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Showing posts with the label free books

How About a FREE Print Book?

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Readers love book deals, right? Here’s the situation: I have books I didn’t sell, largely due to COVID. I’m not interested in doing live book events anymore. (Too much travel, too many lonely hours in a bookstore.) Therefore, I’m offering a deal, ONLY to loyal readers of my newsletters and blog. Below is a list of what I have in my home inventory. Some are later books in a series, but they don't depend on an earlier book to understand either the characters or the mystery. For the month of August, you can simply ask for a signed paperback copy of any book listed, and I’ll mail it to you FREE, for as long as the supply holds out. To take advantage of the deal: 1. Look over the list and choose a book. (Numbers are very limited, so don’t wait). 2. Send the title you’d like (Sorry, only one to a customer) and your mailing address to news@pegherring.com . Each series is featured on its own page here on the blog, so you can check to see whether you’ve read a book/series y

Free! Free! Free!

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Research shows that the word free is one of the most compelling in the English language. Everyone wants something for free, even if they don't need it. And we know that nothing is really free, right? Still, if you're a mystery reader, you can get a free e-book right now using the link below. I joined with a group of mystery writers who offer their book free for a very limited time in order to get attention and interest. The "free" books will usually  require you to submit your email address, which means you'll get a newsletter from the author at some point. I don't think that's a huge price to pay, because you can always unsubscribe if you don't want more of them. I chose KIDNAP(.)org as my giveaway, and I put up 500 copies. They're already half gone, so I think it's going well. I'm at work on the second book of the series (of at least 3), so if you enjoy the free book, it won't be long before you can read further adventures of this

The Strategies of Authoring

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I've been at this for a while now, and I've seen the publishing world undergo drastic changes . When I got my first contract with a traditional publisher, that was the way to go, because books published by an author in what was then called "vanity publishing," were expensive to produce and almost certain to fail. That changed when two things happened: a few brave authors (e.g. Hugh Howey) began working to understand and use the system to their benefit and Amazon made it (fairly) easy and definitely cheap to publish books. My time with traditional publishers was extremely valuable. I learned about the need for good editing, good cover art, and good resources for promotion. On the downside, I learned I had few options once I signed a contract, and the financial reward for my work was a long time coming and not nearly as much as people imagine when they plop down $26.00 for a hard cover book. Now that I'm sort of independent (I've stuck with one of my pu

New Life for a Book

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One of the things authors need to recognize is that books don't just take off and become bestsellers. Some lie around for months, even years, waiting to be noticed. We're encouraged not to neglect our backlists, but it's difficult when there's something "NEW! NEW! NEW!" to talk about. That's been the case with the Loser series, which ended a couple of years ago. Killing Silence is one of my favorites among my books. I love the protagonist, Loser, who is homeless and damaged but not down and out. The idea that homeless people are counted out of society, ignored by most and assumed to be incapable of paying attention, makes her a perfect sleuth. The publisher of this series has decided to make Killing Silence free on Kindle for May 29-31. I'm really excited about this, since I think freebies are a great way to introduce a book to new readers. If you've already read the book, you can help by passing the news on to your Kindle-reading friends

Free Books and All That

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I'm kind of bad at selling things (which is odd because my dad was a used car salesman. He wasn't the stereotypical one, though, and worked hard to find the best car for the money for each customer.) Anyway, even with years of watching people sell things to other people, I can't make myself tell readers that my books are amazing and will change their lives. Nor can I follow the advice of one writer I met who said, "When people come up to your table at a signing, shove the book at them so they have to take it into their hands. They'll be embarrassed to put it down, so they'll buy it." Really? I'd be embarrassed to be that pushy. So here's the deal. It's the holiday season and people are looking for gifts. If you know a mystery reader, you might consider giving one of my books. I've listed below the first in each series, and I'm giving the Kindle versions away over the next month on Amazon. I won't hide my motive: if a person re

30 Days of Christmas Day 20: What's a Blog-Hop? & Bad Christmas Music

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A Blog-Hop is a line of blogs put together so that readers meet new authors. A group that awarded their BRAG medallion to THE SLEUTH SISTERS, IndieBrag, has arranged one for the month of December, and I'm to be high-lighted tomorrow, Dec. 15th. I plan to share a Christmas story I wrote that will remind you of another Christmas tale, and I plan on giving away advance copies of my next book to some who visit either me (here) or Maggie (maggiepill.maggiepillmysteries.com). Be sure to visit!  Today's topic is Christmas music. I love the classics, both religious and secular, but I have to admit I'm distressed by performers who shouldn't attempt them. Walking through the stores, I hear stuff and think, "Who thought this was a good idea?" I found this site that demonstrates: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/10/worst-christmas-songs_n_4416509.html I have a soft spot for George Michael that I can't explain, but the rest? Shouldna done it!

Saturday, Sept. 26: Alpena Book Festival

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Welcome to the Alpena Book Festival! All visitors who register for the ABF will receive a free Passport. At each panel or participating business they visit, they’ll get a stamp on their Passport. A completed Passport (10 stamps) enters the visitor into a drawing for baskets of prizes donated by authors, publishers, and Downtown businesses. Visitors who donate to READ* ($10.00 suggested donation) receive a tote bag filled with books and other freebies. Tickets found in the tote bags can be used to enter drawings for additional prize baskets. Tickets can be purchased separately, but the tote bags are a great deal. Sessions listed below are open to all, but space might be limited. All sessions run 50 minutes, leaving 10 minutes to get to the next one. Authors will return to the bookstore that has their books after their sessions to meet readers and sign. 10:00 Panel discussion: Stories That Inspire-Olivet Book & Gift Panelists: Christine Johnson/ Zachary Bartels/D