Storm's Herald Free Promotional

A peasant girl who dreams of becoming a sorceress, a boy who imagines himself a knight - trailed by a ruthless mercenary armed with an ancient blade.

Book 1 of the Stormfall Chronicles will be available for FREE on Kindle from 28 March - 1 April 2022.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYK9QHC

Stormfall Chronicles Book 1 Trailer

To kick-off the New Year, I've assembled a (very) short video advertisement featuring Book 1 of the Stormfall Chronicles. Just a bit of video fun.

Hope everyone else had a great New Year's Eve.

Tenth Review for Storm's Herald on Amazon

This past week, the tenth review was posted on Amazon's US website for the first book in the Stormfall Chronicles - Storm's Herald.

Another humbling reminder that every review is appreciated, particularly for an author who is just starting out.

Review for Book 1 on Bookshine and Readbows

I was excited to see Storm's Herald, the first Book in the Stormfall Chronicles, reviewed by Steph Warren on Bookshine and Readbows this past week. To quote from her review:

"The characters are interesting and have plenty of room to grow and develop as the story progresses.  Lynette and Baxter both confounded my initial impressions of them, by having hidden depths and individual motivations, causing them to occasionally act in unexpected ways.  I particularly liked this character complexity."

So glad she enjoyed the book.
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2020/07/06/storms-herald-j-w-golan/

Review for Book 1 Appears in "Diary of a Wannabe Writer"

Thrilled to see a review for Storm's Herald, the first book in the Stormfall Chronicles, appear on Anie's "Diary of a Wannabe Writer". To quote in part from her review,

"My favorite thing about the story was the world created. As I read the story, the world became alive. It has a very good magical system (love those :)), lots of magical creatures and interesting history of the world. I liked the way the world and how it became that way is slowly revealed through the storyline, so it doesn't take away from the flow of the story."

So glad she enjoyed the novel:
https://diaryofawannabewriter.blogspot.com/2020/05/storms-herald-by-j-w-golan.html

Stormfall Chronicles Appears in The Faerie Review

I was delighted to see the lovely reviews posted for Books 1 and 2 of the Stormfall Chronicles, on The Faerie Review. To quote in part:

"I absolutely love it! Vivid imagery and a story that captures the reader from page one makes this a fun and enchanting read. The characters and setting are rich and well-developed, definitely a story anyone can enjoy regardless of age."

Thanks again Liliyana. The complete review can be found below:
https://www.thefaeriereview.com/2020/04/check-it-out-stormfall-chronicles.html

Book Review on the Beebliophile

Thrilled to see a review for my first novel, Storm's Herald appear on the Beebliophile blogsite:

"When I got to the end of the book, I was very thankful to have the sequel next to me because I really wanted to know what happened next."

So glad that Bee enjoyed the book. The rest of the review can be found below:
https://beebliophile.com/2020/04/12/storms-herald-review/

Review Appears on Amazon

I was thrilled to see Gwendalyn's review for Storm's Herald, which had previously appeared in Goodreads, appear on Amazon this week (it's common to have a little lag).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1YBN1CXLQRMP

Review of Storm's Herald on Goodreads

I was delighted to have Storm's Herald, the first novel in the Stormfall Chronicles, reviewed by Gwendalyn on Goodreads. To quote from her review:

A compelling, intriguing, and well-written read right here. With three dimensional characters that are fleshed out. I felt connected with them and drawn into their lives. The narration flows perfectly and has the classical old world style that I completely enjoyed.

So glad she enjoyed the first installment in the continuing story.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3247897461?book_show_action=true

Extended Review for Storm's Herald Featured on Lia Dospetti's Website

I was delighted to see Lia Dospetti's extended review for Storm's Herald, the first novel in the Stormfall Chronicles, released on her website. Lia describes the novel as:

Intense and adventurous Epic YA Fantasy that reads like High Fantasy for adults in a "vintage" writing style that’s a perfect fit for the world built.

