Tag Archive | self publishing

New Ancient Roman Erotic Short: For The Women Of Rome 2

Nov16

ForWomenRome2CVRFINALIt is finally here. I am very proud to release my new erotic short, For The Women of Rome 2. The story continues with Cornelia and Marcus. Cornelia either has to learn to share or figure a way to keep Marcus to herself. But when a new slave is purchased on the blocks, will it end their new found happiness?

I am happy to be back in the saddle after a year hiatus from writing erotic shorts. I’ve done some intense thinking over the last year. With all the changes of recategorize and blocking erotica and erotic romances from being advertised on Amazon, I had to rethink my business plan and go wide with my catalog. I pulled all of my titles out of KU over a 3 month period during the Spring, and I am slowly releasing them wide. They are becoming available on iTunes, Kobo and Barnes and Noble one series at a time. I am trying to do this month by month, with one of my popular series of shorts releasing once a month.

The reason, it takes time to put all the shorts into the new formatting. So, just bare with me. It will all be available within 6 months. Meanwhile, ALL of my erotic shorts are still available on Amazon. I have reduced the cost to $0.99 each. Plus, there are some series in Omnibus and printed editions. The print editions have always been available wide. So, thank you for your understanding and patience. As an author and manager of my writing business, I have to make tough choices to stay in the business of writing. Since Kindle Unlimited wasn’t working anymore for me for visibility or for sales, I moved onto the next step to insure I could still continue what I love to do: write.

Which of course brings me to the next step: writing new erotic shorts. I have been trying to write longer shorts to keep me competitive with the page read payouts of KU. But it just wasn’t working creatively. Drawing out the stories just seemed like to be adding fillers. Some of the stories I did enjoy being longer, but I am a pantser. I like to let the story flow and evolve. Some are longer than others. So, making them all longer just wasn’t working creatively. It stunted my projects and made many turn into dead-ends.

So, returning back to writing my shorts, it means many stories are going to return to 3k-5k range or even the 5k-7k range. Some series have longer lengths, like the whole On Call series lended itself to be longer each story. Others are shorter like the Scottish Erotic Tales and the Roman Erotic Tales. With the $0.99 price for all my erotic shorts now, I’m hoping more people will enjoy them and take a ride to the dirty dark side with me. 😉

So, with the release of the next Roman Erotic Tale, For The Women Of Rome 2, I embark on this new chapter of my writing journey. I am excited to take you along, and promise many surprises for 2019. I will finish the Roman Erotic Tales with For The Women Of Rome 3, and release a whole new series called, The Queens of Andromeda. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy along the veins of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Anne McCaffrey, two of my favorite Sci-Fi writers. I will give more clues and sneak peek hints as I get closer to its release for next year.

Meanwhile, have a fantastic Holiday Season! Best wishes for the New Year! And look for a Thanksgiving Erotica Deals promo that will be starting next week. -Lynda

For The Women of Rome 2 Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Women-Rome-Roman-Erotic-Tales-ebook/dp/B07KKHN1Y8

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-the-women-of-rome-2-lynda-belle/1129900889

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/for-the-women-of-rome-2

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1442572665

 

 

 

 

An Update: The New Focus For Lynda Belle

Oct10

sexywritingI’ve been having quite a strange year. If you might have noticed, I haven’t written a lot with this pen name for about a year since I’ve been focusing on other work. But that work now has come to a close. I’ve finished projects and gotten far enough in others that I can now return to writing as Lynda Belle for awhile. All writers go through ebbs and flow in the creativity. I’ve found that the ups and downs of this year have hit a lot of my creative juice hard. But I’ve picked myself up. It took a lot of thinking and a complete rethink of my business model, but I think I’ve come up with a plan.

I’m returning to writing my erotic shorts again and you get to reap the benefits. And there is more. I have been slowly releasing my back catalog wide. My titles are becoming available on Barnes and Noble.com, Kobo.com and iBooks. This will enable me to lower the prices on my titles to $0.99 for all shorts. You will start to see the prices coming down on all retailers for my past titles soon. Just bare with me since I am doing everything myself. I have no staff since I self-publish everything. So, it takes time to ready my stories, release them, and reset prices.

But I also know I have a following with Kindle Unlimited readers. So, after much thought, I’ve decided that I will be releasing my new stories into KU first so those that have followed me through the years can take advantage of my new stories. They will be available for sale, of course, through Amazon for the first three months after release. Then after three months, I’ll release them wide. This will be an experiment at first, just to see how it goes.

So to all my followers, I would love any feedback on my plans. Let me know if you enjoy have the stories in KU for a limited time and than wide, or would rather just purchase them from the retailer of your choice. It will help me get my stories out to the people that read them.

