asking authors Archives - Author K. Williams

The Big Cover Reveal – Open Book Blog Hop #356

January 2, 2023 By Captain Maiel 4 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #356
Does anyone do cover reveals as part of your publicity
for a new book? Do they work anymore?

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. Even more so, we appreciate that you share our writings with friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

Cover reveals are a great way to build excitement among your readers. As a reader as well as an author, I know that the anticipation seeing the cover or poster for a new book or film builds is imperative to my attention being kept on the moment. This is why you see the larger companies down to the independent artist using this to promote their work, no matter the art form. Why not make use of it?

The important things to remember when using this tool is that there is more effect in a larger community, and the higher the quality of the art that to dress your work. If you think a hokey, self-made cover will suffice as you grow as an author, you are likely wrong. There are exceptions to every rule. Are you wiling to risk it?

If you’ve poled your readers and part of your platform is the hokey cover, go ahead. You’ve got something going for you there. Don’t stop now! On the other hand, if your growth is slow and interest small, then you might want to look at what more you can do to build community and trust with readers. A great cover can do a lot in this department!

I’ve written extensively about why I think your cover matters in previous hops and posts on the blog. Therefore, I won’t rehash that here. Let’s get back to why a cover reveal can be a great help instead. After all, if you’re going to make the investment, you will need to know how to use it to your advantage beyond dressing your book elegantly.

an ornate book cover in gold filigree and blue leather, a topaz at the center. The Importance of a Good Book Cover

To start, building excitement around your new work will take a community. An author’s first duty is to build a readership. Otherwise, to whom are you going to send these updates? This will be the most difficult part in the entire journey. And, it is ongoing.

Once you have built a readership and simultaneously to your building it, you’ll try to make it fun for folks to interact with you online. Be yourself, post interesting stuff. Don’t inundate the crowd with ads/buy my book posts. Make it worth their time to be along for the ride. Certainly, you can talk about what you’re working on. Presenting videos and other kinds of posts about your topic is super helpful.

All of the above helps build excitement. A great reward for a reader’s attention is to give them something to sink their teeth into. Art around your work is one way to do this. If you’re not an illustrator this can be intimidating or impossible to manage. That said, your cover is art you can use.

Let’s assume that you’re not an illustrator/designer. Therefore, you use tools or hire a person who is capable of rendering you a great cover. Right? Because, you know this isn’t the place to skimp on your book. You learned that a cover is a major part of your marketing plan. The cover features in ads and on your website, all over social media and in physical mailings that you partake in. If you print postcards, bookmarks, or any other promotional material, your cover is there. If it’s a, pardon my bluntness, piece of crap, what do you think readers assume about the writing inside?

Okay. Now, you have a great cover. There’s a couple ways you can do the reveal for your readers. 1. You can hold the full monty for a specific date. 2. You can bring them along through the process. The latter deeply involves the community. Perhaps, you can even give them choices to make along the way to help complete the final work. Whichever you decide, be up front with your designer on your plans, because they’re going to need to know your deadlines.

Either of the above choices is an exciting way to interact with readers. If you have a sizable readership, I’d suggest the first. The second option is great for those still building readerships and getting them involved. Incentives are always effective. The fact of the matter is, you need to give a lot to get small returns (ROI – return on investment). ROIs usually rate at about 10% returns when averaged. That means that when you put out a $1000, you can expect $100 back. And, it goes like that for a long time, until you’ve made your platform profitable, which means you’ve found the right amount of interest to give a positive percentage in the ROI column.

coins in a glass with the word donate taped to the outside.

Hence, large publishing houses take the above into account (in case you thought this doesn’t apply to you because you plan on going through a publishing house). Their top performers help them to withstand the building of ROI on their newer or lower performing artists. That said, they will release an author if their margin doesn’t improve in a reasonable (for them) amount of time. This could be one book or a couple, depending on the contract. And, they have been known to terminate contracts early due to low profits. Therefore, it is entirely up to you to build a profitable readership on their behalf. (Why are you publishing this way again?)

