[bookly]

I'm new as well. In fact, a brand-new author. My debut novel, Falling as She Sings, is currently up for nomination to be published in Kindle Scout. The link to check it out is at the bottom of this post, if I've done it correctly.  Thank you! 

FREE IF IT WINS WITH YOUR NOMINATIONS

Falling as She Sings
by C.J. Sursum
Her job is to control men's bodies.
As society collapses, a rich woman builds a technologically sustainable enclave—for women only. Inside its walls, women lead lives of culture and ease. Outside, men devolve into feral, violent Brutes, needed by the women for one purpose only—reproduction. But beautiful Menna slips up when extracting a captured Brute’s seed. Disturbing interactions with him shatter her preconceptions of Brutes and of herself, forcing her to choose between her sterile existence and a harsh, brutish unknown.

 

[robert eggleton]

The Week In View:

Rarity from the Hollow, an adult literary science fiction novel published by Dog Horn Publishing, was featured in a Bulgarian newsletter today: http://codices.info/?na=v&id=5&nk=5-737a9b050f The newsletter included a link to a new book review of the novel, a link to a follow-up author interview, and, as a Christmas present to its readers -- a link to "The Festival" a story especially for your holiday enjoyment and written by H.P. Lovecraft.

I recommend checking out this fresh and bold new voice in the world of literature. The newsletter is free!

The novel also received a couple of wonderful early holiday presents this past week. KDH Reviews found that Rarity from the Hollow was unique. It gave the story a 4 of 5 stars rating, and said that the novel would likely be rated higher over time. Yes, I agree with this review. There are unsettling issues in the story that take time to digest. "I really liked this book." This review in its entirety can be found at: http://www.kdhreviews.com/…/book-review-rarity-from-hollow.…

A couple of days after the KDH book review was published, Ann Levi Andrews joined the growing number of people committed to the Rarity from the Hollow project, and its mission to help raise awareness of the needs of maltreated children. Ann is an accomplished author and a Goodreads Moderator of a major group. Last Monday, Ann published an article, "Silly Symbolism in Science Fiction," that I'd written about how science fiction today becomes reality tomorrow. The article can be found on her blog: http://www.annliviandrews.com/…/guest-blog-by-robert-egglet… Her post includes an excerpt of the novel, scene two, during which Lacy Dawn helps peers at school face tough issues: bullying, depression and anxiety during childhood -- stuff that Santa wouldn't have placed under their Christmas trees.

Thanks for providing me the opportunity to update you on Rarity from the Hollow, especially to Adam Lowe, Editor of Dog Horn Publishing. As we face our new years together, please keep in mind that this novel is: "…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy…The author has managed to do what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse, and written about them with tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…Eggleton sucks you into the Hollow, dunks you in the creek, rolls you in the mud, and splays you in the sun to dry off. Tucked between the folds of humor are some profound observations on human nature and modern society that you have to read to appreciate…it's a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy…." http://awesomeindies.net/ai-approved-review-of-rarity-from…/

You can show your support for traditional small press publishers by buying directly from the presses. Rarity from the Hollow is available from: http://www.doghornpublishing.com/…/b…/rarity-from-the-hollow

Happy Holidays!

 

[Jim Johnson]

Another sff writer here. I've had a few Star Trek pieces published as well as the first three episodes in an ancient Egyptian-themed weird western. Working on a couple UF series, an epic fantasy series, a space opera series, and a few other things. Nice to meet you all and read about your works.

 

[SteveHarrison]

My first novel is an action adventure, time travel historical romance thriller about a 1795 British convict ship transported to 2017 Sydney, Australia, by way of the title (TimeStorm).

I'm now working on the first of a proposed YA science fiction comedy adventure series.

 

[drewavera]

Awesome, new SF&F writers! Nice to meet yall

 

[RayKosmick]

Hey, nice to meet everyone! Great to see so many SF&F authors around, I'll make sure to check out everyone's work.

I'm new to this forum, as I've only recently joined the "indie tribe". My first novel, Cynicism Management - satire with elements of sci-fi/cyberpunk - was originally published by a small UK e-book publisher a couple of years ago. Frustrated by the lack of control over my work, I have recently decided to dive in, tackle the self-publishing process, and re-release an updated, 2nd edition of my first novel before I focus on the launch of the next one (already finished).

I'm excited about how much info can be found here, and I look forward to learning from everyone.

Cheers!

