Welcome back as we continue our E-Book Reading Challenge with Sylvia Hubbard and her book, Love Like This. Sylvia has been around the internet for quite some time, so we will also be chatting with her on her current literary endeavors and what she has planned for 2010.
If you haven’t read it yet, it’s not too late to get a FREE electronic copy now at Smashwords by going to: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1191.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Angered that his wife would sleep with his brother, Ethan swore revenge. To his surprise, he becomes involved with the one person his wife never wanted him to get close to…her daughter, Nicole. Once Ethan leaves his wife penniless and then breaks Nicoles heart his revenge will be complete. Too bad Ethan didn’t expect to fall in love with Nicole.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For the past five years, Sylvia Hubbard taught writers how to sell products on the Internet at conferences, workshops and with her book, Internet Marketing for Writers & Businesses. She is founder of Motown Writers Network & The African American Electronic Literary Network, plus chairperson of The Essence of Motown Literary Jam. Aside from running her own personal author blog, plus a blog for the Michigan Literary Network, she also hosts two other blogs: How To Love A Black Woman and Writers Guide To Internet Marketing.
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE & BLOG:
http://www.SylviaHubbard.com & http://sylviahubbard.blogspot.com
Hello Sylvia and everyone…welcome welcome! It’s good to have Sylvia back with us today as she is one of the first authors I knew of back quite a while ago doing e-books. She’s released quite a few of them too.
Sylvia, before we talk more about Love Like This, please give us the full details on your start in the literary world and why you published e-books back so long ago when not many others were doing so.
- Tee
I’m so happy to be here.
Although I had a bit of a hiccup getting in at the top of the hour. LOL.
I started ebooking more out of necessity because when I paperback published my first book, Dreams of Reality in early 2000, I found out then (and too late) you needed MONEY to promote the book.
Being a happily divorced single mother, I had to make a choice between feeding and taking care of the kids or my literary dream. Being the good mamma, I choose to handle my home responsiblity and it led to a horrible depression.
Any passionate writer can tell you, if you’re not writing you’re not living.
And that’s how I felt until one night (like the 90th day into my depression) I saw this man jumping around on television in an informercial going: If you buy my product and then get on the Internet to sell it, You can make MILLIONS!!!
I realized then my book was MY product and I had a chance to get on the Internet and do exactly what this crazed informercial man was rattling about, but not for him. I could do that for myself.
And that was the beginning of something good… ebooks!
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Aw Sylvia, I’m sorry to hear about the depression, but so glad to hear you put those babies first! There’s nothing like a great mama. I am LOLing over your comment on the infomercial crazy man, but just look what it did? I keep saying it, but I think it’s cool that you were doing e-books (out of necessity or whatever) right at 10 years ago when folks are just now realizing that e-books and e-readers are making a change to the literary scene. You’re way ahead of the curve, so kudos to you.
I know you’ve gone through various methods, ways to publish the books, and formats, but what were some of the things you’ve learned that could save a new writer trying to go into e-books time, as well as money?
And you have a LOT of books. How about giving the full list and in parenthesis include the genre.)
-Tee
Wow, Sylvia. I never knew you were the trendsetter with e-books. Very interesting. What was it like trying to convince people back then to read your book online? I know that is a challenge even now (I have to admit that it’s hard for me to read on the computer, and I prefer to look at the paper, so probably will end up printing the ebooks I read.)
P.S. I haven’t read Love Like This yet! I keep trying to read it at work, but my darn work keeps distracting me! I am gonna read it though. Promise.
@Melissa: People thought I was the crazy lady trying to sell a book on the Internet. I was blackballed at a lot of offline events even in my hometown of Detroit.
Even Paperback bestselling authors told me I was wigged to even try it. I still have some of their emails and the advice they told me: STOP! I’m wasting my time.
I didn’t sell a book I don’t think until the summer of 2001, when in the middle of the night, my phone buzzed with a text message.
“You Have Money” PayPal said to me.
I woke up, wiped my eyes and thought it was spam on my phone. But the thought of knowing someone had purchased something from me was thrilling and I couldn’t sleep for rest of the night because I wanted to get my fingers on a computer. I was so broke back then I even didn’t have a computer.
(Yeah, I know. You’re wondering how was I keeping my site updated and promoting….it gets so better….)
The next day after work (cause I couldn’t get on my site at work) I rode the bus and picked up all three of my kids and then we rode the bus to the library. Back then they also didn’t have flashdrives so along with my work bag, my story I was working on, a book I was reading, the diaperbag and the toddler’s pack, I carried around a large ziploc bag of floppy disk.
YEAH I BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES.
