Important Perspectives on #Book #Reviews for #Authors

05/16/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Let me say first how grateful I am to each of the mostly self-selected, unsolicited and all UNPAID reviewers, most of whom I never met or heard of prior to their reviewing my book. Each of them gave a lot of their time and consideration and most read (or said they read) the whole book. THANK YOU, Book Reviewers!

I especially thank those who review indie, first-time, ebook authors of sci-fi (hardly any do!).

I am a newly self-published, indie author of mixed genre ebooks. Right there, that puts my book into five categories that disfavor me in the reviews department.

Then, add that my genres are

science-fiction/romance/paranormal/multiverse/utopian/speculative fiction

and that my audience is also mixed:

adults, new and young adults

and we begin to understand how my first ebook, This Changes Everything, Volume I of The Spanners Series, could get a variety of responses and reviews.

To date (about 6 months after publication), TCE has 13 reviews on Amazon and a few elsewhere. These reviews break down roughly like this:

5-Stars: 25%

4-Stars: 25%

3-Stars: 25%

2-Stars: 0%

1-Star: 25%
Did Not Finish (also gave it 1-star or 3-stars, by the way): 2%, which adds up to 102%, since these are duplicates

My summary: About one-quarter of these reviewers loved my book (5 Stars); about one-quarter hated it (1 Star). Most reviewers were mixed, with the predominant attitude’s being positive (50% gave it 3 or 4 Stars) rather than negative (no 2-Stars and 25% 1 Star).

What could any author conclude from this? NOT MUCH!

Just to get some perspective, check out some well-known authors’ book review stats, for first volumes or breakout books, on Amazon: Robert Heinlein, J.K. Rowling, and Hugh Howey.

Robert Heinlein‘s Stranger in A Strange Land (his “breakout” and most popular full-length, sci-fi novel, and one of my all-time favorites/inspirations), has about 870 reviews on Amazon for this book.

5 Stars: 57%

4 Stars: 14%

3 Stars: 13%

2 Stars: 9%

1 Star: 8%

My summary: More than half loved it (5 Stars). About half were less than enthusiastic, with about one-quarter liking it (3 and 4 Stars), and almost one-fifth disliking it (2 and 1 Stars).

What did one of Heinlein’s 1-Star reviewers have to say about this much-revered book? “I know it’s one of the classics, and supposedly one of the best sci-fi novels of all time, but I actually got so bored at parts of this book that I started skimming somewhere in the middle it.”

How about J.K. Rowling‘s first volume of the renowned Harry Potter series, The Sorcerer’s Stone? How is this book doing? It has about 8500 reviews. Unsurprisingly, this book has garnered about 10 times the number of reviews as Heinlein’s (published in 1968).

5 Stars: 85%

4 Stars: 10%

3 Stars: 3%

2 Stars: 1%

1 Star: 1%

My summary: Overwhelmingly adored (95% gave it 4 or 5 Stars), this book still has detractors. Even J.K. Rowling, one of the most successful and beloved authors of all time, can’t please about 3% – 5% of these reviewers (1, 2 and 3 Stars).

One of Rowling’s first volume’s 1-Star reviewers who actually reviewed the book after seeing the movies (and was not caught up in slamming its purchase, which apparently was a problem with the Kindle and print versions), wrote: “How did this *ever* become such a phenomenon? I mean, if I think it through I can see why it became what it became but it was definitely not for the writing! The writing was soooooooo pedestrian I found myself embarrassed while reading it!”

What about an Amazon’s “top 10 Best-Selling Author,” Hugh Howey‘s Wool? It has about 1750 reviews.

5 Stars: 64%

4 Stars: 21%

3 Stars: 8%

2 Stars: 4%

1 Star: 3%

My summary:Well, these stats start to look more like a mid-way place between my first ebook’s review stats and Robert Heinlein’s, above, don’t they? Howey’s first volume garnered almost two-thirds of adoring (5 Stars) reviewers, but still has about 15% who disliked or are lukewarm about it (1, 2 and 3 Stars), with about one-fifth liking it but not loving it (4 Stars).

One of Howey’s 1-Star reviewers echoed my sentiments about his book (which I couldn’t even finish because I disliked it so much): “Another depressing ‘humans living underground following apocalypse / collapse of society / alien invasion / zombie epidemic, but with a really cruel. nasty plot twist right at the end.’ I had to eat a lot of chocolate to get over it.”

Moral of my post? Appreciate ALL reviews, thank the reviewers, post your own reviews and don’t take any of them too seriously.

Best to you all, authors and reviewers!

Weak Sisters

05/15/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Thanks, Janice Wilberg! I was very disturbed by the FLOTUS’ viral photo holding the sign, but you articuated WHY I was disturbed. I love an intelligent, long-overdue, excellent, feminist RANT! You ROCK!

Red's Wrap

I’ve so had it with all this oppressive sexist bullshit. It is never ending. The men whose sole mission in life is to rule the world from the high end of every woman’s uterus, the criminals who steal girls to taunt the world so everyone from the First Lady on down holds up a stupid hashtag sign as if the Boko Haram gives a flying fuck about hashtags or public opinion, the editor of the New York Times getting canned because she had a beef about salary equity are all just more junk and debris in a crammed, filthy river that has been running through civilization from the beginning of fucking time.

And we are so used to all of this that we can’t fire up the juice to get mad anymore. And by mad, I mean red rage, unreasonable rage, indescribable rage, indignation, resentment, and fury.

