Monday, September 23, 2013

Discoverability According to Patrice Fitzgerald

PERSONAL NOTES:  I have this amazing interview with my Facebook friend and successful Indie Author Patrice Fitzgerald. This is not only suited for my fellow Indie writers but also to all book readers who follow their favorite author's journey. And to tell you the truth, the answers of future superstar Patrice were so great and really such a treasure to keep. I only have a couple of questions which I believe to be relevant to the sizzling word in the self-publishing universe: Discoverability.

And below, you will find Patrice Fitzgerald's fan fiction short story Daniel, on Amazon Kindle Worlds under the SILO Saga of now legendary Indie author Hugh Howey.

Here we go:



Raf Echanova: Is Fan Fiction writing (Kindle Worlds) a great way to be discovered?

Patrice Fitzgerald: Well, of course there are many fans writing fan fiction simply because they enjoy the source material and want to celebrate it—just for "love," and not money.  With the advent of this new arrangement, though, a number of properties can now be written about and published via Amazon's Kindle Worlds to the benefit of both the original creators and the new writers… in other words, authors can charge for their fiction based in these worlds. 

I do think it's a great way to be discovered.  KW shines a spotlight on each book, and has its own dedicated bestseller lists, so that good writing is not lost in the crowd.  It's an amazing opportunity for a writer to have his or her work noticed from the start.

R.E.:  What is your advice to your fellow Indie writers/authors about this magic word "discoverability"?

P. F.: The truth is that discoverability is difficult.  Endless social network efforts and even paid advertising won't necessarily get a book discovered.  Writing good material, making sure you have a professional-looking cover, clean editing and formatting can't guarantee that you will get discovered.  But if you don't have those things, being discovered won't help, because you'll get poor reviews and the "discovery" won't take. 

So you have to create the best book that you can, both in content and form, and go on to the next one.  While you are working on the next several books, you might get that lucky break… and not only will the earlier book be noticed, but you will be in a position to sell the others.

Readers want to know you're the real deal.  Part of that process is creating a body of work that shows that you are serious about writing, and lets them get to know you.  This is the way you develop a fan base.  Conveniently, this is also the way you get better at writing.  The old adage about writing a million words before you're any good, or doing your ten thousand hours of practice, as advocated in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, is instructive. 

The single best thing you can do to increase discoverability is to write another book.  And then do it again.  If you're a needle in a haystack, you can improve your chances by creating more needles, right? 

The more art you make, the more your writing muscle gets exercised, and the greater opportunity you have to be discovered. 


Patrice Fitzgerald is a writer, a singer, an attorney, a mom, a stepmom, and a wife… though not necessarily in that order.  She lives in Connecticut, which has been home since 1985.  You can read more about her on her blog, www.PatriceFitzgerald.com.



Amazon Kindle Worlds Bestselling Author Patrice Fitzgerald







Synopsis Lounge Presents...



DANIEL
By Patrice Fitzgerald

Book Description

 August 26, 2013
Daniel is sixteen now, and he can count up to one hundred. He can go all by himself up and down the two levels of the Silo between his home and his job.
Daniel knows he's not as smart as some people. But his mother told him he was smart enough to help her, so it must be true. He always believes his mother. His mother is a doctor.
He likes going to work and helping his mom. Best of all, Daniel likes it when somebody wins the lottery and a new little baby is born.
One day a little baby is born that looks like Daniel. His mother says the baby might die. 

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Another Hugh Howey's Brilliant Advice!


 Personal Notes:  I found this great article from the Publishing Perspectives and I truly admire Hugh Howey's great support to his fellow Indie authors and his consistency to what he has been preaching now and then. This is so useful and I truly believe it would help us a lot to be discovered especially the unknown authors.

I want to quote this brilliant advice from him : "There is no promotion as strong as writing the next book. None. That always comes first." Yes, it's true. Why are we devoting too much time promoting a single novella, or two? Instead, devoting your time from writing a sequel, more short stories and novellas or even writing fan fiction on Kindle Worlds would be a great idea. You can read the article on this link:
http://publishingperspectives.com/2013/09/10-counterintuitive-tips-for-self-publishers/



SYNOPSIS LOUNGE Presents...

WAYWARD
A Wayward Pines Thriller
By Blake Crouch

Welcome to Wayward Pines, population 461. Nestled amidst picture-perfect mountains, the idyllic town is a modern-day Eden...except for the electrified fence and razor wire, snipers scoping everything 24/7, and the relentless surveillance tracking each word and gesture.
None of the residents know how they got here. They are told where to work, how to live, and who to marry. Some believe they are dead. Others think they’re trapped in an unfathomable experiment. Everyone secretly dreams of leaving, but those who dare face a terrifying surprise.
Ethan Burke has seen the world beyond. He’s sheriff, and one of the few who knows the truth—Wayward Pines isn’t just a town. And what lies on the other side of the fence is a nightmare beyond anyone’s imagining.




Personal Notes: I am so excited to feature Patrice Fitzgerald about the "Discoverability" series that I write for my Personal Notes on Synopsis Lounge. Well, I already featured Hugh Howey and Marc Coker, the two legendary figures in the world of digital publishing.

Patrice Fitzgerald is one of the successful Indie authors who write fan fiction of Hugh Howey's Wool on Amazon Kindle Worlds under his canon. And sooner or later, I would have a chance to share her take on the subject matter. I sent an email a few days ago to my Facebook friend and she promised to give her opinion on that. I'm so excited and proud to say that Patrice is so approachable and accommodating despite her busy schedule. I have a couple of questions I asked from her and I will reveal her answers soon on SYNOPSIS LOUNGE.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Smashwords Author Interview Works!

