3 Steps to Being a Hussy

A book hussy, that is.

After months of hard work, a little bit of crying, lots of cursing, and the occasional EEK I CAN'T DO THIS WHY AM I DOING THIS, A Night Without Stars has been released and is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo! 

And for about five minutes I was like this:

And then I remembered all the work that goes into promotion and I was like this:

You see, in the world of self-publishing (or publishing in general, for that matter) writing the book and making it available to readers is only half the battle. The other half is making people aware that your book exists and they have to stop what they're doing RIGHT NOW and go buy it IMMEDIATELY. So how do you do that? Well, one way is through reviews. 

Book bloggers can have a HUGE impact on your book's success (or failure). But bloggers are busy, elusive, magical creatures. They never come to you. You go to them and if you're very, very, lucky they may agree to read your book. If you've written something they like they might even give it a favorable review. If not, well, that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Either way, it's worth your time and effort to seek them out. 

But how? Well, you have to be a bit of a hussy. Here's how in 3 easy steps: 

1) Find the book bloggers. My preferred method is using Goodreads. I look up books that are similar to mine (in this case young adult paranormal) and read the reviews. Often if a reviewer has a blog there will be a link somewhere in their review. Yes, this is time consuming. Yes, you hit a lot of dead ends (links that no longer function, review sites that have been shut down or moved, etc) but it's worth it in the end.

2) Read their review policy. I know, total duh, right? But I see messages all the time from annoyed bloggers who vent about authors not following simple directions. Don't be an author that is vented about. It's bad for business. Half the blogs you visit will be closed to accepting new books. If this is the case, DO NOT E-MAIL THEM. It's rude. Not to mention annoying. Lots of blogs will have a checklist of books they do and do not accept. Some accept self-pub. Some don't. Some only want actual physical copies. Some are okay with ebooks. READ THE REVIEW POLICY THOROUGHLY. If your particular book passes, then feel free to contact them. If not, try the next one. There's no point in wasting your time (and theirs) sending a query that you know is going to get rejected. I found a blog this morning that I was super excited about. They were actively seeking books to review: check. They accepted self-pub: check. They preferred young adult: check. They were fine with ebooks: check. But at the very bottom I read one sentence that had me sighing and moving on with a regretful shake of my head: we are so over books about vampires. Could I still have sent them an e-mail about ANWS? Well, technically yes. Would it have been a good fit? Nope. And since my little book is already facing an uphill battle, why make it even harder?

3) Send a professional, to-the-point query. This is the part where you need to show a little restraint. Don't send them your book. That's not how this works. You e-mail them a query. Perhaps something similar to this: 

Dear So & So (except you would never actually use so & so because you would take the time to read their 'about me' page and use their real names),

I would like to submit my recently released young-adult novel, 'A Night Without Stars', for review.

Title: A Night Without Stars

Release Date: 01/24/14

Length: 70k words

Genre: paranormal young-adult

Description: Sixteen-year-old Lola is a daredevil. She likes playing hooky, stealing cars, and making out with bad boy Everett James. The reason behind all her rebellious antics? Because she can. But what can one girl do against a horde of murderous vampires?

Aided by her sometimes sober father, her best friend Travis, and Maximus, the mysterious strange who appeared out of no where to save her life, Lola must accomplish what the rest of the human race has failed to do in the after math of the world wide massacre: survive.

But how do you survive when everything you know has been destroyed... and the one person you thought you could trust ends up being the most dangerous person of all?

Format: PDF (compatible with kindle) or Nook Book

Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13611785-a-night-without-stars
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Without-Stars-Jillian-Eaton-ebook/dp/B00I0KA6LU
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-night-without-stars-jillian-eaton/1118200565


Thank you for your time & consideration!
Jillian

Occasionally a blog will request a cover to be included, or will want to know how you found out about them. Make sure to include everything they've requested and remember to put links where they can find your book.

After the e-mail is sent (and it's ALWAYS an e-mail, never a goodreads message or a facebook message or, heaven forbid, a tweet) you play the waiting game. Personally, if I never hear back from a reviewer I do not e-mail them again. But that's personal preference. If they decline, I send them a short e-mail thanking them for their time. If they accept, I send along the book (in their preferred) method ASAP. Then you play the waiting game all over again. It's a long, arduous, time consuming process... but it's worth it in the end, even when you get the bad reviews along with the good.  

