Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "readers"
A new message board for indie writers to connect with readers
I'd like to invite you all to a new forum where you can get to know indie authors and readers and discuss everything about the self-publishing process.
BestSellerBound.com
It's almost like an online reality show featuring new and up and coming authors who have taken the indie or self-publishing route. I am a moderator on the site along with my fellow authors Darcia Helle and Stacy Juba
Darcia Helle
Stacy Juba
Here's the official press release about the site:
Bestseller Bound Message Board Connects Indie Authors and Readers. Readers and indie authors now have a brand new place to interact. The message board, Bestseller Bound, is having its grand opening this week.
Author Darcia Helle created the forum with input from resident authors/moderators Stacy Juba and Maria Savva.
Here, readers will get a behind the scenes glimpse into what it’s like to be a small press or independently published author. Resident and visiting authors will chat with readers about writing a book, how they do research and get their ideas, how they market their books, and the challenges they face. They’ll share articles, stories and poems, as well as
special offers and discounts.
Readers are invited to hang out, ask questions and chat with tomorrow’s breakout writers. Small press and independently published authors are welcome to participate in the discussion, as well as post threads about their titles in the Connection Café, post a book trailer link, and browse the free Help Wanted section, where authors and book lovers can exchange guest blogging and review opportunities. Members can also receive a free quarterly newsletter packed with information about indie books.
Helle is the author of romantic suspense novels including The Cutting Edge, Enemies and Playmates, Miami Snow, Hit List, No Justice and Beyond Salvation. Juba is the author of the mystery novels Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim, along with the patriotic children’s picture book The Flag Keeper. Savva’s published novels are Coincidences, A Time to Tell and Second Chances, and she has also published the short story collections Pieces of a Rainbow, and Love and Loyalty (and Other Tales.)
There are already lots of indie authors and a few readers on the board. We need lots more readers to ask us questions and take part. So please join and support your independent authors.
Everyone is welcome!
BestSellerBound.com
It's almost like an online reality show featuring new and up and coming authors who have taken the indie or self-publishing route. I am a moderator on the site along with my fellow authors Darcia Helle and Stacy Juba
Darcia Helle
Stacy Juba
Here's the official press release about the site:
Bestseller Bound Message Board Connects Indie Authors and Readers. Readers and indie authors now have a brand new place to interact. The message board, Bestseller Bound, is having its grand opening this week.
Author Darcia Helle created the forum with input from resident authors/moderators Stacy Juba and Maria Savva.
Here, readers will get a behind the scenes glimpse into what it’s like to be a small press or independently published author. Resident and visiting authors will chat with readers about writing a book, how they do research and get their ideas, how they market their books, and the challenges they face. They’ll share articles, stories and poems, as well as
special offers and discounts.
Readers are invited to hang out, ask questions and chat with tomorrow’s breakout writers. Small press and independently published authors are welcome to participate in the discussion, as well as post threads about their titles in the Connection Café, post a book trailer link, and browse the free Help Wanted section, where authors and book lovers can exchange guest blogging and review opportunities. Members can also receive a free quarterly newsletter packed with information about indie books.
Helle is the author of romantic suspense novels including The Cutting Edge, Enemies and Playmates, Miami Snow, Hit List, No Justice and Beyond Salvation. Juba is the author of the mystery novels Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim, along with the patriotic children’s picture book The Flag Keeper. Savva’s published novels are Coincidences, A Time to Tell and Second Chances, and she has also published the short story collections Pieces of a Rainbow, and Love and Loyalty (and Other Tales.)
There are already lots of indie authors and a few readers on the board. We need lots more readers to ask us questions and take part. So please join and support your independent authors.
Everyone is welcome!
BestsellerBound.com's official launch is on 7th September 2010!
Following on from my recent blog post about the new message board created by my fellow author Darcia Helle, I am pleased to announce that the official launch party (online) is on Tuesday 7th September 2010. I hope you can join us at BestsellerBound.com.
As I mentioned previously, I am a resident author on the board, along with Darcia and our good friend, author Stacy Juba
To celebrate the launch we will be hosting a giveaway! The launch party giveaway will run until midnight on September 30th. Darcia, Stacy and I will then pick the lucky winners.
You can win fabulous prizes, including the chance to be featured in our December 2010 newsletter.
The message board has been running for a few weeks and is proving to be very popular already.
Click here to read all about the launch party giveaway: Bestsellerbound Launch Party Giveaway
See you on the board!
