Advertising Strategies: a Work-in-Progress
Posted: April 30, 2016 Filed under: On writing | Tags: advertising, Freebooksy, Goodreads, Isla's Inheritance, Isla's Oath, Melpomene's Daughter, NetGalley, self-publishing Leave a comment
Source: Shutterstock
As of maybe six months ago, I’m a fully independent or self-published author, what is sometimes referred to as an “author-publisher“. I like that term, because it conveys the sense that self-publishing is more than just banging out words and then sending them out into the world, all naked and unprepared. There are things one needs to consider, things a publisher usually does. Two of those are editing and book design, and I’ve blogged about those before.
The other thing that a publisher does to a greater or lesser extent (at least, if you’re lucky and they are any good) is advertise your book. In the case of small or independent presses, you may have a small or non-existent presence in bricks-and-mortar stores, so you can’t rely on people stumbling across your work by accident. That’s where advertising comes in.
I’m still feeling my way through the morass, trying to find strategies that work for me and my books. I thought it might be helpful to others (and for my own future reference) to catalogue some of them here.
Book blitzes
These are generally organised to try and raise a bit of word-of-mouth attention when a book first comes out; kind bloggers share promotional content. Sometimes they result in a few adds to peoples’ Goodreads shelves, but I haven’t noticed a huge number of sales as a result. Maybe I’m just not doing them right! Certainly, I wouldn’t do a blog tour with customised posts, as I don’t think the time invested would be worth it. But I would do a book blitz for each of my future releases. Every book deserves a birthday party. 😉
NetGalley listings
Publishers will usually list books on NetGalley, which is a site that allows reviewers to apply for free ebook copies of books in exchange for an honest review. It’s a lot of reviewers’ bread and butter. But it’s expensive to have a NetGalley account, so, for an independent author, it’s generally more cost-efficient to buy in on a co-op such as this one. I had a three-month co-op when Isla’s Inheritance and Isla’s Oath came out (I had each book up for about six weeks), and a one-month co-op for Lucid Dreaming. I got a bump in the number of reviews on sites like Goodreads, but, like a blitz, this is about word of mouth rather than direct sales.
Facebook advertising
I saw a tweet that described Facebook advertising as being as effective as setting your money on fire. The metaphor probably works better in countries where the money is made of paper, but still, it’s not too far off. I have tested a handful of ads and have seen no return. These days, the only thing I’d pay to advertise on Facebook would be occasional posts on my author page; Facebook throttles visibility of page posts so that not everyone who likes the page will see them. If you pay them money (the extortionists that they are), they will share the post more widely. In terms of impressions, this is quite effective … but I’d reserve it for significant updates, such as book releases.
Free book promotions
This has been my most recent effort, and also my most successful to date. Because it is my most recent, I’m going to go into a bit more detail, with some numbers. (This does feel a tiny bit like airing dirty laundry, but if you promise not to oggle my underthings I think we can all ignore that!)
I made the Isla’s Inheritance ebook permafree (ie I have no plans to set a price for it again), and advertised it via the “Buy a Series Post” option at Freebooksy. They have a significant market reach and people loooove free stuff. When I previously advertised a sale of my erotica novella (*cough*), I had a ton of downloads, so I knew it worked.
In the first two weeks after the promo ran, I had almost 5000 downloads on Amazon and a handful at the other sites. Isla’s Inheritance made it to #2 on Amazon US for free Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (as I write this, it’s sitting at 233).
There haven’t been a huge number of reviews as a result, but there have been consistent sales on books two and three in the series. I didn’t expect that people who downloaded the book would buy the sequels so quickly, but on the first day of the promo I had four sales of Isla’s Oath and one of Melpomene’s Daughter — suggesting that there were at least four people who read it straight away and liked it enough to keep reading. (If you were one of those people: thank you!)
Within the first two weeks, the promotion had paid for itself with sales on the other books. It’s the first time a promotion has done that for me, so I’m pretty pumped.
