Blog

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As a curious observer of life, I blog on writing, marketing, my prairie - anything that interests me in the moment. I like to have conversations with readers, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I'll respond.

The scoop on editing with Amazon Publishing

By Carol / 05 May 2015 /

“What was it like working with Amazon Publishing?” “Did it bother you to lose control?” “Is it still the same story?”  These are some of the questions I’ve received since my novel Go Away Home…

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From indie author to Amazon Publishing

By Carol / 03 February 2015 /

My life as an indie publisher went in a dramatic new direction when a senior editor from Amazon Publishing contacted me last November about acquiring Go Away Home. I share how it happened and what…

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Marketing a book with a "Use By" date

By Carol / 29 January 2015 /

This  cartoon circulated on Facebook, and I laughed because it hit me where I was. When I indie published Go Away Home this past July, I geared up for intensive marketing over the long term.…

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Amazon Publishing acquires Go Away Home – I'm giddy!

By Carol / 30 December 2014 /

Have you ever thought you were as happy as you could be and then something happens to make you realize you could reach a whole new level of happy? It happened to me this month.…

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Does paying for book promotion pay off?

By Carol / 16 December 2014 /

As an indie author, I’ve looked at paid book promotions from time to time and always backed away. There were so many questions for which I had no solid answers. Which promotion site? What guarantee…

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Book awards – Worth it or not?

By Carol / 09 December 2014 /

Tis the season – not only the holiday season, but the book award season. Readers’ Favorite and Writer’s Digest, to name just two, announced winners in recent weeks. And with those announcements, author hopes are…

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Journey to publication began with NANOWRIMO

By Carol / 18 November 2014 /

Writers worldwide recently passed the half-way mark of National Novel Writing Month. By today, a writer who is on the NANOWRIMO track will have logged at least 30,000 words on their work in progress. Each…

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Book marketing – It's not always about sales

By Carol / 28 October 2014 /

Author Larry Baker (The Flamingo Rising, A Good Man and others) posted this picture to his Facebook page this week, and I laughed. It captures a fear most authors harbor: ‘What if nobody comes?’ It’s…

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How much of historical fiction is history?

By Carol / 20 October 2014 /

The 2014 Man Booker Prize winner was announced this past week. The accolades judging panel chair A.C. Grayling heaped on Richard Flanagan‘s WWII-era novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North, included this seemingly odd…

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Five strategies for getting book reviews

By Carol / 08 September 2014 /

Getting book reviews that would be posted on Amazon and Goodreads at launch was one of the marketing strategies I pursued prior to publishing my novel Go Away Home. In April, I blogged my intent. Now,…

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