Please keep in mind I try to make some of a living off of my writing. So, I do have to charge for my stories. It all can’t be free all of the time. But I will continue to do my erotica/erotic romance promo deals each month as well. Though, I may be having less FREE deals and more $0.99 deals for my titles.

So, that is about it. That is a complete update of the road ahead of me for writing. I’ll end with some of the stories I’m working on to be released soon. I am currently writing the next installment in the “For The Women Of Rome” series. That should be out in a couple weeks. Plus, I have an idea for a sequel for the “Bordello of Vampire Pleasure”. I will be delving into the world of the vampire bordello and into the world of the vampire in the story “Death or Eternity” which was a limited time free story with newsletter sign-ups.

So, take care, follow my blog for more updates, and please look for my first new story in the upcoming weeks.

-Lynda

#Cockygate: The Internet has Gone Crazy Over an Author Trying to TM a Word

May9

roostercockygateAfter watching the hoopla over “Cockygate” the last few days, I have decided to blog about it, mostly for posterity sake. After all, I think this is the pioneer age of self-publishing, and there are some weird, crazy things happening that can get the global hive mind of the internet into a frenzy. Whether you’re a romance author or not, many people in publishing, authors, self-publishers(Indies) and writing groups have gotten involved. All behind the back drop of one author deciding to trademark her series name and protect her brand, most likely because of the making of an upcoming movie. What has happened is probably beyond what she or anyone else could imagine. Mass craziness in social media and writing message boards.

What Happened:
So, basically an author named Faleena Hopkins has registered the word “Cocky” because it relates to a family of characters she’s created and the name of her book series. She registered it with a trademark in a certain font, and now is going around threatening to sue all the authors that have the word “Cocky” appear in their title and telling them to change their titles. She sends a letter to the authors saying she can sue and take the money they’ve earned from their book.

Here’s a link to the letter she has been sending out in Tech Dirt’s Article:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180507/11303539791/romance-novelist-secures-trademark-word-cocky-begins-beating-other-novelists-over-head-with-it.shtml
So, authors with the word “cocky” had their books pulled from Amazon, because she reported their books as a violation of her TM. So, several authors either changed their titles and their covers to comply with her demands, or stood up to her and called on the RWA organization to help. To let you know, RWA or Romantic Writers of America is a writers group that helps romance writers with the business of doing writing. I am a member of my local chapter, and can’t say enough praises and help this organization does for writers. You must be a member if you write romance. But, I digress.

Here are tags to look on Twitter to follow along with the current scuttle on what is going on too: #cockygate #cocky #byefaleena #freecocky

Here’s an article about this from a few days ago in regards to the trademark legalese: http://legalinspiration.com/?p=503

I’ve also noticed RWA has tweeted that they are aware and asking for other authors to report to them that are affected. They have since helped the authors that have reported it to get their books back on Amazon.
Tweet from RWA: https://twitter.com/romancewriters/status/993883786931777536

The implications are clear. If authors start trademarking words and suing other authors for their use, it could be VERY messy. Imagine an author trademarking “aliens” or “starship” and suing sci-fi authors. I also do know one of the authors that got this email and lost two of her books, Tara Crescent. She’s been a part of some of my erotica/erotic romance deals that I do monthly. She lost two books entitled “Cocky Doctors” and “Cocky Firefighters”. They have since been reinstated on Amazon.

So, it’s hard for me to understand why someone would want to go out and hurt other authors like this. Especially, since it was amazing to see how wonderful the Romance and Indie community have really helped the authors that have been sent these emails and asked to change their titles or get sued. RWA helped reinstate the books that were taken down by Amazon. Many of the books were just pulled down and that is part of the reason why the panic happened, because the Zon tends to just pull or close accounts and then review each case individually. So, that is possibly why there was such a mass panic among the authors.

Cockygate is spilling into the other areas of the media now too. I’m guessing because the title is catchy and the implication on trying to copyright a word as a Trademark. Maybe Faleena Hopkins didn’t intend this to happen, and I know there have been huge amounts of negativity swung at her. She’s taken down her Facebook page and maybe soon her Twitter account may come down. It will definitely affect her career and who she can do business with in the future probably all due to trying to protect her perceived brand. She seems to still be saying she was just trying to help her readers buy the proper books. We’ll have to see how this all goes. There is already a filing against the Trademark patent by Kevin Kneupper that happens to be a lawyer and author.

This can all be a lesson for future self-publishing authors. You need to really look into something before you do it, because actions can have far reaching consequences in this day and age.

UPDATE: 5/23/18

As of 5/14/18, it is noted on the TM website in the application for “Cocky” has a “Cancelation pending” notice.