When you’re independent, your contract can’t be dropped, but you can flounder. That’s an indication that you need to try something different. Listen to the ROI. You’re completely in control of how that will play out and over what kind of timeline. The limit is your budget (just as it is above, because an advance on sales is not common as it is a risk to the publisher).

All things considered, the path of an author is not an easy one. Hopefully, my advice and experiences can ease the confusion and lower the learning curve for you. Keep in mind, however, that what works for one artist may not be effective in your case. Basically, art is risk.

Before you go, click on the links below to see what the other authors have to say on this topic. Subscribe to get notified weekly of these posts. One of your questions may get answered on the hop, and you won’t want to miss out!

Goal Posts – Open Book Blog Hop #355

December 26, 2022 By Captain Maiel 4 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #355
Do you set monthly/yearly goals for your writing?
What are your goals for the coming year?

A timed writing goal tends to stagnate my creativity more than inspire them. Most of the work that I do takes place inside my head, rewriting the story in my head like various daydream retakes. When I feel that I have daydreamed enough story, then I will finally set pen to paper. Before then, I run the risk of losing steam. We certainly don’t want that because it can send me into a spiral of lament, wondering if I have lost the ability altogether. Then, the goal is definitely lost.

My only goal, in regards to my writing, is to adapt an old work to the universe of Trailokya at some point in the near future. I would also like to update the script for the first book and head in a series direction, as well. Finding the time, however, has been tricky while raising my daughter and working full time to keep a roof over our heads. If I could just focus on writing, this would open up the options a great deal!

a calendar with the 18th day of the month circled. goals. appointments. Unrealistic Expectations Around Publishing and Writing

Goals I calendar focus on my social media platforms, YouTube, and the Zo Duck drawings. Every year, I try to plan out the episodes for my channel and what I am going to draw for each month. This was a lot easier in the beginning! One tends to run out of ideas when they have to create 12 episodes/drawings each year. That said, I am confident that I will come up with something.

From December to January, the goal is to plan out the above yet again. Maybe this year, I will get to the script for Shadow Soul. I’ll feel a lot better when that goal is met! It’s been holding me back from pitching the story to producers. They will take me much more seriously when I have a polished product to present.

Let’s hop on over to see what the other authors have on their calendars for goals by clicking their links below…

That One Wish – Open Book Blog Hop #354

December 19, 2022 By Captain Maiel 3 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #354
What did you want for birthday/Christmas that you never
got and might be bitter about? Have you bought it for yourself?

There’s that one wish that kids usually have that becomes the sticking point on Christmas memories. Sometimes they got the thing, sometimes they don’t. A lot of parents comfort themselves by thinking that some other toy became the favorite. It probably did. Not everyone is the same on this question.

To be honest, however, I can’t remember my favorite holiday gift that came from a wish. Maybe it was one of the game consoles we got, or the giant My Pretty Pony from the 80s. Caleco’s Cabbage Patch Kids? I have a plastic treasure snail from my Aunt, which was taken over by my daughter. Regardless, there are pictures recording the utter joy of opening those gifts. The thing is, I was able to have them in my possession and outgrow any affection for them. Now, they seem less dire. I know they don’t occupy any outstanding memories.

We did play those game consoles to death.

For me, the wish never granted is what does stand out. Of course I never got the Barbie Mansion, or pony I begged for. No kittens or puppies unless stuffed. These things were pretty costly, and would have required an enormous amount of work on the part of my parents (maybe not the Mansion).

Do you remember that part in The Santa Clause (1994) movie? The Weenie Whistle and Mystery Date Game? That film brought back my tender memories, and it prompted a chat on the issue at home. To this day, you can’t mention the item to my parents without my dad getting a little put off. You see, they didn’t think it was good enough for me; not well made enough. They didn’t think it meant anything that much. However, it kept sticking to the list for years in a row, and you’d think they’d have gotten a clue by year 3, that this was a necessity. It wasn’t expensive. It was sort of frivolous. However, it was something I desired above all other gifts.

I did not receive my wish until I was about 20, and I had told a good friend the story. She bought it for my birthday.

So what was this gift?

The Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine.

