We Have Winners
Monday we joined Julie Lessman for "Light-Bulb Moments: Bright Ideas to Illuminate the Path to Publication and Beyond" as she shined some light into the dark recesses of her mind to come up with the a few tips that glow in the dark. Winner of their choice of any of Julie's books including her January 2014 release Dare to Love Again or a spiral-bound signed copy of A Light in the Window is Nancy C.
Tuesday Kathleen L. Maher and Carrie Fancett Pagels shared about inspiration for their two debut Civil War novellas with "The Year of Suddenlies." Music was especially emphasized, with a gift of a $25.00 Amazon card for a winner to order her/his own inspirational music, and copies of Kathy and Carrie's novellas. The winner is Deb H.
Wednesday and Thursday, Seeker friend Vince Mooney brought us a Virtual Workshop on “How Plotting & Pantsering Affects Everything You Write.” Author Instructors Included: Virginia Carmichael, Mary Connealy, Janet Dean, Clari Dees, Debby Giusti, Audra Harders, Ruth Logan Herne, Myra Johnson, Julie Lessman, Tina Radcliffe, and co-authors, Lorie Langdon and Carey Corp. Book winners are:Wendy Newcomb and Courtney Faith.
Friday featured Editor and Publicist Amber Stokes of Seasons of Humility who will share the basics of publicity in the blogpost "Cover Reveals, Blog Tours, & Giveaways -Publicity 101" Winner of a Sandra Leesmith book of choice is Julia Reffner. Winner of a Kindle copy of Amber Stokes, Bleeding Hearts will be announced in the next WE Edition.
Next Week In Seekerville
Monday: Mary Connealy is talking about 'Research. Wiki & Google & Me: Hands on Research at the Prospect House and Civil War Museum." Mary will be giving away a signed copy of A Bride for All Seasons.
Tuesday: Valerie Comer joins us today with a post about jumping into a new genre! She'll talk about the growth of "Farm Lit" and a copy of her new release Raspberries and Vinegar will be given away to one lucky commenter!
Wednesday: Seeker author Tina Radcliffe is your hostess with her post on "The Power of Words."
Thursday: Jump in the waters of summer with Ruth Logan Herne as she talks about a small-town writer's love of the big city! She may or may not quietly mention her two New York City books Red Kettle Christmas and Try, Try Again. Why did she break the mold and set two novels in the "Big Apple", you ask? Because it's good for authors to Shake It Up a little! Break out of the mold. Ruthy will be offering Kindle copies of Try, Try Again to lucky commenters!
Friday: Seekerville welcomes Heartsong Presents debut author, Helen Gray with "Just Wishing Won’t Get Us Published." Stop by to chat and for a chance to win a Heartsong Presents giveaway.
Seeker Sightings
Don't miss Glynna Kaye's appearance on the Love Inspired Authors Blog. Stop by to chat about her upcoming release, A Canyon Springs Courtship.
Publishers Weekly Contributing Editor and Seekerville friend Barbara Vey opened registration for her 2014 Readers Appreciation Luncheon, to be held on April 26, 2014, in Milwaukee, WI. More than 100 folks have already made reservations to attend. Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to mix and mingle with some of your favorite authors, including keynote speaker and best-selling author Debbie Macomber. Our own Debby--Debby Giusti--will also be there so check out the website and make plans now to treat yourself to a very special day. Arrive on Friday for the fun Author Q&A followed by an informal get-together for everyone attending. For information and/or reservations check here.
Through August 18: Join Julie Lessman and twenty other authors on Soul Inspirationz blog for a book givaway extravaganza!! Just click on the "Featured Author Interview" link below each of the author's pic to enter their particular contest. At Julie's Interview Link you can win your choice of Julie's books including her January 2014 release of Dare to Love Again or a spiral-bound printed copy of A Light in the Window, so GOOD LUCK!!
Random News & Information
Thoughts from Romance Writers of America Conference (MBT)
Here's a tool for the obsessive compulsive among us (those of you who check your reviews, rankings and sales hourly). The KDP SALES RANK CALCULATOR. Valium not included.
