Short story in Christmas issue of Your Cat magazine!

Today you will find my heartwarming short story Will it snow this Christmas? on pages 58-9 of Your Cat magazine!  I was so thrilled it is featured in their special December issue. 

Don't forget, if you love cats, you will enjoy my novel Coming Home - available from Amazon!  

I donate all royalties to the charity Cats Protection.

Book reviews for Joyrider and Coming Home

I really do feel blessed to receive such lovely reviews from Nayu's Reading Corner for two of my titles: Coming Home, about the journey of two special Norwegian Forest cats, and Joyrider, a dramatic emotional adventure.  Here are the links if you want to check them out:

http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/joyrider-by-jane-ayres-young-adult.html


http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/coming-home-by-jane-ayres-childrens-9.html

Reviews are great motivators for authors - and when you are feeling low and tempted to give up the rocky road as a writer, a great review can inspire you to keep going for a while longer!

Horse in my Heart rated epic read!

I was really thrilled to find that the brilliant Nayu's Reading Corner has rated my emotional drama The Horse in my Heart 10E.

The Horse in My Heart by Jane Ayres

Young Adult

10E/10E

(Tissues most definitely needed!)

Nayu explains on her site:

Reviews are rated out of 10, 1 being the lowest and 10E being the highest. The E part = epic read, higher than a standard 10, for books I hug (really!) & want everyone to read. 

I can't begin to describe how wonderful it feels for an author to know that someone enjoyed their work so much - truly grateful! Thank you, Nayu!

STOP PRESS: Nayu also rated Coming Home a 10E:
(A heartbreaking read about two well loved cats who get separated from their owner and each other...)

More info: http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.co.uk

Related posts: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20Horse%20in%20my%20Heart

Kittens to cats

I was flicking through some old pics recently and came across these of Sita and Steve when they were not much more than kittens.  How they have grown!  It reminded me why they were the inspiration for my book Coming Home.  Simply adorable!

kitten Steve

kitten Sita

Related post: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/cat-in-box.html

Music for Writers

There are some terrific Saturday Schools for Writers as part of the community and adult education programme at Canterbury Christ Church University throughout the Autumn, which offer amazing value and a range of fascinating topics.  

November 22 offers the second in an innovative series called Music for Writers: Emotion, Music and Moving Image.  This is intended for writers, music lovers and film lovers.  How can words, sound and image combine to create something unique? How is music used to express and convey emotion and atmosphere when combined with the medium of film? What is the relationship between sound and image? Using case studies that include films such as The Go-Between (Joseph Losey), Last Year in Marienbad (Alain Resnais) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca and Psycho, these issues will be explored and examined.

The tutor is an award winning composer and inspiring teacher, who wrote the music for my book trailer for Coming Home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aweX0y3lvL4&feature=youtu.be

Barry Seaman's work has been performed in the UK and Europe, USA, Canada and Australia, with broadcasts on Radio 3.  His music for silent films Tsar Ivan Vasilyevitch Grozny (Alexander Ivanov-Gai 1915) and The Life of Richard Wagner (Carl Froelich 1913) was widely toured in the USA. Barry has a special interest in music as a healing process and is currently working on Mirabai, a large scale multimedia opera that explores the life of Mirabai, mystic poet and dancer from 16^th century Rajasthan. A short film of the Krishna dance scene was directed by acclaimed film director, Tony Palmer.  

To hear Gabriel’s Greeting click

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIyhg8e04cI

  

All Day Schools cost £29.50.  

To book please contact April Doyle via email to education.communityarts@canterbury.ac.uk or by phoning 01227 863451

See link for more info.  