So, there seems to be a trend for copycat TM’ing authors trying to get a hold of “Revolution” and “forever”. I’m not sure if this is for the publicity now, since Faleena Hopkins has gotten so much attention for what she did. But the author that TM’ed the word “forever”, Heidi McLaughlin, is claiming it was her agent or someone impersonating her, and is retracting the application.

Plus, an app has now been programed to help authors keep tabs on what words are being copyrighted and trademarked. It’s called CockyBot, and can help an author stay on top of things before receiving a take down notice.

So, the drama continues to unfold. I’ll keep adding more information as it happens. 😉

-Lynda

Update: June 7, 2018

Lawyers have gotten involved now. According to a letter and post on RWA’s website blog, 

**(You may have to be a RWA member to get onto the site)

May 16 was the date that RWA sent a DEMAND LETTER to Faleena Hopkins to retract trademark infringement claims and future claims on behalf of RWA and Tara Crescent. Also, the letter asked to send documents to Amazon to retract the infringement, and to send proof of these actions of retraction,  and to apologize. They are also filing to challenge the trademark.

May 25, Faleena Hopkins fired back with a Preliminary Injunction and Temporary Restraining order against Tara Crescent, Kevin Kneupper, and Jennifer Watson in regards to publishing, selling, promoting and distributing, “Cocktales, the Cockiest Anthology”. Lawyers from RWA had to defend Tara Crescent at the TRO hearing to defend her right to keep her books published. The Temp. Restraining Order was denied.

RWA is funding Tara Crescent’s fees to fight in court! On June 1, Preliminary Injunction was denied in the New York court. But the fight continues on!

Stay tuned for updates. This can affect all authors in all genres. There is a run of people going to the trademark office now to file for different words and series names. On Twitter, you can follow the bot at: @cockybot.

UPDATE July 3, 2018: It looks like #CockyGate is over. Tara Crescent and Faleena Hopkins have settled in New York court. Faleena agreed to back down and Tara is changing the word “Cocky” into a different font. It seems both sides are backing down and compromising and that has to be at least something of a good outcome. Here is a Daily Mail article that explains the recent events taking mostly Faleena’s side. 

I’m still looking for more on this. However, it looks like Faleena is trying to spin this in her favor, and calling others bullies. It just seems to me she didn’t understand the laws of trademark usage and tried to enforce something she really didn’t understand well. But that is just my opinion.

Lesson from all of this and what Cocky Gate might be remembered for: if you are an author, really talk to a lawyer or some professional that might know what they are doing. Because the repercussions can be real and costly. Saying you didn’t know isn’t an excuse. But it is possible, this just all blew up with out her meaning to. But then, on the other side, she could have handled it better in her letters in the first place.

Like I said, hopefully the entire author community will take this as a grain of salt in the learning process. Let’s just all try to keep it professional in the end.

 

 

Erotica and Erotic Romance Getting Shadow-Banned on Amazon

Mar29

sexywriting So, being the Indie erotica and erotic romance writer, I’ve been on top of a development that started on March 22, just before the weekend. I went to a steampunk conference over the weekend, and missed the first initial hoopla and worry from what was going on. And then it all hit me in the face on Monday, March 26–Amazon was changing the rankings on erotica and re-categorizing some spicy and erotic romances into erotica.

When ever the Zon starts messing with things like this, it means something drastic is about to happen. Last time, it was KU2. That sucked to no end for people that wrote short stories, me included, where everyone started to get paid by the page instead of by single unit download. Now, they are starting to “shadow-ban” titles, spicy romance and erotic romance too, that has an “adult theme”.

The Low Down of What is Going On

There are a lot of rumors and speculation about why this is happening. In clearly the Zon’s fashion, there are no real answers when sending emails or messages to the powers that be at Amazon. Just answers to the point that titles are being reassigned to the erotica category because your book has “adult themes”. This is not only affecting regular erotica, but a lot of the steamy and erotic romance that clearly follow a romance plot line and isn’t all about the sex. Is it censorship?

Well, you have to look at why it might be happening. There is apparently a law that passed in US congress on March 21 that is supposed to help stop online sex trafficking. FOSTA or the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act is supposed to help stop online sex trafficking, but it is having a much wider affect because it holds the websites accountable, retroactively. So, many websites, including Craigslist’s personal ads, are shutting down and purging of sexual explicit content. In essence, the new administration is cracking down on sexually charged content, and it’s leading to a purge on many sites like Apple, Reddit, and Amazon.

What Does This Mean To You As A Reader?

What does it mean to romance readers of adult romances (formerly new adult), spicy romance, erotic romances and erotica? It means you are going to have a harder time finding what you like to read. You can still find erotic romances and erotica on Amazon, but not in a general search. And since the general store ranking is gone, there will be less “customer also bought” suggestions for titles.

