Tag: mona shroff

A self-published author's diary, Friday Feature, podcast, Self publishing, Self-pub corner, writing

Feature Friday on the podcast: Talking with Mona Shroff about writing romance, a baking contest and receiving “the” calls…(+ Giveaway)

Elodie

So many books came out this week. Which ones did you get? Or request from your libraries? I need to write two raving reviews for CINDERELLA IS DEAD and for PRETTY LITTLE WIFE. Hold me to it. Next week, I need to start with “I wrote the reviews.” Yes, next week on Friday. I am not planning on releasing an episode this Tuesday. In terms of schedule, I will release episodes every Friday and every two weeks on Tuesdays. Don’t worry I’ll continue discussing my self-publishing adventures. Today, after the chat, I’ll quickly talk about time…

I am just about to start reading WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce. What are you currently reading? Leave me a message. I’ll select a few to read on the podcast. And don’t forget you have any questions to either leave a comment on my blog, send me an email or leave a voice message. 🙂

Before starting today’s chat: have you seen the Books For Hope auction? The KidLit Community is coming together to raise money for the Covid crisis in India!  Bid on Signed Books, Book Swag, Editor and Agent Critiques and more and help raise money for the Unicef USA India Covid Relief Effort! The organizers are US-based children’s book authors with roots in the Indian subcontinent. And there are a lot, a lot of items to bid on. All for a good cause! https://www.booksforhope.org The auction takes place on May 7th to May 9th.

Today for Feature Friday, I am so so happy to welcome Mona Shroff. Per her bio on Harlequin and Mona is obsessed with everything romantic, so she writes romantic stories by night, even though she’s an optometrist by day. If she’s not writing, she’s making chocolate truffles, riding her bike, or reading, and is just as likely to be drinking wine or gin & tonic with friends and family. She’s blessed with an amazing daughter and loving son who have both gone to college. Mona lives in Maryland with her romance-loving husband. She’s the author of: THEN, NOW, ALWAYS and THEN THERE WAS YOU. You can find Mona on Instagram.

Giveaway time!

Do you want to win one of Mona Shroff’s books? Just hop on to my giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc23/?

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Writing romance, a baking contest and receiving “the” calls…

Today on the podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more), contemporary romance author Mona Shroff (author of THEN, NOW, ALWAYS & THEN THERE WAS YOU) about the time she met Martha Stewart (and almost met Matthew McConaughey), her writing process, receiving the calls from her agent and book deal and how falling in love isn’t the solution for all our characters’ issues.

When it comes to my self-publishing and writing update: This has been a pretty busy week on my side…and while I made progress on my revision, I haven’t made as much progress as I wanted to. I think we all have these weeks, right? Contemporary romance author Mona Shroff who is on the podcast today shared on Instagram today a repost from Emily Duvall which said, “Respect your writing time.” And that’s something we had discussed with L. Penelope last week on planning that writing time…I’ve been doing Pomodoros. 25 minutes and then a short break and I think that if I start talking in Pomodoros instead of saying I will do something for an hour then it works better. I am going to carve some writing time this weekend…

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Numbers: The Book That Had 23 Preorders and…became my most read book. – A self-published author's diary: The Ups and Downs of Self-Publishing (and everything in-between)

This is a numbers episode. I'm going back to the archives a little bit (back to the future, kind of) to talk about a book I released in 2015 that had 23 preorders and became one of my most read books.A Summer Like No Other launched at 99 cents. I had a whole plan — cover reveal with Xpresso Book Tours, NetGalley, YouTube videos, a blog series called The Making Of, emails to readers who had reviewed my first book. I got 23 preorders. In the first three months I made about $200.That same book has now been downloaded 66,550 times in English: 40,279 audiobooks, 24,414 ebooks, and 1,360 paperbacks. Best month was May 2024, with 7,930 downloads.The French version, Un Été Pas Comme Les Autres, had 20 preorders. It's now perma free, has been downloaded 48,368 times, has 1,843 ratings on Amazon France, and the translation got picked up by a publisher that was part of Hachette — which is how I became a hybrid author.So preorders really don't make or break a book.I also talk about:Dictation finally working for me — two days this week with more than 6,000 words, which hasn't happened in foreverA very funny dictation fail from my walkLast week's newsletter (Elodie Now): 205 subscribers, 48.19% open rate, 0.49% click rate, one unsubscribeFun fact: more than 50 subscribers across Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and I didn't know that until this week. Thank youThe two YouTube videos that helped me with dictation:Real Time Dictation Session: Dictate and Edit a Scene With Me — Alyssa in the Books https://youtu.be/I7rpvAGPgv4?si=4Oju1Ob5MjjukVNcBook Dictation for Beginners — The Courtney Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUVQ2vd_w1MThe Margie Lawson Deep Edits packets: Deep Editing, Rhetorical Devices, and More: https://www.margielawson.com/product/deep-editing-rhetorical-devices-and-more/Make Endings POP! Deep Editing Style: https://www.margielawson.com/product/make-endings-pop-deep-editing-style/PublisherChamp: https://www.publisherchamp.com/If you'd like to tell me you're listening and where from, I would love to hear from you: authorelodienowodazkij AT gmail.com
  1. Numbers: The Book That Had 23 Preorders and…became my most read book.
  2. This isn't a grand gesture …
  3. My Self-Pub Weekly Diary: Some Wins, Some Wobbles, and Absolutely Zero Words (on My Manuscripts)
  4. My F***-It Book: She Had Cancer and Still Gets a Holiday Steamy Rom-Com
  5. New Release Hiccups, Metadata, Pen Names, and Mild Panic
A self-published author's diary, Books, cover, Giveaway, writing

