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EXTRA! EXTRA!
I have been busy writing, but so has Ruth! It’s been exciting to have that in common with a character I have gotten to know so well. While I am busy bringing Ruth’s story to you, her stories are finding their place and it’s closer to the front than she imagined!
The Girl in the Newsroom
July 1921
Ruth walked into the bustling newsroom. She stopped short when someone started to clap– what was happening? Typewriters stopped as others jumped to their feet and joined in. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. Surely this fuss must be for someone else. Were they actually giving her a standing ovation? She’d seen it happen before in honor of some kind of revelatory article, but never for her. They usually barely acknowledged her existence.
“Great job, Ruth!”
“Fantastic read.”
She managed to nod in response, finally arriving at her desk to see her chair occupied by David. He lounged back in the seat with the newspaper spread across his chest. Her headline and byline facing out.
“You made them put it on the front page?” she asked incredulously.
He winked. “Made them? You got it there yourself.”
He held out the paper and her hands shook as she took it. Her first front page story. She skimmed it over, warmth pooling in her stomach at seeing it in print.
Have you read all The Girl in the Newsroom sneak peeks? (There are four more in case you have missed them!)
Have you added The Girl in the Newsroom to your reading list yet? Add it to your Goodreads shelf HERE.
Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!
Check out the Amaryllis Co. Shop, fully stocked with custom designs perfect for every book loving Amaryllis Girl! From shirts, mugs, wine glasses, and more, I have curated a shop with all of my favorites! SHOP HERE! You can also find my collection of bookish merchandise on Etsy.
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When Will Ruth Return?
Authors spend so much time with the characters they create, the end of a book truly can feel like saying goodbye to a companion. It is such an exciting reunion having the opportunity to dive into Ruth’s next adventure. I love getting to share another Sneak Peek of the third Ruth book with you! And in case you missed the first THREE Sneak Peeks, you can find them linked below.
The Girl in the Newsroom
“You ok, Ruth?”
Ruth jumped at David’s voice. She’d been staring at her desk, letting her mind escape reality. The concern in his voice jolted her back and brought tears to her eyes. She must look a fright.
He placed a glass of water in front of her and she finally looked up.
“Were you caught in the madness outside?”
She nodded.
He lit a cigarette and spoke quietly. “I suppose that might have been triggering.”
She looked away and avoided his gaze. Her hand shook as she took a careful sip of water. She’d spoken with David once about their shared pasts. He was also a refugee from Russia. Although he’d lived in Moscow and been forced to escape as a young boy with his family during the Imperial Decree of 1891 which had ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Moscow. To avoid the Pale of Settlement, they’d been part of a group who hired a smuggler to get them to America.
He waved another lit cigarette in front of her face. She took it and finally looked up to him. She saw the shadows beneath his own eyes. His clothes were rumpled as if he’d slept in them.
“Looks like we’ve both had a time of it. Were you here all night?”
He nodded and took another drag from his cigarette. “It was a quick turnaround to get the front page ready. The telegram only came in from D.C. at 6pm.”
Ruth shook her head and took a drag of her own cigarette. “I really thought they’d change their minds and do the right thing.”
David pulled over a chair and sat down next to her. “What are you feeling right now?”
“Hurt, angry, betrayed. What do you think I’m feeling? Aren’t you feeling the same?” Ruth’s voice rose and cracked.
He nodded. “Yes, I am feeling the same. As are many other people right now. Which is why I think you need to write about it to soothe them.”
Ruth reeled back. “Me? I don’t write features.”
He took another drag. “Did I ever tell you about my first feature?” He snuffed out the cigarette in an ashtray. “The war had recently ended and I was rattling around Europe, trying to figure out how to move on with my life. I was in the countryside of France and came across two boys playing in a trench. At first, I assumed they were playing some awful game, glorifying the horrors that had occurred there. But as I went over to scold them, I saw they were riding down the sides on toboggans. And that’s when I realized, we’d be okay. Life would go on. Where I saw horror and death, these boys saw a chance to play. I channeled that feeling and wrote about it that night. On a lark, I sent it to the New York Herald. They published it and that was the beginning of my own fresh start. Writing a feature is just tapping into a fear many are feeling and finding a way to reassure people.”
Ruth’s head was whirling. Boys sledding in a trench. She couldn’t imagine. But, hadn’t she seen equally disturbing things back in Russia? Like kids using materials from torched houses to build forts?
She’d never thought of finding a way to inspire people with her writing before. She’d written to shine a light on hidden truths and report the facts. To expose Max Blanck for the evil murderer he was. To demonstrate how capable and worthy women were to vote. Those had been her top stories, the ones she’d been the proudest of and had made a small difference.
