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In a fast paced world of digital publishing, it is hard to make sure that your eBook not only makes an impression but makes it out to a large audience, who want to read it.

That is the crux of the publishing industry’s dilemma when looking to market eBooks–do we go the traditional route: with mass media, TV spots and sponsored campaigns, which are very costly or do we look to non-traditional methods? A great example of a non-traditional tool is BookBub. In a few words this is how BookBub works: for a fee BookBub will help market your discounted eBook to their huge list of subscribers–1 Million + and counting.

I know what you are thinking–why should I discount my eBook and pay someone to market it for me? Shouldn’t people be buying my book for full price, so as to increase sales? Traditional mindset but totally wrong for the lean and fast world of digital publishing.

There are millions of eBooks out there, whether they be free or over $9.99. And millions of consumers looking for the next big thing. In working with BookBub, an important point is that they are putting your eBook in front of readers who have specifically requested the genre that your book is in. Sound simple? It is and it is also the reason why advertising doesn’t work most of the time–the product must match the consumer’s needs and wants!

A great example of this was our most recent campaign with BookBub, in which they hosted one of our KDP Amazon Free eBooks “The Last Madam” by Chris Wiltz and sent it out to their subscribers. The result:

“The Last Madam” was #1 Free Amazon List on May 15th–with over 37,000 downloads that week and almost 20,000 downloads the day that BookBub hosted it.

That equals great exposure and visibility! Interested contact BookBub today!

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Great news! Premier Digital Publishing in partnership with our amazing blogger network are hosting a giveaway of 9 Signed ARCs from our Fall Releases. We have an ARC for everyone and in every genre. All you have to do is click on the link above, follow the prompts and viola instant entry to win one of these great books!

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 1.  Piers Anthony’s Board Stiff – the long awaited next Xanth book, where witty wordsmithing and Piers’ amazing imagination create an amazing contribution to the Fantasy/Science Fiction genre.

2.  Michelle Arbeau’s Soul Numbers – An insightful look into numerology from celebrity numerologist and inspirational speaker Michelle Arbeau. Find out your fate and path with numbers in your life.

 3.  Greg Kihn’s Rubber Soul – A rocking ride through Beatlemania with rock star Greg Kihn as your tour guide. Taken from Greg’s intimate interviews with the band members, this may be fiction but it is 100% historically accurate.

4.  Ken Bruen’s Merrick - The Irish master of noir fiction, Bruen returns with a chilling look at a serial killer impersonating a cop in the NYPD and a series of brutal murders.

5.  Richard Crystal’s A Reign Supreme - The contemporary “Coming to America”, Crystal blends vivid storytelling with beautiful music, as a young man finds out he is the half-brother of an African prince who needs his help.

6.  Alan Jacobson’s No Way Out – The newest in the blockbuster Karen Vail series from law enforcement expert Alan Jacobson, with Karen heading across the pond to help Scotland Yard with a terrorist attack that is more than it seems.

7.  Kay Kenyon’s A Thousand Perfect Things – From renowned Fantasy author Kay Kenyon, comes a tale of an alternate Earth in the Victorian Age, where scientists and mages have gone to war against one another.

8.  Jonathan Ryan’s 3 Gates of the Dead – Think DaVinci Code meets The Shining, a horrifying battle for the soul of one man, who has lost his faith and his fiance to a deadly killer.

9.  Barbara Hall’s Charisma - A love story of angelic proportions, when the lead heroine starts to hear angelic voices after a near death experience and she meets a doctor, who will put his own skepticism aside to save her.

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Courtesy of DNG Design

Some of my earliest memories of my mother are of her reading books to me. She would sit at my side and read fantastic tales to me. It was my mom who got me my first library card and took me there every Sunday to get new books. I couldn’t believe it at the time that the library would just let you take their books, any one you liked–as long as you brought it back on time. Reading on my own was a little bit of a struggle, but my mom was always there to help me sound out the troublesome word, instead of just telling me myself.

