Writers Remedies

Google Sites Outperforms Blogger: Trouble with Google Adsense

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 09:58:00 +0000

I learned the tricks of web writing from Suite 101 before Google demolished it via the Panda algorithm. Now I write for myself, having several blogs and Google Sites.

I saw my earnings steadily increase with the quantity of content published. As can be seen from the screenshots, my sites comprise original content, have easy navigation and share useful information. They also get a fair amount of hits.

Left: my Google Site; Right: my blog.

However, no matter what I do, Google Sites always massively outperforms blogger.

Earnings from Google Sites are underlined in red; blogger in green

Google Sites is a free intranet site builder for businesses and for sharing knowledge. When I began writing, you could select to ‘share with the world’, so in effect, the Google Site is no different to any other website. It is public. You could also place Google Ads on Google Site pages.

However, Google in their wisdom, decided to ‘sunset’ Adsense on Google Sites in 2013. I was devastated at this news, as my Google Sites provided the lion’s share of my Adsense earnings throughout.

Having said this, Google announced they would not remove Adsense already placed. However, new Adsense codes cannot be added to new webpages.

I was astounded at why Google would do this.

Because new Adense codes could no longer be added to Google Sites, I abandoned these sites and concentrated on my blogs.

Three years have since passed.

And no matter what I do, Google Sites continues to radically outperform my blogs.

Poor earnings from Blogger compared to Google Sites

My blogs are bigger than my Google Sites, having hundreds of articles, all of which are original content. SEO, keywords and image tags have been used on all my articles, having a similar approach. By contrast, my Google Sites are small, having around 30 articles each.

And Google Sites continues to outperform blogger.

I have tried different ad placements on my blogs, trying out different sizes and formats, opting for ‘responsive’ and recently, page level ads.

These new ad codes cannot be added to Google Sites, because, as mentioned before, you cannot ad new Adsense codes to Google Sites. But my Google sites continues to reap more earnings.

I recently contacted Google about finding an alternative way of adding Google ads to Google Sites. A Google administrator offered to help, and I followed his instructions, but as can be seen from the screenshot, we hit a dead end.

Disappointed, I tried various other experiments, contacting Adsense and Blogger administrators for advice on how to make my Blogger level up with Google Sites in performance. I changed the background colors, removed and added gadgets, changed fonts and the layout.

Failure to add Adense to Google Sites

Nothing has made the slightest difference.

Google Sites continues to outperform blogger.

I decided to try out the other webuilding sites, including Wordpress, Wix and Weebly. But all have serious downfalls. Read about the trouble with Wordpress in my other article. Similarly, Wix and Weebly require a fee to use various features or if the site exceeds a certain size. Their plugins are also buggy with little quality control. I simply like writing, not learning about codes and conducting web fixes.

Yes, these templates might create ‘beautiful’ websites, but what is the point if the web-writer cannot make a living?

The features that require a fee on Wordpress, Wix and Weebly can be used for free on Blogger.

And I like free.

I also like blogger. It is easy to use, you can use all sorts of templates, colors and layouts, but I have a big problem with blogger.

Google Sites Continues to outperform Blogger.

Earnings from Blogger are pathetic compared to Google Sites

I wish Google would reverse their decision to sunset Adense on Google Sites. For reasons I cannot fathom (nor the Google administrators), these small Google Sites continue to provide the lion’s share of my Adsense earnings, and at present, I cannot find a platform to match the earnings they provide.

Perhaps the future might yield something else.

Page Level Ads on Blogger Error Message: Could not Load Template Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:06:00 +0000

Making money blogging has been made a little easier. Google’s page-level ads are a special type of Adsense code with two actions: They stick to the screen regardless of the scrolling action. These are known as anchor or overlay ads.

Page Level Ads on Blogger

The other type of ad, vignette ads, appears between pages. These take up the whole screen. Page level ads can be easily be dismissed. The great thing is that page level ads do not count towards your quota of 3 ad units per webpage. This could only mean more money for the blogger!

Money Making Tips for Bloggers

How to put page level ads on your Blog

I tried to implement the code into my blog template, but error messages kept coming up. Such as the following:

“Could not load template preview: Error parsing XML, line 5, column 15: Attribute name "async" associated with an element type "script" must be followed by the ' = ' character.”

Fellow bloggers may experience the same difficulty with a similar message which might spur the scratching of heads. However, I found a way of overcoming this problem. Here is my step by step instruction on how to place page level ads onto your blog starting from the beginning.

Select Page Level Ads for extra Adsense earnings

1 sign into your Google account which holds your blogs and your Adsense.

2 In your Adsense page, click on My Ads on the left hand menu.

3 Select ‘page level ads’.

4 Under ‘status’, select the 2 boxes from ‘0’ to ‘1’.

5 Scroll down to click ‘Get code’

6 Copy the code that comes up.

By simply pasting this code into your blog template will spur error messages. The code that I had used for my blog was:

Extra Adsense earnings

Which did not work.

To make page level ads work on your blog, you will have to paste the amended code found below, and place your unique 16 digit publisher id into the highlighted section as shown.

I had amended this code by simply following Google’s instructions.

Step by Step Adsense Guide for Blogging

Placing Adense code into Blog template

You can easily find your unique 16 digit publisher ID by clicking on the gear icon on the top right of your Adsense account. Select ‘settings’ and then ‘account information’. At the top, you will see your 16 digit publisher ID.

Simply place this publisher ID into the bolded section I have provided of the code.

7 Now go to your blogger dashboard and select the blog you wish to implement page level ads.

8 Click on ‘template.’

9 Click on ‘edit HTML’

10 Paste the code beneath the section of your blog. You should find on around line 5 or so.

You can preview the blog before saving changes to make sure the code does not show up on your blog.

If something goes wrong, don’t worry. Simply refresh the page without saving changes, and the changes will be lost.

Once you have successfully placed the page level ads code into your blog, you can view it on you mobile phone, tablet or other reading device.

Page Level Ads on Blogger Error Message: Could not Load Template Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 11:06:00 +0000

Page Level Ads on Blogger

Money Making Tips for Bloggers

How to put page level ads on your Blog

I tried to implement the code into my blog template, but error messages kept coming up. Such as the following:

“Could not load template preview: Error parsing XML, line 5, column 15: Attribute name "async" associated with an element type "script" must be followed by the ' = ' character.”

Select Page Level Ads for extra Adsense earnings

1 sign into your Google account which holds your blogs and your Adsense.

2 In your Adsense page, click on My Ads on the left hand menu.

3 Select ‘page level ads’.

4 Under ‘status’, select the 2 boxes from ‘0’ to ‘1’.

5 Scroll down to click ‘Get code’

6 Copy the code that comes up.

By simply pasting this code into your blog template will spur error messages. The code that I had used for my blog was:

Extra Adense earnings

Which did not work.

To make page level ads work on your blog, you will have to paste the amended code found below, and place your unique 16 digit publisher id into the highlighted section as shown.

I had amended this code by simply following Google’s instructions.

Step by Step Adsense Guide for Blogging

Placing Adense code into Blog template

Simply place this publisher ID into the bolded section I have provided of the code.

7 Now go to your blogger dashboard and select the blog you wish to implement page level ads.

8 Click on ‘template.’

9 Click on ‘edit HTML’

10 Paste the code beneath the Head. section of your blog. You should find on around line 5 or so.

You can preview the blog before saving changes to make sure the code does not show up on your blog.

If something goes wrong, don’t worry. Simply refresh the page without saving changes, and the changes will be lost.

Once you have successfully placed the page level ads code into your blog, you can view it on you mobile phone, tablet or other reading device.

How to Add Multiple Pen Names to Author Central on Amazon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 10:30:00 +0000

Every author must have an author page on Amazon, including pseudonyms. This free writer’s marketing tool enables fans and readers to find out more about you and your other books. You can use your existing Amazon account to create author central. Just log onto Author Central https://authorcentral.amazon.com

An author central is also available on https://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk. But the UK site does not presently allow a third pen name. I have emailed them to see if they will add it manually.

Adding Multiple Pen Names on Amazon

If you write under more than one pen name, you can create separate author pages from just one account. I write under my own name, and also have two other pen names. You can have up to three names under one account on Amazon.com.

If you write under more than three names, then it might be worth creating another Amazon account.

Here’s how to create more than one author page from author central.

Refer to images below for further clarification.

1 Log into Author Central.
2 On the panel above, click on ‘books’.
3 Now you can click on the tab, ‘add more books’ that appears just beneath the message ‘are we missing a book?’
4 The link enables you to find your book that you have written under a pen name.
5 When you find your book, click on the link ‘this is my book’.
6 A pop up box will appear. Click on the message ‘if you write under a different name let us know’.
7 Enter your new pen name.
8 Click ‘yes this is me.’

