Karen Kelly Boyce – Catholic Writers Guild

Sisters of the Last Straw: CWG May Book Blast

May 23, 2015/0 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing/by Mary Jessica Woods

This month, the Catholic Writers’ Guild is touring Karen Kelly Boyce’s delightful children’s book Sisters of the Last Straw, Case of the Stolen Rosaries. It’s an SOA winner as well as an award-winning novel.

Summary: The Sisters of the Last Straw are a group of sisters struggling hard to overcome their bad habits. Sister Krumbles forgets everything. Sister Shiny can’t stop polishing and cleaning everything. Mother Mercy has a terrible temper. Yet when the misfit nuns band together to form a new order, lessons on tolerance and forgiveness (as well as much hilarity!) ensue. In this, the third of the series, the adventures of the lovable sisters continue! New troubles for the Sisters of the Last Straw require courage and cunning! A renegade rooster terrorizes the Sisters’ back yard and a mysterious thief snatches the Sisters’ rosaries. The Sisters struggle with their problems while seeking to love Jesus more. The Case of the Stolen Rosaries is a fun story that teaches tolerance and forgiveness in the midst of many comic exploits.

It’s available in paperback or electronically. You can read the first few chapters here: http://reginadoman.com/CP_book_previews/Sisters_of_the_Last_Straw_3_sample/index.html

Find it on Amazon or get it from Chesterton Press. http://www.chestertonpress.com/sisters-of-the-last-straw-3-the-case-of-the-stolen-rosaries/

Karen’s website: www.karenkellyboyce.com/

Self-Publishing and Web Presence

December 10, 2012/8 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

image purchased from iStock

Since I self-published my first book eight years ago, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of self-published books being released. In 2009, nearly 80 percent of all books released were self-published. And with the e-book revolution, there are even more independently published books released each year. Many authors are choosing this route, so I wanted to focus on web presence in promoting a self-published book. Keep in mind that this assumes the self-published author has hired a competent editor and book designer in order to produce a high quality book. No amount of web presence will help you promote a low quality book.

Having a web presence before you publish is essential, although you can build a web presence after you publish.

Here are a few helpful sites the self-published author should have…below each one are several examples from self-published authors I know.

Author Page
Author pages should list information about the author: books, awards, biography and special interests.
TM Wallace
Gerard Webster

Blog
A blog takes a lot of time. And if you’re only posting to it once a month or less, you are unlikely to gain many followers. Try starting out at once a week. Comment and “like” other bloggers’ posts. There are several free blogging sites an author can use. I use WordPress (first example below). Another option is Blogger (second example).
Plot Line & Sinker
Cause of Our Joy Blog

Book Page
Book pages list reviews, synopsis, excerpts, ordering information and freebies for readers. A web professional can set up a book page or you can do it through a free WordPress site. As well, Vistaprint offers websites (the second site below is a Vistaprint site).
In Name Only Web Page
The Cameo Web Page

Facebook Page for Author and/or Book
A Facebook author page is a great way to let fans and others on Facebook know what’s going on: book signings, freebies etc.
Ann Frailey’s Facebook Page
Ellen Gable, Author’s Facebook Page

Twitter
Twitter is a social networking site where you can post short posts, “retweet” others’ posts and it has the potential of helping you gain a following.
Leticia Velasquez on Twitter
Susi Pittman (Catholic Steward) on Twitter

Goodreads
Whether you’re self-published or traditionally published, Goodreads is one of the best sites for authors and readers. You can become a “Goodreads Author.” Goodreads will also link your blog to your profile page.
Ellen Gable’s Goodreads Author Page
Elena Maria Vidal’s Goodreads Author Page

Linked In
Linked in is a social networking site that connects business and professional contacts. Your contacts can now “endorse” you for various jobs and skills you have.
Gloria Winn’s Linked in Profile
Nancy Carabio Belanger’s Linked In Profile

Amazon Author Page
Amazon Author pages include a biography of the author, along with all the books that have been published and that are available on Amazon. The Amazon Author Page also connects your blog to your page.
Ellen Gable’s Amazon Author Page
Karen Kelly Boyce’s Amazon Author Page

Other “pages” include Google Plus and a You Tube Channel.

Some of these links/pages take time to maintain and keep fresh with material, but some, like the Amazon Author Page, take only a few moments to update every six months or so. All of these links can be very helpful in finding your target audience.

There are many self-published authors I didn’t mention. If you are a self-published author and wish to include your links, please feel free to comment below!

Awards Contests for Self-Published Authors: Are They Really Worth It?

May 14, 2012/0 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

In my post last month, I gave a link which lists some popular awards contests for self-published authors: http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2009/01/self-published-book-contests/

This list doesn’t claim to be all inclusive, but it is helpful. And be aware that most of these contests require an entry fee.

One award that doesn’t require an entry fee (if you’re a member) is the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval. Sarah Reinhard gives extensive information on the SOA contest in this blog post: http://blog.catholicwritersguild.com/2012/03/seal-of-approval-now-accepting-submissions.html

Another awards contest that CWG members have been quite successful with is the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs). In 2010, my Catholic historical romance, In Name Only, won the Gold Medal in the Religious Fiction category and CWG President, Ann Lewis’, book Murder in The Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, won the Gold Medal in 2011. Other CWG members have won Bronze medals for their novels in past contests.

As well, CWG member, Karen Kelly Boyce, recently won the Eric Hoffer award (in commercial fiction) for her novel, Down Right Good.

The question is: are awards worth it? Awards are certainly affirmation that we are producing quality books. But do they sell books?

Case in point: A few years ago, at a local Catholic conference, the organizers allowed me to speak briefly in front of the 400 or so attendees. I then proceeded to tell them that my novel, In Name Only, had won a Gold Medal for Religious Fiction. Later that day, the local Archbishop came to my table. He said he was an avid reader and was interested in the book that “had won the Gold Medal.” “It’s a romance,” I replied, thinking that an archbishop would not be interested in a romance. I continued, “But it has inherent Theology of the Body themes.” “Great,” he said, “I love romance novels, especially one with Catholic themes.”

The archbishop wasn’t the only one who stopped by my table after I mentioned that my book had won a gold medal. During the next three hours, more than 40 people lined up at my table to buy my book.

While medals may help to sell books at conferences, I have to admit that the award didn’t make much difference in my online sales (in fact, I didn’t see any spike in sales following the medal announcement).

Even so, winning an award is an incredible honor, an invaluable addition to a resume and it increases personal one-on-one sales. So…what do you have to lose? The cost of the registration fee. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Contests are definitely worth it.

Tag Archive for: Karen Kelly Boyce

Sisters of the Last Straw: CWG May Book Blast

Self-Publishing and Web Presence

Awards Contests for Self-Published Authors: Are They Really Worth It?

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