The World of Amanda Hocking From Amazon.com to Wal-Mart: Amanda Hocking's Blog: New Wesbite, More Info, & Happy Holidays!

Author Amanda Hocking has a brand new spanking website designed with the collaboration of St. Martin's Press that signed the author earlier this year.  The site has all the ebooks which she successfully published before signing with the press.  According to The World of Amanda Hocking, her new book is going to be released on January 3, 2012.  It will be ready for sale on the same day.  However, if you can not wait, you can pre-order the book from the above site.  "Switched" which the mega-selling selfpublished author had published in ebook format will be available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Indie Bound, Macmillan, Powell's, and Wal-Mart.

Now, that is what we are talking about.  Amanda Hocking, plucked from the followship of self-published authors who made it big by herself, can now rely on the distributing arms and power of an established press such as St. Martin's Press.  With this release, the queen of self-publishing will be able to devote much needed time to her writing.  The troubles of money will have been in a long distant past.  Amanda will be able to tap into the resources of the press for editorial works and guidance with her career.

A writer knows he/she has made it when his/her books can be found on the shelves of Wal-Mart all the country and the world.

Congratulations to Amanda!


Amanda Hocking's Blog: New Wesbite, More Info, & Happy Holidays!

The Benefits of Freemium to Kindle Owners: JA Konrath's Free eBooks Deals Three Days after Christmas

Joe Konrath is giving free holiday presents to all the owners of Kindle.  These free deals are good for a few days after the holiday.  JA Konrath knows that many of you have received gadgets such as the Kindle Fire, iPads, and Nook.  So he wants you to use them to download free ebooks.

J.A. Konrath is making 23 of his titles free on Amazon Kindle.  JA Konrath is the writer and publisher of the successful, highly trafficked blog, "A Newbie's Guide to Publishing (Jakonrath.blogspot.com).

Well, think again if you thought he was the only one who is offering these free deals to his potential readers.  He announced that Blake Crouch is doing the same
Check his free deals at Amazon Kindle too.

Now if you are interested in buying the ebooks, you can read for free from the following authors:
This author published several language books on Amazon Kindle.  You can read for free some of his titles.
Author Joseph Charles invites you to check his other titles published at <a href="http://urbanbookspublishing.blogspot.com">http://urbanbookspublishing.blogspot.com</a>

Let's Get Digital: Selfpubbing, Self-publishing and Indie Publishing News: List of Indie Authors Who Sold Thousands of eBooks per Month

Thanks to KDP.Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, bn.com/pubit, and many other sites, indie writers are finally connecting with the readers who purchase ereaders and ebooks. Indie authors have been wise enough to use this direct connection and relationship with their readers. Doing so allows them to nurture this relationship. Selfpubbed writers have found a new gold mine. As long as their stories are relevant to their target audience, they will sell ebooks. The arrival of tablets has simplified the consumption of selfpublished stories and novels in various genres.

Here is a list of top sellers of ebooks on the Kindle Amazon publishing platform. Think again if you thought that Amanda Hocking was the only mega money maker of selfpubbed ebooks. John Locke has done it his way after realizing that this was a great business idea. He even wrote the book about it.

Take a look at this monthly sales list of top Kindle indie authors:

Blake Crouch – 2500+
Nathan Lowell – 2500+
Beth Orsoff – 2500+
Sandra Edwards – 2500+
Vianka Van Bokkem - 2500+
Maria Hooley – 2500+
C.S. Marks – 2500+
Lee Goldberg – 2500+
Lexi Revellian – 4000+
Zoe Winters – 4000+
Aaron Patterson – 4000+
Bella Andre – 5000+
Imogen Rose – 5000+
Ellen Fisher – 5000+
Tina Folsom – 5000+
Terri Reid – 5000+
David Dalglish – 5000+
Scott Nicholson – 10,000+
J.A. Konrath 10,000+
Victorine Lieske – 10,000+
L.J. Sellers – 10,000+
Michael R. Sullivan – 10,000+
H.P. Mallory – 20,000+
Selena Kitt – 20,000+
Stephen Leather – 40,000+
Amanda Hocking – 100,000+

---

Purchase your copy of "You Are Your Own Publisher: The Newbie's Guide to Successful Self-Publishing" from Kindle now.

Purchase it as a Nook eBook from Barnes and Noble now.