Like frogs in…

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Jumping Ship, by Janice Ross

05/15/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

One of my ebooks’ ‘author/reviewers, interviewed here: Congrats, Janice G Ross!

Nicholas C. Rossis

You may remember Janice Ross as the author of Loving Nate. She has kindly agreed to be interviewed here as part of her blog tour for her new book, Jumping Ship; an introductory novella to the Island Hopping Series.

About Jumping Ship

The year was nineteen seventy-five. Barren couple, Pearl and Edward Riley stumbled upon a newborn baby girl. Her cries could only be heard by a true mother, which Pearl immediately became. Bundled up with their new child, they discovered a parcel of artifacts and a scribbled note that read: Sakkara.

Pregnant seamstress, Petrina Dugal, became a runaway at the age of twenty-six. She ran away from a brutish husband, Roger, and a well-loved South American home in Georgetown, Guyana; at the heart of her rebellion – an enigmatic lover named Michael Chen. Pet and Mikey, as they became affectionately known, allowed love to blossom in front of…

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The Anguish of Posting a 2-Star Review of a Colleague’s Book

05/14/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

As an #Indie #Author, I am keenly sensitive to the ways we are each other’s main support. We have no publishing house, no “team” dedicated to our book unless we gather that team ourselves and pay them individually. Because of this, I have made it a point to join groups on Facebook, Google+ and elsewhere in the blogosphere of fellow indie authors, bloggers and reviewers in order to support one another and be part of a “team.”

Some of these teams are better than others, and I have left a couple of them already (in less than a few months of membership) due to a lack of the very support I joined to acquire. However, some are excellent. #RaveReviewsBookClub is one of those. Its founder, president and fellow author, Nonnie Jules, and the team she has gathered to moderate and administrate the site and its activities (which are many!) are top-notch.

RRBC GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS:

President – @nonniejules

V. President & Mentor Program Director – @bruceaborders

Secretary & Blog Tour Host Co-Ordinator – @mlh42812

Membership Director – @kathrynctreat

PR/Marketing Director – @DanicaCornell

Newsletter Co-Ordinator – @sharrislaughter

Reviews Co-Ordinator – @voiceofindie

“SPOTLIGHT” Author Consultant – @TeriGarringer

I highly recommend joining this FREE group if you are an indie author wanting to get and provide reviews and other types of support: Nonnie’s own site (which leads to the RRBC site) is: http://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com/

I belong to several other great Facebook groups: Clean Indie Reads, Amazon Author Support, Female Writers, Science-Fiction Romance Brigade, Gutsy Indie Publishers, eNovel Authors at Work, and more. Many have their own blog or websites and activities beyond Facebook cross-postings and support.

On Google+, I have recently joined several groups that I appreciate. Except for #BookMarketingTools, which provides biweekly Google On Air tools and info shows called “The Author Hangout,” hosted by Shawn Manahar (@ShawnManaher), I am not yet “known” or know many members since I’m not very active, yet.

I am “in” many groups on Goodreads and LinkedIn, but mostly as a reader or sometimes visiting poster/”liker”. Not active, often, as an author, yet. Very much appreciate the tips, tools, ideas and support these offer, regardless of how often I visit, comment or post.

All this is by way of saying: I am anguished to have to post a low rating and poor review of a fellow club member’s indie book. But, I just did. I had to. I do not do many reviews mostly because I am usually writing, marketing and job hunting or working as a consultant: in short, too busy. But,a requirement of joining some groups is to do reviews occasionally.

So, I recently chose a book from the options provided that I thought I’d like and began to read. You can see the results, below.

BTW: When I knew I wasn’t going to be able to give the book a positive review, I reached out to the club moderator, who was very helpful and supportive of my honesty and professional opinions. I also reached out directly to the author. I told her my dilemma and offered her some minimal feedback and also to provide more. She responded and thanked me, but declined.

Since we couldn’t communicate privately, I put my feedback into this review. I sincerely hope my comments and questions inform the author so that, when she is ready to hire an editor and a proofreader for her next book, some new team members could be hired who are better than this book had.

Review of C.E. Wolff‘s Common Denominator

Disappointing: unrealistic and 2-D characters, horrible story arc, unbelievable plot points, poorly proofread /unevenly edited

http://www.amazon.com/Common-Denominator-C-E-Wolff-ebook/dp/B00G8SE5RC

I rarely give bad reviews and hesitate to post this one. I wanted to like this book. I was pulled in, at first. Somewhat interesting story, main characters, situations. Despite some proofreading errors, I continued. Wanted to give a new author the benefit of the doubt.

Then, the number of mistakes became ridiculous. Simple things, but signs of amateurish teamwork that are very frustrating and give indie pubs a bad name. Examples: confusions between “their” and “they’re,” “your” and “you’re,” other spelling and grammar mistakes and overall sentence structure. These all fell short of good publishing standards by a lot. Whatever this author paid the proofreader, it was too much. She should get a refund.

Not wanting to give up because I had made a commitment to review this book, I continued. Parts of the story line and the two main characters showed some promise. However, every one of the secondary characters was a stereotype, without exception. They were 2-dimensionally and boringly depicted or came across as numbingly inconsistent. Each character was an insult to some group: women, men, British citizens, gays, mothers and criminals of all kinds. “Bimbo”? Really? Calling her own sister a “wench”? Harping on age differences between lovers, then going along with it: which is it?

Why are the criminals all “sinister” with zero back stories? Why does the main antagonist have no obvious motivation? We learn more about her taste in clothes and plastic surgery than we ever do about what makes her do what she does.

