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It's on FACEBOOK, so be ready to sign in.
This is my novel that is available for giveaway. Take a chance on it while it's free. You might like it.
Read more about it on AMAZON.
Running Horses
Showing posts with label Giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giveaway. Show all posts
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Mother's Day Reading Blitz
There will be a live Giveaway event on Facebook for
the Mother's Day Reading Blitz
It's hosted by Indie World Publishing & Author Services
Put the whole three-day weekend on your calendar
Allow Mom to sign up for awesome gifts,
then shop for her next book, or stock up for her summer vacation.
Also note on your calendar the three day Mother's Day weekend, from May 9 - 11. During those three days be sure to visit the Indie World Publishing & Author Services website to search through the 72 books by over 60 fantastic female authors which will be available for only $0.99! That's 99 cents! Participating books can be found here so start looking now: http://www.indieworldpub.com/#!mdrb-books-by-genre/c1f28
On Saturday, May 10th, there will be a giant giveaway of lots of fantastic books written by female authors ~~ some on the book sale lists and some not. All these books have strong female lead characters.
There will also be other items available for giveaway. The great news is you don't have to be a mother (or even a female) to join in the fun! Just mark your calendars and get ready to enter each contest for your chance to win! Oh - and invite all your friends and family! We'll be expecting to see you there!
For my part, I have 7 of my books posted for sale at the amazing low price of 99 cents. I will also have two others to be given away. Visit the site today for my listing of books in the variety of genres so you will know which ones you might be interested in purchasing.
For the giveaway I've chosen my two children's books (see below) since they have no Kindle equivalent. Click on the link below the picture to visit the Amazon page where you can read about them and see the reviews.
If you win a book, or decide to buy one, please be considerate of the author and make a comment on the book's Amazon page about your reading experience. It's not difficult. Just scroll down the page to the write a customer review button and click. There is even a Tips and Guidelines link highlighted on the review page if you want some hints on what to do.
DON'T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR. REMEMBER MOM AND WE'LL SEE YOU THERE.
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| http://www.amazon.com/Carousel-Pony-Make---Wish-Story/dp/1482336766 |
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| http://www.amazon.com/Theres-House-Judith-Victoria-Douglas/dp/1478361131 |
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Writing, Acting, Appreciation and Reviews
This is mainly for readers, but writers who are also readers may be able to identify.
http://megancashmanbooks.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/id-say-writing-is-like-acting/
I have always equated writing with acting. When writing I might have to go though an action to know how to describe it happening so a reader will understand well enough to conceptualize it. The same with an expression.
Actors on the stage are lucky to get their appreciation known to them immediately through applause. Movie actors (or radio, especially in the past) have each other to congratulate as well as audiences sentiment, public reviews, and the box-office count.
Writers, especially independents, well, we can watch the sales count, and hope some lone soul will take the time to post a review (since we all know professional paid-for reviews don't count). Since the sales count doesn't usually go up without the reviews any show of appreciation may never come, so we are the working, often truly starving artists you hear about.
Our rewards are often few, unless you become very popular, like Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, to name only two. And, of course, those with big name publishers have all the promotion and review getting done for them in advance by passing out hundreds of free ARC -- advanced (before publication) readers' copies -- of their book for reviews. Who can say "no" to one of the big guys? And for a free book, probably signed by the author no less. Neil Gaiman's book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, had over 1500 reviews after it was first released. How? Signed ARCs. In a obscure sense its like bribery.
We independent authors/publishers, who (like me) do the same work as several people within a big publishing firm, have a harder time finding an audience and especially finding members of that meager audience who are willing to take the time to make a written, public comment. The friends who will commit are few, but we know not to rely on the comments of friends and family who may be biased for us. That's why Amazon knocks off reviews that look like they could be by family members. And if you don't think writing is hard work then read Roy's blog post -- http://roydimond.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/242/#like-242 He even has a publisher.
