Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two but being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
Topics Include:
Becoming Prolific
Writing Tools
Outlining
Making Quality a Priority
Publishing Models & Trends
Marketing Your Book
Book Covers & Blurbs
Book Events—In Person & Virtual
And more…
Meet the Author
Greetings! Thank you so much for dropping by to help us celebrate the release of The D.I.Y. Author. You all know me as author Kaye Lynne Booth, but with the release of this book, I hope to be known as the D.I.Y. author. This is the book that only I could write, where I share knowledge and experience as I build my author business. This is not a book on craft, but a reference for authors and aspiring authors who wish to expand and grow their author business on a limited budget. Learn the tips and tricks, sites and tools, which took me over a decade, and three masters degrees to amass.
I’ve always been a do it yourself kind of gal. I’ve built my author business up around this blog, finding ways around obstacles which stood in my way, learning new skill sets because outsourcing was more than I could afford. My first novel was published by a small independent publisher. But as the five-year contract ran out, I felt I could do better through my own small independent publishing house, WordCrafter Press, so I re-published it as the first book in my Women in the West adventure series last year, and I sold more copies than that other publisher had over a five year stretch. I just released the second book in the series this month. When Covid struck, I organized and hosted two virtual writing conferences, because writers are tribal bunch, and we need contact with like minded people. Networking is a huge part of building an author business. I use that networking to build not only my author business, but my own author tribe. I’ve published my own books, and collaborative anthologies, as well as publishing books for others. And I’ve built a winning blog team here on Writing to be Read with Robbie Cheadle, Jeff Bowles, Arthur Rorsch, and DL Mullan.
No one else has shared in these exact same experiences that I have, and that’s why only I could write The D.I.Y. Author, and why I can hold that title. But enough about me. The D.I.Y. Author is a great reference packed full of links to sites and tools and tips for increasing productivity, publishing choices, and marketing your books.
We have a great release party ahead to send this book off right. We’ve got exclusive offers running this week only. After Saturday, the whole D.I.Y. store will disappear, so take advantage of them now. By buying direct, you are supporting this author and her works more than when you purchase from retailers.
My D.I.Y. Video
Author Video Introduction – Author Kaye Lynne Booth
On with the party!
Thanks for dropping by for The D.I.Y. Author virtual release party. We’ve got some great things planned, including a giveaway for all attendees, so be sure to leave a comment, so I’ll know you were here. I’ll be monitoring the comments throughout the day and will answer any questions you might want to post there. While you’re here you can peruse the D.I. Y. store below, for exclusive and discounted offers that you won’t find anywhere else. The store will come down at the end of the week. After that you’ll have to pay full price through retailers, and signed copies will no longer be available.
And if you are already a bestselling author and you don’t need this book or the WordCrafter services offered here, you can still offer your support for the author and this project by using the ‘buy me a soda’ button below.
Buy me a soda
Show your support for author Kaye Lynne Booth and her many endeavors through WordCrafter Press & Writing to be Read.
Thanks for joining me today for The D.I.Y. Author Release Party. I hope you found a few useful tidbits here. For more tips and advice, you’ve got to buy the book. If you miss the window for the D.I.Y. Store, you can still purchase this useful writer’s reference here: https://books2read.com/The-DIY-Author
I’ve been meeting and greeting within author communities for sixteen years. First, as the Southern Colorado Literature Examiner for six years, and then, right here, on Writing to be Read . The payoff for these wasn’t in money, but in the opportunities they offered. I’ve met so many authors and was introduced to the writing world through those two things. And then, while working for my M.F.A., I met even more authors; traditionally published authors who were making a living from their writing, and I learned from them. When I went back to get my masters in publishing, I was privilaged to study under a true master, international and national bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson and through the masters program and KJA, I met several industry experts, including Jonathan Maberry and Mark Leslie Lefebvre, and I learned from even more who were gracious enough to speak to my cohort, either in person or on Zoom. I’ve also met authors through various WordCrafter projects, such as the two virtual writing conferences which WordCrafter hosted in 2020 and 2021; great people who answered the call when I put it out, and ran workshops and sat on discussion panels and helped me to make those two events happen.
Tribes
And I have to say, there’s something special about authors. They seem to gravitate toward these tightnit communities where you can be a member due to only a shared love of craft. Most call themselves author communities, KJA calls them his tribe. I like that. It has a feeling of kinship to it. By giving me instruction in the publishing industry, he welcomed me into his tribe, and by being a part of my blog team, or collaborating with me on an anthology or other projects, or even by participating in discussions and being a regular visitor and name I recognized, you are welcomed into my tribe.