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/community-arts-education/day-schools/autumn-2014.asp

Cat in a Box

sita

Like many cat lovers, I'm a big fan of the wonderful Simon's Cat. If you haven't encountered him, check out this You Tube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKvNqe8cKU4

And, as you can see, Sita and Steve also love boxes! 

steve

Related posts (and some great cat pics!)

http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cats-and-book-reviews.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/cats-cuddling.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/cats

http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/writing-from-heart.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/cats-coming-home-for-charity.html

Cats Coming Home for Charity

I haven't posted for a while.  Lots happening.  In the meantime, here are some more pics of the totally adorable Sita and Steve, the Norwegian Forest cats who inspired my novel Coming Home, which has so far raised over £350 for Cats Protection, with 18 Five Star reviews.  I donate all my royalties to the charity, so please download a copy from Amazon - you will be helping cats in need.  Thanks.

eating biscuits together

Related posts (and some great cat pics!)

http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cats-and-book-reviews.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/cats-cuddling.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/cats

http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/writing-from-heart.html

  

Book promotion: is it working for you?

So how was it for you?  Promoting your last book? Marketing can be a bit of a mystery sometimes.  Especially when it comes to books.  As I may have mentioned before, one of my early titles outsells all the others several times over.  I've never promoted this book. If I knew why it sells more I could bottle the formula and use it again.  Unfortunately I've never figured it out, so I can't.

What works and what doesn't? Let's look at social media first.  Namely, Facebook. 

Likes and shares do not equal sales! 

Social Media is often hailed as a book selling tool, but it has its limitations.  One of my charity e-books, Coming Home, has lovely reviews, and every now and then, the Cats Protection, who I donate all my royalties to, give the book a shout on their Facebook page.  Each time they do, it always boosts sales and reviews, which is great, because that's more income for cats in need.  This month, their Facebook post about my book has so far garnered 1132 likes and 145 shares.  Fantastic!  Now, for anyone out there who thinks they can solely rely on Facebook to sell books, think again!  I've sold an extra 25 copies of Coming Home from this exposure.  Likes and shares do not equal sales!  Based on this example, there is roughly one sale per 6 shares, and around 2 sales per 100 likes.  It's worth doing the sums. 

"Old skool" techniques

In order to promote my other darlings, I've tried "old skool" (as I believe it may be called now - god, I'm getting old!) techniques, such as paid advertising space in an actual printed magazine.  Since I write books that are aimed at children and teens who love ponies, I chose the best selling UK magazine aimed at this market - PONY magazine.  It's perfect in so many ways, and in my excitement at trialling some promotion, I pre-booked not one, but 4 advertorials spanning from Easter 2014 to February 2015.  With such a targeted readership so closely aligned to my own target market, how could it fail?  

I've had 2 of my books featured so far.   I knew how many EXTRA books I would have to sell to cover the costs of the ad (a lot!)  So, how did it impact on sales? Disappointingly little.  Of course, the only way to be certain of the impact would be to know how many books would have sold without the ad and there's no way of doing this.  I can just go on what average sales were prior to the ad - although these can vary -  since at least with Amazon, you can track how effective any promo is on a daily basis, which is a really valuable tool.  I'm hoping the ads will be a long term investment to build my visibility with my target audience.  And that anyone who did buy the featured book as a result of the ad will then go on to buy my other titles.  But who knows.....?

Any one else out there using "old skool" methods?  And if so, how was it for you?
Oh, and if anyone has the magic formula for why some books sell better than others (or some foolproof marketing technique for authors), please share it with everyone!  Thanks. 


Related post: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-further-mysteries-of-author.html

Writing from the heart

It is always lovely to get nice reviews, and to know that a reader has really enjoyed reading one of your stories.  So when I read a recent review on Amazon.com for my cat charity book, Coming Home, it made me feel quite emotional.  

This book, about two Norwegian Forest cats who are lost, and their owner's frantic search for them to be reunited, is a special book for me, so when the reader commented, 
The author writes from the heart and gives from the heart

I was both delighted and grateful, and very happy.  

Thank you, Barbara, for your lovely words.


You can read the full review here 
http://bamauthor.me/2014/06/18/captivating-cats/

Related posts (and some great cat pics!)
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cats-and-book-reviews.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/cats

Cats cuddling!

Today I'm catching up on lots of things writing related, with exciting plans ahead.  In the meantime, here's a pic of the totally gorgeous Sita and Steve, the Norwegian Forest cats who are the inspiration for my novel Coming Home, currently raising funds for Cats Protection.  Enjoy!  

