Rani Manicka's Blog

****SALE**** THE LATEST RELEASE FROM THE BEST SELLING AUTHOR IS ON SALE TODAY ****
*****4TH JULY SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER.*****
DOWNLOAD BLACK JACK ALL DAY FOR JUST 0.99 CENTS.
HURRY LIMITED TIME SALE, THEREAFTER $3.99.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Jack-Ra...

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Jack-Rani...


Have a great holiday weekend

Rani x

Dear all,I have been quiet on here for sometime as I have needed to get my head down to working on my next novel and with so many distractions all around me its been rather difficult lately. Anyhow I will have some new work hopefully sometime next year and will keep you posted on here,or look out for updates on my facebook page: www.facebook.com/RaniManickaAuthor.

In the meantime BLACK JACK has a lovely NEW COVER and you can see it here on;http://www.amazon.com/Black-Jack-Rani...

I hope that those of you who check it out like it as much as I do, I would love to hear any comments you may have.
Until later, lots of love.
Rani x

A huge THANKS for the wonderful response from across the globe who participated in my recent goodreads giveaway.I really do appreciate that you took the time to enter.
Thanks again

BTW,Keep your eyes posted for some new and exciting future giveaways from myself.
Love

Rani x

Huge, huge thanks to all my readers who have helped Black Jack the print book reach the top 10 today on Amazon genre best sellers. I am thrilled and cant thank you all enough and hope you enjoy my book.
Love to all

Rani

Amazon Best Sellers
Our most popular products based on sales. Updated hourly.
Best Sellers in Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction. Here's the link. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Jack-Ra...

To all my readers, black jack the paperback is now available from this easy link below
http://ccdgroupftp.co.uk/RM/RM.html.

Love to all.
Rani

My Latest goodreads book giveaway has just gone live. ENTER TO WIN 1 AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF MY NEW NOVEL BLACK JACK PLUS 1 AUTOGRAPHED BONUS COPY OF THE RICE MOTHER.

Thanks to everyone who entered my recent giveaway. For all those that took part and didn’t win,here is another chance to enter again. The lucky winner will also receive a signed copy of THE RICE MOTHER, my international best-seller.

So why not head over to goodreads at the link below and enter, its easy to join in.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/65537-black-jack

Good luck to everyone…

The post Black Jack,goodreads book giveaway appeared first on Rani Manicka.

Hi to everyone,
I am inviting you to take part in my latest book giveaway here on goodreads. The giveaway is for one SIGNED copy of my new novel BLACK JACK,the giveaway also includes
the ONLY EVER signed copy offered to goodreads readers on this site for my international best-selling novel 'The Rice Mother',so why not enter and win these two books for your collection.
here is the link; http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Good luck and love to everyone.

Rani

THE RISE OF BOOK SERIALIZATION: ARE AUTHORS PROSTITUTING THEIR ART?

 

Actual comments from Amazon reviewers:

“This serialization fad is absurd, in my opinion. I sure hope it is halted in is tracks or I may have to give up my kindle and go back to dead-tree books.”-  1 Star

‘The new trend to release in small increments is annoying, frustrating and a quick way to lose my book buying dollars.”  – 1 star.

“I couldn’t give more than three stars because the author and publisher should be made aware of how disappointing (and disgusting) it is to have this book butchered up and dispensed to readers in such a fashion.” – 3 Stars

 

So: have authors really turned to the oldest profession in the world?  

Under ‘tell us what we missed’ there should be a short history lesson for disgruntled reviewers and readers of how authors were slowly coaxed into becoming, courtesy of one particularly irritated and eloquent Amazon reviewer…er… prostitutes.

First, acquire one wonderfully brilliant invention – a contraption called the e-reader.  Introduce that into one super innovative marketing giant called Amazon.

Next pour in a phenomenally successfully Amazon marketing program called KDP select where books can be free for five days every three months.  Very briskly beat in authors/entrepreneurs/self-publishers who wisely and quickly exploit the opportunity.

Finally, add in an astonishing idea called the Unpaid Bestseller List and leave the mixture to bake at 180F for a few years.

 

The Result

A formidable army of new readers who believe they should never have to pay for another book.  And why should they?  It’s electronic – no trees or authors were harmed in the making of it!

 

Coffee is not free, bread is not free, water is not free, but books should be!

Higher powers have deemed they should.  There are even patience-is-a-virtue websites one can go to that will obligingly track books and inform one if and when those books become free.  And author forums are places where authors can go to, to vent about fired up readers who will write in to enquire when the next installment of an epic tale will become free.  If they are told it will not, only the first one is, the prompt reply is: Thanks but no thanks.

But… but…. authors have to drink coffee and eat too!

 

A Google trends search for ‘cheap books’ flaunts a steady decline graph, but ‘free books’ remains nicely buoyant!

But here’s another interesting fact – the pendulum can never stop anywhere.  It swings from one end back to the other, then back again. Once everyone has squeezed into their mini skirts, the beauty contest can no longer be judged by who dares go shorter.

Authors in mini skirts that can go no higher can take their knickers off and slowly cross and uncross their legs ala Fatal Attraction, or they can turn to another item in their cupboards – the maxi.  Also known as the novella, trilogy, short story, or serialization.  Those that uncross their legs will find themselves caught up in a popularity contest on the social media scene.  Ones whose lines are drawn by the shrill cries of #buymybook, #amfree, #freetoday,  or #helpanauthor.

 

Not scarcity but obscurity.   

Authors including marketing titans like Seth Godin, Hugh Howey and JA Konrath, all have, and still, advocate giving it away for nothing – at least at the beginning.  Apparently, it is very good for business.

Sometimes though, actions speak louder than words.  Now that Hugh is a publishing household name he is selling his short stories of 6000 words for $1.50.  Maxi anyone?

At the cost of selling less skirts Amazon led the mini skirt revolution.  Their motives are an open secret.  Now that the entire publishing industry has been ‘all shook up’ and its biggest roots loose in the ground, it would appear that Amazon too is reaching for its maxi.

All those websites they allowed to mushroom for the express purpose of promoting the free book — those that would not be making their income from free downloads, but the affiliate income from the washing machine or the fridge that the customer bought in the 24 hours period after the free download — will be curtailed to 20,000 downloads a month!  Free books will be as rare as hen’s tooth in the future.

 

My opinion:

The mini is a great attention hound and a super crowd pleaser, but when it’s raining and cold, and you’re a bit hungry the maxi can be a real beauty!

The post The One Star Review appeared first on Rani Manicka.