20 Floppy disks I carried around and it was my whole life.
I’d set the kids up with a book or video, while I took my hour on the public computers. I had to make lists of what I needed to do on the computer so then once I got on it I got business done and then if possible, I’d scroll around checking emails, commenting on sites, doling out information and saying happy birthday, congrats to you, God Be With You, and Blessings for highly favored.
You might be asking: How did I do that and why would I do that and not just wait to do my literary career after the kids were older. (Mind you at the time, I had a 6month old, four year old and a five year old)
My mama (the inspiration of my life) told me to raised my children to work around my life not work around theirs and all their dreams will fall into place. God had placed three blessings in my life with a mountain to climb. If I had to shuck them on my back, I’d just have to keep them happy while I was climbing that mountain.
At any point, I could have given up.
I was getting no love from my own home literary community and most people thought I was one beer short of a six pack, but I also like to use the other advice my mama so eloquently dolled out: Make liars of your enemies and keep smiling so they won’t know you’re going to win.
It was weird and sometimes heartbreaking to be shunned. Especially since I felt I was a like-able person, but landing on my butt was not new to me. I’d get back up, brush off the dirt and hold my head high.
I had three mouths to feed and a mountain to climb. I was just in a storm, but hope has always abounded plenty in my soul and I refused to give up
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Awwwwww, you go Mama mountain climber!!
I’m so glad you found your way to RAWSISTAZ and attended one of our earlier events…or was it two? While we don’t cross paths offline very much, I’m so glad to have met you and am so glad you kept moving, not only for your literary dreams, but for your babies. (I probably would’ve been a nutcase with 3 children that small.) LOL!!
I love your mom’s advice too.
I give you big ups for persevering! We must realize that we can’t take care of our kids’ needs when we don’t take care of our own. When the airplane’s going down, our first instinct is to get the air masks on the babies, but the instructions are to put your mask on FIRST, so that you don’t end up suffocating before you can save the babies. I’m reading the e-book now. Good job, to ya.
oh wow DJ I’ve been a fan of yr work for a while. Thanks for the support. And i love that analogy.
.-= sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
wow! Now that’s a reply. Thanks:)
Wpw! what a story. I am so glad you shared it with us. It has taken me a minute to get into ebooks, but I’m into them now. I enjoyed this one also.
-Brenda
Thanks Brenda and Melissa I hope I’ve responded to the best of my ability
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Hello Everyone,
I am half way thru the book and am enjoying it.
I am at work but cant stop reading the book.
I need a 3 hour break. smile
As the successful publisher of several e-book, what have you found to be the most effective method of marketing them?
Welcome Syl,
Love you, going to read the short and come back~
angelia
.-= angelia´s last blog ..CONSEQUENCES~ =-.
Hey Y’All,
I haven’t read this e-book but I am tickled brown that I have an opportunity to do so and for FREE!! It is truly a great day!!
My question however – as a writer, what is a good price to ask for an e-book? Is it based upon the number of pages, the genre, or whatever the writer needs at the time to pay their electric bill? LOL.
Thanks for the book and price advice.
Oh lawd, T! Name all the books?
You really want me to be here all day don’t cha? LOL
But first I would suggest that readers get two books
1) Dan Poynters self published Second Edition (available where all books are sold in all formats)
2) Steve Weber’s guide to ebooking http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1500
My first suggestion is to RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH!
It’s the best suggestion because with so much going on and what to choose, how to format, what to do afterwards… you could take a wrong turn easily and have to start back over again.
Another suggestion would be to find an author who is doing the things in ebooking you are doing and just follow them. They comment on a site, you comment on a site; they appear on a show, you call in and ask legitimate questions. … The point is: Study what you want to be like and then start implementing the steps they did. Some of yours might be a little different but in the end you’ll blaze your own trail to success!
Will answer the next question with the list in a second. Typing as fast as possible
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Yep! I was trying to distract you so I could finish up reading, but it’s hectic on my end. I’ll be in and out, but I have to take my daughter to the doctor, last minute. So I’ll peek in from my phone (and read while in the waiting room.)
@Barbara Morgan: Thank you for enjoying Love Like This.
SECRET: Ethan also appears in The Substitute Wife… My Sister with his business friend, Parker Mills, who you’ll meet in this book as well.
@Janaya Black Kisses to your support, gurl. In answer to your question, the best method to success would be Shortlinks back to your site and social network.
http://www.bit.ly makes it easy for anyone to quickly get to your site. Some socials give you so much characters space to write (i.e. twitter’s 140 demand) and you have to get in and out, but hit them with something they’ll follow right back to your site.
Also, get a blog and Write great content that will keep readers enthralled with nice spicey headers and you’ll really build up your book buying readership
….more to come….
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
@angelia: LOL oh-kay. I’ll be here all day!
