Frank Burkett, The O'Connor Protocol and author websites

Author Frank Burkett has set up a simple, effective long-scrolling author wordpress website. The site includes a blurb, book thumbnail, author bio, an order form and some local context, and a comments capability. A navigation bar to go to different sections of the page abd back to the top would have been helpful, but perhaps was not an option for this build of WordPress.

Frank’s biography reads as follows:

Frank Burkett lives in tropical Queensland, which is the setting of his second novel, The O’Connor Protocol. His previous novel, View from the Clock Tower, was shortlisted in 2006 for the British Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger award. Although raised in Queensland, Frank has travelled extensively, including three years in the United Kingdom where he studied at the University of London for a Diploma in Dramatic Art. He spent three years in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where he worked in the field of land conservation. In 1980, back home, he completed a journalism major at the University of Queensland. Following a successful career in news media, he wrote and published The Tropical Son, a biography of country music singer Graeme Connors. Frank is now retired and working on his third book in which, once again, sugar cane, rainforests and coral reefs provide an exotic setting.

Available here and direct from the author. Published by Sid Harta Publishers.

Marion Hughes, author on the move...

Marion Hughes, author of the tense and well-written thrillers Watch Your Back and I’m Back has kindly written an account of some of her recent and upcoming promotional activities…

In 2022, I conducted author talks at the following libraries:

Hastings Library Tuesday April 5
Foster Library Thursday Sep 1
Mirboo North Library Thursday Sep 1
Rosebud Library Tuesday 13th Sep
Belgrave Library Saturday 26th November

2023 booked in for:

Langwarrin library - Libraries after dark Thursday 4th May
Wednesday 30th August Wodonga Library
Wednesday 30th August Albury city Library Museum
Thursday 31st August Shepparton Library evening session

My talks incorporated an overview of my background, discussed my writing journey, and offered insights into how I write and my motivation for writing. Included was an outline of the plots, characters and themes of books one and two of my trilogy, 'The Dark illusion,' selected excerpts and anecdotes that helped shape my writing and time for audience questions at the end.

A selection of  audience feedback comments:

• A fascinating look at the writing process

• I loved the talk and will definitely be reading your books

• A captivating author talk! Great to hear about the writing process and inspiration for the books

• Feedback on Watch Your Back: a fast-paced thriller with a cleverly worked plot and stunning surprises. A can't put down read.

• I particularly liked hearing excerpts from the books.I enjoyed participating in the discussion at the end.

An Amazon Tale: He Fought for His Royalties, and (Eventually) Won ....

A very dogged author relates his trying experiences with Amazon KDP and organising the payment of royalties. He does arrive at a solution, but only through sheer persistence:

“Amazon is probably the best outlet for Indie authors, but manage your expectations when dealing with their customer service.

Their help/assistance/advice to me was either inconsistent, vague, given in Amazon’s internal technical speak, incomplete, or simply wrong.

I put my latest novel up on Amazon as I did with my previous two, only this time, I put both eBook and paperback on all markets, not just Australia.

When sales started occurring, I followed those on my KDP account site.  I found their reports informative and helpful.  They gave me statistics for each marketplace and the estimated royalties.

When my Australian royalties started arriving in my Australian bank account by EFT, I thought I would find out why my sales in the other markets were not reaching me.

I then discovered those royalties could not be paid by EFT into my Australian bank account, only by cheque or wire.  Then I found that not only could an EFT transfer not happen, but that Amazon had a withdrawal threshold of 100 units for each market, e.g. US$100, CA$100, €100, or £100.

None of my book royalties in any market outside Australia is ever likely to break these thresholds, e.g. Canada royalties were CA$2.88, Eurozone (Germany)  €7.80.  So, I put the question to Amazon – how do I ever get paid these royalties?

Amazon suggested I open an account with Payoneer for each marketplace, which I did.  So, Amazon from each marketplace could now transfer my royalties to those Payoneer accounts.  However, my problem then became twofold:

1. Payoneer does not have a banking arrangement with UK or Canadian banks. So these royalties could not be transferred to my Payoneer accounts.