Personal Notes: I just released the topic of Discoverability According to Marc Coker and again, here's another brilliant idea from Mark, the founder of Smashwords: Author Interview. I woke up one day and I got this blog from Marc introducing his Author Interview opportunity that he and his team designed for Indie authors.
At first, I was hesitant to do it, knowing that I don't have much to share. But when I read the questions, I was really encouraged to do it. I published the interview a couple of weeks ago and as of today, I got more than two hundred views. It's a huge number to me. And I truly thank everyone.
Thank you for checking this interview: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/RafEchanova


SYNOPSIS LOUNGE Presents...

A John Rain Novel: Winner Take All
By Barry Eisler



John Rain has disappeared to Brazil to escape the killing business and the enemies encircling him in Japan. But the CIA isn't willing to lose its premier "natural causes" contract killer, and they force Rain to take on a high-risk assignment: eliminate a ruthless arms dealer operating in Southeast Asia.

The upside? Financial, of course, along with the ongoing chimera of moral redemption. But first, Rain will have to survive the downside: a second assassin zeroing in on the target; the target's consort, an alluring and dangerous woman with an agenda of her own; the possibility that the entire mission is nothing but an elaborate setup. From the gorgeous beaches of Rio to the glitzy casinos of Macau to the gritty back streets of Hong Kong and Kowloon, Rain becomes a reluctant player in an international game far deadlier and more insidious than any he has encountered before.

"In his superb thriller series featuring charismatic Japanese-American assassin John Rain, author Barry Eisler serves up steamy foreign locales, stunning action and enough high-tech weaponry to make for an A-plus boys-and-their-toys read."
--New York Daily News


Personal Notes: Watch out for my upcoming fan fiction short story John Rain: Rampage in Manila. It will be released this month. Here's the sample e-book cover, but not the final one yet:


A seven digit deal to get a prominent Manila politician killed is at stake. Rain, at first thought it was an easy deal. But his failed attempt to assassinate his target in San Francisco proved that this mission is not an easy one.

I'm on the final draft now and my editor awaits for the manuscript. My associate in Manila is on his mission taking the best shots for the final e-book cover.

Asian Boy: Half brother's Revenge is on the way with one erotic thriller A Dangerous Fling.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Discoverability According to Mark Coker

Personal Notes:  After sharing Hugh Howey's thoughts about the word discoverability, let me give you Mark Coker's. I was reading a blog from Musetracks sharing Mark's advice to Indie authors. It is amazing the founder of Smashwords seems to be unstoppable creating new ideas on how to get readers' attention in favor of my fellow Indie authors who hope someday their book will be discovered.
An E-book authored by Mark Coker
Here are the 15 Best Practices the Indie authors must apply in order to get discovered. There is no guaranty, so to speak, that you'll be successful if you practice what he says. These are purely guidance on how to reach readers.
1) Write a fantastic book.
2) Create a great cover. I agree, you'll be judged by readers with your e-book cover.
3) A no-brainer, but warrants repeating. Write another super awesome book.
4) Give some books away for free. By doing this, you eliminate the financial risk new readers face. 
5) Patience, it's a virtue.  
6) Maximize availability. (May be the best words for this: Don't get the KDP Select deal?) 
7) Build a platform. It simply means you engage with readers using social media tools, wisely. 
8) Architect for "virality". "Spread the germ." Mark points out about the virtue of "word-of-mouth" as the most powerful way to discoverability. 
9) Unit volume is a lever of success. He said "Every book sale has two benefits: money and new readers.
10)Don't worry about piracy. Obscurity is the bigger risk.
11)Take advantage of Pre-orders.
12)Practice partnership and positivity. The great example he said is if you discover something that works well, share it with others.
13)Collaborate with fellow authors. This is important,too. So you better think of Googling out writers' communities. I, myself is a member of a dozen of writers' communities on Google+.
14)Think globally. When you're an Indie author, you must think globally.
15)You are running a business. Business requires a profit. Never borrow money to publish a book.

Well folks, to get full access of this source, just click the link below. Or you can download his e-book for free.
http://musetracks.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/best-practices-for-ebook-publishing-with-mark-coker-of-smashwords/

I will continue to devote my succeeding blogs (Personal Notes) about discoverability. But of course, I would like to bring you this Barry Eisler's John Rain novel Redemption Games.

Synopsis Lounge presents...

Redemption Games (A John Rain Novel)
Barry Eisler

Previously published as Killing Rain and One Last Kill

After nearly dying while taking out a target in Hong Kong, Rain has a new employer, the Mossad, which wants him to fix a "problem" in Manila. He also has a new partner, Dox, whose good-ol'-boy persona masks a sniper as deadly as Rain himself. And he has a new hope: that by using his talents in the service of something good, he might atone for all the lives he has taken. But when Rain's conscience causes him to botch the Manila hit, he finds out the next problem the Mossad wants fixed is himself. Is Delilah, his Mossad lover, coming to help him? Or was she sent to finish him off?

"Exhilarating... Eisler unspools a plot full of warring secret government connections, cool spy paraphernalia, and vivid martial-arts sequences."
--Entertainment Weekly

PERSONAL NOTES : I will release soon my first ever fan fiction short story on Kindle Worlds under John Rain Canon; John Rain: Rampage in Manila... I will do my best to release this month.