@Tavi (HEY SISTA GURL!!!) As with any product, pricing is based upon what the market demands. When I stated above to follow your experts or research authors and books your resemble, you’re also going to be looking into what readers will PAY for your product.
T.C. was right when she said I’ve been here for a good minute.
And I’ve seen everything from charging shipping and handling to $25 for 80 pages (double spaced with 1 1/2 inch margins).
And I can tell you as a author jumping into the pool, do either:
1) test your market. Get a smaller novella or short story and give it away for free. At the end of the story, list your books and a little incentive to buy more. (links are wonderful in ebooks)
2) Start with an introductory price between $2 to $4 dollars. (depending on the length of the book and what it entails. Resources get higher prices).
Hope that helps.
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Sylvia, these are great-great tips!
-Tee
Here is a short list (…. oh that’s a lie) of my current works and also my works in progress and completed works. To see more detail you can also click through to a powerpoint presentation I have at: http://www.slideshare.net/sylviahubbard1/books-by-sylvia-hubbard
Short Stories
Silent Lynx
Forbidden Fruit
Sweet Justice
Love 101
Boom! Boom!
Novellas
Red Heart
Baby Doll
Mistaken Identity
Love Like This
Novels
Dreams of Reality
Road To Freedom
Stealing Innocence
Teach Me To Love
Deceptive Nights
Stealing Innocence II: The Ravishment
Drawing The Line
Stone’s Revenge
Sex Weed
Secrets, Lies & Family Ties
Drawing The Line
His Substitute Wife… My Sister
Sin’s Iniquity
Not Yet to Be released but Completed
Eve’s Deception
Dark Facade
The Mysterious Mr. Black
A Little Bit of Sin Won’t
The Other Side of Love
Emperor’s Addiction
Tanner’s Devil
Work In Progress
Grand Murder
King’s Paradise
Sexstasy
7 Ways To Tell You I Love You
Inglorious Golden Ray
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
i forgot to add 2 WIP my readers are waiting for:
stealing innocence III: Lethal Heart (which is a sequel to stealing innocence 1 & stealing innocence III: The Ravishment and actually completes this high intensity series when the man that’s helped with all the others will get his just due.)
Mistaken Identity III: Three’s a Crowd (only readers from the original Mistaken Identity will understand the subtitle. If you’re looking for Mistaken Identity II it’s actually titled Inglorious Golden Ray)
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
I didn’t know you had so many ebooks!
-Brenda
Hey Sylvia,
Thanks for answering my question. However, my response would be what do you do if you only have one book written? How do I test the market when I don’t have a fan base? Should I write another short story to give away or should I start a blog? What’s the best way to distribute my e-book when starting out? Thanks again for your time and knowledge.
Sylvia,
Now that you gave us the list of books.
I can’t get off amazon..smile…
Ordering, ordering , ordering…….
Tjis is my first book I read by you .
I am enjoying this book and love your writting.
Gurl, I’m just excited I got skills to share and people who love to read around me.
Being here today is like a warm warm hug.
Thank you so much for your support to my literary endeavors!
Sylvia, since we have 5-6 folks who I know are finishing up reading, let’s save the book discussion for later this afternoon…say around 4-5ish? You can kick us off with a few questions or I’ll be able to do it and then we can talk about what everyone thinks of Ethan & Lynne.
The other questions are keeping me pretty durn busy and I’ll be checking in about 5pm – 5:30pm with a couple of questions of how’d you feel about the characters, the circumstances and if you’ve read any more of my books.
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Hello Sylvia
I was not aware you had this many books now I have to surly go to Amazon and get busy and I am gonna get the e-book. and come back later for the book discussion if I finish and if I do not come back it is because I do not want to know the ending, I am all excited now to see that you open the door for e books.
I’m not going to lie to authors here. … getting traffic and getting people to buy the book is hard
You have to want to sell that e-book. Not just because you’re going to get a profit, but because you are going to join the wonderful growing number of being an e-book author.
When i look at the fact that I’ve sold thousands of downloads from my books and all the hard work I had to go through online and Offline to get to be “a trendsetter,” I sigh in exhaustion but with a triumphant smile because tonight when I go to sleep I know I have accomplished something but tomorrow is a new day and we’ll just start right back up again.
I enjoy the ride because it’s life and if it was easy, it wouldn’t be so much fun.
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
I’ll try not to reveal any book spoilers until the end of the nights discussions!
Hello Sylvia,
You have given some wonderful advice here. I will definitely have to save this info. Thanks for being so candid and explaining the process thoroughly. I am an aspiring author and I always feel like I have several stories roaming around in my head at any given time….LOL
I really like your advice about starting with a small novella and giving it away. What a wonderful way to gain immediate feedback and test the waters. Thanks for sharing with us!!
Unika Howell-Molden
(The Unique Reviewer)
You’re quite welcome Unika (I love the name).