There are a few caveats, however. The first is that obviously I didn’t make a penny off those 5000 copies of Isla’s Inheritance; this means that, in order for me to even break even on the trilogy, sales on the other two books have to cover not only their own production costs but those of the first books as well. For this reason, I wouldn’t personally make a book permafree that didn’t have sequels available — because, while I don’t expect to be rolling around in piles of money, I’d at least like to imagine I might recoup my expenses at some point. 😉
The other caveat is that there hasn’t been much, if any, cross-pollination to my other book, Lucid Dreaming. I expect that if people finish the trilogy and enjoy it, and they decide that they’d like to see what my adult (rather than young adult) book is like, that might happen … but it will be slower.
What next?
Now that the sales bump from the Freebooksy promotion has more or less worn off, I’ve decided my next experiment will be with Goodreads advertising. I read a really interesting blog post by Lindsay Buroker on how she made it work for her, and I’m keen to give it a try. Goodreads has a big advantage over Facebook in that at least we know the people on there are readers to start with.
Wish me luck!
If you’re an author-publisher, have you tried different forms of advertising? What has worked for you? What hasn’t? I’d love to hear about it!
Do you also like free things?
The Isla’s Inheritance ebook is available free from the following retailers:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia
Why I chose not to self-publish before, and why I’ve done it now
Posted: February 17, 2016 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy, On writing | Tags: Melpomene's Daughter, self-publishing, small presses, Turquoise Morning Press 3 CommentsBack in 2013, I blogged about the four reasons I chose to publish the Isla’s Inheritance trilogy through a small press rather than to self-publish. To summarise:
- I wanted someone else to edit my book
- I wanted someone else to do all of the other things that are required when publishing a book (cover design, typesetting, etc)
- at the time, Amazon’s royalty payments to Australians involved sending cheques in US dollars; I wanted someone to electronically transfer me royalties
- and because, in all honesty, I felt like it would give me a sense of validation.
And then, in October last year, I blogged about the reasons I was no longer with said small press. I suppose in hindsight I could have saved myself a lot of stress if I’d just self-published in the first instance, but I gained so much valuable experience in releasing the three books through Turquoise Morning Press that I don’t regret the decision.
In the four months since then (wut?!), I’ve self-published not one but four books. To be frank, that was an utterly insane decision, but I was already locked into the release date for Lucid Dreaming, which I’d decided to self-publish in the meantime, and I wanted to get the Isla’s Inheritance trilogy back on the market as soon as I could. I was just lucky my designer could work to those timeframes.
Now I’m out the other side I can finally think and breathe again. So how do those four reasons stack up?
Editing
Obviously, with the trilogy, I got the external editing I was after. But I re-read and re-proofed each book myself as well, before self-publishing; I didn’t just upload them as they were, because there were a few tiny stylistic things I wanted to change. Normally it’s impossible to edit — even to copy edit — your own work, but when you take a several-year gap between finalising them and re-reading them it is a lot easier to be objective.
For Lucid Dreaming, several awesome friends critiqued it for me, and then I paid for it to be edited by a professional editor who is also a good friend. This was money well spent.
Cover and design
I paid for all four books to be professionally designed by another good friend. This was also money well spent. I can slap together a teaser or a meme just fine, but the finer points of cover design completely escape me, and there’s no doubt that all four book covers are beautiful and have a similarity of appearance that ties them together.
I expect I could learn how to do paperback and ebook layouts (though not the Smashwords table of contents procedure — I tried to read the instructions and my brain turned to mush). But the value to my mental health and stress levels of having someone who gets how it’s done and can apply a theme to the entire book was immense.
As for how to navigate Kindle Direct Publishing, Smashwords and Createspace, I managed to muddle through. Practice makes perfect, and by now I’ve had a lot of practice!
Amazon royalty payments
Now that Amazon Australia exists, Amazon pays via direct deposit. Hallelujah!
Validation
Well, this is a tricky one, isn’t it? I’ve read some excellent blogs by authors much more successful than me, in which they say that no matter how successful you are, there’s always someone doing better than you. Once the heady rush of having a three-book deal wore off, I found that I spent a lot of time qualifying my success to people. They’d be gleeful and I’d be self-effacing. So I guess in a way I never got the validation I was after.
