A Kindle Scout sequel

Hey guys! My kids are asleep, soundly, and I'm watching the second season of the Santa Clarita Diet. If you're not watching this gem, shame on you. It's fantastic.

So...I thought I'd do a follow-up to my second Kindle Scout campaign. The follow-up is, I didn't win. Which is a bummer. When you win, you get a $1500 advance, another round of editing, and Amazon's marketing power. That helped me loads when I won my first campaign in 2016. I guess I'm being greedy. Anyway, the big takeaway from my loss was Amazon's reason for it.

They said there wasn't as much scout interest in a sequel as they had hoped. And they cited a common occurrence--the return on investment isn't there for subsequent books in a series. At least, not from a publisher's standpoint.

This brings up an interesting phenomenon. Indie authors typically survive on series. That's their bread and butter. Some authors have a free or cheap starter as a way to funnel in readers to the rest of the books, and as readers get invested, they spend the money on the remaining books. So you might take a loss on Book 1, but you'll more than make up for it on Books 2-10.

But, I suppose that model doesn't work quite as well in traditional publishing, which Kindle Press kinda is. It's a unique model, one that I explain here. For KP, it makes more sense to pass on sequels because the authors will simply self publish them. This buoys the first book in Kindle's catalog without them having to invest $1500 to do it. Does that make sense?

I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment. I am doing a second campaign with a mystery standalone. I was so encouraged by Amazon's feedback on my writing that I can't help but hope they'll like a new story. And if not, well, it's ready to be published.

Wish me luck.

Picking a winner: Kindle Scout

Hello, lovely readers. I was scheduled today to do a Back Jacket Hack Job, but alas, I'm going off book (pun!) to self-promote. I know, for shame. But seriously, folks, I could use your help.

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about Kindle Scout. You can read it more in-depth here, or if you don't want to, I'll do a TL;DR thing.

Basically, Kindle Scout is Amazon's crowd-sourcing publishing imprint. Readers, like yourself, nominate books they like based off the cover, blurb, and excerpt. If Amazon's editorial team at Kindle Press like the book, they acquire it. The author gets another dose of edits, an advance, and marketing support, and the readers who nominated the title get the whole damn book for free.

I won my last campaign in 2016 for my spooky YA mystery Dead and Breakfast (which you can check out here). It took two years (to be fair, I wrote another book in between), but I'm back with the second book in the series Ghost and Found (I do pat myself on the back frequently for my clever titles), and the campaign could use some help.

Books that are frequently viewed and nominated get put in the Hot and Trending category. This gives the book extra visibility and nominations. So help me out and nominate it. Tell others to nominate it. If I get picked, you get the book for free. It's a win-win deal.

Here's a tweet I drafted if you'd like to copy and paste this bad boy into Twitter....

You like ghosts and gangsters? Then nominate Ghost and Found on Kindle Scout. If it wins, you get the book for free. @KGGiarratano #kindlescout https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1OSY20EKYZUBY

 And thank you to everyone who has supported the series. I'm so encouraged by the support.

Scouted: a follow-up

What up, guys! It's a rainy day here in the Poconos and while I normally find this weather atmospheric and a boon to mystery writing, my toddler does not. She's simultaneously whining for a snack and climbing over the keyboard. Anyway, I'm about to take refuge in my garden shed because dead bugs and a musty lawnmower have to be more conducive to writing than a 20-month old.  But I digress.

I thought I'd follow up with everyone about how my Kindle Scout campaign ended. You can read the introductory post I wrote here. Long story short, I submitted my YA mystery, Dead and Breakfast, to Kindle Scout (Amazon's crowd-sourcing publishing arm) in December. The book was on campaign for 30 days where it kissed babies and shook the hands of voting Iowans -- kidding! No, in fact, I campaigned for nominations in an effort to get D&B on Amazon's radar. I contacted my newsletter, tweeted my heart out, begged friends to check out the campaign, and basically used up all my lifelines. In return for nominating it, readers will get a free copy of the book before it's released. Which will hopefully bring in advanced reviews.

It used to be that after an author's campaign ended, Amazon would send a quick email either rejecting or accepting the book. Quick as in two days. I waited 12 days for a response -- luckily it was YES!

Dead and Breakfast will be published by Kindle Press. I am super excited on many fronts. The advance, marketing help, and increased visibility will hopefully propel me onto Kindles everywhere. I also get another round of edits, which I always love. I'm not a delicate snowflake when it comes to my writing -- if there is room for improvement, I want to know.

So far, I've joined a secret Facebook group for Kindle Press authors which is a lovely place to get information about the imprint, as well as network. I've mostly received automated emails setting up my banking info. I've also been notified to expect my editorial letter within the next two weeks. And that's about it.

The nice thing about Kindle Press is the books they select are publish-ready. Minor edits, proofreading, and formatting are all that's left. Cover art is secure, and print formatting are the author's responsibility. This means publication is swift. I'm hoping for an early Spring release.

Thanks to everyone who nominated D&B. I hope you enjoy your free copy and I really hope you'll review the book on Amazon and Goodreads.

Peace out,
KGG

Scouting the possibilities on Kindle Scout

Happy Chanukkah, everyone! What are you doing on this fifth night? Me? I'll be continually refreshing my Kindle Scout campaign.

As if I don't have enough to obsess about, I went and submitted my YA mystery, Dead and Breakfast, to Kindle Scout in hopes of getting an Amazon publishing contract. As of a week ago, this had not been my plan. I was finishing up edits and had been all ready to self-publish the novel before Christmas. But then my writer amiga, Alison, had her romance novel selected by Kindle Press and I decided to give Kindle Scout a try. It means delaying publishing six weeks, but I think that's worth the risk. If selected, I get a $1500 advance and Amazon's marketing support -- both of which I need.