List of Indie Authors Who Have Sold More Than 1000 eBooks a Month; Others Sold More

Amanda Hocking*
Michael Sullivan*
J.A. Konrath*
Victorine Lieske
H.P. Mallory*
Lauren Saga
Terri Reid*
Imogen Rose
Nathan Lowell*
Ellen Fisher*
Vianka Van Bokkem
David Dalglish
Sandra Edwards
C. S. Marks
Sibel Hodge
Julie Christensen
Holly A. Hook
David McAfee
Danielle Q. Lee
Valmore Daniels
Steven L. Hawk
Edward C. Patterson
William Meikle
Maria Hooley
M. Louisa Locke
Beth Orsoff*
Eric Christopherson*
Monique Martin
Ellen O'Connell
Karen Cantwell*
Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Aaron Patterson*
B. Tackitt
Bella Andre *
Blake Crouch
David McAfee
J.R. Rain
James Swain
Karen McQuestion*
L.J. Sellers
Lee Goldberg*
Lexi Revellian
Melanie Nilles
Paul Levine
Robert Burton Robinson
Robert W. Walker
Scott Nicholson*
Simon Wood
Tina Folsom*
Zoe Winters
Chris Graham
AlexisHarrington

Bear in mind that the asterisk denotes more than one book that individually sold over the 1,000 threshold (so a minimun of 2,000 sales)

LJ Sellers
David Wisehart
B. Tackitt
Vianka Van Bokkem
Maria Hooley
Tina Folsom
C.S. Marks
Melanie Nilles
Robert Burton Robinson
Bella Andre
Lexi Revellian
Michael Sullivan
Victorine Lieske
H.P. Mallory
Lauren Saga
Terri Reid
Imogen Rose
Nathan Lowell
Ellen Fisher
Vianka Van Bokkem
David Dalglish
Sandra Edwards
C. S. Marks
Sibel Hodge
Julie Christensen
Holly A. Hook
David McAfee
Danielle Q. Lee
Valmore Daniels
Steven L. Hawk
Edward C. Patterson
William Meikle
Maria Hooley
M. Louisa Locke
Beth Orsoff*
Eric Christopherson
Monique Martin
Ellen O'Connell
Karen Cantwell
Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Aaron Patterson
Zoe Winters
Karen McQuestion
JR Rain

The Secrets of Successful Self-Published Authors: John Locke, JA Konrath, Amanda Hocking and Others: Kudos to John Locke's Kindle Million Club

Kudos to John Locke who has become the first independently published author to have joined the Kindle Million Club. Locke joins Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, Suzanne Collins and Michael Connelly in the Kindle Million Club. Platforms such as Kindle Digital Publishing, PubIt, self-publishing sites such as Lulu.com, Smashwords.com and many others have given the opportunity to independent authors to compete on a level playing field with the giants of the book selling industry. John Locke said it more eloquently, “Kindle Direct Publishing has provided an opportunity for independent authors to compete on a level playing field with the giants of the book selling industry. Not only did KDP give me a chance, they helped at every turn. Quite simply, KDP is the greatest friend an author can have.”

John Locke has been working at his craft on a daily basis. He has been able to develop it to the point of wanting to help others now. He has released a new how-to marketing guide for self-publishers.

John Locke, of Louisville, KY., is the internationally bestselling author of nine novels including "Vegas Moon,” "Wish List,” "A Girl Like You,” "Follow the Stone,” "Don't Poke the Bear!" and the New York Times bestselling eBook, "Saving Rachel." Locke's latest book, "How I sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months," is a how-to marketing guide for self-published authors.

PotterMore Strikes Out Publishers and Retailers Who Complaint of eBooks Exclusivity

There is much rumbling and complaining in the publishing world with PotterMore's decision to publish J. K. Rowling's Happy Potter ebooks on the new site.

Retailers hit out at J K Rowling’s decision to sell the Harry Potter e-books directly through her Pottermore website, which will launch in October. A Pottermore spokesperson said: “Pottermore is designed to encourage the reading and re-reading of the Harry Potter books in all formats and editions, both print and digital, to both existing and new generations of readers. We think this will have a positive effect on those selling physical books as well as on sales of digital ones.”

Furthermore, the spokesperson added, “The decision to make e-books exclusive to the site was to ensure ease of availability across all reading devices and to the widest possible audience and also to support the ultimate intention of the site to be an online reading experience.”

The Kindle Million Club: Michael Connelly Joins Ranks of Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child and Suzanne Collins: Authors Who Sold More than 1 Million eBooks on Kindle

Who is Michael Connelly?

Mr. Connelly is the bestselling author of "The Lincoln Lawyer," a book that was made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey. He is a consumate storyteller as his bestselling Harry Bosh series of novels have shown over the years. His next Bosh novel is scheduled to appear in the next few months. The Drop will be his next Harry Bosh novel. He is also the New York Times best-selling author of "The Reversal," "The Scarecrow," "The Brass Verdict," and "The Fifth Witness."

