To get in the Christmas spirit, I’m giving away a paperback copy of my standalone, epic fantasy Visions of Zarua. I opted for UK only this time, but I’ll run another international giveaway in the new year.
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Can they save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past?
The ebook is still available free on Kindle Unlimited UK and US.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, so I thought it was the perfect time for a little update.
Review News
Firstly, Visions of Zarua had two reviews within hours of each other over the weekend! I’m suffering with a cold at the moment and these reviews were the perfect pick me up. See them on the Goodreads book page and Amazon UK.
One reviewer even said Paddren was one of her top five favourite characters of the year. That is amazing to hear and really makes me smile, thank you Karen.O.
Visions of Zarua has received some wonderful feedback over the last year with 17 reviews on amazon UK and 15 on goodreads. These reviews have been my inspiration to keep writing and I never tire of re-reading them.
New Competition
A UK only Goodreads competition will be running over the Christmas period. 22nd Dec to 1st Jan 2017.
I’m also about to set up a Rafflecopter giveaway, something I’ve not done before but we’ll see how that works out.
Next Book News
My first two beta readers reviews are in. The consensus is that The Lost Sentinel is almost ready to publish! There’s still a few tweaks and mistakes to rectify, but it’s pretty much complete. Then it’ll just need a professional edit and book cover.
Book 2 is written but awaiting the insertion of many, many scenes. I hope to start planning book 3 soon with a view to writing the draft during Nano next November. Scary to think of Nov 2017, but it’s good to have a plan.
One of my beta readers is really pushing me to approach agents before I self publish The Lost Sentinel. She thinks it’s a much stronger book than Visions of Zarua and the fact its book 1 of a trilogy might make it a better prospect for agents and publishers to consider. What do you think of switching directions?
I’ll be researching my options over the next few months. It’s exciting, but I’ve enjoyed self-publishing and I’m not sure I want to hand over control to others. There’s also the rejections to face again. Am I ready for that?
Reading challenge
I beat my 25 book target on Goodreads, which I’m really pleased about. There’s still time to get another book or two in and I’m hoping to post a review tomorrow of A Wedding in Cornwall by Laura Briggs.
There are plenty of book tags around that I’d like to have a go at, and maybe I’ll try to select my favourite book of 2016. It’s harder this year as I’ve read more books than I’m used too. 2015 my fav book was Ink and Bone’ by Rachel Caine.
KDP Select / Countdown deals & Amazon Ads
Well the exclusive publishing is not going well and Kindle Unlimited KENP has gone down to zero pages for the last two months. At the back end of October this was looking like an exciting new way of reaching readers, now I don’t know. I’m stuck with it until Feb 2017, after that it will be decision time.
The second Countdown deal didn’t go to plan. It worked in the UK and US, but seemed to start at different times. The Amazon Ads I’d scheduled didn’t work properly and the book price didn’t increase on the second day for some reason. This isn’t really an issue, but it just made my blog/tweets about it harder – I didn’t want to mention price in case it suddenly hopped up to 1.99. I made a few sales, but nothing to worry the bestseller lists!
I spent more on Ads with Facebook, Amazon and Goodreads than I made in sales. Still, it’s all exposure for the book.
Call for help
If you have Kindle Unlimited, don’t forget Visions of Zarua is free to read in the UK here and the US here.
I would really appreciate it of someone who has the facility would read a couple of pages and let me know when, just so I can check the pages read are being registered.
Also, I had this crazy idea that I’d like to hit 20 reviews on Amazon before the end of the year. If you have read Visions, would you consider posting a short review? It really does make my day to read them.
I’m sure I’ll post again soon, but if not before the big day…
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
Here’s the latest review of my novel Visions of Zarua, from Karen who won a copy of the book during my blog tour in July.
I won this book (mobi format) in the author’s giveaway.
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Plot
(by Goodreads)
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Together they must save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past.
An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.
Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master Kalesh dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.
Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.
The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his…
View original post 540 more words
Good Morning world. Today you can still pick up my debut fantasy at a reduced price in the UK and US.
Be quick as the usual price resumed tomorrow.
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Can they save Paltria from the dark menace of Zarua’s past? Pick up Visions of Zarua and find out.
Please share this post and help me reach more readers like these lovely people who’ve left reviews.
thrilling and dark fantasy that really keeps you gripped from beginning to end!, January 27, 2016
Visions of Zarua | dark sorcery with slithering secrets, 8 April 2016
brilliantly written fantasy, finished it and wanted more!, 7 July 2016
A super fantasy read, December 4, 2016
Want to bag a bargain before Christmas?
My debut, standalone fantasy, Visions of Zarua is 99p / 99c for today only via kindle countdown deals in the UK and US.
There are plenty of 4 & 5 star reviews on Amazon UK and US to help you make up your mind. Here’s a peek at the most recent…
This is a dark fantasy novel that I loved, 26 Nov. 2016 Visions of Zarua is set in the magical world of Paltria, where there are Wizards, mythical creatures and enemies around every corner. This is a dark fantasy novel, that I loved from the very first page…
How I love the fantasy genre that always makes me think back …, 4 Dec. 2016 How I love the fantasy genre that always makes me think back to childhood and reading fairy tales. It is where anything and everything is possible a place of wizards and witches. This is Suzanne Rogerson’s debut novel and oh my does she deliver the goods. Set back in medieval times the story is shrouded in mystery, spells and deadly mystical creatures….
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Can they save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past?
Blurb
An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.
Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master Kalesh dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.
Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.
The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions in time to save the Paltrian people from the dark menace of Zarua’s past?
