Deb Huston's Blog: The Indie Word

It's come to my attention that many Facebook users who have created and manage a Page are not getting their "Likes" counted correctly.

In the last month I've had three different people "Like" my page and they don't show up in the count or on my admin list. I've met one Goodreads author who is also having the same problem. Her counter is not rising and people who are "Liking" her page are not appearing in her admin panel.

If we swamped FB with reports of this problem we'd get a quicker response. My only problem is, I saw a bunch of posts from other users and now I can't locate this "Help" page again.

Thoughts?

I've entered a Facebook Cover Art Contest and it's interesting to see what people find appealing. The voting is also interesting as it appears it's possible to vote many times. I've chosen not to do this or encourage it, as it mars the efficacy of the poll (IMHO).

But if you're interested in seeing the various covers or even voting for what appeals to you, here's the link:

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/app/show...

Enjoy!

Free giveaway for an e-book on Amazon starting 9/19 - 9/23.

What's better than free?

Phineas Blue Domus is the second installment in the Phineas Blue Series.

Picking up where Book One Phineas Blue Shadows and Light left off, Phineas Blue Domus continues the exhilarating journey into time travel, space exploration, love and self-discovery. International cultures, historical and modern day exploration are a new dimension of life for Phineas and his clan.

Plot twists are a hallmark of the series and Phineas Blue Domus delivers. Take a peek at the world of Phineas Blue. It will entertain, transport and engage. Normal life will never be quite the same.

Check out the Facebook Fan Page for the official free giveaway announcement:

https://www.facebook.com/PhineasBlueS...

I'm wondering how a Virtual Release Party works if you don't have hundreds or thousands of followers?

During the last Presidential Election, I was online posting every 15 minutes with friends as we waited for results. But how does one know if anyone will "show up" for a Virtual Release Party and what, beyond a giveaway, would compel them to?

It's widely discussed that social media doesn't translate into book sales and I understand marketing should really be about the author's story rather than the book. So how does social media actually help me reach an audience?

Any thoughts are welcome.

I am thrilled to have Sharon Stevenson feature my book and me as an author on her blog, if only for a day:

http://www.sharonstevenson.moonfruit....

She is a UK author with her own books and was generous to offer space on her blog to other authors.

Authors need more of this kind of cross-promotion. We ran a Facebook fan thread, liking each others pages, but what about reaching beyond ourselves?

I propose we begin a word-of-mouth promotion campaign. If each of us was able to promote 2-3 book to our friends asking them to promoted the books to their friends and keep it going, we'd each probably reach thousands of readers for free.

Phineas Blue Shadows and Light

I'm not a novice graphic designer, film editor, or composer but I am a complete novice when it comes to YouTube Book Trailers.

I'm intrigued that people will actually take the time to look at a trailer mostly of stills and script styled text, which so far most of them seem to be. Who besides Stephanie Myers, Amanda Hocking, or any other best seller has the budget for a blockbuster styled trailer?

So, if you follow this blog, stay tuned. Along with writing, posting to my Facebook Fan page and my Goodreads blog, designing and building the new cover for Book 2 in the series, and creating a YouTube trailer, I'm determined to keep the good vibe going on authors helping authors. Email me if you have a suggestion for a post. I'll need a break.

Who wouldn't want a free writer's retreat in idyllic Iowa?

Fritz Nordengren, a GR author:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

is conducting a survey of the GR authors community about his writer's retreat. Head over and give him your feedback:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Then check out his great website, showcasing his retreat:

http://www.twomileranch.com

Authors helping authors. That's what it's all about.

I ran across Rinelle Grey's personal blog recently. She's a Goodreads Author and posted an answer to a new user's questions about the program on a thread.

I liked that she'd taken the time to post solid information for other authors, so I decided to give her a shout out, hoping others might get important tips from it.

So here's the link to her blog:

http://rinellegrey.com/being-an-autho...

Go Rinelle!

Recently I was asked about my experience with self-publishing on Smashwords. I explained that I wasn’t comfortable with the KDP Select program on Amazon and really wanted to get my work on Apple’s iBooks, Barnes and Nobles NOOK, and other important platforms. Little did I know that Smashwords' Meatgrinder conversion software would be so difficult (I code, so I thought certainly I my formatting would be correct), or that the Tech Support would be so unresponsive and far from useful.

I found out by doing, which is the reality of self-publishing at the moment. It took me 20 tries to make their premium catalog which means that I uploaded my book 20 times with different versions. Building the TOC was the issue. The “Style Guide” for formatting was written in 2008 and hasn’t been updated since and the inaccuracies for current version of WORD made this adventure challenging. SPOILER ALERT: I’m working on a better version as I write this.

Having said all this, I do appreciate the opportunity to publish with Smashwords and I have great admiration for Mark Corker (who built the platform) and what he stands for, namely the freedom to publish what you want, where you want.

I dedicated this blog to helping other authors. So if you’re finding yourself up against the Smashwords machine, friend me and I’ll be more than happy to impart whatever wisdom I may have.

I made a conscious decision to publish the first book of my series Phineas Blue on both Amazon and Smashwords.

Recently that decision has been challenged by publishers who portray the sales on iBookstore, Barnes and Nobles, SONY and many others as "negligible." Amazon has 80% of the market share and if you want exposure they say, you have to participate in the Amazon monopoly game called KDP Select. The KDP Select program mandates you publish only with Amazon, forsaking all others.

I don't like monopolies. I align with unions, have never crossed a picket line, and believe that healthy competition and an open playing field are fundamental to a free market economy. But times are changing and now, I'm left to wonder, does anyone else feel as I do that the freedom to self-publish is under attack by an Amazon monopoly scheme?