Author Spotlight Interview: Marie Tuhart
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on June 30, 2020
Today, we continue our series of author spotlight interviews by chatting to Marie Tuhart, author of a litany of steamy erotic romance novels including Tempt, which Hidden Gems subscribers picked as one of the top romance reads of April 2020. We asked Marie about her inspirations, motivations, and what keeps her adding to her impressive catalog of books. HG: Well, my first question is – WHO ARE YOU? Or more accurately – how would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet? MT: Who am I? Good question LOL! Let’s see. I live in the Pacific Northwest about 50 miles south of Seattle Washington. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and moved to Washington after I retired from the day job. I love writing. I write sexy contemporary and contemporary erotic romance. My men are always alpha males, and sometimes they skirt the… Read More >
Top 10 Tips to Going Wide
By: Erin Wright | Posted on June 26, 2020
We’ve been hearing from more and more authors lately that are cutting the cord, so to speak – stepping away from KU exclusivity for one reason or another in order to test the waters by “going wide”, which simply means selling their book across all (or most) of the digital storefronts instead of just Amazon. Erin Wright went wide back in 2016 and has never looked back, which is why she’s perfectly suited to provide you with the tips for how to change your way of Amazon-centric thinking and prepare to bring your work to a much wider audience. Howdy, y’all! *waving* I’m Erin Wright, a USA Today bestselling author. I write contemporary western romance, and am a dedicated wide author. Although I didn’t start out as a wide author, I quickly became one as Amazon went through one upheaval after another, stripping page reads from authors, shutting down accounts… Read More >
5 Mind-Bending Mystery Books to Unravel
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on June 23, 2020
Mystery books never go out of season, and to prove that we scoured the shelves of Hidden Gems subscribers to identify five of the best-performing mystery novels shared to them for FREE this springtime. From ice cold and chilling to cozy and perplexing, you’ll be sure to find one that suits your tastes; and leaves you pondering “whodunnit.” Pawsitively Poisonous by Melissa Erin Jackson The little town of Edgehill, Oregon has its own unique mysteries – like an uncommon captivation with cats – but perhaps the most mysterious of all is Amber Blackwood, owner of the curious Quirky Whisker store. For the most part, nobody cares – Keep Oregon Weird, right? – until Amber’s best friend turns up dead, and a bottle of her headache tonic is found in the corpse’s hands. Now, attention turns to Amber, and her identity as a witch threatens to condemn her for a crime she… Read More >
Is Mark Dawson’s Ads for Authors worth the price?
By: Ginger | Posted on June 19, 2020
Recently, the famous Ads for Authors class from Self Publishing Formula opened up. With access available until June 24, this course promises to teach aspiring authors what they need to know to amplify the impact of their books on Facebook, Advertising for Amazon, Instagram, and more. But is it worth the money? With less than a week left to sign up before it disappears again for months, we wanted to give you the answers you need ASAP. Mark Dawson’s course is generally regarded as the essential advertising resource – but it’s not cheap. With $849 to lay out for lifetime access, one question I get from many authors considering the program is – is it worth the money? Well, based on my experience – my answer is a “qualified” yes. That’s probably not exactly the straight-forward answer you were looking for, but at Hidden Gems we’re all about transparency, and… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Ramona Flightner
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on June 16, 2020
This week, we continue our series of author spotlight interviews by talking to Montana-based romance writer Ramona Flightner, who pens beautiful tales of rugged men and fierce women finding love on the extremes of the American frontier. HG: Hi Ramona! Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed. Okay, first question – who are you? How would you describe yourself to readers who might not be familiar with you – yet! RF: I am a historical romance author who loves to write about her home state of Montana. All of my novels have to do with Montana in some way. Although I spent fourteen years working as a family nurse practitioner, I now work solely as a writer. Spending time with family and friends as we tell great stories, fly fishing, or escaping into the mountains are ways I love to spend my free time. HG: I set a portion of… Read More >
“Why can’t I make money advertising?” – A Common Question from our Mailbox
By: Ginger | Posted on June 12, 2020
Each Friday, we try to post blogs aimed at helping authors get their heads around self-publishing, marketing, and advertising their books. Often, these posts will spark a lot of discussion and debate, and we’ll often receive questions from writers needing a bit of clarification. Here’s a question we’ve received recently – and we hope you find the answer helpful! Dear, Hidden Gems, Whatever happens, I can’t seem to make my advertising profitable. What am I doing wrong? It’s so frustrating to spend more money on advertising than I get in book sales, but otherwise I don’t seem to be getting any traction at all. I’m using Facebook and Advertising on Amazon, but I can’t keep throwing money at it like this. Help! Okay, so if you’re in this boat – you’re not alone! Making any form of advertising profitable is tough, and when you’re marketing ebooks it’s even… Read More >
5 Horror Books That Bring the Fear
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on June 9, 2020
It many not be the best selling genre around, but f you look back over the decades, you can see that the best horror books stand the test of time (we’re still reading Dracula and Frankenstein, a century or more later). But what makes a good horror story? Most indie-published horror novels fail to make an impact because the genre is small and competitive, and the books on offer have a tough time differentiating themselves from others in the category. It doesn’t have to be this way, though! We checked the downloads, reviews, and rankings for the horror novels shared with Hidden Gems subscribers this quarter, and identified the five which resonated with our readers the most. If you’re looking to write horror well – or just want a scary read – you’d be well off starting with these. What Preys Within by Brett Gurda The first novel by author Brett… Read More >
3 Ways to Turn Your Advertising on Amazon into a High Performing Machine
By: Ginger | Posted on June 5, 2020
With all the recent changes Amazon has been making, more and more authors are having to rely on Advertising on Amazon to get their book seen by potential readers. However, getting profitable ad campaigns from Advertising on Amazon isn’t easy, and not everyone wants or needs something as in-depth as Mark Dawson’s recently re-opened Ads for Authors course (although we do recommend it, for anyone interested). For those that are looking for some simpler advice on what to really focus on, here are three tips that might help. Tip #1: Work out the true value of each book sale. Advertising on Amazon provides an at-a-glance answer to whether or not your advertising campaigns are profitable in the form of the ACOS – Average Cost Of Sale. However, there are a lot of nuances to the ACOS that make it a less-than-reliable indicator of whether or not you’re making money with… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Olivia Atwater
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on June 2, 2020
Today, we continue our series of Author Spotlight Interviews by chatting to historical fantasy author Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul, the first in her planned Regency Faerie Tales Book series. We were extremely grateful for the opportunity to discuss her inspirations, motivations, and what drove her to weave her unique tales. Jane Austen would probably be astonished at the wide variety of ways in which her groundbreaking romances like Pride and Prejudice have been reinterpreted over the years (…and Zombies, anybody?) However, she’d be delighted to see how talented Canadian author Olivia Atwater has approached what’s now become ‘Regency Romance’ – with her beautiful historical fantasies that weave the truth and fantasy of the Regency era into a vivid backdrop for her stories. Subscribers to Hidden Gems picked her first novel, Half a Soul, as one of last month’s top romance reads, and I’m sure fans will love… Read More >
