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Tag: self-publishing
Book Trailer: The Stella Trilogy
The Stella Trilogy is a 3 – Part (Short Story) Series about one family and their struggle for freedom against the backdrop of the African American fight for racial justice and equality. In Book One, Stella Mae endures the rigors of slavery. Sidney McNair passes for white in Book Two, and in Book Three Joseph is on a quest for freedom and gets way more than he asked for.
Book #3 Releases Feb. 26, 2016.
PreOrder it Now on Amazon Kindle for just $0.99.
Request e-copies of Books 1 & 2 Free in exchange for an honest review. (email ahouseofpoetry@gmail.com)
Book Promotions @ HarsH ReaLiTy…
Calling All Authors and Aspiring Writers! Promotional Opportunities Available on Harsh Reality. Jason’s offers are very reasonable for anyone seeking to increase visibility of their work.
So Far So Good
Today was a good day in the writing world and I didn’t even write! This morning was crazy busy as I strive to finish the last minute details for my upcoming signing and tend to house duties as well. As I was preparing dinner, I got a text from my sister stating that my GoFundMe goal has been met. For those of you who have been following me, you know that I am raising money to assist with my Book Signing in Atlanta in about a week. So any who, I am very excited to see that level of support pouring my way and to know that all of the money I set out to raise is done. Not only is it done but I raised more than I set out to.
The promo sale is also doing well so far. I set out to reach the Top 100 and according to last hour I was at #17 in the Amazon Kindle African American Historical Fiction section. So it appears I have exceeded my expectations in another area. Of course, the numbers fluctuate so this is only the beginning. I ask for your continued support in keeping me at the top as we get closer to Launch day. I also want to thank everyone who have been supportive of my work so far. All of the re-tweets and Facebook / Blog shares are monumental. As I put in this footwork on the ground, I ask for your continued online support.
Now, time for me to get my grub on.
Oh, and BTW, The Walking Dead comes on at 8:00p CST, just saying.
Harriet Ann Jacobs – Our Self-Published Ancestor
By now many people are familiar with Harriet Jacobs, the African American writer who escaped slavery in 1842 after hiding in an attic above her grandmothers home for seven years. Harriet’s testimony was one of the many inspirations for the first book in my Stella Trilogy. Stella, like Harriet, was born a slave but did not know it as a young girl–not until after her mother died. But that’s not all Harriet and Stella have in common. Harriet’s biography “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” was also a Self-Published book back in 1861, under the pseudonym Linda Brent.
Book Reviews: The Value
Book reviews are, in my opinion, a double edged sword. It does not guarantee that people will buy your books but what it does is add value. When I go to purchase a book, if I had a desire to buy the book I’m going to purchase it anyway. I may scan the reviews yes, but whether or not I decide to buy depends on my initial thought processes before I even got to the authors page. If I’m still leery about purchasing I may depend more heavily on the review as opposed to if I already had my mind made up to buy.
Book reviews are interesting in that they validate that people are actually reading and discussing the book and I think this is what gives them their leverage. There are real life men and women who are interested in your work as an author and that adds a worth to them that becomes more important in the end than book sales. It’s a funny thing because book reviews do increase book sales to an extent (naturally) but they also turn out to serve a greater purpose. Book Reviews authenticate the author in many ways. One of these ways being that he or she have reached someone with their artistry. Its interesting because not everyone who reads a book will review it and that is why they are so special. Good reviews are like little compliments that help to encourage the author. Even if its just one person, the reviews help people to recognize the author as someone who is officially capable of using their skill set and talent to change lives.
PBS Customer Review Surprise
In 2014, I tried my hand at writing a screenplay that reads like a movie script. I figured, OK well, since the writing moves like a movie in my head, why not? Of course, I would like to try my hand at all genres eventually. Anywho, July of this year will mark the 2 year anniversary of Pearls Before Swine so you can imagine my delight to log into Amazon and see this customer review for it! Of course this review was left some months ago but I had not seen it for some reason. Long story short, last thing I was looking for is a review from PBS. I wouldn’t say that I’ve forgotten about it, but I was pretty lazy in pushing it back then. Time truly flies and it just seems like I knew so little then in comparison to today in relation to book publishing. As I think about it, I think its because I wasn’t as into Book Reviews. I didn’t understand the value of them back then as I do today. But as I hold the book in my hands, I am still very proud of what the Designer did to the cover, and what the editor did to the interior. Shout out to Andre Hawkings of Kenosis Innovative Designs and Cynthia Brooks for hooking me up. Below is a screenshot of the surprise review. It truly made my day.
The PBS Blog 