Secrets to Planning a Rockin' Twitter Party

I know consider myself a Twitter Party Addict. I have managed three of my own and hopped on the bandwagon of over twenty of them.

It's a great way to spread the word about your book and to play as an 'appetizer' to a larger launch party.
 
THE LAUNCH

Who says you can only have one book launch party? Well I say, have many. This is the main event for your book. You've been building up to this for months. Doing it on multiple platforms will afford your book a lot of visibility. But even though Twitter is always hopping, you need to promo it a bit.

THE BUILDUP

I usually start my book launches that include a Twitter Party, Blog Party and Facebook Party with a mini-blog tour which includes all the authors who will be part of my Facebook Virtual Launch Party. We do this to build up the buzz.

About 6 weeks before the party all of the authors involved in the big Facebook Party event tweet about the Twitter Party coming (using a hashtag for the book title & a link to our Party Map Page).

The mini blog party kicks off 1 week before the Twitter Party. It's used to build awareness of all of the book release events coming. The Twitter Appetizer Party (which runs the Friday before the Facebook Party) is used to drive even more traffic to the book sales pages for participating authors.

The Giveaway announcement. We run a giveaway announcement on twitter (a daily tweet from each participating author) with link to Party Map Page which has the schedule of the mini-blog tour, the Twitter Party, Facebook Party, links to all books, and rafflecopter.


THE TWITTER APPETIZER PARTY

We call it an appetizer because it's the night before the big Facebook Party event (which usually last for 8 hours on a Saturday and is run by a number of authors not limited to the launch guest of honor).

These usually last 3 hours. Three hours is enough time to run 3 trivia games, intro the book, shout out for prize winners and share links to big party coming the following day on Facebook.


The trick though is to have about 3 other people who you KNOW will be there to help you keep the party going, promo the party, and invite others.

A neat way to make sure you know who's coming is to use the mini-blog tour to build an invite list and later tweet a reminder to participants.

PARTY MUST DO LIST

For a twitter party to work, you need to have the Trivia Questions, links, etc preset (you can use hootsuite or socialoomph to do this in advance). This makes things much easier and allows facilitator to just do promo, invite tweets, and personal interaction with crowd.

Announcing the party should be done 60 to 30 minutes before by the 3 party facilitators. Invites to fans who are on twitter at the time & share a party favor if they show up is a great kickoff. Have a main prize of about $25 gift card that you will give out at end of night.
 
Kick off party with party jargon, a swag giveaway like bookmarks, introduction of participating authors, book, book trailer. Then start the games. Try to stick with games that are themes of the book. In between shout out a reminder about follow-on Facebook party, shout out winners and 'thank you' to participants before running next game. Sticking to 10 questions for each trivia works.
 

Trivia ideas. Movie lines, guess that tune, caption picture contest and many more depending how creative you are.

WOULD YOU GO TO A TWITTER RELEASE PARTY?


by LM Preston, YA & MG Author, http://www.lmpreston.com/

Making Your Readers put you in the Re-Read Pile

I want it. I would absolutely love it if my readers would treasure my book and place it in their re-read pile. But the question is, what books to you keep? Buy in paperback so you will never lose them. Or do you purchase in ebook and keep it for reading on the fly?

WELL....

I’ve been doing some downsizing lately since we moved. And I had to make some hard decisions when it came to keeping my paperback books that have to be crammed into my measly two bookcases.

So, I decided to only keep the books that I knew that I would read again. And they are quite a few that I decided I would read again. Books that I read once, had a good ride, but didn’t think I would stick with it another round, they were donated to the library.

PAPER BACK BOOKS I was least likely to take off my shelf were:

Non-Fiction: There is a difference here because my paperback books do take up space. The books that survived and kept their space on my bookshelf were the non-fiction ‘how to’ books and the cookbooks. They didn’t even have to compete.

Poetry: As for my fiction titles, I held on to my books of poetry, which came in 2nd place because I love reading poetry and my family does have a poetry speak talk once in awhile where we recite our favorite pieces of poetry outloud.

Hard to Find Again Books: Yep, those Conan books, and comic books turned full length novels, I held on to them.

Fiction Series Titles: Series that I enjoyed each book in the series (which meant I wanted to re-read every book in the series). If there was a series where there was even one of the books I didn’t want to re-read, I donated the series.

Picture Books and Middle Grade Fiction: I kept these since my younger kids still prefer to read with a book in their hand.

EBOOKs I was least likely to take off my shelf:

Series: Here is where I don’t mind keeping a series in which I didn’t like as much.

Fiction: All of my fiction books that I liked or thought my daughter would like, I keep on my device so I can share the book with her.

MY CONCLUSIONs

I’m more likely to hold thousands of ‘only read once’ books on my ebook device since it doesn’t cost me to keep them and I can archive them. Also, I figure if I’m bored and run out of books to read, I can always find time to read that ‘okay’ book that I haven’t read in 5 yrs.

However, I’m less likely to want to keep non-fiction books like cook books or How To’s on my reading device because I like to write in those books.

As for genre’s I’m more likely to keep my picture books and Middle Grade books on the shelf since my younger kids still prefer to have the book (only because I refuse to buy them an ereader though).

SO…WHAT STAYS ON YOUR READING SHELF? Paperback or Ebook?

by LM Preston, www.lmpreston.com 

Book Categories & Sassy Surveys!

I've always loved taking fun quizzes (not school quizzes).

Like back when I used to get my Sassy magazine (I had a subscription), I always liked filling out those surveys that told you if That Boy Was a No! or a Go!

I saw him first.
Neener neener.

Or if I had a Bookish Betty personality or a Bubbling Brooke...

(I made those up in case you're wondering. #nerdalert)

So anyway, I've bumped into a Burning Question, and I've decided to turn it into a fun survey for YOU, reader-friends! (whee!)

Here, sit down. I'll French braid your hair while I explain it to you.

It's about Amazon Categories and buying books from online bookstores...

Background: On Sept. 4, 2012, when I hit "publish" on my very first indie book The Truth About Faking (link), I was pretty ignorant about how to reach readers.

I mean, we're talking about a place where there's no bookstore, no clerk, no nothing. How do I let people know what to expect? Well, write a good blurb, and then there's this...

Where do I belong?

Amazon gives indie authors two choices for where to put their books, taken from pre-established BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) categories.

The Truth About Faking is a light romantic comedy in which a 16-year-old girl falls in love with one guy while chasing another. Several things happen, and by the end of the story, she realizes things aren't always as they appear and not to judge books by their covers.

That's the short version. So I say...