The upside and the way forward
There are definitely perks to self-publishing, most of which won’t be a surprise to anyone. Being able to control the various design decisions mean that I adore all four of my covers, rather than having to compromise on and have less input into ones designed at someone else’s expense. Live sales reports are a mixed blessing (and can be downright depressing unless you’re a smash hit), but there are advantages there if you want to test out different forms of advertising to see what sales effect they have.
So, after all that, would I publish with a small press again? No, I wouldn’t. Although self-publishing the way I want to, with more professionalism than I can bring to bear, costs money, I’d rather do that. Small presses are a mixed bag, and the Amazon-dominated market is unkind to them. (It’s what killed TMP.)
Would I publish via traditional publishing, were the opportunity to present itself? Yes, because they can offer something I can’t get via self-publishing: market reach. The idea of being a hybrid author (one that does both traditional and self-publishing) has a huge amount of appeal to me.
Have you tried multiple avenues for publishing your books? Which worked best for you?
Melpomene’s Daughter, the final book in the Isla’s Inheritance trilogy, is once again available at all good (and some evil) online book retailers. You can find the buy links for it, and the rest of the series, here.
Isla struggles to embrace her fae nature while preserving her humanity in the final, exciting instalment of the Isla’s Inheritance trilogy.
Isla has spent months persuading the Canberra fae that she isn’t a tyrant like her mother, trying to prove that—despite her mixed blood—she’s human, not a monster. That she’s one of them, not one of the high fae who enslaved them.
But a vision of a fresh-dug grave warns that someone is going to die.
When the Old World fae once again move against her family, seeking revenge for old wrongs, Isla will stop at nothing to keep those she loves safe. She just wants to be left alone. But to win that right for herself, her family and all Australian fae, she must cross the oceans and take the fight to the country of her birth.
Isla must prove she really is Melpomene’s daughter after all.
Amazeballs SPR review of ‘Lucid Dreaming’
Posted: December 19, 2015 Filed under: On the Lucid Dreaming duology | Tags: Lucid Dreaming, self-publishing Leave a commentThose that follow me on social media will have already seen my fainting hysterics over this, but for those that haven’t: Lucid Dreaming received an amazing professional review from Self-Publishing Review this week. Five stars. Whee! Needless to say, I’m over the moon (and trying not to let it go to my head).
You can read the whole review here, but here’s an excerpt:
Lucid Dreaming is a great, comfortable read, like a new pair of slippers that fit like your well-worn favorites. Lucid Dreaming is very fresh and gorgeous looking, with a fluid and vibrant read to match. To chance a pun, you could even say the writing is lucid. Page has a particular self-awareness that just, just about creeps in and tinges the edges of the page now and then in a very modest manner that pays dividends when the time is right.
Similarly, Melaina is a great lead, with a wry and experienced charm to her character that stands out from her peers, both in the context of her own story and in the wider genre. She’s relatable, in all the right ways, and there’s a sadness behind her strength, but she’s taking it all in her stride. It sounds par for the course, but there’s a very certain je ne sais quoi to her and the whole book at large. There’s a really strong and surprisingly wide supporting cast of all breeds that are well curated to push the story in every way it needs to, when it needs to be, and the perfect storm comes in wild, colorful strokes from beginning to end.
Cover to cover, the book really shines, even down to the simple detail of its little butterfly motifs scattered here and there as dividers. It’s a really outstanding work that I cannot sing high enough praises of. Urban and paranormal fantasy fans: buy this book. For me personally, it scratched an itch I didn’t even realize I had, and for anyone looking for something new in the genre, it’s likely to do the same. It’s an example of some of the finest to be found in a rather crowded arena. It’s hard not to find yourself giving yourself “one more page”, page after page, and for better or worse this is a read that will definitely keep you awake if you’re not careful!