Connelly's books just like any other author's books benefit from Amazon Kindle's famous "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" mission. It is better explained this way, "customers can purchase these books and read them on the third-generation Kindles that start at $114 with the new high-contrast Pearl e-ink display, as well on iPads, iPod touches, iPhones, Macs, PCs, BlackBerrys, Windows Phones and Android-based devices. Amazon's Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon, where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

With the arrival and high sales of e-readers since 2009, we can anticipate that many other writers will also benefit from getting their works published online or self-published.

When we consider that many foreign countries have not even started using the technology facilitating epublishing and ereading, we can predict a fertile field of self-publishers. No matter what, the key question will remain whether or not a writer has a story that connects with the reader. Content or story will reign for ever!

Why You Should Consider ePublishing Your Next YA Fantasy or Romance Novel

Attitudes have come a long way. Thanks God, they have also changed! Self-publishing no longer has the stigmas attached to it for a long time. Since the arrival of publishing platforms such as Lulu, Smashwords, KDP or Kindle Digital Publishing, BarnesandNoble's PubIt, many writers who would not otherwise be published have taken the plunge. If we count the success of the few millionaires, there is a lot of progress to be made and recognition to acquire in this field. We should not forget either that blogging platforms such as blogger and blogspot, livejournal, tumblr, wordpress, tripod, etc have also greatly contributed to the emergence of new works created and published on the new platforms. Many writers started blogging before taking the eleap.

Here are some of the benefits of publishing yourself:

You own the rights when you self-publish.
• You don’t have to pay an agent 15% of everything you make.
• You earn more royalties. I’ll get about $6 per copy self-published. But just $1-$2 if I had a publisher.
• Publishers decide in advance which books get the marketing dollars, and only 20 percent of any list has a major budget.
• The self-published author has total control.You can choose your own editor, your own artwork. A traditional publishing house will not give you this much control.

An author once said, "Self-publishing used to have a real stigma attached to it. To be self-published meant your work was SO BAD that not one publisher would take you seriously. But that’s just not true anymore. Readers just want a great book to read.”

Now if we look at Amazon's press release, we know that this is just a scratch of the surface

"SEATTLE, May 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- (NASDAQ:AMZN)--Amazon began selling hardcover and paperback books in July 1995. Twelve years later in November 2007, Amazon introduced the revolutionary Kindle and began selling Kindle books. By July 2010, Kindle book sales had surpassed hardcover book sales, and six months later, Kindle books overtook paperback books to become the most popular format on Amazon.com. Today, less than four years after introducing Kindle books, Amazon.com customers are now purchasing more Kindle books than all print books - hardcover and paperback - combined.

"Customers are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books. We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly - we've been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years," said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com. "In addition, we're excited by the response to Kindle with Special Offers for only $114, which has quickly become the bestselling member of the Kindle family. We continue to receive positive comments from customers on the low $114 price and the money-saving special offers. We're grateful to our customers for continuing to make Kindle the bestselling e-reader in the world and the Kindle Store the most popular e-bookstore in the world."

Recent milestones for Kindle include:

Since April 1, for every 100 print books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 105 Kindle books. This includes sales of hardcover and paperback books by Amazon where there is no Kindle edition. Free Kindle books are excluded and if included would make the number even higher.
So far in 2011, the tremendous growth of Kindle book sales, combined with the continued growth in Amazon's print book sales, have resulted in the fastest year-over-year growth rate for Amazon's U.S. books business, in both units and dollars, in over 10 years. This includes books in all formats, print and digital. Free books are excluded in the calculation of growth rates.
In the five weeks since its introduction, Kindle with Special Offers for only $114 is already the bestselling member of the Kindle family in the U.S.
Amazon sold more than 3x as many Kindle books so far in 2011 as it did during the same period in 2010.
Less than one year after introducing the UK Kindle Store, Amazon.co.uk is now selling more Kindle books than hardcover books, even as hardcover sales continue to grow. Since April 1, Amazon.co.uk customers are purchasing Kindle books over hardcover books at a rate of more than 2 to 1.
Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The U.S. Kindle Store now has more than 950,000 books, including New Releases and 109 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 790,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 69 New York Times Best Sellers. Millions of free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read on Kindle devices. More than 175,000 books have been added to the Kindle Store in just the last 5 months.

All Kindle Books let you "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" - on all generation Kindles, as well as on the largest number of devices and platforms, including iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Android-based devices, and soon HP TouchPads and BlackBerry PlayBooks. Amazon's Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon, where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle with Special Offers and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle 3G and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, and www.amazon.it. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

SOURCE: Amazon.com, Inc."

Digital Publishing or ePublishing Allows Many Writers and Books to Find Global Audience and Success: The Minting of Self-published Millionaires such as Amanda Hocking, JA Konrath, John Locke...

What is Self-publishing? What are the Self-publishing resources?