A new author page has been created.

How to Create Author pages for Multiple Pen Names

Creating an Author Page

You can now switch to different pen names via the drop down menu on the top right of the webpage. Your new author page will take up to 5 days to show up on Amazon, but in my experience has been quicker. Updates will show up almost immediately.

Author Central will add book manually or assist with further updates if you experience other problems.

With your new Author Page under a third pen name, you can add a photo, write a bio, add videos and add more books as you publish more.

Updates will show up immediately. It is a good idea to review your author pages periodically to ensure the bio is kept up to date. Customers can more easily discover your books as well as new titles.

Free Audio book from Audible The Shuttered Room

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 08:06:00 +0000

Feeling generous I am giving away 5 copies of my audiobook, the Shuttered Room on Rafflecopters. Just like my Charles Jay Harwood facebook page or tweet about the giveaway as shown on the sweepstake. The giveaway ends on June 22 2016 so don't miss out.

Free audiook the Shuttered Room from Audible

Audio books on Audible are worth around $25 or more, so audiobook lovers simply cannot afford to miss out. Even Audible members can save using their credits by getting this audiobook free. Don't miss out.

Simply like my facebook page provided on the link below or tweet about the giveaway.

Charles Jay Harwood Facebook Audible giveaway

Find out more about the Shuttered Room audio book on Audible

The Winners are Announced

Congratulations to the winners of this rafflecopters giveaway! Well done and thank you for entering. The winners have been notified. Look out for more giveaways on this site soon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free Audio Book Giveaways by Charles Jay Harwood from Audible

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 21:23:00 +0000

Win a copy of my audio book the Shuttered Room free from Audible. Enter simply by posting a link on Twitter or like my Facebook page via Rafflecopters sweepstakes.

This fantastic giveaway is a must for audiobook lovers.
Read more about the Shuttered Room on Audible

Or visit the Charles Jay Harwood Audible page to learn more my other thrillers.

Enter this great prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win my Audiobook

Charles Jay Harwood facebook page
Charles Jay Harwood twittepage

A quick review of the kidnap thriller up for grabs.

THE SHUTTERED ROOM

Little do they know their captive has a little secret.

Jessica Fraser would appear to have everything: money, a devoted husband, a lively son and a fulfilling career. But her life takes a nasty turn when she is taken hostage and incarcerated in an upstairs room by three thugs demanding a huge ransom from her rich father. In a bid to escape, she cuts a hole in the bedroom floor with a cutlery knife. From there, Jess observes the three of them going about their everyday business. That’s when she starts playing games with them. That’s when her spying pulls her into a treacherous psychological game with her abductors.

If only they knew what their hostage was up to. What would they do to her?

Look out also for other giveaways of my audiobooks which will be up for grabs from time to time. All are around 8 hours long and are worth $24 or (£16) each.

FALLING AWAKE

Insomnia can have the most sinister causes.

Gemma’s husband vanishes under mysterious circumstances leaving only a black contorted doodle and mysterious debts. But saving her home proves the least of her worries after Gemma earns urgent cash by performing routines for a mysterious chronic insomniac.

Voyeurism never hurt anybody.

The cause of his insomnia is another matter.

As the horrifying truth about her husband unfurls, Gemma’s paranoia about her voyeur takes its grip.

NORA

Her harsh brand of rehab hides a bitter secret.

Nancy is hurled into the world of celebrity when she finds herself performing a shoot for handsome but odious millionaire, Vince, as they walk from one of his nightclubs. But the seduction of this other world sours after Nancy learns the truth behind her fifteen minutes of fame.

That’s when Nancy is propelled into a nightmare where her alter ego is born.

Vince’s playboy lifestyle is about to be turned upside down. Hers will never be the same.

A HARD LESSON

Sarah thought she was teaching a schoolchild a little English.

How wrong she was.

Not only is her subject a full-grown thug, he is dyslexic, and part of a gang headed by a psychopath. And this psychopath doesn’t like people interfering with his business.

Soon, she will learn the meaning of treachery.

And fear.

These thrillers can also be found within my bumper audiobook Eclipse Quartet, 32 hours long.

Why I think Blogger is Better than Wordpress

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 14:25:00 +0000

Wordpress seems to be the platform to rave about. It’s the essential website design tool if you have a business, you are a celebrity or a media guru. But for those who simply want to share ideas and articles, I have found Blogger is much better. Here’s why.

Most of the features on Wordpress require you to sign up for a plan. Even the smallest thing such as the use of a font on your webpage. The message comes up: ‘purchase to use Typekit fonts on your site’. In other words, you have to sign up for Wordpress’s premium plan which requires a yearly fee. I don’t want to pay to use a font when I have already paid to use Word.

Which is Better Wordpress or Blogger?

On Blogger, you can use any font you want for free.

On Wordpress, you can’t custom the background colors of your site for free. You have to sign up for a premium plan to do so. I didn’t know colors had to be purchased. Are they copyrighted?

On blogger, you can use any background color you like. You can even upload your own image if you want.

Website Themes on Wordpress

There are a limited number of themes you can use for free on Wordpress. Many of them cost £50 up to £300 or more. The choice is endless on Blogger. You can use any theme you want on Blogger for free. And many look better than those on Wordpress that require a fee.

It is also possible to design your own website for free by using HTML and uploading it onto Blogger’s Google Drive, the first 15GB of which are fee. In fact, for every Gmail account you create, you get another free 15GB free webspace on Google Drive. The average small to medium sized website does not need to purchase a lot of storage space from a webhosting service to create a fantastic website, as suggested by Wordpress advocates.

Furthermore, you cannot adjust the widths of the Wordpress site (well, I haven’t figured out how yet) so if you want to fit a plugin, widget, or feature, on your Wordpress webpage, it may not fit on your page because you cannot adjust the widths. Is this also a feature that requires a premium plan sign up?

Does Wordpress Allow Adsense Codes?

My biggest issue with Wordpress is that you cannot input Adsense easily. With blogger, the webmaster merely has to create original content and don’t abuse the system. After a few months, Adsense will approve you. Once approved by Adsense, you can easily place Adsense ads on Blogger.

In my quest to find how to insert Adsense codes into Wordpress, I surfed Youtube and tutorials. All have failed to prove that Adsense can easily be implemented on Wordpress. Some of the tricks worked, others didn’t. I am not even certain that Wordpress allows Adsense.

But, it is possible to put Adsense into Wordpress pages because some webmasters have managed to do so. Some people use the ‘widget’ feature in Wordpress to paste the HTML code from Adsense. Other people go to ‘plugins’ to do it (a little reminder here that you can’t have the plugin feature unless you have signed up for a Wordpress plan). In other words, you cannot use the plugin feature to insert Adsense to make a few pennies, unless you pay for the feature. The exercise defeats the object.

In fact, there are a lot of features on Wordpress that are not free and, in my view, are not worth paying for.

Those who entitle YouTube clips and articles ‘How to Create a Website for Free with Wordpress’ often uses features on Wordpress that is not available on a free plan. So really, you cannot create a website that you really want for free on Wordpress.

Is Wordpress Free?

Wordpress is free, yes, so long as you don’t mind your site looking basic. Otherwise, you have to pay for features that are free on Blogger. Wordpress is mostly a locked door unless you sign up for a plan.

What I Think of Wordpress

For the business person, Wordpress might work out cheaper than using other platforms and paying for a website designer.

But for those who simply want to share articles, information, videos and images, many of the features on Wordpress demand a sign up for a plan to use basic features. These features are simply not worth paying for. And to make matters worse, Wordpress do not make it easy to garner a penny or two from Adsense.

Why Wordpress is Overrated

I have created a Wordpress website. At the moment it has few pages, and I am unlikely to add many more. But the experience of creating a Wordpress website has enabled me to make a comparison between Blogger and Wordpress.

Myths of Great Website Design

Finally, having a slick, professional looking website that compares to Apple or the Daily Mail is possible by using Wordpress. But a great looking website does not guarantee lots of traffic or subscribers. That comes down to interesting, original content, good use of SEO and marketing. So in fact, a fantastic-looking website created by using a WordPress theme might still have the sound of windrushes blowing through it.

This is why I prefer Blogger. It is low risk and mostly free. Every function on it is free, you can stick Adsense codes on easily, you can use any font you want, any theme you want, any colour you want and use any site width you want. And it has more features than Wordpress.

Patoss Magazine Reviews A Hard Lesson a Thriller with a Dyslexic Fictional Character

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 10:15:00 +0000

I am thrilled to see a book review of my psychological thriller A Hard Lesson in the summer 2015 Edition of Patoss Magazine. They have reviewed my novel because one of the main characters has dyslexia. I have yet to encounter any fictional character with dyslexia, but am sure they exist. According to Dyslexia Action, 1 in 10 people have dyslexia. But this does not seem to be reflected in fiction or the entertainment industry in general. This is a shame, as people with dyslexia tend to be more creative and think outside of the box.

