Shauna Roberts's Blog, page 6

Every year on my birthday, I hold a contest and give away books—sometimes mine, sometimes other people's. This year, I'm giving away books published in 2014 by people in the Clarion class of 2009. For the first time, I'm using Rafflecopter instead of having my husband draw numbers out of a hat. He always did a good job; let's see whether Rafflecopter can match him.

Here are the books you can win:

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. A horror novel that is also a parody of the Ikea catalog. Expect humor, gore, and disturbing images of home furnishings. Grady is a master of the bizarre and the sardonic; he can make you laugh and cringe at the same time. This is one of the books I've looked most forward to this year; it will be released September 23.

The Law and the Heart: Speculative Stories to Bend the Mind and Soul by Kenneth Schneyer. This is a collection of thirteen of Ken's short stories, some previously published, some not. (My favorite makes its first appearance here.) Ken, a law professor, is the leading writer of legal sf. Kim Stanley Robinson says of this anthology, "The stories here are formally ingenious, even startling, and at the same time full of heart; the combination is brilliant and delightful."

The 8th Continent by Matt London. This book,  released September 16, is for children age 8 to 12 years. It has already garnered good reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist, and Kim Stanley Robinson says, "This is a delightful start to the adventures of the Lane family, with their flying tree and their mechanical bird tutor.  Evie and Rick and their brilliant if eccentric parents are wonderfully vivid, and the villains who try to impede them in their quest to save the Earth, equally memorable.  It's all in the great tradition of adventure fiction for young readers, running back through Akiko and Freddy the Pig all the way to Tom Sawyer."

The Measure of a Man by Shauna Roberts. This historical fantasy novelette (about 11,000 words) is about three very different men who find themselves facing zombies on an island paradise. (Kindle ebook only.)

Claimed by the Enemy by Shauna Roberts. This is my second novel set in ancient Mesopotamia. This one has romance, adventure, and palace intrigue. As before, I've used archaeological and textual evidence to make the novel as historically accurate as possible.









a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's guest post is provided by Angela Quarles, author and bookstore employee.


Onderwijsgek, Wikimedia Commons, CC license  An author as bookstore employee: Lessons learned
One week ago, I launched my debut novel, Must Love Breeches, and I believe working in a bookstore in the past, and currently, has given me some unique insights into "the other side of the picture" and how to position it. I thought I'd share some of the lessons learned.

Nine times out of ten, an author goes about getting into a bookstore all wrong. Our book buyer isn't usually in the store, and I've had authors from out of town stop by and be upset that he wasn't there, demand I call him on his cell phone on his day off and let him know that XYZ Unknown Author is only in town a few more hours, etc. It's always best to call ahead.

photo by Keyhole PhotographyI've also seen authors come in wearing dirty, smelly, wrinkled clothes, push their book across the counter, mumble a monologue, and then pull out a grubby piece of paper to write their name and number down.

Others have made the mistake when pitching to my boss that the book is listed on Amazon for $12 and they want to sell it to my boss for $12 and tell him he could mark it up however much he wanted. My boss right then and there said "No."

Keep in mind that bookstores are a business, and they will only stock your book if they think they can sell it. You need to market your book to them. And, er, don't make them have to sell it at a list price higher than Amazon; just don't. Even saying the word "Amazon" can kill your pitch.

