Jessica Cameron's Blog

I finally sat myself down with the knowledge kindly shared with me by a couple of fellow authors and a reader and have come up with a new blurb.

It is punchier, more in keeping with the content of the book, and will hopefully give people an idea of what to expect should they read it!

I am waiting for the changes to go live and I will be ordering in new copies. I have had some comments regarding the matte finish too - whilst it looks lovely the edges become frayed quickly and the cover marks. So I am going to be giving the gloss finish a test run and see how I feel - alongside smaller margins.

All these changes are things that I have noticed or had mentioned to me in passing, and I am implementing/adapting the things I think are necessary or conducive to my growth as an author!

I am open to feedback on my work, especially when it comes from an avid reader or fellow author.

I've had a couple of comments regarding the blurb of my work and I was quick to acknowledge the thoughts each time because to be quite frank, they're thoughts I myself had.

I never felt the blurb gave the book enough credit, or sells the content to the reader enough. Once I heard this from a couple of readers and an author I decided I need to finally sit myself down and fix it.

The blurb is strangely the one bit I found really difficult, so I will do some more research and get feedback on whatever I come up with before making the changes.

All this said, thanks to all who have read my book and like I say, feedback is welcome. I can't better myself as an author if I don't listen to what people think!

So I am learning how to successfully market my book, as any self-published or new author must. It is such a challenging journey but I have had the good fortune to encounter a few people who have been giving me tips - I'll be implementing some changes soon to my approach.

Implanted is available to download for free for anyone who has Kindle Unlimited - but it is also available to purchase as both an e-book and paperback for those without KI. I am currently traversing the world of Amazon and algorithms, refining the keywords etc so I can reach those who may be interested. No-one warns you how much energy you must dispense into learning this side and I am not even close to being proficient in the skill of marketing. If I could, I would hire someone to handle this side so I could focus on the part I love - writing and then procrastinating about editing!

Whenever my inbox pings to tell me someone has purchased a copy of my book my heart does a loop-de-loop so I shan't ever rest when it comes to trying to share my work. I have the same reaction when someone takes the time to reach out with their thoughts or leave a review. My experience as an indie author has really lead me to take a different approach when reading anything now, because I know what a difference it can make - even if it's just in lifting an authors spirits.

For now I will say thank you to all of those who have supported me in this journey, even knowing that Implanted is being read is wonderfully gratifying. Whilst we fall into end of year fair season I will need to focus on my art stuff but I fully intend to finish editing my newest book and get designing very soon - it's a paranormal thriller for those interested! I will be creating a mailing list too, so I can send semi-regular updates but I need to work it all out first then start putting out feelers.

I first published Implanted with a 'hybrid' publishing house, I was overly excited to see my hard work in print and on shelves (the latter never came to fruition). I eagerly bought into the narrative that had been fed to me and overlooked some of the bumpy processes along the way, which I will not divulge because I'm not here for that.

What I wanted to really say was, after a very long time I decided to take back control of my 'baby' and either seek new representation or self-publish (I self-published in the end after some thought). I am an artist, so I re-designed the cover when the original design I had was refused to be released. In the end, although I loved the first cover this one meant more to me because of the journey I'd been on with the book, and in life. It also meant a couple of niggly errors in the first edition could be eliminated. I am eternally grateful to all those who have shown me support and read my work - I promise there is more on the way when I can. It's a busy life being a full-time mum, artist and author!

If you've read this, thank you. I promise to start working towards getting my next work edited and designing a new cover. I'm also interested in trying to find a way to convert Implanted into an audiobook, after a few requests.

I hope everyone has been having a nice summer holiday!