2. Then I discovered that Payoneer also has a withdrawal threshold of US$50 per transfer.

Finally, a solution:

1.  In your KDP account go to the Getting paid tab.

2. In your non-US/non-Australian accounts, change your payment method to your US$ account and transfer any outstanding royalties in those other non-US accounts to the US$ account.

3. Under your Amazon US account, click and highlight every tag except Amazon.com.au.

4. All royalties from sales in all those other marketplaces will now be currency converted into your US$ account.

5. If or when your US$ account balance reaches above US$100 you can transfer to your Australian bank account.

6. In my case, I have my Amazon US$ account balance transferred to my Payoneer US$ account (lower withdrawal threshold). Amazon’s US$100 withdrawal threshold does not apply here.”

Upcoming Author Talk by Francesca Di Pietro

Join author Francesca Di Pietro at two upcoming events in August as she talks about her debut novel Life with a Psychopath. Francesca will outline her journey as an author, the motivation behind writing this novel and the key messages highlighted in her work.

Click the links below to register for upcoming events at Corio and Sunshine libraries:

Corio Library: Thursday August 11

Sunshine Library: Saturday August 27

Independent authors and making a living

Book marketing guru Joanne Penn practises extreme financial openness, breaking down her book sales by format, genre and country… Her advice is always worth considering.

Audiobook production by Australian Narrators

As recommended by an author client, this audiobook production agency would be worth considering for those thinking about trying an audio format for their book. The site’s blurb states that:

“Jacqui & Brenton Edgecombe are Australian audiobook narrators and recording professionals ready to create an ACX standard reading of your book  for distribution via all audiobook platforms. We look forward to bringing your words and your story to life for those who prefer to enjoy their books audibly.

All work recorded in our Adelaide-based home studio. We use Rode Mics, Logic Pro recording softwater and Izotrope RX7 for audio analysis.”

https://www.australiannarrators.com/

Naturally Supporting Cancer Treatment by Jenny Graves

Author Jenny Graves has just released a very well written and meticulously researched book (Naturally Supporting Cancer Treatment, available here) on supplementing cancer treatments with “evidence-based ways to help prevent cancer formation and and recurrence, and assist treatment”. Jenny plans to promote her book in various cost-effective ways, and emailed us with the following specifics:

“Because of the subject matter, I’m targeting other naturopaths, some of whom don’t have much knowledge about treating cancer patients, and also for them to stock in their dispensaries to sell to their patients. I’m contacting the universities offering naturopathic degrees to see whether they would suggest it to their students as associated reading or even as text books.My local health food store has told me that they will stock it in their two stores locally, but the manager is also on the board of the company (Go Vita) and I’m hoping that they will stock it nationally and publish an article in their magazine to promote it. I have a Business Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NaturallySupportingCancerTreatment and my website, www.naturallysupportingcancertreatment.com.au is due to go live shortly, with plans to produce blog articles regularly on it and a regular newsletter containing those articles to be sent to those who sign up on the website. I have an author page on Books2Read, https://books2read.com/b/3LwPzN?edit=maybe-later and their Universal Book Link, https://books2read.com/NaturallySupportingCancerTreatment. I’m toying with the idea of using a media publicist if I can get over my terror of speaking in public. 😊 I’ve also got plans to submit articles to various websites for them to publish as a Guest Author. I may put my toe in the water with Facebook and Google ads, but I believe that they can be something of a money pit unless you get them right, so I’ve been doing training courses on those.”

— Quote Source

An Honest Broker

Music historian, composer and critic Ted Gioia has penned an interesting essay on Substack about being ‘the honest broker’ in your particular field. Someone honest who knows how to get things done, how the particular system works and the key players. No matter how shonky and uncertain the particular field of endeavour, and how many sharks circle in those particular waters, there is always an honest broker, if you look hard enough. Well may we all strive to be that person to our customers, assisting rather than exploiting.