Buy from Amazon

The Patoss Bulletin is a magazine for teachers and students dealing with specific learning difficulties. A book review section can be found in the back, which rates all manner of books and resources connected with different learning styles, as this magazine recognizes lateral thinking.

Fictional Character with Dyslexia

Here is what Patoss Magazine has said about A Hard Lesson:

“A psychological thriller which, after a slow burn start, reels the reader in to care for Sarah, the fledgling teacher. Shy yet tenacious, she learns the hard way how to help her dyslexic pupil, Josh who lives on the edge of criminality and is the link to his dysfunctional family’s secrets. The tense ending packs a surprise.”

This review can be found in Volume 28 No. 1 Summer 2015.

Having taught art for a few years, have encountered dyslexic students who really struggled with written tasks. I do feel that this condition remains generally unrecognized in society and wondered why dyslexia is not featured more in culture i.e., films and books? Surely, this would bring dyslexia more into the public eye rather than remain in the shadows.

But this was not the reason why I wrote A Hard Lesson. I conceived the story when I was seventeen, not with the intention of raising awareness of dyslexia. I simply wanted to create a formidable character with a perceived flaw. Josh’s dyslexia could pose a risk of him submitting to the criminal world, as he sees his life choices as limited. But Sarah, fueled by guilt of her dead brother, refuses to give up on her most difficult challenge. Incidentally, Sarah's brother is special educational needs (SEN) due to a difficult birth, causing severe learning difficulties. This equips Sarah with some understanding of Josh.

Research into Dyslexia for Fiction

Read more about how I conceived the story for A Hard Lesson.

A Hard Lesson by Charles Jay Harwood

Research into Dyslexia for my fiction novel

The Butterfly Effect in A Hard Lesson
Patoss online magazine

A Hard Lesson can be found on Kindle, paperback, large print and audible.

The Audiobook Reviewer Interview with the Narrator of Charles Jay Harwood Thrillers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 23:54:00 +0000

The Audio Book Reviewer gives narrators the opportunity to complete a questionnaire about their experience of book narration. Questions like how did you get into narrating audiobooks? Which narrators do you admire and what is the hardest part of narrating audiobooks gives food for thought for every narrator.

Mastering Audiobook Narration

Narrating and producing audiobooks is one of the hardest things I have ever done, particularly since I knew nothing about audiobook narration before taking up the challenge in 2015.

Challenges of Book Narration

But after filling in the questionnaire, have become aware of what I have learned after this challenge and the sort of style I have developed after narrating 7 audiobooks. Accents are tough to master, since I do not have a strong regional accent, despite coming from the Midlands. As every narrator must be aware, differentiating between characters is important, or the listener may not be sure who is supposed to be speaking. I have had to crack New York, Welsh, Cockney and others.

But the most difficult challenge I found is mastering the sound equipment from scratch. I had to learn mic technique as well as read up on how to use the hardware and the software. Experimentation was the most valuable lesson.

Mastering Sound Equipment

And then there was the sound booth to consider. I tried out various locations in the house to find the quietest room, and then built a basic sound booth, lined with blankets and a little acoustic foam. This created a dead space, where sound echoes and exterior noise can be eliminated.

But I have deleted hours of recording during the learning process and have listened to other audio book narrators to see how they have mastered the craft. I found I liked Stephen and Maya Angelou. Both have soothing voices that are easy on the ears.

It is important to eliminate anything that could be potentially annoying, such as noisy swallows, clicks or audible breaths. This ensures the listener will not be distracted from the story by the narrator.

Win a copy of audiobook Eclipse Quartet 4 Psychological Thrillers on Rafflecopter Sweepstake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 23:30:00 +0000

Audio book Giveaway

Win a copy of my audiobook Eclipse Quartet Four Psychological Thrillers by entering this sweepstake hosted by Rafflecopter. All you need to do is tweet me and subscribe to this blog. In return, you could receive a 32 hour audio book containing 4 thrillers.

View Eclipse Quartet on Audible.

Update. The winners have now been announced. Thanks to all for entering the prize draw!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to Use Twitter to Promote your Book

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 00:59:00 +0000

I don’t believe in purchasing followers on Twitter. What would be the point? All the followers on my Twitter page are genuine. There aren’t many at the moment, but quality is better than quantity.

The followers on my page are those I like to reach. Real people: authors, book lovers, audiobook narrators and book publishers. It is a given that Audible, ACX, Kindle and GoodReads are included. But individuals are important. Some wildcards that I simply find interesting are included; creative people from various sectors.

Posting Interesting Tweets

I am careful about what I post. I don’t spam and go on and on about my books. I will post an excerpt now and again, to keep my books in the feed, but I will also post useful tips about writing, how to market ebooks and other useful info, such as how to format large print books and how to fill in a tax return if the writer lives in the UK. As an avid reader, I will also post book reviews.

Sharing useful information will more often create interest in your Twitter feed. Interest equals curiosity and curiosity will lead to more visitors reading your blog and seeing your books.

Author Tweets

Tweeting useful information will get noticed. Someone is more likely to visit the link to a blog and have a read. Perhaps this might result in some subscribers and readers. All without spamming.

Sharing Tweets

I will post tweets with real people in mind, not just as a sales pitch and therefore will not repeat or go on about reading my books. I rarely direct message people unless the subject of the tweet directly relates to that person. I will always retweet and favorite someone else’s tweet if I find it educational or interesting.

I have quite a number of articles that could be useful to followers and I will rotate links to my articles. Now and again, I will post a link that relates to one of my books. I will retweet if I gain a large number of followers later to ensure they see my new content. Sometimes, I will create a meme or post a picture on my Twitter feed to add interest of capture attention. Some of my links will also lead to my YouTube clips where an excerpt of my audiobook can be sampled.

I will dedicate about two minutes or so to Twitter per day, no more.

Scheduling Your Tweets

Tweets can be scheduled months in advance. This means Twitter can post your tweets at a specified time. You can have a list of tweets prepared for when you go on holiday for instance. This will ensure your presence on Twitter will remain when you are away from the computer. In the end, gaining a genuine following through posting interesting and useful content will more likely create interest in your books. This is why I am careful not to over promote.

The Paradox of the Self Published Writer caught on the Web

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 09:49:00 +0000

The indie writer had become caught in a web within the Web. Yes, self publishing has created a revolution in the publishing world. Now anyone can publish their books online. And this is great, because the reason most writers write is because there are stories within the head vying for a way out. So the writer writes, edits, conceives a blurb and designs a book cover. And once the novel is complete, it is self published somewhere.

Getting Reviews isn't easy

Chances are, the book will be found on KDP Amazon, Smashwords, Createspace, GoodReads, Lulu and other such places. Every writer wants their work to be read. Not to be unread. Not being read is the writer’s nightmare. Not being read takes away the point of writing. Writers like to be read. After all, writing is about communication. Many writers even put their books out for free just to be read.

How Not to Get Your Book Read

Now what happens? Chances are, there will be a few or no sales because there are millions of books out there and you will remain undiscovered. So the writer surfs the Net for ways of getting readers. And customer reviews are gold.

Naturally, the writer might peruse Amazon itself, looking for threads where readers congregate, perhaps discussing books on a particular genre that matches yours. The writer might contribute in the hope of piquing interest in his/her book. A similar approach might be used for GoodReads and LibraryThing and other such sites where readers congregate. But after a while, the readers get annoyed, saying, butt-out, stop spamming us about your book. This thread is for readers, not for writers muscling in, trying to sell your sci-fi or erotica!

Where to Find Readers of Your Novel

And what else happens? New threads are set up just for writers to congregate, because they can’t annoy or spam each other, only offer advice about writing, book cover design and perhaps lick each other’s wounds if a negative review is posted.

The result? There are sites and threads only for readers and sites/threads only for writers. The two are separate.

The writer cannot get easy access to readers, the very group the writing is aimed at. And the readers remain oblivious to the writer’s existence.

This has happened everywhere. Self published authors are at risk of being burned by GoodReads, the Kindle Boards and discussion threads of Amazon. So the writer keeps away in fear of reprisals, perhaps of getting bad reviews for the behavior rather than the quality of the book itself. Having said that, GoodReads is great for keeping a log of books I have read, but do little in the way of promoting my books there.

Causes of Bad Book Reviews

But this polarization of writers and readers is no doubt due to the bad behavior of the few, giving the majority of self published authors a bad reputation. I have learned the lesson by proxy, seeing other writers getting burned for over promoting their work online.