Related posts: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Coming%20Home

Making a book trailer: 20 Steps I took before, during and after making my first book trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aweX0y3lvL4&feature=youtu.be

1.       I took time and did not hurry the process

2.       I studied a lot of book trailers on You Tube – some good, some not so much, some done by pro teams and publishers, others by authors.

3.       I had a small budget so needed to be creative

4.       I worked with a professional designer, Klaus Hartleben,  who I trust, respect and who designs my kindle covers. Yes, you can do it yourself – all of it – but I am not a designer so I would rather pay someone else to do this bit so it looks as professional as possible

5.       I wanted specially written original music so commissioned a professional composer to do it.  I love Barry Seaman’s music and knew it would be good. Music really enhances the storytelling in the trailer and brings out the emotion.

6.       I chose the words for the trailer – this took time and a lot of careful thought.  I made several drafts before I was totally happy.  Did it tell a story?  Did it engage the viewer?

7.       I picked stock photo images – again carefully chosen.  I did change a few after my original selections.

8.       A book trailer is like a mini film.  It has to intrigue people above all else and engage them emotionally.

9.       I asked the opinions of two people not involved in the process for a more objective view.  It’s too easy to fall in love with your own creations and lose sight of their purpose!

10.    After seeing the first draft of the trailer, (without the music) I got even more picky, and edited words and images again – just subtle changes. 

11.    I made sure the trailer info on You Tube had the book links and my blog links.

12.    After the final version was complete, I waited and reflected for a while, to make sure I was totally happy, before loading onto You Tube.

13.    After it had received around 50 hits, I added it to my Amazon author pages for the UK and US.

14.    I sent it out – in individual messages (not a mass email) – to friends, colleagues and associates, plus all organisations that might be interested. 

15.    I did the same with my Linked in networks.

16.    With Facebook groups, I also sent individual messages – never assume it’s okay to just post on someone else’s page without asking permission.

17.    After a week, I checked my book sales to see what effect the book trailer might have had.

18.    I did the same with my blog to see if any viewers were finding it via You Tube.

19.    Between 20 and 28 October it had 344 views.  I had the search title as Coming Home by Jane Ayres. There are lots of other book trailers for the same title, ie, plenty of other books called Coming Home.  Was mine getting lost? So on 29 October I changed the search title to Norwegian Forest Cat Adventure book trailer to see if it improves the visibility. 

20.    If having a book trailer results in more books sales, I plan to do a trailer for another title in the near future – possibly more.  A book trailer is an investment of time and money.  So is it worth it?  It's too early to say yet.

I couldn’t figure how to embed clickable weblinks into book trailers, and I couldn’t find any that do this.  So if you know how to do this I would love to hear from you! In the fast, impatient world that we live in, with instant clicks to anything we want,  I wonder how many people will want to scroll to the info after viewing the trailer to click on the Buy links?  Any feedback on this very welcome!

I’m happy with the result of all our work with the trailer - what do you think? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aweX0y3lvL4&feature=youtu.be

If you enjoy Barry's music you might also like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIyhg8e04cI

Book trailer for Coming Home!!

So here it is at last!  My first ever book trailer!  I'm really excited - it was a first for myself (I wrote the words and chose the images), the designer and the composer and I'm so pleased with the result. 

It is to promote my cat story Coming Home and has original music specially composed.

All royalties from the book sales go to the charity Cats Protection. Thanks if you are able to share! 

Click the link to view:
http://youtu.be/aweX0y3lvL4

Coming Home book trailer - coming soon!

Along with a designer and a composer I have been working hard on my first ever book trailer for my cat book, Coming Home - and it is ready to launch!  Watch this space!

Writing projects, cats and unwritten stories

Steve, one of the two adorable feline inspirations for Coming Home

I'm working on several projects right now, one of which is a book trailer for Coming Home.  I love working with a designer and am now adding a composer to the mix.  It is so exciting to see your ideas realised (and refined!) by other creatives.

I also came across a stack of notes for unwritten books that I plan to go through later, to see if there is anything worth developing.  And I definitely plan to write a sequel to Beware of the Horse (thank you so much, wonderful Vikki Thompson from The View Outside, who suggested the idea - you should be a writing mentor, Vikki!).

