As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Discover A Scorching New World Of Immortals In Lasasha Flame’s Tale Captive Of A Dark Prince! A Short Story In The Dark Immortal Flames Series.
Tiffany’s Life Is Turned Upside Down When She Is Abducted By A Dark Fae, Who Plans To Hand Her Over To A Sadistic King, Set On Making Her His New Queen. Rationally, She Knows She Should Hate Her Captor, But Her Heart And Body Long For His Touch.
Keanu Thought His Life Was Torture Being Enslaved To King Nimru, A Sadistic Fae King. After Meeting Tiffany, His Fated Mate, He Soon Realizes What He Has Endured Is Nothing Compared To Being Forced To Give Up His Mate To A Hellish Existence Or Sacrifice His People To Keep Her. Rationally, She Is Just One Life For Millions Of Innocents To Live, But Every Second In Her Presence Forces Him To Realize He Can’t Live Without Her.
Keanu Makes A High Stakes Gamble To Risk It All For Love And His People, But Will Odds Land In His Favor Or Will Everyone He Loves Pay The Ultimate Price For His Selfish Desires?
If You Enjoy Paranormal And Fantasy Romances With Dark Fae, Dangerous Males, Strong Female Characters, Explicit Language, Hot Sex Scenes, And Enemies To Lovers This Is The Book For You! Can Be Read As A Standalone But Be On The Look Out For The Main Series.
Would you like a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
My Name Is LaSasha Flame. I Am A Young Author From Chicago, Hoping To Bring Some New Heat And Sizzle To The Romance Genre.
My Favorite Genres Are Paranormal And Dark Romance. I Love Reading A Good Book But I’m So Busy In Life That I Only Gets To Enjoy Audiobooks. It’s The Only Way I Can Get Lost In A Good Book Nowadays. And You Know What? I Half Prefer An Audiobook Over Print Any Day! I Have A Long Standing Membership At Audible And I Plan To Publish Audio Books For Busy Bookworms Like Myself! Yay!
My Love Of Writing Started When A Friend Of Mine Encouraged Me To Write A Short Story And Just See What Happens. Turns Out I Had A Knack For Writing Because Everyone Loved My Short Stories. From Then On I’ve Worked On Improving My Craft. Growing From Flash Fiction To Novels.
I Would Like To Introduce The Series I Have Been Working On. I Am Basically Writing Thirteen Books At Once. Claimed Is The First Installment Of My Dark Immortal Flames Series!
And Not Only Do I Have The Main Series In The Works But I Will Be Releasing Mini A Series And Several Short Stories That Take Place Within The Same Multiverse Of The Main Dark Immortal Flames Series.
I Am Really Looking Forward To Sharing Some Of The Twisty Goodness I Have Planned!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Anzel Spectrus has been alone as long as he can remember. So long so that he has convinced himself he prefers it that way. At least until he discovers what it’s like to have others in his life.
Mongo the minotaur usually spends his time trying to bully Anzel, until one day he asks for Anzel’s help out of desperation. Mongo’s request leads to Anzel meeting Brucie, who tells him that his aura is the color of a powerful being that seemingly no longer exists outside of a children’s bedtime story that Anzel has never heard. The three set out together in search of answers in an attempt to either prove or debunk the details of that bedtime story, and to hopefully find an answer to who Anzel really is.
The question remains, who – or what – is Anzel Spectrus?
Rachel A Olson resides in rural Northwestern Nebraska, along with her husband, three children, two cats, and a yellow lab. She is a bit of a workaholic with a full-time day job, working as a freelance graphic designer and formatter in her spare time, as well as squeezing in her writing. Rachel is also passionate about her faith and stays involved in her church as much as she can. She enjoys the quiet outdoors, loves to travel, and often craves spicy foods. She considers herself to be a helper by nature and wants nothing more than to see other artists succeed in the areas they are most passionate about.
Meet author Starr Z. Davies; while pursuing her Creative Writing degree, Starr gained a reputation as the “Character Assassin” because she had a habit of utterly destroying her characters emotionally and physically.
ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ORDINARY BY STARR DAVIES BY COMMENTING BELOW!!!
Check out STARR’s books below!
(Click on the image to order your copy)
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.)
