Imagine waking up from a nap to see a donkey and a horse peering through the screen door, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?
Sally, an energetic 87-year-old woman, faces this exact dilemma. Intrigued by the animals, she decides to investigate why they keep returning to her property. What she discovers shocks her to the core – their water trough is contaminated with a body. But whose body is it? And how did it end up in the water trough?
With no one else around but a goat, chickens and a pup, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.
Join Sally on her thrilling and perplexing journey as she unravels the truth behind this mysterious misadventure.
Prepare to be captivated by the twists and turns in “The Secrets of the Tainted Trough”, a tale filled with suspense, intrigue, and unexpected revelations.
Attention Readers! Try Reviewing and Get Complimentary Books from Authors!
What if the author of the book you just read and yourself met at a crossroads. You have 1-minute to say what you think of the story you just read.
What would you say to the author about the story?
Would you say:
5-Stars! A great story that flowed like a babbling brook dotted with rapids! Rich, lively characters. You pulled me right into the middle of every turn and twist in the stream. I recommend it for a fun and interesting journey to escape into.
Or (heaven forbid) would you say:
1-Star. The misspells threw barricades at every turn. The plot was muddled. The characters snoozed more than they moved. I recommend it for a writing class editing and proofreading project.
So, what reader doesn’t have an important opinion of the story they just read? And isn’t the review the crossroads where the reader and the writer come together?
This post is two-fold. Two-fold because what author isn’t also a reader?
But for clarification, I’ll separate the reader and writer specific sections.
As a reader you will learn:
How important your opinion is
What a book review is and how to write it quick and easy
A place to download gratis copies of books to read and review
As an author you will learn:
How important reviews are
How to get your books reviewed
A place to sign-up to get your book reviews posted on major sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookbub and Goodreads.
Let’s get started.
But first, You as a Reader
Your opinion
Your opinion of a book is a powerful tool for both readers and authors. Prospective readers want to know your thoughts before they buy it for themselves or as a gift for another.
They want to know if the characters are lively and memorable; if the story flows; and if you enjoyed the journey.
How many stars do you give it? Would you recommend the book?
Future readers and the writers both learn from your evaluation.
And here’s the great news! Your evaluation does not have to be as monstrous as a book manuscript. Simply say with a few well-chosen words what you liked (or didn’t like) about the book.
Think succinct empathy.
What a book review is and how to write it fast and easy
If the characters are lively and memorable; if the story flows; and if you enjoyed the journey.
How many stars do you give it? Would you recommend the book?
You could add if you recommend it to a specific group of readers.
Search engines scrape up about 168 million ways to write a book review. All the same, but completely different. It’s all relative.
I, as a prospective reader and an author, want to know if the characters are lively and memorable; if the story flows; and if you enjoyed the journey.
And even more important, how many stars do you give it? Would you recommend the book?
If you approach writing a review by simply addressing the above concerns, I believe you’ve earned the giveaway aspect of the agreement. At least for me and my offerings. And I thank you for your input.
Where to sign-up to snag gratis Review Copies of books
Of the 21 million listings on Bing, I chose one to get you started. It’s the one I use for my own works after sifting through about 20 million of the listings.
My goto affiliate is Story Origin. The platform is easy to navigate. You can choose categories and tags to narrow down, peruse and select from. The instant download to your e-reader device is fast and easy. I like it.
As a matter of fact, I recently uploaded a free novelette that is a prequel to the Sally the Loner Series. Here’s where you can instantly download ‘Come for Coffee with Sally’ and get the skinny on how the series came to be.
If you like old people who speak their mind and cozy mysterious misadventures, you’ll get a kick out of Sally’s (87-years-old) antics.
Reviews make all the difference in a book’s success. No reviews screams failure to get noticed. Talk about feeling invisible…
But how to make it quick and easy to, at least, get stars clicked is an overwhelming ongoing challenge.
