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You ever feel the need to slow the hell down?

Published on November 18, 2016July 13, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

Well, I do, but don’t. Sigh…

I should plaster the phrase “Slow Down” in every room of my house! Slow down road sign

Maybe that would help me avoid a lot of problems.

Three weeks ago, I fell into a dark parking lot. I was rushing and not aware of an obstacle in my path. Result, my front teeth were damaged and I’m gonna be out of a butt-load of money.

Last week I released the e-book for my third children’s picture book, A Reluctant Little Prince. Yay, good so far.

Next, release the print version. I was ready, or so I thought. Seemed as if it was taking forever. I wanted to get this thing out before the holidays.

I checked the online proof. Looked for glaring issues like typos and margins. What I didn’t catch, all the pictures were in B&W!

Thank God I decided to wait for a physical proof to arrive before hitting the final publish button.

Now, I’m waiting on Createspace to let me change the set-up. Ugh! If only I’d been a bit more cautious going through the set-up phase, I wouldn’t have to redo the entire thing. If only I’d been a bit more cautious in that dark parking lot, I wouldn’t be looking at thousands of dollars in dental work.

Patience is not one of my virtues.

Okay, enough bellyaching. Deep breaths and work on a new project while I wait for Createspace to help me fix this mistake.

One thing I know for sure, being an Indie is not for the faint of heart.

I’ll let y’all know when the print versions of A Reluctant Little Prince is available.

Interesting links at the bottom. Keep reading.

What about you? Have you made costly publication mistakes?

Did it cost time or dollars?

Or maybe you’re a very patient writer?

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or

Click the “write me” tab or look for me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

Remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

What’s Your Biggest Challenge as an Indie? Open Thread By Angela Quarles

11 Mistakes New Self-Published Authors Make at Just Publishing Advice

7 Completely Stupid eBook Publishing Mistakes by Ryan Hanley

Marketing and Publishing Checklists for Writers by Jane Friedman

How To Publish A Book 101 by Joanna Penn

Help welcome a “Little Prince” and enjoy my video

Published on November 16, 2016November 15, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell13 Comments

He’s here!

A Reluctant Little Prince has arrived in e-book and soon the hard copy will be available.

I did a little promo using PowerPoint. Since this is all very new to me, the video thing, I’ve added reading links at the bottom of this post from other writers. I will probably play around with other programs, when I have time. Best of plans….

I hope y’all enjoy my promo.

What do you think?

Have you ever made a video to promote a book?

What program did you use?

Do you think videos are effective?

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or click the “write me” tab or look for me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

Remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Please visit Amazon.com and check out my new book.

Debut price for the e-book is $. 99!

Keep reading for tips on videos.

The Power of Video in Its Simplest Form

How to Make a Book Trailer: 3 Free Apps for Creating an Impressive Video By Henry Herz

7 Reasons Why Writers Need To Start Using Video For Book Promotion by Joanna Penn

Keep the tips coming! You guys are the best!

Published on June 30, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

Being a writer is like working as Ring Master in a circus. Have to know how to juggle, keep the show moving and shovel elephant poo. So many jobs, so much to do and learn.

Staying ahead of the new gadgets and media stuff would be overwhelming without this community of writers. I can always count on y’all to step up, share and help with great tips.

Thanks for todays tip goes all the way to balmy Ohio and Jena Henry, a cool author, book reviewer and one of my fav readers who keeps me encouraged.

After reading my post on how to embed “Instant Book Preview” of your book on your website, and other social media sites, Jena stepped forward and clued me in on how to take it a step further.

Now you can click the “Share symbol” on your Kindle and send not only a quote, but an Instant Preview to a friend or the world. This is so cool because my sister and I were discussing a book earlier this week. Instead of trying to remember or explain what I thought was so great, I could’ve just shared a quote and an instant preview with her.

That’s right! Amazon has made sharing books you enjoy easier and faster.

However, I was disappointed to find my old Kindle Paperwhite (very first Paperwhite) doesn’t send an the instant preview, just the quote. Plus, it only sends the quotes to Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. frog-sad

Maybe time to buy a newer version of Kindle e-reader. Well-played Amazon, well-played. frog-happy

The good news is that it works on Android apps and on the newer Kindles (I just sent an Instant Preview from the Kindle app on my iPhone, pretty slick.)

Jena was reading on her Kindle Voyager when she discovered the “share” symbol. And when she hit the symbol a preview link shows up with a photo of the book and the reader receives a free preview. And she could continue reading!

What do you think?

Another tool to promote your book as well as other writers?

I’d love to hear from you! Click to write me or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean .cogdel l and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

Go check out Jena’s website The Golden Age of Charli and tell her Jean sent you.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook Facebook fans.

Read more about this new “Share Instant Preview” at the links below.

Great Books, Great Conversation

Amazon upgrades Kindle quote sharing with Instant Previews BY JAMES RISLEY

AMAZON’S NEW INSTANT PREVIEW FEATURE SHARES THE PERFECT QUOTE AND A PREVIEW OF THE KINDLE EBOOK By Kristofer Wouk

Know what to do with an image problem

Published on January 18, 2016January 14, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell

Oh, Goody!

This is a great post from one of my favorite bloggers! This is a must read!!

Selling books are based on image. The writer’s image.

I used to tell my daughters all the time, a person’s perception is their reality. What ever they perceive to be real is what is real to them.

And the hard reality is that first impressions matter for writers too.

I can’t impress upon you enough how important Kristen’s blog post is. Click now and read….

Selling Books in the Digital Age—We ALL Have an Image Problem & Here’s What To Do by Kristen Lamb

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to with a click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.