FIRST OF A CONTINUING SERIES - 18 Stories! 15 Authors! Talk About A Project!
The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories is riding high in sales, after a spectacular performance at its first freebie weekend on June 9 and June 10, 2012.
The book is ready, but the work's not over. Dani Greer, owner of The Blood-Red Pencil, along with Morgan Mandel, Helen Ginger, Maryann Miller, Shonell Bacon, and Audrey Lintner, all contributors to the collection and members of The Blood-Red Pencil, are sharing our ongoing experiences with you about the project in this series. Perhaps, what we've discovered will aid you in your own endeavors.
Dani Greer, owner of The Blood-Red Pencil blog, is the originator of the The Corner Cafe project. She's also provided the valuable services of editor, formatter, marketing leader, and contributor of three stories: "Home Away From Home" about a frequent visitor to a cafe who receives a surprise visit from the police, "Saturday Night Special," about a jaded codger who learns a lesson about relationships, and "A New Job," about an applicant who discovers damning evidence about a cafe manager.
Find Dani Greer on Amazon Here.
Here's what she has to say:
What surprised you about this endeavor?
What surprised me most, despite the fact that I was getting manuscripts from 14 different computers, was how relatively easy it was to publish a book on KDP.
What seemed the most difficult?
Most difficult was trying to get all the authors on the BBT Cafe group involved and helping with promotion.
What proved the most satisfying?
I discovered that Amazon is surprisingly efficient, responsive, and easy to work with. That was a huge surprise.
What did you learn?
I've also discovered the power of an intense group effort and plan to change how the BBT Cafe group works. Authors who are not involved will free up their seats for authors who are interested in joining our concentrated group efforts to promote each other.
Would you do it again?
I'm already in the process of doing it again with another title!
Thanks, Dani, for sharing with us.
Please leave a comment about Dani's answers and, if you wish, thank Dani for all her efforts.
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Click Here To Order The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories
Interviewer: Morgan Mandel, Contributor to
The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories
Look for "What Nice Blessings" and "The Closing of the Corner Cafe" by Morgan Mandel in The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories.
Find Morgan's Full Length Books at http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel
The book is ready, but the work's not over. Dani Greer, owner of The Blood-Red Pencil, along with Morgan Mandel, Helen Ginger, Maryann Miller, Shonell Bacon, and Audrey Lintner, all contributors to the collection and members of The Blood-Red Pencil, are sharing our ongoing experiences with you about the project in this series. Perhaps, what we've discovered will aid you in your own endeavors.
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| Dani Greer |
Find Dani Greer on Amazon Here.
Here's what she has to say:
What surprised you about this endeavor?
What surprised me most, despite the fact that I was getting manuscripts from 14 different computers, was how relatively easy it was to publish a book on KDP.
What seemed the most difficult?
Most difficult was trying to get all the authors on the BBT Cafe group involved and helping with promotion.
What proved the most satisfying?
I discovered that Amazon is surprisingly efficient, responsive, and easy to work with. That was a huge surprise.
What did you learn?
I've also discovered the power of an intense group effort and plan to change how the BBT Cafe group works. Authors who are not involved will free up their seats for authors who are interested in joining our concentrated group efforts to promote each other.
Would you do it again?
I'm already in the process of doing it again with another title!
Thanks, Dani, for sharing with us.
Please leave a comment about Dani's answers and, if you wish, thank Dani for all her efforts.
----------------------------------------------------
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| Morgan Mandel |
Click Here To Order The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories
Interviewer: Morgan Mandel, Contributor to
The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories
Look for "What Nice Blessings" and "The Closing of the Corner Cafe" by Morgan Mandel in The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories.
Find Morgan's Full Length Books at http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel
I downloaded and read The Corner Cafe last week. I really enjoyed the idea of so many folks weaving their stories around a common place. This was a wonderful project.
ReplyDeleteDani, Thanks so much for everything you do to keep us authors up to speed. I'm honored to be included in your latest project of The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories. I look forward to participating in another.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
It was terrific having the opportunity to revisit my characters from the Bud Blossom stories. I'm looking forward to our next project, to see who I get to meet or to see again. :)
ReplyDeleteMarian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes
Liza, thank you so much for your kind words about the collection. It was great fun to come up with stories that included the Corner Cafe in some way, and I was amazed at the variety. We were all writing our own without knowing much about how the other authors were incorporating The Corner Cafe. What a delightful surprise it was for me to read the whole book.
