SOMETHIN' FER NOTHIN'--BUT ACT FAST!

Science fiction romance fans truly have an embarrassment of (free) riches this week. First Pets in Space 3: Embrace the Passion moves to Kindle Unlimited. Then my own Not Fade Away, Interstellar Rescue Series Book 4, starts a limited-time FREE offer on Amazon Kindle today!

Yes, you heard me right, dear readers. Starting today, you can catch up with the adventures of Rafe, Charlie and Happy the therapy dog as they overcome their internal demons, fend off her jealous ex, struggle with his dementia-debilitated father, and defeat alien assassins on their way to Happy Ever After. And all for Absolutely NO Cash On The Barrel Head! Just click here to download a free copy to your Kindle now!

But only for FIVE days. Tuesday, November 13, is the last day you can get this somethin' fer nothin' deal. After that, the Kindle version of my latest Interstellar Rescue novel goes back to its regular price of $2.99.

Wanna know more? Here's the blurb:

Earth shielded his secrets--

Until her love unlocked his heart.

Rescue agent Rafe Gordon is human, though Earth has never been his home. But when his legendary father Del becomes the target of alien assassins, Rafe must hide the dementia-debilitated hero in the small mountain town where the old man was born—Masey, North Carolina, USA, Earth.

Home care nurse Charlie McIntyre and her therapy dog, Happy, have never had such challenging clients before. Del’s otherworldly “episodes” are not explained by his diagnosis, making Charlie question everything about her mysterious charge and his dangerously attractive son. Rafe has the answers she needs, but Charlie will have to break through his wall of secrets to get them.

As the heat rises between Charlie and Rafe, the deadly alien hunters circle closer. The light they seek to extinguish flickers in the gloom of Del’s fading mind—the memory of a planet-killer that threatens to enslave the galaxy.

Not Fade Away, Interstellar Rescue Book 4, available FREE on Amazon Kindle Today through November 13!

Cheers, Donna

FEEL THE LOVE, EXPAND THE MISSION

In this age of the Internet, we authors are well used to flogging our books on blog tours, in Facebook groups and in every virtual space we can invade. The days of the actual book tour are almost gone, the opportunities for meeting readers at book signings and book fairs being increasingly limited.

That’s why I still welcome those chances wherever I can conjure them, like at last weekend’s Shore Leave Science Fiction convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland. This was my third year selling books in the Dealers’ Room at this con, the largest fan-run SF event in the country, now in its 39^th year. Like always, the con was well-organized and well-attended, with some great guests from the SF entertainment and scientific worlds. But it seemed like the cosplay folks outdid themselves this year, with an ongoing parade of very innovative creations going by the table and competing in the Masquerade.

 

I was able to meet up with some friends who took my advice and chose Shore Leave as their first SF con experience ever. They had a ball, and I was able to see things from their newbie perspective all over again. That’s always fun. Since I’ve been doing this particular con since I was a fan fiction writer in the Nineties, I tend not to blink when the Klingon conga line goes by.

The hours were a little long without my daughter to help out at the table. (She’s expecting her first child in September, so no con for her this summer!) But I had my friend Stephanie of Red Fish Rue Fish as a neighbor at the next table to chat and cut up with, and neighbors on the other side that seemed to wear a different costume every five minutes. I had lots of return customers who came seeking the latest book in my Interstellar Rescue series. (I sold out of Fools Rush In !) and made some new friends, too. (I sold all of the “new cover” copies of Unchained Memory!) All in all, sales were good and worth the investment on the table.

The only problem is the long drive to Maryland (nine hours on a good day). DragonCon in Atlanta is much closer, and I recently met another writer who encouraged me to try it next year. I may add it to the schedule and see if it works as well as Shore Leave.

MISSION SUCCESS: THE CONTINUING MISSION

I was so glad to read blog partner Laurie’s news that she had made the difficult, but optimistic, decision to rededicate herself to her writing career. Not only because I would hate to think I was alone in this very lonely endeavor, but also because I strongly believe Laurie’s is a writing voice that should continue to be heard in the SFR world. Lord knows this is not an easy path to choose, and encouragement is not always to be found. But, as her fans showed in their reviews, people are out there reading and appreciating, and that does make it all worthwhile. (Events like Shore Leave, where you get to meet readers directly, can help bring that home, too.)

