"Roundheads and Ramblings"

pre-orders

Launch Day Is Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2017 1:50 PM

With every new book I publish, I make the same plea: If you are planning to purchase the Kindle version of my new book, please do so by pre-ordering it or at least placing your order on the FIRST day the book is available. What difference does it make to you whether you get your copy of Henrietta's Journal on Tuesday morning or by Friday of next week? Well, there is the small matter of pricing. The pre-order costs $2.99; after Launch Day, the price will jump to $4.99. Think of that price reduction as a bribe if you must. I prefer to see it as a way of saying "Thank You" for supporting my writing addiction.

Why do I care? Because when you buy your copy may determine the ultimate fate of the book. I'm not going to try to explain Amazon's algorithm for determining a book's sales ranking. Even if I fully understood it today, they might well tweek it a bit tomorrow. The general pattern, however is clear:

WHEN you buy a book matters more than the simple act of buying it.

* If nobody buys my new book on the day it comes out, its ranking will be something like #487,352 — and from there it’s a long, hard climb to the best-seller list.

* If ten fans choose to buy a copy of the book on random days during the first two weeks, the rating may move to five figures instead of six, but not many readers will take a chance on a book that’s only #7,294.

* But if those same ten fans pre-order Henrietta's Journal, it has a great chance of being a “best-seller” from its first day of publication. And those at the top of their category tend to stay there because the ranking inspires others to purchase the book.

That’s why pre-orders are so important to authors. They are one of the kindest gifts you can give your favorite author. So here's the bottom line. If at all possible, please place your pre-order right now--or tonight, or tomorrow. If you can't do it then, try to order your regular copy early on Tuesday, September 19th. Click HERE to do it right now.

I value all sales, of course. Just yesterday, someone purchased a copy of my first Civil War book, A Scratch with the Rebels, which I published ten years ago. I'm delighted and grateful. All sales are important. But for this one upcoming date, your actions can make an enormous difference in the fate of Henrietta's Journal.

Thanks for being a loyal reader.

A Giveaway for Launch Day

Posted on Sunday, October 02, 2016 3:50 PM

A Giveaway for Launch Day

One day.

Two winners.

Three Books

On December 8, 2016, two lucky readers will be chosen in a computer-driven random drawing to receive the complete trade paper set of the Grenville Trilogy: Damned Yankee, Yankee Reconstructed, and Yankee Daughters -- a $55.00 value. Copies will be signed and bookmarked.

How do you get in on this giveaway? There are three paths--the choice is yours.

1. Volunteer to receive and read an advance review PDF copy of Yankee Daughters. Then, on Wednesday, December 7, 2016--(the date is important!)-- post a brief review of the book on its Amazon page. You don't have to give it five stars. You don't even have to like it. Just leave a comment or two that will be helpful to other readers. (If you choose this option, please act quickly and contact the author directly here to find out if copies are still available.)

2. Pre-order the Kindle version, which will be released on December 7, 2016. Then send me a screenshot, or a snapshot, or forward an email copy of your receipt from Amazon to this email box.

3. Visit our Katzenhaus website to learn more about our books. Then fill out and submit the "Please Keep in Touch" form on the 2016 Publications page. It asks only for your name and e-mail and will be used solely to send you very occasional newsletters about our latest books. We never sell our subscribers' names or e-mail addresses.

That's all there is to it, but your entry will help to promote Yankee Daughters and send it off to a roaring start. Thanks for your participation.

--Carolyn

Five Days and Counting

Posted on Tuesday, December 29, 2015 4:24 PM

"Yankee Reconstructed" will launch in all electronic formats on January third. There are several reasons to pre-order your copy now.

1. You win! Order now and you pay just $3.99. Wait until Sunday morning and you'll pay $5.99. And it doesn't matter whether you go to Kindle, Kobo, B&N or Apple iBooks. They are all offering the same deal.

2. You win! When the last ornament has been packed away and the last pine needle vacuumed into oblivion, you will deserve a break. If you order now, your copy will be waiting for you on Sunday when you hit the couch.

