Author: sarahshipleyauthor

Kingdom of Links is Live on Vella Now

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Click here to read the first 3 episodes free…

Come check out this fun and exciting new episodic story platform. (Amazon Vella is only available in the US right now. I’m hoping it will be more widely available soon.)

What is an episodic story?

I had the same question when I first heard about Vella and I’m happy to fill you in…

An episodic story is a story told through a series of episodes, released on a schedule, sorta like episodes in a T.V. series. The cool thing for you, the reader, is that on Amazon Vella, you get to start the book for FREE! You get to read the first 3 episodes (chapters) and find out if the story pulls you in and if you want to read more. If you decide you like where the story is going and want to read more, you purchase only one episode at a time. By the time you are done with the story it will have cost you approximately the same as if you’d bought a book outright. Because you are only paying for only one episode at a time, you can choose to stop purchasing episodes whenever you want. If you get bored with the story, or you decide 10 chapters in it’s not a good fit for you, you are only out a portion of money instead of the full cost of a book. Episodic stories also force fast readers to slow down and enjoy each episode. It can be fun anticipating the next episode release. After you read your first 3 free chapters getting the next episode is easy. There is a symbol of a key in the upper right hand corner of your screen and you can click there to purchase keys to unlock the next episode. How many keys are needed to unlock the next episode are based on the word count of the next episode. This means you only pay for exactly what you get. You also have the opportunity to give direct feedback to the author and might even get the chance to influence how the story plays out in the end.

Sound like fun? Come check it out!

Free episodes from Kingdom of Links available now! Click here

Kingdom of Links Launches Aug 1, 2021

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Born into the lowest Link in a kingdom of shifters, Ashley’s goal is simply to keep herself and her little brother alive. Unable to control her shift until she’s of age, she lives a life of careful control. When the queen requests her presence at the palace, Ashley must rely on an old friend and new allies, or she’ll be squashed within the week. But can she trust anyone? This story of stinging betrayal, ruthless competition, and a slow-burn romance will hook you from the very first episode.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

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This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

  • Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
  • Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

  • Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
  • What topics do you think you’ll write about?
  • Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
  • If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.