Updates and More

Cat Shares a Big Congrats To Our Author Peggy Hinaekian For a 5-Star Awarded Book Review From Readers Favorite.

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Book Award News, Book Review, Featured Guest, New Book & Author Press Release, News Around The Web, Updates and More , , , , , , ,


Cat sure enjoys sharing our author friends when they receive well deserved literary accolades and what this post is all about. Big congrats to Peggy Hinaekian for just receiving a 5-Star awarded book review by Readers Favorite! They are a big literary influencer for exceptional authors, writers, and their written works.

Peggy is also an internationally known artist, so it didn’t surprise me too much that she was given 5-STARS from RF as her book titled “Collection of Short Stories and Essays “Of Humans and Animals” includes some of her art sketches within the pages of her new book. If you have not read this release yet by Peggy, I highly suggest you do.

It is a fun, sexy, flirty package of short stories and even her book reviewer shared a personal message with her of how much he really enjoyed reading her book, so let’s get to sharing it with you and right from Readers Favorite
here: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/collection-of-short-stories-and-essays-of-humans-and-animals


Book Review Press Release




For immediate release:

Author’s new book receives a warm literary welcome.

Readers’ Favorite announces the review of the Fiction – Literary book “Collection of Short Stories and Essays “Of Humans and Animals”” by Peggy Hinaekian, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1646206827.

Readers’ Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.

“Reviewed By Jon Michael Miller for Readers’ Favorite“

“In the thought-provoking and enjoyably engaging Collection of Short Stories and Essays: “Of Humans and Animals” by Peggy Hinaekian, you will meet an amazing array of characters from a variety of locales and points of view. Direct, guileless, with ironic humor, Peggy Hinaekian demonstrates her virtuosity as a writer and a visual artist.

There are 29 easy-to-read and much-to-think-about stories, most preceded by enigmatic Picasso-like drawings, an ideal volume to keep by your side or on your coffee table to fill those idle spaces in your daily life. There is even a piece written by a zoo gorilla named Bella, and two poems penned by house cats. And every presentation opens an area that we often think about but seldom have the pluck to express.

A common theme is sexual unease, whether in marriage or simply the malaise of relationships turned tepid without romance and adventure, of bored partners quietly seeking replacements, of erotic unfulfillment. It might be a man thinking about picking up a woman in a coffee shop, or vice-versa.

Or a lonely traveler, or a disgruntled housewife, or an erotic dream. Nothing very graphic, but strong feelings, a woman seeking her “Rhett Butler,” or a wealthy man searching for a suitable mother for his imagined child. There are several child personae too. But every story is a challenging gem of frank insight into our tightly held but seldom spoken viewpoints.

Taken all together, we find a fine writer speaking profoundly about the loneliness and yearning of being alive. The slices of life in Collection of Short Stories and Essays: “Of Humans and Animals” by Peggy Hinaekian is like a huge bouquet of hidden truth that will amuse and sometimes sadden the reader, but always enliven one’s inner joy at exuberantly expressed reality. Every story hits its target.”

You can learn more about Peggy Hinaekian and “Collection of Short Stories and Essays “Of Humans and Animals” at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/collection-of-short-stories-and-essays-of-humans-and-animals where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.

Readers’ Favorite LLC
Media Relations
Louisville, KY 40202


# # # # # #


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Of Armenian origin author, Peggy Hinaekian was born and raised in Egypt. Her paternal grandfather had the largest private library in Egypt, and Peggy was introduced to books in three languages (English, French, and Armenian) at a very young age.

Peggy grew up in a very cosmopolitan environment and was an avid reader. Since the age of ten, she kept a journal and always wrote short stories, essays, and children’s picture books.

She immigrated to Canada with her first husband and then went on to the United States, where she pursued a career in fashion designing in New York in fine arts. After her divorce, she left that behind and moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and continued her career as an artist.

Peggy Hinaekian is a writer and author; she is an internationally recognized, well-established artist living and working in the United States and Switzerland.

Now with three literary works to her credit, you may purchase her books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and many fine online book stores. She is married, raised three beautiful sons, and resides with her husband part-time in Florida & California.

Peggy Hinaekian

Connect with the author on her social media:

Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Linkedin.