Category 1: Juvenile > Fiction > Love & Romance
Category 2: Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age

There's no "Teen" or "YA" category, so my additional search terms (Amazon allows seven) are: romance, teen, clean, romantic comedy, chicklit, contemporary, young adult

Easy peasy, yes?

Well, it was in September. Readers found the book, it was exactly what they expected, and they either liked it or didn't. Lucky for me, most of them liked it--yaaay!

Fast-forward six months, and along with the 5-star (happy!) reviews, I've been seeing more 2- or 3-stars that complain either, "I didn't expect this to be so innocent." Or simply, "High school." Or this recent 2-star review: "Honestly, this was not a bad read, it was just too young for me. But there were some good messages."

Me = *head scratching*

[Important Note: The reviews are NOT the point. I am NOT slamming these reviewers.]

The Point is finding our intended audience in this new bookstore setting.

I don't want people buying my book expecting one thing and getting something that makes them feel... frustrated. But even more importantly, I want to connect with the readers I'm writing for. I want them to find the book I wrote for them.

So here's the Sassy Survey! Answering the Burning Question, "How do you buy books on Amazon (or online)?" (Whee! Let's see what we learn~)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

And please tell me in the comments your thoughts. Is there some other method I haven't thought about? For example, some people only buy books recommended by friends. Is that you?

Thanks for playing, and have a great week, reader-friends! <3

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

Leigh Talbert Moore is a wife and mom by day, a writer by day, a reader by day, a former freelance editor, a former journalist, a caffeine addict, a chocoholic, a beach bum, a lover of any great love story, and occasionally she sleeps.

-THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKING (link) is her debut young adult romance.
-ROUGE (link) is her mature-YA/new adult romantic suspense novel.
-THE TRUTH ABOUT LETTING GO (link) is her newest book available now!

Leigh loves hearing from readers; stop by and say hello:Blog * Facebook * Amazon Author page * Goodreads

Selling Beyond the Reader

So now you figured out you are a publisher? Well figure out ways to sell your stuff beyond just to the end reader.

YES, making money selling your books to readers is great. But the big returns also come when you sell your Subsidiary Rights! That means all the other ways to sell your book. Large publishers have been doing it for years. It's one of the main reasons having a Literary Agent and a Traditional Publisher seems appealing even to an Indie Publisher because entry into the untapped markets of Subsidiary Rights sales isn't easy at all.

Here's some tips from John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Book


SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

The sale of subsidiary rights is a major source of money for traditional book publishers.


John Kremer states the reasons why publishers should pursue these:

Rights Income will help pay for printing and promos
Make money on your books even before they are released
The sales of these rights increase buzz about your books
The sales of these rights give credibility to your book
More sales create additional sales for other titles
The more sales in this area makes it easier to get booksellers to pick up the book
Movie and TV rights will increase sale of your released book and subsequent books from the author


John Kremer gives tips on selling these rights:

Create a contact list to include buyers for, serial, audio/video, reprints, book club rights and more by category.
Cold call, email, postcard mail these sources to let them know of your upcoming book
Send out review copies with marketing plans, media kits to these prospects
Approach more than one lead at a time
Follow-up with call or face to face visit
Take your time and prepare for the unexpected
Feature rights for sell on your publishing focused website
Get a rights agent that works with publishers


When an author signs a contract with a publishing house, they generally grant the publisher ‘volume rights’ within certain territories. This gives the publisher the right to publish the book in certain formats. The royalties relating to hardback, paperback and sometimes trade paperback (a larger paperback format) editions will be spelled out.

There will be clauses in the contract covering all the other rights. These are the ‘subsidiary’ rights granted to publishers and can also be referred to as sub-leases.

DO YOUR RESEARCH - THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX - and pursue other ways to sell your books.

By: LM Preston, YA and MG author, www.phenomenalonepress.com

Creating an audiobook using ACX

Over the summer I was hanging out with a bunch of indie author friends at a book fair in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Now, none of us ever sell very much at these things, but that's fine because they're really an excuse for us all to get together, eat doughnuts, and talk about indie writing/publishing/marketing stuff that no one else in our lives is remotely interested in. (We also take a lot of dumb pictures of each other trying to look authorly.)

Author Laura A.H. Elliott and I got to talking about audiobooks. She was just about to release her first one -  13 on Halloween. I'd always wanted to do audiobook versions of my books, but assumed that it was kind of a logistical nightmare and out of my price range. (I'm cheap. Book covers are the only thing I pay for!)

When she told me that she didn't have to pay a dime to have her audiobook narrated and produced, I was all SHUT THE FRONT DOOR and grilled her like I was doing a front page piece for the Cheapskate Gazette.

I went home and opened an ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) account that day. Glimpse came out at the end of last month, Glimmer is making its way to Amazon, Audible, and iTunes right now, and Glow and the Zellie Wells trilogy are in production.

 

I thought I would share with you all just how easy the process of creating an audiobook through ACX has been for me, so that we can all have people not only reading, but listening to our books! 

 

1. Got to https://www.acx.com/

 

2. Create an account (click on the big Get Started button after admiring Neil Gaiman for a minute)

 

3. This account works with your Amazon account - so you'll have the same sign in and password

 

4. Creating an account here is very similar to creating an account on any e-book platform - just follow the directions and fill in the info

 

5. Confirm you own the rights to your titles. This is similar to adding your books to your Author Central account, sort of an is this book yours? within ACX and then you confirm if it is or isn't.

 

6. Next comes the bit I found the most tedious - creating your title profile

 a. Post a cover photo (don't worry, it's not the FINAL cover art)

 b. Post a description

 c. Post an excerpt for narrators to audition with

 d. Post a write up of anything else potential narrators and producers need to know - for example, I stated that I needed a female narrator that could handle alternating POV's/chapters between a female and male character.

 e. Post word count, territories (most will be Worldwide like with e-books)

 f. Choose your royalty sitch.

 

This is where you decide if you are going to pay an upfront hourly rate or royalty share. Obviously, if you pay upfront...it's going to cost something. If you do the royalty share, you don't pay anything upfront, but you do split all of your royalties with the narrator/producer 50/50.

 

I chose to share my royalties, and in fact am happy to share my royalties. I honestly feel like my narrator, Martha Lee, put just as much work into creating the audiobooks as I did writing the books!

 

7. Now your title profiles are listed on ACX for narrators and producers to peruse. (A lot of the narrators are also the producers.)

You can wait for them to come to you, but I have no patience, so I started listening to narrator auditions right away. (Go up to Search and click on Narrators for hire.)

 

8. To narrow down the number of auditions, you can put in parameters for your project. ex. Genre, Gender, Accent, Payment (some narrators don't do royalty sharing), Style, etc. I did this and came back with about 20 audition samples to listen to.

