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Megan Cashman

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Megan Cashman

Tag Archives: Kindle

It Has Finally Arrived! “The Dark Proposal” Available on Kindle

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Megan in My Books, Self-Publishing, The Dark Proposal

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

authors, eBooks, Kindle, paranormal, urban fantasy

Ladies and gentleman, the moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived!

My debut novel, The Dark Proposal, is now out on Kindle! It is $3.99 and available to you now!

Here is the link: The Dark Proposal

And for those who are unfamiliar with my book, here is the blurb:

If you had the perfect boyfriend who suddenly reveals he’s a vampire, and also wants to make you one or else…what would you do?

That is the dilemma college graduate Claire McCormick faces. Her life is brightened up by Daniel Bertrand in a whirlwind romance, who only to turns out to be a bloodthirsty vampire. He also won’t take no for an answer when he proposes for Claire to join him for eternity. She faces becoming evil herself or have evil done to her and her loved ones. The Dark Proposal explores Claire’s nightmare and fears while she makes her decision. Along the way, she learns why exactly Daniel wants her to be vampire.

The Dark Proposal will be the first book in a trilogy that follows what becomes of Claire and the vampires.

WARNING: contains explicit sex scenes and some strong language

Happy reading everyone!

Too Little or Too Much? My Thoughts on Indie Book Promotions

11 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by Megan in Self-Publishing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

authors, indie, indie authors, Indie books, indie writers, Kindle, marketing, media, novels, PR, promoting, promotions, Public Relations, Twitter

The day is almost here. This coming Friday – September 14th – I will finally publish my first book. As soon as I get home from work, I will start the process to upload The Dark Proposal onto Kindle and put my hard work and my baby out to the world. It is both exciting and daunting that I am about to do this.

The exciting part is obvious. I’ve been planning to be a published author since I was a child and the moment is almost here. I feel like I’m taking a major step in my journey and new life as a novelist. I’ve been preparing for so long, and I ready to get on the ship.

But when I say daunting, what I mean by that is as a self-published author, I alone am responsible for my book. Everything, from the writing and rewriting, choosing the cover design and picking the right graphic designer, and all other things, was my responsibility. With the exception of hiring an editor (I heart you!) and having beta readers critique my work, I created my book all by myself.

That also includes the marketing part, as in promoting my book. I did a lot of research during the writing of my book and during the time afterward. While correcting my work, I did what I thought was necessary to promote The Dark Proposal. However, there was plenty of confusion on my part on how exactly to do all this right so my book will get some sales.

Yes, I set up the blog in May and I blogged as often as I could. I changed my Twitter account so it would be exclusively for my writing. I set up a Facebook page just for my authorship. I liked pages on Facebook and followed those I liked on Twitter, as well as follow back anyone who followed me. I made plans to contact media outlets and in mid-August, found Dark Mind Book Tours which set up my five day blog tour taking place next week (thanks Franny and Silvia!). I also Tweeted as much as I could (its not easy to do all this while working full time), set up a Goodreads page, and finally, got my Independent Authors Network page squared away (thanks William!)

But was this enough? Honestly, was it? Based on what blogs I read on how to promote your self-published books, it seemed that there was so much to do. Meaning, what I have done already was far from enough and I needed to come up with more strategies.

Image via Open Clip Art

But then I came across other blogs which said what I had done was enough. Even author forums which discussed promotions seemed to agree. Heck, even some established indie authors even said no one should sweat promoting their books, and instead they should focus on getting started on their second book. After all, many self-published writers claim the more books you have out there, your chances of success will increase. Makes sense. After all, chances for anyone to have tremendous success from one book are slim. That is a fact.

NOTE: Before I go further, I know some of you would wonder why I haven’t mentioned making a book trailer. Here is the answer: as a former freelance video journalist, I would’ve loved to have brought out my media and editing skills to create a trailer and get noticed on YouTube. But I also knew despite my video skills, I didn’t have the resources to create a stellar trailer. Basically, I would’ve created just another video that would have just music, stock images and my voiceover – much like the thousands of others out there. I decided not to sweat over making something that wouldn’t be much different from other trailers. However, maybe around Halloween I’ll release a book trailer to keep the momentum going for The Dark Proposal. But we’ll see.