Authors aren’t the only people who do this kind of thing. It’s human nature for people to gravitate toward others who are like minded. There are Corvette clubs and antique car clubs, bridge clubs, and fan clubs for people who enjoy the same musical artists. But the thing is, none of the people in those clubs really know each other and they aren’t likely to go out of their way to lend a hand to someone else when the only thing they have in common is a love for one particular thing. But authors do. Authors are the most generous group of people, willing to share their knowledge with one antoher, willing to donate their time and energies to projects, willing to lift one antoher up. It is amazing to me.
Networking
In Hollywood, it is said that it is all about who you know, but this is true in a sense, for writing and publishing. Networking with fellow authors can open doors that would otherwise be closed to us. Through other authors we learn of opportunities that we might not be aware of otherwise, and we meet people who are like minded, who may endorse your book, or perhaps review it. We meet folks who are interested in the craft of writing, just like we are, and many are willing to trade off services, which can make outsourcing that would be quite costly, suddenly become something that is in reach.
Collaborations
I’ve met many authors through collaborations. The virtual writing conferences mentioned above is only one type of collaboration. There are many others. I also mentioned anthologies. I 💜 anthologies. Wordcrafter Press puts out one poetry anthology, and at least one short fiction anthology per year. These are collaborations of from six to twenty different authors per book.
The great thing about anthologies is, you have a bunch of different authors who each have their own following and the potential to broadcast and promote to that following, allowing you to reach a much wider audience of potential readers, and therefore purchasers of your book. The same works for other collaborative projects, too. I have capitalized on this for the virtual writing conferences which WordCrafter Press hosted, as well.
Paying it Forward
The philosophy of paying it forward is predominate through the author communities that I find myself a part of . KJA is one of the busiest people I know, yet he didn’t balk at all when I invited him to be my first guest as I revive the “Chatting with the Pros” blog series, and he was willing to take the time to do an author interview with me. That segment will be coming up later this month.
This is only one example of the good-heartedness found in memebers of the author community. I’ve been granted review and interview requests, blurbs or endorsements of my books, and booked speakers and workshop presenters with authors willing to donate their time. And all I had to do was ask.
I have done this by doing book reviews for authors I know who haven’t requested it, by editing all anthology submissions whether I invite them to be in the anthology or not, by doing a proofread or beta read at no charge for certain authors who have requested them, by donating my time to judge the Spur awards, and by reblogging or reposting the promos and reviews of my fellow authors.
Authors are generally good people. And just as I am proud to be a member of KJA’s tribe, I’m equally as proud to call each one of you as memebers of mine.
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About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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This post is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.
Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
I’m so excited to tell you about the new things happening on Writing to be Read, starting this month. We’ve got a new way to build revenue for the blog and promotion opportrunities for you, as well as two new blog series on Saturdays. Read on to learn more.
Sponsor page is now live
I’m happy to be able to tell you that the new sponsor page on Writing to be Read is now live . Now you can be a WtbR sponsor and get your books or services promoted right here on this blog each month. Sponsors must be book, writing, or publishing releated. That’s the only rule. By becoming a WtbR sponsor, you not only help to support this blog and my author business, but you take advantage of affordable marketing opportunities that help you to reach a wider audience with your books and services.
Here’s how it works. You can choose from a single time promotion or a weekly ad for a sponsorship of three months or annualy. The new page has all the pricing and other details. All sponsors will also be listed on the sponsor page, as well. You can be a WtbR sponsor and sponsor your favorite WtbR blog series for as little as $5 a month. If you are interested in being a sponsor, I encourage you to contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com prior to submitting payment found there. Let’s chat to find the sponsorship plan that will work best for you.
If you’ve been following this blog for a few years, you may remember this blog series, although it has been a couple of years since I ran a segment. It’s not a new blog series as much as a revived blog series where I interview seasoned professionals to gain insights into the worlds of writing and publishing. We’re starting out right, with national and international bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson as my guest for the first segment. He’ll share insights into the publishing industry, talk about what works for him, and offer advice on increasing your writing productivity.
“Chatting with New Blood”
This series is a companion series to the “Chatting with the Pros” series, where I will be interviewing new authors and chatting about their author journey and their debut novels. For this series, my first guest with be author Julie Jones, and we’ll be chatting about her weird western novel, Blood Follows Blood.
Will I see you there?
I hope I have piqued your interest in the upcoming changes. Watch for the two new blog series on Saturdays and be sure to visit the sponsor page to become a member of the WtbR sponsors. Your support is always appreciated.
