And on to yet another post for the 28 day Author Blog Challenge...
Who did/could you ask to write a blurb for your book? Why that person/people? How did/will you go about reaching them?
I asked the best boyfriend in the world's twenty-one-year-old daughter to write a blurb for my book. She read it and wrote me some lovely ad copy. Without further ado:
"In this riveting portrayal of the emperor of the Mongol Emperor Genghis
Khan, Yassa depicts the untold story of the undying love between Genghis
and his wife, Borte. The novel creates speculation that who Genghis Khan
had become is a result of the turmoil amongst his wife, family, and
brotherhood, and the betrayal of the ones he remained devoted to until
the end. The author Jo Michaels demonstrates her curiosity of the
history behind Genghis Khan in this brave replica of the leader of the
largest contiguous empire in history. You will find yourself laughing,
crying, smiling, and sympathizing with the characters throughout the
entire book. Yassa is a must read that will keep you wanting more of the
bygone times that have never before been depicted like this."
~ Katlynn G
I asked her because she's a reader. She consumes around two books a week. If she liked it, I figured the general public would, too.
I found her via my association with her father. Her personal feelings were not put on display but she told me that when she got to the last page, she cried. SCORE! Tears mean my characters resonated with her.
When I write, resonance is my goal. I want people to take a little piece of my novel and store it in their heart forever. When you read Yassa, you'll have a perfect understanding of how I feel about my boyfriend. He's my once in a lifetime.
News: The Abigale Chronicles - Book Two is ready for release on July 3, 2012. If you haven't read Book One yet, now's the time. Follow one of the links at the top of my blog to get yours! I'll be doing a cover reveal sometime this week. If I told you when, that wouldn't be fun! So getcher butts back here for that!
Even more news: Yassa received another FOUR STAR review yesterday! See the writeup here.
That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Target Market
On to another prompt for the 28 Day Author Blog Challenge:
Describe the market for your book - to the tiniest detail (e.g., childless divorced women past age 50 who want to remarry). Why that demographic? How do you connect with them to market to them?
My market for Yassa consists of anyone who has loved fully, intensely, and faithfully. People who understand and appreciate the power of that faithfulness. Most of all, people who want to connect with a character and take something away from a story for once. While my intended audience was women from age 25-45, I have found that teens like my book a lot and that older women seem to gravitate toward it.
My market for The Abigale Chronicles is young readers from age 6-13, male and female. Those kids with imagination who can grasp that something weird is going on with Abigale. Kids who need to identify with a character and understand that when they have a problem, they should face it head-on with their eyes wide open.
Why that demographic? For Yassa, it's because women need to understand the inner workings of a man. Men desire to protect and be loved unconditionally. When any of that fails, they struggle. It changes them in ways we don't understand. For The Abigale Chronicles, it's because I want to teach them that reading can take you places you never dreamed you'd go.
In Yassa, Temujin fails to protect Borte and the act of losing her drives him a little crazy. It's Genghis Khan's coming-of-age tale. It tells why he was shaped into the brutal man he became. Life shapes us all in interesting ways and his life was hard. But he loved like no other. He was loyal to his friends and family and took slights against them personally, making anyone who dared to dishonor him the next target on his list of payback.
With The Abigale Chronicles, I feel like I have a last-ditch chance to get kids to pick up books and read. All books, not just mine. Abigale is intended to inspire a love of reading and realize the places books can take you with their words.
I connect with my target markets through advertising and networking. When I'm out and about, I talk about my work with anyone who'll listen. I do giveaways on Goodreads so those that are interested, have a chance at a copy for themselves. Word-of-mouth should take it from there. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at Goodreads for a chance to win one of two signed copies of Yassa!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Describe the market for your book - to the tiniest detail (e.g., childless divorced women past age 50 who want to remarry). Why that demographic? How do you connect with them to market to them?
My market for Yassa consists of anyone who has loved fully, intensely, and faithfully. People who understand and appreciate the power of that faithfulness. Most of all, people who want to connect with a character and take something away from a story for once. While my intended audience was women from age 25-45, I have found that teens like my book a lot and that older women seem to gravitate toward it.
My market for The Abigale Chronicles is young readers from age 6-13, male and female. Those kids with imagination who can grasp that something weird is going on with Abigale. Kids who need to identify with a character and understand that when they have a problem, they should face it head-on with their eyes wide open.
Why that demographic? For Yassa, it's because women need to understand the inner workings of a man. Men desire to protect and be loved unconditionally. When any of that fails, they struggle. It changes them in ways we don't understand. For The Abigale Chronicles, it's because I want to teach them that reading can take you places you never dreamed you'd go.
