Justice (Deck of Lies, #1)

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The Tower (Deck of Lies, #2)

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Death (Deck of Lies, #3)

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Judgment (Deck of Lies, #4)

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Hope's Rebellion

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Writing 101: Sell More Books

It is a truth universally accepted that a reader in possession of a good book must be in want of another good book, and as a self-published author this is the mantra you must adopt. After your book is written, and published, and promoted, there's only one thing left to do: write more. Want to sell more books? Then start writing more books. 


You're Only As Good As...

What's your favorite song right this minute? What was your favorite song, one year ago on this day? Do you even remember? Most people probably won't, for one simple reason: there's always something new. There's a new singer to hear, a new food to try, a new show to watch, a new book to read. No matter how remarkable or fantastic your book, eventually it will be eclipsed by another. Just ask J. K. Rowling, and 10 million Twilight fans, how quickly the tide of the MTV movie awards can turn against you. 

Unless you write a book that becomes the basis of a religion, or come up with something wildly popular like the 50 Shades trilogy, chances are darned good that your book won't be self-sustaining. You have to promote it constantly, and after just a few months it's already going to be old news anyway. The best way to keep your books, your brand, fresh is by offering more

So, you've just got to write more books. In this business, you're only as good as your last book...and even that isn't going to last too long. People are always looking for what's next, so in order for you to keep your name out there and keep readers interested you've got to give them what's next.
  • Don't take breaks from writing. When you're done with a book, great! Drink a glass of champagne, high-five your friends, pat yourself on the back, and start thinking about your next project. Get to work on it immediately. If you need time to rest and relax, give yourself a week between books. No more. It's time for what's next. 
  • Don't stop promoting. Continue to promote all your old books. Re-release them with new covers and new extras; make them fresh and exciting again. Do this in-between promoting whatever your next book project is. 
  • Don't forget to tell your fans and reviewers. Whenever you have a new book coming out, make a big deal about it. Tell all the people who have reviewed you in the past. Offer them free books, tell them you've got something else they're going to like. Do cross-promotions so your existing fans know you have something brand-new for them. "Did you like Red Heat? Then you'll love my new book, Cold Wind." 
  • Don't fail to use your new books to get new fans. There's no way your last book appealed to everyone you wanted to target. Try again with this new book. If you gain brand-new readers, they might go back and read some of your older books while they're at it.
If you're only as good as your last book, then make that work for you. Make it work by producing new books and changing your reputation. If your work is very high-quality, well-written and well-edited, you will gain new readers and sell more books. Writing more books will make you more legitimate as an author, and will show that you're committed to your craft. Readers like that, and they like having a lot of reading options. Give it to them, and you'll sell more books.

Books on Film: A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, is arguably the most popular Christmas story of all time. It's certainly one of the most-adapted, with more feature-length and TV-film versions than you can fit in a single blog post. The story is so famous, you can say just one word and everyone will know what you're referencing. But if you've only ever seen it on film, you don't know the whole story.


The Book

In a very real way, Charles Dickens is the father of the modern Christmas. When he wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, Christmas itself was in a transitional phase. Newfangled trends, like Christmas trees, were mucking up this traditional season of church-going, quiet reflection and somber celebration. 


And so Dickens wrote about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter old miser who loves money more than people. It's a very short story told in only 5 chapters, or staves, and it starts on Christmas Eve. It is 7 years to the day of Jacob Marley's death, Jacob Marley who is definitely dead. This makes it quite odd indeed when Marley appears that very night to Ebenezer, who has as usual been kicking around his much-maligned clerk at the counting house.

Marley is here, a ghostly apparition, to warn Scrooge. A wicked afterlife awaits him if he continues to value money more than his fellow man. He will suffer for his lack of kindness and charity. Scrooge thinks Christmas is a "humbug." He doesn't want to give his clerk time off for the holiday, or spend time with his nephew Fred, or donate to any charities that help people. To him, the holiday is "a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth of December!"

It's good stuff. Ebenezer is subsequently visited by three spirits who arrive in succession after Marley. First comes the ghost of Christmas past, who shows Scrooge shadows of things that have already been. The ghost of Christmas present is a garrulous gentleman who shows Scrooge the horrors that are happening outside the walls of his fancy townhouse. There is suffering in the world, even in the home of clerk Bob Cratchit. He has a very ill son, Tiny Tim, who is also the sweetest child ever born. They are a merry family, but so horrifyingly poor.

