Money Can't Buy Me Love

<-- Laying aside the editor hat for a minute and taking up the writer one, my newest book from Secret Cravings Publishing will be out in September, and I have a shiny new cover to show off. I just need to write a fabby money-making blurb to go with it.

Five fiction mistakes that spell rejection: No. 5 - No Point

Fiction Mistakes that Spell Rejection

by Moira Allen

No Point


Editors — and readers — aren't just looking for great action and strong characters. They also want a sense of "why." Why should I read this? Why did you write it?

"This is not to say every work should address an Aesopish moral or a grand theme, but rather every story should contain at its core a reason to be," says Max Keele. "In fact, that is my single personal demand from a story: That it add up to something. That it shock me, scare me, unnerve me, make me think, or cry, or vomit. Something."

Ellen Datlow of SciFi.com says she reads far too many stories with no apparent reason for being. "I have no idea why the writer bothered to write the story — no passion, no unusual take on the subject, dull, unbelievable characters. A story has to have something special to make me want to buy it."

A story without a point tends to be "flat," according to Rhonna Robbins-Sponaas. "If we come away with the peculiar feeling that we don't really know why we've just read what we've read, or our first thought is that the washer has finished and the clothes are ready to be put in the dryer, then the writer hasn't conveyed the 'why' of the story as strongly as she could have and should have."

The solution? "Were I to tell a writer one thing, I'd tell her to go back and be certain what her story is, then be sure that she's answered the 'why' of the story so that the reader comes away from the experience with as much a sense of its importance as the writer had," says Robbins-Sponaas. Brown and English of Stickman Review urge writers to, "Write sincerely. Write stories about those things that matter the most to you. If you're writing about something you don't really care about, it'll be obvious to your readers, and they won't care either."

RIP LendInk

See what happens when you go away for a few days – you miss all the excitement.

I found my book on LendInk MONTHS ago. It had a lovely review from the person lending it which I duplicated on my blog (is that copyright violation, if I C&P someone’s review of my book?), but I did have a little “huh?” moment before I figured out what the site was all about.

I can’t believe that some people didn’t read that bit on the Amazon kdp form which says that you have to enable lending in order to get the 70% royalty rate.

However, and this thought just occurred to me, not all authors published on Amazon would have seen that form.

Let me explain. My first book was self-pubbed. I saw the form, I filled it in, I knew that by enabling the 70% royalty rate I was enabling lending. So far so good.

But, since then I have had two short stories and two novels acquired by an ebook publisher. So far, three of those have been published, all on Amazon and various other sites (under two different names as they are different genres). I did not fill in the form; the publisher did.

So it is possible that an author who has only had their books published through a publisher might not be aware that all books priced over $2.99 have to have lending enabled.

This was raised with our publisher by one author about a week ago and the publisher looked into it, explained to us all that it was totally legal and that by pricing the books at $2.99 or over, all the books were entered into the lending programme, and that LendInk were doing nothing wrong.

BTW, people, the past tense of ‘lend’ is ‘lent’, not ‘lended’. Your books are lent, not lended :)

Dare I mention that LendInk is not the only lending website out there…?

--------------------

This was in response to this blog post:

http://www.2abd.com/politics/copyright/lendink-taken-down-by-asshole-indie-authors/

Five fiction mistakes that spell rejection: No. 4 - Poor Plots

Fiction Mistakes that Spell Rejection

by Moira Allen

Poor Plots

Editors complained of two basic plot problems: Trite, hackneyed plots, or no plot. Ian Randall Strock says many of his rejections are the result of "the author sending me a really old, lame idea that's been done to death for decades, and the author hasn't done anything new with it." Many felt too many writers were deriving their plots from television rather than real life. "We don't want last week's Buffy plot," says Diane Walton.

David Ingle of The Georgia Review says at best, only ten stories in a thousand that cross his desk manage to escape "the doldrums of convention." The most beautiful prose in the world, he notes, can't compensate for stock characters and plots. "My main gripe is with the so-called 'domestic' story -- stories of bad childhoods, bad parents, abusive or straying spouses." He asks writers to make their stories stand out from the pile on the editor's desk. "Instead of another divorce story narrated by a despondent spouse, how about one narrated by the couple's favorite chair?"