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Bride on the Run (Butterfly Harbor Stories Book 9) by Anna J. Stewart ~ Genre: Clean Contemporary Romance
Finding true love…
In the unlikeliest places!
Sienna Fairchild never imagined she’d be a runaway bride. Or that she’d stow away on a worn-down boat belonging to handsome tour operator Monty Bettencourt. Monty’s used to navigating rough seas, but Sienna might overturn his whole life, and avoiding drama is tough in such close quarters! If Sienna’s sure she doesn’t know what she wants, then why does running away feel so much like coming home?
USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes sweet to sexy romances for Harlequin and ARC Manor’s Caezik Romance. Her sweet Heartwarming books include the Butterfly Harbor series as well as the ongoing Blackwell saga. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and contributes to the bestselling Coltons. A former Golden Heart, Daphne, and National Reader’s Choice finalist, Anna loves writing big community stories where family found is always the theme. Since her first published novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has released more than forty novels and novellas and hopes to branch out even more thanks to Caezik Romance. Anna lives in Northern California where (at the best times) she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually binge-watching her newest TV addiction, re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural, and wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock. You can read more about Anna at her website, www.AuthorAnnaStewart.com.
When I self-published my first book, I was sure there was an audience for a Greek/English bilingual collection of short stories. There are huge Greek-American communities all across the country and thousands of students young and old trooping off to church for Greek School every week. Surely, I thought, some of them would be interested in quality stories to supplement their language learning! I was sort of right. I sold more books than might be expected for such a niche genre debut from an unknown author, but it wasn’t nearly enough to cover the costs I’d incurred by using a professional translator. I don’t regret it—my Greek definitely isn’t up to that level, and it was worth it for my family in Greece to be able to read my work—but I definitely learned from the experience. When the time came to publish my first novel, I ran a pre-order campaign through Kickstarter to make sure that my audience was at least big enough to cover my publishing costs. To my delight, my Kickstarter was successfully funded, and I was able to publish without putting myself further in the red.
2.Know your weaknesses!
I’ve always prided myself on my ability to learn new things, but it pays to be realistic about what you can and can’t do (like, say, learn Photoshop in less than a month). I’m not saying not to try new things, but definitely don’t put all your eggs in a basket that might break. Do your homework and try out new skills far in advance of when you’ll actually need them so that you can decide what’s worth a little educational investment and what’s not. Once those decisions are made, you can save up for the tasks that will require a professional.
3.Know your strengths!
Conversely, it also pays—or maybe saves—to know what you can do yourself. For instance, I could have done my own line editing for my first book and saved myself a pretty penny. I know some of you are probably gasping or rolling your eyes at my arrogance, but it’s true. I know this not only because I’ve been teaching grammar for close to ten years but because the editor I hired ended up bringing me on to her own staff as an editor just a few months after working on my collection. For my novel, I relied on my own skills and that of my eagle-eyed grammar nerd of a mother, and I have zero regrets (and a lot more money in the bank). I’m definitely not saying you shouldn’t hire an editor. I’m saying you shouldn’t hire an editor just because all those articles and tweets and posts say you aren’t a credible author if you don’t. Similarly, if you’re a trained artist, why shouldn’t you do your own cover art? If you know you’re a damned good designer, why shouldn’t you design your own cover? Of course, in an ideal world an experienced professional is almost always going to be preferable to even a highly skilled amateur, but we don’t live in an ideal world where everyone has the money to hire professionals for everything. Most of us will have to make choices about where we spend our money, and by being realistic about both our weaknesses and our strengths, we can make those choices wisely.
4.Remember that no one can please everyone, but be prepared to grow!
It makes me proud (and relieved) that not a single reviewer has yet tried to diss my writing or editing technique. Many, in fact, make a point of praising the writing itself…which is how I make it through the reviews that critique everything else. Especially hurtful the ones that crap all over my protagonist. Of course I rail internally against those reviews and vent to my CP’s about how a character can’t show any growth if they’re already perfect and how (shocker) teenagers don’t always react like mature adults and how my precious protagonist is UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE, OKAY?! But then I calm down and remember that, if I’ve done my job, characters are like real people. Just like not everyone is going to like me as a person, not everyone is going to like my characters, and that’s okay. Instead, I pay attention to the reviews that have real critiques to offer. After looking for patterns in reviews across my different books, I have a better understanding of my weaknesses and know what I need to work on in my next book.
