Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

My Immortals Series Re-Cover Did Not Go Smoothly

Saturday, October 21st, 2023

New Covers!

As previously mentioned, after some market research, I decided the books in the My Immortals series needed new covers. Getting new covers took longer than I liked, but I was extremely budget conscious this time and can’t really complain that each cover was handled as separate project. It got done, and I am very happy with the result. The new covers fit in with the current paranormal romance market.

And Then There Was Amazon

I started uploading at the various vendors, starting with Amazon. I do two print versions through Amazon. One is for Libraries and bookshops. That version is priced very high in order to accommodate the discounting needed and it uses an Amazon supplied ISBN. I do another version using my own ISBN which I price as low as possible so that print readers have the most affordable option. These two versions are identical as to content and cover.

Some additional context: For all of my books, I use a logo for my imprint, cJewel Books, which is registered to me at Bowker and therefore connected to my ISBNS. I commissioned the logo in 2015 and use it on all my books. For print books, the logo appears on the back cover. For EVERY SINGLE BOOK. Here’s the full color logo:

Image that looks like a combination of book pages and a gem. The text cJewel Books appears underneath

The Logo

I love the logo, by the way and I like the continuity it gives. I have been using this logo since 2015. Some more context here. Some of the new covers use the same model as the original cover. Some used new images. All the covers have the same background. I did update some back matter in the eBooks so that the flow was more efficient and more conducive to readers having an easy opportunity to get the next book. There were no changes to the print interiors. The only change was the cover.

For all but two of the books, the uploading went just fine, eBook and print. But for some reason Amazon had a hissy fit about one of the print covers for My Demon Warlord. They started by asking me to prove I had the publishing rights. Even though nothing had changed but the cover and even though the updates were coming from the same account that originally published the book. Amazon “helpfully” has a list of acceptable proof. Unfortunately for self-publishers, none of the acceptable proof applies. My Demon Warlord was never traditionally published. I wrote it my own self for my own publishing career. Amazon explicitly states that it’s not enough to say, but I wrote it! Copyright registration is also not proof they will accept.

At first, I replied that they should be able to tell that the same account was involved in the update and that the only change was the cover. I provided all the ISBNs and pointed out they were registered to me or CreateSpace. This was not sufficient. Then I sent images from my Author Central account showing that both print versions had been verified by Amazon–meaning they agreed that all versions of the book were mine. They cleared the book. Yay, right?

NOPE

I got another notice asking for the same proof, which I sent. Again. One of the print versions was cleared. Yay! Right?

NOPE Again

I got another notice for the OTHER print version asking for the same proof which I sent again. This was disallowed. WTAF? So I sent the information AGAIN and pointed out the history on this and tried to stay polite. Then I got a notice saying they had cleared the book. Yay! Right?

NOPE AGAIN

Yes, they agreed I had the right to publish the book but now they believed I did not have the right to all the images in the cover and to please send proof that the images were properly licensed. Recall that all these books have the same exact background and the they’d cleared an identical version earlier in the day. My Demon Warlord, originally published in 2016, is one of the books where I was using the same model as my original cover. You’d figure this means the problem had to be in the background images  (shared by ALL the covers). Yet all the other books were successfully updated with the new covers. I asked the cover designer to send me the licenses for all the images in that book. I also attached the invoice for my logo, because honestly, I am pretty certain they were having a fit over that. Fortunately, the 2015 invoice was readily available to me because taxes and business expenses.

Meanwhile . . .

Amazon sent me another notice asking me to prove my right to publish My Immortal Assassin. ::Sigh::: All because I updated the cover. Fortunately/Ironically? My Immortal Assassin was traditionally published and I have my reversion letter. I keep all my reversion letters readily available because I have other books where I have been asked 3-4 times to prove my right to publish the book. For some books, I have sent my reversion letter 3-4 times. Anyway, I pointed out the only change was a new cover, same account, blah blah blah, but here is the reversion letter AGAIN. They accepted this proof since a reversion letter is on Amazon’s acceptable proof list.

Finally?

Anyway, Amazon has finally cleared My Demon Warlord. But is this over? Who knows.

Some Thoughts

I suspect this entire process never once involved a human on Amazon’s side. I suspect I could have sent an image of my cat as proof of my right to publish and their automated system would have said, hey, proof is attached! You’re good. I suspect that once a book is flagged they double down and match book images to images on stock sites and that since my logo is not a stock image, they decided I was stealing.

Several things are obvious to me. Amazon has an unintelligent algorithm that misses some pretty obvious rules. Such as, if they have previously vetted an account’s publishing rights to a book, they do not need to confirm those rights ever again. When the same account updates a previously cleared book, they don’t need to clear it again.

