Be Active On BookRix
In the first tip from our series “Publishing Tips & Tricks” we told you that the best marketing is when you’re active. But you have probably wondered what you can do to be active. That’s why we want to show you the options on BookRix for getting more attention as an author.
Build up a network, invite your friends and colleagues to read your book on BookRix and kindly ask them to share it. Use our groups to look for contacts who share the same interest as you. Find fans of the topics or genres you’re talking about in your book and connect with them. These contacts are not only important as they might be your potential readers, but they can also forward you important information such as events that could provide a promotional platform for you.
Post a link to your book in the corresponding grouns and recommend it to users who might be interested. Take part in contests on BookRix because then the community will not only pay more attention to you as an author, but also to your books.
Don’t wait for others to help you. Become prominent as an author by being thoughtful, helpful and by providing good reviews. Such behavior will cause other readers will be interested in you. In addition, they will see what you are doing and find your books. An author who has received a valuable review is more likely to return the favor. And having as many book reviews as possible is important, as they are a point of reference on your Book Info Page. Having various reviews implies its popularity and will entice others to read your work. The more reviews (good and constructive), the better chance your book has of being read by others.
Consider other authors as colleagues or partners. It doesn’t help you seeing them as your competitors because you can learn a lot from other writers. An author who spoils a relationship with a fellow writer has the disadvantage. Authors are often involved in the same networks, so it’s best to keep things professional. By maintaining a good standing with other authors, you significantly increase your reach across various social platforms.
Keep in mind that the BookRix team is always out there reading and reviewing books, even though you may not be aware of it. If you want to be features on he site, your book cannot be rated as 18+. So please take that into consideration, as 18+ should be reserved for exceptionally violent or sexually explicit content. We want to promote your book, so please be careful not to put up unnecessary barriers. Keep in mind that there isn’t a large difference between 16+ and 18+.
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The BookRix team
Today, BookRix recommends The Redemption of Marvin Fuster by one of our favorite authors, Patrick Sean Lee. Or as we know him in our BookRix community, Felixthecat. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
“String theory. Ahh! I have a love of music, myself. Had I not gotten involved in politics, I believe I might have taken up the violin seriously, or perhaps the cello. Have you ever been to the symphony, Mr. Fuster?” The governor beamed; a chord deep inside him began to resonate, and a soft breeze rustled across his face and into his heart, as though nature itself was beginning to conspire against him in order to obliterate his initial assessment of Marvin’s stature in his world. This man of the streets had a love for music, and that raised him immeasurably in the eyes of Richard Harris. Perhaps he would allow him to stay for an hour or two so that they could discuss Tchaikovsky and Massenet.
“No, I believe you are referring to a different type of string, sir. Though I do not pretend to know a great deal about the subject yet, the string this book refers to is a quantum matter, altogether on a different plane than music…though I do like certain types of Bluegrass, and folk music,” Marvin corrected him.
Why You Should Buy Indie Books
The success of a previously unknown indie author inspires us. As writers, we love to hear a good rags to riches tale, especially when it relates to self-published indie authors. We want to believe that if our book is good enough, and if we try hard enough, we’ll sell our book and maybe, just maybe, be able to make a career out of writing. Imagining that day when we can finally fill out the form as “CAREER: Author” helps us get through anything, even rejection and writer’s block.
So there is one thing that I can’t understand: Why don’t indie authors support one another. If you’re a writer, why don’t you buy books from your peers? Sure, buying a New York Times Best Seller is showing that author that you care, but in all honesty, they aren’t noticing one more sale. If you buy a book by a self-published indie author, they are going to jump up and down and celebrate that sale. You could even join their blog and send them a message and you’ll hear back. They have no other reason to respond to your comment, other than the simple fact that they are grateful.
I’m not using the H word here… (ahem, hypocrisy), but in all honesty, if we’re not buying indie books, and more specifically self-published books, then why should we expect anyone to buy our books when we publish them? Find that diamond in the rough and be the first to discover the new and great authors that are out there, right now, waiting for you to buy their books.
SHOW A LITTLE INDIE LOVE!
Once Upon A Time, It Was Fairy Tale Day
Having fairy tales read to you as a kid is somewhat of a childhood staple. Whether your parents made them up as they went along (my dad’s favorite thing to do) or they pulled from the classics, almost all fairy tales had a moral. I think morals were introduced to encourage good behavior in kids. Be good or else! And it worked relatively well in my case. Not to toot my morality horn or anything, but I picked up on what to do and what not to do (within reason) very fast. I learned not to be greedy (The Goose that laid the Golden Egg), to take proper precaution and not to cut corners on projects (The Three Little Pigs), to dream big and believe in myself (Jack and the Beanstalk), and not to be a prissy little brat (Goldilocks). All in all, I think I turned out alright.
Today, in case you haven’t figured it out, is Fairy Tale Day. Sure it might sound a little silly if you’re an adult, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re bored at work or are working on writing project that has you brain dead, take a break and write a fairy tale. It can be geared towards kids, written for adults only, or just something you do to pass the time. Whatever you decide, just start off with ‘Once upon a time….’ and see where your imagination wanders. Don’t worry too much about setting a plot or establishing a moral to your story. Just let go and write. I’ve got a million ideas buzzing around my head and can’t wait to get started. C’mon and join me. It’ll be fuuuuuuuuun!