There are still erotica categories, but they are harder to find. I’m sure other websites may follow suit. I haven’t heard anything from Kobo yet, but they are in Canada. So, that might be the saving grace for them. ANY US COMPANIES will most likely be reacting to this law. But then, I expected something like this from this administration. I knew the suppression would begin, but wasn’t sure how.

So, what could be next? Well, it’s come to the time where I will need to, and many other authors, will have to consider KU2 a mute point now. The promos haven’t been as productive lately for me, and going WIDE, which means taking my titles to other retailers, will be the only way to get new readers and help me meet my bottom line. So, in all likely hood, as an erotic romance or erotica reader, you may not find titles you want to read in KU anymore. They will still be on Amazon, but harder to find, and you’ll have to pay more for them since it won’t be profitable for them to stay in KU any longer.

Plus, I am going to try to continue my promotional bimonthly lists. It will still be a way for you to find fabulous erotica and erotic romances from good authors. But as far as the deals, there might be less freebies and more just $0.99 discounted titles.

So, yes, bottom line, you will most likely start paying more for these erotic romances and it will be harder to find them. But looks like I’ll keep up my promotions as long as I can. I’m also going to check with the other authors to see if they are planning to stay in KU. Not sure how this will all turn out, but like with most changes like this, adaptation is sometimes the only option. And to stay in business, sometimes, it’s the only choice for an author.

What Next?

Through all the things I go through as a self-published author,  I’m going to keep writing. I have some ideas for stories I haven’t finished yet, and will keep going. I’ve had to recently go back to work, and not write full time. That has been a set back too. But whatever happens, I hope you stick with me as I wade through yet another obstacle in the road for an erotica and erotic romance writer.

I hope you understand also, because not only do I write it, I read this genre too. So, I’m going to feel your pain. I am considering maybe ending my KU membership too. If enough writers and readers pull out, maybe Amazon will get a hint that this kind of censorship is just not what the customers want. But then, I’m just one little author in a much larger pond. But then, it’s all I have.

UPDATE: 

The ranking for the erotica titles for both indie and traditional published titles have come back on Amazon. It is possible that things either have been reworked and categorized, or more likely, it was some cliche that went on for more than a week.

An email from a Kboarder, Nate Hoffelder, is quoted as saying:

“A recent Kindle Store change inadvertently affected the display of sales rank for some titles. We have corrected this issue.”

Whether all the erotica being given new categories was due to a cliche, or something else, it is unclear. Some people still have had their titles recategorized, but the sales ranking has been added back on to many erotica titles that were missing them. So, I’ll keep updating as more happens with this.

 

Other blog posts about this subject:

The Digital Reader:

https://the-digital-reader.com/2018/03/29/amazon-has-shadow-banned-romance-titles-from-the-kindle-store/

The Motherboard:

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bjpjn4/amazon-erotica-best-seller-rankings-removed

The Tech Crunch:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/29/new-federal-rules-blamed-in-disappearance-of-kindle-erotica-titles/

Kboards Thread on subject:

https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,261904.msg3642901.html

Forbes Media Article:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamrowe1/2018/03/31/amazon-deranked-romance-titles-week-restoring

How Reviews Can Give You Insight Or We All Wear Our Corsets and Garter Belts Differently

Aug1

snapsinfrtcorsetBeing an Indie writer since 2007 has brought about a fairly thick skin. I’ve been self-publishing for awhile, now in three genres. I’ve got a whole bunch of freelancers that I hire to do beta reading, development and editing, and cover design. Lately, I’ve been doing my own formatting and have experience in High Tech PR. So, I’ve always done my own publicity.

So, I know the no-nos of not commenting on any reviews you may find for books. But there is one that happened today that got me thinking. It’s a one star review on my Bordello of Vampire Pleasure Omnibus edition that made me think, really, what is up with this? It’s a fairly LONG scathing review that points out what seem to be many glaring errors. Most are opinions of course, but I tend to be a stickler for detail. So, I went back and checked on some of the comments. I came to a conclusion after checking some of the claimed facts. Everybody has their own experiences that they bring to a book. That is what they judge it by. And that everyone wears their corset and garter belt differently.

Now, if you think about the many experiences a person can have, reading and in life, you get a vast amount of ways a book can be interpreted. In fact, good writers can make it that the reader thinks that you wrote it, when in case if they really check, they assumed it from your clues. Those assumptions, what you create in your mind from the book, is the magic of reading. And for every person that reading experience will be different. That’s why some people will read a book and love it, and others will hate it. We all bring different experiences to the reading of the book.

