Jean's Writing

Here’s hoping you have a wonderful holiday filled with reading

Published on December 20, 2017December 17, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell10 Comments

Are you looking for additional books to read by the fire?

I’ve found a new favorite book on writing. This is not a quick read, but it’s good information about the style of writing. Click on the image to read an excerpt from Amazon.com.

A couple of favorites I’m going to revisit. These images will take you to Amazon where you can read more about the books.

For entertainment, I’m gonna continue with the Outlander series.

I’m ready for book #6

What books are you reading this holiday?

Have you finished a really good one recently?

I’m always looking for a great book, so share.

I HOPE YOU’LL TAKE A MINUTE TO FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST CLICK ON THE BUTTONS BELOW. I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Are you ready to celebrate the holidays?

Published on December 18, 2017December 17, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

Got all your shopping done?

Are you a planner or one of those last-minute grab and go type of shoppers?

If you’re like me and fall somewhere in the middle better hit the stores soon. Thank goodness for Amazon!

My shopping is almost complete. Only a couple more to find and a couple more I’m waiting on to be delivered.

But if you’re still looking for a great gift, remember books give all year-long!

I hope however you celebrate this time of year, your holiday is filled with joy and wonder.

So, I’m not going to flood your inbox with posts you probably have little time to read. You’ll still hear from me, from time to time. Because I’m going to give myself a few days off around Christmas. But don’t you worry, I’ll be back with lots of energy and more stuff after the hustle and bustle of the holidays wind down.

I’d love to know…

More shopping to do? Or all finished?

Do you have any special plans for the holidays?

I HOPE YOU’LL TAKE A MINUTE TO FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST CLICK ON THE BUTTONS BELOW. I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Authors beware, watch out for this scam

Published on December 15, 2017January 10, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell48 Comments

Tis the season for scamming everyone with a pulse.

More scammers appear every day, like ants at an all they can eat picnic. These varmints call, text, email and show up on Facebook and Twitter.

Y’all need to watch out for this scam. A company preying on writers want to sell books and reach readers. Apparently, this particular scam has been around for a few years but I heard about them until…

Today they tried to hook me.

Now let me tell you, getting through on my home phone is no easy feat. A few months ago we bought a landline phone with Smart Call Blocker. This phone screens out all robo calls unless I’ve added a number (like a docs office) to the directory.

So, anywho—when the phone rings I expect someone I know and have approved to be on the line.

But today I picked up the phone and a caller identified herself as a Book Scout for the publishing company Readers Magnet. They wanted to republish Tryouts for Ben, for a fee of course. I won’t bore you with her attempt at flattery. Might’ve worked if the connection and her English hadn’t been so horrible. LOL

At first, I tried to be polite and say “no thank you.” But she would not stop talking.

Finally, I said, “NO, I do not want to do business with you.” And hung up the phone before she could continue her spiel.

Let’s get real Y’all. Publishers and agents do not need Literary Book Scouts or Talent Scouts. A legit company has more writers banging on their door than they can count. So, don’t fall for a “Scout” who calls or writes you. They are scammers.

And the scamming doesn’t stop there. If you Google scams, you’ll get websites that want to sell you a service or program to avoid scams. REALLY!

Good grief. Enough already.

Know more about this company before your phone rings. Read the links below.

Questions of the day…

Have you been called by a Readers Magnet, Literary Book Scout?

Do you know of another publishing scam we need to avoid?

I HOPE YOU’LL TAKE A MINUTE TO FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST CLICK ON THE BUTTONS BELOW. I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Don’t get scammed by companies like Reader’s Magnet By author Christopher Schmitz

Complaint Review: READERS MAGNET

Do you think Bestseller lists have lost value?

Published on December 13, 2017December 17, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Do you know what it means to be a bestselling author?

Well, for one thing, it may no longer mean a lot of books were sold. Think about that for a minute.

These questions, plus a few more, bounced around in my mind after reading a blog post on the Texas Authors website. (If you live in Texas be sure and check out this great organization.) Now back to the blog post that caught my attention.

Does Anybody Know What a Bestseller Is? By John Maher, with reporting by Rachel Deahl and Claire Kirch | Nov 03, 2017

The post pointed out something I’m sure most of us have noticed or read about, an overabundance of categories and subcategories on Amazon. You name it and the giant e-tailer most probably has a subcategory for the subject. Under Art & Photography, I counted 17 subcategories, one named Vehicle Pictorials.

Before the gold rush of ebooks, there were two main categories for bestselling books—fiction and non-fiction. These two categories were broken down further into three major print formats—hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback. The simplicity of this system made for easy tracking of bestselling books.

But then came ebooks, a new fourth category, and sold online. Online sales aren’t monitored or cataloged by brick-n-mortar stores, therefore, sales are not tracked in the same manner as print books.

While Amazon reports print sales, provided by Nielsen BookScan, it does not, for the most part, disclose sales of e-books. This sales number also does not include, sales to libraries, purchases by wholesalers such as Ingram, sales of used books, fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) sales or pre-orders—orders for a book before the book is released.

So who provides the most reliable guide for a bestseller list?

From John Maher’s article, I learned…

The two most transparent and reliable tracking organizations are:
- NPD BookScan’s and PW (Publishers Weekly) point-of-sale data, tracks 80%–85% of print sales in the country, but there again doesn’t (or can’t) track ebooks. Which, although good, provides an incomplete overall view.
Due to the number of lists, and Amazon’s decision not to share its e-book sales figures, it’s next to impossible identify what the top-selling books are across all formats in a particular week.
Which Bestseller lists carry weight with bookstores and readers?
- NPD, PW, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and NYT.
I know it would stoke my ego, but having a book dubbed a “Bestseller” may not always translate into sales. Not like in the past. But what does translate into sales are:
- Good reviews, coverage in high-profile media, and word-of-mouth.