Literary Jewels is the brain child of Kisha Green. Here is where you will find the most current and relevant information mixed in with the sarcasm of Kisha's witty mind that make her experience in the literary industry that worthwhile.
Who is Kisha Green? Kisha Green is no stranger to the literary world. She is the well-informed and very knowledgeable publisher of DivaBooksInc.(www.divabooksinconline.com) author of many books under her imprint, including “And Even If I Did,” “If It Aint One Thing, It’s Another,” “Dear Mommy” and “Mental Seduction" and recently releasing short stories "A Write Way to Love" and "Fefe's Freaky Tale".
As the host of her own Blog Talk Radio show, “Writer’s Life Chats,” (www.writerslifechats.com)
Green interviews aspiring as well as seasoned authors, Writer’s Life Chats was nominated for Best BlogTalk Show in 2008 and 2009. In February of 2010 and 2011 she recently took the honors of winning for Best Blogtalk Host.She is also a book reviewer whose work has appeared on the websites Urban Book Source, Shelfari,Goodreads,Amazon.com among others.
In 2010, Green was a senior writer and founder of the Writer’s Vibe, a literary site to help promote artists. Kisha also participated in a panel discussion at a Rutgers University, where she sat with other authors and poets, speaking with students about the literary industry: publishing and writing books, the importance of investing in an editor, and the hardships up-and-coming authors may face and in 2007, Green was nominated Self-Published Author of the Year.
Green recently launched Literary Jewels (www.literary-jewels.com), a helpful resource for aspiring writers in interested self-publishing but need direction.
Green has a jones for literature and is a firm believer in “each one, teach one.” She assures, “There is room at the top for everyone in the literary world.” Green is destined to take literary Hollywood by storm.
Unlucky described Lesley Kennedy’s love life until she met Malcolm Daniels. Malcolm was the epitome of fine with a lucrative career in public relations, he was a dream come true.Little did she know the secret he harbored would change their lives forever.
You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover by @DonneilDJackson
What is the first thing that draws your eyes to a book? It’s the cover. If the cover looks shabby or homemade, I’m not picking it up. What about you? Truth is if you say yes, you’re lying. Yes I said it! Admit the truth.
When I decided to self-publish my first novel, Chante’s Song (available at www.donneildjackson.com, kobo, amazon and barnes and noble-I know shameless plug. Don’t kill the starving artist), I was told the cover should have bright colors, preferably red, to catch the eyes of readers. Well I didn’t opt for red, I went with pink, a half-naked woman with a beau hunk on top of her and a professional graphic designer.
More self-published authors need to opt for the professional graphic designer, not your friend who has Photoshop and practices on the weekends. Yes graphic designers are expensive, yet the quality of their work is worth it.
Save up for the book cover, if your funds are low. Why? Because the book cover is the first thing that attracts readers. A good cover will motivate a reader to pick up your book cover off of the shelf. A great cover will shout to readers, “Pick me. Pick me.”
After the book is picked up, then the reader will flip the book over to see if this a story they would like to read. I had a book retailer say to, he puts his self-published books on the bottom shelf.
Tell me whose looking down there. No one. He goes on to say, “I’m gonna put your book up here.” Middle shelf, Eye level. He continues, “Because your book looks like these (books produced by majors). It doesn’t look like those.”
He pointed to the bottom shelf.
I would’ve never looked down at that bottom shelf if were a reader interested in a new read. Everything on that shelf looked homemade.
You can have the best story in the world, trust and believe if your cover is not attractive no one will ever know how great your story was. Why you ask? Because we do judge books by their cover.
CONTEST from @ManswellP
Readers: Would you like to win a bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day? If so all you have to do is go and like Manswell Peterson’s fan page and tell him why your mom is special and enter in a chance to win a Mother’s Day floral arrangement. Contest begins today and ends 5/8/13. Good Luck!!!!https://www.facebook.com/MogulManswell?ref=ts&fref=ts
New Book Review Alert—> MONSTER by @Ben_Burgess_Jr
In the debut novel Monster by Ben Burgess Jr readers will be introduced to main character Ken Ferguson. Not having the best family dynamics combined with having complex issues due to being a dark skinned male also played a part in who Ken is. Monster tells a tale of a man who after many heartaches and heartbreaks, he decides to turn the tables and get revenge. He is on a path of destruction but he doesn’t care. For everything that has ever caused him pain- the women he dates will pay the ultimate price.
What I enjoyed about this book was the author’s incredible ability to truthfully convey Ken’s feelings throughout the pages. This book was so true to life because there was something within the pages that someone would be able to relate to or know someone who experienced it.The messages within the book was an added perk because after completion, I definitely was thinking about life issues and choices that I had made personally.
Readers will definitely enjoy Monster because if you have ever been in love and then had your heart broken then you will definitely enjoy this page turner. Ken ultimately wanted love but the icebox where his heart used to be often made it hard for him. Monster was a crazy, sexy,cool yet suspenseful and intriguing book.