The Readers Sound Off! How They Read, What They Like and Where They Find Us (E-Book Formatting Fairies)
Harlequin announced a number of recent promotions in their production department. Roxanne Finkelstein has been promoted to global managing editor, while Punam Patel moves up to assistant managing editor. Beth Attwood has been promoted to managing editor coordinator, while Jena Karmali moves up to copyeditor. (Publishers Lunch)
5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Editing Experience (The Creative Penn)
What Makes a Good Librarian (GalleyCat)
What Is New Adult Fiction (GalleyCat)
Young Adult, New Adult... Mid-Adult? (HuffPost)
Smashwords Add Preorder Feature (GalleyCat)
Five Reasons Social Media Will Always Sell More Books…(DBW)
From Cindi Myers Market New's Blog: HarperCollins publishing will launch a new digital only imprint for suspense and mystery this October. Witness, will feature a variety of mystery, suspense and thriller titles by new and established authors. Editor Dan Mallory is looking for police procedurals, atmospheric thrillers, mystery series, psychological suspense, historicals and “murder, mayhem, and the macabre.” Both agented and unagented authors are welcome. Authors receive 25 percent royalties on the first 10,000 copies sold, and 50 percent royalties thereafter. Royalties are paid monthly. Find our more here.
The Millennial Method Of Publishing? Do-It-Yourself! (Forbes)
Insights into 7 Facebook Marketing Techniques Used by the Celebrity Elite (Jeff Bullas.com)
That's it....
Have a great weekend!
Okay, evidently Stephen King lied. He writes two words "ata" time! :)
ReplyDeleteBlogger has been weird this week. Monday all it would give me in IE was Julie's picture--nothing else. The rest of the week the posts have been there, but no right column. Now, all of a sudden, there is a right column!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should switch to Firefox regularly, but habits are hard for me to break.
Congratulations to all winners. Happy reading.
And thanks for some particularly interesting links this week.
Coffee is brewing.
Helen
OOOOOPS
ReplyDeleteI goofed and didn't follow Miss Tina's instructions so we will announce both winners for Friday's blog next weekend.
Sorry winners. sigh.
I know--the anticipation is just too much.
Congratulations everyone.
ReplyDeleteI read the E-book Formatting Fairies article the other day. There is a ton of good information there. It really makes me think about where I should spend my time on marketing.
One winner is there , Sandra. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Melissa, my thought exactly. :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, winners!!
What a week this has been! Thank you all again for letting me return to this awesome place! I apologize for the delay in responding to the afternoon/evening comments - I think I'm finally caught up now. :) Big thanks to Sandra for covering for me!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's all good, Sandra! Looking forward to announcing the winner whenever! :)
~Amber
Big Grandkid party today, but I sneaked over here to see 'sup wi' Seekerville!!!!
ReplyDeleteTINA!!!! Thank you for this WE!!! I'll go to links later, once delightful, small-bodied chaos ends, but must get ready for bounce house and kids.
IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE....
Planning is clearly not my forte! :)
We'll try to keep the babies out of the dumpster, away from the nails and apart from rampant poisons....
A FUN DAY!!!!
See youse later, and thank you again, Tina!!!
Christina!!! Isn't that a great NOW survey about what to do with indie books??????
ReplyDeleteGod bless Marie Force and the e book formatting fairies!!!
Wow, really interesting stats from that reader survey. I'm cheering that print books are still holding their own! Yaaaay!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! Love the writing tips. Ruthie, tell me about Red Kettle Christmas!! I love Christmas stories. Does it have snow in it? I love snow, too, lol. Happy weekend everybody!
ReplyDeletetscmshupe [at] pemtel [dot] net
Wow! What a great line up next week. I hope Helen doesn't have to make the coffee on her debut here! HA!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all of the winners.
Thanks Tina! You gave us lots of information this morning. I especially enjoyed reading "Readers Sound Off."
ReplyDeleteVery, very interesting...
Thanks for another stellar Weekend Edition, Tina! Congrats winners!
ReplyDeleteMelissa, chuckling at your quick wit!
Christine, I found the survey interesting and encouraging since I love to hold a book and don't tweet.
Janet
“The Art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.” Mary Heaton Vorse
ReplyDeleteMary Vorse
was a pantser,
of course.
She’d write
a romance
by the seat
of her pants.
But when things
got tough
she’d write
standing up.
I just caught Melissa Jagear's comment. Well put. Two words.
ReplyDeleteWhat a WEEK. Seekers, you outdid yourselves!
ReplyDeleteAnd the next looks pawsome too!
Melissa, that cracked me up.
Terrific job, Tina. Off to check the links!
Ruthy, I've been following Marie's career for a while. She's got a head for business that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI started a teen novel this morning. It came out of nowhere but I love, love, love it!!!! Rough blurb, Gabriella Rosa Cavinato always knew she was different. A square peg in a round whole sort of thing, literally since her entire family is curvacious and she's a stick. Her grandmother's promise that her curves would come haven't yet, neither have her cooking skills or her love of pasta. Why, she doesn't even like pizza like most teens in the good old US of A do. When she arrives for an audition at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country, she discovers her life has been a lie and worse, she's not even Italian.
