3 S.R. Johannes: June 2012

Monday, June 25, 2012

Marketing ebook

First off, here is an interesting article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the success of ebooking (psst I might be quoted in it :)

Secondly, I wanted to talk about marketing.

Since I started this marketing blog, readers have been asking me/suggesting I do a marketing ebook for some time.

Well, now is the time.

In a few weeks - I will be publishing a marketing ebook. The book will encompasses ALL of the marketing articles I have written on my blog over the past 6 years, It will also include some exclusive ones (that will not be on the web site) on new topics such as self pubbing and pinterest to name a few.

In addition to the blog articles, the ebook will also encompass about 20-25 of the marvelous marketing interviews from top editors, outstanding agents, and bestselling authors who have all provided permission for me to use them. It will also include a section on resources with additional marketing resources including blogs, web sites, books, and more!

Now, just to be upfront and honest so you don't feel bamboozled (love that word) - you can find 75% of the ebook information on my blog for free! You just have to search for it.

I am pulling together this ebook mainly for my readers - to provide an easy reference guide that is convenient, organized by topic, and put together - so you don't have to search over 6 years in my blog to find anything on marketing plans or book trailers.

The ebook will be about 100 pages and sell for under 5$. However, it will be on sale for less the first week it is out which is planned for early August. It will be available in all formats so if you don't have an ereader - you will be able to get a pdf/doc so you can keep it on your computer for future reference. 

If you have any suggestions of additional articles you would like to see - feel free to leave them in the comments section and I will consider the topics as I finish my original articles.

Stay tuned! :)

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Ode to Graeme



Today my heart is heavy as I say goodbye to someone special.

My dear friend is moving to Eqypt and it suddenly feels like a million miles away. he might as well be moving to the sun (well except then he would burn from the intolerable heat).

Sometimes, someone very very special comes into your life when you least expect it. And somehow they touch you in a short amount of time, in a small way, that you can't really express or explain to anyone else.

It doesn't make any sense why I'm as upset as I am - because I have only known him a short time. And even Graeme was slightly surprised at my reaction when I hugged him for the last time (for at least 2 years.)

3 years ago, I met Graeme Stone in LA at SCBWI. We hit it off immediately and hung out the whole time we were there. There was a spiritual connection and we just clicked on many levels - we laugh at the same things, we observe the world in a similar (strange) way, and he is a wonderful thriller writer. I don't meet many true thriller writers so that was a total bonus for me. Especially someone who knows more movie, TV, and mystery book references than I do. (Trust me - I met my match)

A year later, I looked forward to seeing Graeme again. Once again we clicked, laughed, and talked thrillers and mysteries and disasters even more.

Even though we had fun, it really wasn't until Graeme moved to Atlanta last fall that we grew close. It wasn't until then, that I began to recognize how special he really is.

As I was crying on hubby's shoulder today, Hubby asked a simple question: "Why is Graeme so special to you?"

I could not answer him.

 You see, I can't really put into words or express why Graeme is so special to me.

But somehow in just a year, I've grown attached to him. Since he came here, we've met up several times a month for coffee, talks, lunch, dinner -  and had deep talks about self pubbing, writing, thrillers, movies, successes, failures. But more importantly - life in general. We recently spent a week together writing in the mountains. 24 hours, 7 days of laughing, writing, and plotting. When we weren't writing or hanging out with Kristin Tubb and Jennifer Jabaley - we talked about writing and thrillers and our past. Our dreams, our future, our regrets. We cooked dinners together and laughed.

That's one awesome thing about having a gay male friend - is hanging out with a man without the weird undertones. Just a male friend. A male perspective. It's refreshing.

I don't connect with people easily. I'm socially awkward, kinda shy, slightly weird, an over-achiever, snarky, and very few people get my strange sense of humor. Graeme gets me in a way no one else does. Yes, he gets my writing, he gets my jokes, he gets my movie  references, he gets my snark. I could look at something and by the time I look over at Graeme - we say the same thing about the same observation. We see things the same. We find the humor in the same things. Sometimes we discuss how that could play into a book but sometimes we just laugh without saying anything.