5. Come prepared to work, because this sh*t is hard!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Holly Bargo never outgrew a love of fairy tales, legends, and myths. Or horses. However, one foot must remain firmly planted in the real world where Holly makes her living as a freelance writer and editor. She and her husband have two grown children and live on a southwest Ohio hobby farm with a menagerie indoor and outdoor animals.
Holly enjoys hearing from readers and other authors and may be contacted via the Hen House Publishing website: http://www.henhousepublishing.com.
When she’s not working on other people’s documents or reading, Holly finds time to transfer the voices in her head to paper … er … computer. If she doesn’t, there’s a definite possibility her mind will explode.
And for those who might wonder from where the pseudonym of Holly Bargo came, it’s quite simple really. Horses. Namely an elegant and temperamental Appaloosa mare who has long since crossed the Rainbow Bridge and is fondly remembered for guarding toddler children and crushing a brand-new pager.
Rowan (Branch 1 of the Tree of Life) by Holly Bargo ~ Genre: Paranormal Romance
Nearly a century ago, Rowan Nemed died by lightning strike. The divine bolt ignited something magic and she was transformed into something rare, powerful, and fey: Sidhe.
Sidhe survival depends much upon one’s ability to remain hidden from other supernatural creatures and magic users who would exploit them. Rowan has lived for several years in the pressure cooker of Hollywood as a set designer, carefully staying away from the camera. However, a spontaneous act of recognition for her work brings Rowan to the notice of Los Angeles’ supernatural community and her freedom is threatened.
Lion shifter Adrian and vampire Simon are best friends and business partners. When they discover Rowan, each wants her for his own. Rowan does her best to dissuade them, for a supernatural matebond means the end of her freedom.
Then demons begin hunting sidhe and Rowan is a prime target. She agrees to exchange her freedom for survival. But which male will Rowan accept? And can she survive when one of them dies in a battle to keep her?
This is the first of three books in The Tree of Life trilogy. The book can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Mature content not suitable for readers under 18. Content has been proofread, edited, and updated.
Would you like a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card, an eBook of Rowan, an eBook of Cassia, or an eBook of Willow? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
What’s in a Name?
By Holly Bargo
I put a lot of thought into my characters’ names. Sometimes, a character’s name pops into my mind without much cogitation at all; other times, I’ll go through several iterations of a character’s name until I settle on one that just feels right.
Sometimes names have personal connotations. For instance, I’ve known a few people with the first name of Kim (or Kimberly). I’ve loathed all but one of them and won’t use that name for one of my heroines. I’ll probably use it for a villain, though.
When writing Rowan, I wanted to use a name that wasn’t too common, yet had significance. In many stories, the rowan tree is associated with witchcraft and magic. That made it perfect for my heroine. Her fellow sidhe, Cassia and Willow, followed the theme of plant-based names. Cassia is one species of tree from which cinnamon is harvested. Graceful willow seemed to fit the name of the third heroine in the trilogy.
Sometimes I get alliterative in my naming conventions. I have no idea why. In the Twin Moons Saga, another trilogy, the heroines’ names all begin with C: Catriona, Calista, and Corinne. I prefer choosing names that don’t fall into 100-most-popular lists, as names lend originality and distinction to their characters. On the other hand, I don’t usually favor weird spellings of common names.
Strange or “creative” spelling of a common name annoys me more than not. It reminds me of a passage in Alan King’s satire Help! I’m a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery. In this sarcastic commentary on creative naming, King speaks of a fictional young man who’s name is pronounced “William,” but that’s not the way it’s spelled. Near the end of that chapter when the young man goes for a job interview, the hiring manager asks him, “What’s your name, son?” The young man’s response: “I’m not sure, sir.” King condemns the trend with a single line showing the effect of creative spelling, something along the lines of “Some bright future this kid’s got.”
I also think it’s important to choose names that fit the culture and period, especially when writing historical fiction. For instance, I know that William Shakespeare invented the name Pamela. Therefore, any appearance of that name in, say, a medieval romance loses credibility with me. Little anachronisms like that annoy me to no end and affect my enjoyment of the book.
