Author: DelSheree
The Joys of Editing…
I don’t know how most authors feel about editing, but it’s not my favorite part of the writing process. It can be tedious, and I usually end up feeling rather foolish when I get my edits back and see the same mistake pointed out over and over again.
At least, that’s the case when you actually work with a good editor.
It’s been a while since I’ve worked with an editor who actually knew their stuff. Cynthia Shepp, who not only has her own freelance editing business (Cynthia Shepp Book Reviews and Editing), she is also the fabulous editor for Clean Teen Publishing, one of my publishers. Aide from the lovely Phyl Manning, who passed away this year, I’ve had a heck of a time finding an editor who is thorough and truly an expert in their field.
I was thrilled when Wicked Power was recently handed off Cynthia, because I knew she was top notch. When I got edits back from her and I didn’t find an error free page until I got to page 95 in my manuscript, I had mixed feelings. Cynthia clearly did a great job and caught all my errors, but I was rather annoyed at myself because the errors she fixed were pretty much the same four errors over and over again.
So, to serve as a reminder to myself, and possibly to keep other authors from tripping up over the same things, here’s what I learned from Cynthia.
- Here’s what Cynthia had to say about this one: “
- Easy way to remember whether to use I or me. If you take out the other person, the sentence has to make sense with either I or me.
- With that, the privacy window rolls up and secludes Ketchup and I. (WRONG).
- With that, the privacy window rolls up and secludes I. (WRONG)
- With that, the privacy window rolls up and secludes me. (RIGHT)
- With that, the privacy window rolls up and secludes Ketchup and me. (RIGHT)
- Although Andrew spent several years in Africa, he still found the heat of the desert overwhelming.
- Ex: If you’re not sure about the color, let me know VS Let me know if you’re not sure about the color.
- I have done all the laundry, but he has only vacuumed one room.
What grammar and punctuation rules do you find yourself breaking regularly?
Cover Reveal: Wicked Power (Someone Wicked This Way Comes, Book 2)
WICKED HUNGER by DelSheree Gladden

“Save him and hurt him, don’t save him and hurt him. Pain, either way. Delicious pain. Hunger will be the only one that wins. Hunger always wins.”
KIRKUS REVIEW OF WICKED HUNGER
Teenage siblings with a dark secret find their lives complicated by the arrival of a mysterious girl.DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually reading, painting, sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include Escaping Fate, Twin Souls Saga, The Destroyer Trilogy, and Invisible. The first book in the Someone Wicked This Way Comes series, Wicked Hunger, is scheduled to be released through Clean Teen Publishing on April 1, 2014.
Want to READ MORE from Clean Teen Publishing?
Marketing…???
Do you ever feel like you’re running a marathon that has no ending? That’s marketing, and that’s why…I’ll just say it…Marketing is really, really hard!
As soon as you start looking into how to market seriously, your To-Do list starts looking like this! –>Now that you’ve learned a little bit about marketing your book, you actually have to put it to use. Some people are planners, some people are not. I’d love to be a planner, I haven’t had time to come up with a plan just yet.
According to Guy Kawasaki, for four weeks after the release of a book, you’re allowed to go crazy sharing links on social media. After that, keep “buy links” to less than 10% of your posts on social media. The rest should be quality content and interacting with readers, which I know Rachel Thompson will agree with. So, you have four weeks to really pimp out your book. Ready…go!
Jump in with both feet. Marketing should really start months before your book ever hits bookstores or Amazon (some say 9 months), but better late than never right?
Here’s what I have been doing (what’s worked and what hasn’t):
I share links and fun promo pics on Facebook when I have five minutes to sit down. Results still pending 🙂
I’m not really sure what I’m doing on Twitter. I post links about my books, but more often, I post links about other people’s books and and interviews and reviews on my blog. Somehow I ended up with 2K followers and I’m trying to keep them interested.
I scout out blogs and websites who are willing to share news about my book releases. GoodKindles shares free and non-free titles. I found this GallyCat article that shared a bunch of sites to promote on (some paid, some free), and I’ve been testing a few out. I’ll share which worked and which didn’t as soon as I figure it out!
Free Booksy has so far gotten the best results when posting about a free book and having readers come back to buy the rest of the series. One promo with them several months ago is still showing results.
I’ve done several Goodreads Giveaways, but I can’t say I’ve noticed a significant change in sales by doing them. I’ve gotten a few reviews from these, but not many, even though Goodreads winners are encouraged to write a review.
I tested out the KDP Select program with two of my titles. I know some authors say they have had phenomenal results through this program, but I haven’t seen it. I get only a few borrows per month and the free book promotions don’t seem to drive further sales.
I’ve done several blog tours with various companies, and so far the only one that has produced noticeable increases in my sales has been with Turning The Page YA Blog Tours. I’ll continue to do blog tours with Angela, but I’m on the fence about trying anyone else.
Reviews are always a great way to promote. I’m all for using big and small blogs for reviews. I don’t think ignoring little blogs and only going after big bloggers is a good idea, because many of the smaller bloggers will not only review faster, if they like your book, they’ll continue to share your book in the long term.
