Saturday, December 31, 2016

Chill! Snippet from Gargoyle Hunt for #WeWriWa

Happy New Year!  
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors. Here, writers in different genres showcase their stories with 8-10 sentences. Join the fun and read our snippets.

I am posting snippets from my latest release, Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3 of Secret Supers.

Blurb
Danger is the last thing on Estelle’s mind when she visits the University of Oxenford for a summer course. But, mysterious thefts and shadowy figures spur her into action. With Toby five thousand miles away, Estelle and her winged horse must hunt for the culprits alone. Soon they are embroiled in a mixed bag of aliens and ancient magic. Toby’s unexpected arrival throws her into turmoil and spurs events into a climax. 

After Toby arrives, his first order of business is meeting the clade leader in London. When he returns in the evening, Estelle is eager to hear about his trip. But, they’re meeting is interrupted when the alluring Dr. Cynthia Mortimer marches up to Toby:
I’ll overlap by a couple of sentences for the benefit of those who skipped last week for the holiday celebrations. Cynthia has walked away on the arms of her escorts and Toby turns to Estelle. 

He turned to face her, “I have to talk to her.”
“What?” she screeched, clenching fists hot with flames.
“Chill! Winterbourne said she could help find the crooks. Not sure if I trust him.” Toby rubbed her arm, “Find somewhere private and I’ll tell you about my day.” He groaned, “Ain’t been easy so far.”
“Sure.” Estelle led him across the lawn and through the passage into the Garden Quad, “We can sit by the pond under the rowan trees.” Until Cynthia Mortimer captured his attention, she had intended to invite Toby up to her room.

 Gargoyle Hunt

Secret Supers, Book 3, Gargoyle Hunt



Here are my offerings for the New Year:
The Lady is Blue will be FREE over Jan 2-4th at Amazon

 Lady


The 3 books in my Epic SciFi Fantasy are now available as a Box Set, Grand Master’s Trilogy. Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N

 Grand Master's Trilogy

As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to www.wewriwa.com to sample the works of the other writers.


Tuesday, December 27, 2016

A Cheapskate’s Tips to Marketing #Indie #Books


I am reporting on my marketing efforts in 2016 and will focus on the most successful for me and my books. I write science fiction fantasy adventures and romances. You can see a list of my published stories HERE. My books are not best sellers, however, I have returned a small profit each year. 

My marketing goals are: 1) reach the largest number of potential readers, and 2) sell more books! As an Indie author, I prefer free or inexpensive options to maximize Return on Investment.

Take-home message: Cross-promotion is the clear winner! 
Indie authors are inventive and many are generous in helping other authors. Cross-promotion with other authors outperforms most free or paid commercial sites.
Read to the end of the post for details. 

Various Outreach, Cross-Promotion Efforts and Their Outcomes in 2016

Social Media
Twitter: @AuroraSpringer
My followers have grown slowly from 3000 to about 8000. I am selective about the people I follow. My tweets and RTs are partly automated thanks to valuable advice from Effrosyni Moschoudi at http://effrosyniwrites.com/2015/10/22/twitter-lists-and-roundteam-explained/ Occasionally, someone will tell me they liked my book or even left a review.

Again, my followers and likes have grown slowly to 1200. I use facebook to chat with virtual friends, mostly within groups. Sometimes, readers exchange messages with me.

Pininterest: I set up an account and posted most of my books. It does not seem to be furthering my marketing goals.

Website/Blog
I purchased a domain: http://AuroraSpringer.com. I blog about my stories, writing and entertain guest authors at http://AuroraSpringer.blogger.com
One new venture is Niume where I post about my stories, travel and wildlife. This site will pay a small amount for original posts that people visit. https://niume.com/pages/profile/?userID=42051


Multi-author publications

In 2016, I published an anthology of short stories with eight authors: Romancing the Stars. This anthology sold regularly with some promotions.

The Science Fiction Romance Brigade set up Portals: Volumes of beginning chapters of Science fiction romance novels. http://sfrportals.blogspot.com/ More than 60 authors have participated in producing seven volumes. My stories: Grand Master’s Pawn is in Volume Three and The Lady is Blue is in Volume six. This venture did not seem to do much for my books, possibly because the adventure drives the story more than the romance. It may be valuable in the long term. 