So I have plenty to be getting on with.......

Related posts: http://www.janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Coming%20Home

Furry Fluffy Felines!

I'm currently researching producing a book trailer for my e-book Coming Home which will doubtless include some pics (and maybe film) of the wonderful felines who inspired the story, Sita and Steve.  So here's a pic of these adorable Norwegian Forest cats snoozing and cuddling (with Steve using Sita as a pillow!) and a reminder to cat lovers that all my royalties are being donated to the charity Cats Protection - and I want to raise as much as possible for them. Thanks!

Here are the links:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coming-Home-journey-special-ebook/dp/B00AGZV9WM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363020617&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Home-journey-special-ebook/dp/B00AGZV9WM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369845255&sr=8-1&keywords=coming+home+jane+ayres

Related posts:
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cats-and-book-reviews.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/lessons-in-indie-publishing-free-books.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/inspiration-for-coming-home-norwegian.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/coming-home-my-new-book-for-cat-lovers.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/running-cats-and-writers-block.html

If you are a cat lover you might also enjoy:
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/johnny-depp-kylie-and-truth-about-cats.html

Cats and book reviews

Book reviews are hard to come by, so when I get positive reviews I’m always very grateful.  It shows, I hope, that I am connecting with readers in the way that I intended.  I’ve been lucky so far, and some of the comments for Coming Home, my story about two special cats separated from their young owner, Kira, were so lovely it made me feel quite emotional.  Maybe it was because the book was such a labour of love.   I hope you enjoy it too – and every penny and cent of the royalties are going to the charity Cats Protection.

Some comments about Coming Home on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

“It is a lovely little book, and a nice easy read. Any cat lover will enjoy the story and relate to the descriptions of the cats.”

“The characters work well, and the story is just the right length. It is well edited and produced and the front cover is evocative of the story itself.”

“I think most cat lovers would enjoy this story of hope and determination. I enjoyed it very much!”

“A tender story about the love of a young girl for her two cats and the love they share with her and with each other. Their persistence in trying to become reunited and the difficulties they faced in this pursuit were so suspenseful that I kept reading. It also brought tears to my eyes at times. You could just feel the emotions of the characters throughout the story. I loved the way in which the author tied together all the different characters and events. This is a wonderful story that even adults will enjoy. Read it - discover what happened; I highly recommend it.”

Related posts:
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/inspiration-for-coming-home-norwegian.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/coming-home-my-new-book-for-cat-lovers.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/running-cats-and-writers-block.html

Cat Lovers: FREE e-book until March 13th!

My e-book Coming Home is available to download FREE until midnight March 13th (my birthday!). Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coming-Home-journey-special-ebook/dp/B00AGZV9WM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363020617&sr=8-1

This is the first time this title has been part of Amazon's free promotion, since all my royalties are being donated to the charity Cats Protection.  However, sales are slower than I had hoped and the free promo has helped previous titles so I am hoping it will do the same for this one, since the ultimate aim is to raise funds for Cats Protection from sales of the book.

It is, amazingly, currently No.1 on Amazon.com in the top 100 free e-books under the children's e-books/animals/cats category which is exciting, (but there are only actually 8 titles in this category!). It is also 23 in Literature and Fiction/Children's Fiction/Animals category. In the UK, it is currently ranked as follows:

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,784 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

• #16 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Children's Fiction > Animals
• #16 in Kindle Store > Books > Children's eBooks > Animals

These rankings are updated HOURLY so this can change in the blink of an eye (almost!)

So if you know any cat lovers, do let them know!

Related posts:
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cats-and-book-reviews.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/lessons-in-indie-publishing-free-books.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/inspiration-for-coming-home-norwegian.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/coming-home-my-new-book-for-cat-lovers.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/running-cats-and-writers-block.html

If you are a cat lover you might also enjoy:
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/johnny-depp-kylie-and-truth-about-cats.html

Nigella Lawson and Me

Of the several resolutions I have made for 2013 (losing weight, writing more, running more, going to bed earlier, getting up earlier, etc – you get the picture!) I have also decided to be a bit braver on my blog.  Previously, I’ve tried to focus on being a writer rather than a person, almost afraid to reveal what makes me tick.  Of course, who and what we are is inextricably linked to the way in which we create our words and stories. 