 

Now here's where I feel I had a bit of luck. I found Martha the first go around and when I heard her audition...I got that feeling like when you're going along writing and the dialogue is flowing and you don't even have to work for it. She just sounded right.

 

I could have made her an offer straight away, by clicking on the Make an Offer button, but I was new, so I asked her to audition for Glimpse. You know how in your head all your characters sound like you when you're reading your books? Well, when I heard Martha's samples, I thought she sounded more like Zellie than I did.

 

9. I made her an offer - this is basically stating that I would like to hear the first 15 minutes by this date and have the project completed by this date. Don't worry if you are clueless to how long the whole thing should take - ACX has a formula to help you figure it out based on word count. Also, I think it's a good idea to always go with the 72 hour offer. Martha is in New York and I'm in Oregon, so we have had some time zone issues.

 

So, hopefully they accept your offer.This is all done through the messaging on ACX. I will say that we had some trouble with some of our messages not reaching each other. No matter, when it came time to send her the manuscript, I emailed her the word doc. and we've mostly been communicating through e-mail since.

 

Now, you might not want to e-mail a stranger a word doc. Go with your gut. I wanted her to be able to print the manuscript out in the font and font size she wanted and also so she could make notes. In addition, Glimpse has been out since 2010, so I wasn't really worried about it being pirated (because it already has been all over the land) or people calling into question if it was mine. ( For better or for worse, it is. Ha!)

 

10. Then you wait. In the meantime, you can add your cover art to the project. However, BE CAREFUL. If you're good with Photoshop, you can probably adjust the covers yourself. If not, have your cover designer or someone that is good with Photoshop format your covers. Don't just slap your e-book cover in the shape of a square up there. 1. it won't look right 2. it's a pain in the butt to change it.

 

I put a placeholder cover up for Glimpse - a stretched out version of the e-book cover - and then I couldn't get it to go away. I had to e-mail ACX the good cover my husband made and ask them to change it on their end.

 

11. Listen to the 15 minute sample and either approve it, or ask them to make changes/try reading things a different way

 

12. After the 15 minutes are approved, you wait for the whole thing. Each chapter is a separate file to download. In addition, the narrator should send you a opening and closing credits and a 5 minute sample.

Listen to these intently - it's totally fun! - and make notes of any changes. Glimpse had two pronunciation changes and Glimmer had one. The narrators are locked out of making any changes until you click on the Request Changes button.

 

13. When you're totally satisfied with your audiobook, all you have to do is approve it and it goes to ACX for a final vetting. After that, it can take a couple weeks to a month to distribute out to Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. For me, it showed up on Audible within a few days, Amazon not much longer after that. iTunes was the hold out (as per usual).

 

The one sort of weird thing about the whole audiobook experience is that we don't control the price. Right now Glimpse is $19.95 on Audible, $17.46 on Amazon, and $9.99 on iTunes. In addition, Audible had a big promotion and Glimpse was offered at $5.46 or something for over a week, with the option to get it FREE if you joined Audible. So, FYI, if you're a control freak like me, that takes some getting used to.

 

14. Start promoting that puppy!

 

**If you choose to hire a narrator/producer outside of ACX, that's cool. There is also the option to distribute it to other audiobook retailers, but the royalty system is way different. I figured I was hitting the big three with my deal, so that's why I went with that.

 

**If you'd like to see this information with pretty pictures, go here.

 

                                                                                                                                                               

 

Stacey Wallace Benefiel doesn't look very much like her Author Photo anymore, so she thought you might enjoy this picture of her taken by Angela Carlie in Lisa Nowak's backyard.

 

 

 

 

Cover Reveal and a Paperback

In June of this year I released the first of 12 books in a new series entitled Blood and Snow. It's a fractured retelling of Snow White.

Here's the series summary:

"Lips red as rubies, hair dark as night. Drink your true love's blood, become the Vampire, Snow White."

Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White.

**BLOOD AND SNOW: Snow White lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her dad, stepmother, and her cat, Gatsby. Her entire life she's been teased for her fairy tale name, and the fact that her seven best friends happen to be guys whose names begin with the same letters as the seven dwarves.
Everything changes on a trip into Boston, where an unseen stranger bites her, and she's transformed into something not quite human.

**REVENANT IN TRAINING: Snow has been transformed into a revenant - not quite human and not quite vampire. She must discover how to live with the changes, hopefully without killing anyone.

**THE VAMPIRE CHRISTOPHER: As a revenant, Snow White craves blood. Especially the blood of her Hunter. But will drinking from him save or enslave her?

**BLOOD SOAKED PROMISES: Snow White must come to terms with her bloodlust. It's one thing to drink the blood of her Hunter, something else entirely to drink the blood of a human.


The first four books have released with the 5th, Prey and Magic, coming out this winter.

The super cool news is that a paperback version of the first four volumes is available. You can purchase the paperback copy HERE.

One comment I've heard over and over from fans? They wished Cindy, Snow White's best friend, had a more prominent role in the Blood and Snow books. And I couldn't agree more. Cindy is a fun character. She's vibrant, cool, and totally kick a**. All along I've had special plans for Cindy. She will have her own set of short stories, which is totally awesome.

The first of her books is entitled CINDY WITCH. It'll release Winter 2012.

Summary: 

Magic is her birthright.

Fashion is her forte.

It's been dictated that her destiny is to help Snow White.

But, Cindy is no sidekick.

And here's the cover:

If you'd like to learn more about me, or my books, you can stop by my personal blog, my amazon page, visit my facebook page, or hang out with me on twitter.

Self-pubbing: Not a fad diet

About five years ago now, after years of the college lifestyle hit my waist line, I decided that yo-yo dieting was enough and I had to do something to change.  I joined Weight Watchers, lost almost 50 lbs and felt better than ever, but of course the weight eventually came back on after having a kid and my love of french fries.

I tried to go back and do Weight Watchers again, tried every diet in the book and none of them worked. Why? Because it's not about doing a fad diet it's about a lifestyle change.

The same thing can be said for self-pubbing. People look at the careers of authors like Amanda Hocking or Hugh Howey and think that is their fast track for getting their book out there and become a billionare. I'm here to say that like a fad diet, self-pubbing success doesn't always happen over night and it's more about changing your attitude then just putting something up on Amazon.

Not all diets/books are created equal.

So your friend self-pubbed her book and now makes 10K a month from writing? Why can't you? Well, there is a possiblity that you can, but more than likely it's not going to happen overnight. Your friend might be Amanda Hocking that hit it big when self-pubbing started and for some reason your little book about aliens just isn't getting an audience. Does it mean you give up on your self-pubbing diet? Now on to exhibit two...

