Market My Words

Bookanistas: Guest Post by Elle Strauss (It's a Little Haywire)

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:34:00 +0000

Elle Strauss is the author of Clockwise (YA Time Travel) and her newest middle grade, It's a Little Haywire.

Owen True is eleven and eleven twelfths and has been “exiled” to the small crazy town of Hayward, WA, aka, Haywire, while his mother is on her honeymoon. All he has to whittle away the time is the company of Gramps, his black lab Daisy, and his Haywire friends, Mason and Mikala Sweet. They don’t look so hot this year, in fact, the whole town has gone to pot since the mill shut down.

Owen has his first encounter with a real life homeless man who ends up needing Owen’s help in more ways than one. But how does a rich city kid help the small town’s suffering citizens?

And what is Owen to make of the fog train and its scary, otherworldy occupants that appears out of thin air on the old tracks behind Gramps’ house? Do they have the answer Owen is looking for?

I asked Elle to stop by to talk about her decision to publish her middle grade.

Well, I guess the simple answer to the question, why did I indie my middle grade is because I can. I think the most frustrating thing with traditional publishing, at least for me, was having to wait for someone else to say, yes, let’s publish this.

I had an agent. I actually had two agents. And for a myriad of reasons, this never led to a sale of any of my books.

My choices then were to shelve them and move on, or to do it myself. So, I did it myself. I published my YA time travel rom/com, CLOCKWISE last fall and never looked back.

When I decided I wanted to publish my middle grade, IT’S A LITTLE HAYWIRE, quite honestly, it never even occurred to me to seek representation for it.

Not that its easy to sell middle grade books at an indie publisher especially e-books. It’s not. (And yes, I will put out a print version of It’s a Little Haywire sometime this year.)

My wager is that with ereaders getting more affordable, middle graders will be reading on them. The tide hasn’t hit yet, but it will. Parents are handing them down to teens and tweens, schools are picking them up. It’s just a matter of time.

I realize that my buyers will be parents and grandparents, but that’s usually the case for middle grade anyway.

And for me, doing it myself means it’s actually going to get done and before I grow old and die. J Plus, I don’t have to worry about it getting pulled off the shelf in three months. The virtual book shelf never gets full.

Go and download It's a Little Haywire - it's free but only for 22nd and 23rd.

You can find her hanging out at:

Blog: www.ellestraussbooks.com
Twitter: @elle_strauss
Facebook : Elle Strauss - Author
Goodreads: Elle Strauss Goodreads Author
Google+: Elle Strauss
Wattpad: Elle Strauss

To read other Bookanista posts:

Christine Fonseca interviews author L.K. Gardner-Griffie

Corinne Jackson announces Change Write Now: Round 2 signups are open

Carolina Valdez Miller adores UNDER THE NEVER SKY - with giveaway

Jen Hayley has a passion for PARTIALS

Debra Driza falls for THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Jessica Love shares some TIME BETWEEN US cover talk

Tracy Banghart jumps for CATCHING JORDAN

Stasia Ward Kehoe contemplates middle grade series

LiLa Roecker is enthralled with THE NIGHT CIRCUS

Gretchen TEN Cover Reveal Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:30:00 +0000

More good news for UNTRACEABLE - can you stand it? (are you annoyed by me yet?)

I just got notified that I am nominated for GEORGIA AUTHOR OF THE YEAR! Evidently 5 other writers are in the YA category and the formal press release is coming (can't wait to see my competition! *rolls up sleeves*) . Winner isn't announced until June (boo!)

=================

Okay now for MUCH MORE important things.

My lovely friend and awesome blurber for On The Bright Side :), Gretchen McNeil, is doing a Ten Day Countdown to her Cover Reveal. (I can not wait!)

(If you haven't already, be sure to pick up her other book, Possess!)

Now, I read an earlier version of this YA horror book and it is A-MA-ZING! Scary and creepy. She will be the Stephen King of YA!! Mark My Words.

If you don't know about Gretchen, here are a few facts:

She is sweet as hell. (oops I mean heck.)
She is even funnier than she is sweet.
She tells it like it is. I know I can get the truth from her.
She is loyal which makes her my great friend.
She can sing her touche off and performs in an LA based circus troupe. (Yes she does it all).
I would die for her gorgeous red hair.
And she is a great writer.

TEN Contest

You can enter to win a signed and annotated copy of the unbound galley of TEN. A one of a kind prize, out before the ARCs. How awesome is that?

You can start the hunt from the beginning on her blog to collect ALL ten clues for a chance to enter the contest on day of the cover reveal (which is next Friday, February 24.)

TEN Synopsis

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – three days on Henry Island at an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own reasons for wanting to be there, both of which involve Kamiak High’s most eligible bachelor, T.J. Fletcher. But what starts out as a fun-filled weekend turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly, people are dying and the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

My Clue is "BEN"

Next in the Countdown is tomorrow with Jen Hayley so you have plenty of time to catch up!

Good luck!

Be My Valentine Date - Reading Room Chat

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Good News!

First of all - I have good news. I hate talking about myself but I am going to pat myself on the back for a job well done and say something profound (I hope)

1 - I just sold my 5,000th copy!! I never imagined I would get this far. I was happy with my first 100.

2 - My little book, Untraceable finally made the top 100 books of all ebooks last night at midnight. Got up to #63 - now around #80 - over some big names.

3 - Untraceable is #3 in children/action and adventure just under The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (yes I am above MockingJay - WTF??)

Holy crap right!!!!!!!!!

INSERT PEP TALK HERE!

Guys - you will never fully know what this means to me after everything I've been through...after all the people who told me I could not do this. After those who turned their back on me...and those who felt like I wasn't good enough.

This isn't about money or fame - this is about following my heart and dream no matter what
the naysayers had to nay about.

So I tell you - DON'T GIVE UP!

Sometimes your dream doesn't look the way you expect or may not be the way other's think it should be...

But that doesn't mean you can't make it happen! You just have to follow you heart and do what is right for you.

Thanks for all your support! I would not be here without you guys.

The Reading Room Chat Tonight!

I'd love for some of you to be my valentine tonight.

I will be on the Reading Room chat tonight. It is at 7pm est (4pm PT) and I'M worried I'll be all alone... (wait - is that sad that my valentine is an online chat crew?? What does that say about me and my love for anything cyber.)

I will be talking about my indie pubbing experience and marketing - everything I've done over the last few months. The pros and cons - the goods and bads.

You have to join (it's free) to attend so join now!

I posted about the The Reading Room here.

I hope you join me!

To Join The Chat

The Bookanistas Book Club is where your live chat will be hosted at 7pm EST time.
http://www.thereadingroom.com/book-club/the-bookanistas/1435

1. Members will need to sign up or sign into TheReadingRoom.com and become a member of The Bookanistas Book Club. (URL above).
2. There will be a chat icon that looks like two speech bubbles that will launch the live chat window.
The chat window will be open 30 minutes prior to the chat starting and last for about 45 minutes.

The Power of Community by Melissa Foster

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:08:00 +0000

I met Melissa Foster online and joined her WLC group as well as follow her Women's Nest. She is not only a brilliant marketer but she is a wonderful person. She stopped by today to tell us about how to utilize community in your marketing strategy and why community is important for books as well as you as a person.