In Yassa, Temujin fails to protect Borte and the act of losing her drives him a little crazy. It's Genghis Khan's coming-of-age tale. It tells why he was shaped into the brutal man he became. Life shapes us all in interesting ways and his life was hard. But he loved like no other. He was loyal to his friends and family and took slights against them personally, making anyone who dared to dishonor him the next target on his list of payback.
With The Abigale Chronicles, I feel like I have a last-ditch chance to get kids to pick up books and read. All books, not just mine. Abigale is intended to inspire a love of reading and realize the places books can take you with their words.
I connect with my target markets through advertising and networking. When I'm out and about, I talk about my work with anyone who'll listen. I do giveaways on Goodreads so those that are interested, have a chance at a copy for themselves. Word-of-mouth should take it from there. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at Goodreads for a chance to win one of two signed copies of Yassa!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Persnickety Publishing People
On to yet another day in the Author Blog Challenge. If you haven't signed up yet, feel free. The link is on the right. And the prompt today goes to...
Did you publish your book as a traditionally printed book, an eBook, or both? How did you come to your decision? Which company(ies) did you use for printing and distribution? How did you select them?
If anyone has been following my blog, you know I'm a self published author. I chose to use Smashwords for my first distribution of The Abigale Chronicles - Book One and by doing so, learned a lot of what to do and what not to do. I went through my experience in an earlier post. Feel free to pop over and take a gander.
Now for the juicy stuff. I did both an e-book and a traditionally printed version for my books. I used Createspace to publish the tangible versions. I learned a lot from putting The Abigale Chronicles up there as well. I'll make a blog friendly list of what to do and what not to do.
Please DO:
1. Take the time to make sure your manuscript is ready to go. Createspace takes longer to look over your stuff with a second submission. Why should they rush when you didn't bother to make sure it was perfect?
2. Use a cover designer that understands CMYK is different than RGB. Let me tell you, some greens and oranges look TERRIBLE when converted. Trust me.
3. Design your cover WITH a bleed. They trim 1/8" off every side. I went into this in an earlier post as well (link below).
4. Make sure your font is easy to read and prints well.
Please DO NOT:
1. Make changes.
2. Design your cover in RGB colorspace. Ugh.
3. Assume you know what you're doing. You don't know what a widow or an orphan is, don't try to. Seek a designer to help you format the inside of your book, please.
4. Use a tiny font (under 8pt).
I am linking to some earlier blog posts of mine that explain a lot of the above. Please go take a look. If you're using a designer, ask them if they know what kerning is and what the difference is between CMYK and RGB (CMYK is the four color process of ink printing on a press. RGB is the colorspace that is created with light - like on your computer). If they know the answers to those questions, they have been to design school.
Kerning Lesson
Printing Lesson
Color Spaces Lesson
Fonts Lesson
I chose Createspace and Smashwords by reading reviews online. I research EVERY company I do business with (so does my boyfriend) and we seek an outside opinion always. I find this to be a good way to expect the unexpected. Be prepared for the worst.
I decided to self-publish for a number of reasons:
1. I queried agents but they couldn't figure out my market so they declined.
2. I wanted control. Yes, I am a control freak (this surprises you? Really?).
3. The artist in me cringed at letting someone else decide on my design.
4. I had the time.
5. It was the best option for me.
Don't forget to enter my Goodreads giveaway for a chance at a free copy of Yassa.
Well, that's all for today, folks. Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Did you publish your book as a traditionally printed book, an eBook, or both? How did you come to your decision? Which company(ies) did you use for printing and distribution? How did you select them?
If anyone has been following my blog, you know I'm a self published author. I chose to use Smashwords for my first distribution of The Abigale Chronicles - Book One and by doing so, learned a lot of what to do and what not to do. I went through my experience in an earlier post. Feel free to pop over and take a gander.
Now for the juicy stuff. I did both an e-book and a traditionally printed version for my books. I used Createspace to publish the tangible versions. I learned a lot from putting The Abigale Chronicles up there as well. I'll make a blog friendly list of what to do and what not to do.
Please DO:
1. Take the time to make sure your manuscript is ready to go. Createspace takes longer to look over your stuff with a second submission. Why should they rush when you didn't bother to make sure it was perfect?
2. Use a cover designer that understands CMYK is different than RGB. Let me tell you, some greens and oranges look TERRIBLE when converted. Trust me.
3. Design your cover WITH a bleed. They trim 1/8" off every side. I went into this in an earlier post as well (link below).
