Why I Love Being Indie - Blog Hop

Hello readers!

I decided to join in on this Blog Hop created by Christina L. Rozelle about being indie. Being an indie author is not all fun and games; it's a lot of work. But as an indie author, you definitely have some perks!

This is the main reason I love being indie.
I have 100% control over my book.
Since no third party is involved with my book, I succeed or fail on my own. I can make my story how I want, and as long or short as I wish.

It is easy to be discouraged in this industry, and you have to work hard just to get a few sales every month. It may feel like the world is against you, but you're not going to be a best seller over night. And if you are, can you tell me your secret? Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it's amazing to watch your work grow over time.

Being indie is publishing on a more personal level.
Getting to connect with other authors through #IndieBooksBeSeen is another wonderful part of being indie. Not only do I love it, but I feel that this is an important time to be indie.

Thanks for reading, and write on!

Please follow the link and check out Part one of Christina L. Rozelle's blog!

https://clrozelle.wordpress.com/2014/12/08/10-things-that-suck-and-rock-about-being-an-indie-author-part-1/

Check out my Witch In The Woods trilogy on these great sites!

Witch In The Woods trilogy on Amazon

Witch In The Woods trilogy on B&N

Witch In The Woods on CreateSpace

Witch In The Woods on Smashwords

Don't forget to like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Goodreads to stay updated!

My author page on Facebook

@ann_bunker on Twitter

Taylor Ann Bunker on GoodReads

Black Friday & an Indie Giveaway!

Welcome back!

I'm writing a little blog post to ask you all to help me spread the word of fantastic news! This Friday and for the whole Black Friday weekend, my eBooks are going to be 99 cents apiece!

This is your chance to get the entire trilogy for a great deal!

Also, please check out the #IndieBooksBeSeen first Secret Santa's Indie Book Giveaway!

My first book, Witch In The Woods, is included in the giveaway, and you could win a copy of my, or any of these other author's great books!

You have to be 13 years of age or older to enter, and the drawing is on December 15! So get in on the action, and see if Santa will be gifting you with an indie surprise! Follow the link below to enter!

Secret Santa's Indie Book Giveaway!

Please help spread the word of this Giveaway, and of my Black Friday sale! Ebooks make great gifts, whether its a gift for a friend, or yourself! What could be better than a wonderful fantasy series for a present?

I am very excited about both of these things, and I want to thank you all right now for your help! Thanks for spreading the word!

Thanks for reading!

Check out my books on these great sites!

Witch In The Woods trilogy on Amazon

Witch In The Woods trilogy on B&N

Witch In The Woods on CreateSpace

Witch In The Woods on Smashwords

Don't forget to like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Goodreads to stay updated!

My author page on Facebook

@ann_bunker on Twitter

Taylor Ann Bunker on GoodReads

How I Made A Book Trailer

Welcome back,

A while ago I made a book trailer for Witch In The Woods. It was actually fun and easy too! Did I mention I did it for free?

I decided I should make a trailer for my book after reading blogs by other indie authors. A few of which claimed that stupelix.com was the best place to go as a free option. After checking out the site, I found that they did have free options, however, for what I had planned, I would have had to pay to make my video.

Sure, I could spend the few bucks to achieve my vision... Or, I could check out what other sights had to offer.

Research pays off! I decided that YouTube was the best option. You can either make your video through their creator studio, which works wonderfully, but then you can only choose from the music which they provide, which wouldn't have been bad if I was making a video for a modern times novel.

Then I found a way that I could make my video and use the music my brother had mixed special for it, and download it to YouTube! All I had to do was make my video with Windows Movie Maker. The whole process was easy too!

Before you can just dive into making your book trailer, you first have to figure out what you want to tell your potential readers. You must give the main point to the book, what genre and age range is it intended for, and where they can purchase, if they so desire.

I began by making notes on what I wanted in the video.

Since this is a trailer, it is very important to keep your video short.

Viewers do not want to spend more that 2 minutes watching a book trailer. This is the video synopsis of your book, so don't tell the whole story. Your goal is to make your viewers want to know more.
I decided to put in bits of Victor's journal entries to add a sense of mystery.

When making your video, use pictures you own. Don't just download any picture off of Google. Those picture may be copyrighted, so you do not want to use them without permission. I recruited my mom and my sister to go around town with me, to take our own pictures. You can even buy pictures, online, or purchase public domain pictures if you can't take them yourself.

