Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween from

Panzer

   

the Pirate

and Me!

Mystery Writing is Murder: Getting the Hang of the Business End of Things

Still looking for a costume.

My bad boy Panzer has absolutely no concept about the business side of writing.

Panzer can tell you an exciting story about his and Lori's latest adventure, but ask him how his audiobook sales are going and he'll give you the deer-in-the-headlights-look. So, when he found Elizabeth Craig's post about the business side of writing, he parked the Panzermobile at her Mystery Writing Is Murder blog and stopped for a visit.

Elizabeth has some interesting information about her experiences with her agent and the business side of her writing. You'll want to read her whole post as there are some great links at the end.

So tootle on over to  Mystery Writing is Murder: Getting the Hang of the Business End of Things: by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig I’m not going to say that all writers are a little foggy when it comes to the business side o...

Killer Characters: Cat, Costumes, and Trick or Treats

Still looking for a costume.

The Killer Characters blog is one of Panzer's favorite stops in the Catospere.  Some of the best characters from his favorite (e)books get interviewed there. But ... today's post is a little embarrassing for one of his cat friends.

Tootle over and see what happens when you let somebody else pick out your Halloween costume for you at  Killer Characters: Cat, Costumes, and Trick or Treats:   By: Beatrice Matthews From: The Cumberland Creek Mystery Series Author: Mollie Cox Bryan Book 1 Title: Scrapbook of Secrets ...

E-Books and Libraries: What the Big 6 Doesn't Get

Panzer's needs a costume

for Halloween

Panzer hasn't been over to Vincent Zandri's blog for awhile so he stopped in for a visit.

Zandri takes on Joe Konrath about the ebooks in libraries issue. Panzer and I totally agree with Zandri. We've been checking ebooks out of the library for two years. We've seen authors do "book gatherings" for their ebook fans at libraries using Skype.

So ... Panzer and I do think libraries get it.

Tootle over to  E-Books and Libraries: What the Big 6 Doesn't Get and see what you think.

Free Warren Murphy Novel Writing Course

I can't believe what I'm seeing!

It's time for the happy cat dance again!

Panzer was checking out Warren Murphy's site and discovered he's teaching a FREE novel writing course!

This is big news, because usually he charges 7 MILLION DOLLARS per week for his course! Just read all about it at his site.

For those of you who don't know who Warren Murphy is (where have you been hiding?), he writes books and movies. He's sold over 50 million copies of his books. And, he's won an Edgar Award.

Panzer has already started the first lesson and he says, "This is a course you really want to take."

So tootle on over to the Warren Murphy Writing Course and get started today.

Smashwords: Apple iBookstore Expands Global Reach of Smashword...

Panzer is doing the happy cat dance!

Smashwords is in the news again! Thanks to the Apple iBookstore Smashwords now has 18 new countries for your ebook distribution. Your international ebook sales are bound to increase.

Panzer says, "Right now is great time to get your ebook in the pipeline!"

Tootle over and read all the latest news about Apple and the Smashwords authors' sales stories at Smashwords: Apple iBookstore Expands Global Reach of Smashword...: This week Apple expanded the reach of the iBookstore to 18 new countries, bringing the total reach of the iBookstore to 50 countries.  O...

MAKE MINE MYSTERY: What’s a Blog Hop? Social Marketing 101 Series

Cats do not hop!

Okay, Panzer and I admit it. Neither of us had any idea what a blog hop was. So, when we saw the post about it in the Catoshere at Make Mine Mystery, we parked the Panzermobile to read about it.

Turns out it's a kind of social media marketing tool a lot like a blog tour only a little bit different. Instead of one author doing a blog tour, several get together, pick a topic and let the blog hop begin.

Tootle over to  MAKE MINE MYSTERY: What’s a Blog Hop? Social Marketing 101 Series: and then see if you and some of your fellow bloggers might be interested in a blog hop.

2012writersALIVE: Warren Bull and Heartland

Hmmm. I could do that.

Panzer found the 2012 Writers Alive blog. You know how my bad boy likes free things. Well this blog has free author interviews available as podcasts.
 
If you happen to be an author (hint, hint), at the top of the blog are the instructions to apply to be interviewed. So, if you're ready to hit the podcasting arena, this is the place to start. Podcasting makes a great addition to your author platform, too.

Panzer wants you to  tootle over to  2012writersALIVE: Warren Bull and Heartland: and listen to the interview with author Warren Bull.

What Is Your Brand?

Panzer and I went out into the Catoshere (read our October 19 post) today. We couldn't pass up Cheryl Bradshaw's A Place for Aspiring Writers of Fiction blog. We parked the Panzermobile to take a look around.

Cheryl has a great post about formatting your brand. It's her opinion that your name is your brand.

She has several book covers as examples of how authors have used their names as their brand. There are covers with different fonts and font sizes for book titles and the author's name. According to Cheryl your name should be the same size or larger than the title.