With this realization, the self pubbed writer gets caught on another web. Social media. The writer cannot spam himself, so he sows the seeds around the Net hoping to get noticed. Twitter, Facebook, GooglePlus, Linkdin, YouTube, Blogger and more. And yes, I have created such accounts myself for the same reason.

Rather than spending the time writing which is the writer’s prime passion, the writer falls down the rabbit hole of social media. Yes, such-and-such loves writing crime too and has favorited your comment. You have ten thousand followers. Perhaps you will buy another ten thousand to look more popular.

But where is the humble notebook and pen during all of this? In the drawer collecting dust along with your creative juices.

The self published writer is caught in a web on the Web where readers and writers are polarized and the jaws of social media are waiting to consume all your time. Getting noticed as a self published writer is now harder than ever. And here I am, blogging and tweeting this post within the paradox.

But here is something the self published writer should always remember...

The off switch to the computer is just few a inches away. And that notebook and pen is still in the drawer.

Where do I Put My Adsense Adverts for Most Ad Clicks?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 11:34:00 +0000

Write great articles with lots of traffic, yet your Adsense sucks. Why? You haven’t optimized your affiliate ads to the best effect. Who wants to look at a page that is cluttered with affiliate ads? The key to a money making article is to place your ads discreetly on your web page, yet entice the reader to click through. Here are some tips on how to get the most of your Adsense.

Adsense Heat Map. Hot is Good

Think of the visitor first. Make sure your webpage, whether hosted on a blog or other website offers something valuable the visitor is looking for. This might be vital information or advice on finding the best services. An example is how to format your own book or where to find the best formatting services for book design if you do not wish to do this yourself.

The image represents the general rule of thumb of Adsense hotspots. Hot is good, cool, not so much. But one size fits all is to be avoided. Experiment with your Google ad placements and shift your ads around to prevent 'ad blindness' of your visitors.

Good Keywords for Adverts

Using keywords in your article will trigger ads that contain these keywords, which might simply be ‘Book Formatting Services’ or ‘How to Format my ebook’. This is called contextual advertising.

Don’t worry if your article does not trigger contextual adverts, as some articles will not contain such keywords. However, people will stick with your interesting article for longer and possibly click on a non-contextual ad they find interesting whilst reading your post.

Ad types, sizes and placement on your page will have a huge effect upon your Adsense earnings. There are basically 2 types of ads: media rich, which comprise images and graphics, and text only links. Enabling both types will encourage more business to bid on your space, and encourage bigger clicks, so don’t block any ad type.

click to buy from Amazon

Remember the visitor to your page is also a human. Don’t bombard your page with huge ugly ads that compete for attention, pop ups and jazzy colors. Always ‘blend’ or ‘match template’ when adding your Adsense units.

People tend to read from left to right rather than vertically. This means that banner ads or horizontal link ads tend to perform a little better than skyscrapers. Square ads are good, as these will fit anywhere. I have used large rectangle (336x280) but you can also try square (250x250).

Best Place for Ad Placement

A good place for place Adsense is at the top of the page or ‘above the fold’ as a leaderboard or wide banner, as can be seen here. I have used large leaderboard (970x90). But you can also try half banner (468x60) to fit your page. Billboard (970x250) I think is ugly. I have tried it and it didn’t perform well.

Best Ad Placement for Blogger

A good place to put ads is within the article itself, but is not possible with Blogger, as can be seen on this page. However, I still manage to get good click through rate by smart art placement. For instance, you will find link units within links to my other articles which work in harmony with the look of the page. I have used 160x90 and 180x90 buttons but you can also try wide button or horizontal row.

Tips for Ad Placement on Blogger

Make sure your ads fit with the content of the page. Try out different sizes so the webpage looks smart and neat. Skyscrapers fit nicely within the navigation bar. 120x600 or 180x600 are most commonly used. The wide skyscraper will perform a little better, but don’t sacrifice the look of your page in favor of sticking so-called good performing ad units on your page. If it doesn’t fit or it looks horrible don’t use it.

Don’t use more than three ad units per webpage, or the excess will not display on your page, leaving ugly blank spaces. However, you are allowed three ad units and three link units per page. Something I didn’t know until recently.

Don’t Want to Make Money Blogging? Checklist of Mistakes to Avoid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 12:22:00 +0000

I have been blogging for seven years and have seen many myths written on the internet about how to make money blogging. Here is my personal list of mistakes you cannot afford to make if you want to make cash blogging:

Don’t write about something you don’t care about. Your blog will fail after 3 months max, even if the subject purports to be lucrative.

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Don’t spend lots of time on social media and such stuff. Twitter, Facebook and Linkdin will not earn you cash directly, only bits of traffic now and again and will eat at your valuable writing time.

Don’t clutter your blog with gadgets that are going to slow you pages down. The reader will click away after getting bored. Attention span is microseconds on the Internet.

Don’t write about something timely such as SmartPhones and the latest gadgets. Such subject matter will be yesterday’s news before you know it and traffic to these pages will die before you know it.

Don’t write about something that is already covered by the big sites. For instance, film reviews or gift ideas for Valentine’s Day. I have written articles about these things and you can almost hear the bulrushes drift across these deserted pages. Write about something no one else is writing about.

Keep the design of you blog simple with obvious navigation. Don’t go too heavy with images and gizmos. Don’t get obsessive about how ‘pretty’ your blog is. It won’t earn you money. I detest pop ups and will immediately click off.

You don’t have to keep blogging every day. Your blog can be a sweatshop of hundreds of articles with little cash to show for. Look for questions that are constantly being asked on the Net. Carefully select the questions that fall within your expertise. Answer these questions to the best of your ability.

Don’t get obsessive over SEO. I have researched extensively on the money matrix, long tail keywords and high paying keywords, yet it is my articles that I have written in a rush without much thought for these things that seem to get the biggest traffic. Why? Because I have answered questions lots of people are asking. Listening is the key to a successful blog.

Making Cash Blogging

Make your blog interesting that will encourage visitors to engage. Have an email list, be friendly, polite and give things away. People will keep subscribing. BUT WATCH OUT. The mere numbers of subscribers will not necessarily earn you cash.

The bottom line? When it comes to earning clicks from Adsense, traffic is the key to getting clicks. The bigger the traffic, the more likely the clicks. Getting traffic to your blog is possible without making the mistakes outlined above.

Producing an Audio Book is Harder than Painting the Mona Lisa

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 19:36:00 +0000

In my experience, and I have done both. With audio book production, much can go wrong and often does. I shall relate to painting Da Vinci’s masterpiece at the foot of this article.

I started producing audio books in January 2015 knowing nothing about sound equipment and learned everything the hard way from scratch. Here’s what I learned:

Don’t Go Cheap on Audio Equipment

Sound Editing for Audio Books

Initially, I brought an off-the-shelf condenser mic that gave a tinny edge to my voice and recorded plosives no matter what I did (even with a pop filter and standing some feet away). I sent it back and went for the Rode which solved everything. It gives a warm, clear sound and it comes with its own pop filter – studio standard. You can’t go wrong with a Rode microphone.

My Scarlett Solo interface, PC and Audacity free sound editing software and my homemade recording booth (fashioned from a table stood on its side, covered with duvets and lined with acoustic foam) meant I was good to go

Or so I had thought.

I didn’t bank on the following:

Being Patient for the Quiet Moments

Few people can afford a soundproof room, so I had to sit for endless minutes waiting for aeroplanes to make their transits. And this includes tractors, lawnmowers, birds chirping and rush hour traffic. Sometimes you have to pack your gear away and wait for a quieter time or simply wait. In my case, I found myself recording in the evenings.

Be Careful with the Noise Removal

Noise removal is a handy tool on Audacity that enables you to remove unwanted background noises, such as fridges, traffic or rain. Going too heavy on the noise removal can ruin your vocal recording. Sometimes, background noises can sneak into your recording and noise removal can work wonders so long as the sound frequency does not overlap your vocal range, otherwise, it can make your voice sound weird – chirpy. It is better to record again when it is quieter than to overuse the noise removal. I wasted hours of recording time getting to grips with noise removal.

Atmospheric Conditions During Recording

The sensitive mic will be affected by atmospheric conditions, such as humidity and temperature. The Rode doesn’t not seem to like cool damp air. It prefers warm and dry. Atmospheric conditions will affect the recording in subtle but noticeable ways.

The mic also needs space! OK so you don’t want unwanted echoes that result from a large room with hard surfaces, but don’t place the mic in an overly-enclosed space, or the recording will sound ‘clothy’ or claustrophobic, losing some clarity. I place my mic at least a foot from any surface within my rather cramped acoustic booth. This lesson cost me hours of recording.