Promote locally. Gail Wagner, Amanda Strong, and I have teamed up and spent some time giving presentations to the local schools. We’ve had a blast doing it, but we’ve also sold books! The teachers, librarians, and students want to read the books we tell them about, and it gets them excited about reading and writing, which is an even bigger bonus!
Wattpad. There is good and bad that comes with Wattpad. You’ll get nasty comments from teen readers with no manners, but you’ll also find some of your most loyal fans there who will tell everyone they know (literally) about your books. One way Wattpad has been a big help to me, aside from being a great place to connect with readers personally, is gaining reviews. Even when readers read your book for free on Wattpad, they still love having an “official copy” to keep and show off to their friends. When I finish posting a book (either permanent or temporary) I’ll offer to send ebooks to the first ten readers who write a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Also, I have several perma-free books posted on Wattpad, and if the readers want to continue the series, I’m happy to send them a free copy AFTER they write a review for the previous book. It’s really helped me boost my review numbers.
Connecting with other writers is probably one of the most beneficial things an author can do. We all know how hard it is to get our names out there and most are willing to help each other spread the word. Share their links and pins and posts, and they’ll share yours.
So…the point?
So, hang in there, keep marketing even if you feel like you haven’t got a clue. Most of us feel the exact same way. Eventually, you’ll find what works for you and your brand will start to take shape. What has worked or not worked for you? Feel free to share in the comments!
Crafty Authors Vol.1: Ribbon Bookmarks
Want to learn how to make some awesome, one of a kind book swag for you new book?
Supplies:
Making the Bookmark:
Hopefully this was helpful! I hope you have fun making your own Ribbon Bookmarks. If you have any questions, just leave a comment and click the “Notify Me” button so you’ll get an email when I answer. Thanks for stopping by and check back for instructions on wire bracelets, key chains, and a few other fun swag creations.
Wicked Hunger Release Day!!!
WICKED HUNGER by DelSheree Gladden
“Save him and hurt him, don’t save him and hurt him. Pain, either way. Delicious pain. Hunger will be the only one that wins. Hunger always wins.”
KIRKUS REVIEW OF WICKED HUNGER
Teenage siblings with a dark secret find their lives complicated by the arrival of a mysterious girl.EXCERPT FROM WICKED HUNGER:
“Oscar,” I snap. His mouth stops blabbering and he looks up at me. “I need to know if Zander’s in trouble.”ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually reading, painting, sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include Escaping Fate, Twin Souls Saga, The Destroyer Trilogy, and Invisible. The first book in the Someone Wicked This Way Comes series, Wicked Hunger, is scheduled to be released through Clean Teen Publishing on April 1, 2014.
Want to READ MORE from Clean Teen Publishing?
My Writing Process Tour
Welcome to the next stop on the My Writing Process Tour!
The lovely Dorothy Dreyer of “We Do Write” blog invited me to participate. So here we go!
This picture on the left feels like an accurate representation of what I’m working on right now! Let this be a lesson to writers who want to write more than one book at a time. You end up like me, in the middle of 4 different series!
Right now I’ve just started writing the third installment of my Someone Wicked This Way Comes Series. This third book will be titled, “Wicked Glory” and it will be the final book of the series.
I’m also in the middle of writing Oracle Lost (Escaping Fate #3), Invincible (Aerling Series #3), and the second Date Shark book, which doesn’t yet have a title.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I love to take real myths and legends and incorporate them into my fictional stories. I’ve included all kinds of topics, from Native American myths and Aztec gods to Maori creation stories and Egyptian lore.
3) Why do I write what I do?
I try to focus many of my stories on making readers think about what they are really capable of. They don’t have to be facing down a monster to find their strength. They don’t have to have special powers or strange abilities to do something amazing, either.
4) How does my writing process work?
My writing process has changed quite a bit over the years. I used to write completely by the seat of my pants. I never outlined and I just went with an idea until it either proved interesting enough or it bottomed out.
As I’ve ended up with less time to write and more deadlines to meet, I’ve had to adjust my process. Outlines have become a regular part of my writing, as have character sketches. More of my research is done before I start writing so I have less mistakes to go back and finish as well, which is kind of nice!
Now to tag the next authors who get to explain what goes on in their heads…
On the Radio
So, I recently took a leap of faith that I wouldn’t be terrible at radio and agreed to be interviewed on Bestselling Reads blog talk radio program. Here it is!
https://player.cinchcast.com/?show_id=6183121&platformId=1&assetType=single
Cover Reveal: Intangible (Aerling Series #2)
Interesting in being a tour host during the Intangible Blog Tour on March 17-29? There are still a few review post openings, so click on the tour banner below to sign up!
Author Links
Wicked Hunger Giveaway!!!
You’ve still got time to stop by and enter for a chance to win a copy of Wicked Hunger!!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Wicked Hunger
by DelSheree Gladden
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.











































