First of all thanks so much to all those who entered, and to those who have helped me spread the word.
Three winners were picked by Goodreads and the signed books are about to be sent out. Congratulations to the winners, I really hope they enjoy the book.
I ran my giveaway of Visions of Zarua for 2 months, not having put much research into what is a good timescale beforehand. Others have suggested that a shorter period is better, but maybe for a new indie author the longer the giveaway runs, the better.
2070 people entered the competition and of those 835 marked it as to read on their bookshelves. I’ve also managed to pick up some new followers. These are people that would never have heard of Visions of Zarua without Goodreads, so I see the competition as a great success. I really enjoyed running the giveaway and I may run another competition again soon.
I have also considered doing a Rafflecopter giveaway, but know even less about this than I did Goodreads. Can anyone offer any advice?
A bit cheeky I know, but if you were intrigued by the giveaway and fancied picking up a copy, Visions of Zarua is available for only £2.99 on Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Nook, and Smashwords for other formats.
For any authors out there considering a giveaway, I say go for it.
UPDATE – 17th February 2016
A small note of caution. Running the giveaway is free, but the costs can still add up. My lucky winners were from Romania, India and USA. In all, the postage has cost me £27.45. Add to this the cost of the books which I brought direct from createspace and had to pay shipping on as well. I’d say I’m around £50.00 out of pocket.
However, as far as advertising costs go, that’s a bargain.
I know 2070 people (plus their friends on Goodreads) have now seen my book. Being in the fantasy section of the giveaway ensures I have done all I can to target my ideal audience. So although the giveaway hasn’t had much impact on sales yet, I’m hopeful it will help spread the word about Visions of Zarua. I read somewhere that consumers need to see a product a lot (something like 7 – 10 times) before they buy. So I shall just keep plugging away and keep dreaming of those sales and reviews rolling in.
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Together they must save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past…
If you want to be in with a chance of winning 1 of 3 signed paperback copies, enter the Goodreads Giveaway now. It ends midnight 14th February 2016. So far 1440 people have entered.
Please share this and help me spread the word. Thank you.
About Visions of Zarua
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?
Over on Hughes blog, we’ve been set the photography challenge of ‘Games’ by Ronovan.
I’ve struggled with the theme this week. So I decided to make up my own game.
This object is something I brought back from holiday, something I really love to look at but not hold because it’s quite heavy. Can you guess what it is?
I’ll update you with the answer next week. In the meantime, why don’t you have a guess in the comments.
The Iron Ship is Book One of The Gates of the World. Published in 2015.
‘Merchant, industrialist and explorer Trassan Kressind has an audacious plan – combining the might of magic and iron in the heart of a great ship to navigate an uncrossed ocean, seeking the city of the extinct Morfaan to uncover the secrets of their lost sciences…’
It was my book group choice. My first impressions – I loved the cover, was intrigued by the blurb and couldn’t wait to read it.
The Iron Ship is a fantasy / steampunk mix, perfect for those who love indepth worldbuilding. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.
It took me over 200 pages to get into the story. There are a lot of characters – we follow the lives of the six Kressind siblings, but also a lot more besides, and it’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on. I would think those who enjoy the huge scale of Game of Thrones would enjoy this new series.
It’s a long book and sometimes the descriptions can drag. But there are also moments of high tension and excitement that draw you in. I just wanted more character focus, to live the story through them more. I did like (but not love) some of the characters Katriona, Guis and Tuvacs, and would be interested to continue their stories in the next book.
There are plenty of new concepts to enjoy; the Tyn people, talking dogs which are used as horses, lizard-like creatures and plenty of fantastical beasts, twin moons, Glimmer magic, Guiders to send spirits on, the Drowned King… I could go on. There is a lot to explore in this book. If you are a fan of world building this could be the book for you.
I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
With the closing date of 14th Feb, there’s only 8 days to enter my Goodreads giveaway to win 1 of 3 signed copies of Visions of Zarua.