So tootle on over to A Place For Aspiring Writers Of Fiction and learn about using your name as your brand.

A Surprise For You: The Panzermobile

Panzer and I are always posting about the Catosphere and the Panzermobile so we thought you'd like to see it first hand. This will be part of Panzer's book trailer for the ebook Cats and Crime.

The artwork was done by Jennifer Barnhouse the graphic designer who also does my book covers. Jennifer is an expert mind reader who takes my ideas and turns them into reality. Enjoy the ride!

Artwork by Jennifer Barnhouse

Faeries, Dragons, and Spaceships: Serious about series- how to keep things real

I admit it. I love writer Marie Andreas' blog. Who wouldn't with a name like Faeries, DRAGONS, and Spaceships? So, I convinced my bad boy to stop the Panzermobile there.

And ... I found an informative post about why readers love series.

Panzer and I love series, too!

You know, we've got Panzer's series and he loves telling all of you about his adventures with Lori.

And we've got the Detective Matt Stockley series. Just try to keep Matt quiet when he solves a murder.

So ... how could we not love series?

Tootle over to 
Faeries, Dragons, and Spaceships: Serious about series- how to keep things real: and see if you like reading series for the same reasons we like writing them.

Free Kindle Ebooks For Writers

Free! Free Ebooks!

Panzer was out looking around the Catoshere today and guess what he found at Lori Devoti's  How To Write Shop blog?

He found ... some links to free ebooks for writers.You know what Panzer says, "Free is always good!"

Tootle over to Five Free Ebooks For Writers and check out the ebooks.

You can find other free ebooks Panzer has found at his other blog post(s) at other free ebook sites.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Whenever visiting unknown sites, read the instructions carefully (make sure it's still free!), have your virus scanner on and your firewall up.

Oh, yeah. Panzer will be accepting your Thank you gifts in the form of kitty treats!

How To Be A Writer

201 tips. It's been a long day!

We parked the Panzermobile at Write To Done blog today.

Panzer loves the post How to Be a Writer: 201 Compelling Tips. The post is divided into sections like, "How to Develop a Successful Mindset," "How to Develop the Craft of Writing" and Panzer's favorite, "How to Establish Good Writing Habits." There are seven sections for a total of 201 tips to turn you into a writer.

So, if you're serious about wanting to be a writer, Panzer says check out How to Be a Writer.

Book Review: 99 Reasons To Hate Cats

Today's book review is of 99 Reasons To Hate Cats by Tom Briscoe. Okay ... Okay! Before you come after me, it's not what you think. First, Panzer picked this ebook not me!

Second, it's an ebook of 99 reasons to hate cats with a cartoon to go with each reason.

They're reasons like:

Reason 17: Women think cats are people. (Panzer says, "Well, we are. It just proves women are smarter than men.")

and

Reason 19: Thinking every can is full of tuna. (Panzer says, "Well, of course it is.")

You get the idea? Everybody here will read this ebook and say, "Well, of course that's true. What is your problem with cats?"

Panzer gives the ebook four paws up.

He gives it a G rating for everyone.

The ebook is available at Amazon for the Kindle.

Finding Bliss: How to Write Great Sales Copy for Your Ebook

Today we visited Laura Howard's Finding Bliss blog and Panzer is doing the happy cat dance.

I don't know about you, but Panzer has been having a hard time writing the sales page for his ebook. So, when he found a guest post by Ali Luke about writing sales copy, he parked the Panzermobile so he could read the post.

Ali covers what you need to know to write sparkling promotional sales copy for your ebook. Her suggestions cover reading other authors' sales copy for inspiration, spotlighting the benefits of your ebook and lots of other information an inquiring cat needs to know about writing sales copy.

Panzer says for help writing your sales copy tootle on over to  Finding Bliss: How to Write Great Sales Copy for Your Ebook:

The New World of Publishing: Promotion

Panzer stopped in at Dean Wesley Smith's blog to see what he's up to now.

 Panzer likes Smith because he has such an in your face attitude; but only when you need it.

This post is about book promotion. Smith's got the Dos, the Don'ts and the Are You Crazys of promotions. You may not agree with Smith on everything. But ...  like I said, Panzer likes him.

Tootle over to The New World of Publishing: Promotion and get your book promotion ideas in order.

Criminal Minds: Social Media Will Not Sell Your Book

Twitter? Ha!

Panzer is so unhappy!

Over at Criminal Minds Hilary Davidson says, "Social media won't sell your book!"

Oh, no! Panzer can't believe it!

Facebook won't do it? Pinterest won't do it? Twitter won't do it? (Well, that one doesn't surprise any self-respecting cat!) None of the others either?

Hilary, say it isn't so!

Panzer says tootle on over to Criminal Minds: Social Media Will Not Sell Your Book: and see if you agree with Hilary.

Karen Woodward: A Writing Taboo: Never Begin Your Story With Weath...

The Panzermobile has been getting quite a workout in the Catoshere this week! Today we stopped in at Karen Woodward's blog to see what she's been up to lately.

