# Which Writer's Craft Book To Make Free for 5 Days?



## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

I want to make one of the Writer's Craft books free for 5 days, and wonder which.

It'll have to be one of the KDPSelect-enrolled ones which limits the choice to these:

_* Writing Fight Scenes
* Writing Dark Stories
* Writing Scary Scenes
* The Word-Loss Diet
* Why Does My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes
* Writing About Villains
* Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novels
* Writing Vivid Settings_

Some of these currently are (or were recently) 99c offers. Would it be better not to use those?

Right now I'm leaning towards _Writing About Villains_ (currently $2.99, last promotion was a Kindle Countdown Deal in December 2013). Would that be a good choice?


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## Lionel&#039;s Mom (Aug 22, 2013)

I vote for Villains as well! Mine are never mean enough.


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## JeanneM (Mar 21, 2011)

I've already got a few of yours, so of course I'd love it to be one of the ones I don't have.  How about Why Does my Book not Sell....20 fixes? I'd love that one to add to my collection. Thanks for asking us.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Lionel's Mom said:


> I vote for Villains as well! Mine are never mean enough.


Thanks.
<records vote>


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

JeanneM said:


> I've already got a few of yours, so of course I'd love it to be one of the ones I don't have. How about Why Does my Book not Sell....20 fixes? I'd love that one to add to my collection. Thanks for asking us.


Thanks. Hmm... <thinks>
_Why Does My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes_ is currently on offer for 99c. Maybe it wouldn't be very effective to make an already discounted book free?

I wonder if it would be better to use a book with a $2.99 price tag. What do you think?


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## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

my vote goes to:

Writing Vivid Settings

or, second choice:

Writing Fight Scenes


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## Douglas E Wright (Mar 11, 2011)

I say magic or dark stories.


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## Bishoppess (Apr 11, 2015)

Dark stories! Because I already have the fight scenes one XD


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## Chinese Writer (Mar 25, 2014)

I vote for billions or short stories. This is entirely self serving since I don't have these in my library yet.


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## Victoria LK (Jan 31, 2014)

My  votes (I'm casting 2)
Why Does My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes & Selling Short stories


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Vidya said:


> my vote goes to:
> 
> Writing Vivid Settings
> 
> ...


Thanks. <records vote>


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## Reaper (Nov 5, 2013)

I bought Fight Scenes a couple of days ago (enjoying it so far!), so I'd vote for Vivid Settings or Villains. (Personally, I really want the Short Stories to Promote Novels one, but I think the other two would better serve writers who're just starting out.)


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## a_g (Aug 9, 2013)

Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novels

 I already have several of your titles. Glad to see you around these parts now.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Rayne Hall said:


> I want to make one of the Writer's Craft books free for 5 days, and wonder which.


villains sounds good, more attractive to visitors I bet, but I'd go for Vivid Settings personally


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Douglas E Wright said:


> I say magic or dark stories.


Thanks. "Writing About Magic" isn't in KDP Select, so I can't do a 5-days-free promotion for it, but "Writing Dark Stories" is a possibility.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Bishoppess said:


> Dark stories! Because I already have the fight scenes one XD


Thanks. _Writing Dark Stories_ is a possibility - but it's currently on special offer at 99c. I wonder if it's a good idea to follow a 99c offer with a free offer, or if this would make readers angry.


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## Goulburn (May 21, 2014)

a_g said:


> Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novels
> 
> I already have several of your titles. Glad to see you around these parts now.


I would also love you to select Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novels for the promotion. 
I have purchased several of your books and have appreciated the tips in them.


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## JeanneM (Mar 21, 2011)

Rayne Hall said:


> Thanks. Hmm... <thinks>
> _Why Does My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes_ is currently on offer for 99c. Maybe it wouldn't be very effective to make an already discounted book free?
> 
> I wonder if it would be better to use a book with a $2.99 price tag. What do you think?


What do I think? I think you just made a sale.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Bishoppess said:


> Dark stories! Because I already have the fight scenes one XD


Billions? This title sounds unfamiliar. I don't think I've written it. Maybe I should? :-D


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Victoria LK said:


> My votes (I'm casting 2)
> Why Does My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes & Selling Short stories


Thanks. <Records votes>
By the way, _Why Does My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes_ is currently a 99c offer. Maybe it's better not to follow this with a free offer?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

JeanneM said:


> What do I think? I think you just made a sale.


