I was wondering how other readers and writers viewed Amazon. Since I started author-publishing in June 2012 things have changed dramatically.
When I first started, preparing your book for Kindle was quite challenging and took someone with low technical ability (like myself) a long time to master. Today the formatting is done for you and a file can be uploaded as word.doc or html – both seem to work equally well. Previewing your book is straightforward and one also has the option to download the file to your own Kindle before sending it to be published. This also wasn't possible in 2010 – I didn't even own a Kindle – I only bought one so I could see my books.
If you put your book in a free promotion in 2010 you could get tens of thousands of downloads and this immediately translated into a ranking figure and pushed your title into various charts – this flowed over into the paid charts when the book came off promotion. Today I don't do any free promotions – people who do report that they are lucky to get 1000 downloads, and this doesn't then reflect in the sales ranking as it used to.
Today there is another option – doing a book promotion where your royalty level remains the same, and you reduce the price as low as you can and then it increases in steps until it returns to the original price. Again the first few times I did this, when it was first available, I got excellent results – not so any more.
Then, from last July, Amazon introduced Kindle Unlimited (KU) a subscription service for readers, and everything changed. From having around 60 or 70 borrows, I was now getting 10 times this amount. Then the UK and other European countries were added and my borrows doubled. As the majority of my books sell at between £1.50 and 73p , the royalty I receive per loan is far more than I would get for for a sale. My sales increased in pace with loans.
This sounds like Amazon's a delight and not a disaster. It certainly has been a delight for me, as my income has doubled over the past four months – and it was pretty good before that.
However, for some writers, both those whose books are not in the system and those whose books are, this has proved a disaster. I have been hearing reports that in some cases book sales have been reduced to a trickle and incomes dropped by as much as 75%. Also the writers who have seen these drops tend to be selling their books at well over £2, and this means that a borrow is less royalty than a sale.
There is often a drop in sales in the run-up to Christmas and first thing in January, but the drop some writers have seen is a downward trend since the introduction of KU.
In the UK VAT rose from 3% to 20% on January 1 which means writers had to take a drop in royalty of 17% unless they put their prices up. Also it has seen the demise of the 77p book – I'm not sure that is a bad thing.
For me Amazon has been a life changing thing – three years ago I was a relatively unknown historical romance writer and today I can call myself a bestseller. I just hope that things even out for all those other writers who are suffering.
What do you think? Do you think that Amazon is being beneficial for writers or a disaster?
Fenella J MIller
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Friday, 2 January 2015
Happy New Year – no resolutions but plenty of plans.
I hope you all had an enjoyable New Year celebration – I heard the fireworks from the comfort and safety of my bed.
I like January 1st as it is another chance to begin again, to set fresh tasks and forget past mistakes. I don't make resolutions but do make detailed plans for the forthcoming year. There is nothing I like better than ticking off things as I get them done.
I was delighted by the way my career took off at the end of 2014, but don't expect this to last as the imposition of an extra 17% VAT on or my UK sales could well be disadvantageous – on the positive side, perhaps more people will subscribe to the Kindle Unlimited and borrow my books instead.
I managed to publish five new titles last year and republish eight other books and box sets.
My hope is to maintain this monthly output and I have a new Regency romance ready to come out on January 23rd – Lord Ilchester's Inheritance. I have written the first eight chapters of the second installment of the "Pemberley" series and this will be released in July.
Amanda Grange, Wendy Soliman, Melinda Hammond and Elizabeth Bailey and I, – all friends and successful Regency writers – have a box set coming out in time for Valentine's Day. There will be more news about this nearer the time.
There will also be the first audio version of any of my books out sometime this year as I'm in the process of getting The Ghosts at Pemberley narrated. This is another new venture for me.
I have a two-part World War II historical novel written, and is being edited and proofed at the moment. Victoria's War was inspired by my mother's memoirs and the first part of the book is set in India in 1938. I shall also be publishing my mother's memoirs this year as well.
There will be two further new Regency romances, one will be a Christmas themed novella, the other I have no idea about at the moment,
I have just joined a women only Gym and go for my induction session today – I intend to do this with my niece as we both want to get thinner and fitter this year.
Do you make resolutions and then break them within a week or two? Or do you, like me, make plans – which are more flexible – and stick to them?
Fenella J Miller
I like January 1st as it is another chance to begin again, to set fresh tasks and forget past mistakes. I don't make resolutions but do make detailed plans for the forthcoming year. There is nothing I like better than ticking off things as I get them done.
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| Out 23rd January. |
I managed to publish five new titles last year and republish eight other books and box sets.
My hope is to maintain this monthly output and I have a new Regency romance ready to come out on January 23rd – Lord Ilchester's Inheritance. I have written the first eight chapters of the second installment of the "Pemberley" series and this will be released in July.