But could David be right? Could she find a way to do more with her writing? To go deeper and commiserate and bring hope through her writing?
David chuckled. “I can see your wheels turning. Good.” He stood and returned his borrowed chair. “I look forward to seeing your attempt. I have faith in you.”
He left her and she stared down at her desk. She had piles of random announcements and invitations to business openings and events. Things she’d normally sift through to find something worthy of a report. Instead, she pushed them all to the side and grabbed fresh paper and a pen.
This is the FOURTH sneak peek of the upcoming The Girl in the Newsroom. Have you missed them? Join my Amaryllis Reader newsletter for the latest book updates and releases!
Have you added The Girl in the Newsroom to your reading list yet? Add it to your Goodreads shelf here!
Enjoy this blog post? Here are a few more that may interest you.
Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!
Check out the Amaryllis Co. Shop, fully stocked with custom designs perfect for every book loving Amaryllis Girl! From shirts, mugs, wine glasses, and more, I have curated a shop with all of my favorites! SHOP HERE! You can also find my collection of bookish merchandise on Etsy.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Reunited with Ruth
It’s always exciting to give Ruth’s followers a glimpse into her world as her new adventures unfold. The long awaited return of the courageous Jewish immigrant who has captivated the hearts of readers is approaching. As Ruth sets off on a new journey, will she have the strength to continue her trailblazing ways? Is the newsroom where Ruth will elevate her voice, or will she slip into part of the injustices she has fought against? Take a peek into what is happening in Ruth’s world.
The Girl in the Newsroom
July 1921
The noise of the city swirled around her as Ruth stared in disbelief at the headline at the newsstand. The Immigration Quota passed. Although Hal had told her the support was there and it was likely to pass, she still hadn’t really believed it. And now seeing it in black and white, it felt like a punch to the stomach.
She forced her leaden feet to move and turned toward the Daily Forward building. But as she turned the next city block, she walked straight into a crowd of people. Newspapers littered the pavement. At first, she thought it was a protest. People waved newspapers in the air and shouted “America is my Home. Overturn the Ban!”
But then, other angry shouts entered the fray. They said horrible immigrant slurs and profanities. Fear tightened Ruth’s throat. Was that really what people thought of them? Hal had said there was disdain, but this sounded more like bitter hatred.
Suddenly, she was shoved from behind. As she fell into another person nearby, they shoved her back. Soon, everyone was pushing and shoving. She started shoving herself, trying desperately to get out of this crowd.
To the side of her she saw a man punch another man in the face. Blood sprayed out. It was like permission had been granted. Other fists started flying. It was turning into an all-out brawl.
Her chest tightened and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. It was just like Russia all over again. She forced herself to look for an escape. She finally spotted a sliver of light, an exit through the crowd. She had no idea if it led the way she needed to go. Her fighter instincts came out and she shoved her way to that escape.
This is the SECOND sneak peek of the upcoming The Girl in the Newsroom. Have you missed them? Join my Amaryllis Reader newsletter for the latest book updates and releases!
Enjoy this blog post? Here are a few more that may interest you.
Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!
Check out the Amaryllis Co. Shop, fully stocked with custom designs perfect for every book loving Amaryllis Girl! From shirts, mugs, wine glasses, and more, I have curated a shop with all of my favorites! SHOP HERE! You can also find my collection of bookish merchandise on Etsy.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon KDP is intimidating. But learning the basics can do a lot for you. Let’s discuss how to get Amazon Self-Publishing working for YOU!
Amazon KDP
Amazon KDP is the largest marketplace for book sales. They claim a 67% market share for e-books sold in the United States. And they sell a whopping estimate of 300 million print books annually generating $28 billion worldwide.
So, as much as you might hate it, and trust me, I get why authors are skeptical of Amazon. Their system is hard to navigate, they change things without warning, often to the detriment of the author and they’re unfair and even penalize authors for no reason. See my article here about the pros and cons of Kindle Unlimited.
But, at the same turn, authors need Amazon KDP to publish competitively. They can’t ignore the beast completely. So, read below to see how you can leverage the Amazon marketplace to work for you.
Figuring Out Keyword Strategy
One of the most common mistakes authors make when uploading their books in Amazon KDP is not being strategic with their keywords. One thing you must be mindful of is people’s search engine browsing habits. People almost NEVER type in just one or two words when they are searching for something. So the term “keyword” is misleading. A best optimized “keyword” is really a string of words. For instance- 20th century NYC books or feminist friendship story.
