Author's Blog: Dani Amore
Blog: Dani’s Independent Author Network
Twitter: @authordaniamore
E-Mail: dani@daniamore.com
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LinkedIn: Check Out LinkedIn
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Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest
Author Description:
Dani is a award-winning mystery novelist living in Los Angeles. Her latest book is THE CIRCUIT RIDER, an Amazon Kindle Serial, which is high on the Amazon list.Dani first novel, DEATH BY SARCASM, cracked the Top 100 Mysteries on Amazon.com.
She says, 'I take a great deal of pride in writing the kind of books I like to read: incredibly fast-paced, a lot of humor, and real people in real relationships usually trying to do the right thing. My readers are the best people in the world, I love to hear from them and I answer all emails.'
SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author
You are off to a fantastic start in the self-publishing world. A start that so many other authors can only dream of. Can you share with us the first few steps that you took that were critical to your success besides writing quality stuff?
Bemused detachment. That's my secret. When I first started and my book, DEATH BY SARCASM, would bring in $8 in sales for an entire month, I found it amusing. I wound find something at the grocery store that cost exactly that to celebrate: usually, a six-pack of Heineken. And then I would keep going. Keep writing. Get excited by my stories. And then, when I sold more, I found humor in that, too. And I kept going. Kept writing, kept publishing.
The ability to separate the two, writing and selling, is essential. I look it as writing is my job. Looking at sales is kind of like checking out what's going on with the neighbors. Oh, my! Mrs. Higgins needs to clean her gutters - look at all those leaves!
What is your main marketing thrust now? How does social media fit into your marketing strategy? Do you do any traditional type things like public appearances, signing literature, etc.?
The main thing is to connect with my readers. I answer all of my emails, friend requests, tweets. An ongoing discussion with people who read my books is the best thing about being an author and other than the writing itself, the thing I enjoy doing the most. I've met a ton of great folks and am thankful every day for their friendship and support. One year I'm going to do an author tour and I'm only going to visit my fans. The people who encouraged me early on and still do. I'll supply the beverages.
Do you have any plans to start publishing your ebook in a paper version, sort of reversing the tables on traditional publishers?
My Kindle serial THE CIRCUIT RIDER, will be published as a paperback by Thomas & Mercer. My plan is to start publishing all of my ebooks as paper books, too. I just don't have a timetable yet.
We have had several of the Indie Chicks in the Author’s Spotlight. What a group of outstanding people. I feel so strongly about the group, I added their book in the list of your credits below (You are a co-author). What is the main thing that you get out of this association? Why is the book so successful, besides having outstanding authors?
Being a part of the Indie Chicks has been amazing. It's just a fantastic group of hard-working, talented, wonderfully nice people. I'm honored to be a part of it.
I notice that you’re also a member of the IAN group. They also have a great selection of authors. What is your goal in belonging to organizations and groups of fellow authors?
Before I published my first book, I reached out to quite a few authors. I'm sure some of them don't even remember me. But people like Steve Hamilton, Jon Jackson, Bill Eidson and John Wessel all helped me in various ways. I like talking to other authors and I think as a community we're very supportive of each other.
Steven King published a novel in pieces when ebooks first came on the scene. Now you are having great success in the Serial market. Can you tell other authors how the Kindle Serial program is working out? Did you start by writing a large document and then publish the pieces or are you publishing and writing as you go along?
It's been a great experience and I've enjoyed working so much with Thomas & Mercer. They are a bright, conscientious, highly innovative bunch. I did not write the whole book first. In fact, I had only written the first episode. So it's definitely been an intense experience.
I plan to do more serials, and I think the next time out I might try to write a first draft of the whole book. Then instead of writing each new episode from scratch, it would be more like a shaping and revising process for each new installment. Doing it that way would also still allows me to take reader feedback into account, something I've enjoyed a great deal on THE CIRCUIT RIDER.
Have you tried to use book trailers in your marketing?
I have done book trailers and have no idea if they helped or not. My favorite quote on advertising is: 'I know half of my advertising money is wasted. I just don't know which half.'
I have read that you use two professional proofreaders. (Great move.) How much outsourcing do you do to being your books to market?
Having outside help, especially with editing and proofreading is essential. I've got a whole team of great people I work with. There are no shortcuts. If you don't invest in putting out a professional product, it will probably be more expensive to you and your brand in the long run.
Author's Book List
Killing The Rat
Mafia lowlife Tommy Abrocci wants two things: to disappear into the FBI's witness protection program, and to do so with as much of Detroit mob boss Vincenzo Romano's money as he can steal. Unfortunately for Abrocci, Romano has no intention of letting a traitor get away with his money...or his life. But when Abrocci decides to celebrate his heist by hooking up with a high-priced call girl who is pulling one last trick in order to save her son from a notorious drug dealer, a botched murder attempt gets the attention of the FBI who is desperate to find their wayward snitch. One thing rapidly becomes clear: bullets fly, blood flows and no one is safe when you are...Killing The Rat. "Dani Amore is a sensation among Kindle owners who love fast-paced thrillers." -Mystery Tribune"Mover over, James Patterson. Dani Amore has arrived!" -Amazon.com A Top 10 Hardboiled Mystery and Police Procedural for Kindle!
