I’m jumping right into the middle of things.  If I had blogged a year ago I would have spoken about my choice for createspace, title page, Library of Congress catalogue in publishing, ISBN’s etc.  I still hope to blog about these things.  However, I am in the middle of a different phase.

I would like to tell you about some great websites I am currently in love with.  These websites understand you are trying to market a book, and they let you do so.  In no particular order, I like goodreads.com.   You can enter your book, do a book give-away and answer author interview questions.  People are able to review your book.  You can link in your blog and other websites.

I also like thebookmarketingnetwork.com.  Same story – you can do an author profile, link your blog, and I find the host, John Kremer to be chock full of information.

I also like bookgoodies.com – This site also gives you a thorough interview and lets you link numerous sites.

Big thank you to Jason Matthews ebooksuccess4free.wordpress.com and his Udemy course for Amazon including affiliates program, author central (for each country), linking in blog, etc.  – incredibly, incredibly informative!!!!

Another website is iauthor.uk.com – where you can add all sorts of information and create an “advert” which apparently is the UK version of an “ad”.

I recently also discovered awesomegang.com where you can also fill out an extensive interview and link your websites.  Also, their sister site, bookreadermagazine.com does the same.   Many thanks!!

I’d like to give a shout out for a potential up and comer – spillbooks.com – not sure there is a huge audience there (yet) but Josh Okello is being proactive and actually contacted me for information so he could post my book and information.  Check it out!

Also a big thank you to Becky at Franticmommy.com – as women – we have all been there.  I contacted her and sent her a book and she reviewed it on her website, so wow, thanks!!!

It is almost too easy to get caught up in searching for great websites.  Sometimes you find a gem, and other times you discover you have spent hours online with no benefit.  Try to limit yourself to a certain amount of time searching in the dark and keep focused on what you are trying to accomplish for the day.  Happy searching everyone!

I’m learning the hard way just how competitive the children’s book market is.  I thought that since my book is so incredibly amazing it will sell itself.  True, Moore Zombies is incredibly amazing, not true that it will sell itself.

So I have this great idea – fun and funny Youtube videos.  I could pay thousands of dollars to have a professional book trailer done, right?  In my case, wrong!  I can make the video myself for free.  Kids don’t really appreciate professionalism, anyhow.  It’s not fun.  Humans might enjoy some creepy nursery rhymes, bugs, and even famous presidential speeches about zombies.  And then just maybe, they’ll buy a book or download an ebook.

So, in making videos, doing narrations and voiceovers (which it turns out is not easy), I need help.  I have two teenagers.  Why not exploit them for financial gain?  Well, they turned the tables on me.  Please see their corresponding valedictorian speeches.  I’m not being nickel and dimed, I’m being five and tenned, even twenty and thirtied.  Now you might roll your eyes and think that is not grammatically correct.  Even my spellchecker doesn’t like it.  Well since it’s happening to me, I’m sticking with it and hereby officially declare these new phrases.  One has to keep up with inflation.  And so evolves the English language.

Hope everyone enjoys the videos we’re making.  At the very least it makes for fun family time together.  So grab some popcorn, head to http://moorezombies.com, have a seat and enjoy.  Plenty Moore to come!

So, this is my first blog, ever!!  Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Wendy Knuth and I live in Arizona with my husband, (the old, bald guy) and two teenage sons.  I have always enjoyed writing.  I recall being so excited to receive my first diary as a child for Christmas.  We’re talking lock and key (as if someone couldn’t cut the strap, right?)  I have journalled on and off throughout life, including a captain’s log for our boat.  Yes, I love boating and camping.  My favorite place is Lake Powell.  It is gorgeous, but already too crowded, so please don’t go!

I have recently written and published a book called Moore Zombies: The Search for Gargoy, illustrated by Brian Allen.  It is available thru the estore at http://moorezombies.com and at Amazon (yes folks, a shameless plug!!)  I would like to blog about the experience.  And, I ‘m sure I’ll throw in some funny stories about parenting, camping trips, boating trips, and noteworthy tales of our 4-legged family members.  I welcome any questions or comments.  Enjoy the read!