Sally Ember's Blog, page 116

Sally Ember, Ed.D.:

#Book #Reviewers: what do you think? Do you follow these tips/formats?

Originally posted on "CommuniCATE" Resources for Writers:

To sell books, we all need reviews… as much as we sometimes dread them! One of the best ways to support any author is to write a well-crafted review. I had to do a lot of searching online to find out how. Most of the information you get off the Internet is about F.o.r.m.a.l. college-type reviews, technical journals and things that scare my hair off. So to save us all, I have “borrowed,” and slightly modified these awesome tips. They are user-friendly. So please, write a book review this week… unless you hate the book. In that case, just walk away quietly and leave the world a more peaceful place.

The source of the wisdom below is http://slashdot.org/faq/bookreviews.shtml I took out the negative parts of writing a critique, as this is support, not tear apart, month!

Did you like previous works from the same author or series?
Where and when does…

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Before I put my first sci-fi/romance/multiverse/paranormal/speculative fiction ebook, This Changes Everything, Volume I of The Spanners Series, up for sale, I attended free webinars, read guidebooks and blog posts and did a lot of research to find out how other fiction ebooks authors managed this journey. I discovered many techniques, procedures and tips which I employed, including what price to use for sales, how to use a pre-order period, and when to offer a book for free (and why).

I have blogged about some of these topics already, but I haven’t written, yet, about why I decided to make Volume I “permafree” last month. I just did it. Now for the explanation, which is then going to be further explained and augmented by the article I’m including a link to, below.

As a new fiction author, I do not yet have a significantly sized “following” or “fan base.” So, I spent a lot of time finding out how one acquires readers and keeps them coming back for subsequent books, since I planned a 10-Volume series. I read others’ stories of their journeys, articles about successes and failures, and took extensive notes I still refer to, from the many webinars I attended.

Here are the 3 reasons that This Changes Everything, Volume I of The Spanners Series, is permafree:

Well-timed permafree works. Pricing is variable year to year, but market research has shown that series authors have been doing well to make the FIRST volume free, forever (permafree) AFTER later volumes come out. This brings in new readers consistently.

cover art for all covers by Aidana Willowraven.

Permafree brings in the curious and good content keeps them coming back. If the first volume in a series is good enough evidenced by its having a sufficient number of UNPAID and UNFAKED reviews showing that the book is well-written and worth reading, more and more readers will come to download it. This creates the beginning of the author’s fanbase and followers. There will also be those readers who just download anything free, which is also great (but works best if they actually read the ebook after downloading it, like it, and decide to look for and purchase subsequent volumes.

Diversified authors attract new fans constantly; permafree gives them as easy way “in” to a series. If the author continues to offer good content BETWEEN books (via a blog, postings on social media sites, email newsletters, author interviews on others’ sites and/or Blog Talk Radio and the like, podcasts, Google On Air Hangouts, and perhaps short stories or other genre fiction) and continues to come out with good writing for each subsequent volume, by Volume III or IV, that author will have a solid following, loyal fans and great sales, all still being “fed” by the permafree Volume I.

So, The Spanners Series now has Volume I, This Changes Everything, in permafree status everywhere ebooks are sold because Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, entered its pre-order period @$1.99 on April 1 and goes on sale June 9 at $3.99.

Since Volume I went free, the number of potential readers (reckoned by the number of downloaded volumes) has gone up 4000%. I am not joking.

I can’t see how well the pre-orders are going for Volume II, yet, or know what the sales figures will be. Reviews for it are due any day, now, and will keep coming in over the next several weeks, if all goes as planned.

I plan to post Volume I on more freebie sites and keep doing interviews, blogging, “creating and posting good content” as I work on Volume III, This Is/Is Not The Way I Thought Things Would Change, which is due out late in the fall of 2014.

I will check in periodically here to let you know how sales and downloads are going and what else happens.

Until/unless I become a gazillllllionaire author who doesn’t need to “bring in new readers” (when does that happen?), Volume I will remain free.

All downloading and purchase links for The Spanners Series as well as links to bloggers’ reviews, interviews and my archived blog posts are at http://www.sallyember.com on the right side panel.

If you want to learn more about Book Marketing, #authors, http://buildabusinesswithyourbook.com/access/aff/go/sallyember It starts this week/weekend!

Silver passes are FREE. Gold passes cost money, but I’m on Silver and it’s great! Lots of blog posts, interviews, videos, and more to help us do better with marketing wherever we are in our process. Check it out! Here’a a list of what’s offered just via the blog, just week one!