Most authors take a random guess at keywords associated with their book’s topic. This, however, doesn’t serve them most effectively. Instead, take the time to do some research. There are a couple ways you can do this. The free “tedious” way is to sit down with a pen and paper and type in some targeted keyword terms associated with your book and see what comes up. Are there a number of books? Go into their listings and check out their sales rankings.(This is under Product Details under Best Sellers Rank.) Do they appear to get good traffic?
An easier way to check this out is to use an App that checks this for you. My personal favorite for keyword strategy is Kindle Spy Pro.
How Kindle Spy Pro helps you on Amazon KDP
Kindle Spy has been an invaluable tool for me. Getting it is honestly a no brainer. One, it is really NOT that expensive and you only pay once and have lifetime access. The first time I used it and updated my keywords I noticed an immediate uptick in my rankings.
Now, to truly use this effectively, you should not set those keywords once and forget them. Much like everything in technology and the internet, things change frequently. So, logging in to update your keywords every few months would be good practice to continually keep that traffic coming.
I’ll be honest, I can stand to do better on this myself. I’m definitely due for an update- yay external accountability by admitting that. I’ll now put it on the calendar to make myself follow through. 😉
Figuring Out Amazon Categories and List Strategies
I’ve mentioned before my mixed feelings on bestseller rankings and what they mean. See my article here on that. The main reason is that they are based on manipulating the categories and rankings. But aside from bragging rights, there is a reason why authors do this. It increases their sales and visibility! I may not put much stock into an Amazon bestseller rankings, but trust me, I care about increasing my sales and royalty payments! So, acing your Amazon categories is truthfully really important. But how do you do that?
Amazon Category Changes
For the longest time Amazon misled authors by telling them they could only slot their books in two broad category lists while uploading it. This sorted authors into those that knew how to bypass the system and those who did not. However, Amazon changed all this last year.
Making the Most of Amazon’s New Category System
Once again, the way to help yourself in category rankings requires research. Amazon allows three categories now, but they now provide the a subcategory list allowing you to narrow down your niche market. However, where you used to be able to bypass the system by sending in a form to add your book to additional lists, they no longer allow that. It really is three for everyone now, so you must make your choices count. Here’s how to navigate this process.
Research the Best Seller Lists
Like earlier, you’re going to take out that pencil and paper and head to the product lists. Go to your book listing and head to Product Details under Best Sellers Rank. Click on one of your lists. This will bring you to the following page. Take your time to click on the lists to narrow down your niche.
An important thing to note– in the past it would pay to choose a more obscure list where your book MIGHT somehow be related to try and increase your chances of getting that top #1 rating. This new Amazon system has nixed that now. Since you can only get those three category listings, you need to make sure they really encapsulate your book. Amazon is also policing categories more now and will remove your book if they do not feel like it belongs on a list.
When you do your research and choose your categories, you want to be sure to really drill down to the heart of the subcategories that are relevant to your book. For instance, Kindle ebooks> Teen and YA> Literature and Fiction> Social and Family> Girl and Women or Books> Literature and Fiction> World Literature> Russian and Soviet. The more specific you can get, the better. These will not only have the least competition, but they will also give Amazon a better idea what your book is about so they can improve their own algorithms for where to show your book to potential buyers. Plus, if you choose a narrower subcategory Amazon automatically puts your book in the broader ones above it.
Broaden Your Reach
Try to not choose overcrowded areas and also try to not choose categories that are too closely related. For instance, if you book is a fantasy we all know the fantasy category is going to be overcrowded and competitive. But if your fantasy books has elves and mermaids in it, see if there is a more niche category for that. Maybe your book also has an alternative reality element involved. Focus on that as well instead of just fantasy lists.
When choosing my categories I made sure to focus on the Social Justice element of my story as well as the historical fiction. I also made sure to market my book as a YA book in addition to the adult market. By broadening my reach further than just historical fiction, my radius is way larger.
Tools to Help with This
You can definitely do this yourself for free with that pencil and paper research I demonstrated above. But there is also another app that is fabulous for aiding with this. Publisher Rocket is an AMAZING resource for finding the best Amazon categories. It was created by the Amazon guru Dave Chesson otherwise known as the Kindlepreneur. If you’re not following him for help with all things Amazon, I strongly suggest you do. Dave also has a fantastic video that goes even more in depth to navigating the Amazon Category Lists here.
Thanks for joining me today. Have anything to add? Feel free to comment below.
Did you enjoy this blog post? Here are a few others you may enjoy…
Every author is different. We all measure success differently so how do you determine your Author’s Purpose?
An Author’s Purpose and Measuring Success
Being asked how you measure success is a difficult question to answer. Honestly, it’s a question I sometimes dread because it is so abstract and variable. As our author businesses continue to grow, our measurement of success changes. But to indicate our goalposts for these measurements, we need to know what our author’s purpose is. Why are we writing?