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| Out February 14th |
There will also be the first audio version of any of my books out sometime this year as I'm in the process of getting The Ghosts at Pemberley narrated. This is another new venture for me.
I have a two-part World War II historical novel written, and is being edited and proofed at the moment. Victoria's War was inspired by my mother's memoirs and the first part of the book is set in India in 1938. I shall also be publishing my mother's memoirs this year as well.
There will be two further new Regency romances, one will be a Christmas themed novella, the other I have no idea about at the moment,
I have just joined a women only Gym and go for my induction session today – I intend to do this with my niece as we both want to get thinner and fitter this year.
Do you make resolutions and then break them within a week or two? Or do you, like me, make plans – which are more flexible – and stick to them?
Fenella J Miller
Friday, 19 December 2014
Christmas on the Home Front and GIVEAWAY - copy of Barbara's War.
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To win a copy of Barbara's War just leave a comment on this blog post and I will put names in a hat and pick one on Sunday 21st. Please leave contact details in case your name is picked out of the hat.
Christmas during the Second World War in Great Britain was celebrated with gusto in 1939. The government suggested that the population should carry on as if nothing had happened – this might be the last time they could have a traditional British Christmas.
Rationing was introduced in the January of 1940 and by the end of the year there was little in the shops in the way of luxuries – that is unless you were rich enough to access the black market.
The Minister of Transport sent this Christmas message to the British public. 'I wish I could be a Santa Claus this Christmas and produce out of the bag hundreds of extra trains, miles of additional tracks and thousands of extra railway workers, so that you could travel where and as you wish – and in comfort.
Indeed, I have to curtail Christmas passenger trains and try to persuade you not to travel at all. You know this must be a stern Christmas-tide – one during which we must work for victory. The enemy won't wait while we take a Christmas holiday, and therefore railways must continue to devote all their energies to vital war transport.
There are no extra holidays for railway workers – for you no extra travelling facilities. Forgive no presents this year, but best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.'
The Post Office also made an appeal to the public, this time to post early. (No change there then.)
Posting should be completed by December 18, and the earlier the better. In normal times the Post Office has a difficult task of disposing of the heavy Christmas traffic, and the task can only be accomplished by engaging some 80,000 temporary workers throughout the country. This year the difficulties have been increased because of the release of 40,000 trained men for the Forces, the slowing up of road and rail transport because of the blackout, and the need for confining deliveries, and collections, as far as possible, to the short hours of daylight.
Home decorations became a do-it-yourself affair.
No doubt paper chains were made and hung about the place.
Those that live in rural areas obviously fared better than city dwellers but they were less likely to be bombed and had access to 'wild' food such as berries, mushrooms and rabbit. There was also more likelihood of them getting eggs and dairy products from local farms. If there was alcohol it would perhaps be home-made wine in the country, and beer at the pub for everyone else.
Everyone knows about famous truce in the trenches the first Christmas of World War I but did you know that Christmas of 1940 the German Embassy in Washington sent word to the British Government that Germany was prepared to suspend bombing missions against Britain over the Christmas period if the RAF did the same. No formal arrangement was made, but neither side launched any attacks between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. As the weather was overcast the lack of attacks was attributed to this.
1. Helen Hollick : You are Cordially Invited to a Ball (plus a giveaway prize) http://ofhistoryandkings.
2. Alison Morton : Saturnalia surprise - a winter party tale (plus a giveaway prize) - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
3. Andrea Zuvich : No Christmas For You! The Holiday Under Cromwell - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
4. Ann Swinfen : Christmas 1586 – Burbage’s Company of Players Celebrates - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
4. Ann Swinfen : Christmas 1586 – Burbage’s Company of Players Celebrates - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
5. Anna Belfrage : All I want for Christmas - (plus a giveaway prize) CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
6. Carol Cooper : How To Be A Party Animal - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
8. Debbie Young : Good Christmas Housekeeping - (plus a giveaway prize) CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
9. Derek Birks : The Lord of Misrule - A Medieval Christmas Recipe for Trouble - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
10. Edward James : An Accidental Virgin and An Uninvited Guest - CLICK HERE and - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
11. Fenella J. Miller : Christmas on the Home front (plus a giveaway prize) - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
12. J. L. Oakley : Christmas Time in the Mountains 1907 (plus a giveaway prize) - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
13. Jude Knight : Christmas at Avery Hall in the Year of Our Lord 1804 - CLICK HERE to go to this Bloghttps://historyweaver.
15. Juliet Greenwood : Christmas 1914 on the Home Front (plus a giveaway) - CLICK HERE to go to this Bloghttp://julietgreenwoodauthor.
