#IndieMarch Day 4: Share your favourite Indie book cover #indieauthor

Posted on March 4, 2018 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

It’s day 4 of Rebecca Howie’s #Indiemarch tag. Today the prompt is share your favourite Indie author book cover. For me this is an easy one. I’ve loved the Crown of Stone’s books by C. L. Schneider ever since I spotted this cover. It is brilliant.

The book is excellent. So is book 2 for cover and content!

I can’t wait to read book 3 this year and finish the trilogy.

Don’t forget to join Rebecca Howie‘s #IndieMarch tag. See the prompts below. You can take part on your blog or Instagram.

#indiemarch Day 3: Share some #indie reads #indieauthor

Posted on March 3, 2018 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

Well I made it back from a full-on day of talks in London. Now I have just enough time to share some indie authors on my TBR list before I settle down with a glass of wine and catch up on The Voice.

These next books are by indie authors that I have had the pleasure of reading.

Reviews of the above books can be found on my blog (apart from Fantasy Map Making which I have yet to write a review for).

Please check out these great indie authors. And don’t forget to follow the #indiemarch tag with Rebecca Howie.

#Indiemarch Day 1: Photo of your book babies #indieauthor #indie

Posted on March 1, 2018 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

Thanks to Rebecca, on Rebeccahowiebooks for coming up with this #indiemarch tag idea for the month of march.

Here’s my offering for day 1

You can join in on your blog or on Instagram. Here’s the list of the daily prompts.

Copy your link onto Rebecca’s post here.

Come on, let’s ignore the snow and support our fellow indie authors.

10 Tips for re-reading your novel after publication #indieauthor #amediting

Posted on February 27, 2018 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

A few weeks ago I re-read The Lost Sentinel (Book One in the Silent Sea Chronicles). I loved the experience of reading my own book in paperback, and I had the brilliant idea to use post-it notes to highlight things as I went along. These may have been facts I wanted to check in book 2, reminders for planning book 3 and the prequel, spelling or grammar niggles, places where the Astral Plane was mentioned etc.

I loved the blue post-its matching the cover, but I soon discovered the disadvantages of this method. I didn’t write on every note exactly what I was supposed to be checking. Going through it afterwards, not all the highlights made sense and I couldn’t find any problems with the text. Having suffered this problem, I thought it would be a good idea to share my top tips…

10 TIPS FOR RE-READING YOUR WORK AFTER PUBLICATION

First decide why you are re-reading and what you want to get out of the experience.
Don’t be scared! If, like me, your book has been read and reviewed you have those reviews to fall back on. Perhaps they have flagged up issues you need to address, or maybe you can just read them as a confidence boost.
You have to let go when you re-read. So you’re suddenly not happy with the placement of a comma, or you think a sentence could be rewritten a little better. Ask yourself is it really that big a deal? I’m never satisfied with my writing, so I decided that I had to overlook some of the little niggles or I’d end up rewriting the whole thing! I did make a couple of changes, but this wasn’t an exercise in making The Lost Sentinel better, I wanted to read the sequel straight after to ensure the books worked as a series. (Thankfully they do.)
Have a notebook handy to jot down any facts that need to be checked, or issues to work through.
Post-it notes are great as they allow you to mark a section you have an issue with and let you get on with reading without breaking the flow. BUT make a note of the point you’re highlighting! It saves time later on.
Colour coding the post-its is a quick and easy shortcut. I went back and did this afterwards. I used different colours to represent book 2, 3 and the prequel. A different colour for the scenes that featured the Astral Plane, and finally any changes that needed working through were transcribed into my notebook to work through later.
Be prepared to love and hate your own writing. I had ups and downs re-reading The Lost Sentinel. When I was feeling down, I looked back over those reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. It’s always good to be reminded that others have enjoyed the book and loved your characters.
Don’t forget to celebrate your achievement. Publishing a book is amazing. Enjoy holding it, reading it and savour the whole experience.
Once the re-read is done you have to decide what changes are really necessary. Then you’ll need to update the e-book and paperback files before re-submitting them to your chosen platforms, in my case Amazon and Createspace.
Finally, double-check everything you’ve changed is correct once it has been published. It’s worth taking your time and making sure the book is the best you can make it. Then hopefully future re-reads won’t result in more changes.

I will probably go through the above process when I’ve finished writing book 3, and for any future books in the Silent Sea Chronicles. Hopefully next time around it will go more smoothly. And I hope you can take something helpful from this as well.

Have you any tips to share when re-reading your published work?

***

Silent Sea Chronicles is a heroic fantasy series set on the magical island of Kalaya.

Book 1 – The Lost Sentinel is available now at Amazon.

Book 2 – The Sentinel’s Reign will soon be sent off to my second wave of Beta readers. And then after a final edit and proof read, I will hopefully be ready to publish by May. Closer to the date I will have a cover reveal – I can’t wait to share the amazing cover with you.

Thanks for reading. I hope you will continue you follow my journey as an indie author.

#Bookreview Twitter for authors @SchmidtJesper #tuesdaybookblog

Posted on November 14, 2017 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

Today I am reviewing Twitter for Authors. It was released at the beginning of November, though I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy from the author.