Because of my life experiences, my fictional characters have to work for their positive outcomes.  I hesitate to use the word “happy” ending but prefer to opt for hopeful instead.  In Coming Home, my latest book, Kira, the teenage protagonist, undergoes a great deal of heartache and hardship on the journey to find her lost cats.  In the first of my Matty trilogy,  Matty and the Moonlight Horse, my impulsive female heroine falls in love with not one but two perfect horses.  By the end of Book One, she has neither,  but learns that if dreams don’t come true they can change and evolve – as we do.  

Imperfections, anxieties, flaws and fears are what make us human.  Experiences, both positive and negative, inform and affect our thoughts and creative processes.   So how, you may ask, does this relate to Nigella Lawson?

I am the total opposite of what is termed a domestic goddess.  I can barely cook, for starters (forgive the pun!) and maybe, just maybe, there is a tiny part of me that envies those who can.  I avoid cookery programmes on TV and consequently never imagined I could ever have anything in common with a glamorous celebrity such as Nigella Lawson.  Funny how, with the help of the media, we construct an image of a person we have never met and don’t know and make judgements.  As a writer, who is used to constructing fictional characters, I credit myself with a level of intelligence and awareness that should stop me falling into this trap but I can be as guilty as the next woman.   

Back to Nigella, who was recently interviewed in Red magazine.  Normally, I would have skipped this article but for some reason, I started to read.  I’m glad I did.  She is refreshingly honest and I found myself being unexpectedly moved.  Nigella “admits” to being a “catastrophiser.”  It is telling that I use the word “admits” as if it was a guilty secret.  I, too, am habitually drawn towards what my counsellor labelled “catastrophic thinking”.  Basically, this means that in certain situations, my mind will identify the worst possible scenarios and conclude their inevitability in a process that seems entirely logical.  While this can be useful as a fiction writer, it can stop me doing activities that most “normal” people would perform without turning a hair and can really interfere with daily life.  But I try to hide this behavioural trait since I know from past experience that the majority of people often regard it as weird and incomprehensible.  Certain life events, such as major bereavement, can reinforce catastrophic thinking, which Nigella reflects upon, having lost three of the people she loved to cancer.  Something else we have in common.  Dealing with catastrophic thinking can be an exhausting battle and she describes herself as a worrier and prone to being fearful, which I can totally identify with.   Her frankness resonated enormously and I have huge respect for this.  It was also a real lesson for me on stereotyping people as a result of media hype.  Reading the interview left me feeling inspired to acknowledge and tackle issues and emotions that I tend to hide from, and not to shy away from expressing these through my writing.

Oh, and another thing Nigella and I have in common too – a belief that calorie counting and dieting makes you miserable, “draining the pleasure out of life”.  Well said, Nigella.  I think women everywhere would agree on that!    Although this may make my resolution to lose weight in 2013 rather tricky…..

Inspiration for Coming Home: Norwegian Forest Cats Steve and Sita

My novel Coming Home was inspired by two amazing, intelligent and very special Norwegian Forest cats, Sita and Steve.  A brown tabby, Steve is expressive, knowing and highly sensitive - sometimes bold, sometimes timid, sometimes laid-back, with an impressive memory and an extremely loving nature. And he is a very large cat.

And here is Steve cuddled up with his half-sister Sita, a silver grey tabby.  Sita is gentle, incredibly affectionate and very maternal. They adore each other.  And they are both adored.

Related post: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/coming-home-my-new-book-for-cat-lovers.html
http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cats-and-book-reviews.html

Typo horror!

I have just discovered to my horror, after 6 proof reads, in several formats, that 3 typos have slipped through onto the first few pages of Coming Home! Arrrgh!!! I have just corrected these and re-uploaded to Amazon. Many apologies to the 5 readers who have already bought the book. I check until my eyes hurt and for me, even one typo, be it an extraneous full stop, sticks out like a beacon in the sea of words.  Maybe I need to ask someone else to do a final proof!

As a reader, I am very intolerant of typos so, dear readers, please accept my profuse apologies.