About The Book:
The Last of the Firedrakes by: Farah OomerbhoyPublisher: Wise Ink Creative PublishingPub Date: August 15, 2015Pages: 488Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
A fantastic adventure story that will transport you to a dazzling world of myth and magic.16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.
Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
Guest Post:
10 Things You Might Not Know about Launching a
Book
When I started my publishing
journey nearly a year ago, I had no idea the hard work, determination and
detail that goes into publishing a book. At that time I was so confused about what to do and where to start. I was
virtually a baby in the publishing arena, looking out in wonder at the vast
world before me. I didn’t understand how it all worked, but I wanted to learn
more.
The task ahead
seemed like an insurmountable mountain looming before me, but then I found a
wonderful virtual author assistant, Kate
Tilton, in October of 2014. She
introduced me to the amazing Laura Zats and the wonderful team at Wise Ink Creative Publishing, and so my
publishing journey began.
There are many things to
consider when publishing a book. Here is
my top ten list of tools and ways to think about your project as a product during
production and your launch that you may not have thought about before.
1. Audience.
The
first thing that Wise Ink had me do was fill out an audience profile worksheet.
And I was completely lost. I had no idea we needed to do this, but in hindsight
it was very necessary. After all, even though I had been writing my book for
myself, my ultimate goal was to get The
Last of the Firedrakes into other people’s hands. Figure out who your
audience is, what they like to do, and what they want in a book.
2.
Marketing.
This
builds off of audience, and aligns your personal goals for your book with what
your future audience wants. Create a plan and a list of ideas/goals/thoughts
about what you want to do with a published book, and this will help keep you
going!
3. Cover.
Although
I had a pretty good idea about what I wanted my book cover to look like. I had
no idea how much work it takes to actually get from the idea to the finished
cover. If you want a cover that will stand out, get a professional cover
designer to create it. I can safely say that I have learned that having a
beautiful professionally made cover goes a long way towards getting people to
notice your book. When my book was first on Wattpad, I had a cover just thrown
together, and it looked like it. When Scarlett Rugers took over and
gave me something new, interest skyrocketed!
4. The
Insides. What your interior looks like makes a big
difference when a person reads the book. If the words are not the correct
color, font, or size then a reader may get put off. Also the interior format of
a print book and e-book differ, so they have to be formatted separately
according to their specifications. This might be something you’re tempted to
skimp on, but it makes all the difference! After all, the readers are going to
be spending the most time between the pages.
5. Early
Reviews. Getting readers to review your book early is
key to a book’s success. I used NetGalley to get my book noticed pre-release.
The site is mainly for reviewers, librarians, media, and booksellers to read
and choose the new books that they like for the upcoming season. Once your book
is edited, proofread, and formatted, you or your publisher can put up the book
on NetGalley. Readers request the book and then review it on NetGalley and
other sites like Goodreads and their own blogs. This builds hype for your book,
if you get good reviews of course, ultimately helping sales.
6.
Giveaways!
I
also bumped up the interest in my book’s launch by having a giveaway
pre-release on Goodreads. Amazon also has giveaway options (available after the
book is released). If you’re doing a blog tour, you can have giveaways on blogs
as well. Speaking of which . . .
7. Bloggers.
I have discovered to my great delight, the wonderful world of book bloggers. This
is a community of people who love books and take the time to review books for
the rest of the world. Plan your own blog tour (posts on lots of different
blogs) or hire someone to do it for you, and you’re capitalizing on their
readership, as well as getting reviews for your book!
8. Publicists.
One of the easiest ways to get the attention of book bloggers, news outlets,
and even bookstores, is to have a publicist. I’ve been lucky to work with the
lovely Amy Del Rosso. She has been indispensable
in planning my blog tour, giveaways, and coordinating all the aspects of the
launch to keep it targeted and successful. If you have the budget, consider
adding a publicist to your team!
9.
Swag.
I
write YA, and swag is a big part of that community. Which means I got to make a
bunch of branded The Last of the
Firedrakes stuff! Bookmarks are always a nice option since readers
inevitably use them and it is a good way for people to remember your book even
when they are reading another one. Pins and buttons can be nice too, so can
pens and notebooks. Tote bags are an option but as they can be expensive they
could be used as an exclusive giveaway gift. Necklaces and miniature book charm
bracelets are also good options for exclusive giveaways, especially if you have
mostly female readers.
10. Facebook
Party. I live in India, and a lot of my readers are
in the US, and so I needed to figure out a way to have a worldwide launch party.
I did this by throwing a Facebook party. Over two days, I had guest authors of
other YA and fantasy books stop by and offer their own giveaways and engage
with their audience and my audience. That way, we were helping each other raise
awareness of our work, and had a great time doing it!
What is your favorite part
about a book launch? What do you wish authors did more often?
Purchase Links:
Amazon | B&N | Apple | Kobo | Smashwords | Itasca Books | Goodreads
About The Author:
For Farah Oomerbhoy, writing is a passion and reading her solace. She is a firm believer in the fantastic and magical, and often dreams of living in Narnia, Neverland, or the Enchanted Forest.
Farah lives with her husband and three children in their family home in Mumbai, India. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Mumbai.
Farah's first novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of the Avalonia Chronicles will be published worldwide August 15th, 2015.
Website |Twitter |Instagram |Pinterest |Goodreads |Wattpad |Facebook
Follow The Tour:
September 7th – 5 Girls Book Reviews – Review / InterviewSeptember 9th – Holly's Heart Art – ReviewSeptember 9th – Books and Ladders – Review
Tour Wide Giveaway:
**Giveaway consists of a Kindle Fire HD 7 and a Firedrake Prize Pack.
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The Harry Potter series.
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