It sat on my list from 1979 through the mid 80s. Every year, I didn’t find it under the tree come Christmas Morning. My parents thought the parts were cheap. They were light plastic. The thing only costed $20 in the 90s, so I can’t imagine it cost much more in 1979. So, yeah, it was cheap.

Maybe mom worried about me grating my little fingers in the ice well? I have no idea. She was big on not letting me or my brother have junk (or toys that she felt fit one or the other of the binary genders—which meant I didn’t get Star Wars toys either, when asked, but my brother did—I played with his).

They later told me that they had no idea it meant so much to me. I’m not sure how they missed it, year after year. And when I said that to them, that it was on my list year after year, my dad felt a little sick inside. For around $20 bucks they could have avoided this and let me sno-cone myself into sugar shock for a few months until it became a non-thing again. After all, how many sno-cones are you really going to make and eat?

As I mentioned before, a friend bought this for me when I was in my 20s. I was stoked and cleaned it up and used it right away. Let me tell you, it was so cathartic. The ice shaver felt weak, as if it would break at any moment, but it rattled right through making me a little sno-cone. I had prepped the juice in the Snoopy Divo-Hat dispenser. You have to make more than you need, and that is the worst part I remember. I’m not a waster. So I put the Divo Snoopy in the fridge and the sugary stuff got nasty before I used it. It also leaked.

After a short time, the item was stored in the basement, and the last I saw it the ice shaver was rusted. For $20 bucks, it was the best thing ever. I’m thankful my friend tried to make up for my miss wish from childhood. However, it just didn’t hit the same. How could it? My family still talk about it that wish, wondering how they could skip it year after year. My poor dad!

Here’s the commercial from when I was a kid…

VINTAGE 70’S OR 80’S SNOOPY SNO CONE MACHINE COMMERCIAL

I wonder what the other authors will have to say on this topic…

To My Readers – Open Book Blog Hop #79

January 30, 2017 By Captain Maiel Leave a Comment

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #79

Write a letter to your fans.

Welcome back to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop! If you’re new to the series, the authors included are grateful for your reads and appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Be prepared to become a regular reader.

I’d rather address this letter to a wider swath, my readers. You each deserve my thanks, whether you liked my work or not. You took the time to review my work, the work I poured hundreds of hours into, if not thousands. It’s through you those words I filed onto a page become living breathing things. Ultimately it is up to you what each character looks like and if they’re sympathetic or not. I can only say so much to persuade your opinions. Each of you, dear readers, comes to the table with your own backgrounds, intertexts, and rationality. I cannot force you to see things my way, and that wouldn’t benefit either of us.

The feedback from these moments, when our lives touch, have been nothing but beneficial to me. I hold your praise and your criticism on balanced scales. There are times when criticism is more necessary to my endeavors than is praise, but praise is the food that keeps an artist from quitting. The praise leads us to where we went right, and where we connected in a way that is encouraging. Criticism is crucial in shaping my skills, giving me more of which to consider, and a path to the next steps I must make to grow as an artist.

I often wonder if the reader understands how integral they are in the making of a book. You might think, well, a book is already made by the time I get to it. I didn’t do anything to get it there. A book might be on the shelf but does it truly exist until someone picks it up and reads the pages that make it up? Once you read one of an author’s work, and should you like it, don’t you go to find more? Reading not only makes a book real, it encourages an author to produce more.

The past several years have been tough on all our wallets. It’s hard to come up with the cash to put down on recreational items. Many ignore books, though they cost about as much as a Blu-Ray in print, and little more than a single in e-formats. Both versions give hours more entertainment than a two hour film or four minute song, and they can be reread and enjoyed again as much as these other products. So to those who picked up a copy of my book, whether in paper or electronic, thank you. I understand that might have been you skipping coffee or even lunch out that week. I go through much the same conundrums. Each sale means I draw closer to being able to produce another book. When sales are stagnant, I have to pull the funds from other areas, and that hits the very little extraneous money I have. It takes me years to get together enough to produce a book–the editing, proofing, covers, marketing all cost. So your contribution through buying a book means the world to me, and it allows us to connect once more through story.

I hope you understand, dear reader, how important you are to an author. They may not always voice this thanks aloud, but it shows in the pages they produce from the moment you meet them into the future.