The main plot, a supposed thirty-year “love” story, is flat-out ridiculous.Maybe if these characters were in their mid-twenties, we could believe they didn’t yet acknowledge/know their true feelings for each other, having been childhood friends, blah blah blah. But, they’re hovering around and over 40, have stayed “best friends” all their lives, and work together every day. Meanwhile, they continually trash each others’ dates/lovers. Unless they have recurring amnesia or personality disorders, the concept is absurd.

The female main character’s obsession with her appearance, physical attributes, clothing and underwear, even in the middle of public places, might have been funny if it weren’t so dysfunctional and unbelievable. What 39-year-old professional, educated woman, the VP of a large corporation, doesn’t know how to dress and conduct herself in public?

And, what 42-year-old male behaves sexually as if he’s seventeen? i could just be out of touch, I suppose. A president of a successful corporation who has remained unmarried and not become a parent obviously has issues.

This begs the question: what do these two see in each other? They’re each a mess. Are they supposed to be anti-heroes? Success.

Whatever she paid the editor: also too much. There is a horrible amount of repetition: I swear, the main character and her sister have the exact same conversations, about two basic topics, more than three times. So do the two main characters. Why? Does this book’s editor not know how to tell an author to CUT and when to insert new material?

The subplots are so thin as to be pulled directly from someone else’s novels and plopped into this one. Not even worth recounting. Cliche after cliche abounds without even one redeeming original moment. Could have phoned it all in.

I stuck it out to the end, hoping she would redeem it, and then POOF: it just stops. No actual ending, no resolution worth discussing.

Up until the non-ending, i was willing to give it three stars for effort and blame most of the problems on her “helpers,” but I just can’t. Two stars. Readers: not worth your time.

I was not paid to review nor did I get the book for free.

P.S. I posted the review on Goodreads and Amazon about two days prior to posting this entry on my blog. On the night of the second day the review appeared, I received this notice: “Fred liked your review of Common Denominator on Goodreads!” This book is also receiving a lot of 5-Star reviews. So it goes!

Weekend Edition – Thanks, Mom + Writing Tips and Good Reads

05/11/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

I thank MY mom, also: @Carole Harris you ROCK with the books and reading and encouraging writing! LOVE!

Live to Write - Write to Live

Thanks, Mom.

Me and Mom

I am not certain whether nature or nurture has more influence in the development of literary tendencies. I am positive, however, that my mother played a pivotal role in my own emergence as both a bibliophile and a writer. By sharing her own love of the written word, she inspired me to explore the world of stories and the stories in the world from a very young age. And that, as they say, has made all the difference.

My mother read to me and my sister not just when we were little, but even as we were beginning to tread the dark and tangled edges of the teen years. As we grew older, bedtime stories evolved into dinnertime stories. My dad worked as a VP at a bank a few towns away and was often stuck late at the office. My mom would give my…

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4 Questions To Stop Asking Yourself

05/11/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Do you agree? Comment!

Inspired Journeys

I recently read this article written by Deepak Chopra and was inspired. In it he talks about the importance of developing our mind to become our ally, and to not let it overwhelm us as our enemy. In everyday life almost all our suffering is related to our thoughts. So many of us obsess and worry needlessly. A mentor of mine once told me that worrying is praying for what you don’t want to happen – I like that idea, it’s very true.

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A Mother Of a List

05/11/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Very fun! Thanks for collecting and posting this!

Free Comic Book Day: 2014 Haul

05/09/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Last week’s #FreeComicBookDay experiences.

Support an Author: How to Write a Book Review ~ #saam14

05/09/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

#Book #Reviewers: what do you think? Do you follow these tips/formats?

3 Reasons That This Changes Everything, Volume I of The Spanners Series, is Permafree

05/09/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Before I put my first sci-fi/romance/multiverse/paranormal/speculative fiction ebook, This Changes Everything, Volume I of The Spanners Series, up for sale, I attended free webinars, read guidebooks and blog posts and did a lot of research to find out how other fiction ebooks authors managed this journey. I discovered many techniques, procedures and tips which I employed, including what price to use for sales, how to use a pre-order period, and when to offer a book for free (and why).

I have blogged about some of these topics already, but I haven’t written, yet, about why I decided to make Volume I “permafree” last month. I just did it. Now for the explanation, which is then going to be further explained and augmented by the article I’m including a link to, below.

As a new fiction author, I do not yet have a significantly sized “following” or “fan base.” So, I spent a lot of time finding out how one acquires readers and keeps them coming back for subsequent books, since I planned a 10-Volume series. I read others’ stories of their journeys, articles about successes and failures, and took extensive notes I still refer to, from the many webinars I attended.

This Changes Everything

The Spanners Series

permafree

Well-timed permafree works. Pricing is variable year to year, but market research has shown that series authors have been doing well to make the FIRST volume free, forever (permafree) AFTER later volumes come out. This brings in new readers consistently.

cover art for all covers by Aidana Willowraven.
Permafree brings in the curious and good content keeps them coming back. If the first volume in a series is good enough evidenced by its having a sufficient number of UNPAID and UNFAKED reviews showing that the book is well-written and worth reading, more and more readers will come to download it. This creates the beginning of the author’s fanbase and followers. There will also be those readers who just download anything free, which is also great (but works best if they actually read the ebook after downloading it, like it, and decide to look for and purchase subsequent volumes.
Diversified authors attract new fans constantly; permafree gives them as easy way “in” to a series. If the author continues to offer good content BETWEEN books (via a blog, postings on social media sites, email newsletters, author interviews on others’ sites and/or Blog Talk Radio and the like, podcasts, Google On Air Hangouts, and perhaps short stories or other genre fiction) and continues to come out with good writing for each subsequent volume, by Volume III or IV, that author will have a solid following, loyal fans and great sales, all still being “fed” by the permafree Volume I.