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For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
This post is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press
Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
HOW DO YOU KEEP AN INNOCENT CHILD SAFE FROM A PREDATOR WHEN YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE BEAST THAT ASSUMES CONTROL OF YOU?
A train bound for Vermont leaves Manhattan at 11:35 AM. It takes approximately 9 hours to arrive. Sunset at the arrival destination occurs at 8:20 PM. How does Michael Andrews, a man on that train who is afflicted with a werewolf curse, resolve the fact that the math just doesn’t work out in his favor? Or in favor of the young girl who is trapped, and cornered?
Michael’s unequivocal desire to help usually thrusts him into the middle of tight spots. And though he has never been good at math, he is consistently good at compounding the peril in his day. On an urgent and last minute trip to help a dear friend in need, he finds someone else to help along the way.
Can Michael figure out how he’ll be able to protect his young, innocent traveling companion as she tries to make her own cross-country escape from the predator who relentlessly stalks her? And does this curious child hold her own answers that can, in turn, help Michael?
In a tale that has been described as Logan meets Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Mark Leslie has crafted a thrill-ride that explores Michael Andrews, Alpha Wolf and Beta Human as he embarks on a life-altering road trip that sends him hurtling towards his own psyche as it brings him miles away from his familiar home territory.
Anyone who follows my reviews here might know that I’m a big fan of Mark Leslie’s Canadian Werewolf series. Stowe Away is book 1.5 in the series. You can check out my reviews of the other books in this series at the links below.
I received a free audiobook copy of Stowe Away from responding to Mark Leslie’s newsletter. What a sweet deal. Stowe Away is a novella length story in the Canadian Werewolf series. It is narrated by Scott Overton, who narrates the other audiobooks in the series, as well. As per his usual, he does an excellent job with handling the voices of multiple characters, including the character of a thirteen-year-old girl for this one.
Obviously, I am a fan of this series. Stowe Away was no exception. Michael Andrews must get to Gail, to be the loving and supporting friend in her time of need. As luck would have it, the train is the mode of transportation that will get him there the quickest. But it’s the full moon and the train doesn’t arrive at the destination before it rises.
How to deal with this dilemma is on his mind when he comes across a young girl in trouble, stirring the superhero tendencies in him. She’s hiding from a man who is searching for her on the train, and if he finds her, he wants to silence her for good. Now Michael has to figure out how to help the girl and get off the train before the moon rises and he changes into his alter-ego wolf-self.
Stowe Away is a novella length Canadian Werewolf tale with a full story arc and all the hallmarks that make this series fun to read. I give it five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
If you like fast paced historical fiction… this hidden gem will have you burning the midnight oil!
She was young, smart and principled.
They were out to get her. She never gave up… and neither did they…
In a story based on fact, you will discover the heart wrenching account of the struggles of a nation under siege unprepared for the sophistication of its invader. Their most effective weapon was a young girl who has mistakenly been portrayed as a cartoon character in modern culture…
The record is now being put straight.
You will cry at her loves and losses, you will smile at her mischief, but you will finally know the truth!
The beautiful cover on this book is what drew me to it on Freebooksie. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of Peacemaker’s Dream: The Story of the True First Lady of America, by Sue Wright. This book tells a the story of the life of Pocahantas, an interesting and often misunderstood period in American history. It made me rethink my ideas about that first Thanksgiving, I can tell you that.
A young Powhaten Indian princess believed to have been prophesied to be the link for peace between her people and the strange white settlers who have invaded their lands. That’s a lot of weight placed on a young girl’s shoulders. But the white settlers began early on in a pattern of greed, trickery, and broken promises, and they do not hesitate to use a young squaw for leverage to get what they want. Taken from her people and abused both mentally and physically, Pocahantas draws strength from the belief in her destined role of peacemaker for her people and tries to make a new life for herself among the white settlement with the constant threat of having it all taken away looming over her.
I always knew Pocahantas played a role in the foundations of America, but I did not realize how great one young Pohowtan girl’s sacrifice for peace was. I give Peacemaker’s Daughter five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
Several readers questioned the relationship between hyenas and wild dogs. I didn’t realise that there was confusion between these creatures because I’ve grown up knowing the differences (or some of them at least). This month, I am providing some insights into those differences.
First and foremost, wild dogs are canines and hyenas are Hyaenidae. Hyenas are considered to be ‘cat-like’ carnivores and are evolutionarily closer to felines than canines.