It’s also important in other genres to create names that the reader has a hope of pronouncing. Douglas Addams’ series beginning with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy takes creative naming conventions to their absurd extreme, including one minor character whose name is composed entirely of punctuation. Prince Rogers Nelson wasn’t the first to adopt that silliness when he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol.
Names affect the reader’s perception of a character. Choose them with care.
I’m happy to be one of many tour hosts sharing information about Rowan by Holly Bargo.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Texas Ranger Noah Morgan has his life together—with a great job and the girl of his dreams. Too bad it’s all based on a lie. A single phone call threatens to bring it all crashing down. After an irate citizen complains shoddy workmanship has left him with a booby-trapped driveway, and the local sheriff’s office is too busy to respond, Noah takes the call. The investigation of local scam artists uncovers a human trafficking ring. Noah fights to avoid being swept back into the sights of his murderous family—people he escaped at the age of seventeen.
Can he keep his past a secret or will his carefully crafted life come to a violent end?
A sixth-generation Texan with Scottish roots, Glenda Thompson can ‘bless your heart’ with the best of them. As a former emergency medical technician married to a south Texas Lawman, she’s used insider information from both their careers as inspiration to build her Broken world of Texas Rangers with hidden pasts and dark secrets. When she’s not busy embarrassing her children or grandchildren by dancing in the middle of a country road during a rainstorm, she can be found huddled in her writing cave with her law enforcement technical adviser/husband working on another story in her Broken universe.
Would you like a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
What kind of world ruler would you be?
Oooh, great question. What kind of world ruler would I be? I like to believe I would be a gracious, magnanimous ruler but my kids would tell you I’m more like a benevolent dictator. I believe people should have free will and be able to make their own decisions. However, I also believe that all actions have consequences. My dad used to say we could do whatever we wanted when we visited him, no matter what it was. He followed that proclamation with the statement that we also had to accept the consequences of our actions… no matter what.
What are you passionate about these days?
So many things…autism research, cancer research, family. Our youngest grandson is on the spectrum. I never realized what was meant by a spectrum disorder until I experienced first-hand. Autism is such an all-encompassing diagnosis. No two people with autism are the same.
Darlin’ and I were hit with hard news on November 5th this year. Good ole 2020, right? He was diagnosed with a very rare, very aggressive form of bladder cancer. So rare that only one to nine people out of a million have it and there is no standardized treatment for it. We’ve gone from celebrating his winning his election to being plunged into an overwhelming world of curious doctors, round after round of chemotherapy and radiation. But it’s okay. We have faith and I firmly believe in miracles.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
Play with the Grands, read, physically make things, walk the beach with Darlin’, drive fast, and mow the lawn with a push mower.
How to find time to write as a parent?
I’m an empty nester now but when the kids were young, I would carve out time to write when they were sleeping or on my lunch hour from work. As they grew up and became active in sports and other school activities, I learned I could write while sitting in my vehicle waiting for the bus to bring them back from wherever they went. Track meets were the best. My daughter and son both ran the mile and the two mile. Any parent with kids in track knows the two mile race is the first of the day and the mile is the next to last race of the day. I could write all day long sitting in the bleachers between the kiddos races. It was great.
Mel Gibson’s We Were Soldiers is my favorite movie. I love Sam Elliott and Madelaine Stowe. The movie shows both sides of the war…the soldiers and the family waiting at home.
Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
Broken Toys would make a great action film. It has shooting, romance, an explosion, and lots of unexpected twists and turns.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
The wolf, definitely. Wolves are solitary creatures, but they are also pack animals. They symbolize guardianship, loyalty, ritual, and spirit. They make quick and firm emotional attachments and teach us to trust our hearts and minds.
If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I would love to spend time with Rochelle and try to undo the damage her father and his wretch of a wife have done. We would spend the day in nature, preferably near living water, just unwinding and talking or sitting in silence soaking up peace.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
My characters are a combination of people I know, stories I hear, and the phantoms who live in my brain. Most of them are a compilation of many people.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
A little of both.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
Broken Toys is a bumpy ride down a twisty country road full of surprises. It’s compelling fiction with real emotions. It shines a light into the darkness of human trafficking and teaches readers without preaching that it’s important to be yourself, to love yourself, especially if you want others to love you, too. (Can you tell marketing/sales is NOT my thing?)
If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?
