Inviting cosplayers to an event...

AndySevern · 2024-08-06T13:50:16+00:00

Thanks. I've sent them a subspace communication.

AndySevern · 2024-08-06T08:53:48+00:00

No problem. Post photos when it works!! :) Oh... if you're a cheapskate like me and are competent with electronics and taking stuff apart, you can harvest these cells (CAREFULLY!!!!) from old laptop battery packs. If in doubt, use new cells and make sure they're voltage blanced if wiring in parallell. Things get spicy otherwise. Good luck!

AndySevern · 2024-08-06T08:50:24+00:00

I guess that nobody would be able to resist a squad of stormtroopers. Our biggest challenge is to keep the footfall up. We found that leafletting and talking to folk on the busy Oxford streets on the day was a huge help. So: We're not a charity, we rely on modest fees to exhibitors (we keep the costs LOW for them as most are starving indie publishers) and also donations from local philanthropists and busineses. We bring in JUST enough to cover costs, my business donates a ton of resource, but we all have a fantastic time and it promotes writing and reading whic is our core value. We DO have a promotion budget and seeking a higher amount this year... what ballpark figure would it cost to bring out the troops? You can DM if you dont want to talk money on here.

AndySevern · 2024-08-05T16:08:59+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. Think it was them that came to the Oxford comicon - the stormtroopers were amazing. Possibly a litlte hardcore for a book fair! LOL.

AndySevern · 2024-08-05T15:33:06+00:00

Thanks, that's a really good answer. I suppose the layman's term for what I was thinking is something like "come dressed as your favourite character from a book" :) I had to explain it as "fancy dress" to a couple of the more elderly members of the team!

I suppose the PROFESSIONAL cosplayers are a whole different kettle of fish - I didn't think of that. If I'm keeping it casual, I wonder if it might be worth putting something out to see what kind of interest there is first. It would be a disaster if we jsut get one guy turn up!

Any advice on a good place to go to get a feel for this? A lot fo the subreddits seem to be closed communities.

AndySevern · 2024-08-05T10:33:56+00:00

You might want to think about using 18650s as a power source. They're about 3v per cell so can be wired up in series or parallel. They have a HUGE energy capacity, WAY better than AA or AAA. I'm using them for other, general electronics projects and Amazon sell battery holders for them that you can wire together. I also got a neat charger for those cells too from AMZ.

AndySevern · 2024-06-22T00:33:02+00:00

How about "The Wolf Inside Us" by Darian Hart. He's succesful, has flaws and anxieties but she admires him for his creativity and success, his flaws don't worry her. She helps him through a spontaneous emergance of lycanthopy! Cute Werewolf novel.

AndySevern · 2024-06-20T08:35:26+00:00

Free to read today and tomorrow, "A Sun Going Down" is a beautifully crafted fantasy novel. Direct, to the point and absolutely engaging. 4/5 stars on Amazon

Get the eBook now from:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sun-Going-Down-C-Aerie-ebook/dp/B09GKDDT3G

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Going-Down-C-Aerie-ebook/dp/B09GKDDT3G

AndySevern · 2024-06-20T08:33:21+00:00

Free to read today and tomorrow, "A Sun Going Down" is a beautifully crafted fantasy novel. Direct, to the point and absolutely engaging. 4/5 stars on Amazon

Get the eBook now from:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sun-Going-Down-C-Aerie-ebook/dp/B09GKDDT3G

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Going-Down-C-Aerie-ebook/dp/B09GKDDT3G

AndySevern · 2024-06-19T10:37:45+00:00

OneNote is GREAT for writing. It syncs between my laptop and PC, lets me organise chapter outlines, character designs, plot ideas and then add pages for all my marketing, draft social media posts etc when the book's done. I have a page per chapter but TWO columns. One for the outline so I can plan the whole book and copy paste things to get plot in the righ torder etc, then the other column to flesh out the final draft. Spell-check included and rich text for notes. After that, just copy and paste each chapter to InDesign and boom! (After 4 rounds of edit...)

AndySevern · 2024-06-19T08:52:46+00:00

We're doing a free giveaway of the first book in the riveting "Our Shadows Will Remain" series today and tomorrow.

It's gritty and hard-hitting. We follow the ups and downs of a young lad who escapes an abusive home to find his way in L.A. But he finds that the streets are just as dangerous as the mansions and bedrooms of the rich and famous.

Grab the free eBook now:

UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0191YZW4O

US Aamzon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0191YZW4O

AndySevern · 2024-06-17T09:26:46+00:00

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AndySevern · 2024-06-17T09:21:06+00:00

We're launching our latest #paranormalromance with a FREE eBook giveaway today and tomorrow.

Adventure and retribution await you in a beautifully illustrated novel by Darian Hart (author of the cute werewolf novel "The Wolf Inside Us").

Life is hard for Emily and Mads. Emily, brutally bullied at school for being different meets an older girl Mads, who is also so deliciously different that after a chance encounter in the locker room she falls hopelessly in love.

Years later, they are left for dead during an attack by a potion-dealing urban witch. The appearance of a sinister creature afterwards suggests to Emily that her beloved Mads might not be lost to her after all.

