Betty's Blog - Betty M Reeves - Author, Betty's Music & Publishing

Betty M Reeves - Author, Betty's Music & Publishing

Blog on Amazon Central

6/12/2020

I have tried several times to get this blog to appear on Author Central, also. I even re-entered each separate blog, here, for Amazon to recoginze. Even though the pop-up said the blog was connected to Author Central, it has not shown up. Of course, I have to wait a day or more to know if the most recent attempt works. It is not a matter of "drag and drop" or "copy and paste." If it were, I would do that.

I will keep working on it. In the meantime, does anyone have any words of wisdom to share with me about how to get it done?

FREE Short Story

6/3/2020

Balaam: The Story of Glops, Short Story 5a is ready for you and anyone else who wants a FREE copy.

This is the back-cover blurb:
“How can I get rid of these people before they start a war?” King Balak asked himself. He was talking about the Israelites.
God’s people rested in the country of Moab after forty years of wandering. They had won many battles against other nations. Balak, the king of Moab and Midian, hired the prophet, Balaam, to put a curse on Israel so the immigrants would go away.
Some imaginary glops became friends with the prophet’s donkey. Together with Balaam, they went to the king. Amazing events took place during and after their trip. Read this short story to find out how God stepped in to make Balaam do what God wanted.
This is a short story in The Story of Glops series.

Get your own copy and tell your family, friends, and acquaintances about the FREE short story. You wil find it on my website: bettymreeves-author.com

FREE Short Story

Getting Better Rankings on Amazon

6/3/2020

It has taken two years, but I have finally learned a few "key" steps to get better rankings on Amazon. This is important to me, because all my books are sold on Amazon.

When people talked about "algorithms" on Amazon, I had no idea what they meant. Wikipedia says, "An algorithm is a finite list of instructions, most often used in solving problems or performing tasks."

I was still puzzled. When I learned that a recipe was an example of an algorithm, I began to understand. In cooking, I had to follow the recipe in the correct order.

1. Gather the ingredients. There was no need to go to the next step if I did not have all (or most) of the ingredients. I did my fair share of substituting one ingredient for another, though.

2. Preheat the oven. Such a simple but necessary step. If this step was overlooked, the oven would not reach the proper temperature and the mixed ingredients did not cook properly or in a timely fashion. I learned from experience that turning the oven to a hotter temperature than recommended, to make up for lost time, would not solve the problem.

Amazon has become the #1 search engine for books. If someone wants a book about a particular subject, the person types the subject into the search bar. Books that Amazon thinks are the best matches will be shown. Chances are strong that the person will click on one or more of the books shown and possibly make a purchase.

How can an author of a particular book, one of millions in a particular genre, get Amazon to show that one book to someone searching for books in that genre? Algorithms.

Only Amazon knows all that goes into its algorithms. Apparently, it is a closely guarded secret. Certainly, one important factor is the sales ranking of the book. More sales, better algorithms, more exposure, better ranking ... Somehow, they must be tied, or looped, together.

It's been a year or longer since I watched "Dancing with the Stars." The show was based on the premise that a well-known person was matched with a professional dancer, and they became a dancing couple. Weekly, they competed with other such couples, until one couple proved to be the best dancing partnership in the dwindling number of contestants. Ideally, the best couple won. Popularity played a part, especailly at first, until the dances became harder and the weaker couples were eliminated. It was more than a popularity contest. Hard work and skill were involved.

To get a book noticed by Amazon so that buyers notice the book, the author needs more than popularity. People who are much smarter about this than me, specifically the people at Reedsy who send free, weekly emails, say that "keywords" are extremely important. To Amazon, keywords are more important than the words in the book's title, subtitle, or back-cover blurb.

Having placed my books on Amazon and filled out the forms, I already knew that authors are allowed only seven keywords. Here's the "key" to this problem. We can insert more than one word in each of the seven spaces. That was welcome news to me.