You have to be in it for the long haul

Sure, there are people that you see their success and you think "Man they did that in no time!" But then did you look at the big picture? Did that person spend three years building their platform before they published? Sure, some people will get success right away and then you see amazing authors like M. Leighton that have fourtneen books published and it was their fourteenth book that got them on the NY Times best seller list. Patience is the key.

Shortcuts don't help you

Think you can just go a few days with eating salads and the weight wont come back when you eat normal? Wrong. It's the same with self-pubbing. You want to get the book out quickly and start making money so you scimp on editing, having your critique partners look at it, but still think it's fine. Then the reviews role in complaining about typos, you get returns galore and wonder why all your "weight" came back.

Jealousy doesn't help you

I whine all the time when someone bounces back from having a baby and looks like a model, but does it help me feel any better? No. Don't compare yourself to anyone because all that is going to get you is dissapointment. Sure she may have sold more books than you, but maybe look at what she's done to market her books. If you do the same thing and it doesn't work, remember that not all fad diets are created equal. I did some paid advertising that other Indelibles did. They had a multitude of sales, I think I got one or two.

Sweat is just weakness leaving the body.

I saw this in a Nike ad. Throughout my weight loss time I spent a lot of time crying and a lot of time sweating. There were weeks that I lost two pounds and weeks that I'd gained two pounds. The key is to not give up. The same goes for self-pubbing. There will be days you sell absolutely nothing, heck, with the first six months of How to Date an Alien being on sale, I barely sold a book a day. I cried a lot, put a lot of effort in to marketing, and still nothing. I cried a lot, A LOT, but then I realized that I had to pick myself up and keep pushing. I put out the second alien book and then put out My Paper Heart. I'm not making 10K in sales a month, but I'm doing well enough that I think I can get that new MacBook Pro I've been eyeing and possibly get the bigger car I really want in a few months.

In conclusion

Some people will get published and do well and some wont. But if you want to do well in self-publishing you have to remember, it's not a fad diet, you have to be in it for the long haul to see results.

**************************************************************************

Magan Vernon started her writing career by writing fan fiction about olympic athletes. Now she writes young adult and New Adult including the international best selling MY ALIEN ROMANCE series and MY PAPER HEART. When not writing she tackles insurance claims, a curious toddler, and a husband who is not an olympic athlete but sometimes she pretends he is.

You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com
www.thepunchingbagfightsback.blogspot.com

or support here and pick up a book on Amazon (she promises that none of them are about fad diets, but do include prailines)

9/11/12 Indiechat with Steena Holmes

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Hey! Welcome guest of honor! #indiechat -9:01 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MRMerrick @Steenaholmes I told you I'd come, and here I am! #IndieChat -9:01 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MRMerrick RT @laurapauling: Stick around for #indiechat to chat with author of Finding Emma and the chance to win the ebook! -9:01 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB RT @laurapauling: Stick around for #indiechat to chat with author of Finding Emma and the chance to win the ebook! #indiechat -9:02 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling '@Steenaholmes Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? How long have you been writing? #indiechat -9:02 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling RT @Steenaholmes: @laurapauling officially - since 2005 but seriously since 2009 #indiechat -9:03 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Remember to use the hashtag. #indiechat Did you try the traditional route before self publishing? -9:03 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri RT @MRMerrick: @Steenaholmes I told you I'd come, and here I am! #IndieChat -9:03 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Who of us didn't? Right? #indiechat -9:04 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling sure did! I queried 3 novels until I decided to try epub first and then self pub #indiechat -9:04 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling '@Steenaholmes is with us. Best selling author of Finding Emma! #indiechat -9:04 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Okay, this isn't fair b/c I know some of the answers. Let's talk about pen names. #indiechat -9:05 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Why did you use the first pen name? #indiechat -9:06 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling LOL ;) I also write under Anya Winter - I have 3 novellas under that name that are epubbed and 2 indie pubbed #indiechat -9:06 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter I'm here. So we have a guest tonight? #indiechat -9:06 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes So what made you split and use your real name...if that's your real name... #indiechat -9:06 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling real answer - because I decided to try erotic romance and I was a pastor's wife (shhhh) #indiechat -9:06 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @DougSolter WElcome! We're chatting with Steena Holmes author of Finding Emma. #indiechat -9:07 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Okay, that's a good reason! #indiechat -9:07 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Did you debate about whether to self pub Finding Emma or query agents? #indiechat -9:07 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB @Steenaholmes Ha ha! I love it. Very good reason for a pen name. #indiechat -9:08 PM Sep 11th, 2012

WritingDystopia I guess I have to know how to spell "indie" to participate #indiechat -9:08 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @WritingDystopia That helps! :) #indiechat -9:08 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I queried Finding Emma for almost 2 years before I decided to self pub. I wanted to be sure I could do it first. #indiechat -9:08 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Wow! Were agents interested? #indiechat -9:09 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes I epubbed 7 novellas and 1 novel before I decided to self pub Finding Emma #indiechat -9:09 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Sounds like Finding Emma was a book of the heart. #indiechat -9:09 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna Yeah! Love tonights guest @Steenaholmes is my BFF saw her do this from the very start #indiechat -9:09 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Tell us a little bit about the journey with Finding Emma since you published it last spring. #indiechat -9:10 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling yes - I had over 20 agents request partials/fulls and I pulled it from 8 who had fulls at the end #indiechat -9:10 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling Finding Emma is my heart story :) #indiechat -9:10 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Wow - Safe to say you've probably earned more money self publishing. #indiechat -9:10 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LM_Preston #indiechat I made it what I miss -9:11 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes If anyone has questions for STeena, go ahead and ask! #indiechat -9:11 PM Sep 11th, 2012

patricia_sands @Steenaholmes Hey Steena, I made it here ! So good to see you sharing your wonderful story ... as you do. We're so proud of you. #indiechat -9:12 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @LM_Preston Best selling author of Finding Emma @Steenaholmes is with us to answer any questions. #indiechat -9:12 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I've made in total on Finding Emma since March (6 months) around $150K #indiechat -9:12 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @patricia_sands thanks darlin! So glad you could make it!! #indiechat -9:12 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Let me pick my jaw up off the floor! you rock, girl! #indiechat -9:12 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling it's been a wild ride, that's for sure! #indiechat -9:13 PM Sep 11th, 2012