It’s the first giveaway I’ve done, so I’ve been a bit obsessive looking at the stats. As of 9.30am this morning (sat 6th Feb) I am number 23 on the most requested fantasy giveaway list. That’s pretty cool.
I’m overwhelmed that over 1000 people have entered the giveaway so far, and of those over 400 have marked the book as to read. This is amazing exposure for a first-time self-published author.
For those authors considering doing a giveaway, I would say go for it! But I will also do an update post at the end of the month on whether the giveaway has had any impact on the number of sales and reviews.
For readers who have read Visions of Zarua, I would like to ask if you would consider leaving a review. It’s the only way that self published authors get noticed and taken seriously. So far I have 6 brilliant reviews and a star rating on Amazon of 4.7. A big thanks to my readers who have been kind enough to share their views.
Please share and tell your friends. And have a wonderful weekend everyone.
Soon after I posted a picture of ‘frosty the frog’ on #wordlesswednesday, I saw Hugh’s weekly photo challenge for a picture of a rusty object.
Well I love this trumpet playing frog and couldn’t resist entering him. My son rescued the frog from the River Thames several years ago. I think it was some time after the floods, so maybe the poor frog was washed out of someone’s garden. The frog, which my daughter informs me is actually called Ribbit, sits happily by our little pond guarding over all his froggy friends. He is getting quite rusty now, but we love the quirky character and are glad to give him a home in our garden.
Last week I finally completed the read through and edit of ‘Search for the Sentinel’. It’s in good shape, though far from ready to self publish. I need to add in a dozen or so scenes and have lots of tell and unnecessary exposition to delete. I also need to work on some of the world-building ideas to make sure they come alive for the reader.
I’ve challenged myself to complete this next stage of editing in two weeks, deadline when the kids breakup for half term. If you could see the scribbled mess of my draft you would know that it’s quite an undertaking. But if I don’t set the challenge I will just drift along without completing anything. Looks like I will have to unplug my Wifi.
The plan will then be to print it and read it again after a break of a week or so. Then I’ll keep repeating the process until I’m happy enough to pass it on for it’s first beta read.
I also need to look into book covers. This time it will need to have a theme that can run through 3 books – and I have no ideas where to start with that. But I shall be heading over to ‘The Cover Collection’ who made the brilliant cover for Visions of Zarua.
In the near future I hope to put together an editing checklist which will incorporate what I’ve learnt from creative writing classes, professional critiques and professional editing. Watch this space.
My editors are getting ready to give me a hand…
See you on the other side of two weeks, if I still have my sanity!
When I get stuck for story ideas or am in need of some inspiration I love to look through my magazine collection. I’ve found new counties and countries that might feature in my stories, possible characters, interesting facts, buildings and objects, articles on crafts and quirky details that might spark story ideas.
Some of my favourite magazines are:
Countryfile – This magazine is always filled with inspiring stories, beautiful walks and landscape photography, crafts and seasonal articles. Plus they usually run a few pages on a chosen location with lots of interesting facts and pictures. It’s been a source of many of the photos on my wall for my W.I.P – Search for the Sentinel.
Discover Britain – this magazine is brilliant for pictures and articles about Britain. They have a focus on history and places to visit in Britain, and each issue will star a particular county i.e. Norfolk for the magazine in my picture. They have headers like History, Architecture, Art, Gardens and a Travel guide. Plenty to inspire…
Lonely Planet – The spectacular photographs are the stars of these magazines. I also find lots of interesting articles on places all over the world. They have monthly features like Globetrotter, Easy Trips, Great Escapes and Mini Guides.
My collection of writing magazines – These always have interesting articles to learn from and inspire, and I always head straight to the competition pages to see what’s coming up that I may be able to enter. I like the themed competitions for inspiration, and those that offer critiques for a small fee – possibly the most valuable thing to come out of entering competitions (if you don’t win that is!).
I’m always on the look out for interesting and quirky magazines. Do you have any to recommend?
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