My mom, who was an elementary school teacher at the time, knew how important it was for me to read every day, try out new books and always try to challenge myself. It is because of her that I read voraciously and sometimes inappropriately (I read Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary” in grade three) and why I love to read so much. My mom also taught me to read what I was interested in–ghosts, sharks and dinosaurs mostly and not to worry what anyone else thought of my reading choices.

To this day my mom and I discuss our top book choices at length and in her honor I give you:

Top 3 Formative Books that I Read Growing Up (Age Low to High)

1.  Funny Bones

Though many kids were afraid of skeletons, I found this skeleton family charming and sweet. In the story the skeleton family goes out into the park when everyone else is asleep and has fun. At this age I always wanted to stay up late and I wondered if there were skeletons hanging out at my neighborhood park while I was stuck in bed. I can still remember what the pages looked like and how the dog skeleton in the story got his bones all mixed up.

 2. Goosebumps

Not only was this a book series, but it was a TV series on YTV when I was growing up. Think of these as the “mini-Stephen King” books, totally creepy but not enough to sleep with the lights on or grow an unhealthy fear of clowns. I loved the twists and turns in these books, just when you thought you had the monster pegged–BAM turns out the main character is the monster! Still awesome to this day.

3.  The Last Vampire

The Last Vampire series is still on my shelf and is still one of my favorite reads, ranking up their with Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, William Burroughs’ The Soft Machine and Naked Lunch, World War Z by Max Brooks and Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. I know pretty serious–but these books have a 6000 year old vampire named Sita and she is tough as nails and cool as an iceberg. More than that, these books were never given a fair shake back in the 90s because YA Adult readers hadn’t come out of the closet–today this would have staked Twilight and The Hunger Games and it would have also made an amazing movie!

A blast from my past!

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Sharon & David of the Jivamukti Yoga Method

Yoga is one of the most popular activities that people take up to increase their physical fitness and mental wellbeing. In fact, it is difficult to find someone who hasn’t tried it, or isn’t interested in the prospect of trying out yoga. As an morning yogi myself, I have experienced the benefits of my yoga practice including:

1.  Flexibility and decreased injury

2.  Increased mental acuity and calmness

3.  A deep satisfaction from working my body and mind

Yoga Assists for the iPad, Kindle or tablet

Sharon Gannon and David Life, the Co-Founders of the Jivamukti Yoga Method, a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings, know all about the benefits of practicing and teaching yoga to others. The Namaste Duo have just recently released a new book–an enhanced digital eBook that details different asanas (poses) and how to correct your form and deepen your practice–”Yoga Assists”.

Though you may not be a super bendy pretzel or have practiced yoga for decades, this book helps to show you how your body should move into a pose and how to use your breath to guide you.

Here is a short clip of David Life Demonstrating “Yoga Assists” on his iPad:

Visit the Jivamukti Website for more information on these wonderful teachers, the “why” behind yoga and studios near you!

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Robert Graysmith author of the best-selling Zodiac, enthralls us with another riveting true crime story about the San Francisco based serial killer David J. Carpenter, in The Sleeping Lady–now available as an eBook.

Original paper back of The Sleeping Lady 1991

The Sleeping Lady details the monstrous murder rapes of a string of young women in San Francisco and surrounding areas from 1979 – 1982. David J. Carpenter–the Trailside Killer, a man of few words and powerful rages, led all levels of law enforcement on one of the largest manhunts in American history. 

Some of the strange evidence of these killings that led to the most costly and unusual of trials include:

• a coven of avenging witches
• a pair of bloodstained glasses
• an elusive .38 caliber revolver, a “mystery” .44 caliber gun
•  a discarded knife
• a gold-yellow jacket

The Sleeping Lady eBook 2013

For the first time, the entire story of the Trailside Killer, with interviews, testimonies and meticulous research, is available in one collection. Graysmith has pieced together countless court descriptions and scraps of evidence into a startling narrative that provides an in depth look into the killer’s mind and into the pain of his victims’ families. Enjoy this fascinating read on your kindle, tablet or smart phone today.

A Few Awesome Things About Robert Graysmith:

1.  Robert Graysmith is the New York Times bestselling author of seven true crime books including: Zodiac & The Sleeping Lady.