Vocal Techniques

Accents are hard to master. I had to listen to hours of YouTube clips and practicing sounding out the nuances of dialects. Don’t go heavy on the accent, or it will sound like a parody. Not every word has to illustrate the accent, only certain syllables.

The voice gets tired after an hour or so of recording. That’s it. You can’t force it, it’s not a machine. You have to rest it, show respect. Keep healthy, hydrated and rested. Again, put the gear away and start again tomorrow.

Time Consumption of Sound Editing

For every hour of recording, expect at least three hours of sound editing. You have to edit out outtakes (and there will be plenty), plosives, clicks, unwanted background noise and lots more. You also have to fine-tune the pauses between sentences to attain the desired pace of the audio book narration.

Editing the Book

Saying sentences aloud will expose issues with writing style. You have to cut long sentences to permit the breath, cut repetitive sentences that result in a monotonous passage, or stilted sounding dialogue. Read aloud before recording.

Is Narrating and Producing Audio Books Hard?

Mona Lisa in Progress

Things go wrong for no explainable reason. Sometimes the recording is awful and who knows why? You have to do it again another day.

Painting something as difficult as the Mona Lisa means you can paint over mistakes, build and improve the painting through layers. It is a skill that requires dexterity of hand and visual astuteness. Audiobook production requires a spectrum of skills. Editing skills, a good voice, the ability to tackle accents, to be a sound engineer, to have a keen ear, to troubleshoot, to have an instinct for pace. And what about audiobook cover design and marketing? The list goes on.

A painting can be salvaged. A horrible recording has to be scrapped and started from scratch. It’s tiring, complicated, frustrating and anything but therapeutic, but I am glad I did it. Audio book creation has been a momentous experience and I have learned a lot. My new found skills can be used to many other uses.

How to Make the Most of Audible Credits when Purchasing Audio Books

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 17:16:00 +0000

Purchasing audio books from Audible offers a choice of plans. You can have one membership credit per month for the upload of one audio book, or two credits for two. You may opt to purchase audio books one-off without being a member of Audible at all, but this means purchasing the book for its listed price, which can be very costly. But there are ways of getting more out of Audible credits than first impressions. Here’s how.

Make the Most of Audible Credits

Make the Most of Voucher Codes on Audible

Audible will use various means of enticing the audio book lover to sign up for a membership plan, one such way is to offer free membership for the first 30 days.

If you decide to sign up for a membership plan, you can go for £7.99 per month for 1 credit (or one audio book), or 2 credits, £14.99 (or two books) per month. One membership credit allows you to upload any audio book, regardless of its price or length. This is interesting to note, as the writers of tomes such as Stephen King and Dan Brown can provide many hours of listening for one credit. Retail price for these lengthy audio books often exceed £20 (around $30).

Some books are in excess of 40 hours long. That doesn’t means to say they are interesting or to the listener’s taste, but some comprise complete story collections, such as the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes or other classic travel stories.

You can exchange any audio book you don’t like, no questions asked within one year of purchase. According to Audible, it doesn’t matter if you have finished it or not, whether you actually liked it or not, or whether you have even listened to a single sentence. You can exchange it. This does not bode well for audio book producers like me, but great for the Audible member. Once you have exchanged that book, you can no longer leave a book review.

Free Audio Books on Audible

You don’t have to look far to find authors begging for reviews of their audiobooks for a free listen. On completion of an audio book, ACX, (a marketplace where authors, narrators and producers can get together to produce audiobooks) will dish out vouchercodes. These are complementary codes that on redemption gives the Audible member a free credit.

Go to Goodreads, Twitter, author blogs or Linkdin to discover authors touting their vouchercodes for a free listen in exchange for a review.

It is also worth making a regular check of Voucher Code Sites such as Voucher Box, My Voucher Codes or Wow.com where you can spot Audible promotions and deals for a vastly discounted price, for instance, a 3 month membership for 99p per month.

But why not have an equivalent of NetFlix, where members can listen to as many audiobooks as they want for the membership subscription? Well, Audible has no competition as it is the largest audio book provider in the world, but things can change. Maybe Audible will do so in the future. Who knows? And the system can do away with ‘credits’ and simply pay a subscription to listen to a whole bank of audio books.

Ten Audiobook Recording Mistakes to Avoid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 22:10:00 +0000

I produced audio books myself and learned lessons the hard way, wasting hours of recording needlessly. But have picked up invaluable tips on audio recording that will bode well in the future. Here are ten invaluable tips on audiobook production.

1 Get the best audio microphone you can afford. I wasted money on a standard condenser mic that picked up plosives even with a pop filter and gave a tinny sound to my voice. I sent it back and opted for the Rode condenser mic that comes with a studio quality pop filter with XLR cable. It also gives a nice, warm clear sound. Ideal for book narration.

2 Get familiar with your audio kit. I used a Scarlett solo audio interface, Audacity, my PC and good quality headphones. Read the instructions, play with it, experiment and get to know it inside out. Audacity is easy to use, but has a lot of tools to get familiar with. Don’t start audiobook narration until you know how to get the best out of your audio kit.

3 Go easy on the noise removal! Noise removal is a handy little tool that removes unwanted background noise, which might be the general hush of distant traffic or the hum of a fridge. A room with a low noise floor is preferable in which to record (a quiet room). Too much noise removal will not only strip the background hush, but could also strip away that same noise frequency that happens to exist in your voice, making it sound weird or chirpy.

4 Beware of echoes from a room with harsh surfaces. Some audiobooks behold narrators that sound as though they have stuck the mic in a bathroom. Find a closet and line it with towels or duvets. You can buy acoustic foam, possessing textures that will break up the sound, minimizing echoes. On the other hand, don’t put cloth too close to the mic. The mic needs space to breathe. Place the mic roughly in the center of the room, not too close to surfaces.

5 Don’t record if your voice has had enough. I find my voice will get huskier if I have been recording for over an hour. Don’t push it, for the fatigue will show in the recording. Rest the voice between sessions. Avoid factors that will irritate those vocal chords: cold air, stress, smoking, alcohol, late nights and mucus-producing foods (like dairy). Allow your voice to recover before the following session.

6 Listen to the recording and you will find your voice will sound different to what you expect. I noticed an unwanted Brummy brogue would sneak in some of my narration when tired. Also when doing a male voice, the pitch of my voice would get higher without my realizing. Grow consciously aware of how your voice sounds during recording. Re-record until you get it right.

Get the Best Mic for Audio

7 Before mastering your recording, keep a copy of the original recording in case something goes wrong. I find extra presence can be added to the sound of the voice by ‘dipping’ the middle trebles a little in equalization and enhancing the base and top frequencies (but not too much). Experiment until satisfied. Audacity allows you to save and name any settings.

8 Be prepared to re-write sections of the script if something sounds wrong. When spoken aloud, some of my dialogue sounded a little unnatural. I re-wrote it until it sounded right. Practice reading the script before recording to ensure it sounds good when read aloud. I edited my books heavily as a result of reading aloud during audio book production.

9 Don’t do an accent you can’t ‘feel.’ It will sound wrong. When picking up a dialect, listen to it (YouTube clips are full of people speaking in different dialects.) Say the words aloud. If it doesn’t come easily, allow a couple of days for the accent to ‘sink in’ during practice. Don’t overdo the accent or it will sound parodied. Subtle is the key. Not all words spoken aloud will exhibit an accent.

10 Don’t edit the recording when tired or you will miss mistakes. Little things like clicks resulting from a dry mouth or a mispronounced word will slip by. Be vigilant when editing and mistakes are less likely to sneak into the final audio book.

Get Four Audiobooks for One Audible Credit: Eclipse Quartet by Charles Jay Harwood: Four Psychological Thrillers of Abduction, Blackmail and Obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 09:22:00 +0000

Audible listeners can get four audio books for 1 credit, or in other words, over 32 hours of listening time of this fabulous audio book which consists of 4 psychological thrillers: the Shuttered Room, Falling Awake, Nora and a Hard lesson. Look out for this audiobook as it will be released in early October 2015. Imagine, getting all this listening time for one membership credit!

Thirty Two Hour Long Audio Book

Click to buy from Audible

Eclipse Quartet consists of 4 full length thrillers, which are on average 8 hours long. Professionally narrated and edited for Audible, these thrillers provide the perfect opportunity to upload four audiobooks for one Audible membership credit. All thrillers are also available singly for those who purchase without using Audiobook units.

Make the Most of Audible Listener Credits

The seasoned audiobook listener will know that Audible offers 2 subscription plans: upload an audiobook a month for one membership credit or 2 books per month for 2 membership credits. The second plan works out a little cheaper per audiobook. The astute listener will of course want to use these Audible credits wisely, (although Audible will refund the credit if the listener does not like the book, within one year without question). That said, Audible are wary of members abusing the system.

