Whale Song review: "A moving story."

"Whale Song is a moving tale, written in the style of traditional oral story-telling--steeped in the lore and wisdom of Canada's aboriginals." -- Eileen Schuh, author of Schrodinger's Cat

More Whale Song reviews

"I really enjoyed this book. It was a really moving story about love and family and coming of age. If you love whales and a heartwarming story, this book is for you." --Pam Lowe, Amazon reviewer

"This was such a good book. It touched on so many things: friendship, families, loss, life, death, love, bullying, forgiveness, and growth...The story is sweet, sad, somewhat melodramatic at times, but beautiful...I thought the writing was terrific. I recommend this book heartily and look forward to reading more from this author." -- Kindle Addict, Amazon reviewer

What is the perfect price for ebooks?

The perfect price for ebooks is what the public is willing to pay, and many publishers and authors are ignoring this fact. Too many ebooks are priced the same or more than their print counterparts. Too many ebooks are priced at over $9.99, and most people don't want to pay that much, unless it's for one of the "big name authors".

There has been a lot of discussion of what the perfect price point is for an ebook. The answer? Publishers and authors may have to play with the prices to determine where the best price lies.

A strong proponent of $0.99 and $1.99 ebooks, author JA Konrath, held those views up until last year, when Amazon raised the royalty level to 70% for ebooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99. Konrath took the plunge and raised his prices and has reported that this hasn't hurt his sales in the least. In fact, he reports he made over $100K last year on his ebooks, across multiple retailers. Not bad income for an author who is self-publishing his own books now, after being published by the big guys for years.

In Konrath's latest blog post, he talks about an author who reached the NYT bestsellers list multiple times, who was just offered a $200K two-book deal. After Konrath crunched the numbers and pointed out that her ebooks would be priced higher, it appears this author would be better off publishing these on her own--especially since she obviously already has a platform and a built-in fan base from her existing titles--and setting lower prices.

Kindle Nation Daily conducted a recent survey and discovered that a high percentage of Kindle readers preferred ebooks priced at $3.99 and less.

As an author, I want readers to be able to afford my books. I don't write so they can sit on a shelf (physical or virtual) and collect dust, or be used as decorations. I write because I want someone to read my stories and hopefully enjoy them. I write for more personal reasons too, but essentially my intention is to make by books and ebooks available to everyone and anyone.

So I've priced my ebooks low--from $0.99 to $3.99. Why? Because I want my books to be read.

I don't know if there really is one "perfect" price point for an ebook. I think it varies, depending on the economical situation and your target audience per title. But I am very pleased to know that all my ebooks are retailing at an affordable price, and that I'm able to put them on sale every now and then.

In the end, the pricing issue really boils down to one thing. Publishers and authors should give readers what they want, and they want less expensive ebooks.

For authors: How important is ebook pricing?

Whale Song review: "What a wonderful story."

"I was so captivated by this story, I downloaded The River, Divine Intervention and Remote Control. Cheryl has a great gift in keeping you up at night and wanting to get to the end of the page, then the end of the chapter. I am hooked on her books." --Rawhideranch, Amazon reviewer

Edmonton's Salute to Excellence Hall of Fame Nominations

The City of Edmonton: Salute to Excellence Committee is currently gathering nominations for the 2011 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony being held in June to honour outstanding Edmontonians who, through their participation in arts and culture, community service, or sports, have made exemplary contributions to the quality of life in Edmonton. The induction ceremony will take place at the Winspear Centre for Music on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011.

Deadline: February 22 

If you know someone who has contributed to Edmonton's arts, culture, community or sports life, nominate them today.

Nomination packages can be downloaded at:
http://www.edmonton.ca/for_residents/14-NominationFormforHallofFame.pdf

Upcoming ebook and paperback releases by bestselling author Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Someone called me today and asked me where I've been lately. I haven't been out in public doing signings or appearances. I haven't spoken at a writers conference lately. And I haven't been blogging quite as much as usual. My answer: I've been crazy busy getting ebooks and trade paperbacks ready for publication. Whoo-ooo!

So here's what's in store over the next couple of months:

My bestselling psychic suspense, Divine Intervention, has undergone some exciting transformations. First, you'll notice a sizzling new cover, created by graphic designer extraordinaire, Jennifer Johnson from Sapphire Designs. Along with this new cover, which will brand the series, the description or back cover text has been adapted slightly...

Jasi and her team members―Psychometric Empath and profiler Ben Roberts and Victim Empath Natassia Prushenko―are joined by Brandon Walsh, the handsome but skeptical Chief of Arson Investigations. In a manhunt that takes them from Vancouver to Kelowna, Penticton and Victoria, they are led down a twisting path of sinister secrets.

