Tag: C.J Rutherford

Books, Uncategorized

#Booksarenotfree

gibbsdream

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Earlier in the week I blogged about the expectations of today’s society with regards to getting free books which was inspired by a Facebook post by Rose Montague. See below:

“I’m thinking about doing an event called OUR BOOKS ARE NOT FREE.

No giveaways, no prizes, no incentives other than meeting authors and readers, learning about their books, and supporting authors that want to sell their books. I wonder if anyone would like to participate and I wonder if people would actually attend the event?

If you are interested, please comment below. If I get enough authors/readers I will host the event……”

From there I felt so inspired and fired up that I wrote my thoughts down and added a hashtag which I want to see trending. #Booksarenotfree

Rose’s post inspired so many people that a five day event has been organised with half hourly author slots which are now full. Come and join this event, meet the authors pick up a book or two if your budget can stretch to it. Guaranteed no freebies but you will find more genres under one roof than you will anywhere else (aside from bookshops or online markets such as Amazon)

Event details:
Over 100 authors
Not a single book will be given away
Not a single prize will be awarded
Just some fantastic authors
With great books
At reasonable prices

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Sat 11 Feb
2PM Rose Montague (Intro & Pep talk)
2:30 PM Monica Mertz
3:00 PM Veronica Del Rosa
3:30 PM Jen Winters
4:00 PM Theresa Jacobs
4:30 PM Sonnet O’Dell
5:00 PM S H Pratt
5:30 PM Clair de Lune
6:00 PM Aoife Marie Sheridan
6:30 PM Angel M Vosvick-Waggoner
7:00 PM John Hancock
7:30 PM Bailey Ziehmer
8:00 PM Barbara Winkes
8:30 PM M.L. Spencer
9:00 PM AJ Kohler
9:30 PM Claudette Nicole Melanson
10:00 PM Jesse Frankel
10:30 PM Elizabeth Ann Davis
11:00 PM Ani Manjikan
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Sun 12 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM Gillian Joy
7:00 AM Grace Rose Thomas
7:30 AM Maria Gibbs
8:00 AM Fiona Skye
8:30 AM Stuart Murray
9:00 AM Laurie Vincent
9:30 AM Melissa McArthur Gilbert
10:00 AM Cindy J Smith
10:30 AM Iyana Jenna
11:00 AM Krista Pakseresht
11:30 AM Karen Mossman
Noon Karina Kantas
12:30 PM Audrina Lane
1:00 PM Regina Partap
1:30 PM Cris Pasqueralle
2:00 PM Miranda Brock
2:30 PM Mistral Dawn
3:00 PM JF Holland
3:30 PM Gemma Roman
4:00 PM Flora McGregor
4:30 PM Erika Szabo
5:00 PM Joe Bonadonna
5:30 PM Michael Dellert
6:00 PM Heather Blomquist
6:30 PM Nancy Rollins
7:00 PM Courtney Shockey
7:30 PM Tima Maria Lacoba
8:00 PM Char Webster
8:30 PM Marsha Moore
9:00 PM Kurt Springs
9:30 PM Nicole Davis
10:00 PM Joe Compton
10:30 PM Deidre Mapstone
11:00 PM Carol Kauffman
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Mon 13 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM JoAnne Van Leedham
7:00 AM Alex James
7:30 AM Brianna West
8:00 AM Bri Amari
8:30 AM Susan Gibbons
9:00 AM Jennifer Thompson
9:30 AM Heather Ann Osborne
10:00 AM Michela Homer
10:30 AM Devorah Fox
11:00 AM Beverly Lee
11:30 AM Jennifer A Thomas
Noon H.C. Bentley
12:30 PM Tom Tinney
1:00 PM Peter Churchill
1:30 PM Dawn Chapman
2:00 PM Cindy Schneider
2:30 PM Lynn Lamb
3:00 PM Monte Dutton
3:30 PM Gary Morgenstern
4:00 PM Lu Whitley
4:30 PM Karen McFarland
5:00 PM Shakyra Dunn
5:30 PM Stephanie Ayers
6:00 PM Trey McIntosh
6:30 PM Sandie Will
7:00 PM Maggie Anderson
7:30 PM Juli D. Revezzo
8:00 PM Kade Cook
8:30 PM Emmy Gatrell
9:00 PM Colen Evans
9:30 PM Sarah Buhrman
10:00 PM Barbara Chioffi
10:30 PM Sarina Langer
11:00 PM Jeanette O’Hagan
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Tues 14 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM Dianna Wyles
7:00 AM Jennifer Malone Wright
7:30 AM Georgia Mathers
8:00 AM Cori Nicole Smith
8:30 AM Joe Sledge
9:00 AM Joe Ganzer
9:30 AM Maretha Menichini
10:00 AM Dianne Astle
10:30 AM Jane Anthony
11:00 AM C.S. Wooley
11:30 AM Suzi Albracht
Noon Alexis Danielle Allinson
12:30 PM Isadora Montrose
1:00 PM Amy Richie
1:30 PM Pletcha PJ Webb
2:00 PM Kasper Beaumont
2:30 PM Kelly Erickson
3:00 PM Stephen Hunt
3:30 PM Julie Stanley
4:00 PM Tom Fallwell
4:30 PM Cree Storm
5:00 PM Tiger Herbert
5:30 PM JJ King
6:00 PM Jessica Gomez
6:30 PM A M Rycroft
7:00 PM Ashley Uzzell
7:30 PM Marie Krepps
8:00 PM D.j. Ruggiero
8:30 PM Heather Ellen Yamauchi
9:00 PM Beth Honeycutt
9:30 PM Shelli Humphrey
10:00 PM Christopher Paniccia
10:30 PM Debbie Manber Kupfer
11:00 PM Jessica Fisette
11:30 PM (daily wrap up)

