New Cover Coming Soon For Bride By Design
First things first, due to unforeseen circumstances, Catherine Lynn and I have to change the cover of our anthology, Bride by Design. I know. It’s a bummer, but sometimes things happen, and you have to be flexible. I’ll post the new cover when it’s done.
Will Be Experimenting With Videos
I’m nervous, but excited, about this idea, but I think it’s worth trying out. I have a couple ideas in mind. One is to do a Facebook Party for an hour and then move on to a live video where people can ask me questions and get answers directly. The video will be one way. I’ll be the only one on screen, but there will be a chat program on the side of the screen where people can ask me whatever is on their mind. Since I am incredibly shy and awkward when I’m doing new things, I have asked Janet Syas Nitsick to join me because she’s experienced with giving presentations. (Janet and I live in the same town, so it’s easy for us to get together in the same room to do videos.)
Janet and I are also looking at doing some videos over on Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors. We’d like to start with short segments, and once we get familiar with the chat option, we will start small and work our way up.
In the next month, we’ll be experimenting with a sight I just signed up to do these video presentations. I’m looking forward to trying something new. It might work or it might not. But I’ll never know unless I try.
Email List
If you are currently receiving emails from me via MailChimp when I have a new release out, you are already on my list. There’s no need to fill out the form.
If you would like to be notified when I have a new release out, please fill out the form below, and I’ll put the information into MailChimp. I find MailChimp is easier to use than manually putting in email addresses or trying to use my address book on Yahoo. (Long story short, Yahoo thinks I’m spamming and limits how many I can email at a time. MailChimp doesn’t.)
I’m trying to look for extra things to add to the new release email. So far, ideas like a special discount for a past book to use at Smashwords or doing a scene prior to the start of the new release (that won’t be available on this blog) have come to mind. I want to add something special if you’re on my list instead of always putting in a bunch of links.
So if you have other ideas, please let me know. I can only use one idea per email because of time restraints. I still have to take care of the family. 🙂 So this will have to be simple.
I forgot to add, I will only email you when there’s a new release out. I don’t believe in spamming anyone.
Ruth Ann Nordin's Author Blog 
Let me know how that video thing goes. I’ve always wanted to do something like that.
Speaking of MailChimp. Did you get the first newsletter I sent? I don’t remember anyone telling me they got it. I think it was a Happy New Year or something. 🙂
That’s a bummer about changing covers. I know Catherine is upset. Oh, wait. I guess that’s because she’s me. LOL
I will. I plan to play with it next week after the Author Marketing Live online event is over.
I did get your MailChimp newsletter. 🙂
I’m really upset, but it’s worth changing now and getting one that will work better with branding my pen name. That was a great cover. *sigh* I’m glad we caught it now before the book published. I’d hate to go back and redo it then.
I look forward to those videos. I want to do some videos myself someday.
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a couple years. It’s just getting the courage to do them that’s the hard part. 🙂 But I was thinking they might be fun to do, so this year, I’m going to take the plunge and do some. Do you have any topics you’d like me to cover?
Good question. Maybe if sex scenes are necessary. Also sites that you can put your books on. Things that people will find helpful, I guess.
I can answer this with one word: no. 🙂 The long answer is sex should only be used if it advances the plot, but this is the case with any scene in a story. If during sex, one of the characters learns something new about themselves or the person they’re with, then I would say it adds to the plot. If it hinders or advances the relationship somehow, then it can be used, too. When sex scenes don’t do anything to add to the growth of the characters, I see no reason to use it. I’d say the same thing about violence, too. If violence shows the reader how cruel a character is, then it should be used. I did this with a story where a man beat a woman so hard she threw up and lost a couple teeth. Sex scenes work the same way, just in the direction of love, unless the sex scene is showing how abusive someone is sexually. Then that would be akin to violence. It all depends on your purpose.
When you talk about putting books on sites, are you talking about where to sell them? I can only think of a very small number of sites to advertise them on.
I guess you’re right.
I’m glad this was brought up. I’m reading a book right now about people staying in a haunted house, and I thought it was supposed to just be scary, but now there’s explicit sex in it, and I find myself skimming so I can get back to the real plot.
In a case like that, I’d skim the scene, too. As a rule, no matter what the scene, if it doesn’t add to the plot, it should be thrown out.
Enjoy the updates. Ajgreer1979@aol.com
Thanks!
Would you like me to add this email to my newsletter? I want to make sure I have your permission before doing it.
We are taking deep breaths and entering new territory with these videos which is exciting but also a little daunting. God bless.
I figure we’ll start with little snippets that will be like a “Tip of the Week” where it’s no more than five minutes. Ideally, 2-3 minutes. We’ll see how things go. I’m going to ask for some questions to get us started.