First a little about Melissa...

She hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children, she's written for Calgary's Child Magazine and Women Business Owners Magazine, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family. Melissa's interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping women see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod. (no really there is more!) She is the award-winning author of three International bestselling novels, Megan's Way, Chasing Amanda, and Come Back to Me. She has also been published in Indie Chicks, an anthology. She is the founder of the Women's Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Cafe (previously WoMen's Literary Cafe), a cross-promotional site for authors, reviewers, bloggers, and readers. Melissa is currently collaborating in the film production of Megan's Way.

(yeah she is a renaissance woman! :)

Now, here's Melissa....

=======================

When Shelli invited me to write a guest post for her blog, she asked for something marketing related, and I’d just written several articles on marketing, so we decided to reach out a bit further, and talk about community. Luckily, community and marketing go hand in hand, so readers and authors will gain from reading this post.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you know I’m all about giving back and paying-it-forward. I try to meet and help as many people as I can each day. Part of the reason I do that is that I’m selfish—yup—I’m a chatterbox. I love to discuss books, writing, marketing, kids, exercise—you name it, I like to talk about it. Another reason I reach out is that I believe in the power of community. I’m not speaking of geographical communities or religious communities, although they each hold their own appeal. I’m speaking of the basic definition of community: A group sharing common characteristics of interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.

Becoming part of a community can be intimidating. It can also be exciting. I’m not one to be swayed by intimidation, and I’m not one to foster it, either. I believe in building communities based on giving more to others than you receive. Communities have many benefits, not only can you gain friendships, and feel a sense of belonging to something bigger than you might have imagined, but you can also gain valuable advice, mentors, critiques, and yes, even expand your outreach.

I am being very careful with this article. I don’t want to give you a sales pitch for our literary community, World Literary Café, but I am pulling from experience. I founded and run The Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women (sorry guys), and the friendships and support that I have gained from the women on the Nest (my Nest Sisters), has pulled me through tough times and given me reason to celebrate happier times. The Nest has become my go-to site in the mornings and the last place I visit before going to bed. I value the friendships, and the advice. Moreover, knowing there are others out there, in this fast-paced world of ours, who take the time to slow down and reach out, makes life just that much more enjoyable.

The World Literary Café has just begun to develop its own community. It’s not an easy endeavor, and it takes time for authors and readers to see the value in getting to know people a bit more intimately—beyond 140 characters, beyond pubic updates, and quippy sentences. Slowly and surely, WLC is growing into a caring community, involving all aspects of the literary world, from authors to readers, from reviewers and bloggers, to literary services such as editors and cover artists.

WLC Tweet Teams and Authors Hosting Authors forums have helped many increase sales and reach wider audiences—but those forums have done far more than something monetary. They’ve provided a venue for friendships with like-minded people.

If you’re a reader looking to get to know authors on a one-on-one basis, or looking for recommendations of books, you might try our Reader’s Forums, and while you’re on the site, check out the Readers Start Here page to see how you can get more involved. If you’re an author looking for writing advice, editors, or ways to market your books, check out our Authors Start Here page. Literary Services can get listed, too, by following our Editors, Artists, Small Press menu link.

Community is about friendship. It is about supporting and being supported. WLC is about community. Join us, we’re waiting to meet you.

Other places Melissa hangs out:

My Books

My Website

Follow me, Facebook, Twitter, FB Fanpage

Chat w/me on The Women's Nest

The World Literary Cafe, Where readers and authors unite!

Leave Melissa some questions. If you comment or ask a question, I have a free giveaway of each of her books in ebook (4 books total) and I will draw names :)

Bookanistas The Reading Room

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Today, Kim Anderson stops by to discuss The Reading Room, a new community for book lovers.

Next Tuesday, Feb 14th I will join The Reading Room for a Valentine's Day chat at 7pm EST/4pm PT. To find out more information, join TheReadingRoom today. I will be discussing indie publishing, marketing and my books.

Hi Kim, thanks for stopping by. Tell us about yourself and The Reading Room.

My name is Kim Anderson I’m the Founder and CEO of TheReadingRoom and I live a long way from the US and UK in Sydney Australia. . It probably goes without saying that books and reading are my passion. After graduating from the University of Sydney I interviewed for two jobs while I pondered what I might do. The first was as a proofreader and the second as a personal assistant to a chartered accountant. The chartered accountant had a passion for figures of all kinds, and not books, so it was a huge relief when I received an offer to train as an editor. Apparently, I flunked the proofreading, but edited the text with flying colors! I went on to work as a publisher for many publishing houses, and spent a couple of years in New York working at HarperCollins as a VP and Publishing Director. Over the years I have had the privilege of meeting many wonderful authors and the opportunity to discover many wonderful books. In New York, I was introduced to Shel Silverstein and entertained my son with his poetry for years – we still scream with laughter at the “Dog with Two Tails”, and The Giving Tree is still my number one choice for a gift.

TheReadingRoom is a place where people can connect, share and recommend books they love. A place where readers can enjoy the variety of books on offer to them no matter what type of book they like to read. It was born and has grown from my passion for reading and true love of books.

What gave you the idea to start The Reading Room?

Reading and writing has always been a large part of my life. My sister Rae read tome at night in bed, mostly the Classics – we shared a room – her half was always neat and orderly, and mine was always ruffled and wrinkled. Even today my bed never looks as smoothly made as hers. But having someone read to you every night is a joy and we still share all our books comparing notes and introducing each other to new authors.

When I returned to Sydney I was a founder of the first and still number one Internet portal in Australian called ninemsn. So it was only natural that at some time in the future, I would combine my Internet publishing experience with my passion for books. I wanted to create a place where readers could access information about authors and good books. One thing that used to get under my skin was the way in which literary criticism could be used to make writers and readers feel inadequate. Often critical analysis would leave me wondering if it was the same book I was reading. I didn’t get the sexual connotations of Miriam on the swing in Sons and Lovers or why the rolling hills and green pastures were sexual metaphors. So one of the important philosophies of starting TheReadingRoom was that it needed to be a place where reading was encouraged and readers of all levels and tastes could feel comfortable. It needed to be a place where you could meet like-minded readers, easily browse their bookshelves to discover new writers and new books. It needed to be structured and well organised just like my sister’s bedroom!

What does the Reading room do that other reading/book clubs sites don't offer?

This is a difficult question to answer because I think for most book sites the ingredients are the same. It’s more about how you prepare and cook the cake. It’s the combination of a number of factors but there are two that I think are very important. First is the way our members can recommend books to each other. The best recommendations come from people you know or trust. They are people in your circle of influence. We try hard to ensure that it’s easy for members to recommend books to each other and in particular to solicit recommendations from people who are very familiar with what they read.

The second is the combination of member and expert reviews. Expert reviewers provide knowledge and trust when you are not in a position to tap into your circle of trust or they have not as yet read the book in which you are interested. This is why our published reviews from the New York Times, The Guardian and others are so important. You want to be sure that they know what they are talking about.

Our independence also sets us apart. We have from the outset built our own database taking feeds from a range of sources. This enables us to create a single book profile for each of our titles and to include all the editions of that title in all formats and all countries or territories. We call this the spine of the site and although it is not visible to our members it is what gives us the ability to create different ways to discover new titles and authors quickly and easily.