 

[CliftonHill]

Hi to the Tribe, been reading SF since I was in the fourth grade, indoctrinated by Asimov, then discovered Eddings' Belgariad and many more since.

Started writing in highschool, tinkered with it, then finally in 2007 started to seriously work on my epic fantasy novel Veil of a Warrior.

I'm here to learn, here to chat, and here to talk about my stories.

If I understand correctly, this is the place to do it:
-Veil of a Warrior (560 pages): Epic battles, terrible magic, a daunting mystery.
-Seeking the Veil (3 part novel, total pages 250): Young Hestea seeks to fight an age-old enemy in a band of unlikely heroes. But 1st, he must cook breakfast. "Seeking" is a prequel to "Veil" and Part 1 is free on Amazon and Kobo.

And I'm currently working on a fantasy heist novel called Kip the Quick. More to come.

 

[L.J.Simpson]

Hi everyone. My first post... which goes like this...
I remember the day well. My wife and I arrived back from hospital with our new born son. We laid him down in his crib, looked at those big brown eyes staring up at us and I remember thinking to myself, "Err... what are we supposed to do now?" I know it's not quite the same but after spending three years writing away in my very limited spare time, I finally finished my first novel entitled 'The Blunt End of the Service'. I uploaded it to Amazon and now here I am, once again thinking, "Err... what am I supposed to do now?"
I ended up here. Lots of advice - actually so much that I'm not sure where to start, though that's part of the fun. I'm not entirely sure if I'm on the right page as my novel involves (among other things) murder, mystery and detectives. On the other hand it does take place in space and in the future, so I guess it qualifies as science fiction.
Apart from that... hey, it's just good be be here!

 

[CliftonHill]

Welcome L.J. Yeah, lots to do taking the route on your own. But, then you have no one telling you no, and you own all your rights. I listened to a lot of business podcasts before I launched my first book in 2014, and despite lots of good advice heard, I didn't follow or find myself capable of execution.

Best bit of advice? Keep writing and be aware you'll probably want to go back and revise what you have out. I figure one day it pays off.

If you've got a solid piece, I suppose the second piece of advice would be to actively look for book reviewers that might like what you write. Most organic traffic to your book page will pass on if they see it has no, or few reviews. But beware, there are some services/people out there that "sell" book reviews. Get those review counts up, don't worry about giving your book away for free, and keep moving forward.

 

[L.J.Simpson]

Thanks, Cliff. Much appreciated. I will indeed keep writing as that is the part I find myself truly enjoying.
Reviews... Quite a conundrum. No-one will download your book without reviews and no-one can write a review if they don't download it. I have had some very positive feedback from family and close friends who read the book before it was published. I hesitate to ask them to post a review as I don't think it's entirely ethical.(Well, maybe one!). I have a free promotion scheduled for the weekend so we'll see what comes of that. From my point of view the good thing is that writing is most definitely a hobby and not a business. The downside is that I can't always devote as much time to it as I might like, particularly now when I think of the marketing aspects of it all.
However it turns out, for a first time publisher like myself it is all rather exciting.
Onward and upwards!

 

[AltMe]

No-one will download your book without reviews and no-one can write a review if they don't download it.

Absolutely not true.

If you have the right cover and the right blurb, and your sample grabs people, it will get downloaded.

And plenty of reviews are made without reading more than the sample, and sometimes only the blurb.

Reviews are something which come long term with sales/reads. Its a percentage game. And their use is to get you bookbubs and other marketing sites.

There is no point in asking friends and relatives to review. Amazon removes any review by someone that close to you.

 

[L.J.Simpson]

And plenty of reviews are made without reading more than the sample, and sometimes only the blurb.

Reviews are something which come long term with sales/reads. Its a percentage game. And their use is to get you bookbubs and other marketing sites.

Thanks Tim, though I'm actually quite shocked. Do people actually write reviews based on the sample? Guess I have much to learn...

 

[AltMe]

Thanks Tim, though I'm actually quite shocked. Do people actually write reviews based on the sample? Guess I have much to learn...

From what I gather, some people write reviews without reading anything, especially if they dont like you.

I have some strange ones, for sure. I think most authors do have strange ones, where you cant figure out why the review was even written.

The consensus is, dont worry about reviews. They are readers talking to other readers, and not for us authors.

 

[Craig Martelle]

Thanks for starting the thread Charles. I wrote my first book as post-apocalyptic fiction, but the reviewers at Amazon counted it as dystopian romance. Bizarre, but true. My next three are all sci fi. I'm finishing up the third of a multi-book series now. Look for the Free Trader series on Amazon. I get the best payback from a combination of Kindle sales and KENP reads (Kindle Unlimited). I think the program is great for smaller volume authors.