Interview with Author Marilyn L. Davis Courtesy of Deb at Book Goodies. It’s Where Readers & Authors Meet…

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest Writer, News Around The Web, Updates and More , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Meet Author Marilyn L. Davis, a tireless advocate of addiction and recovery and an extraordinary writer. Deb from Book goodies caught up with her as her new book, “Finding North: From Addict to Advocate,” has released on Amazon. So I wanted to share this fantastic interview with all my readers so you can learn more about the woman behind the book. 

I just happened to finish reading and gave her a 5-stars! My review is now on Amazon. Readers Favorite thought her book was also fantastic and gave Marilyn a 5-star awarded book review too. 

Give her author profile visit to read the review! https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/finding-north…
*Cat*




ABOUT Finding North: A Journey from Addict to Advocate

New in recovery, a chance encounter with Gray Hawk, a 74-year old Native American, showed her that healing would include looking within, taking Steps, and creating a house of healing for other women.

Today, Marilyn is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist, recently celebrating thirty-two years of abstinence-based recovery. From 1990-2011, she opened and managed North House, an award-winning residential facility for women.

Before reaching this milestone, she was a desperate woman on drugs, managing rock bands at night, pretending to be okay, but ultimately giving up on herself, losing her husband, children, family, and friends due to her addiction.

This book is that journey.




In-Depth Author Interview With Marilyn L. Davis


Marilyn L. Davis is the author of the memoir Finding North: A Journey from Addict to Advocate. A chance encounter with a 74-year-old Native American helped her find her purpose. From 1990-2011, she opened and managed North House, an award-winning residential recovery home for women.

She is also the Editor-in-Chief at her recovery blog, From Addict 2 Advocate. She recently celebrated 32 years of abstinence-based recovery and is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist.

Before her recovery, she was a desperate woman on drugs, managing rock bands at night, pretending to be okay at PTA meetings, but ultimately giving up on herself, losing her husband, children, family, and friends due to her addiction.

Marilyn is widely known for her writing in many literary communities, including her award-winning website, Two Drops of Ink, where she encourages collaborative writing and is the Editor-in-Chief. The site’s writers are poets, problem-solvers for writers and bloggers, as well as those who educate, entertain, and enchant us with the written word. The writers represent different countries, viewpoints, and opinions.

When she is not writing, Marilyn is an avid reader, enjoys gardening and cooking. She has raised two beautiful grown daughters, both in recovery, and is a Nana to four grandchildren. None of her grandchildren have ever seen their mother’s or their Nana use, so maybe the addiction cycle is broken. She resides in an Atlanta suburb with a controlling cat named Jackson.


What inspires you to write?
I am inspired to write as I believe that writing helps us heal. Whether it’s a journal or a memoir that we publish, writing allows us the emotional safety to fully explore our thoughts and feelings.

Since I was a child, I’ve scribbled down words once I understood that those black squiggly lines on a page told a story. I was bullied as a child, and these passages helped me feel better about myself and my isolated world.

I don’t know that it was ‘inspiration’ that helped me create a recovery curriculum for my recovery home. It felt more like desperation. I got tired of saying the same thing, so I decided to write it out. The response to Therapeutic Integrated Educational Recovery System (TIERS) gave me the confidence to start writing at Two Drops of Ink and ultimately write my memoir.

What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Each of the following authors helps me learn the craft of writing: Joan Didion, Vladimir Nabokov, Roshani Chokshi, Neil Gaiman, Anne Lamott, Natalie Goldberg, Annie Dillard, William Zinsser, Roy Peter Clark and others.

Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process starts with an idea, topic, or subject that I want to write about, prompted by a conversation, a question from one of my recovery groups, or emails with other writers.

Taking the idea and doing some looping, brainstorming, prewriting, and then creating a first draft complete that phase.

Next, I research the topic, taking into account whether the subject is saturated or is there an aspect of it that I could develop further. At this point, I decide if I’ll write from breadth or width on the topic.

Writing for two blogs, one on recovery and one on writing means there’s always a deadline, and those add incentive to get the writing done.

So the process can be most accurately be described as, “You’ve got to get a post done. Now write.”