Independents resort to author to author reviews -- a like for a like. It gets the number of reviews up, which can increase sales a bit, because John Q. Public doesn't know the difference. They go by the paid-for reviews after all. Hard to compete with money when your starving.
I have begged for a review from someone who read one of my books and loved it, and it never came. I have been promised numerous reviews that never show up, even by other writers who have to look me in the face on occasion. I've given books to others who don't even acknowledge receipt, much less thank me for it. It's just a book, not a novel of a complete life scenario of several others a writer has to create, devise, get as correct and in order as an architect of a high rise building, airplane, boat, or spaceship has to get his construction. And it can "fall apart" with less error than any of those objects.
I have started the giveaway of my hard work for no royalty in hopes of a few kind appreciative souls out there who might post what they thought of it. Next time you get something free from its creator, a table, a plant, a clay pot, a painting or sculpture, you let me know if you really appreciated all that went into creating it. I don't think so, but it will definitely more so than you would if it was just a book.
I always hope, so my faith in humanity isn't completely dashed, yet. But I am also too often disappointed. I feel lucky I am still compelled to write even with extremely little or no reward.
It's like working to train and clean up my horse, perfect my riding, then go to a horse show where there is no audience, no judge and no competitors. My horse and I are the only ones in the ring. It's like that part of life was cancelled and no one told me. I immediately picture myself a lone rider on a vast field on a horse with my bare legs on a doeskin and a single rein from the horses mouth, with feathers in our hair, assuming we are the only ones like that on the planet. At first it's lonely, but eventually I come to have a peace about it, and dread the moments its necessary to come in contact with others.
That's especially true of those I run into on a regular basis who have give book marks for each book and suggestion they look it up on Amazon. Few can look me in the eye when we meet, so I know they never bothered. People just don't seek out writers, or their books, like they seek out grocers or doctors, or even lawyers.
When I get a review that is thorough and professional by someone who doesn't have to do it, and is not receiving any pay for it, I boast about them. Why, because they need the appreciation also.
I think the best way to wake up the public to a writer's need for appreciation for all their work is to make them aware of its necessity and steer them away from the paid-for professionals. I know I relied on a particular (unnamed here) review company for the books I chose before I became a writer, never realizing it was paid for. You get what you pay for, so it makes sense the more you pay the better the review. That doesn't mean the book is really that good. It only means it's been set in your mind that it is, so if you find it is not, you know, something must be wrong with you. Well, it's time to stop that kind of thinking and make a choice of your own. And show writers without backing, independent writers, how much they are appreciated. Granted there are some who are very good or error few, but if the talent is there then encouragement should be no less than you would give a child in discovery.
I hope you become enlightened as a reader and begin to appreciate one aspect of the work that goes into creating a book. Then consider posting a comment for the next book your read telling of your experience with it, whether you like it or not. Like the middle child who gets less attention, we'll even take a negative blow to know someone noticed what we'd worked so hard to do.
http://megancashmanbooks.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/id-say-writing-is-like-acting/
This blog posting I'm attaching, by Megan Cashman -- someone I appreciate, respect and follow -- tells it well.
Actors on the stage are lucky to get their appreciation known to them immediately through applause. Movie actors (or radio, especially in the past) have each other to congratulate as well as audiences sentiment, public reviews, and the box-office count.
Writers, especially independents, well, we can watch the sales count, and hope some lone soul will take the time to post a review (since we all know professional paid-for reviews don't count). Since the sales count doesn't usually go up without the reviews any show of appreciation may never come, so we are the working, often truly starving artists you hear about.
Our rewards are often few, unless you become very popular, like Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, to name only two. And, of course, those with big name publishers have all the promotion and review getting done for them in advance by passing out hundreds of free ARC -- advanced (before publication) readers' copies -- of their book for reviews. Who can say "no" to one of the big guys? And for a free book, probably signed by the author no less. Neil Gaiman's book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, had over 1500 reviews after it was first released. How? Signed ARCs. In a obscure sense its like bribery.
