Hot New Author: Robert Craven

Today I’m thrilled to welcome Robert Craven to HOT NEW AUTHORS, a brand spanking new feature on my blog. I’ve been pestering him for weeks to let me know the release date for his fab new spy thriller, Get Lenin, and now here it is! Yay!

                           Available from Amazon

So Robert, what will readers like about Get Lenin?

What readers will get is adventure, espionage & both the horror & the glamour of the 1930's as the story unfolds into WW2 through the eyes of the main character Eva Molenaar.

What inspired you to write the novel?

I grew up loving the books of Alastair Maclean, Fredrick Forsyth, Jack Higgins and John Le Carre. I came across a book called 'Lenin's Embalmers' about 10yrs ago which told the story of Lenin's mausoleum shipping in its entirety to the Urals in the face of the German army advance. Then a bulb went off in my head that went 'what would happen if...'

Do you have any other favorite authors?

As well as those mentioned above I love Cormac MaCarthy, Arthur Miller, Robert Ludlum and Martin Cruz Smith. Irish authors Roddy Doyle, John McGahern, Frank O'Connor and Brendan Behan.

And are there any new works in the pipeline?

I have almost completed the sequel, but mindful of how Get Lenin does. I have pitched to Night Publishing a semi-autobiographical work called 'Vocals preferred, own transport essential'. I was a musician in Dublin in the late 1980's to the mid 1990's and would jot down incidents and stories along the way. It needs a lot of work and is more of a long-term project.

Finally, can you tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

I've a pathological hatred of mime artists.

I'm with you on that last point! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us and I'd like to wish you massive success with Get Lenin. It's a great read.

How do you Promote your Novel?

For those of you who don't know, I've written a paranormal romance called Hidden. I uploaded it to Kindle just under a couple of months ago and, to my surprise, it started selling. Most of the initial sales were to friends and family (thank you!), but when the friends ran out, complete strangers started to buy it. I've sold almost 200 copies to people I don't know. As an unknown author, I don't think that number is too shabby. I've kept my pricing modest, but not too low at $2.99. It's not any where near Amanda Hocking levels or even Jake Barton, but it's exceeded my expectations.

However, it does freak me out on many levels. I swing between: they're all going to hate it, to, wow! 

I don't know how people are coming across my book. Are they searching on Google or Kindle? Is it being recommended? I'm trying to cover all the bases so far as promotion is concerned, but there doesn't seem to be enough of me to go around. Here's some of what I've managed to do in the way of promotion so far:

TAGGING
I've tagged my book on Amazon. Not just the odd keyword, but I've really tried to think how people might search for my type of book. Like: 'vampire', 'paranormal romance', 'supernatural' - those are fine for my genre, but if someone's searching for a book, they might also type in: 'books with vampires' or 'vampire ebooks'. Also, I looked at the more successful books in my genre and copied their tags.

FORUMS
I occasionally chat on the forums - Kindleboards, Amazon, Goodreads etc - without promoting my book every two seconds. This is really hard to do (for me anyway). I always want to talk about my book, but it would probably annoy them if I were to constantly shove my title in their face. So I try to hold back and just chat, have a laugh, be helpful and hopefully, other forum users might check out my profile and book.
Note to self: I must be more active on the forums.

BLOGGING
I'm a lazy blogger. My new resolution is to share my publishing experiences with other writers. And if this has the added benefit of raising my profile, then it's all good!

LINKS
The more links you have pointing towards your website/book page, the better your search results will be on Google. So try and get your links in as many places as poss.

GOODREADS
This is a great place to have a profile. You get a book page like this and you can apply for an author page, like this.

I also use the 'Listopia' function and have added Hidden to the relevant lists. Eg: 'Best YA', 'What to read after Twilight' etc. I'm hoping this will boost visibility.

BOOK REVIEWS
Try to get a few good reviews on Amazon/Goodreads/ Smashwords etc. If you know someone who's read your book, plead with them to put a review up for you. Most people who browse for books like to know what other people think and it could definitely sway them to buy yours. There are also a lot of book bloggers out there who will write an honest review in return for a free copy of your book. I've compiled a comprehensive list on Twitter called Brilliant Book Bloggers.