We had to read her post when we saw the title, Never Begin Your Story With Weather.

"Say it isn't so!"

Panzer says, "No weather? Say it isn't so!"

 "But ... but ... one of our new stories starts with weather, because the weather is a character in the story."

 Fear not Panzer. It's not as bad as you think. Weather can begin your story ... sometimes.

Tootle over to Karen Woodward: A Writing Taboo: Never Begin Your Story With Weath...: to read all about it.

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath's Sales

Panzer can't believe it!

Panzer says you have got to read this post by Joe Konrath about his book sales! Konrath has got some hard numbers here about his sales and how much money he's made.

This post is exactly why you need to get your ebooks uploaded to Smashwords and Amazon. True you may not make as much as Konrath, but you won't make anything if you don't have anything uploaded!

Read all about it at  A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath's Sales

Private Eye Writers Shamus Winners

Panzer and all his friends want to congratulate the winners of the Shamus Awards:

A Tip of the Fedora to the Shamus Winners

Best Hardcover P.I. Novel
A Bad Night's Sleep by Michael Wiley

Best First P.I. Novel
The Shortcut Man by P.G. Sturges

Best Paperback Original P.I. Novel
Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski

Best P.I. Short Story
Who I Am by Michael Z. Lewin

Book Review: The Useless Cat Book

Panzer is doing back flips he's so happy!

He picked today's ebook The Useless Cat Book by Janet Jeanes for me to read to him. Now don't get your tail tied in a knot. It's NOT an ebook about a USELESS CAT. Nobody in their right mind would ever call any cat useless. Jeanes states in the intro (and repeats it in the beginning of the story) that the ebook contains USELESS INFORMATION.

The ebook is a re-telling of the story of Puss in Boots. The story has a few extra facts about cats that all of you who read this blog already know (which is why the information is useless).

Hmmm. Let's see. Fact One: Cats don't like to be laughed at. What? Who would even try to laugh at Panzer? I mean laugh at any cat?

Fact Two: Control freaks and cats don't get along. Duh! You know nobody controls a cat (Panzer), right?

Okay. No more spoilers. You have to read the ebook for the rest of the useless facts.

Panzer gives The Useless Cat Book four paws up.

He rates it G for everybody.

Available at Amazon for the Kindle.

Killer Characters: You Can Lead a Cat to Water by Lucy Burdette

Okay, I admit it. Panzer found this post at Killer Characters. He was out tootling around in the catoshere by himself (yes, alone again!) and stopped in to read Evinrude the cat's post about Lucy Burdette's book You Can Lead A Cat To Water.

Evinrude is definitely a cat with attitude.

Panzer says all you cats out there tootle over to  Killer Characters: You Can Lead a Cat to Water by Lucy Burdette: and read what Evinrude has to say.

Oh, and yeah. My bad boy is grounded again! I have the keys to the Panzermobile for the next week.

Susan Kaye Quinn, Young Adult Author: Self-Publishing Basics: Ebook Formatting - The Eas...

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today and stopped at Susan Kaye Quinn's blog. He's doing the happy cat dance! She's got a self-publishing series going on there.

The series has a great section on formatting your ebook for Kindle and Barnes & Noble. (That's where everybody wants to start now days.) It's divided into two parts: The Easy Way and The Hard Way. Panzer recommends you start with the easy way!

Panzer says tootle over to Susan Kaye Quinn, Young Adult Author: Self-Publishing Basics: Ebook Formatting - The Eas...:  and get started on formatting your ebook today!

Book Marketing Made Easy Q & A

Panzer and I attended Dvorah Lansky's  teleseminar, Book Marketing Q&A.

Panzer subscribes to Lansky's enewsletter.  She solicited questions from her readers and then put the teleseminar together using those questions and their answers. The questions cover marketing for ebooks, dead tree books, PDF's,  KDP, Amazon and more.

If you're interested in marketing information, you can attend a replay of the seminar at Welcome to the Event

The Vincent Zandri Vox: Libraries Get It

Panzer is doing the happy cat dance!

Panzer and I stopped in at Vincent Zandri's blog today and got the answer to a question we've been thinking about for quite awhile.

Is there someplace we could do ebook promotions besides on a virtual blog tour?

Well, Zandri has the answer: a library. A library? Yup. He has a promotional gig at a library for one of his ebooks.

Panzer says, "That is so awesome!"

Go to The Vincent Zandri Vox: Libraries Get It  to read all about it.

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

Panzer is rolling on the floor he's laughing so hard! He can't believe Joe Konrath did this.

As you may have read, some pretty heavy weight writers got outted (by themselves) for buying fake reviews for their ebooks on Amazon. There's been quite a storm raging over these reviews.

So, Konrath got to thinking Why not? 

 And ... he wrote some fake product reviews.

Go to Konrath's blog  A Newbie's Guide to Publishing  and read why he did it. You decide if you agree with him.