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Making an Audiobook: Interview with Audiobook Narrator Leah Frederick

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Kelly McClymer — 3 Comments ↓
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The UnintendedBride_2400x2400Please welcome Leah Frederick to the blog today. Leah is the narrator for my first released audiobook The Unintended Bride. [I know, I know, why am I doing them out of order -- it wasn't on purpose, it is just the way things happen.] Amazon and Audible have teamed up to let authors and narrators work together to make audiobooks through the ACX program. This means the author and narrator are the two people who do all of the work. I provided the manuscript, the narrator provided the audio talent and expertise. So far, I’ve listened to three of my books several times to ensure high quality audiobooks. Two more are in the pipeline, and two more will be finding narrators soon. This made me naturally curious to know how it worked from the narrator’s end. I asked Leah a few questions and got some very interesting answers.… Read the rest

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Audiobooks — The New Frontier for Indie Authors?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Kelly McClymer — 4 Comments ↓
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Is Listening Really Reading?

I have a confession to make: I have become an audiobook junkie.

Back in the day, when an audiobook cost $80 dollars and came with a tray of cassette tapes 20 strong, I had to be highly motivated to check one out of the library. Even when my family purchased the last Harry Potter on CD for a long car trip, it was not a lightly made purchase.

But then along came .mp3, digital media, and now I love listening to books when I’m in the car, out walking, or running on the track at the Y.

In the car, I listen to Book Radio on Satellite radio when I can (bits and pieces, but I love it anyway). On our summer trip across the country, my husband and I must have listened to ten books in various genres. Some good, some not so good. All better than most of the choices on FM radio.

I hadn’t considered turning my books into audiobooks, though. It seemed like too much work. Until Audible (an Amazon company) performed its magic and created ACX — a platform that allows authors and narrators to team up to produce and sell audiobooks.… Read the rest

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A DIY Retreat With Style and Economy

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Kelly McClymer — 1 Comment ↓
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When Is It Time for a Retreat?

The Northeastern winters get tough on me. I’m not fond of trudging through snow. I start to feel housebound. I have tried many things to keep myself in a healthy and creative mindset: going to the Y, curling up with a great book by the wood stove, trying delicious sounding soup and stew recipes.

But sometimes nothing works and I find myself sitting under a blanket wishing I were in Hawaii (I’ve never been, but in my mind, that’s the place where creativity reigns unfettered).

I begin to search online for writer’s retreats, or spas where I might spend two weeks having someone else make my meals, wandering around warm snow-free walking paths, joining a yoga class every morning…and, most of all, having hours of solitary focus on my writing. It always sounds like heaven…expensive heaven.

Running Away on the Cheap

This year, I knew I needed to find a way to get away. I trolled my usual suspects, but there was no way I could afford them. Then I got an email from Virgin America about a sale. I could nab an inexpensive ticket to San Francisco. My daughter, my sister, and my cousin live in San Francisco.… Read the rest

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My ‘The Authors Corner’ Interview Link!

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Kelly McClymer — 1 Comment ↓
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sunflower with a smileI was scheduled to talk to Elaine Raco Chase on her blogtalk radio program, The Authors Corner, on Thursday night, but Elaine had an emergency and had to cancel (everything is fine now). We rescheduled for Saturday and had a blast talking about mystery shopping — something it turns out we both have experience with. Although I think Elaine could have been a better candidate to turn into my mystery shopping sleuth Molly because Elaine had some real adventures in her shopping experiences. (You’ll have to listen to the show to hear what I mean.)

You can find the show to listen to here: The Authors Corner 2/10/13 and you’ll find me on at 9:30 — but why not listen to the whole show, because Elaine is very good at prying secrets out of authors.… Read the rest

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New Book, New Cover Decision

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Kelly McClymer — 6 Comments ↓
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Judge Not, Lest Your Cover Be Judged

I’m getting a little closer to turning Shop and Let Die into a real novel. I just made a revision to the first chapter that I think finally gets that chapter into shape (thanks to Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story). I’m hoping to get the full draft to my critique group next week.

This weekend, I was discussing the mockup cover designs my designer sent me. There will be some tweaks, but just to give you an idea of how things start, these are the three designs on the discussion block:

3 shopper covers… Read the rest

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Why It Is a Great Time To Be An Author — Reason #1: Amazon’s Dan Slater

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Kelly McClymer — 3 Comments ↓
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I learned a lot at the recent Novelists Inc. conference. But one outstanding thing I learned was that Dan Slater of Amazon is a very smart man.

Faced with a room full of published (traditional, indie, and self) authors eager to discover the secrets behind reaching readers (aka discoverability), he dished facts, provided graphs, listened to suggestions, and explained Amazon’s policies.