What events do you have coming up?

Where would you like to see TheReadingRoom in 5 years?

I can’t imagine a world without books or bookshops. So I hope that in five years time TheReadingRoom.com will be the place to discover and meet new authors and a great place to hang out with your reading friends, chat about books, and be as comfortable with our members as the big cosy armchair most of us curl up in to read.

We’re a very small and dedicated team and we treasure that. We all get involved and pitch in to get things done. We learn from each other and I hope that never changes.

Go join The Reading Room, (it is free :)!

You can also find The Reading Room and join in book discussions on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to join The Bookanista Book Club on The Reading Room.

For other Bookanista posts:

Christine Fonseca takes a shine to A MILLION SUNS
Carolina Valdez Miller falls for FRACTURE
Jen Hayley surrenders to THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED
Stasia Ward Kehoe is dazzled by DARK COMPANION
Nikki Katz wonders at THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
Debra Driza is overwhelmed by UNDER THE NEVER SKY
Jessica Love gives a trophy to BEAUTY QUEENS
Tracy Banghart has double-love for THE SILVER PHOENIX and FURY OF THE PHOENIX
Hilary Wagner is in the grips of THE GATHERING STORM

Showing The Love: Looking for Guest Posters

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:03:00 +0000

I will be out of pocket the week of March 31st. So I was thinking I could help some other bloggers get some exposure by getting guest posts lined up. I'm not saying I'm the bomb but I do have a good following and would like to get some other blogs out in front of people.

So here is how it goes:

Submissions
Submissions start today and will end Fri, Feb 17th. You can email them to me at shelli@srjohannes.com

You can send me:

a guest post or a proposal (though I will say the actual post would be more persuading) on any topic related to writing, marketing etc.
a bio
You can also include a 1 or 2 sentence pitch in your post for the agents and editors that come by

What I will offer you for helping :)
If I choose your post (I am looking for 5 to run April 2 - April 5th) - to thank you for posting for me, here is what I will do in exchange:

You will get exposure for your blog on here
I will tweet and Facebook your post.
I will seek help from The Indelibles to RT your post.
I will offer a daily giveaway for those who comment on your post.

That's it!

Fun right?

Mundie Moms Untraceable Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:40:00 +0000

Mundie Moms Untraceable Tour

2/6- Teens Read & Write, review

2/7- Fire & Ice, character interview with Grace

2/8- I am a Reader, Not A Writer, review

2/9- Reading Lark, character interview, Mo

2/10- Once Upon a Twilight, review

2/11- Mundie Moms, author interview

2/12- Eve's Fan Garden, guest post

IndieView: Tracy Marchini

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:56:00 +0000

Today, Tracy Marchini stops by to talk to us about her indie journey....

Tracy, tell us about yourself

I worked for four years at a Manhattan literary agency before leaving to start my own editorial business and focus on my own writing.

I'm currently agented by Michelle Humphrey of Martha Kaplan Literary, and am working on a picture book starring one of my favorite animals - ducks. (I would say cats are my other favorite animal, but I've discovered that really, my own cat was my favorite animal and everybody else's cats were usually just alright.) I've been accepted for publication into Highlights Magazine, published a few of my own works and managed to slip a duck story into Adams Media's anthology, BAD AUSTEN: The Worst Stories Jane Never Wrote.

I feel the same way about my dogs and kids :) Tell us about your writing and your latest book.

My latest full-length book is, alas, duck-free.

HOT TICKET is a contemporary middle-grade mystery that stars Juliet Robinson, the only sixth grader in John Jay Jr. High who hasn't received a "hot ticket" from the mysterious ticket dispenser. When one of the dorkiest kids in school - Crammit Gibson - receives a ticket before she does, Juliet decides that the ticketing system has to stop. With the help of her best friend Lucy, a Daria-esque Madeline and her almost-crush Crammit, Juliet is determined to climb a few rungs on the middle school social ladder and catch the ticket dispenser once and for all!

Sounds adorable. Can you tell us more about the publishing journey behind this?

Paul McCartney might describe my publishing journey as a "long and winding road." (Or he might just say, "Tracy who?" One of the two.)

Anyway, I started writing young, and received my first picture book rejection when I was about fourteen. Luckily, my mother had started her journey about a year before, so I had someone to explain that a first rejection is more like a right of passage, than it is physical proof that you suck. I started going to writers' conferences, and that's how I eventually ended up with an internship at a literary agency, which led to my full-time job at an agency a little later. I continued to write while working at the agency, and was lucky enough to get feedback on my work from some wonderfully talented authors while I was there.

HOT TICKET was actually inspired by one of my colleagues, who had explained that the same way I had used the term "cool points" and "negative points" in high school was the way that kids in Chicago would say "hot ticket" or "shame ticket." On lunch break I started writing the first chapter of Hot Ticket - where these terms became physical entities - and within six weeks had the first rough draft.

Then it was revised. And revised. And revised. And revised.

I worked on it with a few agents, and received lots of positive feedback from editors.

I went to France for a month on a writer's retreat, and worked on other projects. A few months later, I published PUB SPEAK: A WRITER'S DICTIONARY OF PUBLISHING TERMS. And a few months after that, I thought - I could do it with a small, non-fiction book... why not put HOT TICKET out there?

And so I did.

::Whoosh:: Long and winding, right?

Better than what mine was for a while - Another One Bites the Dust :) What made you make a move from agenting to self publishing?

I enjoyed learning everything I could about contracts, but eventually I realized that I didn't want to be an agent.

In terms of traditional publishing versus self-publishing, I aim to be a hybrid! I enjoy the nimbleness of indie publishing, but I would also enjoy the visibility of traditional publishing. My agent and I are working on several projects, with most right now aimed towards the traditional market. But for things such as my Effie Stories, which are funny, contemporary YA short stories, I think indie is still the way to go.

Who knows though - Amazon has changed what it means to be indie, and they could do it again. Or somebody else could. And then it makes sense to reevaluate which projects are better where.

Sometimes it can be scary or exciting, depending on the day and Amazon's mood. What would you say are your top three pros and cons about self/indie pubbing?

Pro:

- Can quickly change covers, prices, etc. to take advantage of current marketplace

- Can publish a variety of work that may not fit into the traditional marketplace

- More readers are looking for inexpensive reads

- Everything is up to you

Con:

- Visibility is largely out of your control

- Larger companies make decisions based on their long-tail, and your terms are always subject to change

- Assumption of poor quality

- Everything is up to you

Those are so true! Especially that last one. Where can we stalk you online?

I'm at www.tracymarchini.com, on Twitter as @TracyMarchini and on Facebook. Also, you can check out my Hot Ticket (Middle Grade Mystery) page to download printable hot tickets to give to your friends! My books are also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and various other retailers.

Thanks for stopping by?

Feel free to leave any comments of questions for Tracy!

Answers, Prizes, and Bookanista - Oh My

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:25:00 +0000

So I got a lot of questions yesterday.

Jan Status (Untraceable)

I've sold approximately 3,600 books to date (from Nov 31st).
The highest sales are on Amazon. B&N second.
ebooks account for most of that at 90%.
Only about 200 paperback.