 
 Tips for getting into a bookstore

Make an appointment and come dressed as you would for a job interview.Have a one-sheet handout to give to them that has some reputable reviews and information on how to order. Bookstores expect to get at least 40% off your list price. You can see mine to get an example of a one sheet. Having a sales sheet like this is crucial and shows your professionalism. It also helps the harried book buyer make a decision in your favor :)Leave a complimentary copy of your book for them to read. They need to know if they can sell it, and they know what appeals to their market. One author did come in recently with a professional attitude and did all the right things (including writing a great book) and my boss ended up loving the book and putting it in the front window with a nice little sign. He's also stocking the book.Price your book so you can afford the 40% discount. But keep it reasonable. Make sure it's in line cost-wise with the other trade paperbacks in your genre from traditional publishers. My boss was pleasantly surprised that my book was $14.99 because he's used to self-pubbers pricing their POD books much much higher. Mine's priced so I make a buck and change in CreateSpace's Expanded distribution because I know that's not where I'm going to make most of my profit and I'd rather keep it the same price as other books on the shelf.If you're able to get into Ingram, the book distributor, that's even better. I'm going to hold off and fulfill orders personally until I think the time and expense is worth it, but if/when it is, I'll be switching off CreateSpace's Expanded Distribution and setting it up on IngramSpark instead, which puts you in the Ingram catalog. The former only allows bookstores a 25% discount and no returns. The latter lets you swim with the big dogs. I'm trying to do a booksigning at a Barnes & Noble at my college bookstore for my reunion, and the buyer flat out said they don't order books from "CreateSpace, Lulu, XLibris, AuthorHouse and others," but he might be willing to give me the space if I brought my own. We're working on that. For those that don't know, bookstores order the bulk of their new books from Ingram, which is a wholesale distributor. Bookstores already have an account with them, can stock up on other books they need, and get free shipping. Not being there makes it easier to say no. Your book would have to be something they really, really want to stock to jump through alternative hoops.
Other lessons learned

Watching patrons browse has shown me the following:
  art by Kim KillionCover art matters.But even more so, make sure you have a good, clear spine designed. If mine makes it into another bookstore, it most likely will only be "spine out." The spine will be my first barrier of entry for casual browsers.Have an eye-catching title. That, combined with the spine, may entice a browser to pull the book out and look at the cover.Have compelling back cover copy, of course.If you can get the employees to read it, even better! We hand sell so many books as recommendations to our customers. We have some titles that aren't typically stocked new at small indies like ours (85% of our stock is used), but it's because my boss and I are big fans and we're always pimping those books. (Parasol Protectorate and the Iron Druid Chronicles, if you're wondering)Most customers seem to already have a book in mind when they come into the store, but there are others who do come in hoping that something will "jump out at them." For those browsers, that's where your spine, cover, title, and blurb need to do the heavy lifting, and why it'd be sweet if an employee could recommend it. You need to let people know your book is at a particular store. Being in a bookstore doesn't magically make it sell. People have to know about it. Tell your friends and social network!
Blog readers: Any other tips you can share? Have you worked in a bookstore too?
✥✥✥✥✥
Thank you, Angela, for your great insights into how bookstores decide whether to stock independent (and other) books! Your sample one-sheet flyer for bookstores is a gem.
✥✥✥✥✥
Angela Quarles is a geek girl romance writer whose works includes Must Love Breeches, a time travel romance, and Beer & Groping in Las Vegas, a geek romantic comedy in novelette form. She has a B.A. in Anthropology and International Studies with a minor in German from Emory University (Atlanta) and a Masters in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University (Atlanta). She currently resides in a historic house in the beautiful and quirky town of Mobile, Alabama.
You can find her online here: Website: http://bit.ly/VMFK00 Blog: http://bit.ly/WkQbXG Twitter: http://bit.ly/Se5gQ0 Facebook: http://on.fb.me/VMFT3L Pinterest: http://bit.ly/1qRhgHQ
And you can find Must Love Breeches at the following links: Amazon (universal): http://bit.ly/MustLoveBreeches Kobo: http://bit.ly/MLBkobo
ARe: http://bit.ly/1rXAZmw iTunes: http://bit.ly/1rXKylc Google Play: http://bit.ly/MLBGoogle Nook: http://bit.ly/1AVWtFh Goodreads: http://bit.ly/MLBGR 

Congratulations to Dina Steenerson and Kelley Roach, who each won a copy of my new Mesopotamian novel Claimed by the Enemy in my GoodReads contest! The books will go out today.

My new alternate history novelette "The Measure of a Man" is now available as a Kindle ebook at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MD7NW1W. Zombies. Hobbits (the Homo floresiensis kind). Komodo dragons. Love and sacrifice, honor and hard decisions. All on a beautiful tropical island. What more could you want?

I posted pictures of tarantulas on Facebook that were in and outside our garage the other day. Along the side I'm posting one tarantula picture as well as three shots, increasingly closer, of what I think is a tarantula nest. Afterward is a picture of our largest cactus showing how many tuna (fruit) it has this year.