Sunshine and gunpowder
What did you edit out of this book?
Three complete points-of-view. It was hard at first but I think it made the remaining POV characters so much stronger, deeper.
Is there any writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
Oh boy, is there. Several as a matter of fact including James Patterson, John Sandford, JD Robb aka Nora Roberts, Dean Koontz, and Janet Evanovich. I love each of their styles and have tried to take bits and pieces of each of their writing flavors and blended them into a new flavor all my own.
Meet Danielle Orsino, author of Birth of Fae: Locked Out of Heaven. Her book delves into the realm of fairies and retells their origins from a completely new perspective.
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.)
Ride on the backs of fire breathing dragons with the Dark Fae and watch the Light Fae play in the shadows of primitive humanity as they build their magical world. Abandoned by their creator, two factions of powerful angels remain on earth after the Great War with Lucifer. They struggle to comprehend their Creator’s plan while their angel wings, a symbol of their angelic lineage, slowly and painfully decay. With no hope of returning to the Shining Kingdom, two groups of angels denounce their angelic lineage and develop into separate factions – the Court of Light, led by Queen Aurora, a former Virtue Angel, and the Court of Dark, ruled by King Jarvok, a former Power Brigade Angel. The two monarchs have opposing views on how to govern their kin, but the one belief they agree on is that human worship equals power.
Birth of the Fae: Locked Out of Heaven is an epic fantasy adventure of heartbreak, rebirth, and hope that examines the bonds of family, friendship, and love. It is a fantastic tale of good vs evil in a beautiful world, where the Light Fae and their potent elemental magick are tested by the raw power of the dragon riding Dark Fae warriors.
Today I would like to welcome Eugenia Fain, author of The Winter Years, to my website.
Eugenia Fain is a seasoned author with over forty years of experience in writing. She enjoys nature, animals, beaches, jazz and classical music. She also enjoys painting and coffee houses. Eugenia is a preschool teacher. She has also served as a private tutor. Eugenia regularly works with children at school and church. She is a songwriter on Amazon and Spotify. Eugenia participates in several writer’s groups. She does reviews in print and by video for all genres of books. Eugenia enjoys sharing her craft with others at books signings, and poetry readings here and across the country. Eugenia is also a listener for audio books for the blind and dyslexic doing quality control. She lives with her husband, Ivan, and tabby cat, Buddy in South Carolina. She has no children of her own. Check her out, and enjoy!
The Winter Years of the gray-headed are a time to laugh and cry. Readers will do both while seeing their own reflection from each poem. Learn the different types of poetry as you relate to life; no matter your age. Discover these types of poetry: Lento, Tanka, Triolet, Senryu, Monorhyme, Cinquain, Lento, anka, Triolet, Senryu, Monorhyme, and Cinquain.
Do you have any hobbies, other than writing? What do you enjoy doing?
I love reading. I like reviewing other authors. I enjoy strolls along the beach. And coffee houses are among my favorite hangouts. I enjoy listening to jazz and classical music. Painting is a past time.
What or who inspired you to start writing and how long have you been writing? I have been writing for over forty years. I am inspired by great British literature.
What was your dream growing up? Did you achieve that dream? If so, in what ways was it not what you expected? If you never achieved the dream, why not?
I have dreamed of writing since I was eight years old. I told my high school English teacher at fifteen that I would become a writer. I have begun to realize my dream, but I want to grow in my craft.
What is your favorite book genre at the moment?
A favorite genre of mine is Romance.
Have you ever read a book more than once, if so which one? Flowers For Algernon is a book I enjoyed during high school. I re-read it as an adult too.
What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is letting life pass me by.
Which do you prefer, eBooks, paper backs, hard covers or audiobooks?
I like all types of books. I like soft cover, hard cover, eBooks and audiobooks. I download eBooks and audiobooks onto my phone to entertain myself. So, I guess I have gotten away from physical books during the pandemic while the library was closed.
What is the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
The best advice I have been given is to advertise and network with other authors. They have helped me with critiques, reviews, and publishing. It’s good to have friends.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing?
The best advice I have for new writers is to try different styles of writing. Keep reading. You have to find your own voice and you can grow. Don’t be disheartened if success doesn’t come overnight.
What is next for your readers?