Reaching Readers

BookBub: I participated in a giveaway with members of http://enovelauthorsatwork.com/ (cost $60) and gained >400 followers. 
Advantage: BookBub will email my followers about new releases of full-length, previously unpublished novels. Note: You must submit the new book within 7 days of its release.

Amazon: I ran several Amazon book giveaways and gained >1000 followers at little cost (set your book to 99c). 
Advantage: Amazon will email followers about your new releases.
Disadvantage: You cannot check how many followers you have. You have to sum up the new followers for each giveaway.


Newsletter Subscribers

This year, I tried paid and free promotions to grow my subscribers from a few hundred to ~4000.
Advantage: My subscribers like free and 99c ebooks. I hope they will enjoy my books and read my series, although it may take time.
Disadvantage: I have to pay for newsletter service.

FreekindleGiveaways: I paid $50 for a multi-genre giveaway and gained ~1200 subscribers in June. Five months later, I culled the inactive emails and had ~400 active subscribers.

AuthorsXP: Cost $35, but I helped in beta runs. First: giveaway to gain subscribers netted 630 names, but only 500 new people. Second, tested asking a question of readers and gained ~360 names, many new.

Instafreebie giveaways: A successful option. Cost $20 per month to Instafreebie for required signup.
Advantages: Various cross-promotion groups connect with instafreebie to offer readers free books in return for their name and email address. You can integrate with MailChimp.
Disadvantage: You cannot add book in KDP Select. Also, the number of new people decreases over time and I have a limited number of books to give away.


My Top Picks for Cross-Promotion
Cross-promotion with other authors outperforms the majority of paid and free commercial sites for promotion. My conclusions are supported by Jackie Weger’s tests - http://enovelauthorsatwork.com/plotting-your-books-life-in-2017/
All cross-promotions expect participating authors to promote in their newsletters and social media.

Top Pick for Science Fiction & Fantasy: Patty Jansen’s monthly cross-promotion at www.pattyjansen.com/promo
A well-established monthly promotion with 100-150 participating authors. My free books can achieve 1000’s of downloads. Successful in generating sales and some reviews. Sales of books in my series can produce >$30 in 7-10 days. 


Promotions at the following sites have sold 10-40 of my 99c ebooks each time. Caveat: some sites are relatively new and still gaining traction and readers. Others have begun to charge small fees.

Science Fiction Romance Cross-Promotion www.smschmitz.com/promo (SM Schmitz)

The Cross-Promotion Authors’ Collective rozmarshall.co.uk/romance (Rose Dewar) and https://www.facebook.com/groups/xpromocollective/  





Media links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aurora-Springer/e/B00K2C4NL8


Saturday, December 24, 2016

Hot with Flames - Snippet from Gargoyle Hunt for #WeWriWa #Superheroes

I wish you all a wonderful holiday!  

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors. Here, writers in different genres showcase their stories with 8-10 sentences. Join the fun and read our snippets.

I am posting snippets from my new release, Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3 of Secret Supers. Sorry, it’s not really cheerful holiday reading, although all will end happily.

Blurb
Danger is the last thing on Estelle’s mind when she visits the University of Oxenford for a summer course. But, mysterious thefts and shadowy figures spur her into action. With Toby five thousand miles away, Estelle and her winged horse must hunt for the culprits alone. Soon they are embroiled in a mixed bag of aliens and ancient magic. Toby’s unexpected arrival throws her into turmoil and spurs events into a climax. 

After Toby arrives, his first order of business is meeting the clade leader in London. When he returns in the evening, Estelle is eager to hear about his trip. But, they’re meeting is interrupted when the alluring Dr. Cynthia Mortimer marches up to Toby:

The distinguished man tapped Cynthia’s arm, “Come along, my dear, we’ll be late for the performance.”
The shorter man inserted, “Yeah, you can’t miss the opening act. Songs are real swell.”
With a parting flick of her eyelashes, Cynthia accepted the arms of her escorts and walked away. Still enthralled, Toby rotated, his gaze following her. Cynthia’s slender legs looked impossibly long between her miniskirt and the stiletto heels. 
“Toby!” Estelle hissed.
He turned to face her, “I have to talk to her.”
“What?” she screeched, clenching fists hot with flames.