The One With The Giveaways: win a book by L. Penelope and a book by Mona Shroff…

Elodie

As part of my “A Self-Published Author’s Diary” podcast, I am chatting with authors on Fridays. And whenever possible, I am giving away a copy of one of their books. On Friday, April 30th, I talked with award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope and this coming Friday (May 7th), I will share my conversation with contemporary romance author Mona Shroff.

My newsletter subscribers automatically get 5 entries in each giveaway, so don’t forget to subscribe (readers’ newsletter or weekly self-published author’s emails) Plus you’ll help me choose the cover for #TheLeftoverBride…

**** Special pre-order price of $0.99 Amazon, iTunes, Kobo.****
Add it on Goodreads.

A second chance romance set during the holiday season in a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore: full of laughter and heartwarming moments (and some sexy moments), checklists, family dynamics, a stubborn cat, and a rescue dog.

All Sorcha O’Connor wants for Christmas is for her life to turn into a Hallmark movie—but sexier.

Ryan Sawyer has a few things on his wishlist. First, he wants to stay away from Swans Cove. Second, he wants his NHL career back. And third, he wants Sorcha. Always has, always will.

Enter the giveaways…

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

  • Giveaway to win one of Mona Shroff’s books

    • a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

    Follow and subscribe to my “A self-published author’s diary” podcast:

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    The behind-the-scenes of self-publishing and writing with Elodie Nowodazkij, author of first kisses, second chances, things that scare the crap out of her and things that make her laugh out loud. Elodie’s been self-publishing since 2014.

    You can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more…

    Numbers: The Book That Had 23 Preorders and…became my most read book. – A self-published author's diary: The Ups and Downs of Self-Publishing (and everything in-between)

    This is a numbers episode. I'm going back to the archives a little bit (back to the future, kind of) to talk about a book I released in 2015 that had 23 preorders and became one of my most read books.A Summer Like No Other launched at 99 cents. I had a whole plan — cover reveal with Xpresso Book Tours, NetGalley, YouTube videos, a blog series called The Making Of, emails to readers who had reviewed my first book. I got 23 preorders. In the first three months I made about $200.That same book has now been downloaded 66,550 times in English: 40,279 audiobooks, 24,414 ebooks, and 1,360 paperbacks. Best month was May 2024, with 7,930 downloads.The French version, Un Été Pas Comme Les Autres, had 20 preorders. It's now perma free, has been downloaded 48,368 times, has 1,843 ratings on Amazon France, and the translation got picked up by a publisher that was part of Hachette — which is how I became a hybrid author.So preorders really don't make or break a book.I also talk about:Dictation finally working for me — two days this week with more than 6,000 words, which hasn't happened in foreverA very funny dictation fail from my walkLast week's newsletter (Elodie Now): 205 subscribers, 48.19% open rate, 0.49% click rate, one unsubscribeFun fact: more than 50 subscribers across Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and I didn't know that until this week. Thank youThe two YouTube videos that helped me with dictation:Real Time Dictation Session: Dictate and Edit a Scene With Me — Alyssa in the Books https://youtu.be/I7rpvAGPgv4?si=4Oju1Ob5MjjukVNcBook Dictation for Beginners — The Courtney Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUVQ2vd_w1MThe Margie Lawson Deep Edits packets: Deep Editing, Rhetorical Devices, and More: https://www.margielawson.com/product/deep-editing-rhetorical-devices-and-more/Make Endings POP! Deep Editing Style: https://www.margielawson.com/product/make-endings-pop-deep-editing-style/PublisherChamp: https://www.publisherchamp.com/If you'd like to tell me you're listening and where from, I would love to hear from you: authorelodienowodazkij AT gmail.com
    1. Numbers: The Book That Had 23 Preorders and…became my most read book.
    2. This isn't a grand gesture …
    3. My Self-Pub Weekly Diary: Some Wins, Some Wobbles, and Absolutely Zero Words (on My Manuscripts)
    4. My F***-It Book: She Had Cancer and Still Gets a Holiday Steamy Rom-Com
    5. New Release Hiccups, Metadata, Pen Names, and Mild Panic

    As always, thank you for reading and listening!

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