And that's it! That's how you become a book hussy. 

authors vs. reviewers

So a little while ago I stumbled across this website called Goodreads. How I had not heard of it before, I have no idea. Basically (for those not in the know) it is a magical place where book lovers flock by the thousands to read and review any manner of books. Historical fiction, autobiographies, self pubbed (yay!), YA, romance - you name it, it's on there. For the large majority of authors who frequent the site, Goodreads is a fantastic tool to:

a) get your name out there
b) market your book to people you normally wouldn't be able to
c) have your work reviewed

Most authors do great with A & B. C, however... not so much. Case in point being the only reason I wanted to check out Goodreads in the first place is because I had followed an author's blog to an author's blog to an author's blog which described a recent kerfluffle where an author had gotten into it with a reviewer who (without going into the messy, dramatic, drawn out details) had given the author's book a not so glowing review. The backlash that followed was not, as you might expect, against the reviewer but rather against the author. 

I'll admit, at first I as confused by this. But then I sat down and I pondered... 

  

Ultimately I sided with the reviewer (not that it mattered to anyone involved) and I learned an INCREDIBLY valuable lesson: 

THERE IS NEVER A TIME WHERE IT IS OKAY FOR AN AUTHOR TO COMMENT ON A NEGATIVE REVIEW OF THEIR WORK. 

I debated whether to write: there is never a time where it is okay for an author to comment on ANY review, but I changed my mind. Especially on Goodreads, where you can 'like' reviews, and on Amazon, where you can find them 'helpful', I personally think it is perfectly okay for an author to like a nice review of their work. Or even make a comment to the effect of "thank you for the review, I am really glad you liked it!". No more, no less. As my history teacher would say, when in doubt, just KISS (keep it simple stupid).

Now, all of that is fine and good. Sounds easy, right? Well... surprisingly, not so much. I came to this conclusion before I published A Brooding Beauty. Since ABB has been out, it has gotten some stellar reviews, some okay reviews, and yes, a few bad reviews. As an author who is invested and loves her work, I would like nothing more than to comment on these not so stellar reviews and be all like "why do you say this when clearly this is what happened and you didn't like it for this reason but you obviously don't know what you're talking about and you're just a big mean bully!" - or something to that effect. 

Why don't I? Because reviewers AREN'T "big mean bullies" (well, to be perfectly honest, some of them are -- and sometimes yes, you can be mean and hurtful on purpose with your reviews, but that isn't what this post is about). Reviewers are people who have read your book (let us all take a moment to let that sink in... someone, other than your family or friend - cause you know they would never give you less than 4 stars - has taken the time to sit down and read YOUR book) and cared enough about it (whether that be a positive care or a negative care) to take even MORE time to write down what they thought.

Sometimes a negative review can be as simple as "didn't like it, wasn't for me" and sometimes they can go into more detail. Personally, I learn the most from the ones that go into more detail. So you didn't like my book and you tell me why. Umm... THANK YOU! Now I will take that advice, pick it apart, and keep it in the back of my mind for my next writing project. Let's be honest here, what is more helpful:

OMGOSHHH this was the best book EVVERRRRR I loved it so much can't wait to read the next one Edgar is SOOOO HOTTTTTT

or

Edgar was a lily livered prat who didn't have a back bone. He let Sue walk all over him and never said anything about it. 

Okay, so the first review will make you happy and adore that reviewer to the ends of the earth (seriously, if anyone ever said that about something I wrote I might just offer them my first born child a candy bar) BUT it doesn't tell you anything about your writing. Maybe Edgar COULD have stood up for himself more. Maybe in your next book he will tell Sue to go stuff it. Maybe - sometimes - a negative review isn't so negative after all. 

Either way, if you're an author you need to learn how to roll with the punches (in my humble opinion). Yeah, I've gotten some what I would call (quote/unquote) negative reviews on A Brooding Beauty. But you know what? People are still buying it and lending it to friends (thanks, KDP select program!). So the next time I get a not so awesome review I will continue to keep my trap shut, eat another piece of chocolate, and keep on writing. 

Like Kim Kardashian has to tell herself every night... No publicity is bad publicity! 

Review: Wicked as They Come

I read a lot. As in, every night of the week (sorry, Mike). I recently finished Wicked as They Come, by Delilah S. Dawson and loved it so much I just had to jump on my Goodreads account this morning before work and write a review. Then I figured, why not put the review up on my blog? Spread the word around about this awesome book. So, without further ado, I present to you my review of WATC.

