Amazon Removes the "Look Inside" Feature: Resistance is Futile - Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris

Today Panzer made a trip to the Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris site. With a little digging in the posts there, our traveling kitty boy found one about Amazon making changes.

 

Read the "Comments" too.

The post covers a wide range of topics from Amazon to Trolls to Cyborgs to Bullies. It's an interesting post that starts with Amazon's removal of the "Look Inside" feature and follows a trail that ends with technology (and those who control it) taking away our right to enjoy our experiences.

Panzer says, "Mom said you have to read it yourself because it's one of those pieces she thinks everybody will see something different in it."

 

Note: This is a very long post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for your snack while you read today's selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Look Inside Button

Terrible Advice Writers Should Ignore ... : Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris

Today. when Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, he decided to make a stop at the Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris site. With a little digging in the posts there he found one about bad advice writers need to avoid.

Made you curious? Read her post.

In her post Anne R. Allen lists six terrible tips writers get in online forums, online writers' groups and online in general. This so-called advice goes from just plain silly to ridiculous and unfortunately, if you follow it, it will impact your writing negatively.

Panzer says, "This little kitty has seen every one of the six tips online."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a glass of lemonade to drink while you read.

To read the post tootle over to Anne R. Allen

It's Miy Blogiversary! How to Survive 13 Years of Blogging - Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris

Today, when Panzer was sweeping out the Panzermobile, our fastidious kitty found a wadded up post under the floor mat. Flattening it out, he discovered it was a post about author blogging from the Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris site.

 

That's a long time.

According to the post, Anne R. Allen has been blogging for thirteen years. The post is her thirteen "rules" for authors who blog. She also includes some interesting things that have happened to her because of her blog.

 

To read the post tootle over to Anne R. Allen Blog

Five Things You Need in Writing a Mystery Novel - Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris

Panzer decided to clean the windshield on the Panzermobile today. While he was washing it, he discovered something stuck under the windshield wipers. Pulling it out, our fastidious kitty boy discovered it was a wadded up post from Anne R. Allen's Blog about mystery writing..

 

Ready to write one?

According to the guest post by author Melodie Campbell, there are five things that make up a mystery novel. The first three sections of her post explain what a mystery is and isn't. She then moves on to the five actual parts of a mystery. These parts involve the characters (both good and bad) and their motivations.

 

Panzer says, "Hmm ... She makes it sound easy to write a mystery novel."

 

Note: This is a long post. Bring a large cup of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to mystery novels

The Six Online Bios Every Author Needs - Anne R. Allen's Blog

 Today Panzer decided to make a stop at Anne R. Allen's Blog. With a little digging in the posts our traveling kitty boy found one about the online bios authors need.

 

According to the post by Nate Hoffelder, an author needs six online bios. In the post he describes each of the six as Twitter, Facebook, Podcast/Speaker, Amazon/Goodreads, and Memberships. He dissects and rewrites his own bios as examples of what to do with your author bios.

 

I'm on Amazon/Goodreads & Twitter.

Panzer says, "How does he find the time for all those places?"

Note: This is a long, long post. Bring a thermos of cocoa, two muffins, two brownies and a chocolate chip cookie (biscuit).

 

To read the post tootle over to online bios

Authors & Zoom - Anne R. Allen's Blog ... with Ruth Harris

It's been a while since Panzer has been at Anne R. Allen's Blog, so he decided to stop there today. Boy is he glad he did. At the blog he found a post about doing livestream author presentations.

It's not easy being on camera.

According to the post by Nate Hoffelder from The Digital Reader, authors need to be prepared to do online author events. With the continuation of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in-person events are no longer advisable. To fill the void authors are doing livestream events using Zoom (Tm). In the post Hoffelder covers how to be a guest or the host of the event. Also included are tips on using slides, on preparation for the author, the moderator and/or the assistant. There are also links to other posts by Hoffelder about doing podcasts which are similar to author livestream events.