 Gargoyle Hunt

Secret Supers, Book 3, Gargoyle Hunt

 Super Starrella

Book 1, Super Starrella 99c

 Starrella Falls

Book 2, Starrella Falls

 Super Christmas

You have one more week to read my micro story, Super Christmas, before it vanishes in January! https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/p/micro-story.html
Or download in mobi or ePub for your ereader - https://www.instafreebie.com/book/21236

 Trilogy
Coming in January: Grand Master's Trilogy, three books in one. Amazon  Apple  B&N  Kobo

 Patty's Xmas Promo
Dec 10-31st Help an Author in Difficulty – Christmas Promotion of SciFi & Fantasy eBooks – Benefits go to authors with health or financial difficulties. pattyjansen.com/promo 

As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

Please return to www.wewriwa.com to sample the works of the other writers. 

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Reflections on My Writing in 2016 #amwriting #SciFi


Reflections on 2016

What did I accomplish in 2016?

Writing Progress
You can see a complete list of my published stories HERE.


Secret Supers
This year, I started a new series starting superheroes on contemporary Earth, the Secret Supers. In my unique twist, the superheroes are bonded with animal companions. Of course, I have added a murder mystery, aliens and genetic engineering as well as romance to the mix. I published three books in the Secret Supers Series: Super Starrella, Starrella Falls and Gargoyle Hunt. The first two stories are set in and around Atalanta, my fictional version of Atlanta, and also a lighter, southern Gotham City. The third story is set in Oxenford, the famed center of academia in Britain.  

Super Starrella, Book 1: Amazon
Starrella Falls, Book 2: Amazon
Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3: Amazon
The first book is 99c and all books are FREE with Kindle Unlimited.


Grand Masters’ Galaxy
I renamed my epic SciFi/Fantasy series, Grand Masters’ Galaxy, to allow for expansion from a Trilogy. In August, I released a short prequel, Grand Master’s Cat. The three main books are now available at all retailers.
Finally, to close out the year, I am releasing a box set, Grand Master’s Trilogy, containing the three novels: Grand Master’s Pawn, Grand Master’s Game and Grand Master’s Mate. 
Short Prequel: Grand Master’s Cat Amazon
Book 1: Grand Master’s Pawn Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N
Book 2: Grand Master’s Game Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N
Book 3: Grand Master’s Mate Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N

Grand Master’s Trilogy Box set of Books 1-3 Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo


Romancing the Stars
Also, I joined other authors of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade in 2 ventures.
An 8-author Anthology: Romancing the Stars: 8 Short Stories of Galactic Romance & Adventure http://authl.it/B01G2V9AW4?d
Amazon  iBooks  B&N 99c until December 31st.
This anthology will disappear at the end of 2016.

The Portals Project: Your Gateway to Science Fiction Romance
The #SFRBrigade community of writers created a series of FREE volumes of Science Fiction Romance beginnings ~ each volume has the beginning chapters of 10 books by 10 different authors! My stories appear in Volumes 3 and 6.  
Visit http://www.sfrportals.blogspot.com for the latest releases.


Social Connections:
My twitter followers have grown to ~8000. http://www.twitter.com/AuroraSpringer
I have exceeded 1250 likes on my Facebook Page
I claimed a domain and created a new website: http://AuroraSpringer.com

You can find my books on BookBub and my posts on travel, nature and my stories at Niume.

Sign up for my Newsletter for a FREE eBook and advance notice of my new releases, sneak peeks at my stories, giveaways and discounted books by multiple authors.  

Saturday, December 17, 2016

She purred - Snippet for #WeWriWa #Superheroes # Romance

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors. Here, writers in different genres showcase their stories with 8-10 sentences. Join the fun and read our snippets.

I am posting snippets from my new release, Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3 of Secret Supers.

Blurb
Danger is the last thing on Estelle’s mind when she visits the University of Oxenford for a summer course. But, mysterious thefts and shadowy figures spur her into action. With Toby five thousand miles away, Estelle and her winged horse must hunt for the culprits alone. Soon they are embroiled in a mixed bag of aliens and ancient magic. Toby’s unexpected arrival throws her into turmoil and spurs events into a climax. 

