Great News for Self-Publishers from Draft2Digital and Smashwords, Free Gift #selfpublishing #marketingebooks

 Hello and Welcome to the Focused on Story Blog!

This week I have news, updates and a GIFT for you!

Let's get to it!

FOR SELF-PUBLISHERS

Books, books, books!
💗💗💗

I have great news for you if you are a self-publisher. If you self-publish books and are with a traditional publisher, I have great news for you too!! 

In February this year, Draft to Digital acquired Smashwords (SW). These are two heavyweights in the self-publishing industry because they publish and distribute eBooks all around the world. Instead of the friendly rivalry for the last ten years or so, they decided to join forces to provide the best of both worlds for you. And as a result, for readers too.

The Pro-Writing Aid website states--"The acquisition will “enable 250,000 authors and publishers around the world to publish, distribute, market, and manage more than 800,000 eBooks and 11,000 print-on-demand paperback books.” 

The future looks wonderful for writers if you decide to publish wide through many distributors via Draft2Digital. Note, if you are published exclusively through KDP, you cannot add your books to other distributors.

This week is when I heard the good news from Dale L. Roberts in his video about transferring books published in Draft2Digital to the Smashwords Store. Yes, Smashwords has been added as a choice for selling books for you. That is big news!

Your book Your Words, Your Life Story: A Guide for Sharing Memories has been published to Smashwords.

Live status updates for this book: BorrowBox - Published on February 11, 2022, 22:30 PM OverDrive - Published on February 11, 2022, 23:31 PM Baker & Taylor - Published on February 12, 2022, 17:09 PM Apple - Published on February 12, 2022, 19:26 PM Barnes & Noble - Published on February 12, 2022, 21:06 PM Kobo - Published on February 12, 2022, 21:27 PM Scribd - Published on February 12, 2022, 21:27 PM Tolino - Published on February 12, 2022, 21:27 PM Vivlio - Published on February 12, 2022, 21:28 PM Amazon - Published on February 12, 2022, 22:05 PM Bibliotheca - Published on February 14, 2022, 10:39 AM Smashwords - Published on December 12, 2022, 16:36 PM This is the list of distributors  I have chosen to sell my books!  I added Smashwords this week.

Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, announced-- 

"December 6, 2022 - Big news today.  Draft2Digital authors can now distribute to the Smashwords store!  Readers can look forward to more amazing indie ebooks, and all authors can look forward to more readers browsing and buying books.  An important milestone following Draft2Digital's acquisition of Smashwords.  Learn more about what this means for authors and readers at the Smashwords Blog.  And separately, all Smashwords authors should expect an email today reminding everyone to enroll in our big upcoming Smashwords End of Year sale.

HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR BOOKS TO THE SMASHWORDS STORE

Let me tell you how easy it is to transfer ALL of your D2Dbooks over to the Smashwords Store.

Go to your account at D2D. When you log in, a screen will appear offering you the opportunity to distribute your book through Smashwords. Just click the button that will transfer the books to Smashwords. In just a minute, you will receive a notice the books are ready to be distributed through Smashwords as well as all the other distributors you have previously chosen for your books. It's like magic!

Finally! All of my eBooks are on the same page at Smashwords.
Click here to visit my SmashWords J.Q. Rose Author Page

UPDATES:

My mysteries and memoir published through SW by BWL Publishing are on my SW author page as well as the non-fiction books I have published through D2D. What an opportunity to get more eyes on our books, all of our books!

Now all of my books are available for 50% off
during the Smashwords End-of-Year Sale
December 15-31.

More good news!! Smashwords End-of-Year sale begins December 15, so all of my eBooks will be 50% off during this annual sale. What a fantasticopportunity to load up great reads into the new reading device you received for Christmas. Or for your old device too! LOL

Click here to find all of my books for 50% off from your favorite online bookseller!

🎅🎅🎅

Ho Ho Ho! 

Speaking of Christmas, I have a gift for you--a collection of short stories from 350 words in the story to about 1000 words. The perfect story length for you to take a break from the madness of the holidays.

This is not a gimmick. Your email will not be added to my newsletter when you

 click here to download the eBook.

This is a gift for you, my blog followers and friends.

My heart is happy when I share my stories with you and you giggle or groan when you read them. 

Time Out from the Holidays! A Collection of Short Stories

 The eBook is not available to buy online so you can't leave a review. If you have a minute, I would appreciate feedback about the collection or specific story. 

Please leave a comment below or email me at jqrose02@gmail dot com. 

Thank you!

The Rose Courier

If you want to stay up-to-date with JQ, the Rose Courier is delivered quarterly to your inbox. Filled with articles, freebies, photos and fun! 

Click here to get your copy of the Winter edition in January.