So, in the review, I wanted to check some facts just to make sure. It would bug me if I missed something. I checked on the claims about corsets and how to wear your garter belt. So, the review claims that corsets lace in the back and snap in the front, and garter belts have to be worn underneath underwear. Well, I did go back and check, and I did mention the hook being unhooked. I don’t specifically say in the front. But one can assume that it was in the front. Or back. Or where you would think it would be. I’ve had all manners of corsets. Mine mostly unhook in the front. Some clothes could be in the back if they are custom(like bras). Really would depend on what you’ve experienced, and you’d imagine this in your reading assumption.

I also was in a floor show cast of Rocky Horror Picture Show (played Magenta by the way) when I was younger. We always wore our garter belts on the outside, with panties underneath. We didn’t need to pull them off. Just went swimsuit style, where you move the material to the side, right?

Also, I have to admit, I’m not part of the BDSM lifestyle, and I’m not trying to be. I wrote it as the vampires reading the minds of the humans and then creating the fantasy they wanted in the brothel. About whether I spelled Dom or Domme, I could always go back and change that. But then, I also called a incubus a succubus in another story. I sited it as being of the succubus race. So, I wasn’t trying to emulate the lifestyle, just the fantasy of it. So, it works for some people. It’s fantasy fun, erotic hopefully for those that read. The vampires feel that way too, even when they temp the humans into becoming vampires themselves. Death is on the line. Even that can be erotic.

So, what did I come away with? Even scathing reviews can be helpful. I realized that some people just wear their corsets and garter belts differently. There’s nothing wrong with that. And that I still don’t understand why people write huge, long scathing one star reviews. I don’t think I’d have that much mind space to rant about something negatively.

Even one of the lowest reviews I gave for one of my favorite authors, Anne Rice, was more of a 2 star review. It mostly said “Can we stop writing about angels for awhile and get back to vampires?” But you can always take away something positive from the most negative things. I hope Anne Rice did. She put out Prince Lestat a few years later after my review. Maybe enough of her fans told her we wanted more vampires, and she listened.

None of the people that write one stars are fans or in an author’s demographic most of the time. So, for those other authors out there getting a one star review, lament a bit. See what you can get out of it. I’m sure there is a positive kernel you can retrieve. If anything, go back and read some of the reviews where people enjoy your writing. There will be more positive reviews to follow that one star review. Soon, it will just make your book look like it’s been read by real humans that have opinions. It will spur on others to try it. Now, get back to writing and remember, we all wear our corsets and garter belts differently.

 

 

Promotions, Facebook, Affiliate Links Affecting Author Accounts With Closure

Jun20

I usually don’t blog about the business of self-publishing. But there are some times when things happen in the self-pub industry that start to affect many of us, it could affect you if you are a self-published author. If you’re a reader, it’s good to know what authors go through to bring you their stories. It is a thankless job sometimes, with little monetary reward but meager royalities and the adoration of readers. (Yes, I adore you all. I live for your comments and reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. And yes, I do read them. Thank you for all the praise over the last year.)

So, please forgive me while I go onto a soapbox for awhile and talk about something that has been happening in relation to book promotion. Some of you have been very grateful for the cross-author promotions I’ve been doing for the last several months with other erotica authors. I did it mostly to find a better way to promote books without paying the large fees to promotional sites that send out newsletters and emails with deals and free ebooks. I figured I could join together with other authors, and do the same thing with our own email lists. And our followers and readers have LOVED IT! In fact, I’ve picked up a few deals myself from my fellow authors. So, I know it’s been a win-win for us all.

Jump to what is going on this month, June 2016. There is a new fear on the wind from the Zon (Amazon) lately. They are cracking down on a TOS rule that is part of their affiliates program about using massive mailing lists with affiliate links in their website. I’m going by what other bloggers have said since I haven’t had an affiliate program since Amazon pulled the program in California due to laws passed to collect sales tax from Amazon in this state. With websites anchored here, Amazon would have had to pay sales tax, and they cut loose all the websites with addresses in this state. They’ve done this in other states too. So, I haven’t had any affiliate links tied to my website for several years. So, again, any references to TOS is taken from other websites.

