As a video enthusiast, I’m on a mission to enhance author branding by leveraging the power of video. (If you want to learn more, get in touch with us https://internationalbookpromotion.com/contact-us/)
But, I noticed that quite a number of authors are not comfortable facing the camera and coming on screen.
So, I came up with this idea of splicing up videos from different authors to help them break the fear of camera. If you want to participate in the upcoming video challenges, write to us at info@internationalbookpromotion.com
Don’t really worry about the due date. Join us for the subsequent weeks!
We’re a #video enthusiast and our mission is to make you feel comfortable getting uncomfortable. And that means we’re encouraging you to embrace your fears to face the camera. We came up with this fun filled idea to splice-up short videos of #authors answering questions briefly and posting it up on #YouTube every week.
Video for June Week 1
Record yourself answering the question within 10 seconds and send it to info@internationalbookpromotion.com with your name, website and the entry title.
June Week 1: What’s Your Greatest Writing Challenge? Week 2. Writing Schedule: Has It Worked for You? Week 3. What Time of The Day Do You Write? Week 4. What’s Your Best Writing Buddy (ex: coffee, cat, music, etc)?
July
Week 1: How Do You Overcome Writer’s Block?
Week 2: Name Your All Time Favourite Book
Week 3: The Best Film Adaptation of Books
Week 4: Coffee of Tea?
Taking submissions from 12 authors only every week. You can participate every week if you want to, as that would create a consistent branding impact. #authorvideospliceupchallenge
I was born in
Moscow but grew up in a small city in Belarus. My parents were divorced and for
almost 10 years (during my childhood), my mother had 2 jobs: one was from 8 AM
to 5 PM; the second was from 8 PM to 1 AM. I spent a lot of time reading and
hanging with friends. I won a national poetry contest in Belarus. I studied
classical literature, and I worked as a teacher for almost 9 years. For the
last 12 years I have been living in Sweden. In August 2019 I’m planning on
quitting my job to become a full-time writer. I also have two dogs: Sky and
Daisy.
Describe the plot
of your new book, Dulcinea and the Death Code,
in a few sentences.
This is a story
about a girl with unusual DNA. She is a Death Code from a place called A-Ria.
What is A-Ria? Nobody knows. But Dulcinea and her new friends (kids with
powerful abilities) are on the way to revealing the truth. Dulcinea is also
going through a transition: from “not-caring” and “cold” child to “a
sacrificing” friend, the one who is ready to protect the world and her family,
even if it hurts. But as always, the bad guy – in our case, Reality – wins. At
least in book 1. How? Read to find out…
What inspirations
contributed to this book?
1. It is based on
a vision from my meditation. 2. I tried to mix fantasy, romance, humor and
bizzaro fiction.
Dulcinea
must move from sunny Sumter, South Carolina to Sweden. In addition to leaving
behind a familiar climate and culture, she must leave behind the people with
whom she’s grown up. How does she handle this?
Dulcinea
was born in Romania, but she moved to Sumter when she was a kid. She never had
a lot of friends, but her life in Sumter was fun and secure. It’s always
difficult to move to a new place, but you can overcome any obstacle with super
friends like Joel, Osa, Loo and Brolle. These kids are from different countries
and have absolutely contrasting stories, but they complement each other and
they care about the Earth and Dulcinea – there lies their power.
Without giving too much away, tell us a bit
about the mysterious glowing crack that follows Dulcinea around.
It
is the entrance (the door) to access Reality (in a raw form), and at the same
time, it is the exit, a lie and the play of Eilidh (you’ll meet IT in
book 2).
Your
story involves a lot of world building. Was it challenging creating fresh, new
places and making them feel real?
I
spared it for the next book. Of course, Dulcinea visit A-Ria 3-5 times, but we
still don’t know what it is and why it wants to control the Earth.
Is there an author
that has influenced your writing style?
I prefer to read
short stories – mostly satire, humor, sci-fi or non-fiction (psychology and
science). Also, I love crime and mystery books. My influencers are: O. Henry,
Byron, Dostoevsky and Ray Bradbury.
What are your goals
as a writer for the next ten years?
To see the world
full of Ray’s fans.
How have your
readers responded to the book so far?
Only my editors
have read the book. They liked it (because of my ‘quixotic’ style). But I got 1
hate rating from a man on Goodreads, so I’m not sure… all I can say – this book
is not for everybody. Mostly for: females, 13-25 years old. The book was
published on Amazon on June 9. I’m looking for people who’d like to read my
novel and who’d love to share their thoughts about the story and heroes. I’m
providing a free copy (in any format) if you’ll send me an email: victoria.ohlsson@aol.com
Is there any
aspect of writing you don’t like?
A lot of sitting.
And snacking. I’m snacking a lot while writing.
Have you ever had
writer’s block? If yes, how’d you deal with it? If you have not had writer’s
block, why do you think you haven’t?