So glad she enjoyed the book.  Thanks again, Lia for agreeing to review my debut novel.

https://liadospetti.com/blog/storms-herald-book-review

Review and Author Interview for Storm's Herald

I was excited to see Gina Rae Mitchell's review for Book 1 of the Stormfall Chronicles go live on her website this weekend.
https://ginaraemitchell.com/review-storms-herald-by-j-w-golan/

The review appeared previously on Amazon. Her website edition, however, also includes an author interview.

Thanks again Gina for reviewing my debut novel.

Stormfall Chronicles Appears on YouTube

Just wanted to send a thank you to book reviewer and blogger Lia Mara Dospetti, who featured Storm's Herald and Storm's Clouds among the novels she is currently reading:
https://youtu.be/fYS49-Wk3Y0

The video is in Italian, and while I must confess my Italian is more than a little rusty (having never learned Italian), it's exciting to see the series being read.

Sixth Review for Book 1 Appears on Amazon

I was thrilled to see the sixth review for Book 1 in the Stormfall Chronicles appear on Amazon this week:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3FIFG0IC6GNM9/

Many thanks again to Gina Rae Mitchell for reviewing my debut novel. You can check out her blog at the site below:
https://ginaraemitchell.com/

Storm's Herald: Blog Tour Blitz

Today Indie Blog Hop will be sponsoring a one-day promotional blitz for the first title in the Stormfall Chronicles, "Storm's Herald"

https://indiebloghop.wordpress.com

Many thanks again to Paige and everyone else who has helped support the Indie Blog Hop.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYK9QHC

A peasant girl who dreams of becoming a sorceress, a boy who imagines himself a knight – trailed by a ruthless mercenary armed with an ancient sword.

All Lynette wanted was to leave her boring village life – to attend the Fae Academy and become a Druid priestess like her teacher before her. Her clumsy attempts at magic are a reminder of how much she has yet to learn. But if they would only accept her, if the Fae Kingdom – closed to human visitors for centuries now – would only just open its doors, she is certain she could become a master of the magical arts.

Yet her journey puts her on a collision course with a reawakened evil – offering a king’s ransom for the recovery of a long-lost relic. Treasure hunters of every variety – werewolves, mercenaries, common thieves and undead alike – are soon locked in pursuit of its promised riches. Together with Baxter, a young squire who fled his own kingdom, and Eirlon, a gnome who trades in rare antiquities, Lynette is drawn unwillingly into the hunt for the elusive relic.

Hounded by goblins, ogres – and darker things – Baxter carries his own burdens: secrets that have made him the enemy of the crown. And then there is Garth, the mysterious mercenary who both frightens and intrigues Lynette: the weapons-master armed with an ancient blade – snatched from the hand of a long-vanished fae prince.

Willingly or not, Lynette, Baxter and Eirlon must together solve the riddles behind the relic – and stay one step ahead of the ruthless killers that pursue them.

Storm's Herald Reaches Number 1 in Fantasy Fiction in the UK

I recently completed my first BookBub ad campaign, aimed at my first book, Storm's Herald this past weekend. I'll probably write a little more on the subject at a later date, but I did have at least one, very interesting outcome.

All of my previous marketing efforts have had minimal impact on increasing the number of books picked up within the UK market. True, the UK market is smaller than that of the U.S. - with a population that's roughly 20-percent of the United States. But the UK is nonetheless the largest native English-speaking market outside of the USA.

I was therefore gratified to see my book reach #1 across multiple Fantasy genres within the UK. Even if this was for a limited time, on a "free" promotional basis, it was still really good to see.

I'm not sure if this is an anomaly, or if BookBub ads are just better poised to reach these readers than other tools have been. Only time will tell.

I hope that my UK raiders enjoy the first installment, and come back to find the second novel when it's released in December.

Book 1: Third Book Review on Amazon

It's been a busy week - with my second novel released for Pre-Order, and all of the preparation and effort that goes into a successful launch. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't also mention that my first novel had its third customer review posted on Amazon this past week (which was also the fifth rating-or-review to be posted on Goodreads).

