Generating eBook Sales - Guest Post by William D. Hicks

Welcome to Reading It All's stop on the William D. Hicks tour presented by Sizzling PR! I would like to welcome William D. Hicks with his guest post Generating ebook Sales.



Generating eBook Sales
By William D. Hicks


williamdhicks@gmail.com


The only way to get noticed as a writer is to get read. But how? With a couple eBooks out I decided to start promoting myself. I hired a PR company who booked a publicity blog tour. It’s the electronic equivalent of a multi-city book signing.


While reviews and interviews and blog posts would likely get me noticed I wanted to generate sales. In my mind more sales = more readers.


I had recently noticed that my eBook sales to libraries were slow but steady. I wondered if I could ramp them up and asked my publisher how. He gave me several suggestions which I followed. I also figured out some short cuts along the way. And it worked.


Over a three day period I got commitments from 5 libraries to buy 2 books each. While it’s not much money, I’m hopeful my eBook sales will spike from these efforts. Because it’s not really about the money; it’s about getting my stories read.


As a disclaimer, before doing all this work be sure your publisher is authorized to sell eBooks to libraries. This usually means they sell through Overdrive. If not, you probably should wait until they do before you put out the all this effort.


Write a “form” letter to the library. Use below as a template:


Dear (Sir/Madam/Librarian/Name of Person—especially if it’s the director or the email is directed at specific person),


Note something interesting about yourself, plus a request for the library to purchase your eBook.(Mention the state you’re from to libraries in your state, mention the state the book is set in to all the libraries with that connection, mention you’re an alumni to the college you attended, you get the idea. If there is no connection you might avoid specific state references.)


eBook Title
Genre, a little about the book
ISBN or other Identifying Number (e.g. ASIN-Amazon Standard Identification Number)
What Language the eBook is written in
Publication Date
Price (especially if you know the price the library will pay, this isn’t necessary but it’ a nice to have)


Mention that your publisher is authorized to sell your books to libraries and they sell on “Overdrive” and any other e-tailers of note (e.g. Amazon).


Publisher Name
Publisher Address
Publisher Phone
Publisher Email


Ask the librarian to contact you with a decision and thank them for reading your email (politeness goes a long way).


Yours (some ending),
Your Name


Figure out which libraries you want to target.


It’s often worthwhile to submit queries of this kind to all the libraries in your state, but first target those nearby as they will more likely pick up your eBook. When I suggested my suburban library should purchase my eBook and told them I was a resident they instantly purchased a copy.


Check out the library’s URL


Before sending the email letter above, check out the library’s site. Some will have a “Purchase Suggestion” option, while others might have an “Ask a Librarian” link and others still might have a “Contact Us” section or “Email” address. You can use one of these more generic options or you can do some further digging and find information on the Library Director/CEO. If the email is directed to a specific person (e.g. the director) always personalize the salutation. Be aware that often the Director’s email address is not easily found and it’s best not to spend a lot of time searching for it.


Send the email and wait for a response


Not all libraries will buy your book. Sometimes you hear back from them weeks later; sometimes not at all. When a library buys an eBook, celebrate your win.





I want to thank William D. Hicks for guest posting here today! Be sure to check out his two short stories.



Title: Twist
Author: William D. Hicks
Publisher: Spectres
Publish Date: August 19, 2011


Synopsis: As a boy growing up in 1953, Kevin Hull enjoyed playing games with his group of boyhood friends, like the game of "ledge." After one such game with his friend Billy Hawkins, the two find themselves involved in a terrible accident that will forever change their lives.


A work of short psychological horror from our Spectres line.

Title: Killer Flies
Author: William D. Hicks
Publisher: Spectres
Publish Date: January 11, 2012


Synopsis: The Army plans to use a new breed of flies to protect combat soldiers. But Dr. John Pankow, their creator, is worried that his killer flies are uncontrollable. Will Mother Nature's most genetically-altered weapon be the ultimate armor, or the potential ravager of the entire world?