And, like a cherry on top of an unusually nutritious sunday, he topped his fact-filled discussion with a friendly smile. Agents and editors may have been surprised to hear how successful so many NINC novelists have become in the indie sphere, but it was quite obvious that Dan already knew (having crunched that data and provided it to so many hungry authors over the course of several days).

We didn’t like all of the answers he gave us (we want that Pre-Order button! … not to mention the lovely red slash through our price tag when we run a sale). But we understood why, because he took the time to show us.

He also took the time to listen to us. Amazingly, this was in stark contrast to some of the other industry guests we had invited in to begin the discussion about the new partnership opportunities that are opening for all of us (foreign markets, audiobooks, print only rights, etc.).… Read the rest

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Frankenstorm and Novelists Inc Conference 2012

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Kelly McClymer — No Comments ↓
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Back From the Abyss

You may have noticed I’ve been absent for a while.  Or, conversely, you may have forgotten I exist at all.

As co-chair of the 2012 Novelists Inc. conference (held last week in White Plains, NY), I’ve been snowed under with last minute conference details and life has felt a bit like a hurricane for a month or so.

Ironic, eh? The conference (theme: profitable partnerships) went off spectacularly, although news of Frankenstorm managed to penetrate the conference bubble and most of our attendees hastily changed plans and managed to get out of White Plains a little more quickly than had been planned. Good thing, according to the news I’ve been following.

I’m home now, and I still have power, so I’m combing through all the fabulous information I got from the conference to figure out what I’ll be working on for the next year. I’ll share my top three insights:

  1. It has never been a better time to be a novelist.
  2. My career is in my own hands.
  3. Banding together with other authors for support is the best kind of partnership there is.

Can’t wait for next year (Myrtle Beach, SC, October 24-28 again).… Read the rest

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Writers and Hollywood: When Reality Takes a Backseat to Showmanship

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Kelly McClymer — No Comments ↓
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Mocking When Hollywood Gets It Wrong: Bones “The Suit on the Set”

DH and I DVR a lot of TV and watch it later. We try to watch it together, but we don’t always manage it. So we’ll give a quick update — “You can watch X, Y, and Z, and erase them.” We need to do this because DH is the DVR King and he does not like the recorded shows to go above 60% of the DVR space (he also does not like the gas tank to go below half full…needless to say, I’m more of the drive-until-fumes-stage driver).

I’ve been very busy (wedding, writing, being chief cook and bottle washer of two businesses, etc.) so he got a bit ahead of me (and the DVR got to 76%). He began insisting I watch one of the two episodes of Bones we had recorded (he hasn’t watched the most recent one, so I only had to watch one). I noticed he had a special intensity about which episode. He even, as enticement, said, “You’ll love this one.”

So, I watched it (“The Suit on the Set”) while doing some recordkeeping make-work. Now I understand the smile on his face when he insisted I would love this one.… Read the rest

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Posted in About a Book, About a TV Show, My, How This Business Has Changed, My, How This Business Has Not Changed, Pardon My Gossip

The Ex-Files: To Title Or Not To Title, That Is The Question

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Kelly McClymer — 1 Comment ↓
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To Title Or Not To Title — Help Needed

I’m working on The Ex-Files, my blog novel, for a mid-July release. It has had the same title for years. But in the time when I first began working on the book (pre-death of chicklit), other novels, and a TV show have used this title.

Friends and colleagues are divided in opinion. There’s no “rule” against reusing a title over and over again. This one is perfect for the novel (a young woman gets her dream assignment that will lead to her moving toward her goal of being a writer for her magazine, The Female Eye — catch is, she has to go back and examine her past relationships to see if she missed “Mr. Right” because of her tendency to break up with guys who don’t meet her very high standards). You can read the novel-in-progress on the blog here.

I’ve kept the title as a working title because it helps me focus on the heart of the story (and also because I love it). As it comes time to commission the cover, however, I’ve been contemplating whether to change it or not. The only other title I came up with was Friends Without Benefits.… Read the rest

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Independent Book Blogger Awards Season: Vote for Me!

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Kelly McClymer — 2 Comments ↓
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Fellow Goodreads citizens, lend me your clicking finger…

I always wanted to run for student council, but I was much too shy to do so. On TV sitcoms, they make it look like a big deal (teens create professional looking posters, campaign, have platforms, have competition). That was not the way it went down in any of my schools. The teachers tapped the kids they thought were right for the job (Honor Society was a feeder pool), it was rare that anyone else put in their name so that there was a competitive election.… Read the rest

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Polls

What should the title of the baby book be?

  • Caleb's World (56%, 5 Votes)
  • Caleb Meets the World (33%, 3 Votes)
  • Granny Meets the Baby (11%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 9

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