2.  He was a San Francisco Chronicle Journalist and cartoonist for twenty years, during the time of the Zodiac killings.

3.  He is: a Foreign Press Club Award winner, a Pulitzer Prize nominee and a prize winning syndicated political cartoonist.

4.  He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

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We know that you love the dark comedy Pain & Gain directed by Michael Bay, starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson. But now you can get the original Pain & Gain story from Pete Collins for $0.99 for a limited time!

An Epic three-part story from Pete Collins–Rene Rodriguez Miami Herald Online

The State of Florida v. Daniel Lugo, Noel Doorbal, John Carl Meese, et al. was such a case and I was the judge.  In reading Collins’s PAIN & GAIN, I learned things I had never known before….–The Honorable Judge Alex E. Ferrer

Tell you friends about this “Pain & Gain” deal and follow us on Twitter for more giveaways, book swag and author news!

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Image courtesy of www.painandgainmovie.com

Pain & Gain is not only the hottest new action film but it is based off of the true story written by Pete Collins. Pete, who was working as a reporter at the time of the notorious Sun Gym Gang’s crimes, actually broke the case wide open with his investigative reporting.

Image courtesy of www.painandgainmovie.com

Michael Bay, the blockbuster director of the Transformers movie franchise, picked up the story and crafted an epic dark adventure that portrays the more gruesome side of the “American Dream”. This is what Michael had to say about Collins’ work.

PAIN & GAIN is a mixture of FARGO and PULP FICTION. It’s a dark comedy, and it’s all true.
– Michael Bay

 

 

Image courtesy of www.painandgainmovie.com

Michael Bay cast a talented crew to play the colourful characters of this offbeat criminal story, including: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, Ed Harris, Anthony Mackie, Rebel Wilson and Bar Paly, to name a few.

This movie has already received rave reviews from media and critics alike:

Outrageously funny.–Newsweek

Insanely funny.–Playboy

Hilarious crime comedy ‘Pain & Gain’ is ‘Goodfellas’ on steroids.–New York Post

Pain & Gain by Pete Collins:

Personal trainers Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) and Noel Adrian Doorbal just wanted to be the biggest pumped up guys in the infamous Miami Sun Gym. That was until one of their rich clients flashed their cash and Daniel and Noel knew it was too tempting to pass up. Tempting to get some cold cash as easy as you please—a fail proof extortion con that should have made them rich. The Sun Gym Gang’s extortion scheme gets out of control and leads to kidnap, torture, staging a car crash and the murder of a Golden Beach millionaire and his trophy girlfriend.

All the while these two meatheads are driving around in the recently deceased millionaire’s sunny Lamborghini under the nose of the Miami-Dade County police.

What would it take to bring these juiced up fools to justice? Read the true account of the reporter who cracked this case wide open—Pain & Gain.

Read the book before you see the movie tonight!

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“A Possibility” by Anapnoe

The printed word was once limited to paper and to only those readers who could access it. Now with the streamlined distribution of electronic books, with immediate download and unencumbered access, the once printed word is free for many to enjoy. With eReaders and tablets being ubiquitous in our society, it is now easier to find new and old favorites, than trying to search up a printed copy that may have succumbed to the ravages of age.

Once again, we have moved forward from the ability to purchase one single eBook at a time, to buying multiples, a complete series–or bundles. The great thing about buying a complete series from an author you love, is that there isn’t any waiting time in between books and you can immediately satisfy your desire to know “what happens next”.

A new site, Sci-Fi eBook Bundles, hosts limited time offers on the best eBooks in the genre. By offering these titles in bulk, both the consumer and the seller benefit from drastically reduced prices–58% on their newest bundle “Sci-Fi Classics”. These bundles have a talent heavy list of bestselling and award winning authors from this genre: Andre Norton, Stanislaw Lem and Piers Anthony. These titles are also DRM FREE!

Share this great site with your Sci-Fi loving friends and keep an eye out for the next “Bundle of the Week”!