Janet, I liked the survey. It has given me the ability to breathe a little easier. I was hyperventilating at the thought of a newsletter. Good to know I may not need one after all. ;)
Hi Tina:
ReplyDeleteLots of great links. That will be my homework this weekend.
I’m off the the ACFW’s WIN chapter meeting in an hour. I’m doing a synopsis of our Two Day Pantser/Plotter Workshop. (This goes with the concept of getting multiple use of your creative efforts.)
When I’m done we have a big brainstorming session for the rest of the meeting. So I was getting my brain warmed up on today’s Seeker quotes. I thought they might be fun to read on a rainy weekend. (It’s raining in Tulsa!!!)
“Writing is writing.”
D. L. Doctorow
Oh,
if that
were only so.
Too much
of writing
is not writing
as we well know.
For Writing
happens
in the mind
and just put
on paper
to last
thru time.
****
“When asked, ‘How do you write?’ I invariably anwser, ‘one word ata time’’’. – Stephen King
And some times,
like to day,
every one
likes it better
thataway.
***
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Anton Checkhov
Okay, Anton, but can I put that in parentheses? There is no broken glass on this life boat.
***
Just imagine: in a few minutes I get to give a synopsis of pantsers and plotters to a room full of writers with over 100 novels to their credit. It doesn’t get better than that! Have a great weekend. : )
Vince
Vince, let us know how your talk goes!!! You'll be great, I'm sure. They might end up loving you as much as we do in Seekerville!
ReplyDeleteBreak a leg...or maybe not! :)
Tina, thanks for Chekhov's quote that touched my heart...
ReplyDelete“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
In that one sentence, he explains show don't tell.
I'm having my writing class at church Monday night. Will use that line for sure!
Thanks for mentioning Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Luncheon, which is months away.
ReplyDeleteBUT...seating should fill up quickly with the great lineup of authors Barbara invited, including keynote Debbie Macomber!
The luncheon has turned into a delightful overnight event with the fun author/reader get-together Friday evening. The Crowne Plaza Hotel is lovely and located near the airport for easy access. I fly in Friday and fly home Saturday following the luncheon. Two days, one night filled with so much fun, books, door prizes and more.
You've hooked me on Gabriella Rose! Loved her at the first line. :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun is it to read this: "Friday: Seekerville welcomes Heartsong Presents debut author, HELEN GRAY" I definitely need to find a way to make more money (legally) so I can buy all these upcoming releases.
ReplyDeleteAnd oh my stars! I'm a winner!! Thank you, JULIE.
Congrats to all the other winners, too.
Looks like another 'gotta be sure to read it' week of posts. You amaze me with how fresh and relevant the posts always are. And I would say that even if I hadn't won a Julie book :-)
Coming back to read the links later.
As always, thank you TINA.
Nancy C
Deb, I agree, Christina grabbed me right away as well!!!
ReplyDeleteCHRISTINA, hurry up and write the book so I can read it!!!!!
Sally, I love Red Kettle Christmas!!!! It's such a sweet story of that time and place and circumstance, and a total gift of the Holy Spirit! First, landing a contract that someone else dropped...
And then we realized it was the historical that was dropped, not the contemp... and that's how I got my first historical contract, LOl!
I had to tap dance a little to show I could do it, and that's where the Holy Spirit came in...and I love, love, love this story of a Salvation Army bellringer trying to payback kindnesses shown... and ending up with a happily ever after most unexpectedly!
Vince, tell us how the talk went! Inquiring minds want to know!!!
Ok, this Harper Collins thing is AWESOME.
ReplyDelete25% royalty on digital is at least industry standard, and after 10K copies you get 50% royalty... which could happen in a year, conservatively, because popular books sell several thousand a month.
PLUS, agented and unagented writers can submit an entire ms (it's a form but there's also the upload button) to be reviewed (if they like the query letter)??
This is great! I love seeing things like this. If I wrote police procedurals I would be tempted to submit something, because 25%-50% royalties with professional editing, covers, and some marketing is a pretty nice!
Well done, Harper Collins! This smells like... cooperation and forward-thinking!
I haven't gotten to Marie's article yet... but since the last time I was over there, I saw the loop for self-publishing and joined... AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE.... I'm wondering whether I should go read it.
ReplyDeleteChange is scary.
Maybe it will be about run-on sentence...
LOL, Christina!
ReplyDeleteI'd totally read that!