Winners for Q/A post
All prizes for launch day will be mailed out on Monday.

Karen Adkins, Mandy, Vera and Danielle. Email me at shelli@srjohannes.com to discuss your choice of prize.

1) a free ebook of On The Bright Side
2) a free ebook of Untraceable
3) a query critique
4) some other books/arcs I have laying around. You can choose.

Don't forget to stop by On The Bright Side tour still going on :) There are are some giveaway, prizes, marketing tips, writing tips, character interviews and more.

Answers to your questions

How do you manage your time with everything?

Well I'm glad it LOOKS That way. Because I don't feel like I do. fake it 'til you make it that is my motto. So honestly? I try to schedule the time. 1 hour for interviews, 1 hour to write etc etc. I also have ADHD which comes in handy for multi tasking. I'm also a night owl so I get a lot done after 10 pm. Plus I am having so much fun it doesn't feel like work. But I am tired
:)

How do you manage to get the word out so fast? (about your books)

Easy...Bloggers. I love bloggers and 100% support them. Always have, always will. I owe them a lot. I also have a lot of writers friends that offer wonderful support without me even asking.

How did you keep yourself on track while writing your book?
I don't count words. I try to just do what I can. I do not need to put pressure on my writing. I have enough. I do the best I can with the time I have. Sometimes that is good, sometimes it's not. That's why I do not do Nanowrimo. It takes away from the fun of it and forces me to write which makes me not want to. I'm a rebel that way - even with myself :)

What do you consider the major selling points for going the indie route? How did you know this is the right direction for you?

Hm as with anything - there are good and bad things about self or indie pubbing. In a nutshell:

Good - you have creative control over your vision and book, you can put book out to meet the market demand
Bad - you are running an entire business (see this post on all the roles a self pubber plays), it's exhausting, its hard to sell books due to stigma. (Avg sales for self publisher are 100 books over the lifetime of a self pubber. I've gotten lucky so far. But at 100 books at 99 cents - you have made 30$

My question is as a self published author have you found access to libraries and schools for your books?

That is my next phase. I publish my paperbacks through CreateSpace. But have just added Lightning Source. Lightning Source gets me into Ingram which is the main distributor to libraries and bookstores. That means you can order my book at any store starting Vday. Downside - You have to apply as a published so there is a ton of paperwork, you have to be a business, and it is not user friendly.

When did you start writing seriously?

When my daughter was born in 2004. I was on 5 months of maternity leave and had an idea. Took me 5 years to get an agent and I was with her for 2 and on submission the whole time. We parted last May and I started this journey.

How you come up with all the guest posts!

If someone just nice enough to have me on their blog. I want to offer fresh material. I don't believe in regurgitating the same ole stuff. I usually come up with about 30 topics over marketing, writing, me, my books, my characters etc and let them pick. Some bloggers come up with great ones themselves! I write pretty much every one from scratch so it is new.

More questions next time :) You can still leave questions for me in this post or the question post

Check out these Bookanista posts today

Christine Fonseca interviews author Denise Grover Swank
Jessi Kirby and Jen Hayley are wowed by WANDERLOVE
Corrine Jackson is mesmerized by MAY B.
Stasia Ward Kehoe interviews DIES IRAE author Christine Fonseca
Debra Driza is entranced by HEMLOCK
Katy Upperman delves into THE DISENCHANTMENTS
Nikki Katz celebrates CINDER
Tracy Banghart marvels at JULIET IMMORTAL
Jessica Love spotlights SHINE

Comment with questions for prizes (Post launch prizes)

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:07:00 +0000

Hey guys!

First I want to say, I am so sorry I have neglected going to and commenting on your blogs the last couple of months. I have so missed it and vow to get back into it.

As you can imagine the last 2 months have been totally crazy. I must admit, I was in over my head. I have had a blast but I've been barely keeping my head above water and struggling to get stuff done.

Anyway, I am now back to my regularly scheduled blogs on marketing and indie pubbing.

So today, if you have any suggestions on upcoming topics or any questions on indie pubbing, marketing, my books, or for me in general - please leave them in the comments.

Or you can tell me what you are working on (you know agents stop by here so it's a good way to plug :)

Whoever leaves a question/comment will go into a drawing for your choice of 1 of these 4 prizes:

1) a free book of On The Bright Side
2) a free book of Untraceable
3) a query critique
4) some other books/arcs I have laying around

This is my way of saying thanks for not giving up on me and for all your support :)

On The Bright Side Is Here! Launch Party

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:30:00 +0000

It's Here!

On The Bright Side is officially out today! Find out more about it here. This book has been on a long journey since 2009 - through many noncontractual revisions at Penguin and Aladdin, editorial meetings, and discussed for acquisitions.

Unfortunately, even after all that, it didn't go all the way. So I'm honoring my book by putting it out and testing the tween market. You can read more about the history of On The Bright Side here.

You can read the first 2 chapters here.

You can purchase it on amazon or B&N today. The paperback releases in Feb. The book is .99 cents until valentines day! After that, it will return to it's regular price of $2.99

To see The Official BlogTour, go here.

Prizes

To celebrate, I'm giving away prizes. To win, you can:

1) Tweet about on the bright side using the hashtag #onthebrightside. (see some suggested tweets below)

OR

2) Facebook about my book and tag me at my personal or author page

https://www.facebook.com/srjohannes OR

https://www.facebook.com/srjohannesauthor

3) Like My author page and be entered into drawing for free paperback of OTBS when it releases in Feb.

Every hour there will be a prize!

For every tweet or FB - your name goes in the hat 1 time and you get a point for every RT on your tweet as well.

MASSIVE prizes including:

Books include MG/Tween books like Hilary Wagner's Nightshade City, Alyson Noel's Radiance, and Moon over Manifest in addition to YA books like Across The Universe, Divergent, and The Pledge.
Angel bookmarks and OTBS book package
Bright Side tshirt and mug package
B&N and Amazon gift cards
YA books by Beth Revis, Kimberly Derting, Veronica Roth and more.
MG books by Alyson Noel, Hilary Wagner, Alan Gratz and more
Blurb package of books - Susanne Young, Robin Mellom, Addison Moore, Gretchen McNeil, and Kristin Tubb

Here are some canned tweets or you can make up some of your own:

Tween angel bk #Onthebrightside @srjohannes out 1/31 $.99 Feb only on amazon http://goo.gl/5hByK or B&N http://goo.gl/qB8y1 #tween #release

Out 2day! Bk abt a disgruntled #tween angel #onthebrightside @srjohannes $.99 amazon http://goo.gl/5hByK or B&N http://goo.gl/qB8y1 #release

If U like RileyBloom bks @alysonnoel,try #onthebrightside @srjohannes $.99 on amazon http://goo.gl/5hByK OR B&N http://goo.gl/qB8y1 #release

See you tomorrow!

