Amazing New Releases! (Vanessa)

Happy Friday! I hope everyone is doing well with the new normal and that spring has sprung where you live!

I have three amazing new releases to share with you all today! 

The first is Winter Spell by Claire M. Banschbach. This delightful read is book three in The Faeries of Myrinus series. Though it is the third in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I had the pleasure of reading an Advanced Reader Copy of Winter Spell and I loved it! It had the perfect blend of friendship, adventure, and magic.

Here's what it's about: A half-breed faery. A war-weary princess. A quest to free three kingdoms from the deadly winter spell.Constantly doubted by her ocean faery kindred, Tonya Freyr-dottir only wants to untangle the dormant ice and water magic within her. Then a strange attack makes her unleash a fierce winter on the land and sea. And she has no idea how to stop it.Princess Diane serves faithfully at her brother’s side, trying to restore their kingdom of Myrnius after the devastating Dark War. Now with brutal winter wreaking havoc, everything they have worked for might be lost to famine and destruction.Desperate to help, Tonya travels to the far north to unlock her magic, aided by Diane, as well as two land faeries: Dorian, a reckless healer and August, a mischievous warrior. But the north brings fresh dangers, unearths old wounds, and offers more questions than answers.With doom threatening human and faery alike, Tonya must find a way to trust her new friends and release her magic before all fall to the fury of winter’s spell.Buy now and enjoy a fairy tale adventure with friendship, danger, overcoming adversity, and even a hint of romance.

Winter Spell was released on April 23. Click here to buy it on Amazon!



The next awesome new release is Legend of the Storm Sneezer (The Stormwatch Diaries Book 1) by Kristiana Sfirlea. LotSS is so much fun to read! I fell in love with Rose and Marek the instant I read about them! This middle grade story is packed with goofiness, great stories, and funny quips you'll enjoy! 

Here's what it's about: Legend Seeker. Part-time Ghost Hunter. Time Traveler.

Thirteen-year-old Rose Skylar sneezed a magical storm cloud at birth, and it’s followed her around ever since. But when Stormy causes one too many public disasters, Rose is taken to Heartstone, an asylum for unstable magic. Its location? The heart of a haunted forest whose trees have mysteriously turned to stone.

They say the ghosts are bound to the woods … then why does Rose see them drifting outside the windows at night? And why is there a graveyard on the grounds filled with empty graves? Guided by her future selves via time traveling letters, Rose and Marek—best friend and potential figment of her imagination—must solve the mystery of the specters and the stone trees before the ghosts unleash a legendary enemy that will make their own spooks look like a couple of holey bed sheets and destroy Heartstone Asylum.

Letters from the future are piling up. Rose can’t save Heartstone herself. However, five of herselves, a magical storm cloud, and a guardian angel who might very well be imaginary? Now that’s a silver lining.

But will they find what killed the ghosts before what killed the ghosts finds them?

Legend of the Storm Sneezer releases on May 5! Preorder it here!



The final new release is Prince of Shadow and Ash (The Mercenary and Mage Book 1) by Selina R. Gonzalez. This book stole my heart! Regulus and Adelaide are absolutely adorable and my new favorite book couple. If you love A Knight's Tale, Pride & Prejudice, and The Hobbit, definitely check out this book!

Here's what it's about: She could be his light... If his darkness doesn’t destroy them both.

Bastard and former mercenary Lord Regulus Hargreaves just wants to earn his freedom from the sorcerer who enslaved him. When Lady Adelaide sees past his scar and his shadowed past, Regulus’ dying hope rekindles. But will loving Adelaide while serving the Prince of Shadow and Ash put her in danger?

Adelaide Belanger longs to use the magical energy within her, but revealing her power could get her killed. When she meets kind and rugged Regulus, she wonders if she has finally found someone to trust with her secret—and her heart.

Regulus and Adelaide struggle to build a relationship and keep their secrets from those who would harm them. By the time their secrets are revealed, it may be too late for them both...

Prince of Shadow and Ash releases on May 13! Preorder it here!

I hope you have a chance to enjoy some of these awesome books! :) 

An Indie Publishing Experience (KaLyn)

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” 

- Winston S. Churchill

Digging deep into the wealth of knowledge on writing and publishing is enough to make your head spin. But it’s equally amazing how understanding grows, even when you’re sure you just took two steps back.

Last fall, I published The Warehouse Tour, a short sci-fi horror story for teens, with a minuscule budget and no prior publishing experience. Then in May, after having the opportunity to work with a professional editor and apply some of the things I'd learned in the previous months, I released a revised edition of The Warehouse Tour.

Why would I put so much time and effort into a YA sci-fi horror short? Because I learned valuable lessons about marketing, publishing, and myself as a writer. To me, it was like taking the money I might have spent on a course or a one-day conference and instead applying it to learning through first-hand experience.

Since I'm still very young in my journey, but I hope by sharing my experiences with you that you will feel comfortable sharing your experiences with me.

Round One

Cost: Under $30 plus a lot of time and effort
Outsourcing: None
Ads: Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon
Promotions (not including social media): A blog interview and a multi-author giveaway

In the first round, I balanced my time appropriately between crafting the e-book and researching marketing options. However, I failed to get the most out of my budget and utilize all the opportunities available to me because of inexperience and a lack of confidence (otherwise known as fear).

Round One and Half

Cost: A few minutes to create an account and fill out a form to request a review
Promotions (not including social media): Readers’ Favorite four-star review that included in a listing of their website and inclusion in their newsletter.

Submitting a free review request to Readers’ Favorite was one of the smartest promotion decisions I made in the entire process. It didn’t cost anything but a few minutes of time and a little patience while waiting for the review to be completed. In the end, I gained additional exposure through their website and newsletter, an editorial review snippet for use on Amazon, book covers, and in media kits, and it was news worth sharing on social media. Plus, getting a four-star review from a professional reviewer boosted my confidence and motivated me to get in the ring for round two.

Round Two

Cost: Under $200 plus a lot of time and effort
Outsourcing: Editing
Ads: YouTube
Promotions (not including social media): A newsletter feature that included an interview, book detail page listings on BookLife and BookBub,

For round two, I hired a fantastic editor, created a new cover, put together a book trailer, refreshed my blurb, and formatted a print version. I also submitted book review requests to a couple of professional review sites and a few book bloggers. I allocated my time and budget much better in this round.

Working with a professional editor made a huge difference. The story is 30% longer, offers a better reading experience, and, as a result, for the first time, I received some very kind and encouraging words from a reader who reached out to me through one of my social media profiles.

Reflections

The foundation to publishing a book starts with the finished book itself, which includes the title, cover, book blurb, file formatting, and editing. These items all affect the success of a book more than marketing and promotions.

Don’t get me wrong. Marketing is an important part. A great book can get lost in obscurity without some form of marketing. It does happen. But a lack of marketing is easier to overcome.

Next Time, I’ll allocate the majority of my budget towards outsourcing editing and cover design and focus my time on formatting, copywriting, submitting to reviewers and bloggers in advance, and investigating other free promotion opportunities. If I do have a little room in my budget for ads, I’ll focus on Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon.

While I didn’t discuss it here, the title plays a vital role in both the discoverability of a book and it’s marketing. It’s another detail that I’ll be paying more attention to in the future.

What would entice you to look beyond the outside of a book? How do you discover new reads?