Here is a listing of some of the websites that have been listing their stories of how their accounts have been nuked, or canceled, due to many reasons:

  1. Some are for large amounts of clicks suddenly( The theory is that it’s a click farm picking prawnie authors to help hide the fact they are a click farm.) http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/06/dangers-for-prawny-authors/
  2. closure and reinstatement story,   https://pjbayliss.com/2016/06/06/steal-my-books-please/
  3. sharing your link with all the metadata tags/tracking tags(So, just take your pasted link to your ASIN), https://pjbayliss.com/2016/06/06/steal-my-books-please/
  4. Identity Fraud connection to closed account: https://darrienia.com/2016/06/18/authors-beware-a-new-danger-for-ku-authors/
  5. Pixel of Ink Shut Down Thread: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,237670.0.html
  6. More on ebook promoting websites shutting: http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/06/15/amazon-brings-the-hammer-down-on-discount-ebook-sites/

Here’s the thread on Kboards.com’s Writer’s Cafe that drew my attention to this topic:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,237687.0.html

The speculation of what exactly is going on is this long thread above. It’s one of several things mentioned going on. But I have to say, while this happens, the Zon on a purging spree, it’s good to steer clear of the situation. Several things I’ve been doing with my cross-author promo ring clear:

1)  It’s unclear whether it is promo sites, Facebook KU groups or click farms distracting their trails causing the accounts to be taken down. But as usual, steering clear of the Zon’s efforts to purge is always wise.

2) The recent closing of Pixel of Ink because of violation of affliate program clicks with their mailing list/website shows kind of the way the Zon is going right now. So, I’m really happy that I’ve been leading this new trend of promotion for authors where we utilize our own blog and email lists to share sale deals with readers and followers. After all, giving real people great deals is what we want in the end. Real sales from real readers that will want to come back for more deals.

3) Future cross-author promos: going to avoid additional mention of titles with paid promotional websites.

4) Some authors have larger lists than others. It is a bigger benefit if you’re a small prawn joining with a big prawn. But it is good to have content and deals whether you have a large or small mailing list. It gives content and deals to your followers. I’ve gotten such positive feedback in comments about how my followers really like the other deals from other authors. I mean, you can only post so much about yourself and how to write. Readers do appreciate other topics, and reading deals is right up their alley. So, with my 220 mailing list, 32 followers on my blog, and 1500 on Facebook, it is my humble numbers that I share with you all. Adding all the authors in the promo together, we get a pretty big pool of readers/followers that we promote to. We are joining together in this sharing with each other. Authors helping authors.

So, I’m happy that this way of promoting, cross-promo with other authors using our blogs and mailing lists, might be the way of the future of promoting if the big promo sites get taken down. The ways of them getting money from affliate clicks might be their demise now that the Zon is cracking down in that part of the TOS. They are most likely going to go subscription, and how many people will join and shell out another fee for something they’ve gotten for free all this time.

Maybe all these account closures is a temporary cliche going on because of the current Amazon purge. Legitimate authors getting swept up in the new Amazon war on scammers happens. It’s just horrible that the legit authors get destroyed in this process. If you’ve all joined me in this experiment of cross-author promo, thank you. We’ve been doing other promos than the promo sites lately, so that may help. It also might put us in the middle of internet promotional and publishing history. The days of large promotional sites might be waning, with authors choosing to do cross-promotion instead of hefting out hundreds of dollars to a promo site.
Who knew the big promo sites were violating TOS to get money? With the threat of their account being shut down, authors are going to choose to ban together to promote more together than rely on high-priced promotion sites with huge mailing lists. (I’ve always thought creating your own list makes more sense anyway. The saying is you just need 1,000 superfans to be a best selling author.)
I’ll update when I find out more, but for now, it may take some time to figure out what is really happening. Some are figuring to ignore KU all together, but some of us that do make legitimate money, writing real stories, aren’t running quite yet. Mostly avoiding what might be triggers, Facebook ads, the Affiliates Program(which I can’t do since I live in California. Some states have been banned by Amazon for this program due to sales tax laws passed in the state), possible Fiverr or other author promo sites, and just sticking to author cross-promos. All we can do is wait and see.
Until further notice,
-Lynda
UPDATE: The person that lost their account on Amazon has had it reinstated.  She is also leaving Kindle Unlimited/Select. She received a form letter from Amazon letting her know that she needed to avoid third party promotional sites that gave guarantees.

I concluded that even with a form letter, it still seems to point to this, a third party promotional site. Otherwords, they would have sent her another form letter. And it also seems to go along with what Amazon is purging right now, third party sites using the affiliate codes in their emails which is against their TOS. Sometimes you have to read between the lines, even with a form letter. 😉

 

 

 

Get Lucky St. Patrick’s Day With Erotica Deals!

Mar17

GettingLuckyBannerIt’s here. The big “Get lucky” St. Patrick’s Day Deals start today! You are exclusively getting this through my website/blog and my newsletter crew for three days only, March 17, 18 and 19. You get the opportunity to save big on top, bestselling erotica authors. Over 20 authors have joined me today listing up to 40 titles that will be free or on the deep discount rate of $0.99.

Find stories from contemporary erotic romance, paranormal and urban erotica, fantasy and Victorian, New Adult to suspense, there is something bound to meet your taste or kink.  There are even two giveaways for Amazon Gift Cards to tempt your fancy.

