Jamie Quaid's Blog

I'm baaaack-k-k!

It's only taken me what? A year and a half? That's what a cross-country move will do for you. Total brain collapse and procrastination like you wouldn't believe.

Of course, when you move to a place like Southern California, it's hard not to just go out and gape at the beauty instead of sitting behind a boring desk and computer.

And in my defense, when I couldn't get the third Saturn's Daughter book out by last fall, I really did have to wait until this fall. A Christmas theme just doesn't play well in spring, does it?

So I hope it was worth the wait and I promise... I'll go admire a few more sunsets. But Tina still has a lot to say, so she'll be back again and again and...as long as my wonderful readers keep telling me to write about her.

I'm debating icons for Facebook and Twitter. I really like both of these, but in thumbnail, the details don't show up. Must learn Photoshop! What do you think?

Damn Him to Hellhas hit the bookshelves! Even though I tend to watch Amazon instead of bookstores these days, a new release is always an exciting and anxiety-inducing time. A writer’s imagination can be a dangerous thing. While I’m sitting here, working hard on Book Three, I’m envisioning readers ignoring the book in droves and Tina’s career going down in flames. Well, given Tina’s inclinations, that’s probably the only way she’s going down. Then my optimistic side kicks in and I’m hoping readers everywhere are talking about the book and what happens next.

So, for those of you who have already scarfed up the book, what would you like to see happen next? Admittedly, I’m deep into the next book, but I’m creative. I can do anything that excites me. What do you think is happening in the Zone? Or who will Tina end up with? I’ll dedicate the next book to anyone who comes close to what I’m thinking or gives me something new to think about!

I am posting this on my alter ego’s blog as well because this topic isn’t just about genre or formats or author names. It’s about the on-line community driving the market. As a reader and an author, I’ll limit myself to talking about the book market.

For the first time in decades, consumers are back in the driver’s seat of the book industry. Publishing conglomerates have never had a good sense of what books to print, but they’re the ones who have been dictating what we read for years. That’s changed, and we need to grab that change and run with it. Readers are now in a position to say “This is the kind of book I want to read and I want more of them.” And publishers—and authors— are actually listening and reacting.
Obviously, one of the best ways to show what you want to read is to buy books. But the variety out there is enormous, and it’s difficult to know which books to buy. Authors can advertise and tweet and facebook all we like, but readers are smart. They want to hear from other readers before committing hard-earned dollars.
So that’s why the online review and word of mouth are equally, or possibly even more, important than buying  books. If you like a book, tell someone. Encourage that someone to tell someone else. Post a comment in your favorite readers’ group, in the online store where you shop, or on social media. Grab a copy of the book’s image and post it anywhere. Places like Amazon and B&N actually advertise books that receive a lot of likes and comments, so the more comments on your favorite book, the more of that book they’ll sell.
It’s a snowball effect: the more people you tell, the more people will look for that book and others like it. And  that’s the miracle of the driver’s seat—soon, publishers and authors will notice those kinds of books are doing well, and they’ll begin producing more of them. Readers have already done it for vampires, shapeshifters, and Regency romances. Word of mouth has made them into an enormous industry. And you, the reader, did it.
So go forth and communicate your preferences! Ensure that your favorite author or genre stays around a while longer.
Thank you, stepping down from soapbox to go admire the autumn leaves and plan Halloween tricks. Treats, I mean treats.

Just added two more blogs to my visit list, with more prizes to be given away:


http://killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/   Oct 3

http://wickedauthors.blogspot.com/    Oct 9


Come by and try for free books or better yet--tell me you've already read it! I'm dying for feedback, folks! Post your thoughts on Amazon or Goodreads. I promise not to turn into a screaming bean sidhe. 

I don't promise not to take your thoughts into consideration when I create my next demon. But c'mon, you've always wanted to be a demon anyway, didn't you?

Welcome to my very first Jamie Quaid post--a virgin blog, so to speak!
Since I have yet to conquer Dreamweaver and my website, don't count on special effects or even sexy demons just yet. I'm a writer, not a techno-nerd. If I could just dream up what I want and splash it on here, kind of like Tina does to baddies, I'd be fine. Until Saturn adopts me, however, I'll have to muddle along with words.

For now, I'll limit myself to posting my blog tour and poking around on settings. Then I'll pray the Computer Fairy will figure out how to link this to my website. Of course, Computer Fairy has buried my BOYFRIEND FROM HELL excerpt so deep that I'm thinking of offering prizes to the first person who finds it. Leave comments to let me know you've found the blog, and we'll see what happens!


9/24  Bookworm2Bookworm http://bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com/  
9/24  Fresh Fiction  www.freshfiction.com
9/24 Tote Bags http://authorsoundrelations.blogspot.com/9/25   RomCon http://www.romconinc.com/9/25   SOS Aloha sosaloha.blogspot.com9/25  Romance Divas  http://romancedivas.com/9/26  USA Today http://content.usatoday.com/topics/site/life/happyeverafter/1