We independent authors/publishers, who (like me) do the same work as several people within a big publishing firm, have a harder time finding an audience and especially finding members of that meager audience who are willing to take the time to make a written, public comment. The friends who will commit are few, but we know not to rely on the comments of friends and family who may be biased for us. That's why Amazon knocks off reviews that look like they could be by family members. And if you don't think writing is hard work then read Roy's blog post -- http://roydimond.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/242/#like-242 He even has a publisher.
Independents resort to author to author reviews -- a like for a like. It gets the number of reviews up, which can increase sales a bit, because John Q. Public doesn't know the difference. They go by the paid-for reviews after all. Hard to compete with money when your starving.
I have begged for a review from someone who read one of my books and loved it, and it never came. I have been promised numerous reviews that never show up, even by other writers who have to look me in the face on occasion. I've given books to others who don't even acknowledge receipt, much less thank me for it. It's just a book, not a novel of a complete life scenario of several others a writer has to create, devise, get as correct and in order as an architect of a high rise building, airplane, boat, or spaceship has to get his construction. And it can "fall apart" with less error than any of those objects.
I have started the giveaway of my hard work for no royalty in hopes of a few kind appreciative souls out there who might post what they thought of it. Next time you get something free from its creator, a table, a plant, a clay pot, a painting or sculpture, you let me know if you really appreciated all that went into creating it. I don't think so, but it will definitely more so than you would if it was just a book.
I always hope, so my faith in humanity isn't completely dashed, yet. But I am also too often disappointed. I feel lucky I am still compelled to write even with extremely little or no reward.
It's like working to train and clean up my horse, perfect my riding, then go to a horse show where there is no audience, no judge and no competitors. My horse and I are the only ones in the ring. It's like that part of life was cancelled and no one told me. I immediately picture myself a lone rider on a vast field on a horse with my bare legs on a doeskin and a single rein from the horses mouth, with feathers in our hair, assuming we are the only ones like that on the planet. At first it's lonely, but eventually I come to have a peace about it, and dread the moments its necessary to come in contact with others.
That's especially true of those I run into on a regular basis who have give book marks for each book and suggestion they look it up on Amazon. Few can look me in the eye when we meet, so I know they never bothered. People just don't seek out writers, or their books, like they seek out grocers or doctors, or even lawyers.
When I get a review that is thorough and professional by someone who doesn't have to do it, and is not receiving any pay for it, I boast about them. Why, because they need the appreciation also.
I think the best way to wake up the public to a writer's need for appreciation for all their work is to make them aware of its necessity and steer them away from the paid-for professionals. I know I relied on a particular (unnamed here) review company for the books I chose before I became a writer, never realizing it was paid for. You get what you pay for, so it makes sense the more you pay the better the review. That doesn't mean the book is really that good. It only means it's been set in your mind that it is, so if you find it is not, you know, something must be wrong with you. Well, it's time to stop that kind of thinking and make a choice of your own. And show writers without backing, independent writers, how much they are appreciated. Granted there are some who are very good or error few, but if the talent is there then encouragement should be no less than you would give a child in discovery.
I hope you become enlightened as a reader and begin to appreciate one aspect of the work that goes into creating a book. Then consider posting a comment for the next book your read telling of your experience with it, whether you like it or not. Like the middle child who gets less attention, we'll even take a negative blow to know someone noticed what we'd worked so hard to do.
Friday, November 8, 2013
The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop
Excuse the short posting, but I wanted to direct you to some exciting happening over the weekend and through the first part of next week.The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop is taking place from Saturday, November 9 to Wednesday, November 13, 2013.
The details can be found at my other blog: www.booksbyjudithvictoriadouglas.wordpress.com
I will be giving away a copy of my novel, Where the Horses Run, Book I. Mass Extinction.
Don't wait to visit. The posting will be available later this evening.
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