3. I win! No pre-order is counted until Sunday. Then all those numbers go together to help determine the book's relative starting rank in each best-seller list. Pre-order now, and the rank goes up. Order next week and you won't make a dent in the rankings. Seriously, this has been proven to make a huge difference in total sales. The higher the rank, the more people buy the book. I appreciate your support.

Here are the links you'll need.

Kindle
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Apple iBooks

Pre-Orders Now Available on Kindle as Well as Other E-Book Retailer Sites

Posted on Thursday, October 08, 2015 7:55 AM

Why You Will Want to Pre-order This Book Now

Yankee Reconstructed won’t be available until January 3, 2016. Why would you want to order it now? Well, first, there’s the simple matter of forgetfulness (and that’s something that happens to everybody, not just us seniors.) Between today and January comes that whole holiday season, with all of its distractions. And when January arrives, you’re going to be exhausted, even if not hung-over. Will you remember to order my book on January 3rd? Probably not. But if you have pre-ordered it, it will arrive, just in time to fill that empty void that follows the holiday season.

Here a few other advantages to pre-ordering:

1. Most pre-orders carry a reduced price tag. My “Yankee Reconstructed” is available for pre-ordering at $3.99 on all major e-book retailer sites: Apple iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Kindle.. On January 3rd, the price will be $5.99, so you’ll save $2.00 by ordering now. What’s even better, you don’t have to pay a thing until the book ships. So order it in October, and by the time your bill arrives in January, you won’t even notice that you’re paying for it.

2. Forward to me a copy of the confirmation e-mail you receive when you place a pre-order (on any site) and I’ll enter your name into a “Happy New Year” drawing. One lucky winner will receive an autographed trade paper version of the novel, complete with matching bookmark.

3. Let’s suppose you have a history-loving friend who enjoys historical novels, and you want to give her a book for Christmas. She might really enjoy my novel set in the period of Reconstruction, but it won’t be out in time for Christmas. With a pre-order, you can ask me to send her a Christmas card that will announce the “gift-to-come.” It will have a picture of the book, the date of arrival, and include your name as the giver. Problem solved, and you don’t even have to wrap the gift.

But let’s be honest. I get more out of a pre-order than you do, at least in the short term. And to understand why, you have to understand the methods by which “Best-Seller” lists are compiled. Every company has its own algorithms, but the idea is the same. The more copies a book sells, the more copies it will sell in the future. And since most of these lists are compiled every week, if not every day (or in the case of Amazon, every hour), the most recent sales take on an enormous importance.

Here’s how pre-orders are counted.. They don’t get charged — or paid for — until the day of publication. So for several months, the pre-orders can pile up. And if a whole lot of people have pre-ordered the book, it will zoom to the top of its category ratings on the day that those sales all hit the cash register at the same time. Pre-orders have the ability to create instant best-sellers. So WHEN you buy a book matters more than the simple act of buying it. That’s why pre-orders are so important. They are some of the kindest gifts you can give your favorite author.

I Finished Writing the Book. What Do You Mean, "I'm not Done?"

Posted on Tuesday, October 06, 2015 9:51 AM

(Thanks to http://clancytucker.blogspot.com for sending a cartoon perfectly describing my day.)

Last week at the Military Writers Conference, a fellow author asked me when my next book was coming out. "Not until January 3rd," I responded, feeling relaxed.

"Oh, congratulations!" she said. "Why that's just around the corner. How exciting!"

And I found myself in full-blown panic mode. I'd been thinking of the release date as "Next Year." Now I realized it was "Less than 90 days."

So I'm spending my day on minutiae. Reports from Beta readers have been coming in -- good overall but with a few bloopers pointed out. And formatted e-book files have arrived, which means I must get the pre-order manuscripts submitted immediately. And so it begins.

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pre-orders

Launch Day Is Tuesday, September 19, 2017

A Giveaway for Launch Day

Five Days and Counting

Pre-Orders Now Available on Kindle as Well as Other E-Book Retailer Sites

I Finished Writing the Book. What Do You Mean, "I'm not Done?"