So, The Spanners Series now has Volume I, This Changes Everything, in permafree status everywhere ebooks are sold because Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, entered its pre-order period @$1.99 on April 1 and goes on sale June 9 at $3.99.

Since Volume I went free, the number of potential readers (reckoned by the number of downloaded volumes) has gone up 4000%. I am not joking.

I can’t see how well the pre-orders are going for Volume II, yet, or know what the sales figures will be. Reviews for it are due any day, now, and will keep coming in over the next several weeks, if all goes as planned.

I plan to post Volume I on more freebie sites and keep doing interviews, blogging, “creating and posting good content” as I work on Volume III, This Is/Is Not The Way I Thought Things Would Change, which is due out late in the fall of 2014.

I will check in periodically here to let you know how sales and downloads are going and what else happens.

Until/unless I become a gazillllllionaire author who doesn’t need to “bring in new readers” (when does that happen?), Volume I will remain free.

All downloading and purchase links for The Spanners Series as well as links to bloggers’ reviews, interviews and my archived blog posts are at http://www.sallyember.com on the right side panel.

If you want to learn more about Book Marketing, #authors, http://buildabusinesswithyourbook.com/access/aff/go/sallyember It starts this week/weekend!
Silver passes are FREE. Gold passes cost money, but I’m on Silver and it’s great! Lots of blog posts, interviews, videos, and more to help us do better with marketing wherever we are in our process. Check it out! Here’a a list of what’s offered just via the blog, just week one!

Sharon Williams: Developing Your Author Platform and Social Media Presence
Deborah Bateman: Building Your Online Platform as an Author
Eric Van Der Hope: 5 Steps to Developing an Effective Author Platform
Gina Akao: Marketing Your Book with a WordPress Blog
David Wogahn: SEO for Books: Optimizing Your Amazon Book Listing
D’vorah Lansky: Harness the Power of Your Amazon Author Central Page
Ellen Violette: How to Market Your Print Book or eBook in Just Minutes a Day
Penny Sansevieri: Harnessing the Power of Goodreads
Leeza Robertson: Quote Yourself on Goodreads
Amy Harrop: Leveraging the Author Tools of Goodreads to Promote Your Books
Michael Bloom: Promoting Your Book on Your Facebook Author Page
Bryan Cohen: Sixteen Heads Are Better Than One, on Facebook

Want to know more about making books permafree and see if these principles apply to YOUR books? Check out this article, linked to below.

Best to you all!

Why Free Is Your Best Marketing Tool And How To Harness It from The Future of Ink by PENNY SANSEVIERI

Great ideas, examples, and info as well as links to other helpful articles for authors like me who are doing our own marketing:
http://thefutureofink.com/free-is-best-marketing-tool/

3 Reasons That This Changes Everything, Volume I of The Spanners Series, is Permafree

05/09/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

This Changes Everything

The Spanners Series

permafree

Well-timed permafree works. Pricing is variable year to year, but market research has shown that series authors have been doing well to make the FIRST volume free, forever (permafree) AFTER later volumes come out. This brings in new readers consistently.

cover art for all covers by Aidana Willowraven.
Permafree brings in the curious and good content keeps them coming back. If the first volume in a series is good enough evidenced by its having a sufficient number of UNPAID and UNFAKED reviews showing that the book is well-written and worth reading, more and more readers will come to download it. This creates the beginning of the author’s fanbase and followers. There will also be those readers who just download anything free, which is also great (but works best if they actually read the ebook after downloading it, like it, and decide to look for and purchase subsequent volumes.
Diversified authors attract new fans constantly; permafree gives them as easy way “in” to a series. If the author continues to offer good content BETWEEN books (via a blog, postings on social media sites, email newsletters, author interviews on others’ sites and/or Blog Talk Radio and the like, podcasts, Google On Air Hangouts, and perhaps short stories or other genre fiction) and continues to come out with good writing for each subsequent volume, by Volume III or IV, that author will have a solid following, loyal fans and great sales, all still being “fed” by the permafree Volume I.

Since Volume I went free, the number of potential readers (reckoned by the number of downloaded volumes) has gone up 4000%. I am not joking.

I will check in periodically here to let you know how sales and downloads are going and what else happens.

Until/unless I become a gazillllllionaire author who doesn’t need to “bring in new readers” (when does that happen?), Volume I will remain free.

All downloading and purchase links for The Spanners Series as well as links to bloggers’ reviews, interviews and my archived blog posts are at http://www.sallyember.com on the right side panel.

Want to know more about making books permafree and see if these principles apply to YOUR books? Check out this article, linked to below.

Best to you all!

Why Free Is Your Best Marketing Tool And How To Harness It from The Future of Ink by PENNY SANSEVIERI

Great ideas, examples, and info as well as links to other helpful articles for authors like me who are doing our own marketing:
http://thefutureofink.com/free-is-best-marketing-tool/

Book Marketing Challenge 2014

05/07/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

#Indie #Authors, especially nonfiction: there may be some good #marketing ideas, here, and you can stay in the “Free” category if you want and still access a lot live or archived.