Yay, a sale! :-D


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Vivid Settings is my vote. #throws hat in ring#


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Steven McKinnon said:


> I bought Fight Scenes a couple of days ago (enjoying it so far!), so I'd vote for Vivid Settings or Villains. (Personally, I really want the Short Stories to Promote Novels one, but I think the other two would better serve writers who're just starting out.)


Interesting. So you think I should target the promotion at least in part at writers who're just starting out?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

a_g said:


> Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novels
> 
> I already have several of your titles. Glad to see you around these parts now.


<records vote>
Oh, a regular reader! My favourite kind of person! 
Yes, I'm hanging around Kboards for a bit. I'll see how I get on. So far, I'm liking it.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

geronl said:


> villains sounds good, more attractive to visitors I bet, but I'd go for Vivid Settings personally


Thanks
<records vote/votes>
By the way Writing Vivid Settings is currently the bestselling of my Writers Craft titles. I didn't expect it to be. But it seems there's a demand for this skill, and word-of-mouth has really taken off for this book.


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## beccaprice (Oct 1, 2011)

My vote is for vivid settings.

I just bought your twitter book and why does my book not sell.


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## KL_Phelps (Nov 7, 2013)

villains don't get enough respect, so I vote for them!


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Ryn Shell said:


> I would also love you to select Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novels for the promotion.
> I have purchased several of your books and have appreciated the tips in them.


Oh, another regular reader of my books here in this Forum! I'm impressed how many readers I've met in the few days since joining KBoards. Do you also meet your readers at KBoards?
<records vote>


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

harker.roland said:


> Vivid Settings is my vote. #throws hat in ring#


<records vote>
thanks


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## Bishoppess (Apr 11, 2015)

Bishoppess said:


> Dark stories! Because I already have the fight scenes one XD


Forget free them, I'll go buy it now! /toddles off


Rayne Hall said:


> Thanks. _Writing Dark Stories_ is a possibility - but it's currently on special offer at 99c. I wonder if it's a good idea to follow a 99c offer with a free offer, or if this would make readers angry.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

beccaprice said:


> My vote is for vivid settings.
> 
> I just bought your twitter book and why does my book not sell.


Thanks. <takes note of vote>
Will you let me know how those two books work for you and if they help with your Twitter and book marketing?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

KL_Phelps said:


> villains don't get enough respect, so I vote for them!


Villains are Very Important People in fiction, and many writers underestimate them. 
<records vote>


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## RuthNestvold (Jan 4, 2012)

I vote for "Why Does My Book Not Sell?" Been having problems with that one lately ...


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## The 13th Doctor (May 31, 2012)

Oooh, Villains or Fights get my vote.

Villains, 'cos it's always good to know how to write them well.

Fights, because I have a historical fantasy with a fight scene that is just not working. And, in general, I'm rubbish at writing good fight scenes (except for one that was intentionally Colin Firth/Hugh Grant-Bridget-Jones-type-fighting   )


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

RuthNestvold said:


> I vote for "Why Does My Book Not Sell?" Been having problems with that one lately ...


Thanks. Several people have suggested _Why Does My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes_ for the free promo. But this title is currently on special offer at 99c. Maybe it wouldn't be a good strategy to follow it with a free offer. What do you think?


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## Victoria LK (Jan 31, 2014)

Or you hope that readers do what I just did and "borrow" them!


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

garam81 said:


> Oooh, Villains or Fights get my vote.
> 
> Villains, 'cos it's always good to know how to write them well.
> 
> Fights, because I have a historical fantasy with a fight scene that is just not working. And, in general, I'm rubbish at writing good fight scenes (except for one that was intentionally Colin Firth/Hugh Grant-Bridget-Jones-type-fighting  )


Thanks. I'll record your vote for "Writing About Villains" because "Writing Fight Scenes" is currently on special offer at 99c, and it may be better not to follow a 99c offer with a free offer.

By the way, if you want the Writing Fight Scenes book free, how about reviewing it? Then I can give you a free reviewer copy.


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

My vote is for Writing Dark Stories.


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## mel p (Oct 22, 2014)

I just bought Dark Stories last week (and really enjoyed it!), so I vote for the Short Stories or Villians.
Let us know which you pick!


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Victoria LK said:


> Or you hope that readers do what I just did and "borrow" them!


Yes, of course if you have KU you can get any of my Writer's Craft books to borrow free anytime, without waiting for a promotion. The ones enrolled with KDP Select, anyway.