I recently finished Book Four in my Interstellar Rescue series, a book which technically did not have a contract from my agent/publisher. I was a little nervous to think she might not want to continue with this arrangement, which allows me all kinds of creative (and financial) freedom. But we concluded a new agreement that extends the arrangement with some tweaks, and I’m very happy. My terrific editor just signed on to do this book, too, so we’re officially in production with a goal of publishing by November, 2017. 

It just goes to show that our original Mission Success was not a short-term objective, but a long-term plan—a Five-Year Mission and beyond. And for that we—and our readers—are  all systems GO!

Cheers, Donna

LOOK! CUTE CAT PICTURES! AND FACEBOOK

Please Like me.  Now.

This post is not about a cat.  But my cat Blanca has the power to attract your instant attention, to suck you in, to make you hit Like and Comment “How adorable!” on Facebook.  In the mysterious promotional algorithm of Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook, that makes Blanca a winner and the person who posts pictures of her a promo genius.  Blanca thus joins the ranks of semi-naked guys, cute toddlers squeezing puppies and sunsets from exotic locales in fostering the all-important INTERACTION on Facebook.

I had no problem eliciting Interaction (I thought) until I established my Author Page on FB.  I had noted Pippa’s frequent “arrghh!” moments about not receiving posts from people she was Following, but being a FB newbie, I didn’t understand what that meant.  Then I set up my Author Page, which as FB is very quick to tell you, you should have if you are posting stuff about a professional endeavor (like writing/selling books).  I got a bunch of Likes right away.  I thought I was doing well.

But I noticed I was posting and no one was responding.  No Likes.  No Comments. The helpful information about traffic on my Page that FB is happy to provide told me my posts were only “reaching” a tiny fraction of the people who were Following my Page.  Wha …?  But, of course, I could pay to Boost my posts, if I wanted to.

How could this be?  My personal profile posts go out to all my Friends, except, apparently, the ones who have actively stopped Liking anything I post.  But the Evil FB Gnomes had decided within a couple of weeks who will see my posts and who will not?  And those who have Liked/Followed my Page had no real say in whether they receive my posts or not?

After about a week of genuine confusion (Was I doing something wrong in posting? Was my computer screwing up?), I found the answer in a fellow Golden Heart sister’s FB post.  She had resorted to the “cute toddler” ploy, using a pic of her grandson dressed as a garden gnome to get everyone’s attention.  Then she recommended her readers just sign up for her newsletter to ensure they got the information they need about her books.

I asked her what was going on.  She says you must have virtually instant interaction with your Page posts from a certain number of people to “convince” FB to send it out to others.  She says the magic numbers are ten people within 30 minutes!  (Of course, you will not find these actual numbers anywhere in the FB rules or Best Practices.  FB merely says you must have Interaction to ensure your spot in the competitive News Feed.  Yeah, like we couldn’t stand to lose a few of those “suggested posts”.)  The ten people wouldn’t be so hard to get, maybe, but within 30 minutes?  I’m sure I’m not the only one with friends scattered all across the country (and the world).  Everyone is supposed to be hanging around their phones/iPads/computers just waiting for me to post?  Or must I also leap into the Boiling Cauldron of Despair that is Twitter to tweet to everyone that I’m posting on FB so check your FB NOW, ’kay?

Now maybe my friend has it wrong.  Maybe you just need some interaction. Still, it’s clear from the constant offers to Boost my posts that the fewer “reaches” I get, the more FB benefits.  FB hopes I get desperate and cave to its offers in the end, paying to get the Gnomes to do what they are there to do in the first place—show my posts to the people who are Following my Page.  Unfortunately, I don’t have the deep pockets of the corporate world that FB is trying to exploit to keep its juggernaut rolling.

I’ve often said my sales skills are so bad I couldn’t sell Girl Scout cookies in a high school cafeteria, so I knew promotion would be the hardest part of being successful at my writing.  But seriously, must it really be that difficult to do something that should be so simple?

The FB Page duplicates some of my personal profile AND it duplicates some of my website.  Still, I set it up to communicate easily with readers, if and when they should come, something that is not so easy to do with either of the other two formats.  Now I need a newsletter, too?  Jeez!  And as a reader, I would feel overwhelmed by the constant bombardment to Look Here!  Read This!  Keep Up with Me!  (I generally don’t interact as a “fan” with any of my writing idols.  I don’t have time.)  