A work of short horror from our Spectres line.

Sins of the Mind by L. J. Garland & Debbie Gould - Reveiw

Welcome to Reading It All's stop on the Sins of the Mind tour presented by Sizzling PR!

Title: Sins of the Mind
Authors: L. J. Garland and Debbie Gould
Series: Red River Series
Publisher: Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
Publish Date: May 15, 2012


Synopsis: Seven years ago, Abby Montgomery survived a brutal attack. Now she is ready to put her pain in the past and move on with her life. The problem is, one by one the men in her life are being viciously murdered.

The detective assigned to the case, Ethan Parker, has demons of his own to hide. As the danger gets closer to Abby, so does Ethan. But can they get past his secrets before the killer gets to them? Sometimes the sins of the mind are more depraved than the sins of the heart.

My Thoughts: Sins of the Mind is a very intense book. I was sucked right in and I hated to stop reading. Be ready for a major thriller with this book. I was flipping on lights in the house looking for possible killers. 

I felt so bad for Abby. She has had a really rough life, but she has stayed so strong through it all. When she meets Ethan the first few times she is just awesome. She is a character with an awful lot of backbone considering her past. 

I loved Ethan. He can seem like a tough cop but deep down he just wants to protect. I loved how macho he was one minute and how sweet he was the next. He is not the kind of detective you want to mess with though.

I think that the entire plot was just amazing. I loved reading about the case, the crime scenes, and the love scenes. This book has so much going for it. I cannot wait to read more from this series, especially since some very interesting characters were introduced throughout the book. I think anyone who enjoys a good thriller with some juicy love scenes will love this book.

Rating:

Purchase your own copy of Sins of the Mind on Amazon.


I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

The Chosen by Annette Gisby - Guest Post

Welcome to Reading It All's stop on The Chosen book tour presented by Sizzling PR! Guest posting today is author of The Chosen, Annette Gisby!

Ebooks Have no Soul?

I've been seeing variations of that sentence for a while now on various places on the web. Interestingly enough, I haven't seen it on anything printed, you know, those things that supposedly do have soul.

I grew up in Ireland, storytelling was a way of life. There were always stories going round in my head. As a girl, I had dolls, but with me my dolls were characters in stories which I used the dolls to act out. Gradually as I got older I no longer used my dolls to act out the stories but started writing them down in notebooks with pencil or pen.

One Christmas my parents got me a manual typewriter so I started writing my stories on that. It had a strange quirk, that typewriter. Despite being new, the letter 'S' never worked properly, it always appeared as subscript rather than in the main body of the text. By the time I was considering getting work published professionally I knew that manuscript pages typed with the letter 'S' always appearing as subscript was not going to cut it, despite it being an interesting quirk. My first ever wages were spent on an electronic typewriter which worked perfectly out of the box.

I graduated next to an electronic word processor shortly after my husband and I were married. It was a bulky thing which only did word-processing and nothing else and to save work you needed 3in floppy disks. At the time we bought it we had no idea that most word-processors and personal computers at the time usually had 31/2 inch disks, not 3. But we'd paid our money and we stuck it out.

We had different word processors, typewriters and computers over the years, but one thing didn't change. I was still writing the same stories that I wanted to write. Did it matter that I no longer wrote with paper and pen but with a keyboard? Would the story have less soul? I don't think so.

To me, a story is a story whether it is printed on a dead tree or read on a computer screen or ebook reader.

Were the first people to write their stories down outcasts because they were no longer keeping to the oral tradition? Did Gutenberg suffer people not wanting to read books because they were printed rather than written with a quill and ink?

Everything evolves eventually, ebooks are just another step. A good story will have soul whether or not it is printed or electronic or read aloud. I don't think ebooks will replace paper books, the way paperbacks have not replaced hardbacks. They all complement each other and to say that one version has less soul than the other doesn't make sense to me.

I think of myself as a storyteller and I don't mind what way people read my stories, whether it is electronically or on paper.