Add Lucid Dreaming on Goodreads
Ebook
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia
Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Paperback
Createspace | Amazon US | Amazon UK | The Book Depository
‘Isla’s Inheritance’ is back
Posted: December 15, 2015 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: Isla's Inheritance, self-publishing Leave a comment
YOU GUYS! It’s been two months since Turquoise Morning Press returned the rights for the Isla’s Inheritance trilogy, and in that time the fantastic Kim and I have been working our booties off. I’ve re-read this book (twice), spent an unhealthy amount of time trawling stock websites (the images for the covers and the latest teasers are all courtesy of Shutterstock), and then squeed enthusiastically at the end result. There is definitely something to be said for self-publishing; the sense of satisfaction at the end of the process is enormous.
ANYWAY. I’m pleased to announce that Isla’s Inheritance, book one of the trilogy by the same name, has been released back into the wild. So far the ebook has made it as far as Amazon and Smashwords, and the paperback is only at Createspace. But I’ll update my Isla’s Inheritance trilogy page as I get more links.
Thank you as always for the support of my wonderful friends and family. This re-release has been an unexpected bump on the road, and I admit I wouldn’t have chosen the Lucid Dreaming release month to be doing all this work (let alone just before Christmas, with all the end-of-year shenanigans), but hopefully you agree that the result is worth it in the end.
Ebook
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Australia | Smashwords
Paperback
An update, some squeeing and probably some other stuff…
Posted: December 2, 2015 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy, On the Lucid Dreaming duology | Tags: Isla's Inheritance, Isla's Oath, Lucid Dreaming, Melpomene's Daugher, self-publishing Leave a commentI haven’t been blogging as much lately. I’m sure you’ve noticed. It turns out that self-publishing for the first time, combined with prepping to re-release an entire trilogy, all in the lead-up to the silly season, is quite time consuming.
Who knew?
Still, there have been a few exciting things going on. On the Lucid Dreaming front, a beautiful box of paperbacks arrived. I squealed so loudly I may have frightened the dog. I then got to do one of my favourite things: autographing books to fulfil orders for some of my favourite people.
If you’re interested in an autographed copy, they are AU$15 plus postage. (I realise that could get a little XX-y for people that are outside Australia, but the offer is available worldwide regardless.) Send me an email at cassandrapage01(at)gmail.com and we can sort out the details.
Excitingly, if you don’t want me to deface sign your book, I discovered today that Lucid Dreaming has made it onto The Book Depository. Free shipping worldwide. Whee!
Aren’t they lovely?
As for Isla’s Inheritance, I had a very exciting moment when a friend posted this picture on Facebook. Yup, that’s my book, sitting next to Indigenous Governance and a little bit of Skulduggery Pleasant. Sweeeeeeet.
ERMAGERD!
For those of you that are waiting for the series re-release (especially for the paperbacks of Isla’s Oath and Melpomene’s Daughter, which TMP never issued), it isn’t far away now. I’ve re-edited all three books and am now proofing the gorgeously designed galley KILA Designs did for Isla’s Inheritance.
And the cover reveal for the entire trilogy is this Saturday. You can still sign up here!
It even has little arrowheads!
And, of course, I’ve also been decorating Christmas trees, organising presents, and all the other things that happen at this time of year. Once Christmas is done and the Isla trilogy is back on sale, I might just collapse in a heap for a bit…
…who am I kidding? I’ll start writing the sequel to Lucid Dreaming. 😉
News: Isla’s Inheritance re-release coming soon
Posted: October 6, 2015 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: Isla's Inheritance, Isla's Oath, Lucid Dreaming, Melpomene's Daugher, self-publishing, Turquoise Morning Press 2 CommentsI’ve been sitting on some big news for a few days now, because I wanted to wait till it was official, and to give myself a chance to let it digest. My publisher for the Isla’s Inheritance trilogy, Turquoise Morning Press, is closing its doors this month. That means that the books will soon be temporarily unavailable while I get them ready to re-release.
I admit the timing isn’t great for me, given that Lucid Dreaming comes out next month. (Speaking of which, signups for the book blitz are up now!) But TMP hasn’t gone broke — meaning royalties are getting paid out — and the owner is doing her damnedest to look after the authors. That puts it light years ahead of some small press closures that I’ve heard of. #silverlining
Anyway, all of this means that, if you want to buy the trilogy with its current covers, you need to be quick*! I’ve decided to give the books a fresh look, with covers by KILA Designs, the same cover artist who did the gorgeous Lucid Dreaming cover. I want the books to all have a similar feel, since they’ll all be released by the “publishing house” that is me. (Branding, yada yada yada.)