After Toby arrives, his first order of business is meeting the clade leader in London. When he returns in the evening, Estelle is eager to hear about his trip. But, this happens:

Cynthia’s gaze clamped onto Toby and she eased away from her escorts. Batting her inch-long fake lashes, she arrowed straight for him and stood temptingly close. In her high heels, her eyes were level with Toby’s. She spoke in a throaty, seductive voice, “You must be new, I didn’t see you at the banquet on Sunday.”
“Visiting from California,” Toby drawled, eying her as if he were mesmerized.
“I’m Cynthia Mortimer, Doctor of Philosophy. You must attend my seminar tomorrow afternoon.” Her tone as sweet and cloying as molasses, she purred, “I am open to questions after the lecture.”
Seething with envy and furious with Toby, Estelle clenched her fists. Her palms itched to scorch her rival with fire.

 Super Christmas

In the holiday spirit, I'm offering a very short, sweet story about the Secret Supers. You can read my micro story – Super Christmas at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/p/micro-story.html
Or download to your eReader in mobi or ePub format at https://www.instafreebie.com/book/21236

 Gargoyle Hunt

Secret Supers, Book 3, Gargoyle Hunt - 99c until Dec 20th

 Super Starrella

Book 1, Super Starrella 99c

 Starrella Falls

Book 2, Starrella Falls

 Patty's Xmas

Dec 10-31st Help an Author in Difficulty – Christmas Promotion of SciFi & Fantasy eBooks – Benefits go to authors with health or financial difficulties. pattyjansen.com/promo  

As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to www.wewriwa.com to sample the works of the other writers.



Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Holidays in Space - SFR Brigade Showcase #SciFiRom #Giveaway

 SFRG Holiday Showcase

Welcome to the SFR Brigade Holiday Showcase!
Please remember to check out the posts from the other participants at http://sfrcontests.blogspot.com/p/sfr-brigade-presents.html

This month, I’m celebrating release of the third book in my new Secret Supers Series.
Spunky supergirl, snarky flying horse and hunky alien hero tackle mysterious crooks.

I was inspired by our SFR Brigade members, Veronica, Pippa and Melisse, to write a very short holiday story about the characters in this series. In future, I may expand to a novella as a side story in the series.

Or download to your eReader in mobi or ePub format at https://www.instafreebie.com/book/21236 (no need to Signup)

The Secret Supers Series follows the adventures of Estelle Wright after she is transformed into a superhero in her freshman year at college. In the first book, Super Starrella, a weird serial killer is terrorizing the streets of Atalanta (Atlanta where I live!). Estelle must solve the murder mystery and discover her fellow supers, while pursuing her biology major and a couple of romantic entanglements. She scours the city at night, while overtly obeying her mom’s strict curfew. The flying mare, Rockette, is her loyal, but sometimes flighty (in the cat’s words) companion.

The romantic interest is Toby Ryan, a hot biker with a cat tattoo on his bulging biceps. Estelle gradually uncovers Toby’s secret life during her first semester at college in the first book. She learns more about the opposing alien factions, Farleons and Zarnoths, in the second book.

In Starrella Falls, Toby and Estelle have separate adventures initially, but they work best as a team and tackle a succession of villains through the final chapter. One of my favorite scenes occurs in an alligator-infested swamp. We also hear from Growler, Toby’s black jaguar. 

The backlash from alien allegiances heightens the mystery in book 3, Gargoyle Hunt. This story is set in Oxenford (my fictitious version of Oxford), UK, with scenes in some of my favorite places like Avebury with the Neolithic megaliths next to a village. While investigating gargoyle thieves, Toby and Estelle work through the complications in their relationship.

Secret Supers 
Super Starrella, Book 1: Amazon 99c
Starrella Falls, Book 2: Amazon
Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3: Amazon 99c until Dec 20th

How to claim a FREE eBook:
1.    Sign up for my Newsletter at http://eepurl.com/baol9z
2.    Comment about my micro story and I’ll select a winner at random.


 Patty's Holiday Promo

Help an author struggling with health or financial issues by buying a full price ebook - http://pattyjansen.com/promo/help-an-author-for-christmas-promo/