TWITTER
I tweet my latest reviews, releases etc. But that can get tedious for others, so try to intersperse your tweets with some sparkling wit and interesting news. Or, if you're anything like me, the odd rant/moan.

FACEBOOK
I've given Hidden its own Facebook Page where I can keep people updated about new books in the series, new formats, trailers etc. Once I reached 25 fans for my page, I was able to choose which name I posted with: Either Shalini Boland or Hidden (Marchwood Vampire Series). This gives you the added benefit of posting on other Facebook pages using your book name and image.

This list isn't anywhere near finished yet, but I'm dying for a cup of coffee, so I'll carry on later ...

UPDATE: Sorry, it's taken me a few weeks to finish my coffee, but I'll revisit this soon x

Hidden #SampleSunday

He felt the drumming of the earth, the heartbeat of all humankind in his bones and blood, in his skin and soul. It sang a song that he had known forever and in that instant everything became clear. He knew the reason for it all; the key to life and it was so obvious. How could he not have known this simple truth before now?

And then as suddenly as it had come, it left. His beating heart slowed, the song faded and the knowledge slipped away like an elusive memory refusing to come to mind. He felt a devastating loss, worse than if his dearest love had died.

A heavy melancholy descended, so profound he felt as though he should like to sleep for a thousand years. In the cold darkness, tears rolled down his face and stung his cheeks like acid. He closed his eyes and tried not to think. It hurt to think.

It hurt.

God, it hurt.

Like the skin being stripped from his body. He could not breathe and his eyes burned white hot with a searing pain.

He tried to speak but his throat constricted, closed shut. Was he in hell? Was this the fate he deserved? Please, God, no! Help me! he silently screamed. Save me! I promise … I promise anything. I will do anything. Just please … make … it … STOP.

HIDDEN on Amazon

Mega Excitement for Mini Trailer

I've got a new mini trailer for Hidden, my paranormal vampire adventure and I'm so in love with it that I had to post it here. B. Lloyd from AuthorsAnon created it and I think she's done a top job. Thank you, B!


And the other cool thing is that KindleObsessed put it on her website as one of five trailers that should persuade you to part with your money.

Is it me?

Is it me, or does everybody in the publishing industry seem to be obsessed with voice, perspective, style and rules?

Do you read for enjoyment or do you read for ‘the experience’? Do you look for a great story or a great ‘voice’?

Personally, I love to get swept away in a consuming story with characters I care about. Voice is secondary. I do admire the cleverness of a novel written in an original way, but these days I’d rather lose myself in a character’s struggle, than have my breath taken away by stunning prose.

Maybe it’s because I’m a busy mum with too much crap rattling around in my head. As I get older, my tolerance for culture is dwindling. In my twenties I was always up for watching a clever art house film, or listening to an experimental Mercury Music award winner. Now, I revel in paranormal romance, sci fi blockbusters and a bit of Paulo Nutini.

The gatekeepers of the publishing industry all talk about voice as if it is the only thing that matters. They’re constantly searching for authors who tell stories in new and inventive ways. But maybe they’re missing the point. Surely, for most, reading is a form of entertainment - a comfort or an escape.

Is this obsession with voice a prestige thing? A form of snobbery? Or is it really the way to move the publishing industry forward? A way to generate buzz and keep the mystique of literature. A publisher's ‘Finest’ range, made with organic, speciality ingredients. But sometimes the only thing that’s really going to hit the spot is a plate of curly fries.

Authonomy Showcase

Name                
Shalini Boland (Screen name: trainspotter)

Location
Dorset

Occupation
Mum/Songwriter

How long have you been on authonomy?
I joined in 2009, but didn’t start using the site until about 6 months ago.

How do you use the site – are you a reader or a writer?I’m a writer. When I first joined authonomy, I wanted people to tell me how wonderful my book was and for an agent or publisher to snap it up. Then I got a reality check in the form of some serious ...

Read more: http://blog.authonomy.com/2010/12/authonomy-showcase-shalini-boland.html