Panzer says, "Be sure to read the Comments after the post. There's some interesting information there."

Note: This is a long post. Bring a large glass of lemonade and two muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, bring a thermos of iced tea and six muffins.

To read the post tootle over to Zoom

Amazon's New Review Rules: Should Authors Be Worried? - Anne R. Allen

Today, Panzer's trip into the Catosphere took him to Anne R. Allen's Blog. There our big bad kitty found a post about Amazon's new review policy.

Mom. Where's your credit card?

According to the post by Anne R. Allen, Amazon's new book review rules are not as hard to understand as they previously were. The first explanation on Ms. Allen's list is "The New $50 Rule." Apparently a reviewer must have used their credit card to purchase $50 of merchandise at Amazon. It appears this rule is to stop the use of fake reviewers. Ms. Allen explains each rule in depth so authors won't accidentally cause their reviews to be deleted. Be sure and read the Comment section too.

Panzer says, "Are the rules really easier to understand if you have to read a blog post explaining them?"

Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post, but well worth the read. Bring two cups of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Amazon's new rules

The Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways Not to Write a Mystery Novel - Anne R. Allen's Blog

On Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today he was looking for information on mystery writing. His search took him to Anne R. Allen's Blog. Our big bad kitty pilot found a guest post there by Jacqueline Diamond with information about what he was looking for. Jacqueline Diamond is the author of 101 novels published in several genres including mystery, so he couldn't wait to read what she wrote about mystery novel writing.

Plot is important.

According to the post, while researching for her newest mystery Ms. Diamond read several cozy mysteries. She discovered twelve do not do's in some of them. When writing a mystery novel these twelve were definite turn-offs for her as a reader. These do not do's run the gambit from do not have incompetent police to do not under plot to do not over plot. There are nine more she found in her research and they're all important do not do's for as writers to learn.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Pay attention ... Plotting seems to be a frequent problem in cozy mysteries."

Note: This is a long post, but worth your time. You'll need a cup of tea, a muffin, and a doughnut for today's selection.

To read the post, tootle over to mystery

Anne R. Allen's Blog: Disappearing Amazon Reviews: The Facts Behind Amaz...

Panzer is still getting caught up on the news and posts from when he was sick. Today, he stopped in at Anne R. Allen's Blog site. It only took a little digging by our kitty explorer to find an interesting post about Amazon's review policy.

According to the post, Amazon is removing reviews from ebooks again. The post opens with several quotes from writers about problems they're having with Amazon's review policies. Then comes a section on what constitutes a "Paid Review." This is followed by a section on what constitutes "knowing the author." Next is a section on Amazon's enforcement policy of their rules. Then comes a section about "proper" review policies. These sections are followed by information about Amazon's lack of addressing the troll/hate/political non-review reviews. There is a lot of good information included in this post about the Amazon "don't do this" policy for authors working to get reviews for their books.

I want my kitty treats back!

Panzer says, "Hmm ... So, according to Amazon, all those followers Mom has on Twitter know her. I didn't realize she had so many friends. Mom showed me that little birdie thing there and she's always talking about tweeting and peeps. I just thought she was collecting birds for my kitty treats."

Note: You'll need a thermos of tea and a dozen muffins for your reading this time. (Before the body of the post is information about the blog's move to Wordpress. The part about "lost reviews" begins after that.)

To read the post, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: Disappearing Amazon Reviews: The Facts Behind Amaz...

Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Get Your Indie Book Translated and Reach th...

Whew! Easy as can be.

Panzer was looking for information on getting his ebooks translated today. A quick search in the Catosphere brought our big brave kitty over to Anne R. Allen's Blog. Digging around, he found just what he was looking for in a guest post by indie author Mark Williams.

