The Blackwood Family Saga Volume One
Each tale involves a different member of the Blackwood family, yet all the books work together to create an exciting tale of life for a family that appear to be a magnet for danger, crime, and true love.
The Blackwood Family Saga
Volume One
Comprising of the first four books in the Blackwood Family Saga
A fast-paced, heart-racing and heartwarming action romance series featuring the amazing Blackwood Family. The path to true love is never straightforward and the Blackwoods are not a straightforward family. Danger confronts them at every turn, as the siblings cope with murder, kidnap, drug barons, and serial killers, on top of family relationships.
Your typical first date stuff, then.
This popular and much-loved series goes from strength to strength, with women and men alike loving its pacey plots, tongue-in-cheek humour, and relatable characters.
The Blackwood Family Saga
Stories of Strong Men and Even Stronger Women
*
About the Author:
Julia lives in the historical market town of Bury St Edmunds in the East of England. Now an empty-nester as her daughter is at university, Julia lives with a little black cat and a baby tortoise. A multi-genre author of 16 published books to date, Julia always says that a good story is a good story, regardless of what box it comes in.
More About Julia Blake:
From all of the books in your impressive backlist, what made you decide on the Blackwood Saga for a special omnibus edition?
I'd always had it in mind to make an eBook box set of the first four books. When I began thinking which books to produce as deluxe hardbacks, the Blackwood Family was an obvious choice. Individually, the books are too short to be published in hardback format, but put the first four together in one volume and it makes for a wonderfully chunky, epic read. It is a planned eight book series, so once the final books are written, Volume Two will be published.
*
What are some pitfalls newer writers should look for when planning a special edition?
Research and timing. When I set out to publish my books through a platform other than Amazon, I had no idea of the order in which I should do things. I wanted to buy ISBNs and shift my books from Amazon - we all know authors who have suffered from Amazon arbitrarily unpublishing their books and even deleting their accounts - so I wanted a safety net. Also, in the UK there is still a stigma to being Amazon published. Main books stores won't stock your books, neither will independent books shops. United in their hatred of Amazon, it leaves the poor indie author nowhere. It is expensive to buy ISBNs but I felt it was an investment and that it might lead to my books being stocked by physical shops. I bought a block of ten numbers, but didn't realise I needed to immediately register them with Nielson Book Editor.
This ignorance came back to bite me on the behind when I tried to publish my books through The Book Vault. No one had told me and I hadn't known to ask, that once all the information is on Nielson then it is easily transferred to whichever publishing house you are going through. It would have saved me days of head-scratching and googling what on earth BISCs etc were if I'd known and used the tools on Nielson to register my books.
Also, manage your expectations. It is going to take time, money, and a big chunk of your soul. Be sure it is what you want and be prepared for it to take longer than you think and cost more than you budgeted for.
I went through The Book Vault because they promised so much in terms of items such as sprayed edges, dust jackets etc. They promised they could distribute through Amazon. After months of emails begging for information that was not on their website, it turned out that yes, I could have sprayed edges - at a huge cost - but those books would not be available from Amazon. I discovered that Book Vault can only distribute through Amazon if Amazon say so, and as they are a rival POD publishing house, Amazon are less inclined to say yes.
Most of all, make the special editions the best you can possibly manage. I know they've probably been edited to the nth degree, but go through them again with a fine toothcomb. If you haven't looked at them in a while, you may be shocked what fresh eyes will find. Take the opportunity to polish your book until it shines like a diamond.
*
When planning a new book release, what are the first steps you take towards getting your book ready for publication? Do you have any advice for preparing a book to be published?
Firstly, and it sounds backwards, start talking about your book before you've finished writing it. Share your writing journey on social media and in your blog or newsletter. Interest people in the characters and story you are creating - without spoilers, of course, - and interest people in it. It takes time for ideas to brew, by generating a buzz about your forthcoming release you will have readers waiting to buy your book as soon as it's released.
Secondly, and it seems obvious, but make sure your book is as perfect as it can be BEFORE it's released. I read a lot of indie books and it makes me cringe when I find multiple typos, grammar, and punctuation errors in a book. Sloppy formatting is also a pet peeve of mine. I once contacted an author to politely point out how badly put together her eBook was, only to be curtly informed that "it didn't matter, it's only an eBook". For a start, there's nothing "only" about eBooks, they make up 80% of most indie author sales. They also matter more than the physical edition in some ways. Most readers won't take a chance on the expense of a paperback from an unknown indie author, they will buy the eBook first. If it is of poor quality, then they probably won't bother buying or reading anymore of that author's work. Make it a priority to format your eBook correctly.
*
Have you run into any difficulties when it comes to publishing your books? What have you learned from the experience?
Like many authors, I struggle with promotion and marketing. I'm simply not very good at it. With the algorithms on social media actively stacked against us indie authors it does feel that no matter how beautiful or creative my promo post is, it will be buried and gain a fraction of the engagement that a picture of my cat or my coffee cup gets. I do much better at live events where I can talk to potential readers and interest them in my books based on the passion I have for them.
*
What is you absolute favourite part about being an author?
Oh, so many things. Creating incredible worlds and characters. Talking to readers and other authors about my books - we all love it when a reader reaches out to let us know how much they loved our story. It's always wonderful when a reader comes to find me at a live event to talk to me about one of my books they've read. I love the support and encouragement that exists between most authors on social media. I am also fortunate enough to belong to the Writers of Bury and Beyond that is a wonderful group of highly talented indie authors.
I guess, most of all, I just love being a published author. Even if no one buys my books, it gives me a sense of purpose and defines who I am.
*
What's next for your writing?
I am currently halfway through writing an epic space opera fantasy novel. I am having a lot of fun with it and again, the characters are strolling through my head dictating what I write. As a complete pantser, I have no idea what's going to happen next, but that's the fun part.
Comments
Post a Comment