Or my new book covers that is. You wouldn’t believe how long a rebranding process takes.
Four months in the making, you’re among the first to see the new look for my eBooks. Since this post is supposed to be “wordless” I’ll save you the back story on process.
In the meantime, here’s two out of the four of the new look. Will share the other two as part of a regular post for those interested in publishing in multiple genres.
Here’s the new cover for Saving Peace. And to the right, the original cover.
With the birth of a new industry, it’s not uncommon to have other associated services pop up. When you’re making a car, for example, you’ll also need upholstery, wheels, and even consumer reviews to tell you which car is the best for your lifestyle.
The same is true of book publishing. Years ago, like in 2000, you waited for magazines to tell you what to read. Or maybe word of mouth from your book club, librarian, or other literary source. The introduction of the e-book poured kerosene on the self publishing industry. Commercial publishers began looking at download rates and purchase prices to see what authors were now risk worthy. As more and more writers began flooding the market, and more platforms like Smashwords became available, suddenly it was was difficult to pick your indie read as a paperback.
Enter the book blogger. Book bloggers are a self selected literati who read, review, and blog about books because they love them. They don’t get paid, are often juggling hectic work and personal schedules, and in many cases are berated by authors for not being available. They do it because they read something exciting and they want you to know about it. OR they had a terrible experience and they want to warn you so that you can get to your long list of to-reads.
As an independent author, I couldn’t have gotten the international coverage of my book without these faithful word warriors. They are as professional and polished as any reviewer you’ll find out there.
As part of Celebrating Bloggers week, I’m sharing some of the recent book bloggers who have come my way. Check out their blogs, follow them. You may find a book or two that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
What blogs do you follow? Leave some suggestions so we can all support these wonderful people who are writers in their own right.
In July, I released my 6th ebook, a labor of three years of love, a contemporary romance set in Qatar, called Love Comes Later. I waited to see what readers’ responses would be and was not disappointed at the latest self-taught lesson in writing, marketing, and publishing.
Two things stand out: 1) if academic work is for a select audience, then fiction is for everyone. And 2) if I want people near and far to have a crack at my book, then I have to stick with novels. You may disagree with me (which is allowed and please do share) but my stats don’t lie. In my previous eleven months of publishing electronic titles, I felt like a salmon going upstream. Trying to get reviews or bloggers to notice my book was tough. In the six weeks since this title has been out, there are 27 reviews and 43 likes. That’s more reviews than all the other books had a month after release and more downloads during the free period of any of my books to date.
I did also put quite a bit of PR muscle into this release and have to congratulate Sandra for her entry on the Kindle Fire giveaway as to how people fall in love and why e-readers are especially important for women. Maybe it was all the PR and not the genre.
Even so, my conclusion: People love a good novel more than memoir or short fiction. Many readers used social media to tell me they couldn’t put this book down. One said she read while she cooked. Another said she was in the process of finishing it and would have a surprise for me in a few days.
“What’s the surprise?” My husband asked. I had no idea. She had so intrigued him, he kept checking back with me.
“Did she tell you the surprise?”
A week later, I could say yes. She had loved the book so much, she didn’t want it to end. So she had written an epilogue for two of the two main characters! I’m sharing some of it with you here below. Her style is very different from mine – much sexier! – and as I read my characters’ names speaking lines I hadn’t written for them, I felt mixed emotions. On balance though, I’m taking it as it was intended – a positive sign that an aspiring writer took her hand to telling a story, imitating characters she admired.
How do you feel about fan fiction? Is it the ultimate compliment? Or like designer brands, is imitation worse than flattery?
Love Can Wait – Epilogue ** By DohaSu
Abdulla was adjusting his gutra in the mirror, when he caught Sangita looking at him.
“I promise we’ll find a new apartment.”
“Its okay, Fatima will always be a part of our lives. As long as you’re okay with me adding a few personal touches…”
“Of course.”
Sangita removed her shayla and the pins that held her hair in a bun and shook her hair free.
“You know that you don’t have to wear it?”
“I want to. For you. I like the idea of you being the only man to see my hair and skin.”
Abdulla’s eyes burned with longing for Sangita and he strode over to embrace her. He’d been resisting doing this the last few weeks, as he’d been afraid that he would not be able to restrain himself. Though wounded, he’d accepted that he would not be her first but was contented to be the one and only from now on.
“I’ve been wanting to do this…” he said as he pulled her towards him and ran his fingers through her hair again and again.