On The Bright Side Official Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:01:00 +0000

OTBS Blog Tour stops so far:

Jan 16 - The OTBS inspiration with fellow Indelible, Heather McCorkle
Jan 17 - Thuy at Read Now Sleep Later - My View on Guardian Angels
Jan 18 - May Richard at Firestarbooks- Get to Know Me (The fun side)
Jan 20 - Elle Strauss- Comes in Threes, Fantasy Book Chick Author Interview
Jan 23 - Julia over at Rex Robot Reviews (Top 10 Books)
Jan 24 - Emily at Dear Teen Me - Letter to My Teen Self; Amber at Down the Rabbit Hole
Jan 25 - Julie at Tales of Many Reviews (Excerpt); Lisa Faber (guest post);
Jan 26 - Cory Putman Oakes (Tween market); Katie Cody at Curse of Bibliophile Review)
Jan 27 - KidsWriteReviews (Review)
Jan 30 - Project Mayhem - All about Tweens; Megan at Read Away The Days (Mg vs Tween), Mickey Reed at I'm a Book Shark Q&A; Readanista (How to Train Your Birght/Guardian Angel)
LAUNCH DAY Jan 31 - Katie at Mundie Moms (character interview/excerpt); Hook of a Book (Interview); Realm Love Joy (OTBS Then and Now/History); Jaime Johnson (All about OTBS Characters); Jen at Hypable (exclusive interview)
Feb 1 - Authors Scoop (Q&A)
Feb 2 - Brianna (interview and review); SupaGurl (Creating strong characters/review), Amanda at Stuck in YA (Review)
Feb 3 -Bookshelf Muse (dual career marketing & writing); Samantha Geesin (Designing Covers); Jessie Harrell (tween marketing)
Feb 6 - Christina at Chocolate for Inspiration (Worldbuilding); Shannon O'Donnell (Book review); Letters Inside Out (Karma guest post)
Feb 7 - Jill at Owl for Ya (Marketing MG); Bibliosaurus Rex (interview); Magna Mania Cafe (Popularity of Angels)
Feb 8 - Once Upon a Twilight (book review); Dorothy Dreyer (book review)
Feb 9 - YA Book Central (Fun), Amanda Pedulla (Fav Tween Books); Claire at YA Bookie Monsters (guest post)
Feb 10-Lori Lee (Why Dead People in YA), Full Moon Bites (interview)
Feb 13 - Librarian Mouse (Interview)
Feb 15th Me, My Shelf and I (Interview)

Today's Stop(s)

Feb 20th - Social Moms (Guest Post: The Rise of Dead Characters in children's Fiction)

Upcoming Stops

Feb 21 - The Mixed Up Files (Indie pubbing)
TBD - Seaside Books, Tempest Books, Tribute Books,; Danyelle Leafty (The Heart of Gabby), CiCi's Theories

The Schizophrenic Indie Pubber

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Today I wanted to talk to you about all the roles I feel like I'm playing as an indie pubber - just to give you an idea of what you will have to do if you take this journey.

Because 1/2 of it - I never thought about. I kinda thought I would upload a book and then market it.

Writer - this one is a given :)
Editor - in order to not spend thousands of dollars - you need to be even better at editing. use your money wisely so your copyeditor is faster.
Budgeter - you could keep spending money so you have to come up with a budget and prioritize your funds (if you even have any :). But there is no way to do this free.
Cover designer - you need to know what looks good and what doesn't. Placement, fonts, and copy. Whether you pay someone or not - you need to know what concept you want and how to define quality. If you know photoshop, you are golden. Learn it if you can. It will save you time and money.
Jacket copyeditor - you need to know how to write good jacket copy.
Formatter - unless you want to pay someone to format. You will have to format in several different ways, depending on what ebook format you need (epub, mobi, pdf, paperback etc). I think I did four for Untraceable.
Researcher - you need to be able to get online and find answers to your own questions as well as find questions you should be asking yourself. There is not a detailed guide. You also need to be keeping up with the ebook/digital market.
Account manager - you need to manage all your author accounts online. Right now with paperbacks and ebook formats - I probably manage and check five different sites a day including B&N, Amazon (2 different ones for PB and ebook), Smashwords, as well as all the places Smashwords delivers to (kobo, ibooks etc) - you need to know what your book is doing and check the information.
Inventory - You need to know what you are selling and keep track for your numbers to reconcile records.
Accountant - you need to be able to figure out what you should be getting paid from each place. This requires spreadsheets and daily counts.
Lawyer - You need to follow up with pirates who are posting your book for free downloads and send letters.
Marketer - You need to know how to get the word out about your book, have the time to do it, and follow up.
Assertive without being aggressive - you need to know how to ask for blurbs and reviews and interviews without annoying people.
Social Networker - you need to keep managing all your social networks and stay out in front of people (without being obnoxious.) blogs, twitters, facebook. etc
Interviewee - you need to be able to fill out tons of requests for interviews, reviews, and more.
Advertiser - you need to know what ads you can pay for, what ads are free, and which ones are most effective. This requires looking at free sites and searching for site.
Supporter - you need to support others in their journeys. It is not all about you.
Typer - I wish I could type faster, If you are a "pecker" (keep it clean) then take lessons.
Swagger - You need to know where to go to get swag for your signings
PR rep - you need to call and set up signings or other PR related activities. You need to write and drop press releases. And contact media for articles/features/ and interviews. Create your own press kits.
Agent - if you want to get your book picked up by agents or film agents etc - you still have to send queries etc.
Problem Solver - Problems come up daily whether it is your numbers disappearing at amazon, or a blogger who forgot to post an interview, or a price discrepancy. They come up every day.
Self Believer - Indies get rejection too. And it hurts. You have to move on and find those who support you instead of chasing the ones who don't.
Thanker - you need to thank those who support you.
Multi-tasker - I shift all day long between these roles. It's exhausting.
Panicker - you gotta be able to work while you panic. Crying is allowed but your fingers must never leave the keyboard. ;)
Night owl - it is when you catch up.
Project manager - when you have cover designs and editors - you have to manage to a budget and a timeline.
Sales - you have to be out there selling without being cheesy about it.
Psychologist - i have to talk myself down off a ledge every now and then. Of course I do live in a one story so not too bad. :)

All this along with mother, friend, wife, cleaner, laundry doer, cooker, dog walker, appointment maker.

Last on the list - To find a way to only sleep 6 hours a night and not be a total bear (still working on this one)

Basically, indie pubbing is like running your own business - all by yourself. So all the things a business would do - you would do. It's Entrepreneurial Authoring.

I think that is it. But I'm too brain dead to remember.

What do you think?/ Do any of these surprise you?

If you can think of another one, please add it to the comments. :)

On The Bright Side Tour & Cover Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:44:00 +0000

Don't forget Tonight's Indelible Chat For All Writers!
Calling all writers. Go to Indelible blog tonight from 8-9 EST and simply log in at the chat window. About 20 of us will be there to answer questions about indie pubbing, book marketing, and have TONS of giveaways. Join us!

Official On The Bright Side blog tour announced tomorrow.

Until then, a few of the blog events are happening this week so give them some love too

OTBS Blog Tour stops so far this week:

Jan 16 - The OTBS inspiration with fellow Indelible, Heather McCorkle
Jan 17 - Thuy at Read Now Sleep Later - My View on Guardian Angels
Jan 18 - May Richard at Firestarbooks- Get to Know Me (The fun side)

Also, I stopped by Shannon Messenger's blog today to talk about marketing to tweens.