Now don't get me wrong, a lot of my special friends "get me" and of course my hubby "gets me" the most. But Graeme gets that tiny special place inside me - the small strange place where my writing comes from. I can't explain it but maybe you understand. It's a place that may not seem important to most people and i don't need to show it to many - but it's the 1% that most people don't even know is there or ever get to see. 


In addition to that, there is something very special about Graeme. He just that one of a kind person. Irreplaceable. Unduplicatable.

On the surface, Graeme is silly, dorky, gay, sarcastic, and wonky with a touch of insanity. But underneath his crazy sayings, his silly faces, and his slightly sick sense of humor - Graeme has one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met. The way he sees the world is eye-opening. The way he REALLY listens is unique. The way he cares about others so deeply and isn't afraid to show it is refreshing. 


Underneath the cool, funny, quirky guy - is someone so smart and conscious in life - you just want to be around him. He is one of the smartest people I have ever met. Knows something about everything. I bet he has remembered everything he has ever learned - like a big walking spongy encyclopedia of weird and strange facts.

Anyway, enough about Graeme (he is probably loving this right now since he's all me me me right now ;)

Today, I was left saying goodbye to someone I know I can never replace.

I am so happy for my dear friend as he embarks on an amazing life-altering journey to Egypt. He's had many tough years and has struggled - now he gets to take a fresh step on his path to discovering his true purpose. He's brave and fearless and I admire him deeply. There are not many people who would move to Egypt for 2 years - away from everything they know. Family, friends, and the total comforts of home - with just 2 bags and a smile.

But I am also very sad today. For me and what I am losing.

Sure Graeme and I will always be friends. And we will Skype and we will email and we will still laugh and plot together.

But it won't be the same.

And since Graeme is irreplaceable - that means there is now a tiny space left my heart that will always be empty.

If you want to follow Graeme's insightful and hilarious blog as he travels to Eqypt, gets a masters in linguistics, and learns to live in a society so different from ours, go follow his blog where he will be keeping a journal along the way.

Trust me, you won't regret it!

And you'll be lucky enough to see and experience a small slice of what I adore about Graeme. ;0)








Bookanistas: Cover contest for THE 13TH SIGN

Below is the hot-off-the-presses cover for THE 13TH SIGN by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb (January 8, 2013 from Feiwel & Friends):

And the jacket copy:

What if there was a 13th zodiac sign? 


You’re no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign. 


Your personality has changed.
So has your mom’s and your best friend’s. 


What about the rest of the world? 


What if you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this world-altering change—and infuriating the other 12 signs?  


Jalen did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send the signs back where they belong.
Lives, including her own, depend on it.

To celebrate, Kristin is hosting a COVER REVEAL CONTEST! Here’s how it works:

  • 1.     Search the cover above for THREE zodiac symbols. Got them? Good! Then…
  • 2.     Email your answers directly to Kristin at ktubb@comcast.net by June 30 to…
  • 3.     Be entered into a drawing! The following will be doled out randomly to three folks who send in correct answers:
  • -a $50 IndieBound gift card!
  • -a signed hardcover of SELLING HOPE plus a signed paperback of AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT!
  • -a book “basket” including three middle grade books: BRIDGE TO TIME by Lewis Buzbee, THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA by Tom Angleberger, and THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING by Catherynne M. Valente
4.   BONUS! Anyone who includes a FOUTH zodiac symbol in their answers will    get double entries for the above drawing!

And that’s it!  Start searching and emailing! (Please remember to email answers rather than post them in the comments! Thanks!)

P.S. If you’d like to preorder THE 13TH SIGN, you can do so here  (Amazon) or here (Indiebound)! You’ll be automatically be eligible for the upcoming THE 13TH SIGN Preorder Contest!

For more Bookanista recommendations, visit


Elana Johnson can't get enough of See You At Harry's
Shannon Messenger shares some YA cover lust 
Shelli Johannes-Wells talks about the cover for The 13th Sign--with a contest!
Stasia Ward Kehoe and Nikki Katz gush about Surrender
Jessica Love has feelings for The List
Katy Upperman lays it on the line for The Book Thief




Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Winners

Hey guys just a quick post to announce the winners from the last two giveaways :)

the ebook of The Forever Girl goes to...
C.M. Brown
a copy of both Elana's books, Possession and Surrender goes to...
Jolene and Family
Thank you all for entering and have a great week!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Cutting Through the Mist-ery of Cover Design (Alicia Kat Dillman, author of Daemons in the Mist)



Author and illustrator Alicia Kat Dillman as part of her blog tour for Daemons in the Mist is here today to talk about cover designs, yay! Here is a little bit about the indie author and her first book!