While some stories have bad plots, others have no plot. "One I received was about a woman shopping for a hat. That was it," bemoans Paul Taylor of Cenotaph. Alejandro Gutierrez of Conversely complains of "stories that just begin and end with nothing important happening or being resolved by the main characters." Some plotless stories ramble from one event to another; others are a hodgepodge of action with no emotional content to involve the readers.

The solution? Ironically, most editors felt the way to resolve "plotless" or "hackneyed" stories was to focus on characters. If the characters are believable, with interesting goals and motivations, their interactions will drive the plot. "Most of the ideas for stories have already been used; it's up to the writer to put a new spin on it to make it fresh," says David Felts. "If the characters are real enough then a recycled plot can work, because if the character is new, the story is too."

Daily tip: good usage vs. common usage #6 - Adduce, deduce, induce.

adduce; deduce; induce.

To adduce is to give as a reason, offer as a proof, or cite as an example, e.g. as evidence of reliability, she adduced her four years of steady volunteer work as a nurse’s aide.

Deduce and induce are opposite processes.

To deduce is to reason from general principles to specific conclusions, or to draw a specific conclusion from general bases e.g. from these clues about who committed the crime, one deduces that the butler did it.

To induce is to form a general principle based on specific observations e.g. after years of studying ravens, the researchers induced a few of their social habits.

I'm back!

Just to let you know, I know I haven't been in evidence for a while. I've been moving house, which is quite a busy time, and then I had to wait a week to get my internet back.

But the Virgin Man came yesterday (cue obvious and crude joke) and now I have cable, telephone and internet!! Yay for technology.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Seven simple ways to make a story great

Every single writer should read this blog post - it is genius! If you think your writing is good, think again! Read this single blog post and you'll be bursting with ideas on how to make it better, so much better that no agent or publisher will ever reject YOU again!

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/7-simple-ways-to-make-a-good-story-great

Daily tip: good usage vs. common usage #5 - Accord vs. accordance

accord or accordance

The first word means “agreement”, e.g. we are in accord on the treaty’s meaning; the second word means “conformity”, e.g. the book was printed in accordance with modern industry standards.

Welcoming Jaydyn Chelcee

Good Morning Readers,

Before we get started, let me say a big “Thank You,” to Julie for inviting me to be her guest today. For those visitors who leave a comment today, I’ll drop your name in the cowboy hat for a chance to win a free E-copy of In the Arms of Danger today. Please leave a way for us to contact you.

Now then, to the fun stuff…

Jaydyn Chelcee Bio:

Jaydyn Chelcee has spent most of her life in Oklahoma, but at the same time, she’s traveled extensively, at least in the western half of the United States. One of her favorite settings in her contemporary western romances is Montana. She’s the author of the best selling Montana Men Series.

 In the Arms of Danger is available in multi-formats at Secret Cravings Publishing and in print at Amazon.com

Coming soon from Secret Cravings publishing: No Holds Barred, book two of the Montana Men Series.

Available now from Secret Cravings Publishing: Extended release of Witch’s Brew and Witch’s Heart, books one and two of the Winslow Witches of Salem Series written under Tabitha Shay.

Blurb: In the Arms of Danger/Book One/Chelcee

Every woman needs a little danger in her life, but what's perilous about a wildlife shoot in the beautiful Montana wilderness? Armed with only a camera, Lacey Weston treks through the rough terrain and captures more on film than she bargains for—the murder of a young woman.

Fearing for her life, Lacey flees the scene and stumbles straight into the path of a man who strongly resembles the murderer. Is Sheriff Danger Blackstone, with his piercing gray eyes and rugged physique, be the man in her undeveloped pictures?

With nowhere else to run and hide, Lacey must decide if she dares to trust her life to the only person who can protect her, one whose apparent grudge against white females makes him less than approachable—the very man she suspects of murder.

A suspenseful romance—packed with action, hard-bodied cowboys, and long, hot nights—gives a whole new meaning to the Wild West.

EXCERPT/IN THE ARMS OF DANGER/CHELCEE/R-RATED

A scowl darkened his face as he tore at the flaps. “Coming in,” he announced and entered the tent. Clenching his fists in frustration, Danger froze the instant he straightened and saw Lacey.