This process is everything that is wrong with Amazon and more. All I did was update covers for books Amazon has already agreed I have the right to publish. How hard it it, really, for them to check that, and what does it say about how bad their backend system is that they don’t/can’t do this?

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October News

Friday, October 13th, 2023

October is Here!

October is my favorite month because I can have all the candy corn I want! Yes. That’s right. I love candy corn. I know some people hate it and to that I say, More For me! I also love Halloween. We don’t have trick-or-treaters where we live but our neighbor has grandchilden and a few years ago I started putting up skeletons where they would see them, and that’s been a lot of fun.

My Immortals Series Gets A New Look!

At last the new covers are done after some market research convinced me that my covers no longer fit in with the best-selling books in their genre. It took longer than I liked, but they’re done now! Yay!! I also reorganized some back matter so that readers will have a clearer path to the next book. If you already have the books you should be able to update your file if you want the new cover. Nothing has changed in the text. I’ll start uploading the spiffy new versions this weekend.

Street Witch Series-Bound In Smoke

I am in the final editing phase on this book, and I am happy to report that so far I’ve made it to Chapter 21 without making a change so big I have to go back to the beginning to layer in the ground work. I’ve been careful to manage my sleep and my writing self so that I don’t tip over into emotional burn out. And, of course, grief is a process that never stops. (Some of you know that my nephew and my youngest brother recently passed away very unexpectedly within a very short time of each other.)

How’s everyone doing?

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Shame on Scholastic Books

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

Scholastic: Money before Honor

Author Maggie Tokuda-Hall wrote a Children’s picture book titled Love In the Library, a story based on her grandparents and the US internment of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. The book is published by Candlewick Press. Scholastic inquired about licensing the book for distribution in their channels, but the offer was contingent on Tokuda-Hall agreeing to remove references to racism. I urge you to read her blog post about the offer from Scholastic and the reasons she refused a dream contract. To the detriment of her career, by the way.

Publishers talk a big game about how they publish works that contain ideas some might disagree with or that challenge entrenched views. They talk about wanting to do better publishing for diverse readers and acquiring diverse voices. Scholastic makes a mockery of those professed ideals by caving in to people who want books to reflect their narrow, bigoted, racist, and hateful views.

Those who crow about Freedom aren’t asking schools to prevent their children from reading certain books. They don’t want any child reading books they don’t like, no matter the opinions of other parents. It’s their choice for everyone. They started with schools, and now they’re working on public libraries. Book sellers are next, online and brick and mortar.

Shame on Scholastic

Their cowardice is just one of many reasons that the consolidation of traditional publishers is bad for readers and authors alike. There’s no one else who competes in the Scholastic space and therefore no one else who could grow a spine and stand up to the voices of hate. They want to talk about how wonderful they are for putting books into the hands of children, but apparently only if those books have been sanitized enough to cater to the racists and homophobes.

Here’s where to contact Scholastic and let them know what you think.

Love in the Libary

Links to buy Love in the Library can be found at the author’s website. Hopefully most library readers can find the book at their local library.

Updated to add subsequent Scholastic spin: via NPR

Make no mistake. This isn’t a one-off situation, and chances are white authors are not hearing about the reality of non-white, cis authors. It’s critically important for people like me (white, straight, cis-gender) to understand that not hearing from the marginalized about the impact on them in no way means it isn’t happening. It is.

My DMs have been absolutely full,” [Tokuda-Hall] said. “People sharing pretty horrific stories that they’re just too afraid to share in public.”

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They’re On Sale Now!

Thursday, March 9th, 2023

My Wicked Enemy and My Forbidden Desire

Are on sale everywhere! I am so, so happy this day has finally come. For a limited time, both books are $0.99. On April 15th the price for My Forbidden Desire goes up. All the books have been updated in line with the editorial changes I made in these two books. The changes aren’t massive, but if you have any of the other books, you might want to update your file.

Cover of My Wicked Enemy. Features a handsome sexy shirtless man looking right into your heart. Background is glowy purple.

Cover of My Wicked Enemy

A demon warlord’s sworn enemy is the woman he desires more than anything in the world.

Carson Philips flees an abusive home only to encounter a man who claims he’s the demon Nikodemus, and she’s a witch who murders his kind. With deadly enemies of untold power in pursuit of her, Nikodemus may be her only hope for survival. Proving she’s not his enemy leads them to an intimacy so dangerous more than their hearts are at risk. She’s willing to follow where desire takes them, but is he?