WritingDystopia @Steenaholmes Well, the description of the book makes it sound like it'd be a good read. #indiechat -9:13 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki Such great questions for Steena! Great job @laurapauling! & great answers @Steenaholmes #indiechat -9:13 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter Do you think having many of your books available for sale online has helped boost your sales? #indiechat -9:13 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @WritingDystopia thanks :) description is important I find when trying to grab a readers attention #indiechat -9:13 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LM_Preston RT @laurapauling: @Steenaholmes Let me pick my jaw up off the floor! you rock, girl! #indiechat -9:14 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna @Steenaholmes but worth every moment! Yes? #indiechat -9:14 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Other than an obviously touching book, what led to this book's ultimate success? Any clues along the way? #indiechat -9:14 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MRMerrick @Steenaholmes In 6 months? That's incredible Steena! #IndieChat -9:14 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @DougSolter Hi Doug! Finding Emma is a different genre from my other books #indiechat -9:14 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @authorViviAnna worth every moment Vivi! I wouldn't trade it for the world! #indiechat -9:15 PM Sep 11th, 2012

patricia_sands @WritingDystopia Finding Emma is an extremely good read! #indiechat -9:15 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I believe marketing it, the price point and the reviews helped. They all play a key #indiechat -9:15 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna @Steenaholmes what would you say were the 3 most important things you did to be successful ? #indiechat -9:15 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri RT @MRMerrick: @Steenaholmes In 6 months? That's incredible Steena! #IndieChat -9:15 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki It's that fantastic!?!? RT @MRMerrick: @Steenaholmes In 6 months? That's incredible Steena! #IndieChat -9:16 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @authorViviAnna I found my readers, I utilized amazon and I kept the book in front of people during this time. #indiechat -9:16 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes First, how did you find your readers? #indiechat -9:17 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter That is really amazing. Especially in 6 months. RT @Steenaholmes #indiechat -9:17 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @LornaSuzuki @MRMerrick thanks - yeah - pretty amazing! #indiechat -9:17 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MRMerrick I've got to tuck the kids in but I'll be back ASAP Steena! #indiechat -9:17 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen What do you think it is about your book that sets it apart from others in the genre? #indiechat -9:17 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Marketing to potential readers seems to be a big topic right now. #indiechat How to find them? -9:17 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling We'll be giving away an ebook of Finding Emma to one lucky participant in #indiechat Stick around! -9:18 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @steenaholmes And how did you utilize Amazon effectively? #indiechat -9:18 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling my readers were going to be different from my romance genre readers, so I did a blog tour to reach women's fiction #indiechat -9:18 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB RT @laurapauling: Well be giving away an ebook of Finding Emma to one lucky participant in #indiechat Stick around! #indiechat -9:19 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Were most book bloggers receptive to it? #indiechat -9:19 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki @Steenaholmes Can't wait to interview you about your writing process at the end of this month! #indiechat -9:19 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @MXKremzen Nothing to set it apart but I think it's similar enough to 'big' names to catch readers attention #indiechat -9:19 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I only had a few decline and a few who read that didn't like it. That will happen. Especially as indie #indiechat -9:20 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @LornaSuzuki I can't wait either! Thanks darlin! #indiechat -9:20 PM Sep 11th, 2012

patricia_sands @Steenaholmes Do you think your blog tours were highly effective in generating sales? #indiechat -9:21 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna @Steenaholmes aligning yourself with the missing children fund I think helped you get exposure at the beginning... Yes? #indiechat -9:21 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @DianeCapri good question Diane! Their likes/tags, getting the reviews (not paying for them) and having my author page liked #indiechat -9:21 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Do you think pairing with a non profit helped initially? #indiechat -9:21 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr Market, market, market. Treat it like a business. And not just brief marketing but a constant stream #indiechat -9:21 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @thebookdesignr Welcome! #indiechat -9:21 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @DianeCapri I also worked on my description and used it to sell my book. Added reviews and awards as well as an excerpt #indiechat -9:21 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr Thanks :) Didn't want to miss it! #indiechat -9:22 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes So it slowly built, like a big ol' snowball! #indiechat -9:22 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @patricia_sands I think they helped to keep the word out and to get interest. I knew there wouldn't be a huge increase in sales #indiechat -9:22 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @Steenaholmes all good suggestions! Thanks. #indiechat -9:22 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @patricia_sands although - my first month I made over $12K that month when I did my 'hard' launch. #indiechat -9:23 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna Steena is very personable and she interacted with her readership instead of trying to sell to them #indiechat -9:23 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen @Steenaholmes I read that you used KDP Select, did you do anything in particular to keep sales up after the free days? #indiechat -9:23 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Very key! RT @authorViviAnna: Steena is very personable and she interacted with her readership instead of trying to sell to them #indiechat -9:23 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr This RT @authorViviAnna: Steena is very personable and she interacted with her readership instead of trying to sell to them #indiechat -9:23 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @authorViviAnna Ahh...yes...that helped to spread the word for sure! And I love being able to help with this. #indiechat -9:23 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @MXKremzen oo, good questions! #indiechat -9:23 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling I hear mixed reviews about using Select. #indiechat -9:24 PM Sep 11th, 2012

WritingDystopia @Steenaholmes I like success stories. I better get writing. #indiechat -9:24 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling my inital goal in pairing with a non-profit was to find readers - it was a specific market and a worthy cause #indiechat -9:24 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen RT: @authorViviAnna @Steenaholmes is very personable and she interacted with her readership instead of trying to sell to them #indiechat -9:24 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @thebookdesignr exactly! You can't stop marketing! #indiechat -9:24 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr Select also depends on the genre. I did non-fic for my first publication, and people don't look for reference when it's free #indiechat -9:24 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @authorViviAnna thanks Vivi! You've been with me every step of the way in this journey #indiechat -9:25 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LouiseBehiel it's been fascinating to watch, that's for sure #indiechat -9:26 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki @laurapauling I pulled my books from Kindle Select & my sales via Smashwords is now catching upt to combined Amazon sales! #indiechat -9:26 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @MXKremzen I did a 'soft launch' at the very beginning and had it for free for 2 days. I had over 26,000 downloads #indiechat It helped! -9:26 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I still have Finding Emma in select. it's worked for me. #indiechat -9:26 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB RT Select also depends on the genre. I did non-fic for my first publication, and people dont look for reference when its free #indiechat -9:26 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling So Select works for initially getting the word out through free downloads and pushing the book up the charts. #indiechat -9:26 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @WritingDystopia yes, you had better keep writing! #indiechat -9:26 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter I'm using KDP select right now. *crossing fingers* #indiechat -9:27 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Yeah, I'd say it has. :) #indiechat -9:27 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling back in March yes, it helped. Now a days? I'm not sure. Has anyone else had success doing this? #indiechat -9:27 PM Sep 11th, 2012

patricia_sands @Steenaholmes What do you consider the biggest of KDP Select? #indiechat -9:27 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes I don't know. I think you're book would've taken off anyway at some point. Maybe that sped the process up? #indiechat -9:28 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I normally have around 2000 borrows a month on Finding Emma, so for me it's worth having it in there #indiechat -9:28 PM Sep 11th, 2012

patricia_sands @Steenaholmes oops - I meant to say the biggest benefit of Select #indiechat -9:28 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LM_Preston me too “@DougSolter: I'm using KDP select right now. *crossing fingers* #indiechat” -9:28 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB @Steenaholmes I didn't have great luck with it - it seemed like people waited for the free days and then no downloads after. #indiechat -9:28 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling I've seen it work for friends when they have more than one book out in a series. #indiechat -9:29 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen @Steenaholmes That is remarkable! Congrats! #indiechat -9:29 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @Stacey_WBif people know you are always going to have it for free, then they'll wait for it. I haven't used the free days since #indiechat -9:29 PM Sep 11th, 2012