4. Make sure your font is easy to read and prints well.
Please DO NOT:
1. Make changes.
2. Design your cover in RGB colorspace. Ugh.
3. Assume you know what you're doing. You don't know what a widow or an orphan is, don't try to. Seek a designer to help you format the inside of your book, please.
4. Use a tiny font (under 8pt).
I am linking to some earlier blog posts of mine that explain a lot of the above. Please go take a look. If you're using a designer, ask them if they know what kerning is and what the difference is between CMYK and RGB (CMYK is the four color process of ink printing on a press. RGB is the colorspace that is created with light - like on your computer). If they know the answers to those questions, they have been to design school.
Kerning Lesson
Printing Lesson
Color Spaces Lesson
Fonts Lesson
I chose Createspace and Smashwords by reading reviews online. I research EVERY company I do business with (so does my boyfriend) and we seek an outside opinion always. I find this to be a good way to expect the unexpected. Be prepared for the worst.
I decided to self-publish for a number of reasons:
1. I queried agents but they couldn't figure out my market so they declined.
2. I wanted control. Yes, I am a control freak (this surprises you? Really?).
3. The artist in me cringed at letting someone else decide on my design.
4. I had the time.
5. It was the best option for me.
Don't forget to enter my Goodreads giveaway for a chance at a free copy of Yassa.
Well, that's all for today, folks. Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Reader Interview
On to the next prompt in the Author Blog Challenge...
Find someone you know, either online or in the real world, who is a true bibliophile and interview them about their reading habits. Ask questions such as:
How many books do you buy per month?
What I learned from this interview is that people who buy tangible books, read them.
While you're on my blog, go check out the review I wrote for Ashley Howland's Ghostnapped!
That's all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed reading this one!! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Find someone you know, either online or in the real world, who is a true bibliophile and interview them about their reading habits. Ask questions such as:
How many books do you buy per month?
Five
How many do you actually read?
How many do you actually read?
Five
What do you read?
What do you read?
Mysteries, Romance, Sci-Fi,
Historical Fiction, Thrillers, Medical Myseries, Crime Novels, Young Adult
Where do you buy your books?
Where do you buy your books?
Amazon now, I used to be a book club
member.
Who is your favorite author?
Who is your favorite author?
Mary Higgins-Clark
What do you like about the author?
What do you like about the author?
Her storytelling style is less
descriptive. She doesn’t go into what color the floors are, grass is, décor style
(unless setting an era).
How often do you attend signings/readings? What do you enjoy about them?
How often do you attend signings/readings? What do you enjoy about them?
Never. I’m a reclusive.
If you could ask their favorite author any question, what would it be?
If you could ask their favorite author any question, what would it be?
Do you do any charity work for
neglected or abused children?
Which book has most recently surprised or delighted you?
Which book has most recently surprised or delighted you?
Yassa. Because it’s historical
fiction and I don’t usually read them. It was thrilling and unexpected. Out of
the last ten to fifteen books I’ve read, it’s my favorite. I just couldn’t put
it down.
Of everything you’ve read so far this year, what would you most recommend?
I tend to recommend things that are freshest in
my mind. So, I would recommend: Yassa by Jo Michaels, Intensity and 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz, and Exclusive by Fern Michaels.Of everything you’ve read so far this year, what would you most recommend?
What I learned from this interview is that people who buy tangible books, read them.
While you're on my blog, go check out the review I wrote for Ashley Howland's Ghostnapped!
That's all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed reading this one!! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Book Review - Ghostnapped!
Book Review: Ghostnapped!
By Ashley Howland
Get ready for a
ghastly, ghost-hunting mystery that will chill the very marrow
in your bones! Ashley Howland makes her debut with a sensational
spectral adventure that will ‘fright and delight’ kids and teens
everywhere.
My Rating: three out of five stars
Ghostnapped! has a
wonderful, weaving plot that caught me after just the first few pages and held
me until the end. Trying to figure out what the monster was had me scratching
my head and turning the page. This book will resonate with young readers
everywhere. Alex’s adventure leads her to understand what it means to love your
sibling and the book ends on a happy note. A good lesson for children.
However, there are a few errors in the writing that took me
off guard. A few small things could be changed to give the story a smoother
flow.
Overall, an enchanting read. I recommend it.
Synopsis:
Ten-year-old
Alex loves to explore, but when her younger brother is
mysteriously ghostnapped on their camping trip at the
beach, it is up to Alex and her trusty Labrador, Thuds, to
investigate her brother’s sudden disappearance.