This writer gets lots of 5-star feedback. People relate to and enjoy my writings. Especially the characters that insist on writing the stories without me to referee. But the reviews are verbal or by email. Verbal reviews provide the oomph to keep me turning out fun, interesting, and provocative reading materials. Thank you. Thank you. Read these reviews on my alexielinnauthor.com website.
But verbal reviews do not guide worldwide prospective readers at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookbub, Goodreads, etc.
It’s the reviews that direct this writer to keep going or to sharpen weak prose and characters… to make the read more fun, flowing and attention grabbing. And I’m willing to give away my book to get a reviewer’s honest, well addressed opinion. And to have it posted where interested readers can see it. It’s that simple.
How to find reviewers
As a reader, I’m as bad at going back to the distributor to leave a review as the next guy. After I’ve paid for a book, I read it, form my opinion, and move on. I don’t ignore the request for a review… I just don’t seem to get it done. How to get over this hump of procrastination?
Go to where the people who review books in exchange for a gratis copy are. That’s what they’ve signed up for. Downloading an eBook, reading it, and posting a review to specific sites.
A place to find reviewers
One place to post your books for reviewers to find and review is Story Origin. It works. Not always overnight, but it works. You’ll see action on your book faster than molasses running uphill in January and you’ll get reviews. Here’s the guide to how it works.
The site is easy to navigate and relatively easy to follow-thru with posting and getting your works out into the world. Evan, the site operator, has both written and videoed tutorials to help you get the job done. And he responds fast to help emails. Thank you, Evan. Click here for a no-nonsense guide to email marketing.
Crowd promotion is what I see, affiliate with, and now participate in. I’m forced out of my recluse writing frame of mind to spend time and energy spreading the word on my own works as well as other’s.
In summary, reviewing books is an honorable side hustle that benefits both readers and authors. Be entertained while you crack your whip with love and empathy.
It’s a natural. Right? While you’re striving to hit the Bestseller list, you still need to eat and pay the bills.
One way to fill the coffee coffer is by affiliating with companies like Amazon to earn commissions on sales made through your links.
To affiliate is to band together to promote their products throughout your posts by way of links. When the reader clicks and buys through your link, you get a portion of the sale. Sounds perfectly simple. But is it?
Here’s some challenges with affiliating I’ve faced:
Most companies require you have a hefty minimum number of subscribers before you can join up. But not all.
If you spirit off a reader of your blog through a link to another shop, you’ve lost them in your store. Did they buy something through your link while they were gadding about? Probably not. Here’s why…
According to mycustomer.com, 90% of consumers shop around before buying online. Yet, according to Finder.com, 88.6% will impulse buy… if you hit their sweet spot.
When the decision to buy is finally made, does your customer come back to your site and order the product through your link? Or do they go right to the website, bypassing you? Cookie (memory that your link brought them in) duration varies. What’s your own practice?
Applying for; setting up; blogging about and keeping track of affiliate links is time consuming. What’s your priority? Writing and selling your own books or other people’s merchandise?
Is there a way to make money as an affiliate while writing?
Yes! But you may have to put your own work on the back burner while you’re focusing on applying for; setting up; blogging about and keeping track of your affiliate links. Why? Because you’ll have to put all your creativity into finding the listeners and writing the winning blogs.
On the plus side, it certainly never hurts to spread your name around as a credible, capable writer while you’re writing for others… Before your prose hit the market. Hint: Don’t write for others under another pseudonym. Post with the name your book will shout. It’s free advertising.
And while we’re on the subject, there’s a website (at least one) that touts the 30 best affiliate programs for writers. But ask your search engine for the link when we’re finished here. I don’t want to send you away before I refer you to my own latest book… It’s available now in eBook, print, and in audiobook.
It’s a cozy mysterious misadventure about 3 old ladies with 3 obnoxious husbands that die on the same day. Did the 3 old ladies murder them? Or what?
Is it foolish to affiliate to make money?
Not at all! I have read and heard of people making a very fine living partnering to promote other’s products. But while you’re promoting other’s products do include shouts for your own Bestseller in the making.