Anywho. I guess when it comes to promoting your self-published book, the wisest plan is to do what is best for you, your schedule and your sanity. I work full-time, 40 hours a week, so it is not easy for me to be promoting my book round the clock. You may say I should schedule tweets via HootSuite so word about my novel will spread more. I admit I could’ve done that. What made me hesitate was seeing so many authors do that, but ended up repeating the same ten tweets every hour and rarely interacting with any of their followers, let alone tweeting other people’s work. That turned me off and I didn’t want that to happen to any of my potential readers. From what I’ve been told, for every single tweet you use to promote your book, tweet four times to interact with others. I try that, given my schedule, but at least I try.

But there is more to promoting than using Twitter. That site does not guarantee a huge following of interested readers, so don’t count on it. Blogging helps, because it gives people an opportunity to get to know you and what you are about. I just wish it was more clear on what to blog about. I didn’t want to post anything absurdly self-centered, anything irrelevant to my book or writing, or even rant about what is going on in the news. I knew early on posting such topics would either confuse or turn off potential readers. I thought about venting about how overwhelming it can be to work full-time, promote your first book and work on its follow-up, and somehow squeeze in errands, a social life and other necessities in life. That may sound like a good idea, but I didn’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer, so I scratched that.

I think I did what I could to get the word about The Dark Proposal and there still may be other options. I’m looking into contacting websites that review vampire book exclusively, and even contacting podcasts in hopes of an interview. I am being my own PR representative, and though I have a background in journalism, it is still a foreign field for me.

But I’m learning as I’m going. No one held my hand during all this and I could only take notes on what I should’ve done sooner. After my book comes out, I’ll take notes on what worked for me and didn’t work in terms of sales. I understand the majority of books sell only about 1,500 copies. So I am not expecting to win the lottery here. It would be nice though! 🙂

But really, I understand the risks I took in going indie and so far, my only regret was getting too overwhelmed. I think if I had remained calm most of the time, I would’ve done some things earlier or more often.

But no time for regrets. My debut book is coming out Friday and there is no looking back. I am hoping those who told me they intend to read The Dark Proposal (and these are complete strangers, not friends or family) will like what I wrote and will look forward to its two follow-ups (yes, I am writing a trilogy). That would mean all of my hard work had paid off, my solo hard work.

The countdown continues…3 more days! By this time Friday, I am anticipating The Dark Proposal will be up on Kindle, ready to be sold and read 🙂

Blog Tour Coming Up – Courtesy of Dark Mind Book Tours!

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Megan in My Books, The Dark Proposal

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Tags

blog tours, book release, Book tours, Kindle, promotion

Almost one month from now, I’ll be uploading The Dark Proposal onto Kindle and sending out into the world. Wow, this is so exciting!

To help get the word out about my book, I contacted Dark Mind Book Tours and starting on September 17th, I’ll be doing a five day blog tour. There will be reviews, interviews and guest blog posts. I’m definitely looking forward to this, and will inform all of you of what blogs my novel will be appearing on.

The release of The Dark Proposal – the countdown begins!

Book Excerpt Via the 777 Challenge

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by Megan in My Books, The Dark Proposal

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Tags

authors, Book excerpt, eBooks, Kindle, vampires, writers

I’ve been meaning to post an excerpt to my upcoming book, The Dark Proposal, for a while, and now I at last have a reason!

Last week, fellow writer Victoria Pearson nominated a few authors she knew on Twitter for the 777 challenge – which is when you “take 7 sentences from either page 7 or 77 on your current WIP”.

I was one of those she nominated and I’m finally getting around to posting my 777. So here it is:

“Like I told you last week, this is another side to me you’re getting to know.”
“But what if I don’t like this side? I mean, you’re a murderer.”
“I’m only doing what I need to protect myself and my kind. And also, it is in my nature.” Daniel came back to the dining room with the bottle of wine and two wine glasses. She watched as he poured the wine.

That passage is from page 77 of my novel, which will be uploaded onto Kindle September 14th! So mark your calendars!

The End of Print Books?

19 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by Megan in Books, The Future

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

digital revolution, E-Book, eBook, eBooks, Kindle, print books, technology

I’m sure many of you heard of today’s news about how adult fiction eBooks outsold hardcover books in 2011 for the very first time. While this Reuters article claims that print books of all kinds – hardcover, mass market and trade paperback – still outnumber eBooks in sales, today’s report has made it clear that eBooks are here to stay and their popularity could more than likely continue to rise in the future.