It's all fun and games until the third spirit, the ghost of Christmas yet to come, arrives. He shows Scrooge a terrible future. Tiny Tim is dead, and so is Scrooge, and things are not good.

When Ebenezer wakes on Christmas Day, he realizes he still has a chance to change those shadows. He still has a chance to celebrate Christmas! And boy, does he. The final scene of A Christmas Carol is just as fine as anything ever penned by the hand of man. 


It took Dickens 6 weeks to write the most beloved, most repeated and most famous Christmas story we all know. A Christmas Carol is credited with popularizing the phrase "Merry Christmas," and "Scrooge" is often applied to anyone expressing miserly qualities. "Bah humbug" has also entered into language because of the story. Some historians even credit the book with creating customs of family gatherings, consuming food and drink, playing games and behaving generosity in association with Christmas.

The Many Movies

A Christmas Carol has been adapted for the movies for as long as movies have existed. It was a silent film in 1908 and again in 1910, but you'd have trouble finding either version anywhere.

You can still see the 1938 version, which is darned good. The only version of the story ever made by movie giant MGM, it's still shown on cable TV to this day. Reginald Own plays the leading role, along with real-life couple Gene and Kathleen Lockhart as Bob and Mrs. Cratchit. You might recognize Ann Rutherford, who later played Scarlett O'Hara's youngest sister, as the Spirit of Christmas Past.

Lionel Barrymore, one of my favorites and unquestionably one of the best character actors in history, was originally slated to play the leading role. He was well-known for playing Scrooge on the annual radio production that ran at the time, but his health wasn't strong enough. You can see Barrymore in my all-time favorite holiday movie, It's a Wonderful Life, playing the role that was pretty clearly inspired by one Ebenezer Scrooge. At the time Barrymore made the Capra flick, he did need the wheelchair.

Reginald Owen does a good job anyway, and the film is very faithful to the book. But it was made by MGM, and it is a holiday film, so some stuff had to be changed. The love interest aspect of Scrooge's life is dropped in total, as were the companions who travel with the ghost of Christmas present. The thieves who so shock Scrooge in the vision of the future are also omitted.

But it's not the best version. That was made in 1951, and it starred Alastair Sim. He was born to be Scrooge. Sim looks the part and acts the part beautifully, making this the definitive version of A Christmas Carol. Ironically, that's not the movie's name. This version was originally produced as Scrooge, though sometimes it's listed under the proper title of the book instead. Once widely-run on TV during December, now you have to really search to find this simply fantastic (and very faithful) version of the story.


This version actually expands on the story, showing more scenes with Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas past. Now, we see exactly how Scrooge and Marley forged their partnership, and learn of some unscrupulous business practices besides. The love interest's name is changed from Belle to Alice, inexplicably, and she is given very charitable qualities in this version. This better explains why she eventually leaves Scrooge later in the story. We also see Scrooge's sister Fan dying in childbirth, something that's hinted at in the book but never told in detail.

The 1951 film has been re-released and colorized, and you can find it in pretty much every available format.

More versions of the story followed in 1954, 1962, 1971, 1977 and 1982. Another definitive version of the Dickens work would not be created until 1983, when Disney got ahold of it. This animated version remains one of the best-loved, and stars the entire pantheon of classic Disney characters. Scrooge (McDuck), Mickey Mouse (as Cratchit), Jiminy Cricket, Donald Duck, Goofy and Daisy Duck all appear.

One of the best-known versions was made in 1984, with George C. Scott in the role. This is still one of the most-recognized adaptations, because it's been aired on TV every single December since its original release. Scott is a broad, be-whiskered Scrooge who truly breaks down in the climatic scene with the ghost of Christmas yet to come. The tombstone used to film the scene is still standing where it was shot at St. Chad's Church in Shrewsbury, England.

Many more versions of the story followed, including one starring Patrick Stewart of X-Men and Star Trek fame, but nothing would stand out until it was re-created by Disney in 2009. This 3D extravaganza stars Jim Carrey in the leading role. Carrey also voices all three ghosts, which probably really saved on the talent budget. Despite the slick animation, the addition of magician Robert Zemeckis, and all the might of Disney, it's not a very good film. You'd do much better to watch the 1951 version in color if you want to see some wild animation.

What Got Adapted?

You always lose a little something in the transfer from page to screen, even when a story has been transferred as often as this one. In the book, the ghost of Christmas past has a hand with no skin, a hand that never appears on film. It's also a strangely childlike creature, something often changed for film. It's also rarely mentioned that Belle was actually Fezziwig's daughter, and that she broke their engagement on Christmas. This is another reason why Scrooge hates the holiday so much. Christmas Present is a giant, and near the end of the day he has markedly aged. Christmas Yet to Come appears immediately after the giant fades away, and this specter does wear a black, hooded cloak as is so often depicted.

