I am driving home to Georgia in the morning to visit my family and friends. Since Shadow Demons is STILL not finished and uploaded to my critique group, it looks like I'll be working more than I will be vacationing, haha. I am going to do my best to stick to my delayed date of June 10th for publishing, but it's definitely going to be tight.
I'll be gone until next Friday, at which time, hopefully, the book will be finished! I'll be at the beach this upcoming weekend, so I can only hope that the beach acts like a muse and allows all the little pieces to come together. I just really feel so invested in this series and want it to be perfect. At the same time, though, I don't want to disappoint everyone who is waiting for the book to come out. I get emails and messages about it everyday, and I know some of you are ready for release. I promise you, I'm working as hard as I can!!
I've already warned my family that I'll be working the whole time I'm home. I'm sure they won't be thrilled about this, but hey, they'll just have to deal. At least I'm coming home at all. My trips home to visit my family have been very few and far between since I started my Indie publishing career. It's been well worth it, but my mom reminds me how much she misses me. I hope this is a great, easy trip home with no drama and lots and lots of time to write!
Georgia Trip!
How to get Updated Book Covers on Your Nook
In light of the new covers I just released for my Peachville High Demons series, I thought I would talk about how to get these new versions onto your ereaders. Anyone who buys the series new will automatically get the updated version and the new covers, but for a fan who already owns the series, the process is a little more complicated. It's not super difficult, though, so I'm going to write about what I've learned so far.
With the Barnes & Noble Nook, getting the new covers is super simple. All you have to do is go to the B&N website, sign in, then along the top, you will see a "My Account" drop down menu. Select the option "My Nook Library". Scroll through your library and find the PHD series books you have purchased. Just under the DOWNLOAD button, you will see the option to "move to archive". Archive the book, then turn around and Unarchive it again.
The way I did this was by turning on my nook, finding the archived book (which at this point was grayed out), selecting the book and choosing to option to unarchive the book. The second I did this, the nook came up with the new color cover.
Now, the bad news is that even with the cover updated, the actual document is not the updated version of the book. I asked around on a few forums about how to get the new version downloaded to my Nook and the consensus seems to be that at this time, there is no way to get the new version onto your Nook. I am going to try contacting customer service to see if they will update my novel to the new version the same way the Kindle customer service did. I will update this blog post as soon as I have an answer from them.
If you have more information on how to get an updated version of an ebook to your Nook, please feel free to comment and let me know what your experience has been.
Getting An Updated Version of An Ebook On Your Kindle
My new versions of the first three Peachville High Demons series are live! I have had a few people ask whether they would have to buy the books again in order to get the new versions. Luckily, the answer is no. The bad news is that it is a little more difficult to get the new/updated version than I would like for it to be.
Apparently, at this time, once you purchase an ebook through the Kindle store, that's the version you own. Even if you delete the ebook from your Kindle and have it re-sent, it will continue to send you the older version instead of the updated version. This is a bit of a pain in the you-know-what, but all hope is not lost.
If you contact Kindle Customer Support, you can request that the updated version be sent to your Kindle. As I understand it, you will probably get a message that says something like this:
Currently, customers who have purchased a Kindle book cannot automatically download the revised content. Our technical team is aware of this issue, and are working towards automating this process.As long as you let them know that you are willing to lose your highlights and notes on the book, they should send you a new version with the revised content and new cover. It sucks that you have to go through these extra steps. I hope they are working fast to automate the process and offer the new version as an automatic download. If that does happen, I will let you know.
In the meantime, we can manually send the updated content to your device. Before we send it, you should be aware that once the new content is received, features such as Highlights, Last Page Read and Bookmarks will be removed and the locations of notes may not match in the updated copy of your book.
Anyone who purchases the book new from now on will automatically get the new version, but if you had already purchased the books and want to get a new updated copy, for now the only option is to contact Kindle Customer Support. I have actually just done this myself to see what type of response I get and how quickly I get it. I contacted them by going to the Kindle Support page, then clicking on "Contact Us". I selected the option to email them and mentioned the names of the ebooks I wanted updated. I also told them up front that I was aware I would lose my highlights and such, but that I want the updated version sent to my device. Now, it's a waiting game to see how long it take them to respond and how long to send me the new copy. I'll keep you updated!