Useful Texts for Independent Authors

Independent authors face a tough road promoting their work, but there is a huge amount of information out there to assist them. The following four titles bring order to that information — I highly recommend all four:

Recommended texts for Independent authors:

Euan Mitchell's Your Book Publishing Options

How to Be an Author from Fremantle Press

Let's Get Digital by David Gaughran

Ricardo Fayet's How to Market an ebook

From Lakes Entrance to the Isle of Man

The indefatigable Pat Kelly, author of several engaging historical novels has released Beyond the Seas, available on Amazon and other online booksellers. As usual, she has been promoting her latest book effectively around her hometown (Lakes Entrance) and also much further afield. As a former resident on the Isle of Man, she has used her connections there to organise an article in a Manxian publication. The reference to South Africa is a little astray geographically, but otherwise, a great summary of Pat and her work.

Peter Ralph reviewed

“This is my first book by this author, but it will definitely not be my last. Mr. Ralph has taken a frightening and current issue, that of court appointed guardianships, and skillfully woven a thought-provoking, completely captivating, outrage-inducing work of fiction. The underlying concept of guardianships and their potential as instruments of legal theft and abuse has, sadly, become a widespread, yet fairly unrecognized, plague preying on the elderly segment of our population. Most people who read this book will probably think that this couldn’t possibly happen in reality but even a cursory search on the internet will lead to a vast wealth of information confirming this treachery as both real and ongoing. I applaud Mr. Ralph’s efforts at bringing this important issue to the attention of his readership. This is a well-written fast-paced story that will hold your attention from the first page to the last. The main character, Josh Kennelly, is a wonderfully likable veteran who goes the extra mile to help out a fellow vet when that man’s father falls victim to the guardianship trap. I have a feeling that this story will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

I was provided with a free advance copy of this book but decided to purchase a copy to start my Josh Kennelly collection and I am voluntarily offering this honest and unbiased review.”

5 Benefits of Writing And Why You Should Make It a Daily Habit

A guest post kindly contributed by freelance writer Angela Johnston.

Are you writing daily?

Writing can be a hobby that is incredibly beneficial for your everyday life.

You write to keep track of your ambitions, to improve your vocabulary, to get your story branded and published, or to maintain a journal of your day’s events or the on-goings in the world around you.

Below are some of the notable benefits of writing daily and the impact it can have in your life

1) A Wake-Up Call For Your Brain

If you have ever gone to work only to find yourself seated at your desk for several hours waiting for your mind to get with the program. That translates to lost time that you can never recover and if you are unfortunate to be forced to tackle anything, then you will have a tepid approach to handling the task.

Try and hit the ground running when you get up in the morning and prepare to head to your workplace. You can do this by sitting down and penning down your day’s agenda or playing a crossword puzzle as you sip your morning tea, coffee, or smoothie.

For instance, you can come up with writing assignment routine for your mornings in which you have topics on slips of paper that you pull out from a jar and write about what is on the selected slip

Conversely, you can subscribe to mailing lists and have a subject delivered in your inbox every morning. According to the hypnotherapist at AOTH, the objective is to get your brain’s gears turning early in the morning so that you are mentally awake as you head to the office. They explain that “by getting your mind going early, in turn, you will be able to stay focused, and you will be ready to handle anything that comes to your desk.”

2) Stream Of Consciousness Riddance

It is not common to wake up with a story to write in mind.

But you can pen down your first thoughts of the day and then work from there. It can be something as simple as “another wonderful Friday morning – the weekend loading; I am looking forward to the BBQ party this Sunday. I do hope my Saturday will set the right tempo.”

According to the relationship counsellors at Thinking Families, this can be an opportunity to vent your worries or frustrations that may have accumulated overnight. They explain that “this allows you to start your day on a clean slate. Moreover, writing down your thoughts will be an excellent way of self-exploration as you reflect on things and take a day off writing to read what you scribbled the last few days. It will help you identify some of the issues which popped up severally in your writing that you need to address so that they stop weighing your down.”

For instance, if you find that you start your day with some self-criticism, then you should put in more effort to appreciate and be kinder to yourself. Look at ways of starting your day on a positive note by thinking of positive affirmation worth writing about as you proclaim self-love.

3). Dream Recall

Your dreams may be a source of inspiration; therefore, consider keeping a dream journal by your bedside. You can then scribble down what you encountered in our dreamworld if you are startled into the waking world.

BONUS TIP: Jot down anything even if it is to state that you did not have any dreams.