Wed 15 Feb
6:00 AM (Daily Intro-Host)
6:30 AM Sarina Langer
7:00 AM Sarah J Hilder
7:30 AM Miriam Averna
8:00 AM Jane Ederlyn
8:30 AM Owen Mullen
9:00 AM Annie Buff
9:30 AM Claire Marta
10:00 AM Lucinda Clarke
10:30 AM Lindsay Johnston
11:00 AM Devon West
11:30 AM Zorha Edwards
Noon Romarin Demetri
12:30 PM Jennifer Brown
1:00 PM Jason Crawford
1:30 PM Candace Osmond
2:00 PM Lily Amis
2:30 PM Jeanne Felfe
3:00 PM XXXXXXXXXXX
3:30 PM S A Gibson
4:00 PM Eva Gordon
4:30 PM Parker Sinclair
5:00 PM Kristy Nicole
5:30 PM Scott Carruba
6:00 PM Mirren Hogan
6:30 PM R.L, Weeks
7:00 PM CJ Rutherford
7:30 PM A.T. Brennan
8:00 PM Debbie Dickerson
8:30 PM Niki Livingston Walker
9:00 PM Dawn Ibanez
9:30 PM Barbara Custer
10:00 PM Tia Siren/Amy Brent
10:30 PM Markie Jordan-Madden
11:00 PM (Event wrap up)

Look out for this event because it should be phenomenal. Let’s claim back a fair price for a job well done.

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

#Booksarenotfree

gibbsdream

 

There is a growing trend in society to believe that books should be free or heavily discounted and we have all been guilty of feeding into it. I pick up freebies but I am also happy to pay for the books I want. Maybe I can’t get all the ones I want but hey isn’t that just life? I see lots of clothes I like and I might be able to pick up a new dress for a special occasion or a new pair of jeans because my old ones have holes in where no self-respecting forty-something wants holes but I can’t buy every item that my heart desires. Certainly not on my non-existent income as an author. Just as well I have a full-time job that stops me from being a starving artist languishing in a garret with only bread and water to sustain me. My day-time job takes up a huge portion of my week and often leaves me drained but from somewhere I have to find the time for my passion which is writing. My dream would be my writing to take off and be able to write full-time but alas that can’t be at the moment.

Everyone of us has had people who ask for a free copy, I’d like to quote my friend and fellow author Chris Turnbull “erm No! There is no such thing as a free copy…even I don’t get a free copy and it’s my book.” 

We do have a free copy on our computers, sure and we can send it to our Kindle device but if we want a print copy of our book, we have to pay – the proof copy isn’t even free. But let me tell you a bit more about what we’ve paid for: A beautiful cover, a feast to the eye, to tempt you, an editor to shape our words and spot mistakes and inconsistencies. And let’s be clear on this my editor and cover designer, both wonderful women who are also authors won’t accept it if I ask them to provide their services for free–which I wouldn’t do. Some people pay for marketing and do promotional giveaways.

I have three novelettes on the market at the moment and a pending novel (having the red pen treatment). A novelette is small, doesn’t require the same time frame to write it but I still used my time and I still paid for the above items. Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of my first novelette ‘As Dreams are Made on.’ Based only on the cover and editing alone I have lost £36.00 on it. So to recap, two years on and with 104 kindle sales and 16 paperback copies I am still in the red. I haven’t set my price high 0.99p/c because it is a short read. An hour or so of entertainment for under £1.00/$1.00 but still people want it for free. You could argue that if they like it they might buy one of my other books and yes that is true but lets also go back to the earlier paragraph where I acknowledged that I can’t buy all the books or clothes I like. So maybe it would generate sales–but maybe not.

Books aren’t just entertainment they are often an escape from reality –a reality that many people find challenging so given the duality of the product why do we question its value?

I’ve got an experiment for you to try (I won’t do it myself as I previously mentioned my busy schedule 🙂 )

Walk in to or phone your hairdresser and ask them if they will give you a free haircut.

Ring your garage next time your car needs a service or MOT and ask them to do it for free

Who loves having their nails done? Manicure? Pedicure? Facial? Let’s see about this freebie

The list is endless.
I would love to hear back from anyone who gets a freebie. Good luck and happy hunting.

But for this author who works endlessly and pays for the services I receive the only freebies I will consider are those that I choose to give for a promotional event which will require your participation.

For anyone who believes that authors should be paid for their work please leave a comment in support and it you are so inclined please share it with the hashtag #Booksarenotfree let’s get it trending.

If you are interested in my books follow the links:

US: https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

If you want to know more about my books have a look at the other pages on this website. You can even see the reviews that I have left for the books I’ve read recently.

 

Books, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

My review of Origins of Never by C. J Rutherford

gibbsdream

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A fantastic 5* prequel to Tales of the Neverwar.
Two young men grow up together, Olume with the promise to be the ruler of the beautiful land, Teralia, they live in and Tenybris, his best friend. This land is a place where evil doesn’t exist; everyone has what they need to live, and they do so in harmony.
But life changes and when Olume marries Lynnaria, the woman that Tenybris also loves then life as they know it changes. Tenybris makes a few bad choices which opens him up to a different path that he can’t seem to escape.
I love the way the author has weaved the threads of this story. The story although fantasy does have a strong element of reality in it.
Warning this book contains dragons.
Can’t wait to open up the next book and as it is already on my Kindle, I won’t have to wait.