February 29, 2016

Leap Day!

Did you pay attention to the date today? I'm not sure why, but I've been really looking forward to February 29th this year. It feels like a bonus day, almost—and I could really use a bonus day.

Perpetually behind; perpetually stressed personally, familial-ly, and professionally; perpetually overwhelmed. That's been 2016 so far—and I know that's true for many people out there. So how great is it to have an "extra" day this year? A day to reset, or to catch up, or simply to pause and take a breather.

And if you need a romantic distraction, consider the Amy Adams movie Leap Year!

How will you spend your bonus day??


February 22, 2016

Printing Books with @IngramSpark: the Problem Persists

Update: I have finally received a correct shipment! Read on for the whole story.

I question the intelligence of writing this post, because as authors, we're so often told to keep any problems—rejections, bad reviews, etc.—under wraps. But this problem I've had with getting correctly printed books (through IngramSpark) has gotten ridiculous. And it's been pointed out to me that readers, and other writers, like to see behind the curtain, to know what's happening, and to see the less-than-smooth road. This post is for people like that. If you prefer to leave the author's life & the ups and downs of the behind the scenes kept out of your view on a book, you should stop reading.

Okay, for those of you who are still with me, you probably know that I've written before about why I originally chose IngramSpark over CreateSpace (the two biggest POD providers), and about the first time I received incorrectly printed books in January. To recap: 

Originally, I chose IngramSpark because:
  • They are known for better quality.
  • They have a more fair earning structure for all book sales outside of Amazon, including for international distribution. And the earning structure with Amazon is still comparable.
  • They offer the trim size I like (5x7), which CreateSpace does not.

Two out of three points are still true. But what has happened to the quality?? Here's a recap of my experience this time around (Mortal Musings didn't have these problems):
  • Early January, I ordered two test prints. These came with horrendously messed up margins, tiny on some pages, huge on the others. Unacceptable, but it was two books. So, I filed a claim with Ingram Spark.
  • Mid January, I received two correctly printed test print replacements. Problem solved, right? (That's the update in the last post on this topic.)
  • Soon afterward, I ordered a large shipment of print books to have on hand, for giveaways, in-person events, etc. 
  • Those books came with the exact same problem as the first ones. So I contacted Ingram, filled out the forms, explained that I had release events coming up and I needed correctly printed books ASAP, etc. It took a while, but the customer service rep & I seemed to understand each other. They placed a replacement order and eventually sent me return shipping labels. (There was actually more drama and delays in there, but I'm trying to be concise.)
  • Replacement books came a few days before the book release not only with the same problem, but also with a new one!! The cover was now wrapped incorrectly, with the front cover going onto the spine.
    • Let's not forget, at this point I had received two correctly printed & bound books! I know it is possible, they just can't be bothered to do it correctly.
  • So I went through the same claim process again. And though Ingram Spark has drastically stepped up their customer service game in recent months, implementing a live chat feature and such, it still takes days for anything to actually be done, because no one there seems to understand that this is a time-sensitive issue! 

    By the time I heard back, it was after the release. Same spiel: send us a claim form, and photos of the problem, and we'll send you shipping labels to return the books to us, and then we'll place a replacement order. Not okay. So I convinced the rep to send me the replacement order without waiting the 10 days for the books to arrive at their office. I also sorted through the books I had & just in case chose the least messed up ones to have on hand for the event planned at the library, because Ingram left me no choice. (I'm actually a little relieved those didn't end up being necessary.)
  • Friday, I received the third batch of books. Now, remember when I said this was a big order? Already, thousands of sheets of paper have been wasted, not to mention time, shipping costs (on their end, at least), etc. And guess what? This newest shipment has a third problem! So now I have books with:
    • Noticeably uneven/inconsistent margins.
    • Covers wrapped incorrectly.
    • And weird air bubbles trapped under the top layer of the cover:

Pretty, right? (OY.) So much time spent on the interior layout and the cover design, and the printers can't seem to do their job! I've been through the spiel of IngramSpark customer service reps trying to blame me for these problems, too. But each time they send the files to their techs, those confirm that the files I uploaded are correct and these are printer errors. Meanwhile, they keep telling me that their quality assurance reps check these orders. Really??

Literally, each round of books shipped has had a new problem. And it's incredibly infuriating and frustrating. The part of me that's an author who's spent so much time bringing this book into the world wants to cry. The part of me that's an entrepreneur is at a loss. Who has absolutely ZERO pride in their work like this? How can they be okay with wasting not only my time, but also all of that paper and all of that money (theirs) on reprinting equally problematic books?! 

And I have no way of knowing if books printed at a different facility are affected, because apparently (as I found out Friday), the system automatically puts each shipment in at the most geographically proximate printer, and therefore all of these problematic books—and the two good oneswere all printed by the same place. So I can't even get new books printed somewhere else with the hope that this is only one printer having these problems. I'm stuck.

Honestly, I don't know what to do. I wouldn't blame any of you for holding off on ordering print books, though I hope other printers won't have the same problem. If you have ordered a book through any retailer, please don't hesitate to return copies that have problems like this for replacements

Because all I can do is keep fighting, and keep insisting they actually do their job and send me correctly printed books. I have no idea when that will actually happen. I am so unbelievably disappointed in this experience with the Ingram Content Group. It's ridiculous—especially because I have two correctly printed books that show if someone just gave half a damn, they could have gotten me properly printed books a month ago.


So there's your glimpse at the "glamorous" life of being an author. While this is being sorted, I have also started looking into local printers who can do a short run for me to have on hand, even though that will likely mean spending money on revamped interior and cover files, not to mention the money for the print run itself. Money I've already spent at Ingram, for this nightmare. As one friend put it, it seems Ingram's new motto should be: 

Lowering your quality expectations with every shipment.