Appearance
Wild dogs have large, rounded ears that stand up on their heads as if perpetually listening. The African painted wild dog has a pattern on its coat that resembles paint splashes in white, ochre, and black. Wild dogs are the largest of the African canine and measure between 60 and 75 centimetres tall at their shoulders. They weight between 18 and 36 kilograms and have long, slender legs.
Picture caption: African painted wild dog with large, rounded ears and long slender ears.
Hyenas have smaller ears that they draw back towards their heads. The spotted hyena has a brown-coloured coat with small dark brown spots scattered all over it and a main of longer hair. Spotted hyenas have short hind legs and longer front legs. They are larger and stronger than wild dogs having a height of up to 92 centimetres at the shoulder and a weight of up to 86 kilograms.
Behaviour
Wild dogs
Wild dogs are always on the move as they are threatened by bigger, stronger predators. They live in packs ranging from approximately 7 to 15 members and roam huge territories in search of food. Male wild dogs stay with their birth packs and females leave and find another one to join.
Packs are usually led by a dominant pair, although every member plays a valuable role. Team players, wild dogs care for other members of their pack and never leave a pack member behind.
Wild dogs are known for their endurance and can run long distances to wear down their prey. Wild dogs can reach a top speed of approximately 60 kilometres per hour (44 miles per hour).
Wild dogs are primarily diurnal like cheetahs, meaning they hunt during the day. Wild dogs are excellent hunters with an 85% hunting success rate, making them one of the most successful predators in the world. Working as a team, they can wear down animals like zebras, wildebeest (gnu) and large antelope like kudu. During a hunt, each member assumes a role as follows: subordinate males separate the target, the pack leader runs down the prey, and the others fan out to cover escape routes. Wild dogs nip and tear at their prey with their teeth as it continues to run away from them.
Hyenas
Hyenas live in groups, or clans, of between 6 and 100 individuals. Their complex social hierarchies are dominated by the larger and more aggressive females. They are much more aggressive than wild dogs and spend a lot of time fighting among each other. Despite this behaviour, the members of the pack work together to raise their young. Juveniles eat first at kills and the older females tend to sick and elderly pack members, even regurgitating food for them.
Opportunistic hunters and scavengers, hyenas have a reputation for stealing food from other predators. Hyenas are nocturnal meaning they hunt at night. Although they look ungainly, spotted hyenas can pursue prey for several kilometres without tiring. They can reach a top speed of approximately 60 kilometres per hour (37 miles per hour) and their heart is, proportionately, twice as big as a lion’s. Spotted hyenas often hunt alone but they can take down larger prey if they hunt as a pack. However, if the opportunity presents itself, they will steal from other predators including cheetahs and wild dogs.
Picture caption: Juvenile spotted hyena in the sunlightPicture caption: Juvenile hyena with its brown coat covered in small darker markings and its mane of longer hair.Picture caption: Adult spotted hyenaPicture caption: Spotted hyena cub
My gender is obscure One of nature’s tricks I have the same appendages as my mate I am also bigger Much more aggressive *** Birthing is difficult My babies – stillborn After suffocating in my birth canal Only the strong survive To continue my line *** When my pack makes a kill I get my share first When all females have fed, and
then our offspring Then, and only then Do the males partake
Picture caption: Cover of Lion Scream featuring a lion with its mouth open in a roar.
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta also has thirteen children’s books and two poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “In Touch With Nature” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
Writing a book is hard. Marketing it can be even harder.
Marketing a book in 2023 can seem like a full-time job, what with the crazy number of things authors seem to be expected to do: social media, blog tours, advertising, price promotions, mailing lists, giveaways, you name it.
But here’s a little secret: you don’t need to do all those things to successfully set your book on the path to success. What you need is a solid plan to find the one or two tactics that will work, and start to drive sales… in a minimum amount of time. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this book.
Instead of drowning you in information or inundating you with hundreds of different tactics and strategies that eventually prove fruitless, this book will guide you through a step-by-step framework to find the ones that actually work for you and your book, so that you can start marketing more efficiently.
In particular, you’ll learn:
✔️ How to change your mindset and sell more books with less effort.; ✔️ How to write books that guarantee a lasting, profitable career; ✔️ How to get Amazon’s Kindle Store to market your book for you; ✔️ How to get thousands of readers into your mailing list before you even release the book; ✔️ How to propel your book to the top of the charts at launch; and ✔️ How to automate your marketing so that you can spend less time marketing and more time writing,
After helping over 150,000 authors crack the marketing code through a popular weekly newsletter, Reedsy’s Co-founder Ricardo Fayet is sharing everything he’s learned over the past few years in this beginner-friendly, jargon-free guide to book marketing.