Determining Our Goals Based Off Our Personal Situation
Every author begins their business at a different point in their life and for different reasons. There’s the retiree who is writing to fulfill a bucket list dream, and they will have a different goal than the person trying to make a living from their writing. But, it’s important to remember that no goal is worth more than another. All goals are meaningful and fulfill individual needs for success. However, they do need to be treated differently with different expectations and different approaches to our marketing and businesses.
Setting our Author’s Purpose Benchmarks for Success
Often times when people are asking about success, they’re asking about financial success. That might be valid for the author trying to make a living, but is that necessarily the best measurement for the retiree fulfilling a dream? This is important to consider because these two different authors might have different outlooks. And those should not be measured the same way. Remaining true to your authentic author’s purpose will help you set individualized goals that work for you.
We must also remember that success can be measured in many ways, aside from just financially. For that retiree, they might want to measure it as just getting the book published and out there. Or in the hands of readers outside of their family. That reader trying to make a living might look at trying to hit a certain monetary number or some other marker for financial independence.
Creating Realistic Benchmarks for Success
One thing that is important to note, is just like in any goal setting, you want to make sure you are setting attainable, actionable goals rather than abstract BIG goals right off the bat. For instance, I want to be financially independent and living off my writing is not a good starter benchmark for success. One, it’s setting you up for frustration and “failure” because that won’t happen overnight from one book launch. And two, it’s very difficult to measure.So, make sure you’re coming up with specific examples and measurable goals when creating your benchmarks.
Another important thing we need to remember is to include benchmarks that measure our success along the way.It’s good for all of our mental health to measure how far we’ve come rather than just focusing on where we want to end up. And this should also not be solely focused on financials. Perhaps you could measure success by the amount of reviews posted. Or making your return of initial investment. These are HUGE accomplishments to celebrate as well. Basically, make sure you enjoy the ride along the journey. And keep patting yourself on the back often. Writing is not easy, and remember just by completing a book you’re already ahead of many.
What are some benchmarks YOU’VE used to measure success?
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When Will Ruth Return?
I get asked about the next Ruth story so often, I love your anticipation for the return of our beloved Ruth. The long awaited return of the courageous Jewish immigrant who has captivated the hearts of readers is approaching and I am excited to share a sneak peek with you. As Ruth sets off on a new journey, will she have the strength to continue her trailblazing ways? Is the newsroom where Ruth will elevate her voice, or will she slip into part of the injustices she has fought against? Take a peek into what is happening in Ruth’s world.
The Girl in the Newsroom
She stood at the same time he did. Her eyes swept over his expertly tailored suit, fedora and cane. He had stunning blue eyes that caught her gaze. He awkwardly held out the final pages in his hand to her.
That was unfortunately when it finally clicked who’d been helping her. “Oh! You’re him.”
“I beg your pardon,” he said.
Ruth felt heat flood her face. “I mean, you’re Nagy.” She swallowed. “I’m the reporter here to interview you.”
He smiled and creases appeared around his eyes. It weathered him, making him appear approachable and kind. “Your name, Miss Reporter? I feel at a disadvantage since you already know mine.”
“Oh,” Ruth smoothed her hair. “Ruth, Ruth Feldman.”
“Nice to meet you then, Ruth Feldman.”
She offered a nervous smile.
He gestured to the door. “Shall we?” He held open the door for her and she stepped inside. She took a deep breath to steady herself as he joined her.
“Do you have a preference?” He waved his hand around.
“The back,” she said. “It’ll be quieter.”
They wove their way through the café. She moved to take a seat, but Hal was faster and pulled her chair out for her. She thanked him and settled into the chair.
Ruth busied herself pulling out her paper and pen while a server poured them coffee. Hal ordered himself a piece of pie, but Ruth shook her head when he offered to get her one as well. There was no way she was eating in front of this man. She needed to regain some composure.
As the server walked away, Ruth cleared her throat and Hal gestured for her to begin.
“So, the Immigration Quota bill,” she said. “What do you feel are the odds of it passing?”
This is the THIRD sneak peek of the upcoming The Girl in the Newsroom. Have you missed them? Join my Amaryllis Reader newsletter for the latest book updates and releases!
Enjoy this blog post? Here are a few more that may interest you.
Find more ways to spoil your inner bookworm!
Check out the Amaryllis Co. Shop, fully stocked with custom designs perfect for every book loving Amaryllis Girl! From shirts, mugs, wine glasses, and more, I have curated a shop with all of my favorites! SHOP HERE! You can also find my collection of bookish merchandise on Etsy.