Although Mr. Williams' post is divided into fifteen sections and sub-sections, there are really only three parts to the information in the post. It begins with some of his publishing history and experiences with traditional publishing's translations of his work. He then moves through Amazon's history including the Kindle and other devices, including the translation market size. To wrap up the post he moves into the ins and outs of getting your work translated for foreign markets when you're an indie author. According to Mr. Williams, getting translations of your work done isn't as expensive or complicated as you might think. He lists (with links) the two services he uses.

Panzer says, "Now that I know how easy getting a translation done is, I'm ready to do it."

 Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post, so bring a a t-h-e-r-m-o-s of tea and a muffin.

To read the post, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Get Your Indie Book Translated and Reach th...

Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Write Chapter Endings That Make Readers Wan...

So exciting, you just can't stop.

Panzer stopped in at his friend Anne R. Allen's blog. He likes stopping in there because she always has such interesting posts.

Today, my big bad kitty captain found a post about turning each chapter ending into a page turner.

Page turner?

Yes. A page turner.

Get your readers to turn the page and start the next chapter.

The chapter ending is so compelling you have to know what happens next. Who cares if you have to go to work in the morning? You just have to finish this chapter ... and the next ... and the next ... until you're finished the book.

Panzer says, "I want to write books you can't put down."

You'll need a big cup of tea as this is a long post. The post opens with a contest, then continues with suggestions and tips from Jessica Bell. Ms. Bell tells you how to make you chapters grab your readers attention and not let go. The end of the post includes some writing contests too.

To read the post, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Write Chapter Endings That Make Readers Wan...:

Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Plan a Novel without Actually Outlining: 3 ...

To outline or not?

Panzer was over at Anne R. Allen's blog today. He found a guest post by author Nathan Bransford How to Flesh out a Vague Novel Idea Before You Start. My bad boy was doing the happy cat dance because he's always wondering about how others write their novels.

You see, when Panzer writes he outlines the first third of his story. He already has an idea of what he wants the end to be. So after he starts the actual writing and reaches the end of the one-third outline, he has a good idea of what needs to happen to get to the end. But my bad kitty knows that many writers don't even outline that much.

Turns out Mr. Bransford is one of them. No outline for him. In Mr. Bransford's post he explains the three steps he uses to expand the story idea into a full fledged framework (not an outline!) to base his novel on.

To find out how Mr. Bransford writes a novel, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Plan a Novel without Actually Outlining: 3 ...:

8 Tips for Writing that Killer Book Blurb

Back cover book blurb. Say it fast.

Panzer stopped in at Anne R. Allen's Blog and did some exploring in the archives there. He found a post by co-blogger Ruth Harris. He's been searching around looking for information on back cover book blurbs and that's just what Ruth posted about. How lucky is that?

Ruth suggests eight things you need to be aware of when writing your blurb. They include using short sentences, not over using italics or bold, and be willing to change your blurb. There are five other suggestions included in the post.

 If you're ready to write you back cover book blurb, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: 8 Tips for Writing that Killer Blurb:

Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Make the Bestseller Lists: Why Categories a...

Panzer stopped in at his friend Anne R. Allen's Blog. Your intrepid traveler of the Catosphere found a guest post there by Ruth Harris.

Ruth Harris is posting about how to use categories and keywords to get your ebook into the bestseller lists. She explains how to choose the correct categories to increase your ebook's exposure. She also explains how to investigate the keywords that will work best in your niche. You do need to understand, the categories and keywords will get you into the Top 100 for your niche, but that is not a guarantee of the Top 100 in the entire Kindle Store.

My bad boy can tell you how important those category and keyword choices are. His first ebook Cats and Crime has been in the Amazon Top 100 for one, two or three of his three niche categories at least twenty-five days each month since the ebook was uploaded. The screen print above shows his April 24 standing in two of the Top 100 Category Lists.

So, if you're interested in joining the bestseller lists, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Make the Bestseller Lists: Why Categories a...:

Anne R. Allen's Blog: The 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette for ...

No whining!