In fact, we can enter up to 50 characters per keyword space. Now, that makes a difference! Instead of using "Noah" for one keyword and "Ark" for a second keyword, I could type "Noah's Ark, Great Flood, Rain, Rainbow" in one keyword space. Did you count the characters? I still had room for more, plus six more keyword spaces to go.

When I did that seven times, I knew I had a better chance of my book being noticed. If someone searched for "Noah," my book might be recommended by Amazon. In fact, it was. For awhile, my book was #1 in the cagetory of "Children's Noah's Ark Books." Amazon's rankings are very fluid, though. My book is no longer #1 in that category, but it's still doing much better than it did during the first two years that it was on Amazon.

"How do you like them apples?" (Good Will Hunting).

Go On

6/3/2020

God said, "Go on. Don't quit.
Your work is not in vain.
I'll always go with you
To strengthen and sustain."

I said, "God, I'm convinced
That I don't walk alone,
But some days I give up;
I lack courage to go on."

God said, "Get up. Don't quit.
Remember I love you;
Victory is just ahead.
Go on. I'll see you through."

Perry Tanksley (copyright)

"May the Lord bless and keep you."
Numbers 6:24

YOU’RE NOT IN THIS ALONE: A writer’s critique group can be crucial

6/3/2020

In earlier times, barn raisings, square dances, quilting bees, churches and other community gatherings were places where people came together to celebrate, nurture, and encourage one another. Today, we still need that same nurturing and encouragement.

Sometimes, authors get great support from family and friends. Other times, those closest to us cannot quite understand why we are drawn to writing. They know we are not in it for the money. They know that when we get into our writing mode, it takes us away from them.

A writer’s critique group is a small group where authors can meet with other authors who understand our writing passion. Critique groups have regular meetings where its like-minded members come together to offer each other support, encouragement, and, yes, even criticism.

The authors in a small group share bits and pieces of our writing in each meeting. We read our excerpts in an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding. Criticism is genuinely constructive and given in order to strengthen one another’s writing skills.

When I began writing, about twenty years ago, I didn’t know that critique groups existed. Initially, I would have been afraid to go to one thinking that the criticism would be severe and devastating, not constructive and encouraging.

If only I had known what I was missing!

Now, I heartily agree with one of our group’s members, Suzana Sandoval:
I love our little group. I can see that we’re more than a critique group;
we’re also a support group. It’s so important that we have support groups
where we can edify each other. We are there for encouragement, and
allegiance to one another, and to our work.

Our critique group has five regular members who write in several genres. Initially, we gathered as authors of children’s books. We discovered that we are multi-talented and enjoy writing in diverse fields, as well. Those genres include historical fiction novels, memoirs, music-themed writings, non-fiction, poetry, short stories, and YA novels.

If you do not know of any local critique group in your particular writing genre, join organizations for authors and go from there. Texas High Plains Writers is an excellent organization based in Amarillo. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is an international organization with headquarters in Los Angeles. It also has numerous chapters, including five in Texas.

If you are not invited to join a small group, or you do not locate a group that you are interested in, you may consider starting one. Find a comfortable, accessible place and a convenient time to meet. Get the word out by contacting other authors through organizations, like the ones above, or by posting information online.

Formats of critique groups vary, including face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, or online communities. The group I belong to meets in Amarillo. When we first used ZOOM online, we were able to include an author friend from the Alaskan wilderness.

When you first join or begin a critique group, you may be nervous about sharing your writing. At first, you may benefit from simply listening, but contributing your own writing will help you get more out of the small group.

Benefits of participating in a local writers’ critique group may include:

Talking openly and honestly about your writing
Getting practical feedback on your writing
Getting some editing for free (but not enough to replace the need for a professional editor)
Sharing your own knowledge with others
Staying motivated to keep on writing
Learning helpful information about writing, managing, and marketing.

Benefits of online critique groups include:

More frequent or flexible participation
Opportunities for people who may not have local face-to-face critique groups
Possibilities for having special guests and speakers.