Some days I don’t
feel the desire to write at all, and I never push myself to do something I
don’t want to do. I’m living in the moment – in the Now. So, I have to enjoy
it. Usually, I’m shifting between different hobbies, so I am never bored. Also,
I’m working in so called “chunks” – all or nothing. That means I’m writing 3-4
weeks, and then I’m taking a break for 2 weeks. Repeat.
What do you have
in mind for your next project?
Well, quite a lot.
My book Damn Ray Reviews: 40 Books in Your Pocket will be published summer 2019.
Poetry book, with a working title, The Legs: A Global Perspective On Society, is planned for autumn 2019.
My sci-fi novel The Pearl Territory. A few chapters are already posted on my blog. I’ll continue writing during the summer. You are welcome to follow the story. It is a mix of private journals and dialogues/scenes.
Of course, The Secrets of A-Ria, Child of Illusion Series, Book 2 – summer 2020. I’m planning three books in the series Child of Illusion.
So Absurd It Must Be True
Is there anything
else you’d like potential readers to know about your book?
Written without any plotting or outline.
Too many books give us “ready” answers; the author some way is “chewing” the idea and all we have to do is “digest” it. But I want you to think, to imagine, to create… that’s why this book has of a lot of mysteries – I’m simply giving you the space to move; to use your own fantasy.
I added digital portraits for 6 heroes: Dulcinea, Erik, Osa, Loo, Brolle and Joel. And also a couple of poems.
Here are some recent and very positive reviews for my historical novel Ludwika
the story about a Polish slave worker in Germany, based on real events. (For more on the book scroll down to the end of the reviews.)
“I found Ludwika to be an interesting, brave and loving woman. To realize that she is a real woman makes her storyline more amazing!”
***
“I found this to be very interesting. Being unfamiliar with the living conditions of the day , I was intrigued with her ability to survive such a terrible experience.”
I stayed up late to finish this book. Christoph Fischer wove compelling fiction around the facts of this story. Polish Ludwika believes she will help her family survive by leaving Poland to be with a German officer. She is continually in worse situations, often…
As a video enthusiast, I’m on a mission to enhance author branding by leveraging the power of video. (If you want to learn more, get in touch with us https://internationalbookpromotion.com/contact-us/) But, I noticed that quite a number of authors are not comfortable facing the camera and coming on screen.
So, I came up with this idea of splicing up videos from different authors to help them break the fear of camera. If you want to participate in the upcoming video challenges, write to us at info@internationalbookpromotion.com
While working on ‘The Council Of Twelve’ series, I built character by character, developed, considered their look, decided who they are and in what direction they would head within their story.
But also, I was ‘creating’ their look; dark hair, blue eyes, black hair, bronze eyes, tall, muscular, petite, almost ethereal. I will deliver many descriptions while ‘The Council Of Twelve’ series progresses.
In my head, the characters and their personality formed together with their look, and while creating them, I didn’t consider any consequences – like the book cover to the story.
Let me give you an example: Katie is a breathtaking beauty with caramel colored hair and brown eyes; her cream skin makes her look almost fragile.
To find ‘Katie’ I was busy looking through hundreds of pictures on several websites. In a way, it was an exciting task, and my excitement grew with every picture. But after…
Born in North Carolina, United States, J. Edwards Holt always knew that he wanted to be a writer. After graduating high school, he attended college and pursued a degree in education, but later decided to change course and follow his dream to become a novelist and children’s author. Now a full-time writer, illustrator, and blogger, Holt spends his free time dreaming up stories and reading. He is passionate about spreading Christian messages through his writing, watching science fiction and super hero movies, and collecting comic books.
Describe yourself in five words Determined to achieve personal success
What fact about yourself would really surprise people? Oddly enough, people that donʼt know me are most surprised to hear that Iʼm an author.
What makes you happiest? Writing, publishing my works, and finding out that people have read my books.
Why do you write? I write because I feel like I have a story that needs to be told. Also – itʼs something I enjoy.
Have you always enjoyed writing? Yes. I have enjoyed writing since I was in elementary school.
What motivates you to write? Iʼve read lots of book and seen lots of movies throughout my life that inspired me. I always watched and enjoyed them, but always felt that I had a story of my own to tell.
What writing are you most proud of? I am most proud of the books I currently have out on the market, which include “Little Men, Big Treasures”, itʼs sequel, “The Summonerʼs Gem”, and “Small Courage: A Short Story.” All three of these books are available for purchase on Amazon.
What books did you love growing up? I always enjoyed fantasy stories, like the Narnia series and the Harry Potter books. To sum it up, I always loved reading fiction.
How did you develop your writing? Practice. Writing is just like anything else: in order to be good, you have to keep at it.
What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing? Marketing, definitely. Writing and publishing are really the easy parts. Convincing people they need to choose your book over millions of others is the tricky part.
What marketing works for you? I advertise a lot through social media, mostly Twitter and Instagram. I also do some public speaking to different groups that I feel may be interested in my work, which is helpful.
Do you find it hard to share your work? I did at first. But, when people started giving me good feedback on my books, I became more confident and eager for a bigger audience to read them.
Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you? Absolutely! From day one, my friends, and especially my family, have been behind me 100%.
What else do you do, other than write? I also have a day job, working as a home health aide when Iʼm not writing.
What other jobs have you had in your life? Before I took up writing, I worked as an elementary school teacher.
If you could study any subject at university what would you pick? Iʼve always enjoyed literature…and religion – I find that fascinating.
How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk? I do a lot of my writing by typing notes into my phone, and then later putting them all together on my laptop.
Is there anyone youʼd like to acknowledge and thank for their support? Just my family and some of my friends. Theyʼve been behind me since I started on my very first book and they are still just as supportive.
Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? To me, success in writing is writing your story and getting it out there to as many people as possible. Whether you become a bestseller or not, the most important thing about being an author is telling your story.
It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign? As I said before, most of my marketing is done on social media. I have a number of followers on all the big sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it? The last book I published is called “Small Courage: A Short Story”. Itʼs a short eBook (and only $.99), available on Amazon and free on Kindle Unlimited. I wrote it because it was an idea that came to me that features a young girl as the main hero. Itʼs an exciting story that teaches that we shouldnʼt judge others before we know them.
When you are not writing, how do you like to relax? Iʼm a beach guy. I love the sand and the sound of the ocean.
What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel? I hope that I can leave people with a sense of faith and happiness from my writing. I want the reader to have fun, but I also intend to teach lessons through my works.
It’s good to know that you aspire to instill a sense of faith and happiness through your writing. Thank you for participating in this author interview and we wish you all the best in your writing career.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com May Group Author Interview
Hello everyone! It’s time to reveal the answers for all 12 questions answered by 12 author participants in the May Group Author Interview, in the 12 genres, 12 authors, 12 months and 12 questions series! The support from Spirituality/Religious authors was amazing as we have 12 authors participating in this group author interview.
If you are an author and would like to participate in our upcoming interviews, check out this link, sign up and get your fans to ask their questions to the participating authors! The goal of this author interview is to increase the engagement between readers and authors, and to expose authors to new group of readers.
If you have questions pertaining to video marketing for author branding or if you’d like to know how I managed to garner over 100 pre-orders even before my book launch, contact me and I’d be happy to speak to you!
We are now a registered book publisher too! Sign up for our newsletter and CLAIM your FREE book trailer today!
Some of our group author interview participants are also being interviewed through Author Live Chat with Fans session! Click here to book a session for yourself!
So, the 12th question is “How do you market and brand yourself as an author?”
The best way for all up and coming authors, who are not well known yet to use all the available social media sites. They are free advertisement and many out there. I also have an author page on goodreads.com That is another good source it is like an online library, and when you invest in one, or however many books you choose to give away in their author giveaway program, it is a good way to get your name out there all over the world at a minimal cost. People from all over the world use that site.
I created an author website, author Facebook page, and made accounts on Twitter and Instagram. I have author pages on Amazon, Goodreads, and the Llewellyn (my publisher) website. I’ve been giving author talks and book signings at libraries, book stores, and spiritual venues. My book was just published on March 8, 2019, so I’m still at the beginning of this experience. I’ll continue marketing and branding wherever and however I can.
Before I wrote my book I had ‘followed my joy and inspiration’ and had the idea of creating social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. On there I shared my quotes and ideas and this led to many followers organically (there were over 80,000 followers on Twitter very quickly and similarly on Facebook). I also had an email database as well as blog. So when I released my book I had a platform to market it from the ‘inspiration’ I’d had previously. I say ‘inspiration’ because at that time I was not as marketing savvy as I am now… so in following my inspiration and joy the best ideas, synchronicities and manifestations kept coming my way. This also included live events in Las Vegas, Gold Coast/Australia and much more. I now work with people one-to-one as well as do weekly webinars where I teach my latest methods and answer questions.
Let me admit, I am horrible at it! But among my 2019 resolutions, is to market and brand myself; creating a projecting platform for myself and I will be doing so, by setting up a social media page where I can interact with my readers.
Y One of the blessings I’ve received is to meet and have the opportunity to work with Gabby Reed of marketingbygabby.com. She does a spectacular job and her motivation and commitment is unmatched. I also communicate via emails with my contacts asking that they also help market my book and or speeches. I have a website at seeyoursunrise.com and an active Facebook presence. I have also done various interviews. Each time I speak to a group, I ask the attendees to help out by recommending to their friends, business associates, family, etc.
The most important thing is the message and reaching as many people as possible. I am speaking about my near death experience on several spiritual radio shows / podcasts as well as for the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS).
I don’t bother much. I let that side of matters take care of itself, As Appropriate. I write to express and Share what’s in me, to myself, and to the Universe. That’s enough. The information is then out there for anyone to connect to, if that’s their Intent.
Just through Facebook where I constantly share my updates/write ups and quotes.
Stay tuned for the next post. Be sure to follow this website via email to get notified when new posts are being made.
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