I have several bits of news to share.


Can you spot the spider nest?First, the Hadley Rille Books' Indiegogo ends in about 11 hours! If you've been meaning to support this great small press (which publishes great fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction), now's your last chance to get the great Indiegogo perks. (You can contribute to HRB at any time, but only now will you get signed books or a teeshirt for doing so.) To donate, go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/support-the-growth-of-hadley-rille-books-a-quality-small-press-publisher?sa=0&sp=0.

Also, I am offering additional perks; find out at my last blog post at http://www.shaunaroberts.com/2014/07/extra-perks-for-hrb-indiegogo.html what I'm offering to people who donate.


Second, the Goodreads giveaway for my new self-published novel, Claimed by the Enemy, ends in about 11 hours as well. Claimed by the Enemy is a historical novel with strong romantic elements set in ancient Mesopotamia. To enter for a chance to win a signed trade paperback, click on the button in the Goodreads ad at top right or go to https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/99751-claimed-by-the-enemy.

Do you agree it's a tarantula nest?If you don't trust your luck, you can buy the novel outright at Amazon.com as a trade paperback and as a Kindle ebook; it's also available at Barnes and Noble online as a trade paperback.


Third, most of the data from my previous newsletter list was lost. I am collecting names again for a newsletter that would probably come out three or four times a year. Each would include news and a giveaway and possibly some photos as well. To sign up, type in your email address in the very pale form in the right column or go to http://eepurl.com/Fr3Hf.


Fourth, if you like to listen to audiobooks, my 2009 historical novel Like Mayflies in a Stream and my 2012 sf novelette "The Hunt" are both now available as audiobooks. Find them at Audible.com and at Amazon.com.


Fifth, I have a new dark historical fantasy novelette coming out tomorrow or Saturday. It's entitled The Measure of a Man, and I will be self-publishing it as a Kindle book. The hook: zombies in paradise. I'll post the link when it is up.


Thanks for reading, and please sign up for my newsletter. You can cancel at anytime, and because MailChimp is handling the newsletter, I won't even know you've unsubscribed!

To encourage more people to support the Hadley Rille Books' Indiegogo project, I'm adding some additional perks for those who see this blog post and who live in the United States or Canada.

These are in addition to any perks you receive from Hadley Rille Books as described at Indiegogo. To receive your desired extra perk, (1) contribute to the Hadley Rille Book Indiegogo, (2) forward your acknowledgement or receipt to me by email at [email protected], (3) tell me which perk you would  like, and (4) give me your mailing address.

PERK 1, $40 DONATION
writer, reader, and journaler swag set
• one 8.5- x 5.5-inch Ice Magic, Fire Magic lined notebook
• one 8.5- x 5.5-inch Like Mayflies in a Stream lined notebook
• one 8- x 5-inch Claimed by the Enemy lined notebook
• one Ice Magic, Fire Magic pen
• one Like Mayflies in a Stream pen
• several bookmarks

PERK 3, $40 DONATION
Ice Magic, Fire Magic (Hadley Rille Books, 2015) swag set
You will receive:
• one 8.5- x 5.5-inch Ice Magic, Fire Magic lined notebook
• five pads of Ice Magic, Fire Magic Post-It pads
• one Ice Magic, Fire Magic pen
• one Ice Magic, Fire Magic mousepad 
• one Ice Magic, Fire Magic totebag
• one signed bookplate

PERK 2, $60 DONATION
Gilgamesh gift pack
You will receive:
• one signed trade paperback of Like Mayflies in a Stream (Hadley Rille Books, 2009)
• one trade paperback of  Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell
• one trade paperback of The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh by David Damrosch
• one 8.5- x 5.5-inch Like Mayflies in a Stream lined notebook
• one Like Mayflies in a Stream pen
• five Like Mayflies in a Stream bookmarks

PERK 4, $60 DONATION
Claimed by the Enemy (Nicobar Press, 2014) gift pack
You will receive:
• one copy of Claimed by the Enemy in the format of your choice. (If you choose trade paperback format, it will be signed.)
• one 8- x 5-inch Claimed by the Enemy lined notebook
• five pads of Claimed by the Enemy Post-It pads
• one Claimed by the Enemy mousepad
• five Claimed by the Enemy bookmarks
• one Claimed by the Enemy 2014 calendar magnet

PERK 5, $100 DONATION
An HRB novel dedicated to you!
You will receive:
• I will dedicate my next book for Hadley Rille Books after Ice Magic, Fire Magic to you! (Note: No such novel is yet contracted.)
• Your choice of one copy of Like Mayflies in a Stream or Claimed by the Enemy now or a copy of Ice Magic, Fire Magic after its publication in 2015. If you choose trade paperback format, it will be signed.