Support #Authors this Month: Join Your Local #Writers’ Club!

05/07/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Are you a #writer/#author? Do you find yourself alone a lot or looking for other writers? You can belong to a local group almost anywhere in the USA and around the world, now, or start your own! Use the example of California, which has such a long-standing and active network of writers’ clubs, workshops, groups.

I am lucky to live in California, home of a large network of excellent Writers’ Clubs, each with its own niche and geographic location. Each CWC has its own way of doing things, but there are some similarities and a set of by-laws.

The NorCal coalition of these clubs had an excellent annual meeting of leaders and newbies this past Saturday right in Newark. I was invited to attend by our club’s President, Carol Hall (Thanks, Carol!) and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Learned a lot, networked, shared. Exactly what a writers’ clubs’ coalition meeting SHOULD be!

My “home” club, since I live closest to it, is the Fremont Area Writers’ Club. Great people, excellent organization. Monthly meetings with guest speakers, activities, genre support critique sessions, as well as public open mike and book-signing/selling opportunities throughout the year. Thanks, FAW!

Every month at BookSmart bookstore in the Newark Park Mall, Newark, CA, we have an Open Mic at 7 PM on the 4th Monday. Come!

There are writers’ clubs, reading groups, book clubs, writers’ critique groups/circles, and many more variations on these themes for writers and readers. For inspiration, information, support, ideas, networking, critiques and more: JOIN!

Do a web search, ask at your local library or bookstore (SUPPORT BOTH!).

Check for “writers” groups in your geographic area on http://www.MeetUp.com OR http://www.writers.com/groups.html

PLEASE support and join a group or attend an event as a guest this month. Volunteer, attend, participate! Keep books, writing, reading and sharing ALIVE!

Thanks!

Artist’s Brains Have More ‘Grey Matter’ Than The Rest of Ours, Study Finds

05/06/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

What about writers’, musicians, and scientists’ brains? This is a VERY small study.

Inspired Journeys

The rather small study, published in NeuroImage, is based on the brain scans and drawing performances of 21 art students (graduates and undergraduates attending art and design courses in London at Camberwell College of Art and The Royal College of Art) and 23 non-artists. The scan findings also showed that those who identified as artists — as well as those who performed better on the drawing tests — tended to have more grey matter in the parietal lobe, a region involved with spatial orientation and cognition.

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Yoga in Schools

05/05/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

For Lauri Stern and other yoga teachers and parents who do yoga!

Inspired Journeys

With yoga, comes teachings on breathing and meditation. All wonderful foundational tools for kids.

Research shows that yoga and other contemplative practices can help kids better regulate their emotions and behaviors in healthy ways. Findings from the Kripalu Yoga in the Schools (KYIS) initiative show that students who have been exposed to these techniques are less reactive, more optimistic, and better able to focus, concentrate, and interact with their peers.

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Please Support #Indie Authors, Especially This Month!

05/05/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Great way to do that is to vote on your favorite indie published book in each category. If yours isn’t there, submit it! You can vote up to 5 times!

Share! Please Vote for YOUR favorite (could it be THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING?) on the “50 Self-Published Sci-Fi Books Worth Reading” in Indie Author Land!

http://www.indieauthorland.com/vote-50-self-published-books-worth-reading-201314-science-fiction/

There are also other lists. Submit/vote up to 5 times! Leave comments, too.
http://www.indieauthorland.com/vote-early-vote-often/

30 Twitter Tips You Wish You Knew Years Ago

05/04/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

C+ for me, so far. #Learningtotweet

Nicholas C. Rossis

Photo by thesocialskinny.com

Diana Urban posted 50 Tweetable Twitter Tips You Wish You Knew Years Ago on Hubspot. Here is a smaller selection of 30, for your convenience:

Optimizing Your Twitter Profile

1) Make yourself easy to recognize by using a close-up headshot of yourself as your profile picture.

2) Make the most of your Twitter bio. Show off your skills and uniqueness without over-hashtagging.

3) Twitter’s new profile design dimensions: header photo = 1500 x 500 px | profile pic = 400 x 400 px.

What You Should Tweet

5) Structure your tweets like this to increase clicks: KEY MESSAGE – LINK #HASHTAG AFTERTHOUGHT

6) Don’t be self-promotional on Twitter. Mix up your content and interact with your followers.

7) Curate content you tweet from a wide variety of sources to keep your followers interested.

8) Share images in your tweets to increase engagement, since images now appear inline on…

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Time-lapse reveals planet as it was rocked by record-breaking earthquakes in April 2014

05/04/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Very cool science visuals of earthquake activity for April, 2014.

This and That

The earth was rockin last last month! Earthquakes from January 1 to April 30, 2014. Article link below the video.

Articlehttp://www.sott.net/article/278400-Time-lapse-reveals-planet-as-it-was-rocked-by-record-breaking-earthquakes-in-April-2014

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What exists beyond the edge of the Cosmos?

05/04/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

True story: When I was about 10 years old and forced to attend Jewish religious education classes weekly (“Sunday School”), I got kicked out of class by repeatedly asking the teacher, then the Rabbi: “If God created everything, who created God?” and refusing to stop asking until they answered, which they could not.
I’m sure I wasn’t “nice” about it, which is probably how they justified kicking me out. But, really: what IS the answer to that question for theologians and theists? I’m a multiverse adherent, myself, from way back.
But, what could these Goddists possibly respond?