In other news, I am over at Aussie Owned and Read today, talking about writing your way out of a sad place. The timing is coincidental, I swear!
*If you’re interested in a paperback of Isla’s Inheritance, I have a limited supply available that I am happy to sell for AU$10 plus postage — that’s less than cost! Send me an email at cassandrapage01 (at) gmail.com.
I have a confession to make… (and a sneaky cover reveal)
Posted: December 4, 2014 Filed under: On Tammy Calder | Tags: book covers, erotica, Possessed, self-publishing, Tammy Calder 8 CommentsOver the past month, as well as being busy with edits on the second and third books in the Isla’s Inheritance trilogy (which you’ll note is young adult urban fantasy) and spending some time drafting a young adult historical fantasy that doesn’t have a name yet, I’ve been busy with another side project.
I may have accidentally, sorta, kinda written an erotica novella. I tripped and fell and there it was. I swear!
It’s about 8600 words, which makes it about a tenth of the length of your average novel. (And I note that a tenth of the length is otherwise not a good thing in this genre… BOOM.) It is also urban fantasy — so I’m being consistent there, at least. Just not with the market.
My plan is to self-publish it under a pen name: Tammy Calder. Because the last thing I want is for some poor innocent who reads my young adult fiction to click on the “other titles” link and see something that might have their parents filing a law suit against me! For the same reason, I won’t be going crazy with promoting it on my blog or social media.
Otherwise, I’m treating it the same way I would any book I’d consider self-publishing. It’s had a couple of beta reads from friends who are still able to look me in the eye (phew!) and is now with my lovely editor friend Lauren McKellar to be whipped into shape.
(Haha, whipped*!)
Ahem.
Anyway, I have a cover all ready to go. Because Photoshop is fun. Wanna see?
If you’re wondering why “Tammy Calder”, it’s because that’s my porn star name. You know that old game, where you take your first pet’s name and your first street name, and put them together? (What’s yours? Leave a comment!)
* Yes, I’m making light of the whole thing. It’s because I’m actually kind of nervous about this blog post, and I laugh when I’m nervous. It’s gotten me in trouble before. Many, many times.
‘One Lucky Night’ excerpt and giveaway
Posted: May 26, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: anthology, romance, self-publishing 4 Comments
One night can change everything…
The crew at Boston’s Brazen Head Pub hasn’t been very lucky in love. Can a mysterious visitor inspire them to look past old hurts and misconceptions and give romance a chance? One Lucky Night is a collection of five sexy interwoven novelettes by Aria Kane, Grace Teague, Ana Blaze, Constance Phillips and Melinda Dozier.
Lucky Break by Aria Kane
Four years ago, chef Derek Chase walked out of Andrea Rivera’s life after a tragedy neither of them were prepared to deal with. When she’s called to the Brazen Head to repair a dishwasher, old sparks ignite buried feelings.
Lucky Star by Grace Teague
When her life is threatened by a mugger, Charlotte Price realizes she’s in love with her best friend, Tommy Leung. The Brazen Head seems like the perfect neutral place to confess her feelings, but nothing goes according to plan.
A New Tune by Ana Blaze
When it comes to dating, Holly Hall has one unbreakable rule: no musicians. Not even gorgeous ones. Especially not gorgeous ones. Dating them only leads to heartbreak. So why did she let singer-songwriter Cian O’Neill kiss her? And why is she thinking about doing it again?
Lexi’s Chance by Constance Phillips
As a bartender, Sean Whalen meets all kinds of women every night, but none turn his head the way that Lexi has. She’s been playing cat and mouse with him for weeks. Tonight, Sean’s determined to get Lexi to quit teasing and take a real chance on him.
Drink or Dare by Melinda Dozier
A bachelorette party Drink or Dare game pairs paramedic students, Rachel Robertson and Killian Whelan, in a flirting match. Soon, the dares threaten to turn their academic rivalry into something much more.