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## The 13th Doctor (May 31, 2012)

Rayne Hall said:


> Thanks. I'll record your vote for "Writing About Villains" because "Writing Fight Scenes" is currently on special offer at 99c, and it may be better not to follow a 99c offer with a free offer.
> 
> By the way, if you want the Writing Fight Scenes book free, how about reviewing it? Then I can give you a free reviewer copy.


It's pay day tomorrow, so I'm sure my finances could stretch to 99p (actually may get a few of your books). And I'll be sure to leave a review.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

garam81 said:


> It's pay day tomorrow, so I'm sure my finances could stretch to 99p (actually may get a few of your books). And I'll be sure to leave a review.


Oh, a sale *and* a review both!

Even my cat purrs with joy. 










You may want to download the free sample pages to see if my style appeals to you before you buy.


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## Peter Spenser (Jan 26, 2012)

First choice: _*Villains*_

Second: *Scary Scenes*

I already have most of your other Craft books, and some of your fiction, too. All good stuff!


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## JeanneM (Mar 21, 2011)

I just checked and I have five of yours now.  Can't wait to see what you come up with next.


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## Goulburn (May 21, 2014)

I have been back and bought the book bundle to add to the others I own of yours. 
I love that you write clearly and without the word fill all too frequent in how to books. Great value and your work is worth paying for.  I'll help spread the news when you do your free promotion.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

J.T. Williams said:


> My vote is for Writing Dark Stories.


<records vote>
From a marketing perspective, do you think it it may be a good idea to make this particular book free for 5 days later in the year... maybe in the autumn, when more people want to write dark and scary stuff?


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Rayne Hall said:


> I want to make one of the Writer's Craft books free for 5 days, and wonder which.
> 
> It'll have to be one of the KDPSelect-enrolled ones which limits the choice to these:
> 
> ...


I'd also say villains, but only because I wanna snatch that one myself too haha 

I'd say, go for whichever title sells the least, compared to all the rest (if that's even possible with you ), and run the promo on that one.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

mel p said:


> I just bought Dark Stories last week (and really enjoyed it!), so I vote for the Short Stories or Villians.
> Let us know which you pick!


Thanks. It's exciting to meet readers here who've read my Writer's Craft books. 
I'll take a note of your vote. I'm leaning towards "Writing About Villains" but haven't decided yet.


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## Reaper (Nov 5, 2013)

Rayne Hall said:


> Interesting. So you think I should target the promotion at least in part at writers who're just starting out?


I think it's worth considering. Do you get much feedback from people who are just starting out?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Steven McKinnon said:


> I think it's worth considering. Do you get much feedback from people who are just starting out?


My target audience are writers who are already experienced writers and want add specific new skills to their toolkit.
They may be have publishing experience (corporate or indie) or they may just start out with publishing.

My books definitely aren't for novice writers - those wouldn't be able to understand and apply the techniques. Novice publishers, yes.

I hear a lot from people who've written for years, but are only just making the "corporate publishing or indie?" decision. Also from people who have indie published books but just can't get traction.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Peter Spenser said:


> First choice: _*Villains*_
> 
> Second: *Scary Scenes*
> 
> I already have most of your other Craft books, and some of your fiction, too. All good stuff!


Yay, a fan! :-D

<takes note of votes>


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Meh, and here I was plotting to buy all those gorg books and they are not meant for me, straight out of the mouth (fingers) of the Author herself.

*sigh*

I'll go doodle something >_>


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

JeanneM said:


> I just checked and I have five of yours now.


You have five of my books?  You're my favourite kind of person!



JeanneM said:


> Can't wait to see what you come up with next.


So far, the Writer's Craft series has ten titles.
The next book in the series will be _SWOT for Writing Success._ I've nearly finished writing it.

After that, I'm undecided. I have notes and rough drafts for several books. Which one should I write next, do you think? These are the projects in the pipeline:

_Writing Deep PoV
Writing Vivid Dialogue
Writing Vivid Characters
Book Promotion for Introverts
Writing Powerful Blurbs
Writing Fantasy Fiction
Euphonics for Writers
How To Train Your Cat To Promote Your Books _ (that one started as a joke, but has developed into a serious project... many writers with cats say they'll buy it)


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Ryn Shell said:


> I have been back and bought the book bundle to add to the others I own of yours.
> I love that you write clearly and without the word fill all too frequent in how to books. Great value and your work is worth paying for.  I'll help spread the news when you do your free promotion.