Sharon Williams: Developing Your Author Platform and Social Media Presence

Deborah Bateman: Building Your Online Platform as an Author

Eric Van Der Hope: 5 Steps to Developing an Effective Author Platform

Gina Akao: Marketing Your Book with a WordPress Blog

David Wogahn: SEO for Books: Optimizing Your Amazon Book Listing

D’vorah Lansky: Harness the Power of Your Amazon Author Central Page

Ellen Violette: How to Market Your Print Book or eBook in Just Minutes a Day

Penny Sansevieri: Harnessing the Power of Goodreads

Leeza Robertson: Quote Yourself on Goodreads

Amy Harrop: Leveraging the Author Tools of Goodreads to Promote Your Books

Michael Bloom: Promoting Your Book on Your Facebook Author Page

Bryan Cohen: Sixteen Heads Are Better Than One, on Facebook

Want to know more about making books permafree and see if these principles apply to YOUR books? Check out this article, linked to below.

Best to you all!

Why Free Is Your Best Marketing Tool And How To Harness It from The Future of Ink by PENNY SANSEVIERI

Great ideas, examples, and info as well as links to other helpful articles for authors like me who are doing our own marketing:

http://thefutureofink.com/free-is-best-marketing-tool/

Filed under: Blogging and others' content, Indie or Self-Publishing, Marketing, Statistics, The Spanners, This Changes Everything, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, This Is/Is Not the Way I Thought Things Would Change, Volume I of The Spanners, Volume II of The Spanners, Volume III, Writing Tagged: blogging, ebook, free, indie authors, marketing, permafree, The Spanners Series, This Changes Everything, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, WillowRaven

Sally Ember, Ed.D.:

#Indie #Authors, especially nonfiction: there may be some good #marketing ideas, here, and you can stay in the “Free” category if you want and still access a lot live or archived.

Originally posted on How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks:

This year’s

book marketing challenge

is underway, your chance to reach new readers across the globe.

“The Book Marketing Challenge will provide you with access to hands-on, interactive training, on a wide variety of online book marketing strategies. You’ll also have opportunities to develop wonderful new friendships with other authors and our guest experts!” – D’vorah Lansky

During the Book Marketing Challenge, you’ll have access to workshops, expert interviews, articles, action steps, hot tips, special gifts, and opportunities to expand your online presence.

Claim your free access pass and connect with authors, publishers, and book marketing experts who are dedicated to bringing their message to the world and showing you how to do the same.

Join us for this hands-on, interactive program and:

* Develop Your Author platform

* Learn how to build a list of thirsty readers

* Discover ways to create multiple income streams with your book
*…

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Are you a #writer/#author? Do you find yourself alone a lot or looking for other writers? You can belong to a local group almost anywhere in the USA and around the world, now, or start your own! Use the example of California, which has such a long-standing and active network of writers’ clubs, workshops, groups.

I am lucky to live in California, home of a large network of excellent Writers’ Clubs, each with its own niche and geographic location. Each CWC has its own way of doing things, but there are some similarities and a set of by-laws.

The NorCal coalition of these clubs had an excellent annual meeting of leaders and newbies this past Saturday right in Newark. I was invited to attend by our club’s President, Carol Hall (Thanks, Carol!) and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Learned a lot, networked, shared. Exactly what a writers’ clubs’ coalition meeting SHOULD be!

My “home” club, since I live closest to it, is the Fremont Area Writers’ Club. Great people, excellent organization. Monthly meetings with guest speakers, activities, genre support critique sessions, as well as public open mike and book-signing/selling opportunities throughout the year. Thanks, FAW!

Every month at BookSmart bookstore in the Newark Park Mall, Newark, CA, we have an Open Mic at 7 PM on the 4th Monday. Come!

There are writers’ clubs, reading groups, book clubs, writers’ critique groups/circles, and many more variations on these themes for writers and readers. For inspiration, information, support, ideas, networking, critiques and more: JOIN!

Do a web search, ask at your local library or bookstore (SUPPORT BOTH!).

Check for “writers” groups in your geographic area on http://www.MeetUp.com OR http://www.writers.com/groups.html

PLEASE support and join a group or attend an event as a guest this month. Volunteer, attend, participate! Keep books, writing, reading and sharing ALIVE!

Thanks!

