Authors Electric

When it comes to ebooks, unless you sell by reputation, it’s often accepted that there’s an order of things by which people might be persuaded to buy your book. Impress your potential reader with all 3 and you’ll likely have a sale: 1.        Cover 2.        Blurb 3.        Sample A cover is what generally first attracts the reader.   For my first attempt at my first ebook,   Hamelin’s Child , I didn’t have a clue. I had a lovely image designed by a talented friend of mine which worked well as a big image but not so well at thumbnail   (Pete also did the cover for my short story collection, Maniac , which works beautifully and I absolutely love). I subbed Hamelin’s Child to Criminal-E - an interview/review site run by crime writer, agent & editor Al Guthrie. Al kindly told me the cover didn’t work, but he introduced me to his designer JT Lindroos and held my hand ...

My ebook of sample chapters  Attention all parents! It struck me the other day that there's a simple answer to the constant parental dilemma What Books To Buy To Get The Kids Reading. Sure, you could stick with what's in Sainsbury's, or Waterstones, or the review sections of the Sunday papers, but don't forget that these are all required by law to feature only children's books which have a name you've already heard of on the cover. There's a far better alternative: yes, the good ol' Kindle! Give your kid a Kindle, or download the Kindle app for their iPod or smartphone, and let them loose in the wonderful world of SAMPLES. They can try the first chapters of dozens, hundreds, thousands of books, and all for free. Even the pickiest of readers is certain to find something they like! Since I've had a Kindle, I've definitely widened the range of stuff I read, all because I can download a couple of chapters at the press of a button. N...