For our scifi romance novelist, I share your approach. I think lead characters that are a solid couple make for a better story.

Thanks again Charles. We look forward to seeing your work in ePrint. I think you'll find that the scifi authors on KBoards will be your most ardent supporters, which includes getting harsh feedback that you might need. My covers are not going to sell my work, so I am now working with Scifi/Fantasy artist Tom Edwards to redo the covers of the trilogy as well as create a unique cover for the box set. It all works together to get you and your stories to more readers.

Craig

 

[ericwd9]

Hi All, My first novel was published via KDP on 19th April. It has sold over 100 since then but not yet reviewed. I am working on the sequel and hope to have it finished later this year. Though I have tried I have not yet worked out how to post an image here. This forum is a lot harder than any I have joined before (15 or so) I am enjoying reading the posts from other Authors and their advise.
Eric W Deakin

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Hi All, My first novel was published via KDP on 19th April. It has sold over 100 since then but not yet reviewed. I am working on the sequel and hope to have it finished later this year. Though I have tried I have not yet worked out how to post an image here. This forum is a lot harder than any I have joined before (15 or so) I am enjoying reading the posts from other Authors and their advise.
Eric W Deakin

Eric!

Welcome to KBoards! You can find a lot of information on how to do things on KBoards in our Forum Announcements and Tips subforum, found here:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/board,6.0.html

You may also find the thread "FAQs and Useful Threads for Writers" that is pinned to the top of the Writers' Café useful.

As for posting an image, unless you are using Tapatalk from a mobile device, the image must be stored somewhere on the Internet, such as Photobucket or Imgr or Flick or Facebook (though you must have your privacy settings for the photo set to "Public.").

Once you have the image URL, click on the IMG icon, 2d from left above the smileys

and the [nobbc]

[/nobbc] tags will appear. Paste your link between them, like this [nobbc]

[/nobbc] and the image will appear. You can shrink the image by putting "width=xxx" or "height=xxx" in the first IMG tag, like this: [nobbc]

thisisyourimage.jpg[/nobbc].

If you have Tapatalk, you can upload images from your mobile device and Tapatalk will handle the coding and storage.

If you want to post images in your signature, you can use our signature tool, as is explained in the FAQ thread at the top of the Writers' Café.

Hope this helps! Don't hesitate to ask when you have questions!

Betsy
KB Mod

 

[Warren Dean]

Hi Everyone.

My novel, The Forever Gene, is available for $0.99 on a Kindle Countdown Deal for the next 5 days. It is also on special on Amazon.uk.



In Boston, Massachusetts, an artificial gene which extends human life indefinitely has been developed by geneticist David Herald, and is on the market at a handsome price. In the Mongolian Capital, Ulan Bator, four tall slim figures, their features hidden within hooded capes, walk into a hospital and offer to undergo DNA testing.

Soon, everyone is talking about the Faerie Folk...

 

[ZachJones]

Hi, folks.

I published my first novel, Refusing Excalibur, back in May.



Sales have been quite strong, I'm happy to say, and I'm now experimenting with ways to further promote my book, including but not limited to getting myself set up in this fine corner of the internet.

I wish everyone with the best with their own science fiction projects and welcome any advice more experienced independent authors have to offer.

 

[Warren Dean]

WARNING: May contain traces of science fiction...

While studying at a German University, Patrick finds an obscure clue to a lost Spanish treasure ship. The Christina de la Fuego is said to have been carrying a treasure more valuable than any ever found, but the wreck is proving to be elusive. It is as if someone, or something, is protecting it...

Readers have said:

"As novelist, Warren Dean's imagination is stirring and riveting." - Rafael

"The author has a talent to create main characters that come alive and are sympathetic... added to this, the author has cleverly made the sci-fi element appear almost credible - as if the event might well have been possible." - Amazon reader

"Intriguing, entertaining read. The writing makes it easy to visualize the settings. The characters all come alive. A clever concept, very well done." - LS, on Amazon

"Mr Dean takes you from the bottom of the sea to the outer reaches of the galaxy, from hundreds of years BC to the modern day, in a well written adventure, full of suspense and mystery." - Emma Jaye, Goodreads Review Moderator



The Treasure Hunters is free on Amazon for the next 5 days.

 

[drewavera]

Any of you scifi writers want to get together on some cross promotion?