When you have your pictures, put them in the order you want them to appear in the video. Since you will have text with most of your pictures, make sure you give each picture enough view time. You want to make sure everyone has enough time to read it!

At the end of your trailer, as I mentioned earlier, tell viewers what genre and age group your book is intended for. Inform them where they can purchase it, and don't forget to give the title and your name! It is a good idea to add the cover of your book, so they know what to look for!

Here is my book trailer:

Thanks for reading, and as always, keep writing!

Interested in a fantastic Dark Fantasy read? My book are available on these great sites as an ebook, or as a beautiful paperback!

Witch In The Woods trilogy on Amazon

Witch In The Woods trilogy on B&N

Witch In The Woods on CreateSpace

Witch In The Woods on Smashwords

Don't forget to like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Goodreads to stay updated!

My author page on Facebook

@ann_bunker on Twitter

My author profile in Goodreads

Writing A Synopsis

Greetings!

About a week before the release of my latest book, Witch In The Woods: Blood Moon Ritual, I realized that I had forgotten something crucial... My least favorite part of any book to write, but it is the most important as well. The synopsis. There are some writers out there who write their synopsis first, and build their story around it. I, on the other hand, wait until the last possible second to write it. 

Here are some tips that help me when writing the dreaded synopsis!

How many books have you decided not to read, just because the synopsis didn't capture your attention? The first line in your summery is your hook. That is the part which must catch the potential reader's attention. If the first line in your synopsis isn't catching, that possible reader will most likely put it down.

Some books I personally can't even get through the whole summery, which is terrible, because as an author, I would hate for that to happen to my books. Here is the problem: if I, an author and avid reader, can't even get through the synopsis, then how are other readers supposed to? You have a good book waiting to be read, you just need to find the right hook.

I find it helpful to have examples, so I look at the summery to other books to give me an idea on how to write my own. It kick starts the brain storming process! Remember to include the important things in your synopsis.You want the readers to know what your story is about, and to draw them in enough to want to read your book. What's the main plot? Who is/are your characters? What are your characters trying to achieve, and what do they risk losing if they fail?

As an example, here is the synopsis to my first book, Witch in the Woods.


When twenty year old, professional witch hunter, Victor Steep is summoned to handle a case; he travels to the town of Beth's Hollow to find residing in the vast woods surrounding the town, a witch with a deadly obsession.

In the woods, Victor meets a mysterious and beautiful lady named Clearly, and her kind, but cursed brother Fabian. Promising that he will look for a cure for her brother, Victor soon questions if he can keep that promise, for killing the malicious witch he was hired to hunt, became more complicated than expected. In order to defeat the witch, Victor now must find a book that has been missing for nearly twenty years, or risk the fate of Clearly, Fabian, and the entire town of Beth's Hollow. Not to mention, if he should fail, losing the possession of his very own skull to the witch's disturbing collection.


As my first summery, I am very happy with how it turned out! It let's the reader know that Victor hunt's witches for a living, and is risking his very life to save Clearly, her brother, and the town of Beth's Hollow.

What do you think, are you ready to write your synopsis?

Thanks for reading, and keep writing!

Feel free to check out my Witch In The Woods Trilogy!

WITW on Amazon

WITW on B&N

WITW paperback on CreateSpace

WITW on Smashwords

Don't forget to like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Goodreads to stay updated!

My author page on Facebook

@ann_bunker on Twitter

My author profile in Goodreads

Blood Moon Ritual

Welcome back readers!

Last time, I did the cover reveal, so now is a good time to inform you all that Witch In The Woods: Blood Moon Ritual is now available for pre-order on Amazon!
It will be available in paperback and eBook format on October 28!

If you are not caught up on the story, now is the perfect time to get your eBook! Why? Because until November 1st, Witch In The Woods and Witch In The Woods: Clearly's Corruption are only $0.99 on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble website.

If you buy Witch In The Woods in paperback through Amazon, you can get the digital copy for free!

(I wish I could say the same for Clearly's Corruption, but I made an oopsie on CreateSpace... I blame my natural blond-ness...)

Please join in the excitement and spread the word! And if your are interested, check out this exciting series! 

My books on Amazon!

Witch In The Woods & Clearly's Corruption for the nook!

Thanks for reading! I'll be back soon with some more writing tips!