My latest book is being edited now. It’s hot off the press. It is called Written in Stone. It is another work filled with poems that have different forms and various topics. I hope it will be immortal.
This one is huge. When my publisher went under, I wanted to self-publish—but I didn’t want to invest a bunch of money on a book no one wanted to read (a mistake I’d made once already with a bilingual short story collection). So I ran a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter to make sure I at least had enough people interested to cover my publishing costs. I ended up getting nearly twice the amount I was asking for and was able to cover basic publishing costs like an ISBN number, IngramSpark publishing fee, cover design tools, and a month-long NetGalley listing.
A word of warning, however: When you set a goal for a Kickstarter campaign, make sure you factor in the costs of fulfilling rewards. When I set up my campaign, I assumed that most people would want the digital version of my book and that my shipping costs wouldn’t be that bad. I was wrong—nearly everyone wanted a paperback. So instead of $15.00 for each paperback reward, I was really only getting around $3 after printing and shipping. Luckily, I got way more pledges than I expected and was able to cover the costs and meet my profit goal, but it was by a surprisingly slim margin. The bottom line: You’re going to need more money than you think, so don’t be shy about asking for it.
2. Fiverr
Fiverr is a great resource if used (judiciously) to supplement your own work and skills, but it can’t replace them. You can’t pay someone twenty bucks and expect them to pour their heart and soul and creativity into your project. But if you have a solid creative vision and just need someone with the technical skills to make it happen, Fiverr can be a great place to find that someone. My attempt at hiring someone from Fiverr for a full-service cover design was a disaster, but when I tried coming up with my own idea and hiring someone to clean up my sketch and render it digitally, the results were fantastic.
3. Bookbrush
Bookbrush is kind of like Canva but specifically for books. You can make some pretty cool mockups and ads and download up to fifteen for free. You can also try out the cover design tools, though you’ll have to pay for a subscription in order to download or save covers. I did the subscription version ($99 for the year) and used the artwork I’d commissioned from Fiverr to design a cover I absolutely adore. The only warning I have for this service is that I ended up having to pay someone about $15 (yay Fiverr!) to tweak the formatting to make the print version work for KDP and IngramSpark. To be fair, though, the issues could very well have arisen from my own mistakes. And the e-book cover was a breeze!
4. Reedsy
Formatting a manuscript for print is a NIGHTMARE (I mean, if you’re like me and don’t have professional InDesign skills or the money to pay someone with professional InDesign skills). I have done it successfully using Microsoft Word, but it took forever and the results, though pretty darn good, were still not quite perfect. The only reason I suffered through it was the fact that the book required more customization than Reedsy could offer (poems, stories, two alphabets, oh my). When the time came to publish my novel in all its straightforward formatting glory, I just couldn’t face the thought of wrestling with Word again. What took me weeks (months? It’s all kind of a blur, now) with Word took about three minutes with Reedsy. You just select the trim size and make a few stylistic decisions and voila! It can format your work for digital distribution, too, and delivers both an EPUB and a MOBI version of your e-book. All formats include a note giving credit to Reedsy for the typesetting, of course, but that’s a tiny price to pay, especially when it saves you weeks of work or hundreds of dollars (or both).
5. Books Go Social
To be honest, I do have some reservations and caveats for this recommendation. The service is mostly geared toward marketing books through promotional packages that include four to eight weeks of tweets, with an optional month-long NetGalley listing OR three months of email promotions. I took advantage of a sale and also got a $75 ad budget. Unfortunately, the ads had a minimal impact, but I’m not sure it’s any fault of theirs, necessarily (see Where to Spend Your Advertising Budget by Glenn Miller). At the end of the day, the $90 I spent to was mostly worth it just for the NetGalley listing, as the cheapest option through NetGalley itself is a whopping $450. Be warned, though, that Books Go Social’s execution can be a bit haphazard. If you do go this route, stay on top of them and make sure you give explicit instructions for the timing and content of whatever promotional materials you choose. I think this can be a great tool, but proceed with caution and, as dear Professor Moody would say, CONSTANT VIGILANCE. In the future I will probably give Xpresso Book Tours’ package a try. It’s a bit cheaper at $65 for a month long NetGalley listing, though it comes with a waiting list and no promotional tweets.
CLICK HERE to sign up for her FREE WORKSHOP: GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Nina Soden 