Try to scribble what you can recall for your slumber’s meanderings, even if all you can remember are colours. It may help to gradually improve your ability to remember the details of your dreams and then you can start notices themes or patterns in your dreams.

4). Expanding And Maintaining Your Vocabulary

What you have but fail to use often loses its usefulness.

This also applies to your vocabulary. In this age in which tweeting and texting are the things that fuel how we communicate; people are increasingly encountering mental blocks when it comes to their word banks. It is the result of trying to condense thoughts and conversations into few words and character.

It is a culture that will birth problems when individuals must sit in a meeting, and all that comes to mind is cooked up jargon.

They most likely will ensure up using terms and phrases that are inappropriate for such a sitting. The same will be evident when they must write an assignment, and they end up spending much of their time go through a thesaurus in search of appropriate words.

Therefore, waking up to writing something down every morning can be a great way of expanding word bank and maintaining your vocabulary. You will find yourself fitting some of your words into your day’s written exchanges and leave people impressed.

5). Evening Contemplation And Relaxation

The demand of the day will have many people stress, and their minds preoccupied with how they will complete their duties. Such things will weigh us down. The only time, we get to enjoy a break from these responsibilities is when we are sleeping.

So, why not keep a journal or notepad on your bedside on which you can pen down your day’s thoughts and encounters? It can be a therapeutic platform on which you can vent, distress, and relax as you let go of your woes by acknowledging and writing them down. It will also help you enjoy better sleep.

Alternatively, you can opt to meditate or do some simple exercises or yoga poses. According to the Kinesiologists at Shen Ko Vitality, “exercise is vital in de stressing your body, especially after a long day of mental stress from work.”

In conclusion, writing daily is both therapeutic and enables a clearer mind moving forward. You’ve simply got nothing to lose with this easily adoptable habit.

If you’ve ever considered taking up this habit by writing a book, don’t hesitate to contact Working Type to help you design your book cover before getting it published!

___________________________________________________________________________
Written by: Angela Johnston

Authors Who Blog

Authors Cathy A and Cathy T Wilson maintain an informative blog (related to their book series “Lions and Lilies” set in medieval England and France). They post about the historical background to their books. A good resource for their readers and a useful promotional tool.

A Promotional Strategy for "Summer at Urchin's Bluff" by author Eliza Bennetts

On writing a series:

Writing in series is considered the way-to-go when it comes to romance. Romance readers are voracious! I attend the yearly RWA conferences and they often talk about the fact that some romance readers read 7-10 books a week! This means that when they find a set of characters or a world they enjoy, they want to keep reading.

As an author, it pays to have more books down the line to service this need. I was lucky to latch on to this pearl of wisdom while writing the first draft of Summer at Urchin's Bluff, so that allowed me to ensure there was scope to have a supporting character who will feature as the main character the next book, and so on for the following two books. I guess, in a way, writing in series is it's own form of promotion. Each book works to promote the next. Well, that's the plan anyhow!

My writing life:

I think like most of us, for me writing was always a hobby - something to get me out of my head when I was stressing about work or family or whatever. I've recently found myself with a little more time to write, and I'm loving it, but I'm yet to establish a routine around my writing. I've listened to podcasts and read books that say you should blank out some time each day to write (eg. 9 - noon). I should probably do that, but I'm loathe to, in case it sucks the fun out of it! I don't want it to feel like a chore, but I guess if I want to do this as a career, I might need to consider it. At the moment I write every day, but not at a specific time, or for a specified length of time.

Marketing and Promotion:

So, my plan with marketing is really to take it slow. I do plan to look at Facebook ads and Amazon ads (I have purchased the KDP Rocket software) for the promotion of Summer at Urchin's Bluff, but not in an extensive way. I figure once I have more books on my shelf, any money I invest in advertising will be that much more effective. I do plan to look at BookBub, but not for book one, or two for that matter. I know they're hard to get, so I might wait to start trying (maybe once all four books in the Seasons series are released). As far as social media goes, I'm only active on Facebook. I know it's better to be everywhere, but with kids and work, and the whole writing-the-books thing, I don't have the time to service a ton of social accounts. This is an area I need to become more confident in. Every time I'm about to post (even just on that one platform) I'm always thinking, 'is anyone going to care about this? Is it spamy?' (not a word, but you know what I mean). I do know that building a mailing list is super important, so I'm working on that but it's slow going. I'm okay with things taking a while to build. I want to be doing this in 20 years time, so being number 1 from day 1, with book 1 is not really my goal (I mean, I wouldn't be upset if it happened!). I guess what I'm saying is that everything I do around marketing and promotion, for me, needs to be about steadily building a readership.