What advice would you give other writers?
Advice:
1. Don’t be afraid to write.
2. Don’t call yourself aspiring, soon-to-be-best-selling, or wanna-be. If you’re writing, then you are a writer.
3. Stay with it.
4. Read books on how to improve your writing.
5. Find a website that takes guest posts and submit a post to them.
6. Once you see your writing on a site, let that encourage you to write more, start that novel, write the definitive how-to, or finish your memoir – whatever is your big book.
7. Never throw away your darlings. Keep them in a file and review them monthly. You wrote those for a reason, even if you couldn’t use them at the time.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
I’d been encouraged to publish Finding North: A Journey from Addict to Advocate by my family, friends, recovery professionals, and writers I’d shown drafts to over the past three years. Fear kept me from publishing it until this year.

However, while procrastinating on publishing my memoir, I also wrote a how-to on memoir writing called Memories into Memoir: The Mindsets and Mechanics Workbook that will be published later this spring.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think that traditional publishing will still factor, but with new and emerging platforms for authors, I think we’ll start seeing self-publishing increase.

I published on Amazon and found the experience straightforward. I hired a formatting specialist; my sister is an artist and designed the cover, and I followed the directions once the manuscript and cover were ready.

I also see more diversity in the books that are published. We have lacked diversity for some time. While that may read as “jumping on the bandwagon”, I know that living a counter societal lifestyle in my addiction meant that my memoir did not meet the criteria for certain publishing houses.

I think a problem with traditional publishing is that there’s not a connection to the reader. In contrast, Amazon understands what readers want and takes the time to recommend similar books. While not publishing sites, Goodreads and ThriftBooks do, also.

I also think that print-on-demand factors for the author, reader, and environment, and it would be a mistake to discount those factors when choosing which route to take as an author. Plus, it means not having 75 autographed copies of your book gathering dust in the attic.

What genres do you write?:
Memoir, How to Write a Memoir, primarily non-fiction


What formats are your books in?:
I publish in both eBook and Print


Come Connect with Marilyn on Social Media!

Social Media Links
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn


Hey Parents! Gather The Kids Around To Meet Stevie Tenderheart & His Books. While Parents Can Read About An American Best-Selling Children’s Author, Steve William Laible. . .

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, News Around The Web, Posts, Updates and More , , , , , , , , , , ,


Well, Easter is just around the corner kids, moms, dads, and grandparents!

And it looks like the Easter Bunny is going to have a pretty busy time this year and may need some help.

I know one person who can actually help the bunny with lots of fun books to read, color books, bedtime story books, game book, kids fiction reads, and reads for all ages, and much more, Yup!

So, meet Cats amazing friend, Stevie Tenderheart. He is widely known throughout the Pacific Northwest as a former comic strip, in books with lots of vibrant cool colors, Stevie dolls, and more. I do believe Stevie knows the Easter Bunny pretty well. But parents may want to know more about just who is behind these amazing literary products for their children.

So, parents, let me introduce you to Steve William Laible. Steve is a best-selling American Children’s Author and a proud United States Air Force veteran who served his county fighting for our freedoms. Now retired after 22-years of service. He has three beautiful grown children of his own, sure enjoys writing children’s fiction books.

I caught up Steve and (Stevie) over on my friend, Vinny O’Hare’s book site called Awesome Gang. https://awesomegang.com/steve-william-laible/… He was happy that Cat is sharing the Author Interview here in The Reading Den with his permission, of course! I hope you enjoy learning all about this amazing Author, Steve Laible and his side-kick Stevie Tenderheart!

As the author always says,

“I shall be in transports of delight when parents, and especially children, discover Stevie Tenderheart Books.” ~Steve William Laible




Interview With Author Steve William Laible


Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.

I am a retired USAF Mustang–Captain. 22 years distinguished career, 14 enlisted, 8 as officer, with special joint service tours of duty at Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon; Commander-in-Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC) Hawaii; USAF Honor Guard, Wash DC under Reagan Administration; White House Fellowship nominee; Superintendent of Publishing, HQ 15AF; Commander, Civil Engineering SQ & Commander, Operations Support SQ, supporting two F-16 fighter squadrons in Korea. Received Bronze Star device for Desert Shield/Storm; Lauded as USAF Outstanding Administrator of the Year…

Born in Ashland, Oregon. Retired from USAF on New Years Eve 1993 (age 40) returning to Grants Pass, Oregon to raise my then, three young sons as a single dad in the hometown atmosphere I enjoyed growing up among some 250 remaining relatives. I created a comic strip in 2005 based on a retelling of my youth. Published for five years in the Daily Courier then picked up in the Sneak Preview (readership 200k) est. Ended the Stevie Tenderheart strip to write more as those panels were so confining.