As she surveys
the grassy hills and dangerous rocky cliffs near their camp,
Alex uncovers a hidden secret to other disappearances that
occurred at the very same campsite – over 50 years ago!
A chilling
mystery that can only be solved by Alex, Thuds, and a ghost girl
named Susan, Ghostnapped! explores mysteries of the past,
present and beyond the grave.
Ashley Howland grew up in
Adelaide, South Australia, where she now lives with her husband,
Ross, their daughters, Maddy and Aijay, and her faithful
Labrador, Obi. When not writing or spending time with her
family, Ashley is busy working for Labs ‘n Life, a non-profit
organization that trains Labradors as assistance dogs.
If you'd like to purchase Ghostnapped! here are some links:
For other books by Ashley Howland (@AshleyHowland) visit her author page here. To read an interview with Ashley done by me, go here.
That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Friday, June 15, 2012
Surprise!
There's still time to join the Author Blog Challenge! If you haven't, just do it. Moving right along to today's prompt...
What has been the biggest surprise about writing/publishing your book? What has been the most enjoyable or most memorable aspect?
My biggest surprise was all the different formats that were wanted by all the different e-book publishers. Why can there not be consistency? Geeze Louise!
I love that Amazon has started to crack down on allowing public works publishing. It clears the market for real books. When I heard that, I did an Emeril Lagassi style, "BAM!" in my head.
Take that, you profiteers of other people's work!
I have enjoyed the people I have gotten to know through my networking efforts. There are some great folks in the publishing world. Many of them can be found here. Yes, that's The Author Blog Challenge participant link. So what if I invited my friends to join as well?
I never realized what a wonderful community writers have formed around the globe. How great is it that I can talk to Ashley Howland in Australia, Lisa Cherry in the UK, and meet people from the US as well? I adore intelligent discussion and giving people a new way to look at things that they may not have considered. A number of them have returned and given back as good as they have gotten.
I enjoy talking with writers because they are almost always open to new ideas and constructive feedback.
I enjoy talking with artists because they have a different view of the world we live in and take the time to paint or draw it.
I enjoy talking with most people on most topics as long as their thoughts are original and not pulled from the main-stream way of thinking.
Many of the people I now know, I would not have met without networking or voicing of my own, rather skewed opinion of the world. I wouldn't trade it.
Since this post is short, I am going to take today to share with you all some of my photography and illustrations. I hope you enjoy the eye candy.
Illustrations shown large, original photograph in icon. First is colored pencil on black canson drawing paper. Second is india ink on hot press illustration board.
In tandem with today's post comes an interview with Ashley Howland, author of Ghostnapped! Tomorrow will be my review of the book.
That's all for today, folks, Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
What has been the biggest surprise about writing/publishing your book? What has been the most enjoyable or most memorable aspect?
My biggest surprise was all the different formats that were wanted by all the different e-book publishers. Why can there not be consistency? Geeze Louise!
I love that Amazon has started to crack down on allowing public works publishing. It clears the market for real books. When I heard that, I did an Emeril Lagassi style, "BAM!" in my head.
Take that, you profiteers of other people's work!
I have enjoyed the people I have gotten to know through my networking efforts. There are some great folks in the publishing world. Many of them can be found here. Yes, that's The Author Blog Challenge participant link. So what if I invited my friends to join as well?
I never realized what a wonderful community writers have formed around the globe. How great is it that I can talk to Ashley Howland in Australia, Lisa Cherry in the UK, and meet people from the US as well? I adore intelligent discussion and giving people a new way to look at things that they may not have considered. A number of them have returned and given back as good as they have gotten.
I enjoy talking with writers because they are almost always open to new ideas and constructive feedback.
I enjoy talking with artists because they have a different view of the world we live in and take the time to paint or draw it.
I enjoy talking with most people on most topics as long as their thoughts are original and not pulled from the main-stream way of thinking.
Many of the people I now know, I would not have met without networking or voicing of my own, rather skewed opinion of the world. I wouldn't trade it.
Since this post is short, I am going to take today to share with you all some of my photography and illustrations. I hope you enjoy the eye candy.
Illustrations shown large, original photograph in icon. First is colored pencil on black canson drawing paper. Second is india ink on hot press illustration board.
In tandem with today's post comes an interview with Ashley Howland, author of Ghostnapped! Tomorrow will be my review of the book.
That's all for today, folks, Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Author Interview with Ashley Howland
Today, a little something extra for my readers.
Ashley Howland is the author of Ghostnapped!
and Obi the Super Puppy and the Mysteryof the Red Mist.
Welcome, Ashley! Thank you for stopping by to visit with us today!
You write children’s
novels. What attracts you most to that genre?