CaraBristol RT @Steenaholmes: I epubbed 7 novellas and 1 novel before I decided to self pub Finding Emma #indiechat -9:30 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki @Stacey_WB Same with me, not even any new reviews, plus lost $ on library lending deal on sequels that sell 4 more than 1st book. #indiechat -9:30 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Even though you have some left? #indiechat -9:30 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @patricia_sands I think the biggest benefit is the borrows are fabulous and people take a chance on it #indiechat -9:30 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB @Steenaholmes Got it. Good point - I didn't HAVE to use the free days! Duh, why didn't I think of that? :) #indiechat -9:30 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr So Select is good for a new release, but not for a sequal? #indiechat -9:31 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LouiseBehiel I just finished a 5 day stint of select. got 40K downloads. I'll let you know about sales but so far, so good. #indiechat -9:31 PM Sep 11th, 2012

patricia_sands @Steenaholmes Can you only have borrows on Select? #indiechat -9:31 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling this is my second round of KDP select and I only used those first free days back in March #indiechat -9:31 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @thebookdesignr if you use the select on your first book and hook readers - do you need it for sequel? #indiechat good question -9:32 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LM_Preston #indiechat I only have two of mine on KDP but they come off this weekend -9:32 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna Steena also paid it forward, she is always there for other people and very open with her advice, it's karma baby! #indiechat -9:32 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle Hi all! Lurking trying to catch up on the chat... #IndieChat -9:32 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @HeatherMcCorkle hi there! #indiechat -9:32 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle As a Nook owner, I hate to see books go strictly Kindle. :( I miss out! #IndieChat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB RT @authorViviAnna: Steena also paid it forward, she is always there for other people and open with her advice, its karma baby! #indiechat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen I'm wondering if having a series vs a stand-alone book makes the difference when deciding to use KDP Select or not. #indiechat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @laurapauling Hey hun! Sorry I'm late. #IndieChat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr @Steenaholmes Yeah good question! #indiechat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock I used Select for a nonfiction collection of my book reviews - dozens of free downloads, no sales. Don't think it works for nonf. #indiechat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LouiseBehiel @authorvivianna totally agree Vivi - She's paid it forward in spades #indiechat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna @LouiseBehiel looks like you're kicking some sales ass already #indiechat -9:33 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @MXKremzen I think it depends on the book. Select isn't going to make a book that wouldn't have made it anyway. my impression. #indiechat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @GLHancock Good to know! #IndieChat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri RT @LouiseBehiel I just finished a 5 day stint of select. got 40K downloads. Remarkable! But this is book 2 for you? #indiechat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

parisianfeline :[ I thought they came out on both? RT @HeatherMcCorkle As a Nook owner, I hate to see books go strictly Kindle. :( I miss out! #IndieChat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki @HeatherMcCorkle I agree! I have readers using Kobo, Sony readers, iPod, etc. so Smashwords has been great for this! #indiechat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna @MXKremzen Steena's book is standalone #indiechat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen Author @Steenaholmes is doing an #indiechat about her success. Definitely a conversation worth joining! -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle I set my novella free through SW and it helped my overall sales a lot in the first month. I wonder if this is as good as Select. #IndieChat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling RT @MXKremzen: Author @Steenaholmes is doing an #indiechat about her success. Definitely a conversation worth joining! -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorbevans RT @LouiseBehiel: I just finished a 5 day stint of select. got 40K downloads. I'll let you know about sales but so far, so good. #indiechat -9:34 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle it probably is #indiechat -9:35 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @HeatherMcCorkle Did Amazon price match? #indiechat -9:35 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @parisianfeline Through KDP Select I mean. They don't allow you to publish through anyone else, any other format. #IndieChat -9:35 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes Good to know, thank you! #IndieChat -9:35 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle if you do select you can't pub through other formats. It's something to be aware of for sure #indiechat -9:36 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @laurapauling Yep, both Amazon & B&N price matched. #IndieChat -9:36 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen @authorViviAnna And it worked for where as @LornaSuzuki who has a series prefers multiple platforms #indiechat -9:36 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri RT @laurapauling @HeatherMcCorkle Did Amazon price match? Isn't that against Amazon's TOS? #indiechat -9:36 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @laurapauling Did you know Amazon does not have to price match, even if you tell them about your listing elsewhere for free? #indiechat -9:36 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling I think setting short stories and novellas free that compliment a novel can really help. #indiechat -9:36 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @GLHancock that's a good point! #indiechat -9:36 PM Sep 11th, 2012

authorViviAnna @Steenaholmes hey darling, I got to go and take Mini V to dance, you're doing a great job, proud of you! #indiechat -9:37 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes But I'm noticing, the majority of sales is on Amazon... at least for me. :) #IndieChat -9:37 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @GLHancock It can take up to 7 weeks but Amazon has price matched for most of the authors I know. #indiechat -9:37 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @GLHancock Yeah, and they can be a pain about it too! #IndieChat -9:37 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @GLHancock That's reporting the lower prices up to 6 times a day. Work. But worth it. #indiechat -9:37 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle even my books not in select - Amazon is my largest source of income #indiechat -9:37 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LouiseBehiel RT @laurapauling: RT @MXKremzen: Author @Steenaholmes is doing an #indiechat about her success. Definitely a conversation worth joining! -9:37 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Will there be a sequel to Finding Emma? #indiechat -9:38 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @laurapauling But they sent me an email pointing out that it is at their option, and stated they do NOT automatically do it. #indiechat -9:38 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle for instance - last month during the amazon promotion I made 6 figures #indiechat -9:38 PM Sep 11th, 2012