On The Bright Side Cover Reveal

YAY! - here is On The Bright Side's First Cover Reveal. Thanks to Story Siren for the shout out today! On The Bright Side comes out Jan 31st, 2012. Yes, I know crazy! Add it to your Goodreads.

Vania at VLC Photo did the cover again and I love it. I love here :) Checkout her blog because she is currently running a contest and winner gets a cover design!

On the Bright Side is a hilarious road to guardian angeldom paved with so much drama and due-paying that it makes middle school look painless.

As if the devil’s food cake at her wake and the white fat pants she’s stuck wearing for eternity weren’t bad enough, fourteen year-old Gabby is quick to discover that Cirrus, the main rung of Heaven, is a far cry from the Pearly Gates. Here, Skyphones and InnerNets are all the rage. Until Gabby finds out she has to protect Angela, her school nemesis, in order to move up through the training levels of heaven. Problem is, Angela is now hitting on Gabby's should-have-been boyfriend. (awkward!)

Instead of protecting Angela, Gabby pranks her (like tripping is a sin?) at the hopes of cooling off the new couple. At first, they seem harmless until the school dance sabotage gets completely out of control. Then, her Celestial Sky Agent, who happens to have anger management issues of his own, puts Gabby on probation, threatening her eternal future.

Determined to right her wrongs, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to Earth for just one day. Without knowing, she kicks off a series of events and learns what can happen when you hate someone to death.

Praises for On The Bright Side

"S.R. Johannes delivers a cute paranormal thrill ride for middle graders! Even in death there is a BRIGHT SIDE!" - Addison Moore, author of the bestselling Celestra series, soon to be a TV series with 20th Century Fox.

Clever and charming, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is the story of a reluctant guardian angel, her still-breathing crush, and the frenemy she’s assigned to protect. A great read!
-Suzanne Young, author of A Need So Beautiful, A Want So Wicket (6/12), and The Program (2013)

“ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is both hilarious and heart-warming – a tale that’ll have you hoping that there really *are* spunky and determined angels like Gabby who’ve got our backs.”
- Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, author of Selling Hope & The 13th Sign (2013) (Feiwel & Friends)

"With a smart, snappy heroine and a heart-warming crush, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is a page-turning new take on guardian angels that left me begging for a sequel!"
- Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess and Ten (9/12) (Balzar + Bray)

Teen Book Scene Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:57:00 +0000

Untraceable - Official "Teen Book Scene" Blog Tour

Thanks to Kari and Corrine over at Teen Book Scene for doing a wonderful job in creating a great tour for Untraceable. Go here to check out the stops!

Monday, January 16: Stacy M at Urban Fantasy Investigations(Teenage Garage Sale)
Tuesday, January 17: Heidi at The Readiacs (Review)
Wednesday, January 18: Kristen T at Seeing Night Reviews (Author Interview)
Thursday, January 19: Faye at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm(Review)
Friday, January 20: Corinne at Lost for Words (Character This or That: Grace)

Monday, January 23: Melissa at Me, My Shelf and I (Book Picks)
Tuesday, January 24: Lili at Chica Reader (Cover Post)
Wednesday, January 25: Stacy M at Urban Fantasy Investigations (Review)
Thursday, January 26: Faye at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm (Music Post)
Friday, January 27: Julia at Rex Robot Reviews (Author This or That List)

Monday, January 30: Heidi at The Readiacs (When I’m Not Writing)
Tuesday, January 31: Kristen T at Seeing Night Reviews (Review)
Wednesday, February 1: Ivy at Ivy Reads (Author Interview)
Thursday, February 2: Lili at Chica Reader (Review)
Friday, February 3: Christie at The Fiction Enthusiast (Character This or That: Mo)

Indelible Events - Blogger and Writer chats

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

Indelible Events (Blogger and Writers)

As some of you know, a group 25 indie authors called the Indelibles launched this week with a Kindle Fire giveaway. The lucky winner was Chris Fenimore.

Now, we have two more exciting events coming this week:

BOOK BLOGGERS

(*this means bloggers who review children's books on their blogs)

If you are a book blogger only - we are having a special appreciation chat to discuss what we all love - books. The Indelibles will also be giving away a slew of books.

Tuesday, Jan 17th from 8-9 pm EST on Coverit.com (Chat deets will be sent out Monday. It will only be sent out to the bloggers who fill out the INVITE FORM form with a Yes or maybe. So you need to email me for the INVITE if you want to attend.)

Leave me a comment or email me at shelli@srjohannes.com and I can add you to the invite. (BOOK BLOGGERS ONLY)

ALL WRITERS

Don't worry writers - we would NEVER forget about you. :) We are also having a special writer chat where the Indelibles will chat about indie pubbing, writing, book marketing, and more. Once again, the Indelibles will be giving away a slew of books.

Jan 18th, Wed right before #yalitchat from 8-9 EST. Chat deets will be posted on Tuesday on each Indelible's blog and the main site.

We hope to see you there!

Bookanistas and Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Winners of my Indelible Giveaways - chosen by random.org
Note : the kindle fire winner will be announced on The Indelible blog

Untraceable (ebook) Helen Hartman
Untraceable (PB) - Jessirae
Amazon gift card 10$ - Diana
Shiver (HB) - Ashley Ziemer
Beautiful creatures (HB) - Beastly Blogger
Beautiful chaos (HB) - Kaylee Hamblin
Tempetuous (HB) - Cubbiesgirl
The Lying Game (HB) - Lisa Ard
SpiritBound (HB) - cvelazquez
Splendor (HB) - Melora

Winners of my Untraceable blogger appreciation (my way of thanking those who signed up to help in my blog tour and reviews)

1) a free book giveaway for your blog - DL Hammon
2) a 1 hour consultation with me about marketing or anything else Shannon ODonnell
3) a $10 Amazon card. - Mai Lee

Winners of Untraceable PreParty Buzz

1) One $10 Amazon card - Sheri Larsen
2) A stack of YA or MG books (you can choose) - Meredeth
3) A 1 hour consulting session with me for free (can be on writing, indie pubbing, marketing, etc) - Kate Hawkings
4) Query critique or one hour consultation (MG or YA) - Christina Farley

all winners email me at shelli@srjohannes.com for details and with an address

Bookanistas

Check out the Bookanista Posts today!

Christine Fonseca introduces some fabulous reads for 2012

Stasia Ward Kehoe takes a shine to A MILLION SUNS and UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Veronica Rossi adores EVERNEATH

Debra Driza is in a frenzy over LARKSTORM with giveaway!

Katy Upperman sings the praises of BEFORE I DIE

Shannon Messenger delves into DOUBLE with an arc giveaway

Indelibles - Join our Kindle Fire Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

The Indelibles are a group of 25 fun, fierce,

and fabulous indie authors who have banded together to support each other and the indie community.

In celebration of our official launch, we are giving away a KINDLE FIRE! (yes, I know we are a whole bunch of kewl!)

If you’d like to start at the beginning of the INDELIBLES ON FIRE GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP, then please start here for the details and rules.

====================

Yesterday, I talked about why I pulled this group of fun, fierce, and fabulous indie authors together. Simple. They supported me when I felt alone. When I was down and out. As soon as I announced Untraceable was coming out, a lot of these authors reached out to me and helped me figure out my way. Some, I met along the way and had an instant connection.