Summer at Urchin's Bluff is a contemporary seasoned romance (seasoned is the term we use in the romance world for a heroine over 40). It is available for pre order now across most platforms.

Available from these outlets.

My Writing Journey — Writing and Promotional Tips from Mala Naidoo

Presenting an informative and inspiring post from independent author Mala Naidoo:

Starting out as a writer was a romantic inclination, a desire to bring my writing dream to reality.

Little did I realise how important it is to create awareness that you exist, first as a person and then specifically as a writer. Later genre and style become recognisable to readers who are also feeling their way through the stories crafted by a new author.

Striking a balance between writing and marketing your books is paramount, if you want your books in the hands of readers through online or in store purchases.

Starting off with friends, colleagues and family is necessary. Your supportive core, in your writing career, will always be vital for feedback on all your books.

Some of the ways to create awareness and promote your books
is by extending your readership.

How do we do this, let us count the ways.

• Promote your books in your local community, book stores, libraries and book clubs. Offer and accept speaking engagements at book club meetings, school talks and at your local library.
• Talk about your book covers and what they mean, the visual impact - colours, placement of images etc. This has value in eliciting interest.

Cover Design: WorkingType (www.workingtype.com.au)

“Befriend, online or in person local independent bookstores in your town or city, and through friends in other cities to get your book online and in stores, then encourage readers to purchase your books through these channels.”

— Mala Naidoo

• Hosting a book launch when your first book is out, attracts curiosity, interest and gets attention. An afternoon tea with light refreshments is a winner to draw a wider crowd. Friends and colleagues are excited for you and offer to assist on the day. As introverts, as most writers are, (we lock ourselves in solitude for days on end) it’s not easy to solicit assistance and market your books - but it’s an essential requirement. The after effects of a book launch are book leads - requests for more books and where they might be available.
• Befriend, online or in person local independent bookstores in your town or city, and through friends in other cities to get your book online and in stores, then encourage readers to purchase your books through these channels. This helps to get your print book into stores, maybe not on the same shelf as Stephen King or Lianne Moriarty, but it gets a space, a tangible space.
• Create a website to reach your readers through blog posts, and newsletters, invite readers in to take up your free offers, create fun giveaways for your subscribers. A simple fact file on a character your readers love is all you need to spur on their interest to read more of your books. It’s an ongoing, strategic process.
• Join online author associations to promote your books or at the very least to create awareness that you exist as a writer.
• Facebook ads are a great way to create awareness and invite the purchase of your book or sign ups to your newsletter. A permanent Facebook Ad for sign ups is necessary when you begin promoting your books, website, and blog.
• When you have a new book out, launch it through Facebook and AMS ads, send out friendly newsletter or messenger communication to your contacts telling them about your new book.
• Don’t overkill the advertising, do it tastefully to keep readers coming back for more.
• Online interactions with influencers of the craft, attending book fairs, writers’ festivals, listening to podcasts and attending webinars are great ways to connect with like-minded creatives, to extend the promotion of your books. Be selective in your choices because it’s easy to drown in a sea of algorithmic advice!

“Facebook ads are a great way to create awareness and invite the purchase of your book or sign ups to your newsletter. ”

— Mala Naidoo

 And

• Create awareness of all your books on Facebook (pin to top), Twitter,(pinned tweet) Instagram (create a cover story, add updated information related to your writing journey). Pinterest (pins that showcase your books with links) Google+, your website and blogposts.

At first I was awkward talking about my books. Fear held me back. Now I have a little story to tell:  One day a lovely hairdresser probed into my silent, private world, I managed to slip in, amidst the heat and whirring of hairdryers, a quick biographical sketch, whispering that I was a writer too. Curiosity grew in the hairdressing salon from that whispered revelation as ladies, and the odd gentleman wanted to know more about my books. Having your latest book at the ready is a loaded gun for promotion, as is having an author business card, especially at the places like the hairdresser!