patricia_sands @Steenaholmes Back to revisions for me. Good info sharing everyone. Thanks Steena & continued success! #indiechat -9:38 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle RT @laurapauling ...reporting the lower prices up to 6 times a day. Works. But worth it. #IndieChat -9:38 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes Good to know! They definitely seem to be gaining the monopoly on sales. #IndieChat -9:38 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Me too. I have minimal sales on the other outlets. #indiechat -9:38 PM Sep 11th, 2012

coffeelvnmom Looks like #indiechat is going on, lovers of twitterature! :) (And... normal literature.) #writing #booklove -9:39 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes Sweet! Congratulations! #IndieChat -9:39 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @laurapauling @GLHancock Isn't this against Amazon's TOS? #indiechat -9:39 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Oo, awesome! So here's the big questions. Will the sequel be traditional? Or self published? #indiechat -9:39 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling sorry - forgot #indiechat - yes Emma's Secret and Dear Jack will be out soon -9:39 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki @MXKremzen Unlike @Steenaholmes though, even with a major film in development, it's been hard to build readership! #indiechat -9:39 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @DianeCapri Is what against their TOS? #indiechat -9:39 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes During their promotion, I missed it, does that mean your book is Select right now? #IndieChat -9:40 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling Dear Jack will be self pubbed #indiechat -9:40 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MRMerrick @DianeCapri I don't think so. Amazon dropped my price before because of sales on other outlets. #IndieChat @laurapauling @GLHancock -9:40 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @DianeCapri LOL~ I, too, thought price-match was a threat. Turns out it is at Amazon's discretion. They do it if they want to. #indiechat -9:40 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle Yay! RT @Steenaholmes - yes Emmas Secret and Dear Jack will be out soon #IndieChat -9:40 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen @LornaSuzuki @Steenaholmes Very true! #indiechat -9:40 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle yes - I kept Finding Emma in Select. with the amount of borrows and the rankings, it makes sense for me #indiechat -9:40 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @MRMerrick Yes, in the TOS, they reserve the right to do so, but they are not obligated to do it. Read carefully! #indiechat -9:41 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes What about Emma's Secret? #indiechat -9:41 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MRMerrick @GLHancock Oh, I misunderstood. I thought it was being said that is was against their TOS to price match! #IndieChat -9:41 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes So borrows really does help? Sorry if I missed that before. My bad for being late to the party! #IndieChat -9:41 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle borrows help with rankings for sure! #indiechat -9:42 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @laurapauling to list your book anywhere for a lower price than Amazon? #indiechat -9:42 PM Sep 11th, 2012

elenaaitken @steenaholmes am I too late for #indiechat -9:42 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes Ah, that could make all the difference! #IndieChat -9:42 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen RT @HeatherMcCorkle: Yay! RT @Steenaholmes - yes Emmas Secret and Dear Jack will be out soon #IndieChat -9:43 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle My highest ranking has been #13. #indiechat -9:43 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @DianeCapri You're allowed to do it. #indiechat -9:43 PM Sep 11th, 2012

sheilaseabrook Oh gosh, I almost missed you @SteenaHolmes. I am in awe of your success and am looking forward to Emma's Secret and Dear Jack. #indiechat -9:43 PM Sep 11th, 2012

summerdaylight RT @LornaSuzuki: @Steenaholmes Can't wait to interview you about your writing process at the end of this month! #indiechat -9:43 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @sheilaseabrook thank you Sheila! Welcome to #indiechat! -9:44 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes A huge CONGRATS for signing with an agent. Can you tell us about that? #indiechat -9:44 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling very hard decision for me to make. I love being indie and wanted to make sure that I could continue on this path #indiechat -9:44 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle RT @laurapauling to @Steenaholmes A huge CONGRATS for signing with an agent. Can you tell us about that? #IndieChat -9:45 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes Wow! Congratulations!!! #IndieChat -9:45 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes So do you think you'll be able to find that balance? #indiechat -9:45 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @MRMerrick @GLHancock it's against their TOS to list the book elsewhere for less than your Amazon price. #indiechat -9:45 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes signing with @knightagency will help me get to the next level - with sub rights and contracts. #indiechat -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen @Steenaholmes @laurapauling Did you seek out an agent or did the agent find you? I imagine you had lots of offers for rep.! #indiechat -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Froze8 Hi #indiechat Sorry I'm missing tonight. Working on looking at dental insurance #growingup -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr @Steenaholmes Congratulations! That's huge!! I hope you're celebrating :) #indiechat -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Yes I imagine foreign deals could be huge. #indiechat -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I believe so. I have 2-3 indie's in the works to be pubbed by end of year #indiechat -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @DianeCapri I think you're confusing regular listings with the KDP Select program in which you must give Amazon exclusive listing #indiechat -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Will you keep Finding Emma self published? #indiechat -9:46 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @thebookdesignr I can't stop :) It's been an awesome month! Thanks to Finding Emma I had agents and publishers come to me. #indiechat -9:47 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling yes, Finding Emma will remain self pubbed. #indiechat -9:47 PM Sep 11th, 2012

AngelaRWallace @DianeCapri @MRMerrick @GLHancock I've seen authors do that to get "free" days without being in Select. #indiechat -9:47 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes That's awesome you found an agent who's willing to work with self publishing. #indiechat -9:47 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @MXKremzen I had agents come to me. But finding @PamelaHarty was a godsend. #indiechat -9:48 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @Steenaholmes Wasn't your book topping the Kindle Best Sellers list one weekend at least? I saw it! #indiechat -9:48 PM Sep 11th, 2012

HeatherMcCorkle @Steenaholmes Which novel did The Knight Agency sign you for? #IndieChat -9:48 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter Dental insurance is a good thing :) RT @Froze8 Sorry I'm missing tonight. Working on looking at dental insurance #indiechat -9:48 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @GLHancock How so? in Select you can't sell anywhere else at all; so I'm asking about regular KDP ? #indiechat -9:48 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Do you look to possibly be a true hybrid author? Both traditional and self published? #indiechat -9:48 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling It was important to me and she understood that. I love being indie. But why do we have to choose? That's the beauty #indiechat -9:48 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @AngelaRWallace Yes, that's what I'm trying to do, but when I ASKED Amazon to price match, they emailed me declining to do so. #indiechat -9:49 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @DianeCapri In regular KDP you can set prices lower elsewhere. #indiechat -9:49 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @DianeCapri You can list your title anywhere for any price. It's OK with Amazon. They MAY drop their price on your listing or not #indiechat -9:49 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle they didn't sign me based on a novel but on a career - whether self pub or traditional #indiechat - awesome, right?! -9:49 PM Sep 11th, 2012