Critique groups can be very enjoyable and rewarding, and should definitely be an important part of your life and growth as an author.

This article first appeared as a guest post on Rick Treon's author website, 5/19/2020.
https://ricktreon.com/

A Short Story

6/3/2020

During Sunday's worship service, I was impressed with the need to look in my copy of The Daily Bible, Harvest House Publishers, that is in chronological order. When I had the chance at home, I looked to see what I must need to see.

In my notes, I saw "Balaam (Numbers 22-24)." So, I read those three chapters again. Balaam's story took place when the Israelites were camped in Moab, just before Joshua led them into the Promised Land. That is exactly where Moses: The Story of Glops, Book 5 ended.

This will be a short story to add to the Glops' adventures. Perfect timing, too. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

Glops Thoughts

6/3/2020

When writing, it is fairly standard for authors to show people's thoughts in italics. I decided to do the same for the glops, even though the glops are imaginary. Doing so meant I needed to go to the previous books and update them. The new editions have the glops thoughts in italics.

For example, in Tower of Babel, Abraham and Isaac: The Story of Glops, Book 2, the old way said:
Glops were shocked! They thought this could not be right! This was Isaac, Abraham's precious son!

The new way says:
Glops were shocked! They thought this cannot be right!
This is Isaac, Abraham’s precious son!

It's a subtle change.

Launch Days

6/3/2020

Moses: The Story of Glops, Book 5 was launched on Tuesday, 5/12/2020. I rallied the troops, who are my family, friends, and anyone else who was available, to get the FREE Kindle eBook, spread the word, and write a review. I hoped to get the book in the Top 100 list in at least one category on Amazon.

Not only did it get in the Top 100, but others in the series did, too. Paperbacks and eBooks were in the Top 100 of three different categories. I know the ratings are very fluid, but it's three days later and several are still up there. Hooray! God is amazing, and my family and friends are great! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Wow!

To prepare for the launch of this new book, I knew I needed to do more than I had in the past. I took a look at information I had collected from various sources, including:
-- speakers at meetings of Texas High Plains Writers,
-- weekly emails from Reedsy.com,
-- webinars from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators,
-- searches on the world wide web,
-- as well as other sources,
provided more information than my "retired-teacher" brain could hold. So, I reexamined all the notes I had taken. A few important suggestions appeared many times. I did the math and tried to incorporate them.

This blog is one result. I can't even keep up with my Facebook and Twitter pages. I don't know if this will be any better. Time will tell.

With a "do-it-myself or die" attitude, I took a look at the covers of my Glops series. I tweeked the covers with larger photos (graphics) and rearranged the titles. Instead of having The Story of Glops as the title and other words or characters as the sub-title for each book, I flipped them.

The books are:
Getting to Noah's Ark: The Story of Glops, Book 1
Tower of Babel, Abraham and Isaac: The Story of Glops, Book 2
Jacob: The Story of Glops, Book 3
Joseph: The Story of Glops, Book 4
Moses: The Story of Glops, Book 5

I also rewrote the blurbs on the back covers. I tried to "hook" the readers with relevant words related to the contents of each book. I have to remember that these books must appeal to my audiences of children (6-12), youth (13-15), and the parents or other adults who actually purchase the books. I am targeting three groups.

That's enough for now.
I'll be back. Sometime.
Betty

"The Story of Glops" © Copyright 2018 until now "Melody Street: Story and Illustrations" © Copyright 2000, 2018 "Guitars & Folk Songs: An Anthology" © Copyright 2018 All rights reserved. This website © copyright 2012. www.bettyspublishing.com "The Story of Glops" series © Copyright 2018 until now "Melody Street: Story and Illustrations" © Copyright 2000, 2018 "Guitars & Folk Songs: An Anthology" © Copyright 2018 All rights reserved. This website © copyright 2012. www.bettyspublishing.com