Here is the definition in case you did not realize this yet. It is open to anybody who loves to write and can publishing an ebook either on their blog or one of these publishing platforms. Use any of these platforms (listed below) and you are on your way to catch up with the likes of Amanda Hocking, HP Mallory, JA Konrath, John Locke and many others

How is it done? What do you need?

"Self-publishing is done without the involvement or vetting of an established publisher and uses a publishing system such as Lulu, Smashwords, Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing or Barnes & Noble's PubIt! Many traditional media outlets do not review self-published books."

No matter what you do and which novel publishing way you use, a good story remains the central part of the whole thing. Knowing how to tell a story, how to write and market it or promote it is very important too. For this, you can follow the leaders such as Amanda, JA Konrath, HP Mallory, John Locke etc.

What are the current hot genres or categories in self-publishing or romance fiction publishing?

Romance novels continue to sell very well. YA Urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels are doing very well. Sci-Fi continues to do very well too.

This was unheard of in the past. Self-publishing is making new millionaires. Amanda Hocking's goals are to be a billionaire. Believe it or not, she can reach her goals if her books continue to sell like hot pies. Selling they are, based on the recent reports. Amanda is the maker of her own destiny.

The Role of Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, Popular Genre, and Storyselling skills, Self-promotion (there is no other way)

Hocking credits her success to aggressive self-promotion on her blog, Facebook and Twitter, word of mouth and writing in a popular genre — her books star trolls, vampires and zombies.
And she's making money.
"To me, that was a price point that made sense for what I would be willing to spend on an e-book," says Hocking, who sets her own prices. "I use iTunes a lot, and it's 99 cents and $1.29 a song."
For every $2.99 book she sells, she keeps 70%, with the rest going to the online bookseller. For every 99-cent book she sells, she keeps 30%.
H.P. Mallory, another self-published paranormal e-novelist, has sold 70,000 copies of her e-books since July. Her success caught the attention of traditional publisher Random House, with whom she just signed a three-book contract. "Selling e-books on Kindle and Barnesandnoble.com basically changed my life," Mallory says. "I never would have gotten where I am today if I hadn't."
Others are profiting, too:
• The No. 4-selling Kindle book (it has been as high as No. 1) is The Hangman's Daughter by German novelist Oliver Potzsch.

Amanda Hocking Made It Big at St. Martin's Press: Self-published Queen, Amanda Hocking, Reigned in the NYTimes' 3 Page Article

New York Times's Strawberry Saroyan's article on the star of self-publishing is very interesting. I had a great time reading it. In the story, the NYTIMES writer talked about the major deal that Amanda signed with St. Martin's Press for $2 million. This is a great deal for the self-pubbed queen who hopes to build a $billion empire. If J.K. Rowling did it, why can't Amanda Hocking do it? After all, she is a great storyteller and storyseller. PubIt and Kindle platforms have made it possible for her.

Amanda is going to receive $2 million for her next four books in a new series she calls Watersong. St. Martin's Press will publish and market these books. The author hopes that this deal will rock the publishing world and bring her closer to reaching her goals.

In the article, Amanda Hocking is being compared to the likes of very well established writers/authors such as Nora Roberts, Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, J.K Rowling, and Stephenie Meyer. Many industry insiders and fans are saying that she is a very good writer and storyteller as shown by the series she uploaded to KDP and since sold more than $2 million worth, "Her 10 novels include the paranormal-romance “Trylle,” a four-book vampire series that begins with “My Blood Approves” and “Hollowland,” which kicks off a zombie series whose second book will come out in the fall. Her character-driven books, which feature trolls, hobgoblins and fairy-tale elements and keep the pages turning, have generated an excitement not felt in the industry since Stephenie Meyer or perhaps even J. K. Rowling. “She’s just a really good storyteller...."


You can read the whole article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/magazine/amanda-hocking-storyseller.html

How to and Where to Selfpub, ePublish Your Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Novel eBooks and Faery Tales Manuscripts

What do writers do? What do Publishers do?

Writers write. For many aspiring authors, that is the hard time. Finding or creating time to write is one of the major obstacles that any aspiring authors have to deal with these days. But the solution lies in sitting down and getting it done. Whether you do not know how to start your story or whether you have a guideline you are following, the most important thing is to start banging on this keyboard. It takes time to chart your story. Eventually, after writing so many stories, you will be able to just sit down and start a story. And whether you are writing romance novels, fairy tales or just a short-short, you will need to have the hook. What's the hook in your story? It could be the setting, the locale, the way you tell your story. It could be that one thing that makes your story or your book come alive in the mind of your readers. Keep in mind that the reader is seeking to be entertained. So go ahead and entertain him or her.

Writers write. Once you have a manuscript, you are able to start thinking about where to get it published, which famous publishing company is going to publish it. Well, my first advice to you would be to get familiar with the writings of JAkonrath.blogspot.com published on this blog. JA Konrath's blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing eBooks and Self-Publishing has become the blog to read, the blog that gives you tips and everything you need to know about the publishing industry's change.