My soul is in each of them.

Annette Gisby

Title: The Chosen

Author: Annette Gisby

Publisher: Lyrical Press, Inc.

Publish Date: March 20, 2010

Synopsis: Prince Severin has been brought up to put duty before all else. Now, his duty is to marry and produce an heir. He has his choice of princesses. Unfortunately, his passion is for princes.

Havyn has been a slave all his life. When his powers are discovered, he finds himself purchased and freed by a Prince and apprenticed to the royal wizard, Ildar. His duty is to stay chaste to keep his powers strong. Unfortunately, his passion is for Severin.

With kingdoms at war, the throne hanging in the balance, and magic in the air, can the two men find happiness together, or is duty more important than love?


Purchase Links:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble


About the Author: 

Annette Gisby grew up in a small town in Northern Ireland. Being a very small town there were no bookshops and a small library. When she'd devoured every book she could get her hands on in the library, she started writing her own stories so that she would always have something to read.

When not writing she enjoys reading, playing The Sims, cinema and theatre. She loves to travel, especially ancient castles and deserted beaches, great places for inspiration.

She currently lives in Hampshire with her husband, a collection of porcelain dolls and enough books to fill a library. The library is diminishing gradually since the discovery of ebooks but still has a long way to go.

Website / Goodreads

Winterbloom by Marissa Dobson - Review

Title: Winterbloom

Author: Marissa Dobson

Publisher: Ruby Lioness Press

Publish Date: April 20, 2012

Synopsis: As Chloe Frost focuses on renovating Winterbloom Bed and Breakfast, a blizzard dumps blankets of snow upon the sleepy town of Clearwater. An unexpected guest desperately needs a room after his car breaks down in the storm, but this mystery man seems tortured by his past. Can Chloe help him see through the pain and anger? Can Jordan Sheppard, once a Gunnery Sergeant of the Marines, finally let someone in and show him just what love is?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed Winterbloom. It was a very sweet novella. Chloe was a great character, and we got to learn a little about her background in the story. She seems like a very independent person, and very caring. Jordan sounded yummy. He had problems from his time in the Marines but he was a good person. I really liked how Chloe and Jordan interacted as they started to care for each other. 

I also liked meeting a few of the other towns people in Clearwater. The sheriff was a fun guy. He was so worried about Chloe being alone with a stranger. We also got a glimpse of Chloe's friend Jennifer, who seems like a great character, maybe with a sassy attitude. 

Winterbloom was very enjoyable. The characters came together in a very beautiful way, and helped each other with their problems. This would make a good short read for anyone wanting a little love story with a dash of spice.

Rating:

You can purchase a copy of Winterbloom by Marissa Dobson from Amazon. 

I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Texas Hearts Series by Lisa Mondello - Book Spotlight

 Welcome to Reading It All's stop on the Texas Hearts Series Tour brought to you by Sizzling PR.

Title: Her Heart for the Asking
Author: Lisa Mondello


Synopsis:  Mandy Morgan swore she’d never step foot in Texas again after Beau Gentry left her for life on the rodeo circuit eight years before. But now her uncle’s heart is failing and she has to convince him that surgery will save his life. She never dreamed the first thing she’d see when she stepped off the plane would be her biggest nightmare...the one man she’d never stopped loving.


Beau Gentry had the fever for two things: the rodeo and Mandy Morgan. But for Beau, loving Mandy was complicated by his father’s vendetta against her uncle. This led him to make the hardest decision of his life and he can still see the bitterness and hurt on Mandy’s face. All these years it has killed him to think Mandy had forgotten him and moved as far away as possible from him. But now they’re back in Texas, and he’s going to do all he can to win back her love.

Title: His Heart for the Trusting
Author: Lisa Mondello


Synopsis: Ever since Mitch Broader set foot in Texas, he dreamed of owning his own ranch. Now that he’s bought a share in the Double T Ranch, he’s one step closer to the dream. Then his past greets him in the form of a baby basket, complete with infant and birth certificate naming him as the father. He can’t change diapers and work toward his dream at the same time. 


