P.A. Lupton's Blog

I was thinking about this subject the other day when I saw a book called Losing You, Finding Me. I haven’t read the book yet, but I was attracted to the book by the cover. It was hot. It had just been released and barely had a single review, but I’m going to be honest and admit, it didn’t matter to me. I loved the cover and had decided to read the book for that reason alone. I bought it and it’s currently sitting on my Kindle waiting to go. I feel a little guilty that I made an impulsi...

I think we’ve all been there, when you have something inside your head you just can’t seem to get on paper. No matter how many hours we sit, the words will not come. There is absolutely nothing more frustrating. Well, I recently had a bad bout of writers block and decided to just give up and read instead. I did a reread of one of my favorite books, Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover, and I came across something that made me think. I read it and reread it and was finally able to overcome...

The other day I finished a book I had been looking forward to reading for a while. It was a book written by an author I’ve liked quite a bit in the past. Unfortunately, I was so disappointed. It wasn’t that the story was bad; it was that it was a copy. I couldn’t understand why a well-established author would deviate so far from the books she’s written in order to emulate someone else. I’m sure it won’t be a surprise to hear the book she patterned hers after was Fifty Shades of Grey. Publish...

Yay, I'm so excited. The new cover for my Novella, Old Souls, is finally finished. I thought I'd share.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The book will be released by the end of the month. Here is the description.

I am so unbelievable excited right now! I just found out the movie rights have been sold for two of my favorite books, Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover. I read these books back in August and have been raving about them ever since. They were amazing, beyond amazing actually. If it were possible to award more stars in our ratings, I would have given way more than 5 stars to both books.

Even more exciting news, Colleen Hoover has graciously offered to give away a signed paperback...

Yikes, it’s been a little while since I made a post. I figured I’d catch you all up on why. So, I’ve had a few computer mishaps—FYI, don’t drink tea near your computer. Oh, and if you do spill liquids on your computer, don’t turn it on only five minutes after you dry it. Who knew? LOL I figured five minutes with the blow dryer and all would be well. Boy was I wrong. I knew I screwed up bad when my computer flashed a message: FATAL ERROR. Unfortunately, I ended up having to replace the whole...

I was chatting today with some people at my son’s baseball game about e-readers and why I love them. I hear people tell me every day about how much they love their Kindle/Nook/Sony/Kobo. It doesn’t really matter what brand, the general consensus is the people who have them, love them. I’ve heard every reason now. One of my favorites, especially since Fifty Shades came out, is they can read erotica anywhere and not have to feel embarrassed over racy book covers. Not to mention it’s always...

Why is there so much controversy surrounding the Fifty Shades Trilogy?

I heard the other day that libraries all over the country are banning the books, refusing to stock them. Since when did libraries begin to judge our reading material? I was a little annoyed when I first read this, for a few reasons.

1. Don’t libraries carry books that the public wants to read? All three of the Fifty Shades books are on the NY Times bestsellers list. I would say that constitutes a book the public wants t...

[image error] So, back in July I heard about a great place for people who like to read. It’s called Goodreads, and I’m sure many of the other readaholics out there have heard of it . For anyone who hasn’t heard about Goodreads it is the BEST social networking site I’ve ever come across. It’s like a book club for the world. For serious readers, it’s heaven. I’ve had so many good recommendations since I’ve joined that I rarely read I book I dislike anymore.

Good book recommendations aside, I have found so many women who share my passion for reading and my love of vampires, werewolves and anything paranormal. I love having the opportunity to chat with other people about the books I love (it wasn’t easy in real life finding women with similar tastes). I never thought I’d say this, but some of these women I now consider good friends. Last year, if someone had said to me that I would meet some of my closest friends online, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness. Unbelievable as it seems though, I have.

Anyway, now that I’ve explained about why I love Goodreads so much I’m going to rant a bit. Lately, I’ve been so frustrated by the amount of authors spamming on Goodreads. I am an author, so I understand how hard it is to market your book. However, going on discussion threads and constantly plugging your book is not the way to do it. It’s frustrating, when people who join legitimately to chat about books have to wade through comments from authors like: “if you like that book you’ll love my book”. It alienates readers and actually makes them not want to read it.

Constant marketing is one way of spamming, but also, the frequent friend request is a bit tiresome as well. I get friend requests every day from authors with thousands of friends but no books on their shelf and no comments in any discussions, and from authors who don’t share a single book in common with me. This negates the whole purpose of Goodreads.

I don’t claim to be an authority on book marketing (believe me), but I do know enough to understand that these tactics are frustrating to members and will not have a good outcome for your book sales. And this doesn’t only apply to Goodreads, but also other sites like Shelfari and Library Thing.

I can’t speak for all authors, but most of the authors I know are readers first. The reason we started writing in the first place usually stems from our love of good books and great storytelling. If you take the time to learn why people are joining these social networking sites you’ll find much more than a way to market your book. I look forward to my chats on Goodreads and I treasure the friends I’ve made, and I’ve still found Goodreads is a fantastic place to market if done the right way. There are places specifically designated for marketing. You can find people willing to read to review. You can offer your book in giveaways. There are tons of places to do this without making people angry. Take the time and I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you gain from Goodreads.

So, back in July I heard about a great place for people who like to read. It’s called Goodreads, and I’m sure many of the other readaholics out there have heard of it . For anyone who hasn’t heard about Goodreads it is the BEST social networking site I’ve ever come across. It’s like a book club for the world. For serious readers, it’s heaven. I’ve had so many good recommendations since I’ve joined that I rarely read I book I dislike anymore.

Good book recommendations aside, I have found so...