Today’s author needs to be able to do all stages of the publishing process in order to run their author business, but one person cannot do it all. It can be overwhelming, even for the D.I.Y. author. (That’s me. 😉 ). I share my experience and knowledge about doing my marketing and promotions myself in my book, The D.I.Y. Author, which will be released on June 4th, 2024. But learning to run an author business doesn’t end when you publish a book, and although I just wrote a book about building and growing your author business, I still have much to learn on this never ending road to success. That’s why I took advantage of the free ebook by Reedsy‘s Ricardo Fayette, How to Market Your Book: Overperform in a Crowded Market. Fayette knows a lot more than I do on the subject of book marketing, so I refer my readers to his book in my book.
I don’t do paid advertising, and that is what a good portion of this book is about.
“But couldn’t I reach a larger audience with paid advertising?” Absolutely.
Someday, I hope to be able to expand into the paid advertising arena, so I read through those sections, and I must say, Ricardo Fayette explains things in such a way that even someone like me, who gets headaches when thinking analytics, can understand, and he is very thorough. He lays out the differences between Amazon Ads, Facebook Ads, and BookBub Ads, weighing the pros and cons of each. And man, did I learn a lot, particularly about BookBub Ads. He really gave me a lot to think about. Hopefully, I will be able to include what I’ve learned about paid advertising from this book in the revised edition of The D.I.Y. Author by putting it into practice at a future date.
Fayette also talks about the importance of a mailing list and how to set up a newsletter with a reader magnet, reminding me of another area where my efforts have been lacking. He compares several email servers and offers the basics of a good newsletter. I set out two years ago to find a new email server because I wasn’t happy with MailChimp. But things got busy and life happened, and my quest for an email server got laid to the side. I opted to stick with what I knew, not wanting to take the time to learn a new server system, let alone the time it takes to research them first. This book offers a list with some I wasn’t familiar with which are geared more toward authors. This peaked my curiosity, as it sounded like it might be just what I’m looking for. I haven’t sent out a newsletter in over six months, and my readers have probably forgotten me. This might be the motivation that I need to get a newsletter up and running, and keep it running.
He shares tips for working the Amazon system, as well as some of the other retailers, for those who publish wide. He even talks about selling direct from your website, and how to make each of these methods work for you. He covers keywords, backcover copy and book covers.
On the subject of book covers, I have to disagree with him as he insists you must outsource your book cover with an expensive professional cover designer. I do outsource many of my book covers because I’d rather put my time into my writing, but although I am a writer and not a book designer, I posess the design knowledge and most of the skills to create a good book cover. I designed the covers for my Women in the West Adventure Series and I’m quite happy with them. I wasn’t happy with the cover I did for The Rock Star & The Outlaw, so I outsourced it to someone who had more skill than I did, and changed the cover three months after publication. So, while I’m not saying you shouldn’t outsource your book covers, I don’t think that it is an absolute necessity. While Fayette is adament on this point, reminding us of it repeatedly throughout the book, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
This is one of the most comprehensive books on book marketing that I’ve come across, and one I will be referring back to many times in the future as I grow and expand my author business. A great value from a free book.
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About Author Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
Oboist Sara Baron agrees to cat sit for a childhood friend but instead of being greeted by a meowing fluff ball, she walks into a ransacked house and stumbles over her friend’s dead body. Frantic, she runs next door and enlists the help of a mysterious stranger who knows more than he admits. His charm, not to mention his deep chestnut eyes, is balanced by his guardedness, unexplained absences, and seemingly nonexistent past. Is he helping her expose the murderer, or covering his tracks? Meanwhile, Sara battles a career threatening affliction, and helps keep the family music business afloat all while looking for instrumental evidence to put the murderer behind bars.
An Ear for Murder, by Diane Weiner, is A Sara Baron Tuned in Mystery, which is to say the protagonist and ametuer slueth is a musician. This is a cute cozy in which the protagonist falls into the middle of a murder mystery and is driven to solve it. This one is slow paced as the clues are uncovered, but it contains plenty of climactic moments.
Sara Baron makes a visit to her hometown when an affliction threatens to end her career as an oboist. But the friend she is staying with is murdered, and Sara sets out to find out who did it, and why, throwing her into the killer’s sites. Who the killer is remains a mystery, and the list of suspects grows, as the tension rises as each strange occurance becomes more dangerous. Then there’s the mysterious next door neighbor guy whose strange behavior makes him suspect, even though she wants to believe he’s one of the good guys. If she’s wrong, it could mean her life.
An Ear for Music contains all the right notes to create a cozy mystery in the tune of murder. I give it four quills.
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