Kill the witch and get on with his life. What could be simpler?

Nikodemus craves revenge on the magic users who enslave his people. The witch Carson Philips is just the first step toward the revenge he craves. But she’s not what he thinks and the longer he’s with her, the more entangled their hearts and their futures become. His people need his power to protect them, but if they won’t accept a warlord whose lover is a witch, will he lose her forever?

Read Chapter 1

 

Where to get My Wicked Enemy

Smashwords | Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Print

Second Edition, cJewel Books.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-937823-19-1
Print ISBN: 978-1-937823-20-7

My Forbidden Desire

When hatred turns into forbidden desire…

A witch and a demon must trust the passion that binds them or risk annihilation.

A fierce and deadly demon, Xia isn’t happy when he’s ordered to protect a friend’s sister. He knows he’s perfect for a simple assignment that won’t take long. But dangerous forces are aligned against her, and they’re soon on the run from foes determined to see her dead. Before long, his fate and his heart are forever entwined with a woman who turns out to be the one thing he hates most in the world: a witch.

…who dares take the first step into dark passion?

Alexandrine Marit doesn’t believe she needs a bodyguard until the demons break in. If it weren’t for the gorgeous and very unpleasant Xia she’d be dead. As she fights to stay alive, she gives more than her heart to the demon who hates her.

Can they trust their hearts or will their enemies keep them forever apart?

Read Chapter 1

cJewel Books Second Edition.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-937823-66-5
Print ISBN: 978-1-937823-67-2

Where to Get My Forbidden Desire

Smashwords | Kindle | Apple Books | Kobo | Google | Nook | Print

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Quick My Immortals Update

Sunday, March 5th, 2023

My Immortals Update!

I have uploaded the files for My Wicked Enemy and My Forbidden Desire, and I am waiting for the various vendors to get the books on sale. Amazon has my reversion letters but how soon they’ll realize that and put the books on sale is anyone’s guess. Once all the vendors have published the books, I can post the various buy-links.

Pricing

For 30 days both books will be $0.99 US and whatever the closest currency conversion + VAT is in other countries. My Wicked Enemy will probably stay at that price, but the price of My Forbidden Desire will go up. If you bought these books from the original publisher, there’s no simple way to get the updated versions without buying the books again, hence the low price. However, I will likely set up a way for people who already bought these books way back when to get the new versions. Stay tuned for that.

 

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Miscellaneous Updates etc etc etc

Sunday, December 18th, 2022

Reversions

December 17 was the official reversion date for My Forbidden Desire. I hope to have the reversion in hand soon. It will take a few days to get the various vendors on notice about the reversion before I start uploading the two reverted books . . .

Social Media

Many of you may have noticed how bad I am at Facebook. I apologize for this, but I’m there and I post on my Author page and on my Reader Group page. Both those will be somewhat more interesting places for a bit once the reversion comes through and I start uploading. Technically, I’m on Insta, but I almost never post because I do not allow Facebook and its related entities on my phone. I may or may not have a Pinterest account at this point since that company persists in informing me that I am some kind of bot and won’t let me login. ::shrug:: Whatever.

The one social media app I was good at and actually enjoyed was Twitter, which I joined in 2007. Sadly, recent events there have led me to deactivate my Twitter account. I simply cannot personally justify being present on what the app has become. I also cannot justify the security risk given all the talk about forcing users to share data and personally identifying information without the ability to opt out.

You can find me at Counter Social (@cjewel) or on Mastodon (@cjewel). Mostly you’ll find weather reports and pet news, but some writing news as well. Regarding the two, I think I like Counter Social better. I get more friendly post engagement there (which is not to imply that there is unfriendly engagement. There hasn’t been at either site), but there are more people and organizations I want to follow on Mastodon. And, Mastodon has #Mosstodon which is an ongoing thread of pictures of moss, many of which are absolutely stunning.

I was in mourning over Twitter turning into a cesspool, but I’m over it now. I hope those who remain there stay safe and/or are able to find safe and welcoming alternatives. Mastodon is currently somewhat absorbed in conflating “Not Twitter!” with being safe for all voices, and that will prove to be untrue because people are imperfect and flawed and some of them are trash. However, I have far more hope that, at the right mastodon server, there will be progress. Counter Social is very aggressive about bringing down the hammer. For the interested, Counter Social is a fork of Mastodon but not a part of the Mastodon federation of servers.

Holidays!

My son will soon arrive for a visit. I haven’t seen him in two years! I have some time off to spend with him. May everyone’s holiday season be wonderful and joyous.

