Recent content by Olli Tooley

Everybody can write, but most people are much better at doing other things. Looking around at how very many "wannabe" authors there are, it seems the field is as flooded as it is in all the arts. Hence the money being terrible for 99% of authors. Many who do write and don't earn much are very...

If Books Butterfly contact me about it, I will politely tell them that I consider my $70 wasted. If they decide to give me a refund then that is their choice, but the terms of the original deal gave no guarantees because I went for a full price promotion. Any refund would be a goodwill...

The big question is, has anybody used Bookbub and what were the results?

Here's a wee update for any other authors looking at paid promotions Books Butterfly, which was actually recommended to me by Book Barbarian, has turned out to be the biggest waste of money in my career so far. $70 (not $75 as I stated in the previous post) and I did at least get some sales...

Update on Bargain Booksy I got about another dozen sales attributable to them. Maybe a few more. So I have just about made back my $25 investment, but it took two goes, while Book Barbarian did it in one. The last one to go in this week is Books Butterfly, which got me zero sales last time...

Just got an email notification from Freebooksy (Bargain Booksy) saying the emails are going out today at 9 and 12 EST So that's a couple of hours ago, and an hour from now, I think. This is a re-run after I paid $25 three months back and only got about a dozen sales from it. They offered to run...

I've been trying all sorts of stuff for my books. Most with rubbish results. Facebook ads have never given me anything worth the money put in, and it is galling to find, (as with Wollfen's Twitter experience) that the ads had been served to people who do not speak English in countries that were...

I like the cover, but like others have said, the synopsis is not grammatical, and even some of the parts that are, don't really flow or "feel" right. I'm sorry, it is immensely hard to explain adequately why I say that last part. (I may just be wrong) The immediate assumption for me would be...

Oh, yes, ha ha! Absolutely terrible for a 3 year old I was thinking about this again last night, and I was a bit confused. Surely there are dozens, if not hundreds of fantasy stories for small children. Snow White, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Pinnochio ... the list goes on and on. Am I...

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents might be good, and is a good introduction to Pratchett Or "The Wee Free Men" of course, the first in the Tiffany Aching series. I can't recall if they HAVE chapters though. :confused:

Ha! I dived in thinking maybe here was a legitimate opportunity for some self publicity, but no. Mine are for those who have already finished Harry Potter and looking for something a teeny bit older. KY Eden (who I publish) is also a little older. at least in the Harry Potter age range. And Ben...

I also went to Pompeii. An amazing place. Always odd when you actually stand in a place and realise how big it is. Much amusement on going round one house overhearing a group of teenage Americans* expressing surprise that the entire house lacked a roof. I had to explain that the rooms had...

I haven't seen that in my research. Not that I am an expert by any means. Basically, the Roman attitude the homosexuality was that it was alright but don't go on about it, and definitely don't be the subservient partner. It was much more ok to be the dominant partner. Nevertheless, it was...

Yes, there is certainly plenty of potential to explore. There is a huge difference between Greek and Roman attitudes, but different sexuality was a thing in both societies. Sulla was undoubtedly not heterosexual (choosing my words carefully as not able to say gay or bi for certain) As you say...

It's not quite as simple as it sounds. He was almost certainly not bisexual, although there will never be any proof either way. An early faux pas in his military career left him open to accusations of homosexual activity, which he vociferously denied. Of course, the stain could never be removed...