Steamy Romance Novels to Keep Your Summer Scorching
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on July 30, 2024
Romance is our most popular genre, and steamy romance novels are the absolute favorite amongst our ARC readers. Although there are so many great romance books to choose from, no two are alike, which makes selecting the next one to read a daunting task. But fear not, we’ve put this list together to help with just that! From mafia romance to light hearted rom coms, if you are looking for a new read to make your summer sizzle, just pick from one of these great selections below. When Kings Rise by Vi Carter With a 4.3 star average on Amazon, When Kings Rise is the first installment of The O’Sullivan Brides series, a dark Irish mafia romance. The blurb notes that this book is dark, and includes a cult presence, mature themes, and mature steam. “They live in a world of treachery, betrayal, fear, and power! Diarmuid has suffered for… Read More >
Breaking Free: Why Direct Sales Might Be For You – Part Four
By: Ginger | Posted on July 26, 2024
This month we’ve been discussing the Direct Sales model of book selling, as many authors look at alternatives to the downsides that come with using the big online retailers. As we’ve mentioned, selling direct isn’t for everyone, but there is a lot of potential for those that can make it work and are willing to put in the effort at getting it all running. Ginger has been our guide throughout this journey, and in today’s blog he is wrapping up this series by sharing and analyzing the results he’s seen after his first month of experimentation. Not only does he provide some raw numbers, but he also notes a surprising result and discusses whether or not he is going to continue forward with the Direct Sales model in the future. As this is the final installment of a four-part series, I would urge you to start at the beginning (if… Read More >
Illustrated Children’s Books for your Summer Reading Program
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on July 23, 2024
Do you have a young reader in your life? Or maybe you’re looking for some titles to finish off a Summer reading program. We have a handful of illustrated children’s books to add to your reading list! Our Hidden Gems ARC readers loved the following titles, and we bet your young bookworm will, as well. 1 Minute Dog Fun, Fast & Easy Dog Training for Kids: Super Dog Training Academy by Tom Mitchell With a 4.7 average star rating, 1 Minute Dog Fun, Fast & Easy Dog Training for Kids: Super Dog Training Academy is recommended for children 8-12 years old and helps young readers learn how to confidently interact with and train a dog. “…This book for kids simplifies the daunting task of training their dogs into easy digestible snippets. This book is easy to read and the artwork adds to the element of fun. This very positive approach… Read More >
Breaking Free: Why Direct Sales Might Be For You – Part Three
By: Ginger | Posted on July 19, 2024
If there’s one thing that the big online eBook stores have going for them, is that they are relatively easy for authors to get started on. Entering product information is straightforward, and things like billing and content delivery are handled automatically. Yet, there are a host of downsides that make authors hungry for alternatives, which is why Ginger has put together this series on Direct Sales. Today in part three, Ginger goes into detail about what exactly authors are giving up, and taking on, when making the decision to switch to the direct sales model – and it can be significant. Authors that want to follow this path must be prepared for a variety of technical tasks, added expenses, and a setup that can take weeks as opposed to the days or even hours that they’ve grown accustomed to. But for those that follow through, the reward at the end… Read More >
Great Fantasy Novels to Escape With
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on July 16, 2024
Whenever something is going on in your real life that you want to escape from, diving into a good book is one of the best ways to get away from it all. Even if your physical body remains where it is, an engaging story can at least transport your mind to a different, and hopefully better, place. Great fantasy novels are perfect for this, as they usually bring you into another world completely! So if you’re looking for one of these to escape with, here are a few that were recently loved by our Hidden Gems ARC readers. Hail Infernal World by Rick Ferguson With a 4.8 star average, Hail Infernal World by Rick Ferguson is a hidden gem to add to your TBR list! The first book of The Hellfire Saga, this dark fantasy novel weaves together historical fiction to create the backdrop for a dark fantasy tale which… Read More >
Breaking Free: Why Direct Sales Might Be For You – Part Two
By: Ginger | Posted on July 12, 2024
Last week, Ginger began a series on direct sales – the idea of selling a book directly to readers from your own website, instead of through one of the traditional online retailers. Today we continue this discussion with part two, where Ginger walks us through his personal reasons for wanting to give the direct sales route a try. Through disclosure of some of his actual historical sales numbers, he provides context that may help others decide if selling direct is right for them. These numbers will also be useful to compare against in the future, when he takes us through how well his direct sales experiment actually went. Last week, I started a series about how I’ve spent a month selling my books directly to readers on Facebook, rather than sending them to my product page on Amazon. The direct sales model isn’t for everyone though, so it will help… Read More >
Best Thriller Novels to Read Late into the Summer Nights
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on July 9, 2024
Summer is in full swing, and if you’re looking for exciting books to read while on your summer vacation, we have some of the best thriller novels to take you for a ride. Hidden Gems ARC readers were able to fully immerse themselves into a variety of highly rated thrillers over the past few months, and this is a round-up of some of the most popular and well-reviewed page-turners. The Mazatlan Showdown by Patrick Weill Champion surfer Jeff Walker, born into tragedy with his father’s untimely death and his mother’s passing abroad, moves to San Diego determined to uncover his father’s killer. Working as a beach lifeguard, a daring sea rescue entangles him in an international smuggling ring. As Walker aids the police investigation, tensions rise when he discovers the smuggling mastermind is the very man he’s sought for years. In this gripping tale of revenge and survival, only one… Read More >
Breaking Free: Why Direct Sales Might Be For You – Part One
By: Ginger | Posted on July 5, 2024
Welcome to the first part of Ginger’s ongoing series about direct sales. In this series, he’ll explore why self-published authors should consider selling books directly to readers, rather than relying solely on traditional online book platforms. As we’ve discussed before, authors face significant challenges in gaining visibility on sites dominated by advertising. Even when readers click on an ad, making an immediate purchase isn’t always straightforward, and the delay in receiving payment can be frustrating. Direct sales offer a way to bypass these obstacles, presenting an appealing alternative to traditional eBook stores. However, it’s not for everyone. Over the next few weeks, Ginger will guide us through the benefits of the direct sales model, his personal reasons for choosing this path, the steps involved in setting it up, and the actual results he has seen since starting. Back last year, Craig and I were excited to have Steve Pieper as… Read More >
SF Novels For Your Next Summer Escape
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on July 1, 2024
We’ve put together 5 otherworldly SF novels that took Hidden Gems ARC readers on a journey to interstellar and apocalyptic regions. Explore this science fiction list and get ready to embark on your next exhilarating journey with these top-rated reads. Shattered Web by K.J. Heritage The CSS Ariadne, an experimental Company bioship, has gone rogue, cutting communications and plunging into hyperspace towards enemy territory, risking certain destruction unless stopped. Before disappearing, the crew managed to send an SOS. Amid the chaos, a murder has occurred, and the culprit remains unknown. Vatic, a skilled empath reluctantly employed by the Company, arrives to find it strewn with corpses, a handful of suspicious survivors, and no clear answers. As Vatic delves deeper, he realizes not everyone is who they claim to be. An imposter lurks among them, their motives unclear, Vatic realizes he must use all his talents if he and the ship… Read More >