Now available from:
Amazon | iTunes | Barnes & Noble | Other Retailers
Add on Goodreads
Excerpt
“Lexi’s Chance” by Constance Phillips from One Lucky Night
How many hours had she wasted on this bar stool laughing at Sean’s jokes and doing her best to flirt back with someone who’d mastered the art? She’d spent way too much time looking for a sign of sincerity in the compliments he paid her and wishing on some abstract four leaf clover he’d suddenly become the kind of guy who’d be happy with just one lady.
Was she just pretty enough to flirt with, but not over-the-top hot, unlike the nearly six-foot red-head with willowy legs and ample breasts he poured drinks for now? Why was that woman at The Brazen Head instead of walking a fashion runway in New York?
She used her shoulder to tap Julie. “What is it about her?”
“Who?”
“The woman Sean can’t take his eyes off of.”
Only his gaze wasn’t as locked as she believed. As if he could feel her stare on him, he turned and caught her. One wink from him and her heart turned into a gooey mess.
She pivoted away, hoping he didn’t catch the blush that warmed her cheeks. “How does he do
that to me? I’m not fifteen anymore.”
Julie snickered. “I think the bigger question is why do you keep resisting him? He is so gorgeous!”
“And he knows it!” Lexi shifted her weight on the stool. “I’m an intelligent woman. I should be able to see through all that flirting.”
“If you want to leave—”
“No!” She could no longer imagine herself anywhere else on a Friday night. Especially tonight, this is where she wanted to be. Three years had passed since her choices had inflicted life-altering pain on her sister. Going home and facing Alissa and the past hovered low on her to-do list. It took all the strength she could muster to deal with the not-so-distant past repeating itself with Billy.
“We’ve already ordered our food.” Lexi reached for her wine glass, hoping to drown the regrets.
“We can have it boxed up to go.”
Julie pushed her buttons on purpose. She’d been advising Lexi to take the lead and speak her heart for weeks now.
Book launch giveaway
The authors are giving away two Amazon giftcards!
About the Authors
Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. As a military brat, she grew up all over the country, but now lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he’s a chihuahua.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads
Grace Teague lives in Pittsburgh with her spouse, children and a cat named Mr. Sushi.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Ana Blaze lives near Washington DC with her charming husband and three cats who firmly believe they are royalty. Ana is a member of Romance Writers of America.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Tumblr
Constance Phillips lives in Ohio with her husband, two ready-to-leave-the-nest children, and four canine kids. Her perfect fantasy vacation would involve hunting Dracula across Europe with her daughter, who also digs that kind of stuff.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Tumblr
Melinda Dozier teaches English to middle schoolers by day and writes at night. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with her college sweetheart and three sons.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads
Book launch: ‘One Lucky Night’ anthology
Posted: May 10, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: romance, self-publishing 1 Comment
One night can change everything…
The crew at Boston’s Brazen Head Pub hasn’t been very lucky in love. Can a mysterious visitor inspire them to look past old hurts and misconceptions and give romance a chance? One Lucky Night is a collection of five sexy interwoven novelettes by Aria Kane, Grace Teague, Ana Blaze, Constance Phillips and Melinda Dozier.
Lucky Break by Aria Kane
Four years ago, chef Derek Chase walked out of Andrea Rivera’s life after a tragedy neither of them were prepared to deal with. When she’s called to the Brazen Head to repair a dishwasher, old sparks ignite buried feelings.
Lucky Star by Grace Teague
When her life is threatened by a mugger, Charlotte Price realizes she’s in love with her best friend, Tommy Leung. The Brazen Head seems like the perfect neutral place to confess her feelings, but nothing goes according to plan.
A New Tune by Ana Blaze
When it comes to dating, Holly Hall has one unbreakable rule: no musicians. Not even gorgeous ones. Especially not gorgeous ones. Dating them only leads to heartbreak. So why did she let singer-songwriter Cian O’Neill kiss her? And why is she thinking about doing it again?