ReplyDeleteDani, you will tell us the theme of the next project soon? You know me. I need time.LOL
Cat Sleuths: A Collection, coming soon! ;)
ReplyDeleteMorgan, thanks! I have to tell you something hysterical - I don't remember answering those questions! Hahahaha. New book titles - I'm moodling them. For Better or Worse? On the Edge? Man's Best Friend? We'll get ideas from the team after the blog book tour is over. You'll get plenty of time, Maryann. We did the whole shebang in four months this go-round, but I'd like more moodling and writing time, so we can polish some great and new stories. This was a test run. The next project will be fine art. Yes?
ReplyDeleteI talked to a much-published author at a signing last night who tried KDP Select with a novella and found it definitely translated into $ sales after the free period was over. It's clearly something to consider for indie publishers.
ReplyDeleteDani always comes up with good suggestions. What she just mentioned sounds very interesting and doable.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
Dani: I can believe you can't remember. You manage so many things with grace and ease. I'm frantic trying to get my next book to my editor. I'm playing hooky now and need to get back at it.
ReplyDeleteWendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
Nice to see all my fellow BBT authors so active in the blogging world!
ReplyDeleteSusan
Although I was a straggler to the project, I am GRATEFUL that Dani convinced me to grab a cup of joe at the Corner Cafe. It's been an exciting ride, and Dani's been a great ringleader!
ReplyDeleteWhassa matter, Dani? You don't LIKE herding cats? ;)
ReplyDeleteDani, will your next project be your own book or another group effort?
ReplyDeleteHelen Ginger
The Corner Cafe is a place where friends meet to hang out and enjoy conversations. And this Corner Cafe was no different. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and will stop by regularly to refresh myself. (Cause it's on my kindle) *wink*
ReplyDeleteRobyn, so glad you have enjoyed the book. It would be lovely if you could do a quick review on Amazon if you have time.
ReplyDeleteRobyn did a great review already, Maryann, for which we thank her immensely!
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
Its amazing how easy it is to bring a collaberated book to market. I've downloaded my copy and am about a third the way through it.
ReplyDeleteI've written a few short stories, but they all made it into my trilogy series. Now i'm inspired to write a few more.
Helen, sorry to step in late. Trip to the city and I had the silly idea I could stay connected with my new Kindle Fire. Hahaha. Is it just me, or is technology not as simple as claimed? Anyway, one stop was an art gallery opening which included the cover art for a MG novel I've written. So there that's project to finish up. Also on my list is A Quick Blog Book Tour Guide which I've promised far too many folks. By fall, I'm open to planning another group project for publication after the holidays. For all those new gadgets just waiting form books to read!
ReplyDeleteDani, thanks so much for all you do to energize this group and keep it on track. The Corner Cafe project is a fun learning experience in marketing and much more. Thank you for dreaming it up and for all your hard work on it. I'm delighted to be included.
ReplyDeleteMonti
Mary Montague Sikes
Monti, you had one of the most interesting blog posts about the background for your story. Yikes, every parent's nightmare. I'm convinced we all have short stories in us - and they lead to better novels, too! Razor focus is so important with a short story.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope you're not restricting your distribution to Amazon. I have a Nook, and it's just as easy to publish there (or on Smashwords, which uploads just about every format known to e-readers) as it is on Amazon. And please don't tell me I can get the Kindle app. I have it, but I've yet to finish reading the one and only book I downloaded. I read for pleasure on my Nook, not on my computer or phone, and I'd really like to read this collection.
ReplyDeleteTerry, we're trying KDP Select to test the five free days and so we postponed the related Smashwords project until September. Then we'll go over there free and hope Amazon matches the free price. We're testing all these things over three months. Also learning how to format the books for all the various gadgets. It's a very interesting (and empowering) project. A lot of work, but so worth it! Thanks for your interest. I have a Nook, too. I just bought the Kindle Fire for Amazon testing and can't get my wi-fi to work. Very frustrating. But, I digress. ;)
ReplyDeleteReading it now! Fun to see so many familiar names among the authors.
ReplyDelete