Today, we celebrate our launch with a Kindle Fire Contest, chats, and giveaways.

Kindle Fire Contest
This contest starts at 12:01 AM tonight, early Mon morning) and ends 12:01 AM EST (early Thurs morning). The winner will be posted here on this blog next Monday.

You have to do a couple things:

1) You have to follow the Indelible blog, twitter, and Facebook. (not so bad right?)

2) You have to get the SECRET PHRASE by getting the KEYWORD off each of our blogs. The first keyword is on the Indelible Post today. The keywords are easy to find. They are in bold at the bottom of every post. (we wouldn't make it too hard :)

3) Then, you fill out the form on The Indelible page and submit your entry.

For an extra entry - tweet about the contest!

Indelible Blog Hop

If you are already mid-hop, then welcome to your next stop! (If this is your first stop, please start here for the details and rules.)

The secret word and the next link to the next stop are at the end of this post.

Don’t forget to make a note of the keyword at the end of every blog post - the words spell out a phrase you will need to enter on the Indelible form.

Other Events

We are be having a “blogger” chat on Tues, Jan 17th from 8-9 EST.
We are also having a chat for all you writers/authors chat next Wed, Jan 18th from 8-9 EST to answer questions about self/indie pubbing along with some great giveaways.
Watch the Indelible blog Thursday or Friday for more details on the blogger and writer chat.

My Giveaway

I am giving away over 10 prizes: an Amazon gift card, an ebook and paperback of Untraceable, and a stack of YA books and arcs.

Sign up for my newsletter, twitter, and follow my author FB
Comment on this post that you did.
I will enter you based on your comment. This is on the honor system.

Note: Only followers of my blog can win. You must be in the US for any shipping of books; But, international readers can enter for the ebooks and Amazon gift card.

Blog Hop Word: AND

Next Stop in The Blog Hop is Cory

Have fun! :)

My Indelible Story

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

As some of you know, I decided to independently publish Untraceable last September - at a time when I was at my lowest point in my writing career. A time when a lot of people gave up on me. A time when I felt I had failed and had no writing future.

As I started embarking on the indie process, I found out more about the Indie community, (a community I didn't even know existed). I slowly began to realize how many wonderful, committed, and talented authors there were out there - doing what I was doing. Trying to find a way in an industry that we all loved.

And most of all, the indie authors embraced me completely - they were so helpful and supportive and they did not hesitate to take me under their wing and help me.

At a time when I felt so alone.

Over that time, I met 25 wonderful indie authors who I admired and connected with. I reached out to them and formed a support group where we all could benefit from each other's experience. Since last fall, we have banned together to support each other - through the long and often difficult process of indie pubbing - as well as help support other indie authors we meet along the way.

Well tomorrow - we launch that group - the Indelibles! The 25 authors included are listed on the side of the blog and they each have wonderful books to share with you (Books Page).

Launch Party Events

To celebrate the launching of this group, we are having a PAR-TEE!! :)

We are hosting a Kindle Fire giveaway this week.
We are doing a Blog Hop with tons of giveaways from each Indelible on each blog.
We are hosting a special Blogger chat this Wed 1/11 from 8-9 PM EST to discuss writing and books.
And we invite all of you to a special Writer Chat next Wed 1/18 from 8-9 EST to discuss any indie pubbing questions as well as offer more giveaways. (More deets announced Thursday).

Hope to see you there tomorrow! :)

IndieView: Susan Bischoff (Talent Chronicles)

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Today, Susan Bischoff stops by to talk about her indie experience:

Tell us about yourself

I’m just a girl who wants superhero romance! Is that so much to ask? Why must it always be a tragedy? Why does Angel walk away? Why did Wonder Woman go back home after the end of season 1 and WWII, then come back, work with Steve Trevor’s grandson, and still not hook up? Seriously! And let’s not even talk about Superman Returns, okay? Let’s. Just. Not.

Tell us about your Talented series

The Talent Chronicles is about teens with supernatural abilities in a world where those abilities are illegal. These are kids trying to figure out who they are, while at the same time trying to hide it to avoid arrest by a government agency. The series also has strong romantic elements--because that's what I like. So far, the series has been about a seventeen year old girl named Joss, who has been raised by a very protective dad who has discouraged her from making friends in order to keep her ability a secret. When a new girl at school decides to befriend her, and won't take no for an answer, Joss's world is opened up to new experiences, friends, a boyfriend--and a whole lot of trouble.

How did you get started on your self pubbed journey?

I had become frustrated with the negativity surrounding traditional publishing, to an extent that it didn't seem worth pursuing any longer, and I put writing aside entirely to concentrate on other creative pursuits. When I learned about ebook publishing from some writer friends, it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. I jumped in and went back to work.

What advice do you have for authors looking at self-pubbing?

Take your time and understand that it's probably going to take time to get where you want to be. Even most traditionally published authors support themselves in another line of work until they have several books published. So don't be upset when you can't buy a new house in the first year. Seems obvious, but somehow a lot of people seem to focus on a few uber-successful outliers and fail to realize there are outliers in any field. And also on the subject of taking time, take time to make sure you're putting out the best work you can. Find someone who will actually tell you what you need to know about your work instead of what they think you want to hear. There's nothing more valuable than a good critique.

What is next for you?

Right now I'm working on the third Talent Chronicles novel, Heroes Under Siege. Not sure when that's going to be ready.

What is your favorite word? What is your least favorite word?

My favorite word is enchanting.

Least favorite is a bit harder and what comes to mind is the word challenge used when it's really a problem.

What are your new years resolutions for 2012?

I call those New Year's Intentions--to take a bit of the pressure off. This year's Intentions include--but are not limited to--keeping my sink clear of dishes, writing more regularly and working on discipline rather than sporadic inspiration, spending more time with real life people, doing more with my daughter, keeping off the weight I've lost, and I have quite the list of decluttering Intentions.

You can follow Susan on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog

You can also purchase Talent Chronicles (Hush Money) at Amazon or B&N

Bookanistas - January Releases and Discover of the Witches GIveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:49:00 +0000

Updates

On the Bright Side Cover Reveal is Jan 18th. Vania at VLC_Photo shot it again and it will be adorable! The ebook releasing on Jan 31st. Paperback will follow in late Feb. If you are interested in being part of the blog tour for tween funny angel book. Please let me know here! :) I have to say reaching tweens is a huge challenge so I'm not sure how this will go but we will see.

I am a part of a new group called Indelibles - a group on 25 indie authors who are fun, fierce and fab. We launch on Monday and are having a contest for a Kindle Fire as well as a Blog hop with giveaway at over 15 blogs! Come back Monday and join us. There will also be a chat (yes and giveaways with us) for any writer who wants to learn more about indie pubbing on Wed Jan 18th from 8-9 est. Right before yalitchat. Hope to see you there! You can follow our group blog and twitter to get started on the Kindle Fire Giveaway.

Today's Giveaway - I have a new copy of Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Comment on this post and I will draw a name to win the new paperback. :)

Bookanista - Awesome Jan Releases!

There are some great books coming out this month:

Fracture by Megan Miranda - Jan 17th

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine
-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi - Jan 3rd! This week

Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty.