Indie author & illustrator Alicia Kat Dillman is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. Kat illustrates and designs book covers & computer game art by day and writes teen fiction by night. The owner of two very crazy studio cats and nine overfull bookcases, Kat can usually be found performing, watching anime or hanging out in twitter chats when not playing in the imaginary worlds within her head. 

Seventeen year old Patrick Connolly has been hopelessly infatuated with Nualla for years but he is all but invisible to her. Until, that is, he rescues her from a confrontation with her ex. Little does Patrick know he’s just set off a dangerous chain reaction that will thrust him into a world of life altering secrets and things that shouldn’t exist, because the fog and mist of San Francisco is concealing more than just buildings.


Here she is...

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

There are bad covers out there; we have all seen them. The ones with the glaring, eye-searing colors, painful design, and horrid photoshopping that should be a crime against humanity. I could go on for days about the horrors I have seen lurking in the dark corners of bookshops, but I’m sure you’d all rather I talk about what makes a good cover.

I’m going to use the cover I designed for my debut novel Daemons in the Mist as an example.

Daemons in the Mist is very atmospheric, almost like the environment is a real breathing creature itself, and my characters embody their environments. I wanted to convey this on the cover so I chose one main character and one location in the city that reflected a part of the city and the character at the same time.

I wanted Nualla, one of Daemons in the Mist’s main characters, to look like she was standing across the street from you, her hair caught up in the gust of wind from a passing car. Placing her firmly in our world but at the same time pulling you into something hidden; something extraordinary. She is as much inviting you, the reader, into her world as she invites Patrick into her life in the story. And I wanted a bridge, in this case the Bay Bridge. Why did I chose the Bay Bridge instead of the Golden Gate Bridge for the cover of Daemons in the Mist? Because really the Golden Gate Bridge is for tourists, most of the locals, the commuters and students, use the Bay Bridge to come into the city. The story is about people who live in the city each day and most of the books are set there so I wanted the readers to get a taste of the city the way I see it. But why a bridge in the first place? In the story Patrick makes a journey from the human world into the world of daemons, much like a bridge carries us into a new place. Parts of the bridge are obscured by fog conveying to the viewer that not everything is what it seems.

With these illustrative elements in place, it’s time to take a look at the text. I read somewhere that a book cover should never have more than three fonts or font colors. Publisher logos and fonts are, of course, excluded from this. Think of your fonts as a kind of branding for your book. You want them to stand out and mesh well together. For Daemons in the Mist I chose hard sharp-edged fonts to contrast with the curving and soft edges of Nualla and the bridge lights.

But book cover design isn’t simply stacking the right elements on a page, it goes deeper than that. It’s not simply pretty on accident, it’sdesigned to be pleasing and striking. Nualla’s face was placed on the upper third/third square, an artistic design element employed to make the image instantly more dynamic. The deep rich black of her hair contrasts dramatically with the pale soft completion of her face, and is left simple and detail free to make her eyes stand out. Nualla’s hair sweeps the eye downward leading us right into the title. The visual elements of the cover are right-heavy so the title was place over to the left to balance out the design. The text has a slight glow to it to appear as if it is being viewed through a foggy night. It is all these elements working together that create good design.

Look at some of your favorite covers and analyze why you like them, why they caught your eye. Why they said, “buy me, I’m awesome!”

Okay, so now you know what to do and you have a fab cover design ready, but how does it look shrunk down to under two inches? Though we would love everyone to bask in the glory that is our high resolution cover the first time they see it, the truth is they will most likely see it as an inch tall, slightly blurry graphic in a sea of other potential reads. So how do you design for this? Make sure you have large eye-catching elements mixed in with your small secondary reads and fonts that are clear and easy to read even at a small size.  If you look at the Daemons in the Mistcover right now on a search of Amazon, Nualla is striking even at such a small size and you can even read the title and author name; well, you can on my screen anyways. As you design your cover, keep checking a small, on-screen version of it. There are a variety of ways to do this depending on your program and system of choice.