Update: As mentioned at the top of this post, the issue has finally been resolved. So if you've been waiting to order your print copy, now's the time!

In happier news, there's still a little bit of time left to enter the Mending Heartstrings blog tour giveaway!

February 15, 2016

Mending Heartstrings: the Tour Continues

Last week was quite the whirlwind with all the release celebrations and giveaways—and we're not done yet! Mending Heartstrings was bought in five different countries, and it received some absolutely lovely reviews, including:
"I read ‘Mending Heartstrings’ in one sitting because I was instantly hooked on Kane and Elle’s story. Glazki has written this story beautifully and couldn’t have made you connect with the characters any more if she tried. Her writing style is that of which a lot of authors could learn from. She ensures that the sentences flow perfectly and never did it feel ‘forced’." (Megan at Published Moments)
"I am surprised and delighted by how much I enjoyed Mending Heartstrings. The romance was real, with all the ups and downs that make us know we are alive and in love." (Sherry Fundin)
"A sweet piece about people trying to get to know each other, fall in love and find a way to be together...The characters are down to earth, with real life (well, as real life as you can get when one of you is a recording artist) issues and interactions.  You can totally put yourself in their shoes." (Romantic Reads & Such)

Check out the tour schedule below for more reviews, as well as guest posts, excerpts, interviews, and of course the tour-wide giveaway! If you haven't yet had a chance, pick up your copy of Mending Heartstrings here:

Amazon: US - UK - CAN - AUS | Smashwords 
iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Or you can also:



Free shipping (through 2/21) with code: MHRELEASE


Tour Schedule


February 8:


February 9:


February 10:
February 11:
February 12:
February 15:
February 16:
February 17:
February 18:

February 19:


Poetry Books YA (Interview)
Lightning City Book Reviews: Review & Interview
Fundinmental (Review & Guest Post)
Romantic Reads & Such (Review & Excerpt)
Spreading the Word with Denise & Donna (Review)
Nicki Elson's Not-so-deep Thoughts (Guest Post)
Author Margaret Locke's site (Guest Post & Interview)
Published Moments (Review)
A British Bookworm's Blog (Excerpt)
Nadaness in Motion (Guest Post & Interview)
Caught Between the Pages
Nights of Passion (Interview)
What's Beyond Forks (Review)
The Lovely Books (Review)
Around the World in Books
Check back daily for updated links!

And don't forget to add Mending Heartstrings to your TBR:


Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

February 8, 2016

Mending Heartstrings Release-Week Festivities!

It's here! Mending Heartstrings officially releases tomorrow, which is coming up in just a few hours depending on your time zone. Pick up your copy here:

Amazon: US - UK - CAN - AUS | Smashwords 
iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Or you can also:



Free shipping (through 2/21) with code: MHRELEASE

Join the Festivities!


There are lots of fun things happening over the next couple of weeks, and many ways to win some very cool prizes.

To start off, there will be a blog tour. Follow the schedule below (which will be updated with links as posts go up) to check out the interviews, reviews, and guest posts and to enter the blog tour giveaway!

February 8:


February 9:



February 10:
February 11:
February 12:
February 15:
February 16:
February 17:
February 18:

February 19:


Poetry Books YA
Lightning City Book Reviews: Review & Interview
Fundinmental (Review)
Release-Day Blitz – Extra Giveaway!
Romantic Reads & Such (Review)
Spreading the Word with Denise & Donna (Review)
Nicki Elson's Not-so-deep Thoughts
Author Margaret Locke's site
Published Moments (Review)
A British Bookworm's Blog
Nadaness in Motion
Caught Between the Pages
Nights of Passion
What's Beyond Forks (Review)
The Lovely Books (Review)
Around the World in Books

Twitter Release-Day Giveaways!


Between 12AM ET February 9th (9PM PT February 8th) and 4:59AM ET February 10th (11:59PM February 9th Hawaiian Time), Tweet a buy link for Mending Heartstrings and be entered to win!
  • Automated tweets from the Rafflecopter giveaway don't count.
  • Don't forget to tag me (@AriaGlazki) and use #MendingHeartstrings in the tweet!
  • See the top of this post for buy links.
  • 2 winners will be selected randomly. Prizes:
    • Winner 1: Mending Heartstrings  fold-up bag
    • Winner 2: Autographed magnetic cover art print
Or, retweet any of my tweets about the release (in that same timeframe) for another chance to win an autographed art print!

For yet another way to win, enter the Goodreads giveaway! And don't forget to add Mending Heartstrings to your TBR:



In the South Bay?


Join me on Valentine's Day for A Day of Romance at the Cupertino Library!

February 1, 2016

3 Whole Years! Anniversary Celebration & Giveaway

Who can believe this week marks three entire years since I first started blogging?!? I owe huge thanks to those of you who have stuck with me since the beginning, encouraging me along the way! To those who've joined me more recently, thank you for jumping aboard for the journey. And to any recent friends, welcome!

Photo credit: Mr.TinDC via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
And how else could I celebrate than by giving away books! To spice things up, I'm going to give away a mystery box—so you won't know which books you're getting until they arrive. But I will tell you:
  • Some books are autographed.
  • Some books are new, some were read by me, and some come from used bookstores, but all are in good (or great) condition.
  • Books range from YA to Adult, and some will have explicit scenes, so be prepared.
  • Box is a medium-sized priority USPS box. 8 books inside already, and plenty of room left, so there will be lots of books!

Enter Below!