Now that you have your manuscript, think about the selfpublishing and ebooks publishing opportunities that exist in the world these days:

Kindle Digital Publishing (kdp.amazon.com)

Barnes and Noble Pubit (bn.com/pubit)

Lulu.com

smashwords.com (highly recommended by most writers)

Your own website where you can sell your books using a Paypal account

Your own blogs where you can blog about your books. Use blogger.com or blogspot.com or wordpress.com or Tumblr.com or typepad.com etc.

Now sit down and write the greatest story that the world has ever had!

Good luck sitting down to start writing the best American novel or short story.

The Growing List of Urban Book Publishers and Agents, Paranormal Romance Publishers, YA Urban Fantasy Publishers

More and more writers are writing YA urban fantasy books. They can not keep up with the young readers who are reading them. Finding a list of good and trusted publishers is getting more and more difficult as the agents become publishers and publishers are in a period of great change. The current solution is to build a business from the ground up. Self-publishing, made possible by great algorithm and current tech gives a great solution to writers and established authors.

You will find a lot of ethnic publishers, specially black/African-American publishers, Asian publishers, Hispanic publishers and Native American publishers who are interested in receiving all kinds of submissions. Obviously, you have the large group of other publishers who accept and review all submissions. Make sure you follow their submission rules.

Here is a sample of the growing list of urban/YA/Paranormal Romance/Horror publishers. Please just know that there are many more who will be added to this list. If you want to make a recommendation of a nice publisher, write it down in the recommendation section below or the "comment area" below this post. Some of them do not accept unsolicited materials. Get familiar with their open submissions dates and deadlines.


List of Publishers You May Want to Consider: The following is only a suggestion list. You do not have to go with any of them. Read their submission guidelines and make sure you are comfortable with them.


www.smashwords.com (where ePub, industry's standard platform, reigns)

www.kdp.amazon.com (Think about the power and easiness of publishing your works on your own terms without any control from a legacy publisher. You will get %70 on books priced at $2.99 and %35 on books priced at 99 cents. Examples: Michael Connelly, Amanda Hocking, JA Konrath etc)

www.lulu.com

www.bn.com/pubit

www.scribd.com

www.decadentpublishing.com

www.blackbooksdirect.com/

www.urbanbooks.net

www.streetfiction.org

www.triplecrownpublications.com/

www.blackbookplus.com

www.kensingtonbooks.com/

www.doubleuppublishing.com/

www.blacknews.com/

www.avonromance.com/

www.hachettebookgroup.com/

www.simonandschuster.com/

EroticRomancePublishers.com Comments and Reports on the world of Erotica and Romance Publishing: Great Resource and Updated Source of Info for Romance Writers and Authors

EroticRomancePublishers.com is doing a great job reporting and commenting on the Erotica and Romance Publishing markets. It presents the markets and the publishers with related comments on what they publish. If they are accepting new manuscript submissions, you can read about them on eroticromancepublishers.com.

If you are in the Erotica and erotic romance field, this site is a great resource you should check from time to time. There is a good chance you will find what you are looking for. On EroticRomancePublishers.com, there is a resource waiting for your attention.

HP Mallory's Great Spring Deals: Hurry Up, Tell Others About Her Great Books, ONLY .99

If you know somebody who has not purchased a copy of HP Mallory's books, here is your chance to inform him/her.

Here is what she posted on her blog:
"Hello everyone!
I've decided to run a Spring sale! LOL
For four days only, all of my books are priced at just .99 each (for both Kindle and Nook!)
So, if you can think of anyone who might enjoy them, please spread the word!!
Thank you in advance,
HP"

So tell others about her books now

Some of the Top Science Fiction and Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Authors You May Have Not Read Yet

Here is a list of some of the authors I would like to interview. Find out why I am interested in them by purchasing and reading their books. You will see why I would not mind having them over for dinner.

HP Mallory, JA Konrath, John Locke

Morgan Rice Andrea Cremer
Lauren Burd Rachel Hawkins
Kailin Gow Cassandra Clare
Rachel Vincent C. C. Hunter
Melissa Marr Lisa McMann
Jenna Black Maggie Stiefvater
Carrie Jones Alyson Noel
Lauren Kate Kimberly Derting


Amanda Hocking L. J. Smith
Rachel Caine Melissa Marr
Kailin Gow Carrie Jones
Richelle Mead Lili St. Crow
P. C. Cast Ellen Schreiber
Kristin Cast Chloe Neill
Lauren Burd Cassandra Clare
Melissa de la Cruz Andrea Cremer

JA Konrath Makes an Offer to Indie Stores: Become Publishers Like Amazon.com

How can you boycott the books of such a great writer? Do not hate such a classic guy!