**SO, GET LUCKY this St. Patrick’s Day, thanks to some fabulous, erotica authors!

**EXCLUSIVE with Lynda Belle and participating authors! This is available to our readers and fans as a thank you for how awesome you all are!

 Special Giveaway List:

 Lynda Belle’s $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/20834f9e11/

 Today’s Book Deals $20 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

https://todaysbookdeals.com/giveaway

Special Book Deals March 17-19:

  • Lady J. L. Jennings: “Corsets and Cravings” ~ A Victorian Romance and Erotic Short Story Collection Vol. II –On Sale for $0.99

http://www.amazon.com/Corsets-Cravings-Victorian-Romance-Collection-ebook/dp/B006K7MBNQ/

  • Lynda Belle’s $0.99 Sale specials

Rockin’ Him Hard: http://www.amazon.com/Rockin-Him-Hard-Hot-Groupies-ebook/dp/B00T8O66L6

Highlander Bride Taken: http://www.amazon.com/Highlander-Bride-Taken-Scottish-Erotic-ebook/dp/B00UUM9YFA

Bordello of Vampire Pleasure #1: http://www.amazon.com/Bordello-Vampire-Pleasure-Pleasures-Book-ebook/dp/B00Y3J1V16

A Cat For Two: http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Two-Lynda-Belle-ebook/dp/B01BQRYEMK

New Release: For The Women Of Rome: http://www.amazon.com/Women-Rome-Roman-Erotic-Tale-ebook/dp/B01CUYSM94

***Plus, titles in Scottish Erotic Tales, Hot Groupies and Vampire Pleasures series on Kindle Countdown until end of March 19.

***Visit Lynda Belle’s Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Lynda-Belle/e/B00TA3VESU

  • Janet Lynn

FREE Ebook: A Fresh Touch: An Erotic Story by Janet Lynn

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013ATMHS0

$0.99 Ebook: A Fresh Touch Boxed Set: A Trilogy of Erotic Stories by Janet Lynn

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01485HZQY

  • Veronica Cane

Free ebook with newsletter sign-up: Hotel Mischief

https://veronicacane.com/freehotelmischief/

  • April Rider

FREE: Biker Babe: Lady Godiva Book 1 (BBM Motorcycle Romance) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OD32YOA

  • Katy Baker

Gripped On sale for $0.99

http://www.amazon.com/Gripped-bad-romance-Falling-Book-ebook/dp/B01BUT7UKM

FREE EBOOK: Touchpaper
http://www.amazon.com/Touchpaper-Steamy-Adult-Romance-Touch-ebook/dp/B00V5KD1N2

FREE EBOOK: At The Party

http://www.amazon.com/Party-Erotic-Romance-Friends-Father-ebook/dp/B00BODFQ2Y

  • Fionn Jameson

FREE EBOOK: Her Wicked Kiss by Fionn Jameson

http://www.amazon.com/Her-Wicked-Kiss-Blood-Martyr-ebook/dp/B00HHL1KUO

  • Daizie Draper-All her titles are $0.99 during sale

Rock Candy : http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Candy-Stepbrother-Romance-Fantasies-ebook/dp/B014I4KIN2

Nothing But Trouble: http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-But-Trouble-Therapist-Novelette-ebook/dp/B00QFP9CIA

Sorority Saint: Domination & Dance Collide: http://www.amazon.com/Sorority-Saint-Domination-Dance-Collide-ebook/dp/B01BKQZDBI

  • Jayelle Wye

On sale for $0.99 Brief Encounter (Compulsion #1, a short story): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IG81HL4

  • Dani Barbados All titles will be $0.99 for the sale

Taken Under the Troll Bridge: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UY7FJL4

  • Cordova Skye titles on sale $0.99

Grace’s Special Project: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y361UPG

Seeding the Thief: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C3LYMXY

  • Cari Quinn Titles on sale at $0.99

Twister (Lost in Oblivion Book 2): http://www.amazon.com/Twisted-Rockstar-Romance-Lost-Oblivion-ebook/dp/B00NAI85T2

The Boss: Vol 1 (A Hot Billionaire Romance): http://www.amazon.com/The-Boss-Vol-Billionaire-Romance-ebook/dp/B015OBIIVC

  • Nancy Cummings

On Sale at $0.99: The Cuckold and The Fireman(Victorian Cuckold Hot Wife Menage): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014I4X0AU

  • Lisa Blackwood

Ishtar’s Blade: ($0.99)

http://www.amazon.com/Ishtars-Blade-Lisa-Blackwood-ebook/dp/B01C6X68MC

  • Ginny Lacey

Done By Doctor: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TL5TSBW (FREE)