AngelaRWallace @GLHancock You need to get people to submit a "complaint" on Amazon's page saying they found it cheaper elsewhere #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @GLHancock You have to keep reporting the lower price from SW, Kobo, BN to Amazon, every day, several times a day! #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki @Steenaholmes Yay! This whole thing is getting better & better for you, Steena! So thrilled for you! ;-) #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes Very awesome! But you had the sales to command that! #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I think that is a road - hybrid author - that we could all do successfully! Why not :) #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @AngelaRWallace @MRMerrick @GLHancock me, too. But there must be a trick to it. Do you have to go through Smashwords? #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB RT @Steenaholmes:It was important to me, she understood that. I love being indie. But why do we have to choose? Thats the beauty #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Steenaholmes I agree. I don't think it has to be either/or. #indiechat -9:50 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @AngelaRWallace *I* notified Amazon two or three different ways. The know about it. They responded that they are not obligated. #indiechat -9:51 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @LornaSuzuki thank you Lorna! It's been amazing and I love this journey! I love that as indie's there's no stopping us :) #indiechat -9:51 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thebookdesignr Gotta get back to work- all the best with your work @Steenaholmes! You have only good things coming your way :) #indiechat -9:51 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter That's great about the agent! Why waste time with queries when you can write books? :) RT @Steenaholmes #indiechat -9:51 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @laurapauling Amazon specifically said "no" to that today. #indiechat -9:51 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @GLHancock They're not obligated. It can take up to a month for them to pricematch. #indiechat -9:51 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @DianeCapri There is no trick. It is not a right for the author, but a right that Amazon may or may not do. #indiechat -9:52 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @Steenaholmes @HeatherMcCorkle Totally awesome! You have a great career going #indiechat -9:52 PM Sep 11th, 2012

AngelaRWallace @GLHancock Right, cus you're trying to work around their system and they know that. #indiechat -9:52 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @thebookdesignr Goodnight! #indiechat -9:52 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling I had to change my way of thinking to realize that. We have choices now, options and we should think about that #indiechat -9:52 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @DougSolter I've been hearing that the bestsellers list is now the new slushpile. Editors read indies and have watch lists #indiechat -9:53 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Pretty cool that Amazon decided to promote Finding Emma last month! Did that open the floodgates? #indiechat -9:53 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thespendypencil RT @Steenaholmes: @HeatherMcCorkle they didn't sign me based on a novel but on a career - whether self pub or traditional #indiechat - a ... -9:53 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock @AngelaRWallace I'm not trying to work around their system. After 2+ years on Amazon, I learned I was mistaken about price match. #indiechat -9:53 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @thebookdesignr - thanks for joining #indiechat tonight! -9:53 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki @Steenaholmes I hope to achieve your level of success once my 1st movie is released late next year! ;-) U inspire me! #indiechat -9:54 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @LornaSuzuki I hope to achieve your level one day! that is awesome #indiechat -9:54 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DiamondLB “@HeatherMcCorkle: @Steenaholmes Wow! Congratulations!!! #IndieChat”

GLHancock @Steenaholmes Did you tweet that you have a publisher now or is it still just agent? #indiechat -9:54 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB @laurapauling Givaway before it's too late? #indiechat -9:54 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @GLHancock i have an agent but had publishers approach me #indiechat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

IndieAuthorNews Book Promotions - Book Features - Author Interviews ? http://t.co/q11uqNEE ? ...where Readers discover new Authors - #AmWriting #IndieChat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

thespendypencil @Steenaholmes Love This comment. #indiechat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter But it's great that your "query" earns you 70% in sales. RT @Steenaholmes #indiechat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @Stacey_WB Sure! The winner of Finding Emma....is @DianeCapri Please follow and DM me or Steena with your email. #indiechat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri @Steenaholmes @laurapauling Good point! #indiechat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock RT @Steenaholmes: @GLHancock i have an agent but had publishers approach me / woo hoo! Typing with crossed fingers! #indiechat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @DougSolter that's a great way of looking at it. Just make sure you write the best book you can because editors are reading #indiechat -9:55 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling @DougSolter ha ha no better query than that! #indiechat -9:56 PM Sep 11th, 2012

memichaeledward RT @AlanKealey: HOW TO AVOID BAD BOOK REVIEWS? Great Discussion on Indie Author News ? http://t.co/QpeAZl9F ? #writing #amwriting #indiechat -9:56 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling any last questions for STeena? Now's your chance. #indiechat -9:57 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @laurapauling it's been awesome to be a part of #indiechat tonight! Love this time ;) Thanks guys -9:57 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri RT @laurapauling @Stacey_WB Sure! The winner of Finding Emma....is How cool! But I already own it! Pls give to another!. #indiechat -9:58 PM Sep 11th, 2012

LornaSuzuki Heading down to my dojo, thanks for the great chat with @Steenaholmes! Thanks gang! #indiechat -9:58 PM Sep 11th, 2012

MXKremzen @Steenaholmes Thanks so much for your time! Very inspirational and informative #indiechat -9:58 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB @Steenaholmes Thanks for being our guest! Great chat. #indiechat -9:58 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Thanks so much for hanging out with us @Steenaholmes Congrats! And we wish you the best of everything! #indiechat -9:58 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @LornaSuzuki thanks for being a part tonight Lorna! #indiechat -9:59 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter And your future fans! RT @Steenaholmes Just make sure you write the best book you can because editors are reading #indiechat -9:59 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @MXKremzen my pleasure! If I can do this and be successful = we all can! #indiechat -9:59 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Okay, who here doesn't already own Finding Emma? #indiechat And would like to read it. First to respond! -9:59 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DianeCapri RT @Stacey_WB: @Steenaholmes Thanks for being our guest! Great chat. #indiechat -9:59 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes @Steenaholmes thank you so much for having me Laura! #indiechat -9:59 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter Thank you for hanging out with us! RT @Steenaholmes #indiechat -10:00 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Good night everyone! I'm off to do the transcripts! #indiechat -10:00 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB @laurapauling me! #indiechat -10:01 PM Sep 11th, 2012

laurapauling Check out Steena's blog! http://t.co/wa1l3nUW Or buy or loan her book! http://t.co/Nft6yNXK #indiechat -10:01 PM Sep 11th, 2012

GLHancock Thanks, Steena! Bye - must be your bedtime by now ... uh Canada geography not my best subject... #indiechat -10:01 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Stacey_WB @laurapauling That is if I'm allowed to win. lol #indiechat -10:02 PM Sep 11th, 2012

DougSolter Goodnight, everyone! #indiechat -10:03 PM Sep 11th, 2012

Steenaholmes night everyone! Thanks for a wonderful chat #indiechat -10:03 PM Sep 11th, 2012