Friday, August 19, 2011

My YA romance on 50% discount!

I have decided to put a discount on my book (on my publisher's page, Lulu.com). Lulu gives me the right to choose the discount percentage so I came up with 50% on the paperback edition and 40% on the e-book edition. You will find it on this link.
Happy reading!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Setting a price for your e-book can be really confusing.

I've recently started the following discussion on Amazon forum but I'm also posting it here. I'd like to know what you think.
"I am a new author of a self-published paranormal (time-travel) romance. My paperback has sold some copies through Amazon but a month ago I decided to try the kindle edition. I knew nothing about kindle as in my country people are still on paperback. So I read blog posts of other writers who know better. What I got from them was not to undervalue my work by setting a very low price and so on... I selected the price of 9,99 $ thinking that it's much lower that the paperback price. Surprisingly, when my book came live and ready to sell, I saw that the price has increased to 13,75 $. Is it VAT, or something else I didn't notice when I selected the publishing options, I can't tell. Then I bumped into forums of e-book readers who complained about e-books prices and I started to realize the problem. When friends started asking me why I have set such a high price for my e-book I didn't know what to say. It's true I don't intend to make a living from writing, I mean I have a good, steady job. But it's writing that makes me happy. And if there are others out there who find hapiness in the same stories with me, I'd like to share mine with them. It's that simple.



I have just decided to edit the list price for my e-book to 1,99 with a revenue of 0,45 and I'm waiting for my book to be come live again. I'd like to know if experienced e-book writers or readers think it was a wise thing to do or if a low price is an indication of poor quality to them. I believe there are others like me out there who are confused and your sugestions will be valuable to us."

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Reviews on 'Gate Deadlock'

Just about to finish the sequel of "Gate Deadlock", I found myself in a block that questioned my idea about the end of the story. I turned to my old project, the first book and I tell you this: sometimes reviews work like therapy for inspiration. Especially this one, which is my favourite as it comes from one of my first readers:

Breathtaking book
"Gate Deadlock" is one of the best books I have read in the last few years.

It includes suspense,romance,action and imagination,everything that a great book should include.
The love story of the main characters proves that this powerful feeling can alter everything and everyone.
But can love exist between two people that live in a different universe?
Sarri's style of writing kept my enthusiasm and anguish in high levels
that I could not find a way to stop reading the book at once.
I cannot wait to read the sequence and find out how this unpredictable story will end!!

Now bring me that sequel!
(Feel free to check out all reviews on "Gate Deadlok" on

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Kevin Spacey at the Ancient Theatre of Epidavros, Greece


Kevin Spacey gave an excellent performance as Richard III by William Shakespeare. For three and a half hours he held the audience with his remarkable acting style. An honoured actor to honour a sacred place! Glad to say I was there!

Writing advice from Ronald Dahl or Writing process advice from Hemingway.

This came in my mail from Aston University where I do my PhD and I thought I should share it with all of you. I'm really interested to hear your opinion about it.
So, here it goes:

Good advice from Ronald Dahl:

« I never come back to a blank page; I always finish about halfway through. Hemingway taught me the finest trick : “When you are going good, stop writing.” You don’t go on writing and writing until you come to the end of it, because when you do, then you say, well, where am I going to go next? You make yourself stop and you walk away. And you can’t wait to get back because you know what you want to say next. »

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck. Always stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.

Adam Turner

Director

English Writing Lab

Hanyang University

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Book review: "Penitence" by Jennifer Laurens



Even from the first pages of “Heavenly” (Book 1), which I was lucky enough to have received as a birthday present, I knew that Jennifer’s story had me hooked. “Penitence”, where Zoe’s story continues, was then on top of my reading list.


Both as an author and a reader my favorite kind of writing; first person teenage narration, lively and realistic characters and the element of the supernatural sliding into the story so smoothly and developing hand-in-hand with down-to-earth harsh reality: school and teenage problems, modern family issues, binge drinking, drug addiction and even autism, blended with the deeper search into after death issues and the eternal battle between good and evil.

Artfully combined, all these add to a fast, intriguing flow of the plot that captivates you challenging you to continue reading until the last page where emotions vary from satisfaction that you have finally reached the end (not really, Book 3 is now next on my reading list) to sadness because you just can’t have enough.

Whether or not Jennifer intended to write a book with a moral in mind, I can only point out that “Penitence” contains so many messages that the reader cannot but reconsider his own perception of what it means to become a better person, be that a better daughter, son, parent, friend, lover, fellow man. Because there is something for everyone in those pages as long as the windows of your heart and soul are open.

http://www.jenniferlaurens.com/