16. Lauren Johnson : Farewell Advent, Christmas is come - Early Tudor Festive Feasts - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
17. Lucienne Boyce : A Victory Celebration - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
18. Nancy Bilyeau : Christmas After the Priory (plus a giveaway prize) - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
19. Nicola Moxey : The Feast of the Epiphany, 1182 - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
20. Peter St John: Dummy’s Birthday - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog http://jennospot.blogspot.fr/
21. Regina Jeffers : Celebrating a Regency Christmas (plus a giveaway prize) - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
22. Richard Abbott : The Hunt – Feasting at Ugarit - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
23. Saralee Etter :
24. Stephen Oram : Living in your dystopia: you need a festival of enhancement… (plus a giveaway prize) - CLICK HERE to go to this Blog
25. Suzanne Adair :The British Legion Parties Down for Yule 1780 - (plus a giveaway prize ) CLICK HERE to go to this Blog http://www.suzanneadair.net/
26. Lindsay Downs : O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree - (plus a giveaway prize) CLICK HERE to go to this blog
26. Lindsay Downs : O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree - (plus a giveaway prize) CLICK HERE to go to this blog
Monday, 15 December 2014
Liz Everly - Tempting Will McGlashen
Today I am delighted to welcome Liz Everly to my blog. She is going to explain how she does her research. There is also a blurb and all the links you need to buy the book and enter the giveaway.
Research and
Inspiration for TEMPTING WILL McGLASHEN
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By Liz Everly
I adore historicals. But I’m very particular. There are
very few “regency” historical that I like, but it’s not the time period, it’s
the framing of most of them. I don’t like reading about Dukes and Duchesses, I
much prefer the common people. It’s their stories I find intriguing.
One
of the things that intrigues me about history, overall, is how perceptions of
it often don’t stack up to the reality of it. Which is why when I read about something
that kicks my school-learning-belief system in the head, my writer’s ears
prick. Being married to a historian has given me a keen sense of how history
written in books skims the surface. My husband, has taught me to look deeper
and think harder about history.
I’ve
worked a couple of “walk-on” characters into this novel that are based on odd
but true stories. One of the stories is about Ned, the African-American man who
was married to a white woman. This was mentioned in the historical documents known
as the Moravian Diaries and there is a book about it—“The Road to Black Ned’s
Forge: A Story of Race, Sex, and Trade on the American Colonial Frontier” by
Turk McClesky.
Another
walk-on real character in the book is Mary Ingles, whose story of capture,
escape, and survival is nothing short of miraculous. “Follow the River” by
James Alexander Thom is a novel that brings to life this inspiring true story.
The
Virginia frontier is a fascinating subject. I am lucky to live near to the
Frontier Culture Museum, in Staunton, Va., where my husband works and I am able
to ask many questions of the staff. It is home to many houses from many
lands—one is a German farmhouse from around 1688-89 and the other an American
house built by German-Americans summer of 1773. Both of these houses had later
additions built on as the families prospered. These are the houses on which I
based my ordinary.
For
the food in my story, I relied on both the “Virginia Housewife” and several
books by William Woys Weaver: “Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking” and the “Encyclopedia
of Food and Culture.”
For
some of the interesting German folkways, including powwow, I relied on the “Pennsylvania
Dutch and Other Essays” by Phebe Earle Gibbons and “Hex and Spellwork: The
Magical Practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch,” by Karl Herr .
Mathilde
Miller wanted to be a good daughter and marry the son of a long-time family
friend, Joshua Bowman. But she didn’t want to be the wife of a Pennsylvania
farmer. She loved her life, cooking on the Virginia frontier at her family’s
ordinary. The minute blacksmith Will McGlashen walks into her kitchen, her
restlessness focused on him. Fresh from Scotland, with a voice “like a song”
and thick coppery hair, her heart belonged to him. Was it possible for the
daughter of a Pennsylvania German to marry a hired man from Scotland? What did
she really know about Will McGlashen and his secret past?
Will
McGlashen needed to keep his own counsel. A man with a past full of violence
and loss in Scotland, he was grateful for this chance to rebuild his life as a
blacksmith in Virginia. He’d have to ignore the undeniable pull he felt toward
his boss’s eldest daughter. When Joshua Bowman showed up and claimed her,
instead of providing resolution for will, it burns like the fire he wields in
his blacksmith shop. As events unfold, Will wonders if the signs she’s sending
him are all in his head and prays that he has the strength not to find out.
The story is set in the Virginia
frontier in 1765, a time when Native Americans still lurked in the hills,
bandits and robbers were handed swift justice, and enterprising men and their
families attempted to live in and tame the wild western edge of the new colonies.
An ordinary offering good food, a bed, and company for travelers along the way
was a much welcomed respite. Mathilde and Will's story is woven into the
history, adventure, and danger of the time period.
Buy Links
About
Liz Everly
Liz Everly writes, plays, and cooks in a tiny house with a big garden.