If you’re looking for some fairy tale inspiration, check out Joined By Love by Tatyana Black on BookRix. Her tags “romance, love, fantasy, healer’ should be enough to peak your interest. But in case you want to know more, you can read her book blurb below.
ANGELIQUE: Angèle and her grandparents will always be grateful for Angelique’s kind heart. If it hadn’t been for her, Angèle’s grandfather would have been dead years ago. Angelique had been a great woman. She had cured lots of people during the french revolution and in the end, gave her life for those who had loved her.COLETTE: A prince is searching for a princess, Rapunzel to be exact. He travels far and at last finds the tower he was looking for. But a surprise awaits him as he calls out to her and her braid cascades down the tower.
“Evol”: A Review and A Giveaway
Book for Review: Evol by Jess Wygle
Genre: Thriller
Blurb: What doesn’t kill you…
“I will do whatever it takes to keep us together. Nothing can keep us apart. You’re mine now.” She’d love him just as he loved her. She had to. She didn’t have a choice.
In love and happily living the life she always dreamed of, Venna Caldwell doesn’t know she is the object of a secret obsession. Until one night when she’s home alone and her stalker finally acts on his fantasies, dragging her into a sadistic nightmare that she barely escapes. Running for her life, from a man who will never stop hunting her, Venna reaches out to her estranged half-brother, grasping desperately at what little hope she has left. How far will she go to keep out of the clutches of the unrelenting monster that’s hungry for her?
My Review:
Normally, I’m the kind of reader who picks up popular fiction and reads new books by old favourites. However, over the past year or so, I’ve found myself frequently stepping outside my good ol’ comfort zone to find something new. Indie authors are my newest craze and I can’t see this fad ending anytime soon. Evol was one of my first ever Thrillers (aside from some John Grisham that I tried for a lark back in high school, and the time I read Crime and Punishment, which is totally a Thriller in my mind…), and if reading a book from start to finish in the course of an afternoon, afraid to stop for fear of physical harm to the characters and looking under the bed before going to sleep is what reading a Thriller is like, well, then, let’s just say I’m HOOKED.
The story opens in England with a lovely introduction to Venna, the heroine and main character of Evol. Venna is beautiful and talented and in love with her fiance, Luke. She has the lead role in the upcoming production of The Phantom of the Opera and she couldn’t be happier. The perfect set-up for a major disaster, am I right?
After being kidnapped by her long-term (but completely unknown) stalker, Merrick, she wakes up in the hospital, only to realize that her nightmares about the last 17 days really are true. The reader is offered brief glimpses (via flashback) to her ordeals with Merrick, small hints to the torture that she endured. Covered in scars and bruising, her family tries to help her move past, what they can only imagine to be, the worst thing that will ever happen to her. At this point, the reader is thinking, “No way could it get any worse”… but that’s just wishful thinking, isn’t it?
The third part of the story has Venna alone and running for her life. Merrick has promised that they will be together and she will be HIS, and now she knows he won’t stop until he has fulfilled his promise. She flees to the United States in hopes that her long-lost half brother, Dorian (don’t you love these names?), will be willing to help her. Lucky for Venna, Dorian is a stand-up guy who opens his door and his life to help his broken shell of a sister. And now the hiding begins. My anxiety at this point, was so high that I had to make myself some hot cocoa to calm my nerves.
Now we’re hiding with Venna, Dorian, and Dorian’s hunk-of-a-friend Lane. Venna’s increasing paranoia makes it hard for them to even pretend they’re living a normal life. As a girl, I completely sided with Venna on everything. Sure, she’s overly worried every second of the day, and she hides knives under the couch and beside the toilet and in her bedside table, but to be honest, after what she went through, I’d probably do the same. And now we’re waiting, wondering when Merrick is going to find her and when we’re finally going to be able to breath again.
I don’t want to say anymore about the story, for fear of spoiling it for everyone else, but I will say this – the ending is completely worth it. All the fear and anxiety that the reader goes through is completely made worth your while in the nerve-wracking excitement of the final battle between good and evil… or should I say “Evol”. Even if Thrillers aren’t your thing, there’s really nothing NOT to like about this book. If I were a giver of stars, I would be giving this 5 out of 5.
If you want to learn more about the author, Jess Wygle, and her books, you can visit her BookRix profile page HERE, or check out her personal blog HERE.
AND now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for – THE GIVEAWAY!
At the end of the tour, BookRix will be giving away a $100 Amazon gift card, a BookRix Sampler Pack (several great eBooks published by BookRix members), 2 eBooks by Jess Wygle and also an Evol t-shirt (as pictured below). You know you want it, so sign-up for the giveaway for your chance to win!
LINKS TO BUY:
A Rafflecopter Giveaway
BookRix Blog Tour – Stop by for great GIVEAWAYS!