PERK 6, $200 DONATION
A story written just for you!
You will receive:
• A short story of 5000 words or less written for you by me with your choice of genre, setting, characters, etc. You can be the hero! Or the villain!

PERK 7, PROPOSE YOUR OWN DONATION
Choose your own perk!
Don't see what you want? Do I have it, or am I able to produce it? Write to me at [email protected] with your idea for a perk and what you will donate to Hadley Rille Books to get it. I will agree to all reasonable requests.


Remember, contribute to the Hadley Rille Books Indiegogo at the Indiegogo site; don't send your contribution to me. I'll just buy chocolate with it. Also, these extra perks are for people with U.S. and Canadian mailing addresses; sorry, everyone else.

Thanks for helping Hadley Rille Press survive and thrive.

The Publisher's Stroke
In February, Eric T. Reynolds, publisher and owner of small sf/f press Hadley Rille Books, had a stroke that landed him in intensive care, then a regular hospital ward, and then a rehab facility for almost five months. He is now continuing recuperation at home.

After Eric's stroke, HRB authors immediately pitched in—in ways big and small—to help keep the press going. We  kept the audiobook program alive and producing audiobooks of past releases; we released one novel and will release another this fall; we started a planned Indiegogo to raise money to raise the profile of HRB and its books.

I say "we" because like other HRB authors, I offered to help. But my schedule and health allowed me to help out only in a small way. The weight of the work fell on the shoulders of Terri-Lynne DeFino, author of several fantastic fantasy books, who is temporarily running HRB at the expense of her own writing and personal life. Authors Karin Gastreich, Julia Dvorin, and Kim Vandervort also have sacrificed greatly for HRB.

What is more remarkable is what didn't happen. To my knowledge, no one pulled a pending book, and no one went looking for a new publisher.

Like many small presses, HRB runs on love, and the HRB authors consider ourselves a family. Eric  treated his authors fairly and with respect, and it was only natural to help him out when he needed us.

Reasons I Love Being a Small-Press Author

In the continuing debates between those who favor traditional publishing and those who favor independent publishing, the small press often gets left out. It's a shame, given that being with a small press can offer the best of both worlds. Here are some of the reasons I'm a HRB author.

* HRB has high production values, and its covers are increasingly beautiful. (See some of my favorite HRB covers at right.)

* The authors have input into their cover art.

* Books go from manuscript to printed book in one-third the time a New York publisher takes.

* Small presses can specialize in niche audiences. One of HRB's specialties is archaeologically and/or historically accurate historical fiction by people with degrees in the field who know their stuff.

* HRB is not rooted in the past or in passing trends; the future of publishing is already here at HRB. The books feature characters of various ages and ethnicities and do not hide that fact. The women are realistic and varied, true strong heroines with believable motives and backgrounds. The big publishers still struggle with the concept of a "strong woman" and publish books whose women demonstrate their strength by swearing a lot, beating people up, or being rude.

* HRB contracts do not require the author give up all rights forever or to not write books for anyone else. Big publishers increasingly are squeezing authors with restrictive clauses.

* The HRB royalty rate is several times as high as my friends at large publishers receive.

* HRB books stay in print forever, and HRB continues to promote them. The typical large publisher gives a book a brief time, sometimes only a month, to sink or swim. Increasingly, big publishers drop authors whose books sell consistently but never are best sellers.

HRB's IndieGogo

HRB is currently raising money to help it become a bigger press. Our financial goal is $12,500. With the help of the funds raised, we hope to hire a professional publicist, go to more conferences, get on the shelves of more brick-and-mortar bookstores, and otherwise increase awareness of HRB's books and sell more.