 

Here is a picture your your enjoyment:

close up of a bouquet of calendula. There are two colors of flow They are either orange, and shades of yellow. They are about the size of the average palm and have narrow petals with an oval tip. The orange ones have a dark center while the yellow ones have a yellow center. There are some water drops on the petals because I'd just put them in the vase. They are very cheerful!

Orange and yellow Calendula. Photo by Yours Truly.

 

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Reversions and Covers!

Saturday, October 15th, 2022

Reversion News and New Covers

The first book in the My Immortals series, My Wicked Enemy, reverted to me a few weeks back. The second book (My Forbidden Desire) should revert in mid-December. As soon as I have that reversion, I will publish these books myself and, at long last, have full control of the series and its marketing. As you can see, I have already commissioned new covers that fit with the series as I’ve published them. The artist did a great job making covers that match the others.

Normally, I would not edit a reverted book, but with these I have, and both will be re-published as second editions. That editorial work is essentially complete now, and I am elated to produce editions that I love. Some of you may know that settling on a title for the first book was a fraught experience. The publisher’s suggestion was so terrible (in my opinion) that I told my agent if they insisted on that title, I would give the money back and take back the book. The book titles were a compromise. In a perfect world I’d retitle them all, but that would cause chaos and confusion that just isn’t worth it. The titles are sufficient.

Funny story. One time I was meeting with someone from a large tech company’s eBook division. This person looked at my covers for this series and made a face when he saw the first two, and I said, “There’s nothing I can do about those two covers.” He looked so relieved that he didn’t have to find a nice way to tell me those covers weren’t doing their job very well. Anyway, here’s a look at the two new covers and the new back cover copy.

My Wicked Enemy

Cover of My Wicked Enemy. Features a handsome sexy shirtless man looking right into your heart. Background is glowy purple.

Cover of My Wicked Enemy

The new back cover copy:

A demon warlord’s sworn enemy is the woman he desires more than anything in the world.

Carson Philips flees an abusive home only to encounter a man who claims he’s the demon Nikodemus, and she’s a witch who murders his kind. With deadly enemies of untold power in pursuit of her, Nikodemus may be her only hope for survival. Proving she’s not his enemy leads them to an intimacy so dangerous more than their hearts are at risk. She’s willing to follow where desire takes them, but is he?

Kill the witch and get on with his life. What could be simpler?

Nikodemus craves revenge on the magic users who enslave his people. The witch Carson Philips is just the first step toward the revenge he craves. But she’s not what he thinks and the longer he’s with her, the more entangled their hearts and their futures become. His people need his power to protect them, but if they won’t accept a warlord whose lover is a witch, will he lose her forever?

 

My Forbidden Desire

 

Cover of My Forbidden Desire featuring a sexy shirtless man with a hand on his head, elbow to the side so we can all appreciate his time in the gym. Background is a glowy green.

Cover of My Forbidden Desire

New back cover copy:

When hatred turns into forbidden desire. . .

A witch and a demon must trust the passion that binds them or risk annihilation.

A fierce and deadly demon, Xia isn’t happy when he’s ordered to protect a friend’s sister. He knows he’s perfect for a simple assignment that won’t take long. But dangerous forces are aligned against her, and they’re soon on the run from foes determined to see her dead. Before long, his fate and his heart are forever entwined with a woman who turns out to be the one thing he hates most in the world: a witch.

. . . who dares take the first step into dark passion?

Alexandrine Marit doesn’t believe she needs a bodyguard until the demons break in. If it weren’t for the gorgeous and very unpleasant Xia she’d be dead. As she fights to stay alive, she gives more than her heart to the demon who hates her.

Can they trust their hearts or will their enemies keep them forever apart?

Stay Tuned and Subscribe!

Expect, at long, long last, a newsletter from me when these books are ready. If you aren’t a newsletter subscriber, there’s a link in the sidebar or Click Here To Sign Up.

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News! Bound in Smoke

Sunday, February 9th, 2020

Hello! I have sent Bound in Smoke to a trusted reader before it goes back to my editor.

You can read the new chapter 1 here.

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Risen From Ash – Cover

Friday, January 17th, 2020
Cover of Risen from Ash, Southeast Asian woman with sword against red smoke and fire background including Golden Gate Bridge
Cover of Risen From Ash, Street Witch Series Book 3

And. . . here is the cover for Risen from Ash, Book 3 in my Street Witch series. I love the covers and I hope you do, too.

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Born in Fire – Cover

Friday, January 17th, 2020
Cover of Born in Fire, Street Witch Series Book 2

Here’s the cover of Born in Fire, Book 2 in my upcoming Street Witch series. I’m so excited!

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