JA Konrath signed with Thomas and Mercer. And a group of booksellers threaten to boycott and return some of his books. The problem is that the indie publishers are realizing that Amazon is making huge gains on their territory.

Keep in mind that JA Konrath has been wroking greatly with the booksellers. According to his own recollection, he does not consider himself the enemy they are portraying him to be. He has been very grateful to the booksellers. This is what he wrote on his own blog, "a Newbie's guide to publishing"

"So signing a deal with Amazon makes me the enemy of bookstores?

Me, who has signed at over 1200 bookstores? Who has thanked over 1500 booksellers by name in the acknowledgements of my novels? Who has named five major characters in my series after booksellers?"


So the author and co-author Joe want to make a deal to the Indie stores that they should not turn down.

"Between Joe and I, we have over twenty book-length works available. If you'd like to publish any of them and sell them out of your store, contact us. We'll give you an 85% royalty, send you our already formatted interiors and covers, and you can print and sell as many as you'd like. Or we can do the printing, and ship them to you signed, and give you the same 40% discount the major NY Publishers give you per book.

These are trade paperbacks, 9"x6", priced at $13.95.

Our titles include:
65 Proof (Collected Stories)
Shot of Tequila
Disturb
Trapped
Endurance
Origin
The List
Suckers
Jack Daniels Stories (Collected Stories)
Horror Stories (Collected Stories)
Flee
Draculas
Banana Hammock
Run
Desert Places
Locked Doors
Serial Uncut
Killers Uncut
Famous
Serial Killers Uncut
Fully Loaded (Collected Stories)
Thicker Than Blood"

Just like any writer, JA Konrath's goals are to write books that his fans want and to make a decent living doing so. Who can be against such a prolific writer?

By the way, here is a list of the books (novels) written by this great contemporary author: (Search on Google or Amazon with their ISBN)

Endurance (2010) - Under the pseudonym Jack Kilborn ISBN 1453885684
Trapped (2010) - Under the pseudonym Jack Kilborn ISBN 1453806024
Shaken (2010) - 7th in Jack Daniels series
Cherry Bomb (2009) - 6th in Jack Daniels series
Afraid (2008) - Under the pseudonym Jack Kilborn
Fuzzy Navel (2008) - 5th in Jack Daniels series ISBN 1401302807
Dirty Martini (2007) - 4th in Jack Daniels series ISBN 1401302793
Rusty Nail (2006) - 3rd in Jack Daniels series ISBN 140130088X
Bloody Mary (2005) - 2nd in Jack Daniels series ISBN 0786890746
Whiskey Sour (2004) - 1st in Jack Daniels series ISBN 078689072X

Find out more on the author's blog

All The Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Books Written by Amanda Hocking: "Virtue" is Her Recent Release

Remember that you can find all of Amanda Hocking's books at Amazon.com, KDP.amazon.com. If you have not read any of her books, today is the right day to get started on this exhilarating journey, an escapade like no others. Make sure to stop time for a few hours!

The author wrote, "All three books in her Trylle Trilogy are available now and were recently optioned for a film. The first four books in her vampire series - My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, and Wisdom are out, along with Letters to Elise, a novella about Peter. Hollowland is the first book in the young adult dystopian series The Hollows...."

Amanda has just released "Virtue" on Amazon for $2.99. You can purchase it now.



My Blood Approves

Fate (My Blood Approves)

Flutter (My Blood Approves)

Switched (Trylle Trilogy)

Torn (Trylle Trilogy)


Ascend (Trylle Trilogy)

Wisdom

Hollowland

A letter to Elise

Ethnic, OtherWorld, Real-World Booklet in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole: Vwala Se Te Yon Fwa (Once Upon a Time...)

Short Conversations & Dialogues in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole: Vwala Se Te Yon Fwa

Get a copy "Vwala Se Te Yon Fwa...." at Smashwords.com now.

Get a copy of "Short Conversations and Dialogues: Vwala Se Te Yon Fwa" as a Nook Book(ebook)

Purchase your copy of "Short Conversations and Dialogues in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole: Vwala Se Te Yon Fwa"

The Roles of e-Readers such as Kindle, Nook, iPad and Self-Publishing Platforms such as KDP Amazon, BN.com/Pubit, Lulu, SmashWords etc in the New Publishing Revolution

The state of the publishing industry is fine. As more and more book buyers and readers are embracing technology,writers and publishers will have to follow suite and meet their customers where they are. These days, everyone knows that the book readers can be found reading their e-readers which can be a Kindle, a Nook, or an iPad to name just a few. The impact of technology on the publishing industry begins to come to fruition. From mom and pop bookshops to large conglomerates and indie publishing companies, everyone is paying attention and is trying hard to adjust and adapt to the changing times.