Oh, thank you! You've made my day. Buying my books *and* spreading the word about my promotion. Wonderful!
The promotion will probably be at the end of this month, probably for _ Writing About Villains,_ though I haven't decided.

Do you think it will be ok if I post an announcement of the promo in this forum? Or would that be considered spamming?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Gaulvinov said:


> I'd also say villains, but only because I wanna snatch that one myself too haha
> 
> I'd say, go for whichever title sells the least, compared to all the rest (if that's even possible with you ), and run the promo on that one.


It will probably be Writing About Villains, although I haven't made the final decision yet.

Hmm, the least-selling book of the series? I hadn't thought about it this way. That would be Writing Short Stories To Promote Your Novels. But that's a highly specialised book, only for authors who have already at least one book published and are fairly prolific writers. Maybe it would be better to pick a title with wider appeal, what do you think?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Gaulvinov said:


> Meh, and here I was plotting to buy all those gorg books and they are not meant for me, straight out of the mouth (fingers) of the Author herself.
> 
> *sigh*
> 
> I'll go doodle something >_>


Why are my Writer's Craft books not meant for you - because you're a novice at writing?
Not that I want to discourage anyone from buying my books :-D but if you're just starting out with the craft, there are many excellent books for beginners, and you'd get more out of them.


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## Peter Spenser (Jan 26, 2012)

Rayne Hall said:


> From a marketing perspective, do you think it it may be a good idea to make this particular book free for 5 days later in the year... maybe in the autumn, when more people want to write dark and scary stuff?


Good point. Then it has to be *Villains* for now.


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## Bishoppess (Apr 11, 2015)

So far, the Writer's Craft series has ten titles.
The next book in the series will be _SWOT for Writing Success._ I've nearly finished writing it.

After that, I'm undecided. I have notes and rough drafts for several books. Which one should I write next, do you think? These are the projects in the pipeline:

_Writing Deep PoV
Writing Vivid Dialogue
Writing Vivid Characters
Book Promotion for Introverts
Writing Powerful Blurbs
Writing Fantasy Fiction
Euphonics for Writers
How To Train Your Cat To Promote Your Books _ (that one started as a joke, but has developed into a serious project... many writers with cats say they'll buy it)
[/quote]

Book Promotion for Introverts or the Blurbs one. Frankly, there are a lot of Character and Dialogue books out there and I've stopped buying them, simply because they all rehash the same stuff. MAYBE the Fantasy one, if all you del with is Fantasy (or even spec fic in genetal). But too many of those go over the same standard writing practices of plot and structure and don't get too much into the actual FANTASY.

My two cents


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Peter Spenser said:


> Good point. Then it has to be *Villains* for now.


Thank you. <records vote>
I think it will probably be Villains.


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## beccaprice (Oct 1, 2011)

I've just become a major fan. I bought your twitter book yesterday, and it's the first time I've understood how twitter works, and I've read several books trying to understand it. I am now in conversation with someone who saw my hashtag #amwriting and liked my titles. I've been favorited by two other people and retweeted by one - and now I know what that all means.

It turns out I have your book on how to write fight scenes, just with the old cover so I didn't recognize it as part of your series. I hope you make villains your free book, because I really need help with my villains. I think I've got one other of your books in the old cover too - can't remember which one it is. 

What a great series, and what a great service to authors!


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

beccaprice said:


> I've just become a major fan. I bought your twitter book yesterday, and it's the first time I've understood how twitter works, and I've read several books trying to understand it. I am now in conversation with someone who saw my hashtag #amwriting and liked my titles. I've been favorited by two other people and retweeted by one - and now I know what that all means.
> 
> It turns out I have your book on how to write fight scenes, just with the old cover so I didn't recognize it as part of your series. I hope you make villains your free book, because I really need help with my villains. I think I've got one other of your books in the old cover too - can't remember which one it is.
> 
> What a great series, and what a great service to authors!


Oh! A fan! Now I want to print your post out and pin it above my writing desk. 

What's your Twitter name? I'll follow you (if I'm not following you already.)

Would you consider reviewing _Twitter for Writers _on Amazon? 
Oh, and perhaps you could tell other writers about the book, if you know anyone who writes and wants to know how to get the most out of Twitter?

Your comment about Writing Fight Scenes, how you didn't realise it was the same author because of the different cover, is very interesting. It shows the value of visual branding.