The Responsive Universe

I have always been a backyard astronomer. Even as a small child, my love for the stars and the cosmic unknown have been a lifelong interest. I possess a couple of telescopes including a 10” diameter Dobsonian telescope. It looks like a large cannon and it might even embarrass my wife a little when I drag the 65lb beast out in the back yard on a clear night. I even blog about the various deep sky objects I find – though I have not been very active lately.

Deep Sky Image – Courtesy of NASA

A couple of years ago a seemingly uninteresting but historic image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope offering a glimpse of what scientists are calling the oldest object so far discovered in the Universe – a young galaxy. Well, let me rephrase that; it was a young galaxy. A pixellated blip on a black background…

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Support an Author Month: Love a Blogger! ~ #saam14

05/02/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Yes, Please: LOVE your favorite bloggers. Here are the ways: share their posts. Follow/subscribe to their blogs. Visit and leave interesting comments. Engage with others’ comments. Buy their books/products and/or recommend them to others. Tweet their blog URLs and latest posts with your comment. Re-post their content on re-posting sites (Reddit, StumbleUpon, etc.). Reblog their posts with your comments. Invite them to guest-post on your site or offer to guest-blog on theirs (if they invite such and you are compatible/capable/available). Write reviews, rank, rate, vote up their books on Goodreads, Listopia, Amazon’s Listmania. Put their books on your “Wish Lists” or “To Buy” lists on book selling sites. Buy their books in indie bookstores. Tell your indie bookstores how glad you are they’re still viable and carrying YOUR favorite authors’ books. Come up with your own ways to SUPPORT AUTHORS this month!

Un-Wiring Your Brain

05/02/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Would someone please read this and see how it relates to my blog post today about the effects of concussion on meditators?

365 Days of Buddha

Imaginary Pictures Buddha.

If you’re as fascinated as I am by the science-behind-mindfulness, check out this article from Scientific American called Neuroscientists and the Dalai Lama Swap Insights on Meditation.

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THE PASSING OF A FRIEND – THE LAST STORY…

05/02/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Important, always timely info and advice. Please share! We ALL die.

BIRTH AND DEATH AND IN BETWEEN

Ten days… From his diagnosis to his death… Ten days.

It gives one pause.

Many people have asked. Did he see this coming? Was he prescient? If not, then why did he spend months last fall, while he was presumably healthy, preparing to die – educating himself about death and dying like it was another doctoral thesis? He examined the subject thoroughly from every possible perspective. He contemplated it from a deeply spiritual view in his Buddhist tradition. He became knowledgeable in a practical sense about getting all his affairs in order. He even left signs around his house. “If you find me dead, call these people. Everything is in my briefcase.” He learned about end of life care and hospice services. He went on a road trip, healing old relationships and taking care of unfinished business. “We never know when impermanence will strike,” he used to stay. “You breathe out…

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Mosquito Week, casting “Star Wars: Episode VII,” a dolphin’s first word, and the linguistic use of “totally”

04/30/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

I wish I had extra awake hours just to catch up on TED talks!

10 Things Creative People Know

04/30/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Support the #arts in #education and at #home!

Inspired Journeys

A recent UCLA study found that when young people engage in the arts at an early age, they outperform their peers in every category, from academics to life skills. Cross-cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien tells us that in many traditional cultures, when an ill person goes to the healer, he or she is asked four questions: When did you stop singing? When did you stop dancing? When did you stop telling your story? When did you stop sitting in silence? She calls these the healing salves. Numerous studies show that activities like drawing and creative writing—even knitting—raise serotonin levels and decrease anxiety.

This quote is taken directly from Peggy Taylor and Charlie Murphy’s article on the things that creative people know.

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When Your Father Dies

04/29/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

For all those who have lost their fathers recently or who still feel the loss.

Red's Wrap

When your father dies, you will be at a loss for words.

If it’s a surprise, you will burst into tears. You will cover your face with your hands and cry like you were six-years old, like the time you got lost on the way home from school and all the houses looked different and you couldn’t find your way. That’s how you’ll cry.

If you knew it was coming, that your dad was going to die because he was so ill, you will lay your head down on your folded arms and weep. You will be tired and part of you will be grateful because nothing is worse than seeing the man who laughed and lifted you up and twirled you around confined to a hospital bed, silent and hurting.

You will wonder who you are now that your father is dead. If your mother is also dead, it…

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The Story Behind Leo

04/29/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

OK: friends and family, weigh in on THIS Leo! Leave comments, please!

Jessica Davidson

Each sign of the zodiac represents an archetype. These are elemental structures in the psyche which give shape to our lives and inspire meaning through myth. Astrology is a multidimensional, multivalent system of storytelling. The myths behind your horoscope form a complex web of meaning which underpins the narrative of your life. The gods are alive and living through you…

Leo Myths

Leo is all about creativity and self-creation. They are intuitive, childlike, idealistic, and fiercely loyal. Leo is almost more of a noble Knight than Aries, but instead of all the fighting, it’s more about the poncing about and showing off, as they do tend to think the world revolves around them. Leos are truly original and charismatic, although often not as confident as they seem.

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8 Great Literary, Book Nerd, and Storytelling Podcasts

04/29/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Worth exploring!