Have you ever heard of a Bludman? They’re rather like you and me—only more fabulous, immortal, and mostly indestructible. (They’re also very good kissers.) 

Delilah S. Dawson’s darkly tempting debut drops her unsuspecting heroine into a strange faraway land for a romantic adventure that’s part paranormal, part steampunk . . . and completely irresistible. 

When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?

MY REVIEW

[minor spoilers included]

WOWZA! This is, hands down, one of the best books I have read in a while. It's interesting to read some of the other reviews. People seem to either hate or love Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson. I am definitely in the love category. Here's why: 

Criminy Stain is fantastic as our charming, sexy, arrogant, brooding, sexy, and witty hero. Did I mention sexy? From the first moment he is introduced to the last, I drooled over loved him. We saw the world of Sang come alive through his eyes. And what a world it was.  

Sang is a magical place that exists parallel to our own. In Sang there are two types of people: Bluds (think vampires with little tweaks here and there) and Pinkies (humans). Once upon a time everyone was happy and there was a perfect balance between Bluds and Pinkies. Then something happened (a war? a famine? I didn't really catch it in the reading) and all of the wildlife became Bluds (bludbunnies, bludstags, bludsquirrels, etc. etc.) which sent the Pinkies packing into big cities with big walls. Bluds were discriminated against, turned mostly into servants or factory workers, and regulated by the Coppers (Pinkie police force). 

I found Sang to be a highly unique and original place. One I wouldn't mind living in myself (as long as it wasn't in a stinky city). The cast of characters Dawson introduced us to throughout WATC was fascinating. I loved (or loved to hate) them all. It is a talented writer that with just a few sentences can make you feel genuine emotions about a character. 

You may have noticed I have yet to say anything about the main character... And that would be because while I enjoyed the first person narrative as told by one Letitia (Tish) Everett, she wasn't my favorite character. Maybe it was the name. Maybe it was because she was so willing (after the few three chapters or so) to believe and accept everything around her. Maybe it was because even though she was supposed to be twenty five (the same age as me!) she acts more like (and makes decisions like) an eighteen year old. Or maybe it was because she got to sleep with Criminy and I didn't. Who knows? Whatever the reason, I didn't LOVE Tish, but I did like her. Most of the time. 

A few other things, while small, kept this from being a 5 star book for me. 

- A good portion of the book is devoted to Tish and Criminy searching for her locket. Why, for all that is holy, would Criminy risk Tish's safety and bring her with him? Why not just bring another Blud and tuck her away to hide out? Or is it that he thought she would only be safe with him(dead ghosts, nearly drowning, sea monsters, and crazy ass bludwomen not withstanding)? 

- The Bluds were obviously stronger than the Pinkies. Why did they allow themselves to be enslaved? The only military force I saw was the Coppers, and they weren't all that tough (or plentiful). If anything, it should have been the other way around: Bluds ruling over Pinkies. 

- Letitia? Really? 

Overall, this book was a FANTASTIC read and I can't wait for the second Blud novel to come out. I think it will be better, knowing what to expect going in. I know initially when I started WATC I was expecting something closer to YA, and was thrown for a bit of a loop when I figured out Tish was actuallyeighteen twenty-five. All in all, a job well done and book well worth the two days it took me to read it cover to cover.

4 Star Review for A Brooding Beauty

Arlena Dean from Great Minds Think Aloud was kind enough to review A Brooding Beauty. This is what she had to say:

"A Brooding Beauty" by Jillian was a good short romance novel. The
author really worked her magic with this story and it really turn out to
be a cute story dealing with Catherine and Marcus (Duke of Kensington).

The story was of two people that had misunderstood each
other in more ways than one. Marcus leaves to work in America
and upon his return hears that his wife has been cheating on him. (Rumors)
Instead of this couple talking about this situation both of them are now
distant and very short with each other. Next .... Catherine is wanting a
divorce even though she still loves Marcus.....even through she believed
he had a mistress. (Rumors) Naturally Marcus says NO to the divorce.

How the author is able to bring this couple back together is a work of art.

Will Catherine and Marcus finally be able to talk and work out their problems?

... Had their been any affairs? You must read this novel to find out.

"A Brooding Beauty" had a blend of sexual heat and love. For this was
truly a romance novel and wow what an ending.

I really liked it! If you are in for a quick sweet romance then this novel,                                                           "A Brooding Beauty" is for you. 4/5 stars. 

Thanks for the kind words, Arlena! If you would like to read more of Arlena's reviews, you can follow her HERE on Goodreads.