Think about it…
P.S. In case you missed it, click the link to glom onto your copy of my latest book. Then we’re almost done here. Just a couple of very important notices… Until next time…
Cheers!
You may also like…
And to be certain of something for everybody…. Here’s a limited time GIVEAWAY…
That’s SPECIAL EDITION and a Sore Head from thinking… not Sorehead from being crabby.
Why do I have a sore head?
Because I must confess. I confess that gathering subscribers on a mailing list is not my strong suit. I need more treasured readers on my subscribers list.
Without subscribers, I have no readers. If I have no readers, why am I writing and publishing books? If I don’t author books, how will you know how fun characters and life can be?
So, to inform and entertain you, I must gather subscribers. The education gauntlet has been thrown down.
I did it. I picked it up.
I need to gather a group of enthusiastic, cherished readers.
Are you curious about the writing process? Do you want to know when super-duper book opportunities pop up? Opportunities like free and discounted books. And saving authors from brain burps…
That’s what this Special Edition of my blog is all about. Saving me from my brain burp and enhancing your escape time at no cost to you.
With my confession made for the world to see… What’s in it for you?
If you’re a writer in waiting, you’ll be inspired and entertained by subscribing to my delightful newsletter!
If you love captivating, insightful, and joyous books, you should subscribe. It will wonderfully enhance your knowledge. It will fill your life with limitless joy and excitement!
You will not regret subscribing to my little newsletter… ever. I will never ever share your name without your express permission. And I will never flood your inbox with gunky, no-account stuff. I don’t have the energy for such antics. I have quirky characters to ramrod. Which brings me to the cherry on top…
In return for your 3-second, or less, investment of time in subscribing… I will give you a 100% free exclusive novelette eBook. And more fun stuff to come… but not everyday.
This short book is the prequel to the Sally the Loner Series. It’s called ‘Come for Coffee with Sally’.
Click the Cover to get it FREE today! It’s a Magic Link.
It reveals a taste of Sally’s 87-year spunky life including some nutshelled mysterious misadventures she’s sweated through.
Can her story boost your courage to plow through the misadventures in your own life? Or, at least, give you a giggle break at how she handles surprises in her daily life…
All these possibilities for free… At this time, the only way you can get this novelette is through this magic link in this post.
I’ll give it to you again… Just click on the magic link to sign-up and see what this 87-year-old feisty lady is all about.
“I am totally addicted. The author has a way of taking a mystery story and making it like you’ve never thought of before. This is totally refreshing … I am definitely now a big fan of Alexie Linn.“
On that note I bid you adieu. And say thank you for stepping up; signing up; and being my protagonist.
Each time I decide what I want to be when I grow up, a picture comes into my head. The picture invariably is of me (and my team) with the shiny finished product with throngs of people lined up to buy or use that gorgeous piece I’ve created. Cash is flowing. People are jubilant and crying for more…
But is it that simple?
Hmm. Not so much.
I’ve flipped career paths several times over the years simply because of the behind the scenes demands.
Demands like:
Graveyard shifts because I’m a morning person. I turn into a pumpkin at sundown.
Working with a redneck crew that shun and torment a woman in their midst.
Micro managers that must give permission for a bathroom break when it will affect no one else on the floor.
It’s easy to block out the details of what goes into the production of a product. Especially when you have no clue until you get there; having leapt smack into the bubbling pot of goo.
So, in preparation of your leap into becoming a productive author, here’s a peak at what goes on behind the scenes to get a book from thought to publication at Alexie Linn, Author.
The Inspiration:
Ask the question. Define the problem that needs a solution. (The reason for writing the book)
Who are the characters that have the problem? What is each character’s quirk?Does the protagonist need a sidekick?
Make the antagonist 3 dimensional. Why are they so darned antagonistic?
Outline the story — make a gazillion decisions:
How does the story begin?
What led to the problem?
Where is the problem happening? Research places.
What are the options to fix the problem?
Refine the options with what happens along the way
Research the options for suitable fixes
Attempt to fix the problem
Keep working the fixes until one clicks.
Will the chosen venue work?
