tea. So. With no further ado, let’s hear from this very talented writer.
WARNING: WILDLIFE LURKS
Jackie Weger. Do subscribe to my newsletter, sent about once a month. It is always full of free and discounted books. Thank you for visiting today.
Good Morning. I’m Jackie Weger, founder of eNovel Authors at Work. I write romance novels. The heroines in my books are good girls in turmoil. The heroes lean toward the alpha–good men all, because good men make good husbands and better fathers. My books are not going to shake the world by its roots. I write to entertain. Sometimes I get it done, sometimes I don’t. Goes with the territory. When I don’t get the job done right, I keep trying…I don’t blame Amazon if my book doesn’t sell, or rail at Bookbub because a book did not snag a coveted promotion slot, or sound off because readers don’t post reviews. Which brings me to topic: Facebook and Amazon Community discussion forums. No promotion allowed.
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel Authors gather to chat.
Adult Coloring Book AUSXIP- Fandom Characters on AMAZON
It is a lovely cool day with just a bit of drizzle in the air on my back porch today. Perfect for sharing a pot of Earl Gray tea as eNovel member Mary D. Brooks and I have a chat about her fabulous career. Mary is multi-talented. Artist, actress, writer–and describes herself as an Australian of Greek origins who has too many imaginary friends and a passion to write about strong women and unbreakable love. For twenty years Mary has hosted the top-rated The Australian Xena Information Page: www.ausxip.com/xena, to showcase fandom for Xena Warrior Princess. But let’s just hear from Mary in her own words.
INTERVIEW WITH P.C. ZICK
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel authors gather to chat.
Follow Patricia on Amazon and never miss a new Release.
The weather is cooperating for a change and I’m happy to invite you to join me and Patricia Zick on my virtual back porch. It’s the dog days of August so we’re sipping on Texas-sized glasses of sweet peach tea. Zick describes herself as a storyteller no matter what she writes. Many of her novels contain stories of Florida and its people and environment, which she credits as giving her a rich base for her storytelling. Florida’s quirky and abundant wildlife–both human and animal, supply her fiction with tales almost too weird to be believable. I lived in Florida for more than a dozen years so Zick’s locales resonate with me. Each time I open one of her books, I ache for sand between my toes, the susurrus of moss gently swaying and sometimes the roar of a bull ‘gator. With no more ado, here is Patricia…
Pennies add up to $$$. It’s Leap Year! Save all of your loose change in a jar in your kitchen for great good luck all year and beyond. Plus you won’t be broke on January 1, 2017.
If there is any single thing I have learned about indie authors over the past three years it is this: There ain’t no way to shut a complainer up beyond cutting out his or her tongue. A few of the longest running complaints:
“I can’t afford an editor. ”
Well, most of us do. We indie authors are up against it. One lament I hear every single time I visit a forum or a Facebook group is: “I can’t afford _______.” Just fill in the blank. Some of us lie to ourselves because we don’t want to afford those services. And gosh, it sounds just fine to plead poverty. Gives the image of the struggling author living in a cold-water garret suffering for his craft. Some consider publishing a book an adventure. “Hey, if I make a little money on the side, great. If not, I’m in the groove. I’m a published author.” Chatting that up on a first date, or with the carpool mommies, or at cocktail parties has more cachet than saying, “I work at Walmart.”
Just a perfect Texas afternoon. Butter beans boilin’ in the pot.
Boo-ya! The sun is shining here in my corner of Texas. The weather is just right, no humidity, just cool enough to keep mosquitoes huggin’ the undersides of leaves and not makin’ pest of themselves. Tiny titmouse chicks hatched yesterday in the nest mama titmouse built atop the anchor bolt in the satellite dish. They’re not feathered up yet and their necks are wobbly. Neighbors on two sides of me have their outdoor grills fired up and the good cooking smells are wafting in the air. I can tell by the aroma of spices comin’ across my back yard that one is grilling fajitas, the other is barbecuing chicken.
…and that is about as much español as I can manage safely. However I am happy to share with you Caras Ocultas, is published on all Amazon venues, including Spain, Brazil, y Mexico. Leer GRATIS con Kindle Ilimitado.
The print edition will be released soon
Welcome again to the Cyber Porch…
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel authors gather to chat.
Golly. Not a day goes by that I don’t read a blog spewing unhappy rhetoric about Amazon, KindleUnlimited subscriptions and KENP. I was going to quote a blog post today before I responded here, but wisely I visited Amazon and looked at the author’s book ranks. Here they are:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #843,296
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,727
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #690,870
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,959,586
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,371,610
416,732 KENP pages read in October, 2015 + 400 units sold. Figures accurate to 10/20/15.
Big Red. Patience Prevails
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel authors gather to chat.
Tick my photo to see the results of Kindle Countdown deal.
Hello, and welcome. I’m Jackie Weger, the founder of eNovel Authors at Work. This is the fourth in a series of articles highlighting indie author promotion results. Getting our books visible to a buying public is one of our toughest jobs. It helps to have a factual baseline so that you can decide for yourself if your promotions have the results you hoped. Some promotions, such as virtual book tours are for exposure to new audiences. We seldom see sales from ebook tours–however many stops on
Welcome to the Cyber
Porch where eNovel authors gather to chat.
We hope to answer that question here. This is the second in a series of articles in which indie authors share their actual experiences in the ehow of
Jackie on the banks of the Fowl River, Alabama
Good evening readers and fans. I am so sorry I have been neglecting you. Indie authorship is a steep learning curve and I’m still finding my way. I do want to share some news. I have created my first boxed set with my three most popular novels to date. Erin Dameron-Hill designed a sensational cover. Monday, May 04, 2015 is the official launch of Setting Up House, priced at 99¢ through Mother’s Day, May 10.
We weren’t fooling around when we shopped for this Giveaway: A Kindle Paperwhite. A Vera Bradley Note set. A Shimmer & Shine, Bedtime Wishes Doll. A 21″ Walking Tyrannosaurus Rex Dinosaur. A Bass Pro Active Ladies’ Watch. A Star Wars “Rey” Figure. A Ladies Electric Shaver. An Inktastic Tote. A Message Charm Bracelet. A Panda Planner. Amethyst Pendant Necklace. $15 Amazon Gift Card.
USA Entrants only Rafflecopter Closes January 30, 2018
WE HAVE MORE FOR YOU! LOOK AT ALL OF THESE FREE AND 99C BOOKS. MANY ARE NEW RELEASES. GET THEM HERE FIRST
Click on Santa to join #fkbt Mega Giveaway
Free Kindle Books & Tips is partnering with eNovel Authors At Work to produce a stellar giveaway for this month. Check out the books on Books Go Social and Join in on FKBT’s website. Along with the above books, you can also win:
A new Amazon Echo.
A new Kindle Paperwhite.
A Crystal Grow Kit (just to keep it interesting)
A signed print edition of Roberta Kagan’s Michal’s Destiny.
Jackie Weger is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.