Have a listen to the book synopsis of this thriller.

Use Audible Credits

I asked myself what I would look for if I was a member of Audible, and the answer was to make the most of each of my membership credits. This is why I created a compilation of four thrillers in one big audiobook. Imagine getting four full length thrillers for one Audible credit? Over thirty-two hours of thrilling listening for one membership credit. Ideal for the bored commuter or the fitness fanatic who loves psychological thrillers.

Audio Book More than Twenty Hours Long

These four thrillers took me around twenty years to write and ten months to produce. A mammoth task. A brief summary of each thriller can be found below:

The Shuttered Room: 7 Hours 30 Minutes

Eclipse Quartet opens with a story of abduction: the Shuttered Room.

Little do they know their captive has a secret.

Jess Fraser would appear to have the perfect life; daughter to rich parents, married with a son and a successful career. But her life takes a nasty turn when she is abducted and held in an upstairs room by 3 thugs. What they don’t know is that Jess is not what she appears. After a failed escape attempt, she cuts a hole in the bedroom floor from where she spies upon her captors below. That’s when she starts playing little mind games with them.

Falling Awake: 9 Hours Long

Imagine how it might feel to be attracted to someone who seems to possess a disturbing psychological contortion?

Gemma performs routines for an unseen insomniac voyeur to earn quick cash to save her home from sinister moneylenders. Not only does she have to unravel the puzzle of a disturbing doodle her missing husband has left behind, she has to protect her disabled son from the seedy truth about her evening commission.

She eventually finds herself trapped by her obligation to someone she fears most.

And her voyeur is not what he seems.

Nora: 7 Hours Fifty Minutes

Nancy finds herself performing a media shoot with obnoxious playboy millionaire, Vince as they walk from one of his nightclubs. The seduction of this other world turns sour after she overhears Vince make a dirty bet with his PA about her fifteen minutes of fame.

What she doesn’t realize is that the evening is about to end in a nightmare that will unleash her alter ego.

Her life will never be the same.

A Hard Lesson: Eight Hours

Eclipse Quartet closes with this final thriller, A Hard Lesson.

A teacher takes on the pupil from hell only to learn what treachery means.

Sarah thought she was teaching a young schoolchild a little English. But to her horror, finds her subject to be full-grown thug with dyslexia and behavioral problems. Not only that, but he is member to a criminal clique headed by a psychopath.

And this psychopath doesn’t like people messing with his business.

Meek Sarah is about to uncover the murky truths about her pupil’s family as well as a web of

Thrilling Audiobook

manipulation.

Eclipse Quartet: 4 Psychological Thrillers by Charles Jay Harwood Thrilling Audiobook on Audible

This four in one thriller audiobook is not to be missed! Get four full length psychological thrillers on Audible for one membership credit. Over 32 hours of listening time. To be released in early October 2015.

Get Free Audio Books from Audible with Money Off Voucher Codes and Listen to Psychological Thrillers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 10:22:00 +0000

Want to listen to audiobooks for free? Find Audible voucher codes here to redeem full length thrillers by Charles J Harwood. Each book is around 7 to 8 hours long, providing value for money listening for free.

Get These Thrillers Free on Audible

A star rating or an audio book review is that that is requested in return. Simply leave a message on this blog, Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads and I will provide the avid audiobook listener a vouchcode for the thriller book of your choice.

How to Get Free Audio Books on Audible the Simple Way

When an audio book has been released, Audible will provide the audio book producer free voucher codes that can be given away in return for a star rating or review. I have audio book voucher codes for both Audible.com and Audible.co.uk for all of my books. Here’s how to get free audible books.

How to redeem voucher codes on Audible couldn’t be simpler. Once you have been supplied with a voucher code for the Charles J Harwood thriller of your choice (each code comprises a long stream of letters and numbers):

1 Sign into your Audible account.
2 Browse to the Charles Jay Harwood book of your choice on Audible.
3 Add the audiobook to your basket.
4 Beneath the book details, you will find a prompt asking if you have a promotional code. Enter the audiobook promotional code and click ‘apply code’.
5 You will notice one credit will be added to your account (in a little box near the top of the page). 6 Now you can use the credit to get the book free. Simply tick the box next to ‘1 credit’ to redeem it then update the page to apply the credit.
7 Once you have clicked ‘update’, the price of the audiobook will change to £0.00 (or $0.00 if resident of the US).
8 Now proceed to checkout and you will see your free audiobook in your library. You can listen to it via the cloud or download it to your computer and listen to it on your chosen device. It’s as simple as that.

Get Free Talking Book Downloads from Audible

The idea of Audible promotional voucher codes is to enable the audiobook producer to garner reviews and star ratings from avid audio book listeners. However, I shall not chase up audiobook listeners if a rating is not left, but hope my books provide an entertaining listen. The idea is to give away as many codes as possible to increase the chances of a review or rating of being left. Free MP3

Audio Books with Money Off Voucher Codes

Get free promotional voucher codes from Audible by contacting me on this blog, Facebook, Twitter (scroll down to find links) or look me up on Goodreads. Find a short précis on what each of my thrillers are about:

THE SHUTTERED ROOM

Little do they know their captive holds a deadly secret.

Jess is taken hostage and incarcerated in an upstairs room by three thugs holding her to ransom. In a bid to escape, she cuts a hole in the bedroom floor with a cutlery knife. From there, Jess observes the three of them going about their business. That’s when she starts playing games with them.

That’s when her spying pulls her into a treacherous psychological game involving a twisted version of Stockholm syndrome.

FALLING AWAKE

Insomnia can have the most sinister causes.

Gemma’s husband vanishes under mysterious circumstances leaving a black contorted doodle and mysterious debts. But saving her home proves the least of her worries after Gemma earns urgent cash by performing routines for a chronic insomniac.

Voyeurism never hurt anybody. The cause of his insomnia is another matter. As the horrifying truth about her husband unfurls, Gemma’s paranoia about her voyeur takes its grip.

NORA

Her harsh brand of rehab hides a bitter secret.

Nancy is hurled into the world of celebrity when she finds herself performing a shoot for handsome but odious millionaire, Vince, as they walk from one of his nightclubs. But the seduction of this other world sours after Nancy learns the truth behind her fifteen minutes of fame.

That’s when Nancy is propelled into a nightmare where her alter ego is born. Vince’s playboy lifestyle is about to be turned upside down. Hers will never be the same.

A HARD LESSON

Sarah thought she was teaching a schoolchild a little English. How wrong she was. Not only is her subject a full-grown thug, he is dyslexic and part of a criminal clique headed by a psychopath.

And this psychopath doesn’t like people interfering with his business. Soon, she will learn the meaning of treachery. And fear.

Thrilling Audiobook The Shuttered Room by Charles Jay Harwood a Talking Book on Kidnap

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 11:39:00 +0000

This talking book on kidnapping relates on a rich girl trapped in a room by three nasty thugs.

This psychological thriller delves into the disturbing experience of a woman who plays mind games with her kidnappers via a spy hole in the ceiling. But her hopes of driving a wedge between her captors do not go to plan.

Psychological Thriller Audiobook on Kidnapping

Click to Buy from Amazon

Jess, the central character finds herself locked in an upstairs room while her captors negotiate the ransom demand. But having been raised in a sterile, money-orientated environment, we learn Jess has been twisted by her unloving parents. The result is that she has an odd psychological quirk that causes her to play a dangerous mind game with her hosts.

Audio Book on Kidnap

Her episodes are triggered after she cuts a little hole in the bedroom floor with a cutlery knife in a failed bid to escape imprisonment. Instead, she gains access to her abductors’ private lives via a spyhole in the living room ceiling. At first, she makes fun of her hosts to while away the hours, but as her spying becomes obsessive, she finds her own state of mind in peril when she grows rather too intimate with the psychological states of three dangerous criminals.

Have a listen to an audio sample of this thriller.

Thrilling Talking Book on Abduction

The Shuttered Room thriller has been through major revisions during its adaptation into an audiobook, and these changes have now been reflected in all editions. This thriller is now available in large print, Kindle, paperback and audiobook.

The Shuttered Room can also be found in a 4 in 1 audio thriller bundlebook, Eclipse Quartet: 3 Psychological Thrillers. This 32 hour long audio book can be attained for just 1 audible credit.

This is my third audio book but is my first adaptation of a full length thriller into audio. Narrating an audiobook is a mammoth task, not least because of the different characters and the emotional states of each, as well as hours of recording.

The Shuttered Room audiobook can be found on Audible, Amazon and Itunes for download.

Read about other novels by Charles Jay Harwood or view my audiobooks on Audible.