Andrea Reads America

I am a huge fan of the podcast medium. I listen while I clean, while I walk, while I cook, while I dress after my shower. I do not subscribe to print periodicals that run book reviews, I am not a librarian, and I no longer work in a book store, but I am a reader who is interested in what’s going on in the book world, in reading culture, and who loves a well-told story. With limited time to consume print media, but with ample time to listen, I have become an avid fan of podcasts, and my hungry mind devours the bookish and storytelling podcasts below. These shows provide the literary fix I need as a word nerd. I plan special walks or add extra chores to my list when any of these drop new episodes. I hope you enjoy them, too.

The New…

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5 Things Wrong with #Sex Scenes in #Romance Novels and How to Improve Them

04/29/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

5 Things Wrong with #Sex Scenes in #Romance Novels and How to Improve Them

1. Men, even the first time having sex with a long-awaited or extremely attractive partner, can last more than fifteen seconds (three thrusts) before orgasm, even when impassioned, unless they are under age 20 or suffer from PME (Pre-Mature Ejaculation), in which case, that man is not a good candidate for being the romantic lead.

Dear Jayne Ann Krentz/Castle/Amanda Quick or any of the 4 other pseudonyms you use: I’m sorry the men/man you have sex with can’t last more than fifteen seconds after being undressed, touched, licked or inside a woman. The rest of us have had better lovers. I pity you.

image from healthystateofthinking.blogspot.com

2. Oral sex in the 2010’s is not shocking, novel, strange, shameful, disgusting or horrifying. Really. No recipient or provider should be having these reactions unless the participants are ages 15 and under, in which case, please do not depict them having sex. That is not “romantic”: that is sexual exploitation of minors.

Dear YA Authors: take note. Teens having sex (and oral sex DOES count, despite President Bill Clinton’s assertions to the contrary) with older lovers (having more than a five-year age difference when over 14; more than a two-year difference when under 14) are victims of statutory rape in most US states.

3. Having protagonists/female leads who are “virgins” or incredibly inexperienced with sex in the 2010s, yet who are stunningly beautiful, capable and independent who are older than twenty is absurd. This characterization of inexperience as what makes a woman desirable caters to archaic/paternalistic fantasies.

Dear Historical Fiction Romance Authors: You may be exempt from the atavistim, but you are nonetheless feeding into these fantasies. Please stop. It’s okay to depict these girls/women as appropriately inexperienced, but to make that lack of knowledge the center of their attractiveness means that after one encounter, they automatically become less attractive. Awful.

4. Thanks for including clitoral stimulation in heterosexual sex scenes. Thanks for depicting male romantic leads who not only know the clitoris exists, but can find it, know how to please a woman, and want to do this. It only took about 100 years of romance writing to get men to be this aware. Okay.

Dear Modern Romance Writers; Now that we’ve established that clitoral stimulation is important and necessary for females’ sexual satisfaction, not every sexual encounter has to depict women’s having both oral and digital stimulation to the point of orgasm, always having multiple orgasms and the woman having the first orgasms before the man’s, every time. Repetition and routine kill sex. When a reader becomes bored reading the sex scenes, you have failed.

image from http://www.buzzfeed.com

5. Bondage, rape, domination and other masochistic sexual relationships are NOT psychologically healthy sexual expressions even if consenting adults decide to act these out. Also, these “relationships” do not accurately depict what occurs in most women’s lives and your characterizations set women back about three centuries.

Dear Shades of Whatever Authors: We know your books sell well. We know they’re not especially well-thought-out or well-written, are easy to write and are quick to get published. Since you insist on writing and publishers insist on publishing these types of drivel as “romance,” could you at least occasionally depict a strong, intelligent, capable woman who refuses to engage sexually with such mentally ill men? PLEASE?

image from feministing.com

Three ways to write better sex scenes:

1. Have sex scenes in which a variety of activities occur with enthusiastic, willing participants of legal ages and with male participants who can last longer than fifteen seconds when erect.

2. Depict at least some of your female leads as strong, capable, experienced and independent prior to having sex as well as during and after meeting their romantic lead.

excelle.monster.com

3. Include some sexual encounters in which female’s multiple or simultaneous partners’ orgasmms do not occur and participants are happy with each other, anyway.

Thanks, Romance Authors who already write sex scenes like this. Many of you do.

5 Things Wrong with #Sex Scenes in #Romance Novels and How to Improve Them

04/29/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

5 Things Wrong with #Sex Scenes in #Romance Novels and How to Improve Them

image from healthystateofthinking.blogspot.com

image from http://www.buzzfeed.com

image from feministing.com

Three ways to write better sex scenes:

1. Have sex scenes in which a variety of activities occur with enthusiastic, willing participants of legal ages and with male participants who can last longer than fifteen seconds when erect.

2. Depict at least some of your female leads as strong, capable, experienced and independent prior to having sex as well as during and after meeting their romantic lead.

excelle.monster.com

3. Include some sexual encounters in which female’s multiple or simultaneous partners’ orgasmms do not occur and participants are happy with each other, anyway.

Thanks, Romance Authors who already write sex scenes like this. Many of you do.

Unique mineral discovered In Australia

04/27/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Australia has all the cool, unique stuff! More, now!

This and That

Vibrant colour! Article link below the video.

To read the article go to
http://www.sott.net/article/278053-Unique-mineral-discovered-In-Australia
Also there is more information in ‘Show more’ under the YT video.

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Support An Author Month ~ #saam14

04/27/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Support an author month = May? Fantastic! There is a “DONATE” button on my website (and many others’, sometimes called “Tip Jars”), so please feel free to express your support with cash! Comments, Follows, LIKES and purchases of /downloads of and reviews, ratings, rankings, votes on lists for our books also very welcomed! Thanks to ALL #authors and #readers!