I love sharing the knowledge. I figure why watch others eat dirt you had to eat when the veal tastes so good. LOL.
BTW: Tee C. Royal – THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for having me here today. This is really a lot of fun!
I am back, Sylvia I am absolutely enjoying the short story but more than anything I want to say I admire what you do and how you have handled your business…you have given me so many great tips and encouragement over these past four years and you are so Write or Die and I love that…you INSPIRE~ you PROLIFIC DIVA~
angelia
Thank you so much Ang! I have had the wonderful pleasure of sharing and giving and in return have received so many good blessings.
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Sylvia, I admire your determination. You inspire me.
.-= Shelia Goss´s last blog ..Red Carpet Tour Stops on All The Buzz Reviews =-.
Sheila I’m still panting and sweating from that opportunity you afforded me with Brian McKnight. It was over the phone, but I was just a voice away from my dream baby daddy.
Thank you for making my life just a little bit enjoyable with that event!
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Sylvia,
That was probably one of the hardest interviews to do because I was so infactuated with him. I was glad to be able to share the moment with you.
.-= Shelia Goss´s last blog ..Red Carpet Tour Poetry in Motion =-.
i’d love to hear what everyone thought.
1st what do you think about the relationship between Ethan and Lynne? Do you think he should have just left once he found out the truth?
I really believe revenge is a dish best serve cold but when someone wrongs you like Lynne was doing to Ethan should he have just turned the other cheek?
.-= sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
I have to tell you that I didnt like most of these people you wrote about. Oh Welcome to the chat !
I didnt like Ethan, his wife, the daughter..oh wait..I did like Nana. I hated Marvin, James was an azzhole..I didnt like THEM, I hated they jumped into bed so quickly and Nicole kissing a stranger..NOT. Im going to have to read some other works by you and see if there are some likable characters in them LOL
well at least you liked someone. Lol. . .
LOL @ Linda…for someone who was innocent, Nicole surely did jump to give him “a lip job” pretty quickly.
-Brenda
Dang, you didn’t like but one? LOL.
i’m don’t expect to please everyone with my writin but i do enjoy criticism good and bad about my work. Thanks for stoppin in Z.
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Road To Freedom Link Corrected. . . Still Free, but now in more formats =-.
I’m sorry I haven’t read it yet. But I can’t wait. I trust it will be good.
I enjoyed Love Like This. Ethan and Lynne together were not my favorites. Lynne was straight up hood. Ethan I didn’t like in the beginning because I just couldn’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that he knew what Lynne was doing and he stayed. Lynne was sleeping with everybody. Ethan should have left.
Ethan definitely should not have turned the other cheeks. As bad as Lynne was, she would have ruined that one too. He could have gotten her back without messing with her daugther.
and Marvin was a greedy mess.
Nicole and Nanna were my favorite characters. And you could add Ethan to this list after he rescued Nicole.
-Brenda
I also want to add that I think because Ethan stayed in that mess with Lynne for so long, it is what fueled his desire for revenge. He wanted to get some serious revenge. He was going to hurt everybody.
-Brenda
Hey everyone, I’m so sorry, but my couple of hours turned into me getting in and hour ago, getting folks fed and the bay to bed. I still have to run back out to get my daughter’s prescription. So, I will peek in tomorrow morning and catch up. Gotta finish taxes…when I get back. Can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts.
-Tee
Sylvia,
Where did you get the idea for this story? Were the characters and plot based on real life people and situations?
I don’t know about anyone else, but I got to thinking about people in my family that are waiting around and being nice to folks in hopes they’ll inherit something once that person dies.
-Brenda
Love Like This Came from right after a friend’s grandfather dying and she had been enstranged to the man, but he had left her the majority for her incredible kindness when she had been around for a short while.
I saw ugliness of unbelievable measures and some of Lynne’s characters combined some of them all together.
Most of my main characters I’ve come up with, I would say just really come from my own imagination. The situations may be borrowed from real life, but I put a little of my bad and good characteristics inside of them.
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Ultimate Internet Marketing Package =-.
Hey Sylvia,
I just wanted to say that your journey is inspiring. I have admired you and your work since 2005 when I started my writing journey and yes I know it can be a tough journey
It’s hard to be ahead of your time on an idea and many people would have given up, but you hung in there with the e-books.
“Make liars of your enemies and keep smiling so they won’t know you’re going to win.” That’s a great bit of wisdom from your mother. I love it.
Continued blessed sistah!
Shani
shani you know i started cryin readin yr comment. Its nice to know how my fellow writers feel and i’m honored by yr words
.-= Sylvia Hubbard´s last blog ..Road To Freedom Link Corrected. . . Still Free, but now in more formats =-.