I would like to extend my thanks to Blogger and book reviewer Janey Merry for taking the time to read Storm's Herald and compose her thoughts and impressions into a review. I'm glad she enjoyed the novel. To quote from her review:

All in all, a lovely read. The story is very engaging. I fell in love with the characters, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in their adventure!
https://www.janeymerry.com/bookreviewspage/golan

I very much appreciate the feedback from reviewers, and do try to take any suggestions or criticism to heart. It was in response to a previous reviewer, for example, that I decided to add a comprehensive character listing into the end-matter for both Books 1 and 2 (if you'd already downloaded Book 1 before the addition, just re-download and the new end-pages will appear).

Promoting customer reviews has been one area where I have been very much behind the curve with the release of my first novel. I will be trying a few different strategies with the release of my second book, to hopefully encourage more reviews up-front.

Storm's Herald - Character List

As the Stormfall Chronicles continues to evolve, I've realized that having a list or directory of characters could come increasingly useful, both for myself and my readers. I have therefore assembled a list of characters from the first book - which I can continue to add to as the second book progresses.

Thanks again to all of my readers.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1d8rM6p1uFCxwIXay2--LgriaQe_rHaZw

Promotional on the Best Seller List

As anyone who has thought about becoming an indie author should already be aware, a large part of success as an indie writer will be tied to successfully marketing our own work. Whereas for a traditional publishing house, finding reviewers, author interviews and advertising are all handled by the publisher, as an indie author all of these activities become the responsibility of the author.

I have been running an Amazon promotional for my first book this weekend - with the eBook being available for free on Saturday and Sunday, May 4th and 5th:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYK9QHC

This was not my first free promotional, but it was the best organized, with my book being featured on a number of promotional sites.

I was therefore gratified to see my book coming in Amazon's #1 slot for both the "Teen & YA Coming of Age Fantasy" and the "Sword and Sorcery Fantasy" eBook categories. True, these are the rankings against other free books, but it also means that I have succeeded in getting my book in the hands of a wider audience.

For those who have or might have downloaded my book, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks - and hope that you thoroughly enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Having our books read, and reviewed by readers, is part of the lifeblood of an indie author.

Paperback Edition of "Storm's Herald"

I have finally published a paperback edition of Storm's Herald:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1799212165/

On the one hand, most indie authors of fantasy fiction understand that the vast majority of their book sales will be through eBooks. However, there are still a few readers that prefer to hold a book in their hand, including a number of potential reviewers. I therefore decided to release a paperback edition of the book, in addition to the eBook version.

A few observations from the paperback release the process:

• Formatting a manuscript for a paperback edition is slightly more complicated than publishing an eBook edition. Left and right hand margins need to alternate, to allow the book to be bound. Moreover, the size of the font and the page sizes need to be adjusted to match publishing requirements. This is very different from the eBook version - where font selection and font sizes are adjusted automatically to reflect the preferences and settings of the individual reader or device. In addition, the fonts selected need to be embedded into the electronic document for submission to the printing house.

• Having been through this process once now, I can say that the format templates provided by Amazon were very helpful. It is nonetheless essential to go back through the proof copy of the page layout after the manuscript has been submitted, to be sure that everything loaded as anticipated.

• Although the Kindle Direct website suggests that it's preferable to submit the paperback manuscript as a pdf file, I found that it was actually easier to submit the manuscript directly from my MS Word file. The pdf option produced errors that did not occur when submitting the MS Word version of the same document. Go figure.

• Another difference between the eBook and the printed version of the document, is that the Table of Contents needs to be embedded in the manuscript as text - not as a hyperlinked table. The hyperlinks tend to produce errors when submitting, and the page numbering sequence also doesn't seem to match once the conversion to a printer-ready version has been made. I had to manually verify that the page numbers in the Table of Contents were still in alignment with the proof document.

All told, however, the process was easier than I had thought it might be. Certainly much easier than the writing and editing process that generated the manuscript.

Storm's Herald - First Book Review

I am pleased to have received my first independent review for Storm's Herald, from Josh Grant:
https://diabolicshrimp.com/reviews-11/

To quote from the review:

There’s something about a fantasy world, when well crafted, that just draws me in. . . . Storm’s Herald has all that, really anything you could want in a fantasy novel, and it’s well-written to boot.

Many thanks Josh.