Amazon Updates Return Policy Amid Pressure
By: Craig | Posted on September 30, 2022
Everyone loves a good David and Goliath story, which is why it was welcome news this week when Amazon confirmed their plans to alter their eBook return policy to make it less likely to be abused. Sure, it took them close to six months to finally relent and the change isn’t implemented yet, but at least it’s coming. Here is what we know about the upcoming changes, and what we think about them. As some of you will remember, we first reported on this story back in April amid growing reports of larger than normal return rates seen by some Amazon authors. Despite the fact that Amazon’s eBook return policy hadn’t changed in years, the increase in returns was traced back to a growing number of social media posts (mainly on Tiktok) highlighting the lack of restrictions and ease of which readers could return eBooks on Amazon, and then even… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Nalini Warriar
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 27, 2022
Today’s interview is with award winning author Nalini Warriar. Nalini writes steamy interracial and cross-cultural contemporary romances. It was our honor getting to know more about her publication journey, writing style, and life outside of writing! HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet? NW: I’m an extrovert with hidden depths I only reveal to those very close to me and so I come off as this la-di-da person who’s always laughing and having fun. This fits very well with my persona as a writer. I slip into my characters with obsessive and relative ease. I open up easily and everyone is good until they are proven wrong. And if they are, boy am I pissed. I speak five languages and have travelled quite a bit, an aspect often reflected in my writing as I love to weave stories about diverse people. HG:… Read More >
What happens when an author gets divorced?
By: Ginger | Posted on September 23, 2022
If you’re married, divorce is hopefully not something you’ll ever have to worry about, but it doesn’t hurt to know what might happen just in case. Most people are aware of how assets generally get split up, but for authors it can be more than just a matter of who gets the house and who gets the savings bonds. At stake are not just the past and future royalties of your books, but even the intellectual rights to elements of any ongoing series. Ginger goes over some of the things you might end up facing if you’re ever in this situation, as well as what some of your options might be, but obviously it is not to be taken as any sort of official legal advise. Hope you’ll never need to worry about any of this, though! Ernest Hemingway was married four times. JK Rowling and Jackie Collins were married twice…. Read More >
Romance Novels to Spend Fall Nights With
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 20, 2022
If you’re a regular on the Hidden Gems blog, you’ll know that romance is the most popular genre in the Hidden Gems ARC program. Our readers know that no two love stories are the same, so they scoop up new books every chance they get. We’ve got one for everybody on this round-up of top rated love stories from recent months. Villainous Kingpin by Eva Winners With 360+ ratings and a 4.7 star average, Villainous Kingpin is the first book in the two book Kingpins of the Syndicate series. If you have read other books by Winners before, you’ll be familiar with the characters who are spotlighted in this series, but you don’t need to have read her other books to enjoy this one. When Basilio meets Wynter, worlds collide with intoxicating, and potentially dangerous, results. Reviewers warn that this tale has a dark side with some violent moments, but… Read More >
What can Agatha Christie teach us about writing?
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 16, 2022
As he’s done in previous blogs, Ginger is breaking down the lessons we authors can take away from some of the greatest and most prolific writers in history. And there isn’t anyone more prolific or successful than Agatha Christie, having sold more copies of her books than any other modern author has ever done by a longshot. So what was the secret to her success, and how can you emulate it in your own way? Read on for Ginger’s breakdown to find out. When it comes to best-selling authors of the modern age, there’s one clear winner: Agatha Christie. Over the course of her storied life, Christie wrote and published 85 books which have sold over 4 billion copies (and that’s not a typo – that’s billion spelt with a b.) She’s sold two billion more books than any author of the modern age – and they’re books that have… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Teresa Roman
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 13, 2022
Today’s interview is with contemporary and paranormal romance author Teresa Roman. Teresa writes both YA and adult fiction. It was an absolute pleasure to get to know more about her writing style, life outside of writing and upcoming projects! HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet? TR: I am an introvert and shy in social situations, especially when I’m around people I don’t know well. I think that’s why reading and writing appeal to me so much. I love a good romance, but I am not necessarily drawn to the typical romance novel, though I do enjoy some of them. For example, I loved the Hunger Games series, not only because the story was so captivating, but also because of the romantic subplot. I like to write heroes who are generally good guys. They don’t have to be perfect, but they’ll never… Read More >
Your First 100 Clicks lead to your magic Conversion number
By: Ginger | Posted on September 9, 2022
Last week Ginger discussed spending your first $1000 on digital ads, with the goal of getting both sales and information from that spend. This week, he’s focusing more on how to interpret some of the info you gather, specifically around what those clicks tell you about your “magic” conversion number. That conversion number isn’t really magic of course, but it may seem that way in how valuable it is in terms of giving you a very clear idea as to whether or not your ads are profitable or not. Figuring out your conversion number isn’t always straightforward, though, with some ad platforms making it more transparent than others. But if you know the best place and way to figure it out, you can then use that information elsewhere. Last week, we discussed how you should spend your first $1,000 in advertising budget, and we mostly concentrated on Facebook as an… Read More >
Fantasy Tales to Distract You From the Real World
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 6, 2022
If you are looking for an escape from the real world, this list is for you. We’ve got one for everybody on this round-up of recently top rated fantasy novels that our Hidden Gems ARC readers raved about. Immortal World by Lauretta Hignett With 130+ reviews and a 4.8 star average, Immortal World is a fantasy tale worth adding to your TBR list! This is the third novel in a five book series, which follows Imogen Gray, an immortal being who is on a mission to find the answers to the origins of her immortality. Imogen is a force to be reckoned with, and readers will find the process of trying to keep pace with her adventures immensely enjoyable. Janine M. raves in her five star Amazon review, “…Imogen blooms even more in this action and mystery packed paranormal romance. It’s a found family book that grips your heart and… Read More >
Spending your first $1,000 on digital advertising
By: Ginger | Posted on September 2, 2022
There’s an old adage: “You’ve got to spend money to make money.” Nowhere does this wisdom apply more than in the digital advertising industry – especially when it comes to the business of selling books online. However, it’s important to make sure that any money you spend provides some kind of value – even if it isn’t initially in direct book sales. Here are some of Ginger’s guidelines regarding what authors should focus on when spending their first $1,000 on advertising their books. In 2020, advertisers spent $378 billion on digital advertising, and that looks set to double by 2024 – equivalent to the GDP of the nation of Somoa. Much of what’s driving this is access to self-service advertising platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Self-service ads generated $28.5 billion in revenue for Facebook last year, for example. Authors comprise a significant number of those advertisers. In fact, the… Read More >