As a result, writers and readers across the board are probably wondering if print books will become obsolete in the years to come. For example, take a look at CDs. Ever since the iPod came along and music lovers could download whatever song they wanted off the Internet, sales of CDs went down. I remember going to Best Buy ten years ago and having no problem finding the CDs. There were endless rows of them and I would spend a long while checking out the various artists that were displayed. Nowadays, when I buy CDs for my parents, I have to hunt for that section. Those endless rows of various genres have now been reduced to three or four rows altogether. Even the CD section of my local Target has been rearranged to accommodate the poor demand for them. It almost looks pathetic to even have a CD section in a major store because not too many people need them anymore. Why spend $14.99 on something that you could get online for $9.99? Better yet, why buy an entire CD because you like one song from someone when you could easily get that sole song online?

This simplistic attitude is much like readers who choose to read their stories off eBooks. It is easier to store several books on a device rather than to pack all of them for a trip. It also prevents anyone from knowing what a person is reading because no device advertizes the book cover for the public to see (hence why so many women feel at ease reading Fifty Shades of Grey). Ebooks are also a lot slimmer than a book, the spots to place them are kind of endless. For example, if a woman reads an eBook while traveling to work, she could easily slip the device into her shoulder bag once she reaches her stop. With a print book, she would have to worry about squeezing it into her bag and hope it doesn’t get damaged.

Those are good points, I admit. But there is nothing like holding a book in your hands. The aroma of the pages. The excitement of turning the pages during a suspenseful scene. It feels more intimate, I think, to use a traditional book to do your reading. I don’t think you can get that from a digital screen.

But time will tell. There are some humans who adapt to the changing times and go with the flow. I do think by the end of this decade, books will be like those CD sections in Best Buy and Target. Sad, especially since there is nothing like going to a bookstore and spending a day there. But it is highly possible.

I don’t want to start lamenting over the beginning of the end of books, really I don’t! I do think there is hope that the print book will survive this digital revolution. I may be dead wrong, though. Humans evolve, we always have. And who knows, maybe down the road the eBook will open new doors for everyone – and not just indie authors like me. This is a journey we are all on, and I have to admit, it could be both scary and exciting at the same time. So, let’s fasten our safety belts and hang on tight!

 

I Am Going to Self-Publish…Is That a Bad Thing?

12 Saturday May 2012

Posted by Megan in Self-Publishing

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

authors, books, E-books, E-publishing, Kindle, PubIt, Smashwords

This September, I will be uploading my book onto Kindle. I will be doing this all on my own, without the use of E-publishing company and without going the traditional route.

In other words, I’ll be self-publishing. Now, is that a bad move?

One of the reasons why I am going to self-publish is because I like the idea of the control of I would have over my book, and selling and promoting it. I also didn’t like to idea of waiting a year and a half for my book to be published by a major publisher – if it reached that point.

But I am also aware of the stigma towards self-publishers. I’ve heard rumors of them producing “lousy” work filled with typos and poor grammar, that their covers are of poor quality, and overall their story just isn’t good.

Maybe there is some truth to those self-pubbed authors, but I am certain not all are like that. Go to the Absolute Writers Forum and you’ll see threads of such writers talking excitedly of their success, showing off their well designed covers and working with editors and beta readers. Of course, there are some who argue that they could’ve gone to a publisher and see even more success.

But then there’s David Gaughran who has done very well for a self-published author. He’s one of those who champions the self-published venture.

So, am I making mistake going into self-publishing? Time will tell, to be honest. It’s all up to how I promote my book, which I am completely up for. I like social media and blogging, so I wouldn’t mind doing all that work.

I don’t expect my book to be a huge hit and I’ll be the next Amanda Hocking. No, I’m being realistic about this. I may start off well and then the sales will slide significantly. That, or nothing will happen for months, and then my sales will take off out of nowhere.

I think this is the best time to self-publish. The technology allows it to happen, and as long as E-publishing does not turn into the way it is with traditional publishers (ie, the literary agents, going along with market trends), this is an exciting time for self-publishers. And I am looking forward to it!

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The Dark Proposal by Megan Cashman

Now on Kindle!

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