Tie up all the loose ends… or leave them dangle?
Write the story:
How much material have you to work with?
What’s the slant? What are you selling to whom?
Who will be reading it? A pre-schooler or a scholar?
Average 5-letter words or 20-letter words?
How many chapters? About how many words per chapter?
How many total words?
Is it a:short story (1,500-30,000 words);
a novella (18.000-40,000 words);
a novel (40,000-150,000 words);
a flash fiction (300-1,500 words); or
a nonfiction (25,000-150,000 words)
Decide whether to start at the beginning, middle, or end.
Look for a publisher (write and submit a proposal) or indie publish (write the proposal for yourself or just skip it)?
Publish the Book
Prepare the manuscript for indie publication
Write or rewrite the description
Select key words or phrases for search engines to snag —
Remove photos and anything else that the narrator should not read or describe.
Compile an audition script; including character ages and voice inflections like a stutter, lisp, or an accent.Select a narratorNegotiate a contract with the narrator
Upload the narrator version of the manuscript
Promote, promote, promote
Order author copies of print versions for promotion and gig sales
Schedule book signing and sales gigs
Post the new book to social media servers from the website often and frequently
Write the blog
Repeat steps 1 through 5
And there you have it. A nutshell peek at behind the scenes of Alexie Linn, Author.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes journey and are now more prepared to dive into the very busy life of authorship.
The inspiration, outline, write, and publish process takes about 30-days for this author. Promotion never ends.
I’ve seen books promising you can do it all in 7-days. And I just opened an email from a homesteading blogger that her 85,000-word book is finally done. Her project took 5-years.
We each work at the speed that best suits us… or that providence allows. The most important step is to keep plugging away at it. Artificial intelligence does it faster. But it will never do it better than you. Strive for perfection, but keep going to the end.
Apparently, I did. Because nobody else is responsible for my website. What did I do? Or not do as this case may be…
Your Website is your storefront…
I posted a book with no link to learn more and buy it. Kind of like placing the can of cat’s food in their bowl without opening it – then leaving for two days.
I have lots of excuses – including ‘senior moment’ – but it doesn’t matter. I embarrassed myself and frustrated possible readers by not finishing the business at hand. Maintaining my website.
Your website is your store front.
Your website needs to:
Be focused on what you’re selling – as an author, your books are your bells and whistles. Not the attention grabbers that will snag your visitors and pull them off your site.
Be attention grabbing without bribes. If you distract your buyers with an abundance of free stuff for signing up, you’ll get sign-ups for the freebies. And that’s it. Setting up and maintaining a mailing list is great. But consider these three things first:
The time and energy required to write and put into play the freebies.
The time and energy to continually feed your email list posts of more freebies.
The time and energy to keep your email list viable. The people who actually want to know about your new book – and will buy it. The number of ‘clickers’ makes all the difference in ranking. Non-clickers must be eliminated for better rankings across the board. There are other ways to keep bona fide readers informed. See the P.S. below for other ways…
Be easy to find – Keep your domain name simple, easy to remember, and easy to type into a browser. It should match your author name or something that appears on each and every book you write.
Be easy to maintain — Post a book cover; link it to the description page; include the link to BUY NOW. Simple – if you don’t get distracted.
Be affordable – I don’t affiliate with even one website provider. The reason? So far, in my tenure as a several websites owner/maintainer/operator, only one gave me the real cost up front of owning/renting the site. And they don’t offer affiliate links. It’s this one… the simplicity of WordPress.com for my simple (?) little AlexieLinnAuthor.com business. Find the real and true cost of a website before you build it just to get a gut punching surprise at every billing cycle.
The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and follow me on Facebook. New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊
BUT! If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.
Subscribe to my You Tube Channelto not miss a fun and entertaining Book Trailer. They’re short. They’re mesmerizing. And they won’t waste your time.
What’s KDP? KDP is an acronym for Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s indie publishing platform. It’s easy to sign up and upload your indie books to KDP.
Amazon’s KDP is a huge market with a gargantuan membership to get your book(s) in front of!