As I mentioned previously, I am a resident author on the board, along with Darcia and our good friend, author Stacy Juba
To celebrate the launch we will be hosting a giveaway! The launch party giveaway will run until midnight on September 30th. Darcia, Stacy and I will then pick the lucky winners.
You can win fabulous prizes, including the chance to be featured in our December 2010 newsletter.
The message board has been running for a few weeks and is proving to be very popular already.
Click here to read all about the launch party giveaway: Bestsellerbound Launch Party Giveaway
See you on the board!
BestsellerBound: The Cutting Edge Campaign
Many of you will already know that I am a resident author on BestsellerBound.com, a message board dedicated to indie/small press authors and their readers.
BestsellerBound was created by Darcia Helle to give a voice to indie authors and to help readers find new and exciting books to read.
Indie authors are some of the most dedicated and passionate people when it comes to writing. We are often belittled by the literary press. The truth is that the publishing world is changing. Traditional publishing is no longer seen as the best way to enter into a writing career. With the launch of ebooks the indie author is now finding that they are able to compete with the bestselling authors. Overpricing of ebooks by the large publishing houses has caused outrage amongst readers lately. Some bestselling authors have chosen to self-publish their own books. People are starting to look for alternatives to the mainstream. This is an exciting time to be a self-published author and we want to celebrate that.
At BestsellerBound we would like to propel an indie author to the top of the Amazon kindle charts. We want to show that indie authors are commercially viable. We have started up a Facebook page. Please show your support for indie authors by 'liking' our page and recommending it to your friends.
We have chosen Darcia Helle's book The Cutting Edge as the book we would like to use to front our campaign.
Darcia Helle is a very talented writer who has self-published no less than 7 books. Here's the blurb from "The Cutting Edge"
My name is Skye Summers. I'm a hairstylist and I can't stop fantasizing about killing my clients. Not all of them, of course. I only want to kill the ones who irritate me, which, if I'm being honest, is most of them. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic daydreams. They're bloody and vivid, like watching a slice-and-dice movie on IMAX. I also want to kill my husband's ex-girlfriend. She's not a client but she tops my list. Eighteen years ago, she gave birth to his daughter and she has tormented him ever since. I should be troubled by this growing desire to use my surgically sharpened shears for more than a haircut. Instead, I wonder how I can get away with it.
The idea of the campaign is that when we have enough followers on our campaign page we will announce a date for the download of the kindle book on Amazon. Darcia has kindly agreed to reduce the price of the ebook to 99c on the day of the download. If enough people download the book it should go to No.1. Hopefully on the US and UK Amazon kindle lists.
This campaign has been set up because we as indie authors feel passionately that all books, irrespective of how they were published, should have an equal chance to be read and enjoyed.
I hope you'll join us!
The Cutting Edge Campaign
BestsellerBound was created by Darcia Helle to give a voice to indie authors and to help readers find new and exciting books to read.
Indie authors are some of the most dedicated and passionate people when it comes to writing. We are often belittled by the literary press. The truth is that the publishing world is changing. Traditional publishing is no longer seen as the best way to enter into a writing career. With the launch of ebooks the indie author is now finding that they are able to compete with the bestselling authors. Overpricing of ebooks by the large publishing houses has caused outrage amongst readers lately. Some bestselling authors have chosen to self-publish their own books. People are starting to look for alternatives to the mainstream. This is an exciting time to be a self-published author and we want to celebrate that.
At BestsellerBound we would like to propel an indie author to the top of the Amazon kindle charts. We want to show that indie authors are commercially viable. We have started up a Facebook page. Please show your support for indie authors by 'liking' our page and recommending it to your friends.
We have chosen Darcia Helle's book The Cutting Edge as the book we would like to use to front our campaign.
Darcia Helle is a very talented writer who has self-published no less than 7 books. Here's the blurb from "The Cutting Edge"
My name is Skye Summers. I'm a hairstylist and I can't stop fantasizing about killing my clients. Not all of them, of course. I only want to kill the ones who irritate me, which, if I'm being honest, is most of them. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic daydreams. They're bloody and vivid, like watching a slice-and-dice movie on IMAX. I also want to kill my husband's ex-girlfriend. She's not a client but she tops my list. Eighteen years ago, she gave birth to his daughter and she has tormented him ever since. I should be troubled by this growing desire to use my surgically sharpened shears for more than a haircut. Instead, I wonder how I can get away with it.