If you agree that readers of fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction need the innovative books put out by small presses I urge you to check out HRB's Indiegogo at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/support-the-growth-of-hadley-rille-books-a-quality-small-press-publisher/x/1145972#home. You can contribute as little as $5; larger donations get you increasingly cool perks: signed books, an exclusive teeshirt, a walk-on role in a future novel, a chat with an author, a fifty-page manuscript critique, and more.

Myself, in the almost mandatory scarf French women wearThe Universe really wanted us go to Château Labottière today and see an unusual piece of art.

We woke up today never having heard of the house (now the Institut Culturel Berhard Magrez). But at a shop, the owner handed us a flyer for the house, saying her son gave tours there. We looked at the map. It was easy to get to and near a large city park, so off we went.

Then for some reason we didn't understand, the ticket desk let us in for free instead of the usual 7 euros each.

We toured the gardens and looked at the art downstairs. We were about to leave when the guard said we were allowed to go upstairs, despite the sign saying we couldn't.

Upstairs, we found this delightful piece: "Macedonia," made by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos in 2006. It consists of a ceramic German shepherd encased within crocheted cotton.





According to the rather awkward English commentary, "To Portuguese women, knitting is a symbol of femininity. By clothing her ceramic sculptures....Vasconcelos is articulating her work on the opposition between animality and feminine softness."

Uh, okay. I liked it because the crochet was beautiful, and shaping it to fit the animal took a lot of skill.

Institut Culturel Bernard Magrez a.k.a. Château Labottière
As were were leaving, we picked up a brochure on the colorful history of Château Labottière. It was built before the Revolution for the brothers Antoine and Jacques Labottière, Bordelais printers and publishers who wanted a vineyard in the countryside. The brothers were ruined by the Revolution and had to sell the house. It next became a "pleasure house" called Tivoli. Later occupants include the mayor of Bordeaux, the Jesuits, a woman and her live-in lover, and the French government. The building now houses part of the art collection of wine magnate and art lover Bernard Magrez.

A brief biography sheet of Magrez in one of the rooms said that he was trained as a tree trimmer. (I suppose it's always good to have a second career to fall back on.) So I'll end with a picture of the garden taken from the second floor, showing some of the trees and intricate boxwood gardens:

gardens of Château Labottière

Amazon.com has discounted the audiobook version of my science fiction novelette "The Hunt" by 70%. It usually is $6.95, but now it is $1.99. I don't know how long it will be on sale. Here is the link: http://smile.amazon.com/The-Hunt/dp/B00JAK5A1K.

❖❖❖❖❖
I'm guestblogging today at Anne E. Johnson's blog, "Jester Harley's Manuscript Page." I talk about why I do so much research for my novels. You can find the post at http://anneejohnson.blogspot.fr/2014/05/shauna-roberts-on-mesopotamia-and-doing.html.

❖❖❖❖❖

I'm in Bordeaux again, and I'm taking lots of pictures. When I have a chance, I'll put together some photo essays for the blog. In the meantime, I'm posting some pictures on my personal Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/shaunaroberts) and on my author Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shauna-Roberts-author/194876117254102). 

 ❖❖❖❖❖

At left is a preview of the audiobook cover for Like Mayflies in a Stream. The audiobook is in production and will be released in early summer. 

By the way, Hadley Rille Books is discontinuing its hardcovers. If you were thinking of getting the hardcover version of Mayflies or any other HRB book, now is the time to order. When they run out, they're gone for goo.

I'm interviewed today at Dawn's Reading Nook here. Stop over there to find out what my guilty pleasure is, what song I'm currently listening to over and over again, where I prefer to write, and what I'm working on now. There's also an excerpt from my forthcoming historical romance novel, Claimed by the Enemy.

A cactus in my yard full of tunas and new leaves

Walters Art Museum (Public domain)
I'm guest blogging today about cosmetics in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia at Sarah Johnson's "Reading the Past" blog at http://goo.gl/Y0dO7P .

Kohl—made from crushed lead oxide—was the first cosmetic and is still widely used today, some 5000 years later. At right is an ancient Egyptian tube for storing kohl.