She stood across from him holding a towel in front of her. It didn’t take long to realize she was naked behind that minuscule barrier. Her eyes looked like big, gold pools of light. Her breasts rose and fell behind the terry cloth.

Danger swallowed hard. His gaze zeroed in on the rounded fullness he knew lay there. “Damn it, Lacey. I said I was coming in.”

“I know.” She gave a little shrug and dropped the towel. It floated to the nylon floor and landed near her bare feet. His gaze followed its descent and for some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off her toes. Those intriguing, bright pink toenails held his attention. Oh, shit. Now he knew he’d lost his mind. He’d never had a fetish for toes, painted or otherwise.

Slowly, he slid his gaze up past her slender ankles, her knees, up her thighs where a row of healing stitches followed the line of her inner thigh. He settled his gaze on the intriguing nest of honey-blonde curls. Danger swallowed hard before moving on to the concave of her belly, the tiny turned in navel, past the little mole just beneath her right breast he’d discovered when he’d stripped her before and finally to her up-tilted breasts where her pink-as-strawberries nipples tempted and invited. “Jesus Christ,” he whispered.

Lacey stood there, head bowed, her skin flushed bright pink.

“Sweetheart, look at me.”

She raised her head, her eyes questioning.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. You’re beautiful.” Danger reached for the top button on his jeans.

“Let me,” she whispered, her cheeks pink and a hint of shyness in her voice, she moved to stand in front of him, a little hesitant. “I want to undress you. I want to touch you all over, kiss you all over.”

His breath caught somewhere between his lungs and his throat and no words formed on his tongue. He nodded, certain he’d never be able to speak again. Her fingers trembled against his belly. She fumbled with the button on his jeans, looked up, and licked her lips. “It’s already unbuttoned.”

He nodded, his lungs aching for air.

She moved to the next button, working it through its slot. The backs of her fingers brushed the tip of his erection. Jesus, if she took much longer he’d die standing here. He gripped her shoulders. “Lacey.” He growled her name.

“What?” Her eyes widened. “What?” she whispered again.

He lowered his head and anchored his mouth against hers. She shuddered. Her fingers curled into his biceps and she leaned into the kiss, accepted the penetration of his tongue, a hot, wet mating with hers.

 “Mmm.” Lacey’s eyes fluttered shut. He nibbled at her mouth with a leisurely thoroughness that intoxicated. There was no hurry. No need to rush. He simply relished the delicious taste of her mouth. 

He tightened his hands on her waist and tugged her closer. There was no space now between their bodies. Hardness pressed against softness. Male against female. Invitation given and accepted.

Danger moved restlessly. He stroked the pads of his thumbs across her tight nipples, skimmed his fingers down her back and cupped the curves of her buttocks. He loved the feel of her skin, so soft and smooth beneath his fingertips. “Touch me, princess,” he whispered against her mouth. He worked off his jeans then brought her hands to his hard shaft. “I’m dying for your touch. I need to feel your hands on me.”

He looked down at her slender fingers wrapped around his aching cock. The broad head of his penis filled her hand. He heard her stunned gasp at his size. He was thick, too thick for her fingers to reach completely around.

“I don’t think we’ll fit,” she said. She licked her lips and eyed his jutting penis with doubt. “You—you’re so—”

“We’ll fit,” he whispered against her ear and closed his hand over hers, guiding her smooth strokes up and down the hard length of his aching shaft. “I’ll go easy, we’ll fit.’’  

 “You kissed me,” she said and cupped the spongy sac at the base of his burgeoning shaft. “After the little incident with the rattlesnake, you kissed me. I haven’t been the same since.”

He laughed softly. “Yeah? Mmm, don’t stop, sweetheart. That feels good.”

“Twice,” she accused, sounding a little breathless. “You kissed me twice, maybe even three times. I lost count.” She gently squeezed the nuggets, halted the stroking that was driving him insane and walked a fingertip up the endless length of his shaft.

“Yeah,” he breathed huskily.  “So I did, princess, but those weren’t kisses. Not real kisses and certainly not the kind I want to give you. Think of them as appetizers.” He moaned when she explored the tip of his shaft, smoothing a finger over the head and catching the pearly drop of fluid there. “And my appetite has barely been whetted.”