Literary job well done Mr. Burgess!
Reviewed by Kisha Green for Literary Jewels
Get your copy here»>http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Ben-Burgess-Jr/dp/0988374501/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t
Self Publishing can be a truly rewarding experience but only if you take the NECESSARY and PROPER steps to fully understand all of the responsibilities a author takes on when deciding to self publish instead of seeking publishing with a traditional publishing houses.
RESEARCH is so vital because without this you will always be at an disadvantage, with the popularity of social media, authors can now access a lot of information that at one time they would have to pay for.
All information is not good information so you must research who is giving you that said advice in publishing. Everyone does not understand it or even implement it in their own business practice.
Asking a bunch of people from various sources is not effective especially when the sources don’t know much more than you do. This is a potential train wreck waiting to happen with the blind leading the blind. Conducting your own extensive research will be more beneficial and rewarding to you in the long run.
By asking many questions does show your eagerness to learn but also shows your peers your aren’t willing to take on the simple task of basic research yourself but instead accustomed to relying on others for source of information. As a publisher your are not looking independent and this might make a potential author seek publishing elsewhere. Remember GOOGLE is your friend.
Some knowledgeable people I respect in the industry are Aaron Bebo,Nakea Murray, Niccole Simmons,J’son M. Lee, Elissa Gabrielle,Marie Antoinette, Deatri King Bey, Jahzara Bradley, Wahida Clark and Al Saadiq Banks.
Threesomes: A disaster for a relationship or a savior?
He Says:
A threesome, albeit taboo can add spice to a somewhat boring sex life. Where people…
Threesomes: A disaster for a relationship or a savior?
He Says:
A threesome, albeit taboo can add spice to a somewhat boring sex life. Where people…
Rip-offs
The allure of publishing a book is so powerful that unsuspecting writers overpay for services or allow unscrupulous companies to rip them off.
We’re not referring to situations where you paid a fair price only to find out that the editor, copyeditor, or cover designer was mediocre. That’s your fault for making a poor choice. We are not referring to paying for services that you don’t have the time or inclination to perform yourself. Value is in the eye of the beholder.
We’re talking about rip-offs involving grotesque overpayment and purposeful deceit. Here are the warning signs of an impending rip-off:
* Get-rich-quick. Does the company’s website and promotional material feel like they’re promising ways to get rich quick? Self-publishing is not the way to get rich quick, and anyone who tells you that is either a liar, a crook, or an idiot. Turn on your bull-shiitake detector in this situation.
* Payment up front. A legitimate publisher will never ask you for money up front to publish your book. The whole concept of an advance is for the publisher to pay you up front, not vice versa.
Avoid independent consultants and contractors who ask for 100 percent payment in advance for services. The most you should pay is 50 percent up front. Upon acceptance of the work, pay the final 50 percent. This is fair to both parties.
You may have to pay companies in advance for services. Theoretically, they are more established so the likelihood of them botching the job or disappearing is minimal. Still, try to pay up front for as little as possible.
* Total fees exceeding $4,000. If you’re about to pay any entity (especially author-services companies) more than $4,000, step back and evaluate your decision. You may pay a total of $4,000 for all services (content editing, copyediting, cover design, layout design, and production), but there are few individual services in self-publishing that should cost more than $4,000.
* Guaranteed marketing and blog exposure. No one can guarantee reviews in publications such as the New York Times or Publishers Weekly. No one can guarantee that bloggers who matter will review your book. If you want dozens of reviews in important blogs and publications, (a) write a good book, and (b) start developing relationships with reviewers and bloggers right now.
* Minimum copies from a printer. This is a buy-on-demand from a print-on-demand world. If you’re a novice author, place your first order for twenty copies: one for you, one for your parents, and eighteen for friends. Sure, the per-copy price when you order five thousand copies is a lot cheaper, but you only need this many if you can sell them.
Printers like Lightning Source work so fast these days that you should not fear going out of stock unless your book requires special binding or paper, and it’s right before Christmas. And don’t forget the Espresso Book Machine for a handful of copies.
Typically crooks and bozos do not advertise that they’re crooks and bozos, so you need ways of checking out vendors:
* Search in Google for the “[name of the company] + complaints.”
* Ask if anyone in your social-media circles has used or heard about the company.
* Search for the company on the Better Business Bureau website: http://www.bbb.org/.
* Search for the company at Writer Beware: http://accrispin.blogspot.com/ and Preditors and Editors: http://pred-ed.com/.
Finally, if you do get ripped off, you should let your fellow authors know so that they can avoid the same fate.
Guy Kawasaki has written 12 books, 10 of which were traditionally published. His newest book is APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur - How to Publish a Book, which helps people understand how and why to self-publish.