Nancy C "legally" LOL.
ReplyDeleteViginia, love your new icon pic! :)
ReplyDeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteHope I can live up to your expectations. :)
Virginia,
What I'm trying to determine on that Harper Collins thing is if they would welcome a cozy or inspirational mystery.
Read Marie's article.
ReplyDelete"Thirty-five percent have been introduced to new authors via free books more than 20 times. Twenty-one percent have found new authors through free books more than 10 times. If they liked what they read in the free book, 85 percent were extremely likely to buy another book from that author."
And THAT'S why free books work. Now I have the stats to back up my own experiences.
TINA- thanks! I played around on Sandra's picmonkey site (you know, not that she owns it but she did a blog post about it) and I made a version of this picture where the sun is shining from my forehead and I'm all sparkly. I put it on my husband's facebook timeless. Just to remind him how cool I am.
ReplyDeleteI saw the survey, but haven't had time to really read it. Fascinating. I want to look at it more carefully!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great WE, Tina! I'm so worn out I can't even look at the links for now. But will do so later.
ReplyDeleteWe just got home from the beach. And had a 3-1/2 hour delay with car trouble! I'm exhausted.
Vince, while there, we did the dolphin tour you recommended! It was so nice. :)
Tina, Great WE. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I typed Tuba first before I managed Tina! Don't be offended. That was the first musical instrument I leaned how to play. I was in fifth grade and so desperate to play an instrument that I volunteered to learn it. So I have great affection for tubas...and you!
I'm also worn out. See yuns next week!
TUBA!! I usually sign my name TUNA so no worries.
ReplyDeleteYour fishy friend.
YEA! Thank you for 'drawing' my name and Congratulations to all the other winners too!
ReplyDeleteI sent an email to "Seekers" with my info, please let me know if I need to do something different.
Wendy
Hi Ruth:
ReplyDeleteThe “Plotter/Pantser” talk when well. I believe every writer there was a pantser. The pros like Margaret Daley added that they did plot a little to have something to give editors.
The big hit was when I told them it was possible to take a class on how to pantser. I mentioned how you, Mary, and Myra have techniques that make pantsering more likely to be successful. I’ve already outlined a book on “How to Pantser” and have it set up on Scrivener. It’s hot!
BTW: I still have not discovered in what year “Red Kettle Christmas” takes place. My bet is 1954. I was at that Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade many times in the ‘50s. All I have to go on is your statement that the hero’s father died in Europe. I’m assuming WWII.
Now, please, it is not fair to call any book a historical if it takes place when I was alive.
Vince
Hi Missy:
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the tour. We will take it again this summer. Our trip is still to come. It's beem three years in a row and all in the same unit. My wife loves the condo and the location and this guarantees me a beach vacation every year. And we owe it all to that video you posted on Seekerville. I hope you have some new videos to show us.
Vince
Hi Virginia:
ReplyDeleteYou wrote: “And THAT'S why free books work. Now I have the stats to back up my own experiences.”
Free samples are the most powerful form of advertising but often far too expensive to do. But the power works both ways. If the product is really good, you may have a customer for life. If the product is bad, you may never get another chance at that customer – even if you later improve the product. Also your word of mouth from that customer can kill many other sales.
So when doing a free book, which is one case where “Free samples” are very affordable, one needs the best product. Don’t think, ‘it’s free –people won’t expect perfection’. Put the best you have out free. Really check for mistakes and typos. In that same survey it was reported that, “24 percent said ‘typos drive me mad.’” And that could be on an otherwise enjoyable book.
When I read a book, Kindle, with lots of mistakes and typos, I think “Didn’t anyone care enough to even proof this?” A lot of Kindle books are so badly formatted it just had to be that no one proofed the formatting on a Kindle.
To save a lot of frustration, authors should check their ebooks on an actual Kindle before it is released. Usually a badly formatted Kindle will have a great number of typos in the first chapter.
Vince
P.S. If Harper Collins wants your book, isn’t it possible that it’s good enough to use a more profitable outlet?
P.P.S. I’ve read that your WIP starts on Chapter 4. Wouldn’t a plot have told you that? Up front? If you’re not sure where you are going, how can you tell where your WIP should be starting?
P.P.P.S. I saw on CNN that you plotted for a full hour. Was that a cause and effect of the Chapter 4 incident? Are you coming over to the visionaries who have seen the future?
Hi Debby:
ReplyDeleteThe talk went very well. They loved the idea that “How to Pantser” could actually be a class. I’ve already outlined the book and the course. You all (Seekers) gave me enough ideas to write a book the size of GMC.
