Genre:
YA Fantasy
Publisher:
GMTA Publishing – Mythos Press
ISBN: 978-1491244654
ASIN: B00GS5SUM6
Number of pages: 289
Word Count: 95 000
About the Book:
For the
love of blueberries, Elena Watkins was destined for greatness, even though she
didn’t know it. Before entering Paegeia Elena was not special, she wasn’t even
average until the night her father was killed by a creature she thought only
existed in fairy tales – a dragon. With her father’s death leaving her
orphaned, Elena is whisked away to her true birthplace, Paegeia.
Arriving
at Dragonia Academy, the premier school for young Dragonians; a school she was
never meant to attend because her father was a dragon. Unbeknownst to Elena danger
is lurking behind the enchanted vines concealing the once thriving capital of
Paegeia – Etan.
Goran,
the darkest sorcerer in the realm, has lain dormant for over a century behind
the crumbling city. There, in the shadowy ruins he plots his revenge to destroy
the only weapon that can kill him – the King of Lion Sword.
When
the sword is stolen without a trace Elena doesn’t think twice about seeking it;
knowing deep down that it is her destiny to save her new home.
by Adrienne Woods
Things Young Writers Should Know
I'm still considering myself as a young writer. I've recently
published Firebolt, book 1 of The Dragonian Series a couple of months
ago, but the things I've learned on this short journey will be enough to
write a book about it.
Marketing:
I thought getting
a publisher was going to be hard, but it wasn't the hardest thing for me. It was to get my novel in front of the market.
So before you even start writing a novel, know your market.
I used to think that people were insane when they told me to start
marketing my novel three years before its release date. I mean, how do
you sell a book if it isn't available yet?
What I didn't grasp was marketing and selling were two different things.
Get a fan base for your book.
Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are all amazing sites to get people to follow your work and they do help by sharing your posts.
Virtual
book tours, such as Bewitching, really works. I've become a freak when
it comes to virtual tours and I've only
found in my experience that they are the only tool that does help with
getting your novel out there. Advertising helps also, but not in the
amount you wish for, unless you have a budget that can afford Google
Ads. That is the best tool in getting your novel to number one.
PR
services is a must. I'm not saying to go and get a PR company on your
first novel. Wait till you have a couple of novels out there and then
use a PR to promote you with all your novels.
As
a writer you should market your
own novel. Not even all the traditional published authors get a good
marketing structure and they too have to take out the money and get
their novels out there.
Use sites on the internet to help you.
Goodreads
is amazing place to start. Join genre groups you write for and have a
conversation with all of them. Get them on your side because you are
going to need them when your novel is published. A new website I found
for YA authors is one called LitPick. They get your novel in front of
young people, the ones you written this novel for. You might think that
teenagers can't help getting your novel out there, you are wrong.
When
they love something, they share with all their friends and family,
you'll end up having mom and dad reading the novel too as they wanted to
know what sort of books their children reads.
The internet is filled with websites that can help you with getting your novel out there. Just do your research and use them.
Tip: Marketing should be done on a monthly basis for at least six months if not more.
Reviews:
You
need to change your mind set when it comes to handling reviews,
otherwise they will get the better of you and in most cases authors
question their ability to write novels.
Don't ever question yourself. You've written a novel, most people can't even do that, so in that way you already won.
As a new author you want everyone to be smitten with your novel, they
won't. You always get the kind of person you just can't please. Some of
their reviews are plain nasty, but never let it get under your skin,
because not everyone will love your novel.
Now I know you probably think but if I get a one or a two my novel will stop selling.
Not
in the least. It was proven that even with negative reviews that your
novel still sells, as long as it's a good story and the majority of your
readers absolutely loved it.
Go
look at the big block buster authors. Stephanie that wrote the Twilight
Series got so many 1 star review, people actually took the time
making cartoons to express how much they hated it. Instead they gave
her a bit of marketing. Where did she ended up, with a movie deal.
If she comment on those bad reviews, do you think that she would ended up with so many fans.
The one thing she did have was an audience. She new her market and she
attacked them with Twilight with everything she had. It led to a lot of
reviews and a lot of people loving it.
Another sample is J.K Rowling. Harry Potter was the most amazing series
in this world, yet there were still people that hated every word of it.
Just go on goodreads and go see how many one and two star reviews she
has.
I would be so happy if I could end up with the amount of reviews she got one star for.
All of the block buster movies got their one and two stars. I would be worried if I didn't get them.
So
the faster you make peace with this, the easier your live as an author
will be. Believe me, I've been there and there were so many times I
wanted to comment back on a one star review, it's human, but instead I
started to appreciate their input. They supported your work, bought the
book, and that is what you should be aiming for.
Editing:
Get
yourself a professional Editor. If your novel isn't edited it will harm
you in ways you never dreamed off. Editors ended up becoming good
friends and are the people that can help you on the long run. I'm sure
there are many typos in this post, but it shows you that even I need my
editor, which I didn't use for this post. hahahahaha.
Cover designers:
A book does get judge by its cover. Don't ever think it's the opposite.
You need a professional designed cover in order to make a good
impression.
Aim for the next number one seller's cover. A cover that looks cheap
will not grab attention and it will just lay on the shelves.
There are pretty amazing cover artist that makes them for next to nothing. Spend time in getting everything perfect.
The
last thing, never give up. If you aren't a published author yet, it
should become your number one motto. Rejections are more than the
acceptance when it comes to the publishing industry, especially if you
want to go the agent and the traditional publishing route. Stephen King
had so many rejections, I think if he wasn't Stephen King, he would've
given up after then tenth rejection letter. He made it and today
everyone knows who
he is.
I hope all the new writers out there got a bit of insight to what a
published author goes through, don't be afraid, I'm loving every moment
of it.
Thank you to everyone that spend the time reading this and I truly hope I would see your novel out there.
Kind Wishes,
Adrienne Woods
About the Author
I was
born and raised in South Africa, where I still live with my husband, and two
beautiful little girls. I always knew that I was going to be a writer but it
only started to happen about four years ago, now I can’t stop writing.
In my
free time, If I get any because Moms don’t really have free time, I love to
spend time with friends, if it’s a girls night out, or just a movie, I’m a very
chilled person.
My
writing career is starting with Firebolt, book one with the Dragonian Series,
there will be four books in total and two to three books that is about the
stories taking place inside The Dragonian Series.
I do
write in different Genres, I have a woman’s fiction called the Pregnancy
Diaries, but it would be published under another name. And then I have a
paranormal series, called the Watercress series. There are about ten novels in
that one.
So,
plenty of novels to come out, so little time.
I hope
you are going to embrace the Dragonian Series as much as I loved writing them.
Find the Author
Twitter:
erichb3
Goodreads:
Adrienne Woods
Google+: Adrienne Woods
