Amazon Turbocharges Book Marketing – but at what Price
The Passive Guy alerted me to a big change in the way Amazon does book marketing. As Amy Collins of The Book Designer reports, starting today, Amazon is expanding its Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) to include a wide range of book marketing tools previously...
Happy (Greek Orthodox) Easter
Tonight at midnight we celebrate Greek Orthodox Easter. I hope you'll excuse me if I reblog last year's post on what today is all about, and that you'll enjoy the post! Tomorrow is the Greek Orthodox Easter. Pretty much the same as that celebrated by any...
Introducing the Logsdon Clan and The Author Helper
I couldn't have a pay-it-forward series without mentioning the Logsdon family. Lorelei Logsdon is an amazing editor, who has edited all of my books. Her husband, John, is a best-selling author who has helped me immensely with my marketing. And their son, Jake, is an...
Die, Blossom, Bloom by Steve Boseley
Continuing my pay-it-forward series of posts, I am presenting you today with Steve Bosley and his upcoming novella, Die, Blossom, Bloom. The novella is now available to pre-order for the low price of just 99p. You also get a FREE story from his next collection of...
Tips for Creating Your First Freelancer (Writing) Site
Continuing my paying-it-forward series of posts, I present to you today another one of my new friends, Duke Vukadinovic. You may or may not be aware that in my day job, I'm a web developer whose company, Istomedia, has developed over 450 websites and blogs since 1995....
Top 7 List of Reasons to Go Free
I recently realized that I haven't paid it forward in a while now. I will do so with a series of posts running throughout April, dedicated to some of the wonderful people I've met along a way. Some are author friends. Others offer services I've used and enjoyed. I...
Book Cover Help Requested: Perfect Beat (Part 2)
Let it never be said I don't listen to you. After your amazing comments and votes on my post, Book Cover Help Requested: Perfect Beat, my trusted sidekick cover designer Alex Saskalides of 187Designz went back to the drawing board and came up with a whole bunch of...
You Only Have 20 to 50 Pages to Capture A Male Reader’s Attention
In a fascinating study shared by The Reading Room, men were found to be quicker to judge a book they’re reading than women are. The study was performed by Jellybooks, who used a bit of JavaScript in eBooks that measured reading habits of volunteers. By breaking down...
How People Fit Social Media into their Lives: the Surprising Truth
In the West, social media has been blamed for a number of ills, from alienation to depression. Some even believe them to be creating a generation of narcissistic electronic addicts who are incapable of reflective, individual, original thought. However, as a global...
New Kindle: Oasis
For those who missed the news, Amazon has just released Kindle Oasis, the company's next big step towards its goal of digital paper. Its thinnest, lightest and most expensive e-reader yet has a new design with 9-week reading battery, ergonomic grip, and page-turn...
Book Cover Help Requested: Perfect Beat
Once again, my friends, I need your help. I have been working on a non-fiction book that explains how to use beats to show emotion in your writing. What are beats, you ask? They are short descriptions and actions that pepper a dialogue, indicating what a character...
I’ll sleep when I’m dead
Having a newborn around means sleep is largely a thing of the past. Even before that, though, I spent many a night writing away. Which is something hardly unusual, when it comes to writers. So many people have told me that they do their best (or only) writing at...