She writes under a pen name to escape expectations and to embrace all
possibilities. She's the author of the SAFFRON NIGHTS SERIES (e-Kensington),
and a contributor in THE LADY SMUT BOOK OF DARK DESIRES. She also writes
regional bestselling cookbooks and Agatha-award nominated traditional mysteries
under her own name. On any given day, you may find her researching murder, sex,
or cooking techniques. She'd not have it any other way. @Lizeverly1 http://www.lizeverly.com
You can also find Liz on Facebook.
GIVEAWAY!
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Thursday, 11 December 2014
Lady Eleanor's Secret
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| £1.53 on Amazon |
I originally wrote this for Robert Hale -but never sent it to them - it is also available as LP in UK libraries.
Lady Eleanor feels destined to forever endure the misery of living as an unpaid governess to her brother Edward's children – until she meets Alexander, Lord Bentley. Alex is seeking a suitable wife to care for his children, thus leaving him to live as he wishes.
Then, mistakenly believing he has compromised Eleanor, Alex makes her an offer, and she accepts with delight believing he has asked because she will be perfect mother for his children.
Eleanor is horrified when she discovers his real motive. If she told him the truth he will send her away. Edward, desperately needing his his sister's inheritance to fund his gambling, plans to separate them by whatever means is necessary.
Will Eleanor's secret or Edward's machinations ruin everything?
http://amzn.to/12Ppp4s (.com)
http://amzn.to/12Pp024 (.uk)
Hope your Christmas preparations are going smoothly - I've only last minute food shopping to do. Feeling very smug. :)
Fenella J Miller
Thursday, 4 December 2014
Christmas -What does it mean to you?
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| No 1 Best seller. |
For those without any faith, has it become just a commercial event, a time for overheating and overspending on items we will never use? I don't think so.
Many of my Facebook friends put up their trees before the beginning of December – they love the glitter and tinsel and feeling of anticipation and excitement that all of this brings.
I believe I could call myself a secular Christian – that is, I believe that Jesus Christ was the most important human who has ever lived on this Earth but do not believe in a supreme being and all that entails. I wish I still did – I found my faith a comfort, but I have moved on from that position.
For me the meaning of Christmas is twofold – it's a time for generosity, for sharing and for enjoying the indulgences I avoid at other times. We get to see my two oldest grandchildren – now they are adults and I can no longer visit them this is the only time I see them, which makes it doubly precious.
Although commercialism has taken over many aspects of this celebration I still believe the magic of Christmas is very much alive and well.
As a writer I find myself stretched for time. There is so much involved in the preparations for that one day that I don't seem to be able to find the time to work for as long as I should. I hope you are all well ahead with your preparations do not find yourself scouring the empty shops at four o'clock on Christmas Eve for the last minute gifts you have forgotten.
I would like to thank all of you for making this year so special for me and putting six of my books in the bestseller lists. I write for my readers – but being paid for doing what I love is fantastic too.
Fenella J Miller
Friday, 14 November 2014
Being an Ethical Author
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| Barbara's War -The Trilogy Available as paperbacks 30th November |
Here are the things we are agreeing to:
Ethical Author Code
Guiding principle: Putting the reader first
When I market my books, I put my readers first. This means that I don’t engage in any practices that have the effect of misleading the readers/buyers of my books. I behave professionally online and offline when it comes to the following practices in my writing life:
Courtesy
I behave with courtesy and respect toward readers, other authors, reviewers and industry professionals such as agents and publishers. If I find myself in disagreement, I focus on issues rather than airing grievances or complaints in the press or online, or engaging in personal attacks of any kind.
Aliases
I do not hide behind an alias to boost my own sales or damage the sales or reputation of another person. If I adopt a pen name for legitimate reasons, I use it consistently and carefully.
Reviewing and Rating books
I do not review or rate my own or another author’s books in any way that misleads or deceives the reader. I am transparent about my relationships with other authors when reviewing their books.
I am transparent about any reciprocal reviewing arrangements, and avoid any practices that result in the reader being deceived.
Reacting to reviews
I do not react to any book review by harassing the reviewer, getting a third party to harass the reviewer, or making any form of intrusive contact with the reviewer. If I’ve been the subject of a personal attack in a review, I respond in a way that is consistent with professional behaviour.
Book Promotions
I do not promote my books by making false statements about, for example, their position on bestseller lists, or consent to anyone else promoting them for me in a misleading manner.
Plagiarism
I know that plagiarism is a serious matter, and I don’t intentionally try to pass off another writer’s words as my own.
Financial ethics
In my business dealings as an author, I make every effort to be accurate and prompt with payments and financial calculations. If I make a financial error, I remedy it as soon as it’s brought to my notice.
Responsibility
I take responsibility for how my books are sold and marketed. If I realise anyone is acting against the spirit or letter of this Code on my behalf, I will refer them to this Code and ask them to modify their behaviour.
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