The idea of the campaign is that when we have enough followers on our campaign page we will announce a date for the download of the kindle book on Amazon. Darcia has kindly agreed to reduce the price of the ebook to 99c on the day of the download. If enough people download the book it should go to No.1. Hopefully on the US and UK Amazon kindle lists.
This campaign has been set up because we as indie authors feel passionately that all books, irrespective of how they were published, should have an equal chance to be read and enjoyed.
I hope you'll join us!
The Cutting Edge Campaign
A-Z of Self-publishing and writing tips: U-Z
In this final part of my self-publishing and writing tips, I'm covering the letters U-Z.
I hope that both writers and readers have found this series helpful. I'll put links to the older blogs in the series at the bottom of the post so that you can refer to them in case you missed any.
U
Usage
Here are a few common grammatical issues that I pick up when reading independent works.
1. Blonde/blond.
The general rule here is that blonde is used when describing a female and blond when describing a male. Too often, I see indie authors using the terms wrongly.
2. Awhile/ a while
You should NEVER use awhile after you've used the word 'for'. NEVER.
Awhile means 'for a time' (hence no need to use 'for' in front of it).
3. Using a speechmark/inverted comma instead of an apostrophe. Most commonly I've spotted it when authors write 'em (shortening for them). This requires an apostrophe before the 'e' but more often than not, I see speechmarks.
V
"Very" and similar words
There's a famous quote from Mark Twain: “Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
I agree that the use of words, such as 'very' are often repeated too much in manuscripts. When you are editing you should look out for as many repeated words as possible, and either cut them out or think of a different word that could be used in their place.
Voting
This is a point for readers to note. Here on Goodreads, there are various 'listopia' lists, where you can vote for your favourite books. This is a good way to help your favourite writers by recommending their books to other Goodreads users. When you finish a good book, please consider adding it to a few of the current lists.
W
Website
For writers, I think it's a good idea to have your own website. I like having a website because I can use it to keep a record of all the events in my writing life, I can link to all my books, my blog, and all my networking sites. It makes it easier for readers to find out what they want to know without having to visit a hundred different places: http://www.mariasavva.com
Writer's Block
I don't think writer's block exists. Yes, writers will find that there are times when they are unable to come up with anything new, they'll maybe panic that they will never write again, but there are simple ways to combat these feelings, and the causes are usually more to do with fear than any real issue.
The concept of writer's block probably developed because someone had a deadline to meet and couldn't meet it because they had 'run out of words'.
The great thing about being self-published is that we don't have deadlines. You can take your time to perfect your writing, and shouldn't feel rushed. Despite some advice to the contrary, I don't think it's necessary to write every day, in fact, I would say that is detrimental; unless you're working on a novel and you want to keep up the flow and get the first draft written. Take your time. Be inspired by the world around you. It sounds silly, but 'wait' for the ideas to come to you and then write them, rather than chasing ideas, in a frantic rush to get some words on paper.
If you ever find yourself unable to write and you stare at a blank page for hours, the best thing to do is stop trying. Go and do something else. Your brain is probably overworked and needs a recharge, or you have probably been sitting at a computer in a room for too long and have run out of inspiration. We need to engage in the world around us as writers in order to be inspired and find things to write about.
Alternatively, if you are working on a particular project and you can't find a way to continue that, start working on another. More often than not you will soon find that you are then able to go back to your other project and continue that. Probably your brain needed time to think about it. The creative process is linked to the subconscious mind, so when we think too much we're not doing ourselves any favours. Sometimes the mind needs to work things out on its own, without our own conscious chattering.
Another suggestion when you're running low on writing fodder is that you should go and read. Read widely, lots of different genres, and read a lot. If I ever meet writers who tell me they don't read, I am always suspicious of them and of their writing skills. A typical writer is addicted to words and language, is usually a bookworm.
X
I couldn't come up with anything beginning with X, but did find this rather funny post online about a book that was written about things found inside people in X-Rays, LOL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11...
A cassette?
Back to slightly more serious stuff:
Y
Yahoo Groups
I don't really use these due to lack of time, but have joined a few writing/literary groups on Yahoo. They seem to work in the same way as groups you can join on LinkedIn or Goodreads, where writers can chat and promote etc.
YouTube
YouTube is fast becoming one of the most popular places for promotion. I make my own book trailers and upload them there: http://www.youtube.com/user/MariaSavv.... I am yet to discover the best way to get more views, so if anyone has any tips please leave them in the comments below.
Bestsellerbound has a YouTube channel, showcasing books by our members.