I published my first Stevie Tenderheart children’s book, My Favorite Place to Be…(A Bedtime Story). It comes with a companion coloring book. Then, Stevie Tenderheart Wait a Minute! (A Bedtime Story) also with a companion coloring book. To date 600+ Goodreads ratings/reviews. Worst: “Too many words.” Best: “Best children’s author to come along since Dr. Seuss.” [As if, but still. Pretty cool.]

After a few more Stevie Tenderheart illustrated picture books (Ages 4-8):
Tick Tock (Midnight Confusion); Seven Rules (On Becoming a Fantastic Kid) along with Seven Rules (On Raising a Fantastic Kid); I made the transition to Stevie Tenderheart novellas: Billy Jack (The Great Escape) & A Silent Kiss Goodnight (Stevie and the Tooth Fairy).

Also with a family fun night returns board game book about a board game I created as a single dad. It’s called, Backfire by Kodel.







I wrote Billy Jack (The Great Escape) above for 10-year-old men & the kid still inside you. (Giggles Assured)

It will get boys reading again for pure entertainment. It was written in a storyteller’s voice rather than quoted he said, she said conversations making it much easier to read & follow along with in the lessons being shared without their knowing. There are 1-2 page stories within stories presented with loads of humor & hijinks. The lessons are based on true stories & not preachy. They’ll learn better that way. Lessons about responsibilities, personal & financial; competition & sportsmanship; first crushes; anti-bullying; independence; and consequences.

Billy Jack is a really fun read/ride. ( Hashtag #CowboyPromise!)

It makes for a wonderful bedtime story bonding experience reading 5-10 pages each night until children can read it on their own.

Seventeen books to date. Many Stevie books are available in print, Kindle & audiobooks.



This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 51tgaz6lnlstevietenderheartmyfavplace.jpg



What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

Stevie Tenderheart A Silent Kiss Goodnight (Stevie and the Tooth fairy) a novella meant to excite children sparking their imaginations and put to rest any fears they might have about losing their first tooth. It’s based on a true story mixed in with fairytale musings. Kids will never really be sure when their legs are being pulled. It’s a splendid bedtime story. It is in print, Kindle & audiobooks.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I become the child! My discipline comes from writing my comic strip. I audition every word. I write with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. It has to be funny the first time and the umpteenth time. At 2am and again at 10am or 4pm. I basically sit & my laptop in the quiet of the evening not looking up again for 15 hours with only a thought. Then, somehow, as it’s still not clear to me, I channel my inner-child. My audience is ever-present in my mind.

What authors, or books have influenced you?

Hemingway for the vibrant detail. Twain for the adventure & exploration of imagination.


What are you working on now?

Stevie Tenderheart A Second Kiss Goodnight (A Bedtime Story) likely my final illustrated children’s book.

My goal as an American children’s author is two-fold.

1. Stevie books help parents put their children to bed on time, every time. Just be mindful when you say, “It’s Stevie time.” As they will likely hear, “It’s TV time.”

2. Stevie books help children feel safe, loved, silly & cozy at bedtime.

~Stevie Tenderheart Books





Stevie Tenderheart Book



What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?

I have 4M+ engagements (likes, loves, shares, comments) using Facebook’s boosted posts over the past five years.

I also use Cost per Click (CPC) “click” advertising (bids) on Amazon (Sponsored Branding & Lock Screen) ads Kindle & Fire tablet) devices which also populate Amazon’s eight global platforms (US, UK, CANADA, SPAIN, GERMANY, ITALY, FRANCE, & AUSTRALIA) in addiction to Google ad words.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Write for the joy of it. The pure love of creating & expression. Let your stories become your legacy…

What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Listen.

What are you reading now?

Where the Crawdads Sing…Diary of a Wimpy Kid series…



What’s next for you as a writer?

To expand my transition from illustrated picture books writing more true life misadventures (novellas of about 120 pages) for children (Ages 10+).



If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?

A rhyming dictionary. Stevie Tenderheart Billy Jack (The Great Escape) because I am so proud of it & enjoy reading it often as my childhood lives on those pages; any of number of books on Walt Disney (as I met him once when I was five or six). He knelt down & patted my head whispering magic in my ear. I felt anointed all the while Alice in Wonderland (the real one) kissed me on the cheek. The Eloquent Universe (String Theory).