That old cover was a DIY thing. I had commissioned an artist to create a series of covers. She delayed and delayed... and when she finally delivered, on the day the first book was due to be published, it was unusable crap. With just a few hours to spare, I quickly created some temporary covers from stock images. They weren't great, but at least not cringe-inducing awful. Later, I hired a different artist/designer (Erica Syverson) to create new professional-looking covers for the whole series, and I think she did a great job.


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## beccaprice (Oct 1, 2011)

I'm @becca_pice.  

yes, I'llwrite a review for you - was going to, but had to see how it worked first.

Turns out I have your Magic book as well, again with old cover.

ETA: review written.

If you are looking fr suggestions, how about one on writing interesting heros? in my (projected) novel, my hero is just too bland.  I need some way for him to inspire pssion (not that kind) in my villain, enough that the villain wants not only to kill the hero but to wipe out his entire bloodline.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

beccaprice said:


> I'm @becca_pice.
> 
> yes, I'llwrite a review for you - was going to, but had to see how it worked first.
> 
> ...


That's an interesting suggestion, thanks. Interesting because you're not the first to suggest it - several writers on Twitters have also requested a book on creating fiction heroes. So maybe I should think about this.

I'm not sure if I'm qualified to write about heroes, though. I haven't created that many. Most of my protagonists are great protagonists, but not 'heroes' ... which of course opens the unanswerable debate about when a protagonist is a hero. A book about protagonists, perhaps, to avoid the contentious word 'hero'? But that wouldn't make a catchy title.

What I could write about is flawed heroes. I'm really good at creating those. You know, good guys with a dark side or an evil secret. But would this be material for a book? What do you think?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

beccaprice said:


> I'm @becca_pice.


Twitter tells me that nobody of that name exists. Typo?


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## beccaprice (Oct 1, 2011)

Typo.  try @becca_price

My bluetooth keyboard for my tablet often drops letters unless I'm carreful.


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

beccaprice said:


> I've just become a major fan. I bought your twitter book yesterday, and it's the first time I've understood how twitter works, and I've read several books trying to understand it. I am now in conversation with someone who saw my hashtag #amwriting and liked my titles. I've been favorited by two other people and retweeted by one - and now I know what that all means.
> 
> It turns out I have your book on how to write fight scenes, just with the old cover so I didn't recognize it as part of your series. I hope you make villains your free book, because I really need help with my villains. I think I've got one other of your books in the old cover too - can't remember which one it is.
> 
> What a great series, and what a great service to authors!


Bought the Twitter book off of Becca's recc now.


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Rayne Hall said:


> Why are my Writer's Craft books not meant for you - because you're a novice at writing?
> Not that I want to discourage anyone from buying my books :-D but if you're just starting out with the craft, there are many excellent books for beginners, and you'd get more out of them.


I'm not new with writing, but no formal education nor special training/workshops done. Though I have 10 years behind as a writer. But I'm unpublished. It sounded like your books were meant for a crowd that understands the craft already, has tested the waters (and achieved success), who know where they are.

I still don't know these things about myself. The reason I wanted to get all your books after a given time is that it seemed like great places to start looking up some elements that I may think are strong in my works but are in actuality very weak (and that would have been made a bit more obvious by reading the material). I don't know if my settings are vivid enough, or if my villains are ... well, villainy enough lol. That's what I meant. It would have been great as a sort of upgrade.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Gaulvinov said:


> I'm not new with writing, but no formal education nor special training/workshops done. Though I have 10 years behind as a writer. But I'm unpublished. It sounded like your books were meant for a crowd that understands the craft already, has tested the waters (and achieved success), who know where they are.
> 
> I still don't know these things about myself. The reason I wanted to get all your books after a given time is that it seemed like great places to start looking up some elements that I may think are strong in my works but are in actuality very weak (and that would have been made a bit more obvious by reading the material). I don't know if my settings are vivid enough, or if my villains are ... well, villainy enough lol. That's what I meant. It would have been great as a sort of upgrade.


As an upgrade, the books are perfect. They just don't teach the basics. Think of them as specialist guides for specific topics you want to study at advanced level.

How about downloading some free samples - maybe _Writing Vivid Settings_ - and judging for yourself if these books are right for you?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

harker.roland said:


> Bought the Twitter book off of Becca's recc now.


Oooh, things are happening! Word-of-mouth recommendations - wonderful!
<performs happy dance>


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

beccaprice said:


> Typo. try @becca_price
> 
> My bluetooth keyboard for my tablet often drops letters unless I'm carreful.