Take a moment and read what the other authors wanted to say to their readers…

An InLinkz Link-up

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Gotta Have It – Open Book Blog Hop #78

January 16, 2017 By Captain Maiel 8 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #78

List your 5 favorite foods you could not live without.

Welcome back to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop! If you’re new to the series, the authors included are grateful for your reads and appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Be prepared to become a regular reader.

Food is life. I’m not sure if my Italian ancestry, which is only a 1/4 of my make up at this point, has anything to do with that long held belief, but I agree wholeheartedly. It goes much farther than being that we need food to live. Our day is constructed around meal times. At least mine is. My first thought upon waking is what I am going to eat for breakfast (usually a cereal, but sometimes a yogurt and fruit, or protein shake). Breakfast food is my most favorite group of foods/recipes. So let’s start there.

Breakfast Food/Recipes.

If you took away my cereals, bacon and eggs, I would be a mighty sad girl. I look forward to big breakfast or just a bowl of cereal in the morning. I’ll even make big breakfast for dinner, especially if I haven’t eaten big breakfast in a long time. What does it usually consist of? Scrambled or fried egg, bacon, toast with peanut butter, hash-browns, a slice of grapefruit and a cup of juice (orange, or cran). You’re probably wondering what my favorite cereals are, too. I love love love Cranberry Almond Crunch. I also like Raisin Bran, Trader Joe’s Maple Pecan Granola Crunch, Corn Pops, Rice Krispies, Capn’ Crunch with Berries, Fruity Pebbles, Fraknin’ Berry, Boo Berry…I like cereal!

I also totally love French Toast with sausage and bacon, or pancakes with sausage and bacon. I’m super glad I finally got a waffle maker, and will probably have make some now that I mention it.

2. Bread

All kinds of breads. English Muffins, Jewish Rye, Whole Wheat, Italian, Portuguese rolls, muffins, sweet rolls, sweet breads…you name it. Bread is the bomb. My mom makes a killer Zucchini Bread, which I am due to make. Have you ever had Irish brown bread? I had it in Ireland near Bunratty Castle and it was amazing. It was served with a bowl of broccoli soup and that meal still stands out in my mind 17 years later. I also remember their menu including what was called an Ass Sandwich (ham).

A local bakery (about 20-25 minutes north of me), makes some killer Italian bread. I will make a trip to go get it, and thankfully my monthly doctor visits take me en route. They also have Tomato Pie on Fridays, which is basically pizza without moz. It’s the pizza dough, covered in tomato sauce with Parmesan sprinkled on top. It’s a Utica, NY creation that has started leaking to outside areas.

Pizza would probably fall under breads, because it is all about that crust. Cherry or Apple braids, raisin bread, croissants…

3. French Fries

French Fries are my absolute favorite thing in the world. I can pair them with just about anything, including pizza. I like them plain. Sometimes I will dip them in ketchup, but plain (just a sprinkle of salt) is pretty much it for me. I’m a little bit of a purist.

No doubt you want to know who’s fries I like best (fast food wise). Wendy’s. They’re actual potatoes. Everyone else uses potato flakes with crisco. You can look that up. They’re also good cold.

4. Popcorn

Who doesn’t love it? I’m addicted to SmartFood white cheddar popcorn, but I love plain buttered/salted corn too. I’m hoping that concerns around GMO crops turn out to be nothing, because I eat a lot of pop corn. Yikes.

There’s nothing quite like settling down to a movie with a warm bowl of fresh popcorn. Crap. Now I need waffles and popcorn for dinner.

5. Nuts (Especially Peanuts)

I’ve been surviving on peanut butter and jelly for several weeks now. I’m still not sick of it. I smear peanut butter on celery, crackers and bread. PB&J goes great with Doritos, if you’re wondering. I also snack on nut mixes. The protein and other benefits of nuts cannot be beat. Unfortunately, peanuts make me chunky, so I have to be careful. You’ll know I’ve been over doing it if I look fluffier. It’s not my fault that the wholesale club sells tubs of dry roast planters at such a great price. It is my fault that I can’t stop eating said tub, but it could be so much worse. Imagine that lack of control with sweets and things!