Darcia Helle produces those videos. She also recently started interviewing authors and producing audio videos. You may have seen those in some of my earlier blogs. Here's a link to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/QuietFury...
Z
As with 'X' I struggled to find something beginning with 'Z', so I'll end the series with a bit of fun (because remember, writing is supposed to be fun!).
Here's a picture of Zebedee from one of my favourite TV programmes as a child: The Magic Roundabout:
Zebedee is a magician, and book are magic, are they not?
If you're in doubt, here's a quote from one of the greatest writers:
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl
That concludes the series... I hope you enjoyed it.
Links to the other blog posts in the series:
A-C: http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/20...
D-F: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
G: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
H-J: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
K-M: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
N-P: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Q-S: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
T: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
I hope that both writers and readers have found this series helpful. I'll put links to the older blogs in the series at the bottom of the post so that you can refer to them in case you missed any.
U
Usage
Here are a few common grammatical issues that I pick up when reading independent works.
1. Blonde/blond.
The general rule here is that blonde is used when describing a female and blond when describing a male. Too often, I see indie authors using the terms wrongly.
2. Awhile/ a while
You should NEVER use awhile after you've used the word 'for'. NEVER.
Awhile means 'for a time' (hence no need to use 'for' in front of it).
3. Using a speechmark/inverted comma instead of an apostrophe. Most commonly I've spotted it when authors write 'em (shortening for them). This requires an apostrophe before the 'e' but more often than not, I see speechmarks.
V
"Very" and similar words
There's a famous quote from Mark Twain: “Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
I agree that the use of words, such as 'very' are often repeated too much in manuscripts. When you are editing you should look out for as many repeated words as possible, and either cut them out or think of a different word that could be used in their place.
Voting
This is a point for readers to note. Here on Goodreads, there are various 'listopia' lists, where you can vote for your favourite books. This is a good way to help your favourite writers by recommending their books to other Goodreads users. When you finish a good book, please consider adding it to a few of the current lists.
W
Website
For writers, I think it's a good idea to have your own website. I like having a website because I can use it to keep a record of all the events in my writing life, I can link to all my books, my blog, and all my networking sites. It makes it easier for readers to find out what they want to know without having to visit a hundred different places: http://www.mariasavva.com
Writer's Block
I don't think writer's block exists. Yes, writers will find that there are times when they are unable to come up with anything new, they'll maybe panic that they will never write again, but there are simple ways to combat these feelings, and the causes are usually more to do with fear than any real issue.
The concept of writer's block probably developed because someone had a deadline to meet and couldn't meet it because they had 'run out of words'.
The great thing about being self-published is that we don't have deadlines. You can take your time to perfect your writing, and shouldn't feel rushed. Despite some advice to the contrary, I don't think it's necessary to write every day, in fact, I would say that is detrimental; unless you're working on a novel and you want to keep up the flow and get the first draft written. Take your time. Be inspired by the world around you. It sounds silly, but 'wait' for the ideas to come to you and then write them, rather than chasing ideas, in a frantic rush to get some words on paper.
If you ever find yourself unable to write and you stare at a blank page for hours, the best thing to do is stop trying. Go and do something else. Your brain is probably overworked and needs a recharge, or you have probably been sitting at a computer in a room for too long and have run out of inspiration. We need to engage in the world around us as writers in order to be inspired and find things to write about.
Alternatively, if you are working on a particular project and you can't find a way to continue that, start working on another. More often than not you will soon find that you are then able to go back to your other project and continue that. Probably your brain needed time to think about it. The creative process is linked to the subconscious mind, so when we think too much we're not doing ourselves any favours. Sometimes the mind needs to work things out on its own, without our own conscious chattering.
Another suggestion when you're running low on writing fodder is that you should go and read. Read widely, lots of different genres, and read a lot. If I ever meet writers who tell me they don't read, I am always suspicious of them and of their writing skills. A typical writer is addicted to words and language, is usually a bookworm.
X
I couldn't come up with anything beginning with X, but did find this rather funny post online about a book that was written about things found inside people in X-Rays, LOL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11...
A cassette?
Back to slightly more serious stuff:
Y
Yahoo Groups
I don't really use these due to lack of time, but have joined a few writing/literary groups on Yahoo. They seem to work in the same way as groups you can join on LinkedIn or Goodreads, where writers can chat and promote etc.