Author Websites and Profiles
Steve William Laible Website
Steve William Laible Amazon Profile


Connect With Steve on Social Media

Twitter – https://twitter.com/SteveLaible
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/STenderheart/
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/stenderheart/
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5873576.Steve_William_Laible


This is for the parents to let you know Steve’s book are all available on Amazon in E-book and Paperback formats. He does have a few as audiobooks too! Since Easter is coming? Cat highly recommends purchasing Stevie Books in place of all that candy for all the kid’s and they look great in Easter Baskets! Besides, a few Stevie Tenderheart books are much less expensive than visits to the DENTIST… 🙀 🎁📚📚🐰🐰🐰



HAVE A HAPPY EASTER From CAT and STEVIE TENDERHEART!


Cat Happy Easter Picture Pictures, Photos, and Images for Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter

Let’s Learn How To be Facebook Friends and More By My Guest & Author ~ Art Crandon. New E-Book Release For Only .99 Cents…

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, New Book & Author Press Release, News Around The Web, Updates and More , , , , , ,


And now for something completely different for all my Avid Readers…

There are not many of us living our lives without Facebook – it has become part of our life, but is it a force for good? Certainly, it’s great for keeping in touch with our friends.

But, nowadays who is a friend? You see someone you have something in common with, maybe your job, or a sport or pastime, you send them a friend request – they accept – and then you never hear from them again. What’s the point of that? You may occasionally see a post by them, or they may see one of yours, but apart from that there is no relationship at all.

I made a decision a few months ago that I was not happy with that. I want interaction with my friends. I want to know what they’re doing – and let them know what I am doing.

I am on a mission – to become a FRIEND to my Facebook friends. I’m gradually going through my list messaging them all, telling them what I’m doing, asking what they are doing, and if I can help them in any way.

The results are interesting, and I certainly know more about my ‘friends’ than I did before.

I wrote a short piece just to explain what I am doing – and I put some funnies in there, just to keep your interest. It’s only a short read – check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Fun-Facebook-know-your-friends-ebook/dp/B08XWHR337/

MORE BOOKS By Arthur Crandon Can Be Found On His Fantastic Website here:
https://www.arthurcrandon.com/blog

ARTHUR CRANDON
Check Out All His BOOKS!


Picture


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Arthur Crandon has been writing for many years and has four books under his belt, with a fifth to be released in March of 2021. He has received many accolades for his writing including more than 100 five star reviews and he has been voted No. 1 by Goodreads readers in their poll – ‘Little known authors worth reading’. His debut novel, Deadly Election, also topped the Amazon Best Seller list for Murder and Political for free books.

​He writes thrillers, suspense and intrigue novels mainly set in South-East Asia. He also writes a blog where he comments on Asian politics and social matters – and his own work. Arthur is a former lawyer who worked in the UK, Hong Kong and the Philippines specializing in visas and immigration – a great source of inspiration for his stories. His time as a warden for the British Embassy in Manila also provided insight for his writing.

In between writing and blogging, Arthur has gained an M. A. in creative writing and plans further study. In his spare time he enjoys music (he is a keyboards player) and cooking. Arthur is married with five children. He and his wife, Lynnie, divide their time between the UK and Asia. Visit him on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Crandon/e/B008O0QBF6?re

***CAT***

An Update From The Siccardi Family In Memoriam of Joe Siccardi. A Father, Grandfather, & Great-great-grandfather. Joseph Siccardi Sr. Memorial Fund.

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, News Around The Web, Updates and More , , , , , , ,



Finally Reunited

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Deanna Kohlhofer



As you might be aware, on December 14, 2020, Joe went to be with the Lord. So many of you have asked about what happened and how you can help. We certainly appreciate your love through this difficult time!

Joe suffered a stroke on December 9, 2020 and lost his battle a few days later. This was unexpected to all of us. Though dad sure loved his peanut butter, he was generally healthy and none of us anticipated such a tragedy.

All hope is not lost, though. We, Joe’s family, are comforted by your prayers, words of encouragement, and, most of all, the knowledge that he is finally reunited with his wife, our mom, Karen. While we wait to be reunited with them, we will work hard to preserve his legacy and continue what he so diligently began.

You can read the details of his obituary here. Unfortunately, due to travel restrictions and the reach our dad had, we have chosen not to do a memorial at this time. Instead, we will be celebrating his life by carrying on his legacy through is blog and books. A memorial fund has also been set up in his name to help us cover final costs.