I would like to ask for help and advice for my upcoming KDP countdown deal.
My second attempt at the countdown deals starts in the UK and US on 9th December – if I have set it up correctly this time!
Visions of Zarua will be 99p on 9th & £1.99 on 10th December.
It was a bit of a non event last time as I didn’t know what I was doing. Now I’m hoping to generate some interest via Amazon’s sponsored products & product display Ads. I will also have a Goodreads Ad and Facebook Ad running for those few deal days.
Are there any other free or cheap promo sites that will help me? I really want to draw some attention to the sale and make it worthwhile this time around.
Help from the blogging community would be greatly appreciated. If you could reblog and retweet my posts on those days I would be very grateful.
I also want to set up a Rafflecopter paperback giveaway in the UK before Christmas. I haven’t run one before, are there any tips anyone can offer?
Thanks in advance.
I ran my first book stall at the local Christmas fair the other day. I was nervous about it during the weeks leading up to it, but I knew it was time to start putting myself out there. It felt a bit like coming out of the closet ‘My name is Suzanne Rogerson and I am an author.’
I did sell some books, which is wonderful, but most importantly it was a big step in building my confidence. For those of you who are nervous about trying it, I say go for it! Here are a few tips that might help you make a success of your own event.
My Tips
Things I wish I’d done
I haven’t made any money, but I didn’t enter into it for monetary gain. It’s all about getting my books into readers hands and getting exposure. I’ve already had some lovely feedback and that is what matters. People have been really supportive – friends and strangers alike.
My final advice to any shy writers like me, don’t let it hold you back. Go for it and see what happens!
Happy weekend everyone, at least it has been for me. I’m still on a high from my book signing event last night, and then I woke up to read this excellent review this morning.
Review extract…
Visions of Zarua is set in the magical world of Paltria, where there are Wizards, mythical creatures and enemies around every corner. This is a dark fantasy novel, that I loved from the very first page. It has to be said that fantasy novels are not my usual genre, but I was surprised by just how much this book spoke to me. Even though it is set in the mythical world of Paltria, and the ancient and abandoned city of Zarua, the book echoed the emotions of everyday, normal life. This is why I connected so much with this book and the characters within it…
Click to continue reading on Jo’s blog Brew and Books Review. It’s a great review – I’m not biased, honest!
I’ll post a bit more about the book signing and any tips I’ve gained from the experience in another post.
Bye for now.
The day is finally here – Visions of Zarua is a year old!
Sometimes I still can’t believe I actually did it. I locked away all the self doubt and published the ebook on 16th Nov 2015. After a lot of deliberation and encouragement from friends and family, I published the paperback a month later.
I’m so happy that it’s been well received by book reviewers and readers. I love reading the reviews, knowing that people have enjoyed Paddren, Varnia, Leyoch and Jago’s story as much as I enjoyed creating it. I get all teary-eyed when people say how much they loved Paddren or Varnia, that the characters I’ve lived with and loved for over ten years are resonating with readers. I’m very proud of this book and fully intend to toast it tonight with a glass or two of something bubbly!
Thank you to everyone who’s supported me, to those who have read it and those who will take the time to read it in the future.
***
Before I go…
There’s still a few hours left to enter the worldwide Goodreads giveaway here
Next week I’ll be doing my first ever book signing! I’m totally nervous and excited about. It’s at a Christmas shopping event at my daughters school where I’ll have my own stall and my son has offered to be my salesman for the evening!
I’ll write about the experience, but does anyone have any tips for running a successful book signing?
Now I plan to spend the day setting up my next Kindle Countdown Deal, along with ad’s on Amazon, Goodreads, facebook and possibly twitter to run alongside the deals and hopefully promote it to lots of readers. Again, any tips will be gratefully received.
Finally, if you haven’t bought your copy of Visions of Zarua yet, here’s the links.
£2.99
$2.99
Free to read on KindleUnlimited
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Can they save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past?
Why not pick up a copy and find out. And let me know what you think by leaving a review or contacting me via the contact page.
Well it’s only a week to go until my debut novel is a year old!
The goodreads giveaway is still live until the big day – 16th Nov 2016. Enter here if you want the chance to win a signed copy.
I’m still planning a Rafflecopter giveaway, but I’ve decided to wait until I’ve been to the Self-Publishing Summit at the weekend. Maybe I’ll get some tips about marketing these giveaways.
I’m also running a new Amazon Ad as I’ve just reduced the US Kindle book price to $2.99. I’m stating the cost in the ad to see if this makes a difference to the amount of people who click and don’t buy. Fingers crossed!
Kindle Unlimited has also been disappointing – my KENP read has been a depressing flat line for the last 10 days. Hopefully this will pick up with a bit of advertising.
Can I ask your opinion on my log line
Currently – Two wizards, 350 years apart. Together they must save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past.
New option – Two reluctant heroes, 350 years apart. Can they save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past?
Please let me know if either intrigues you.
***
The blog may go quiet for a few days while I prepare for the Self-pub summit, but I’ll still reply to all your comments.
Shining a small, bright light in a wilderness of writing scams
Nobody cares what I'm on about...not even me!
Stories that bring sunshine after the rain
...Book review blog with lots of heart...
Fantasy by Deborah J. Lightfoot
Because stories are everywhere
The speculative fiction of P. H. Solomon
Hannah's book blog. This is my place where I share my favourite reads and chat about books.
Reading my way through a thousand worlds...
My little corner to talk about books
Book Sniffer and Bookstagrammer
Sharing Sights and Sounds, Words and Wonder
Suzanne Rogerson Author 