Release of Audiobook Blood and Water Three Short Stories by Charles Jay Harwood

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 22:46:00 +0000

My first audiobook Blood and Water 3 Short Stories has just been released as an audiobook on audible.com, Itunes and Amazon. Learning how to produce talking books has been an interesting experience, involving experimentation, research into the best recording equipment to use and the craft of using the voice.

A First Audio Book

Click to Buy from Amazon

My first talking book consists of three short stories told via different voices and attitudes: a young girl running away from home, a middle-aged man, stuck in a dead-end job and a boy with learning difficulties. This meant thinking about using different voices to reflect the viewpoint of the narrator. The three stories, by the way, are entitled Blood and Water, Dead Letter Room and What Simon Knows. Each story lasts roughly ten minutes, bringing the total recording time to just over half an hour.

The Recording Experience

The setup was kept as simple as possible: an audio interface with two outputs. I used Scarlett Solo with large diaphragm condenser mic and pop screen. A small space was used for the recording in a location away from the busy road at the front. To rid of sound reflections, soft fabrics were used around the walls. This would create a dead-sounding space. Audacity free sound editing software was invaluable for editing the recording. A PC was used to wire the whole arrangement together.

Teething problems were inevitable – plosives for one. The mic was moved in different positions and a pop filter used, but plosives continued to sneak through. I also learned not to compress the recording too much, or the voice could sound horribly metallic. A lot of trial and error took place over the first few weeks.

Journey into Recording an Audiobook

The recording took around a month, as test recordings took place. The mere shifting around of the mic affected the sound of the voice, and experimentation informed on how best to position the mic in relation to the speaker. The script was read through several times before the final recording was submitted to Audible.

Audible were very helpful, providing feedback for a sample recording. This was used before the chapters were uploaded onto Audible. The final lesson learned was to be patient. Audible take a week or so to process your audiobook before it appears for sale.

On the whole, producing an audiobook is a great experience. Look out for other audio books by Charles J Harwood to follow in due course. In the meantime, find articles to help other hopeful audio book narrators on what I learned during my experience in recording my first ever audiobook.

What I Learned about Recording Audio Books

Ten hot tips for audiobook narration
The best mics for recording audiobooks
How to prepare the script for audio book recording
A cheap recording studio
Convert your Wav files to MP3 for Audible

Best Free Audio Editing Software for the Voice Artist Recording Audiobooks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 12:16:00 +0000

Free sound editor software can be found to suit the needs of any audiobook narrator wishing to master the sound recording of the talking book. But which free sound editing software is best for recording a single voice?

A Cheap Home Recording Studio for Talking Books

Audacity, WavePad, Cubase, Protools
and Ableton Live Sound Editors

There is an array of fantastic sound editing software for the audiobook narrator wishing to master the recording of a vocal. Some boast many features such as special effects, musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) for processing data of many different signals at once. You can even change the color code and appearance of the dashboard from where you are working.

Examples of such software include Audacity, ProTools, WavePad, Adobe Audition, AVS Audio Editor, SoundForge, Ableton Live Lite and Steinberg’s Cubase.

Free Sound Editing Upload

This all sounds well and good, but when choosing the best recording software for vocal narration, there are a few things to bear in mind:

The sole demand of the software is to process the sound of a voice. Unless you belong to a band or want to create special sound effects for a movie clip, the additional features are likely to be unused. Furthermore, the sound files of an audiobook are often required to be in mono, not stereo. This means a single track of recording will be the only requirement for upload onto a talking book platform. When it comes to audio software, I prefer the simple ones that are easy to use and are also free. In this regard, Audacity is highly recommended.

When it comes to mastering audio, all the voice artist needs are:

A cut and paste facility that enables the deleting of outtakes, increasing pauses and shifting the pace of the narration where required.

Equalizing Sound Engineering

A good equalizer tool that enables the manipulation of frequencies between 10Hz to 20,000Hz (20 KHz). And even at this wide range, the ear can barely perceive the extremes. The lower frequencies represent the base; the higher frequencies represent the trebles. Manipulating these frequencies can add punch and clarity to the voice. But it can also spoil the recording if you don’t know what you are doing. Equalization is a fine art and needs experimentation.

Compression of Sound and Hard Limiting

Hard Limiting a Wav in Vocal Recording

You will also need a sound compressor and hard limiter. The human voice is dynamic in that it will alter dramatically in volume, creating high peaks and low plateaus on the sound wave. This can cause inconvenience for the listener who has to keep turning up and down the volume. The sound compressor will even out the sound wave, creating a more consistent wave profile. A hard limiter is a severe form of sound compression in that it simply cuts the volume to the chosen parameter. The result is a sound wave that looks like a comb. Don’t overdo the compression, as this will cause a horrible distorted sound to the voice.

Useful Features of Sound Editing Software

Dynamic Wave Profile of a Vocal Before Compression

Other features will come in useful such as:

Normalization: this will amplify the soundwave as much as possible whilst retaining its proportions without clipping.

Amplification: This will amplify the soundwave but also permit clipping.

Noise Removal: This will identify the sound profile of the ‘room tone’ which is the silent aspects of the recording. Any slight hiss or hum can be removed. However, a room with a very low noise floor, i.e. a very silent room will make the noise removal function more effective.

Sound Analysis: This enables the sound engineer to examine the sound profile of any recording and make adjustments.

After taking a look at the sound editing software, have found all have these basic functions but are presented differently. Some also have extra features, such as additional MIDI tools, voice changer, text to speech, sound mixing and more. Will the narrator really need all these extra tools?

This brings me to the next issue: the sound files that are supported.

MP3 Editor for Audio Books

Not all audio software will save the WAV file in MP3, the required sound format for upload onto audio book retailers. In some cases, the customer may have to pay a license fee to use it due to software patents. However, Lame Source Code is free and can be used with Audacity to create MP3 files for talking books. But note: not any MPEG files will do, but MP3 192KKB in mono. This cannot be achieved from some sound editors, not even Itunes itself (it halves the KBBS of a mono recording degrading the quality).

Sound Editing Software for Talking Books

In conclusion, the voiceover narrator is spoilt for choice when it comes to audiobook software to master a vocal recording. Some offer lots of features and may take some getting used to. Others are free and simple to use. Bear in mind the demands of the sound software. A sole voice is all that is being mastered, not a complex recording project or a ten-piece band. This means that most of the features will remain unused. I use Audacity and Lame.

Finally, even the best recording software cannot make up for poor recording, which might be littered with plosives, background noise or the metallic sound of a cheap mic. A good large diaphragm condenser mic, audio interface and a soundproofroom will bring the home recording up to a professional standard more than the software alone.

Tips on Home Recording your Audiobook

Which audio interface to buy

The best mic for recording audiobooks

A cheap recording studio

Ten hot tips for audiobook narration

Ten Tips for Voice Techniques in Audio Books

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 10:27:00 +0000

Starting out in voiceover narration for audio books? Find ten essential tips for voiceover recording I learned the hard way. Here’s how to take the headache out of a professional sound recording of your audiobook.

The Best Audio Interface on the Market

Best Microphone for Voice Recording

1 Don’t record your narration directly on the sound card of your computer. The internal soundcard is designed only for basic recording, not professional standard audiobook narration. Get a good audio interface. This USB external sound card will power your mic and boost the recording signal for audiobook recording. It will also convert the sound signal into digital, a language the computer can read. Focusrite, Presonus, M-Audio or Behringer are highly recommended. Unless you are a member of a band, you won’t need an interface with lots of outputs. Two outputs will suffice.

Good Quality Microphones for Voice Over Recording

2 Don’t go cheap on your microphone. Get the best quality mic you can find, not the sort for recording onto an Iphone. A large diaphragm condenser microphone is a must for voice over artists. Ensure it has an XLR cable that will plug into the interface. Rode, Behringer or Samson are good mic choices.

3 Get a good pop filter. The pop filter will break up plosives as you speak into the mic. Plosives are harsh sounding explosions of air that overload your mic, creating an amateurish recording. Place the pop filter between mouth and the mic to get the best results. You might also need a shock mount that will absorb vibrations and good quality headphones.

External USB Drive for Your Computer

4 Don’t save your sound files directly on your hard drive. Get an external memory card with plenty of space. I use 500GB or a terabyte. Sound files will soon gobble up the memory on your computer, creating unnecessary overload. Backing up your recording is also a must.

5 Don’t record your audio book in a bathroom. Rooms with harsh surfaces will produce unwanted sound reflections and an amateurish recording. Create a cheap but great recording studio by padding out a small room, which might be a walk-in wardrobe or box room. Eradicate echoes by placing blankets over the walls. Use acoustic foam or similar if this can be afforded.

6 Don’t record your audiobook in a room overlooking a busy road, train station or a dog’s home. Choose the quietest room in the house. Blot out as much background noise as possible. Pause if an airplane happens to coast over the house. Cut out noise during the mastering.