The book is very short, and it's a delight you shouldn't miss. Once you're done, compare it to your own favorite film version of the story, and look for the differences.

Writing 101:The Anatomy of a Scene

Words are the stock and trade of every writer, but some authors get too caught up in their own words. When you're writing out a scene involving any sort of character action at all -- even when it's talking -- you also have to work out the logistics. If you can't put yourself inside of every scene and picture exactly what's happening, you've got a real problem. 


Get Back Inside the Box

The environment the characters live in is just as important as the characters themselves. Your characters are only extraordinary or special when compared to everything else around them. How they move is just as relevant as how they think. That's why you've got to think about your books three-dimensionally, not just the way they read on the page.

Just about every room in the world is shaped like a box. Some boxes are bigger than others, some substantially so. Some are elongated so they're more rectangular in shape. Some are enclosed with walls made of plaster, others with windows of glass. Put yourself inside a room with your characters. In that room, you're the only thing that doesn't take up space.

Envision each scene as you write them, and see yourself and your characters inside that box together. In most cases they will be standard human beings who must stand upon the ground, so remember that. Is there also furniture in this room? Maybe they're going to have to move around it to get to one side of the room or the other. Are there other people in this room? Where are they standing? What needs to happen so that the characters may complete the actions the scene requires? 

You've always got to think about their actions. If you have two characters who are supposed to be talking at a party, don't have them standing and shouting across the room at each other. Don't allow me to picture it playing out this way. Explain to me where they're at in relation to the rest of the party. Are they in a corner, by a window? By the buffet table, off to the side? Maybe they stepped out onto the balcony, or into a back room. 

If you can't picture it as it's happening, you've got to change the scene until you can picture it. That's the only way I'm going to be able to picture it as the reader, and I want to picture every single scene.

Death and Lies

"This was a great third instalment in this series. I thought that we had maybe uncovered all the lies in the last two books, but there are just more and more!"
 

"I enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to find out how it all ends in book 4"

Death (Deck of Lies, #3) has been added to Sarah Elizabeth's bookshelf. Visit the blog to read the whole review -- the big spoiler is hidden!

Writing 101: End-of-Book Promotions

If you've read any of my books, you know I'm a big fan of end-of-book promotions. You should absolutely be including them in your self-published works. Find out why they work, and how to add them to your books. 


Beyond The End

The end of any book should leave readers with some of good feelings -- satisfaction, excitement, happiness. If you've done your job, they ought to be in a receptive mood. And they should also want a little bit more. The end of a good book is always a small disappointment, too, because you wish there was more. 

So add more. Now that the book's over, you've got one more shot to connect with your readers and turn them into you fans. You've got one more shot to get them to buy another one of your books. You do that most successfully with an end-of-book promotion, also known as a teaser. 

That's right: I want you to give them a taste of the next book. If you're writing a series, this is really a necessity. You want to show readers that hey, there's another book that continues the story. You also want to give them an idea of what the next book is about, and get them interested in the new story. 

If you haven't written a series, you can still use this promotional idea. Include a snippet from a similar book in your collection. If I've just finished a contemporary romance you've written, why not point me toward an historical romance you've also published? Obviously I like romances. If the romance in question has a touch of mystery to it, point me toward another book of yours with a mystery element. Include an excerpt (usually the first chapter of the book) and an "About the Author" box so I'll also know where to find all your links and find more of your work. 

Promoting Your Books

Take that last opportunity to promote your work, and hang onto your audience for just a few moments longer. If you let them know that you've got more to offer, you'll be much more likely to get repeat customers and continued readers. 

You're probably going to publish your book before you have another new book available, and that's fine. Once your next book is available, just edit your ebook, add your end-of-book promotion, and re-publish it. All you have to do is upload a new file; very easy!

Hooked on Justice

"It's very engaging, and from the moment I started reading Justice, I was hooked."


"The author's writing is superb. I think the story unfolded quite nicely, and that the revelations were well-thought. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author."

Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) has been reviewed at Jelly Loves Books! Go read it before you go buy your copy of the book.

Writing 101: Where to Find Book Reviewers

As a self-published author, getting reviews has to be one of your main goals. You should spend time on it at least once a week, sending out letters and refining your review requests. Once you figure out how to get reviews, it's not going to help unless you know where to go. 