I’ve been using social media for just over two years and twitter is something that I’ve struggled to master. My twitter presence is close to 4.5k mark so it has grown in the two years I’ve been active on it, but I know I’m not using it to its full potential. I wasn’t sure how to use it as a selling tool or how I could make it work better for me, so I was eager to review ‘Twitter for Authors’ when Jesper Schimdt put out the call in his newsletter.

I was hoping this book would give me pointers on using twitter, but not only did he do that, Jesper Schmidt has made me rethink how I see twitter. I love the quote ‘Your twitter profile is an online business card for your authorship.’ He talks about creating an author brand across all social media platforms and made me think about the content on my twitter feed and the message I want to convey.

The book introduced me to some new software that can help build followers etc. At first I was put off by the idea of paying for software / monthly charges, but as you read on the benefits become clear. Everything is well explained and I really like the handy checklists at the end of each section. I’ve found lots in this book to help me and when I get some time (in between editing and drafting my next book) I’m hoping to put the advice in this book into action.

This is a recommended read for authors and I rate it 4 stars.

Do you feel as if you’re wasting your time on Twitter? Not a single book sold, despite all your efforts?

Then Twitter for Authors is precisely what you need.

It will do exactly what the title says: save you time, get you followers and grow your email list.

The techniques taught in Twitter for Authors can all be executed in under 30 minutes a day, and will drive massive amounts of traffic to your books, blog and everywhere else where you have an online presence.

Throughout the chapters you will find free tutorial videos that show you exactly, with easy, step-by-step guides, how to put a system in place that will deliver upon all the promises made.

Why not put in 20% of the effort and gain 80% of the results?

Check it out on Amazon US and Amazon UK

I’ve just purchased my #wordpress blog domain! #indieauthor news

Posted on July 19, 2017 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

That’s another item ticked off the To Do List!

It may not seem like much to some, but I’ve finally signed up for my WordPress blog domain.

My website is now officially suzannerogersonfantasyauthor.com.

It’s another small step on my writing and blogging journey, and I just wanted to share the news.

I haven’t looked into all the benefits yet, but I hope readers with have a smoother look around my site without any ads popping up. I’ve also got more space to download photos; followers of my blog will know I love taking pictures and the free memory was getting dangerously full.

Next on the list may be setting up the dreaded email subscriber list!

***

Have your brought your domain name? Have you found any added benefits?

Or have you any items on your To Do List that you keep putting off?

#WWWBlogs Question for #indieauthors & #readers about #KDP & advertising

Posted on July 12, 2017 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

I’m about to set up another Kindle Countdown deal for my book Visions of Zarua. In the past I’ve run a few ads on AMS, Facebook and Goodreads but I wouldn’t say they had resulted in many sales.

I want to ask;

Readers how / where do you discover books and are you more inclined to buy a book during a deal period?

Indie Authors where have you advertised your countdown deals and have they resulted in a good sales? In fact, while we’re on the subject where do you advertise your books whether it’s a promo or not.

I have a limited budget and there are so many sites to choose from, so I’m looking for some guidance. My genre is fantasy, so I’m looking to target readers of fantasy fiction.

Please get in touch and start a discussion on the difficult subject of advertising.

Thanks for your help!

P.S. I have blogged before about my experiences with KDP and if this time turns up any good results I’ll be sure to share them with you.

Indie Interview: Suzanne Rogerson

Posted on June 19, 2017 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

Yesterday Rebeccahowiebooks kindly featured my Indie Interview as part of The Lost Sentinel’s blog tour. Thanks for having me again, Rebecca.

Indie Focus: Interview With Self-Published Author Suzanne Rogerson

Posted on June 14, 2017 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

It’s day 4 of the blog tour for The Lost Sentinel and I’m really pleased to share this indepth interview over on Another World Book Blog. Please come over and join us.

#Mondayblogs My 10 tips on running a book stall/signing #indieauthors #writingtips

Posted on November 28, 2016 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

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

I had a sign stating ‘Local Author’
Display your log line big and bold to draw some interest.
My posters of the book cover could be seen from a distance and were eye-catching.
The boards were great for displaying everything a potential reader might want to know without having to ask.
Have readers quotes on display so the browsers can see others have enjoyed your book.
Have different forms of information on display. I had posters, picture quotes that I used in my blog tour, quotes from readers with star ratings and my author photo.
Display the price so you don’t have the embarrassing discussion of money
Be approachable, but not pushy. I was happy to talk to anyone who wanted to, but I didn’t throw myself at them.
I had a sign to show where the book is available and the prices. I also mentioned it’s free to read for Kindle Unlimited readers.
Don’t go over board with stock.

Things I wish I’d done

I would have had a sign that said please take a card.
I could have walked around handing out cards – but I didn’t want to force myself on people. I don’t like that approach in the street, and it’s just not me.
I didn’t mention the magical words ‘If you like it, would you consider leaving a short review.’ Some were bought as Christmas presents so that wouldn’t really have applied anyway, but it’s still a missed opportunity.

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!