The Onepian Chronicles - Part 2

As you know, I'm on a quest to have 20 published works by the end of this year. I've just recently set up some pre-orders in The Onepian Chronicles which brings me to a grand total of 13. I consider this to be a pretty huge accomplishment! Check out what I've got going so far:

 A Bride for Onepus is a prequel novella that is currently free if you sign up for the Indie Wordsmiths newsletter. It's the story of two strangers who–for their own separate reasons–agree to get married. Can they make it work? Find out here.

 Quest for Onepus is the official kick-off to The Onepian Chronicles. Two strangers stranded out in space and a family with a busted ship. What else could go wrong? This book is available on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and KU.

 

 Remember that family from the first book? The RR5 is a story of adventure, action, and romance told from the perspective of the oldest son. The ebook version is on pre-order on Amazon and will be available on February 13 (along with the paperback).

 Co-Piloting the RR5 is a companion novel to The RR5, which tells a variation of the same story from the second oldest son's perspective. While the story is familiar, his take on it–and his own romance–is vastly different from the original. The ebook version is on pre-order on Amazon and will be available April 9 (along with the paperback).

I couldn't leave the younger sister out of the series. So here she is with her own story of mystery, action, and romance with a spy theme to it. The ebook version is on pre-order on Amazon and will be available May 12 (along with the paperback).

I know what you're thinking. "Why did she leave so many names out of these loosey-goosey blurbs?" You know, sometimes even names are spoilers and I don't know how to avoid that. But if you want more in-depth descriptions of these books, just click or tap those links. You'll see everything and then the mystery will be gone. Have fun.

I've still got at least three (hoping for four) more books in this series that will be released this year. I've also got more novellas and short stories for you. Keep checking in and sign up for the Indie Wordsmiths newsletter if you want that info straight in your inbox. 

As always, happy reading!

- Natasja

Homework help - Amazon book descriptions

I'm writing a new series of blog posts called "Homework help" where I post about things I've learned during my self-publishing journey in hopes of helping other aspiring indie authors. I'm starting this series with Amazon book descriptions because I've seen enough self-published authors struggle with this. If you've published with Kindle Direct Publishing and you're having problems with this, you've come to the right place!

The thing about the Amazon descriptions is that if you copy and paste from wherever you have your blurb written down, it's not going to look as pretty as you want. You're probably looking to have your blurb broken up into easy-to-read paragraphs and maybe a bolded or italicized tagline, right?

For this, KDP supports a simple list of HTML tags you can use. Using these tags is super easy and will make your Amazon book description look nice. But remember, when you open a tag you have to close it, or it won't work. For example, when you want something bolded, you have to put the word you need between the tags like so: <b>[important words here]</b>. That will make it look like this: [important words here]. Alternatively, you can use the tag <strong></strong> for the same purpose. If you wanted to italicize something, use the tag <i></i>.

When you want a space between your paragraphs, you need to use the tag <br></br>. Remember to always close it, otherwise your faulty code will show it and it still won't have a break between paragraphs.

Here's an example of the description I used for The B-Boy followed by how it looks on Amazon:

<strong>Follow the rhythm of your heart.</strong><br></br>Now that high school's over and he's left his life as a bully behind, Red finally has time to focus on what he wants: boxing. For as long as he's able, that's what he'll do.<br></br>Zara's passion for dancing is rivaled by none, but her dreams are shattered when her dance partner sprains his ankle weeks before their showcase. With no other options, Red's cousin and Zara's best friend suggests they team up.<br></br>Now Red has a tough decision to make: stick to what he's always known or find the courage to love something new?

Follow the rhythm of your heart.

Now that high school's over and he's left his life as a bully behind, Red finally has time to focus on what he wants: boxing. For as long as he's able, that's what he'll do.

Zara's passion for dancing is rivaled by none, but her dreams are shattered when her dance partner sprains his ankle weeks before their showcase. With no other options, Red's cousin and Zara's best friend suggests they team up.

Now Red has a tough decision to make: stick to what he's always known or find the courage to love something new? 

One other important thing to note is that Amazon doesn't allow you to put links in your book descriptions, so even if I wanted to give you the HTML for that, it wouldn't help you. They'll just tell you there's a problem with the description and tell you not to do that. Sorry! 

I hope this helps someone out. It's really not easy to self-publish on your own and knowing these little tips and tricks can really make the experience easier and better. Thank you, once again, for going on this journey with me!


- Natasja Eby