If all the analysis that goes into one of my covers makes your head hurt, don’t worry. I’m a trained professional, it’s my job to do this. As a writer, you don’t have to be able to pull off a stellar cover design, you just need to know enough to know who to hire to create one for you.

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

Thank you for stopping by Alicia!


Thursday, June 14, 2012

Marketing on a Budget (Elana Johnson, author of Possession and Surrender)

Elana Johnson's Surrender released last week and let me tell you - it is as good - if not better - than Possession.

Since I have a special place in my heart for Elana, comment on today's post and I enter you in a drawing for a copy of both Elana's books, Possession and Surrender. I know awesome right? :) I will buy them and ship them straight to your front door.

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque


As part of her Surrender blog tour, she stopped by to talk to us about her marketing tips.

Here she is....

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

Okay, so I have two books out now! Woot. POSSESSION came out last year, and SURRENDER came out last week.

Marketing a book is something akin to building an ark before a flood. Okay, I haven’t actually done that, but I have planned some marketing strategies for my books. On top of that, I’m a schoolteacher, so I don’t have money coming out my ears, and today I’m here to tell you that you can market your book to the best of your ability with very little money. Okay, no money.

I believe that a large part of why people buy books is because of the author—especially in the online community, which is where a lot of our marketing efforts are focused. As a midlist author with a medium-tier marketing plan, most of what I can do personally has to happen online.

I imagine that most of you reading this today are in the same situation, asking yourselves “How can I market my books better online?”

I believe the answer is this: You don’t market your books, you market yourself.

1.     Be you. Just you. Don’t try to be someone else, with their sense of humor or their tics. People want to get a feel for the real you, and you can do it without naming your children and putting up pictures. It’s all about selecting information you don’t mind if everyone knows about you (like how many of you know what my favorite breakfast food is? Whose picture did I take to my stylist and say, “Cut my hair like this.”?) and play to those things.

When people feel like they know you, and they like you, they’ll buy your book.

2.     Be available. If people tweet you or email you, tweet and email back. Sure, it can take you a couple of days, but act grateful that they contacted you and be positive in your response.

As someone who gets hate mail about my books, I know it can be easy to either not respond or to respond negatively. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap. Remember that people will remember you the next time you have a book coming out.

3.     Be kind. This sort of goes with how you respond. But be kind. Be promotional of others and their work. Put on your happy pants before you get online.

4.     Be helpful. A lot of my fans are fellow authors, either published or aspiring. I’ve been a participant in online forums and blogs for over four years. Every time you help someone, that’s another contact. They’ll remember your kindness and helpfulness when it comes time for your book to be released.

For me, I get a lot of email and fandom from those who’ve downloaded and read my query e-book. I’ve read and critiqued hundreds of queries. I can’t guarantee that all of those people will buy my books—or that they liked my critique!—but I can say with certainty that because I’ve been helpful for years, more people buy my book.

5.   Be a participant. A large part of the online community is the participation of those in it. It’s so easy to let this slide, especially when deadlines come due and you have forty thousand things to do on your plate. The blogging community is very forgiving, but they’re also very forgetful. One of the best things you can do for your marketing plan is participate in the online community.

And that’s it! Everyone can market their books simply by taking a few more minutes each day to tweet and email those that tweet and email them. Be happy and be authentic. Remember that before anyone sees or hears about your book, they see and hear YOU.

Any other tips to market yourself/your books online? Lay ‘em on me!

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

This week, as part of the SURRENDER blog tour, you can win one of three $15 Barnes & Noble gift cards and become a winner winner, chicken dinner! All you have to do is fill out this a Rafflecopter giveaway widget with what you’ve done. NOTE: One of the options is to blog about a time you didn’t surrender. Go here for full details on this, including how to sign up for your free swag package!

You can find Elana hanging out online at twitter and her awesome blog of 411.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Indie Hop - IndieView with Rebecca Hamilton


I am a Reader, not a Writer and Krazy Book Lady are hosting an Indie Hop today where you can find awesome indie author books highlighted all over the net. Other linky's are at the bottom of the post.