Panzer and I like going to Anne R. Allen's Blog. Anne's blog was given a Writer's Digest Magazine Best Writing Website Award for 2013 because writers always find the most interesting posts there.

Today, when we visited we found a post about social media etiquette. There are 10 Commandments for your good behavior on social media. Anne's commandments include no spamming, no whining, and no badmouthing. There are seven more just as relevant as these listed at the blog.

 If you want to know the full 10 Commandments, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: The 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette for ...:

Anne R. Allen's Blog: The Rules of Writing...and Why Not To Follow Them

Christmas is coming!

It's been a long time since Panzer visited Anne R. Allen's Blog, so he decided to stop in today.

 He's really glad he did, because she explains the New Writer's Rule Book. You know, it's the book we're all handed when we join the writer's world. Now you all know my bad boy. He's never met a rule he couldn't break, so he is in total agreement with Anne's post.

If you want to read all about the rule book, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: The Rules of Writing...and Why Not To Follow Them: Somerset Maugham famously said, "There are three rules for writing. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are." But pretty much...

Anne R. Allen's Blog: The Laws of the (Amazon) Jungle—Eight Rules Author...

I can take care of myself. Well ... maybe.

Panzer loves going to Anne R. Allen's blog! You should bookmark her site as her posts are always in depth looks at all subjects writing.

Ms. Allen's Sunday (October 6) post is a must read for any writer who has heard the hype about getting on all the social media sites to connect with their readers. Not all social media sites are created equal as she points out in the beginning of her post. In fact, some should be avoided all together.

In the second part of the post she gives specific rules you should follow when you visit Amazon. These are important rules you should read and follow.

So, if you're thinking about going out into the social media jungle, first you need to tootle on over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: The Laws of the (Amazon) Jungle—Eight Rules Author...: Everybody tells authors we must use social media to have successful careers in the E-age, but nobody talks much about the dangers that lurk...

Anne R. Allen's Blog: Is Your Author Website Working Against you? Top 10...

No more blinking?

Once again Anne R. Allen's blog has a great post for those author's who have a website/blog. She has ten tips for making sure your website/blog is a reader magnet.

It is true number one on her list is don't use gifs. We admit it. We have/do use gifs. (My favorite gif is Panzer blinking his eyes at you. Remember it?) So this blog might not pass her test!

If you want to compare your website to the ten tips, tootle over to  Anne R. Allen's Blog: Is Your Author Website Working Against you? Top 10...: I visit a lot of author websites and blogs. Most are delightfully creative. I love how so many of the sites—especially the blogs—express th...

Anne R. Allen's Blog: 7 Ways Authors Waste Time "Building Platform" on S...

Whew!

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today looking for something besides marketing ideas. He has spent so much time over the last few months trying to build his author platform!

Well guess what he found. The ultimate anti-platform guide by Anne R. Allen. He read it over and then insisted I read it. Now he wants you to read it.

Whew! Facebook? Twitter? Tumblr? Nah. Now we can rest and get back to writing our next book.

If you want to know if building your platform is worth it, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: 7 Ways Authors Waste Time "Building Platform" on S...: Authors are getting hammered with more and more demands on our time. We get escalating pressure to blog more! tweet more!! send more newsl...

Anne R. Allen's Blog: How a 91-year-old Author's Debut Mystery Hit the B...

Panzer loves this post at Anne R. Allen's blog! The post is about Anne's 91-year-old mother's marketing plan for her cozy mystery ebook that sent her sales over the top. 10,500 in just three days!

And what was that plan?

It's the same plan Panzer and I have been talking about for months: free ebooks to get the sales rolling after the giveaway. The plan even helped with the dead tree edition of her book.

Panzer says tootle on over to  Anne R. Allen's Blog: How a 91-year-old Author's Debut Mystery Hit the B...: NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS! Recently, my publisher, MWiDP, relaunched Shirley S. Allen’s cozy mystery, ACADEMIC BODY as an ebook. Sal...