UPDATE: I got a response from Customer service within five minutes of sending my request. They activated the new version for me and it was instantly downloaded to my Kindle via Whispernet. It was super simple after I contacted them! I am very glad to hear this was an easy process. If anyone is having trouble getting their new version/new cover activated on your Kindle, please feel free to contact me through my blog or website and I will help you get the issue resolved.
Updated Versions and New Covers
Just a quick note to let you know that I have finally uploaded new versions of all three books in the Peachville High Demons series. This is something that I've been meaning to do for a long time, but the process was a little more involved than I originally anticipated. In order to make the formatting process easier, my amazing husband has been writing his own programs to help automate the formatting. It's been a work-in-progress since the first book came out in October.
The original BEAUTIFUL DEMONS manuscript had a minor formatting error where some of the paragraph returns didn't show up on the ereaders. What that basically did was run some of the dialogue together instead of separating it like it was meant to be. Over the weekend, we fixed all of those little issues. I also spent some time over the past few weeks going back through all three books and editing them for errors. Luckily, other than the formatting thing in book 1, I didn't find a lot of errors. Hopefully, I caught any remaining spelling errors or inconsistencies that I didn't catch before.
All three books have a fresh new look too! As you saw, I have brand new covers for all of my Peachville High Demons books. Those new covers are now uploaded into the Kindle and B&N stores as well as the Smashwords store. The new cover and versions are available right away in the Smashwords store, but if you want to buy or replace your original download of the books on Kindle of B&N, you'll just have to wait a little longer until they actually go live. This can take them anywhere from now until probably Tuesday. Hopefully sooner rather than later! I'm excited to see if the fresh new covers increase interest in the series at all.
Tomorrow I'll be blogging about how to redownload a book onto your Kindle or Nook if you want to update the cover. I had several people asking if they'd need to rebuy the book in order to get the new cover to show up on their device and the answer is no. There is an easy way to replace the old version and get the updated one, so come back tomorrow to find out how!
Book Cover Reveal! Book 4: SHADOW DEMONS!
I know there are a lot of people waiting for Book 4. I hate to keep you waiting, but at least I can now give you the fabulous new cover for the fourth installment of the Peachville High Demons series.
In Peachville, there's a fine line between good and evil.That line is about to be crossed.
I am so excited about this book. One of the main reasons is that it's the next to last book in the series, so things are finally starting to become clear. So far in the series, it's been difficult to tell who is really good and who is really bad. In Book 4, people start to choose sides, so to speak. I think in some ways, that's also why this book has taken me longer to write. I have a very clear idea of how the series will end. Since there is only that one final book remaining after this one, it's important that I set up the action of that fifth book perfectly here. It's testing my skills as a writer, and I'm loving every minute of it!
Only a few more weeks until I can share this book with you. I hope you're as excited as I am! Thanks again to Robin Ludwig Design, Inc. for your amazing book cover art. I couldn't be happier with the results.
Book 3: BITTER DEMONS - The New Cover!
Day 3 of the big cover redesign brings us to Book 3 in the Peachville High Demons series - BITTER DEMONS. There were so many great symbols to use here, it was hard to choose just one. I considered the image of a crow, but then decided against it. Finally, I picked the black rose. In the interest of making it look a bit more like the other covers, we went with a silvery rose instead of a straight out black one, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
So, any thoughts? Are you loving the theme? All five of the covers will have this same theme with the black line and the blue stones with a silvery item, but there are also some differences that set each cover apart.
Oh, and some people were asking when you can expect to see these beautiful covers appear in the stores. Hopefully I will have them out into the Amazon and BN stores by the weekend. The delay is that I am currently fixing a few formatting and spelling errors in the original manuscripts. There weren't a ton to fix, but my husband is also going through reformatting everything with a new system he's developed, so we're really working to come up with a standard for our formatting process. I don't think it will take more than another day or two to get them up, but I wanted to upload the new covers along with the newly edited versions of the books.