A Million Suns by Beth Revis - Jan 10th! (sequel to Across The Universe)

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

The Boy Project by Kami Kinard - (it just came out Monday!) (Middle Grade)

For anyone who's ever felt that boys were a different species....

Wildly creative seventh grader Kara McAllister just had her best idea yet. She's going to take notes on all of the boys in her grade (and a few elsewhere) in order to answer a seemingly simple question: How can she get a boyfriend?

But Kara's project turns out to be a lot more complicated than she imagined. Soon there are secrets, lies, and an embarrassing incident in the boy's bathroom. Plus, Kara has to deal with mean girls, her slightly spacey BFF, and some surprising uses for duct tape. Still, if Kara's research leads her to the right boy, everything may just be worth it. . . .

Full of charts and graphs, heart and humor, this hilarious debut will resonate with tweens everywhere.

What about you? Any new releases you are excited about?

Check out other Bookanista posts:

Elana Johnson offers musings on her Bookanista moments

Jessi Kirby

Stasia Ward Kehoe delights in FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB

Nikki Katz is crazy for ASHFALL

Debra Driza adores ANGEL FALL

Lila Roecker shouts for joy over SHATTER ME.

2012 Indie Book Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:57:00 +0000

Did you find a new Kindle, Nook, or iPad under the Christmas tree? Browse the 2012 Indie Book Fair and find a new ebook to break in that reader!

These great new books were released Nov 2011-Feb 2012 by Indie authors, priced right so that taking a chance on a new author doesn’t have to break your wallet. (Check out a previous Internet Book Fair for other great Indie finds.)

Head over to Susan Quinn's Blog for some steals and deals
including young adult fiction and anthologies.

Happy New year - 2011 recap and 2012 preview

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Hey guys - Happy New year!

First I want to thank everyone for all the support this year. wow 2011 was such a roller coaster ride - some ups and some downs.

I started the year with chronic vertigo, in acquisitions, down in book rejection, parted with my wonderful agent, gave up on writing, decided to put out Untraceable, then ended the year with wonderful new blogger friends (all of you), no vertigo, and wonderful sales for Untraceable (the book everyone told me would not sell). All backed by my wonderful family and friends who never wavered on their support for me and who were all healthy and happy.

Honestly? I could cry just talking about it all.

As promised, I wanted to update you on my sales since you all have taken this journey with me. I owe a lot of Untraceable's to you guys - all my blogger buddies who have supported me so openly and actively. So, as I promised I will share personal details. Let me say this is very hard for me to post b/c 1) I have no idea what is good or bad in this industry. I just know I'm doing beyond what I expected for me so that is all I can do. 2) I might be totally embarrassing myself if they aren't that great. and 3) what if everyone assumed or thought i would sell more? Oh well, this is great for me so I am focusing on that. Esp considering last year this time, I had sold none :)

So are you ready for my numbers??

Today - I am ranking #75 in children action and adventure and at about 1,500 in overall ebooks. Very good for someone small time like me.

Total sold = approximately 2,700 copies!

Smashwords - 44
B&N - 150
Amazon - 2257* (without amazon promotion 1000 copies = 1257)
paperback - 100 (as you can see this is a small percentage of my sales.

*Let me say that Amazon did run a special promotion on my book and put it for free for 2 days (while still paying me my royalty on 99 cents) and it really bumped my numbers. During that time - there were about 1000 downloads. It got my in top ranking and kept me there once price returned to normal. Since then it has been about 100 in sales a day. So in all fairness - this was not my doing. I had only sold about 600 prior to that promotion and 600 since. I have no idea why they chose me for this.

So again - if you don't count that 1,000 they got me - I only sold about 1,000 to 1,200 copies on Amazon for the month - still beyond my wildest expectations.

My Kindle Nation ad I told you about (that I purchased before my book came out for 170$) ran for 3 days the week before Christmas and was very successful. Enough to where I made back more than I put in my money. I think I sold about 150 copies that day plus it kept me in top 5,000 ebooks so if you are wondering - it is definitely worth the investment! So, I say do it.

2012 Untraceable Updates

I have several ads scheduled for Jan and Feb on pixel of ink ($170), bargain books for nook (free), frugal ereader (50$) and digital reader (free) = total of $210. My price is returning to its normal price at 3.99 this week so it will take me about 80 books to make that money back which I HOPE I can sell in Jan :)

I am on Untraceable book tour with the awesome Teen Book scene in January (yay) and with wonderful Katie at Mundie Moms the beginning of Feb. I never turn down a blog visit so feel free to email me if you would like me to visit your blog ;) (shelli@srjohannes.com)

My special edition of Untraceable - which will have the original ending - is scheduled for March.

Uncontrollable is scheduled for summer 2012. I will give you a hint. This time Grace encounters the endangered red wolves being reintroduced in North Carolina.

I am also working on a new project for late next fall.

On The Bright Side - my tween angel book is coming Jan 31st

The book is currently in copy edits.
If you have a blog that focuses on MG or tween, please sign up here :) I would be honored to visit on your blog.
The cover for the book was shot this weekend with Vania at VLC Photo - and it is amazon.
The huge cover reveal on Mon, Jan 16th. (yay!)

Indelibles Launch

I started a marketing/support group (similar to the Tenners) that consists of about 25 AMAZING Indie Authors. We will be officially launching on Monday, Jan 9th with fun giveaways. We will be having a "Blogger chat" on Jan 11th and a writer/author chat on 18th to answer questions on self and indie pubbing. So put those dates on your calendar and join us for a Q&A and giveaways. More info next Monday on 9th.

IN HIS EYES Anthology - scheduled for Feb 14th

This is a Valentine anthology from authors in the Indelibles. The anthology is a awesome collection of short stories - which are all from the POV of HOT male characters.(who can deny that??) My story will include Mo and his perspective on Grace. So check it out!

RT Convention - scheduled in April

I will be selling and signing books at the RT Convention in Chicago in April so come and see me if you live close by. :) More deets as it gets closer.

Blog Updates

I am redesigning my web site - so stay tuned.
I am also adding Tween Tuesdays where I will talk about tween books and tween marketing along with my tween book journey.
I will still be doing Bookanista posts on Thursdays and any IndieViews with Indie authors on Fridays.
Also - I will have a surprise post once every month (and you won't know when) - Blogger Appreciation Day - one day a month where I will feature a wonderful blogger who has support ed me and give away prices to you all - just to say thanks for your support.

The topics will not happen every week but these will be the daily themes. I promise I will do as much as I can. One HUGE pet peeve of mine is when authors/writers work hard to get a blog following, have bloggers help them launch a book, and then come back and say "they are too busy" to blog. THAT IS NOT ME AT ALL! So I will do as much as I possibly can to keep a special connection with all of you. No matter what is happening!

So, tell me - what are your plans for this year? Personal or writing wise? Any special events coming up for you?

Sneak Peek: On the Bright Side

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli (srjohannes)) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:07:00 +0000

Here is a sneak peek at the first two chapters of my tween angel book, On the Bright Side.

You can add it on Goodreads now and sign up for a free arc/blog tour here.

For more about this story's journey, go here.

Open publication - Free publishing - More angel