Have a great weekend!

Please like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, and friend me on Goodreads!

My FB author page!

@ann_bunker on Twitter!

Friend me on Goodreads!

Cover Reveal!

Welcome back!

My book Witch In The Woods: Blood Moon Ritual will be released on October 28, which is approaching fast! You all have yet to seen the cover art for the final book in the trilogy, so here you go!

What do you think? I made the book cover myself (Believe it or not. Do you see that moon? I still can't believe I did that!) and I am so thrilled with how it turned out. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I am proud of it! So proud, I could cry! *sniff, sniff* Could someone hand me a tissue?

Alright, enough with the sniffles! I am sure you all would love to read the summery.

The Blood Moon is near…

                                                                         And so is the end…

Victor and his friends face more dangers as they race against time to collect the remaining items for the ritual, and cure Valeri before the full moon.

Will their meeting with Athanasius reveal the Witch’s name? Complications arise as Fabian appears to accept his curse, and Clearly grows weaker with each passing day, making Victor question if there will be a ritual after all… And if there is, will the Witch succeed?

Blood Moon Ritual will be available as an ebook and in paperback in just over a week!
If you aren't caught up on the story, now is the perfect time! Follow the links below, and engage in the magic! Plus, it is a perfect read for the Halloween season!

Witch In The Woods on Amazon

Witch In The Woods on B&N

Witch In The Woods on CreateSpace

Witch In The Woods on Smashwords

Don't forget to like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Goodreads to stay updated!

My author page on Facebook

@ann_bunker on Twitter

My author profile in Goodreads


Thanks for reading, and as always, keep writing!

Common Typos in Published Books

Welcome back!

It has been a while since I have blogged, but I've been on crunch time, wrapping up my third and final book in the Witch In The Woods trilogy: Blood Moon Ritual. Now I that I have a bit of free time, I thought I would talk about common problems I found while editing!

While reading books by other authors, and editing my own book, I have realized how common these mistakes are, and came up with new tips to share! Every writer can always use tips! Even if you already know them, it's always good to be refreshed! These are based off things I am still working on, and things I have noticed in other published books, most of which are homophones. I call them common typos.

When you're in the writing zone, fingers typing at full speed, it is easy to over look these common mistakes, not realizing you have made them. When you are self editing your work, here are some things to look for.

Then means: after that, afterward, next...

Than is a word that expresses or introduces an exception or contrast.

I accidentally swap these two words on a weekly basis! Then and than are the most common typos I have noticed in published works.

Where is a place or position.

Were is a past word for be.

Yet I still manage to confuse the two. I find that sometimes I'll either add an unnecessary h to were, or forget it in where. We all get crazy fingers when typing.

Their is possessive, meaning; belonging to, or associated with.

They're is short for: they are.

There has a few meanings: In, at, or to a place or position. To attract someone's attention, or to draw attention to something. To express annoyance, or to comfort someone.

No wonder these words are commonly used wrong! Too many homophones make it confusing! When I first started writing, I was terribly confused with these words. It was hard for me to remember which one meant what. Other published authors also appear to have this problem, so it's pretty common, I would say. I used to keep a note with the words' and their correct definitions.

Know means: to be aware of.

Now means; at this present moment, and is used to draw attention to a particular statement.

No is a negative answer or decision.

I also get these two words below mixed with each other.

Knew is the past tense of know.

New means: Not existing before, recently made or discovered, just experienced, etc...

I especially had issues with know and now in my latest book. Mostly because I kept adding an unnecessary k. I made sure to pay close attention to these words while editing!

Which is a word that asks for information, or refers to something previously mentioned.

Witch is a woman believed to have evil magical powers, thought to wear black, rides a broom, and has a pointed hat.

It is no secret that I love witch's, so some might think I would be offended if someone mixed up the spelling. That is not how I roll, in fact, I often write witch when I mean to write which.

All of these words are heavily used, and can be easily looked over by the author while editing. Homophones can be tricky, but if you know what to look for, you can catch those errors and be more conscious of them in future writing projects!

Thank you for reading, and keep on writing!

My Witch In The Woods series is available in both paperback and ebook!
Feel free to click the links below and check them out!

Amazon
CreateSpace
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Don't forget to like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Goodreads to get updates!

Taylor Ann Bunker on Facebook

@ann_bunker on Twitter

My author profile on Goodreads