We hope you will continue to read Wisdom From a Father, which we have aptly nick-named Wisdom 2.5.  Each one of us five kids have learned a great deal growing up under Joe’s tutelage and it is our desire to continue to share, just like he would want us to. You can keep track of us here, of course, but you can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. We look forward to connecting with you all.



# # # # # #

Joseph Siccardi Sr Memorial Fund
By Scott Siccardi ~ For Memorial expenses

Author Joe Siccardi, Sr.

It is often said we wear many hats this side of heaven. Joseph Siccardi, Sr. knew how to wear his collection well as a husband, writer, author, friend and most beloved – father.

On December 14, 2020, Joe, age 73, set down his hats to join his wife, Karen, his dear friend, Sonni, and his parents, Joseph and Dorothy, in heaven. Joe poured his life into words, both spoken and written. His greatest desire was to be a light in a dark world. He enjoyed praying for and encouraging others – anyone and everyone in his path.

He so loved to make people laugh with his dad jokes and memes and he inspired us all to live full lives with no fear, worry, or regret. While there is a hole in our hearts today, we know our dad/grandpa/friend is happily reunited with the love of his life, mom, who passed in 2008.

Joe always knew his kids would write the next words… Through them, his legacy will continue.

In lieu of services, donations can be made to cover final expenses. paypal.me/pools/c/8vK6WOaTBF

~The Siccardi Family ~ Blog Fathrer Say’s … One Dad’s Thoughts on Life ~ https://wisdomfromafather.com/



The Siccardi Family with Joe




Let’s Get Ready To Market Our Books Into The New Year With My Friends of ‘Dawn Hill Publications’…

Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Book Promotion Tips For Authors, Featured Guest, Marketing and More, News Around The Web, Updates and More , , , , , ,


What Are The Three Main Influencers of Book Purchases?
By Rauhall ~ https://www.dawnhillpublications.com/post/3-main-influencers-of-book-purchases


Dawn Hill Publications in the UK




Most self-published authors spend the majority of their week in two ways, writing their next novel and marketing their current book.

Courtesy of Dawn Hill Publications Marketing Director


It’s no secret that we operate in a highly saturated market, with hundreds of sub-markets which are also highly saturated, take for example, the romance genre. In the era of saturated markets and heavy competition, it’s important for authors to know what makes the book buyer think ‘yes, I’m going to buy this book!’.



Word of Mouth


Word of mouth is statistically proven to be the most popular reason for book purchases. Word of mouth translates to recommendations from friends or family. It makes a lot of sense that the average book buyer trusts the opinions of their friends and family over the transnational publisher waving their promotions in their face.

Word of mouth marketing is also undoubtedly the hardest to achieve and execute because you’re essentially not in direct control of anything. Most major publishers have an army of reviewers, major newspapers and popular bloggers to spread the word about their books. As a self-published author you can still achieve word of mouth sales, you’ll just need to put in a bit of work into developing a base of reviewers and followers first, but we’ll address that in a different post.

Book Reviews:

You guessed it! Who would of thought that the main influencer of word-of-mouth marketing would be crucial in increasing your book sales?! Okay, we’ll stop with the sarcasm, you get the point. Book reviews are crucial. Firstly, they provide valuable social proof that your book is worth the reader’s time.

Readers are often inundated with a plethora of book choices on Amazon and as a result they have to make snap decisions on which book link to click on and during this snap decision, most readers take into account the number of reviews a book has. The more, the merrier. Tip: find the average amount of reviews in your genre on Amazon’s search results and make that your review target.



Favorite Author:


For the most part, book readers are a loyal bunch. When they find an author they really love, they’ll stick to them like glue, often choosing their new releases over other books which are also very enticing. Writing a fantastic book goes a long way to securing your place in the hearts of readers, but it’s not the sole factor.

Many successful authors have strong personal brands on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, where they share aspects of their personal life and communicate with their audience. They’ve cultivated relationships with their readers, and this cannot be understated enough.

Once a reader falls in love with the personality of an author, as well as their writing, it’s a wrap. They will be purchasing their books until that author decides to stop writing.

Hope you enjoyed the read,
~ Rahull

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VISIT DAWN HILL PUBLICATIONS IF YOU ARE AN AVID READER and JOIN THE DHP REVIEWERS’ CLUB!
https://www.dawnhillpublications.com/drc