Click here to be notified when a new article is posted on this blog.

Happy Holidays from J.Q. Rose

 

Summer Readers Circle: Award-winning Author Miss Mae's Audiobook--Catch Me If You Can, Free Gift

Hello and welcome to the Summer Readers Circle on the J.Q. Rose Blog. 

Award-winning author Miss Mae joins the circle this week.

Please welcome to the Readers Circle award-winning mystery author and zany creator of I.B. Nosey, Miss Mae. (More about I.B. later.) This week we have something different for you to enjoy, a romantic mystery audiobook, Catch Me If You Can by Miss Mae. 

Miss Mae, a dear friend and talented author, with the help of her producer, Roger Rittner, have created an amazing audiobook. The story is produced like a play you could listen to on the radio with several different voices and amazing sound effects. I loved the experience.

My Review of Catch Me If You Can--Miss Mae certainly caught me in her web of intrigue. Just when I thought I may have figured out who the killer was, then a twist popped in to take me to another level of mystery. Layered storytelling that smoothly wove together a nail-biter,intense story. The author juggled many distinct characters in conflict with each other AND the conflict of surviving a hurricane category 5! You just don't know what will happen next, so the story keeps you reading. Enjoy the heart-pounding action. 

Thank you, Miss Mae for answering my deep, thought-provoking, amazing questions this week. LOL.

You're welcome, JQ. Always glad to be on the J.Q. Rose blog.

1) Why did you write this story? What inspired it? 
MM: Hm, that’s a good question! It was a combination of things – I watched a TV show that showed files hidden in a CD disc, and I thought, ‘Ooh, that’d be cool to write a plot around something like that.’ And I love computer games, so I wanted to add that concept. Plus, I needed my characters forced in one location, meaning they had no choice but to interact. I’ve never forgotten hurricane Hugo of 1989 (we lived in Savannah at the time where Hugo was predicted to hit) and thought that’d make a great ‘no escape’ setting. So I meshed it all together.
 2) Why did you make the decision to make it an audio book? 
 MM: I’ve loved the idea of audio. When I learned it was possible for narrators to agree about sharing the profits, I went for it. I already had three audio books for sale and went searching for a new one to produce “Catch Me If You Can”. I hit the jackpot when I found Roger Rittner – and more so when he agreed to take me on.

Producer Roger Rittner

 3) How did you find the actors and producer to produce the audio book? 
 MM: As mentioned in the above answer, I searched around for producers and came upon Roger’s site. When I listened to the samples of his work, I was blown away. I loved how he added sound effects, music score, and background accents. Plus, he hired a whole cast of actors to “play” the characters. It reminded me of the old radio shows and I thought, ‘This will be absolutely incredible for my book!’ 

To answer the question about my “finding” the actors – I didn’t. When Roger Rittner takes on a project, it then becomes his project. He works to make it the absolute best and won’t compromise on quality. Based in Los Angeles, he uses Hollywood’s best voice artists. Did you know, we’ve actually heard these actors’ voices hundreds of times in television commercials, or in cartoons, or in video games, etc. Robin Riker, who plays my heroine, Lois, currently stars in ABC’s ‘General Hospital’. Stephen Mendel plays my hero, Victor, and has starred in many television guest roles; J.W. Terry plays various characters in my book, such as Bob, Rajah, Pete, and is the voice of ‘Whisper’ in Yo-Kai Watch; Toni Attell, an Emmy-nominated actress and acting coach, speaks for both my Jenna and B.J.; and Dave Mallow is a professional voice actor ‘sounding’ in many television shows, such as Everybody Loves Raymond and Roseanne, and he speaks for Jared, Andy, and my ‘mystery man’. My character, Mite the dog…well, he plays himself. 

 4) Has I.B. Nosey listened to ‘Catch Me If You Can’? Has the Pukelitzer Award winning cyberspace reporter interviewed you about it? 

Cyber Reporter, I.B. Nosey

 MM: I.B. Nosey? Would he have time to listen? He’s so busy, flying on that rope ladder beneath Gander’s helicopter to such exciting places as Here and There and Everywhere, that it’s tough for him to settle down for a couple of minutes and do anything except to snack on a box of Gum Drop Island chocolates. 

If your readers aren’t aware, I.B. Nosey is a character I’ve created. When presenting interviews for my guests, I wanted to come across from a different angle, so I invented a ‘reporter’. And thank goodness for freedom of the press, people! Without it, how could we have a professional like Nosey who’s a firm believer in, and a confirmed spreader of official unofficial unfake-real news? He also partakes in –  gleefully, and without asking your permission, thank you very much– his trademark ‘probing questions no accredited journalist would deem intelligent, let alone newsworthy enough, to ask.’ He alone is the ‘fleet of foot, wide of mouth, and fluent of tongue-in-cheek’ reporter. 