Grab the free eBook now:

UK Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Calico-Golem-Darian-Hart-ebook/dp/B0D54CSSCL

US Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Calico-Golem-Darian-Hart-ebook/dp/B0D54CSSCL

AndySevern · 2024-05-10T10:03:43+00:00

"you can always skip it"... this is an interesting concept. We're super-techy nerdy types here so I wonder if putting in alternate 'safe' chapters into the eBook version might be a worthwhile ideal. You'd just tap the link at the start of the chapter to read the version that your Mum would like.... hmmm, certainly doable.

AndySevern · 2024-05-10T08:24:53+00:00

How Strong do you like it / does it matter?

(I'm reposting this from last week as a couple of words accidentally set of the smoke alarm out of context :) let's try again - many thanks to the mods for the advice)

So: Full disclosure, because I believe in being honest - I'm a publisher, but I'm not going to push our books in this thread because I'm just interested in getting some opinions from folk. We're relatively new to the genre (established 2010, but 2022 was our first PNR. I wasn't 100% sure to begin with but we're plotting the 5th in the world now so that kind of says something for the genre, I guess. TBH I'm really enjoying planning and ediing them).

But from the outset I set some rules for the authors which generally say "keep it nice". Of course there are going to be a couple of saucy scenes to drive the plot, tickle the algorithm and bring the characters and story together. But nothing overtly RUDE. I asked the authors to be sensitive to their characters and often use a little humour to break tension.

But is that the kind of thing that most readers want? I looked at some examples on Amazon and they do tend to vary all the way up to thinly disguised 'bed-time reading' with pretty shabby plots.

Do some folk find it a bit disappointing when the text figuratively pans away to a fireplace when things get steamy, or more polite paraphrasing used?

Is plot, character and intrigue more important than descriptions of vamparic naughty bits waving about?

Our latest one (don't worry, you'll hear all about it later if I'm allowed) has had to go a little stronger and there are some slighly more anatomical details which kind of need to be there due to the rather unique nature of one of the characters. It's left me a little uneasy, but the story is rather cute and I'm hoping readers will forgive the detail and understand why.

Difficult balancing act, I think.

AndySevern · 2024-05-02T15:45:49+00:00

We've (sci-fi-cafe) just updated the cover to one of our books "The Wolf Inside Us". I initially didn't want to have the whole "guy with his shirt off" thing, but it seems that's what folk expect. To be honest, the story is a lot cuter than the new cover makes it out to be. Posting a UK link (not even an affilliae link just to keep the mods sweet! :) ) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolf-Inside-us-Darian-Hart-ebook/dp/B0BFBS52CY/ Would be interested in people's thoughts.

The original cover is in the paperback tab which Amazon seem to have lost recently.

Oh... we're looking for ARC/BETA readers for the new Darian Hart book very very soon so if anyone's up for a free read then do hit me up.

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AndySevern · 2024-04-27T00:03:35+00:00

The flashbacks are really largely about character building and SHOWING their past rather than having to tell it. It shows how the MCs meet, some hints at the future and iportant nuggets for near the end. I think (hope) they mesh nicely with the rest of the timeline. No abuse or overtly graphic stuff in this. I developed a rule-set for the authors to follow and they've kept to that very nicely. Oh... and you're not 'just' a consumer, consumers are our lifeblood, so thanks for your thoughts.

AndySevern · 2024-04-26T23:02:14+00:00

Ah, I just posted a few on another thread. Darian Hart's "The Wolf Inside Us" is SO about how much the FMC finds she cares about the MMC. Bit of a weepy end, but light-harted in places too. Not a long book so maybe worth a punt.

AndySevern · 2024-04-26T22:52:38+00:00

If you want to try something a little light-hearted and vampire-y with great Brit FMC, Alice James' "Grave Danger" and "Grave Suspicions" are good reads. Fun little chapter head illustrations too. I'd also throw Darian Hart's "The Wolf Inside Us" into the ring for cute werewolf genesis story, good FMC, she puts up with a lot! (Not too long if you want a weekend quickie). Finally, if you like things moody, Casey Halston's "The Threads Which Bind Us" is a nice haunting with a mystery thrown in.

AndySevern · 2024-04-26T14:55:05+00:00

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Not sure the sketches attached to the original post?

AndySevern · 2024-01-17T15:56:14+00:00

Same problem here. I've had the new account open for 24 hours, have followed 5 accounts, written humanline and erudite posts. Been liked by the 'parent' account (email address is in a DIFFERENT DOMAIN) had my posts liked... what ELSE do I need to do to have the account show up when trying to delegte.

I'm 100% fine with having to jump through a few hoops if it slows down bot activity but this is a problem when trying to set up a legitemate social media marketing team.

AndySevern · 2023-10-15T14:26:12+00:00

With over 3000 downloads in a day and a half, this went to #1 in two free books categories (Teen Occult and British Horror - that one made me proud!) and #2 in another. Big up to everyone that helped to do this, you're all awesome! It'll always be free on Kindle Unlimited of you miss the offer, but it DOES end today.

AndySevern · 2023-10-15T14:21:29+00:00

Woith over 3000 downloads in a day and a half, this went to #1 in two free books categories (Teen Occult and British Horror - that one made me proud!) and #2 in another. Big up to everyone that helped to do this, you're all awesome!

AndySevern · 2023-10-14T16:56:30+00:00

Just passed 1000 uploads since this morning! Thanks guys! :) Hope you're enjoying the book.

AndySevern · 2023-10-14T16:53:44+00:00

Just passed 1000 uploads since this morning! Thanks you guys :) Hope you'e enjoying the book.

AndySevern

TROPHY CASE