Anne R. Allen's Blog: 7 Ways Authors Waste Time "Building Platform" on S...

Whew!

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today looking for something besides marketing ideas. He has spent so much time over the last few months trying to build his author platform!

Well guess what he found. The ultimate anti-platform guide by Anne R. Allen. He read it over and then insisted I read it. Now he wants you to read it.

Whew! Facebook? Twitter? Tumblr? Nah. Now we can rest and get back to writing our next book.

If you want to know if building your platform is worth it, tootle over to Anne R. Allen's Blog: 7 Ways Authors Waste Time "Building Platform" on S...: Authors are getting hammered with more and more demands on our time. We get escalating pressure to blog more! tweet more!! send more newsl...

How To Sell 300,000 Copies Of Your Book

300,000? 300,000!

Panzer was out in the Catosphere and stopped in at Alex Cavanaugh's blog. There's a terrific post there by RaShelle Workman.

RaShelle explains exactly what she did to sell 300,000 copies of her books. You read that right ... 300,000 copies!

Panzer says, "That is cat - fantastic!"

If you want to know RaShelle's super secret plan to writing sucess, tootle over to 300,000 sold!

Apple Case Gets Interesting

Attorneys?

Panzer has been reading the information online about the Apple Court Case. He doesn't care about the ebook pricing issues involved. He calls it research in case he ever includes a court scene in one of his stories.

Panzer says, "Whatever you might think about the Apple case, it is fun to follow all of the ins and outs of the attorneys in the case."

So, if you're interested in the latest news from the case, go to Apple Court Case and then let us know what you think.

Book Design Awards

I'm sorry!

Panzer is so sorry he's late with this announcement! It got lost in the Catosphere.

Here are the 2013 winners of the Pub West Book Design Awards at Book Design Awards

Nook E-books

Hmmm? $1.99?

Panzer found an interesting post about B&N's Nook over at the Mashable blog.

Just as Amazon does, Nook will begin their own independently published short story line. Each of the stories will be in the 5,000 word range and will sell for $1.99.

If you want to read all about this new line, tootle over to Nook Snaps.

Ireland’s New Stamp Features a 224 Word Short Story

Special Delivery!

Panzer was out in the Catosphere today and he stopped in at the Passive Voice blog.

Guess what he found?

Ireland has a new stamp. And that stamp has a short story on it. Can you believe it? A whole short story on a stamp.

Panzer says, "It gives a whole new meaning to Special Delivery!"

To see what it looks like, tootle on over to Ireland’s New Stamp Features a 224 Word Short Story

A Panzerism

Panzer on butterflies:

Mom likes butterflies and so do I.
She likes their bright colors and so do I.
She likes the way they flutter around and so do I.

But it sure seems something that pretty should taste better.

What Makes a Reader Pick Up a Book By a Debut Author?

I don't agree.

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere looking for marketing ideas. He found an interesting post from April at Jody Hedlund's blog.

Jody discusses the five things she believes a reader looks for when deciding if a debut author's book is worth looking at. Among the five are the standard have a good cover and have lots of reviews, but also included are word of mouth, written by a friend and whether it's traditionally or indie published. She has an argument for why readers consider each point.

Panzer agrees with all of the points discussed except whether readers actually care if a book is traditionally or indie published. A few years ago that was important, but today that's no longer true. A whole editing industry has grown up around indie publishing. Indie published books are as well edited now as traditionally published books.

If you're interested in Jody's view, tootle on over to What Makes a Reader Pick Up a Book By a Debut Author?

Clean Indie Reads

"Clean Indie Reads," he said.

Looking for a blog that promotes "clean" ebooks? Well, Panzer found just the blog for you! No profanity. No sex. None of that.

The blog is brand new, so the selection is somewhat limited, but that will change over time. These ebooks are NOT free, but they are prescreened for you so you won't get any surprises when you're reading your newest purchase.

If you're looking for good, clean reading, tootle on over to Clean Indie Reads

Miss Writerly Crankypants: Cat Wars: Grumpy Cat vs. Cranky Cat

He is so bad!

Panzer can't believe it. Miss Writerly Crankypants has a cat that is badder than he is!

This cat is so bad even Panzer wants to stand on the sidelines and just watch the fight between Grumpy Cat and Cranky Cat.

For the complete story of Cranky Cat tootle over to  Miss Writerly Crankypants: Cat Wars: Grumpy Cat vs. Cranky Cat: Cranky Cat the Tail-less Miss Crankypants has had more cats than just about any feline aficionado. She's had black cats, white ca...