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The Recruiter
What would happen if a military recruiter refused to take no for an answer? In this gripping thriller, Samuel Ackerman has one dream: to become a Navy SEAL. But after dropping out of the legendary unit's training program known as Hell Week, he is forced to become a recruiter in his small hometown. In order to earn a return trip to SEAL training, he must have a successful turn as a recruiter. As he soon proves, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. "Readers of Steig Larsson and John Grishman will love Dani Amore. Whether you fancy new murdery mystery novels, or bestselling crime books, this writer's prose is sharp and lethal. You've been warned." -killerebooks.com
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To Find A Mountain
Set in Italy during World War Two, TO FIND A MOUNTAIN tells the incredible story of a young woman named Benedetta Carlessimo.
When Benedetta's house is taken over by the German Command and her father is forced to fight for the Germans at the front lines, she is left alone to protect her family and survive the violent, battle scarred German soldiers living in her home.
Ultimately, Benedetta engages in a very real fight for her own survival, with the lives of those closest to her hanging in the balance.
TO FIND A MOUNTAIN is an unforgettable portrait of a war, a family, and a young woman who faces terrifying evil with incomparable bravery.
TO FIND A MOUNTAIN is based on true events.
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Dead Wood
In the exclusive enclave of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a woman who builds custom guitars is murdered. A disgraced ex-cop turned private investigator is hired by the dead woman's father and immediately becomes the target of a violent ex-convict. An enigmatic music star performs damage control on her links to the dead woman. And a professional killer who idolizes Keith Richards is brought into town by a mysterious employer.
Dead Wood is what great mysteries are all about: love, hate, faith and vengeance, all wrapped up in an explosive story that simply refuses to let up.
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The Killing League
In this tense, spellbinding thriller, a retired FBI profiler uncovers THE KILLING LEAGUE, a competition among active serial killers to prove who is the greatest killer, and learns that he and a woman whose life he saved are the grand prize.
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Murder With Sarcastic Intent
- The 2nd Mary Cooper MysteryIn the follow-up to the international bestselling novel DEATH BY SARCASM, Los Angeles based private investigator Mary Cooper is hired to track down a missing child.
The case quickly leads her into the seedy underworld of LA's pornography industry where Mary's on again off again boyfriend Jake Cornell has been working undercover for the LAPD.
As Mary investigates, she soon uncovers a world in which no one is who they claim to be. Armed with her .45 and a heavily sarcastic wit, Mary vows to rescue her client's daughter and bring her captors to justice.
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The Circuit Rider
- Kindle SerialThe Circuit Rider is a fast-paced, action-packed serialized Western.
In a wild land full of lawlessness and sin rides Mike Tower, a traveling preacher known as a Circuit Rider. Circuit Riders travel from town to town, offering their services to those in need. Tower is a man of mystery, utterly fearless though he carries no gun. As he sets out on this latest circuit, is he riding toward a new beginning, or running away from a former haunted life?
Bird Hitchcock, a woman known for her skill with a gun and love of the bottle, has taken the job of protecting Mike Tower on his journey to the West. Yet as she and Tower ride, they quickly find themselves on the hunt for an elusive killer who is brutally murdering women. Protecting Tower seems less and less important as Hitchcock discovers a link between her past and the murderer – will she finally get a chance to exact revenge and find redemption?
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Death By Sarcasm
- The First Mary Cooper MysteryDEATH BY SARCASM introduces mystery readers to Mary Cooper, a Los Angeles area private detective who masks her true, caring nature with a razor-sharp, heavily sarcastic sense of humor.
In DEATH BY SARCASM, Mary learns that her uncle, a former stand-up comedian has been murdered. She is asked to assist in finding the killer by both the police and family members. Mary quickly discovers that her uncle's death was just the opening act for a bloody rampage. As Mary investigates, she exposes a dark and deadly legacy with mysterious links to her own past.
DEATH BY SARCASM careens through Hollywood, Catalina Island and the posh mansions of Malibu, with nonstop action and unforgettable characters.
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Indie Chicks: 25 Independent Women 25 Personal Stories
This exciting anthology contains stories from twenty-five women from different parts of the world. Their ages differ, as do their backgrounds and locations, but one thing they all have in common is a spirit of independence and a determination to not only succeed, but prevail.
Whether their struggles are to maintain balance between motherhood and career, escape from an abusive relationship, or to step out in faith and pursue a dream, all of these women have forged their own path. As women, one of our most powerful 'gifts' is the ability to encourage one another.
This book is an effort to encourage women across the world. These twenty-five women share stories that will make you laugh, inspire you, and maybe even make you cry. Their hope is that these stories will inspire YOUR independent spirit and allow you to live the life you were meant to live.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to a charitable organization that fights breast cancer.
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Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the HBS Author's Spotlight plus the blog: eBook Author’s Corner. Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.
Great interview Dani! I'm so happy to have met you through the Indie Chicks. Much continued success with your novels.
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