Competition to get your book found is astronomical. But there are a couple of options to help close the gap and get your works discovered by interested readers.
It’s called promote and advertise. And it’s title specific.
Access the promote and advertise link through each of your published books that you want to promote in your KDP bookshelf.
When you click the promote and advertise link inside the promote and advertise section, it takes you to a page where you can choose to run a price promotion or an ad campaign.
While I do give away books to avid readers and reviewers, Amazon is not my chosen medium for giveaways. Amazon is the place I want to have them flash before reader’s eyes time after time after time. I skip the price promotion and choose the‘ad campaign’. This is the method that puts your book in the ‘You might also like’ ribbon sections of a product the customer is perusing.
Where your book shows up in the ribbon is based on your bid for clicks. High bids per click come first. Lowest bids per click come in at the end. You pay by the click, not by the impression (aka flash). Get the picture?
What products your covers show up in the ribbon for is determined by keywords and/or other book ASIN’s that you can choose.
How do I choose which keywords or products?
I found a great little program that saves me hours and days of making lists from online research. Dave, the KDP Guru that I’m so glad I found, also offers several lessons – both free and paid – to show you how to be proficient at running an effective KDP ad campaign.
I love the program so much that I affiliated with Dave, the KDP Guru, to offer it to you right here in this post.
The program is called ‘Publisher Rocket’.
Publisher Rocket literally saved me hours and days of research, compiling, sorting and typing.
It’s easy to use… type a word; click, sort and download. Voila! A viable list of keywords and applicable book ASINs appear. You simply copy and paste to your KDP campaign. Pffft… it’s so easy-peasy. And you can Get Publisher Rocket here.
Incidentally, I don’t run ad campaigns for all of my books. I run campaigns for one book from each series and trade them out for different covers after a time. This gives me a better handle on what gets buyers attention and saves me oodles of time and money.
When I started promoting with ad campaigns, my books got found and bought on Amazon.
Before Publisher Rocket and KDP Ad Campaigns, grabbing reader’s attention was like pulling hen’s teeth .
I’m still not a millionaire, but I’m closer to becoming one.
On that note…
Happy Trails and Tales,
Alexie Linn
P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and follow me on Facebook. New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊
If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.
The wind has laid. The clouds have cleared. It’s 37 degrees precisely. The weather is as near perfect as it can be in February, 2022 at the third winding down of this pandemic that won’t die. I may even consider going into a store today without looking like a bandit. Consider being the key word.
‘Duh’, I say to myself with a dusting slap up-side the head, ‘now you have to promote and sell.’
I hate selling myself and my works! But it’s a necessary evil that I’m ever-so-slowly getting better at…
One way I promote story visibility and sales is to turn each book into an audiobook.
There are a few options to get that job done. I use ACX Audible. Here’s why:
ACX Audible offers more than one method to pay talented storytellers that turn action words into dynamic 3D action with their voices.
There are plusses and minuses to each service. Check them out for yourself with a Google search for ‘audiobook services’ and go with what works for you.
Whichever service you choose, know that it takes a couple of months and a tad of work to take a book from print to a finished audiobook. Once the audiobook is finished and available for sale, promoting and getting it found begins.
Oh joy.
Audiobook Promo Codes lighten the load. Knowing how to use them lightens it even more.
ACX Audible assigns authors promo codes for free review copies of the story. The codes are very effective. But only if you get them out there in the world and redeemed by readers.
Here’s what I’ve found to be the simplest and most productive distribution method.
I’m currently a member of two Facebook groups (Cozy Mystery Audiobook Lovers and the brand-new Audible Lovers Cornucopia) that gives authors, narrators, and listeners a place to post and redeem the free promo codes. The Cornucopia is open to all genres and audiobook services.
Readers, writers, and listeners deserve the opportunity to get in on your best work. Offer it in any form available to you.
And, unless you’re a celebrity, include audiobooks in your sales toolbox.
On that note…
Happy Trails and Tales,
Alexie Linn
P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and follow me on Facebook. New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊
If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.