Today, I have a quick interview from Rebecca Hamilton (also known on Twitter as Ink Muse. She is the author of the bestselling occcult book, The Forever Girl and repped by Rossano Trentin of TZLA (Italy). 

First a little about her bestelling book, The Forever Girl. It is a "NEW ADULT" book - the genre we keep hearing does not exist :) (yeah right)


At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, living under religious prejudice, the shadow of her bi-polar mother, and an unsolved murder.

Sophia can imagine lots of ways to improve her life, but she'd settle for just getting rid of the buzzing noise in her head. When the spell she casts goes wrong, the static turns into voices. Her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous.

One of them is a man named Charles, a centuries-old shape-shifter who Sophia falls for despite her better judgment. He has connections that can help her unveil the mystery surrounding her ancestor's hanging, but she gets more than she bargains for when she finally decides to trust him. Survival in his world, she learns, means not asking questions and staying out of the immortal council's way. It's a line she crossed long ago.

If Sophia wants to survive the council and save the people she loves, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.

The Forever Girl is a full-length Paranormal Fantasy novel that will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches, vampires, ghosts, paranormal mystery, and paranormal horror.

Hi Rebecca, tell us about you and your book

Me? I'm married, have two songs and a daughter (all homeschooled at presented), 2 cats, 1 dog. Autism has touched my family's life, so it's something I often advocate for. My first novel, The Forever Girl, is a genre mash up of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and mystery. It's about a young wiccan woman who is trying to end a family curse, but instead uncovers secrets about her family's history and the supernatural history of her world.

As most of us indies, we all have publishing stories. What has been your publishing journey?

Well, nothing special here. I had some close calls with publishers in the states, but nothing went through. Readers who had already sampled my novel wanted it published, so I published initially for that small audience. While I was at it, I invited more people to read, and, in time, things sort of just fell together. It wasn't long after that that I was contacted by my now-agent, Rossano Trention of TZLA in Italy.

I see you have an agent. How is it working with an agent as a self publishing author?

It's great! It's probably a lot like working with an agent when you haven't self published, only while you wait around for a deal, you are making money. He's handling my book overseas, so I get to keep rights in the states, which I'm happy with for now.

What do you see as the "must-haves" in promoting books?

Getting people to read them!

What is your favorite word and why?

'Yes.'
While I also really like the 'no', and everyone should be able to say it, I know I often feel good in situations where I CAN say yes or where people say yes to me. It feels good to hear 'yes'. 
Can I have a bite of your chocolate cake? Yes. 
Can I have a few hundred dollars to go on a shopping spree? Yes. 
Can you wake up with the kids so I can sleep in? Yes.
Is it always a great word? No. I mean, I certainly wouldn't want someone to say yes, they are going to kick me in the face. But overall, 'yes' has been good to me. 

You can find Rebecca hanging out online at FB, twitter and her blog

Comment today and win an ebook of The Forever Girl!

Here is a list of other links celebrating indies you can check out this week.



Monday, June 11, 2012

From Indie to Indie

It is no big secret that I love all bookstores but local indies are very special.

What do indies offer that big bookstores don't? They add the heart to Bookland not just a face.

1) Everyone in an indie is knowledgeable about all the books and you know they loves books as much as you do.
2) The bookstore helps the community thrive and contributes to local businesses. Most local stores give back to the community it lives in.
3) The overall ambiance is different and unique in every store. Not all the same. Books stacked to the ceiling. Some in random piles. The smell of books and newspapers. Small coffee areas. It's like reading at home.
4) They provide a physical place for book discussions and book clubs within your neighborhood.
5) They read the books they order.

So yay! Indie bookstores are slowly starting to carry indie books :) It's hard because of the risk on returns and such but some are starting to sell on consignment and a few are stocking books as well.

What a great partnership! Indie to indie.

If you have a local indie close to you - go to IndieBoung.org to find out which books you can buy.

Even though you can get books through Amazon and B&N, wouldn't it be nice to order book from indies all over the US.

Here is Untraceable's link.