BookRix is hosting its first book blog tour, thanks to the help of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and BookRix author, Jess Wygle. If you don’t already know about book blog tours, I’m here to get you in the know. Basically, it’s just like a real book tour, but instead of sending the author and the book to a series of cities in the span of a month, we are sending Jess Wygle and her book, Evol, to 20+ book blogs between today, February 22nd and March 24th. Each stop on the tour will feature one or more of the following:
1. A book review – to get readers interested in the book, and to give everyone a better understanding of what happens in the story.
2. An author interview – to learn more about Jess and her writing.
3. A guest post - with something fun written by Jess on an assortment of topics.
4. A PROMO – to, well, promote.
There will also be giveaways (at almost every single stop!) offering prizes like $10-$25 Amazon gift cards, free eBooks, t-shirts and the final big giveaway from the BookRix blog will be a $100 Amazon gift card and an assortment of eBooks. Basically, you’re going to want to follow Jess around on her tour and you’re going to want to buy her book.
This is the best way to show your support for indie authors (like yourselves) who are trying to promote their self-published books (like yours) and live the dream (which is the same as yours)… I think you know where I’m going with this. Tell your friends and help us make our first blog tour a successful one. Who knows, you might be the next one chosen to go on tour?
Visit the tour schedule by clicking HERE. The BookRix stop is on Monday, February 25th. You’ll also find that some of your fellow community members are hosting at their blogs.
Books by Jess Wygle:
Why eBooks Rock
From the 90’s alone, we’ve had so many technological advancements. The capabilities of computers are beyond comprehension (to me at least). We’ve got smartphones, MP3 players, satellite HDTV, lazer printers, – it’s really incredible how far our generation has come. Another item worth noting is the eBook. What is it about this downloadable file that makes us giddy with excitement? Well, let’s list a few, shall we?
1. Instant gratification: We all have that gimmie gimmie, I need, I need personality trait within us (at least according to Freud). And 9 times out of 10, we can’t satisfy it. For example, if I’m lusting after a pair of shoes online, I’m left with two choices: find a store and pray they have my size or place an order online and wait for them to arrive. So few things can be obtained instantly, yet buying an eBook is just that simple. Click, purchase, download, read. Voila!
2. Versatility: Like many people, I like options. When you purchase an eBook, you can read on your eReader, your computer desktop or notebook, PDA, or your smartphone.
3. Cost effective: I’m fine with dropping money on a good book. But let’s get real here – a bargain is a bargain. And it’s no secret that eBooks generally range from $0.99 – $10, whereas a paperback can cost upwards of $10 – $15. A penny saved is a penny earned.
4. Durability: Have you ever loaned a book to a friend, only to have it returned far from its original condition? We all have. And it sucks. With eBooks, not only do you not have to lend them out, but you no longer need to worry about fading ink, torn pages or general wear. It’s in perfect condition each and every time you open it.
5. Noteworthy: Sometimes when you’re reading you come across a thought or passage that’s worth remembering. When you have a paperback you can either mark up the book (how dare you!) or grab a tablet and jot it down. Ebooks make this process a breeze, as you can leave notes without fudging up your book.
6. Insta-dictionary: We’ve all come across a word while reading that made us scratch our head. Some of us look at the sentence, see how the word is used, weigh in the context and try to mentally define it. I know I’ve done this many times, and many times my mental definition has been inaccurate. Luckily eBooks take the guessing out of the game by allowing you to highlight the word and obtain a definition within seconds.
7. Save the trees: I can’t get on my high horse about this one because I use paper towels in complete excess. BUT, with that in mind, I feel like by purchasing an eBook, I’m making up for my wastefulness. And honestly, every little bit helps. I recently read that one digital eBook can be distributed to one million readers and save 300,000,000 paper pages. That’s something to think about.
8. Authors have more control: When writers publish their work as an eBook, they have full control of their sales. All their numbers and stats are easily accessible and up to date. This can result in better marketing strategies by targeting specific consumers.
9. Feedback is Key: When an author posts their eBook online, readers are encouraged to leave comments and feedback which often times eliminates mistakes and helps improve the authors accuracy level.
10. Don’t Take ‘No’ For An Answer: Gone were the days when writers submitted their work to large publishing houses only to be dismissed and sent back to the drawing board. Take control and go digital. If you know you’ve got talent and you’re confident in your work – publish it as an eBook and let the world decide for themselves!
Obviously at BookRix we’re all huge eBook fans. I know I might sound biased since I work here, but truthfully, they really are the cats pajamas. When I went to Kauai last July, I was thrilled that my Kindle took up so little space in my purse. When traveling, you often have to decide which books you’re going to take so that you have ample clothing space in your luggage. Not having to decide which books made the cut felt amazing. I was able to take my entire library with me, cause lets be honest – when you’re laying in the sun on a beautiful beach your taste in reading material might not be what it was when you packed. Jump on the eBook bandwagon with me if you haven’t already. I’m confident your heart will always hold a special place for paperbacks (mine does too), but I’m just as confident you’ll be thankful you took the eReader plunge with the rest of the world. And while you’re exploring your new found reading freedom, check out my recommendation for today. Warning: It’s a tear jerker. So have some Kleenex handy.
A teddy bear relives the memories of his previous owner