Got you!


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Bishoppess said:


> Book Promotion for Introverts or the Blurbs one. Frankly, there are a lot of Character and Dialogue books out there and I've stopped buying them, simply because they all rehash the same stuff. MAYBE the Fantasy one, if all you del with is Fantasy (or even spec fic in genetal). But too many of those go over the same standard writing practices of plot and structure and don't get too much into the actual FANTASY.
> 
> My two cents
> 
> ...


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Rayne Hall said:


> As an upgrade, the books are perfect. They just don't teach the basics. Think of them as specialist guides for specific topics you want to study at advanced level.
> 
> How about downloading some free samples - maybe _Writing Vivid Settings_ - and judging for yourself if these books are right for you?


Yes, that makes sense. I think I'm doing good when it comes to the basics. I've ghosted a few works before successfully, so probably have them well taken care of I suppose. Otherwise I'd get rejected.

I actually have your "Fight Scenes" book bought . I bought it few days ago, its freaking awesome! I was low on cash, but saw that 99 cents promo and I had to have it .

EDIT: I'll be buying the rest of your stuff eventually, one by one as time goes by, I think they're really worth it.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Gaulvinov said:


> I actually have your "Fight Scenes" book bought . I bought it few days ago, its freaking awesome! I was low on cash, but saw that 99 cents promo and I had to have it .


Yay! I like hearing my book called "freaking awesome" 

Would you consider posting a review on Amazon?



Gaulvinov said:


> EDIT: I'll be buying the rest of your stuff eventually, one by one as time goes by, I think they're really worth it.


I send free ebooks to book reviewers. If you want to review any of my books on Amazon, I'll send you a reviewer's ebook copy.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Thanks, everyone who shared their opinion here.

I'll probably make _Writing About Villains_ free for five days at the end of this month. Will it be ok to announce it in this forum, or would that be considered spamming?

With Why Does _My Book Not Sell? 20 Simple Fixes_ I'll wait until several months after the current 99c special offer has passed.

Later in the year (September?) I may do a promotion for _Writing Dark Stories._


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Rayne Hall said:


> Yay! I like hearing my book called "freaking awesome"
> 
> Would you consider posting a review on Amazon?
> 
> I send free ebooks to book reviewers. If you want to review any of my books on Amazon, I'll send you a reviewer's ebook copy.


Sure! Once I'm done and once I have the review posted I will let you know.

That sounds great, the free ebook copy, though I think Amazon now asks for verification of any kind of purchase or borrow, and unless its in the systems, they may delete the review or worse (suspend the account). A review of mine was deleted from a friend's children's book I read and reviewed because there was no record of the purchase or borrow on Amazon (she gave me a free pdf via mail).

So just giving heads up on this. Its your choice of course. If I buy your other books, expect a review from me on them too . Whether they are 99 cents, free, or full price (doesn't matter, I plan on getting them anyway )



Rayne Hall said:


> Thanks, everyone who shared their opinion here.
> 
> I'll probably make _Writing About Villains_ free for five days at the end of this month. Will it be ok to announce it in this forum, or would that be considered spamming?
> 
> ...


I think you can do it in the Book Bazar, but I'm not 100% sure on this. I think a moderator will have to confirm or elaborate on details. I know its not a no-no, just what exactly makes it a 'yes' I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps Betsy can chime in and help you with this?


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Gaulvinov said:


> Sure! Once I'm done and once I have the review posted I will let you know.
> 
> That sounds great, the free ebook copy, though I think Amazon now asks for verification of any kind of purchase or borrow, and unless its in the systems, they may delete the review or worse (suspend the account). A review of mine was deleted from a friend's children's book I read and reviewed because there was no record of the purchase or borrow on Amazon (she gave me a free pdf via mail).


That would be very strange, and flying in the face of a century of established tradition for book reviews. Reviewers receive free books from publishers, that's the standard practice. Amazon would lose half its reviews, and the remaining ones would not necessarily be genuine ones, because many fake-review-sellers buy the book to make it a verified purchase.

<speculates> Perhaps Amazon is trying to force publishers to purchase review copies on Amazon? That would be a way for Amazon to increase sales, though it would be a mean one. But of course Amazon makes the rules, and we mere mortals have to comply.

If you're in the UK or the US, I can send you a gift card for the book you want, so you can make it a verified purchase. (The advantage of that is that it will count as a sale and help a little bit with the book's sales ranking.)


