Results breeds momentum

Posted on October 26, 2011 by laina

I had an amazingly productive weekend. Partly, because it was raining and I wasn’t compelled to go outside and play and partly because as we all know momentum breeds momentum. The momentum I was feeding off was the great e-book sales in the UK. Although I must admit I was checking my Amazon sales page about every five seconds all weekend which did hamper my productivity a bit and yes I am getting a bit obsessive about it. Considering I make about .35 cents each time I sell a book you wouldn’t think it would be so exciting but it’s not about the money, though like anyone else I certainly wouldn’t turn it down. It’s about just knowing that one more person liked my book enough to spend a whopping .99 cents on it. And so far no returns.

The main point here is when you feel you are accomplishing something and gaining momentum it makes it so much easier to keep on working. No results usually equals no motivation to continue. For me anyway. How do you keep yourself motivated when it doesn’t seem as what you’re doing is working? I would love to hear your comments.

Laina

“Did I really just tell off my boss and get fired?” Presley Thurman, Stilettos & Scoundrels, available on Amazon .99

eReaders – did you know??

Posted on October 20, 2011 by laina

As I have moved more and more in to the realm of ebooks I of course talk about ebooks a lot and come across many people who don’t have an eReader. Well guess what I don’t either. I have the Kindle and the Nook app for my Mac. By the way these links will take you to the page where you can download the app for any device so see you don’t need an eReader. Not that they aren’t cool, I definitely want one, but sometimes due to budget constraints I can’t have everything I want.

How do you read your ebooks?
Laina

Novels vs. Novellas

Posted on October 11, 2011 by laina

As we know there are many different types of writing from different genres, lengths, fiction and non-fiction and their many subclasses. Today I want to look at novels and novellas. For sake of clarity this is what I am defining as the average length of novels and novellas.

Novella

~ 20,000 – 50,000 words

Novel

~ 50,000 -110,000 words

I have been doing some research and there seems to be a lot of commentary that the 40,000 – 50,000 word range for ebooks is more user friendly while in print it’s better to have 70,000 – 90,000 words because who wants to pay $14.95 for a book that doesn’t have a lot of pages? This leads me to my question is the value perception of a 40,000 word ebook let’s say for $2.99 or less the same as a paperback of 80,000 words for $14.95?

When I was trying to go the traditional route my fiction works were 90,000 to 100,000 words and while none of my readers have told me my books are too long I have noticed many other amazing ebook authors that consistently publish in that 40,000 to 50,000 range. Personally, I find great value in their novels so do I just need to change my mindset that my books don’t have to be traditional novel length as long as the story is evolved? But then what if I want to do both ebook and print?

I sometimes think I am my own worst enemy:)

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 11, 2011 by laina

To conquer oneself is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one’s own nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat.
Plato

Please help me make this FREE on Kindle

Posted on October 4, 2011 by laina

My book, Chiczofrenia – crazy is an art form is free on Nook. But until I get enough people to tell Amazon that I can’t make it FREE on Kindle. Please go to Kindle and say you found it free at Nook so Amazon will make it free.

Link for Amazon

You will need the link for Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chiczofrenia-crazy-is-an-art-form-laina-turner/1104400989?ean=2940011371882&itm=1&usri=chiczofrenia

Thanks!

Laina

Daily deadline – good or bad

Posted on October 3, 2011 by laina

I am a very goal driven person. I like to make goals and list them out with deadlines and draw great satisfaction from not only reaching the goal but also by checking it off my list. Sometimes though it seems to put undo pressure on me but yet I still feel better having that concrete list of things to tick off. It makes me feel productive when I can cross one more thing off my list.

With my writing I usually have a daily word count goal. If I slack off one day I expect myself to make it up the next. I am interested in knowing how some of the rest of you set goals and stick to them . Writing or otherwise.
Laina

August Attitude (kimkoning.wordpress.com)
Writing for Words (dream1000words.wordpress.com)

Fall Book Blast

Posted on September 13, 2011 by laina

Free & Bargain ebooks

Is your book $4.99 or less? Then email me the following to be included in the Fall Book Promotion newsletter going out September 22nd.

This will go out to +8,000 people.

Just need the following emailed to laina@lainaturner.com by September 15th.

1. jpeg of book cover 125×125 or it will be scaled to fit and may be distorted if too big.

2. 60 words (or so) blurb of book.

3. Link to where your book can be bought

4. ISBN, price

Also free the first chapters of Necklaces & Nooses and Handbags & Hooligans. Books will be available November and December. A coupon code to get each book at .99 will be sent to my mailing list when the books are first released. So sign up and don’t miss out.

The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger

Posted on September 9, 2011 by laina

Book review…

The Mistress of Nothing was a very interesting read for a couple reasons. It’s a historical fiction about a woman named Lady Duff Gordons trip to Egypt in the 19th century. The story was told from her maid, Sally’s, point of view. It starts out focused on Lady Gordons poor health due to TB and her need to get away to warmer, dryer climates. Then the twist, to me anyway, was Sally falling in love for the first time in her life with a married Egyptian man, Omar, who is a Muslim. Sally gets pregnant and they hide it from Lady Gordon until too late and the baby is born. Lady Gordon banishes Sally and demands she give the baby to the man’s first wife. Sally journeys to Cairo to do so but ends up keeping her child until circumstances force her to give the baby to his first wife. However, they form a close bond and she is able to be part of the infant’s life.

This book is sad in many ways with Lady Gordon’s health and her ability to turn so coldly on the woman who served her for years. But it is also a strong story of personal courage and triumph.

See on Amazon

Blog tours pros or cons

Posted on September 8, 2011 by laina

Great post on this topic by Shawn Lamb.

This is one method to getting reviews, interviews and the word out to your readers and potential readers. Is it the most effective way? That’s a matter up for debate, at least for me.

When I was first told I needed to do a “Blog Tour”, I had no clue such a thing existed, much less how or what to do. My publicist arranged a ‘tour’ without adequate explanation. Supposedly 40 bloggers got copies of ALLON Book 1 in exchange from doing a review and posting that review on said ‘tour’ date. Yes, this was all done on a single day.

I was told to visit each blog on the list…read more….

http://allonbooks-thekingdomofallon.blogspot.com/

Ebook Sales: The Long Tail by D.D. Scott

Posted on September 5, 2011 by laina

Over the course of many of our “Writers Making Choices” Interviews, you’ve heard many Indie Epub Authors mention that it’s not just the sales boosts we get from fantabulous blogs like Pixel of Ink and Kindle Nation Daily, but rather the “long tail” of sales that will define us as authors.

But what is the Ebook Sales “Long Tail”?

Is it a dinosaur tail?

Sort of…LOL!…but to show it in Line Graph form versus T-Rex form, it looks something like this…

Ebook Sales Long Tail

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