Thanks for all the great, positive feedback so far! Only one cover left to reveal this week and that's for book 4! Yes, there will be a fifth cover - for the final book in the PHD series (DEMONS FOREVER), but you'll just have to wait until August to see that one!
New Cover for Book 2: INNER DEMONS
Thank you so much for all of the encouraging words yesterday when I revealed the new cover for BEAUTIFUL DEMONS! I was so nervous to hear what everyone would think of the redesigned covers, but I've had nothing but positive feedback. Thanks to everyone who chimed in with your words of support.
Today's cover reveal is Book 2: INNER DEMONS.
I love the dagger on this cover! It looks so much like what I picture the ritual dagger in the books to actually be. I also love that the cover model is more polished. Since Harper has just learned to use glamours and has just become a Peachville High cheerleader, I think it's perfect! As you can see, the four covers (actually, eventually five covers!) all have the same general look and theme. However, the model's pose will change from cover to cover and so will the significant item featured on the front.
Tomorrow's cover will be book 3, and then on Friday I'll reveal the new, never-before-seen cover for Book 4: SHADOW DEMONS. In the meantime, I'm working hard on getting the book finished and ready for a June 10th release.
New Covers!!!
I am so excited to announce that my new covers for the Peachville High Demons series are ready! I got the final approved files today, and I couldn't wait to show them to everyone. I have decided to show one cover per day since it's Tuesday and I have four covers and four days left in the week.
Today's cover is BEAUTIFUL DEMONS, Book 1 of the Peachville High Demons series. This one is my favorite of all four! I absolutely love the photo and the contrast. To me, the cover portrays the mystery/paranormal element of the book really well. I love the color scheme so much. Book 1 features the sapphire necklace Harper wears throughout the series. For those of you who have read the books, you know the significance of this necklace, so I thought it would be great to have it right on the first cover. Here's the cover!
What do you think? I love it! While I really did love my first covers, it was great to work with a professional cover artist and get a face on the cover of the books. They really pop and I think they will draw the eye in so well. I'm so nervous to find out what everyone thinks! These new covers were designed by Robin Ludwig Designs, and I think she did a brilliant job. I definitely hope to work with her again for future covers. Thanks Robin!
Please leave a comment and chime in on what you think of the new cover for book one (but only if you like it, haha!)
Shadow Demons Update: Unexpected Delays
I have some sad news to announce today. While I completely intended to release Book 4: Shadow Demons in May, the book simply isn't ready. After a very stressful weekend of worrying about it, I finally made the decision to hold off and publish the book in June. Overall, the delay is only going to be about 2 weeks. Right now, I'm officially pushing back the release until June 10th.
I am so sorry to push it back! I get messages every single day from people asking when the book is coming out, so I know some of you are anxiously waiting for it. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the excitement and encouragement. That's why I hate to publish the book late. I don't want to disappoint the people who support me and support the Peachville High Demons series. At the same time, I don't want to rush the book and publish something that is less than what I feel is my best.
So where am I in the writing / editing stages? I finished the original rough draft in April and started revisions and rewrites at the end of April. I expected to have the book uploaded to my critique group by the 12th, but the beginning of the book just doesn't seem right. Something about it isn't coming together. With writing, it sometimes feels like a magical process. Like the story already exists somewhere and all I have to do is find it. Usually with a story, when I do find the right words, this feeling comes over me. A feeling of rightness like everything just falls into place. So far, I haven't gotten that feeling, and I know that I can't publish this book until I get that feeling. Does that make any sense?
My revamped plan is to now upload the book to my critique group on the 26th of May. Then, I need to give them a week or so to read the book and comment on it. On June 6th, we're planning to get together and talk through what works and what doesn't work. For the next few days after that, I'll work like a mad woman to finalize all the changes and put the finishing touches on the manuscript before I hand it over to my husband for formatting. Looking at the calendar, I'm pretty sure that would put me ready to publish around June 10th, give or take a few days for the various sites to upload the book.