Sifting through ashes and clues, Jasi realizes that there is more to the third victim than meets the eye. Perhaps not all of the victims were that innocent. The hunt intensifies when she learns that someone they know is next on the arsonist's list.

Unleashing her gift as a Pyro-Psychic, Jasi is compelled toward smoldering ashes and enters the killer's mind―a mind bent on destruction and revenge. And in the heat of early summer, Jasi discovers that a murderer lies in wait…much closer than she ever imagined.

The ebook edition of Divine Intervention, with bonus content, is already available at your favorite e-tailer (Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords etc.) A new (and less expensive!) trade paperback edition, also with bonus content, will be available at Amazon very soon (late Feb or early March).

In March, my collection of short stories, Skeletons in the Closet & Other Creepy Stories, will be released in trade paperback edition; it will feature bonus content. Also, my highly anticipated, brand new supernatural thriller, Children of the Fog, will be released in ebook edition, with bonus content. This will be followed by the trade paperback edition in April.

My contemporary romantic suspense, Lancelot's Lady, written under the pen name Cherish D'Angelo, will be released in trade paperback very soon as well. We're putting the finishing touches on it now. It could be available as early as late February, though it was originally slated to be released in April. I'll let you know as soon as it's out.

In May, readers will be able to read book 2 in the Divine series. Divine Justice will be released in ebook edition, followed by the trade paperback.

My bestselling techno-thriller, The River, is getting an overhaul. A stunning new cover is being designed and it will feature bonus content. The story itself remains the same. The new ebook and trade paperback are slated for May/June.

ALL my ebooks are under $4, and my trade paperbacks will soon ALL be under $12.

Here are some quick links to booksellers, for your convenience:
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
BarnesandNoble.com
Chapters.ca
KoboBooks.com
Smashwords.com

And now you know why I've been hibernating. All this plus all the nasty snow we've gotten this winter has made it easy for me to stay indoors and work on what I love. I am so excited to be bringing you new works, better covers and lots of bonus material. I hope you'll enjoy them all.

Time spent promoting ebooks versus promoting print books

Author Joe Konrath writes about time spent promoting print books versus ebooks, and he shares his sales stats as well as information on physical book signings, something I am all too familiar with.

Joe is so right about the average sales authors make at book signings. In Canada the numbers are even lower. I've done well over 200 book signings and am considered one of the high sellers. In fact, I was told by Chapters & Indigo managers in Edmonton that I had the highest, most consistent sales at signings for two years straight out of all visiting authors.

It was damned hard work, though I never did the cross-country touring Joe did. And I'm glad. The cost of touring across provinces or states just doesn't make it worthwhile in the end, especially when most authors are responsible for those costs--or at least a large portion of them. If you have to do book signings, start at home and gradually spiral out, without going overboard--unless your publisher is paying for your tour.

I've watched so many authors at signings. I've even organized multi-author events at major trade shows and elsewhere. Most authors were lucky to sell 5 books. Many went home without a sale. My average was a bit higher than the number Joe quoted represented a decent signing. The difference was that I greeted everyone who walked into the bookstore. And I handed them a bookmark. I engaged their attention and enjoyed their company.

I used to do 40 signings a month for 3 months before Christmas, every year. That's a LOT of hours spent with little return. When you calculate hours, gas, travel etc, it didn't pay well. But I have to admit, I do miss the social aspect. I love meeting readers face to face. I loved doing signings. That's what separated me from most, I think.

Now I meet readers online. And I use creative ways to connect. Though I'll always be grateful to all the bookstores that hosted me and I miss the "action" (but not getting asked where the bathroom is), I can use my time far more wisely by promoting my ebooks.

By the way, my last online virtual book tour (for my debut romantic suspense Lancelot's Lady) was 118 stops in 14 days. It took me 3 months to organize and write all the posts. I guess I beat Joe's record. ;-) I know what he's saying about exhausting--even an online tour can leave you feeling like you've just crossed the country...on foot. lol However, I could never have visited 118 stores in 14 days--if I had I wouldn't have been coherent.

I've done mailouts--catalogues, bookmarks, announcements, invitations, etc to sell print books. Again, another time suck. I saw no real return on that investment or on the money spent on it. This is where the ebook revolution makes it so much easier for today's authors. Why spend 8 hours in a bookstore only to sell a dozen books or time and money preparing mailouts, when you can promote online and use social networks to get your name out there and sell books? 

Authors who want to succeed must learn to change with the winds, adapt to new technologies and step out of their comfort zone. Take a risk, try something new.