 You ask if I’ve allowed Nosey to interview me. I answer…What do you think I am? Crazy??? 

***

 Janet, thanks so much for hosting me today. I’ve enjoyed talking up a ‘storm’ about my audio book “Catch Me If You Can” (which is a 2017 platinum award winner in the Hermes Creative International Competition), and of ¬warn- er, um, that is, telling your readers about Nosey. 

 I’d be happy if anyone would like to visit my site to learn more about me. And why not sign up for my newsletter? I only send monthly, and they’re short and to the point. You’ll receive my space opera novella, Through a Glass Darkly, as your free gift. 

 *** 

Catch Me If You Can by Miss Mae
 Thrilling Romantic Mystery Audiobook 
produced and directed by Roger Rittner

About the Audiobook:
You Can Now Hear the 2017 Platinum Hermes Creative Award-Winning mystery, Catch Me If You Can. The howling wind of a hurricane. The creak of footsteps on the stairs. The wailing of a dog in the dark of night. "Catch Me If You Can", the thrilling romantic mystery by award-winning author Miss Mae, is now available in an enhanced audiobook at PulpRadio.net. Catch Me If You Can received five-star reader ratings at Amazon.com, and the brand new audio version enhances the story with extensive sound effects, background accents, and a complete music score. 

The story is performed by five of Hollywood's best voice artists, and is produced by Roger Rittner Productions of Los Angeles. In this riveting story, Lois Steinberg is washed ashore on a South Carolina island during a category four hurricane. She seeks shelter inside an old plantation house that was scheduled to host a video game convention to announce the newest mystery game, Catch Me If You Can. But almost immediately, the cook is found murdered. Then the prize to be awarded at the convention, a CD of the game, goes missing. 
The quest to discover the answers becomes a maze more complicated than any "Catch Me" game could ever be devised, as Lois races to save her life ... and keep hidden her mysterious secret. The new audiobook is available in a deluxe 6-CD set in library case, or as an instant MP3 download at PulpRadio.net. Receive 40% off when you use this code at checkout JQROSE40OFF

 Reviewers say: 
"Love the pacing of the story. Catch Me If You Can has intriguing characters and more and more surprises in each chapter." Geeta M. Kakade. 
 "The emotion in the voices and the sound effects are great." Larry Hammersley. 
 "The sound effects ... absolutely make the story come alive, transporting the reader right in the midst of the story." C. Rogers. 

 About Author Miss Mae: Miss Mae is an award winning best selling author. "Said the Spider to the Fly" has received consistent five-star reviews and has

Author Miss Mae

won the renowned title of Best Book of the Week from The Long and the Short of It Reviews and The Romance Studio. With her writing style compared to Agatha Christie's after the release of her gothic thriller, "See No Evil, My Pretty Lady", she's gone on to pen "It's Elementary, My Dear Winifred" which was featured in the Top Ten Read at Myshelf.com in 2009. 

Connect Online with Miss Mae at her website
Click here for Miss Mae's newsletter and receive a free gift of her science fiction novella Through a Glass Darkly.
Find I.B. Nosey here.


About Producer Roger Rittner: 
Roger Rittner is a producer of audiobooks, audio drama, and audio marketing and training. He created the cult radio adventure "The Adventures of Doc Savage", and "Bulldog Drummond - The Audio Adventure", which won the AVA Platinum Award for Audio and the Hermes Creative Award for audio drama. He created and produced The Variety Arts Radio Theatre live stage show, and co-created and directed "Charlie Sent Me!", the original musical comedy for radio, heard on National Public Radio. About the talent: "Catch Me If You Can” is narrated by and stars Stephen Mendel, whose voice credits include radio and TV commercials, video games, and audiobooks. Robin Riker has starred in TV series for ABC, CBS, FOX, and Showtime, and films including the cult favorite film "Alligator". She is currently a regular on "General Hospital". J.W. Terry is an Emmy-winning TV actor whose voice credits include video games, anime, audiobooks, and cartoons. Toni Attell is an Emmy-nominated film and TV actress, as well as a respected acting coach and motivational speaker. Dave Mallow has been heard in commercials, film, radio plays, audiobooks, and numerous video games and cartoons. 

 ***

Thanks, Miss Mae, for sharing the information about your audiobook and how it came to be. Thanks for offering a 40% discount on the audiobook for our readers! Here's the code again to be used at PulpRadio.net      JQROSE40OFF

Readers, do you listen to audiobooks? How often?

Writers, have you published an audiobook or looked into offering an audiobook?

Please leave a comment below and let us know about your audiobook experience or ask a question so Miss Mae can answer. Thank you.