Lexi’s Chance by Constance Phillips
As a bartender, Sean Whalen meets all kinds of women every night, but none turn his head the way that Lexi has. She’s been playing cat and mouse with him for weeks. Tonight, Sean’s determined to get Lexi to quit teasing and take a real chance on him.
Drink or Dare by Melinda Dozier
A bachelorette party Drink or Dare game pairs paramedic students, Rachel Robertson and Killian Whelan, in a flirting match. Soon, the dares threaten to turn their academic rivalry into something much more.
Now available from:
Amazon | iTunes | Barnes & Noble | Other Retailers
Add on Goodreads
Book launch giveaway
The authors are giving away two Amazon giftcards!
About the Authors
Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. As a military brat, she grew up all over the country, but now lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he’s a chihuahua.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads
Grace Teague lives in Pittsburgh with her spouse, children and a cat named Mr. Sushi.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Ana Blaze lives near Washington DC with her charming husband and three cats who firmly believe they are royalty. Ana is a member of Romance Writers of America.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Tumblr
Constance Phillips lives in Ohio with her husband, two ready-to-leave-the-nest children, and four canine kids. Her perfect fantasy vacation would involve hunting Dracula across Europe with her daughter, who also digs that kind of stuff.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Tumblr
Melinda Dozier teaches English to middle schoolers by day and writes at night. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with her college sweetheart and three sons.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads
Book (re)launch, excerpt and contest: ‘The Best Man’ by Ana Blaze
Posted: April 28, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: novella, romance, self-publishing 2 CommentsThose of you with especially keen memories may recall that I’ve promoted The Best Man before. This was another of the books published by Entranced. It’s now being re-launched, with a cover that I personally love more than the original. And do you know what the best part is for you, as a reader? Another giveaway! Also, that excerpt makes me want to rush out and buy the book RIGHT NOW!
The Best Man
by Ana Blaze
Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella
Rating: Steamy
Available now in e-book or audiobook!
Beth Chase is too busy planning perfect weddings to worry about the lack of action in her own love life. But if she was looking for a man, she wouldn’t be looking at Colin Pratt. Her boss swears that Best Man Colin is a quiet scholar and science fiction writer who couldn’t possibly cause a fuss at his own brother’s wedding. He’s clearly never met the man in question.
Snarky, sexy and more than a little inebriated, Colin is the final obstacle between Beth and the last perfect wedding she needs to make partner. Of course, when she helps him into a taxi at the end of the night she has no idea that he’s only just begun to poke holes in her professional exterior. Colin might have the skills to seduce a romance professional, but can he convince her that he’s the best man to share her happy ever after?
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Giveaway
Enter here to win a $10 Starbucks gift card (open internationally)!
Excerpt
Colin was right; she let him take her to dinner. He wanted to call and have a limo pick them up, but Beth insisted on driving. She did let him pick the restaurant from a list of suggestions.
They were seated at a very nice Italian place with an old stone fireplace and a dozen small round tables covered by pristine white cloths. Classical music played quietly, allowing for the possibility of private conversations.
Colin smiled at her from across the small table. “You look lovely.”
“You already said that.”
“It’s still true.”
“Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself.”
“Wait until you see me without any clothes. I’ll blow your mind.”
She bit her lip to keep from chuckling too loudly. “I have seen you without your clothes on.”
He nodded. “That’s right. How did that go over again?” His head dipped to the side and studied her.
“I was under the impression you knew how to behave in public as long as you weren’t dosed with Xanax and the entire contents of the courtesy bar. Should I have prepared a list of appropriate dinner topics for you?”
“Ah, like the rain in Spain? No worries, love. If I have learned anything from television we are now expected to surreptitiously survey the couples around us and guess at their lives.”
Beth giggled. “Is that so?”
“Definitely. Take this lovely couple to our right.” He inclined his head in the direction of a grey-haired woman who was arguing with the white-haired man across from her. “Oh. Don’t look directly at them! Sneakiness is an essential part of this mating ritual. So, what do you think, first date or high-priced escort?”
Charmed and feeling playful, she leaned closer. “No way. Clearly, they’re spies. Only they work for enemy organizations. Twenty-five years ago they met on an assignment that involved seducing each other and accidentally fell in love. Now they meet in secret once a year in honor of the life they couldn’t have because of their duty to their respective groups.” She sat back in her chair and grinned.