Sound Editing Software for Voiceover Artists

Audacity Sound Editor is Free

7 Use good sound editing software. Audio software enables you to cut out outtakes, equalize the sound and compress your sound recording to a professional standard. ProTools, Audacity and Cubase are popular choices.

8 Don’t be a walking decibel. Take off noisy jewellery and watches. Avoid high carb foods that can make your stomach rumble. Be comfy whilst you narrate to prevent unwanted shuffling sounds. Sitting still for long periods can be demanding, so use cushions and a back support.

Printed Text or Computer Screen for Easy Reading

9 Try out what works best for you: reading from a screen or printed text? Bear in mind the cooling fan of your computer could cut in during the recording if you read from a screen. A Kindle or Tablet might work best for you. I prefer to read from printed text as this is softer on the eyes.

Professional Voiceover Artist Tips

10 Get to know your voice. Can’t do accents? Don’t force it. Try altering the tone instead to differentiate characters. Practice reading the text to anticipate tricky sentences and pauses for breath. Research voiceover techniques to create a compelling read for listeners. This might involve raising or lowering the pitch, altering the pace and emphasizing words. A beginner’s mistake is simply to read the text aloud. This can result in a monotonous recording. Pick up techniques other great voiceover artists use and make them your own. Practice is the key.

Information about Audio Book Narration

The best audio interface for voice recording

Basic types of mics for voice recording

Get rid of plosives with a pop filter

Create a cheap home recording studio for audio books

Essential sound equipment for voiceover recording
Free sound editing software for vocal recording

Prepare your script for audiobook narration

Tips on How to Get Rid of Plosives in Speech for Voiceover Artists

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 20:34:00 +0000

Audible book narration will sound amateurish if plagued with plosives. A plosive is an explosion of air into the microphone that causes the mic to recoil audibly. Not a pleasant sound. Plosives form part of the proximity effect; placing the mouth close to the mic. The voice will sound deeper and richer, but the mic will also recoil at harsh consonants in speech. How does the audiobook narrator avoid plosives when recording an audiobook?

What is the Proximity Effect in Audiobook Recording?

Pop Filters Help Rid of Plosives

A great, intimate sound to the voice will result when speaking into the microphone from a close proximity – about 6 inches or closer. The tone will be deeper, warmer and rich, ideal for audiobook narration. However, mouth clicks and breaths will also be more audible.

Standing some distance from the mic, say a foot or so or more, will permit a more airy sound. The room tone will be more apparent, as well as sound reflections from walls and background noise. The voice will also have less weight, having a more treble sound. This can be fixed during mastering by adding base (or lower frequencies) to the voice. However, it is always pays to avoid overmastering the recording.

Plosives in Microphone Recording

Plosives in Sound Recording Appear as Hooks

This is why I like to speak quite close to the mic during audiobook narration to get a rich tone first off. However, problems will arise in the form of plosives. Plosives result by a sharp exhalation of air into the mic when uttering such consonants as ‘TH, ‘F’, ‘P’, ‘B’ ‘H’ and ‘V’. Plosives are recognizable in the sound wave as hook-like formations as can be seen circled in red in the image.

How to Rid of Plosives in Voice Recording

Plosives became a real problem for me soon after embarking upon narrating my first book. I tried using a pop filter, but the plosives persisted. I didn’t want to stand far from the mic and lose that intimate tone in the voice.

I found a quick fix during mastering by sloping down the lower frequencies of equalization from about 200Hz to 20Hz (see image). Highlight the offending hook in the soundwave then click ‘OK’. However no one wants to repeat this procedure for every plosive in the recording.

Plosive Repair by Reduce Low Frequencies in Equalization

Plosives Problem in Audio Book Narration

You can also avoid plosives by angling the mouth slightly to one side of the mic so the explosions of air are not directed at the mic itself. This was OK, as audiobook narration is saved as mono files, not stereo, so the direction of the voice will not be detected on the recording.

Voice Techniques for Voiceover Artists

I found an angle of approximately 30 to 40 degrees of just a few inches from the mic maintained that intimate tone but without the plosives. Trial and error helped give me the right formula.

Plosives in Sound Recording

Large diaphragm condenser microphones are very sensitive, picking up every little sound, whereas the dynamics are more directional, in that they will only pick up local sounds but not background noise. Some mics are more susceptible to plosives than others. In such cases, a pop filter will usually cut out plosives. As a harsh blast of air hits the filter, the air is broken up by the mesh. Some pop filters are double layered for extra effectiveness.

Professional Recording of Audiobooks

Plosives are a nuisance of audiobook narrators. One way to rid of them is to stand a little away from the mic, but this will result in a loss of fullness to the voice tone. Another is to use a pop filter, a piece of mesh that is placed between the mic and mouth. A blast of air is dispersed by the mesh. A third tactic is to speak slightly obliquely to the mic to divert the air away from the mic itself. Plosives that happen to blot your recording can be minimized by cutting out the low frequencies in equalization. Trial and error of the sound equipment will help overcome this problem.

Tips on Audio Book Narration

Prepare your script for audiobook narration

Advice on buying audio interface for talking books

A cheap home recording studio

Types of microphones for narrators

Common mistakes made by voiceover actors

Tips for Audio Book Narration: Preparing your Script for Talking Books

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:58:00 +0000

Creating an audio book includes making sure your narration sound professional. The beginner’s mistake might be badly-times pauses in sentences, outtakes or noisy page turnovers. Here are some tips on how I marked up my novel ready for voice narration in audiobook creation.

How to Narrate a Novel for Audiobook Creation

To err is human. This means that chances are, you will false start, stutter or run out of breath before you reach the end of a sentence. Don’t worry as there are things the narrator can do to improve voiceover performance and enhance the listening experience. This means there will less work to do during mastering and editing the recording.

Tips on Vocal Recording

Creating an audio book is more than simply reading a series of pages aloud. There should be emphasis, pauses and different character voices so the listener knows who is speaking. A good performance ensures the reader will be immersed within the story. Here’s how I prepared my text for audio book recording.

Mastering Audio Books

Script for Audio Book Reading

Audio book narrators can read from a screen, book or a printout. I prefer a printout. The others have disadvantages. Firstly, a computer screen means a cooling fan is not far away, and the last thing an audio book narrator needs is the fan to cut in halfway through a book narration, ruining the recording.

Kindle or Tablet might be OK, but I find the screen is too small for many words to fit per line. This means the eyes have to keep returning to the next line during reading and scrolling down. This can be taxing and cause outtakes in reading.

Reading from a book might be OK for some, but the pages will not lie flat. There would also be a lot of noise interruption as the pages need to be turned quite frequently. A lot of sound editing will be needed to cut out unwanted noises.

This is why I prefer to print my text onto A4 sheets of paper.

Markup Pages for Voiceover Artists

Printing a novel onto A4 sheets of paper has many advantages, in that there are more words per line. This means the narrator can anticipate the sentences to come before reaching them aloud. Other narrators have reported frequent stumbles if the words are too large on the page or each line comprise few words (say fewer than 14 or so). There are also fewer page turns as the number of words per page is larger than on A5 (the dimensions of the average novel).

Tips for Narration Performance

Some fonts are easier to read than others. I prefer simple, bold fonts like Arial or Microsoft Sans Serif. Avoid swirly or fancy fonts that are hard to read. 12 point is good, and a lot of text will fit an A4 sheet of paper, reducing the number of noisy page turns.

How to Prepare for Voiceover Artists

Before recording a voiceover of an excerpt, read the pages aloud a few times. Identify sentences that are too long and create breaks where breaths can be taken. Look also for words or sentences that demand extra emphasis or pauses. These elements can be highlighted in a preferred way with a pencil, helping to create visual cues for the reader.

Audio Book Narration Tips

Speech marks are small and can easily be overlooked. I will use colored pencils to underline dialogue so I know what is coming. It is also useful to use different colors for each character. In my case, I might use warm colors for female and cool colors for male characters. I will use bold colors for the main characters. This will warn me of when I need to do a particular voice in my audiobook narration.

Professional Script Reading for Audiobook Creation

Reducing the amount of mistakes made in an audiobook reading means reducing the amount of work that will be needed in the editing stage. Preparing the script will make the reading easier. Rather than read from a screen or a book, I will print out the text onto A4 sheets of paper. Use bold fonts to make words easier to read. Make small marks where pauses or emphasis will be. Finally, underline dialogue with different colors so that the narrator can see what is coming and which voice to use.

More Tips on Audio Book Creation

Convert Wav Files into MP3 for audiobooks

Best audio interface for voice recording

A cheap home recording studio

Verbs to avoid in novel writing