When Sara Lightfoot, “Miss Hollywood” in Mitch’s eyes, rescues him with her particular knack for handling his precocious son, he hires her on the spot as a temporary nanny. No matter how much Sara’s dark eyes and warm heart make this bachelor think of making their arrangement permanent, she’s made it perfectly clear she has other plans that don’t include him or his dreams. 


Sara Lightfoot never thought she’d return to her home on the reservation. Now she plans to reclaim the life she left by going back to the reservation as a Native American storyteller, teaching the Apache children stories of their culture. She didn’t expect Mitch Broader’s sexy smile or job offer as a live-in nanny to derail those plans. After all she’s been through to come home, can she open up her heart once again to love?

Title: The More I See
Author: Lisa Mondello


Synopsis: As a top-notch cutting horse trainer, Cody Gentry was riding high until he lost his eyesight after a freak chemical accident. Unable to see the hand in front of his face, never mind the horse or cattle he trained, he knows his life is over and slips deep into depression. His whole future hinges on the success of an eye surgery that could give him his old life back.

When guide dog trainer, Lyssa McElhannon, arrives on his ranch like Florence Nightingale coming to save him, he wants no part of her or her guide dog. But something about Lyssa’s musical laugh coupled with her tenacity digs under his skin and won't let go. Having been blind most of her life, Lyssa understands the paralyzing fear Cody feels after losing his vision. But she refuses to let the stubborn cowboy waste his life away sitting in a chair when she knows first-hand that a good guide dog can change his world. She just needs one month to prove it to him.

Falling in love with Cody was not part of Lyssa’s plan, nor was having him open her eyes to see that there was a whole lot of living she’d been missing out on.

Excerpt from Her Hear for the Asking:

"What are you doing here?" Mandy Morgan asked, dropping her too-heavy overnight case on the sun-roasted tarmac. After a grueling forty-eight hour work stint and a five-hour flight from Philadelphia, she stood wilting under the brutal Texas sun, facing her biggest nightmare.

Beau Gentry.

She groaned inwardly, drinking Beau in with her eyes as if she hadn't had a drop of water in months. Eight years was more like it. If she were eight years smarter, she would be moving her aching feet as fast as she could in the opposite direction. But all she could do was stare at eyes so bright they rivaled the

blazing sun. At lips so kissable she'd spent the better part of her adult life trying to wipe the memory clean from her mind.

She had expected Beau would have aged some. When she allowed herself to think about him at all, she reminded herself. The faint lines etched in the corners of his sleepy gray-blue eyes gave a hint of maturity, but most probably caused by long days in the cruel sun.

She fought the urge to take a closer look at his ruggedly handsome features, but failed. How could he have gotten better looking after being abused by every bronc-busting horse on the rodeo circuit? His angular jaw, strong and determined, was shaded with beard growth that was probably a day old, maybe more. Mandy suspected if Beau grew a full beard, it would grow in thick and be the smooth texture of his almost black head of hair. She forced aside past memories that gave her such knowledge with renewed irritation.

The man didn't even have the decency to have a crooked nose. What should have been bent and awkward from being broken a few too many times was instead long and straight, shaped perfectly between high cheek bones most women would swoon over, or kill to have themselves. But on Beau Gentry, it was just one thousand percent robust cowboy.

Damn him.

"I'm your ride out to the Double T," Beau said, gripping the edge of his white straw cowboy hat and tipping it in a cordial gesture.

She ground the heels of her low pumps into the soft tar to contain her growing irritation. Did he think she was an idiot? "No way."

"'Fraid so," he said, his expression slightly askew.

"Hank didn't mention anything about you coming to get me when I spoke to him on the phone."

"I suspect he thought you would have found some excuse not to come if you knew I was picking you up."

"He would have been right. Why didn't one of the hands come get me?"