“That’s good.” Colin nodded. “Damn, that’s brilliant. You must go on a lot of dates because you are very good at this game.”
She nodded to a young couple across the room. “Go ahead. Try again.”
He nodded. “Cause a distraction so they don’t see me looking.” He glanced over at them quickly and then back. “Challenging.”
“If you’re not up for it …”
Colin held up his hands. “I didn’t say that. I’m just suggesting that successful completion of this mission should allow me access to the next level.”
“The next level of what?”
“Us. I want to know your middle name, at least one honestly embarrassing story, and I want to be in your bedroom tonight.”
Grinning, she shrugged. “Deal. Impress me.”
“This is their third first date.”
Beth raised an eyebrow.
“Hear me out, love. Their first, first date went horridly awry. He made an utter fool of himself but knew immediately that she was the only girl for him. Seeing no other option he obviously created a vessel for time travel and went back to try again. Their second date went only slightly better, so he is trying a third time in hopes that she will agree to go out with him again.”
“Do you think she’s going to say yes tonight?”
His eyes softened when they met hers. “I hope so. But if she doesn’t he’ll keep trying until she does.”
“He does seem persistent — what, with the whole time machine thing.”
“He has to be. He’s never fallen for a woman quite so hard before, and first impressions are very difficult to override.”
Beth nodded. “My middle name is Rose.”
“That’s … My mother was named Rose.” His voice took on a wistful note.
“If another man told me that I’d be sure it was a pickup line.”
He smirked. “And it no doubt would be. All other men are total scum. You should give up dating them completely.”
She rolled her eyes. “What kind of stuff do you write? You write, don’t you? You said that last night.”
He stared at her for a moment before responding. “How do you feel about poetry?”
Her lips twitched. “You write poems. Poems?”
“Of course not.” He shook his head. “Only total saps write poetry. I write manly guides to … manliness, and also … motorcycles.”
“So that’s a yes on the poetry? I thought you said something about short stories.”
He sighed. “I write, in general, everything. The poetry is the worst. I’m complete rubbish at it, but I like it the best. I also write short stories — generally in the science fiction genre. I have one entirely un-publishable novel and a few more unfinished, but almost equally unlikely to find an audience.”
“Tell me one of your poems.”
He leaned across the table. “No.”
Beth leaned in and dropped a sweet kiss on his mouth, smiling as she sat back again. “I’m glad I came out with you tonight.” She was having fun, nearly too much fun given their temporary status. The air sparked between them.
He grinned and sat back in his chair. “I am too, Beth. But, I’m still not going to recite any of my poetry.”
“Fair enough, though I’ll bet hearing one would have gotten me all … hot for you.”
Colin snorted. “Doubtful. Besides, we both know you just changed the subject so that you could get out of telling me your embarrassing story.”
Beth nodded to the waitress as she placed their food on the table. Colin gave the woman a quick smile and said, “Thank you.”
“I don’t have any embarrassing stories.” She twirled some pasta around her fork, brought it to her mouth, and groaned in appreciation. Colin was smirking at her. Beth blushed. “This is really good.”
“I’m very happy to see you enjoying it.”
“This whole don’t-mind-me-I’m-just-a-shy-book-guy thing is totally an act, isn’t it?”
“Book guy?”
“You know what I mean. The nice manners and excellent vocabulary come in handy by getting girls to lower their shields, and then you swoop in with all the innuendo and … touching.”
“Ah, yes. You’ve got me. I’m a dreadful rogue.”
About the Author
Ana lives just outside Washington, DC, with her very supportive husband and three rather demanding cats. She loves the ocean, Indian food, Ikea, and cooking. Before settling down as a writer, Ana was an elementary school teacher, a preschool teacher, a camp counselor, a waitress, a research assistant, a canoe tour guide, and one glorious summer during college she spent eight hours a day placing stickers inside library books so they would be part of the fancy new automated checkout system. She won’t say which job she liked best.
Ana is a member of Romance Writers of America.
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