Finding Book Bloggers

Save yourself time by looking not for individual book blogs but lists of book review blogs. There are so many book blogs out there, you could never find them all through individual searches. Vary your search query to get more results. Look for book blogs that review indie books, ebooks, and books in your genre.

Jade's List

In the meantime, use my list of book review lists. Some of these are YA-specific, and you'll run into many blogs that are old, broken or no longer about books. But, you will find some viable blogs inside the lists, and nobody ever said it wasn't going to be hard work. These are in no specific order whatsoever:


http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/
The Indie Reviewers List

http://hampton-networks.com/
The Indie Book Blog Database

http://www.invesp.com/blog-rank/Books
BlogRank

http://yabookblogdirectory.blogspot.com/p/ya-book-blogger-list.html
The YA Book Blog directory

http://bookbloggersassociation.com/member-list/
Book Bloggers Association

http://dlmorrese.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/a-list-of-indie-book-reviewers-3/
A list of indie book reviewers

http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net/reviewer-list.html
Book Reviewer Yellow Pages

http://karinafabian.com/index.php?name=Content&pid=28
Fabianspace

http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/?p=4956
Ottinger's Book Review Blog List

http://robinmizell.wordpress.com/book-reviewers/
Book reviewers on the Web

http://futurebook.net/content/book-blogger-and-reviewer-listing-0
Book blogger and reviewer listing

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/links/othr_rev.htm
Other Book Reviewers

Writing 101: The Terror of the Beta Read



by Margaret Yang


Asking someone to beta read a novel is terrifying. We ask—beg—people to take the work of our hearts and attack it with a machete. If done well, the pages come back with so much red ink on them it looks like someone mopped up after a goat sacrifice. And yet, we do it. We seek out new betas and bribe the ones we already have with coffee and chocolate. We know it’s going to hurt, but we need the lessons our beta readers will teach us. We beg for critiques because we know the only way to make a manuscript strong is to first let someone tear it apart.

As scary as receiving a critique is, it’s even scarier to give one. A beta reader never knows how a writer will take her suggestions. Will she find it helpful, or have I wasted my time? Will she understand my points, or have I made things worse? And most importantly, will she kill the messenger? I once lost a friendship over a critique. Every time I beta read, I’m afraid I will lose another one.

In a relationship so delicate and emotional, both sides need to be on their best behavior. A writer owes a beta reader her best work. It must be complete, polished, and formatted correctly. Never, never, never make your beta reader do your copy edits for you. Of course, your manuscript isn’t perfect—that’s why you’re getting a critique. But your beta knows the difference between a manuscript you’ve toiled over and sloppy work that you’ve rushed out because you couldn’t wait for feedback. Knowing you can do better, but not doing it, isn’t fair to your beta. I have returned manuscripts half-read for that reason, telling the writer that I will critique the next draft, but not this one.

A beta reader owes a writer complete honesty. But honesty comes in many flavors. A critique must be given in the gentlest of terms and only up to the edge of a writer’s vulnerability. The problem is, a beta reader never knows where that line is. I crossed that line once and it still haunts me to this day.

When I critique, I’m usually careful to point out what a writer does well along with suggestions for improvement. However, one time I was reading for an old friend. We’d been betas for each other for years and I thought we were both pros. She was in a hurry, so I rushed through the critique, pointing out the errors, skipping the flattery. After all, she knew what her strengths were, right? I didn’t need to keep spelling them out in each and every critique, did I?

Actually, I did. That writer was crushed by my negative critique, and our long history together only made it worse. She was used to me telling her all the good and bad things about her manuscripts. Pointing out only the bad must have meant it really, really stunk.

I lost a dear friend that day.

Since then, I err on the side of caution. I pour on the praise and sprinkle in the criticism. I don’t worry about being too gentle. Writers have special antennae for criticism of their work. They can zero in on the mildest comment and understand it full well.

Most of the time, my critiques are received with grace and bravery bordering on heroism. I feel closer to the friends I’ve beta read for. Like war heroes, we’ve gone through this terrifying experience together and emerged on the other side scarred, but whole. I learn from every critique I get, but I learn more—much more—from the ones I give.


About the Author
Margaret Yang is the co-author of The Caline Conspiracy and Fate's Mirror, written under the pen name M.H. Mead. Her newest novel, Taking the Highway, was just released December 1st. Margaret is a reader, writer, and parent whose true mission in life is to find the perfect slice of key lime pie.