Here's how it works:

You upload your completed, and professionally edited manuscript with your cover art, bio, and author photo to Kindle Scout. Once approved, Amazon will email you a link and a campaign start date. This happens quickly. I uploaded my manuscript on Dec. 8th and my campaign went live on the 10th. This gives you time to notify your newsletter subscribers, create jazzy graphics in Canva, and develop a marketing plan.

See, it's not enough to upload your manuscript and forget about it -- you need nominations to get on Amazon's radar. And to get nominations, people need to know your work is there. My plan is to tell my newsletter subscribers and scream it out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Nominations and page views help get your book on the Hot and Trending List, which gets the attention of passer-byers. Perhaps, random readers take a look at your excerpt and cover and nominate your book too. What's in it for them? A free book. Any title selected by Kindle Press is gifted to those who nominated it. Campaigns last 30 days.

Kindle Press is not to be mistaken for Amazon's publishing imprints such as 47North, Thomas & Mercer, or Montlake. Those who do get selected shouldn't expect that kind of marketing attention either. But a $1500 advance is nothing to sneeze at. I haven't made $1500 on all my novels combined. (That's an advance against royalties.) The money would enable me to pay for the covers and editing for the other two books in the trilogy.

There's a fine print you must read before submitting. Please do so before considering Kindle Scout. Information on print, audio, and international rights are explained.You can also read Amy Jarecki's post on ATB about her Kindle Scout experience. Her book was picked up by Kindle Press last year.

YA is a tough market for indies, but I'm hoping that by submitting to Kindle Scout, I have a shot at gaining more visibility for my books. And if I'm not selected, that's okay. I'll go ahead and self-publish Dead and Breakfast in January -- just slightly behind schedule.

 
If you're feeling generous this holiday season, please check out my Kindle Scout campaign. I can use all the help I can get. 

My Book was Nominated for Kindle Scout

I was elated when at 10 p.m. on December 29th, I received an e-mail stating that my novel, A HIGHLAND KNIGHT'S DESIRE had been selected for the Kindle Scout Program. Have you heard of Amazon's Kindle Scout? The program is still in the early stages of development, but is fast becoming a fantastic way to break through the barriers of self-publishing.

I learned about it when Amazon sent me an e-mail announcing the program. I thought about entering for a while before I actually decided to give it a try, and then I thought, why not? Most of my sales are on Amazon, and since I released my first self-pubbed book a year ago, they have given me an opportunity to earn a living through self-publishing that I never thought would be possible. Why not put myself out there and see if I can get nominated? The worst that could happen would be an unsuccessful campaign, and I could turn around and self-publish the book myself.

So how does the program work? Amazon Kindle Scout website quotes: "Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing."

Once you submit your book to Kindle Scout, Amazon owns the rights to it for 45 days regardless if you are nominated or not. They put up an excerpt, bio and questions for the author as well, but the author agrees not to publish the book until the 45 day period is up...unless it is selected for a publishing contract. If a contract is awarded, Amazon gains the rights to the e-book, audio book and e-foreign rights for five years. They in turn agree to promote the author's book on any and all platforms they choose. Astonishingly, the author retains the print rights. Read more about the program details here.

The Kindle Scout Program is open to the genres of Romance, Mystery & Thriller and Science Fiction/Fantasy.

During the 45 day period, the author notifies their friends and fans about the campaign and asks them to nominate their book. So, I dove in head first and asked people to help. I have to admit that I'm pretty active on social media. I posted a couple of Facebook notices and mentioned the program on Twitter a few times. I sent out an e-mail to my contacts and my newsletter followers, and posted it on my blog. I think I probably got the most nominations from Facebook--I did "boost" one of the posts, which helped (got me several new fans, too). Also, because I hold Facebook parties when I release a book, I have a pretty strong following there, and I have no doubt it helped.

Another point to remember: in the rules, Amazon makes the final decision as to whether they think a candidate's book will be a good fit for their program.

Once I was selected, I submitted my final manuscript, and it has now been approved by the Kindle Scout Team. I'm waiting for them to tell me when they plan to publish the book, after which I'll prepare the MS for print. I do have a phone call scheduled with a manager next week, because I had a few questions and they were kind enough to schedule a call.

Bottom line, I don't know where this will lead in the future, but having Amazon's muscle behind a new release can only help. I'm glad I bucked up and took the challenge!

You can check out my winning entry here. Or check out all the entries selected by Kindle Press here. While you're there, why not make a few nominations and help another author join the Kindle Scout program?

To learn more about my books, please visit my web site: www.amyjarecki.com

Other news: KNIGHT IN HIGHLAND ARMOR was released on January 1st.

Grieving from the death of his wife, Lord Colin Campbell listens to the cries of his newborn son whilst penning a missive to the king. With no marriage prospects, Colin petitions his majesty for help in finding a stepmother. Never again will he fall in love—the death of a woman brings more pain than losing a whole contingent of men on the battlefield.

Feisty, quick tongued and smart, Margaret Robinson is delighted when her father receives a messenger from the king…until she discovers what news he brings. In a sennight, she will wed the notorious Black Knight—her life is about to end.

Tension builds during the wedding and deteriorates from there…until an accident draws them together. Just when their love begins to blossom, a dire request arrives from the Pope. Colin must join the Crusades at once.

Their fragile love is forced to withstand the seductions of hell—Margaret tempted by a scoundrel laird—Colin courted by Satan himself. Aye, the war for Christendom could very well ruin their dreams forever.

Write on Friends and I'll see you next time!

~Amy