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Gaulvinov said:


> I think you can do it in the Book Bazar, but I'm not 100% sure on this. I think a moderator will have to confirm or elaborate on details. I know its not a no-no, just what exactly makes it a 'yes' I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps Betsy can chime in and help you with this?


I doubt the people who read the book bazaar posts would be interested in the outcome of a thread in the Writer's Cafe. So maybe I just won't post it.

Or maybe I'll post it attached to this thread? (Though people will have no way of knowing that the latest reply is the result of my decision, so they probably won't read it.)

Or maybe I could post it in this forum, as a separate thread, as soon as I've made the decision rather than when the book is actually free, and not include an URL? Maybe then it won't look like spam? (And if a moderator decides it is inappropriate and deletes it, I'll just accept it with a shrug.)


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## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

I think you can post when the book is actually free, and CAN include an URL. I think I've seen a few people do that, especially after there's been a discussion about the book for some reason.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Ok, thanks.
Do you think I should ask a moderator about this?


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Vidya said:


> I think you can post when the book is actually free, and CAN include an URL. I think I've seen a few people do that, especially after there's been a discussion about the book for some reason.


You can do that in the Bazaar, but not here. Self-promotion is verboten.


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## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

Yes, you could ask the mods. I never check the Book Bazaar and I suspect many others in the café don't either. So a lot of people in this thread who expressed interest might miss the book.

Would you be willing to PM me when any book of yours is free? I googled you to find your site and I found this:

http://raynehall.brandyourself.com/

but I see no place where I can sign up to receive updates and special offers for your work. If you were to add such a thing, then we could all sign up and you could send us all a reminder when you run a special offer.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Vidya said:


> Yes, you could ask the mods. I never check the Book Bazaar and I suspect many others in the cafe don't either. So a lot of people in this thread who expressed interest might miss the book.
> 
> Would you be willing to PM me when any book of yours is free? I googled you to find your site and I found this:
> 
> ...


That BrandYourself.com thing was something I did years ago and stopped. (It's useless.)

I suppose if I had a newsletter, you could subscribe to that, but I don't have one. (I may start one, but the time it takes to write and market a newsletter is time I want to spend writing and marketing another book.)

The thing asking the moderators... I don't know. The latest I heard from them is that I'm not supposed to even mention the titles of my books or in my posts, not even my name. That handicaps what I can post. Maybe if I phrase it judiciously without mentioning the book's title (instead: "the sixth in the list") or type of promotion (instead: "the type of event previously discussed") , it will be acceptable. :-D

I can PM everyone who wants the book. I'm guessing that the taboo on mentioning book titles doesn't apply to PM.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Monique said:


> You can do that in the Bazaar, but not here. Self-promotion is verboten.


I get that. So the people who have asked me for information about this shouldn't have asked in the forum, but sent a PM?


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Rayne Hall said:


> I get that. So the people who have asked me for information about this shouldn't have asked in the forum, but sent a PM?


That's probably best. This thread and a few others skirt very close to the line of being outright marketing efforts and that's frowned upon here. It would be a big old mess if everyone touted, however subtly, their books all day.



Rayne Hall said:


> The thing asking the moderators... I don't know. The latest I heard from them is that I'm not supposed to even mention the titles of my books or in my posts, not even my name. That handicaps what I can post. Maybe if I phrase it judiciously without mentioning the book's title (instead: "the sixth in the list") or type of promotion (instead: "the type of event previously discussed") , it will be acceptable. :-D


I'm sure you have lots to offer here and I'm also sure you can do it without mentioning you and your books each time. 

Re the newsletter. I think Vidya is referring to more of a "new release" newsletter and not an informational one. If people like your book series, they'll want to know when the next one comes out. Capture those and send a "newsletter" to them. It's a misleading name for it, but it's what a lot of us here call a new release notification. If you have a new release newsletter, people here can sign-up for it and you won't have to have a pm parade.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Lionel's Mom said:


> I vote for Villains as well! Mine are never mean enough.


I tried to send you a DM, but for some reason, I can't. :-(


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## SJ Kelley (Feb 13, 2015)

I picked up Rayne's Twitter book today based on the recommendation here. I like the no-nonsense style and am looking forward to reading the rest!


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Monique said:


> This thread and a few others skirt very close to the line of being outright marketing efforts and that's frowned upon here. It would be a big old mess if everyone touted, however subtly, their books all day.