The exciting news is that I have been working with a new cover artist to design completely new covers for all of Peachville High series! I should have those covers to reveal within the next week or so, and I'm so excited about how they look.
Thanks for being patient with me. Being an Indie author isn't easy, and neither is writing and publishing a book every two-three months. This time, since the series is getting toward the end and the relationships are deepening, it's been even more difficult to follow such a strict time line. The good news is that this book will probably be a little bit longer and hopefully even better than the last three.
April Sales Numbers
What a rollercoaster! After such an amazing month of sales last month, I had no idea what to expect during the month of April. I was pretty sure that my huge jump in sales during March was due to the release of my third book toward the end of February. Without another new release in April to bolster sales, I had a feeling they would slow down. And I was right.
Since I first starting publishing in October, I have tried to set a standard for myself of writing and publishing a new book every two months. No easy task, let me tell you! I succeeded in getting a book out in December, then again in February, but after that, I was definitely feeling a bit burned out. According to the pattern, I should have had Book 4 out by the end of April. Unfortunately, I just couldn't keep working at that pace and had to push the release out to May. Likewise, Book 5 probably will be out in August, giving myself a little bit more time per book.
The downside to taking an extra month is that during that in-between time with no new release, my sales definitely seem to drop off. Last month, I had a whopping jump up to 6441 sales. (That was up from 3711 in February.) In the month of April, I saw a drop back down more toward my February numbers. If you look back at last month's sales numbers blog, you'll see that this is exactly what I predicted. More about my thoughts on this after the numbers. One exciting new development in April is the opening of a Kindle store in Germany! I haven't sold very many copies there yet, but it's great to have a new possible audience of readers.
Here are my April Sales Numbers:
BEAUTIFUL DEMONS - Book 1 of the PHD Series - $0.99 (10/30/10)
- Amazon's Kindle Store: 1452 US sales + 16 UK sales + 2 DE sales (yay!) = 1470
- Barnes & Noble: 97
- Smashwords: 2
- Total: 1569
- Amazon's Kindle Store: 1196 US sales + 12 UK sales + 1 DE sale = 1209
- Barnes & Noble: 89
- Smashwords: 2
- Total: 1300
- Amazon's Kindle Store: 1148 US sales + 10 UK sales + 1 DE sale = 1159
- Barnes & Noble: 120
- Smashwords: 2
- Total: 1281
Total Self-Publishing Sales: 12,877 previous sales + 4150 April sales = 17027
I'm super excited about that number. Sure, my sales dipped some this month, but with no new release, I think that's to be expected. I have a bit of a theory about this, and I'd love to get some feedback or opinions about it. What I've found so far is that people who release a lot of books in a short amount of time have a burst of sales. The more books and the faster they come out, the bigger the burst and the longer it lasts. For example, if an author releases 6 books in 3 months, they might see a huge boost in sales numbers. This boost might last for 3 or more months. I think this happens because the books begin to ride their own wave of success, so to speak. When an author releases 1 book every 3 months, they will probably see a boost in sales for about a month and a half to two months after each new release, then there will be a dip for that last month or so before the next book comes out. Has anyone else seen this to be true? I would love to see other author's numbers based on their release dates and how often their books come out.
According to that theory, I might have been better off in the long run if I had waited until all five books in my series were written so that I could have released them all in short succession. I might have gotten a bigger boost from that quick release. On the other hand, I would have lost months of sales while I was writing the other books. I have to believe that the path I've chosen is the right path for me. While I may see a dip in sales in between books, I am still seeing steady growth and that's what matters. Of course it would be a dream come true to see my books go all the way up to the Top 500 Kindle books, but I'm still hoping that might happen soon.
Book 4: SHADOW DEMONS is currently in the editing process. I am really hoping for a release date of May 23rd. In the meantime, I expect my sales numbers to stay about the same as they were last month overall, with a boost toward the end of the month when the new book comes out. I hope to have some exciting news about the book cover soon!
Thanks for visiting my blog and checking out my sales numbers. I would love to hear from other Indie authors who also have had some experience with dipping sales numbers.
