Would you like a starring role in a novel? Have a character named after you.

Some fanfare please –

Would you love to have a starring role in a novel?

Or have a character named after a person of your choice – your other half, or even your dog as a unique gift?

Well, your dreams can come true.

Everybody who writes a review for Hell To Pay on Amazon or Goodreads between now and July 26th when the book will be out in Kindle - available now on Amazon in paperback – will be entered into a draw to gets a character in my next book named after them or someone of their choosing (but no obscene, made up names please). The two winners - YES - TWO WINNERS - will also get a signed copy and get a mention in the acknowledgements.

Here’s the links people -

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

Happy reading and good luck:)

The book won’t be available on Kindle until July 26^th, so I will be repeating this competition then for the Kindle version.

Note – I’ve had to extend the original closing date because a few people have been in touch to say they’ll be in holiday or books take longer to be delivered where they are.
 

What to do when Amazon spells your name wrong (or gets other book details wrong)

I was really excited to see Hell To Pay going on up on the various sites including Amazon, but that excitement was diluted ended when I saw that they’d spelt my surname wrong. Firstly, on the Amazon.com site and then on Amazon.ca

It’s important that the details are correct so that your Amazon author central* page will be linked to your book. Your author central page has tweets from you, details of blog posts and a list of your other books. It’s a great promotion tool, but only if the details are correct.

If this happens to you, this is what you do to get Amazon to change it.

*To get an Amazon author central page click here to register. For Amazon.com, click here

STEP ONE

Go to the book page on Amazon

Tip – Ignore the message for publishers and authors where the publisher is told to update the feed sent to Amazon and the author is told to contact their publisher. I know for a fact, that my publisher sent the correct details to Amazon who keyed it in wrongly.
 

TWO

Scroll down to where it says Would you like to update product info and click on that.

 

THREE

You will be taken to your Amazon sign in page. Sign in.

FOUR

From there you will be taken to Update Product Info

 

 

FIVE

Put in as much info as you have. For instance, if you have a pictures of your book cover complete with ISBN number (you need this) then submit that.

Tip – You can also submit a change of details through your Amazon Author Central account. It's just as easy to use.

Writers, what to do if you get a stinker of a review

My filing cabinet for bad reviews.

It happens to every writer eventually. You get a review that has you wanting to scream one minute and curl up in a ball sobbing until the stars fall out of the sky. How do you deal with that?

Here's a few tips.

1. Remember it's only one person's point of view. One person. Not hundreds of people - just one. Does everybody everywhere like the same things? Nope, so you have to accept that there will be people who may not like your book.

2. Print out the review and roll it up into a ball and throw it in the bin, or use it to play a game of ping pong. The review doesn't have much power over you now, eh?

3. Talk to other writers. Ask them about the worst review they've ever had. Moan about it. Laugh about it. Then forget about it.

4. Look at all your good reviews and all the good things that anyone has ever said about your writing. Does one or two bad reviews mean you are suddenly a bad writer? Of course not. Push away all that negativity by submerging yourself in positivity.

5. Tell yourself that at least they bought your book. The money from someone who leaves you a bad review is the same as someone who leaves you a good review.

6. And, if you really get upset by reviews, step away from the computer and STOP reading them. I know it's hard, but a writer needs to keep writing. Any time spent being all maudlin over a review, one person wrote, is eating into your writing time.