Part 2, Grants for Writers

04/27/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

More opps for writers, with MONEY or free stays for writing time. Thanks, Savvy Writers!

Savvy Writers & e-Books online

Would you like a free work-vacation stay, maybe in Paris, France or in Bellagio, Italy? Sometimes even paid… as a Writer-in-Residency? Book mark these tips and links and check periodically the deadlines for grants, fellowships or writers residencies. Besides accommodation, writers often receive a stipend and travel expenses paid. A great way for writers to get out of their routine, find time to write, solitude and possibilities to advance their career. See also Part 1 of Grants for Writers.

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Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio, Italy, Residencies
Four-week residencies between March 10 and July 31, 2015. Open to composers, novelists, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers and visual artists from around the globe, with the goal of bringing together people of diverse expertise and cultures in a thought-provoking creative environment. Spouses/life partners may accompany the resident, or may apply for a concurrent residency. The Center also offers collaborative residencies for two to four persons…

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The 10 Social Media Commandments for Authors

04/26/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

http://annerallen.blogspot.gr/2014/04/the-10-commandments-of-social-media.html is the original posting. Support Anne. She blogs great info! Especially read: “How Not to Spam”: http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2013/10/social-media-secrets-for-authors-part.html

Nicholas C. Rossis

Photo found on telegraph.co.uk

Anne R. Allen published a great list with The 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette for Writers on her blog. Here’s a brief summary: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.

Not enough? Alright then, here are ten tips for online behavior for people planning a writing career:

1) Thou shalt not spam.

What is spam? Here’s the short version: if you’d ignore it in your own inbox, FB page, or Twitter stream, it’s probably spam.

2) Thou shalt support other authors.

Your fellow authors are not “rivals”. The number one thing a beginner should be doing on social media is getting to know other authors in your genre and subgenre and making friends.

One of the hottest sales tools in the business right now is the multi-author bargain boxed set with several titles by different authors. These boxed sets are getting on to…

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#Opportunities in May and June for #Writers from #Aerogramme

04/25/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

In case you missed this posting, check out these #publication opportunities, #grants, #conferences and #festivals, #competitions and #prizes/#awards and more for #writers. Occurring/deadlines are in May, June, ongoing/rolling and beyond.

Compiled by Aerogramme Writers’ Studio. Thanks!

My favorite: Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading
publishes one story a week and reopens for submissions on 1 May. Previously unpublished fiction ranging in length from 2,000 to 10,000 words will be considered and each contributor is paid US$300.
https://electricliterature.submittable.com/submit

http://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2014/04/24/opportunities-for-writers-may-june-2014/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AerogrammeWritersStudio+%28Aerogramme+Writers%27+Studio%29

Have the Homeless Become Invisible?

04/25/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

This is chilling. We have generated an impossible economy to sustain. The people without jobs and homes are just the “canaries in the mines” whose “asphyxiations” we ignore at all of our perils.

Kindness Blog

In this social experiment, unsuspecting people walked by relatives pretending to be homeless. Would they notice their family members? Or have the homeless become invisible? Watch how each person reacts after the big reveal in the video below.

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Ancient Tribes Come Together at Amitabha Stupa | Tibetan Buddhist Altar

04/24/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

An amazing community “reunion.”

Upcoming Grants for Writers

04/24/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

Want cash while you’re writing? Check out these opps!

Savvy Writers & e-Books online

Are you living in the USA, Canada or United Kingdom? The following grants, fellowships or writers residencies are mostly offered on a yearly basis, sometimes even twice a year. Bookmark their links and check periodically their deadlines. Besides accommodation, writers often receive a stipend and travel expenses paid. A great way for writers to get out of their routine, find solitude and time to write in order to advance their career.

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Iowa Artist Fellowship
The Artist Fellowship provides support to individuals who demonstrate exceptional creativity in the arts and the capacity for continued contributions to the excellence and innovation of the arts in the State. The Artist Fellowship Program seeks to elevate the arts in Iowa by advancing the artistic careers of Iowa artists through funding and professional development. The Iowa Arts Council awards each fellow $5,000 to support the development of their artistic career.
Deadline May 1…

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Why Physicists Are Saying Consciousness Is A State Of Matter, Like a Solid, A Liquid Or A Gas — The Physics arXiv Blog — Medium

04/23/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

What do we do with this latest from our physicists: mind /consciousness as a fourth state of matter?

Links/Similarities between Tibetan and Native American groups.

04/23/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

I have also found striking linguistic and phenotype similarities between the the Navajo and Tibetan peoples, particularly in the syntax of both languages, influencing the tonal and syntactical ways many of the ones I have spoken with speak English as a non-native language and in their facial features. Can’t be coincidences.

Vegan Enlightenment

04/23/2014 by Sally Ember, EdD

What do you think of this? I’m ambivalent.

The Search For Enlightenment

Vegan Enlightenment My friend and fellow vegan Juliet defines the vegan practice thus: Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.

Enlightenment is a state in which we are aware of the ultimate truth and meaning of everything. As a Buddhist, I strive for enlightenment and also try to avoid, as far as possible, bringing harm or suffering to any other living creature.

When we are aware that each moment of each day, each gesture and step we take, is truly mystical and full of wonder, we will live our lives with greater thought and care. We will also have greater respect and appreciation for the lives of others.

The two overlap in many ways, and although you don’t have to be Buddhist to be vegan, or vegan…

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