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Spring is totally killer…for people who love Crime & Thriller Fiction

Coming soon we will have a huge line up of NEW releases and deadly fiction from some of the best wordsmiths in the business: National Bestseller Alan Jacobson, Gaylord Dold, Ib Melchior and Chris Wiltz. Enjoy the best promotional prices on our newest and hottest Crime & Thriller Fiction at 50% off and you’ll have us dead to rights!

Follow us on Twitter for Exclusive FREE Crime & Thriller Fiction eBook download days!

Follow us on Twitter for FREE eBook Download Days!

 A little about our deadly authors involved in this promo:

Alan Jacobson

The newest novel in the Karen Vail Series “No Way Out” hits stores  9/17/13.

Jacobson Alan:

Best-selling author of the Karen Vail series, Alan has worked extensively with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), agents at Quantico, members of the DEA, US Marshals Service, SWAT and local law enforcement’s bomb squads and investigative details to gather research for his novels. Karen Vail burst from the pages with a vibrant personality, a woman bucking the odds in a unit geared toward men, someone who always means well but, like you and me, is fallible.

Gaylord Dold

Snake Eyes:  winner of Best Paper Back Novel, Private Eye Writers of America

Gaylord Dold:

Gaylord Dold is the author of fifteen works of fiction including the highly acclaimed private detective series featuring Mitch Roberts and Ex-Marine Captain Jack Kilgore, a well as numerous contemporary crime thrillers. Mitch Roberts is a character influenced by the works of Raymond Chandler, though the series is written in a much less hard-boiled style.

Ib Melchior

Ib Melchior was honored with the Golden Scroll for body of work by the Science Fiction Academy and the Hamlet Award for best legitimate play by the Shakespeare Society of America.

Ib Melchior:

When Pearl Harbor plunged us into war, Ib Melchior volunteered his service to the US Armed Forces, and served four years, two of them in the ETO working as a Counter Intelligence Agent. His work earned him decorations from three countries, including the USA, and he was subsequently knighted and awarded the Knight Commander Cross by the Militant Order of Sct Brigitte of Sweden.

Chris Wiltz

The Last Madam was hailed as “Juicy, jaunty” by Entertainment Weekly.

Chris Wiltz:

Chris Wiltz is the author of three Neal Rafferty New Orleans Mysteries, as well as numerous works of fiction and one non-fiction, The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underworld. All books are inspired by and set in her native city of New Orleans. Ms. Wiltz still resides in New Orleans where she has been a visiting writer-in-residence at Loyola and Tulane Universities, and an adjunct professor at Loyola, teaching creative writing.

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We have all heard of guardian angels and are familiar with the concept of miracles–but do they really exist?

In a society where science is godly and knowledge flows without ebb, it is hard for many of us to believe in something that can’t be quantified or taxonomized by science. The very science that has enabled humankind to reach the moon, create life in a dish and map our own genetic code. Yet, there is something to be said for events in our life that cannot be satisfactorily explained in a lab, or under a microscope.

Peter Shockey

Peter Shockey, author and award-winning filmmaker that set the standard for the inspirational genre, has collected accounts such as these and presented them in his second book, Miracles, Angels & Afterlife. These stories may sound familiar if you have watched any of Peter’s TLC documentaries Life After Life and Angel Stories.

Life After Life TLC Documentary

A notable event from Shockey’s Miracles, Angels & Afterlife, describes a man’s account with a strange occurrence that saved his, and the entire church choir’s lives. For different reasons every choir member was late for their weekly practice. This was a group that met religiously (if you’ll forgive the pun) and were never late. It was on this day, around the time that the choir would have already begun practice, that the church roof collapsed. As if to demonstrate the singular nature of this situation, a large chunk of debris was found in the man’s parking space.

Luck? Chance? Coincidence? The important thing about these amazing accounts is that you don’t need to be religious to understand them, or think that sometimes a positive force may be protecting us and those we love.

Read & Review Miracles, Angels & Afterlife here!

Enjoy this amazing collection of miraculous events in the everyday. Now available to read and review for FREE through NetGalley!