Is it too much to ask to be able to focus on a few of the most efficient ways to reach readers?  And to have Facebook cooperate in that effort, rather than constrict it every way possible in a not-very-well concealed campaign to extort cash from its professional users?

PING PONG

--Congrats to Pippa on her EPIC Award for Gethyon!  What a great early Christmas present and a terrific way to end a fabulous year!

-- I've been hearing great things about Fortune's Pawn for a long time, Laurie.  Guess it's time to read it, huh?

 

Cheers, Donna

Short Stories That Expand Universes

On Saturday, I stumbled across a treasure trove of new short stories penned by one of my favorite authors, John Scalzi, creator of the imaginative, award-winning Old Man's War series. This episodical short story collection is dubbed the Human Division Series. [Click to view on Amazon]

What's this? A virtual smorgasbord of new Scalzi stories for my Kindle to gobble up? (It promptly inhaled the first seven, saving room for the second helping soon to follow.)

Curious? Here's the series description:

John Scalzi's new thirteen-episode novel in the world of his bestselling Old Man's War [series]. Beginning on January 15, 2013, a new episode of The Human Division will appear in e-book form every Tuesday.

#1   The B-Team

#2   Walk the Plank 

#3   We Only Need the Heads 

#4   A Voice in the Wilderness 

#5   Tales From the Clarke 

#6   The Back Channel

#7   The Dog King

#8   The Sound of Rebellion

#9   The Observers

#10 This Must Be the Place

#11 Problem of Proportion

#12 The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads

#13 Earth Below, Sky Above

According to a few of the reviews, it's better to read the series in order, because each book helps lay the foundation to further build more of the series.

Brilliant, I say!

Might this be the way future authors could build an audience prior to the release of full-length novels, and then feed and increase that audience in-between novel releases? I think it has some intriguing possibilities. And it seems it would be far more effective than blog posts, interviews, virtual guest appearances and any of the myriad other social media outlets authors use to attempt to reach more potential readers.

It's a "Build it and they will come" proposition.

So as a Scalzi fan I was delighted, but I also saw some real benefits for the writer side of me. Below, I jotted down just a few:

Four Benefits for the Reader

• Not having to wait a year or more for a fix from your favorite author
• Allows a method to learn more about a much loved universe or characters
• Provides an invitation to explore other POVs or offscreen action from the main novels 
• Lets the reader enjoy reading more stories in the preferred author's style and voice 

Four Benefits for the Writer

• Allows a way to intro and expand on a fictional universe without resorting to copious backstory dumps
• Keeps the ideas, concepts and conditions of the universe and/or characters in the fan's thoughts in between novel releases
• Provides a creative outlet for all the world-building contained in the authors head that might otherwise never make it into print
• Introduces a new stream of income in between advances to keep the utilities paid

Of course, it will be a bit trickier for an aspiring or pre-published author to do this in the same big way.

First of all, a new author is starting from scratch to build a fan base and not tapping into a pre-existing mob of ravenous fans. On the flip side, occasionally offering a few of the early series titles for free can help grease the wheels to attract readers. Keeping the price low--as with Scalzi's .99 stories--is another plus. 'Tis better to sell 1000 copies at .99 than three at $2.99. (I also believe 'tis better yet to give away 10,000 copies at $0, though some may disagree.)

Second, authors would have to take care in how their stories are crafted so they don't become spoilers for major surprises and turning points in the main novels. Setting the series before the opening of the main novel, or writing them around a different group of characters or locations in the same universe is a way to help avoid this pitfall.

Third, it's doubtful a new author will have a powerhouse like Tor behind them to design professional covers and end product. Let's face it, kicking out poorly packaged, improperly edited work is not going to help writers grab that brass ring. Better to spend a little time and investment producing the best possible product than throwing something together with a "it's good enough because it's cheap [or free]" attitude.

The biggest drawback to this idea is the element of time. How does a writer write, revise and edit a novel while working on several side pieces? Well, the same way an author writes posts, blog tour articles, and tweets while at the same time carrying out all those activities. It may just be a matter of deciding what has more priority--social media or companion stories.

What are your thoughts? If you're a reader, would you enjoy reading a companion series set in one of your favorite author's universes? Would you be interested in discovering new authors and their universes in the same way? If you're a writer, have you ever attempted or achieved something similar to promote your work? Would you consider it?