Indeed, the operative word is change. The publishing industry has known a lot of changes over the years. The changes brought the adoption of technology in the last few years have made it possible for writers to focus on developing their craft and telling great stories which can be published in various new formats and media. UrbanBookBlogger.Blogspot.com wants to chronicle the new ways that writers are using technology to connect with their readers. For sure, today's technology makes it possible to publish a book in a matter of minutes. Preparing the manuscript still requires a lot of time. It is still led by the writer's inspiration and creative skills. That is a luxury that the modern tech has allowed the writers to concentrate on developing his or her craft.


Julie Bosman of the New York Times summarizes the changes this way "Authors are shrugging off publishers to self-publish their work. Publishers are advancing into retail. Barnes & Noble is getting deeper into the gadget business, and Amazon is stepping into publishing.."

We must say that the days of disdain of the self-published authors are long gone. Technological advances in the areas of publishing platforms such as Lulu.com, Kindle, Nook eBook, Smashwords.com, and others show how readers can download their books right in the comfort of their homes.

The competition of prices that exists among the providers of e-readers is good for the consumers and buyers of the e-books. Amazon.com does not want to be left behind. In fact, it is on top with its assortment of Kindle e-readers. Barnes and Noble has just released its Nook Color. Well, Apple has its inconic iPad and iphone devices.

Many industry insiders are predicting that as digital is going global at a very fast rate, the publishing industry will benefit hugely. The devices that are common these days in the United States and many first-world countries or in the hands of those who can afford them have not reached the masses of say- India, Latin America, and Africa-. In one word, once these same devices are found in most places on the planet, there is going to be a huge demand for e-books that can delivered in local languages. Obviously, languages such as English, Spanish, French, Danish, German, Japanese and others will have a head start because of the early arrival and adoption of this cutting-edge technology. Must we say that it is going the times when being able to connect with readers in their native tongues will be very beneficial for the authors who speak more than one languages!

With self-publishing platforms such as Kindle, PubIt, and many blog platforms such as Blogger, blogspot, wordpress, etc, writers will be able to connect and nurture their clients' base, the readers.

The role of social media: The book professionals as well as the writer/author/publisher/self-published will have to incorporate the tools that are made readily available by the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Any self-respecting writers or agents or publishers must have these accounts. For those who have not been able to make sense of these new tools, they can attend conferences with titles such as these: "“Twitter Fundamentals for Book Professionals” and “How eBooks Will Save the Book: Putting Storytelling and Creation at the Center of Publishing..."

What is clear is that the stories or the content will reign as kings. The methods of delivery and making them accessible to the readers will occupy a special place in the new publishing industry.

What Are the Huge Sales Numbers Saying About Amanda Hocking, HP Mallory, JA Konrath, and John Locke's eBooks?

The number of ebooks sold by the women writers such as HP Mallory and Amanda Hocking tells us that more and more people are reading ebooks using all kinds of media. They are using their web browser to purchase, download and read ebooks from the likes of Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, web sites, blogs and various other indie sites. What is clear is that not only are men and women are reading these books, they are churning them out as fast as possible. It is a new boom of writers and readers united by the platform on which they write and read.

Some readers choose to read on their laptops or desktops. More and more readers are using their smartphones and e-readers such as iPad and Kindle. So far, the number of iPads and Kindle sold is a true reflection of the new segment of the technology-savvy market. Well-known authors such as Amanda Hocking, HP Mallory, JA Konrath, and John Locke will tell you that technology has helped them sell quite a few books. Let us agree that they have sold beaucoup de livres (many books). This new phenomenon is only in this country. It is all over the world. The technological gains made by the industry appear to have left the traditional publishing companies way behind. Many of them are playing the catch up games right now. With a good story and direct access to their customers (say readers), Amanda Hocking and John Locke have been able to sell untold numbers of books.

To answer the question asked in the title of this post, more and more women are sinking their teeth in a genre of books made popular by the likes of J. K Rowlins, Stephenie Meyer.


We are talking about the paranormal novels or paranovels, the science fiction, light or dark fantasy books that most women have been reading. We must also add the fairy tales that are very popular these days.

Urban fantasy was created by those who want to claim their unique sense of power in this economy that leaves many people jobless. Many women have lost their jobs. They want to be productive. They do not want to lose their power. Call it escapism from this harsh reality or what not. Reading the urban fantasy books takes their minds off the grittiness of life for a few hours. No wonder that urban fantasy books are doing very well.

Where else can young adults and women of all ages can transform themselves in the pages of their books for a few days or weeks?

What is urban fantasy?

Urban fantasy is an interesting mix of science fiction, fantasy, romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal. Many of us who write science fiction and urban fantasy or paranormal books will tell you that they are not for everybody.