Here's a chance to shout out a cheer for your local bookstore. Leave a link in the comment and tell everyone your favorite indie bookstore?


Thursday, June 07, 2012

Breaking News! IRDA winner :)

Guys - hold onto your hats!

OMG I just found our I won an award!

I was announced as the winner of the IndieReader Discovery Award for Young Adult!

They announced all the winners at BEA yesterday!

The judges were Kirkus Review, IndieReader, Huffington Post, editors at S&S and Harper Collins, agents at ICM and more.

Congrads to all the indie winners!

Holy crapola! I'm freakin' out/dying right now.

To think where I was this time last year parting with my agent, rejected by publishers, couldn't write, and had no hopes of a future in publishing, this is friggin' awesome!!!!!! Amaze-balls!

I get pretty stickers and a book feature on IndieReader. I also get to be included in some press announcements as well as consideration by a literary agency.

I'm not expecting anything major to come out of this.

But it is just another confirmation I am on the right path, especially at a time where I was starting to question it again.

Keep going after your dreams. No one can't stop you but yourself !

Just keep swimming....just keep swimming!

Thanks to everyone - again - for your support! It means everything.


Tuesday, June 05, 2012

BEA events/giveaways/contests


I'm not going to BEA (BookExpo America) but guess what - Untraceable is :)

Untraceable (along with other Indelible's books) will be at BEA! If you're there, we're on a shelf in the New Title Showcase, Booth CPQUAD1:

BEA Untraceable Contest
If you tweet, FB or pin a picture of Untraceable on it's BEA shelf, you will be entered in drawing for a copy of Uncontrollable coming in Sept 2012.


Armchair BEA Sponsor
I'm also a sponsor of Armchair BEA,a huge the book blogger event for everyone who can't go but wants to be a part of it! 
As a sponsor, I'm giving away copies of Untraceable and my other books today in their giveaway event. Check here for a list of all the giveaways.

Armchair BEA Agenda 2012
Monday, June 4th: Introductions First!
Tuesday, June 5th: Giveaways Everywhere!
Wednesday, June 6th: Networking ... In Real Life?!
Thursday, June 7th: Beyond the Blog
Friday, June 8th: The Future of Book Blogging

My book will see you there!

Monday, June 04, 2012

Help us celebrate INDIEpendence Day!

Hey guys,

Sorry I am MIA. My kids are out of school and I've been on a week writing retreat to work on Uncontrollable. Once kids starts camp next week, I'll be back more. :)

I'm popping to tell you about a fun blog hop the Indelibles are doing to celebrate independent authors and presses.

This INDIEpendence day, the Indelibles would like to celebrate indie authors (self-published and small-press) as a whole by holding up examples of outstanding indie works. The 25 Indelible authors all believe that amazing works of fiction can be found in indie novels. By highlighting and bringing greater awareness to quality indie books, people find great books to read, indie authors get support, and we continue to change hearts and minds about the gems that can be found among self-published and small-press novels.

WIN all around!

Will you join us?

Here's how it works:

  1. PICK AN INDIE BOOK: Pick an indie (self-published or small press) book that you either HAVE READ AND LOVED or WANT TO READ. 
  2. WRITE A POST: On INDIEpendence day (July 2nd), write a post about that book. It can be a review, an interview with the author, or simply a post highlighting the book. In your post, be sure to include: 1) HOW you found out about the book and 2) WHY you liked it (or WHY you want to read it). Make it easy for people to sample your indie author by providing buy links as well.
  3. DO A GIVEAWAY (optional): You can give away swag, or a copy of the indie book you're highlighting, or don't do a giveaway at all - it's up to you! 
  4. IMPORTANT: you may NOT highlight your own novel or one of the Indelible's novels (this is a Pay It Forward event!) We think all Indelibles books are high quality and deserving of celebration, but we can do that some other time.
  5. GO TO GOODREADS (optional): Add the Indie book or books you're featuring to our ever-growing INDIEpendence Day List.
Easy peasy.

For extra incentive, the Indelibles will be giving away a $10 B&N gift card (to be used on Indie books!) to a random host from the participating blogs! But the real win is a chance to pay forward your love of an indie author's work while helping your friends find a great summer read.

To sign up, go to the Indelibles web site!