Good News & Amazon Central Author Account

Hello, and Happy Monday! I promised some news on Friday. Last week, I got an acceptance (or re-homed, as I like to call it) for a short story, Know Thy Neighbor. It will appear in the April issue of Under the Bed Magazine. I believe it will be Vol. 3, No. 7. I'll post the cover and purchase information on Monday, April 6 (release date is April 4.)

By Prawny, clker.com

Sadly, the piece I reported as having been shortlisted was rejected, but I've turned it around and re-submitted elsewhere. Still, the more things get shortlisted or receive personal notes with rejections, the closer I feel to my goals.

Speaking of goals, I hadn't set up an Author Central account with Amazon, because I thought the fact that I wasn't "tagged" or listed as an author on the anthologies I was in meant I couldn't have them credited to my name. (By listed as an author, I mean the top of the Amazon page under the title where authors are listed.)

However, when visiting the page for Of Mist and Magic, I noticed that someone not tagged/listed at the top of the page was showing up under the "More About the Authors" section that appears under the reviews. A short investigation showed me that someone could create their Author Central account and add books they're published in as long as they can prove they're in the book. Happily, most of the books I have pieces in list the contributing authors in the book description, which made it easy. And the one that didn't, had the sample "Look Inside" availability, which included the index.

In one evening, I was able to set up my account. By the next day, the anthologies I was part of had been added to my publications. It was all quite simple! So I thought I would pass it along to those who may be like me, unaware that this is possible.

To set up your account, go to www.amazon.com/authorcentral. On the right-hand side, you will find a sign-in section, with a spot underneath that asks if you're new to Author Central. Click on that to create your account.

It appears that using your pre-existing Amazon account (as in, for me, the account I make purchases with) allows them to confirm you more quickly, as you already exist in their database. Because of this, I set it up under my personal email instead of what I consider my business email. That's okay, though. Not a big deal. But it might be for you, so head's up.

If there are names similar to yours, it may pull up accounts and confirm that you are or are not the person that account belongs to. What will happen if you are, I don't know. I wasn't, so I moved on past that point.

Once in, you will have the ability to modify your portfolio and add your books. There is a landing page that gives you tips on setting up your account, and has tabs that lead you where you need to go. You can add several photos (I just have one of my headshots there now) and a bio, plus you can link to your Twitter account and blog.

There is a "Books" tab, which is where you will select "Add Books" and begin that process. There are options that allow for sole authorship, being part of several contributing authors, and various others. The process is fairly smooth and simple. Do each book separately. You'll want to include proof that you are in the book if it isn't solely under your name. For me, that meant directing them to where they could see it on Amazon itself, but if my name hadn't been visible on Amazon, it sounded like they would have allowed for referring them to a website or the publisher for that proof.

When all this information is plugged in, you'll find you have a lovely profile page that shows your bio, photo(s), linked information (like tweets and blog posts), cover images, and links to each of the books. You can view mine HERE.

I'm looking forward to discovering how linking to a magazine I'm published in works. I'll find out in April!

I'm limiting my information about Author Central to the basics, as I'm certainly no expert. Mine was just set up in February, and other than adding in the basic information, I haven't had the opportunity to do much with it yet. Feel free to link to your Author Central account in the comments, and to offer any tips or information you know about using your page.

Do you have your Amazon Author Page set up? Any tips or tricks you want to share? Do you post yours in bios or include in submissions?

May you find your Muse.

Author Headshot Tips

I had the opportunity to get headshots at a recent Pikes Peak Writers event, which sent me into a fear spiral of sheer anxiety. As someone who avoids looking in the mirror, let alone having photos taken, I had no idea what to do. What I did know was that I've read over and over that you must have professional headshots taken or risk everyone knowing you took it yourself and not taking you seriously. Gasp, the horror! Take me seriously!

BEFORE

Up to now I've been coasting along using the selfie that currently resides as my profile picture here on the blog. That selfie was taken because I needed a photo for the blog. No makeup, but hey, at least my hair was done. It's gotten me this far, so I won't abandon it entirely, but it's not a professional photo, and it doesn't even pretend to be.

During my panic, I posted for tips on Facebook and spent way too much time reading headshot tips online. I even did a search on "author headshots" in images and studied them. I was a little freaked out when I discovered curly hair wasn't a thing in headshots. See, I have naturally curly hair. When I asked a friend of mine, who also happens to be a hairdresser at a salon, she said it's because curly hair can tend to look messy in professional shots.

Sad face.

Happily, there were plenty of tips out there, and I figured I'd compile them and pass them along in case any of you are in a position to spazz out over getting your photos taken.

In no particular order:

1. Get lots of sleep the night before. (Easy for them to say). Set it for a time where you are at your most awake/energetic. (Again, easy for them to say. That time starts at about 9 PM for me.)

2. Ladies, wear makeup. Fella's, sometimes you need to, as well. Consider going in to get your hair and makeup professionally done. (I had my hair done that morning by Christine at Total New You Salon, but did my own makeup, which was not my first choice, but there wouldn't have been time for me to get my makeup done since I was also working at the event.) Make sure the professional doing your hair and/or makeup is familiar with makeup for photo shoots, as there might be differences between those and every day wear.

3. Stay hydrated. (I can drink water!)

4. Know what colors work well with your skin tone. (I have no idea, but blue seems to work.)

5. Do not wear any strong patterns, such as stripes, polka dots, or florals. In addition, don't wear jewelry that will overpower your face. You want them looking at you, not your clothing, not your jewelry. It's a headshot, not a fashion shot.

6. Take an alternate outfit (or a couple) to change into to see what works best. I did have a different option, but stuck with the one I went in with. One of my fellow writers getting headshots kept the same outfit on, but added a scarf for some of the photos. Try some photos with a blazer/jacket on and some with it off. Mix it up.

7. Be mindful of your particular genre. Headshots for a romance author might be different from headshots for a horror author. A good photographer will take your genre into consideration.

8. Be comfortable. Be yourself. If you're comfortable, you're confident. If you're uncomfortable, it will show.

9. Don't look sexy. Surprising? A lot of tips I found said no cleavage and no looking sexy. Even for romance writers. They said it can turn off a number of readers, which is really the opposite of what you're going for in every way possible, right?

10. Go with a photographer you're comfortable with. Look at their websites/photos. Talk to people. Get recommendations. Chat with the photographer. Look at their website. I really, really, hate having my photo taken. I don't even like looking at photos of myself. But the photographer who did my headshots is someone I know, someone whose work I already knew of and respected, and someone who is excellent at chatting with folks and putting them at ease. That's the full package right there. (My photographer was Jared Hagan, who will be doing headshots at Pikes Peak Writers Conference this April, as well.)

11. Don't let the photographer over-edit. Editing some blemishes is fine, but you don't want to look like a weird plastic version of yourself, do you?

I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite shots from the photo shoot. The first two are the serious professional ones (and are the same photo), and the third one is aimed directly toward my writing horror. (Photographer: Jared Hagan. If you're in the Colorado Springs area or nearby and are looking for headshots, email jawhagan@hotmail.com.)

I'll see you guys as a co-host for this month's IWSG on Wednesday!

What do you think? Which photo should I go with? Any tips I missed? What has your experience with headshots been like?

May you find your Muse.