Urban fantasy novels about vampires, werewolves, zombies, supernatural creatures, blood and romance are booming, and women are sinking their teeth into them in ravenous numbers.

Why do teens devour these books?

Well, let's let this superb writer answer the question: "Vampires are super sexy. Vampires and teens have a lot in common. Teens have surging hormones, vampires have surging blood lust. Teenagers think they're immortal," she said.

From the craziness that exists in the celebrity world and how people worship stars, we can have an idea of what it is like to be young, sexy and powerful. Everybody wants this combination of attributes even if it is just for a few hours. "To be young and beautiful and have power forever is pretty alluring in this society,' she added.

John Locke, The King of 99 Cents eBooks and the International Bestselling Self-Published Author

John Locke @Donovancreed is the author of 7 fast-paced novels. He has written books that people really want to read. No wonder that every minute one of his books is downloaded somewhere on earth. It has been reported that every 7 seconds, twenty four hours a day, a John Locke novel is downloaded somewhere in the world. Wow! That is so amazing for a guy who used to sell insurance and always dreamed about writing. The saying about every American is walking around and dreaming about writing his/her novel rings true with John Locke.
"All seven of Locke’s previous books have made the Amazon/Kindle Best Seller’s List at the same time! He’s had five books in the Top 10 at the same time, including #1 and #2!"

Here is a list of his books: Lethal People, Lethal Experiment, Saving Rachel, Now & Then, Wish List, a Girl Like You, Vegas Moon

Here is the review of one of his books:

"Vegas Moon - 7th Book in Series: In order to save his own life, Donovan Creed signs on as bodyguard to the most famous gambler in Las Vegas history, Jim “Lucky” Peters. Lucky, worth millions, has hit a losing streak and must raise a lot of cash in a short period of time from some of the world’s creepiest people. It doesn’t take long for Creed to learn that the person who holds the key to his survival is none other than Lucky’s smokin’ hot wife, Gwen, who has secrets of her own. Preliminary reviewers term Vegas Moon “Hilarious!” “Uproarious!” “Funniest book in the series!” With Vegas Moon, “Locke hasn’t just hit a home run, he’s hit it over the fence, out of the park, and into the comedy hall of fame!”

So far, Saving Rachel, Vegas Moon, and a Girl Like You are some of my favorite books.

Switched by Amanda Hocking is my current Read: Read this Sample and Purchase Your Copy Today

Familiarize Yourselves with the Characters of the Netherworld, Otherworld, and Underworld Found in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Novels

Here is what you will most likely find in most Urban Fantasy books:

The settings:  Modern-day shopping centers such as malls, cafe, dancehalls, clubs, fitness centers, airports or any other places you may imagine.  Think about major metropolitan areas such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Paris, France, England etc.  Think about and contrast the New World vs. the Old World. 

The characters will contain some variation of the following:  Zombies, Ninjas, Pirates, Vampires, and Trolls, Fairy tales, fairy stories, all fairy tales,

The Terms:  Netherworld, borderland, aliens, otherworld, impossible love, battle between the forces of Good and evil etc.

The Urban Fantasy Author and Titles Most Contempoaries Know About: J.K. Rowlings and Her Harry Potter Series

The Harry Potter book series:

• Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Welcome to UrbanFantasyPublishing: This is Where You Can Find The Hottest Romance Novels and Urban Fairy Tales

Welcome to UrbanFantasyPublishing, The OtherWorld Romance Novel and eFairy Tales Publishing!

Those of us who are familiar with this subset of the romance category know it is made popular mostly by Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman and Emma Bull.  In many areas, it is referred to as "fanfiction, surrealist stories, faeries, fairy tales."  All of us will agree that this genre is mostly populated by the faeries and denizens of the otherworlds where ordinary things, people, and objects take on a much larger significance. 

Many critics and literary luminaries say that this genre, created around the 1980s represents the boundaries and borderland separating the known world from the supernatural, fantastic and unknown worlds.  This is why we feel so interested in finding out, exploring what else may lie there, anywhere out there.

With Urban Fantasy Publishing, our readers will be able to relate to the settings, environment which the characters inhabit.  We find some of these famous characters in Tolkien's Middle Earth.  His and other fantasy books such as The Lord of the Rings represent some of the best in the field. Human beings have always been attracted to faeries and elves, vampires and zombies, werewolves and trolls etc.  The most interesting thing that urban fantasy does is to place these characters in our contemporary, modern worlds.

In UrbanFantasyPublishing, we will be focusing mostly on shapeshifting, future borderworlds, vampires and otherworld creatures and denizens.  We want to release books that will interest the Young Adult categories.  In the end, we want to publish books that most readers can enjoy.

UrbanfantasyPublishing Feeds: Read the alternate top publishing news