She caught her bottom lip with her teeth in that sexy way that drove him nuts. He gasped as she continued to explore his cock with hesitant fingers. His eyes darkened with warning. “Harder,” he instructed. “I won’t break. And if you expect gentle, little cat, you’ve chosen the wrong man.” He took a deep, ragged breath.  “I’m not gentle, Lacey.  I don’t know how to be. Tenderness is something I’ve lacked in my life for more years than I care to remember.” He moaned, moved against her hand like a rising swell. “I’m as savage as I look. I like my sex hot, hard, and deep.”

Lacey swallowed hard, her eyes round. A hint of red tinged her cheek bones.

“Be very sure you want this, little cat, because if I touch you, make you mine, there’s no going back. I won’t go back.”

“I don’t want to go back. I want you; so much I can barely stand it. Make me yours, Danger.”

His breath chugged out in a long, slow hiss. “Jesus, Lacey, I’m giving you the chance to say no. Take it now, while I can still stop.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not asking you to stop.”

“Good. I won’t. I told you, I won’t. If we start this, we finish it. I’ve waited forever for you to come into my life. I’m not going back to just existing and marking time on the calendar.”

“Shut up and kiss me,” she breathed.

-----------------

Current releases available at Amazon.com

http://www.secretcravingspublishing.com

http://www.tabithashay.com

http://www.jaydynchelcee.com

Email: jaydyn@jaydynchelcee.com

New ebook cover requirements - Smashwords and Apple

Heads up.  Effective on or about July 15, Smashwords will begin requiring higher pixel counts on ebook cover images.

Why the change?  Starting in August, Apple will require that all new ebook cover images be at least 1,400 pixels wide.  Their previous minimum was 600 pixels.

Since Smashwords requires vertical rectangle (height greater than width) images, a new recommended ebook cover might be around 1,600 pixels wide by 2,400 pixels tall.  Why 2,400?  2,400 is 1.5 times 1,600. Pull out a ruler and measure just about any print book and you'll get a ratio close to that.  Most good-looking covers have heights that range from approximately 1.3 to 1.6 times your width.  Amazon recommends a 1.6 width/height ratio, and their recommended height is 2,500 pixels. As you can see, there's flexibility here for personal preference whether you prefer wide or long.  The image above left shows what a 1.5 ratio looks like.  The height is 50% greater than the width.

Why is Apple requiring higher pixel counts?  Most likely, it's because they want to provide ebook customers better covers for their current and future higher resolution iPads, iPhones and MacBooks.  Since we think the Apple and Amazon guidelines are reasonable (they help readers with next-generation screens enjoy your covers in all their glory), we'll adopt Apple's requirements as our new minimum standards for cover images.

What happens next?
Apple's new requirement applies to new ebooks, and new cover updates.  If your book is already in the Apple iBookstore with a smaller cover image, you're grandfathered in, UNLESS you try to update your cover image in the future, in which case they'll reject it.  To help you get ahead of this change, Smashwords will make the 1,400 pixel minimum a Premium Catalog requirement starting on or around July 15.  Like Apple, Smashwords will apply the standard to new titles and cover image updates.   If Smashwords previously shipped your smaller cover to retailers, they won't require the new cover image size unless you update your cover image or republish a previously unpublished book. The minimum dimensions do not apply to the images or cover image inside your .epub file. 

The Smashwords FAQ is now updated to reflect the new recommendations and requirements.  The Smashwords Style Guide will be updated in the next day or two so one month from now this won't come as a surprise to people.

How NOT to create a new cover image
Don't use a photo or image editing program to enlarge your current image.  That will cause pixelation (blur). 

How to create your cover image
You'll find some tips in the Smashwords FAQ, though their best recommendation is to hire a professional.  Unless you're a professional graphic artist, it's best to hire a cover image designer. All our pre-designed book covers are already designed to more than meet these size requirements, so you can buy with confidence.  See this free ebook, The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success, for comments on why a professional ebook cover image is so critical to a book's success.

Please share this post with your fellow authors and publishers so everyone has ample advance notice.