Filled By Doctor: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TSSITB2 ($0.99)

Stuffed By Doctor: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UB0Q990 ($0.99)

  • Anwen Stiles

Take Three Please: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DRFLINI (FREE)

Golem’s Mistress, Magic’s Price: http://www.amazon.com/Golems-Mistress-Magics-Price-Stiles-ebook/dp/B00LWHW404 ($0.99)

Tempting Tasha: http://www.amazon.com/Tempting-Tasha-Risky-Hookups-Collection-ebook/dp/B014FXRLOA ($0.99)

  • Deena Ward

The Businessman’s Tie: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BG9Q0BW (FREE)

  • Tug Johnson

Face First: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B14ACSY (FREE)

Good Hard Help: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KHTDY4I ($0.99)

  • Emma Nichols

Sin at Sea (FREE): http://www.amazon.com/Sin-Sinful-Book-Emma-Nichols-ebook/dp/B00DLSTT9Q

Vixen in Vegas ($0.99): http://www.amazon.com/Vixen-Vegas-Sinful-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00EH2E5IK

Heaven in Hedonism ($0.99): http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Hedonism-Sinful-Book-3-ebook/dp/B0102YXBHM

  • Tara Crescent

A Touch Of Blackmail:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0172551EU ($0.99)

Found (Assassin’s Revenge Book 1): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2MG5WG ($0.99)

 

****Get Lucky all year long with free ebooks listed all year round at: https://todaysbookdeals.com

Thanks for joining me for this great deals opportunity!

**Look for the next deal to happen Memorial Day Weekend. Subscribe for information on the next event.

-Lynda

 

 

 

New Scottish Erotic Tale: Highlander Bride Seduction

Apr9
Available on Amazon and as a Kindle Unlimited title.

Available on Amazon and as a Kindle Unlimited title.

It’s here! In time for Spring and the Tartan Day celebrations throughout the month. April is Tartan Day celebration month where I live in California. I participate in Scottish Games, and this is a big month for them. Yes, I’ve got an arisaid in my closet with my clan colors. And I’m proud to wear it. I’ve been participating in Scottish historical reenactments since 2005. I’ve played a lady-in-waiting, a minstrel, and peasant. I use my experience doing historical reenactments to bring the story a realism. I know what it’s like to dress the Queen, put on period sleeves and bodices.

I’m also happy to announce the next in the Scottish Erotic Tales, Highlander Bride Seduction. This historical fiction erotic short focuses on the continuing dilemma of Lady McPherson. Now, Lady McFarris, she must face her feelings for the Conall McFarris, her new nephew-in-law. Can she keep her hands off him? And vica versa, or will their affair get discovered? It was fun to write this twist in the plot, and really fun imagining the Conall McFarris. Nothing better than a man in a kilt, but a man without his kilt. Enjoy this new installment in the series. Available on Amazon exclusively as a Kindle Unlimited title.

New Release: Highlander Bride Taken: A Scottish Erotic Tale

Mar18
New release by Lynda Belle available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

New release by Lynda Belle available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

A little thing happened to me on the way to the Scottish Games and Celtic Festival in Sonora,CA. There were so many kilts! It inspired me to write this fabulous erotic short. In fact, it is the first in a new series. I do hope you enjoy it.

It’s got a bit of a romance feel. Being put in a virgin’s point of view was very interesting. I had to be gentle with her. So, there is a more romantic feel to it all. But she is finally taken. But how? Why? Here’s the blurb:

Will a new bride go through with her wedding night? Even if the groom is 81 years old?

Or will someone else save her from this fate? 

A highlander bride knows her duty. She is the bride price for peace. But after she notices her new nephew-in-law, she wishes her bridal night were with the other lord of the house. Will her wish come true?

I hope you enjoy my new short. I will get hard at work on the next one. I am your dutiful writing slave.

**Available only on Amazon. Listed as a Kindle Unlimited ebook.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Highlander-Bride-Taken-Scottish-Erotic-ebook/dp/B00UUM9YFA

Second Cover Debate: Cover A or B for Rockin’ Him Harder

Mar3

I got tons of feedback for the first cover debate. I’ve had two covers made for the next in the Hot Groupies series. So, I’m putting forth the two covers for open debate about which is better. I got lots of helpful info the last time I posted this topic. It will help me decide on the third book cover for the next in the series, “Rockin’ Him Fierce”. So, make your opinion count by posting what you think. I’ll let you know the results next week.

Cover A

Cover A

Cover B

Cover B

Meanwhile, the pre-orders are up for “Rockin’ Him Hard”. It may or may not have a cover change next week. But at least you can check out what it is all about now. This series is so much fun writing. All my rockstar fantasies are coming into play. Have a fabulous week! -Lynda