BTW: I’ve already broke my leg in enough places that when I looked down at it, at the time, it formed a “Z”. I must still walk with a cane years later. LOL! I thought you were having a Joe Biden moment. : ) Of course, you could not have known this. But please don’t’ use that phrase if you ever introduce me at a writer’s convention – an introcution I’d love for you to do.
Vince
late posting. Have over done the typing this weekend (or something)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all winners.
I came to post the other day got way laid looking at Ruthys new book which I need to buy and forgot to get back.
posting early (its morning) before while I have two hands to type (about to put brace on for the day as its quite sore again already)
It would be an honor to introduce you, Vince. No mention of broken legs. I promise! :)
ReplyDeleteI know the Southwest writers loved your talk. I'm surprised you didn't have any plotters in the group. Are we a dying breed?
Sorry about your hand, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteRuthy is a distraction, for sure! :)
A very nice distraction. Yes, buy her book! :)
WEll all of you who said rafflecopter was a piece of cake lied. Well it was easy, but when I got the email telling me the winner, they had a bunch of buttons to push and I started in on them and received all kinds of fun info.
ReplyDeleteThen came a green button that said "add a winner" So I'm thinking they will tell me how to add winners so I click and lo and behold-they added a winner. MELISSA J. did you see that? ROFLOL.
WElllll AMBER I will honor it. I should have left the rafflecopter thing to you. Sigh.
And it is cool how they did the announcing of the winners on the rafflecopter icon. So if you haven't seen it, go back to Friday's blog and you will see the winner. You don't even have to wait until next weekend. But you will have to wait for the other winner.
AMBER and TINA are shaking their heads I'm sure. LOL
PS I didn't win any medals in the Bend Pickleball Tournament. But all the games were close and we had a blast. I'm sooooooooo relieved it is over. LOL
ReplyDeleteWhat was I thinking??????
Yes, Jenny, buy the book!!!! I love being a distraction!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteVince, close but no cigar... 1947... Miracle on 34th Street... The Yanks win the World Series and beat the Brooklyn Dodgers!!!!... Ebbet's Field... Jackie Robinson... Jewish bagels... Unwed mothers abounding and no room in the foundling homes/orphanages.... And the first Isolette incubators for fragile infants. Did you know that before they had them in hospitals, they were a sideshow in a park??? Isolettes with REAL BABIES to show how well they worked.
Oh. My. Stars. Shades of the Dionne quintuplets on display come to my mind.
Sandra, I'm glad you had fun! I will live my pickleball life vicariously through you because no one would ever want me on a team of any kind...
And I'm smirking over how you and I can mess up EVERYTHING by thinking we can do anything.
Oy. Oy. Oy.
We give Teeeeeena a run for her money, for sure!
Virginia, isn't that cool about Harper Collins?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that publishing is going to have to make adjustments...
If they were analogized to "Coke" (the real thing, not the Southern wannabe) then they're about to "blink" and offer "New Coke"...
Is that dating me to mention that commercial campaign?????
Never mind.
And the e-formatting fairies survey is great. So informative. I was over there when they were running it, and I'm delighted to see the results!
Ruthy, what's the Southern wannabe for Coke? Coke started in the South. Columbus, GA, to be exact. The guy eventually sold the formula and Coke headquarters moved to ATL.
ReplyDeleteTrue story! :)
Hi Ruth:
ReplyDeleteYou wrote: “If they were analogized to "Coke" (the real thing, not the Southern wannabe) then they're about to "blink" and offer "New Coke"...
Is that dating me to mention that commercial campaign?????
Are you talking about RC?
And what do you mean ‘dating’ you – that real Coke commercial was only a few years ago, right?
Vince
Hi Ruth:
ReplyDelete1947 is even better! Not historical yet, I hope. Doctor Spock’s baby book starts a revolution, parents told that incubators were the best thing for babies – dead wrong advice! Babies need to be held and cuddled not left in temp controlled sterile environments. This was just crazy advice.
Fifty students in my first grade class! Five rows of ten desks – desks that still had a hole for inkwells! Mine still had sharp as glass dried ink left over from decades ago. All those kids. And only one nun with a thick yardstick.
Baby boom! Why Johnnie can’t read. Keeping up with the Joneses. Levittown opened for sales in March. Harry ‘S for nothing’ Truman looked so much like my grandfather that I got them mixed up. I asked why papa’s picture was on the colander at the barber shop.
A great year to write a book. I can’t wait to go back in time. (Maybe do a little fact checking. : )
Vince