I write for children because that’s where the pure enjoyment
of reading begins. Reading was also so much a part of my childhood, I always
loved getting a new book. This is something I have been able to share with my
daughters and love every step on this journey.
Ghostnapped! is
set in South Australia at Rapid Bay. Why did you choose that setting?
I started writing Ghostnapped! on a camping trip at Rapid
Bay. A friend and I both wrote stories that weekend, it was great fun to go and
explore the local area. When I got home and did some research into the old mine
and the local habitat the story just kept evolving.
Where did the idea
for your protagonist, Alex, come from?
Alex is a strong girl, she loves to explore and gets annoyed
by her younger brother, who like lots of kids wants to be just like their older
sibling. She developed along with the story, but there are certainly aspects of
her personality that I can relate to.
Obi in Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the
Red Mist is patterned after your own dog. What is your favorite characteristic?
Obi is an amazing dog, he has always been a little bit
different from other Labradors. He likes to sit and observe, or supervise as we
now believe. It is so hard to put into words exactly what he does for the
children he works with, but the best think about Obi is that no one gets
missed.
You participate in
Labs ‘n Life – a non-profit
organization that works with autistic children (BRAVO!). How has that
interaction shaped your writing?
Labs ‘n Life does so much, we train Labradors as companion
dogs for children on the autism spectrum. However we also work with at risk
youth to do this training, they are the ones who train the dogs for other
families. This way so many people benefit from the training of a single dog. We
also have a curriculum that centers on training the dogs, which can provide our
students with credit into further study. This curriculum is rich in literacy
development and in some ways this has helped shape my writing. I certainly get
lots of material from the amazing dogs and students I work with.
Have you ever
considered featuring an autistic child in any of your books?
I probably will at some stage, as I am currently writing a
sequel to Obi, so it may happen. When I am writing I tend to just see where the
book will take me, so you never know.
I see that you
published Ghostnapped! with SBPRA.
Can you tell us about your experience with them?
To get a book published is an amazing thing, I was very
happy when Strategic took on both of my books. I have to thank them for giving
me a go, there are some aspects I know other authors find difficult, but I tend
to think along the lines of proving myself as an author. That is generally what
Strategic are interested in. I have met the basic requirements of both books,
in terms of numbers sold, so now I need to prove I can sell more books in order
to have my next one published. For some authors this approach may seem
difficult, and while it’s not easy I am happy to give it a go.
What methods have you
used for advertising your book, Ghostnapped!?
I have an author web page, Facebook page, twitter (@AshleyHowland), blog and
a YouTube channel. I also have press releases and a YouTube video that were made
by the publishing company. This advertising process is the most difficult,
hopefully it is something I will get better at as I work on my writing. The
publishing company has provided me with many ideas, it’s just trying to find
the time to get things done, and after all writing is a hobby.
Have you considered a
giveaway on Goodreads for Ghostnapped!? Why/Why not?
I have only just joined Goodreads, so I guess anything is
possible. It is something I will be looking into.
Do you have any
events (book signings, meet the author events, sales, etc…) planned?
I am hoping to be available to present some reading
challenge medals at a few schools later in the year, this is something I really
enjoy. I would also be more than happy to do book signings and meet the author
events, it would certainly be an experience.
What types of things
do you discuss on your blog?
At the moment I am doing an author blog challenge, so I have
used a few of their prompts. This has given me a chance to blog about my
writing process, and learn about the processes of others. I will never claim to be a complete author, just
someone who wants to share a story. Most of my blogs outside of the challenge
tend to be about the dogs, and the crazy things they do.
Is there a specific
message you’re trying to send with Ghostnapped!?
What is that message?
I wouldn’t say there were any specific messages, but there
were two themes that developed. I enjoyed touching on the natural rivalry
between siblings. Now that I have two daughters I will get a lot more material
in this area. It’s fun to explore that love/hate relationship brothers and
sisters have. The other was an environmental theme that fit into the local area
of the beach.
What are some of the
books you’re planning for the future? Where will we be able to find them?
At the moment I am editing two more children’s books. One if
for younger readers and I am having a friend do some illustrations. I hope to
begin the publishing process with this one towards the end of the year. The
other will take longer, as it is more of a teenage novel, but one I am really
enjoying. I am also writing that sequel to Obi, so I have lots of writing to
keep me busy.
Thank you, Ashley, for taking the time to answer my
questions. I wish you the best of luck with your books and look forward to
having you back for a visit soon!
A review for Ghostnapped!
will be appearing on my blog tomorrow with a synopsis so come on back for that.
That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
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