Filed under: Writing Tagged: Writers, Writers' Clubs, writers' critique groups

Sally Ember, Ed.D.:

What about writers’, musicians, and scientists’ brains? This is a VERY small study.

Originally posted on Inspired Journeys:

The rather small study, published in NeuroImage, is based on the brain scans and drawing performances of 21 art students (graduates and undergraduates attending art and design courses in London at Camberwell College of Art and The Royal College of Art) and 23 non-artists. The scan findings also showed that those who identified as artists — as well as those who performed better on the drawing tests — tended to have more grey matter in the parietal lobe, a region involved with spatial orientation and cognition.

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Sally Ember, Ed.D.:

For Lauri Stern and other yoga teachers and parents who do yoga!

Originally posted on Inspired Journeys:

With yoga, comes teachings on breathing and meditation. All wonderful foundational tools for kids.

Research shows that yoga and other contemplative practices can help kids better regulate their emotions and behaviors in healthy ways. Findings from the Kripalu Yoga in the Schools (KYIS) initiative show that students who have been exposed to these techniques are less reactive, more optimistic, and better able to focus, concentrate, and interact with their peers.

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Great way to do that is to vote on your favorite indie published book in each category. If yours isn’t there, submit it! You can vote up to 5 times!

Share! Please Vote for YOUR favorite (could it be THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING?) on the “50 Self-Published Sci-Fi Books Worth Reading” in Indie Author Land!

http://www.indieauthorland.com/vote-50-self-published-books-worth-reading-201314-science-fiction/

There are also other lists. Submit/vote up to 5 times! Leave comments, too.

http://www.indieauthorland.com/vote-early-vote-often/

Filed under: Indie or Self-Publishing, Marketing, Science Fiction and Fantasy, The Spanners, This Changes Everything, Writing Tagged: This Changes Everything

Sally Ember, Ed.D.:

C+ for me, so far. #Learningtotweet

Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:

Photo by thesocialskinny.com

Diana Urban posted 50 Tweetable Twitter Tips You Wish You Knew Years Ago on Hubspot. Here is a smaller selection of 30, for your convenience:

Optimizing Your Twitter Profile

1) Make yourself easy to recognize by using a close-up headshot of yourself as your profile picture.

2) Make the most of your Twitter bio. Show off your skills and uniqueness without over-hashtagging.

3) Twitter’s new profile design dimensions: header photo = 1500 x 500 px | profile pic = 400 x 400 px.

What You Should Tweet

5) Structure your tweets like this to increase clicks: KEY MESSAGE – LINK #HASHTAG AFTERTHOUGHT

6) Don’t be self-promotional on Twitter. Mix up your content and interact with your followers.

7) Curate content you tweet from a wide variety of sources to keep your followers interested.

8) Share images in your tweets to increase engagement, since images now appear inline on…

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Sally Ember, Ed.D.:

Very cool science visuals of earthquake activity for April, 2014.

Originally posted on This and That:

The earth was rockin last last month! Earthquakes from January 1 to April 30, 2014. Article link below the video.

Articlehttp://www.sott.net/article/278400-Time-lapse-reveals-planet-as-it-was-rocked-by-record-breaking-earthquakes-in-April-2014

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Sally Ember, Ed.D.:

True story: When I was about 10 years old and forced to attend Jewish religious education classes weekly (“Sunday School”), I got kicked out of class by repeatedly asking the teacher, then the Rabbi: “If God created everything, who created God?” and refusing to stop asking until they answered, which they could not.

I’m sure I wasn’t “nice” about it, which is probably how they justified kicking me out. But, really: what IS the answer to that question for theologians and theists? I’m a multiverse adherent, myself, from way back.

But, what could these Goddists possibly respond?

Originally posted on The Responsive Universe:

I have always been a backyard astronomer. Even as a small child, my love for the stars and the cosmic unknown have been a lifelong interest.  I possess a couple of telescopes including a 10” diameter Dobsonian telescope. It looks like a large cannon and it might even embarrass my wife a little when I drag the 65lb beast out in the back yard on a clear night. I even blog about the various deep sky objects I find – though I have not been very active lately.

Deep Sky Image – Courtesy of NASA

A couple of years ago a seemingly uninteresting but historic image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope offering a glimpse of what scientists are calling the oldest object so far discovered in the Universe – a young galaxy. Well, let me rephrase that; it was a young galaxy. A pixellated blip on a black background…

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