Settling his hand at the base of his neck, Beau replied, "You're looking at him. As of three weeks ago I am one of the ranch hands at the Double T."

You can purchase a copy of these book from Amazon / B&N / Smashwords

Visit Lisa Mondello's website to learn more about her and her books.

The Memory of Roses by Blair McDowell - Review and Author Interview

Welcome to Reading It All's stop on The Memory of Roses tour presented by Sizzling PR.

Title: The Memory of Roses

Author: Blair McDowell

Publisher: Rebel Ink Press LLC

Synopsis: When renowned archaeologist Ian McQuaid dies, he leaves his daughter, Brit, a villa on the Greek island of Corfu. The only thing Ian asks is that Brit deliver a package to a woman he once loved there. The problem is Brit knew nothing about either the villa or the love affair. She thought her parents had been happily married all these years.

After a disastrous love affair of her own, Brit finally admits to herself that she's desperately unhappy. At thirty two and left with more questions about her life than answers, Brit has a dawning sense that to live her own life free of shadows, she must trace the path of her father's past. 

Brit's journey takes her from San Francisco to Athens, to the villa on Corfu, and finally to Venice, where she discovers a truth long hidden that holds the power to destroy lives. During the course of her odyssey Brit meets Andreas Leandros, a young Greek archaeologist, and while uncovering the secrets of her father's past, she discovers her own future.

My Thoughts: I just love a good romance. I am so happy that I was given the chance to review The Memory of Roses. It would fall into that category of a great romance. The story line was so wonderful, the setting was gorgeous, and the characters were so amazing. 

Brit was wonderful to read about. She has lost faith in love and trust, and watching her find it again was something I loved most about this book. I love when a character grows during a story, and Brit truly did. Blair McDowell did such a perfect job of telling Brit's story. 

Andreas, well he just sounds amazing, like every woman's prince charming or, in this case, Greek god. He is so caring and (mostly) patient with Brit. I think I fell in love with him just a little. 

I loved that Ian and Maria's story was represented so beautifully! At first I wondered if we would ever get the entire story but then McDowell started telling it, and it was so heartbreaking. I felt horrible for all the pain and loss that they both suffered over the years. 

Greece sounds so beautiful. McDowell painted one of the most gorgeous settings in this book. I am dying to go there now. The island of Corfu and the villa sound just breathtaking. 

I would recommend this book to any person looking for a good romance. It was a very touching story. I plan to see what else Blair McDowell has to offer. If this book is anything to go on I have a feeling that she will fast become a new favorite.

Rating:

I am happy to have had the chance to interview Blair McDowell, and learn a little more about her and her books.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live between my two homes, one in the Caribbean on an island that is the setting for my novel, Delighting In Your Company, and the other on Canada’s scenic west coast where I run a Bed and Breakfast for six months of the year. I’m a retired university professor. During my previous life I wrote professional books, six of them, all still widely used, but in retirement I returned to my first love, writing fiction.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Swim. Read.Cook. I love all three. It is a life-long ambition to swim in every major body or water that is swimmable. I’m about half way through.

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

My first professional book was sold to a major New York publisher on the basis of an outline and three chapters. I thought it would be like that when I started writing fiction. Was I ever in for a surprise! It took two years to sell The Memory of Roses. Problem was it isn’t genre. It doesn’t fit. Thank God for Elizabeth Carr and Rebel Ink, a Boutique publisher into originality.

How did you choose the genre you write in?

So far I’ve written three novels, each in a different genre. I don’t want my imagination put in braces.

Where do you get your ideas?

Most often it’s a setting that grabs me. Greece, Italy, The Caribbean, Canada’s gorgeous and rugged west coast. The setting always suggests characters, and the characters suggest plot.

How did you come up with your characters?

The characters are figments of my fertile imagination. They suggest themselves. I don’t really “come up with them.”

Do you ever experience writer’s block?

Never. What I experience, in common with many other writers, I suspect, is too damn many interruptions.

Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I choose setting first. Then I do character studies in great detail. Then I write the plot out in synopsis form. At this point the characters may change a bit. Only then do I write the first line of my book.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I shall interpret your word challenges to mean frustration. There was lots of that. The lowest point came when an agent said he really liked my first three chapters, would I please send him the rest. I did and waited on tenterhooks for three months. My parcel was returned unopened with the word “deceased” stamped across it.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your book or getting it published that you would change?

I turn much more quickly to e-book publishers. They are the future of publishing. Perhaps the future of literacy.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write in your book and why?

My favorite section of The Memory of Roses is the love story between Ian McQuaid, my heroine’s father, and the young Italian artist who unexpectedly enters his life on the Greek island of Corfu, Maria Calbrese.  

How did you come up with the title?

Roses are a connective thread from the first pages to the last in The Memory of Roses. The title was a natural.

What project are you working on now?

I’ve just finished the last pages of Sonata, a mystery romance set in Vancouver and on the Sunshine Coast. The story of an improbable love affair between an international concert artist and a Vancouver cop.

Will you have a new book coming out soon?

Delighting In Your Company, a paranormal Romance with time travel, set in the Caribbean, will be released by Rebel Ink in e-book format on April 17^th and in paperback on May 30^th.

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

I’ve had a house in the tropics for 40 years. In that time I’ve heard endless stories and legends about Jumbies (the walking dead) and Obeah, the religion brought to the Caribbean from Africa by the slaves. What could have been more natural in such a setting than a 21^st Century heroine who falls in love with a man who died two hundred years ago?

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Writers write. And then they send out what they’ve written to publishers and agents. They don’t get depressed at rejections. They just go to the next five editors and agents on their list. If what they write is good, it will find the right place eventually. The NY Times bestseller list is full of authors who initially had trouble finding a publisher.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Please buy my books. I’m not sure how much longer Revenue Canada is going to let me claim writing deductions if you don’t!

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

The Once and Future King by Theodore White. The story of King Arthur, Guinevere and Sir Lancelot. Gorgeous writing.

What is the last book you read?

I’m wading my way through Andrea Calmilleri’s series of 19 books, translated from the Italian, featuring Sicilian detective, Salvo Montalbano. The characters are wonderful and the setting can’t be beat.

Who would be in your dream cast for your book?

For the Memory of Roses. Odd you should ask. A film editor friend of mine asked the same question after reading the book.

Ian McQuaid, Sean Connery twenty years ago.

Andreas Leandros, Maybe Rufas Sewell although he too would need to be younger. And Andreas in the book’s a blue-eyed blond. Do you have any idea how FEW actors are blue-eyed blonds?

Brit and Maria, the two female leads? I haven’t come up with anyone well known for either. The lead female in Shadows in the Sun, whose name escapes me comes the closest to Maria. The lead in Under the Tuscan Sun, could do Brit effectively.

Do you have a song picked out that you feel represents your book?

Not really, although I heard a lot of traditional Greek café music when we on the Greek island of Hydra that would be perfect. Unusual stringed instruments, interesting melodies, Unusual rhythms and harmonies.

What is your favorite quote?

Telos Kalo, Ola Kala

Greek for “all’s well that ends well”

Is there an author who you would love to meet?

The poet John Donne. But since he’s dead these several hundred years, I hope not to meet him soon.

Short answer

Vanilla or Chocolate

Chocolate

favorite color

Red

dogs or cats

dogs

tea or coffee

coffee, providing it’s Italian or Greek, and strong

night owl or early bird

Definitely early bird

Coke or Pepsi

Ugh!! wine

Facebook or Twitter

Facebook

shoes or sandals

Bare feet

Thank you so much for stopping by and answering all of my questions Blair.

You can purchase your own own copy of The Memory of Roses by Blair McDowell from: Amazon / Nook / All Romance / Ebookstrand

To learn more about The Memory of Roses and Blair McDowell you can visit: Website / Facebook