YouTube
YouTube is fast becoming one of the most popular places for promotion. I make my own book trailers and upload them there: http://www.youtube.com/user/MariaSavv.... I am yet to discover the best way to get more views, so if anyone has any tips please leave them in the comments below.
Bestsellerbound has a YouTube channel, showcasing books by our members.
Darcia Helle produces those videos. She also recently started interviewing authors and producing audio videos. You may have seen those in some of my earlier blogs. Here's a link to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/QuietFury...
Z
As with 'X' I struggled to find something beginning with 'Z', so I'll end the series with a bit of fun (because remember, writing is supposed to be fun!).
Here's a picture of Zebedee from one of my favourite TV programmes as a child: The Magic Roundabout:
Zebedee is a magician, and book are magic, are they not?
If you're in doubt, here's a quote from one of the greatest writers:
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl
That concludes the series... I hope you enjoyed it.
Links to the other blog posts in the series:
A-C: http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/20...
D-F: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
G: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
H-J: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
K-M: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
N-P: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Q-S: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
T: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Read six of my new short stories FREE at The Write Launch!
I've been working on a new short story collection this year. Each month, a new story from the collection has been featured at The Write Launch.
The Write Launch is a new literary fiction magazine that was launched in May 2017. It features lots of great short stories, poetry, articles, and novella/novel excerpts, from up-and-coming writers. If you haven't discovered it yet, follow this link to read the November issue: https://thewritelaunch.com/
This month's issue features my latest short story, "The Games People Play"
Here are a couple of brief excerpts from the story:
"At forty-five, and feeling slightly old, it boosted his ego to know that this young girl wanted to date him. She’d already said that she loved him: so innocent; yet to discover that love was an elusive fallacy, a playground for fools—a path leading only to disappointment or infinite loneliness, and that’s if you’re one of the lucky ones."
"He tried to focus on other things but his thoughts wandered to Olivia—they invariably did when anything in his life went wrong, as if an eternal circular pathway perpetually led back to her. Did she marry the man, the man with the face that frequently appeared in wishy-washy black and white flashbacks in Lucas’s mind? Were they still living together, happily, while his own life fell to pieces?"
Read more: https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/10/ga...
There are five more of my new stories, which you can read online at The Write Launch.
"The Ring": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/05/th...
"Gunshot": http://thewritelaunch.com/2017/05/31/...
"Change of Heart": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/07/ch...
"In The Past": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/08/in...
"Family Ties": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/09/fa...
My plan is to publish all the stories next year as a collection, titled "Out Of Time".
There are two more stories to come - one of which I am currently editing.
If you're a writer, you can also submit stories, poems, novel/novella excerpts, and articles. The site is very popular, so make sure you submit early in the month as the deadline each month is the 15th, due to the large amount of submissions that are received. The team at The Write Launch are very supportive of new writers and there are lots of great features to read there.
The Write Launch is a new literary fiction magazine that was launched in May 2017. It features lots of great short stories, poetry, articles, and novella/novel excerpts, from up-and-coming writers. If you haven't discovered it yet, follow this link to read the November issue: https://thewritelaunch.com/
This month's issue features my latest short story, "The Games People Play"
Here are a couple of brief excerpts from the story:
"At forty-five, and feeling slightly old, it boosted his ego to know that this young girl wanted to date him. She’d already said that she loved him: so innocent; yet to discover that love was an elusive fallacy, a playground for fools—a path leading only to disappointment or infinite loneliness, and that’s if you’re one of the lucky ones."
"He tried to focus on other things but his thoughts wandered to Olivia—they invariably did when anything in his life went wrong, as if an eternal circular pathway perpetually led back to her. Did she marry the man, the man with the face that frequently appeared in wishy-washy black and white flashbacks in Lucas’s mind? Were they still living together, happily, while his own life fell to pieces?"
Read more: https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/10/ga...
There are five more of my new stories, which you can read online at The Write Launch.
"The Ring": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/05/th...
"Gunshot": http://thewritelaunch.com/2017/05/31/...
"Change of Heart": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/07/ch...
"In The Past": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/08/in...
"Family Ties": https://thewritelaunch.com/2017/09/fa...
My plan is to publish all the stories next year as a collection, titled "Out Of Time".
There are two more stories to come - one of which I am currently editing.
If you're a writer, you can also submit stories, poems, novel/novella excerpts, and articles. The site is very popular, so make sure you submit early in the month as the deadline each month is the 15th, due to the large amount of submissions that are received. The team at The Write Launch are very supportive of new writers and there are lots of great features to read there.