To the best of my knowledge, I have not posted marketing efforts, outright or otherwise, nor touted my books, all day or subtly or otherwise. But I can see how someone might _*perceive*_ my messages as promos.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

SJ Kelley said:


> I picked up Rayne's Twitter book today based on the recommendation here. I like the no-nonsense style and am looking forward to reading the rest!


Thanks. If you want to know which of my books will be free for five days soon, PM me.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Rayne Hall said:


> Thanks. If you want to know which of my books will be free for five days soon, PM me.


Hi, Rayne--

If you want to let people know which of your books will be free, the appropriate place to talk about that is in the Book Bazaar, where you can have a dedicated thread for each book, or one thread for all of your books, or in your signature--but certainly beyond the scope of this thread.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send me a PM.

Betsy
KB Mod


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Rayne Hall said:


> Thanks, everyone who shared their opinion here.
> 
> I'll probably make _Writing About Villains_ free for five days at the end of this month. Will it be ok to announce it in this forum, or would that be considered spamming?
> 
> ...


Rayne,

I apologize for not seeing this--this is the kind of thing that would be appropriate for the Book Bazaar. And we have a thread, "Links to Free Books" that floats in the Book Bazaar where you can also post your books once per free run. Many members check the Book Bazaar regularly to see what's new there. Authors interested in your books can subscribe to the thread(s) so as to get any announcements.



Rayne Hall said:


> That BrandYourself.com thing was something I did years ago and stopped. (It's useless.)
> 
> I suppose if I had a newsletter, you could subscribe to that, but I don't have one. (I may start one, but the time it takes to write and market a newsletter is time I want to spend writing and marketing another book.)
> 
> ...


Just to clarify...it's fine to mention one's book by title IF you have a specific question that the title is pertinent to. For example, "Is this the best title for this book?" "Does this title reflect its genre?" It's fine to sign your name to your posts. You can have your books and your name in your signature, as you do. If you want to make a post and are in doubt whether it would be OK, by all means send one of us a PM. It happens quite often.

Posting pictures that contain your book covers are iffy. Again, if you have a question about a cover, such as in the cover critique threads, that's fine. Placing images of your covers in other posts, not so much.

We understand that each author is understandably enthusiastic about their own work. Each has to try to find the balance between talking about one's own work and participating in the forum discussing general topics. You'll figure it out.

Betsy


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## Shei Darksbane (Jan 31, 2015)

For me, it'd be fight scenes XD


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Rayne Hall said:


> That would be very strange, and flying in the face of a century of established tradition for book reviews. Reviewers receive free books from publishers, that's the standard practice. Amazon would lose half its reviews, and the remaining ones would not necessarily be genuine ones, because many fake-review-sellers buy the book to make it a verified purchase.
> 
> <speculates> Perhaps Amazon is trying to force publishers to purchase review copies on Amazon? That would be a way for Amazon to increase sales, though it would be a mean one. But of course Amazon makes the rules, and we mere mortals have to comply.
> 
> If you're in the UK or the US, I can send you a gift card for the book you want, so you can make it a verified purchase. (The advantage of that is that it will count as a sale and help a little bit with the book's sales ranking.)


I don't know what they are thinking. The only explanation I have is that they want to have greater control over the market, on who buys/purchases what from their store, and whether they are cut to do reviews without being bought the book. Even if its free or borrowed, unless there is a record in the system, chances are you are gonna eat the stick. Another friend of mine had his account suspended last night. You are right, verified purchase doesn't mean the review is true, but I guess they are thinking of limiting the fakery there by removing the lazy ones or the cheapskate ones out of the review picture. Another reason could be the insurgence of trolls there lately, who without having bought anything, raid titles and smacking either 5 stars (but the comments are silly) or 1 stars (and the comments being even sillier).

I live in the Balkans, Macedonia actually, nowhere near the UK nor the US . Otherwise I'd love to help, in any way I can. As you know, I already plan on buying them all after a while, so you will get more reviews for the other titles for sure in some way, some day .


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

> If you want to let people know which of your books will be free, the appropriate place to talk about that is in the Book Bazaar, where you can have a dedicated thread for each book, or one thread for all of your books, or in your signature--but certainly beyond the scope of this thread.


Haven't heard back from the OP, but we've moved this thread to the Book Bazaar. This thread can be merged with a dedicated Book Bazaar thread for a particular book, or for the entire series of books, if you choose to create one.


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