Writing is a process, just as marketing and creating awareness of your latest publication is.  Both need equal attention. It’s a balance I continue to work on.

Happy reading, happy writing, happy creating!

www.malanaidoo.com

Authors and their Digital Presence Explained

A thoughtful and in-depth examination of how authors are not getting the best results from their digital presence. The writer explains why the interests of authors and publishers do not always align, and how a new generation of author-centric services are being created. 

“It is ironic that the author brand is foundational — the success of all title marketing depends on it and all publishers depend on title marketing — but how the author brands are developed gets very little professional attention.”

— http://www.idealog.com/blog/authors-need-help-digital-presence-still-not-getting/

Banner Year for Author

Author M.G. Ryan uses the large banner above for promotional events. She says "it looks great and draws a lot of attention. When I have the second banner made up, they will look awesome next to each other." Her latest book "To Dawn" (sequel to "From Dusk") will be released with the assistance of In-House Publishing.

The Rise and Rise of Indie Authors

The Author Earnings website has worked hard at 'scraping' data from Amazon's various sites to provide unprecedented detail on sales data. As Amazon now represents close to a majority of print titles sold, knowing what is being sold and by whom is very interesting indeed. The data shows that independent authors represent a large and rapidly growing fraction of book sales on Amazon. There is also ample evidence that having a book listed on the Amazon bestseller lists provides a substantial boost to non-listed titles from the same author. Overall, Author Earnings claim that they identified over 9,000 authors earning more than USD $10,000 per year, and half of that number were earning over USD $20,000 per year. Read the whole report, which goes into much greater detail.

Books+Publishing online reviews

Books+Publishing are looking for books to be published from June onwards, originating in Australia or New Zealand. Please send your printed proofs by Tuesday 1 March directly  to the following address:

Books+Publishing
PO Box 6509
St Kilda Road Central VIC 8008

As well as appearing online at www.booksandpublishing.com.au, these reviews will feature in their monthly Books+Publishing Reviews and Junior newsletters. Of course, there are no guarantees that a particular title will be reviewed!

If You Build It, They Might Not Come — Promotional Realities Part 3

Guest Post by Jo Ettles

Public speaking and networking
I often speak at events both big and small. Some events are local and some of late have been interstate. This is an amazing way to get your books and your message out into the world. It takes a lot of energy to do this though so I tend to really only participate in events and networking opportunities where I know there will be genuine interest in my work. For obvious reasons, if you are asked to speak at an event to showcase your book, make sure it is a good fit!

Website
Invest in a good website. Create a beautiful website or blog and sell signed copies of your books from it. My website is actually a Wordpress blog combined with website design. I am lucky my husband is trained in this area so I can add and subtract information at any time. I post articles to my blog, I sell my books from my blog, I recommend other authors books from my blog and I also obviously promote my other services.

Your book is important and your website/blog should capture the essence of your work as well as who you are so invest some time and energy into this platform.

Keep going   
Recently, my publisher went into receivership. This was a devastating blow for not only me but also around 200 other authors, editors and talented designers. It would have been very easy to just call it quits but I decided that quitting would have been too easy. 

My thing is to write short, easy to read books that will inspire people to make positive life changes instantly. That desire has been so strong that I am now starting my third book. Imagine if I let my first publisher take that dream away from me through their miss management?

I was lucky enough to get picked up by another publisher recently and so the journey to get my work out into the world continues. 

Here is the thing though...

If you believe you can, you are halfway there. There are always going to be challenges, obstructions and hurdles that will set you back. If success was easy, well then everyone would be successful! 

Henry Rollins said, “You must do what others don’t to achieve what others won’t”. For that reason I am relentless when it comes to marketing my books. I make the time every-day to find a way to reach another reader, to connect with another person who may want to hear my message or share it with someone else.

If you have created a beautiful book that you are proud of, take steps every day to get it out into the world.  Think outside the square, take action and be consistent. Don’t wait for things to happen, make them happen.